Here’s chapter 2 of GiantsVerse!
Again, the chapter can be found on Plotfactory here:
https://plotfactory.com/stories/preview/917d936b-98cb-4d0e-9136-8679a04fc6d3
Within minutes of getting back Elsa had the man in the castle’s infirmary. A tall, wiry figure entered the room, upon hearing his footsteps Elsa turned to face him, “Dr. Noctus..”
“Your Majesty,” he said with a small bow before going to the injured man’s side, “What happened here?” “I-I don’t know,” Elsa lied. “I was taking a stroll and I came across him. He’s hurt badly. It looks like he was attacked by something.” “Well, luckily these wounds don’t look too deep, but.. they’re deep enough that they’ll scar,” Noctus said turning to Elsa.“I’ll get to work immediately, I brought some supplies which should suffice. I will say you did a marvelous job on sealing his wounds with your powers Your Majesty, otherwise he’d likely be dead by now..” As she listened, Elsa couldn’t take her eyes off of the shapeshifter. He was alive and had a high chance of surviving, but she also knew she was the reason he was in such a critical condition. She wrapped her arms around herself. Why had he attacked her? What could he have gained? Where was he from? She needed him to survive in order to receive such answers. Finally, she turned to the doctor. ”Thank you,“ she said. Her eyes darted back to the man. "Please, do what you can.” Noctus nodded in return. “I shall do my best. The good thing is that he’s lost so much blood he likely won’t feel much if anything at all while I’m patching him up,” he said as he turned to pull some supplies out of his case. Elsa gave a small nod and turned to leave him to his work. However she paused in the doorway. “Please inform me once he has woken, I’d like to speak with him,” she said as she looked over her shoulder.Looking back, he gave a smile. “Of course Your Majesty. It may be a few hours until he’s conscious again, if not tomorrow.” Elsa nodded and silently made her way out, shutting the door behind her. She closed her eyes and sighed, resting her back against the wall. A few moments later she retired to her private chambers to rest. ————
A few hours later, Elsa was pacing the expanse of her quarters, waiting to hear from Noctus. A small knock caught her attention, looking back she heard the doctor’s voice from the other side of the door.
“Your Majesty?”
Elsa halted her steps and turned toward the door, “Come in.”
Noctus entered the room, “Well, he’ll likely be bed-bound for the next several weeks but I expect him to make a full recovery. I’d recommend keeping him hydrated for the next week or so, he lost a fair amount of blood. There’s also a low chance of his stitches accidentally opening if he moves too much, so there’s that to keep an eye on as well.”
Elsa listened intently and when he was finished, she gave a small nod. Though she wrung her hands and chewed on her bottom lip. The Queen sighed in relief and nodded again. “Thank you,” she said, a small smile gracing her features. “Is that all?”
Noctus paused, “Well, I did notice some… intriguing things about your guest. It seems this isn’t the first time he’s been in this type of situation. His entire abdomen is well… for a lack of better words, covered in older scars, most are old and obviously done by the claws of some sort of animal. However he also has some scars that were done by bullets. Again, they’re fairly old, but I’d keep an eye out, if there were attempts on his life out near where you found him, they may follow him here.”
Elsa frowned at this. She should have expected as much when she brought him back to Arendelle. Obviously he possessed some sort of magic that allowed him to shapeshift, and Elsa knew best how magic always comes with a price. “Very well,” she said with a sigh. Her composure fell with her weariness. “I’ll increase the guards at each post and inform the general to take precautions.”
Noctus gave a small nod. “Alright then, you look like you’ve had a long day, perhaps you should get some rest,” he said with a small chuckle before turning to leave. “Have a good day Your Majesty, and if anything happens with him, please let me know.”
Elsa nodded. “Thank you doctor,” she said as she showed him out. Watching him leave for a brief moment before deciding to head back to the infirmary to check on the shapeshifter.
Upon entering she could tell he was still unconscious, however his skin had already regained some color and his breathing had become more stable. Noctus had been able to clean the blood from around his wounds, which despite being stitched up gave the area a slight pink tinge to the surrounding skin. However the myriad of scars that adorned his abdomen were almost pale, a stark contrast against his olive skin.
The queen stood by his bedside and observed him for a few moments. The wounds she had inflicted on him seemed to glare at her, forcing her to shift her gaze to the floor. To her it didn’t matter that it was in self defense, she still hurt him. Her powers were and always will be dangerous. She wondered if she would forgive herself once he awoke.
A small grumble escaped his lips as he started to stir. Slowly his eyes opened before he attempted to sit up, however as soon as he put pressure against his arm, a sharp snarl of pain escaped his lips. Despite this he still managed to sit up, winded from the ordeal he then looked around the room before setting his gaze on Elsa. His gaze wasn’t cold, it was something much more primal. “Where the hell am I,” he growled.
Elsa started when he began to stir. She lifted her hands as if to steady him, but didn’t touch him. “In Arendelle,” she answered, her voice surprisingly calm. “You need to relax, you’re hurt. If you move too much you may open your stitches,” she urged.
He rolled his eyes, “I’ve had worse..” he growled before glaring back at her, “Why do you care”
Elsa frowned and pursed her lips. “I’m not allowed to care about the well-being of others?”
His eyes narrowed, pupils turning to slits. “Why would you? I attacked you after all, why not finish me when you had the chance?”
She lowered her arms. Her eyes meeting his, unwavering. “And what would I gain from killing you?”
“A sabertooth skin rug perhaps?”
Elsa crossed her arms and raised a brow, hardly amused. “Hm, I’m starting to think my garden needs a nice sabertooth ice statue. Don’t you think?”
He rolled his eyes, unamused by her comment.“Be glad your cryomancy caught me off guard.”
“Cryomancy?” she repeated. Elsa then shook her head and took a step closer to the bed. “And your attack caught me off guard.”
A small snort escaped him, “That was the idea.. you take prey by surprise and they don’t know what hit them. If you’re lucky you can hide the body before scavengers come prowling around.”
Elsa wrinkled her nose. “You were going to eat me?”
“I view humans as a last resort. Too bitter. Besides, never had the chance and never will. I’ve heard the stories of what people do to ‘problem animals’, and it never ends well.”
“Regardless,” she sighed, massaging her temple to fend of an oncoming headache. “You’re here because I don’t kill, much less want to harm a creature, and seeing as it’s my fault you almost died, you’re staying in Arendelle until you heal enough that the doctor feels comfortable in releasing you.”
He rolled his eyes and gave a small snort of irritation before looking over to the window. From here, it was easy to tell how small the village was. Had he passed through here before? If he had, it would’ve been because he was just passing through.
Elsa shifted on her feet uncomfortably at his silence. The snort was the only sound she could go off of that he had heard. Yet, she didn’t trust him to stay bedridden. The queen had to bet the moment she walked out, he would be gone by morning. “Is that understood?” she asked, fixing him with a hard glare; as if daring him to defy her.
He looked back, obviously pissed, “Whatever you say blondie,” he grumbled before looking back out. He knew in his current state he wouldn’t be able to make an escape, but perhaps within the week he could sneak back out to the wild. After all, he’d been able to escape from Dira, a kingdom at least twice as large as here, how hard could it be?
Elsa’s eyebrow twitched, her mouth opening and closing as if to retort, but the words were lost on the tip of her tongue. She could have sworn she saw red in that moment. “Blondie?” She sputtered, clearly offended. Her blue eyes flashed, following his gaze. “Don’t call me that,” she growled. “And don’t even think about any escape attempts, I have guards posted all over the castle. Inside and out.”
He didn’t say anything, but merely looked back at her. If looks could kill, she would’ve been dead. At least he knew something that made her tick, if need be he could use that to his advantage later on.
Elsa took in a deep breath to compose herself. Breathe in. Out. Again. It was merely a moment before she could look at the situation more objectively. “I have a couple questions to ask you.” She finally said.
He gave an annoyed sigh. “What,” he responded with a low growl
The queen ignored his temper and went straight to the point. “Who are you?”
His eyes narrowed at her, what game was she playing? He looked her up and down, “What’s it to you?”
Elsa rolled her eyes at his response. He was proving to be stubborn as ever. She didn’t answer until she pulled up a chair and seated herself, crossing her legs. “As Queen it is protocol to know about those in her kingdom,” she responded, unfazed by the hint of impatience in his voice. Elsa sighed. “I don’t want to treat you as a prisoner. You’re my guest and under my care. If you wish, for every answer you provide me, you may ask a question of your own.”
His green eyes flashed with caution at the mention of the term 'Queen’, but after a quick glance around the room, he was slightly relieved to see there were no weapons in reach of her, then again given she was a cryomancer she could create one with a quick motion of her fingers, or just blast him outright. However she seemed calm enough, at least calm enough to give simple information to. “Fine. My name is Rhett.”
