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Unsure what to do, Leonardo got out of bed. He watched as the prince suffered a nightmare and a since of unease filled Leonardo once again. \n\nIt was still night and the sliver of the waning moon did nothing to illuminate the darkness. Donatello didn’t stir, the drugs keeping him in a heavily sedated sleep. \n\nLeonardo jumped when Raphael sat up in bed with a start. Then, with a trembling hand, rubbed his brow while working to get his breathing under control. \n\n“Are you alright,” Leonardo asked after a few moments. \n\nRaphael’s head spun around as if he was surprised Leonardo was there. It quickly faded and was replaced with a subtle annoyance. “Just a nightmare.”\n\n“Must have been bad,” Leonardo observed. \n\n“Nightmares are never good,” Raphael replied in a dry tone. Getting out of bed, Raphael walked over and knelt down to check on Donatello. The tenderness in his touch and the look in his eyes hinting that he truly did love him. \n\nA knock on the door had Raphael quickly pulling his hand away and jumping to his feet. \n\n“Your father,” Leonardo ventured to guess. \n\nRaphael shook his head. “My father wouldn’t knock.”\n\nGrabbing a pair of loose-fitting trousers, Raphael slipped them on while he made his way towards the door. “Who is it?”\n\nFollowing suit, Leonardo quickly pulled on a pair of trousers. \n\n“Oroku Saki,” the commander of the guard answered through the door.\n\n“Why are you at my door this late,” Raphael demanded as he opened the door.\n\n“Forgive me, your highness.” Pushing the door the rest of the way open, Saki entered the room with a detail of men. “Grab the slave.”\n\nSaki’s men rushed in and grabbed Donatello. As he was being pulled from the room, Donatello woke and began to panic. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better. Please.”\n\n“Stop this,” Raphael barked. \n\n“Your father’s orders,” Saki stated. “You cannot override them. He has demanded that every slave that was in the kitchen be brought in for questioning. This includes yours.”\n\nThere was panic in Raphael’s eyes. “Why?”\n\n“You father and those who had eaten with him, including his slaves are all violently ill,” Saki replied. “You and your slave are not and we need to find out why.”\n\n“Have you checked on Mikey,” Raphael asked. \n\nSaki shook his head. “Not yet. Being the oldest, you were our top priority.”\n\nTaking Saki’s candle and then pushing past him, Raphael raced down the hall to his brother’s room. Not bothering to knock, Raphael threw the door open. “Mikey, are you okay?”\n\nLeonardo caught up to Raphael in time to see Michelangelo sit up in bed and rub his eyes. “Why are you yelling?” he whimpered. \n\n“Are you alright,” Raphael said as he entered the room. He placed the candle on the bed side table and began looking his brother over. “How do you feel.”\n\n“Tired,” Michelangelo answered, barely able to keep his eyes open. \n\n“He seems to be okay,” Raphael said, looking over his shoulder at Saki. “What’s going on? How is my father ill?”\n\n“We are still unsure what has caused it,” Saki stated. “All we know is that they are all ill. They are experiencing hallucinations, their hearts are pounding irregularly, numbness, weakness, and blurred vision. We need to find out the cause, which is why we are going to question each slave that was in the kitchen.”\n\n“Bring the slaves to the courtroom,” Raphael ordered. “I will question them their first. I don’t want to lose an entire kitchen staff to your methods of interrogation on and error or the actions of one who could be acting alone.”\n\n“Yes, my prince,” Saki replied with a slight bow before turning to leave the room. \n\n“What’s going on,” Michelangelo asked as he got out of bed. “Who’s sick?”\n\n“From what I understand,” Raphael answered, “mother, father, father’s mates, and his slaves are all affected. It must have been something they ate that we did not.”\n\n“I want to see mother,” Michelangelo whimpered. \n\nRaphael shook his head. “If it is an illness, I do not want you to contract it. We can only assume that it is the work of foul play. Until we know for sure, I want you to stay away.”\n\nMichelangelo nodded his head in agreement and together they made their way to the courtroom. \n\nSlaves stood together under heavy guard on the sand floor. With a single word they could all be executed on the spot and no one would think lesser of Raphael for it. \n\nRaphael walked up to his father’s throne and stood looking at it for a moment before turning to sit. Michelangelo took his seat to Raphael’s left while Leonardo stood behind the throne to the right. Saki sat himself in the throne to Raphael’s right. Raphael gave him a sideways glance but said nothing. \n\nRaphael’s eyes drifted over slaves gathered in front of him. “Is this all of them?”\n\nSaki looked up at Hun, who nodded in response. “Yes, your highness,” Saki stated. \n\nThe slaves were in various stages of emotional duress. Donatello was trembling in fear, tears streaming down his cheeks. Crumpling to the floor, he began to grovel. “I’ll do better. Please.”\n\n“Stand up,” Raphael ordered. “I need to ask you some questions.”\n\n“Anything, your highness,” Donatello whispered as he stood. \n\nRaphael looked across all the slaves. “Do you know why you are here?”\n\nHeads bowed, they all shook their heads in response with a chorus of, “No, your highness.”\n\n“My father, mother, my father’s mates, and their slaves are all ill,” Raphael stated. “It is believed that it is something that they had eaten. If it was, we need to find out what it was.”\n\n“Your majesty,” a priestess entered the courtroom and bowed. “My apologies for the intrusion. I was ordered to bring updates to master Saki.”\n\n“Out with it,” Raphael ordered. \n\n“The queen is dead,” the priestess said, keeping her eyes to the ground. “She started having fits then stopped breathing.”\n\n“Mother?” Michelangelo rasped, doing his best to control his emotions. \n\n“Thank you,” Raphael said, doing a better job at keeping his emotions in check. “Return to your duties and continue to keep us updated as needed.”\n\n“Yes, your majesty,” the priestess said, maintaining her bow as she walked backwards out of the courtroom. \n\nHe closed his eyes for barely a moment and when he opened them again, he was looking at Donatello. “I know slaves tend to protect one another. But, keep in mind, my father’s slaves were also affected. This includes Nevio.”\n\nDonatello’s eyes were full of fear and sorrow, and his body trembled, looking to be on the verge of collapse. He was still suffering the effects of the abuse he endured earlier. Despite it all, he stood, eyes locked on the prince. \n\n“I need to know everything that my father had eaten that we did not,” Raphael said. \n\nDonatello looked to the side in thought and then back up at Raphael. “The only thing that even I did not sample, your highness, was the honey and rose custard because I knew you would not like it.”\n\n“Who made the custard,” Raphael asked, keeping his tone steady while Michelangelo was openly crying. Leonardo felt ill. He had considered requesting the custard. \n\nDonatello glanced over at a female slave standing next to him. “Lacey.” \n\nAll color had dropped from the woman’s face. She was trembling with fear but there was a defiance in her eyes. \n\n“Is the custard the reason my mother is dead and my father is ill,” Raphael demanded. \n\nLacey shook her head. “I won’t say.”\n\n“Yes, you will,” Saki replied and then leaned toward Raphael. “Allow my men to interrogate her, my prince. They will get you your answers.”\n\nAfter a slight nod from Raphael, Saki gestured to his men. The guard moved forward and seized Lacey. She didn’t fight, as they led her from the room. Raphael stood. \n\n“I’m going to see my father.\n\n“May I see Nevio,” Donatello pleaded. \n\nRaphael nodded but Saki intervened. “The rest of the slaves should remain detained until we are sure of their involvement.” \n\n“You can keep the others until you know for sure but I know Donatello would not do anything that would result in his mentor’s death. He’s coming with me.” Raphael led the way out of the courtroom. After giving orders to his men, Saki joined them and remained by Raphael’s side as they made their way through the castle. \n\n“They have worsened,” Karai said as they approached. She was standing just outside the open door. Moans and rancid smells emanated from the room. “Two slaves and one of the king’s mates have died after having a series of fits.”\n\n“What about my father,” Raphael asked, bringing his hand up to cover his nose. \n\n“He is incoherent,” Karai replied. “I do not believe he is aware of what is real and what is not and has had a few fits of his own. Have you learned the cause?”\n\nRaphael shook his head. “Not entirely. A kitchen slave had poisoned his food but we do not know what kind of poison she had used.”\n\n“It’s unlike anything I have ever seen,” Karai admitted. \n\nSaki nodded in agreement. “All the poisons I know of, work quickly. In light of this new poison, we are going to have to change the way things are done.”\n\nRaphael took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Whatever happens, my grandfather will need to be informed.”\n\n“Of course,” Saki said. \n\n“I will return to my duties,” Karai said, bowing deeply. “If you will excuse me.”\n\nFollowing Karai, Raphael looked into the room and then quickly turned away. “Donatello, come with me,” he said. “Everyone else wait here.”\n\nRaphael and Donatello entered the room, leaving Leonardo and Michelangelo alone in the hall with Saki. Leonardo’s self-restraint was put to the test. Not only did he yearn to comfort Michelangelo but he wanted to send a dagger into Saki’s chest. \n\n….\n\n\nThe smell was overwhelming but Donatello was determined to see Nevio so he swallowed the lump in his throat and followed Raphael into the room. When it came to the needs of the ill, the priestesses did not discriminate. Though Arigio was in a better bed, the slaves were being tended to in the same manner as the king. \n\n“Nevio,” the king mumbled, his eyes focused on nothing. “My love.”\n\nRaphael went to sit by his father while Donatello walked over to kneel next to Nevio. He tried to get Nevio’s attention but whatever had caused this illness had also addled his mind. \n\nThrough the din of the ill and the priestesses, Donatello could hear the sounds of Raphael weeping. His own tears fell as the thought of losing Nevio overwhelmed him. Every time Nevio had a fit, Donatello feared it would be his last. \n\nThe windows had been opened in an attempt to alleviate the stench. Golden rays of sunlight filled the room as the sun began its morning climb. \n\nIt was nearly noon when the king drew his last breath. Being the largest, he was the last to die. Still, Donatello could not leave his mentor’s body. \n\nHe glanced over to Raphael. At some point, Michelangelo had been allowed to enter the room and was sitting on the other side of their father’s bed. He could only assume where Leonardo had gone. \n\nMore time passed and they did not move. It hurt too much. \n\nSaki entered the room and stood at the foot of the king’s bed to address the princes. “It was the honey used in the custard,” Saki stated. \n\n“The honey?” Raphael asked, turning his attention to Saki. “What kind of honey does this? What was in it? How did she get it? Did she act alone?”\n\n“The honey is made from bees that gather from one kind of flower not known in this land,” Saki said. “It had been given to her for the purpose of killing the royal family. Apparently, the death of her daughter drove her to act early.”\n\n“Did the rabbits give her the honey?” Raphael asked. \n\nSaki shook his head. “I had assumed that as well but the slave said that it had been a crocodile who had given her the honey.”\n\n“A crocodile,” Raphael practically spat. “Send warning to my uncles and grandfather. Use your fastest carriers.”\n\n“Already done, your majesty,” Saki replied with a slight bow. “I pray they arrive on time.”\n\n“After all this time,” Raphael said, shaking his head. “The crocodiles are moving against us.”\n\n“They are as long lived as turtles,” Saki pointed out. “I’ve heard that they have maintained their royal line.”\n\nThe history was well known. Even the lower class knew it. Generations ago, the land was ruled by a crocodile monarch but he was overthrown by several families of turtles. The land was then divided between them where they each ruled. After hundreds of years, Benvolio decided that the land should be reunited under one monarch again. It took him nearly a hundred years to do it. \n\n“Is the slave still alive,” Raphael asked. \n\nSaki nodded. “She is.”\n\nRaphael looked down at his father’s corpse. “Put her in a cage.”\n\nDonatello swore that Saki was fighting the urge to smile. “I will put her in one myself,” Sake said, managing to keep his tone even. \n\n“Make sure all can see her,” Raphael added. “I want to make an example of her.”\n\n“Of course,” Saki replied, his voice as smooth as silk. “Is there anything else, your highness?”\n\n“Send a summons to the rabbits,” Raphael stated, his tone growing dark. “We haven’t eliminated their involvement in this. We need to find out if they are working with the crocodiles before my grandfather arrives.”\n\nSaki inclined his head. “One will be sent out right away.”\n\n“That is all,” Raphael said, keeping his eyes fixed on his father. \n\nSaki bowed deeply before backing out of the room. \n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"Leonardo woke up to the sound of Raphael thrashing in his sleep. Unsure what to do, Leonardo got out of bed. He watched as the prince suffered a nightmare and a since of unease filled Leonardo once again.
It was still night and the sliver of the waning moon did nothing to illuminate the darkness. Donatello didn’t stir, the drugs keeping him in a heavily sedated sleep.
Leonardo jumped when Raphael sat up in bed with a start. Then, with a trembling hand, rubbed his brow while working to get his breathing under control.
“Are you alright,” Leonardo asked after a few moments.
Raphael’s head spun around as if he was surprised Leonardo was there. It quickly faded and was replaced with a subtle annoyance. “Just a nightmare.”
“Must have been bad,” Leonardo observed.
“Nightmares are never good,” Raphael replied in a dry tone. Getting out of bed, Raphael walked over and knelt down to check on Donatello. The tenderness in his touch and the look in his eyes hinting that he truly did love him.
A knock on the door had Raphael quickly pulling his hand away and jumping to his feet.
“Your father,” Leonardo ventured to guess.
Raphael shook his head. “My father wouldn’t knock.”
Grabbing a pair of loose-fitting trousers, Raphael slipped them on while he made his way towards the door. “Who is it?”
Following suit, Leonardo quickly pulled on a pair of trousers.
“Oroku Saki,” the commander of the guard answered through the door.
“Why are you at my door this late,” Raphael demanded as he opened the door.
“Forgive me, your highness.” Pushing the door the rest of the way open, Saki entered the room with a detail of men. “Grab the slave.”
Saki’s men rushed in and grabbed Donatello. As he was being pulled from the room, Donatello woke and began to panic. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better. Please.”
“Stop this,” Raphael barked.
“Your father’s orders,” Saki stated. “You cannot override them. He has demanded that every slave that was in the kitchen be brought in for questioning. This includes yours.”
There was panic in Raphael’s eyes. “Why?”
“You father and those who had eaten with him, including his slaves are all violently ill,” Saki replied. “You and your slave are not and we need to find out why.”
“Have you checked on Mikey,” Raphael asked.
Saki shook his head. “Not yet. Being the oldest, you were our top priority.”
Taking Saki’s candle and then pushing past him, Raphael raced down the hall to his brother’s room. Not bothering to knock, Raphael threw the door open. “Mikey, are you okay?”
Leonardo caught up to Raphael in time to see Michelangelo sit up in bed and rub his eyes. “Why are you yelling?” he whimpered.
“Are you alright,” Raphael said as he entered the room. He placed the candle on the bed side table and began looking his brother over. “How do you feel.”
“Tired,” Michelangelo answered, barely able to keep his eyes open.
“He seems to be okay,” Raphael said, looking over his shoulder at Saki. “What’s going on? How is my father ill?”
“We are still unsure what has caused it,” Saki stated. “All we know is that they are all ill. They are experiencing hallucinations, their hearts are pounding irregularly, numbness, weakness, and blurred vision. We need to find out the cause, which is why we are going to question each slave that was in the kitchen.”
“Bring the slaves to the courtroom,” Raphael ordered. “I will question them their first. I don’t want to lose an entire kitchen staff to your methods of interrogation on and error or the actions of one who could be acting alone.”
“Yes, my prince,” Saki replied with a slight bow before turning to leave the room.
“What’s going on,” Michelangelo asked as he got out of bed. “Who’s sick?”
“From what I understand,” Raphael answered, “mother, father, father’s mates, and his slaves are all affected. It must have been something they ate that we did not.”
“I want to see mother,” Michelangelo whimpered.
Raphael shook his head. “If it is an illness, I do not want you to contract it. We can only assume that it is the work of foul play. Until we know for sure, I want you to stay away.”
Michelangelo nodded his head in agreement and together they made their way to the courtroom.
Slaves stood together under heavy guard on the sand floor. With a single word they could all be executed on the spot and no one would think lesser of Raphael for it.
Raphael walked up to his father’s throne and stood looking at it for a moment before turning to sit. Michelangelo took his seat to Raphael’s left while Leonardo stood behind the throne to the right. Saki sat himself in the throne to Raphael’s right. Raphael gave him a sideways glance but said nothing.
Raphael’s eyes drifted over slaves gathered in front of him. “Is this all of them?”
Saki looked up at Hun, who nodded in response. “Yes, your highness,” Saki stated.
The slaves were in various stages of emotional duress. Donatello was trembling in fear, tears streaming down his cheeks. Crumpling to the floor, he began to grovel. “I’ll do better. Please.”
“Stand up,” Raphael ordered. “I need to ask you some questions.”
“Anything, your highness,” Donatello whispered as he stood.
Raphael looked across all the slaves. “Do you know why you are here?”
Heads bowed, they all shook their heads in response with a chorus of, “No, your highness.”
“My father, mother, my father’s mates, and their slaves are all ill,” Raphael stated. “It is believed that it is something that they had eaten. If it was, we need to find out what it was.”
“Your majesty,” a priestess entered the courtroom and bowed. “My apologies for the intrusion. I was ordered to bring updates to master Saki.”
“Out with it,” Raphael ordered.
“The queen is dead,” the priestess said, keeping her eyes to the ground. “She started having fits then stopped breathing.”
“Mother?” Michelangelo rasped, doing his best to control his emotions.
“Thank you,” Raphael said, doing a better job at keeping his emotions in check. “Return to your duties and continue to keep us updated as needed.”
“Yes, your majesty,” the priestess said, maintaining her bow as she walked backwards out of the courtroom.
He closed his eyes for barely a moment and when he opened them again, he was looking at Donatello. “I know slaves tend to protect one another. But, keep in mind, my father’s slaves were also affected. This includes Nevio.”
Donatello’s eyes were full of fear and sorrow, and his body trembled, looking to be on the verge of collapse. He was still suffering the effects of the abuse he endured earlier. Despite it all, he stood, eyes locked on the prince.
“I need to know everything that my father had eaten that we did not,” Raphael said.
Donatello looked to the side in thought and then back up at Raphael. “The only thing that even I did not sample, your highness, was the honey and rose custard because I knew you would not like it.”
“Who made the custard,” Raphael asked, keeping his tone steady while Michelangelo was openly crying. Leonardo felt ill. He had considered requesting the custard.
Donatello glanced over at a female slave standing next to him. “Lacey.”
All color had dropped from the woman’s face. She was trembling with fear but there was a defiance in her eyes.
“Is the custard the reason my mother is dead and my father is ill,” Raphael demanded.
Lacey shook her head. “I won’t say.”
“Yes, you will,” Saki replied and then leaned toward Raphael. “Allow my men to interrogate her, my prince. They will get you your answers.”
After a slight nod from Raphael, Saki gestured to his men. The guard moved forward and seized Lacey. She didn’t fight, as they led her from the room. Raphael stood.
“I’m going to see my father.
“May I see Nevio,” Donatello pleaded.
Raphael nodded but Saki intervened. “The rest of the slaves should remain detained until we are sure of their involvement.”
“You can keep the others until you know for sure but I know Donatello would not do anything that would result in his mentor’s death. He’s coming with me.” Raphael led the way out of the courtroom. After giving orders to his men, Saki joined them and remained by Raphael’s side as they made their way through the castle.
“They have worsened,” Karai said as they approached. She was standing just outside the open door. Moans and rancid smells emanated from the room. “Two slaves and one of the king’s mates have died after having a series of fits.”
“What about my father,” Raphael asked, bringing his hand up to cover his nose.
“He is incoherent,” Karai replied. “I do not believe he is aware of what is real and what is not and has had a few fits of his own. Have you learned the cause?”
Raphael shook his head. “Not entirely. A kitchen slave had poisoned his food but we do not know what kind of poison she had used.”
“It’s unlike anything I have ever seen,” Karai admitted.
Saki nodded in agreement. “All the poisons I know of, work quickly. In light of this new poison, we are going to have to change the way things are done.”
Raphael took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Whatever happens, my grandfather will need to be informed.”
“Of course,” Saki said.
“I will return to my duties,” Karai said, bowing deeply. “If you will excuse me.”
Following Karai, Raphael looked into the room and then quickly turned away. “Donatello, come with me,” he said. “Everyone else wait here.”
Raphael and Donatello entered the room, leaving Leonardo and Michelangelo alone in the hall with Saki. Leonardo’s self-restraint was put to the test. Not only did he yearn to comfort Michelangelo but he wanted to send a dagger into Saki’s chest.
….
The smell was overwhelming but Donatello was determined to see Nevio so he swallowed the lump in his throat and followed Raphael into the room. When it came to the needs of the ill, the priestesses did not discriminate. Though Arigio was in a better bed, the slaves were being tended to in the same manner as the king.
“Nevio,” the king mumbled, his eyes focused on nothing. “My love.”
Raphael went to sit by his father while Donatello walked over to kneel next to Nevio. He tried to get Nevio’s attention but whatever had caused this illness had also addled his mind.
Through the din of the ill and the priestesses, Donatello could hear the sounds of Raphael weeping. His own tears fell as the thought of losing Nevio overwhelmed him. Every time Nevio had a fit, Donatello feared it would be his last.
The windows had been opened in an attempt to alleviate the stench. Golden rays of sunlight filled the room as the sun began its morning climb.
It was nearly noon when the king drew his last breath. Being the largest, he was the last to die. Still, Donatello could not leave his mentor’s body.
He glanced over to Raphael. At some point, Michelangelo had been allowed to enter the room and was sitting on the other side of their father’s bed. He could only assume where Leonardo had gone.
More time passed and they did not move. It hurt too much.
Saki entered the room and stood at the foot of the king’s bed to address the princes. “It was the honey used in the custard,” Saki stated.
“The honey?” Raphael asked, turning his attention to Saki. “What kind of honey does this? What was in it? How did she get it? Did she act alone?”
“The honey is made from bees that gather from one kind of flower not known in this land,” Saki said. “It had been given to her for the purpose of killing the royal family. Apparently, the death of her daughter drove her to act early.”
“Did the rabbits give her the honey?” Raphael asked.
Saki shook his head. “I had assumed that as well but the slave said that it had been a crocodile who had given her the honey.”
“A crocodile,” Raphael practically spat. “Send warning to my uncles and grandfather. Use your fastest carriers.”
“Already done, your majesty,” Saki replied with a slight bow. “I pray they arrive on time.”
“After all this time,” Raphael said, shaking his head. “The crocodiles are moving against us.”
“They are as long lived as turtles,” Saki pointed out. “I’ve heard that they have maintained their royal line.”
The history was well known. Even the lower class knew it. Generations ago, the land was ruled by a crocodile monarch but he was overthrown by several families of turtles. The land was then divided between them where they each ruled. After hundreds of years, Benvolio decided that the land should be reunited under one monarch again. It took him nearly a hundred years to do it.
“Is the slave still alive,” Raphael asked.
Saki nodded. “She is.”
Raphael looked down at his father’s corpse. “Put her in a cage.”
Donatello swore that Saki was fighting the urge to smile. “I will put her in one myself,” Sake said, managing to keep his tone even.
“Make sure all can see her,” Raphael added. “I want to make an example of her.”
“Of course,” Saki replied, his voice as smooth as silk. “Is there anything else, your highness?”
“Send a summons to the rabbits,” Raphael stated, his tone growing dark. “We haven’t eliminated their involvement in this. We need to find out if they are working with the crocodiles before my grandfather arrives.”
Saki inclined his head. “One will be sent out right away.”
“That is all,” Raphael said, keeping his eyes fixed on his father.
Saki bowed deeply before backing out of the room.
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