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“Mama.” she looks over at him, eyes soft as she smiles.
“Mpendwa, come here. I haven’t seen you all day-” she freezes and starts to climb out of bed. His heart jumps, Mama’s sick! She can’t get out of bed!
“No, I’m fine Mama.” that makes her stop, but only for a moment.
“Leona, my love, what happened.” the tears almost hurt with how hard he fights them.
“Mama, am I a Jok?” she freezes, her tail swishing and her ears go back.
“Mpendwa, who is calling you a Jok?” he doesn’t answer, sighing, but puts her hand out. He tries to move closer, he wants his mama, but a hand on his shoulder stops him.
“Your mother is tired and sick, leave her be.” glancing back, his father is looking down at him. it’s cold.
“But-”
“Look at her, Leona, you did that.” he does, but- no. no! She’s laying back down, but- but she looks sick. She looks really sick-
“I didn’t.” Falena looks up from holding her hand, tears on his face.
“Leona, our mother is dying, and you won’t even cry. I thought you cared about her.”
“I do! I-”
“Then come here and say goodbye. She’s dying, Leona. My mother is dying.” our mother, his mind screams, but picking up one hand- it’s covered in blood. He scrambles back, hitting a wall as Falena gives him a bitter look and his Father glares.
"M y son would still have his mother if not for you, Little Jok.”
“I’m not a jok! She said so!”
“And yet your signature spell only hurts people.” he scoffs, standing. “You hurt the men who kidnapped you and even killed one with your spell. King’s Roar, what a foolish name. You are a weak little thing.”
“Ch-charlotte, please. Mama. help.” but they’re both gone. Why are they gone?! Father chuckles at him.
“Little beast, monster, they’re gone, remember? You chased Charlotte away, and you killed your mother.” he felt sick. They promised! Mama said even when she was gone Charlotte would be here! Charlotte- she said she- she-
“I didn’t- I didn’t mean to! Please!”
“Oh Leona, you can’t do anything right. You killed your Mother. You chased away your nursemaid. You hurt your only friend.” he moved aside- on the ground was Ruggie, bleeding from dry cracks, not moving. “He trusted you. He cared about you. And you just threw him aside like he meant nothing to you.”
“I- I was overblotted! That wasn’t me!” he snarls, standing. Still not quite as tall as his father though.
“Oh but it was! It was your truest self, a monster bent on destruction and death. That’s all you are, Leona. That’s all you’ve ever been.”
“I’m not! I- I’ve been better. Done better. I’m not-”
“You are! The best thing you could have done for my my country was leave. And now you’re being controlled by that dragon husband of yours. You even take orders from a human female without magic. Even that is too good for you.” it’s not. It’s not- he deserves this. He’s- he’s happy-
“Are you? You married her, and you both married him. She loves him, he loves her. But he doesn’t love you. I’m certain he knows your nature. He has his own heir now, so when you mess up again, he’ll get rid of you. Just as I tried to over. And over again.”
“And I'll survive it just like I survived every one of your attempts!” Leona snarls back, but he’s shaking. He-
“Do you really think you’re that different? Your brother is the one most like your mother. You are me incarnate. You are my blood.”
“I am nothing like you!”
“Maybe not yet. But you’ll turn exactly into me, I guarantee it.” he grins. Leona snarls but feels a tug on his pant leg. Looking down and away, Kovi is standing there, Briar on the ground just behind her. Curled up. Not moving.
“Papa, I don feel so good.” no. no no no- he’s laughing behind Leona.
“I told you. Just. like. M-”
Leona gasps awake, jolting up. His heart is pounding, that laughter still echoing in his head. Something touches his arm and Leona pounces, snarling. It takes a few more breaths for things to clear up- Leona jolts back, hands off of Malleus neck. “Leona-” he’s out of the room before he can even finish. He didn’t- he’s not- sliding to a stop, ears ringing, he opens the door, heart in his chest.
They’re ok. They’re- fuck they’re ok. He gulps down whatever is in his throat as soft hands land on his back. “Leona, what’s wrong? We couldn’t wake you up.” he- he can’t answer. It- fuck. Leona puts his forehead on the door frame, just trying to breathe for a minute. But he can still see that fucker laughing at him, taunting him-
“Leona, what is the matter?” Malleus hooks a hand on his jaw to make Leona look over at him. That same way he does so often with Ash. His eyes are concerned and soft.
“The girls-”
“Would you like them in bed with us?” all he can do is nod. “Ok.” Leona watches as he steps in, Briar is the first to sit up, blinking blearily at him as the blanket slides off her head. Kovi smacks her with her tail- they must’ve been snuggled up under the covers, being woken up by her twin getting up.
“Come on my darlings.” Briar chirps, annoyed and tired. Without thinking Leona gives her a chuff, moving over. She blinks at him, half glaring.
“Come on.” there’s a small amount of clarity as her nose twitches. And her own tail smacks her sister awake. It almost makes him laugh as Kovi sits up too, growling.
“Now now, it’s still bedtime my darlings.” Malleus gives a chuckle as he takes Kovi who quickly snuggles back to sleep. But Briar is still staring at him.
“Papa poisoned?” he jerks.
“Why do you say that, Bri?” Ash asks softly.
“Bad smell.”
“Not poisoned. Just-”
“Bad head.” Kovi mutters sleepily. Briar gives a nod and puts her arms out to him. Leona almost can’t bring himself to pick her up, but once he did, he- he knows he won’t be able to let go.
“They’re ok, Leona.” Ash puts a hand on his arm, giving him a soft smile. He nods, but Briar doesn’t like that, headbutting him with horns and all and an annoyed grumble. Ash gives a small laugh but gives her tail a soothing pet.
“Come on, back to bed.” Leona takes a breath and follows. Once in their room, Malleus is laying in his dragon form, smaller than full size but large enough to wrap around the entire top section of the bed, Kovi drapped over his claws already snoring away. Ash climbs in first, kneeling to help him get in without having to let go of Briar. Kovi, seeming to register her sister is there, wakes just enough and just long enough to crawl over. They wrap around each other before Leona settles down right next to them, laying on his arm.
“Do you think you’ll sleep again Leona?” he looks up at Ash, but shakes his head. “That’s ok.” her hands pet over his hair and gives his ears a small rub. “We’ll be here till ya feel bette-” she’s interrupted by a yawn. Malleus nudges her with his nose but Ash lays back down after giving him a smile and Leona watches her drift off. Only once she’s out does Malleus open his eyes again and pick up his head.
“Do your best to rest, I will keep guard.”
“Fine.” nudging slightly closer to the girls to lay his arm over them, Leona dares to let his eyes fall shut. Malleus breathes a warm huff over him- sleep is quick to take Leona, though this time his father is nowhere to be found.
When the drapes are open and the moon is high, Leona’s woken up by his daughters peeking over the side of the bed, Charlotte just behind them. “Malleus asked us to return yesterday. You’ll help me take care of your papa today, right girls?”
“It’s a bad head day Mama says, so Papa stays in bed!” Kovi declares.
“Are you up to eating?” Giving a small huff, Leona sits up and moves to lean on the headboard, taking the tray as Charlotte leaves to run the bath as the girls climb up with him.
“Want some?” it’s a lot of food, and he could eat it. But eating that much would still make him sick.
“Yes please!” Briar chirps, grinning. It’s- it’s nice.
He’ll never turn into that fuckin man.
“Hey, papa! Can we go visit Uncle Ruggie and Uncle Jac-Jac?” Kovi asks, Briar gasping excitedly at the idea.
“Yeah, you know what? Why don’t we go see Jack tomorrow and then go visit Ruggie.”
“Yeah! We can bring Mama and Daddy back some of Uncle Jamil’s food!”
“And a present for the egg when he hatches!” Leona finds himself raising an eyebrow.
“He?”
“The egg is gonna be a boy.” Briar huffs confidently, Kovi nodding along. “We know this stuff.”
“Alright, bet. I think you’re gonna get a little sister.” that competitive gleam they get from their mother shows up in both their eyes as they lock gazes on him as if he’s prey.
“Bet what?”
“Eh? What do you think?”
“A whole week- no, two weeks! with Uncle Deuce! And my own blastcycle!”
“I wanna go spend two with Uncle Vil too. and a new dress from Grampa Crewel and Grama Emma.”
“Eh, but that’s so far from home, and they might be busy.” they exchange looks, considering it.
“A whole month with Grampa and Grama!” they declare, and he can’t help it. Leona bursts out laughing as Charlotte pops her head out of the bathroom, biting back a grin.
“You’ll have to convince your grandpa to stick around for that long, girls.” they’re running out before they even have to think about it, Briar yelling for the old bat already.
“What happened, my little prince?” Charlotte asks once they’re alone. He gives a sigh.
“Had a nightmare.”
“A night terror more like. Leona, what happened.”
“ . . . saw my old man.”
“Whatever he said, it’s not true.”
“Yeah. yeah I know.” and Leona actually believes that. A decade ago, he certainly wouldn’t have. But now? Now he does. That settles him more than anything else.
“Good. now finish up there and come bathe that man’s rottenness from your mind.”
“Yeah yeah, whatever.”