I do not own the song "My Heart is Yours", it was written by Didrik Solli-Tangen, and i encourage you to look it up :D Happy reading~
It was almost instantaneous; the moment I swallowed my vitamins, I knew I'd just sentenced myself to the will of my father. Quivering, I dropped the rest of the water onto the ground, a hand over my mouth. My heart lurched in horror as I threw a hand over my mouth and looked at Mathias. Already I could feel my throat constricting, chills sending beads of sweat rolling down my back…
"Lukas…?" Mathias asked wonderingly, his face white as the snow that covered the ground outside. "A-are you okay? What's up?"
Taking a deep breath, I ignored Mathias's question and hurried to the bathroom. I'd never made myself vomit before…it had always seemed such an unnecessary and disgusting thing. But now…Trying not to think about it, I stuck a finger down my throat, hoping to activate my gag reflex and be rid of the poison. Yet even as I did, I only gagged; I couldn't make myself throw up.
"Lukas!" My now frantic bodyguard's voice echoed through the bathroom, his obnoxiously loud tones reaching me easily. "Lukas, what're you doing?"
I had no idea what to say to him. Standing quickly, I washed my face quickly of the sheen of sweat that had formed there before heading back into my room, where Mathias stood holding the broken pieces of the glass in his gloved palm. Annoyed by the worry on his face, I grabbed a coat from the wall and threw it on, shoving him out of the way and heading to the dining hall.
What was I going to do now? I had let my father win this one…I narrowed my eyes furiously at the thought. Of course he wouldn't put the poison in my nightly tea. I had known his intelligence was high, yet I had chosen to let down my guard. I could already feel my throat constricting under the toxins running ramped through my bloodstream. In fact, I was incredibly lightheaded…and it was getting more and more difficult to catch a breath.
Suddenly, I felt like nothing like the prince of an incredible kingdom. I was a frightened child, terrified to be suffering alone.
"Mathias…" I whispered, turning around expectantly.
He wasn't there.
My eyes widened in shock as I looked around suspiciously. Hadn't I just heard his footsteps trudging behind me as always? Was he hiding from me? Annoyed, I opened the few doors closest to me, even checking behind all the fake potted plants in the hallway. Finding everything empty, I took a nervous step back to my room. Could I have possibly injured him on the glass when I'd shoved him? There had still been a lot on the floor…Biting my lip, I hurried back and threw the door open, more than ready to find an excuse to scold him if he hadn't followed me.
Instead, I found that someone had tidied my room. There wasn't a sign of the broken glass that had strewn my floor mere moments ago. Even the rest of the water had dried.
"Mathias!" I demanded. "Come here! I will NOT play games with you!"
Silence filled the room. Emptiness seemed to exude from every corner…it was easily apparent that wherever Mathias had disappeared to, he was no longer in here. Putting my hands on my hips, I glared around the room coolly, taking in all the unexpected changes and trying to understand.
The glass. The water. The strange cleanliness…my bed was made, everything put in its place…And then I noticed.
The music box had disappeared.
Since I'd come to know him, Mathias had been many things; an idiot, a nuisance, unnecessarily hyperactive. But not once had I suspected such a man to be a thief. I had been so sure I could trust him with my life that I'd even begun to relax around him…how many more mistakes was I going to make? Glaring dismally at the empty nightstand, I almost didn't hear the gentle music tinkling, the soft sound nearly inaudible as it travelled down the hallway.
Without thinking, I quickly spun around and ran into the hall, following the mesmerizing sound as it played. It was hard to decide where to go; the music seemed to be coming from everywhere…
Making my way into the dining hall, I was sure that I would be able to find Erick…or at least my father. However…this room was empty as well. Not a solitary sound came from the kitchen, which was usually bustling at this time. In disbelief, I went through the whole palace, checking every single chamber for any sign of life…nothing. There was nothing left but the sound of my mother's song whispering in my ears.
"Mathias…"I murmured one last time, before heading outside.
Since I'd been a young child, the pond had always been an escape from my father's demands, my mother's illness, my brother's submissive behavior. Now was no different; I escaped from the unnerving solitude and slid into the morning light. The clouds had finally dispersed, leaving the sun shining brightly on the glimmering carpet of snow that clothed the ground…and as it shown off my pond, I could see the full spectrum of light on its surface.
I made my way through the heavy, dense snow and sat down by the edge, pulling my cloak closer around me and peering into my own reflection.
What I saw had me on my feet in an instant; had…that really been me? But when had I grown wings?
I looked behind me, tried to flex my back muscles. There was nothing to see. Clearly, I was simply exhausted from staying up too late…Reassured, I went back to the edge of the pond, peering in one more time just to be sure. When my normal self was all that was reflected back, I sighed in relief, sucking in the cold morning air.
"Were you really that frightened by what you saw? I thought it was a nice touch."
Erick. More than relieved, I felt all the stress and concern melt away as I turned to my little brother. Except…he didn't seem quite as "little" now. He was clearly an adult, his once wiry frame now filled in, his gray hair falling slightly longer than it had…even his face seemed more knowing. He wore the kind of suit I had always heard him complain about to our father; it was elegant and over the top, the sort of suit men wore to perform violin pieces. In fact…in one hand, he held a beautiful mahogany violin, his horse-hair bow clutched in the other. A top his head sat a wide-brimmed black hat, complete with a velvet red ribbon.
But perhaps the most astonishing thing was his eyes; once upon a time, they had been a bright and clear blue. Now they were golden, the eyes of a wild animal.
"What?" he asked in his typical bored fashion. "You didn't like how you looked?"
Too stunned to speak, I found myself mesmerized by this unfamiliar man.
"I designed it myself. I figured you'd like to be an angel…actually, you looked quite a bit like mother."
My heart contracted and I woke up from my daze. "Erick…where's Father?" I found myself asking.
He seemed as shocked by the question as me. "Father? Not too far from here…perhaps right where you least expect him to be. He's shockingly feral. However, he often comes and visits my home. If you want to see him, it's best if you stay with me beneath the falls. While we're waiting, I will teach you to play the violin."
He offered me a white-gloved hand, staring at me expectantly with inhuman eyes.
"Erick, if you can't bring me to Father, take me to where Mathias is," I ordered him.
He raised an eyebrow, unconcerned. "I told you I'm going to take you to Far. But you must come with me to my kingdom and learn the violin before he will even consider showing up. You see, Far is quite picky about his music. There's only one song he likes to hear; My Heart is Yours. A piece you know well…and if he heard you play such a thing, I'm sure he would show up and speak with you."
I started, shocked by the name of mother's lullaby. Shaking off the feeling of remorse that flowed through me, I looked away from my brother's animalistic eyes. "Please…take me to Mathias."
He scowled and put his arm back down, facing the palace. "If it's the demon you want, he's in your castle. But you really should play the vio-"
Blocking out my brother's babble, I started toward the castle again. Suddenly, a thought struck me. "Erick? What do you mean by "the demon"? And if Mathias is a demon…what are you?"
His golden eyes flashed, but he gave me a lazy shrug. "Exactly what I said. He's a demon who guards the castle. In a way, he seems ghost-like the way he haunts the halls…yet he only does it for one purpose; that's to protect you. He's been waiting a long time for you to come home to your true dimension, King Lukas. And me? I'm a fossegrimen. Duh. Now go run to your man."
Well, it did explain the violin.
Too confused by everything he said to be angry, I trudged up to the castle I had just left. Except that now, everything seemed so…different. When I entered through the doors, it no longer seemed so desolate and empty. The whole hall was lit up and decorated as though I had been left in charge….it was much more sensible than my father's décor. No fake plants. And the amount of doors and passageways had decreased significantly. While the outside of the castle had seemed just as grand as it usually was, the inside was almost like a normal home…with the exception of the large bedrooms.
It wasn't difficult to navigate my way through such a place; it was as if this new place was a world that had been pulled right out of my own mind.
Even finding Mathias was easy; his fiery spirit had always reminded me of licking flames, so when I found him curled up by the fireplace, it came as no surprise. What did shock me was the strange bat wings and devil tail protruding from his body.
"Mathias…?" I wondered, walking over to the sleeping man.
His ears twitched at the sound of my voice and he sprang up, his familiar blue eyes gazing at my face with a broad, pointy smile. "King Lukas!" he exclaimed, looking so much like an excited puppy, I pushed back a smile. He gave me a quick, fidgety bow, reaching out to kiss my hand.
Just this once, I decided to let him do it.
While he was showing his submissiveness, I studied him as I had Erick. Mathias's costume was much different than my brother's had been; rather than a suit, he wore a dark cloak with red lining on the inside, wore knee-high leather boots, and carried in his hand a rather terrifying bloody axe. Whoever decided to give an idiot such a dangerous weapon was beyond me.
"Where are we?" I asked, yanking my hand away from his kissing. "Erick said this was "my dimension" but I don't recognize a bit of it."
He cocked his head to the side, hauling his axe over to rest on his broad shoulder. "You don't recognize your own dimension?" His brows furrowed with concern. "Are you feeling okay? Did you hit your head? Do you need to lie down?"
I grimaced at him. As usual, Mathias had no idea when to silence himself. "I'm fine. Just answer the question. And that's an order."
Pouting, he sat back down and patted the seat beside him. For some odd reason, though this Mathias was equally as stupid as the other, I felt closer to him, so I felt nothing uncomfortable when I sat next to him by the fire. To my disbelief, I was even finding it difficult to resist laying my head on his shoulder as he began the story.
"Yes, King Lukas. Erick called this "your dimension" because it's your creation. After your father, the former king, relinquished his power to you, you met a man from England named Arthur Kirkland. This man practiced all sorts of black magic and spells that intrigued you into becoming friends with him…that, and he could see the things that most other could not. After he taught you the more basic magic, you wanted more. You wanted to know if there was a way to possibly create your own world, so that you may escape the world your father had imposed upon you. You wanted to create your own utopia. So Arthur taught you all he knew about dimensions, warning you about the dangers of messing with the natural order of things.
"So you thought up a place that you'd like to live, your dream home. You put only things you desired here; nothing more or less. So I'm pretty glad that I made the cut! Oh, you're cousins are here, too, but they're out right now…they're getting some groceries. I was kinda surprised to see your dad here…but when I saw what he'd become…" He paused, chuckling. "I understood why. Now he's under the care of Prince Erick and you never have to see him again! You're the ruler now! The ruler of the kingdom of Norway!"
He put a hand on my chin, gently coaxing me to look up, his eyes alight with ecstasy. "And we never have to go back to those times again! Now we can live in your perfect world…and be happy forever."
I tried to pull away from his grasp, but it was half-hearted; there was something about the warmth of his black-gloved hand on my face that I enjoyed. His whole being exuded fire and comfort…it was as if I were ice, melting under his heat. Intrigued by this new feeling, I found myself leaning into his embrace, pushing myself into his strong body…I wanted to kiss him. No, I wanted HIM to kiss ME.
He grinned a fanged grin, looking into my eyes like he knew my desire. But he just shook his head and took my hands. "I don't want my King to die such a young death."
Huh? What did he mean by that?
Just as I was about to ask, the door flew open. In annoyance, I looked over my shoulder to find Tino and Berwald entering the mansion. At first glance, they seemed relatively normal, unlike the others I had come across today. It was strange to come across two unhindered human beings…but this was my utopia. Then why had I created Mathias the Chaste Demon?
"Lukas!" Tino exclaimed, throwing his arms around me.
As usual, Berwald just grunted, before looking at Mathias like he'd done something despicable.
"Welcome home!" the Finnish boy continued to gush. "We thought you would be coming today, so we brought you all your favorite sweets! And Berwald prepared your room for you! It should all be up to King Lukas's taste!"
Unsure what to say, I just reached to fiddle with my hat, only to find that it had disappeared. Surprised, I turned to the body-length mirror and stared at myself in awe. As the reflection I had seen before promised, I was no longer the quiet, annoyed sixteen year old I had been just hours ago. Staring back at me was the face of a man…yet he was beautiful, angelic. His clothes were white and pure as fresh snow, as were the wings that hung carelessly on his back. He had my eyes, but there was a radiant glow to them I was sure I had never had as a mere human being.
"You're just like ice…a frozen, timeless beauty!" Mathias told me, before darting a look of hatred back at Berwald.
"And you're still an idiot," I told him, embarrassed by his compliments. "Even as a demon."
"S'me th'ngs don't ch'nge," Berwald grumbled, grabbing Tino by the sleeve and hauling him out of the room.
"So what are they supposed to be?" I asked as they left, probably to go make dinner.
Mathias stared into the fire, distracted. "Oh, them? They're shapeshifters. They can change into basically whatever they wanna be. But they're so boring! They stay human almost all the time. Only when they get real pissed do they actually use their powers." He grinned maniacally. "When I mess with Berwald, sometimes he changes into a big wolf and tries to kill me."
"And Tino?"
Mathias paled slightly. "Uh…I don't mess with Tino. For such a small guy, he's got some pretty scary stuff up his sleeve."
I was getting irritated with the vagueness. "Like what?"
"Oh…y'know…I'd rather not…" He peered down at my face. "Okay, okay! I got my butt handed to me once because I accidentally cut Berwald, just a little. And he came home bleeding everywhere. And because those two have this creepy cousin love thing, Tino went crazy and turned into…well, did I ever mention I'm terrified of horses? Anyway, he turned into some unicorn thing and tore me up pretty bad."
I stared at him. "You got torn up…by a Tino-unicorn?"
His face flushed a little and he looked away, flapping his wings nervously. "H-hey! Tino's just stronger than he looks! I…he just took me offguard! Next time, I'll totally not get beat up!"
"And you call yourself a bodyguard? You're the worst excuse for a protector I've ever met," I told him.
He pursed his lips, looking down. "Your dad hired me to protect you from assassins, not your unicorn cousins…"
I was shocked that he could remember something from the normal world like that. "What else do you remember from the real world, Mathias? The one before this so-called utopian society I created with black magic? Do you remember how to get back home?"
He stared at me peculiarly for a moment, his face strangely blank. "Get back home? How could I ever get back home? Why would I ever want to leave Norway? THIS is my home, King Lukas. I was created just to be with you."