Hector scowled as he followed King Edmund into the trees, away from the others. He would normally never dare to growl or snarl at his king, but this wasn't a normal situation. He wasn't scowling because he was angry, he was trying to make himself look more intimidating to hide the fact that he was terrified.
Edmund wasn't happy with him. The king often put up a tough front, playing the role of a distant and angry king who would attack anybody who dared to get too close, but that was all an act. King Edmund wasn't quick to anger. Hector could count on one hand the number of times that the man had been truly furious with him, and it didn't get any easier to deal with.
As soon as they were out of sight and ear-shot from the others Edmund turned to face him, and the man's glare set him on edge. The king was tall, taller than Hector, but this was the first time he ever felt like he was being loomed over by him. He didn't like it.
"You pulled out the spear." Edmund said darkly in the tone he reserved for those that tried to claim the moonstone for themselves. His enemies. Hector felt a painful twist in his stomach, and he really couldn't say if it was because of fear or hurt that his king, his brother, would ever see him as nothing more than an enemy to be defeated, or a problem to be taken care of.
"I'm surprised it took Adira this long to tell you." Hector forced a smirk on his face and made his tone casual. If he'd learned anything from Adira it was that one of the best defensive tactics was to act like you weren't bothered. If someone didn't know they had gotten under your skin, then that was one less thing that they could use against you.
"Is this a game to you?!" King Edmund slammed his fist against a tree, breaking off some of the bark. Hector couldn't help his small flinch. Edmund's eyes widened in confusion and slight concern. He took a step towards Hector, who growled and took a step back. Edmund stopped in his tracks, though Hector didn't relax. His shoulders were hunched and he was in an attack-ready position.
"Hector," Edmund spoke in a quiet voice, like he was speaking to a child, though Hector couldn't blame him. He hadn't been this suspicious and cautious of the Brotherhood since he was just a kid himself. Zhan Tiri had gotten into his head. It probably wasn't a good idea to have let loose and embrace his inner wolf. His instincts were too strong.
"Oh?" He saw Zhan Tiri grin wickedly out of the corner of his eye. She looked nearly as pleased with herself as she had when Hector had fallen for her manipulation and asked Adira about that cursed nickname, or when he had finally listened to her and convinced Varian to claim the moonstone. Zhan Tiri thought that she had him right where she wanted him, and Hector didn't even know what he had done this time.
"Be careful, pet," Zhan Tiri said in mock warning. "Your mongrel is showing. You wouldn't want your beloved king to see just how much of a cur you are, now do you?"
"Shut up." Hector hissed without thinking. His eyes immediately widened in alarm when he saw Edmund's look of surprise. His king thought that he'd been talking to him. Even Hector knew that he couldn't show that kind of disrespect to his king.
Hector cringed, scolding himself. Now was not a good time to be listening to the demon child in his head. "Sorry." He lowered his head slightly in a small bow. He kept his eyes glued to the ground, just so he wouldn't have to risk looking at Zhan Tiri again. Hector didn't even realize that his demeanor, tense, hunched over, gaze and head lowered, could come across as someone who was terrified out of his wits.
Yes, Hector was afraid but he desperately hadn't wanted to show it.
"Brother," Edmund knelt in front of him, making Hector meet his eyes. More than that though, Edmund putting himself at a lower level than Hector was his way of submitting himself. "You don't have to fear me."
"I'm not afraid of you." Hector said, and it was only partially a lie. He was just cautious about his brother's anger, as anybody would be, and the fact that he was already on edge just enhanced that caution to fear.
"Lying to your king, now, are you?" Zhan Tiri sounded far too amused. "After everything he's done for you? I suppose it was only a matter of time before you bite the hand that feeds you."
Hector clenched his teeth. He was getting really tired of this sorcerer child. No wonder Demanitus had sealed her power away. She was starting to be a real pain.
"Hector, talk to me." Edmund pleaded. "This fear, this anger, taking the spear out of the heart of the tree, it's not like you. I just want to-"
"Be careful what you say, mutt," Zhan Tiri warned, and Hector felt another spike of fear. He could see Edmund's mouth still moving. The king was talking to him, but all Hector could hear was Zhan Tiri's voice. She was overpowering anything that Edmund was saying. "You've been the Dark Kingdom's loyal attack dog for so long, but if your king sees just how unstable you are he may decide that dealing with you is just not worth the effort."
Hector made a sound that was a cross between a whine and a growl. He slammed his hands over his ears and closed his eyes tight. He didn't want to hear anything else that Zhan Tiri had to say, and he didn't want to see Edmund's mouth moving when he couldn't hear a word he was saying.
Hector stiffened when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, but he soon relaxed. Zhan Tiri, incorporeal as she was, couldn't touch him. She could hurt him all she wanted with her words, but she couldn't taint the physical affection that he craved so much. Edmund was there. He had the chance to hurt Hector, and every reason in the world to do so, but all he was doing was holding his shoulder, grounding him.
The touch wasn't enough for Hector to block out what Zhan Tiri was saying to him, but it made it easier to cope with it. It took several minutes before Zhan Tiri finally lost interest in talking to him. She finally quieted down, and Hector could hear Edmund once again.
"-tor. Come back to me, brother." Edmund said. "You're okay, Hector. Please, let me know you're alright."
Hector swallowed thickly and cautiously opened his eyes. He looked around anxiously, but he couldn't see Zhan Tiri anywhere. She was finally leaving him alone, at least for a little bit. The only person in front of him was King Edmund, who looked as concerned and awkward as he always did whenever Hector broke down like this. The man didn't know how to deal with him, but that didn't stop him from trying.
"I-I'm fine." Hector sighed. He was so tired. His legs were stiff and shaking, and he didn't want to stand anymore. He let his legs collapse under him and just sat on the ground. King Edmund stayed kneeling in front of him.
"You'll forgive me for not taking your word for it." Edmund said. "I haven't seen you like this for a long time."
"I'm sorry," Hector said quietly. He knew that Edmund had better things to do than deal with him. His king could be spending time with his son, or he could be protecting Varian and the moonstone, and instead he was here with Hector.
"Don't apologize." King Edmund said fiercely. "It would be one thing if you were apologizing for taking the spear and releasing Zhan Tiri's power, but Adira said you did it for Varian's sake. And I don't think you would, or should, be apologizing for saving the boy. And I know you're not sorry for helping him to get the moonstone, because you were trying to keep it safe from somebody else who may abuse its power. So you must be apologizing for needing help right now, and that's not something you should ever feel sorry for."
"I shouldn't let her get in my head." Hector said.
King Edmund gave him an odd look. "Her? Who?"
"Zhan Tiri," Hector said. "Her power, for reasons that I don't even want to think about, has taken the form of a creepy little girl. I'm starting to think that the ancient sorcerer is actually a sorceress."
"So they were right?" Hector jumped when he heard Varian's voice. He looked past King Edmund to see the kid standing there, with Horace and another young man standing just behind him. "You're really being haunted by a sorcerer?" It was so odd to see Varian talk about hauntings and sorcerer's without scoffing and rolling his eyes. He was starting to accept the existence of magic.
"Unfortunately." Hector grimaced. He hadn't wanted Varian to know, but it couldn't be helped now.
Varian's face fell. He looked pained. "And she got to you because you helped me?"
"What? No." Hector held a hand out to Varian. The boy took the invitation and hurried to Hector, burying his face in his chest. Hector held onto him. "It's not your fault, kid. It was my choice."
"I-it was my dad's choice to save me from the amber too." Varian whimpered. "But it's still my fault that he's trapped, and it's my fault that you have a demon torturing you like this." Varian growled to himself, and Hector was reminded far too much of his own reactions to internal torment. He was rubbing off on the kid, and not in a good way.
"It's not your fault." Hector insisted. "It was an accident." Hector had little patience for people who consciously did things they shouldn't have done. He had never cared why somebody was trying to claim the moonstone, he would eliminate them, because the moonstone needed to be kept safe.
When Varian had gotten himself in trouble in the Great Tree, he's just been trying to satisfy his curiosity. There wasn't anything inherently bad about that, even if the end result had been pretty terrible. Same with the amber. Hector couldn't be mad at the kid for that. Especially not when he was trying so hard to fix things.
"Is there anything we can do to get rid of Zhan Tiri." Prince Horace asked. "Follow up question, do you know what she wants?"
"Not really." Hector admitted. "She wanted me to get Varian to take the moonstone, but she won't tell me why yet."
Edmund's expression darkened again. "The boy having the moonstone was the demon's idea?"
"We were planning on doing it anyway." Hector said. "You can ask Adira if you don't trust me. It's just bad luck that she wants something that we wanted too."
"We need to tread carefully." Edmund said. "We can't risk giving the demon what she wants. Her power is freed, and we can't afford to let her get her physical form back." Hector decided that it would be for the best to not let the others know that it had been Zhan Tiri's idea that they could free Quirin with the powers of the moonstone.
Hector was positive that her only ulterior motives behind that suggestion was to give Hector and Varian a reason to take the moonstone. If King Edmund suspected that somehow Zhan Tiri wanted Quirin freed from the amber, then he might think it was for the best that they didn't play into her hand. Quirin had never given up on Hector. The least he could do was return the favor.
Varian fidget a little uncomfortably. "Do we still want me to learn how to control the powers of the moonstone? Or would it be better to leave it alone, if that's what Zhan Tiri wants?"
Hector raised an eyebrow at the kid. "You're suggesting to leave something alone? Mr. Curious?"
Varian twisted the moonstone around in his hand, making it glisten. "After what happened with the amber and the black rocks, I think I can restrain myself." The kid sighed. "Sometimes the good of everything else is more important than my own search for knowledge."
Hector nudged Varian. "Well, you're not wrong, but from what you told me you weren't researching the black rocks just for the sake of researching them. You were trying to save your home. That's a noble cause if I've ever heard it." King Edmund gave Varian an odd look. He muttered something to himself, but just as Edmund spoke his son accidentally talked over him.
"So, what's the plan here?" Prince Horace asked. "I'm assuming we're going to want to get rid of the sorcerer ghost child, but do we actually have any ideas on how to do that?" He gave Hector a slightly alarmed look. "And, uh, if we're coming up with a plan, would it be safer to do it without you? I don't know how this whole evil spirit thing works. Does she see and hear everything you do?"
"And more." Hector said. "She's always been aware of things that I had no clue about." For one thing, Zhan Tiri had known about Adira's nickname for him. "I don't think hiding anything from me will hide anything from her."
"Well, that's...something." Horace grimaced.
"We have stories about the fight between Zhan Tiri and Demanitus, but the only one who knew the specifics was Demanitus himself." King Edmund said. "Though I suppose Zhan Tiri also knew, though I'm not sure of the chances that he'll tell us the details.
"She." Hector corrected automatically. He still had no idea if Zhan Tiri was truly female. For all he knew, the ghostly child he knew was just an unassuming form that her magic took to not cause suspicion. It was still possible that Zhan Tiri was male, but at this point Hector couldn't imagine her any other way. Even just the thought of Zhan Tiri being more than a small child was an odd one.
"Look, I don't care if they're a goat faced monster, we need to figure out how to stop them." Horace said.
"If Demanitus knew what he was doing, why don't we check the Demanitus scroll?" Horace's friend suggested. "Maybe there's something there we can use."
"What?!" Zhan Tiri appeared right next to Hector. He growled and automatically pulled Varian behind him. The boy yelped in alarm, but Hector was focused completely on the demon child next to him. For once, Zhan Tiri wasn't looking at him. Her gaze was on Horace's friend. For the first time she looked like she wasn't in complete control of everything.
"What's your problem?" Hector asked. Varian and Horace's friend made sounds of confusion, but Edmund and his son both stiffened and looked ready for a fight.
"Is it her?" Edmund asked tensely.
"She's here?" Horace sounded more alarmed than his father, but still fiercely protective. The young man took a step towards Hector and Varian. There wasn't much he could do, but at least he wasn't cowering away. Edmund's son was braver than Hector had been giving him credit for.
Zhan Tiri floated closer to Horace's friend, glaring at him while he was completely oblivious to it. "You fools have the Demanitus scroll?"
Hector groaned. "She seems scared of the Demanitus scroll." Which was both good, and absolutely terrible. On the one hand, if Zhan Tiri was scared then maybe the scroll had information on it that could be used against her. On the other hand, they had lost the element of surprise that they hadn't even realized they'd had.
Zhan Tiri's head slowly turned, and it didn't stop. Hector shuddered when it turned completely around until it was on backwards so she could look at him. "Scared? Oh, mutt, you don't know what fear is." She made it sound like a promise. Hector didn't have a good feeling about this at all. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she just grinned wickedly back. "You can try to use the Demanitus scroll, if you want. I'm certainly not going to try to stop you."
Hector really hated these games of hers. He had no idea if she actually wanted them to use the Demanitus scroll, as though it would somehow help her rather than hurt her, or if this was just more manipulation on her part, and she was just trying to scare him away from the very key to sealing away her powers again.
He was too old to be dealing with this kind of thing.
Varian gave a small cough and nudged himself out of Hector's grip. The man only let him go because Varian happened to be moving away from Zhan Tiri. "If we don't know what the plan is, can we just go back to Corona? I-I want to try to free my dad. That's why I agreed to take the moonstone." He looked at Edmund. "After I help my dad, I'll give it back. I really don't need these powers."
"Need them or not kid, you have them, even without the moonstone." Horace said. "I think your uncle's right. You need the moonstone, at least until you can figure out how to control the black rocks without it." He gave the kid a small, but sincere looking smile. "And as long as you can leave the roal family alone this time, I'll do what I can to help you free your dad."
Varian glanced at the ground, both anger and sadness in his eyes. "I never wanted to hurt anybody." Varian said quietly. "I just…" He sighed. "I just wanted my dad back."
Horace's friend grimaced sympathetically and put a hand on Varian's shoulder. The boy stiffened, but didn't pull away. "I get it. In the orphanage, on the streets, there's always people like that." The man looked at Horace. "We've seen grief make people do all kinds of things, haven't we, Eugene?"
Horace, or Eugene, whatever his name was, looked pained. "Yeah. It's not really something I want to do if there's anything I can do about it."
"So why didn't you do anything about it before?" Hector glared at Horace. He knew that wasn't his name, but if the young man didn't have the decency to treat a child with respect, then Hector wasn't going to call him by his preferred name. He had to earn that right.
Horace grimaced. "I didn't know." He shook his head. "That's not an excuse though. I could have asked. I should have asked, and I'm sorry I didn't." Horace gave Varian an apologetic look. Varian looked like he didn't quite believe Horace, but after a long, scrutanizing look the kid's suspicion fell a bit.
"I don't know if I forgive Rapunzel." Varian said. "But I think I can forgive you for your involvement, or lack of it."
Horace smiled, relieved. "We'll figure this thing out, kid. You're not going to have to deal with it alone this time."
Hector narrowed his eyes at the prince. Of course Varian wouldn't be alone. The kid had him. Hector had been the one to stay with Varian. The one time he'd completely left him, so he could go ahead to the Great Tree, the kid's mental well-being had relapsed. Horace could give as many empty promises as he wanted, but Hector wasn't going to trust him. Not with his nephew.
Zhan Tiri chuckled, and the sound grated on Hector's ears. "Do you honestly think that you should be trusted with the boy?"
Hector didn't answer her. That would involve letting the others know that she was still whispering in his ear, and Hector didn't want to be interrogated about what she was saying. He was still tired and far too tense, and he just knew that he would react defensively. Edmund probably already thought that he was just barely keeping it together, and Hector didn't want to give him any more reason to doubt him.
Hector scowled to himself and lagged behind the others a bit as they made their way back to where their mounts were waiting for them. Night was falling, and at least for the Brotherhood, there was no better time to travel. Horace and his friend talked to Varian, who shyly responded. Hector knew he should be happy that the kid was opening up to people, and that these guys didn't seem to want to hurt the kid, but all he felt was a familiar pang in his chest. He had never liked seeing outsiders act so familiar with his pack.
Hector's scowl only deepend when Edmund lagged back with him and put a hand on his arm. "Brother, I hope you know that you don't have to deal with this demon alone either."
Hector gave the king an annoyed look. "I'm the only one that can see her." And he wouldn't wish this child's torment on anybody.
"Brother," Edmund said in a quiet, pleading tone. "I don't like seeing you in pain. I know what it's like to have a demon whispering in your ear endlessly. Granted, my demons have never been quite as literal as yours is now. Still, I know first hand how much it can drive a man insane to have nothing to listen to but the voices in their head, and I don't want that to happen to you."
Hector's scowl softened slightly. Edmund had changed a lot since he had seen him twenty five years ago. Sometimes it was easy to forget that he'd been isolated for all that time, and the years hadn't been kind to him. Hector may have been alone in the Great Tree, but he'd still seen Adira every once and awhile, and got letters from Quirin. He'd also had his animals to keep him company. King Edmund hadn't had anybody.
"Please, Hector, all I ask is that you just talk to me." Edmund said. "Whatever that witch says to you, I want to hear it. If I can ease your burden just a little by lending an ear, then I'll do it without hesitation."
Hector's eyes widened. "You...you'd do that for me?" King Edmund had so much to worry about right now, and yet he was concerned about Hector's mental well-being. "Why?"
"You're my brother." Edmund said. Hector was sure that the king had called him brother more times today than he ever had when they were younger. "That's reason enough for me. So, tell me, what kinds of things have the demon said to you?"
Hector glanced to the side. Zhan Tiri was watching him. The expression on her face was unreadable. She and Hector watched each other for a long moment before she closed her eyes and vanished into thin air. For once, she had nothing to say.
Hector sighed. He didn't normally like to open up to people, as it just made it easier for others to hurt him. However, Zhan Tiri saw far more of him than he would ever share with anybody, and she was hurting him more than Edmund ever could, or would.
"It's not pretty." Hector said.
"That's why I made the offer." Edmund said. He gave Hector a small, strained smile. He gestured for Hector to continue. "Please."
Hector steeled his nerves, and despite his unease he began to talk about everything that Zhan Tiri had said to him. He started from the beginning, when he'd first heard Zhan Tiri's voice, persuading him to use the spear. Once hector had started he had to force himself to keep going. He hadn't realized that he'd remembered nearly every word Zhan Tiri had said to him.
Hector didn't want to talk about it, let alone with Edmund. He was loyal to his king, but when it came to relationships he had with the brotherhood, his personal relationship with Edmund was weaker than it was with Adira or Quirin.
They were still brothers, and they cared for each other, but in a more distant way. Edmund was the busy older brother who was always watching, just in case, and Hector was the younger brother who was content to just follow along and admire him from a distance. In all their years of being in the Brotherhood together, this was probably the first time that Hector and Edmund had only had each other to rely on. This was unfamiliar territory, for both of them, and it would take time to find their way through it.
Whenever Hector trailed off and wanted to stop, Edmund would ask for more details, and he would feel obligated to give them to him. Edmund was his king. Hector had a duty to answer his questions.. That made it a little easier than it was to talk about it to Adira. Hector could pretend that it wasn't personal. He wasn't complaining, he was just giving a report.. It still wasn't easy, but at least he didn't feel like he had Edmund's pity.
There was a lot that Hector could deal with, but being pitied, or someone looking down on him, wasn't one of them.
What made it a little easier was that while Edmund asked clarifying questions about what exactly Zhan Tiri said, he didn't ask a word about how Hector felt about the whole thing. He didn't try to offer comfort. True to his word, he was just there to give a listening ear.
Maybe it was a good thing that Horace and his friend were distracting Varian. Hector didn't want the kid to hear any more about Zhan Tiri. The kid was shouldering enough as it was, he didn't need to deal with Hector's troubles as well. He wasn't entirely comfortable with talking with Edmund about it, but if talking about it now kept him from accidentally shoving it all on Varian later, maybe this wouldn't be too bad.
And maybe if Hector continued to tell Edmund what Zhan Tiri said to him then the king would be able to talk him out of doing something he would regret later. Hector was just so tired. He felt like his resolve against Zhan Tiri was starting to slip. While it was hard to talk about Zhan Tiri, at least he knew that someone would be here to catch him when he eventually fell.