Chapter IV

Jimmy couldn't sleep that night. The scary gnomes came to check on him from time to time, and it was enough to just see their shape-shifted faces and their horrible big red eyes to chase the little sleepiness he had.

For the first time, he felt his body weaken because he had not eaten for long hours. He crouched in a corner and crossed his arms to warm up a little. The dungeon was cold, certainly because the castle was on a mountain and Jimmy was in the highest tower. 

He managed to sleep for a while but the icy breeze coming from the small window from above woke him up. He sighed and stood up, he didn't know what time or what day it was, since he arrived at Fantasia, he lost all sense of time.

He approached the walls, his eyes not leaving the big bloodstains. He wondered if these prisoners were guilty or were poor innocents like him. He quickly shook his head, he couldn't believe that the King could hurt people who didn't deserve it. He may be rough and cold, scary and mysterious, but something in him convinced him that he was not a bad person.

He sighed, his heart was aching for those people who may have died inside this cell. He rested his head on the wall and suddenly, something really strange happened, the dirt and blood stains that were in the place that his hair touched disappeared.

He opened his eyes wide and gasped. "What happened?" he mumbled to himself, caressing the clean and shiny spot. He kept staring at it confusingly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is it my hair?" he saw another bloodstain and decided to try it again, he gently rubbed his hair against it and lifted his head to see if something happens.

Indeed, the blood disappeared too. 

He bit his lower and stared at the walls around him. "I have nothing better to do, so let's do some cleaning," he mumbled before rubbing his shiny hair over any stains he could reach. He spent the whole night cleaning every corner of the wall until he couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't know why erasing all these stains was strangely satisfying him.

Jimmy slept when he got tired and woke up one or two hours later when the sun rays illuminated the walls. He smiled lazily, admiring his masterpiece but he wouldn't be completely happy because he was feeling very weak and hungry. 

He stood up and walked toward the guard who was standing right next to the grid. "Excuse me," he whispered with a tired voice and breathless voice. "Could you please bring me some water?"

The gnome frowned and shook his head. "No water for you," he answered with a deep scary voice. 

"What about food then? Just...just a piece of bread." 

"No food for you."

Jimmy sighed and put his head against the iron grid. "I'm hungry," he felt tears burning his eyes. 

Getting some food from the guards was hopeless so he just went back to his corner and sat silently, waiting for someone to come and save him. 

Hours passed and his body weakened more, he didn't even have the energy to cry for his misery. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall, mumbling some incoherent words. 

"Good afternoon. Oh, Lord!" he heard a familiar voice and lazily opened his eyes. Ruvyn was asking the guard to open the door and quickly ran to him. "Are you alright?" he knelt in front of him and put his warm hands on his cheeks. "You are so pale and look at your dry lips!" his eyes grew wider and he gasped when he finally realized the changes inside the dungeon. The walls were cleared from every dirt and every stain, it looked fresh and new. "What happened here?" he asked.

"It's…it's my hair," Jimmy mumbled weakly. "I did this."

"I told you your hair was magical," Ruvyn said and gently caressed his locks. 

"Water please."

"Pardon?"

"I want some water." the young man whispered. "And food."

"Do you mean they have not offered you any food? This is why you are in this state?" the wizard furrowed.

Jimmy simply nodded.

Ruvyn shook his head in disbelief, he turned to the guard and put his hands on his waist. "You! Why did you not bring him any food?!"  

"His Majesty forbade it." 

"His Majesty—" Ruvyn clenched his fists and bit the inside of his cheek. "I will bring you some food and water," he told the boy. "I will come back in a while, alright?" he patted his head.

Jimmy hummed.

Ruvyn came back with a jar of water and a basket of fruits. He entered the cell and found Jimmy standing up, his body resting against the grid. "Here, drink this." he held him so that he can drink the water.

"Who said you could offer his food?" Taegen surprised them. 

"Your Majesty," the guards and the wizard bowed to him. "The poor creature was starving. He needs to eat."

King Taegen gulped when he saw Jimmy's pale face and dry lips, his eyes immediately shifted to green as he kept watching him. 

"Your Majesty, please allow me to offer him food," Ruvyn said, impatience winning over him. He couldn't stand seeing the young boy in this horrible state. 

Jimmy weakly retired from Ruvyn's grip and approached the King. He looked at him with sad and tired eyes as he felt his knees failing to his control, "T—Taegen." he whispered before fainting against the black haired's body. 

Taegen froze as the young man’s head rested on his shoulder and he could feel his difficult breaths brushing his neck, sending shivers through his entire body. He bit his lip too strong to control his emotions but feeling Jimmy's heart beating against his own was making him anxious. His eyes shifted to the same sapphire blue that appeared when the younger asked for his name the day before.

Jimmy couldn't move because he was too weak to do anything and also because he liked feeling the softness of the velvet coat against his cheek. 

The guard interrupted this moment by pushing Jimmy away from the king and threw him to the wizard.

"My apologies, Your Majesty." he bowed and regained his position. 

Taegen couldn't respond, he stood there, his eyes still wide and blue, his body inert. He watched as Ruvyn put the younger's head against him and helped him drink some water. Then, his gaze stopped on the walls. He furrowed.

"What happened here?" he asked. 

"The poor creature surely could not sleep last night so he used the magic of his hair to clean all the dirty blood stains so that time passes quickly," Ruvyn mumbled coldly.

"His hair can do this..." 

"He does not feel well," Ruvyn said when Jimmy closed his eyes and stopped drinking. "Call the healer!" he told the guard, who didn't respond to him and just kept staring in front of him. 

He rolled his eyes and looked at Taegen. "Order him!" he shouted. 

Taegen sighed. "Call the healer." 

The gnome bowed and did as told. 

After a few moments, an elf with long silver hair, arranged in a simple braid behind his back. He was wearing a long brown robe with a black apron around his waist.

"What is happening?" he asked before bowing to the king and entering the cell. "Who is this—" his eyes grew wide when he saw Jimmy laying on the floor. "Such a beautiful creature," he whispered.

"Nieven, come see him." Ruvyn said.

The healer knelt in front of the body and kindly bowed his head to Ruvyn. "It is good to see you," he told him. 

"We live in the same castle and we do not even see each other." the wizard sighed.

Nieven checked Jimmy's eyes and tongue. "His throat is dry, along with his lips. Dehydration." he rubbed his chin. "His pulse seems alright but weak. Has he not been eating?"

Ruvyn sent the king a death glare. "No, someone forbade it."

"I see." the healer got something from the leather bag he brought. 

"Lavender?" the wizard furrowed when he saw the purple plant. 

Nieven nodded as he mixed the plant with some water. "Lavender can be used for reviving a person from a fainting spell, usually caused due to tension, anxiety or malnutrition," he said. "He has to wake up first to eat something then he will need a good rest."

Ruvyn stared at the healer who was calmly preparing the herbal drink with elegance, his silver braid falling on his shoulder. "I always admired you for your calmness," he told him. 

The healer smiled. "Getting angry or stressed over something will certainly not help the patient, it only worsens it."

The wizard nodded with a smile and lifted Jimmy's head to make him drink the lavender mix. 

Taegen observed them, biting his lower lip strongly and crossing his arms. 

"Now, the boy should eat something and rest," Nieven said when the young boy opened his eyes. 

"Help me walk him to my room," Ruvyn said.

"Your room?" the king furrowed.

"I cannot let him stay in this dungeon. It is dark and stinky." the purple-eyed said. "I will let him rest in my room. Nieven, help me please." 

They both put his arms around their shoulders and walked out of the cell. 

"But—"

"Your Majesty." the Wizard cut Taegen off. "I will take care of him. All the responsibility will be mine so you can do as he does not exist, just ease your mind," he added, before leaving.