Aiden sprung into action immediately. His voice was still tense with Gabriella's warning fresh in his mind. He drove the sword through the first shadow, the entity shrieking as it dissolved into smoke. But the second was faster, and Aiden's reflexes were a tad bit slowed down by the wound in his shoulder from earlier. He barely managed to sidestep the strike. The blow missed his head but grazed his cheek instead, leaving a sharp sting.
The palace guards, who were stunned by the sudden attack and intruders materializing out of the dark, rushed forward, trying desperately to aid the prince. A few swung their blades, but their weapons passed straight through the creatures- as if the things were made of nothing more than smoke. It was like trying to cut mist with steel. Their interference only crowded Aiden, blocking his vision, muddling his senses.
"Stay back!" Aiden barked, parrying another strike from the second shadow. His voice snapped through the air, but in the same breath, while his focus was divided, he didn't notice something else emerging behind him.
The third shadow.
It flowed forward, silent, its shape elongating unnaturally as it leaned in, blade-like claws extended. It was going for a specific spot on Aiden's back— straight for his heart.
Aiden didn't notice. He was too occupied finishing off the second one.
But Elliott did.
"Aiden—!" His scream tore through the courtyard, raw and desperate.
There was no thought, no strategy in his mind. Only instinct- white-hot, screaming at him to move, to protect, to throw himself between Aiden and death. His body was already stumbling down the stairs before his thoughts could even catch up. He hurled himself forward, arms wrapping tight around Aiden from behind, pressing his own body against the younger's, like a human shield. His eyes squeezed shut on instinct.
The strike landed.
But instead of piercing skin, the shadow's claws shattered against Elliott's body as if they'd struck an invisible wall.
A burst of golden light flared, faint but unmistakable, engulfing Elliott's skin. The creature recoiled with a ghoulish scream, its form unraveling before it collapsed into nothingness.
For a heartbeat, everything stilled.
The guards froze. The healer froze. Even Gabriella froze. Elliott throwing himself forward had been so sudden, so unthinkable, that no one's mind could catch up to what had just happened.
The silence broke when Elliott released Aiden, his body trembling, breaths short and uneven. Aiden spun around instantly, his eyes wide with panic, relief, and something heavier flickering in there. For a brief, sharp second, they just stared at one another with Aiden's panicked gaze boring into Elliott's weary but relieved one.
And then Aiden moved.
"What were you thinking?!" he snarled, hands gripping Elliott's shoulders. His voice was rough, shaking with panic. The tremor in his grip didn't go unnoticed by Elliott.
"I—" Elliott's breath hitched, his body still reeling from the sprint, the adrenaline, the sheer fear. "It was coming for your neck, from the back, and you weren't looking, and I-"
"-And you what, Elliott?" Aiden cut in, breathless. His tone was harsh, but not out of anger alone. It was worry. Worry so deep it twisted into something resembling a dark obsession. Normally, a person would be grateful to the one who shielded them from an attack. But not Aiden. Not when Elliott was concerned. For him, Elliott's safety was more important than his own, and Elliott had put that in danger. He was furious. "You could have- you're already hurt, are you an idiot-" He was rambling, breathless, words colliding, trying to say too many things at once.
"It didn't hurt me-" Elliott tried to interject, but Aiden cut him off again, with a firm, if careful, shake of his shoulders.
"It could have, Elliott! It could have! This was a risky, completely reckless action, and I am not going to pretend I'm happy with it—"
Elliott stared back at him. He understood what Aiden was saying—of course he did. They only had vague assurances that the sun's blood repelled shadows. They didn't even know how valid that was, or how exactly it worked. The shadow could have hurt him. That was true.
But really? After what just happened, Aiden was scolding him?
His wide-eyed shock at Aiden's sudden snapping twisted into frustration.
"You're saying my actions were reckless? You're scolding me?" His voice rose, incredulous. "It was going to kill you! What was I supposed to do, simply watch?!"
Aiden blinked, caught off guard by Elliott's sudden burst of anger. He staggered, then recovered quickly. "I had it under control!"
"You did not!" Elliott shot back, sharp.
"Did too!"
"You were bleeding and preoccupied with the other attacks!" Elliott huffed, his chest rising and falling too fast. He turned his face away, not wanting to feed the childish, back-and-forth argument any longer.
Aiden didn't let go, but his grip loosened just slightly. His jaw clenched. He drew in a sharp breath, frustrated but quieter now. His expression didn't soften entirely, but the frantic edge had dulled.
Finally, without another word, he lowered his face into the crook of Elliott's neck.
"...You're sulking," he muttered, voice muffled against the blonde's shoulder. The heat had drained from his tone, leaving only exasperation.
"I'm certainly not," Elliott replied, though the faintest a weary smile tugged at his lips.
"That's exactly what someone who's sulking would say."
Elliott didn't bother to respond and only huffed softly, which was answer enough.
Aiden decided for him. He shifted, sliding his uninjured arm firmly around Elliott's waist and lifting him without effort.
"We're going inside. Now."
Elliott blinked, startled at the sudden motion, his feet leaving the ground with embarrassing ease. He wriggled, trying to protest. "Stop, I can walk. You're injured—"
"I'm carrying you with my uninjured arm," Aiden insisted firmly. "I'm fine. Don't argue with me about this."
Elliott opened his mouth, looking ready to argue, but something in Aiden's voice silenced him. He let out a long breath instead.
"Fine," he relented at last. "But do remember this is very much unnecessary."
Aiden ignored the remark. He was already issuing his next decree.
"And you're not allowed to leave the bed for the next week."
Elliott let out a weak laugh. "Is that a promise or a threat?"
"Yes."