It was the dead of night. Lorian returned to his chambers feeling completely and utterly exhausted. He was feeling like hollow inside, as if his body was moving more like a puppet's than a man's. Earlier in the evening, Seraphina had managed to eat a few small bites, but only because her son had knelt by her side and insisted with a breaking voice. Soon after, she had fallen into a restless, fitful sleep. She had spent the afternoon losing and regaining her consciousness repeatedly, drifting away every time the reality of the Hall of Pillars tried to settle in. It had taken a long time before someone was wise enough to cover the horrific, gaping wound on Elmsworth's corpse and carry her outside to safety.
During those hours, Lorian had lost any sense of what to do. He had simply followed every instruction that reached his ears, moving in a heavy trance. He had lost his sense of time and his sense of self. However, before leaving his mother in her room, he made sure she was not alone. He had requested Selena Stormhold, the Princess of Valoria, to stay with her tonight. Selena had agreed promptly. Her face was pale in shock, but her eyes were filled with a grim, warrior-like resolve.
After returning to his own room, Lorian finally collapsed. He fell onto the bed and, for the first time in that long, cursed day, he broke into tears. He had fought the urge all day; he did not want the guards, the nobles, or the servants to see him crumble. But in the pitch-black of this room, at the dead of night, when he believed there was no one left to listen, he could not control the floodgates anymore.
He thought he was alone, but the whole Auric Spire had fallen into a silence so deep it felt like a barren palace. Because of that eerie quiet, Lorian's muffled cries echoed out into the hallway. A maid, who was bringing a tray of food, stopped dead at the doorstep. She stood there, trembling, not knowing what to do,- whether to knock and enter amidst the Prince's breakdown, or to flee. It was clear he didn't want the world to see him like this. The guards at the door were also deeply touched. They stood like mechanical sentries, their faces stone-cold as per their duty, but the Prince's pain was echoing in their own hearts as well.
When Zara arrived at the doorstep, she found the poor maid still clutching the tray. Zara took the food from her with a quiet nod, and the girl hurried away, looking relieved to escape the heavy atmosphere. The guards didn't say a word; they simply moved with a slow silence to open the door. Zara entered first, followed by Elara, whose wheelchair made a faint, rhythmic squeaking sound on the floor.
Lorian was so far gone in his sorrow that he didn't even notice them. Zara stood there with the tray, her own heart was breaking, and she looked helplessly at Elara. Elara took a deep breath, forcing her voice to stay calm and soft, hiding her own grief for the sake of the boy she had raised.
"Master!"
Her voice touched Lorian's soul. It was the same sweet, familiar voice that had called to him even when he was not himself in his early years. That voice tore him out of the abyss and forced him to regain his senses. He looked back with his red and swollen eyes at Elara and then at Zara, who was still holding the tray of food.
"Forgive me, Master, for entering without..." Elara began to apologize for the breach of protocol, but Lorian stopped her with a tired wave of his hand. He was in no mindset to maintain decorum or worry about royal etiquette. If he had cared about such things, he wouldn't have asked the Princess of Valoria to spend the night with his mother.
"Master, please have some food," Zara pleaded in her trembling voice.
"I..." Lorian shook his head in denial, suppressing a fresh sob before he could speak, "I can't. Please... don't ask me to eat. I will not be able to. It will turn to ash in my mouth."
"My Lord," Elara requested in a firm yet motherly tone, "if you won't eat, how can we, your loyal servants, find the strength to do the same? We can't." She gulped, casting a quick glance toward the closed door, "And that includes Jax."
"What?" Lorian was jolted out of his grief, "Jax has not eaten anything? In his condition? He's wounded!"
"He is standing right outside the room, Master," Zara said, forcing a small, sad smile onto her lips, "All your servants are standing there. They won't move until you do."
Lorian struggled to understand how Jax could even be out of bed. The man had been near death just days ago. "Ask them to come inside," he commanded. He stood up and went to the basin, splashing his face with cold water to wash away the salt of his tears. He needed to be the Prince again, even if only for a moment, for the sake of his friends.
When he turned back, the room was full. Jax, Kaelen, Gravil, and Rylan had all entered. An awkward, heavy silence filled the space. Lorian's eyes fell on Jax, who was clearly in immense pain, both physical and emotional. He was pale, his breathing was shallow, and he was staying upright only because he was leaning heavily on Rylan.
"What the hell, man?" Lorian asked, his voice cracking, "Why have you left your bed?"
"I could not lie down, Master," Jax rasped, "Not after hearing what..." He couldn't finish. The words wouldn't come.
"The doctor was planning to sedate him so he would sleep through the night," Zara told Lorian, "But I know him. If he couldn't be here by your side at this moment, the first thing he would do upon waking would be to attack the people who drugged him. He would never have forgiven me for letting him sleep while you suffered."
Elara stepped forward again, "My Lord, please. Eat a little. I beg you."
Lorian could no longer refuse their collective loyalty. He took the plate from Zara and began to eat, though he felt nothing. While he chewed, he looked at Kaelen, and his mind turned back to the nightmare in the Hall. He asked what had happened after the chaos erupted.
"My Lord, after... the event," Kaelen said, carefully avoiding Elmsworth's name to prevent Lorian from breaking down again, "When the people in the gallery tried to nab the assailant, he swallowed a vial and collapsed. Someone shouted that he was going to explode, and the crowd panicked. It turned into a stampede. Around twelve to fifteen people died in the crush, and many more are injured. In that madness, Duke Azgar and Bianca vanished. They are nowhere to be found."
"So ten people just vanished into thin air?" Lorian's eyes suddenly glowed with a dark, charcoal heat. The grief was being replaced by a cold, sharp anger.
Kaelen had no answer. He hung his head low, the shame of the guards' failure weighing on him.
"What about the Bistro household?" Lorian asked, "Have they been arrested?"
"No, my Lord," Kaelen replied, his voice was hesitating.
"What?" Lorian slammed his spoon against the plate with a loud clack, "WHY?"
"An angry mob attacked the Gilded Spire almost immediately after the news spread. They didn't wait for the law. They ransacked the building and set it on fire with everyone still inside. The entire Bistro estate is a funeral pyre."
Lorian was lost for words. The people had taken their revenge, but it felt hollow. The real enemies- the Duke and Bianca-were still out there, while some innocent people died in crossfire.
At that moment, a heavy knock was heard. It was Commander Lucien Lehance. The moment Lorian saw the Commander, all the progress he had made in stabilizing himself vanished. Lucien had been his father's right hand, his best friend. Lorian handed his plate to Zara and threw himself into the Commander's arms, sobbing like a child again.
Lucien shed his sense of hierarchy. He didn't stand stiffly as the Commander of the Guard; he hugged Lorian back as a fatherly figure would. He looked over Lorian's shoulder at the inner circle, "Thank you for making him eat. I was truly worried. But looking at all of you, it seems you haven't eaten either."
He patted Lorian's head to calm him, then spoke to Jax and the others, "Go to the dining room. All of you. Eat. The Prince needs you at your best in the hours to come. He needs his pillars strong. Go now."
With Lorian's silent permission, they filed out. Lucien then ordered the guards at the door to move further down the hallway to ensure total privacy. He closed the door and turned back to Lorian, his face was more serious than Lorian had ever seen it.
Once he was sure they were alone, Lucien put a heavy hand on Lorian's shoulder, "I have something for you, Lorian. Something your father intended only for YOU."