Demyx's return to the castle was even worse than either of the boys could have foreseen...
The castle was filled with the cries of sadness and dismay as the mullet-haired boy related his story, presenting the deeply slashed saddle to confirm their fears. It was an ambush, he cried! An ambush by petty thieves, who cared nothing for the prince's kind heart and gentle nature, but more for tiny metal coins he supposedly had in his pockets. Demyx had fought off the men as best as he could, but he had been separated from his friend, and, by the time he had reached Roxas again, it was too late.
His throat was slit, his body and possessions stolen by the fiends. There had been nothing left but the horse, the remains of the saddle, and the faint traces of blood staining the rough, old leather.
In the chaos that ensued, the people were too busy to notice the forlorn young man passing a small velvet box to the castle lord, murmuring soft, quivering words of assurance. Vexen's face was solemn and stony, but none who looked upon him could deny the harsh delight glowing faintly in his eyes. The mouth that just barely twitched up into a smile, or the creased brow that seemed to relax ever so slightly at the news.
What Demyx had failed to mention, however, was the true nature of the box's contents. For inside, in place of the prince's heart, as he was ordered to collect, there sat the small, simple heart of a boar. A wild pig the boy had fortunately found just at the edge of the forest. Only he knew the details of the switch, the simple exchange that allowed Roxas another chance to keep his life and come back to his people someday...
The Lord accept the ruse without a question. So did the people, for that matter. Soon everyone in the kingdom set about to prepare for the prince's funeral, as well as burying their already faint hopes for a better future. Vexen retired to his chambers early that day, to 'grieve' for the prince in solace and silence, or so he claimed. And it was at this time that Demyx mingled among the sobered servants, finding Pence and Olette, who Roxas loved and trusted dearly, and told them the hidden side of this most tragic story.
"Oh, Demyx! You let him go off alone?" the girl whispered nervously, as they closed the door to the kitchens behind them and sat at the long counter on the side wall. The staff had mostly left for the day, having been given the day to mourn and reflect. "He has no idea of the danger he faces in that forest!"
"Olette, please!" Pence soothed softly, placing a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Not so loud!"
"But what if something happens to him out there?" she shot back, shaking the pudgy boy furiously. "What if he's sick, or hurt, or-"
"O-OLETTE!"
Demyx watched the two of them sadly, as he pulled up a stool and sat behind them.
"He's right, Olette. There's nothing we can do about it now..."
"But he-"
"No." the blond said firmly, calmly prying her hands off of Pence. He looked solemn and stern as he spoke to her, an unusual side for the normally sunny, excitable boy.
"We have to be patient, and have faith that he's going to come back. It's hard enough, with everyone so glum and sure that he's dead, but we have to make do. We don't want Vexen to suspect that he's still around, or we risk putting him in even more danger."
The brunette ceased her hysterics, and Pence sighed loudly, leaning his elbows on the table and resting his head wearily.
"What a mess this is..."
"It's messed up! That's what it is!" Olette added in angrily, pounding her fist lightly on the counter. "How could anyone do something like that? It's too cruel, especially for Roxas..."
Demyx said nothing but simply stared at his lap, his expression guilty. Roxas had forgiven him, and he had been able to spare his friend that day from a horrible death, but the event would never be erased from his mind. Ever. He never wanted to see his friend so lost and terrified like that again, and if he could, the older boy would have raced back and followed him. Anything to ease his no doubt long, lonely journey. And as much as he didn't want to, Olette's words were still eating away at him, even if he wasn't the real target of those fears.
Now it was Demyx's turn to sigh. Was he staying warm? Had he found somewhere safe to stay? There were so many things that could go wrong...
Just then, to the mild shock of both boys, Olette stood up suddenly, her expression determined and strangely bright. She looked between the two of them briefly, then nodded.
"Right! We can't just sit here moping and fearing the worst. Last you saw of him, Roxas was alive, right?"
The blond nodded. "Uh...yeah..."
"Then we just keep working like nothing's changed. We can pass this along to Zack and some of the others, but we can't let the information go too far, or old Vexen might hear about it."
Pence smiled a little, looking much more enthusiastic than Demyx.
"Yeah! Roxas will be back before we know it, so we just gotta keep thinking positive!"
"But not too positive," Olette said, smiling slyly. "Then Vexen can still catch on."
"Right!"
The two of them looked over at Demyx, their eyes shining with new hope and determination. The blond wasn't sure if he could summon up the same faith and excitement that they were, but the least he could do was agree. In his heart he hoped that Roxas would be alright and come home safely, and yes, there was still a large amount of guilt in him for what he had done...or more, what he had almost done. But the boy smiled faintly at his eager friends, nodding in affirmation.
"So we're agreed!" Olette said proudly, turning to chat softly with Pence about some little idea she had. Only Demyx seemed to notice another presence in the room, his eyes narrowing with suspicion and slight fear as a shadow passed from under the door...
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Axel's shoulders slumped low with exhaustion, as he trudged back on the path to his humble home. Work had never been so miserable in his life!
Really now...I'm sick ONE DAY, and Xaldin's gotta be all over me about it... he grumbled inwardly.
Oh well... he thought, stopping a moment to stretch out his back and groan as an audible crack echoed through the small area. I wonder what the prince is up to now...
Normally, thinking about going home and having to entertain a guest was not on the list of Axel's favorite things to do. In fact, living secluded in the woods often meant no visitors at all, a fact that Axel appreciated greatly. But somehow, despite the stereotype of royalty being picky, stubborn, and unconsciously rude to the common folk, Axel felt himself actually looking forward to sitting down to a quiet, humble meal with the young prince. And it would indeed be humble, whether Roxas liked that or not.
The redhead chuckled at the thought as he finally reached his home, drawing the key out of his pocket to unlock the door. There didn't seem to be any candles lit in the whole place; obviously there was no fire burning in the hearth either. Which explained the distinct chill as Axel stepped through the door, shivering as he decided that for once he would keep his cloak on.
"I'm home!" he called loudly, looking down the empty hall as his eyebrow slowly raised. "Roxas?"
The room remained dark and silent. Even as Axel's eyes adjusted, he reached for a candle on the table nearby and spoke a soft spell over it. A tiny flame popped into being just at the end of the wick, and Axel held the base firmly as he kicked off his boots and made for the living room. The couch was empty, and for a moment the redhead worried that leaving a strange boy alone in his home may not have been the best idea.
"Roxas?"
As calmly as could be, the boy walked toward the kitchen, as he slowly became aware of a soft little noise just up ahead. When he finally reached the tiny room, Axel stepped in cautiously and lifted the candle, preparing to strike should the need arise. But then, as the darkness parted away from the light of his candle, the redhead smiled warmly at the sight that greeted him.
Roxas was lying half across the small kitchen counter, his head resting on his arms and tilted slightly towards Axel. The sound he had been hearing was apparently the little blond snoring; it only sounded a little strange because the boy was still recovering from his illness. He shivered a little in his sleep, and looked a little too pale for Axel's liking.
Nodding to himself, the redhead left quietly, but returned a moment later with a thick, woolen blanket, as well as the now cold soup that had been hanging over the fireplace. He set that in the sink before draping the warm cloth over Roxas's shoulders lightly, chuckling a little as the blond sighed in his sleep. With that, he lit a few more candles, then came back and gently shook Roxas by the arm.
"Roxas..." he whispered, "Wake up, kid..."
There was a soft groan, and a few blond spikes ruffling as the head turned to face him, blue eyes blinking groggily.
"Uhn...Axel?...What...What is it?"
The redhead smiled kindly. "You should eat something. From the look of the soup, you haven't touched it all day."
"O-Oh..." The boy looked down, guilty. "I'm sorry..."
"It's okay. Don't worry about it this time. Just remember that I'm not really made of money, so we need to make use of everything we've got."
Roxas bit his lip, still looking away. "Okay..."
The blond stood up slowly, stumbling a little because of how sleepy he was. Axel let him lean heavily on his shoulder as he figured things out, and while Roxas was still distracted by that, the redhead finally noticed how warm the boy felt. It wasn't that same sickly warmth he had felt earlier, but more of a nice, pleasant, friendly warmth.
So okay, maybe there were a few perks to having a guest...
A light tap on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts, and green eyes looked down into deep, deep blue.
"Axel?" The blond head tilted to the side in question. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just great, actually..." he said, stepping back and stretching out his back again. Just like before, it cracked loudly. "Work can be real murder on the bones out here, Roxy..."
An indignant snort followed. "Roxy?"
The redhead grinned back, walking over to the cabinet were all of his soups were contained. "I like it! It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Another snort. "You make me sound like a prostitute."
"Hardly," Axel chuckled back. "Although you do have the face and figure for it."
A scowl crossed Roxas's face this time. "Says Mr. Curvy Manhips over there..."
"Hey! I got these babies from my mom, thank you very much!" Axel then bent down, despite the little aches it caused him, and began rummaging through the little cabinet. It wasn't long, however, before he noticed something rather odd...
"Roxas?"
The blond turned to him slowly, still not looking very amused.
"What?"
"Were you messing around in my cabinets today or something? Everything looks...neat..."
Roxas scratched the back of his head sheepishly, hoping he hadn't crossed the line by doing a good deed.
"W-Well, I went to get a bowl earlier, and the cupboards and drawers were all filthy! I'm kind of a neat-freak, you see, and well...I thought that maybe I could help you out a little. Make everything look nicer and easier to find...so..." And he looked away, feeling a slight blush tinting his once cool cheeks.
Axel gaped a moment in disbelief, getting up quickly and checking out the rest of the house. Sure enough, everywhere he went, even his bedroom, everything was clean and nearly spotless. He was amazed to think that a boy who could barely walk this morning had somehow managed to clean the whole inside of the house from top to bottom, especially when Axel himself thought that cleaning was, by far, the most obnoxious and pointless chore he ever had to undertake. Everything he ever cleaned or washed would always getting dirty again, sooner rather than later...
"Wow, kid...Just, wow..."
Roxas appeared beside him a minute later, still clutching the blanket around his shoulders against the chill. His blue eyes were searching Axel's face with a slight nervousness; looking for approval.
"Was that okay? I mean, I left everything where it was and all, and I didn't go through your closet or anything. I just...wanted to help out a little, and I knew I wouldn't be able to do much like this, so I..."
And to his surprise, as he stuttered out a bit more, Roxas found warm arms around him once more, this time lifting him up into the air and whipping him back and forth like a rag doll. The blond squeaked at the sudden crushing hug, and even felt a little nauseous as the world spun beneath him. But soon enough, he was back on his wobbling feet again, as a warm voice chuckled in his ear.
"You really are something, Roxy," Axel said, smiling down at him with a big, wide smile. "I can't remember the last time the floors were clean enough to eat off of!"
And in that brief moment, Roxas was captivated by that face; by the strange but elegant tattoos that rested just beneath his gleaming green cat eyes, By the red hair the spiked much like his own, but longer and billowing out behind him like a regal lion's mane. And now by this sweet smile, this little kind gesture that made him forget, if only for a moment, everything that had happened or would happen. Just for a moment...
And then it was gone again...
"Don't call me Roxy!"
"Well, what would you prefer? Shortie? Shrimp? Pipsqueak?" Axel asked, his tone serious but his eyes betraying the laughter there.
Roxas growled back, shoving away and stomping back towards the kitchen.
"Why can't you just call me 'Roxas?'" he muttered to himself. He either forgot Axel was listening, or he just didn't care. But the redhead smiled after him, laughing at how young and cute the pouting prince was before following him back in to restart his original quest.
"Okay, so...we have soup...canned beans...uh...more soup...more beans...and uh...more soup," Axel said, as he turned to look back at Roxas, blushing a little. "It's not much, but take your pick..."
Roxas sighed loudly, before his grouchy face reverted to a small smile.
"Whatever you're having is fine..."
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The time passed quickly, and the soup was very nourishing, but soon Roxas found himself growing sleepy again. He rubbed at his eyes almost constantly now, and Axel put out the fire thoroughly before catching him by the shoulder and pointing down the hall.
"I think it's about time we turned in. What do ya say, Roxy?"
The blond scowled again, albeit with half-lidded eyes, and nodded stiffly. He allowed himself to be guided back towards the bedrooms, but when Axel began leading him towards his own he felt puzzled, and more than a little nervous. He was sure he'd seen a guest bedroom while he was cleaning that day...
"Um...Axel?"
The redhead pulled him in and shut the door, going over to his old, creaky wardrobe and pulling out a few warm clothes.
"Now, I don't have much that will fit you completely. We need to barter with a trader soon or go to the market to get you some clothes that fit right, but for now I can give you these. They're nice and warm." Then he chuckled a little. "The last time I wore these, I was a boy, probably about...3 or 4 years younger than you are now."
"Axel?"
The redhead looked up, meeting the nervous blond with a smile. "Yes?"
Roxas fidgeted, his hands twisting in the fabric of his shirt. "H-How long am I allowed to stay with you?"
Axel frowned at that, looking pensive.
"We can talk about that if you feel better in the morning..."
"Really. I think I'm fine now-"
"Nope!" Axel interrupted, coming over to him and tossing him the clothes quickly. "It'll take more than one day to get over your fever, and I don't want you worrying too much and making it worse, alright?" He then sat down on the bed and began pulling his shirt off slowly. "I promise we can talk more about it in the morning. Early, early morning," he grumbled to himself. "But, for now, sleep."
Roxas nodded and change into the clothes quickly. When he had finished, and turned to go to the door, a warm, calloused hand gripped his arm lightly, calling his attention back.
"Sleep here tonight, kid. It'll get cold at night, and that can also make you sick again if you're not careful." He patted the bed space beside him and smiled kindly. "It'll be warmer if there's two of us, and, between you and me, I really hate cold. And I mean HATE it."
After a moment's hesitation, Roxas nodded. That made sense. So he came over and crawled into bed next to Axel, nestling under the covers with his back to the other boy. He could feel the warmth radiating from the redhead in waves, and the gentle flow of breath as he inhaled, then exhaled. Inhale...exhale...
Axel sighed with contentment. It was sooo much nicer having someone else there to be an extra blanket! And Roxas seemed like a pretty good kid. So what if he know had no idea where everything was, now that it had been cleaned and organized so precisely? That was actually kind of nice too, in a practical way.
He was very curious now about why the boy was so far from home, but refused to press the matter. As he rolled over to say a quick good night, he smiled as he saw Roxas already curled up in the sheets, snoring again. He watched for a few minutes, then gently ruffled the boy's golden hair.
"Good night, Roxas..."