Luck’s descent (BL)

Nielle didn't have time to take the day off. After visiting the commander of his Black Guard and finding that none of his brothers had left the palace in his absence, he had to clue who else would have reason to harm him. 

Nielle didn't have a bad relationship with his brothers, but he didn't trust them. Although neither of them had ever done anything to him, although they both usually stood up for him...Nielle wasn't naive and didn't believe in brotherly love.

He give the man an order to find out who had left town around the same time as him yesterday, or returned today and went deal with Shane. On his way to Elyan, he discovered that the king had already ordered Louis to reduce the number of his soldiers. Therefore, he stopped by one of his messengers to give the soldiers in Alycante information on what to do until his arrival. Before he could visit Elyan, he was stopped by two more of his soldiers, whom he had no more energy for.

"Something urgent?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Highness, I have a report from the bank regarding the reduction of funding for your troops, the king-" he began, but Nielle didn't let him finish.

"I know, use the funds from the executioners's treasury," he said.

"Not business finance, sir?" he asked.

"No," he knew that the side money from the deals the king doesn't know about would be more useful in the near future than the money he knows about, "and you? Something urgent?" he looked at the other soldier next to him.

"Your Highness, unpleasant rumors are spreading about you in the court that-" he tried to say, but Nielle wouldn't let him.

"I'm not interested in gossip, the worse the better," he said and left.

The soldier looked at him in confusion, not sure if he should leave it as the prince wanted or try to inform him again, since this time it wasn't something mundane like usual. However, Prince Nielle knew what he was doing and he didn't like it if someone came to him with one thing twice. That's why he decided to let it be like that...which he shouldn't have.

However, at the moment, Nielle didn't want to deal with some gossip in the palace. He had a lot of other things to worry about. He went to Elyan, as he wasn't sure if his people had time to transfer Shane to the Red Torture chamber, where no one would be looking for him. He knocked and when Elyan let him in, he walked into the room where his Lacrisan used to lie.

"When did they take him?" he asked when he didn't see him.

"Recently, sit here." Elyan walked over to the table and took a bowl of water, bottles for disinfection and a few other tools.

"Recently" Nielle thought and walked out when Elyan stopped him.

"When you've come here, I'll treat you, sit down," he nodded to the bed.

Nielle looked at him uncomprehendingly,"No need," he said.

However,  Brelle blocked the door, "Nielle...I heard that father had you whipped," he shook his head and wiped his wet hands with a piece of fabric.

"As you can see, I'm fine...I don't have time, move away," he tried to say, but Brelle stretched out his palm in front of him and gently grabbed him.

"Nielle, let Elyan treat you...don't be like a child," he added.

Nielle shook off his palm and sighed, "Brelle, I'm not in the mood, get out of my way, otherwise I'll have you whipped too...or I'll beat you myself...and you'll be the one who need treatment," he said. 

"Prince Nielle…if you resort to violence in my house, I will be forced to inform the king." Elyan said. 

Nielle laughed softly, "Elyan...if you continue to piss me off, even the king won't help you."

"Of course, of course," the doctor nodded to the bed, "sit down."

Nielle looked at him with considerable displeasure. He thought for a moment before saying, "If Brelle gets out, " he glared at his brother. 

Brelle smiled softly, "Don't be shy."

"Prince Brelle, patient's wish." Elyan looked at him.

"It's the law, I know," he didn't object and walked away.

Nielle gave him a murderous look as he was just called a patient and sat down on the bed with a deep sigh, undressed and said, "It's nothing."

"Better than the last time," Elyan nodded and soaked several cloths in the disinfectant. He placed it lightly against Nielle's bleeding wound running across the prince's back and let it work before soaking a second cloth.

Nielle dug his nails into his knees as his back stung and angrily said, "You're so slow, I got a lot of work to do."

"Don't be ashamed, as a child you used to come here a lot... have you forgotten who nursed you when you had a fight with someone?" he smiled.

"You act like you were only treating me," Nielle didn't sound friendly.

"Of course not...but you were here most often. I don't recall Prince Louis needing treatment more than a few times a year...Prince Brelle only had falls from trees," he reminded, "you were my most frequent patient."

"Don't talk and work," Nielle said.

Elyan smiled softly and finished his work in no time. When he hid everything, he slapped Nielle's back harder which made the princ gasp painfully.

"Done." He said.

"You moron," Nielle got dressed in displeasure and stood up, "Didn't my Lacrisan wake up by any chance?" he asked.

"No...he can sleep for several days," Elyan knew.

Nielle nodded, "Thank you," he said and walked away.

"You're welcome, the next time you get hurt, less thinking about it and come right away," he said.

Nielle ignored him, looked at Brelle, who gave him  a soft smile while Nielle walked away.

Nielle moved to the palace where he wanted to head to the red torture chamber where he had Shane transferred. However, since his black ring was burning him quite badly and Nielle could clearly feel how it keep filling with his bad luck, he ended up in his chamber. 

He walked to the drawer from which he took out his gold compass, opened it, put his finger in and watched how his luck was at the moment.

It was impossible for him to have so much bad luck in one day. During sex with Shane yesterday, he didn't take much luck because he didn't want Shane to be completely drained during his fight with the soldiers. He was going to have fun with him when the show was over, but in the end he didn't get to do it.

He didn't expect that he wouldn't get a chance to replenish his luck in the next day, that's why the stone in the center of the compass was burgundy, that's why the arrow showing the direction of his luck was shaking, and that's why his black ring was filling up more than usual.

Nielle sighed in displeasure. The stone in the compass was something no Lacrisan had seen worse than red. The less lucky a person was, the darker the stone became...through yellow to orange to red...then sometimes through burgundy to brown to black. Nielle knew it was the time to get some luck, so he made his way out of the room.

But he didn't get to go out when Louis knocked on the door, "Nielle?"

Nielle didn't want to answer, but he remembered that he had something to say to Louis, so he sat on the bed and let him in.

"What is it, Lui?" he asked.

Leaving Iuwine wait outside, Louis walked to him and looked at the compass in his hand, "Are you okay?"

Nielle automatically hid the compass behind him and declared, "Our father is an idiot, nothing more."

Louis sighed  and sat down on the bed next to him, which made Nielle pull away as he was too close, "I know he's harsh sometimes, but he means it in a good way...sometimes he has a bad temper, but-" he started, but Nielle didn't let him continue this bullshit.

"Lui, if you came here to defend him, get out." Louis was just irritating him. 

"I didn't," Louis said, "I came to make sure how you were doing. I heard you were punished, so I was worried that you'll be sick...I brought you some herbal sweets." He gave him a pouch of candies that he knew Nielle liked.

"I'm fine," Nielle said, "you know my wounds are healing slowly, so I'm upset, but fine." he admitted.

"I know," Louis nodded, "I have excellent healing ointments from Equil, I brought them to you as well." he took it out and  moved it to Nielle, waiting if he would take them.

Nielle wouldn't accept them, but currently he had to for future plans, "It won't help, but thanks," he said.

"They helped you last time," he recalled.

"The healing springs helped me last time," Nielle said, "I thought about going to it earlier, but I guess not." he started, although his back wasn't something which needed a healing bath.

Louis thought for a moment before saying, "That's a great idea."

"It's but the ones near the capital are being remodeled," he laughed, "so they're closed."

"Closed? Until when?" Louis didn't know.

"I've been asking, at least for a month," Nielle said.

"Strange."

"It's not...I'm just lucky," Nielle laughed.

Louis, who felt sorry for his younger brother, tried to find some solution to the situation,  "I can bring you to different hor springs...it's definitely not only one near the city, " he tried, but Nielle wouldn't let him. 

"No need...the king wouldn't let me go anywhere," he knew.

"Let me finish," Louis sighed, "there's a healing spring near the capital, a day's journey."

"Really?" Nielle blinked in surprise. 

"Don't you remember? We used to go there   as kids...it's in Alycante," he said.

"Oh, yes...I forgot," Nielle nodded.

"You can go there, you'll be fine in a week." Louis said.

Nielle, whose injuries would be healed by themselves during the week, rejected, "The king barely allowed me to shorten my stay in the prison," he laughed, "I don't think he let me go to Alycante to the springs. He said that I have to accept the punishment with everything." he said.

Louis was silent for a while before he remembered, "And if we all go?"

"Everyone? Why? "Nielle asked.

"A few days ago I got an invitation to the birthday of Zoye," he started, "I didn't plan to go, but I haven't answered yet ... I didn't even inform the king because he would force me to go...but if I go, all of us will. " he knew.

Nielle, who was aware what time in the year was , said, "Zoye will have a birthday...I forgot."

"Would you like to go?" Louis asked.

"I don't," Nielle sighed, "but I would go to the springs."

"If you agree, I will tell our father today that Zoye invited us all and awaits us in Alycante. Father will probably go too, but-" he started when Nielle interrupted him. 

"I don't care, if the king agrees I will go." He said. 

Louis smiled and gently touched him, "I'm glad you're fine." He nodded. 

Nielle suppressed the desire to shake him of himself, and when Louis finally got up and left the room, Nielle lay down on the bed. He didn't expect it to go so smoothly, as the level of his luck was in low values, but eventually it worked out. His goal of going to Alycante in the near future, was developing beautifully, and since he had no doubt that king will fulfill Louis's wishes, he took it for granted.

All what he needed now  was to visit his group of Lacrisans and make this disgusting day more pleasant.