The Forgotten Zodiac

They looked at each other again. The first guard whispered something to the second, who nodded. "Very well." The first guard grabbed her by the arm, pulling her inside. The second guard remained outside, ensuring that no one else tried to get in.

The inside of the castle was warm and inviting; red carpets covered the center of an otherwise tiled floors. The usual paintings of past kings were hung on the wall, but they looked happy and proud. The halls were well lit, and the many windows provided a lovely view to the outside. The guard led Seria past the throne room, down a smaller hallway, and into a room that was lined with beds. Obviously the infirmary. Werr was lying in one of them, of course, looking pale and weak again. Tired. He was barely conscious, his eyes only half-open.

A doctor was fussing over him, but he looked up as Seria and the guard arrived. "She's a healer, Marr." The guard said, pushing Seria towards where Werr lay. The wounds were obvious; used bandages were piled at the foot of the bed, blood staining the previously white sheets around Werr's stomach. The wound that Forin had caused had somehow returned.

The doctor, Marr, looked up at Seria, and was quick to explain. "I tried stitching up the wound already, but it somehow...grew. It goes straight through his lower intestines, it's quite a mess. He's lost a lot of blood already...thank the skies you're here, I don't think I would be capable of saving him like this..."

Werr opened his eyes a little more as he saw Seria. He tried to talk, but only managed to cough weakly, letting a trickle of blood slide from the corner of his mouth. He reached towards her with a trembling hand, clutching the bedsheets tightly in his other.

Seria immediately came forward and took Werr's hand, sliding her warm fingers in and around his. Strength immediately began flowing into him, fueled by her new-found boundless energy. "It's okay." she soothed, reaching up to stroke the side of his face. "There are no wounds I cannot heal now. You'll be fine." She pulled the covers back, already moving her free hand over the wound in his body. She worked skillfully with just the one hand, moving away anything Marr had already tried to do until it was just the open wound. Seria carefully inserted two fingers into it, then slowly pulled them out. The wound closed instantly behind her claws until she made it back to skin level, where she held her hand flat and rubbed the spot soothingly. She had known, at a touch, what was wrong with him. All over him, in fact. "You should've told me ealier, Werr." she said, moving her hand away from his stomach and gently brushing his hair back. "It's not wise for you to keep secrets like this away from me." She transferred his hand into her other and reached to his shoulder, pushing his sleeve back.

The shoulder wound Nelu had given him was there, as if it had never been healed.

Seria didn't hesitate to give the faintest touch there and heal the wound completely, then moved on to his once-broken arm and down to his leg, repairing the wounds he had gotten before. Once that was finished, she let go of his hand for a moment and placed one hand on his forehead and the other on his chest, murmuring things Werr had never heard her say before. When she was done, she pulled back and smiled, taking his hand again. "There." she said. "That won't happen again, now. It was a curse that forced already-healed wounds to reform. I removed it. You'll be fine now." She reached forward and touched his forehead, pleased to see his start to regain color. It wasn't much, but she managed to give him a little of her blood to help him feel better. She held his hand firmly yet gently, with a loving healer's touch. With her other hand, she gently reached up and wiped some of the blood from his mouth, flicking her ears back softly. It was obvious to anyone watching that she had spent a lot of time with the boy and knew how to interact with him. "Welk's worried for you." she said, stroking his head tenderly. She leaned over the edge of the bed, still holding his hand. "I'm sure you want to see him, too."

Werr couldn't stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. "I thought...I thought I could be strong...like the rest of you," He whispered, then nodded ever so slightly. "Welk...where is he?" He flicked his eyes around the room, locking gazes with the guard. "Get me Welk. The half-cat." He said softly. The guard nodded, turning on heel and moving back the way he came.

"Incredible," Marr inspected the areas where the wounds had been. Of course, they were gone. "Skies above...are you okay, your majesty?"

-

The guard returned outside after what seemed like ages. "Which one of you is Welk?" He asked quietly. "You've been requested."

"You are strong, Werr." Seria soothed. "Stronger than you think. You've kept this group together. If it wasn't for you, several of us would never have met or we would already have gone our separate ways." She bent down and nuzzled him gently, something she would normally do in cat form, then pulled back and just held his hand.

Welk immediately ran forward, barely even pausing. He darted past the guard and raced inside. Luen shook his head and called "That was him."

Welk followed Werr and Seria's scents until he was able to turn a corner and run into the infirmary. His crimson eyes darted around frantically, then settled on Werr. "Werr!" he said, trotting forward quickly. Seria moved out of the way as Welk took over, sliding his upper half down against Werr to nuzzle him. He wrapped his arms around the boy as carefully as he could, one hand already knitting into the boy's. "I missed you..." he said softly, closing his eyes in relief.

"I...I shouldn't have left. I told Cici to stop, but she didn't..." Werr shivered as he remembered. It had been like being there all over again. Everything. The fire that separated him from his family, being taken away from the other members of the council, having to get used to being around Heather and Darius again, watching his father go off to war...then he had to relive getting the news that his father was dead, and watching Heather die in his arms again.

And then it had rewound and started all over again.

"I'm sorry, Welk..." Werr said quietly, watching at doctor Marr tried to clean up the blood, having to work around Welk. The doctor snapped an order at one of the maids, who hurried away and returned only a few moments later with a glass of icy-cold water.

"Here, your majesty," The maid said, setting the water on the table beside them. She bowed before going back to her sweeping.

Werr didn't make any attempt to stop the tears from sliding down his cheeks, squeezing his friend's hand. "I'm sorry..."

Welk glared at the maid, then looked back around to Werr, his eyes soft and gentle. He moved up into the bed, just sitting on the edge, and carefully wrapped his arms around Werr, pulling the boy into his lap. "Don't be sorry." he said. "You did it for Cynyr. If anything, I should be sorry because I didn't stop you. I heard Cici tell you that healing Cynyr would be bad. I...just wanted him back so bad that, for a moment, I didn't think about you. I know it doesn't really matter and that it was the only way to do anything for him, but still." He sighed and rested his cheek against Werr's head, saying "Everything's okay now. Seria took care of you and now I'm here. Everyone else is waiting outside." He started up a reassuring purr, curling his mangled little tail against the boy's arm. "I don't care what you are." he said softly. "Whether it's a regular human or a king. You'll always be Werr to me. My best friend." It hadn't taken him long to figure out Werr's current standing, what with the way the maid had spoken to him. He didn't care one bit. King or no, Werr was still one of the people he cared about most in the whole world.

Werr smiled, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He opened them again, and looked at Marr, who was finishing up with the cleaning. "When did Regalo die?" He asked quietly.

"Earlier this morning. It was sheer luck that those guards found you." Marr said. Werr had run into a guard patrol in the forest. They had demanded his name, and of course, he had given it. They were quick to explain that King Regalo had fallen, and that he had needed to contact the other council members at once, as the first one (who had lived nearby) was also dead. Werr had explained that the others were all probably dead anyways, and that contacting them would be a waste of time. At that point, the guards had noticed how much blood he had been tracking, and were quick to find his wounds. About halfway to the castle, Werr had collapsed, the bloodloss getting to be too much. Of course, they had brought him here.

Werr wasn't done with questions, though. "Does the public know?"

"No," Marr replied. "Rumors had been spreading about Max being a council member, so I imagine the sharper townsfolk have pieced that together already, what with him being dead...but they know nothing of Regalo's death."

"Good. Keep it that way for as long as possible. I don't want a panic." Werr turned his head as a guard passed the door to the infirmary. "Hey! Everyone who's outside, you can trust them. They're my friends." He paused, then said, "Even Nate. If anyone lays a finger on that Dragonian, I won't be happy."

"Yes sir!" The guard saluted, hurrying off to tell the two covering the door.

Seria nodded at Werr, then said "I'll bring them all in." She trotted off, her red-furred tail swishing behind her. She made her way outside and moved over to the group, seeing the concerned looks on their faces. "Werr's okay." she said, and several of them looked relieved. "You can all come inside, just...be careful, okay? I'm not talking about Werr when I say this. You're going inside a castle with other people, so you'll have to cautious."

Luen nodded slightly. He was used to settings like that. He stood up and picked up Diana, holding her gently against his hip and placing one hand on the back of her head to give her some comfort. He then moved that hand down and took Forin's hand, leading the Tartaran towards the door.

Jagat followed in gryphon form, looking ruffled and unnerved. He took human form and picked up Spy, letting the little chimera climb up onto his shoulder and ride there, then moved behind Lily and guided her along.

Seria trotted off into the forest to find Nate. She quickly located him and the others that were with him, saying "Hello." as she neared. "I just though I'd let you know that we can go into the castle. It's safe. Werr said nobody was to so much as touch you." Zephyr was in his middle-sized form, laying with Cynyr against his belly. The panther hadn't moved at all since the dark magic had been pulled from him. Seria sighed quietly, then moved over to Nate and suddenly gave him a hug. Then she pulled back and walked back towards the palace.

Nate blinked, then smiled. "You sure no one's going to...attack or anything?" He asked quietly, though he moved to follow. Airlia sighed; she still didn't want to go to that castle, but she followed anyways. She couldn't be alone out here, after all.

Of course, the guards willingly opened the doors for them as they approached. Both guards eyed Nate warily, but they did nothing. They reached the infirmary as Werr was saying, "As my first act, I hereby make Welk my personal knight. I don't need any of the thick-headed morons that are trained to be personal guards. Welk will make a fine guardian."

"As you wish," Marr shrugged. "Although really, why are you telling me? Do you want me to fetch the advisors?"

"No. You're just an unbiased witness. At any rate, my second decree is this; mages are no longer to be held captive or hunted. All mages in captivity are to be set free, and all search parties are to be withdrawn. We have far greater things to worry about than hunting down innocent people." Werr continued. "All captives of that form are to be set free effective immediately. Are there any mages in the castle dungeon?"

"Er...yes, and no. Officially, she isn't there at all, but physically..." Marr frowned. "I've only seen her once or twice. They say she's dangerous though, my king, I don't suggest letting her loose..."

"Who?"

"Duke Nightlash's daughter."

Welk was now just sitting on the bed, back-to-back with Werr so the boy could lean on him. He hadn't done much when Werr made him his knight. Other than and extremely happy glow in his eyes and the fact that his tail was flipping and twitching crazily, he stayed calm. He had changed a lot since first meeting Werr so long ago. He was still mostly the same, obviously, but he had better learned to control his hyperness. Sometimes.

Seria touched Nate on the shoulder and gave it a squeeze, saying "If anyone does anything against you, I'll deal with them myself. I can fight well, you know." She smiled, but something about her still seemed so...distant. She touched a hand to Cynyr's forehead to check on him. He was being carried by Nate, who had Zephyr on his other shoulder, perched like a little parrot. Seria shook her head, murmuring "No change." She looked up when Werr mentioned Nightlash's daughter. "I think it would be wise to keep her captive until I've had a chance to look at her." she said. "Better safe than sorry. If someone says she's dangerous, chances are that she is."

Luen, curled up on a different bed with Diana with his head in Forin's lap, lifted his head and nodded his agreement, then lowered his skull back to Forin's lap.

((Marr mentioned her, not Werr.))

Werr, however, was frowning. Obviously, the girl was a mage, or she probably wouldn't have been put in those dungeons. Or any dungeon. "How old is she? How long has she been down there?"

"If memory serves, her sixteenth birthday was last week. She made a mess of the cake, at any rate. She's been down there since the war started. Ten years, give or take a couple months." Marr answered. "We've taken very good care of her, of course, but...she's still destructive, at best."

"Alright. Seria, can you look at her as soon as possible, please?" Werr asked.

((Sorry. Had to go for lunch and was typing fast. xD))

Seria nodded, then said "Once everyone is rested and taken care of, I'll go to her. The people in this group are my first concern." She nodded once at Werr, then started examining the entire infirmary, familiarizing herself with everything. She was obviously the most qualified healer there, though it was still unknown to the others how she had gotten her new powers. She had called herself a divine healer. Welk eyed her curiously for a moment, then looked over when Nate laid Cynyr down on a different bed. Welk's eyes showed his concern, but he didn't leave Werr's side. It wasn't like Cynyr would be able to feel anything or reply if Welk sat by him or spoke to him. He just wasn't there.

Welk sighed despondently, curling his tail as far as he could around Werr, into the boy's lap.

"Of course," Werr nodded, looking a bit distracted at that point. "Marr, were there any changes to the advisors since I last saw them?"

"None," Marr shook his head.

"Keep Regalo's death a secret to them as well, then. Oh, Nightlash...what about him? Have you heard anything from him lately?"

"He went missing almost a week ago. Alright, no more questions. You need rest, my king, and plenty of it. I see that my skills as a doctor are no longer needed here, as such, I'll retire to my quarters. Do call if you need me, which...I doubt you will." Marr smiled a bit, glancing at Seria. Then he left.

"He's right, you need to lie down and rest," Nate eyed Werr with a small frown. "You look like you were attacked or something. What happened?"

Seria nodded ever so slightly to the other healer, turning her attention back to the room. When she heard Nate ask what happened, she answered instead. "It was a curse that had been placed on him." she said. "It forced his body to reform any wounds he had. I removed it, so he'll be fine now. He just needs to sleep."

Welk took cat form and curled up on the bed, not about to leave Werr's side, especially now that he was the boy's guardian. Not that he would've left anyways. When Werr laid down, Welk rested his head on his chest, laying one paw over him as well. A purr vibrated in his throat. He looked happy, his ears tilted back lightly against his head, though he was still worried for Cynyr.

Werr didn't look happy about resting, but he laid still anyways. Within a few minutes, weariness hit him hard, and he found it near impossible to keep his eyes open. He dropped into sleep.

"Well. How'd he get such a thing in the first place, anyways?" Nate sighed, sitting on the bed beside Cynyr's. "What are we going to do about him, for that matter?" He glanced towards the comatose half-cate. "Will he...ever wake up?"

"Most likely from his time in Storaph Palace." Seria said. "He probably got it from that Obelisk...thing." When Nate spoke about Cynyr, the female half-cat sighed, then moved over and touched Cynyr's forehead again. She closed her eyes when she pulled back, saying "No change. Not even a flicker." She kept her gaze centered on the panther. "I don't know if he'll ever regain consciousness. And for that matter, if he were to wake up, I would have no idea if he would recover fully or not. We'll just have to wait, I suppose. There's nothing else I can do." She lowered her head, then moved a hand forward and brushed it through Cynyr's hair. She did it a few times, then pulled back with tears in her eyes. "I wish I could do more..." she murmured, folding one arm over her chest and moving her free hand up to curl her fingers over her mouth.

Nate was quick to stand, wrapping his arms around Seria. "He'll come back to us. If there's any of him left in there, he'll come back. Give him time," He said gently. He stood there for a long time, his arms around Seria, enveloping her in his warmth.

She leaned against him, crying only in tears. She sniffled softly, just letting Nate hold her, then quivered and started sobbing. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his shoulder. Zephyr scrambled off and flew over to land on Forin's head, shaking his tiny horns. He didn't mind moving, of course. He had sensed that Seria was very sad over something and was more than happy to move for her. He even knew why she was sad. It wasn't just over Cynyr, though that was definitely a big part. He, with his innate dragon sense, knew.

Forin sat still and let the miniature dragon sit on his head. He just sat there silently, looking like he had fallen asleep with his eyes open. Which, he hadn't; he was just sullen and unhappy, his mood matching his mistress'.

Nate held her still, closing his eyes. "It'll be okay," Nate put a hand on the back of her head, murmuring softly. He, too, knew that something else was wrong. He just couldn't put his finger on what, exactly.

Seria cried quietly for a long moment, then shook her head. "No." she murmured. "It might be okay, but it won't be the same." She took in a shuddering breath, then stammered "I-I...I can never take cat form again for as long as I live. In order to gain divine healing powers, I had to give a part of myself away for good. Usually, it's an arm or a leg or some other body part, but I chose to give away my cat form so I could keep all of my limbs. It hurts... I can feel the space inside of me where it was taken from. It's empty." Her ears were flicked back and her tail had crept between her legs. Nate could almost feel the shame radiating from her. "Now, I'm just a human with cat ears and a tail." she said. "A half-cat is not a half-cat without their feline form. I'll never be considered normal by other half-cats now." She sobbed once, then said "I did it to save all of you. A-and I'm not sad about that. I would do it again in a heart-beat. It just aches inside..."