Nyxis drew his blanket over his head, ignoring the pressing knocks on his door and the frantic steps scuffling outside his room. Through the folds of cloth shielding his face, Crozal's crimson rays didn't fail to remind him again and again of what he saw earlier.

He couldn't remember how he got into his room but recalled how long he spent bathing, trying to scrub the blood that seeped into his skin. After that, he spent another hour dry heaving as his brain played his memories of the courtyard over and over. When he was done, with his muscles sapped dry of energy, he crawled to his bed. He hadn't gotten up since.

Another set of raps caught his attention away from the moonslight. Ah, right. He might have locked the door to his room and didn't have the will to stumble off the bed to unlock it. The next thing he knew, hours had passed and the sun had given way to the moons, the sky flushing into a deep purple in response to the rays.

His stomach grumbled. Nyxis tucked his legs closer to his chest to get rid of the pain ridding his gut. He had missed dinner and there's nothing left in the dining hall as the servants would have already finished everything by now. Well, he'd have to survive until breakfast, then.

"Your Majesty," a worried tone bled from the other side of the door. "Are you still there? Please come out."

Nyxis ignored the servant. There had been numerous attempts to get him out of the room over the course of the day. He had succeeded in ignoring all of them. What's going to be different now?

He got his answer when the sound of keys jangling rang from outside. His blood drained to his face. They're forcing their way in. What should he do? He gritted his teeth, his muscles not cooperating with the panic settling in his nerves. Should he fake a sickness? Run to the bathroom again?

No. He'd stay here, like the pathetic boy he was.

He pulled the blanket around his huddled body tighter, subconsciously willing it to suffocate him. His eyes squeezed shut. Leave me alone. Leave me alone, he chanted in his head as a silent prayer to all the gods that might be watching. The lock clicked open. The knob clanked as if it was cranked down. The hinges whined—a grating noise in the silence of the night.

"What is going on?" His mother's voice bled past the blanket's embrace.

Nyxis's eyes flew open. With a deep groan, he pushed himself to a sitting position, his gaze landing on the Queen's form. "Why had the servants called me here?" her voice, as well as her face, was tinged with worry. It was a painful sight for Nyxis to watch. "You weren't at dinner."

He looked away. He couldn't handle seeing his mother being sad one more second. It only made the swirl of emotions in his gut worse. "I.."

"Gods above, your hair is a mess. Look at yourself," she continued, sitting at the edge of his bed. The sudden addition of her weight made Nyxis bounce a bit. "Are you hungry? Good thing I brought something from the pantry."

Nyxis blinked as his mother's hand attacked the strands of his hair, smoothing it out of his forehead and combing it down behind his head. Then, her fingers came to rest on his cheeks, cupping them, levelling his gaze into hers. Unlike his father's dark, soulless eyes, bright green gems stared back at him. It was a stark reflection of his own.

"Are you not going to say anything?" the Queen prompted, her lips curving into a disapproving but far from angry frown. "You did not come out of your room since morning."

Nyxis drew a breath. He didn't realize it would start shaking. One look at his mother and tears started streaming out of his eyes. The next thing he knew, his mother was cradling his head on her shoulders, running her hand down his back in an attempt tp calm him.

"I am sorry," she kept muttering under her breath as sobs overtook Nyxis completely. What was she apologizing for? It wasn't her fault. None of this was.

After what seemed like an hour, Nyxis broke away from her and wiped at his eyes. "What is wrong, Nyxis?" she asked in a voice so gentle it might make him start bawling again. "Come on. You can tell me."

And so, he did.

Everything came gushing out much like how the tears he held back did. His mother's face changed from concerned to shocked to angry over the course of his story. By the time he finished, his mother's hands curled at her lap.

"That son of a witch," she cursed. Then he flinched, as if remembering Nyxis was beside her. "Oh, I did not mean for that to come out. I was just.."

Nyxis took her balled fists in his hands. "It is fine, Mother," he said. "I am fine. I-It is just—"

"You are most certainly not," the Queen declared. "I have never seen you break down like how you just did. Even after your father's tirades, you stayed strong. But now..."

She shook her head and blew out a heavy breath. "I will talk to him about this," she said, squeezing Nyxis's hands with her own. "You will not have ot see that again. You should have not seen that in the first place."

It shouldn't need to happen in the first place, really. Nyxis bit his lip and didn't say that sentiment out loud. Even as members of the Royal family, none of them had enough power to tell the King off. Whatever the King says, it will be the law. Not even the Queen could stop him.

But that didn't mean they wouldn't try.

Nyxis bobbed his head, shaking the onset of a headache budding in his scalp. Something crinkled and the smell of lindenmere filled Nyxis's room. "Here," his mother handed him a bundle of crumpled parchment. "Eat that. I brought that for you when the servants said you have not eaten since lunch. You must be starving."

He was. He didn't dare fight as he unwrapped the parchment and his favorite pastry lumbered into view. His teeth sank into the cold surface as he took a bite, keeping his eyes on his mother whose expression told him she was proud of him for just attempting to eat. The moment the jelly filling touched his tongue, he remembered how much he loved this pastry and began eating faster. Within a few minutes, it had disappeared down his throat.

A chuckle made him look up at his mother. "I did not know that is how much you love that thing," she said. "I will make sure to get you lots of it next time."

For the first time in the whole day, a smile tore past Nyxis's lips. "Make sure you get it from the Resthens," he said. "They make the best ones."

His mother hummed. "I will be sure to remember that," she said. "Do you need anything else?"

Nyxis shook his head. She had already given him more. "Sleep would be nice," he said. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

She laughed as she tucked Nyxis to bed. He was never too old for this. "I am never going anywhere," she said. "I promise you that."

"Please tell that to Adresin too," Nyxis blurted just as his mother was slowly edging off the bed. She paused to look back to him, her mouth parting. He wasn't sure if it was from shock or something else. "He needs his mother too."

The Queen's face softened. She leaned in and planted a kiss on Nyxis's forehead. "He does," she said. "Good night, love."

"Good night...Mom," Nyxis felt heat creeping up to his cheeks upon switching to the more intimate title he could call her. The sides of her eyes crinkled as she smiled.

Then, she was out of his room. The silence this time didn't feel so oppressing. Not anymore. Funny how it takes only one person to change all that.

That night, no dreams plagued his sleep.