"I would burn the world for you" (OxO Closed)

Bel's comfortable beside Nico, his hand warm on his leg. Part of Bel is still self-conscious. Every single one of Nico's citizens could secretly hate him and be planning his demise behind their king's back. Bel knows that's a ridiculous thought, but his paranoia and anxiety sure don't think so. Nico's sweet, chaste kiss is enough to bring him out of his mind. Miran makes a nauseated noise beside him.

The Queen ignores the affection, breaching it to get straight to her introduction. "I am. Queen Sella the Second," Sella responds, dipping her head in Nico's direction. She looks to Bel and Miran, Treya and Val coming up behind them. The professional demeanor fades into an easy expression. "Cousins, it's been too long." A mock pout forms on her face. "You missed my wedding and coronation."

Miran rolls his eyes at that, ushering an undaunted Flip closer to Sella's puma. "Forgive us for being preoccupied. We had a few more pressing matters on our minds." Once at Sella's side, he turns Flip to look over the crowd. "They all need asylum." His voice grows quiet. "Will Blakkast be able to provide enough shelter?"

Sella looks carefully over the area. She snaps twice, the sound echoing through the towering cliffsides. Three pumas, just slightly smaller than Sella's, appear at her sides. Her sentries. "With this crowd, we'll go through the bypass. It's longer but safer. I don't want to risk this many trying to climb the peaks." She says it to both Nico and Miran. A chilly air weaves through, Bel turning from Nico before coughing into his sleeve. He's sure to discreetly wipe any sort of blood away before he turns back to face them. Sella notes the allergy but doesn't say anything of it. "Does that sound alright to you Nicandros?"

"Fantastic," Sella says with a sharp smile. "Follow me then." Her puma grumbles and turns, the sentries moving with her and beginning to slowly surround the crowd. "There are plenty of monsters here," Sella informs quietly, slowing her cougar to walk side by side with Nico's horse. "Banshees, wyverns. Loven swore she saw a Yeti once. Regardless of what's out here, it's dangerous. There's a reason Blakkast has stood this long without foreign interference." Sella snaps again and as if materializing from the walls, more pumas and armored guards appear.

Now in much more familiar territory, Bel rides up front, sandwiched between Miran and Nico. Despite winter being half a year away, the mountains are still chilly. Bel brings his cloak (the one that had been Nico's all those weeks ago) closer around his body and leans further into Katya. Her white hair at least provides some warmth.

"There are a few shelters on the way up," Sella explains. "They're usually for soldiers, but they'll provide us with the necessary resources for the two days it will take us to arrive. It only takes half of a day to climb through the cliffs, but you all are painfully unprepared for our mountain climate." Her nose wrinkles as she smiles.

"Araniel is… a boring country. All meadow and no waterfalls." Again with Sella's fake pout. Miran once again rolls his eyes but there's a hint of a smile. "It makes it very easy to stampede upon. Very easy to attack from all angles." Her voice gets serious, sharp. "If you prepare well here, then you'll be prepared anywhere you battle."

Bel's a little lost in his own world when there's suddenly an arm around him, and then another before he's pulled from Katya and onto Abraxas. He doesn't comment on how easily Nico had pulled him from one horse to another, but it does cause his heart to do a flip. "Warm," he notes softly, leaning back against Nico. It's almost like when they had to share the steed all those weeks ago.

"At least Araniel is prettier than Pthalo," Miran inputs, his voice practically musical with a hint of laughter. "Gods, wouldn't it be dreadful to be the Sire of Sagebrush?" His voice gets accented, posh and mocking.

"Ah, to be a hoighty-toighty oil baron," Sella muses in the same idiotic accent. Bel has to restrain his own laughter at that. Suddenly they're all twelve years younger, sitting around a game of cards and mocking every stupid kingdom they could think of. They would all call Cobrass the Land of Vipers for the sheer amount of pirates and thieves that hail from their foresty waters. Lumiere was Maidsville for the abundance of seamstresses and weavers that sent out thousands of fine garments every week.

Pulling himself from his reminiscing, Bel sighs and pulls Nico's cloak around them both like a second blanket. "My knight in shining armor," he muses softly, tipping his head up to look at the man behind him.

Bel accepts the kiss with a smile. They'll be at the palace soon and they'll be able to spend all their moments together. Despite being pushed up right against Nico, Bel's still cold. He can feel his hands begin to shake. His smile fades as he feels the blood rise in his throat. Oh no– He coughs violently into the crook of his elbow. As he stops, he feels his head swim. Sella swears, halting her cougar to appear at Bel's side. "Is this what your mother had?" She asks, pressing a hand to Bel's chest. Treya looks at her cousin gravely from over Nico's shoulder. She nods. Sella swears again.

"We need to get Bel to the palace, very quickly before the cough progresses into something worse." She looks to Nico, instantly seeing the panic in the man's eyes. She whistles and snaps and another puma appears at her side. "We're taking the pumas. They're faster and can get to the palace much easier than any horse could." Sella's slowly grabbing at Bel. She keeps her voice steady calm. "No healers will be able to cure a genetic lung condition, but the doctors at the palace are trained for these." Two of Sella's younger siblings both suffer from the same condition, but it's been quite a while since she's seen a cough as bad as Bel's. How long has it been since he's sought help? How long has he been choking on his own blood. "Nicandros, will you come with us?"

(he'll be fine :) )

There are strong arms around him and Bel knows that they're Nico's. He wants to open his mouth, to say that he's okay–but there's another cough and he's too light-headed to wipe the blood dribbling down his chin. His hands weakly grip at Nico's arm. No, he was supposed to have a little more time. Sella's words are concerning, but at least he knows that it is a genetic ailment. His mother was sick. Whenever there had been a particularly stressful event, she had to spend the next day in bed.

Sella carefully removes her hands from Bel's chest, looking up at Nico. Stepping away to allow the man to dismount with Bel in arm, Sella strokes both of the puma's down the tops of their heads. "Miran–" Sella addresses the oldest. He's ramrod straight, eyes wide and fists shaking from where they're clutched around Flip's reins. "Miran, you should know the way back to the palace. Bel will be fine, our doctors will make sure of that."

With that, Sella mounts her puma and gestures for the men to take the second one. "The faster we get there, the better." Without a second's hesitation, Sella leans forward and her cougar takes off sprinting. The cats leap, taking to the mountains with their huge paws, clawing their way up the cliffside to the first peak. From the tall vantage, the kingdom of Blakkast spreads out beneath them. The castle stands at the center, a breathtaking structure made of glass, iron, and sapphires. All around them are tumbling waterfalls, their water crystal-clear and reflecting the shining gems embedded into the natural pools. Caves and minecarts decorate the mountains, a few workers covered in soot chat and share sandwiches. Sella only spares a single look over her shoulder to ensure Nico is following before beginning the perilous descent.

"Scarlet Lung," Sella supplies when the second cougar catches up to her own. She can sense Nico's confusion, his rising anger and fear. The least she can do is peovide some context. "A genetic ailment. Bel's mother had it, two of my siblings have it. I thought at least Dionn's family would be safe." She looks over her shoulder to Bel. He's getting paler. "Aparantly not. Blood vessels leak inside their lungs under high stress. Sometimes it goes away, but sometimes it builds. And it builds and it builds." She sighs and turns back to the precarious cliffside beneath them.

Her eyes wander to the bypass, curling around the jagged peaks that act like a natural wall. There's a heavily guarded opening, one where Sella had planned a ridiculous amount of fanfare to welcome her family and the small city they keep in tow.

"Im with you," Bel says quietly, his voice a rasp. He stares at Sella, then shivers as he leans back into Nico's body heat. "M not leaving–" He trails off sleepily. His mouth tastes of metal.

"It's been a long time since I've seen a case like this. Usually we catch it when it's just a small cough, but I doubt Bel even knew he was sick," Sella huffs as her mount goes down an awkward few steps. "I wouldn't put it past his bastard father to keep the illness from him. Mierlenan is nothing but cruel." Sella had been the same age as Kein. They had spent nine years playing with each other in nurseries and dragging the maids to play with them. Kein would be thirty this year. The Queen doesn't doubt the possibility of Kein also being sick with the Scarlet Lung and whatever her father put her through accumulated and it resulted in her premature death. Sella doesn't say that part. She doesn't need Nicandros to panic.

"And yes, we should be able to help Bel as long as we get there soon enough. Our doctors have had years of experience with the Scarlet Lung, after all, it descends from our bloodline." That draws a shaky exhale from Bel. Slowly, he finds Nico's hand and loosely wraps his own around it. Sella watches the movement, then turns to the palace still hundreds of feet down. "C'mon, Arko." She rubs at her mount's neck.

"I'm awake," Bel breathes, but he can feel his eyes begin to drop. It's hard to breathe. The air is thick and his lungs are infested and his vision is blurred and darkened at the edges. "Just tired." The two words cause him to cough again, a terrible, sickening hack.

"I'm sorry–" Bel starts, his words long and slurred. "I'm sorry Nico, I should've told you." I thought everything was going to be fine. I thought I'd have more time before it worsened. I thought I could get a healer to take care of it– Bel coughs again. His vision swims, his stomach drops. It's harder to breathe. He prays that if he passes out that he'll be able to wake up again. "And yes–yes, I want to marry you and–" he trails off as rocks shift behind him.

"Shit–" Sella cries because of course nothing goes right. Her puma snarls and pivots, facing the threat behind them. A long spear expends from her hand. "Manticore approaching. Nicandros!" She barks. "Take Bel to the palace! Find Loven, she'll be in the throne room and she can help you!" The Queen bares her teeth, her massive puma slowly prowling closer and closer to the watching monster on the peak.

"Just thought I'd let you know," Bel whispers. "Just in case." Because Bel doesn't know if he'll be able to wake up of he falls asleep. "I can't breathe–" His hands are shaking and his skin is pale and slowly Bels vision is beginning to fade. Weakly, Bel squeezes Nico's hand before it goes limp. The last thing Bel sees before his vision gives is the spinding palace. It's half an hour away.

The puma, sensing the distress of his riders, begins to pick up his pace. Behind them, Sella grunts as the manticore lunges. She's quick to parry, quick to attack, quick to throw the beast from her. Their puma slides down a portion of the mountain, giving a confortavke distance between the men and the monster.

The cat snarls, continuing to slip and slide down the slope. His claws sink into the rubble, ensuring that they don't go tumbling down the cliffside. The manticore shrieks. The puma bounds, jumping a perilous section to a more secure bolder. Behind them, Sella whistles, a shrill and sickening sound. There's a cry; there are falcons. The falcons are larger than the puma, trilling and scrying as they dive at the manticore.

One of the falcons lands in front of the puma. As it lands, the earth tremors, the ground reshapes, the perilous mountain changes to a steady ramp. The falcon nods before taking to the sky again. There's three manticores. Sella uncovered a nest. She has a gash across her cheek but she's still standing. Arko the massive puma growls and circles the monsters. One bleeds heavily.

The second puma, the nameless one, sees the clear path and begins to sprint. The half hour decent has been reduced to a maximum of ten minutes. Bel needs every second he can have. His heart beats but it slows. His eyes droop. He's getting colder.

The commotion spreads through the courtyard like wildfire. Mothers grab their children, merchants protect their stock, roaming guards grab their swords. One of the guards steps forward, looking at the unconscious man in Nico's arms. He knows those features. "Follow me," the guard says, turning his back and running to the palace gates.

The Blakian palace is beautiful, made of silver, stone and glass. Bel almost wished he could be conscious to see it, conscious to see the landscape with Nico, be conscious to spend at least a tender moment with his love.

The guard takes a right, a left, and goes straight though a massive set of steel doors. Lounging on a thone, her legs thrown over an arm, is a woman with pale skin and shoulder-length red hair. Her face is sharp and fox-like and confused as she looks up. "Who are you?"

"Relax, tiger," the woman says smoothly as she rises from the throne. She crosses the distance between them and takes a look at Bel. Instantly, she recognizes his features and condition. "Damn. Follow me." She turns and exits the grand hall, holding the door for the men before she begins to run down the hall. They have to descend a set of stairs and then they're in an open, airy room with cots lined against a wall. "Doctor!" She yells, pointing for Nico to set Bel down in one of the cots. "Doctor, it's bad Scarlet flare."

A person of medium height and heavier build looks up from their desk, glasses sliding low on their nose. "How severe?" They inquire, standing and rushing over to look at Bel's condition. "Near cardiac arrest–Yale, Eryn!" The doctor yells for their assistants. "I need the cures immediately."

The two assistants rummage through a cabinet, handing different vials and syringes to each other. The doctor carefully unravels the cloak from Bel's body, finding a scalpel to slice through his outer layer and shirt. The woman takes a step back as the assistants bring up the cures. Some are tipped down Bel's throat, others injected straight between his ribs. In his unconsciousness, Bel begins to seize and hack. Loven puts a hand on Nico's shoulder. "This has to be done. They have to get the blood from his lungs somehow."

The doctors tilt Bel's head so he doesn't choke on his own blood. The blood quickly stains the crisp white pillow a sickly shade of red. He's wheezing, trying to take shuddering breaths through all the blockage in his lungs. The doctor swears under their breath. "There's too much buildup. The medicines won't do enough to eject it." They look to the woman with sad eyes.

"Then we need a mage, damn it," she responds, quickly countering the doctor's pessimism with her own unrelenting proactiveness. "We already know healers are useless for genetic conditions, but we can get an elemental one to help us, right?" Her green eyes narrow. "Draw the blood from his lungs with a little magic?"

"Well–yes my queen, but where could we get an air mage? We need one–" Bel coughs. "Immediately."

The woman widens her eyes as Nicandros suddenly steps up, resting a hand on Bel's chest. She's about to tell him to step back, to let the doctors handle this, but then Bel's coughing harder than ever. The assistants scramble to ensure that his head is turned. There's an ugly, gruesome noise and a hardened clot of blood falls from Bel's lips with a violent exhale.

"I'll be damned–" the doctor marvels. Bel's breathing heavily, but he's no longer choking. His eyes flutter open as he takes in his surroundings. His skin is pale but at least he's breathing. The woman sends the doctor a pointed look and they scramble to find a proper IV to replenish his lost blood.

"Nico–" Bel whispers, weakly reaching out with one hand as the doctor and assistants work on his recovery. Different salves and ointments are applied.

The woman sighs, rubbing her hands over her temples and eyes. She has about a million questions, but she knows that there's no time to ask them. The Prince is in no place to answer them. Loven's sure Sella would kill her if she killed her baby cousin by demanding far too many answers. Loven doesn't know much of Aranial's politics, but she knows what Sella has told her. She knows that the king is a cruel one and he fathered four children.