The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Arquis made an abrupt, worried sound. His chest went tight with panic. He knelt onto the floor beside them, moved in closer to steady the basket in their lap, and then placed his hand on the small of their back. Sweat had collected there, right at the base of his spine. It’d soaked through their shirt. He didn’t mind. They were in a bad way, and they needed every bit of comfort he could offer.

“Oh, love,” he murmured softly. His hand moved up to their hair, and he ran his fingers through it. The heat of his scalp was anxiety-inducing. It was as if there was a flame trapped under his skin, burning so hotly that it threatened to escape.

Rin rested his forehead against the rim, a faint sound of pain leaving them. "I feel like shit." They whispered, grimacing and staying where they were. They still felt like they were going to throw up, though they hadn't thus far. Still, the idea of moving away from the trash can wasn't one they liked. They didn't want to move. If they moved, they might throw up, and they really didn't want to do that at all.

Arquis could’ve made joke about them sounding like it as well—they really didn’t sound great—but decided against it. Instead, he massaged their neck with his thumb and whispered, “I know. You might feel better if you got it all out, love. It might stop hurting, at least.”

Best to do it there with the bin right in front of them than in the bathtub. He imagined them being sick into the soapy water and inwardly cringed. The image made him a bit queasy. It’d take forever to clean sick from the drain. He didn’t want to picture that anymore, so he shook his head to clear it away.

He shivered faintly, another choking sound leaving him as they dry heaved again. A few more, and then they really were throwing up, body shivering and trembling as the soup they had managed to eat earlier came back up again. He was shaking faintly when he sat up again, closing his eyes. "I hate this." He said faintly.

Each heave made Arquis wince, though he made sure that they wouldn’t see his face. It’d be terrible if they thought that he was repulsed by them. In truth, he just felt horrible for what he was going through. It sounded highly unpleasant and, judging by the shake in his voice, likely felt worse. He couldn’t imagine how drained they felt.

“Oh, Rin,” he sighed in response. He reached for the bin, then stopped, uncertain. Just because they’d paused didn’t mean he was completely done. His hand rerouted to their stomach, where it came to rest lightly below his rib cage.

“Do you think you are finished?” he murmured. “I ran another bath to help cool you down. It might feel nice to get clean.” No doubt that they were even more sweat soaked than before. Throwing up wasn’t easy on the body.

"I…" He thought about it for a minute, then nodded slightly. "I think so." He slowly pushed the bin away, then got to their feet. He swayed a little bit, and steadied himself by grabbing onto the bed. They closed their eyes, fighting back a wave of nausea.

Arquis was on his feet in a flash. He braced one arm around their shoulders for extra support and held him while their eyes were closed. His own heart was beating quite rapidly. Perhaps he’d been a bit over dramatic in the letter, perhaps Rin wasn’t going to die from this, but it sure felt like he’d been honest. Especially seeing them in this state—trembling all over, skin nearly hot enough to burn, stomach emptied, legs unstable.

“Alright. I am going to guide you to the bath,” he whispered. Just in case, he picked the bin up from the floor. He avoided looking at its contents. Sure, he’d seen them come up, but that didn’t mean they were pleasant to look at.

In the slowest shuffle possible, he began to guide his partner towards the bathroom. Rushing would inevitably lead to dizziness, and dizziness could lead to increased nausea or even passing out. They needed more fluids. Dehydration had become a much larger concern. He decided he’d get them some sink water to drink. It wasn’t great, but it was better than nothing and he wouldn’t have to leave the bathroom to get it.

Rin leaned on Arquis a little bit. His legs were always unsteady after throwing up when sick, and this time was no exception to that. He let out a faint, pained sound as he was guided into the bathroom, opening his eyes when they stopped. His gaze fell on the bath, and he shivered again, already feeling cold now that they were no longer nestled in their pile of blankets. "I'm cold." He whispered, rubbing his eyes with a hand.

Arquis gave them a peck on the cheek. “I know, but this is absolutely necessary. Your temperature is much too high already. The bath should prevent it from worsening, at least for a little while.”

He helped them get seated on the edge of the tub. The gesture was all too familiar. He really wished they’d gotten better overnight, as he didn’t want him to have to suffer all over again. But as he’d said, the bath was necessary. Rin would inevitably be even worse off if he did not take one.

“I do have some other news, if you would like to hear it,” he offered. “I think it might be a nice distraction.”

Rin shrugged faintly, pulling off his clothes so that he wouldn't be bathing with them on. "What?" they asked softly, looking up at Arquis for a moment, then going back to taking off most of his clothing. They left their boxers on, not wanting to make Arquis uncomfortable.

Arquis knelt before them so that he could see their eyes again. The smile on his face was extremely gentle. “Ari should be coming to visit within the next day or so. He sent a couple of letters that I read and responded to while you were asleep. I apologize for not asking permission—you seemed exhausted, and I wanted to let you rest.”

Arquis didn’t tell them the full story. Someday, when they were feeling well again, he would. He’d tell them of his fears and the quickness of Ari’s responses. He’d cry over all of it, too. But their health was so fragile at that point that he didn’t want to worry him. Reassurance and comfort were key. Putting more strain on their body or mind would only be cruel.

“I am glad for it, truly. I thought you might like to see him.”

They blinked up at him, a faint smile tugging at their mouth. "Oh." he said softly. "I…I'm glad you'll get to meet him." they didn't seem bothered by the fact that Arquis had read and responded to Ari's letters; they knew Ari wouldn't have given away any secrets that could be damning.

“Ah, yes, I am glad as well,” Arquis responded, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind their ear. It was a somewhat accurate statement. He wanted to meet Ari because the stranger clearly cared for Rin, and anyone that helped his partner was deserving of his respect. He also was extremely glad that he’d be bringing medicine. But whether or not he was actually excited to meet him was still very questionable. Ari didn’t seem like a judgmental person, yet Arquis was still nervous that he’d dislike him. Maybe he’d feel that the nobleman hadn’t done enough to help Rin.

He swallowed down that fear and dropped a quick kiss onto his partner’s knee. Promoting normalcy was still important. If they knew how worried he was, they’d get worried, too. He needed them to stay calm. Plus, if they started to panic, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his cool. He’d already cried a little while they were asleep; he didn’t want to do it again.

“Let us get you in the bath, hm? No time like the present.”

He frowned when Arquis said that. "I-I don't…I don't want to. It's cold, and I'm already so cold, and…and it's just going to make me colder…" His voice trembled a little bit, and they looked up at Arquis pleadingly. "Please, I don't want to, Arquis." They wrapped their arms around themself, swallowing faintly.

Arquis put a hand on one of their calves and gave it a very gentle squeeze. Concern briefly flickered across his expression, but it was soon smoothed away by that look of false calm. He kissed that spot below their knee once more, then let his forehead drop against it.

“Sorry, my love.” He really did sound sorry. Seeing them so uncomfortable wasn’t fun for him, either. “You must. I know that it is very unpleasant, but it is the best way to take care of your fever.”

He moved up from where he’d been kneeling and wrapped him in an embrace. Into their ear, he murmured, “Please? It will just be for a little while. Afterwards, you can change into something warm. I promise. And I will try to bring you more tea, if you can keep it down.”

They frowned, hsaking their head. "I don't want to, Arquis, it's going to be so cold and I don't…I don't want to." he kept his arms curled around themself, shivering again and looking down at Arquis unhappily. "I don't want to." they knew it was probably good for them but they really, really didn't want to. The fever fogged their brain up enough that they just wanted to curl up in bed beneath their blankets and sleep.

Arquis broke away and cupped their cheek. “The longer you wait, my love, the colder it will get.”

He wanted to say something else, to give them comfort in this hard time, but he didn’t know what more to say. He could tell their mind was hazy from fever. They would not listen to logic. He could compose the world’s most compelling argument, but it would be pointless.

“What if I were to join you?” he asked. “Would that make it any less miserable? I could hold you.”

He leaned into Arquis's hand with a faint, pained sound. "I just…I just don't want…" he took a deep breath. "It's so cold, Arquis." they whispered. "It's cold, and awful, and…and I don't want…" he bit his lip a little bit.

Arquis kissed them on the jaw. He stayed there for a moment, his lips moving against their skin as he spoke. “I know that you do not want to, Rin. I do not blame you. But you must. You must.”

When he leaned back, his blue eyes were damp. Before they could see, he stood and began to undress. His shirt and boxers stayed on, but he took off his pants, folded them, and put them on the counter. He kept his face neutral as he dipped his hand in the water. Internally, however, he was groaning. Of course it was cold. That was the whole point.

He lightly tousled Rin’s hair and put on his softest smile. His eyes had dried in the time it’d taken to change. “Here, I will get in first, alright? And then you can join me. We can go through it together.”

Without waiting for an answer, he lowered himself into the bath. It was harder to hold back his wince this time around, but he managed. He moved to the nearest edge and held his arms out towards them in encouragement.

Rin watched him, frowning a little bit. "I…" they finally lowered themself into the tub, wincing and shivering harder when their body met the cold water. He pressed himself into Arquis, shivering and trembling. "It's freezing." he whispered, letting out a faint whine of pain.

“Sh, I know, my love,” Arquis murmured soothingly. His arm instinctively curled around their waist and pulled them in further. “Oh, come here. You are shaking. Come here.”

He was beginning to wonder if this had been a bad idea after all. Their fever was indeed very dangerous, but if he lost too much energy due to the shivering then they wouldn’t be well enough to eat or drink. That was a major concern, as they’d already emptied his stomach. If he didn’t take something in soon to replace those lost calories, then they’d be even worse off. He wondered for a moment what food would soothe a struggling stomach. Something plain. Nothing too dense or rich. Nothing with cream, caffeine, or milk. That would certainly make them sick again.

Of course, thinking about food made him realize that he’d lied to them. He hadn’t eaten anything after they’d asked. Over the past two days, he’d barely eaten anything at all. He was angry at the burst of self-satisfaction that the thought gave him. He was supposed to be doing better. This wasn’t better.

He broke out of his thoughts and gave his partner a gentle hug. “You are doing so well, my dear. I am sorry that this is so difficult.”

Rin clung to Arquis, still shivering. "I'm so cold." They complained in a faint tone, closing their eyes and grimacing. The water was cold and they didn't feel good and he just wanted to curl up in bed again and sleep, buried under their blankets. That sounded ideal.

“I know, my love. But it will not be for long. Just a little while,” Arquis reassured them again. He cupped their cheek and gently stroked his thumb over his temple.

He wasn’t actually sure how long they’d be in the bath. Fifteen minutes? Twenty? Half an hour felt excessive, but then again, he wasn’t exactly a doctor. Everything he knew about caring for the sick came from his own experience with healing himself and Marsiquia. Nobody had ever really helped him with it. Some of the maids and butlers of the Palace had snuck him tea and hard candy for sore throats, and he’d had to see several doctors about his childhood asthma, but he’d had to make up the smaller in-between steps himself. He wished he’d read more about the subject before coming to the inn.

He moved his hand to their shoulder, then let it slide down his wet skin to their back. They still felt hot. How was that possible? His mouth twisted into a grimace, and he gently guided their head forward so that it was against his shoulder.

They stayed curled close to Arquis, resting against him and still shivering faintly. They were just so cold, and Arquis was warm, and their head hurt, and everything ached. He let out a faint sound of discomfort, arms wrapped around himself in an effort to stay warm. Hopefully this cold bath would bring their temperature down, though they weren't thinking of it like that. They were just thinking of how cold they already felt.

Arquis cuddled close to them. In truth, the water felt rather cold for him as well. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. He couldn’t imagine how bad it was for his lover, though their shivering gave him a pretty decent idea. To soothe them, he ran his hand up and down the length of their spine, then curled it into his hair.

After about twenty minutes, he decided they’d been in there long enough. He shifted and slowly drifted away from his partner in the water until his arm was braced on one of the tub’s edges. Then, he pulled himself up, wrung the water from his shirt, and bent to help his partner up. He was careful as he braced his forearms under their biceps. There were nodes there that were bound to be sore. Also, he didn’t want them to slip. Once he was sure that they were standing, he got out to get them a towel.

“Here we are, love. Thank you for humoring me. I know it was not fun. Shall I get you into bed?”

Rin leaned on Arquis as the nobleman helped them out. "Yeah." he whispered. "But, uhm, I need…uhm…different boxers. And fresh clothes." they cleared their throat softly, not wanting to go to bed in wet boxers, but also wanting nothing more than to snuggle up in the bed and under the blankets.

Arquis smiled, mostly to himself. Then, he nodded. “Of course. I will be right back.”

He returned to the bedroom and found their luggage. Rather than pick out a specific outfit as he had the time before, he lifted the whole case and carried it to the bath. He pivoted to set it on the sink.

“I am rather soaked as well,” he said. A blush broke out on his face as he realized how that might sound, and he cleared his throat. “I thought I would change in the main room, while you get dressed in here. It seems that is the most efficient way. Do not bother with asking for permission to come out when you are finished. Just join me in bed, alright?”

He leaned forward and kissed his partner’s still warm cheek. Not wanting to waste any more time, he departed to redress. He set his drenched shirt and boxers onto the desk chair to dry, then pulled on one of the last sweaters packed by Quirisa. They’d have to do laundry soon. He put on a clean pair of boxers and pants as well before flopping onto the bed.

Rin took the bag, towel still wrapped close around their body. "Okay." he said softly, watching Arquis go, and then got to changing into his clothes. He picked out the softest clothes he had, and pulled them on after changing out of his boxers. He sighed softly, coming out of the bathroom and stumbling over to the bed.

Arquis sat up when they staggered over. As swiftly as possible, he pushed over to the edge of the mattress, then helped him lay down. His grip was gentle. He left a short trail of kisses from his forehead to his jaw, his own brow furrowing at the heat of their skin. There was no way they should’ve been so hot. The bath should’ve helped. And it had, in some small way, but it hadn’t done enough.

“Mm.” He tucked them in under the covers and stood. “I am going to see about tidying up, and then I will fetch you something for breakfast. Nothing much, do not worry.”

He snuggled down into the blankets, grimacing. "I don't want to eat anything." he replied, frowning. "I'll just…I'll just throw up again, and…and I really don't want to throw up again." he held the blankets as close around himself as he could, wrapping them tightly around themself.