Axel nodded, glad he felt better. "Good," he noted softly. "I don't like seeing you upset like that," he added, clearly concerned about him.

Duncan stayed quiet, keeping quiet. Suddenly, Duncan had this awful feeling of his chest tightening. His brows furrowed as he pulled away, trying to take deep breaths, but still feeling out of breath.

Axel frowned slightly when Duncan pulled away, propping himself up on an arm. "What's wrong," he asked, scanning Duncan worriedly.

Duncan shook his head. "I don't know..." he mustered out quickly, trying to focus on his breathing.

Axel nodded slowly, humming softly. 'ok...ok do you want anything? Like ..windows closed or getting to the tub? In the water?" He wanted to help if he could.

Duncan shook his head, just trying to breath. Over the next few days his shortness of breath had gotten worse and he had developed a awful cough. He felt dizzy and spacey, until one day he fainted while he had been ranting about something to Axel.

Axel had kept a close eye on Duncan, trying to encourage him to go to the castle doctor, though he always said he'd be ok. When he fainted though, Axel dropped the pencil he held to catch him, immediately scooping him up and shouldering his way out of the door and through the guards, snapping something about getting Duncan to the doctor as he continued down the halls. He might get in trouble for it, but he wasn't concerned about that right then ...he was just thinking about Duncan.

Duncan slowly regained conciousness in his arms. "...Axel? What are you?" he asked hazily as he realized he was surrounded by doctors. The doctors whisked him away from Axel, taking him to a private exam room. The doctors were running around, doing tests as the guards dragged Axel back to his room.

Axel had only go a chance to say "it's all right, I'm..." Before the guards cut him off, dragging him back to his room. He fought tooth and nail, wriggling around and screaming furiously, though it didn't do him much good. They just locked him back up in his room, ignoring his long list of curses in his native tongue and frantic hanging o n the doors.

Duncan laid there for a long time before anyone told him anything. The nurses had found fluid in his lungs, that was why he couldn't breathe properly. But it was hours later when a nurse came over and sat next to him, gently explaining that he was sick. He had cancer. Duncan froze, terrified. The nurses didn't know how long he would have left yet or how far it had progressed, but Duncans diagnosis was final. Eventually, Duncan wandered back to Axels room, entering quietly.