Soup

Manon Blackbeak woke up because she was a bit too warm and a bit too…wet?

The witch was quick to untangle herself from the little princeling, who always seemed to find a way to snuggle close. The same one was still fast asleep, but there was something odd about him. The first thing she noticed was his breathing-a bit forced and hectic, while his skin felt hot to the touch, which explained the warmth.

Curiously, the witch passed a hand through his hair, noting how it was wet. Why was he sweating when it was cold in the room?

When Manon placed her fingers against his forehead, the King let out a pleased sound, as if the cold of her skin brought relief. "Dorian."

He didn't wake, barely even acknowledged her voice. This…had never happened before. Dorian was easy to wake, especially if she was touching him. Going over what she knew about humans, Manon thought it over.

Of course.

"A fever," she muttered, letting her hand rest on his cheek curiously. Humans got sick often, didn't they? If Dorian was sick, he would need a healer.

Taking a decision, Manon got out of bed and dressed, wondering if she should leave him a wet towel or if that would worsen the situation. As an immortal, it was odd for Manon to be clueless when it came to something-especially when it was Dorian who needed help.

The Blackbeak Matron stepped out into the princeling's hallway and blinked at the guard set in front of the double doors that led into Dorian's set of rooms. "You," she ordered, "where can I find a healer?"

The man didn't even blink at her. "Is the King alright?"

"He might have what you mortals call 'a cold."

The guard bowed and offered to get the healers himself, but there was no one else around to look after Dorian and Manon wanted to make sure his care was of the best. "Stay here and do your job. Tell me where I need to go."

After the guard, Alder, gave her directions, Manon arrived at a servant's quarter two floors down from where Dorian's rooms were. Everyone was asleep as it was still deep into the night, while the witch swiftly made her way across barren hallways and closed doors.

A light shone out of the place Alder told her about and Manon was glad she didn't have to gut someone for sleeping on the job as there should be a healer available at any and all times. When she stepped into the doorway of the room, the female healer inside nearly screamed in surprise, but held herself back admirably.

Manon let the healer rake her eyes over her as she spoke. "You are the healer on duty?"

The woman, young and plump, nodded with a hasty bow. "Y-yes, my lady…?"

Uncaring of what she was called, Manon signaled back. "The King is feeling under the weather."

Immediately, the woman's whole countenance changed and the witch took in the way those brown eyes narrowed in concern. "What kind of ailment does he have?"

"A fever, perhaps a cold?"

The woman nodded, going over the desk and taking out different things as she spoke. "There is a bug flying around."

Confused, Manon searched the room for that 'bug,' but when she found nothing, she looked back at the healer. "Do you need…help?" It hurt to say that.

The woman gave her a smile. "I can give him tonics and the such, but he might need to eat something soon. If you want to help, ask the cook to prepare a soup with these ingredients. Tell him it's for the King of course."

Manon took the hand-written list with a nod, looking over the items and not completely understanding how they could help Dorian. "I'll get it."

"Alright, I'll go to the King's rooms as soon as I am done gathering my items."

Manon didn't say goodbye as she walked toward the castle's main kitchen, taking in the large room with a clinical eye, going through the kitchen doors at the back and laying eyes on the cook who was sleeping on a cot next to a dying fireplace. A few of his servants lay on their own cots in different parts of the room.

Not wanting to touch the rather smelly man, Manon raised her voice. "Cook."

He awoke immediately, like he was used to this kind of reception, and as he placed a hat over his balding head he turned around. "Yes, what is it-"

The shock annoyed her and Manon kept her iron teeth in their sockets. "I need a soup with these ingredients."

The man's eyes were bulging as he took the list from her. It seemed to take him an infuriatingly long time to look away from her before he checked the list. "Is this for you?" The worry in his voice was almost laughable.

"The King," she bit.

"Ah, I see," the man said, standing up and heading for the nearest set of stoves, grabbing a cauldron. "You are the lover people whisper about." The frankness of his statement was overshadowed by the fact that he dared to voice it at all.

When she remained quiet, he chuckled. "Our King is a special one, you should feel lucky." A pleasant smell lifted from the soup the cook was preparing and he gave her a little glance with a half-smile on his face. "Or perhaps he is the lucky one?"

The chuckle unnerved her, especially since she wanted to go back to Dorian's rooms.

"What's your name, fair lady?"

A growl was threatening to escape. "Just do your job."

The cook seemed to notice her patience was wearing thin and went silent for the remaining time it took the soup to cook. When it was finally done, the man placed the meal into a plate and gave it to Manon with a bow. "I will have another prepared for the morning."

It took quite a bit of working through, but after a lot of inner persistence from the deepest part of her, the witch managed to hack out a measly 'thank you' the cook accepted with a smile.

When Manon finally arrived back in the rooms, she squinted a bit at the light coming from within, ignoring the guard and going straight for Dorian's bed at the end of the rooms. The healer was making quick work around him, removing the sheets and placing towels on him. She looked up for a second. "Ah, there you are. Try and see if you can wake him, this fever is not going to let up unless he eats."

Not needing more incentive, Manon walked next to the bed, on the side the healer wasn't on. Trying to not think about the woman, the witch slowly passed her fingers through his hair, knowing just where he liked to be touched. "Dorian," she muttered, "wake up."

The King groaned, his own hand coming up to his forehead. "Ow, my head."

"Your Majesty, you are sick," the healer informed him as Dorian opened his eyes marginally. "We need you to sit up and eat."

"Sick?" He asked. "I was fine yesterday." His voice was hoarse and broken, like he needed water.

Feeling as though she needed to do something, Manon went for the water the healer placed on the bedside table. "Here, drink."

Dorian raised his head a bit, and Manon had to place a hand under his chin to keep the water from falling on the sheets. At this point, however, the sheets needed a change either way. "What happened?"

The healer made Manon move aside as she took over, making Dorian take different things, roots and tea included. "You seem to have caught a cold, your highness," he was told, "when you finish this, eat the soup and then you should take a long cool bath."

Dorian cringed at the taste of the tea, but his eyes were on Manon. "Did you get Niana for me?" Niana must be the healer's name then. When the witch assented, she took in the flushed face, the red on his cheeks and the way his damp hair looked. Despite the sickness, Dorian was already starting to look better.

The tired smile he gave her was captivating. "Thank you."

She hoped the dim lighting hid the redness that suddenly spread over her cheeks.

And here it is, the end of a series three months in the making.

But don't fret, as I said before, we will most likely have a second series coming soon. If you haven't already, let me know what you thought of this all. Tell me which one-shot/series was your favorite and give me some suggestions for future updates. It's been a pleasure to write these and the attention it garnered has been insane (100+ reviews!). I started these out because I wanted more Manorian fanfiction, but it turned into much more than that thanks to all of you.

Really looking forward to what EoS brings to the table in terms of future content.

MarijaV – I hope you enjoyed more fluff haha

Guest – I always picture them being rather sweet to each other after some time as a couple. People change when in private.

LittleAna– I hope you die some more hahaha great reviews!

Thank you to everyone that read, followed, favorited and/or reviewed. Without these, I don't think I would have updated so often and with such inspiration.

PS: Any review I get will be responded to via P.M. if the person has an account that lets me do so. Don't be afraid to leave reviews even if it's been a long time since this fic was updated!

EDIT: The sequel (Wyverns and Puppies) is officially up! Check it out on my profile!