Before the first ray of sunlight lit up the sky, Evans walked through the door of Davion's bedroom. His eyes scanned the room, lingering a little longer on the bed.
His brows jutted together upon finding it empty. The strong pressure in the air alarmed him, but finding the king's bed empty was not something he had expected.
Shutting the door behind him, he strutted in, his strides large and hasty as he walked towards the bathroom. Stopping by the entrance, he immediately found the body leaning against the wall, clusters of dried and clotted blood pool around him.
The sight was shocking, and before he realized it, Evans found himself approaching him. "Your Majesty…" he stopped when he noticed his current appearance.
He almost took a step back had it not been for the many years he had spent beside Davion. He would have thought it was someone else in front of him.
The ink black hair that he was so familiar with was nowhere to be seen, replaced strands of silver. The blood red eyes of Davion were also gone. The pair looking at him right now were the brightest shades of embers he had ever seen. Their intensity and brightness reminded him of the molten magma. And to top it all up, the pair of horns that stood majestically on his head. They were intimidating, frightening even, but somehow added to the allure.
He didn't speak, but Evans could tell without a doubt that the man… the creature in front of him was the man he had wholeheartedly devoted his life to serve. Not only was the facial resemblance uncanny, Evans could still feel the bond that he had always felt with Davion from the person in front of him.
Steeling his heart, he drew closer and squatted down in front of him. His eyes never left his form for even a moment. Despite the reassurance he felt, the oppressing aura that hung heavily in the air had his instincts in high alert. But he wasn't willing to leave him when something could be wrong.
"My liege," he offered a bow, a hand over his chest, and his head bowed.
"...."
Davion still didn't speak.
"Allow me to take you out of here and have the floor cleaned," his eyes dropped to the blood on the floor. "I will also prepare your bath. With your permission, of course."
Davion didn't speak but allowed Evans to help him to his feet. The pain he felt all night had subsided but left him with no strength to move at will and now required help moving his own body.
At his compliance, Evans led him back to the room. Once he was comfortably seated, Evans excused himself and returned to the bathroom. Minutes later, he returned.
"Your bath has been prepared, your Majesty,"
Davion nodded and stood up, barely able to stand but determined to move his own body.
Evans watched him closely. He wanted to go and help him, but he knew better than to do so. The king he knew wouldn't want to be so reliant on anyone. Especially not when he was so weak and deprived of his strength.
Davion strips himself of the last piece of clothing, his pants. Then, he walked inside the bathroom alone with Evans tailing behind him.
It was then that Evans noticed something else that he had never seen on Davion's body before. A tattoo on his lower back. What piqued his interest was not the presence of the tattoo but the image itself.
His steps halted, and a deep frown formed between his brows. He opened his mouth to ask but then clamped shut. Now wasn't the right time, and he could be mistaken.
"Evans," Davion's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Yes, Your Majesty," he answered, drawing closer to him.
"Why do you not ask?" Davion asked.
It took Evans a moment to comprehend what he meant, and when he did, he shook his head.
"I do admit that I am curious, your Majesty, but I know that now isn't the right time to ask and I believe that if you think it is right that I should know, you will tell me at your own discretion," he stated.
Davion didn't immediately reply or react. He didn't even look at him and appeared to be lost in his own thoughts, but Evans was certain that he heard every word that he said.
"Curious?" He reiterated. Glancing briefly at Evans, he continued, "And this does not provoke hate? Or maybe disgust?"
Evans paused. Why would I be…
His thoughts halted.
"Right…" he said in a whisper.
Although Davion had heard him, he knew it was spoken to him, so he didn't react to it.
"I do not see a reason to be disgusted or a reason to hate you," Evans began, his words as honest as his own feelings. "This is your secret, and I am just knowing about this now, and even now, I am not sure what to think of it. So, aside from curiosity, I have no other feelings. I have no right to harbor any other feelings towards you because of this."
"Why?" Davion asked.
Evans tried to read him, but like always, it was impossible to read him.
"Because to me, you will always be my liege. It matters not whether you are a saint or the devil himself. You will be the same man I pledge loyalty to," he replied.
"Be I a saint or the devil…" he muttered. His lips slowly curled up in a smile that appeared to be more of self mockery than anything else.
"How long have you been with me, Evans?" Davion asked, but still not sparing him a glance. His voice is low but not hostile.
"It has been fifteen years now, your Majesty," he replied, although he didn't understand why he was suddenly asking about that now.
"I suppose it had been long," he threw his head back, gaze fixed on the ceiling. "How quickly time flies. I still remember it like it was yesterday."
Evans didn't reply. He remained silent, watching him and listening.
"Prepare a change of clothes, I promised to visit Greta this morning. She requires my assistance."
"But…" Evans wasn't sure it was alright for him to move about in the palace looking like that. The servants and guards were well trained and wouldn't spill, but it was better to be cautious, especially when there was a possibility of a spy knowing how many enemies he had within and outside the kingdom.
"I will be fine. This isn't the first… I think. I will be able to revert back," Davion said dismissively.
Evans remained skeptical. This was his first time seeing Davion in the form and didn't know what caused it or how to stop it, but then again, Davion said it was all right.
Taking a deep breath, he relented. "As you command, Majesty."
"Do not worry," Davion uttered, and Evans paused. "If nothing works, a good disguise spell should be enough to fool everyone."
"Right," Evans said with a nod. There was always that option, the same as he was right now. A disguise spell was all it took to fool everyone. But he couldn't keep that form while in his own home.
But it would be near impossible for anyone to see through it if the caster was strong enough. It was how he had been able to go unnoticed by the humans and other races for so long till now. A spell by Davion himself should be impossible to see through.
Half an hour later, Davion stood before the door of Edith's bedroom, his appearance back to that of which everyone knows, and as always, Evans stood by his side.
He raised his hand to knock but paused when he heard a commotion inside. His brows furrowed.