The sound of hooves shattered the quiet of the palace grounds. Fast, urgent and uncontrolled.
Guards at the gates barely had time to react.
"Open the gates!" Rowan shouted.
The horses didn't slow until they were already inside.
Darin jumped down immediately, his boots hitting the ground hard.
"We're back!" he called. "Send word to the king, the healer is here!"
Servants scattered in all directions.
Lyra slid off her horse, her breathing uneven, her clothes marked with dirt and strain. She didn't speak. Her eyes were already fixed on the palace doors.
Alaric didn't wait. "The prince," he said sharply. "Take me to him."
A guard stepped forward quickly. "This way."
They moved through the halls at speed. No greetings or formalities was needed, it was a matter of urgency.
The doors to Kaelen's chambers were pushed open.
King Aldric was already inside. He turned the moment they entered, his eyes went straight to Alaric.
Then to the plant in his hand.
"You found it," he said. It wasn't a question.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Alaric replied.
The king stepped aside immediately. "Then don't stand there. Do what you must."
Elara stood beside the bed. She looked up the moment they entered, relief flashing across her face but it vanished just as quickly when she saw Alaric's expression.
"There is no time," Alaric said.
He moved to Kaelen's side immediately, Elara followed him without hesitation.
"Tell me what to do," she said.
King Aldric didn't move away, he stayed close watching their every movement not living a second pass by.
Alaric placed the Nightshade Virel on the table.
"Crush the leaves," he instructed. "We need the extract."
Elara nodded and began immediately, her hands moved quickly without hesitation and focused.
Alaric pulled back part of Kaelen's bandage, revealing the dark veins that had spread around his chest.
The king's jaw is tightened after seeing it.
"How much time does he have?" the king asked.
Alaric didn't look up.
"If we don't act now," he said. "We will lose him."
Heavy silence followed that.
"Water," Alaric said.
Elara handed it to him at once.
He mixed the crushed plant into the liquid, forming a dark solution.
King Aldric stepped closer. "What exactly will this do?" he asked.
"It will fight the poison," Alaric replied. "But the body needs to survive the process."
The king didn't respond, but his eyes never left Kaelen.
Alaric soaked a cloth in the mixture, then pressed it firmly against the wound.
Kaelen reacted immediately. His body got tensed, and his breath felt like it was breaking.
"Hold him!" Alaric ordered.
Darin moved first, stepping forward to steady Kaelen's shoulders.
Elara held his arm. "Stay with us," she whispered.
The reaction grew stronger. Kaelen's chest rose sharply, his body fighting.
Lyra took a step forward but stopped.
King Aldric didn't move but his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
"Again," Alaric said.
Elara prepared another cloth quickly. This time, the king spoke again.
"Will this kill him?" he asked.
His voice was low and controlled but far from steady.
Alaric didn't lie. "It might," he said.
The atmosphere in the room shifted.
But the king didn't stop him. "Then do it," he said.
The second application was less violent. Still dangerous but different.
The dark veins shifted slightly.
Rowan noticed it. "…It's changing."
King Aldric stepped closer, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Is that a good sign?" he asked.
"Yes," Alaric replied. "If it continues."
They worked again, and again.
Each time, Kaelen's body resisted less. Each time, the poison seemed to slow. Minutes passed no one spoke.
The king didn't leave neither did he sit or move away, he stood close watching his eyes son fight for his life.
And after it took forever, Alaric stopped. He pressed his fingers to Kaelen's neck checking his pulse.
"…His pulse is stabilizing." The words were quiet but clear.
The king exhaled, it wasn't fully a relief though, but it was something.
Lyra stepped back slightly, her shoulders lowering.
Rowan closed his eyes briefly.
Darin finally let go, stepping away from the bed.
Elara stayed close to him, her eyes still on Kaelen.
"Is he going to wake up?" she asked softly.
Alaric shook his head slightly. "Not yet."
He looked at the king this time.
"The poison has been slowed. Partially neutralized."
"But he's not out of danger."
King Aldric nodded slowly.
He looked down at Kaelen, for a moment, his expression shifted again with the expression of a father not as a king.
"He will live," he said.
It wasn't a question but a decision.
Alaric didn't argue. "We've given him a chance," he said.
"The rest… is up to him."
Silence settled again, but this time it carried something different. Maybe hope.
Elara reached for Kaelen's hand, holding it gently.
"You hear that?" she whispered.
"You don't get to stop now."
King Aldric watched her, he said nothing butt he didn't look away.