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(A/N: A third chapter went up yesterday.
The song at the end of this chapter is once more 'Confrontation' by Anthony Warlow, as is the dialogue at the very end of it. I may remove it in the future and figure out some other way to get the point across, but it's hard to beat the song when it's already so descriptive and animated.
Also, pre-warning, the next chapter might bump this story up to an M. In fact, it probably will.)
Confrontation
They joined up with Edvard and Louise at the front door. Jekyll walked out with them. The knights lingered a little behind and broke away to go to a separate carriage. Jekyll paused outside the coach as Edvard climbed onto it. Louise made to follow, but Jekyll caught her hand, tugging her lightly back. She turned, giving him a curious look. "You really are ravishing," he said, a tender smile on his lips.
She smiled in amusement. "Thank you, Doctor," she replied. "Now enough flattery, Henry. Come on."
"I'm afraid I won't be going with you this time, my darling. There is some business I need to attend to with the Knights," he answered.
She frowned in a measure of concern. "Is something very wrong?" she asked.
"With them? No," he answered. More diverted, really. Something indeed was very wrong with him, but not with them."
Louise relaxed and smiled at him again. "I'm disappointed Henry. I had hoped to spend a little more time with you," she said. "I was visiting the Southern Isles and Franz for days with Edvard. He's arriving in London tomorrow you know. Oh doctor, his little boy is the most precious thing. He's growing so quickly. The most beautiful child I've ever seen."
Jekyll felt his heart twist a bit. She had really lost her heart to that little one, hadn't she? That would be quite a large advantage in Franz's favour, he knew, but he didn't dwell on it. Ultimately it may be for the best anyway, if she chose Franz instead. "I'm sorry my love. Next time. I promise. You know my practice keeps me busy."
"I know," she said with a somewhat frustrated sigh. Nonetheless, she offered him an understanding smile. "Henry, please don't overwork yourself," she said. "I'll see you soon."
"Yes, you will," he answered, smiling at her. He bent his head, gently pecking her cheek, then bowed to her. She smiled and climbed aboard. He waited for the coach to leave before turning to the knights' coach and approaching it. Lot was waiting for him outside.
"You aren't obligated to come with us you know doctor," he said.
"There are some other matters I would like to discuss before we call it a night," Jekyll replied.
"Very well," Lot agreed.
"Might we speak on the top?" Jekyll asked. Lot raised an eyebrow but then shrugged, climbing up where he and Jekyll would be in private. More or less. They sat near the back so the coachman couldn't necessarily eavesdrop on them, and the coach started off to the hotel in which the knights were staying…
Frozen
Lot watched the passing scenery as the coach rode on, silent and lost in thought. Or memory more like it, Jekyll suspected. It seemed to him that Lot's meeting that woman that had reminded him so much of Morgause had brought back memories the man would sooner forget. Though maybe not for the reasons most would think. Regardless, Lot seemed to be in a funk.
"I couldn't help but notice…" Jekyll soon began, attempting to breach conversation.
"Notice what?" Lot questioned.
"When the question of marriage to that woman came up, you didn't seem as appalled at it as I had thought you would be," Jekyll tentatively remarked. "It seemed your biggest qualm was subjecting Mordred to her. I suppose I just wondered why. Surely you don't miss her?"
Lot sighed in frustration and turned to him. "My relationship with Morgause was a hot mess. Emphasis on 'hot'. Our dynamic was… complicated."
"Did you love her?" Jekyll carefully asked.
Lot paused, closing his eyes. "It's complicated," he said again, shaking his head.
"Then let me try it this way. If it were not for Mordred, would you have wed that woman?" Jekyll asked.
Lot sighed through the nose in frustration. Silence hung between them as he looked out to sea. "Yes," he finally answered. "And even then, she would have been no sort of replacement for Morgause."
Jekyll was quiet. "So, you will not call what you felt for your wife love, but you will not claim it was hate either."
"Morgause. She was…" the man began before trailing off.
"Something else?" Jekyll supplied. Lot gave him a curious look. "It's how Duke Carl described that woman at the party. "I believe his words were 'she's something alright', or very similar to those."
Lot nodded. "Yes. Morgause was something," he dryly answered. "She was my equal. There was nothing the either of us could get up on the other. We matched wit, ruthlessness, violence, banter, authority… I think perhaps we tried to hate each other, but the more we tried the closer we drew. Attempting to push one another away, attempting to hate one another, generally ended up in the bedroom. She liked dominance. She found that attractive in a man for whatever reason. Commonly I was likened to a wolf. In my ways of discipline, in my methods of leadership, in my prowess on the battlefield… The Dire Wolf they called me. It fed into her power fantasies, it fed into her lust for position and prowess, and I was capable of conquering her. She loved every aspect of me. She liked that I wasn't gentle with her. She liked that I allowed her to do whatever she pleased, but wasn't afraid to step up if she crossed an unspoken line. She liked that I could subdue her. She liked that she could subdue me as well. A word or a touch or a treacherous murmur… It was a constant game of control between us." He trailed off a moment then wryly chuckled. "Oh I would have been a beast, if not for my noble upbringing. Because of said upbringing I was far better behaved and refined, but even if I hadn't been, she would have chosen me still. I had a good head on my shoulders, good common sense, a self-preservation instinct, and a surprising amount of tact. She liked that as well because power without a brain would have gotten boring for her."
"And you?" Jekyll pressed.
Lot shook his head, a bitter and somewhat dark smirk crossing his lips. "And I loved every moment of it. Oh how I loved it. The game, the rush, the hunt, the struggle… Gods I miss that. I miss meeting my match every day," he said.
"But the children," Jekyll carefully prodded.
"Yes… My little ones… They were not their father and I would not have wished a relationship like what I had with their mother on any of them. I loved my wife, but I loved them more. She could play all the games she wanted with me, but when she turned them on our children? No. That's where the line was drawn, and that was the one well-defined line we had in our games. If she crossed it, she invited my wrath, and oh how I brought it down on her… But where my children were my strength, they were also my weakness. She seized it and she didn't let go… I think I'm done with this psychoanalyzing you're doing."
"I merely seek to understand," Jekyll answered.
"Understand this. I will always put what's best for my children before what pleases me," he said.
"You were pleased, then, with the woman at the party," he said.
Lot wryly smiled. "Very much so. But knowing what pain and suffering and tragedy Morgause helped cause, even if she never initially meant for it to go like it did, being 'pleased' is not enough," he answered. "That woman may not be her, but she was too much like her for my comfort. I reiterate I will not put Mordred in further peril than he's already in."
"She never meant for it to go like it did?" Jekyll asked.
"She would have liked her brother's head on a platter, but that was it," he said.
"And the kingdom?" Jekyll asked.
"In a sense," Lot answered. "She wanted the birthright she believed she was owed to be returned to her, and she wanted the throne of Camelot to fall to her son, if it couldn't fall to her husband. Hell, she would have settled for it falling to almost anyone who wasn't Arthur. As far as she was concerned, Uther's bloodline needed to die out with the sole exception of Mordred. Uther hadn't deserved the throne in the first place, as far as she was concerned. Uther was the cause of her father's death. He never actually wanted Gorlois dead, but his actions caused the man to die nonetheless and Uther, though upset by it, wasn't exactly broken-hearted either. It meant Igraine was free of her marriage bond. She was who he and Gorlois had fallen out over. Arthur and Lancelot's relationship echoed Uther and Gorlois' later. On top of Uther's actions leading to her father's death, he went to her mother in the guise of Gorlois and tricked Igraine into sleeping with him because she thought he was her husband. It was basically a form of assault, only Igraine wasn't overly displeased with it when she learned the truth. She had felt herself starting to fall for Uther too, hence the reason she'd left so willingly and urgently with Gorlois. She had wanted to avoid that temptation at all costs and urged Gorlois on, even when he considered going back at Uther's request to try and smooth things over. So, in a sense, her actions also helped lead to her husband's death. That was something she never forgave herself for. Mind you that even despite all of it, Igraine wasn't happy with Uther's trickery. She wasn't ashamed or devastated or resentful, just angry and upset. Gorlois' death hurt her far more than Uther's trickery did, because she knew it was in part her fault and hated herself for it. When Uther 'died', his death hurt just as much as Gorlois' had."
"But Morgause was not so forgiving as her mother was," Jekyll said.
"And believed Igraine shouldn't have been either. Maybe she was right, maybe she was wrong, but it happened as it had happened, that was it," Lot said. "Anna let her hatred for her brother consume her, and she formed out of her hate something that she couldn't control."
"Mordred," Jekyll said.
"Morgan didn't help matters either. In fact, she worsened them," Lot confirmed.
Jekyll was quiet, taking it all in silently. "Who do you feel would be the best option to marry that woman, aside from you? Amongst the knights up here of course," he soon asked.
"Galehaut was right to claim that Meleagant would be. He would prove a match for her because he was a match for Morgan, but it's more complicated than who would be the 'best option'."
"Because of the Dark Prince," Jekyll said.
"Yes," Lot answered. "Hence the reason we'll take some time to think it over and see where it goes from there. I don't relish discussing it further though, least of all with Meleagant. Meleagant didn't take kindly to his father suggesting marriages to him, and he isn't taking kindly to me doing so. I almost hope to gain audience with the Dark Prince instead. He would be far more open to the idea, but I have little love for that man." Jekyll nodded in understanding and the rest of the trip was spent in silence.
Frozen
Once at the hotel, Jekyll joined himself to Meleagant. "That was… brave," Jekyll ventured to say. "Agreeing to become that woman's suitor. At least one of them."
"It was stupid. Probably selfish," Meleagant corrected. He looked at Jekyll. "Men like you and I can't live normal lives. Not normal like most see normal," he said. "It isn't a thing that can happen. We can learn to live with what we have, in that sense we can try, but we can't live normal lives. Marriage? Children? We can't have those. Maybe marriage, maybe, if the woman's particularly understanding or shares a similar ailment, but children? No. It would be so selfish… Wouldn't it?"
"That depends, I think," Jekyll answered, recognizing the young man's mounting anxiety over this matter.
Meleagant was quiet. "I don't know if I can play this game… I don't know what he would do to her. I sure as hell know what he tried to do to Guinevere, and it wasn't pretty. If not for my father…" He trailed off, drawing a shaking breath. He let it out in a stream of air and shook his head.
"Imagine the sort of damage the Dark Prince could have done to Guinevere beforehand, had you not been there to restrain him," Jekyll remarked.
Melegant was quiet. Soon, though, he said, "Look, I don't know why they thought I could aid you, but I can't. I never got a handle on the Dark Prince in my lifetime, not even after, so I have no idea how I'm supposed to help you get a handle on Hyde."
"Perhaps they hoped we could help each other," Jekyll answered. "You said it yourself. 'Let's work on not being doomed together,' or something to that tune."
Meleagant let out a breath, bowing his head and shaking it. "You're right…" he relented. He sighed once more. "I take it having Hyde separate from you wasn't worth it?" he asked. "At least judging by your remark about what the Dark Prince could have done to Gwen if I hadn't been part of him."
Jekyll nodded. "I thought being separate from Hyde was worth it. At first. Then I began to realize the sort of damage he was doing unhindered. I suspect I don't know the half of it even now," Jekyll answered.
Meleagant dryly chuckled and looked at him. "I learned to recognize the signs that the Dark Prince was coming. Usually when lust begins to creep in, it means he's trying to creep out. When I start to crave the dark or find myself undressing anything pretty with my eyes, it means he's coming nearer. I hear him whisper, sometimes… Whisper the things he's going to do to others, whisper the things he longs to attempt. When I felt him creeping up, I isolated myself. At my father's palace I locked myself in his dungeons because there was no guarantee that no one would come looking for me in my room. Even if I locked the bedroom door, he could just open it up and invite the unsuspecting in. The dungeons were the safer bet. If I was elsewhere and couldn't access dungeons, I settled for rooms or wandering deep into the woods where the odds of running into anyone and hurting them were low. Learn your triggers. For me, if I see something pretty I get to desiring, it's a risk. If I stand too long in the dark, he likes that. If I see something sadistic or cruel happening, there's another chance of his presence sneaking up on me. If I'm getting stressed or angry or annoyed when dealing with someone, he peeks in. If I feel threatened or confronted, he's there almost too fast for me to comprehend like some twisted self-defense mechanism or protector or something. When did you notice Hyde usually appear?"
"I never really thought about it much. I would go to sleep and wake up somewhere else. If I drank a bit too much, he would come. If I passed by a brothel, he'd be lured to that. If I got into a bad or angry temper, it could spring him as well," Jekyll mused. He could probably think of more, but nothing else major was coming to mind right now. He was tired, so he supposed that could be part of it.
"How did you hide it when he did something wrong, and you woke up to see the aftermath?" Meleagant asked.
"Generally, it never got that far. Sometimes, but not always," he answered.
"Then Jekyll was a good enough man to stop him," Meleagant remarked. "Meleagant wasn't."
"You forget that Jekyll didn't always stop Hyde. Just as I'm sure Meleagant didn't always let the Dark Prince have his way," Jekyll replied. Silence. "It got very, very bad for me, in time. Sometimes I wouldn't even notice one switch to the next. One moment Jekyll, laughing in conversation with someone. The next Hyde, withdrawn and separate from them or guilty of something worse."
Meleagant nodded. There was silence a moment. "I'll do all I can to help you lock him inside of you again," he finally said. "Just hope our alters never meet, or that if they do it's more a rivalry than a partnership."
"Agreed," Jekyll said.
"I have some ideas, but I want to know more about this whole situation before I offer any," Meleagant added.
Jekyll nodded in understanding. "Thank you," he sincerely said after a moment. Meleagant nodded in turn.
The others soon approached them, ready to head up to bed. Meleagant looked back at them. "What are we expecting from this woman?" he questioned Galehaut and Lot, the only two who had seen her so far.
"Someone who looks like Morgan le Fay with the long dark hair Morgause sported, and acts like a combination of both. We're introducing ourselves by our lesser-known names, for the most part, or if we don't have a lesser-known name, a pseudonym of another sort. Or if our born names are common enough, we can probably go with them too. Lot goes by Gwyar. You're Melwas, Hoel is Howel, Alexander is Alex or simply Alexander, Dinadan is Divdan, and I go by Nathaniel."
Meleagant gave him a dubious look. "Where on earth did you pick that one up?" he dryly asked.
"Nowhere. I just like the name," Galehaut said with a shrug. Meleagant sighed, looking out at the passing countryside. Galehaut looked over at him sympathetically. "You can still change your mind," Galehaut soon added, tone serious.
"I won't," Meleagant answered. "But I might not have to worry about that if she doesn't like what she hears about me. Then again, what else am I good for up here?" Jekyll glanced at the young man in a measure of concern.
Galehaut frowned. "Mele, you need to realize we didn't bring you up here just so you could be a political pawn. You're good at what you do, and by far the most equipped of us to help Jekyll with the Hyde problem. Talented, clever, sneaky, one of the few of us Mordred held a somewhat fond tolerance for, and for goodness sakes you're worth something even if you think you aren't. We wanted to give you a chance at redemption. The plan was never just to marry you off and hope a wife would get you out of our hair or whatever it is you logic we're trying to do."
"Is he quite ready for a wife?" Jekyll asked somewhat worriedly.
"You sound like my father," Meleagant testily replied, frowning at the doctor. "At least before said father started to get really concerned over his son's perpetual state of loneliness. I'm over a millennium old, if we count the time in suspended animation in Avalon."
"I don't," Jekyll flatly answered.
Meleagant frowned at him, unimpressed. "I'm not a child, and I'm not oblivious to the responsibility or the role I'm taking on in marrying this woman, if she chooses me."
"I should hope not," Jekyll answered. But he had his doubts, he inwardly added. He should perhaps garner the young man a bit more credit and respect than that, he knew, but it was difficult to do as much given how young he seemed. Jekyll turned to the others. "What is the plan?"
"We'll be discussing it tonight. We might return to Orkney and bring the matter up to the others as well. See if we can't get more suitors in on this to take some of the pressure off," Lot said.
"I'll stay. Be around in case something goes wrong and the physician needs me," Meleagant said.
"There is a place I have that you can stay in. Not my flat, but near to it. I used it as a home for Hyde. Hyde, of course, is in no condition to be using it now. It's yours, if you should like it," Jekyll said.
"Agreed," Meleagant said.
"Should one of us stay with you just in case?" Hoel asked in concern.
"I'll be fine," Meleagant assured. "I'm sure you'll be setting a watchman on me anyway. Menw, I'm guessing? Of course it'll be the sorcerer."
"Better safe than sorry," Galehaut said.
Meleagant huffed. "I'll travel with the doctor tonight to get settled in my new temporary home. Will you all be leaving for Orkney tomorrow?"
"Yes," Lot confirmed. Meleagant nodded. Jekyll slipped out to give the knights time to say their goodbyes and smooth the details of their plan out.
Frozen
The horse trotted through the London streets, drawing the carriage along behind it. Only Meleagant and Jekyll were inside, seated across from one another and overall minding their own businesses. Jekyll was fiddling with a pocket watch. Meleagant was staring out of a window and listening quietly as the doctor sang a solemn-sounding song. He had heard Hyde mentioned in it. He glanced at the man, then back out the window.
Suddenly the coach lurched to a halt. Jekyll raised his head. Meleagant frowned curiously and pressed his face against the glass to try and see. When he couldn't, his frown deepened, and he climbed out. Jekyll followed his lead and spotted police officers up ahead. Concern came to his eyes. "Officers!" he called.
The men looked over. "Dr. Jekyll? As I live and breathe," one said, smiling tiredly but cordially at the man. "It's been some time. You've become quite a recluse in your middle years, you know. You're missed about town." The man glanced passed him at Meleagant and smiled. "Most beloved doctor in all of London. About the most accomplished chemist you'd ever meet as well. Suppose he needs to be to mix up his fixes and medicines. Saved my skin a good few times," he said. Meleagant nodded but otherwise remained quiet.
"Dr. Jekyll, how have you been chap?" the second officer asked.
"I've been busy," Jekyll said, coming up to the officers. "What's happening?"
The officers became grave. "Body was found in an alleyway an hour or so ago. A woman. Prostitute. Tossed into a dark corner and left to rot. Been here a day or two, maybe more, I'd wager," the first officer replied. Jekyll paled, feeling his blood run cold as he stiffened up. "We were led to her by the dying words of a man who was picked up a couple of streets over. One glance you could tell he wasn't going to pull through. We tried to save him. All the while he just muttered the word 'hide' deliriously over and over. Kept pointing towards this alley. A few men were dispatched to investigate. It looked like he'd sustained his wounds trying to protect someone. We would guess the woman. Pity his sacrifice was in vain."
"H-hide?" Jekyll stammered a bit. "That was what he said?" Melegant looked concerned now, and approached Jekyll to serve as some sort of subtle reassurance.
"Aye. Who knows why? Doctor, now that you're here do you think you could do a little impromptu post-mortem diagnosis?" the second officer asked.
"I-I… yes. Yes of course," Jekyll said, flustered. He stiffly followed the officers into the alley and towards the body. His nose wrinkled up at the smell. Meleagant recoiled and coughed, covering his mouth. Jekyll brought out a handkerchief and covered his mouth and nose, approaching the corpse and kneeling next to it. He felt sick to his stomach. Not because he was unused to dealing with bodies and death - in his principal line of work such things were inevitable - but because of what he knew it meant… He could have given her a post-mortem diagnosis without even looking. It was always the same with Hyde.
"Well doctor?" the first officer asked after a moment.
"Bludgeoned to death," Jekyll said. "The monster beat her halfway there, presumably stopped to mock her with false hope of escape, bludgeoned her the rest of the way to death, then mutilated the remains. I would guess the murder weapon was some sort of heavy cane."
"This fits the MO of numerous other victims we've come across in this area," the second officer said in concern.
"Bloody bastard has struck again. May he rot in Hades," the first agreed, shaking his head bitterly. "One way or another we'll catch him. He'll hang for his crimes."
Jekyll flinched a bit and stood up straight, clearing his throat. "If that is all, gentlemen, I must be on my way. I've just gotten back from a party and am very tired you see."
"Of course, doctor. Have a good night," the first officer said. Jekyll bowed to them cordially and stiffly returned to Meleagant, who was waiting at the end of the alley. Jekyll walked past him. Meleagant watched after the man then followed without a word. Jekyll climbed back into the carriage quiet as a grave. Meleagant followed. It started on its way once more. The silence hung heavy in the air.
After a moment of observing the doctor, Meleagant spoke up. "Don't do anything rash," he said.
Almost before he'd finished speaking, Jekyll was talking. "I'm sorry they sent you up for nothing. I suppose, though, a chance at redemption will ultimately make it worthwhile in the end, though your services I'm afraid will not be needed much longer," the doctor said. His voice was strained and wavering and nervous. He was fiddling with his gloves and shifting. The man had broken out into a cold sweat, Meleagant guessed by the way Jekyll wiped his brow with his handkerchief.
"We'll fix this," the knight said. "Don't do anything rash."
"Tomorrow you should go back to your friends," Jekyll said.
"So should you!" Meleagant testily shot. Jekyll glanced at him. "I know what you're thinking. What you're rationing. It isn't worth it. They don't deserve that!"
Jekyll shook his head. "This ends tonight," he said.
"What about Louise and Edvard? Hans and Elsa and Anna and Kristoff and everyone else who gives a damn about you?! It's selfish!" Meleagant shot. "I've been on both ends of it, physician! Both the suicidal one and the one left behind. It isn't. Worth it! Not yet. Not like this."
"Are you well with words?" Jekyll asked.
"What?" Meleagant demanded.
"Write to them in my name," Jekyll said.
"I'm not sending them your goodbye letters! You send them yourself, you selfish prick!" Meleagant snapped.
"He will kill again and again and again, and if I waste another moment trying to put off what must be done, it will cost them more than just me, Meleagant!" Jekyll shouted.
Meleagant was quiet, glaring at him. Jekyll glared sternly back. "We'll handle this," Meleagant said again.
"I'll write the first few letters. They'll be the only ones you must deliver," Jekyll said. "The others will spread the news from there."
"Jekyll…" Meleagant began.
"This has to happen," Jekyll said. "I know that you see it must. Did you not feel it too?" Meleagant was silent. "When does something become too dangerous to be kept alive?" Jekyll pressed once more.
Meleagant bowed his head, closing his eyes, then looked up once more. "Think about this very, very carefully," he finally said, a bitter note in his voice. "I'm not one to call you out on it if you go through with your plan, but I sure as hell won't defend you from the broken, angry, confused hearts you'll leave behind." Jekyll shifted uncomfortably. "We might still be able to fix this. Remember that." They were silent the rest of the trip. Meleagant, for his part, was already plotting how to try and stop this before it was too late. As soon as Jekyll left, he would strike out and find Edvard and Louise Collin. And whatever other friend of Jekyll's he happened to run into out here, but Edvard and Louise were the only ones whose home address he knew.
Frozen
Hyde lay in bed, breathing laboured and weak. He struggled for every intake of air and knew it wouldn't be long, now, before his time ran out. He felt more angry than afraid. He sensed a presence in the room and growled, turning his head weakly. There, perched in the window, was a crouched figure peering in at him. He glared at it, trying to figure out if he was hallucinating or not.
"He's going to let you die, you know," the figure said. Hyde was silent. He could guess at this point who the figure was. Carabis. "He stumbled on the scene of one of your grisly murders. You're quite the prolific killer." Hyde smirked bitterly. "He's stalled all this time already, deciding whether or not it's worth it to keep you alive. He has determined it isn't. He will come and if he doesn't finish you off himself, he will let the clock run out for you." Silence. "He has finished the elixir. Most of it at least. Enough that you and I could finish the rest and save your lives where Jekyll won't…"
Hyde stirred ever so slightly. "I can barely move," he answered.
"I can help with that," Carabis said, approaching at last. He reached into a satchel and brought out a potion of some kind. Hyde eyed it warily, but at this point what did he have to lose?
"The fae do nothing without cost. A half-fae half-jotun is little different," Hyde said.
"You're right. I have my plans for you," Carabis said. "The both of us know you don't want to die or plan on doing so." Hyde growled. "There is a cave filled with the bodies of ancient knights, frozen in time for over a thousand years. There is a child on the Orkney Isles who may know how to find it and will himself have a thousand more uses to me as he grows older. I will be unable to get to either the child or the cave, but least of all the child. His protectors know of me and of what I look like. They trust precious few outside their order besides, but Dr. Jekyll is among those precious few they trust. Your reward will be life. Oh, and a little more besides. Like a certain woman beloved of your counterpart who, if you can act the part of Henry Jekyll well enough, will fall into your arms."
Hyde smirked darkly. "So be it," he answered, reaching up for the potion. Carabis unstopped it and handed it over, and Hyde drank. Carabis watched in satisfaction as the man groaned and sat up, lurching to his feet. "Show me how to finish this little project of Jekyll's." Carabis chuckled darkly.
Frozen
Jekyll brought Meleagant to Hyde's old flat. Meleagant didn't talk to him, which he wasn't shocked by. Considering the young man's perceived age and overall bitter, sulking nature, the silent treatment was about what he'd expected. Expecting it didn't make it any less hurtful or annoying, though. He shifted. "Meleagant, I've thought about what you said," he spoke up. Meleagant turned back curiously. "There may yet be a way for me to fix this without sacrificing my life. I can make no guarantees it would work, but… maybe?"
Meleagant summed him up quietly. "It's a chance at living where you have no chance now. Take it. I would have."
Jekyll nodded. "In case I don't make it…" he began before trailing off. "Thank you for trying. I will write letters tonight. If… If tomorrow you don't see me, assume the worst. Come to my home and find them in my study."
"Hold off a little longer, Jekyll. No more keeping Hyde a secret. The others need to know. At least some of them. Edvard, Louise, and Franz will arrive tomorrow. Let them see. Let them all see. Just in case. It might take more than letters to explain what happened to you if something goes wrong. Especially if it doesn't kill you and just makes you disappear," Meleagant said.
"I…" Jekyll began before trailing off with a sigh. "You may be right," he said.
"We'll meet up with them tomorrow," Meleagant said. "Both of us."
"Very well," Jekyll relented. He just hoped he didn't regret this…
Frozen
Jekyll stood across the street from his home. Meleagant, Edvard, Louise, and Franz were with him. He had told them only what was necessary. That Hyde, dying, had come to him for help. That he suspected their time was running short if he couldn't save him. That he suspected the man was guilty of the recent murders around the city and was seriously debating just letting the clock run out. They had all immediately and vehemently protested that one, Edvard reiterating the stance he'd expressed at the party, and he'd let the matter go because he was in no sort of mental state right now to involve himself in an argument of this nature. Now here they were with him at his house, wanting to see for themselves the state Hyde was in so that they could perhaps help and buy him and his counterpart time.
"Let's get this done," Meleagant said to Jekyll and co as they watched the home. He looked at his companions, more specifically to Edvard, and winced a bit. The name 'Edvard' caused him more pain than he would like to admit. "Are we ready?" he said.
There was silence. No one wanted to move, it seemed. "Franz, how is your son and Jurgen's son, by the way?" Louise asked the prince. Meleagant narrowed his eyes dubiously at the two. He could have face-palmed. Louise trying to pretend this wasn't happening didn't mean it wasn't happening. He understood she was having a hard time with it all, but now wasn't the time for her to slip into denial.
"They're doing well. Very, very well," Franz answered, smile becoming tender at the thought of his child. "Thank you for asking."
"Can we focus here?" Meleagant testily said, gesturing to Jekyll's house.
"You're right to business, aren't you?" Edvard dryly said.
"Focus keeps you alive," Meleagant answered. "He could be watching us for all we know, and the longer we delay the more time he has to prepare for us if he's playing Jekyll for a fool."
"He's right. The sooner we confront Hyde the better," Jekyll said. The group crossed the street to the house and Jekyll unlocked the door, stepping warily inside and listening for any out of place sound that might give away the presence of someone who wasn't supposed to be here. Like Carabis. Poole and the other servants had long departed, after his presumed death, and he hadn't asked them to return when he let them know he was still alive, so he didn't have to worry about them running afoul of Hyde who, even in such a weak state, was probably a force to reckon with if pressed.
It was silent in the house. The others entered after him. Louise sneezed at the dust. "Goodness this place needs a good clean," she said.
Jekyll grimaced a bit, feeling a little embarrassed. With no servants around to help with its upkeep and him constantly busy, barely there at the best of times or too exhausted to do much about it if he was, it had fallen into a state indeed. He kept it clear of clutter and mess, but dusting was something he'd been very much neglecting. "Apologies, Louise. I haven't spent much time at home as of late." He pressed the door shut and looked at the stairs. He walked towards them, making his way up to his bedroom. Arriving at the door, he lifted his hand to the knob before pausing. His companions gave him concerned looks. All but Meleagant, who seemed mostly indifferent, busy looking around the house itself. Jekyll closed his eyes, letting out a breath, then set his jaw and twisted the knob, shoving open the door. He peered inside at his counterpart and pursed his lips, frowning. The man was so utterly still… Louise gasped softly, covering her mouth. Jekyll was still a moment, then gestured for the others to stay put. He entered and pressed the back of his hand against Hyde's forehead. Closing his eyes, he massaged the bridge of his nose. Of course.
"Henry?" Louise uncertainly asked, hanging back with the rest.
Jekyll turned to them. "Louise, go and buy or make some broth. Quickly," he said to her. "Edvard, bring me water. Not cool but not cold. Both to drink and to wet a cloth in. He's burning up." Edvard and Louise nodded and quickly left to do as they were told, Louise visibly concerned.
"And us?" Franz asked, turning to Jekyll.
"Stay here to make sure this isn't some game he's playing," Jekyll dryly answered. He glanced at Meleagant, whose gaze was fixed on Hyde. "Meleagant?" he asked, frowning in concern. Meleagant shook his head, looking quickly to him. "Keep your parasite down. Now isn't the time," Jekyll said. Hyde lifted his head, semi-curious at the remark.
"I only wish I could control him so easily," Meleagant bluntly answered.
"Parasite?" Hyde muttered, tilting his head curiously. His eyes lit up in realization, and he darkly smirked, chuckling as he realized what was meant. "He is of two minds too," he said in amusement. Meleagant was silent. "Let him out. Allow me to introduce myself," Hyde growled.
"Silence you," Jekyll said, lifting his counterpart's upper body. Hyde winced in discomfort as Jekyll started to undress him. "You need a wash," he dryly said. Hyde huffed.
"I can get the tub ready," Franz said.
"Please," Jekyll confirmed. Franz nodded and left to set up a washtub. Hyde's eyes exhaustedly closed. "Not yet, Edward," he said seriously.
"Yes. Cling to life by all means. It drags death out all the more. Besides, I'm quite intrigued with this particular parasite," Meleagant said. Except it wasn't Meleagant's voice… Not like it usually was.
Jekyll tensed up, eyes slowly widening. Quickly he turned and bristled. Behind him stood not Meleagant, but not. His gleaming sword was drawn. His posture was not Meleagant's. The look in his eyes was not Meleagant's. The aura surrounding this one was pure, unadulterated evil. "You," Jekyll coldly greeted.
The Dark Prince smirked and looked passed Jekyll at Hyde. "So, you're the other half," he said to the dying man.
An amused smirk crept across Hyde's lips in turn. "The Dark Prince, I presume?" he asked.
"You know me," the Dark Prince said in a measure of surprise. "I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise, given you and Jekyll are still one, in some abstract way." The Dark Prince looked at Jekyll. "I'll be taking you both now. To Carabis who I happen to know of as well. You know, since Meleagant and I are one and the same."
"Like hell you will," a dark voice said from the doorway. The Dark Prince turned quickly only to see Prince Franz standing in the doorway with Edvard. Both had their swords and pistols drawn. He eyed the weapons up before smirking and meeting their eyes. "You honestly believe you'll prove my match," he said to them in amusement.
"We honestly believe we can give you a fight at least," Edvard answered.
The Dark Prince snorted in derision. "If it's a fight you want…" he began, raising his sword. Franz and Edvard braced for battle.
"There's no need for that now, Dark Prince. I'll go with you to Carabis willingly. When I have the strength to do so," Hyde cut in. The Dark Prince looked back at him and Jekyll. Jekyll didn't protest Hyde's statement. "Until then, stay down parasite."
"Parasite, am I?" the Dark Prince sneered. "Look at yourself."
"I never claimed to be anything else," Hyde replied, a devilish glint in his eyes. "I like being one. And here's you. Fighting at every step. Jealous of my freedom, are you? I would give it to you to be back within Jekyll, you know. His body is strong and well-built. Mine, though younger, is wracked and weak. Were you and Meleagant to separate, you would end up a pale imitation of him indeed. I suggest you come to accept your parasitic nature and use it to your advantage instead of fighting it. Just as I always have." Hyde looked darkly at Jekyll, whose head was bowed with eyes shut. "He is my puppet as much as I am his… The difference is he fears me, so I have the power, really, when you think about it." Jekyll let out a shuddering breath. Hyde turned to the Dark Prince. "Just as Meleagant fears you. And as long as they do, you and I will always be in control."
"You fear us as well," Jekyll darkly said. He looked at Hyde. "Because we have the power and drive to end you both, if we have to. You and the Dark Prince? You want to live. We will happily die to keep from losing control. It's a balancing game. It always has been and always will be, even when we are separate."
"You've grown a backbone since this whole thing started," Hyde growled lowly. "Or is it only since Meleagant arrived?" There was a shudder from Meleagant. Hyde and Jekyll both looked quickly over to see the young prince blinking in confusion and looking at his sword, puzzled. He started, tensing up, then quickly sheathed it again with a sound of disgust. Jekyll breathed a relieved sigh. "A pity. I was enjoying your counterpart's company," Hyde bitterly said.
Meleagant looked quickly at Hyde, then to Jekyll. "What did he try to do?" he asked.
"Take us to Carabis," Jekyll answered. There was silence. "Could he have?"
Meleagant looked over at Franz and Edvard, both with weapons still out warily watching him. He summed up their stances and shook his head. "Without batting an eyelash," he dryly said. "The Dark Prince is as much a Knight of the Round Table as Meleagant is. Our skills are one. In a single glance I can see about a hundred different ways I could take the two of you out without receiving a scratch in kind." Franz started. Edvard didn't seem surprised, he hadn't been trained since childhood to wield a blade, but Franz had, so to hear that statement visibly shook the prince.
Louise entered the room just then. "I have the broth, Henry," she said, crossing to him. No one remarked on the incident that had just taken place.
"Thank you, Louise," he replied. Edvard placed the water he'd brought up on the bedside table. Jekyll took the broth from Louise and held the bowl to his counterpart's lips, tipping it. "Only a little at a time," he cautioned. Hyde obeyed the direction, sipping at the broth tentatively.
"What will you do?" Louise questioned.
"Nurse him back to health, to start. At least relative health. Then we will find Selices and hope he knows a way to spare Hyde, and possibly me, our lives," Jekyll answered, purposely vague. "If Hyde deteriorates rather than getting better, however, we will have to take action immediately. It will be risky transporting a man so weakened and ill, but we won't have much choice, I'm afraid. It will be a few days before he is recovered enough to move on his own. I will keep him under my care until then. None of you are under any obligation to stay. I will be able to handle Hyde. He and I have an understanding and a common goal, for now."
"If you need help, you'll send for us, right?" Edvard asked in concern.
"Of course," Jekyll promised.
"Very well. Only if you're certain though, Henry," Edvard said in concern.
"I'm certain," Jekyll answered, nodding.
Edvard sighed and turned to Franz. "You're welcome to stay with us, should you wish."
"Thank you, Edvard. I appreciate it," Franz replied, smiling gratefully at him. He looked at Jekyll in concern. "But maybe I should stay here instead. Just in case. I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone, Henry."
"You're welcome to stay, if you desire to, but I feel it would be best for everyone if you didn't. Not just for your own sake, but mine, Hyde's, and Meleagant's as well," Jekyll replied. "It would be dangerous for you.
"More dangerous for you than for me I think, so really you're just arguing why I should stay," Franz answered.
Jekyll smiled tiredly at him. "I'll be alright, Franz," he assured.
"Humph. Fine. I'll stay a little longer until I'm sure things have settled here, then I'll join Edvard and Louise at their home," Franz relented. He turned to the two in question and gave a flirty smile to Louise. "I shall see you again soon, my darling," he teased gently.
"I should hope so. I expect the fanciest dinner of my life tomorrow night," she answered, smiling playfully back.
"You will be fat by the end of it," he said with a laugh.
"You're a threat to my slim figure, your majesty," she answered.
"I'm a threat to far more than your figure," he flirted.
"Okay, that's enough!" Edvard cut off sharply.
"Ooh, touchy. What did you think I meant, you dirty-minded fellow?" Franz asked.
"You know what you meant!" Edvard retorted testily.
"Really Edvard, behave yourself," Louise said.
"Me behave?!" Edvard demanded. "Conduct yourselves with decorum, for goodness sakes. The both of you! Come on Louise, we don't want to get home late."
Louise huffed then smiled apologetically at Franz. "Good night, Majesty. We'll see you at home," she said. She looked passed him to Jekyll. "Goodnight, Doctor." She glanced at Meleagant, who was hanging back in the shadows and being uncomfortably quiet. Franz frowned, watching him warily in case this was a sign the Dark Prince was being triggered again. It could just be Meleagant being broody, but better safe than sorry. "Goodnight to you as well, highness," Louise said to the young man.
"Goodnight," Meleagant replied, and it sounded like Meleagant, so Franz relaxed a bit. Edvard and Louise left.
For a moment there was silence. "Are you staying as well?" Franz warily asked the prince.
"My staying would be too dangerous for Jekyll and Hyde," Meleagant answered with a sigh, straightening up again. Franz relaxed this time. It was definitely Meleagant. "I'll stay in Hyde's flat and check in each day until Jekyll's parasite is up and moving again. We'll figure out what to do from there, unless the Dark Prince has other plans."
"If he does, stay out of the way, Franz," Jekyll said, turning to his companion in concern. "You cannot defeat a Knight of the Round Table, and you have an infant son to go home to. It won't be worth your life to defend me."
"We'll see," Franz replied. It wasn't a reply Jekyll wanted to hear, but it wasn't a refusal of the conditions either. While that might seem like a loophole or an unspoken refusal to most, Franz was cut from another cloth. He was being truthful in his answer. He didn't know what he would do if the situation arose, it depended on too many things, so yes, they would see.
"I suppose that's the best I can hope for," Jekyll said. Franz smirked.
Frozen
It was around ten when Franz at last was satisfied all was well and dared return to the home of his hosts. Jekyll watched him leave solemnly, then sighed and shut the door. Tiredly he leaned his forehead against the wood and closed his eyes. Hyde could not be allowed to go on living, but if there was a chance that Jekyll still could… He had no real desire to speed up the process of either his or his counterpart's deaths, but Hyde's execution could not be avoided anymore. It was a matter of whether Jekyll was executed with him or not. He let out a shaking breath. He hadn't wanted any of this… Now there were letters to write and apologies to make.
He entered his house and went up to his study. He sat, pulling out a quill and paper, then paused. He couldn't think of the words to say. He shook his head and rose. He would finish the elixir first, he determined, and lace it with poison. He would prepare an antidote for himself but none for Hyde and hope such an act spared him. He might put together a few other concoctions that would maximize his own chances for survival, but at the end of the day no matter what he did, none of it would be a guarantee that Jekyll would become whole while Hyde withered away. It was every bit as likely, maybe even more so, that he would die regardless of what he tried to do to prolong his own life. Still, all those preparations would give him time to plan out his goodbyes and how to phrase them. Then, when that was all said and done, he would take the elixir to Hyde, hide the antidotes on his own person, and the two of them would drink it. That would be it, though he didn't want it to be. Hyde would die, he would take his backup potions, and he would pray he lived to see another day.
He shook his head and got up. He made his way outside and to the small laboratory. He entered and shut the door behind him. He let out a shaky breath, leaning against the door and closing his eyes tightly, swallowing over a knot in his throat. Softly he sang:
"It's over now I know inside,
No one will ever know,
The sorry tale of Edward Hyde, and those who died…
No one must ever know.
They'd only see the tragedy,
They'd not see my intent.
The shadow of Hyde's evil,
Would forever kill the good that I had meant…"
He turned around to look at the chemistry station.
"Am I a good man?"
He approached the bench.
"Am I a madman?"
He picked up some beakers, peering at the liquids inside of them.
"It's such a fine line, between a good man and a…"
He trailed off and frowned. Wait… Something was wrong. A chill ran up his spine and he looked at the table again, scanning it. He started, stiffening. It was missing. The elixir and some of the ingredients he'd laid out were missing! His eyes slowly widened in realization. Oh no… He heard the door open behind him and spun around with a fearful gasp, gripping the table behind him. There, standing in the doorway smirking wickedly, was none other than Hyde!
"Do you really think, that I would ever let you go?
Do you think I'd ever set you free?
If you do, I'm sad to say, it simply isn't so.
You will never get away from me."
Chills ran up and down Jekyll's spine at Hyde's song, and he bristled, shaking his head with breathing speeding up before he vehemently responded.
"All that you are is a face in the mirror,
I close my eyes and you disappear!"
Hyde retorted.
"I'm what you face when you face in the mirror,
Long as you live, I will still be here!"
Jekyll replied.
"All that you are is the end of a nightmare, all that you are is a dying scream.
After tonight I shall end this demon dream!"
Hyde became angry, scowling murderously as Jekyll made his intention clear to him in their shared song. He began to pace restlessly, poised to attack if Jekyll gave him any reason to.
"This is not a dream my friend and it will never end.
This one is the nightmare that goes on!"
Hyde threw his arms out to either side.
"Hyde is here to stay no matter what you may pretend!
And he'll flourish long after you're gone."
Jekyll stepped towards Hyde angrily before stopping short of being in his attack range.
"Soon you will die and my memory will hide you,
You cannot choose but to lose control!"
*H*
"You can't control me I live deep inside you!
Each day you feel me devour your soul," Hyde replied, laughing darkly.
Malicious hatred began to twist in Jekyll's heart, more raw and powerful than he'd ever felt before.
"I don't need you to survive like you need me,
I'll become whole as you dance with death!
And I'll rejoice as you breathe your final breath!"
Hyde cackled mockingly, tossing his head back and drinking back the elixir, delighting in the hatred emanating from his other half. Jekyll, pale, felt a pain spike through him as his head seemed to split open and he felt his body and Hyde's begin to fuse together, Hyde's wicked, ugly grin branding itself in his mind as two became one. He clutched his head, screaming in agony
"I live inside you forever!" Hyde boasted as he began to overtake Jekyll's mind.
"No!" Jekyll protested desperately as he fought him back, dread filling him when he realized they were becoming one once again.
"With evil itself by my side!" Hyde crooned, forcing Jekyll back.
"No!" Jekyll denied, taking back control.
"And I know that now and forever,
They'll never be able to separate Jekyll from Hyde!" Hyde boasted in victory.
Jekyll felt the chills racing through his body again, and the dread, for he knew in his soul that his enemy was not wrong. It was true. It was so, so true. They would never be able to separate him from Hyde again. Perhaps they never had. But he was not one to give up.
"Can't you see it's over now? It's time to die!" he declared boldly, bolstering himself up once more to will back his alter.
"No not I, only you!" Hyde replied.
"If I die, you die too!" Jekyll insisted desperately, not knowing himself at this point whether that was true or not, given the missing ingredients from his chemistry station.
"You'll die me I'll be you!" Hyde roared.
"Damn you Hyde, leave me be!" Jekyll commanded.
"Can't you see? You are me!" Hyde answered.
"No! Deep inside…" Jekyll began.
"I am pure, you are Hyde!" Hyde cut off.
"No, never!" Jekyll said.
"Yes, forever!" Hyde replied.
"Goddamn you Hyde, take all your evil deeds and rot in hell!" Jekyll shouted in rage, hatred, and fear together, voice wavering with the power behind it, unused to such rough treatment from the generally mild-tempered and quiet doctor.
"I'll see you there, Jekyll!" Hyde snarled. Pain tore through Jekyll's entire body again, centered in the head, and he screamed once more in agony as his form and Hyde's began to mesh together. Then there was blackness. The last thing the doctor saw was the floor coming up to greet him as he collapsed…