The room was silent, nothing but the steady rhythm of the clock could be heard. Across the table, the brothers stared at each other intently, perhaps trying to catch one another off guard, or was it that they wanted to see the other speak up first? Whatever it was, it had both of them in a trance- lost in seemingly nothing- that seemed to go on for years.
The two connected eyes for a few moments- a link forming between the minds- they seemed to share every thought without speaking at all. After the brief eye contact, Draven cleared his throat, but didn't speak; He must have had something in mind, but held it back. Once again, the only thing that could be heard was the ticking of the grandfather clock in the center of the room. Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick…
Darius took a moment to investigate the room, skimming it over one more time with his eyes, just like he's done so many times before. The pictures of his father and mother- smiling like a young couple would. Photos of his brother and him playing as children, throwing balls and play-fighting with sticks; the two were happy brothers who never enjoyed arguing or troublemaking.
Draven followed his eyes intently, wondering just what he was thinking about- Maybe it was the pressure of the wedding getting to him? Whatever it was, the younger executioner felt the brain waves fly off of his brother's head and fill his own. It was a heavy wave of frustration, fear, and rejection- could it be that he was being pushed into the hand of a woman he didn't love? Or was it that he was instead afraid of the woman that he claimed to be his new bride-to-be? Neither the less, he was jittery- what about was still a mystery.
The older executioner caught Draven's stare and locked eyes with him once more, feeling the rough tangle of thoughts mixed with his own in just a way- a way that could cause the both of them to break down and cry together like they did when they were children. So he pulled a breath in and stood from his chair quietly, uttering one single word once he was back onto his feet.
"Draven-"
The door flew open at that moment, completely cutting off the older brother's sentence. The sudden sound startled him- as he quickly sat down to prevent any further complications. The two brothers turned their heads to meet the gaze of the three women who came into the room.
Their mother, a beautiful woman in her late forties who looked no older than 32; her long brown hair tied up formally to match the braids in the fabric of her gown. The regal light red gown reflected Noxus in every way- its graceful appearance made even the ugliest of women look like gems in the pale moonlight. Its ruffles and twists matched its layers and lace- creating a wonderful balance of beauty and sexuality that only the mother of Noxus could bring.
On her right was a young woman in a light blue gown that came down to her knees. The golden laced dress made her pale skin stand out against her light blonde locks, the likes of which neither of the brothers had really seen before. The golden curls made her green eyes shimmer and glow in the sunlight but as such, the dim light of the dining room didn't do her any justice.
Then, to their mother's left, was the woman Darius has proclaimed to make his wife out of- A rebel from another land that was "the one who caught his heart". Her boyish neon pink hair and piercings really set the image of a punk who couldn't keep her mouth shut, and god was that right. She was forced into a black leather dress that ran a miniskirt that went no further than halfway down her thigh. It was accompanied by red fishnet tights and combat boots, but that wasn't the appeal of her at all. It was the giant metal fists she wore at all times that really got to people- the way the dials turned and the metal moved every time she tightened up a fist or let out a breath could scare anyone into dropping their gaze.
As the three women came closer, Darius stood and came to the middle of the floor to greet them. He bowed, attempting to make himself look committed to his mother's wishes. His eyes fell to the floor as he thought about all this shit he'd gotten himself into and how the hell he'd get himself out. He sighed inwardly as to not raise suspicion, and looked up to the young ladies that had approached.
"Stand my adopted son."
Darius did as his mother asked, and stood to meet the women who were destined to be him and his brother's brides. Staring at the two intently, he had already made his choice a few weeks before in a pre-made deal to save him from marrying a woman he would never care for. He had wished to ignore women for as long as he could, as he wanted to continue his life of an executioner and wanted nothing more in his life. He was made to kill and he wouldn't ever change that, having a wife to drag him down would be something he would never wish for, nor would he ever want. The executioner hadn't thought of women as an attraction as his brother did, his brother was the supposed "Ladies man" and had countless girls begging for his hand in marriage. But, Darius wasn't like that. He'd never even known the touch of a woman, not in any way but their blood falling into his flesh, their screams falling into his ears… He wanted to kill someone so badly right now.
The blonde woman curtsied and smiled to him, her green eyes with intent of outrageous things such as children and a castle in Ionia when they took it for their own. While the punk licked her black painted lips with the eyes of an animal. Wanting to either give Darius a night to remember, or spill his guts onto the kitchen floor- which was sunk into her mind, none could tell.
"Darius Fonias, general and executioner of Noxus. You're now to select your wife."
His eyes flickered to the blonde woman, looking at her with determined eyes. Her bland expression picked up slightly, tugging her lips into a small smile and splashing a light shade of pink onto her face. She looked back with intent, her green eyes begging him to pick her as his spouse. Darius threw back a casual smile- and looked to the other woman. Her eyes were bitter and cold, with a hint of ever-knowing wisdom. She had a sly grin, almost as if she knew the outcome of this encounter… as if she knew that the man in front of her had wished for her to rule beside him.
The elder executioner gave a hardy 'gulp' and raised his head slightly- directing his eyes into his adopted mother's. He inhaled very shakily, and stuttered out his mother's name in an official tone. It made him sound like a child attempting to give a speech in front of everyone in the world.
"I-.. I choose her. Victori Nazion." The young man stumbled on his words as nerves and stress got the better of him, making his confidence fall flat. His hands were shaking as if he was in a life or death battle for the sake of Noxus… but even when he was, he never shook this much. Was it the women in front of him? Or was it his queen that he was desperate to astound? Either way was logical, as in Darius' time in the military he never once saw a person of the other sex. It was illegal for women to make it as far as he did in Noxus- for Swain was afraid of another Riven case causing trouble for them in the future. As he always said, Rebels can be stronger than any army.
The blonde woman was taken aback by this- she was almost certain that she would become his bride! 'Everyone in the city claimed he liked curled hair and classy dispositions… The nerve of those idiots in the shopping district! Leading her me astray like that!' the woman thought silently to herself as her small smile bending into an angry scowl, puffing her cheeks out like some kind of bratty child who couldn't get her way. She pulled her hands from her sides and crossed them with a hefty huff, obviously upset with the situation and turned her head to Draven, who chuckled very smoothly, approaching the group.
The Queen placed her hand on Victori's back, as if telling her to bow. To this, Victori stepped forward with a growl, and looked Darius in the eyes. The Queen gestured for the two to kiss, a ritual to seal the marriage privately.
Darius sighed very quietly, as he'd never been as close to a woman as he was right now. He tried to shake off the fact that he was shaking a bit, but even thinking about something else couldn't truly pull his mind away. So he thought about what he could do to make this situation less… difficult. And he went with the first thing that came to mind; which was thinking of Victori like she was Draven.
First mistake was made.
Victori pushed her lips onto his quickly, just to get it over and done with. It wasn't long or romantic, but it was a new experience for Darius. But for Darius to think about Draven in the meantime was a terrible idea. He sunk into it like it was just a funny joke, or like they were forced to do by all the older girls when they were growing up. So, needless to say, Darius was comfortable with the situation, and comfort pushed the moment a little too far.
Victori broke away and slapped Darius across the face. The sting was enough to make any normal man cry, but not this hardened Noxian warrior.
"I know we're married an' all, but that doesn't give you permission to get all feely. You got that?" The punk snapped aggressively- the dominating personality was really shining through here. Darius stepped back and smiled shyly, and turned to his brother… Who was…
Making out with the other woman…
…This is going to be a long week.
- That night, in the room prepared for the newly wedded couple. –
"What the fuck was that bullshit in front of your mother today? That wasn't how we practiced at all! You fucking retard!" Victori screamed in frustration. She'd pulled off the lackluster accessories and was just in the dress now, pacing about the room. Darius was on the bed in his casual clothes, thinking about the day and how badly he fucked it up.
"Vi, I… I didn't mean to mess that up so badly."
"But you fucking went and you fucking did it anyway! You're a fucking pussy ass bitch who can't even stand up to a woman that he would kill with a strike of the hand!" Vi interjected, her voice shaking from the rage that was being pushed into her. Darius flinched at the last comment as he had realized that it was correct. He could murder that woman if he looked at her funny, she was worse than a toothpick.
"But… Vi… When I met you and you threatened to take me in, did you ever expect this to happen? I wasn't ready for this, but I was desperate. It was either go to Piltover and be punished for my higher rank, or take a woman back home and pretend to love her. I wasn't going to marry that psycho that my brother went off with!" Darius paused, took a shaky breath and continued. "Vi, I thank you for at least saving me from this… I've never been so… scared."
"Dunkman, I… shit man, I'm so sorry... I snapped at ya' really hard din' I? Heheh…" The punk gave a cheesy smile and sat down next to Darius with a soft "Pomf". Darius turned his head to look at her, she was a close friend- and he used her to escape his queen's wrath. They assumed it'd be a nice change of pace for the Ex-Criminal to have a chance with royalty. They did it as a cover-up, nothing more, and nothing less. They're not planning on dating, and they don't think they could ever manage to date, but they though they'd turn that rock when they tripped on it.
"Why'd you grope me when we kissed?"
Darius' face went cold and a shiver flew up his spine. The memory came flashing back- as if he hadn't lived it enough. Losing himself like that was so stupid and careless- it made him seem like a horndog, not a prince. He looked to the floor and thought deeply about what to tell her, after a minute of silence he'd come to his answer.
"I just… an old childhood memory came back. A good one." They young man hastily blurted, keeping his vision on the floor. A small blush crept to his face as the embarrassing childhood memories came back like a boomerang. At the though, his lips began to quiver ever-so-slightly.
"Oh yeah? A girlfriend or something?" She inquired boldly, seeming to be extremely interested in his answer. She put a hand on his shoulder very cautiously, just testing the water- checking if he was alright to be talking about something so delicate. Darius held back a bit of a yelp as she did so, startled by her actions.
"Well… not exactly."
"Oh? Do tell."
"Okay… you see, when I was thirteen…"
