-Chapter 5- (The Old Kingdom - Riot of the Blood Kyo)
Fal half-heartedly rolled over inside his brother's sheetful bed. His eyes shot open as pain surged though him like water through a current. Quickly, he rolled back over on his back.
Suddenly, he realized something.
He couldn't see.
All the while he had his eyes open, everything was obsidian.
Panic took him, and he panted, gripping the sheets under him. He started to get up, but agony seized him once again, and he was put to the bed.
Sweat from fear and hurt made him kick the heavy sheets off. Then he slowly calmed, realizing that there was nothing to be done.
His fingers inched from his aching neck to his chest, down his waist, to his pounding legs.
Sighing in relief that he was nowhere near paralyzed (he wiggled his toes to make sure), although parts of his body were indeed numb - the bottom of his chin, his armpits and inside of his arms, the insides of his legs, and his shins.
Certainly not paralyzed, but numb indeed.
But dispite this overwhelming anguish, Fal instructed himself to leave this room and have someone tell him what in the world happened.
But there was no getting out of this room.
How would he tell others that he was alive?
The only way he knew how...
A blood-curdling cry could be heard echoing through the halls of the castle, waking the sleeping guards and causing the maids to drop porcelin.
Silence passed, then a husky, large man and a little curly-haired girl could be seen bolting down the hallway toward the master bedroom.
From what Fal could hear, the wooden door flew open.
Lothair and Marle scrambled to his side only to hear the stangled pleas of "Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't---"
And that was the last he spoke before being crushed in the arms of his physically-belittling brother.
What joy it must've been to have been in Fal's position at that point, for his pain was multiplied and so were his numb-spots.
Lothair had heard the cracks and whimpers of his brother and, taking that as a hint, set him back into his bed.
Both Lothair and Marle had noticed Fal's eyes, for they searched nothing, and weilded little color.
"So, are you better?" Lothair asked.
Fal faced the sound's origin.
"Better?! I'm bloody blind, you fool!! Can't you leave me be for a moment?! My bones feel like they're hundreds of years old!!"
Lothair laughed.
Marle took Fal's hand.
"Fal, can you tell me something?" She questioned.
He urked a gutteral inquisitive noise.
She took that as a 'yes'.
"...What happened to you after you set me into the hallway?"
Fal's eyebrows knotted. "Well... a black... thing... hit my head, and..."
He trailed off.
Marle pat his face. "What?"
Fal shook his head.
"I don't know."
Many an hour later, Marle managed to coax Fal out of his father's bed and bring him about the castle halls.
He heard the banging of hammers against wood.
"What is it that I hear?" He asked.
"That's the carpenters nailing my door shut."
"Oh."
Then they entered the kitchen.
"Now we're in the kitchen. You want something to eat, Fal?"
"No, thank you. I'm not feeling any bit hungry at the moment..."
There was a crunching noise.
"What's that?"
"I'm eating an apple. You want one?"
"I told you I wasn't hungry."
There was more walking, then they stopped.
"What's happening?"
"Nothing. I want you to meet someone."
"How can I meet someone when I'm as blind as a worm?!"
There was a moment of silence.
"Well, I'd expected a bit of a nicer introduction..." A velvety voice cooed.
Fal swallowed. "What? Marle!" He grasped the girl's hand.
"There's no need to get all uppity about it!" The familliar toddler's voice broke the silence. "This is Hana."
She brought his hand up to someone else's, and whoever it was, shook it.
"Hana, this is Fal."
"Nice to meet you, Fal. I take it that's not your real name." Her creamy voice was thoroughly unfamilliar.
Fal shook his head in disbelief. "What in... Marle, what's the meaning of this?"
Marle giggled.
He put his other hand on his hip. "Marle, how am I supposed to..."
Hana cleared her throat.
"Mister Fal, you don't need sight to see me." Her deep voice retorted.
She brought his hand to her face.
"If you feel me, you can make a mental picture of what I look like."
A strange snake-like warmth crawled through Fal's body, making him extremely uncomfortable.
He wretched his hand away from her face.
"Excuse me madam, but if you have any manners at all, you wouldn't be doing that."
He could feel heat radiating from his neck, as he realized he was blushing.
Marle figured this as well, and she knew inside that her plan was working. Although it probably would've worked better if he could see.
Well, besides that, she was creating a relationship between them, and that was her goal.
Fal half-heartedly rolled over inside his brother's sheetful bed. His eyes shot open as pain surged though him like water through a current. Quickly, he rolled back over on his back.
Suddenly, he realized something.
He couldn't see.
All the while he had his eyes open, everything was obsidian.
Panic took him, and he panted, gripping the sheets under him. He started to get up, but agony seized him once again, and he was put to the bed.
Sweat from fear and hurt made him kick the heavy sheets off. Then he slowly calmed, realizing that there was nothing to be done.
His fingers inched from his aching neck to his chest, down his waist, to his pounding legs.
Sighing in relief that he was nowhere near paralyzed (he wiggled his toes to make sure), although parts of his body were indeed numb - the bottom of his chin, his armpits and inside of his arms, the insides of his legs, and his shins.
Certainly not paralyzed, but numb indeed.
But dispite this overwhelming anguish, Fal instructed himself to leave this room and have someone tell him what in the world happened.
But there was no getting out of this room.
How would he tell others that he was alive?
The only way he knew how...
A blood-curdling cry could be heard echoing through the halls of the castle, waking the sleeping guards and causing the maids to drop porcelin.
Silence passed, then a husky, large man and a little curly-haired girl could be seen bolting down the hallway toward the master bedroom.
From what Fal could hear, the wooden door flew open.
Lothair and Marle scrambled to his side only to hear the stangled pleas of "Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't---"
And that was the last he spoke before being crushed in the arms of his physically-belittling brother.
What joy it must've been to have been in Fal's position at that point, for his pain was multiplied and so were his numb-spots.
Lothair had heard the cracks and whimpers of his brother and, taking that as a hint, set him back into his bed.
Both Lothair and Marle had noticed Fal's eyes, for they searched nothing, and weilded little color.
"So, are you better?" Lothair asked.
Fal faced the sound's origin.
"Better?! I'm bloody blind, you fool!! Can't you leave me be for a moment?! My bones feel like they're hundreds of years old!!"
Lothair laughed.
Marle took Fal's hand.
"Fal, can you tell me something?" She questioned.
He urked a gutteral inquisitive noise.
She took that as a 'yes'.
"...What happened to you after you set me into the hallway?"
Fal's eyebrows knotted. "Well... a black... thing... hit my head, and..."
He trailed off.
Marle pat his face. "What?"
Fal shook his head.
"I don't know."
Many an hour later, Marle managed to coax Fal out of his father's bed and bring him about the castle halls.
He heard the banging of hammers against wood.
"What is it that I hear?" He asked.
"That's the carpenters nailing my door shut."
"Oh."
Then they entered the kitchen.
"Now we're in the kitchen. You want something to eat, Fal?"
"No, thank you. I'm not feeling any bit hungry at the moment..."
There was a crunching noise.
"What's that?"
"I'm eating an apple. You want one?"
"I told you I wasn't hungry."
There was more walking, then they stopped.
"What's happening?"
"Nothing. I want you to meet someone."
"How can I meet someone when I'm as blind as a worm?!"
There was a moment of silence.
"Well, I'd expected a bit of a nicer introduction..." A velvety voice cooed.
Fal swallowed. "What? Marle!" He grasped the girl's hand.
"There's no need to get all uppity about it!" The familliar toddler's voice broke the silence. "This is Hana."
She brought his hand up to someone else's, and whoever it was, shook it.
"Hana, this is Fal."
"Nice to meet you, Fal. I take it that's not your real name." Her creamy voice was thoroughly unfamilliar.
Fal shook his head in disbelief. "What in... Marle, what's the meaning of this?"
Marle giggled.
He put his other hand on his hip. "Marle, how am I supposed to..."
Hana cleared her throat.
"Mister Fal, you don't need sight to see me." Her deep voice retorted.
She brought his hand to her face.
"If you feel me, you can make a mental picture of what I look like."
A strange snake-like warmth crawled through Fal's body, making him extremely uncomfortable.
He wretched his hand away from her face.
"Excuse me madam, but if you have any manners at all, you wouldn't be doing that."
He could feel heat radiating from his neck, as he realized he was blushing.
Marle figured this as well, and she knew inside that her plan was working. Although it probably would've worked better if he could see.
Well, besides that, she was creating a relationship between them, and that was her goal.