Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You want me to do what!” Ruggie said, almost dropping the basket of laundry he was carrying. 

He quickly put it on the floor and crossed his arms. Leona huffed, one eye opening as his tail flicked in annoyance.

“Come with me to the palace for the long weekend.” Leona stated.

Ruggie opened and closed his mouth a few times before he paused, brow furled as his ears twitched.

“Why? I mean, you have servants there, don’cha?” Ruggie asked.

“That’s not the point.” Leona replied with a huff.

“They are probably better suited to deal with your moody ass than I am over break. I mean, it’s a long weekend, Leona. Do you really need me to bring you your lunch and wash your boxers?” Ruggie said snickering.

“Oh for the love of! It’s because Cheka asked ok! And I don’t wear underwear, you asshole.” Leona snapped.

Ruggie snorted and covered his mouth as Leona growled at him.

“Aww, Leona-san! Are you asking me to have a playdate with your nephew?” Ruggie asked sweetly.

Leona launched a pillow at him and Ruggie ducked. It sailed over his head and knocked some books off his desk. Ruggie glared at him as Leona smirked. Grumbling, Ruggie walked over and knelt down to pick them up, knowing Leona sure as hell would leave them there if he didn’t, pausing when he came across a letter with the royal seal on it.

“Why are you even going home anyway? Like I was going to pop home, but you are actually staying the whole four days? That’s not like you.” Ruggie asked curiously as he put everything back on the desk, letter included.

“Farena insisted. Something about wanting to reconnect as brothers?? I don’t fucking know.” Leona scowled.

“Hey now! I’m not interested in getting mixed up with some kind of royal family drama! I’m out.” Ruggie said, ears going down with annoyance.

“Ugh, I’ll pay you double, how’s that sound?” Leona demanded.

Ruggie paused, doing the math in his head before humming. He started to rock back and forth on his feet.

“Tempting…” Ruggie stated.

Leona huffed.

“You can also have whatever isn’t nailed down. Take the crown jewels for all I care.” Leona stated.

Ruggie snickered.

“I won’t go that far, not about to be executed for taking them, but everything else sounds like a plan. You got yourself a deal then! Just call me Ruggie the babysitter!” Ruggie said, grinning.

–sSs–

Ruggie was starting to regret agreeing to this. After stopping home and letting his Gramma know where he would be for the weekend, Ruggie met with Leona before heading to the royal palace. Ruggie stared at the large compound, taking in all the beauty. It was a large, spacious compound with various open areas, filled with colorful plants and pools of water. Ruggie felt a wave of jealousy go through him. While his people starved and died of thirst every day, here Leona and his family lived in luxury with more than enough space and money to go around.

As they walked, Ruggie made note of all the guards he saw. They couldn’t go twenty feet without seeing a duo patrolling the area. The large, commanding female guards made Ruggie feel incredibly small, but he wasn’t about to tuck tail. In fact, they seemed to think it was amusing when he kept his head up and his grin in place. He would have to see how good they were while he was here.

“Ugh, I forgot how big this damn place was.” Leona muttered annoyed as they finally made it away from the more publicly open areas and into the family section of the palace.

“Haven’t you lived here all your life?” Ruggie said snickering, arms behind his head.

Leona opened his mouth, but was cut off.

“UNCA LEONA!” a very loud shout came from down the hall.

“Oh fuck, he found me.” Leona said, ears down.

A loud squeal came as Cheka appeared, running at full speed towards Leona, arms out. Ruggie had to stop a laugh when it looked like Leona might actually jump out a nearby window to get away from his excited nephew. Ruggie watched as Cheka took a running leap before Ruggie swooped in and caught the little lion cub, holding him out and giving a little twirl. Cheka paused, startled for a moment before he squealed again and reached out for Ruggie.

“Unca Ruggie!” Cheka said loudly as Ruggie pulled the kid in and let the young boy hug him.

From the other end of the hall, two young women came running, most likely nannies.

“Prince Cheka! Prince Cheka!” they called.

Ruggie gently pulled Cheka’s arms from around his neck and settled the boy onto his hip with Cheka’s head resting on his shoulder. Cheka settled easily, hanging on to Ruggie’s shirt. The nannies stopped, staring at Ruggie with uncertainty before looking at Leona and squeaking.

“W-Welcome home, Prince Leona.” they said bowing their heads in respect.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m back.” Leona said with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.

“Unca Leona! Are you staying for the weekend? Will you play with me! Is Unca Ruggie staying too!” Cheka fired off questions as Ruggie laughed and Leona groaned.

“I can already tell I am going to regret this.” Leona muttered as he started walking.

Ruggie started to follow when one of the nannies stepped forward. Ruggie paused, eyeing her with a glare, body turning slightly to keep her from reaching for Cheka. She stopped, startled and unsure of what to do.

“He’s fine with me. I’ll watch over him.” Ruggie stated calmly.

“B-But!” the nanny squeaked in fear.

“It’s fine.” Leona called.

Everyone turned to the prince, who huffed.

“That’s Ruggie. He’s with me. If he says he’s got Cheka, then he’s got him.” Leona stated boredly.

Ruggie shot the nanny a grin.

“You heard the prince. Go, take a break, I’ll keep an eye on these two lazy lions.” Ruggie said with a wink.

The nannies looked at each other, seemingly unsure, but unwilling to go against Leona either. Eventually, they walked off and Ruggie snickered as he turned and looked at Leona.

“Aww, Leona-san! Standing up for little ole me! You’re making me blush!” Ruggie teased as Cheka giggled.

Leona flushed and turned away.

“Shut up. I just didn’t want them following us around.” Leona said as he started walking again. 

Ruggie was quick to follow, adjusting Cheka as he walked.

“You’re putting a lot of trust in me, Leona-san. What if the last year was me gaining your trust so I could do something against the crown prince here? What if I’m some kind of spy? Sent to kill him and take down the royal family from the inside?” Ruggie teased as they walked.

Leona glanced down at him, eyebrow raised.

“Because I know you and you wouldn't touch a hair on a kid’s head, no matter who they were or how much money you were offered.” Leona stated seriously and Ruggie blinked, startled by the sheer amount of conviction Leona had in his words.

Ruggie idly adjusted his grip on Cheka again as the young boy yawned and snuggled against Ruggie’s shoulder, thumb coming up to his mouth. Leona smirked when he saw it, knowing Ruggie didn’t even notice his small adjustments to make Cheka more comfortable.

“Huh.” Ruggie muttered and Leona rolled his eyes.

“Come on now, I’m hungry and we should let my brother know you are here so he can warn the guards.” Leona stated as they continued to walk.

“Oh, I finally get some of that fancy food?” Ruggie asked, licking his lips.

“Nah, you don’t get anything, but the scraps.” Leona mocked as Ruggie let out a fake yell of indignation.

They made it to the main dining room, where Farena and his wife were already seated, one of the nannies from earlier whispering to them before seeing Leona walk in and swiftly leaving the room.

“Leona! You came. And I heard you brought a guest?” Farena said as he stood up.

Ruggie looked up. Farena was just as tall, if not a bit taller than Leona with a mane of fiery red hair that seemed to make him look bigger. He smiled, showing his teeth as Ruggie and Leona approached. His wife, who had watched this whole thing with calm eyes, also stood up.

“Good afternoon, your highnesses. My name is Ruggie Bucchi. I’m a second year at Night Raven College.” Ruggie said, giving a swallow bow, making sure not to move too much with Cheka on his shoulder.

“He’s my vice.” Leona said boredly.

Ruggie huffed as he straightened up.

“I’m your temporary vice. That is until I get sick of your shi- I mean…” Ruggie stopped and coughed into his hand, realizing he probably shouldn’t curse in front of the literal king and queen of his homeland.

Farena let out a barking laugh while Leona glared at him.

“Ah, so you are the ‘Unca Ruggie’ I kept hearing my son talk about! What a wonderful spirit! I am King Farena, this is my wife, Nahida and you have already met our son. Welcome to our home. I hope your stay will be enjoyable with us.” Farena said with a large grin.

“I’m sure it will be, your highness, and don’t worry about this one. I’ll keep him in line too.” Ruggie said, nodding to Leona.

“You miserable runt.” Leona muttered.

Ruggie shot him a grin. Nahida stepped down and reached out for Cheka. Ruggie tensed for a moment, but allowed the young boy to be pulled away. Cheka whined for a moment, but snuggled into his mother’s shoulder.

“Mama.” he muttered before he slipped back to sleep.

“He skipped his naptime, waiting for a certain uncle to return home.” Nahida said as she returned to her seat, shooting Leona a look as he scowled.

“I had things to finish at the dorm before I got here. So sue me.” Leona rolled his eyes with crossed arms.

“You had things to finish? I was the one running around.” Ruggie said with annoyance.

“And I had to give you the orders. See? Things to do.” Leona replied.

“Well, you are here now, so let’s sit down and eat!” Farena clapped twice and Ruggie watched as food was brought out in waves.

Just piles of meats, cheeses, breads and everything in between. Ruggie settled down beside Leona as the table was swiftly filled as Ruggie drooled.

“Take whatever you wish. There is plenty.” Farena said and Ruggie nodded.

“Man, you guys really know how to make a guest feel welcome.” Ruggie said as he piled food onto his plate.

Cheka woke up and sat on his mother’s lap as she fed him, making sure to wipe his mouth and try to get him to use his manners to no avail. Leona ate quietly as Farena attempted to start a conversation with him. When that failed, he turned again to Ruggie.

“So, tell me a bit about yourself, Ruggie-san.” Farena asked eagerly.

Ruggie paused, mouth full of food as he sat there, eyes wide. He swallowed and cleared his throat.

“W-What do you want to know?” Ruggie asked nervously.

“Well, where are you from? You are from the Sunset Savanna, correct?” Farena asked curiously.

“Farena, leave him alone.” Leona grumbled.

“Leona, I am just curious about your friend.” Farena said with a frown.

“Leona-san, it’s fine. Yeah, I’m from the Sunset Savanna. I grew up near the Elephant Graveyard.” Ruggie stated, curious to what Farena would say.

Farena’s brow furled, but Nahida’s eyes narrowed.

“Elephant Graveyard? I don’t recognize that name.” Farena muttered.

Ruggie just smirked.

“I grew up in the slums. Near the edge of the Savanna.” Ruggie replied.

Farena’s eyebrow shot up to his hairline.

“Is that so? My.” Nahida stated.

She seemed cautious now and that was amusing to Ruggie. People always assumed all sorts of things when he told them where he grew up. He was used to it, but also loved to rile people up with it. He leaned his elbow on the table.

“Eeyup!” he said, popping the ‘p’.

“That must have been quite difficult for you.” Nahida continued.

“It was rough, yeah, but I had my Gramma and the other slum kids. Made the struggle worth it.” Ruggie stated.

“Did you often take care of other children?” Nahida asked.

“Well, considering most don’t have families and those who do are struggling just to survive, I watch over them to keep them out of trouble.” Ruggie explained.

“It explains why you are so good with children. Cheka did not stop talking about Unca Leona’s cool friend after the Spelldrive tournament.” Nahida stated.

“Kids love me. What can I say?” Ruggie snickered.

Farena and Leona seemed to be watching them go back and forth like a tennis match as Cheka yawned and curled up in his mother’s arms for another nap.

“And your parents? What about them?” Nahida asked.

Ruggie’s smile dropped. He straightened in his chair, his entire demeanor becoming closed off.

“My mom joined the stars after I was born. Dad went out one day…never came back. Just been me and Gramma ever since.” Ruggie said coldly.

Nahida hummed and looked down at Cheka, running her fingers through his hair. The silence was almost deafening and finally Farena coughed.

“I am sure you two had a long trip. Leona, why don’t you show Ruggie to his room?” Farena said as Leona sighed and got up.

“Sure, follow me and don’t get lost.” Leona said boredly.

“Hey, why don’t you slow down and remember some of us aren’t born with ridiculously long legs!” Ruggie yelled as he shoved bread into his pockets before running after Leona.

The door closed behind them and Farena slowly turned to his wife, who glared at him from the corner of her eye.

“You didn’t tell him, did you?” Nahida hissed as she stood up, cradling Cheka to her chest.

Farena winced and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I was hoping to tell him in person.” Farena admitted.

Nahida sighed.

“You need to tell him and soon. Or else he and his friend could be in grave danger.” Nahida said before she left the room.

–sSs–

Leona walked with Ruggie through the halls. Halls that held a strange kind of tension he wasn’t used to. Sure, when he came home, he expected some tension from those who didn’t like him or had some kind of issue with how he acted, but this was a different kind of tension. Like people were walking on eggshells or something. He had seen more guards today than he had seen at any point in his life, including the day Farena became king or when Cheka was born.

He turned his attention to Ruggie, who walked beside him with his hands behind his head. Ruggie seemed curious, but did he sense it too? Or did he just assume the palace was always like this? It was a bit too much to think about, so Leona pushed it from his mind as he came across the guest wing. He pushed one door open and Ruggie gasped.

“Here’s your room. You’re one wing over from the family wing. Sorry it’s a bit small.” Leona stated.

“Are you kidding me! This room is as big as my house!” Ruggie said as he walked inside.

Ruggie looked around in awe and Leona felt his lips twitch as he leaned against the doorframe, watching as Ruggie wandered around.

“Yeah, well, happy to supply. I am going for a nap.” Leona stated, rubbing the neck of his neck as he yawned.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m probably going to chill here, do some homework, whatever. Go enjoy your nap. Have someone come get me for dinner.” Ruggie said, waving him off.

Leona rolled his eyes as he walked off, knowing if it had been anyone else, he would have ripped off their head for the disrespect, but it was Ruggie. Somehow, Ruggie was able to get away with shit most people wouldn’t. When he got to his room, he mentally groaned.

“Ah, Leona, there you are.” Farena said, standing outside the door.

“What do you want?” Leona demanded.

Farena sighed and crossed his arms.

“Can we talk? Privately?” Farena asked and Leona raised an eyebrow.

Farena didn’t ask to speak to anyone, perks of being king, so something about this felt off. Leona knew he could say no, but now he was curious.

“Make it quick. You are cutting into my afternoon nap.” Leona said as he stepped inside his room.

His room was large with a huge balcony and a view of the nearby watering hole. Leona dropped onto his bed, fully ready to fall asleep if Farena started talking about some stupid shit. Farena stood there for a moment before he sighed.

“I am sure you noticed the increased number of guards when you got home.” Farena stated and Leona frowned.

“Yeah, I noticed. What’s that about?” Leona demanded.

Farena sighed and rubbed his eyes. Leona noticed that Farena seemed… tired.

“We have received word of a possible kidnapping and/or assassination attempt.” Farena finally stated and Leona frowned.

“How is that different from any other day for you? Like, they practically come every hour. You could probably set your watch by them.” Leona replied boredly.

Farena shook his head.

“It’s not for me. They… are coming for Cheka.” Farena admitted.

Leona immediately scowled. Coming for Farena was one thing, but Cheka was another. He was just a cub, still clinging to his mother’s skirts. People who thought they could use the cub against the family truly were the lowest of the low.

“Even still. Cheka has been threatened before. Hell, even, I stopped an attempt once.” Leona said, though he tried not to think about it.

It had been several years ago, when Cheka was just a baby. The wouldbe kidnappers had killed Cheka’s nanny (after that, Cheka always had two nannies watching him) and had almost made off with the cub. What they hadn’t known was Leona was nearby, hiding from Farena, when he heard the cub’s cries. Leona wasn’t quite sure what he had done, but he had returned to the palace with the missing heir and covered in blood. There had never been enough pieces of the two men to actually figure out their identities. While Farena had been thankful for Leona’s intervention, Leona had heard others use it against him. Just another situation they could point to and say he was dangerous and unstable. Didn’t seem to matter to them that he single handedly saved the heir to the kingdom. Leona pushed it to the back of his mind.

“This is… different. Very different.” Farena said and Leona’s eyes narrowed.

“How so?” Leona asked.

Farena walked over and sat beside Leona, but didn’t look at him. He was staring off into space.

“I am not sure. Something about this is just different. I can feel it… in my belly.” Farena said with seriousness while Leona tried to keep his face neutral.

“Uh huh.” Leona stated.

“Leona, I am serious. I need you to keep an eye out. Anything that is even the slightest bit out of order, please let someone know.” Farena said seriously.

Farena turned to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, much to Leona’s displeasure.

“I know… we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I know you love your family and you care about Cheka. You wouldn’t have brought Ruggie here if you didn’t. So please, just keep an eye out.” Farena gave a smile and Leona sighed.

He patted Farena’s hand.

“Fine. I’ll keep an eye out and I’ll let Ruggie know too.” Leona stated.

“Ah? Do you really think you need to let him know? I would hate for him to get scared.” Farena said worriedly.

Leona snorted and then grinned.

“Ruggie? Scared? The only time he is ever scared is when he’s scared of missing lunch. Nah, Ruggie is the kind of guy you want with an ear to the ground. If anything is amiss, Ruggie will see it first.” Leona stated.

“If you say so. I trust your judgment on your friend.” Farena stood up and smiled.

“I will leave you to your afternoon nap. See you at dinner, Leona.” Farena said as he left.

Waiting until the door shut completely, Leona groaned and flopped back onto his bed.

“What a joke.” Leona muttered.

–sSs–

“Whew. That’s done.” Ruggie said as he leaned back and closed his textbook.

With his homework (and Leona’s) completed for the weekend, Ruggie could focus on the more important things, like getting more food and relaxing. Ruggie grinned. He had been a little nervous at first about coming, but now he was starting to see the bright side and it looked like everything was coming up Ruggie. Getting up and stretching, he peeked outside his room, wondering if he should go find Leona or just explore a bit.

“Decisions, decisions.” Ruggie muttered before he left his room.

If he was honest, he would feel better if he had a better understanding of where everything was. Deciding someone would come looking for him eventually, he started to walk, focusing on his hallway first and letting his feet take him where he was going. At one point, he heard giggling from around a corner and paused, peeking around to watch as two young girls disappeared behind a large banner. He raised an eyebrow as he walked over and peeked behind it.

“Ohhh hidden passage.” Ruggie said with a grin of interest.

Ruggie stepped back and took note that the banner was of the sun over the savanna. He made note of it and moved on. Walking around was interesting, making mental notes of where everything was and what places were off limits was also very insightful. By the time dinner rolled around, Ruggie had explored most of the palace, knew where all the servant tunnelss were and had even made a few new friends. Chuckling as he walked into the dining room, he waved goodbye to the two guards who escorted him there before bowing to the king and his queen.

“About time.” Leona grumbled.

“Unca Ruggie! Come sit with me!” Cheka said as he waved.

Ruggie snickered as he took a seat next to Cheka, much to Leona’s clear annoyance. Farena smiled at Ruggie.

“I was told by the guards you were exploring our home. I hope it is everything you thought it would be.” Farena said.

“Oh yeah, definitely. I did expect more gold statues, but I think that’s because I have been hanging out with Kalim too much.” Ruggie snickered.

“Kalim?” Farena asked.

“Kalim Al-Asim. He goes to school with us. He’s the housewarden of Scarabia.” Ruggie explained.

“Oh, I recognize the name. We have been invited to parties by his family before.” Farena said, rubbing his chin.

“Why have we never gone?” Leona asked, confused.

Farena made a face.

“It’s too hot.” he replied and Leona snorted.

Ruggie started to snicker as Cheka laughed. Farena huffed.

“I am not good with the heat.” Farena stated.

“You are absolutely miserable in the heat, dear.” Nahida agreed.

That’s when the doors opened again and Ruggie raised an eyebrow when a rather odd looking beastman walked in. Leona scowled darkly as Farena stood up.

“Ah, Zuzu! There you are!” Farena said smiling.

The bald man who walked in had a long, thin neck that didn’t look like it could hold his large head with bulging eyes. He wore royal blue robes with feathers of white and darker blue.

“Your Highnesses, I apologize for my lateness.” the man said, smiling.

Definitely some kind of bird beastman, based on his scent and odd mannerisms. The birdman, seemingly realizing there were one too many people at the table, turned to Ruggie and locked eyes with him. Ruggie felt a shiver go up and down his spine as he took in the man before him. Ruggie didn’t like him, at all. Something about him was off.

“Ah, and who is this little one?” Zuzu asked, head tilting to the side.

“This is Ruggie, Leona’s friend. Ruggie, this is Zuzu. He is my royal advisor, as he was for my father.” Farena introduced.

“Pleasure.” Ruggie said with a nod.

Zuzu smiled his way as he sat down beside Leona, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere, but here.

“Ah, how wonderful. It is not often our Leona brings a friend home.” Zuzu said.

The look Leona shot him was dark and Ruggie just smiled.

“He doesn’t have many, so I am sure he doesn’t.” Ruggie replied.

Farena tried to cover a laugh with a cough, but no one was buying it. Zuzu chuckled as he looked around the room as food started to come out. The conversation was simple and easy, but Ruggie found himself keeping an eye and ear on the bird man across from him. Something about the man just rubbed him the wrong way and he didn’t want to take his attention off him.

As dinner wrapped up, mainly because the young heir was starting to yawn loudly, Ruggie and Leona were dismissed by Farena so he could speak with Zuzu. Two nannies came in to grab Cheka and take him to bed while Leona and Ruggie followed them. When they came to the split between the family and guest wing, Leona turned to Ruggie.

“Good night. If you need anything, there will be guards patrolling the halls all night.” Leona stated.

Ruggie crossed his arms and smiled.

“Aw, you worried about me, Leona-san?” Ruggie teased.

Leona rolled his eyes and shoved Ruggie away, who cackled.

“Just stay out of trouble, ok! I do not need Farena chewing me out about you.” Leona said with a huff.

Ruggie snickered as he started to walk away.

“Don’t worry. My Gramma taught me well. I know better than to make problems for others. Good night, Leona-san. Sleep well.” Ruggie said as he disappeared into his room.

Leona watched him go before shaking his head and going to his own room. Closing his door, he let out a long sigh and felt his stress fade away. In his own room, with the dark of the night upon them, Leona felt just a little bit safer. He stumbled over to his bed and flopped down into it, closing his eyes as he settled in for the night.

–sSs–

“Man, this sucks.” Ruggie muttered.

Staring up at the ceiling, Ruggie grumbled. He had been tossing and turning for almost an hour. For such a comfy bed in a nice, comfortable room, Ruggie found himself unable to sleep. Perhaps it was the new location or maybe he just wasn’t used to all this room, but the room felt too big for just him. Sitting up, Ruggie muttered and grumbled as he threw a shirt on and peeked out his door. Maybe he could find a place to hang out until he felt tired? At the very least, he could find a guard to talk to for a little while.

Ruggie started to wander around and quickly found… no one. Not a single guard. He did a complete circle of the family and guest wings without seeing even a single soul and something about this felt… off. Hadn’t Leona told him there would be guards all over? Maybe there was some kind of guard meeting right now? Deciding something about this was uncomfortable and he didn’t want to stick around, Ruggie turned to head back to the guest wing when he heard footsteps.

Ruggie’s ears twitched as he paused. He slipped behind a statue, waiting to see who would appear. Maybe he had finally found some guards? He wasn’t sure how they would take him being in the family wing though. As he was about to sneak away, a small figure appeared, rubbing his eyes as he looked around.

“Cheka?” Ruggie called as he stepped out from behind the statue.

Cheka jumped and squealed a bit, but when he saw who it was, he immediately brightened up and ran over.

“Unca Ruggie!” he said, arms out.

Ruggie scooped the little boy up and placed him on his hip as Cheka giggled. A quick check showed him the boy was uninjured and still in his pjs.

“What are you doing, walking around at this hour? I’m sure your mama won’t be happy when she finds out.” Ruggie asked, teasingly stern.

“Nooo! Unca Ruggie! Don’t tell Mama! Don’t tell Mama!” Cheka whined as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Welllll, I don’t know. Good boys don’t go walking around after they are put to bed.” Ruggie said as he started walking back to the little boy’s room.

Cheka sniffled as he rubbed his eyes.

“B-But! There was a weird man standing outside my window!” Cheka whined and Ruggie immediately frowned.

“Weird man?” Ruggie asked as Cheka nodded.

“I woke up because I had to potty and he was standing outside my window. I was scared, so I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, he was gone.” Cheka explained and Ruggie’s eyes narrowed.

“Is that so?” Ruggie asked as he opened the door to Cheka’s room.

It was the kind of room he expected for both a young boy and an heir. Filled to the brim with toys, small climbing playthings and a large, soft looking bed. There was a closet in the corner and, just as Cheka had said, a large window facing the bed. Cheka pressed closer to Ruggie as he pointed.

“He was right out there.” Cheka muttered.

“Hm that so?” Ruggie said as he walked over to the bed and tried to put Cheka down.

Key word being tried. The lion cub clung to Ruggie with a whimper. Ruggie’s heart ached at the small, scared sound.

“Please don’t leave me, Unca Ruggie. I’m scared.” Cheka muttered and Ruggie mentally sighed.

He pulled Cheka from his neck and placed Cheka on the bed with a smile. Cheka’s eyes were filled with tears, looking like he wanted to cling to Ruggie again.

“Hey there. No worries. I’ll stay right here with you ok? Let me just check the window and I’ll be right back, got it?” Ruggie said, gently wiping away the tears.

Cheka nodded and laid down, starting to suck on his thumb as Ruggie walked over to the window and pushed it open. The window flipped up and Ruggie peeked his head outside, but saw no one. Looking left and right, he didn’t see anything, but when he looked down, there were footprints. His eyes narrowed as he studied them. They were directly outside the window and then walked off, following the same path they came from, on the horizon. He pulled his head back inside and his brain was racing. Someone had been outside Cheka’s window, it hadn’t just been the child’s imagination, like he had assumed.

Should he go looking for help? See if he could find a guard or even track down Leona? Problem there was he didn’t want to scare Cheka anymore and he certainly wasn’t about to leave him here while he went looking. There was only one option left. Turning to the young heir, he smiled.

“I didn’t see anything out there, but how about this? I’ll sleep here with you tonight! It will be like a sleepover!” Ruggie said as he walked over.

Cheka perked up immediately, his face lighting up.

“Really?” Cheka asked as Ruggie walked over and started to tuck the small boy into his bed.

“Yeah! To be honest with you, I was feeling a bit scared and homesick myself, so how about I sleep here and we keep each other company, ok?” Ruggie said.

He walked to the closet and found some extra pillows with a blanket. Clearing off a space beside Cheka’s bed on the floor, facing the window, he made himself a little bed of his own. Cheka was clearly excited, but Ruggie held up a finger.

“There is one rule though. I will only stay if you are a good boy and go to sleep. If you try to stay up, I will go back to my own room, ok?” Ruggie stated.

“Yeah!” Cheka nodded.

Ruggie held out his pinkie.

“You have to promise me. Pinkie promise.” Ruggie stressed.

Cheka held out his pinkie and they made a small pinkie promise. Ruggie smiled as Cheka immediately settled down. He made sure to rub his back until his eyes closed and his breathing evened out. His smile dropped as he turned his attention to the window with a frown, ears twitching.

–sSs–

The next morning, Nahida, as she did every morning, woke up with the sun. She was always up before her husband, not that it bothered her. She had risen with the sun since she was a girl. Her mother had been the kind of woman who started her day early and Nahida had learned it from her. She was already out the door as her husband stirred and got up for the day.

Wth her head held high, she walked down the family wing, guards on either side of the hall stopping to bow to her as she passed. She gave them a nod in return as she went about her morning. Her first stop was the royal office, making sure everything was neat and in order. Sorting through any and all mail they received, she made sure the messages were separated by importance and then by area. Everything close by was first, followed by anything farther from the palace and then completely out of the country. 

She took special care to separate out each invitation they received to various weddings, birthdays and other royal events. She made a list of who to reply to and who to ignore. With that done and half the morning already passed, she rose from her desk and left, heading towards her son’s room. Stopping just outside the door, she made note that Cheka’s nannies were not here to greet her, like they did every morning. They would have to be reprimanded later. Opening the door, her usual stern face relaxed as she looked upon her only son. 

“Cheka. My baby boy. It is time to get up.” Nahida cooed as she walked over and shook her son awake.

Cheka grumbled and, like his father and uncle, tried to roll over to go back to sleep. Nahida was not having it however.

“Come along, my little cub. It is time to face the day.” she said as she pulled him out of bed.

Cheka yawned and rubbed his eyes as she walked over to his closet, fully ready to gather his bathing things for his early morning bath when a second yawn made her freeze in her steps. Turning sharply, dagger in hand and eyes narrowed, she stopped when Ruggie, Leona’s friend, popped up from the other side of his son’s bed.

“What are you doing in here!” Nahida demanded as Ruggie jumped and turned around.

The young hyena was a bit dazed before he yawned again, flashing his teeth, as he stood up. A blanket she recognized as a spare from her son’s closet fell from his body as he got up and stretched.

“I will not ask again. What are you doing in my son’s room?” Nahida demanded.

“Good morning to you too, your highness.” Ruggie muttered, rubbing the back of his head, messing up his bed head.

Nahida’s eyes were narrowed, her dagger still in hand as she stared at the other. How had he gotten in here? Why was he in here? Why was Leona’s friend sleeping in her son’s room! She had too many questions and not enough answers.

“Mama, Unca Ruggie and I had a sleepover!” Cheka said with a giggle.

Nahida turned to her son and then to Ruggie, confusion clear in her eyes.

“A sleepover? How… wonderful.” Nahida said slowly.

Just then, the door opened and the nannies came rushing in. They stopped when they saw Nahida and Ruggie before bowing deeply.

“Your Highness! We apologize for being late!” the one said.

“We will take the heir to get bathed.” the second stated.

Nahida handed her son off, trusting them to do their jobs as she stared Ruggie down.

“Take my son and get him bathed. Then bring him to the dining hall for breakfast. I will be there shortly.” Nahida ordered.

The two immediately left, taking Cheka with them, who yelled that he would see Ruggie at breakfast. Ruggie idly waved with a smile before the door shut and his smile dropped. His eyes landed on her dagger before looking at her.

“I will not repeat myself again.” she stated.

Ruggie frowned and looked around.

“I found Cheka wandering the halls last night. He was scared, said something about a man outside his window. I brought him back here, expecting guards or his nannies to be looking for him, but… no one was here. In fact, I was wandering around last night and I didn’t see a single guard anywhere. I don’t know where they went, but Cheka was alone.” Ruggie explained.

Nahida felt her blood run cold. Cheka… had been alone? No one had been watching over her son? Ruggie took a step forward and looked around, as if nervous about who would overhear them, before leaning in.

“I thought he was making it up. The man outside his window. Kids do that, but… there are footprints outside his window. Probably still are.” Ruggie whispered and Nahida’s eyes darted to the window in fear.

“I see…” she muttered before looking at him. 

He had walked off and was gathering, what Nahida realized, pillows from the other side of the bed. Walking over, she found Ruggie had made a small bed between her son’s bed and the window in question. She paused.

“You stayed… in case someone came back.” Nahida stated.

Ruggie sighed as he gathered everything up. He tucked them under his arm and looked at her.

“Look, I know what you see when you look at me. Some slum kid that managed to get it in good with Leona-san. Someone who is just using him for his money. And you’re not wrong.” Ruggie stated and Nahida felt herself blushing a bit.

“But I’m not a monster. Cheka was scared and I was not about to leave him alone. So I slept on the floor. Still more comfortable than some places I have slept, by a long shot. As far as Cheka is concerned, I was feeling homesick and a sleepover was a way to make us both feel better. It’s as simple as that.” Ruggie paused.

“I don’t expect you to believe me. I expect to be thrown out of the palace and I would not be shocked if that happened, but I wouldn’t hurt a kid.” Ruggie stated.

Nahida blinked and realized she still had her dagger out. She slipped it back into her sleeve before sighing.

“Thank you. For watching over my son… and Leona. I know both can be a handful.” Nahida said and Ruggie giggled, ears twitching.

“Agreed, but I think I would take watching over Leona than Cheka any day. No offense, but at least Leona stays in one spot.” Ruggie said snickering.

Nahida smiled back.

“That he does.”

–sSs–

Leona glanced up and choked on his water when he saw Nahida and Ruggie walk in, chatting as they approached the table. They were clearly on better terms than they had been the day before.

“Oh no.” Farena whispered and Leona could only nod in fear.

“Good morning!” Ruggie said with a wave as he sat in the seat next to Leona.

“Morning.” Leona muttered.

“Good morning, you two.” Farena said as he kissed Nahida on the cheek.

“Good morning.” Nahida replied.

Leona looked between the two.

“What were you two chatting about?” Leona asked.

“I am also curious.” Farena pipped in.

Ruggie grinned and poked Leona in the side.

“Aww, what’s the matter, Leona-san? Scared Nahida-san and I are plotting your downfall or something?” Ruggie snickered.

“Yes.” Farena and Leona both said as Ruggie burst out laughing.

Nahida coughed and the others turned to her.

“Let us speak of it later.” she said as the doors opened and Cheka rushed inside.

“Good mornin’!” he said as he climbed onto his chair.

“Good morning.” the table replied.

The food was brought out quickly and while people filled their plates, Farena coughed.

“I will be tied up most of the morning and probably well into the afternoon.” Farena stated.

“As will I. Which means you three are on your own.” Nahida explained.

Cheka immediately pouted and turned to Leona.

“No.” Leona said quickly.

Cheka’s eyes quickly started to fill with tears.

“Aww, Leona-san! How can you be so rude to Lil’ Cheka!” Ruggie said, pouting as well. 

Leona turned his head away, refusing to look at either of them. Farena flashed him a smile.

“Leona, Cheka has been waiting for weeks for you to come home. You can hang out with him for one day.” Farena said and Leona scowled.

“You told me to come home. I didn’t come here because I wanted to. So, I’m not spending my whole day hanging out with your kid, Farena. Find someone else to play with him. Come on, Ruggie. Let’s go.” Leona replied as he stood up.

Ruggie rolled his eyes and stood up as well.

“Well, I came here to hang out with Cheka, so I guess we’ll hang out and Leona-san can go somewhere else.” Ruggie said as he scooped Cheka up, who squealed with delight.

Leona raised an eyebrow.

“Ruggie, you can’t be serious.” Leona stated.

“Why not? I mean, Cheka is my buddy and he’s fun to hang out, unlike some people.” Ruggie said, smirking.

“Oi. What does that mean?” Leona demanded.

“What’s the matter, Leona-san? Sad that you aren’t cool enough to hang out with us?” Ruggie teased.

“Yeah! Unca Leona isn’t cool enough to hang out with us!” Cheka parroted.

Leona grit his teeth. He knew what Ruggie was trying to do, but dammit, he could hear Farena snickering and that was really starting to get under his skin.

“Fine! Fine. I’ll hang out with Cheka too.” Leona snapped as Ruggie winked at him.

“Hmm I don’t know. What do you think, Cheka? Can Leona-san hang out with us?” Ruggie whispered loudly.

Cheka pretended to think about it, going so far as to tap his chin before he smiled.

“Yeah!” Cheka said, nodding.

Ruggie laughed.

“You heard him, Leona-san. Cheka is showing you mercy and you can hang out with us. Make sure to thank him.” Ruggie stated.

“Ruggie, you are pushing your luck.” Leona growled.

Ruggie squealed and pulled Cheka close.

“Oh no! The big bad lion is mad at us, Cheka! Run away!” Ruggie said loudly before he ran off, Cheka laughing loudly as Leona yelped.

“Oi! Don’t run with him!” Leona yelled as he ran after Ruggie and Cheka.

Farena roared with laughter as he watched his brother run off as Nahida chuckled, amused by the whole interaction before she sighed.

“My love, what troubles you?” Farena asked as he held out his hand.

Nahida looked at him and then took his hand.

“I found Ruggie in our son’s room this morning.” Nahida admitted.

Immediately, Farena was alarmed.

“What?” he demanded.

“Calm yourself. As far as I could see, he caused no harm to our son, but what he did tell me something that has me gravely concerned.” she stated.

She explained what Ruggie had told her and Farena’s face became thunderous.

“I see. That is greatly concerning. We need to gather the guards and speak to them immediately. Let them know that whatever happened last night will not happen again.” Farena said as he stood up.

Nahida grabbed his sleeve and he paused.

“Wait. I am just as worried as you are, but we must be cautious. I fear this has to do with the threat against Cheka’s life.” Nahida said.

Farena paused.

“You believe the threat is inside the palace?” he asked.

Nahida didn’t reply, but her silence said everything.

Chapter Text

Ruggie hid behind a pillar and snickered as Leona stormed by, growling. Cheka, his face buried in Ruggie’s shoulder, started to giggle.

“Shhh, you have to be quiet, Cheka or the big, bad lion will get us.” Ruggie teased as Cheka nodded.

Ruggie eyed the corridor before he left their little hiding spot. They wandered until they found a small area they could relax near one of the many pools under the large trees. The excitement of the morning helped Ruggie get Cheka to take a small nap with little fuss. Eventually, Leona found them and scowled, but didn’t start yelling right away. He sat beside Ruggie and glared at Ruggie.

“You are dead once Cheka is gone.” Leona growled as he laid down next to Ruggie.

“Yeah, yeah, Mister Cranky. I got him to settle down, so just take your nap.” Ruggie said with a snicker.

Leona scowled, but settled down and soon, Ruggie was watching over two sleeping lions. As he sat there, he rubbed Cheka’s back as he rested against a tree. Guards passed by every so often. Many of them would smile and coo at the sight while others would snicker to themselves. Ruggie found it amusing as well, but also relaxed as he enjoyed the calm and quiet atmosphere. It was cut short, however, when Cheka’s two nannies came looking for him.

Grumbling, Ruggie handed the young heir over, waking goodbye as he went off to do some schooling as Leona sat up and yawned.

“Have a good nap?” Ruggie said with a grin.

Leona stood up and grabbed Ruggie, pulling him into a headlock as Ruggie yelped and tried to escape.

“You really know how to get under my skin, you asshole.” Leona stated as he started walking.

“L-Leona-san! Let me go!” Ruggie whined, trying to escape, but it was no use.

Huffing, he had no choice, but to go along with Leona, who seemed to have no destination in mind. However, as they walked near the family wing, they rounded a corner and found Zuzu coming their way, humming lightly under his breath. Leona scowled and let Ruggie go as he glared at Zuzu, who stopped and smiled at them.

“Ah, Prince Leona and Ruggie-san. I hope you are both having a wonderful day.” Zuzu said pleasantly.

“Zuzu.” Leona grumbled.

Ruggie raised an eyebrow. Leona didn’t like the bird beastman and it was obvious. Ruggie smiled like he would at a vendor he was trying to haggle a deal with. Time to put on the charm.

“We’ve had a great morning! Hung out with Cheka and took a nice morning nap by one of the pools. How’s your day been, Zuzu-san?” Ruggie replied.

“My, what a pleasant young man! It’s nice to see that our Prince found such a courteous friend. I am doing well. This morning, I took the time to wander around the palace, talk to some of the guards and had a lovely cup of tea out near the watering hole. I do hope you have a chance to do that before you leave.” Zuzu said sweetly, hands clasped together.

“I will have to ask Leona-san to take me there. Not from around these parts.” Ruggie stated, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Is that so? Where are you from, may I ask?” Zuzu asked.

Ruggie’s ears started to twitch. Strain. His voice was strained. 

“Ah, I’m from-” Ruggie was cut off when Leona stepped in front of him.

“He’s not from around here, that’s all you need to know. Don’t you have work to be doing? I think my brother is calling for you.” Leona stated, arms crossed aggressively. 

Sure enough, they did hear Farena’s voice faintly calling Zuzu’s name, who sighed.

“Ah, you are quite right, Prince Leona. These old ears of mine aren’t what they used to be. How unfortunate. Forgive me, but I must be going. Good bye.” Zuzu said as he started to walk off.

He started to hum again and Ruggie felt vaguely dizzy for a moment before shaking his head. He turned to Leona, eyebrow raised.

“What was THAT about?” Ruggie asked.

Leona had been watching him go before he turned to Ruggie.

“What was what about?” Leona demanded.

“That whole thing, Leona-san. I get it, you don’t like the guy, but geez.” Ruggie asked.

Leona looked at him and then the hall where Zuzu disappeared.

“Just do me a favor?” Leona asked.

“Huh? Yeah?” Ruggie was thrown off, ears going down.

“Stay away from him.” Leona said.

Ruggie’s tail lowered.

“Why?” Ruggie asked curiously.

Leona’s ears twitched with annoyance.

“I don’t know about that one. He’s been around my whole life, but something about him is just… off. Tried to get Farena to get rid of him when he became king, but he refused. Said he could use an advisor who knew as much as Zuzu did.” Leona stated.

Ruggie hummed and put his hands behind his head.

“But you don’t trust him?” Ruggie asked and Leona scowled.

“Not as far as I can throw him.” Leona replied.

“Ah, interesting. I’ll keep an eye out for him then.” Ruggie said.

“Good.” Leona said, yawning as Ruggie laughed.

“You just woke up, Leona-san!” Ruggie teased as Leona shoved him away.

“Shut up. Being here is tiring.” Leona said, scratching the back of his head.

Ruggie shrugged as they walked off. They ended up at Leona’s room, who settled onto his bed as Ruggie threw himself into a large beanbag chair that Leona had on the floor.

“Hey, why were you not in your room this morning? I came to grab you for breakfast and you weren’t there.” Leona called as he sat up and Ruggie raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I slept in Cheka’s room.” Ruggie replied.

Leona stared at him, startled.

“What! Why the fuck did you do that?” Leona demanded.

“Well, here’s the story.” Ruggie explained what had happened the night before and Leona immediately frowned.

“That’s not right. Family wing has around the clock guards. You shouldn’t have been able to walk around much less Cheka.” Leona said, rubbing his forehead.

“I’m more concerned about the footprints. I thought he was making it up or had a bad dream, but I saw them for myself.” Ruggie stated.

Leona hummed.

“I trust that you saw what you saw. This is insane. Farena asking me to come home to this shit.” Leona said with a scowl.

Ruggie frowned and leaned back in the chair as he pulled out his old phone. It was just a flip phone he bought minutes for. He had gotten some for the weekend in case Gramma needed to call him.

“You think he’s doing it… because he’s scared?” Ruggie asked.

“I don’t know. I just know he’s going to lose his shit when he finds out about the guards, well unless Nahida gets to them first.” Leona sighed.

“Nahida? I heard she was the former Commander-In-Chief of the Royal Army before she was married to your brother.” Ruggie said.

Leona snorted.

“She still is. She never gave up the title and never picked her replacement, so she still holds the title and the power that comes with it.” Leona said, chuckling as Ruggie’s eyes got wide.

“Oh. That explains the dagger.” Ruggie muttered.

“Oh that? Nah, that’s because she’s paranoid.” Leona said with a grin as Ruggie squawked.

–sSs–

The rest of the day passed quickly and at dinner, it was a quiet affair. Farena and Nahida were in deep conversation at one end of the table and Ruggie was a bit too tired to think about it too much. Following Leona back to the guest wing, he frowned when he heard humming. Looking around, he saw Zuzu going down another hallway. Ruggie narrowed his eyes, but kept moving. After saying goodnight to Leona and going to his own room, he changed and settled down for the night. Closing his eyes, he hoped the night would go by quickly.

–sSs–

Ruggie’s eyes snapped open and he sat up. Ears twitching, Ruggie got up out of bed. Something was wrong. Something in the air had changed. Changing to his day clothes, Ruggie walked to the door, only to stop. Footsteps in the hall beyond his door made him pause. He waited until they walked by before slipping out of his room. Sneaking his way towards the family wing, he wondered why he was doing this. Why didn’t he just go back to his room and stay there until morning? Why was he sneaking around like this?

Footsteps coming from the other direction made him curse. Looking around, he darted behind a banner of the savanna, hiding in the servant’s passage beyond. Kneeling down, he peeked out and watched as two guards walked by. Shifting slightly, he held back a yelp as he slipped and pressed a hand to the floor. Only the floor was… sticky? He paused and looked down at his hand to find it covered in something wet and copper smelling. His ears dropped as he pulled out his phone and almost gagged. Cheka’s two nannies lay dead, eyes open, but unseeing.

“Oh fuck.” Ruggie whispered.

A quick check of his phone showed no bars or service. He had no way to call for help.

“Fuck.” Ruggie cursed again.

Something was going on here and he needed to find Leona. He would know what to do. Slipping out from behind the banner, he headed for the family wing, only to stop. Cheka’s nannies were dead… did that mean…?

“Cheka!” he hissed.

He darted down the hall and slipped into Cheka’s room. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the boy was still asleep in his bed. He crept over and made sure he was ok. There wasn’t a mark on him. Now Ruggie didn’t know what to do. Did he leave the boy here and get Leona? Did he take the boy with him? He wasn’t sure. Unfortunately for Ruggie, his choice was taken from him when he heard footsteps coming towards Cheka’s door. Without a second thought, he grabbed the young boy, waking him with a start.

“Unca Ruggie?” Cheka muttered as Ruggie smiled.

“Hey, Cheka.” Ruggie said as he pulled the boy into his arms and wrapped him in a blanket. 

His eyes darted around for somewhere to hide. Cheka yawned and snuggled against his chest.

“What’s going on? Are you ok?” he asked sleepily.

“Oh yeah, yeah, everything is fine! We are… playing a game!” Ruggie said as he moved towards the closet.

That woke the boy up and he smiled.

“A game? What kind of game?” Cheka asked excitedly.

Ruggie shushed him with a smile.

“Shhh, you have to be quiet. We are going to play a super intense game of hide and seek! Like we did this morning with Leona-san! Doesn’t that sound fun?” Ruggie asked as he pulled open the door.

“I wanna play! I wanna play!” Cheka replied as Ruggie heard the footsteps stop outside the door.

“Then, I need you to hide in this closet ok? Don’t say a word and cover yourself with the blanket, ok?” Ruggie said as he placed the heir down and made sure he was covered by toys and clothes.

“I can be really still and quiet! Unca Leona taught me how, watch!” Cheka said as he pulled the blanket over his head and stayed absolutely still.

Ruggie had no doubt as to why Leona taught him how to do that, but he was very happy Leona did.

“Great job! I’m gonna hide somewhere else. You stay right here and I’ll come back for you in a minute. Be a good boy and you’ll win a big prize!” Ruggie said as he made sure Cheka couldn’t be seen before he closed the door and put himself in front of it.

The door to the room opened and two guards walked in. They paused when they saw the empty bed and Ruggie. Ruggie made note that the one guard’s spear was covered in blood.

“Oh no! Looks like you caught me!” Ruggie said, holding his hands up.

The guards just stared at him, their eyes blank and Ruggie swallowed.

“You wouldn’t hurt little ole me, would you? Like, I’m a guest.” Ruggie asked as he moved away from the door.

The two guards moved forward, spears at the ready, and Ruggie grinned.

“I was hoping you were going to say no.” Ruggie said as he grabbed a fake spear from the floor.

They were getting closer and Ruggie was pretty sure they were planning on killing him outright.

“If that’s the game you want to play, then let’s play! Laugh With Me!” Ruggie yelled, mimicking their stance.

One guard froze in place and Ruggie grinned. With his signature spell in place, she was unable to move, but now Ruggie was in a pickle. He had to take them both out or he would be in serious trouble. Using his fake spear, he turned, forcing the guard to turn with him and made her knock out the other. The now unconscious guard hit the floor, leaving Ruggie with the second one. Taking note of a ball just behind her foot, he took a step back, making her step on the ball and released his spell. The guard slipped backwards and hit her head on the corner of a table, knocking her out cold. Ruggie paused for a moment, realizing he had just taken two of the Royal guards out before shaking himself out of his shock. He would worry about that later.

“Whew. Ok, that takes care of that.” Ruggie muttered.

He dropped the fake spear and quickly returned to the closet. Opening the door, he smiled when he saw Cheka was still hiding.

“Cheka! You’re amazing! You hide so well!” Ruggie said.

He pulled Cheka out and made sure to keep his head wrapped in the blanket as he carried him to the door.

“Yeah! Unca Leona taught me! I’m really good!” Cheka said brightly.

“That’s great! Oh this is going to be the best game of hide and seek ever.” Ruggie stated.

He stepped over the one guard and pulled open the door to peek outside. The coast was clear and he quickly darted into the hall. He started heading towards Leona’s room, but stopped and cursed when he saw a large group of guards heading that way. Looking around, he darted behind a banner and hid in the servant’s passage.

“Where are we going now, Unca Ruggie?” Cheka whispered.

Where were they going? Ruggie had no idea, but they couldn’t stay here, they would be found soon enough. Something was going on and looking down at Cheka, looking at him the same way some of the younger slum kids did, Ruggie knew. He would die before he let anyone get their hands on Cheka.

–sSs–

Leona slowly opened one eye as a loud banging came to his door. Groaning loudly, he sat up.

“What!” he roared.

The door opened and Leona took note that a large group of guards were flooding into his room. Staring blankly, he wondered what the fuck was going on.

“What is it?” Leona demanded.

 No one spoke, no one replied to him and that made Leona’s hair stand on end. One guard stepped forward with a letter that Leona took. It was from his brother, demanding he head to the throne room immediately.

“What is happening?” Leona demanded as he got up.

Still no one spoke, but Leona just ignored it as he threw on a shirt and allowed them to lead him to the throne room, surrounded on all sides. The trip was completely silent, which was confusing to Leona, but he was also very concerned. When they got to the throne room, Farena and Nahida were already inside, but Cheka wasn’t. Leona approached his brother.

“What happened?” both brothers asked.

Leona and Farena stopped, blinking. Nahida looked between them.

“Leona, what is going on?” Farena asked.

“That’s what I was going to ask you. Why did you call me out of bed?” Leona demanded.

Farena stared at him.

“Leona, Zuzu came and said you needed us urgently. What happened?” Nahida asked.

Leona stopped and pulled the note from his pocket.

“Well, I got this note from one of the guards saying you needed me urgently.” Leona explained.

Farena stared at the note and then at Leona.

“I didn’t write this note.” he whispered.

“No, he didn’t. I did.” Zuzu said as he walked towards the royal family.

“Zuzu? Is this some kind of sick joke?” Farena demanded angrily.

“Oh no, My King. What this is…is a revolution. Guards, seize them.” Zuzu said.

Leona, Farena and Nahida all watched in horror as the guards immediately approached, spears at the ready.

“What is the meaning of this!” Farena roared.

Nahida pulled a dagger and Leona reached for his magic before Zuzu spoke again.

“I would not do that if I were you all. I would hate for something to happen to the dear heir because of your sudden actions.” Zuzu said sweetly.

Farena’s face fell as Nahida gasped.

“My son! What have you done with my son!” Farena roared.

“Nothing… for now. He has been taken by some of my guards for… safe keeping.” Zuzu replied.

Leona swallowed, realizing this for what it was. A hostage, a very powerful pawn to control their actions and make sure they didn’t fight back.

“What are you going to do with him?” Nahida demanded.

“He will not be harmed as long as you do as I say. First order, stand down.” Zuzu said, smiling menacingly.

Leona grit his teeth and could see Nahida doing the same. He wanted to fight, but if Cheka really was under his control, then he had no choice. He let his magic fade away and the three of them were quickly bound with chains and forced to kneel. Zuzu seemed to get some kind of sick pleasure out of that, standing over them, watching them with his bulging eyes.

“Why are you doing this, Zuzu!” Farena demanded.

Zuzu ignored him as he walked over to the throne and sat down, settling into the seat like he belonged there. The guards fell in order, much to Leona’s confusion.

“Traitors. All of you!” Nahida hissed at the guards, enraged by their betrayal.

Leona’s eyes narrowed when no one twitched, even some of the more loyal guards Leona knew of. What was going on here? Why were they following a weak man like Zuzu? Every guard here could snap the man like a twig so why? What was going on! And where the fuck was Ruggie?!

–sSs–

Ruggie walked along the passage and tried not to look down as he walked. The tunnels, what had seemed like a safe haven, had turned out to be a path of death and destruction, much to Ruggie’s horror. Every servant from the nannies to the chefs’ bodies were shoved into the tunnels. So many people, both young and old, had been mercilessly slaughtered. Ruggie had even seen what looked like a young family where a father had tried and failed to protect his young daughter and wife.

Cheka was saved from this whole thing with the blanket over his head. Ruggie continued to talk to the young heir, even as he stepped over bodies and through puddles of blood. He had no idea what time it was, where Leona was or if he was ok. He had tried to peek out a few times, but now the hallways were flooded with guards. He couldn’t take the chance. Ruggie prayed Leona and his family were still alive, but if they weren’t, then what? Ruggie looked down at Cheka and let out a breath. If the rest of the royal family were dead, Cheka would be the last of his bloodline, the only survivor of a horrific tragedy. Ruggie wasn’t sure what he would do, but he had to protect Cheka.

And yet, the thought that Leona might be… could be… That he would never see the bossy, loud, rude, arrogant prince again was enough to make Ruggie choked up. What was he going to tell the rest of the dorm?

“Unca Ruggie?” Cheka whispered.

“Y-Yeah?” Ruggie replied.

“Are you ok? You’re squishing me.” Cheka muttered and Ruggie loosened his grip.

“Of course! You are just so squishy!” Ruggie said, giving him a soft squeeze as Cheka giggled.

Cheka let out a yawn and Ruggie knew he couldn’t just keep walking in circles. He had to get his bearings, but not with Cheka in his arms. Finally, Ruggie came across a servant’s room where no bodies were inside. He walked over to the bed in the corner and placed Cheka down. 

“There we go. This looks like a fun place to hide, huh?” Ruggie said as Cheka looked around.

“Unca Ruggie, I’m tired.” Cheka muttered as Ruggie nodded.

“Of course you are. You get some sleep, ok?” Ruggie said.

He sat next to the boy, rubbing his back and humming until Cheka went to sleep. After making sure he was truly and deeply asleep, Ruggie got up. He needed information. He needed to know what was going on. He left the small room and headed for the first tunnels he could find. It put him out near the dining hall, down the hall from the throne room. Peeking out, he watched the guards walk by, staring straight ahead like zombies. One guard stopped and started to blink rapidly, shaking her head.

“What… What is going on?” the guard muttered.

Ruggie’s eyes narrowed. She sounded like she had just woken up from a deep sleep. Her partner had continued on and Ruggie was about to slip out when a shadow appeared.

“Royal Advisor?” the guard called.

Zuzu, in all his bug eyed glory, smiled at the guard.

“Good evening.” he said charingly.

The guard blinked.

“Good evening. Where… am I? This is not my patrol area.” she muttered, seemingly confused.

Zuzu didn’t reply, instead he started to hum. Vaguely, Ruggie recognized the song, but didn’t know the name off the top of his head. Instead, he watched as the guard’s eyes glazed over again.

“Continue your patrol.” he demanded and the guard bowed before walking off.

Ruggie pulled back and hid behind the banner again. His mind was racing. The fucking royal advisor had a signature spell? 

“Fuck.” Ruggie whispered before peeking out again. 

The advisor was walking away, head bobbing as he hummed. Ruggie’s eyes narrowed as he slipped back into the throne room. So the advisor was behind this whole thing. That checked out.

“Leona-san was right.” Ruggie muttered as he slipped into the hall.

Using the shadows and his own stealth, he crept towards the throne room and settled outside the door, pushing it open. Inside, he was relieved to see Leona, Farena and Nahida were all alive. With this knowledge, he slipped away from the door and back down the tunnels. He had to start making some plans.

–sSs–

As the sun started to rise on the horizon, Ruggie had a plan. It wasn’t a great one and it would most certainly backfire if even one thing was out of place, but he really didn’t have any other choices. A quick check of the Mirror Portal room had shown it swamped with guards. The rest of the palace was just as bad and Ruggie really didn’t have a lot of options. Cheka was starting to get upset and nervous. He wanted his mother, he wanted food, he wanted to see his father and uncle. Ruggie had managed to bribe him with some bread he had managed to swipe from the kitchen, but it would only be a matter of time before the guards would come looking in the tunnels.

Ruggie had to act and he had to act quickly.

–sSs–

Leona watched as Zuzu paced the floor, staring at the window as the sun started to rise into the sky. The bird beastman had been all smiles the night before, but now, he seemed almost nervous. There was still no sign of Ruggie or Cheka, which was becoming more concerning as the time went on. Where were they? Were they ok? Did they have food? Water? Leona needed answers, but he worried if he spoke out of line, something would happen and he would never forgive himself if something happened to Cheka or Ruggie. And so they sat in silence.

At about mid afternoon, the doors opened and Zuzu turned. The guard came right to his side and whispered in his ear. All Leona could hear was something about Ruggie and that made his blood run cold.

“What do you mean you can’t find him! Where did the little slum rat go!” Zuzu yelled.

Leona stopped and blinked. Wait, what? Ruggie was… gone?

“Find him! I want him found now!” Zuzu yelled, causing the guards to run to complete his command.

The room cleared out and then Zuzu was alone with the royals. He turned to them, a smile coming to his face.

“Your little friend is turning out to be quite the problem, Leona.” Zuzu stated.

Leona shot him a smirk.

“Oh, if you think he’s a problem now, you have no idea what he is capable of.” Leona stated.

–sSs–

Ruggie started at the far end of the palace. With his signature spell and some cunning, he slowly started to take down the guards. They were like mindless zombies, unable to really fight back, so Ruggie made sure to knock most of them out. For those who were more aggressive, well… Ruggie would just have to hope the royal family forgave him for what he had done.

Closing a door behind him, he closed his eyes, trying not to stare at the blood on his hands. He would have to wash up before checking on Cheka again. He slipped into the tunnelss and started back towards the servant’s quarters when he saw a path he hadn’t noticed before. If his mental map was correct, that path headed towards the throne room. Ruggie smiled.

–sSs–

Zuzu was about to blow a fucking gasket. Leona thought it was hilarious as he watched the birdman pace the floor like crazy.

“What are you snickering about, you miserable furball?” Zuzu snapped angrily and Leona just grinned like a cat who caught the canary.

“Can’t find Ruggie, can you?” Leona said, snickering.

Zuzu walked over to him and glared down.

“Your little friend is missing, for now. But that won’t be for long. I will find him.” Zuzu said coldly.

Leona burst out laughing, his whole body shaking with his mirth. Farena and Nahida were staring at him like he was crazy.

“What are you laughing about!” Zuzu roared.

Leona stopped.

“Ruggie’s gone.” Leona said.

Zuzu stopped and stared at him.

“What? What are you talking about?” Zuzu demanded.

“Ruggie. Is. Gone. He left and you will never find him.” Leona said, smiling.

“What are you implying? Are you saying he escaped the palace?” Zuzu asked.

“Of course.” Leona said, shrugging.

Zuzu suddenly looked very nervous.

“What? You didn’t think he would stick around this shit hole, did you?” Leona asked, mockingly.

Zuzu didn’t answer and Leona barked out a laugh again.

“Oh god, you really don’t get it, huh? Fine, I’ll spell it out for you. Ruggie… is a coward.” Leona stated.

“A coward?” Farena asked.

“Of course. Ruggie is the biggest coward I know. When the going gets tough, Ruggie gets going. He doesn’t stay around for the nasty shit. He definitely sensed something was going down and booked it.” Leona shook his head.

“Are you saying he abandoned you?” Zuzu snapped.

“In a heartbeat. Ruggie would throw my ass to the wolves if that meant saving himself. And I don’t blame him for it. That’s all Ruggie knows.” Leona explained.

Zuzu turned away and started to pace. Leona was confused. Why did Zuzu care so much if Ruggie escaped? What could Ruggie have that Zuzu wanted? Wait… Leona’s eyes widened.

“Ruggie has Cheka.” Leona said.

Zuzu froze and Leona knew he hit the nail on the head.

“That is why you are looking for him. It’s not because you care about Ruggie. He has Cheka.” Leona stated.

“Don’t be ridiculous! The young heir is safe and sound with me. I simply do not wish that little slum rat to come back with an army or something like that.” Zuzu stated.

Leona rolled his eyes.

“I already told you. Ruggie is a coward. He isn’t coming back. Not for me or anyone here. And if he has Cheka? He definitely got out while he could.” Leona replied.

“I cannot trust your words. I will find him and he will die.” Zuzu stated coldly.

With that Zuzu left the room and Leona scowled.

“Lying son of a bitch.” Leona hissed.

“Aw, Leona-san. Standing up for little, old me? I’m touched.” Ruggie’s voice said and the three royals looked around.

“Ruggie?” Leona called, looking around with wide eyes.

A tile in the floor popped up and Ruggie’s head popped out of the hole. With a grin, Ruggie pulled himself out and walked over. Leona just stared at him in shock.

“You’re still here.” Leona said and the other two blinked.

“Wait, that wasn’t just a taunt? You honestly thought he left!” Nahida emanded.

“Of course I did! Ruggie, why are you here!” Leona demanded.

Ruggie knelt down and grinned.

“Aw, but if I leave, who is going to get you out of this mess, Leona-san? I’m constantly fixing your messes.” Ruggie replied.

“Ruggie, where is Cheka? Do you know where Zuzu is keeping my son?” Nahida demanded and Ruggie blinked.

“Zuzu doesn’t have Cheka. I do.” Ruggie replied as he moved behind Leona and started trying to get the chains undone.

“You?” Farena questioned.

“Yeah. As far as Cheka is concerned, we are playing a really intense game of hide and seek. You uhhh owe him a really big prize when this is all over.” Ruggie muttered.

“A game?” Nahida asked, confused, as if she couldn’t wrap her head around the idea.

“Listen, I was moving quickly and I needed him to stay quiet for me. I took out some of the guards, but it would have been nice if someone told me Zuzu was a mage.” Ruggie grumbled.

“What? Zuzu doesn’t have magic.” Leona stated.

Ruggie blinked and looked at him.

“Yes, he does. I saw it myself. Some kind of mind control. Has to do with humming or music or something.” Ruggie explained.

“Humming? Of course.” Leona said with realization.

“Ok, but why go through all this? If he wanted the throne, why not use it against Farena? Why do all this?” Ruggie asked, annoyed.

“Farena is tone-deaf. So is Leona. Both of them got it from their mother.” Nahida said in awe.

“It must not work if you can’t really hear it.” Farena stated.

“Wait, does that mean he used it against father?” Leona demanded.

“He must have.” Farena said gravely.

“Listen, this is all well and good, but like we need to get out of here.” Ruggie huffed as he tried to get the chains undone. 

“He’s killed all the other servants and it’s only a matter of time before his zombie guards find where I hid Cheka. We have to go.” Ruggie stated calmly.

Leona turned to him and then stopped. Leona glanced down and stared.

“You’re covered in blood.” Leona said and Ruggie grit his teeth.

“I did some things I am not proud of and there are more than a few dead bodies, but we can worry about that later.” Ruggie admitted and Leona felt the chains loosen.

“I got it from here, help Farena.” Leona stated as Ruggie nodded and moved to the king.

Only his attempt was cut short when they heard yelling in the halls. It was definitely Zuzu and he was close by. Ruggie cursed and jumped to his feet.

“Ruggie! Hide!” Leona demanded.

“No! He has to help us!” Nahida snapped back.

Ruggie shushed them both.

“If I get caught, it’s over. I’ll be in the tunnels. I will find a way to get back here.” Ruggie said quickly.

He rushed towards the tile and jumped inside. He grabbed the tile and went to place it back when Nahida spoke.

“Ruggie.” she called.

He looked at her and their eyes locked.

“Please, protect my son.” she begged and Ruggie nodded.

“With my life.” he promised before the tile slid back into place and Ruggie was gone.

–sSs–

Zuzu stormed into the throne room, feeling overwhelmed and on the hairy edge of losing his shit. All this planning, all this work, the years of carefully crafting his rise to the throne, all of it was being ruined by a slum rat! Leona, the cursed brat he was, had brought the little rat into the palace and now he was causing all types of problems.

Leona had always been a thorn in his side. The smarmy little furball had been a total surprise for the advisor. No one had expected the king and queen to have another child so late in life and an especially talented one at that. Leona had come into the world with magic at his fingertips unlike anything the Sunset Savanna had ever seen. If he had been born first, the kingdom would have certainly flourished under their powerful new king, but he had been born second and so most had completely overlooked him.

Zuzu, however, had seen him for what he truly was: a new competitor for the throne. He already had Farena to deal with and now there was a second prince and a much stronger prince at that. Leona had grown quickly and proven himself to not only be magically and physically strong, but cunning, intelligent and charismatic. All of the skills Zuzu had struggled to gain over his many years.

Zuzu could see the writing on the wall and he wasn’t about to be upstaged by some brat. The old king had wanted Leona to be Farena’s right hand and had started to talk to Zuzu about training the young prince to take that spot. It was the final straw for Zuzu and his planning had started. His signature spell, Lovely Coconuts, was a well kept secret, especially from the royal family. There wasn’t a person alive who knew about it, Zuzu had made sure of that. Sure a few innocent people had died over the years, but they shouldn’t have been snooping where they didn’t belong.

His signature spell was simple enough, but it took a lot of time to gain control over his victims. He had to repeatedly hum or sing the same song in their presence for it to sink in and then, from there, it was very simple to get them to do as he ordered. The old king had been simple enough to control and he thought Farena would be the same, but then he had learned that Farena and Leona both were tone-deaf. His spell was useless on them.

So there was no way to force them to step down and with two healthy heirs, Zuzu couldn’t force the old king to give the throne to him, so he was stuck. With nothing more he could do with the old king and the new king stepping into power soon enough, he had to act quickly and so he did. Leona was powerful, he would give him that, but he was too powerful. It had been so easy to start spreading rumors and convince people that Leona was just a bit too dangerous with all the power he had. Zuzu’s spell might not work on Farena, but the rumors and concern from his people did. Zuzu carefully forced a wedge between the two brothers, weakening the royal family.

Sure, it had taken a long time, but in the end, the results had been satisfying. Leona, the cocky brat, had been taken down a few pegs and had all, but run from the palace when he got his letter to Night Raven College. With one piece off the chess board, he moved on to the last three. Farena trusted him, as did Nahida. He was able to get close to the remaining royal family, cementing himself as a kind, but stern advisor who only wanted the best for the kingdom. Farena has never suspected him of anything.

Years of work and planning had finally come together this weekend. His final piece to the throne was to take the heir and hide him away, force Farena to give up his crown to Zuzu and then kill the three older royals and keep Cheka by his side. With the prince by his side after a horrible tragedy that would be blamed on guards who lost their minds, the kingdom would be more willing to accept his kingship. He had been so close to the end that he had seen the finish line in his mind’s eye.

But now that finish line was almost out of reach and all because of one slum brat. Zuzu grit his teeth. He would find the boy and Leona would be forced to watch as Zuzu slaughtered the hyena before his very eyes. Zuzu would have his crown.

–sSs–

Ruggie slipped back into the tunnels and returned to where Cheka was hiding. The young boy perked up when he saw Ruggie, but frowned when no one else was with him.

“Unca Ruggie? I don’t wanna play this game anymore. I wanna see Mama.” Cheka said, tugging at his sleeve.

Ruggie smiled and pulled the kid onto his lap.

“I know, I know, but listen, I promise you. You will see them soon, ok? Just give it a little more time. The prize will be worth it.” Ruggie said gently.

Cheka seemed unsure, but nodded and Ruggie gave him some bread and water. He was worried about the young cub, but he had promised to keep Cheka safe and he wasn’t going to go back on his word. After making sure Cheka was ok and gathering some supplies, Ruggie left again and snaked his way through the tunnels. He checked the Mirror Portal room again and found it to be empty. He cautiously stepped into the room, ears twitching as he listened for any sounds.

“Coast is clear?” Ruggie muttered.

There was a sudden shift to his left and he didn’t have a chance before he was grabbed. He cursed as he was tackled to the floor and tied up. One of the guards threw him over their shoulder and Ruggie knew he had fucked up.

–sSs–

The doors at the end of the room opened and Leona felt his stomach drop as Ruggie was thrown to the floor, tied up. Zuzu smiled as he approached the squirming hyena.

“Ah, Ruggie-san. I was wondering where you had run off to. You had us all greatly concerned.” Zuzu said sweetly, hands clasped together.

Ruggie rolled over and forced himself to sit up into a kneeling position. When he did, he smiled.

“Sorry about that. You know what they say about us hyenas.” Ruggie said.

“Yes, yes, that you are all very crafty and what not. But now, playtime is over. Where is he?” Zuzu said with annoyance.

“Hm? I have no idea what you’re talking about. Hey, is this the throne room? I never got to see this place on my tour. Can I sit on the throne?” Ruggie said, looking this way and that way, not paying Zuzu any mind.

Leona snickered quietly as Zuzu’s eye twitched.

“You don’t? Well, let me remind you, where is Cheka?” Zuzu demanded.

Ruggie rolled his neck and shoulders before looking at him and smirking.

“No idea.” Ruggie replied.

“I see… I don’t believe you.” Zuzu said.

Ruggie shrugged.

“Get in line. Most people don’t.” Ruggie said boredly.

Zuzu took a step forward.

“I know you have the heir. Tell me where he is.” Zuzu demanded.

Ruggie just yawned and smacked his lips, staring at Zuzu. Zuzu grit his teeth, his smile dropping as his rage appeared on his face.

“Very well then. Guards.” Zuzu called.

Several guards surrounded Ruggie. Ruggie eyed them with caution.

“Perhaps a little… persuasion is in order.” Zuzu said.

With a wave of his hands, the guards attacked. Kicking, punching, hitting, everything and anything. Ruggie was knocked to the floor and groaned as the blows rained down. Leona grit his teeth, feeling rage boil up in his chest. Another wave of Zuzu’s hand and the guards stopped, stepping away to allow Zuzu to kneel down beside Ruggie’s head.

“And what do you say now, Ruggie-san?” Zuzu asked, smiling.

Ruggie grinned back before spitting blood into his face. It landed on his cheek and Zuzu surged to his feet.

“You… you… YOU MISERABLE SLUM RAT! HOW DARE YOU!” Zuzu howled as he wiped the blood from his face before kicking Ruggie in his.

Ruggie’s head jerked back before he turned back and snickered.

“Is that all you got? I’ve seen grannies kick harder than that.” Ruggie mocked.

Zuzu snarled and kicked him again in the side. Ruggie grunted before laughing.

“Ah, that tickles!” Ruggie stated.

Zuzu went crazy, kicking and screaming, attacking Ruggie from all angles while Ruggie goaded him on. Leona didn’t understand what Ruggie was trying to accomplish, didn’t understand how Ruggie thought this was a good idea before Ruggie locked eyes with him and grinned, showing bloody teeth. It clicked in Leona’s head and he grinned back.

“Hey Zuzu!” Leona yelled.

Zuzu stopped, panting and turned his head to Leona with rage.

“You wanna know the most interesting fact I learned at college?” Leona asked as Zuzu sneered.

“I don’t give a damn about what you learned at that miserable school!” Zuzu snapped back.

He could feel Farena and Nahida staring at him like he was crazy. Ruggie had adjusted himself, rolling over to his stomach and getting his feet underneath him. Leona’s grin widened.

“Did you know a hyena’s bite is stronger than a lion’s?” Leona asked.

“What?” Zuzu said in confusion.

Ruggie took his chance. Like a shot, he surged up and opened his mouth. The royals watched as Rugie went right for the jugular. Zuzu had no chance against the much stronger predator. Ruggie surged up and clamped down on the vulnerable neck of his prey, his teeth sinking through the soft flesh and locking shut with all the finality of an executioner's blade. Zuzu fell backwards, taking Ruggie with him as he struggled for life, but it was no use. The blood sprayed as Zuzu fought, but Ruggie did not release his teeth. He ignored the hands clawing at his face, the blood spraying into his mouth and onto his face. He held it, held it even when Zuzu started to gurgle, when his blows started to weaken and even when Zuzu went limp.

Ruggie stayed perfectly still, mouth clamped shut around his throat until Ruggie was sure the heartbeat had stopped and only then did he unlock his jaw and pull back. Ruggie’s mouth hung open, the blood and saliva dropped onto the body below before Ruggie got up. For a second, nothing moved, no one moved and then Ruggie turned and made his way to the royals. The rope around him fell away and Leona used his magic and freed himself from the chains. He stood up, staring, unsure of what to do before Ruggie turned to him and gave a bloody smile.

“You are going to need to put up a job listing for a new advisor.” Ruggie said and Leona snorted.

“Ruggie. You crazy bastard.” Leona muttered.

Ruggie and Leona were quick to unchain Farena and his wife. The two stood up, staring at the body and then at Ruggie.

“Thank you.” Farena muttered and Ruggie shrugged.

“Thank me when we get your son.” Ruggie said.

The guards were still standing around and that was the eeriest thing, but none of them knew how to undo what Zuzu had done. Leona walked over and waved a hand in front of one guard’s face, but there was no reaction. He pulled his hand away.

“I think there’s a time limit.” Ruggie explained as Leona walked around them.

“We’ll worry about them later. I want to see my son.” Nahida demanded and Ruggie nodded.

Ruggie walked over and kicked up the tile in the floor before dropping down. The royals followed him, staring in horror at the bodies they stumbled across.

“Oh Great Sevens.” Farena muttered as Nahida wiped a tear from her eye.

“It doesn’t get better from here. Sorry.” Ruggie muttered.

“Did Cheka…?” Nahida asked with worry.

“No, I made sure of it.” Ruggie stated, looking around.

“I can attest that seeing a dead body really young fucks you up mentally.” Ruggie said.

They came upon the room and Cheka looked up. He squealed when he saw who it was, dropping his blanket as he ran to his mother, who scooped him up and held him like he was the most precious thing in this world.

“Mama! You found me!” Cheka said giggling, hugging her neck.

Nahida held him close as Farena wrapped his arms around them both, tears in his eyes.

“Yes, we did.” Farena said, his voice strained.

“Mama! Mama! Did you see how well I hid! Unca Ruggie said I was a really good hider!” Cheka said proudly.

“Oh yes, you did wonderful, my son.” Farena said, kissing him on the forehead.

Leona and Ruggie stood back, watching before Farena turned to them and held out his hand. Leona blinked and looked at it before Ruggie shoved him forward, making Leona glare at him as he took it and was pulled into the family hug. Ruggie smiled as he watched Leona relax and hug back. Eventually, they pulled away and Ruggie coughed.

“We should… ahh probably get out of here.” Ruggie stated.

“Yes, quite.” Nahida said.

She bent down and gathered Cheka’s blanket, wrapping him in it again. Ruggie nodded and turned back the way they came.

“Ok, so if we…” Ruggie took one step forward and the whole world began to spin.

“Oh fuck.” Ruggie muttered.

He grabbed the wall, or tried to, but there was nothing to hold on to. He stumbled and fell into the wall before his knees went weak and he slumped to the floor.

“Ruggie? Ruggie!” Leona yelled as he quickly rushed forward.

He knelt beside Ruggie and gently rolled him over. His eyes were closed and his skin was pale, but he was still alive, thankfully. Leona pulled him into his arms and held him to his chest. Farena and Nahida crowded close.

“Is he alright?” Farena demanded.

“He must be exhausted. Probably used his signature spell a lot. We need to get him looked at.” Leona explained.

“We all need to get looked at. Let us head to the Mirror Portal room.” Nahida stated.

Leona nodded and scooped Ruggie up, holding him to his chest as they followed the tunnels.

“Hold on, Ruggie.” Leona muttered softly.

–sSs–

Ruggie opened his eyes and sat straight up. For a moment, he was disorientated. His brain was running a million miles an hour. He struggled to get out of the bed he was in, trying to remember what had happened.

“C-Cheka? Cheka! Leona-san?” Ruggie muttered as he stumbled, falling to the ground as his legs gave out.

There was pain in his arm and when he looked over, he realized he was attached to an IV. Staring at it blankly, he tried to process what was going on. It was then the curtains around his bed were moved and Leona was standing there. He looked down at Ruggie with a raised eyebrow.

“What are you yelling for? I’m right here.” Leona asked.

Ruggie stared at him blankly, ears lowered before he let out a sigh of relief.

“You’re ok.” Ruggie said and Leona coughed before walking over.

“Ah, and you are on the good drugs. So, back into bed you go.” Leona stated.

Ruggie went to get up, only to see a hand being held out. He looked up at Leona in confusion.

“Well, come on now. I’m not standing like this all day.” Leona said when Ruggie didn’t immediately grab it.

Ruggie smiled and took the hand. Leona pulled him up and helped him back to bed. For a moment, Ruggie looked around before looking at him.

“Where are we?” Ruggie asked.

“A hospital.” Leona said as he sat down next to Ruggie, crossing his arms.

Ruggie blinked.

“Hospital?” he repeated.

“Yeah. After… well that, we escaped the palace via Mirror Portal and came here to get you and Cheka looked over.” Leona explained.

Ruggie blinked and then tried to sit up.

“Cheka? Is Cheka ok?” Ruggie asked with worry.

Leona paused, startled by the concern and care he heard in the other’s voice before his eyes softened.

“Cheka is fine, thanks to you. Besides a little dehydration, he’s right as rain.” Leona said and Ruggie sighed as he slumped back down.

“That’s good. That’s really good.” Ruggie paused and then looked at his arm again.

“Wait, why am I being looked at then?” Ruggie asked and Leona stared at him.

“Ruggie, you collapsed, I had to carry you here. You were suffering from severe dehydration and your magic was dangerously low. You needed to be looked at.” Leona said, crossing his arms.

“But… I can’t afford this…” Ruggie muttered, ears going down.

He could only imagine how much this was going to cost. He started to do the calculations in his head, seeing what he could possibly sell to cover the costs. Leona stared at him like he was insane before sighing and rubbing his eyes.

“You have got to be… Ruggie, listen to me.” Leona demanded.

Ruggie turned to him, giving him his full attention.

“You saved our lives. You saved the royal family and you protected the kingdom. If you think for one second that my brother won’t pay your medical bills after Cheka told us all about how you protected him and kept his safe, then you’re a fucking moron.” Leona explained.

Ruggie blinked at him.

“I did what I had to, that’s all.” Ruggie replied.

“You didn’t HAVE to do anything. You could have let everything go down and hidden yourself away until it all quietened down. You didn’t and my brother wishes to repay that. So don’t worry about it, ok?” Leona said sternly.

Ruggie blinked before settling down.

“If you say so.” Ruggie muttered.

They were silent for a while, just lost in their own thoughts before Ruggie blinked.

“Wait, what day is it? We need to head back to school!” Ruggie said.

Leona rolled his eyes.

“Relax. I spoke to Crowley. Explained the whole situation. Apparently, there is something in the school rules about attempted assassinations and kingdom usurpers.” Leona said boredly.

“Oh huh. I mean I guess it makes sense when you have people like you and Kalim coming to the school.” Ruggie muttered.

“Guess so. So don’t worry about it.” Leona paused.

“I did reach out to your Gramma.” Leona admitted and Ruggie paused.

“Eh?” Ruggie yelped and Leona sighed.

“I just… your phone. It was going off like crazy. I answered it just to make it stop and I ended up talking to her.” Leona sighed before he smirked.

“At least now I know where you get your attitude.” Leona stated.

Ruggie grinned.

“Yeah, she’s the best, ain’t she? Shihihihi.” Ruggie said, laughing.

“She certainly talked my ear off.” Leona shook his head as Ruggie let out another laugh.

“Oh yeah, she’s been begging me to bring you to the slums for a while. Something about showing your royal ass how the average person lives or something like that. I don’t know, she gets weird ideas in her head sometimes.” Ruggie said between chuckles.

“Yeah, well… I wouldn’t be against it. Maybe I’ll go with you next time. See how the other half lives.” Leona said and immediately Ruggie replied.

“No.” Ruggie said seriously.

Leona blinked, startled.

“What? Why?” Leona demanded.

“You bring too much trouble with you.” Ruggie stated.

Leona stared at him and then barked out a laugh. Ruggie’s face broke out in a grin as he settled down in the bed and his eyes started to droop. A hand rested on his own and he glanced at Leona.

“Go to sleep. You need it.” Leona stated.

Ruggie’s eyes fluttered closed and he yawned.

“Only if you promise to stay.” Ruggie said quietly.

Leona squeezed his hand and Ruggie squeezed back.

“I’ll be right here.” Leona said calmly.

Ruggie’s eyes drifted shut for the last time as he lost the fight with sleep. The hyena’s whole body relaxed and Leona smiled as he sat back in his chair.