Daddy's Home
Eleazar and Aro had devastated their fathers living chamber in their brawl and even the best efforts of the three brothers along with Felix and Demetri weren't enough to clean up the place before dawn - and Basileus would be back by dawn. They were now all waiting in the throne room for the creators return. Eleazar's face was still swollen, the bones were struggling to heal in their shattered state. Aro's arm was laying obviously awkwardly across his stomach. Caius and Marcus had noticed, but they never involved themselves with the two brothers brawling. They left that to Basileus to sort.
Basileus' booming voice rang out long before they saw him, he seemed in good spirits which relieved Aro and Eleazar somewhat. As soon as he walked into the throne room, however, that happy voice disappeared. He spotted Eleazar's broken bones from clean across the room. "What's wrong with your face?" he asked as he stalked up the throne platform steps. "Nothing, my lord" Eleazar replied easily, hoping to deflect his father's concern. "Have we been under attack whilst I was gone?" Basileus asked generally. "No, my lord." Aro replied. "Is there any business I need to attend to?" Basileus asked, looking to each masters of the coven in turn. "No, my lord." Aro replied again, sounding bored. "Good. I need to spend some time with my sons'." That sent a shiver down his dear sons' dead bodies.
Basileus wasn't fooled, but if his sons wanted to play games, he had a few of his own to play. "Caius, Marcus, you two can deal with coven matters for a few weeks, yes?" Aro rolled his eyes as Caius responded instantly. "Yes, my lord, of course." He was only too happy to lead the coven for a while. "You need not worry my lord," Marcus added, "enjoy some time off!" Basileus clapped his hands together happily. "Wonderful. We will be around the castle but I want some time with my sons'." Caius was so pleased with this. "Yes, my lord." Aro was significantly less pleased. "For how long?" he asked. "For as long as I like. These two can manage things for a while, and this is important." Basileus said to him, pointedly. "Why do you need me?" Aro pushed. "I don't need you, I want you. So you are off." Basileus walked passed his sons and the thrones and headed out of the throne room towards their tower, "come to my quarters as soon as you are free." he threw out sternly over his shoulder as he exited the great hall.
"So, who's going to start?" Basileus circled his sons like a lion stalking his prey. They grouped closer and closer together in an effort to get away from their formidable father. "You could start by explaining what the hell has happened to my home?" Basileus continued, "no response, huh, how about you tell me why Eleazar's face is busted up?" he continued to circle, slowly and purposefully. It was scaring the crap out of his boys' and he liked it. "Okay, so you could start with Aro's dud arm then perhaps?" Coming to a stop in front of the three vampires Basileus offered his final option, "or, if you prefer not to talk about the rather exciting events that have clearly occurred whilst I have been away, I could belt you all now and cut out the chat…" "Whoa, no need for that!" Aro finally broke. He knew he was in for a beating when Basileus heard about his sending Carlisle to the dungeons, he certainly didn't need a warm up session before the main event!
"Wonderful, Aro, the floor is yours." Basileus said as he performed a mock bow to his middle son and took a seat on his ripped up sofa. Eleazar jumped in with an explanation before Aro could say anything. "We had a disagreement whilst you were away, but it's all sorted now." Shaking his head and laughing to himself, Basileus looked Eleazar dead in the eye. "Don't bother trying to smooth things over before we begin Eleazar, you know I always know… I may not reveal my knowledge right away, but I always know." He said, tapping his temple as he spoke.
"If you know already then why are you even asking?" Basileus turned his glare back to his middle son. "Watch it Aro!" the look he gave his son could have frozen the oceans, the one Aro return could have set them on fire! "I want to hear what you have to say. I have been traveling all day, I really do not have the energy for fishing through your thoughts." Aro crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, Eleazar and Carlisle suddenly found the walls very interesting in an effort to avoid their fathers gaze.
"No offers… Fine, let's start with you." Basileus pointed to his eldest son. "What happened to your face?" with a defeated sigh Eleazar replied to his father, "Aro broke it." Smiling menacingly he now addressed his younger son, "And why would you do that?" Aro shrugged and replied so nonchalantly, "because he broke my arm." Basileus nodded, that seemed fair, though not quite the point he was trying to get at. "And where were you whilst this was going on?" he asked Carlisle. "Erm, I was in Eleazar's quarters with Felix and Demetri." Those two are always involved one way or another! I should have brought them down here already. Basileus thought to himself. "Go and fetch them. Now." He instructed, Aro ducked out the room before either of his brother had the chance to escape. Within a moment, Aro returned, the two young guards' seconds behind him.
Basileus looked the two young vampires up and down, they were apparently unscathed, thank the gods. "Hello boys, I am relieved to see the two of you are in one piece at least." Felix beamed, it was rare for him to be in this sort of situation and not be at fault! "Yeah, thanks to Eleazar!" Demetri mumbled Aro cuffed the back of his head lightly, "knock off the theatrics Demetri!" Basileus raised his eyebrow to Aro, he knew his father was pissed off with him already. "No, no, I want to hear about their involvement." Basileus told him, quickly adding, "and you can quit glaring at them Aro!" Gesturing to the two young vampires, they moved away from their master and closer to Basileus. "Boys, please tell me what your involvement was."
Demetri looked to Felix to answer, Felix always answered for the two of them. "Aro called us down here to take Carlisle to Caius." Basileus' eyes flew open, "YOU DID WHAT!" he roared at the boys who began stuttering their response. "We didn't my lord, we didn't take him! Eleazar came out to us in the hall and said to walk a lap around the castle and come back in… so that's what we did." Looking to Eleazar for confirmation, Basileus told him to explain. "They are telling the truth father, Aro tried to send Carlisle to the dungeons. It didn't happen though, he didn't even go down there - we sorted it out."
Turning to Aro, Basileus said accusingly, "but you tried to send him!" Aro released a sigh, remaining as falsely calm as possible, "yes I did, I was wrong, he was winding me up. But it didn't happen, so it's no big deal." Basileus rose to his feet and walked to his middle son, stepping into his personal space and grabbing a tight hold on the front of his shirt, he started grinding out his words. "No big deal? What did I say to you about putting MY son, YOUR brother in the dungeons Aro?" Aro gulped, but didn't reply. Giving him a rough shake, Basileus added, "Well!" Still nothing. "WHAT DID I SAY?" he bellowed in Aro's face. "Something about there being hell to pay… Seriously father, you are over reacting. Nothing happened." Aro replied quietly, wishing there were less of an audience for this round of fucks. "Nothing! You have a broken arm, Eleazar's face is still healing, and you tried to send Carlisle to the fucking dungeons - and nothing happened!" In his efforts to not rip Aro's head from his shoulders, Basileus' words were delivered in ragged, raised whispers.
Forcing himself to release Aro, Basileus put some distance between himself and his son. Walking over to the table where the open barrel of wine still stood from the brothers meet ups, he poured himself a drink. This feels much lighter than when I left! He thought as he gave the barrel a shake whilst throwing a raised eyebrow to Aro. Aro puffed the air out of his cheeks as he tried to avoid his father glare. Okay son, we can talk about this later, the wine will keep. Brawling with your brothers though, no, that won't keep at all! He asked Aro an important question, one that would decide how he moved forward. "Did you change your mind Aro, or did Eleazar change your mind?" Please say you did, please, for both our sakes. "It may have been him." Basileus' heart dropped. Little cunt! He thought viciously about his middle boy. He tried to rake through the thoughts in the room but they were flying around so fast with so many questions in the air that it was difficult to piece together what had gone on. He couldn't work out why Carlisle looked so scared, that makes no sense!
"Felix come here. There's too many thoughts racing about and I can't make out who's who!" Felix obliged and offered the elder his hand, Basileus didn't need contact but it certainly made mind reading much easier. "You were going to punish these two, too?" He said in shock to Aro as he read the boys memories. "Well, yes, but I didn't do that either!" Aro replied, realizing how pathetic his excuses sounded. "Only because Eleazar stepped in to stop you!" Basileus released Felix and the boy quickly scooted back to Demetri's side. Basileus was actually shocked that Aro would be so petty. "You were honestly going to punish them for having more sense than you?" "No. But thanks! For disobeying an order." Aro replied indignantly, as he looked at his young guards who were desperately trying to avoid his eye he added, "I still think I have a point there by the way." Felix and Demetri both tensed up. "Don't you dare, Aro! Don't you even dare!" Basileus said warningly as Aro threw up his hands in defence and took a step backwards, much to the young guards delight.
Eleazar tried to help Aro, "Please, father, we had a disagreement between ourselves and we sorted it out. You wanted us to spend time together and work out how to get along, and I really think we are on the way to doing that…" Basileus cut him off mid excuse, "Eleazar go to your quarters and take Carlisle with you please. You pair had better go with them." As Basileus ushered the four of them out of his quarters Carlisle tried this time to help. "Please don't punish Aro because of me, I was speaking out of turn, it wasn't his fault…" Placing a finger on his son's lips to silence him, Basileus promised him, "don't you worry, son. I will be talking to the both of you when I have finished with him." Eleazar gulped as he pulled Carlisle out of the room knowing he was part of 'the both of you'.
As soon as Basileus closed the door Aro started again. "Why are you over reacting? There's just no need for any of this!" Basileus wasn't having that. "Shut up Aro, I will be the one to decide what is needed, not you!" Basileus was fishing through Aro's memories and his reasoning for casting Carlisle away. "So let me get this straight, you wanted to send him to the dungeons, actually, no, you wanted to send him to Caius because he made you feel bad about fucking other women!" Aro was exasperated now. "But I didn't!" Basileus was out of patience. "You make it sound like you saw sense and changed your mind when you did no such thing! If Eleazar hadn't intercepted Felix and Demetri, they would have taken Carlisle to the dungeons on your orders. And when they returned with him, AFTER you had time to calm down, you tried to do it again, and you threw threatening your two boys into the bargain!"
Aro slammed his fist into the wall behind him in sheer frustration. Great, now my good hand is fucked too, he thought when he looked down at the bloodied knuckles. "But I didn't do anything! You are punishing me on thought crime, it's absurd!" Basileus scoffed, "you can add trashing my home into your list of the things you apparently didn't do!" Continuing with his fishing, Basileus was truly disappointed with what happened after Aro and Eleazar came to blows. "And you fought with Sulpicia?" he accused darkly.
"That wasn't my fault, as soon as my brothers and Carmen left our quarters she sent our guard to their bed chambers and attacked me! What was I supposed to do? I won't stand there and be beaten up by my wife! She should know better than to try that sort of thing with me after all these years." Aro sounded convinced of his own excuse, he wasn't, but he'd said such a thing so many times to excuse his violence towards his wife that he felt it was a proper defence.
Basileus looked at his boy with disgust. "You just keep making that hole you are in deeper and deeper." Aro felt wretched seeing that look. "You're making more of it than there was…" Basileus walked away, he wasn't listening to anymore. "You are trying to squirm your way out of this hiding and I have no desire to hear any more of your pathetic excuses." The door to Basileus' bed chamber swung open as he kicked the base of the door. "Why won't you see reason?" Aro pleaded. Oh how he hated the way he pleaded with Basileus. It was like a compulsive reaction with knowing what was to come.
"I tried reason before I left, now I am trying force." Basileus responded as he began undoing his thick, brown leather belt. "Get in here, boy!" he said as he pointed to the bed. As Aro walked passed him, not daring to disobey now his fate had been decided, Basileus whispered menacingly, "do you remember what I told you last time we were in this situation." Oh Aro remembered alright! Basileus promised him next time he wouldn't be walking out of this room. Fuck. That's it, I am truly fucked. A flash of metal caught Aro's eye - Basileus usually folded his belt in half gripping both free ends together, occasionally he would hold the buckle end and use the leather end as a thick whip. This time he had wrapped the leather end around his hand and the buckle hung freely at his side. Aro's stomach hit the floor and he felt a phantom sweat as the fear built up inside him. The last thing Basileus said before he started his onslaught was, "this is really going to hurt us both, son."