I don't own kingdom hearts and don't claim to affiliate with them in any way. I'd say it more often, but I feel like this crappy writing speaks for itself TwT It's so cheesy, even Squeenix wouldn't want it.
"You must help me!"
"If you really think I'd believe a story like that, you must be crazy!" Seifer roared with laughter, slopping his mug on the table he was leaning on. "Get him out of here!"
Two of the townsmen grabbed Vexen under the arms, hoisting him off the ground easily, even as he struggled.
"Please, I'm telling the truth! Roxas is in danger! That horrible beast has him locked in a dungeon!"
The barmaids laughed again as they returned their attention to their customers.
"Throw the old man out!" A man cried.
"Please, no! You don't understand!"
"Enough," Seifer said, standing up and pointing to the tavern exit. "Cast him out already. He's disrupting my mood."
"Of course. Come on now, you old coot…"
The door slammed shut, sealing out the cold winter air, and the noise died down as people went back to drinking, smoking, and chatting. Seifer leaned back on his hand, looking pensive as Rai ordered another round for the three of them.
"Crazy old Vexen…Heh, always good for a laugh, y'know?"
"Nuisance," Fuu muttered, downing her drink with surprising speed for such a thin, tiny woman.
"His ravings are becoming a bit of a problem…" Seifer agreed, thinking to himself as he sipped his ale. Vexen had vanished from town for a while, and then Roxas had taken his place. Now his father was all over town, going door to door, begging everyone to go on some crazy quest to rescue Roxas from a ferocious beast in a forest castle. The man had always been an oddball, but now he was downright insane, and belligerent.
And then there was the matter of Roxas. Even more elusive than ever, and not a single clue to his return date.
The boy's baiting was becoming more frustrating than alluring, now...
"Relax." Fuu said, taking notice of her leader's mood.
"Yeah! He'll tire himself out soon enough, y'know?" Rai chuckled, grabbing a knife from the table and twirling it absently in his fingers.
"I suppose…"
"Suppose nothing! I'm sure of it! Roxas is probably hiding or something…"
The blonde hummed, frowning across the tavern. All he was sure of was that Roxas had humiliated him for the last time. Next time they crossed paths, Seifer was going to get the answer he wanted, or else…
Or else…what?
"It does make you wonder…" A nearby woman said, having overheard their conversation.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the old git murdered him in cold blood!" Another man chimed in.
"What if he's keeping the boy at home? Running freaky experiments on him and such?"
"What a thought! Quiet now, Peter, or you'll give me nightmares!"
Seifer growled and turned away. Plotting was a hard enough endeavor without all these people around, butting in and tossing their thoughts into the mix.
"I think that man is a menace to society!" Another women replied, slamming her fist down on her table dramatically. "Him and his crazy ideas! That never would have been tolerated when I was a girl!"
"He ought to be locked away with the other loons, y'know?" Rai added loudly. Around the tavern, he received a couple "here, here"'s.
"Banish him," Fuu nodded, grabbing another drink.
Something seemed to dawn on Seifer's face as he listened to noise building up once more. A wide smirk seemed to stretch across his face, and a moment later he was on his feet, motioning to the crowd to get their attention and draw closer. He cleared his throat.
"Perhaps you're right. It's about time we did something 'helpful' for poor old Vexen..."
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Outside the local watering hole, Vexen crawled to the fountain and sat on the edge, looking down into the icy water in despair. It was snowing again, and the wind was bitterly cold, but he barely felt them. He barely felt anything now.
"Roxas..."
A tear slid from his tired old eyes, but he made no move to rid himself of it. The brightest light in his life had been missing for some time now, trapped in that cold, dark castle with its horrid, unforgiving master.
"My poor boy," the man whispered, weeping softly as more tears fell.
Roxas was one of a kind; witty, fiery, curious, and accepting. So very loving and kind. Vexen was never once ashamed to call him his son. The boy had sold his freedom without so much as a second thought because that was the kind of person he was. Always willing to sacrifice his own needs to help others.
Vexen smiled a little then, despite himself. He didn't deserve such a wonderful gift of a child, but that was not important. Roxas didn't deserve to rot away in his father's place.
Vexen's cold fingers clenched around the rim of the fountain, and a sudden fire boiled his blood.
"If they won't help me, then fine!" he growled, standing up determinedly and making his way back to the farmhouse. "I'll just have to go myself!"
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Axel stretched out on his tattered bed, lazily flipping through the pages of an old book he'd randomly picked up from the library.
It was a lazy sort of day, as the snow outside had piled high enough to keep them all inside. He and Roxas were to dine later that evening, and for some strange reason, the beast was really looking forward to the meal. It was to be no different than any other meal, and yet, the simple idea of sharing it with Roxas made him feel warm and happy...
While he struggled sometimes with being openly affectionate, the beast was growing very attached to the boy, and tried to encourage open conversation and playfulness between them whenever possible. As far as he could see, Roxas was reciprocating; smiling, laughing, and spending less time cooped up on his own and more with Axel. His favorite activity for them was, to no one's shock, reading, and while the blonde had been visibly appalled by his host's deteriorated skills, he seemed genuinely happy, even excited, with Axel's timely improvement.
The beast felt proud of himself as well. He could read an entire paragraph now, and hardly made any mistakes in pronunciation.
The sky was grey that afternoon; thick with fluffy clouds that blocked even the tiniest bit of sunshine from making its way to earth. The clouds themselves were dark and full, and from the way Axel's fir stood bristled on end, he just knew another storm was on its way.
There were a few advantages to his animal instincts, though he was loathe to admit that.
Axel's eyes lazily dragged to the table beside his bed, where a medium-sized hand mirror rested face down against the wood. It was a very special object to him, that at his request would show him whatever he wanted to see, just short of the future or past. Which was just as well, as far as he was concerned. He hated being reminded of the past, and, until very recently, looked grimly towards the future.
Things were looking much better now, and yet his mind wandered…
On some days he would look into this magical mirror just to get a brief glimpse of the outside world, and more than once since Roxas's arrival, he had used it to curiously observe his guest. Even before they began warming up to one another, Axel found the boy to be highly intriguing. But after a rather awkward scene, in which the mirror revealed a certain young blonde in the bath, Axel hastily put it down and had not made use of the object since.
It seemed that choice was one for the better, however. Not relying on the mirror forced him to be more social and daring, to approach the boy and engage him with questions, conversations, and various activities, until Roxas no longer recoiled at all in his presence.
Indeed, there was no more terror in those vibrant blue eyes.
Axel looked to the table, his smile fading as he lifted the mirror.
Beneath it, he kept an old letter, abused by anger and the passage of time. Axel felt his thoughts drifting towards it, and he growled a little at the memories, still so painfully, horribly clear.
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"A-Axel..." Ventus whispered, pushing Axel away weakly as the boy roughly bit his lip. "Axel...We shouldn't be doing this. Not here..."
The redhead pulled back slightly and sneered. "Let them see! I'm the prince. I can do whatever I want!"
"Axel..." The blond couldn't say much more, as the older boy muffled his protests with his lips yet again. He sighed and shut his eyes, leaning back into the kiss despite his discomfort.
The prince had gotten so bold ever since Ven had accepted his declaration. Several months had passed since then, and now Axel barely made any attempts to hide or even deny their relationship. He had no qualms about affirming it in the most public of places either, which frustrated his more modest lover to no end.
No one had spotted them yet, as far as either of them knew, but Axel suspected that Luxord and his group knew about the whole affair. The servants were certainly gossiping about it, from what Ven had told him. Axel would snarl at that, saying it wasn't their business, but ultimately, he did nothing to stop it.
He did not see how the rumors were hurting his lover. His reputation was shattered, and every moment away from Axel was torturous, filled with harsh words and taunts.
'Slut' was a common name for him now. Just the thought of the word in his mind brought tears to the tender boy's eyes.
Axel growled when he felt the blonde trying to pull away, roughly pressing his lips to Ven's despite that. He was so frustrated; he was a prince, but he had no control over his own life and circumstances! And now, the one thing he looked forward to in his busy day was fighting him, denying his advances!
Where once were loving teases and gentle caresses, Axel was rough and irritable. He took what he wanted.
"Axel...Axel, please..." Ven begged, as he finally managed to pull away. "I'm tired. Please, may I retire to my room?" With that, Ven turned and began to walk away. He sobbed softly as he felt the redhead's hand clamp tightly around his wrist, jerking him back a few steps.
"Not yet." Axel said impatiently. "Ventus, who cares if they see us? There's nothing to fear! Our love is pure!"
"Please let me go, Axel. I am tired..."
He groaned when the prince ignored him yet again, pulling him back into his arms and embracing him tightly. Axel nuzzled his neck, nipping and kissing.
"Must I order you?" he purred lazily, and Ven's eyes snapped wide.
'Slut.'
The blonde shoved as hard as he could. His gaze was alarmed when the prince fell back with a groan, his back meeting the wall hard.
Axel blinked at him for a moment, shock turning into hurt and something darker in his gaze quickly.
"Fine! Even you're turning against me now!" he snarled, turning abruptly on his heel and storming away.
When Axel finally reached his room, he slammed the door shut and threw himself down on the bed.
"It's not fair!" he growled, burying his head in the pillow. "I hate him!"
He had thought things were going so well; he had the love of his best friend, and that was all he really wanted. But for some reason, now, things had turned very sour. Axel found that he was angry all the time, even when he wasn't overburdened with the court and his lessons, and Ven seemed too reluctant, almost as if he were afraid of Axel.
He'd never given the boy a reason to fear him in his life! He had never been unfaithful or cruel or demanding, not once in the time they had been together, so why was he acting this way now? Axel growled, feeling the sting of hurt tears in the corners of his eyes.
The way Ventus looked at him...
"It's as if I'm some sort of monster."
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Axel stirred and glared sleepily ahead, seeing a young servant he knew quite well waiting at his door. The tall blonde stood still and looked very sad, but flinched under the prince's unnerving stare, his face shifting awkwardly between expressions. After a moment, he cleared his throat, ringing his hands nervously.
"Axel…Your presence is requested in the great hall..."
A growl quieted him, as Axel rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. His eyes shut tightly, holding back the growing tears before they could threaten to spill out.
"You must come out at some point-"
"No, I mustn't. I can do whatever I please, least of which is leaving this room."
The servant shook his head and stared at the floor in front of the bed.
"Sulking will not bring him back to you, Axel."
The redhead snarled.
"Nothing will bring him back, Demyx! He is gone forever! Why can you not leave me in peace?" Axel grabbed a pillow and threw it hard at the other boy, who yelped and brought his arms up to shield his face.
"You have a kingdom to rule, my prince!" the blonde pleaded. "Your personal loss does not change the fact that you-"
"SILENCE!" Axel snarled, whipping around and reaching for something on the table. "GET OUT!"
Demyx squawked and fled, dodging an old china teapot that flew over his head and shattered against the closing door.
The room was silent then, save for the muffled retreating footsteps outside, and Axel eased back into the sheets, panting furiously. He lowered himself back down to the bed, burying his face in the pillow again just as the tears came loose.
Minutes or hours later, he managed to calm his torrential emotions, reaching for the now crumpled piece of paper that lay on the bed beside him. He read it over again, glaring at the words on the page as if they would come alive and scurry away under his intense stare. And they should, for the truth they spoke was all too real and painful for him.
Axel,
Please forgive me. With all my heart, I pray you will forgive me for what I have done.
I can truly say that I loved you more than anyone I've ever known, more than I ever hoped to love someone, but I can't continue to live this way. I wish that you and I could be together, always happy and smiling like we used to when we were younger, but instead, I am distraught, embarrassed by the sacred things we share. It should not be so, Axel. We are each bound to what life has given us, and knowing that, we are simply too different.
It breaks my heart, but I do not belong in your world.
Even if we could remain friends, I am not so naive to think that things would be as they were. You are and always shall be dear to me, Axel, but given the choice to have you hate me, or live a foolish dream that is doomed to fade, I must pick the former. I am selfish, I think, but this will benefit you as well, I am sure.
So I'm going away. You won't find me; please do not search. Instead, strive to be the ruler your kingdom deserves. Treat your people with the kindness and love you always showed me, and more. Do this, and I know you'll be alright. Forget my name and face, for I was never more than a poor peasant boy. I wish you happiness and prosperity in all that you do, and I hope and pray you find someone in your world, who is better for you in every way than me, to stay by your side and guide you.
~Forever your servant, Ventus
If he could, Axel would have ridden out after him. Stopped him before this whole thing got out of hand. But it was too late now.
The self-proclaimed poor peasant boy, Ventus, was gone forever. Gone from Axel's life, and every life he had ever touched.
His journey was cut short by the bitterest of circumstances; a terrible accident, so terrible that Ven's body had been damaged beyond hope of repair, and his horse would never walk again. The boy had died long before he ever reached the castle again.
The paper in his hand was littered with patches of damp stains and crumples, and Axel sobbed as he crushed the note again in his hand.
"I'll never forgive him...Never..."
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Axel was jarred from his memories by a soft knock at the door. Growling, he set the letter aside and stalked to the door, pushing it open and glaring down at whoever decided to disturb him.
"What is it?" he grumbled, his emerald eyes narrowing slightly as they met with wide, bright blue. Roxas looked up at him shyly, whatever courage he'd mustered coming there slipping away as Axel examined him, a definite gleam of annoyance in his eyes.
For a moment, it was not Roxas that Axel looked upon.
"Y-You...asked me to collect you for supper," Roxas said quietly, seeing Axel's expression soften as he spoke.
The beast smiled a little, though the expression did not meet his eyes.
"Indeed, thank you, Roxas." He patted the boy's shoulder reassuringly, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him. "Let's not keep Larxene waiting."
