Immortal Insanity or Innocence 11

Immortal Insanity, or Innocence?
Chapter 11: Redemption
By Arceus. Conberma (Liyu Conberma)

---

Sunlight returned to the world a little more each day until it chased off the last dark clouds and melted all but the most stubborn pockets of dirty snow that hid in shady corners around the castle and town. A hint of frost tried to linger in the air, but the first warm breezes blew in and dispelled it.

Benonic's cell remained damp and cold, and it would stay that way until a Fire-wielder heated the dungeon later in the spring to dry it and keep mould from forming. He hadn't seen the sky or tasted fresh air in two months. A dreadful listless feeling had sunk into his bones until he almost wished he was back in his old cage. At least then he would be outdoors. The eternal greyness of his cell sometimes crushed him with suffocating closeness and other times filled him with a sense of an empty, black void.

And although Reveka hadn't said anything, he knew instinctively that Athena's final month of pregnancy was nearly over. If she didn't recover...

---

Reveka brought the broth up to the Royal chamber as usual at noon and opened the door, noticing the midwife over by the bed. She had rolled up her long sleeves and was busy feeling along Athena's stomach. Noire was so intent that she didn't realize anyone else was present.

“Not long, little one. I promise you'll be safe,” she was saying in a low, excited voice. “Now that it's begun I'll see you soon—maybe tonight. You'll see the sun and the sky...the world is beautiful!”

“Begun?” Reveka repeated, making Noire whirl around with a jerk. “You mean Queen Athena is having contractions?”

The brief dismay in the lynx's face was replaced by a smile. “You startled me. The contractions are only  in the earliest stages right now. There's no need to alarm anyone.”

But the green raccoon set down her tray and grew very serious. “You know as well as I do that an unconscious woman cannot give birth. The king's greatest hope was that she would wake up by the time she went into labour, otherwise both of them will likely die!”

“I know a technique that could save them and I've used it successfully several times. I'm quite confident all will be well.”

“I'm not,” Reveka threw out. “What 'technique' are you going to use?”

“Womb-cutting.”

For an instant the head servant could only stare, then she strode over and grabbed Noire by the arm. “That is only used on dead mothers in order to save their babies! Using it on the living is—! I don't know where you learned such a barbaric practise, but if I'd known this was your plan two months ago, I would have found a different midwife.”

Reveka's fingers felt something ridged, almost like a scar, and she glanced down, catching sight of a mark on the marine blue lynx's upper arm. Noire shifted a little too quickly, slipping away and moving so that it was hidden.

“I can understand your reticence. It is not something many are familiar with and I never mention it unless there is no other option. If you are concerned, you are certainly welcome to remain here during the whole of it. There won't be anything to see for hours yet, though.”

“Perhaps not, but I'll be back soon.”

The moment she was alone, Noire's expression hardened and she placed one hand protectively on Athena's large abdomen.

“Old busybody. It would have been simpler and better if she hadn't gotten involved, but I suppose there's no choice now. Well, it pays to be prepared for something like this.”

She went to the little room that had been Benonic's two months ago and pulled out a wheeled cart strung with a wide, shallow sling. They were usually used for transporting large loads of laundry and such across the castle. Pushing it over beside the bed, Noire quickly moved Athena onto it and covered her with a bundle of loose bedding so that she couldn't be seen.

Making sure there was a servant in the hallway to see her, she pushed the cart slowly away, hid in an alcove, then backtracked once the servant was gone. She chose a room in the Royal Wing just a few doors down from Athena and Mortesen's.

No one would expect her to stay so close.

---

Captain Alexei didn't know what to expect when a servant came to the training yard, saying Reveka need to speak with him immediately. He was in the middle of instructing several cadets and would have dismissed the summons from someone who ranked far lower than himself, but since she'd never done so before, he decided to see what was considered so important.

The servant led him to the main stairwell where the green raccoon waited. As soon as they greeted one another, she pulled him aside.

“You were in the delegation with King Mortesen when he went to Rofaki last year, weren't you?”

“Yes.”

“Did you happen to observe anyone with tattoos?”

He squinted slightly. “You disturbed me during training for this?”

“I need to know,” she begged, looking so earnest that he couldn't keep feeling irritated with her.

“Only slaves,” Alexei answered. “Depending on who owned them, they had marks on their wrists, necks or faces. Why? Did you see someone with a tattoo?”

Reveka frowned, not quite satisfied with his response. “If that midwife really is a slave then I suppose I shouldn't be too concerned. But then why would she try to hide it from me?”

“What did it look like?” He asked out of more a sense of duty than curiosity.

Reveka thought carefully about the shape of the tattoo before she spoke. “Noire covered part of it, but I clearly saw two horns above what seemed to be a tilted star.”

Alexei grabbed her wrist, eyes wide. “That cat! When she changed back into herself I remember that tattoo on her arm!”

He shot down the hallway, ordering everyone he saw to find the king. The head servant stood perfectly still for a few moments, wondering if she could do anything. Then she remembered Benonic.

Forcing her old bones to work harder than they had in years, she ran to the dungeon. The single guard at the thick door knew who she was and let her through, but didn't seem overly curious about the frantic way she acted.

Reveka found Benonic's cell and he looked up with an unreadable expression as she held onto the bars, panting heavily and hardly able to stand. Still, she wasted no time.

“The midwife—had a tattoo like Regina—I mean, Semira.” She gulped in air and continued in a rush, “Benonic, I'm sure she's the poisoner—she plans to cut the baby out of Athena!”

The scarred hedgehog's eyes flamed, swirling with bloodwrath. Thick veins surged up his arm, swelling so quickly that the two doubly-thick manacles that had replaced the broken one burst open. When he lunged for the locked cell door, the remaining chain keeping him bound to the wall snapped, then there was no longer any door at all.

The sound of metal clanging on stone caught the guard's attention and he started toward them, but Benonic had dropped to the floor as a paralysis spell snared him at once. Reveka knelt down beside him, speaking, but he couldn't make out her words.

The thought of Athena at the mercy of someone in the cult pushed him to the edge of sanity.

His three-fingered hand clawed at the stones, dragging him an inch forward. The great weight of an unseen boulder shifted slightly, trying to keep him down. He stretched, fighting desperately to overcome it. Every drop of blood throughout his body transformed into something molten, and with each breath a growl wheezed from his chest.

The spell frayed at the edges, his resistance creating a bubble of pressure. He didn't know how he was doing it, but he kept trying. The guard arrived just as Benonic's struggling unravelled the majority of the paralysis, then with a surge of strength he bounded on all fours toward the stairs, bowling him over in the process.

Reveka helped the dazed guard back to his feet. “If you really want to raise the alarm, first you're going to help me back to the main floor. At my age, going down is much easier than going up.”

---

Athena struggled to pull herself out of the heavy, grey fog that dragged her limbs down. Sometimes in the last two months things were so clear that she could hear and understand everything, but other times thick cotton seemed to dampen her ears and thoughts. This day was a mixture of both.

A wave of pain gripped her tight, helping to raise her above the fog and escape it at last. She became aware of hands on her belly, carefully feeling and probing the little figure inside.

A groan finally escaped her lips as she tried to call for her husband. “M-Morte...”

When her rasping cry came out, the hands ceased and a second later there was the sound of someone sighing in almost disappointment. “Queen Athena, I had hoped this morning's dose would keep you quiet, but I suppose the labour pains were enough to bring you out of it.”

That voice was... She couldn't remember the midwife's name. Opening her eyes was like trying to peel the bark off an ironwood tree. The lids clung together and resisted the effort, then finally broke free. Sudden light made her blanch and Athena shut them again.

A new, rhythmic sound made her ears prick forward and it was a moment before she recognised it. The midwife was...sharpening a knife? This time when she looked, the light wasn't so blinding and she could see a lynx standing over her.

Noire.

“I warned you my greatest failing is that I have far more concern for the baby than the mother,” she said, testing the knife's edge against her thumb and appearing satisfied. “Mistress Semira would have killed you both brutally in her greed for Royal blood in one of her disgusting spells, but my instructions are to keep the child alive at all costs. Repayment, if you will. You, on the other hand, must pay a far steeper price for murdering the witch. I am truly sorry it must be this way, but your death is for a good cause. It will honour the Dark Lord and your baby will be permitted to be one of his servants.”

Athena wanted to reach out and grab her, but only one finger twitched. How could they have been fooled into welcoming this fiend into the castle?!

“Your herbalist is quite adept at her craft, but I was trained specifically in the art of poisons. There are many I know that she would never be able to cure. It was very hard to make something that would affect only you and not the child, but I am the best at what I do.”

Noire reached into the neck of her dress and pulled out a thin vial that had been hidden between her breasts. A colourless liquid swished inside as the blue lynx unstoppered it. She poured it all into a wooden cup and then added a little water from a pitcher.

“It's alright, Your Majesty,” she said softly, pressing the cup against Athena's lips. “A concentrated dose should do the job. This will help you cross the Great Boundary.”

The queen stared into Noire's eyes, noting they were filled with what would have been perceived as kindness if it weren't for the fact that she was holding a cup filled with poison.

Fingers pinched Athena's nose shut so that she had to open her mouth to breathe, then the liquid spilled in. The lynx's hand covered her mouth, allowing only a dribble to escape as she tried to spit it out, but the majority was swallowed against her will. Choked noises bubbled up, but she couldn't make any of it understandable.

“Sshhhh... Dear Athena, you won't even feel yourself dying. I will care for your baby as if it was mine. Don't worry.”

Darkness began to pull her down into a deep pit with its sticky, clinging fingers. “Mortesen...Benonic... Help me...”

---

The maid cringed beneath her king's livid expression. “It-It was just ten minutes ago, I believe. Mistress Noire was pushing a laundry cart out of the room. I thought it was odd, but she didn't act suspicious. She turned left at the—”

“I want everyone searching that direction now!” Mortesen ordered, cutting her off. “She can't have carried Athena up or down any stairs, so they must still be on this floor. I want every room in that section scoured—every nook and cranny and broom closet!”

There was a flurry of movement as all the people gathered outside the king and queen's room rushed to obey. Then except for Alexei, Mortesen was alone. But only for a minute.

A figure came hurtling through the door, a length of broken chain trailing behind him. Benonic dashed over to the bed, hands feeling the shallow impression where Athena had lain for the past two months. His mask had been left behind in the cell, leaving his appearance unsoftened.

Mortesen growled and started to draw his sword, but the skunk seized his wrist, signalling him to stop and let Benonic be. He knew instinctively that the deformed hedgehog could find a way to lead them to Athena and Noire. And as much Mortesen despised the idea, he knew he had very few options available.

Benonic ran out and started down the hallway, following the path of the other servants, but skidded to a halt at the door to a room just before the intersecting corridors. The Captain of the Guard had stepped out to see what he was doing and called Mortesen over instantly.

The young hedgehog tried the handle, finding it locked. He exerted more strength, trying to force it open, then he rammed his shoulder into it—all with no effect.

“Sire, we can't break into any of the Royal chambers if they're locked from the inside,” Alexei said, worried. “The magical safeguards are impenetrable and—”

“Don't tell me what I already know!” Mortesen snapped. He pushed past Benonic and pressed his hands flat against the door. “Besides, you're not united to the Cosmos Diamond. There isn't a door in this castle barred from me.”

The hedgehog king closed his eyes in concentration, which was extremely difficult because he couldn’t help imagining what kind of condition his wife was in—or worse, their child?! But his hands glowed and a delicate, coiled pattern became visible in the wood. Seconds later there was an audible click, but before he could seize the handle, there was a new sound:

The echo of baby's cry.

Hearing that, they all barged into the room and gaped at the horrid sight. Athena lay senseless on the bed, a wide horizontal cut across her stomach bleeding profusely. Noire stood over her, a whimpering bundle in her arms and a protective expression on her face.

Mortesen’s eyes blazed as he charged towards the lynx and his newborn child.

However Noire had a backup plan. Her hand reached for a bottle on the table and she flung its contents at the king. He instinctively pulled back, covering his face, and the liquid splashed onto his black fur. With a surprised hiss of pain he fell back, gripping the spot.

“It-It burns!” he grunted between clenched teeth.

Alexei saw a water pitcher beside the bed and dumped it onto his friend's arm. Mortesen frantically rubbed at it, washing out the acid. By the time they looked up again, Noire was gone.

“She’s getting away!” Alexei exclaimed, pointing to an open passage at the rear of the fireplace. “How did she know about the—Sire!”

The sight of the deformed hedgehog poised above his wife's bleeding body had arrested his attention and Mortesen drew his blade, the edge pressed up against Benonic's jugular vein.

“Get back now,” he commanded.

Benonic's hands tightened on the bloodied sheets and every muscle tensed. But he refused to move away from his adoptive mother.

“I said—”

“Mortesen, calm down!”

The king's head snapped around in surprise. Alexei had never failed to use his title, even when they were children.

“'Calm down'? My wife is dying before my eyes and you want me to let this monster hasten her end?!” he demanded. “We need a physician to heal her, not some carrion-eating—”

“Are you still so blind?!” the skunk interrupted, stepping up beside him. “You wouldn't listen to a single word I had to say about Benonic before, but you will now. He's not the enemy! If he wanted your wife dead he wouldn't have taken a knife in her stead months ago. Stop reacting and think!”

At the words, Mortesen's face contorted between fury, pain and guilt. Then his muscles went limp and he lowered the sword. Benonic twisted to look up at him. A moment later he stuttered and spoke.

“S...A….E…M-MA…”

“What did you say?” Mortesen asked with an undertone of shock.

“SS…S-SAVE…MA-MA! SAVE ATHENA! SAVE YOUR WIFE! I CAN DO IT!”

Teeth punctured and damaged Benonic’s mouth with each word, causing blood to pour down the chin from his tongue and lips. He shoved aside the pain, knowing he needed to be heard. There was a blurriness to the words, but they were clear enough to be understood.

“Mortesen,” Alexei said with a hard edge to his voice, “use you Royal gift. Do you think he’s lying? He’s pushing himself to prove his good intentions to you!”

The dark hedgehog was truly speechless at this moment because he had used his gift. He detected nothing aside from sincerity beneath the loyalty and determination of Benonic's tone.

Mortesen lowered his head and breathed, “Save her, please.” Then he turned to Alexei, saying, “Come on, we’ve already wasted too much time. That passage leads up to the east tower or down near the gardens. Noire is most likely trying to escape.”

They disappeared into the dark entrance of the secret passage, leaving the light purple hedgehog alone with Athena. Just in touching her he could tell she was slipping closer to death by the second.

Benonic’s eyes roamed around the room, looking for any clue Noire had left behind. Immediately they fastened on a cup with small amount of liquid in it. Cautiously he inspected it, then poured some into the mouth on his deformed hand.

Like a magnet, his hand was guided to the area above Athena’s lacerated belly—he could sense the same liquid there. It had to be poison. He could taste the unnaturalness of it.

In the past when he'd been given rotten meat, if he concentrated he was able to only eat the parts that were good. He reached out.

But his nightmare of consuming Athena returned with sickening clarity. His deformed hand was a centimetre from Athena’s flesh when it started trembling uncontrollably. He wanted to save her!

No matter what, he had to focus completely and entirely on the drug...

With that thought clearly etched in his mind, Benonic placed the three-fingered hand firmly against Athena’s stomach. Its teeth sank into her skin, digging deep. Like a leech, his other “mouth” started sucking whatever was inside Athena’s body into himself as the veins of his arm pulsed.

A minute later Reveka arrived, followed by soldiers and, more importantly, a physician. Everyone was alarmed when they saw Benonic doing something to their queen, but the raccoon assured them that all was well. She hid her own disturbance at the sight by going over to check on him.

“Benonic?”

She could see his eyes were fully centred on Athena. There was blood leaking from his mouth and she grabbed a rag to mop at it, but he acted as though she wasn't there.

“Come here,” she said to the physician. “We need to stitch up this cut, but first you need to perform a healing on the tear in her womb. Carefully. If there is any scarring she may never be able to have more children.”

He approached, sparing a brief glance for the young hedgehog, but then focused on his job.

Benonic could feel the poison affecting him and tried to ignore the drowsiness that crept in. At some point his legs went numb and he dropped to his knees. Every limb weighed more with each breath. But he kept his hand locked in place, determined to drain every last drop of the poison.

Just a little more...just a bit longer...he could do it...for her...

---

Noire ran as fast as she could, skirting the edge of the castle grounds.

“We’re almost there, little one. Soon we’ll be free,” Noire gently reassured the infant in her arms. From the tender expression on her face, she could have easily been mistaken for his mother.

She crept inside the stables, unnoticed, and grabbed a set of harness reins. The first stall she came to had a medium-sized Kodom lizard and she clipped the reins to the rings hanging behind its jaws. There was no time for a saddle, so she simply mounted and steered the reptile outside.

The lizard stables were closer to the gate than the ones for horses, so it only took less than a minute to reach the guard posted there. She had planned her escape carefully, making sure to leave in this manner at least once a week.

The guard recognised her and unlatched the gate with only a cursory glance at the squirming baby in her arms. She was a midwife, after all.

Once free of the castle walls, the marine blue lynx urged her lizard into the long, swinging gait that was both smooth and fast. Her message had made it through, so the ship was likely waiting, but she had to reach it quickly before real pursuit began.

On a whim, she guided her mount into the forest. No one would imagine she'd try to cross it. They all had some superstitious fears about it, but passing directly through would save her time and deter anyone following.

The lizard slowed to a walk as the trees closed in on all sides. They went on for a few minutes in near-silence. Noire looked down at the baby who was growing fussy again. He was hungry and confused by this unfamiliar world all around him.

“Don't fret, little one! I'll get you some milk the moment we reach our ship. The queen would not have been a good mother to you. She was far more devoted to that demon spawn who betrayed—”

Noire broke off with a startled gasp. Every leaf and blade of grass quivered around her even though she couldn't feel any wind. A sense of fiery anger began to build in the very earth, electrifying the air with a stifling atmosphere.

The lynx nudged her lizard, but it was petrified with fear. Now beginning to realise the rumours of the forest being haunted may not have been entirely wrong, she slipped off her beast and started to run back the way she'd come.

Without quite seeing how it happened, though, Noire found herself completely blocked, hemmed in by close-grown trees that had thorny brambles choking every possible gap between them. When she turned back around, her Kodom lizard was on the other side of a new stand of trees that hadn't been there a moment earlier.

She clutched the baby to her chest, eyes fearfully searching for any way out. Something touched her ankle and she leaped away with a scream, her throat so tight that it came out raspy. At first Noire thought it was a snake, but then she noticed leaves sprouting from it.

A cold chill climbed up her spine. It really was the forest...it was alive...

Long, thin vines came out of nowhere, wrapping around her limbs even as she tried to run. Some of them tore the baby from her arms and the blue lynx fell. A crack split in the ground beneath her and Noire felt herself sliding downward. Thick, pliable roots swarmed all over her body, dragging her deeper into the pit.

Her terrified eyes watched as the earth began to close again. In the diminishing light, she happened to glance to one side and saw a skull with empty eye sockets and filthy teeth snarling at her.

Noire's voice had been trapped at the base of her throat. Now it burst out in one final shriek as she was buried alive.

---

Mortesen had been too worried to even bother grabbing a steed to pursue them. Alexei promised to follow shortly with other riders so that they could cover more ground faster.

He'd seen Noire disappear into the Forbidden Forest with his child, but unless the spirit that resided there knew she was an enemy, the lynx would be allowed to go on her way. He darted into the trees, shouting.

“Grandmother! Do everything you can to stop the traveler! She has my child and I—”

He broke off as an open path stretched open before him. Apparently the forest spirit had an idea of where he needed to go already. Sightly confused, but determined to trust her, Mortesen followed the trail.

It wasn't long before the black hedgehog heard something that made him hurry, and when he arrived in a small clearing, he couldn't keep the relief from his face. Two vines were wrapped around a bundle as they swung it gently back and forth. A tiny swarm of glittering fireflies and whirling leaves spun around the little hedgehog, making it giggle and squeal with laughter.

When he approached, the vines loosened, allowing him to take the baby. The king looked into the face of his offspring, unable to keep back a sob of joy.

It was a boy! A healthy baby boy.

He had coat of blue like his mother, but with crimson stripes a little like his own. And his eyes—it was puzzling but not unpleasant—the left was ruby-red like Athena's, but the other one was amber yellow.

“Did you get that golden eye from my mother?” he whispered, tickling his son beneath the chin and producing a new flurry of giggles.

There was a guttural noise and he noticed the Kodom lizard waiting a short distance away. It seemed perfectly at ease, but its rider was nowhere to be seen. Mortesen could only guess what the forest spirit had done to Noire.

Climbing onto the steed, he looked around and cradled the baby hedgehog to his chest. “Thank you, Grandmother. I have to go back now. Athena is... I don't know if she's alive.”

He guided the lizard back toward the castle, hoping against hope that Benonic had truly been able to succeed.

---

In Athena’s deep consciousness

Eternal, bottomless darkness.

Athena felt an unknown force chaining her down and, in spite of her dark environment, she was aware of the outside world. It was torture to her, being able to hear everything and do nothing. Her words were muted.

When her baby first wailed, a sharp sensation of pride mixed with devastation ripped through her hearts. She wanted to hold her child! She wanted to see her little one's face!

But the cries faded into the distance and her consciousness seemed to shatter in the void left behind until there was nothing else but this place of endless black. Weakness closed in, stripping away every part of her, piece by piece...

A faint glow in the distance caught her attention, coming closer until she could discern a three-fingered hand made of pale light. It gently wrapped around her incorporeal body as though frightened of injuring her.

Athena gasped at the warmth that felt uncannily familiar. It was the same feeling she'd had before...

“It's you, isn't it?”

Before she could say his name, the light brightened and Athena felt strength returning to her body, pulling her out of the uninviting darkness.

…

…

…

…

Athena’s eyes fluttered open. She was back in her own room. The green and red canopy above her was unmistakable even though her vision was still blurry. Someone cried, “She's awake, Your Majesty!” and a whirl of mixed voices cheered or expressed their relief.

Then a baby's soft cry caught her ear and she instinctively turned toward its source. At first all she could see was her husband's silhouette, but then the tiny form he held wrapped in a blanket became visible.

For a moment she thought it was nothing but an illusion. After being forced to swallow the poison, Athena had been morbidly certain there was no waking for her.

But then Mortesen reached out, caressing her cheek and wiping away the tear she'd unknowingly shed at the thought that this couldn't possibly be real. Being proved wrong brought her more joy than she felt she could hold.

“Our son is safe,” he whispered, bringing the baby closer.

Reveka appeared at her side, lifting her up and padding the spot behind her with pillows so that she could sit comfortably. But Athena had eyes only for her little prince.

The king noticed his queen’s longing, motherly gaze. As her arms stretched out, he carefully handed the baby over.

"Hello, little one," Athena cooed softly, and gave him an Eskimo kiss. "I'm your Mama."

Her little son seemed to recognise her voice, responding with a toothless smile and reaching out to grip her inviting fingers. The hedgehog queen couldn't stop smiling for a long time.

Unable to tear her gaze away from her baby, Athena asked, “What do you want to name him?”

To be honest, Mortesen had been too anxious and stressed with taking care of Athena during her coma that he'd completely forgotten about considering any names.

Just then the infant laughed and a soft, comforting breeze flowed into the room through the open windows. Mortesen closed his eyes and enjoyed the welcoming air. A name seemed to whisper itself to him.

“...Kaze.”

“Hm?”

“Kaze Negolas Hedgehog,” he announced. But he noticed his wife’s confused frown at his choice of the middle name. “I understand you didn’t exactly approve of the way my father ruled, but he was not a horrible person. It's not just about tradition. I want to give him a second chance through his grandson. And I know Kaze is destined to be a great ruler.”

Mortesen was aware of his son’s gaze on him, as if to say, ‘What does “Kaze” mean?’ He smiled and answered the unvoiced question while stroking the little hedgehog's cheek.

“Our little ‘King of Wind’.”

The newborn prince, now named Kaze, seemed to approve his name as he gave a laugh once more and grabbed his father’s thumb.

Just then Athena looked around, finding there was something missing—or rather someone. Where was he? The exhausted mother looked at her husband.

"Mortesen, Benonic wasn’t the one who poisoned me. It was—!"

“I know,” Mortesen interrupted. “It was Noire. Alexei told me that she was from the cult that you investigated months ago.”

Athena knew about that from the brief explanation Noire had provided earlier, but Mortesen still hadn’t given her the information she wanted.

“Then where is Benonic? I heard you imprisoned him.”

The king stiffened for an instant, even though just a little, but his wife's keen eyes caught it. “You…you heard that?”

“I heard everything. My eyes were closed but my ears weren't. Now tell me, is he alright or not?”

Mortesen wondered where to begin. On his return, Reveka had just finished supervising the servants who carried Athena back to the Royal chamber, and had gone back to tend Benonic. He'd been lying on the floor, eyes gazing sightlessly at the ceiling and shallow, wheezing breaths slipping through his fangs. His strange arm was no longer all red, but flecked with ruddy, mud-coloured blotches.

Once informed that his wife's condition had improved and she was no longer in danger, the king immediately ordered the soldiers in the room to carry Benonic to the infirmary and requested the physicians look after him well.

"He came to find you,” he answered after a short moment of thought. “While I went after Noire, he absorbed all the poison in your body. The physicians are doing the best they can now."

"What?!” Athena gasped in both shock and fear.

"I don't know how he did it exactly, but Benonic drained it away before it killed you. The last I heard, he was stable. It might take him time to recover, but I'm sure he'll be alright."

Athena attempted to get up. "I have to go see him."

“No, you're not,” Reveka said, not seeming too concerned. “You're not leaving this bed, especially since Benonic won't even be conscious for days yet.”

Then the queen appeared to realise something was wrong. “My legs... Why can't I move?”

“The healing performed on the cut Noire made is a mild one so that it can heal better naturally. Too much movement in the next day or so could tear it open. I also had the royal physician numb everything below your chest. You can't go anywhere even if you want to.”

"Athena, she's right. You just gave birth and barely recovered from a coma. You need to rest!" Mortesen urged, holding his wife’s arm with a gentle but firm grip.

"But he's poisoned! Mortesen, he just saved MY life!"

"I know THAT! But you are in no condition to be walking around. The physician said that you would be bedridden for a couple of weeks to make sure everything is alright."

But Athena was still stubborn as a mule. "Haven't I been lying down long enough? I just want to make sure—"

Mortesen spun away from her so suddenly that she stopped speaking. “Reveka, do me a favour and get everyone out. I need to speak with my wife alone.”

The moment they were gone, he turned back to her. She held their baby, stroking the red stripes in his quills and letting him nuzzle against the hollow of her throat.

"Athena, for months I've had this question in my head, and I think the rest of the kingdom is wondering the same thing." Mortesen took a deep breath, "Why did you take him in?"

"Because he was innocent and homeless—"

"NO! Stop hiding behind that explanation!" Mortesen cut her off brutally. "I know pity and obligation and gratitude when I see them, but they're not the main reason you did it. Why are you so determined to make him part of our family?"

Athena was taken aback by her husband's outburst, but she knew he was right. The queen thought a moment, trying her best to make sense of the jumble in her mind.

“The first time I laid eyes on him there was a stream between us. I saw his reflection before I saw him. It looked exactly like my brother.”

Mortesen spoke carefully, “…Justus?”

She nodded, keeping her gaze lowered as though afraid to see the skepticism on his face. “That night when he came here to kill Semira, there was a moment when I thought I knew him...and I thought he knew me...”

Her husband remained silent and expressionless.

“Also, when I was a child I hurt my arm with some scissors. Justus came over and pressed his mouth against the cut, then it was gone. Much later after he died I found out the Royal gift 'Healer's Kiss' ran in our family, so I always suspected that's what he had. Benonic has something similar.” She paused, looking nervous. “With everything happening since then, I brushed all this aside as nothing more than coincidence or my imagination. But...

“Just a little while ago I was trapped in the darkness of my mind. I felt so lost and couldn’t do anything. Then a bright light shone in front of my eyes. It was the shape of…a claw. When it touched me, I knew I would be alright. But at the same time, I felt something else…something familiar about it. So much like him.”

Mortesen placed his hand on hers once he was sure she was done speaking. “Are you absolutely certain about this? Justus died over a decade ago.”

“I thought I was, but now that I'm awake it all sounds...” She gave an uncomfortable shrug. “Maybe I just want it so badly that I'm fooling myself.”

“Well, whether it's true or not, I do know Benonic loves you. He's proven it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I understand that now and I won't hold his past, his appearance or his strangeness against him any longer.”

“Will you tell him so?” she asked, leaning deeper into her pillows.

“Yes. There's quite a lot I need to thank him for...and apologize for. You can visit him once you have your rest. I’ll have a servant keep an eye on him and let you know the minute he wakes up.”

Athena hated to admit it, but despite being stuck in a coma for months, she still felt exhausted. Mortesen watched her eyes drooping against her will and took their son gingerly.

The king stepped out of the room to find Reveka and ask where the wet nurse was since Athena wouldn't be able to nurse the baby until the physicians were absolutely sure all the poison was out of her system. Without a thought, he handed his son to Alexei while he spoke with her.

The Captain of the Guard accepted the newborn prince more out of surprise than anything. There was an awkward moment where he wasn't sure exactly what to do, but Kaze looked up at him with big, curious, adorable, multicoloured eyes.

Alexei started to smile, but then a small pair of hands grabbed his beard and yanked hard! He grimaced, not quite sure how to extricate himself from this undesirable situation without upsetting the baby. Kaze certainly appeared to have inherited his mother’s herculean strength.

When Mortesen turned back, he found it impossible to stifle his laughter to see his best friend the source of Kaze's amusement. Once the clingy fingers were loosened, Alexei smoothed down his beard somewhat self-consciously.

“He’ll be a handful, I guarantee it,” he predicted.

---

Benonic woke up two days later, much to the physicians' amazement, and was shocked that his first visitor was the king himself. Mortesen looked uncharacteristically humble, and when he finally managed to say something, it all came spilling out. He apologized a minimum of ten times and thanked Benonic at least twice that.

In the end he invited the young hedgehog to stay at the castle permanently, to which he agreed with a slow, shy nod.

After leaving the infirmary, Mortesen saw his brother coming down the hallway toward him.

“Rakar! I trust your trip was safe. Did you hear the news about our son?” he asked, the pride in his voice evident.

“Everyone between here and Seastone couldn't talk about anything else. You have my greatest congratulations that your wife and son are both well, but...” He darted a glance at the infirmary door. “I also heard some odd talk that Athena's recovery had something to do with that...hedgehog.”

“Yes, which is why I'm making him an official member of the family as soon as Athena is fully recovered.”

Rakar stared, dropping the book he'd been carrying. “You can't be serious. Brother, during my visit to Seastone I may have found a clue to what he is, and it's not pleasant.”

“I have all the proof I need of his good will towards Athena,” Mortesen asserted, bending down to pick up the book. He blinked at the title. “Rakar...what is this? Why are you looking into the occult?”

The umber brown hedgehog took it back, acting defencive. “You told me to find information. That's what I did. And you have no idea how hard it was to get my hands on it.”

“Burn it,” he said darkly. “I don't want filth like that in my castle.”

“You don't want something like this here, but you have no trouble accepting something far worse like that little devil?!” Rakar demanded.

Mortesen straightened, a hard, piercing gaze latching onto his brother. “You heard me, Rakar. I made my decision regarding Benonic and another regarding that book. I won't stand for you opposing me when it comes to something this serious. That thing had better be ashes before the day is over.”

Rakar watched the king stride away, embers of deep anger settling in the pit of his stomach. The book pressed close to his side and a stubborn desire to do the exact opposite of what Mortesen had commanded refused to quiet.

---

The following day Benonic was moved to a room in the Royal Wing directly across from the king and queen's own chamber. It had been Mortesen's before he'd been crowned.

As soon as he was properly settled, Alexei carried Athena into the room and set her down on a cushioned chair. Benonic's eyes were drawn to the tiny form wriggling in her arms.

“Kaze,” the blue hedgehog said to her baby with a beaming grin, “I want you to meet your big brother!”

She tilted forward and Kaze looked up curiously at this new person. Then Athena's smile faded slightly.

“Benonic, please take off your mask. I want him to know you as yourself and never have reason to be afraid.”

The deformed hedgehog went stiff at the suggestion, worried that such a sight would terrify the baby, but she continued to encourage him. Still reluctant, he reached back for the buckle and it slid off, revealing two rows of sharp fangs. The only reaction forthcoming was another happy smile and the gurgle of a laugh.

Before he knew what she was up to, Athena leaned over and set her son on his lap. Benonic froze, eyes so wide and scared that the baby giggled even more. Taking pity on him, Reveka went over and guided one of his hands under Kaze's head. Then she slid the other beneath him so that he was being cradled properly.

Their eyes locked for the first time and all Benonic's nervousness melted away. Large, multicoloured eyes lit with curiosity stared into his hollow ones. Kaze didn’t squirm or scream in discomfort, making Benonic wonder even more at the beauty and power of innocence.

Then little Kaze’s chubby hands reached up to feel his big brother's teeth, which took Benonic by surprise and he drew back slightly.

Athena noticed this, remarking, “I think he likes you already!"

Benonic was speechless in a way that had nothing to do with words. His thoughts themselves were stunned into silence. He could easily take lives, but to hold a new life was a completely different sensation...one that echoed deep inside.

At that moment the only thing he wanted in the entire world was to protect Kaze.

It hadn't taken long for Benonic to warm up to the idea of having his baby brother in his arms. And little Kaze seemed to like his new big brother who was holding him with his strange hands as he cooed sweetly.

And so they all talked to each other and played with the newest family member until little Kaze gave a tired yawn.

“Awww, somebody is tired,” Reveka announced as she took him gently from Benonic’s arms.

While the raccoon carried the baby back to his cradle and fetched Alexei to carry the queen to her bed too, Athena leaned over to give her adopted son a kiss on the forehead.

“Sweet dreams,” Athena said in a loving voice. “Goodnight….Justus.”

He cocked his head to one side, confused. She silently berated herself and gave an embarrassed apology. The skunk came in and lifted her into his arms.

As soon as the door closed behind them, the light purple hedgehog thought about the name she'd called him and felt his fists begin to shake beneath the covers.

---

To be continued...