Hey there. Spring break is here and I have a desire for +anima, so that can only lead to a new chapter.
Only thing I have to say before we start though is, whoops, typo. Thank you Stelra Etnae for pointing out that Husky's real name is Myrrha, not Myrrah, as I've been saying. Myrrha looks more pretty and exotic anyway, so from here on out I will be using for correct spelling for his name.
Chapter 7 - Of Anima and Princes
It wasn't until the next day that Keane and Straton decided to go check out how bad the damage from the fire was. They actually had the time too, since classes were canceled due to the chaos. Walking down to the bottom floor of the palace, they didn't actually leave the steps, looking out from behind the wall as to not get in the way of anyone who was working on the repairs.
One of the walls looked rather seared, black stains running all along it, tainting a bit of the ceiling as well. Other then that, there wasn't too many other signs of damage, besides a few holes in the walls quickly being patched up by workers. After a quick swoop around from their perspective, the two boys quickly left the entrance to the ground level, returning back to the prince's floor.
"Well, at least it wasn't that bad," Keane said once they reached the top of the stairs, and Straton nodded in agreement, although in truth they couldn't really tell what the outside looked like. Nothing had been destroyed beyond repair though, and the palace wasn't really the most flammable building in the world, being composed mostly of stone, which probably helped curb the fire's spread by quite a bit. Neither boy was quite sure what else to say on the subject, even if the damage was easily repairable the simple fact of what had happened being conformed without a shadow of a doubt pricking in the back of their minds.
Reaching Keane's room the two went inside. They never went to Straton's room, mainly just out of the habit of going to the redhead's instead. They tended not to talk too much about the ever looming problems increasing throughout the country, but it was starting to get a bit too much to ignore. It was all anyone else talked about, and truth be told there weren't really that many alternatives. Life in the palace but both leisurely and tough, but it was also quite repetitive after a while.
"What do you think set it off?" the ginger asked, and Straton simply shrugged in response. There hadn't been too much speculation on why as of yet, everyone too caught in the fact that it did. "I still can't believe that actually happened…" Keane mumbled slightly, the blonde nodding his head.
"Most people here can't," he said, an impassive tone to his voice. Keane couldn't help but sigh at this. Straton was still as weird as when he first really met him. It was like he didn't grow up the same way as the rest of them.
"You can though. You just feel it's a matter of time before everyone blows up and tries to kill us all," Keane said, his voice a bit sharper then he had intended. It wasn't that he was mad at the blonde, it was just the stress from the country and Straton thinking that they were all doomed didn't help him at all.
It was a few moments before Straton decided to reply. "I never said that something like that would happen, just that the people are unhappy," Keane really didn't get this kid some times. Of course the people were unhappy, anyone could see that.
"I know, but what am I suppose to do about it, I'm not king yet," the red head nearly pouted. Straton nodded, almost like he expected some kind of answer like that. Keane took a deep breath to try and get rid of the last of the irritation he was feeling. It wasn't Straton. It was the stress of the country. He had to remember that. "Why are you so different?" Okay, maybe he could of put that a little more tactfully. Always saying the wrong thing…
"What do you mean?" the blonde asked, looking more confused then anything. Keane mentally thanked himself that Straton seemed to have a pretty long temper, so far only nearly drowning a person having set it off.
"Well, I mean, you're just really different from all the other princes, even me. Kind of like how Myrrha was, only without the anger issues…" the red head managed, trying to pick his words carefully. How could he ever address easily offended embraceries from hostile nations if he couldn't even talk to a friend without being afraid he was going to say something wrong? And a very mild mannered one at that. He couldn't help but think the comparison to Myrrha had been appropriate, they were similar. The silver haired boy had always seemed to understand the tension of the country better then everyone else. Keane had chalked it up to his training to be king, but now he wasn't so sure.
"I just don't like violence or power all that much. I probably wouldn't of been born a prince if I had a choice," Straton said, starting to flip through one of the Asterian manuals on Keane's desk. That was a bit of a surprise though. Not the first part, Keane had figured that out long ago, but not being born a prince. He knew Straton didn't exactly fit in, but never really thought of any other possible lifestyles.
"What would you want to be then? If not a prince?" the red head asked, more out of curiosity then anything. Truthfully, Keane would of liked to just be a low ranking prince, like Straton. He would still have a relatively easy like, without all the stress of ever becoming king.
"… an anima," the younger boy said after a few moments of thought, startling Keane quite a bit. There was no way he heard that right. Straton was weird, but not that weird.
"Wha? Why would you want to be a slave?" Straton just shook his head though, flipping another page of the manual.
"Not a slave, I never said that," he explained slightly, although it still didn't make any sense to the crown prince. Anima were immediately made slaves in Sailand, there wasn't any choice in the matter. Unless they were a part of those rebel groups terrorizing the country for freedom, but there was no way Straton would want that, he had just said that he didn't like violence.
"Then what do you mean? How would you keep from being a slave?" was there ways to stop that from happening besides joining some sort of terrorist group? Keane had no idea, besides hiding all your life, but that didn't sound like much fun.
Instead of an answer to his question, Keane was met with his Asterian book flying towards him, which he just barely managed to catch. Completely bewildered at this point, the ginger looked up towards Straton, who had a very slight smile on his face. Keane could easily see it though, the blonde didn't really wear his emotions on his sleeve.
"I'd go to Asteria, anima aren't slaves there," the younger boy said finally, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Keane had to admit, put like that it was. He had to wonder why most anima didn't do that anyway. Really, they had all these crazy animal powers, surely they would be able to make the trip.
"Hey Straton?" Keane asked after a small moment of silence, a thought coming to him. It was probably stupid, but he knew it wouldn't stop bothering him until he asked, and if Straton wished he was an anima then maybe he would know.
"Yeah?" the blonde answered, attention now solely on the red headed boy, seeing as he had thrown his book.
"Are anima… born?" it probably was a stupid question, but he never heard anyone say that they were. It was always that someone became an anima. The law was that if a individual were to become an anima, then they were to immediately be scheduled for sale and slavery. He just didn't know how something like that happened. Apparently they had labs and places in Asteria that actually studied that sort of thing, but they didn't really bother with that kind of stuff in Sailand. Anima were slaves, and it didn't go much farther then that.
"I don't think so. I'm pretty sure something happens to turn then into anima," the blonde answered, and Keane nodded. Okay, so at least he was right about that, but he still had no idea what could possibly cause people to sprout wings and grow claws. Was it something they choose?
Before he had a chance to ask, Straton stood up out of his seat. "I need to go do something for a moment. I'll be back shortly if you wish," the blonde said, beginning to walk towards the door. Keane was a bit surprised at his sudden switch back to respectful and proper, but simply nodded in response.
"Um, yeah, take your time. Want me to come with you?" he asked, but Straton shook his head in the negative.
"No thanks, it shouldn't take too long," the younger boy said before leaving without another word. Keane shrugged to himself before lying down on his bed, waiting for Straton to return. He should probably be studying right now, but he never got a day off anymore, so he was going to use it to the best of his abilities of doing nothing.
Straton walked down the halls of the palace looking for one boy in particular. He had yet to find out exactly what happened after to left Keane alone with the other princes before the fire, and the redhead wasn't about to tell him. Normally he wouldn't go around prying like this, but he just had a feeling whatever happened was out of line. Keane had looked like he'd seen a ghost before those horns started blasting. And afterwards for that matter, but that was most likely for an entirely different reason.
Walking towards the courtyard he didn't even reach it before the person he wanted came into view. The blonde wasn't sure if that was luck or not, but he was alone, and he had the chance he wanted to talk with him.
"Maxwell," he called, causing the other boy to turn around at the sound of his name, only to sneer and turn the other way and continue walking. Straton simply picked up his pace until he was beside the dark haired boy. "I just wanted to ask you something," Straton tried, although Maxwell didn't let up on ignoring him any.
The younger boy could now see a bruise that had formed on Maxwell's nose. They must of gotten into a fight, although it had to of been quick, since it hadn't taken Keane too long to meet him in front of his room. Sighing just slightly under his breath, Straton decided to try one more time.
"I just want to know what you said to Keane after I left, I'll stop bothering you right after you t-" the blonde wasn't able to finish his sentence, a force pushing him back and into the wall, hard. Looking up slowly, he knew it was Maxwell who had pushed him, that was a given, and now the older boy was staring down at him, anger ablaze in his eyes.
"It's none of your business what I said to that halfwit, got it? So stop going around acting like you're some kind of savior of peace! You're not, you're just a weak little freak who can't do anything but try and play the social game in order to get ahead in life. Everyone knows Keane isn't suppose to be king and that's what I said! It's his fault if he can't face up to the truth," Maxwell yelled before stomping off down the hallway. Straton didn't attempt to move until he was well out of view.
Feeling the part of his head that slammed the wall, he pulled back to reveal a slight wetness. Blood. It wasn't much, definitely nothing life threatening, but the blonde sighed to himself as he stood up, just a tiny bit lightheaded from the hit.
Keane was definitely going to want to know what had caused all this, and for some reason Straton didn't think telling him 'I fell' was going to cut it.
And completed. Hurray, now I can go study for my AP exams which I have been putting off for several days. Fun fun fun. Seems like Maxwell has got some issues. Of course, if you're in one of my stories, you're probably not going to be perfectly sane. At least, not by the end of it.
Well, I hope you enjoyed it and please review.