What Happened To Marcus
"Your highness!" Marcus heard his chief minister frantically call out as he came to.
The last thing that Prince Marcus of Merlen recalled was being knocked down by his older brother Owain. Both Zeph and Owain had managed to counter their distraction in an attempt to escape.
"Where is Nicholas?" Marcus was shocked at how weak his voice sounded.
"Your brother has been taken to his rooms." His chief minister, who was a short elderly man, explained as Marcus struggled to sit up.
Marcus looked around and found that two of Nicholas' people were with them, tending to his wounds.
"Who are you two again?" Marcus questioned the two men, wary of what they were doing to him.
Marcus trusted that Nicholas had his best interests at heart. His older brother was a simple one, he didn't have the same drive or desire as their other brothers or Marcus.
Who Marcus couldn't trust were Nicholas' men, they would of course want their prince to be king someday. He had heard of ministers murdering other princes in their sleep just to help their prince.
"I am Dion, Prince Nicholas' chief minister, and this is Regan, Prince Nicholas' minister of arms." Marcus nodded. He had recognised them both, they were constantly around his brother.
It was clear that Nicholas trusted them immensely, if he didn't both men would not be around his older brother so much.
"His highness sent us to make sure you were healing properly." Dion bowed deeply towards Marcus as was required by royal etiquette.
"You are my favorite brother's men, you can drop the formalities in private." Marcus instructed as he gestured for them to move closer.
"Prince Nicholas is also recovering and asked us to warn you against taking any mana recovery vials." Dion explained as he and Regan approached Marcus.
"What do you propose then? I am too weakened by that last encounter, I'm actually surprised that my mana did not dry out." Marcus said in a dismissive tone as he frowned at the thought of losing his magic.
"Prince Nicholas has allowed us to use a mana transfer technique that has remained a secret to other clans." Dion's expression was unreadable, it seemed that he wasn't happy about Nicholas' decision to share this secret but could not go against his prince.
Marcus gave a questioning look at his chief minister.
"I'd like to have a word with my chief minister, everyone, out!" Marcus ordered, to which Dion and Regan bowed and left together with the rest of Marcus' entourage.
As the door closed firmly behind them, Marcus let out a breath and groaned.
He was in so much pain that keeping a relaxed expression was torture in itself. He was pretty sure that he had broken a few rib bones, probably his leg, and who knows what other damage was inflicted on his body.
Marcus also felt weakened, he could feel how little mana he had. The only reason he let himself reach that point was because Nicholas would do the same for him if he could.
"Should we trust them?" Marcus asked his chief minister as he kept his eyes trained on the door.
"You will burrow a hole in the door with the way you are staring at it, your highness." His chief minister teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. "But yes, I don't think we have any other option."
"I trust that Nicholas will never wish me any harm, but his ministers all seem dangerous." Marcus confessed to his chief minister.
"I've known Dion since he first came here, if his prince commands it, he will follow the command to the letter. He wouldn't dare disobey the prince or do anything he would disapprove of." Marcus' chief minister explained to the prince as he clutched his side.
It hurt and was bruised, but there was no wound.
"Dion and Regan already healed you a bit, we didn't have a choice, your highness." The chief minister had a worried look on his face as he glanced at the prince's side.
"It's alright, you didn't have a choice." Marcus said as he nodded at his chief minister.
He understood that his people merely accepted the best available option to them. They knew Nicholas was the only one that Marcus trusted among his brothers, so he was the only one they could turn to at the time.
"Nicholas is right." Marcus looked at his chief minister and frowned. "We cannot trust any of the potions we are given. I just saw my brother almost kill himself because he purposely mislabeled a vial of poison."
"Should I let the Corporali Mages back in?" Marcus' chief minister asked as he waited for the prince's orders.
Marcus was pensive for a while as he considered his options, he trusted Nicholas far more than Owain. He also knew that the Corporali Clan were kinder and more understanding than those of the Liber Clan, Owain's people.
"Let them in." Marcus ordered his chief minister, who was quick to his feet as he scurried from the side of Marcus' bed to open the door and let the people waiting outside back in.
Dion and Regan were the first to enter, giving Prince Marcus a deep bow and showing him a large white crystal in Dion's hand.
"What's that?" Marcus asked as the crystal caught his curiosity.
"Ancient Corporali Mages could store their mana in special crystals, over the years, crystals such as these became rare. Other mages would destroy it at sight, thinking it would be used against them." Dion explained as he placed the crystal next to Marcus on the bed.
"And this will restore my mana? It's the wrong color." Marcus pointed out as he looked between the crystal and Dion.
"It will change to the Cruor blue or the Cibus green as it passes your body." Dion explained to Marcus.
"Do it." Marus said with a nod as he closed his eyes, expecting the process to be painful.