Beta reader: The Wistful Bloom
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Chapter 12
Red curtains had been added around the private courtyard, out in the middle of the gardens. King Xemnas sat on his throne with Lady Aqua by his side. He was also accompanied by Mother Queen and his father's two other wives, that had both been beneath the Queen in terms of rank.
King Xemnas would have much preferred to be on the courtyard on top of the hill with ocean view, but the Mother Queen had called it pretentious and a waste of the family's fortune when there were many other things to attend to in the kingdom. She wasn't one to hold her thoughts to herself, and every word she uttered made King Xemnas think of his father and how much he resembled Mother Queen.
She had ignored Lady Aqua from the very beginning, though she had made sure to make comments about her to King Xemnas. King Xemnas could only let his grandmother speak her mind while he did his best to ignore her to not end up beheading her like he had done to so many others.
The scowl on her face when Minister Xehanort had told her about the plans for the evening had been more than noticeable, and she had turned to her grandson with distaste. "You have brought rats into the castle?" she had asked in a tone of disbelief at hearing about the troupe of street performers in the castle. Both consorts had gasped in shock and glared at King Xemnas as if he had admitted to have released the plague within his kingdom.
Mother Queen was not amused by what she was expected to see; a play done by vulgar clowns from the streets who only had experience entertaining the peasants.
A man in the clothes of a warrior stepped out from behind the curtains and blew the battle horn to get the attention of the main audience of five.
Soldiers ran in formation out on the courtyard, holding red flags high above their heads. Blood was being shed out on the battlefields while the Royal Family were caught in the midst of a domestic crisis. The soldiers froze, their flags held beside themselves. Only a General was left moving on the middle of the courtyard, standing on a platform above a small, man-made pond. His flag had turned into a round and bright red lantern, and as he surely fell out on the battlefield, watching the sky shift red as the sun slowly set, the two consorts at the castle the General was defending, saw the same sun set as well.
"If tonight the King..." began Lady Green in a screechy voice.
"...should call me to his bed..." continued Lady Yellow as the two hurried after the light of the sun that was quickly fading. They both sighed dramatically and hmphed in their high-pitched voices.
"It's already the three-hundredth night, of my forlorn loneliness," they said in unison.
They were dressed according to the colors of their names; silky long robes, embroidered with the flowers that decorated their headdresses. King Xemnas sat upright in his throne, the bored look on his face gone as soon as he heard his father's two consorts by his side whisper worriedly amongst themselves at seeing the two minstrels portraying them.
The sun turned into the moon, and though Lady Green and Lady Yellow did their best in trying to catch it, it's light escaped them both and stopped where it had began, and in its light sat the Queen, patiently waiting under the moon as she stared out into the night that came between her and the son that watched her from the future.
King Xemnas barely noticed the growing discomfort of the Mother Queen at seeing her deceased daughter-in-law portrayed in the way that very few remembered as; with peach-colored flowers in her blue hair, pale skin and intense eyes that were always magnified in intensity with red eye-shadow.
"Will you not stop them? They are mocking your Mother!" King Xemnas heard the Mother Queen snap at him, but she was ignored.
King Ansem walked in, grand and proud in each step that he took. The consorts hurried to his side, hoping the King wouldn't notice that the moon had decided to shine upon the Queen; the King's former favorite concubine.
"My Lord, this night..." began Lady Yellow.
"Let me serve thee," Lady Green interrupted and got a foul glare from Lady Yellow.
King Ansem stared at them both through sunken eyes that were marked with black against his pale complexion. His beard had grown long and he seemed disheveled from days and nights leading a war that had separated him from his one true love; the Dragon Princess. He moved his two consorts aside and walked past them, ignoring their insulted gasps as they watched King Ansem make his way to the Queen, who waited for him still, despite his betrayal.
"Another night, another nought," said Lady Green.
"Passion swells, does it not?" asked Lady Yellow.
King Ansem walked up to the Queen slowly and knelt before her, holding his head down until she reached her hand out to gently tap on his chin. Her smile was soft, and also a testament of her heartache. The King asked for her hand once more, in hope that it would mend the hurt that he caused her, and though it wouldn't, she gave him her hand only to set his mind at ease and have him forget the troubles at home when he had to defend their kingdom.
"I ought to put an awl through her throat for wasting our King's time," said Lady Yellow as she witnessed the scene with growing jealousy.
The battle horn was blown again, and to its sound, more soldiers ran into the courtyard, holding their red flags as the minstrel dressed as the Mother Queen walked in just in time to see her son's former and most beloved concubine accept her son's offer.
Lady Green and Lady Yellow hurried to her side, well aware of the Mother Queen's utter despise for the concubine who hadn't a shred of nobility in her blood.
"Your Majesty!" said Lady Yellow loud enough for King Ansem to hear. "This is most unfair!"
"You fools!" Mother Queen burst out with fury at seeing her son settling with the lowly concubine when he had so many others to choose from.
"Whisper, whisper!" said Lady Green in Mother Queen's ear.
"She this, and she that!" Lady Yellow added.
"Stop mumbling and speak!" Mother Queen was frustrated and glared at her son's other consorts.
Lady Yellow and Lady Green leaned in closer and gesticulated as they told Mother Queen of all the appalling rumors they had heard about the Queen while King Ansem had been away. They didn't stop talking until King Ansem stepped forward to greet his mother, and as he did, Lady Yellow and Lady Green saw their chance and hurried into the Queen's chamber.
They tormented the Queen. The Queen struggled against the two consorts as they pulled at her all the while they filled her head with doubt and lies.
The moon above her rose higher, and while the light around her was dim, King Ansem turned from his mother to look at her, and when he did, he saw the Queen turning against his two consorts. Jealousy had driven the light away from her, and she saw enemies where there were none. The Mother Queen tried to make him look away, but King Ansem turned to face the Queen where she sat above the pond, a hand around the neck of Lady Yellow, and the mark of her hand on the cheek of Lady Green.
The Queen shook her head at seeing King Ansem look at her with despise. Her voice disappeared with the light of the moon. Nothing she said could change what the King believed from trusting Lady Yellow and Lady Green.
Mother Queen waved for a servant who quickly brought her a white bowl with black poison. The Queen had gone mad, and the Royal Family did not have time to be dealing with her when they were at war and while King Ansem fought against his sorrow for losing the Dragon Princess.
King Xemnas leaned forward in his seat, captivated by the tale unfolding before him, and he had gripped the armrest of his throne tightly as the servant reached the tray to King Ansem who stared at it blankly before Mother Queen on stage walked up behind him and controlled King Ansem's every move.
She made him take the tray and walk into the Queen's chamber. The Queen looked up at King Ansem, bewildered by his presence in her room and by the the tray he had brought her.
"No! I desist! I beg thee, Mother. Must you demand the death of the only other woman I have loved?" King Ansem tried to stop himself from going further, but his mother knew best, she always had.
"This woman is ill and her deviousness is infinite. She has my son's soul bewitched. Have her drink this bitter poison."
King Ansem gave the Queen the white bowl with the black poison and stepped reluctantly out of the room, his Mother still controlling his every move. He watched the Queen take the bowl in her trembling hands before she looked after King Ansem with a soft sob, and she reached her hand out after him as she looked up at the starry sky where the moon was nowhere to be seen.
"Unbounded is the King's love, but many are those who want it," the Queen said, her voice lost in the empty space that had become her world of isolation.
Lady Green and Lady Yellow watched her expectantly, knowing that their plan would soon reach its conclusion. Soon they would finally be rid of the Queen that had gotten in their way far too many times.
"He giveth me this black liquid of love, how can I refuse?" Her voice broke into a sob as she looked up from the bowl and reached her hand out once more. "My son. Dwell long in the sweetness of life, and bury me by the road the King travels on. My son!"
"No," King Xemnas mumbled, shaking his head slowly as his mother brought the bowl to her lips and drank the poison she had been offered. "Mother..."
He watched her gasp for air as the poison strangled the life out of her. He didn't even realize that he had gotten up, and as soon as her lifeless body fell and her eyes slid close one last time, King Xemnas ran up to the stage, his heart beating fast in his chest, knowing that his father had made the wrong decision.
"Mother!" King Xemnas tried to cradle her in his arms, but his mind quickly went from sorrow to thirst for revenge. For a long time he had sought the culprits of his mother's early death, and now he had them within reach. He looked up at the podium where his father's two consorts had gotten up from their seats and tried to make an escape, but he ran up to them and grabbed them both by their arms.
"Your Majesty, please, have mercy!" he heard them scream as he shoved them onto the tiled floor. They could have been out on an empty grass field in the middle of nowhere, as far as King Xemnas was concerned. He didn't see the startled faces of the street performers on stage, he didn't see that the person he had confused with his mother now was sitting up and watching him stand on the brink of insanity as he took a sword from a guard standing nearby.
"Please...!"
King Xemnas raised his sword, watching the two consorts try to crawl away, looking like just about anybody pleading for their lives, and he laughed at their faces. Nobility wasn't going to save them now, when the King wanted them dead. He hadn't counted on Mother Queen interfering. She ran up between them, holding her arms out to stop King Xemnas from proceeding.
"Gather yourself!" she snapped, seemingly fearless.
"Did you not see? They murdered my mother!"
"Nonsense! She was a woman of treachery! If you only knew how she made your father suffer!"
"Silence! I will not let you murder her twice!" King Xemnas was going to walk past her, but she went for the sword in his hands and tried to take it from him. He pushed her aside hard enough for her to lose her footing and fall to the ground with a thump.
King Xemnas didn't see the Mother Queen clutch her chest in pain, he didn't hear her protests as he caught up with the two consorts who still pleaded for mercy up until the second he stabbed them through their hearts with the sword. He could only breathe easy once the consorts screams had died out, and even though the comfort of their deaths only lasted for a brief moment, it was enough to quench his thirst for blood. Instead he was overcome with sorrow for his dead mother, but when he looked back to where he thought he had left her, he could only see Isa look back at him with fright.
His sword dropped to the ground as he stepped away slowly and hurried back to the castle, whether he was followed by his guards or not, didn't matter. He just needed to get away.
~o~
The members of the troupe were still shocked by what they had witnessed. The Mother Queen and King Ansem's two consorts had been murdered by King Xemnas, and they all felt that this had been clearly triggered by their play. Many also felt that they had to count their blessings, and so they tried to preoccupy themselves by getting all the props back in order while others, like Demyx, were still trying to wash off the makeup with Hayner's help.
"What the hell is going on?" Seifer asked, propped up against one of the pillars. "Every time we do a show someone ends up dead. That King is beyond all hope."
"Ow, Hayner, you're washing off my skin!" Demyx sat back and fought against the reflex of rubbing his face to not get makeup in his eyes.
"Just sit still. It'll take longer if you keep interrupting." Hayner leaned over the small dolly-tub between them to wipe off a smudge of makeup with the rag in his hand.
Seifer looked over at Saïx who sat quietly across the room. He hadn't said anything the past hour. Seifer hadn't thought much of it at first, Axel was always the one to notice when something was wrong with Saïx, and he would try to fix it. The fact that Axel was running back and forth between the groups putting the props away instead of being here with them, made it clear to Seifer that there was big trouble in paradise, and they needed to sort it out as soon as possible unless they wanted problems when Saïx came up with plans on his own.
"Hey, Saïx!" Seifer called. Saïx turned his head and looked at him briefly. "Do you know anything about what's going on? Has the old man told you anything? Or maybe the King?"
Saïx shook his head and looked up at Axel when he passed by for the umpteenth time. He stopped by them with a frown, "Guys, c'mon, pack your stuff. We're leaving."
"We've been paid already?" Demyx asked and closed his eyes tightly when Hayner passed the rag over them.
"Yeah, it's all been set. We've got our cash, the old man's been informed. All there's left is for us to leave." Axel folded his robe and glanced at Saïx quickly before looking back down. "Saïx, are you done packing? Don't bring too much. We have quite a bit to walk."
"I have to speak with King Xemnas before we leave."
Axel clenched his fingers around the folded robe in his hands. Seifer looked down, and Hayner tried to distract Demyx by washing his ears. Saïx knew that Axel wouldn't respond well to it. All of them were aware that Axel had preferred if they had left before agreeing to do this play, but they had stayed because Saïx had wanted to and because Axel had agreed to it on the condition that they'd leave as soon as the play was over.
"You think you can just walk into the castle and ask to speak with the King at this hour?" Axel stared at Saïx. "What do you even have to say to him? You saw it yourself. He's a murderer who'd even kill his own family. That's his sense of justice."
"I'm not going to judge his actions, Axel. I felt that we did wrong in doing this play. If it hadn't been for me, we wouldn't have, and I feel like I should apologize before we leave."
"Do we have to wait a week before you get an audience with the King to say 'I'm sorry'? I think we've waited long enough, don't you think?"
"I'm sure I can have it done by tonight."
"Right." Axel nodded. He had seen the tense looks on the faces of his friends. They were waiting for someone to explode, but there had been enough drama for one night. "Go and apologize to the King or whatever. There's still props to be put away." Axel tossed his robe onto the floor and hurried back out to where a few men were carrying the rolled up curtains.
Seifer didn't know about the others, but he looked after Saïx when he got up and hurried to the castle to apologize to a murderer of a King who deserved nothing but despise, and he couldn't help but wonder if Saïx had been corrupted by the King's power without even realizing it.
~o~
King Xemnas had welcomed Saïx into his chamber as soon as he learned that Saïx was in the castle. He had a distant look in his eyes – more so than ever – but there was a certain brightness in them when he looked at Saïx, and ordered for his servants to bring him the long blue robe of pure silk.
"Your Majesty, I've come to apologize..." Saïx began as he stood in the middle of the room, eyes on the floor to remain in a semi-formal bow in the King's presence.
"For what?" King Xemnas didn't let him answer. The servants had come with what King Xemnas had asked them for and he reached for the beautifully patterned robe and walked up to Saïx with a small smile on his lips. "Take this. It's not much compared to what you have given me, but I will compensate you by giving you an honorary title."
"I can't accept this, Your Majesty. I just came by to apologize for not considering your feelings when we decided to do the play, and to bid you farewell."
"Farewell?" The small smile on King Xemnas' face was replaced by a sour frown. "You can't leave. You are part of the Royal Court now. Isn't that more important than anything else that may be awaiting you outside?"
"Your Majesty!" A servant hurried into the room, the wooden frames of the paper-doors sounding loudly when they were pulled closed behind the servant. "Lady Aqua is demanding to see you. She has something important to share with you."
"Not now. I'm busy." King Xemnas didn't turn to face the servant. Saïx could feel his glare burn holes in him, and he hid his hands in his sleeves to not show that he was trembling.
"But, Sire!" The servant was distressed, pleading the King for something of substance that he could say to Lady Aqua that he hadn't said already, but King Xemnas didn't care.
"Leave us at once!"
"Would it matter if I told Your Majesty that it is a subject regarding delegates from the Southern King-"
"Leave!"
The servant bowed deeply before he hurried out of the room with a worried mumble that went by unnoticed by King Xemnas.
"Are you being forced to leave, Isa?" He asked as he paced around Saïx slowly.
"No, Your Majesty," Saïx replied without hesitation. "And please, Your Majesty, my name is Saïx, not Isa."
Each time King Xemnas said Saïx's old name, it felt like a betrayal. He shouldn't have told him about his real name. He knew that it seemed like something small and insignificant, but it had been a promise he had made Axel when they had left everything behind, and each time he heard his old name, he could only see the look of anger and disappointment in Axel's eyes.
"Isa is your real name, why shouldn't I call you by your real name?"
"Isa died a long time ago, Your Majesty."
"I am the King. The Gods speak through me. I have the power to resurrect. I can give you the chance to let Isa redeem whatever it is that he did that made you kill him. Or was that too the decision of someone else?"
Saïx wasn't sure. Had it been his decision to kill Isa and begin anew? Was it his decision to leave the palace? A part of him insisted that it was, but another part of him was in doubt and at some point in the one-sided conversation he momentarily decided that King Xemnas was right and that he wasn't ready to leave yet. But he wasn't sure if his decision would stand strong once he had to look Axel in the eye and tell him that he wanted to stay.
~o~
Axel was pacing back and forth underneath the tightrope on the small courtyard. He knew that it had been a bad move acting distant with Saïx, though he hadn't counted on Hayner, Demyx and Seifer knowing it too. The three of them had taken him aside, arms crossed and eyes focused as Seifer had cleared his throat before he hit Axel over the head with a couple of truths that they had all been discussing on and off for days.
It had taken him by surprise to see how much Hayner, Demyx and Seifer cared for his relationship with Saïx and how they had somehow become the glue that held the group together. They all knew what Axel had thought of the recent play, but staying had meant more money, which they now could dispose of however they pleased. For the first time in years they had money to last them longer than for just a day. They could make plans, they could invest in themselves, they could maybe even buy a piece of land and build a home, something to come back to at the end of the day.
Saïx had probably thought of that, Axel thought as he paced. It had nothing to do with King Xemnas, it was simply about their future. Axel was waiting eagerly for Saïx to come back. He was going to apologize for acting the way he had and then they would leave, ready to meet whatever was waiting for them, together with their friends.
And then, Saïx showed up around the corner, hesitantly walking forward when Axel laid his eyes on him. Axel felt his mouth fall open at the sight. The thought of apologizing was blown away and quickly replaced with the anger that suddenly felt justified at seeing Saïx wearing the dark blue Minister's robe and not having the courtesy to at least look ashamed of doing so.
Axel walked up to him, his face stern as he stopped in front of Saïx, giving him a few seconds of silence to see if he was at least going to try to explain himself, but he didn't seem to find the words, or maybe he wasn't even trying to.
"You never had an intention of leaving, did you?"
"That's not true..." Saix stuttered.
"What's this then?" Axel grabbed one of the wide sleeves and held it up in case Saïx had missed that he was wearing the colors of the monstrous King and his godforsaken kingdom. "Don't look away from me, Saïx. Why would you wear this? Might as well fuck the richest guy in town, is that it?"
Axel didn't know how he had allowed that to slip. He knew that it wouldn't solve anything, but he wanted payback for all the nights he spent waiting for Saïx to come back, wondering what was going on, only to get the blatant lie 'nothing happened' thrown in his face. But the look of hurt and disbelief in Saïx's eyes tore through him and he wished desperately for the ability to take it back.
"Don't talk to me like that."
A perfect moment to apologize passed him by when Axel decided to step in closer, matching the slowly building anger in Saïx's eyes with his own in wordless defiance. They could have solved it right there and then, but Axel didn't stay when he was angry, he walked away, somehow convinced that it would all get solved once the anger went away. He knew that he should have stayed this time, but his pride urged him to leave and had him hoping that the guilt he left Saïx with would have him apologize the next day.
