Day 7 – This chapter.
Also, Happy New Year to my readers!
The first thing she felt was pain, an awful burning stimulus pushing its way through her nerves and making her want to scream until her voice died and her throat became raw. Then, came the confusion, along with a flood of jumbled memories that made absolutely no sense. If that really happened...how am I still alive? She thought, before ignoring that and focussing on her current situation. She was ravenous, and needed to feed to ensure her own survival. As usual, that came before anything else, she could find out how she was still living after securing that life.
She blinked in shock when she realised that her eyes were already open, she just couldn't see anything in the complete and utter blackness. That was unusual, normally even in the eternal night of her homeland she could still perceive things from miles away, her post-human eyes allowing her to see through the darkness, but now she couldn't. Had her deal with the horror utterly removed her vampiric powers? Panic shuddered through her mind, but even existence as a normal human again was preferable to the fate that her bargain with Nocturon should have consigned her to – she would persist, make more contracts with demons to secure her immortality again, sell her soul a thousand times over and commit unspeakable atrocities if it stopped her from having to die. I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Her mind wailed, before she quickly brought herself back under control again.
Alright, calm yourself down, you need to stay calm if you are going to escape this place, she told herself, concentrating on the issue of her survival and pushing it in front of the desire to live forever. That could be thought about once she managed to find her whereabouts and leave. She made to stand up, but with that came a nauseating sensation that made her want to throw up. She couldn't feel her limbs – more precisely, she couldn't feel anything, not even the inside of her own mouth with her tongue, or the breaths of air that should be passing in and out of her nose. All she could feel was the constant burning, but the woman didn't actually know whether she was actually on fire or if it was just her nerves making her feel the pain, blocking out the possibility of any other stimuli. That seemed more likely. What was she supposed to do if she couldn't feel, see, smell or taste anything? She suddenly thought with a jolt that if all four of those senses were gone, then how would she know if she could detect sound or not? She couldn't hear anything, but that didn't necessarily mean that her hearing was gone.
Breathe, breathe. Sensory deprivation isn't the worst you have gone through. Well, it is, but at least you are still alive.
"Unfortunately not for long, Aksua-Dear," a voice, one that she had encountered before, pushed itself into her mind, a piercing pain overriding the burning one and making the vampire instinctively try to clasp her ears, although she didn't know whether or not she had completed the action. It was familiar, this sound, and although two people owned this voice it was clear to Aksua which one was talking to her. The darkness suffused within the tone, the unadulterated evil, had grown a significant amount since she had last heard it, completely at odds with his twin's determined and less expressive voice, although the man still hid it within the mask of charming civility that fitted his noble heritage.
Johnias, she mentally growled, assuming that the fallen Lucerna would be able to hear her mind-voice considering he already had done once. She thought about taunting him, asking how the war was going, before quickly dismissing the notion. Provoking the thing that may have the key to her continued existence may not be the smartest idea, and Aksua colourfully curse when she heard Johnias laugh loudly, the beguiling noise infused with a merriment she knew to be false, though the man's natural charisma had carried over through his descent into darkness. He would have made an excellent king, if he could ever have got over how obsessed he was with himself.
"Tut-tut. Aksua-Dear, I'm disappointed: You decided not to insult me, and then forget that I can see into your mind whilst thinking thoughts like that," he scoffed, and Aksua felt real fear flow through her.
I'll do anything you want, please! I can do anything, just let me live! Name your deepest desires, and they shall be yours! She pleaded before she could stop herself, resorting to metaphorically throwing herself at Johnias's feet in her primal need for survival.
"Don't be silly, Pretty. You've already done more than enough for me," he purred, his voice like poisoned honey, and Aksua was sure she gasped in shock.
What? I never killed Marik! I don't understand, she thought in bewilderment.
"Oh, rest assured everything is going exactly to plan," he laughed, and Aksua could have sworn that he was wearing a huge grin. "Not that you will live to see these plans reach fruition."
No, please! I can still serve you! I can still help you! Aksua's mind voice was frantically screaming now, desperate with the need to carry on living, and Johnias chuckled, amused.
"Don't you think around 140 years of life is enough? That's far longer than most other humans will ever live," he jeered, his words splitting through Aksua's brain and drowning out her pleas. "I may not seem it, but I am wounded, and very close to death. That wouldn't do at all, but I'm not making any bargains with demons for my continued life. They would just turn them against me, but I need to live should my plans ever be enacted. Therefore, I'm going to take the immortality you gained. Don't worry, it's going to a good cause."
You bastard! She shrieked, trying to do something, anything, to free her from this mess, free her from Johnias's clutches.
"Seizan, if you please," he commanded, the words coloured with a demonic imperative that carried the voice of the abyss. A huge horned beast, the same colour as yellow and aged bone, appeared in her line of sight, like it was floating aloft in the impenetrable void, grinning maliciously, though that was the only expression it had ever worn, perpetually mocking those that looked upon it. She screamed in panic, trying to move away from the Perverter of Truth, and then suddenly recalling that Johnias had just said her demonic master's name, and she had heard it without her mind exploding. The dark lord laughed then, the sound full of genuine amusement, giggling wildly at her thoughts.
"Really, Seizan said that? He is quite the trickster, isn't he?" he sniggered, and the demon's face half-twisted into a frown. "He does fancy himself quite the master of deception, although in reality he is simply a pawn of my resident Archdemon, and therefore a slave to me. Now get on with the extraction. I'm bored."
Aksua shrieked with fury as the realised that her destiny had never laid in her hands – first, she had been given over to the vampire clans by the controlling elders of her village, who had regularly donated innocent young women to them to spare their own hides. Then, she had been manipulated by the vampires themselves, groomed to become a slave, a toy, of their ruler. When she finally obtained freedom from Kalitas, she then had to be a slave to her vampiric needs, and in her effort to escape them and wreak her vengeance upon the society that had abandoned, abused and persecuted her, ultimately becoming a pawn of Seizan. No longer.
"It's a bit late now, isn't it?" Johnias scoffed mockingly, as the demon advanced through the midnight murk towards her, the vampire rooted to the spot inside her own mind as three-fingered hands reached towards her.
"I've always wondered how a vampire's soul would taste."
.*.*.*.
Caiellis awoke quietly, trying not to disturb his brother who snored peacefully next to him and feeling unexpectedly refreshed, until he fully remembered the events of the day before. His eyes snapped over to the chair beside the bed, but it was empty, and Cai stifled a yawn as he attempted to silently get up, realising that he was still in the operation room that seemed surprisingly more pleasant in the absence of the vast majority of medical machinery, including the needle device that had been the source of much of Alex's agony. He couldn't disentangle himself from the blankets that were wrapped around him and his big brother, so resolved to debate upon whether to break his older sibling's sleep so he could get out or to just snuggle back down against the protective form of the older boy, though he probably wouldn't be able to sleep.
The door quietly opened, and Caiellis automatically moved protectively in front of his wounded brother, before identifying the intruders as the grizzled surgeon-general, who regarded the muddle of limbs comprising the two princes with slight levity, and the singer of the purification ritual, who smiled down at the tired junior prince as the boy rubbed his eyes with his left hand, the right somehow trapped beneath his brother. The lights turned on, although not quite to the oppressive intensity that they had the day before.
"Lord Caiellis, do us a favour and wake up your brother please. We need to perform some tests to ensure Lord Alexander is recovering properly," the woman said, her voice friendly and encouraging, quite at odds with the loud and devoted singing she had shown yesterday. Cai prodded his brother on the nose with his free hand, met by a groan of annoyance. "Come on Alex, rise and shine."
"Can we just stay in bed a few more minutes, Santhia?" the boy moaned, slowly opening his eyes and blinked in surprise when he met the entertained eyes of his little brother, instead of the granddaughter of the Scientia Mos Hierarch, a full year older than him – at the time he had been fifteen. Cai grinned mischievously and snickered: "Oh, so that's why you refused to take me around the Scientia libraries, and weren't at the house when I got back. That explains a lot."
Alexander twisted his little brother's arm painfully behind his back, still much stronger than him even in his injured state, eliciting a yelp of pain, and whispered threateningly in his ear: "You tell anyone about that, baby brother, and you're dead." He increased the pressure to emphasise the point, and then went bright red when he noticed the two Ordo Medella doctors glancing down at him.
"Are you quite finished?" the man asked sternly, though there was a glint of amusement in his otherwise harsh and clinical eyes. Alex patted his brother on the arm gently and released him, a smile that was both innocent and sheepish at the same time, not willing to reveal that his little wrestling match with his younger brother had hurt him under the calculating gaze of the Ordo doctors. Caiellis slid off the bed, stretching and then walking to the side of the surgeons, as the woman increased the light so that they could better examined the older prince's injuries. Alex felt like an animal on display at the zoo, and shied away from the pitying glances they gave him, burrowing further beneath the blankets. He wished they were paying attention to someone else, but then no one had been hurt as badly as him and his little brother's wounds had most likely already healed.
"Don't be shy, Lord Alex," the woman gently chastised, slowly inching towards the boy in an attempt to soothe him. Alexander hated the soothing tone, the pity in it, feeling that a Lucerna shouldn't have to face that. He felt stupid for not being strong enough to both protect his little brother and let the vampire wound his as much as she had, and pushed the awful memories of the previous night back down as the doctor peeled the blankets off him, trying to ignore the seductive purrs of Aksua that were striving to break past his barriers of self-control and make him fight back against those that were endeavouring to aid him.
Sensing his brother's distress and also knowing how much he hated hospitals and being the centre of attention because of his wounds (Alex thought it looked pathetic), Caiellis placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him, the comfort of contact calming his brother's breathing and slowing down the beating of his heart. He sat on the side of the bed but ensured he was still out of the way.
"Well, the first question is how do you feel?" the eldest doctor asked once the boy was free from his cocoon, expert eyes analysing the stitches and bandages to see if any needed altering or replacing. Alex replied with a simple and diverting mumble of: "'m fine"
"And by fine do you mean aching, with stinging pains around the nail and magic wounds, completely exhausted and mortified by all the attention, correct?" the surgeon-general snorted at his look of incredulity, "Don't play "fine" with me boy, I've often had to deal with reckless Lucerna princes and nobles in my time, including your father, who said the exact same thing after defeating the traitorous Light-bearers of Epulaeous and their new greater demons and was greatly wounded. I've had my fair share of "fine" in my time, so don't try and pull the wool over my eyes."
"Please excuse Surgeon-General Mortan, sometimes he does go on rants. It must be due to his age," the other doctor cut in, winking at the boys and checking the data shown on the single machine plugged into their patient. "All seems to be well, although you will definitely be bed-ridden for the next few days as your body recovers."
"Don't look so glum, Alex," Cai offered when he noticed how down the other boy had become, "It is a miracle that you survived these wounds without permanent physical damage."
"Do not get hasty, Lord Caiellis. Lord Alexander may receive numerous scars, and his physical ability could be impaired forever," the grizzled doctor added, as if he was trying to undo Cai's work to make his brother feel better. "Although I highly doubt it with your fortitude. You Lucernas really are stubborn bastards."
"Mortan!" the woman gasped, aghast at the disrespect he was showing to the two potential heirs to the throne. The man replied with a sarcastic, "Yes Esmelde? How may I help you?"
Caiellis burst into laughter, almost falling off the bed, the noise very welcome to Alex's ears after the days of a depressed little brother and the news that he would have to remain in bed-ridden limbo for the next few days. The surgeon-general couldn't stop a small grin from coming onto his face, and turned away to adjust dials on the machine before his companion saw.
The door opened, and Cai instantly stopped laughing when Marik strode in, the man's gaze immediately halting on his eldest's injuries. He walked next to the bed, ignoring how his youngest silently slid to the back of the room, and grinned at Alexander.
"How are you feeling, Alexander?" he inquired, his voice more cheerful knowing that the boy was awake and seemed well after almost losing him the day before.
"I'm good," he replied, looking down when his father arched an eyebrow in dubiety, sharing a glance with the surgeon-general, who just shrugged despairingly. "If you say so. And how are you, Caiellis?"
The younger boy was opening the curtains under the pretence of checking for sunlight, something he was sure that his father didn't know he did (he wasn't convinced that the man knew anything about him at all) and took no notice of the question, scowling when he heard the man sigh loudly.
"The king asked you a question," Mortan interjected, not used to a child showing disrespect to their parent and entertaining the notion that the boy had not heard. "He asked how you were."
"I'm fine, thank you," he answered pleasantly, giving a small smile to the doctor and completely blanking out the presence of his father, who exhaled a frustrated breath.
"Caiellis, if you want to persist in acting like a five year old, then please be my guest, although holding childish grudges isn't helping anyone," he scowled, and added: "Least of all yourself."
He looked at the back of the boy's head, sensing his eldest's demeanour change, no doubt worrying about whether or not his little brother and father had fallen out again, and wished his youngest would stop thinking about solely himself for once. Marik could perceive the "gears in Caiellis's mind twirling" as his wife had always used to put it, so proud of her youngest's intellect and perception of a far higher calibre a child his age should have been. Cai was carefully considering how he should respond, not really caring what his father thought of it but more concerned about the impression his brother would be getting about him and dad. Alex shouldn't have to worry about anything other than his own recovery.
Staying silent would make him look petty and sullen, whereas what he wanted to do, which was shout at his father, would definitely make Alexander more worried than he was already – had dad really expected him to forgive him overnight for the things he said; Cai thought it was quite understandable that he was annoyed about his own father lifting off his feet by the collar and shouting in his face.
"I'm not holding grudges, dad, I just don't want to talk in case I can't control my emotions and start another fight," he responded maturely, grinning inwardly. That was good – the tone had been inflected with enough guilt and child-like innocence to make Marik feel sorry for his actions and surprise the man, whilst also diffusing the tension that was building up in the room around them. Furthermore, the words still informed Marik that his son was still annoyed at him. He was more than happy to have another shouting match with his father, but not in front of his big brother. Poor Alex had enough on his plate, he didn't need to see his precious little brother and father he looked up to fighting. "Surgeon-general Mortan, can Alex eat? I was just thinking about getting breakfast."
At the mention of the prospect of nourishment, the older boy's stomach rumbled loudly – neither boy had eaten anything since yesterday morning (actually, come to think of it Cai had barely touched the Welkalite food anyway), the pastry cakes they had taken from the Glutton's Quarter incinerated in the wreckage of the automobile, and Alex looked hopefully up at the doctor. He was starving.
"I suppose he should have something to provide sustenance and aid with his recuperation," the doctor admitted, and then narrowed his eyes at the jubilant look in his patient's eyes, "Although only get him something small. His body is still recovering and won't be able to keep down a large meal."
Caiellis nodded and left without another word, not asking his father whether he wanted something to eat or not, though the man hadn't had any breakfast he wasn't going to leave his eldest's side until the boy wanted him to.
"Dad... are you and Cai alright?" Alex's concerned and slightly hesitant voice cut through the silence, worried about the strange actions of his little brother and the fact that their dad had mentioned holding grudges, indicating the two had an argument. Marik decided to play down the massive row that had taken place for the sake of his older son, replying: "Me and your brother did have a little shouting match, but it was mostly because we were so stressed as we were both extremely scared for you. Anyway, he is a teenager now. That sort of thing is to be expected."
"The little dude doesn't usually start arguments, he just responds to anger in the same way," Alex mused, and Marik couldn't help but feel that the boy was in the same sentence either accusing him and trying to give him advice. He was so protective of the younger boy, but that was what had led to this mess in the first place. The king sat on the chair beside his son, checking his chronometer – the time was 08:47, and the first meetings discussing the war effort would begin at ten, so he had enough time to spend with his son, although he wished he could have sat all day beside the boy and never leave until he recovered. The doctors took their leave, and Marik stood up, his eyes flicking to Alex, "Do you mind if I leave you alone for a few seconds? I just need to do something. I'll promise I'll be back soon."
"Dad, I'm not a kid. I'm sure I'll be fine for a few seconds," he responded, feeling a slight shiver of fear go up his spine. In fact, he was terrified of being alone, where the memories of Aksua would rise up and no one would be there to stop them, but he needed to face his fears and stop acting so pathetic. Marik smiled back and left, swiftly striding across the hallway of the Medella hospital in the tracks of the doctors. He quickly found them, and then declared: "Surgeon-General Mortan, Choirmaster Esmelde, please give me a moment of your time."
Both doctors turned around, surprised, and Marik fell to his knees, pressing his forehead into the ground.
"Thank you for saving my son!" he shouted, tears filling his eyes as he infused the words with all of the relief and gratitude he felt after Alex's life was saved. The older doctor chuckled quietly. "We were just doing our duty to the royal family."
"Name anything you want as a reward, and it shall be yours," Marik stated, fully willing to give these people anything they desired (within reason) for rescuing his eldest from death's door. Mortan then laughed, amused. "Saving lives is enough of a reward, King Marik. And anyway, without you, my family would have died in the siege of this city, so for that I am immensely grateful also."
Before Marik could respond, an angry gasp sliced through him, and he raised his eyes to see a furious Caiellis holding a platter covered with appetising looking food from the hospital restaurant glowering at him from behind the doctors.
"What are you doing here? You haven't left Alex alone, have you?" he hissed as Marik got to his feet. "Your brother said that he would be fine alone for a few seconds. And do not use that tone with me, young man, unless you want to be disciplined."
"Of course he said he would be alright!" Cai almost exploded with anger, shouting Marik down before he could reply. "He doesn't want to worry us, but every time he is alone he is terrified! You are such an idiot!"
Marik stood, stunned for a second, before his youngest pushed past him, the food forgotten and the tray dumped on a nearby cabinet, shooting down the corridor to his brother's room. He hoped the older boy would be alright after their stupid father left him alone: did the man not realise what his big brother had gone through, and that he would be scarred by the memories of the day before? Cai slammed the door open and his eyes landed on the trembling form of his brother, who tried to hide the fact that he was underneath the blankets.
"Alex," he soothed, sitting beside the boy on the bed and wrapping his arms around him. "Calm down. Everything is ok. I'm here for you."
Alex slowly stopped his shaking, and Caiellis wanted to start crying when he saw the tears in his brother's terrified eyes, the wide blue orbs full of fear and disgust. He forced himself to calm his breathing, hugging his younger brother close and concentrating on the boy's voice. Angels damn it! I'm so pathetic! He thought, before giving the smaller boy a rough noogie and assuring him: "Don't worry, kiddo, I'm ok now. I just panicked a tiny bit. Don't blame dad, it's not his fault."
"It is his fault! He should know better, he's your father!" Cai cried, pressing his head into the older boy's arm and violently crushing the urge to sob under the heel of determination and anger. "Why would he ever think it would be ok to just leave you alone?"
Marik sped into the room a moment later, the two Medella operatives following close behind him, Esmelde carrying the abandoned platter of food, and the instant he arrived Cai extricated himself from his older brother and shoved past their dad before he gave in to the urge to scream furiously at the man, fiercely wiping away the tears that were emerging from his green orbs before any of them could see. He slammed the door behind him and took off.
Marik sighed loudly, feeling drained already despite the fact it was only morning and there would be plenty more duties to complete before the day concluded, and that he had barely even argued with his youngest, though it still exhausted him. Fine, if Caiellis wanted to work against him rather than with him then he wouldn't give into the boy's game, but he just didn't want Alexander to have to suffer for it.
"Are you alright, champ?" he asked, his voice full of concern but still tinted by a minute slice of volcanic irritation that he tried to keep out of his tone. "I'm sorry for leaving you alone if you weren't up to it."
"I'm fine, dad," Alex insisted, glad that the expression of pity on his dad's face was slowly exchanged for one of parental pride. "Don't get angry at Cai, it was my fault he reacted like that. I shouldn't have been so weak in front of him."
Marik's mouth almost gaped open. His eldest was actually blaming himself for the argument between his father and little brother! Was he that loving that he was unwilling to accept that it was their fault for the animosity between them, and that meant he had to accuse himself of being at fault?
"No Alexander, this is not your fault. You shouldn't have ever been hurt in the first place, it was your brother that left you to face the vampire alone, and I have clearly been too soft on him if he thinks that I will just accept this from my own son," Marik affirmed, his authoritarian and kingly voice brooking no disagreement and making Alex hang his head in shame, "But anyway, enough about Caiellis. He can continue to stay in his teenager tantrum, I won't let it affect me or your recovery. Would talking about what happened help at all?"
Sensing that they were no longer needed, Mortan briefly check the display of the monitor while his compatriot placed the tray of food on the opposite side of the room, away from the equipment, where the king could easily get it for his son, before leaving the father and son alone. Alex didn't respond, so the king broke the silence that had descended, punctuated only by the languid beeping of the machines.
"You know, I am sorry. I am sorry for leaving you alone in the war, I am sorry for sending you both away after only a month when I should have held you close, and I am sorry for letting you get abducted and hurt this badly." Marik said, his voice uncharacteristically soft and coloured with sadness.
When his heirs had been young, he had often wished for them to grow up faster so that they could be at his side and help him rule, and watch them grow into young men – it was Emili that was better at dealing with children, but now, even though his youngest had only just breached his teenage years and his older son hadn't left them yet, he found himself increasingly wishing that they were both small children again, and he could just gather them up in his arms and guard them from the world. He pushed the thoughts away – his sons were in a very hormonal and fragile part of their lives, as Alexander was becoming and adult while his youngest was going through puberty, and he would be there to support them ever step of the way, no matter what age they were, and his stricken eldest didn't need to see him emotional.
He just hoped that Caiellis would stop being angry at him, though he feared that there would be many more arguments and disputes to come – the younger boy was very intelligent, but he didn't quite have the experience or maturity to interact with people properly yet. Marik wished he would be more like his brother, before crushing that thought as well – both his sons were unique, and that should be celebrated. Just because Caiellis didn't necessarily react as well towards his father didn't mean that the man should desire for him to be like Alexander.
"Dad, this is probably going to be a stupid question, but did the runt tell you about the Resistance?" Alex's voice broke through his reverie, and he looked back at his son who was now sat up, rolling his muscles and flexing his muscular arms. He sat down on the chair when he realised that he had just been towering over his confined son, knowing that the boy would be irritated that he couldn't complete the daily workout he set for himself now that he was back in Lucael.
"No, your brother did not. Did they help you escape Welkas?" he asked, assuming that this what the group was, most likely remnants of the Ja'an Guard that hadn't been corrupted like the rest of the Welkalites apparently had. He found it ridiculous that Jarred Redhand battled for so long to secure the freedom of his people from the despotic and autocratic lineage of tyrants that lorded over them, but only twenty years after he had done so the society of the New Empire reverted back to that way of life, although he could well empathise with the man succumbing to grief when his children and wife had been assassinated – he doubted the Protector was even still alive; Redhand probably having taken his life and the Orders just pretending he was still living to assume control. When his eldest nodded, about to elaborate, Marik unintentionally interrupted him, "And I assume that they want our help to free the civilians of Welkas from the Orders of Passion, insisting that the forces of Lucael should not pillage and slaughter them when we lay siege to the New Empire?"
"Pretty much," Alex replied, and he stopped his stretching, annoyed that he couldn't really do it properly in his bed and that there were no weights. He was glad that his father understood, and after a few seconds of silence Marik offered: "I also apologise for not telling you or your brother about Aksua."
"Wait, what? You knew that bitch?" Alexander questioned, a quizzical look on his features, and Marik belatedly remembered that he had been unconscious at the time, not overhearing it like his younger sibling. "Yes, she tried to kill me during the second year of the war under Johnias's orders, though I did think she had died to Akroma. She must have fled to Welkas to lick her wounds. I'm ashamed to say that she did manage to seduce me after several months, and that I did tell her about you two."
"Dad, it's fine. You thought she was dead, and you probably didn't want us thinking that you had desecrates mum's memory," Alexander said softly, and Marik smiled. Bit late for that. He had definitely inherited Emili's thoughtfulness for emotional situations, and he was so proud of how kind this boy had become even without a father and mother and being one of the targets of the perpetrator of the civil war. "If I had told you, you might not have suffered as much in her hands, or known more of her abilities."
"Well she was quite persistent – she followed us all the way to where we were when we fought yesterday from Welkas even though we were in a Yentarian vehicle," Alexander added quietly, and then, trying to make it sound like his experience hadn't phased him, joked: "All things considered, she wasn't the worst person that could have attacked me, I mean-"
"And that's the end of that conversation," Marik quickly cut in, though he couldn't quite keep a smirk from his lips. He knew full well that Alexander had disobeyed his orders not to have a partner until he was eighteen in the civil war and after, but was willing to ignore that because he was a teenager, and a model child otherwise. He recalled his father beating him after he had done the same, flirting with the daughter of the then-Guardian of Cassida Principia, one of the first people that had wanted him to break out of his shell. If he could help it, he didn't want to act anything like his father, despite the man's methods working. He grinned reassuringly at his son, who looked as if he was about to fall asleep again
.*.*.*.
Caiellis left the hospital quietly, pulling his scarf up across his face to conceal his identity and protect him from the cold of the gently falling snow. The frost covered the predominantly golden-adorned architecture of the City of the Sun, so named because of it's closeness to the edge of the abyss and the fact that angelic sunlight more regularly pierced the midnight veil, although even with that it hadn't been sunny for fourteen years, the longest period without light in the history of the kingdom.
The youngest prince didn't want to stray far from the hospital, which was across the street from the magnificent Cathedralis ex Sol, the ornate building almost as large as the one in Capitalia Lux but arguably just as impressive, as the stained glass windows emitted a golden glow that illuminated the nearby streets and the fallen snow in light. Civitas Sol was by far the most religious of the cities, followed by the capital, and Hierarch Aretis and his clerics led hundreds of different sermons in the many chapels scattered across the metropolis. It was said that while Capitalia Lux was the throne, the seat of power for the blessed Lucerna monarchy, Civitas Sol was the glittering jewel of Lucael, foremost in grandeur out of the non-capital metropolises, and the prince didn't want people throwing themselves at his feet and begging for a blessing – or worse, causing a panic because the host of the Angel of the Black Sun was in their midst, as Caiellis knew that out of all the cities, the civilians of the City of the Sun feared him the most. Cai could sympathise with them though, as he also hated Black mana, despite using it often.
He only wanted to find somewhere quiet to relax and calm himself for a few minutes before going back to his brother. Cai felt that he would have exploded if he had stayed in his idiotic father's presence any longer. What was he thinking, leaving Alex alone? I should never have left to go get food, but then again, I didn't anticipate him being so stupid. He sighed, before realising that maybe such an action wouldn't be befitting of the normal thirteen year old he was trying to portray himself as. He had never interacted well with people his own age, finding them immature and too concerned in inconsequential things to be interesting.
Speaking of interacting with people... the boy thought, recalling that he hadn't spoken to Orzhova in the Mind Realm in a couple of days, though he had Summoned her. He walked inside the church, wishing he had a golden coin to press into the hands of the donation collectors, and went straight into the nearest empty self-reflection booth, where civilians could pray privately. He found it wonderfully ironic that he was going to contact one of the most hated beings (other than named demons) of those in the Cathedralis ex Sol in an area usually used to pray to her sisters.
He relaxed and let the transference into the Mind Realm take him, depositing him into the familiar location of his lonely cathedral of iridescent purple stained glass and choirs without mouths. The boy slowly stepped towards Orzhova, who was knelt in front of the largest window, wondering whether she knew he that he was there but assuming that the seraph must have done.
"I didn't know Avacyn was so preferable to me," the angel's voice, melancholy and sombre, hit him unexpectedly, and Caiellis sensed an undercurrent of malevolence that made him feel apprehensive, though not quite scared. "Wha-What?"
"Do not feign innocence with me, Caiellis, or have you forgotten that I live inside of your mind?" the angel fully unfurled her awe- and terror-inspiring black wings to their fullest extent, standing up. "So what is it about her that is so much better than me? Is it her strength? Her fearlessness? The fact that she has accomplished so much more than me?"
"What are you talking about?" the boy hesitantly asked, feeling the cold fury emanating from his Summoning and trying to ignore the part of his mind that screamed for him to leave while he still could.
Orzhova spun around, and Cai noticed for the first time that she had been crying, very real tears spilling down her face to join the golden ones etched on her pale cheeks. Her midnight eyes reflected the amount of sadness the angel felt, and Cai took a step back.
"Your dream! Avacyn was your Summoning!" she snarled, her voice getting louder and shaking with an otherworldly anger, yet one that was still all too human. "And do you think I like having Black mana?! Do you think I enjoy living as a pariah, an outcast, a disgrace, amongst my sisters?! I thought you understood me! I thought, after all these years of looking for the perfect Summoner, I had finally found the one. I guess I was wrong..." her voice drifted, becoming progressively quieter and softer before breaking off completely. Fantastic, the boy thought before he could stop himself, his mental state souring. Not only do I have to deal with an irritating father and a recovering brother, but now Orzhova has gone into tantrum mode as well! I don't have enough time for this. It's not like it was my fault I dreamed about Avacyn being my Summoning.
"Oh, so is that how you feel?" Orzhova demanded, and Cai quickly raised his hands to try and placate the furious dark seraph. "Fine then. I won't waste any more of your oh so precious time. Get out."
"What?" Caiellis asked, stumped. He took a step towards the angel, trying to comfort her, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"
"GET OUT!" she screamed, grabbing him by the collar and hurling him across the cathedral, where he slammed into the huge mahogany doors on the other side and tumbled out. Such a fall and impact should have hurt him, but neither his skin nor his clothes scraped on the ground outside, and the explosion of pain he should have felt simply didn't come. As he managed to get to his feet, the doors crashed shut in front of him, and instead of physical torment, it was emotional agony that assaulted him when he realised that Orzhova was his Summoning, and he shouldn't have thought those things about her. He bashed his small fists against the door, angry and disgusted with himself as once again he failed. "Please, let me back in! I'm sorry! Please, I'm sorry!"
Caiellis felt alone, like when he hadn't completed Orzhova's trial, but now instead of a crushing pressure and the weight of failure, he knew that he had destroyed his chances of ever being on good terms with the dark angel. Cai forced the guilt to turn inwards and focus on himself, instead of becoming fury and directing it outwards. "Orzhova, I'm sorry. Let me in, please..."
He pounded his fists on the door a final time before becoming wracked with tears, almost starting to sob uncontrollably as he realised how lost he felt, the loneliness of his mind without Orzhova overcoming him. He wiped his face, refusing to act pathetic even though no one but his angel would know.
"Orzhova. I am sorry for what I thought and what I said. And yes, I do not even begin to understand how your existence is with Black mana. I don't know what it is like to be treated as an outcast, but I can empathise slightly with you on being hated for something that wasn't my fault, though I have been kept away from it all my life. I'm not the perfect Summoner, and I'm not going to pretend to be. I'm just a failure in general, but I'm sorry for taking out my weakness on you. You didn't deserve it. If you want to stay angry at me, I understand and I don't blame you," Caiellis spoke quietly, though he was sure his words penetrated into the sanctum and that Orzhova could hear them. He wasn't entirely sure where the words were coming from, but they were infused with such a large amount of emotional resonance that he continued, though he didn't know how his angel would react. "But please, let me back in. I need to be with you. I don't think that you are inferior to your sisters simply because you have achieved less in the material world, nor do I hate you because you utilise Black mana or for what you did in Xarius's reign. But you are the only person I can talk to, with my brother recovering and me and dad constantly arguing. You are my only friend, and I am truly sorry for hurting your feelings. I should have taken it out on myself instead of you, and listened to your concerns."
He waited for a long moment, silence eclipsing the world and making the few seconds seem like aeons, and then sighed. Cai had poured his heart out into that speech, and if that wasn't good enough for Orzhova then there was nothing else he could do. Just as he was about to depart from the Mind Realm, leaving sorrowfully and feeling like he had screwed up even more, the angel's voice rang out. "Wait. You said friend, didn't you?"
Caiellis paused for a second, and then answered with a simple: "Yes."
"Do you really think that I am your friend?" Orzhova's sad voice reached his ears, tinted with hopefulness, and the youngest prince was reminded of a time long past when a tearful eight year old him had despairingly asked his older brother the same just after the twelve year old had prevented him from ending his own life when he finally discovered what his First Sisterhood angel had really done after the topic had been hidden from him. Maybe those weren't the best memories to bring up when he was trying to make amends with the Angel of the Black Sun, but Orzhova would already know, wouldn't she?
"Yes, I do think you are my friend. You are the only person other than myself that can comprehend how hard it is to live with the opposite forces of light and darkness roiling with you, although my life had been a walk in the park compared to yours," Cai replied, capitalizing on the moment, smiling sadly when the door began to creak open once again, before he was yanked inside and they slammed shut.
"I'm still mad at you," Orzhova insisted, though her eyes were no longer dejected, and she turned away before her Summoner could glimpse the tiny smile on her face, folding her arms and furling her wings. "Anyway, you should leave, reality is calling."
Cai let a cheerful smile split his melancholy features, sensing that his angel was no longer truly angry at him and was just putting on a show. "Thank you," he said, solemnly, before exiting the Mind Realm, feeling slightly better about himself.
His eyes cracked open, and he sat up in the chair of the self-reflection confessional, a strange exhaustion encompassing his mind as he stretched his arms and legs, before jolting backwards, startled at the presence of someone else in the booth. Hierarch Aretis smirked down at him, though he concealed it when the prince's eyes met his and made his expression drastically more respectful, kneeling in front of the seated boy. That made little sense to Caiellis, who was sure he had entered at the start of the twenty-two year old's sermon, which was supposed to last about an hour. Had the ambitious Hierarch called it off when he detected the magical potency of the prince entering the Cathedralis ex Sol? He wouldn't put it past Aretis to be more interested in gaining favour with a member of the Lucerna family than giving out religious speeches.
"My lord Caiellis, would you care to accompany me to the Sola Atria for the beginning of the strategy session?" the young man asked, his golden-brown eyes belieing little of his intent under Cai's scrutiny. The prince narrowed his own eyes, wondering what his motive was or whether the man was just being pleasant to get on good terms with him, when with a shock he realised that Aretis had mentioned the strategic planning to be starting now. Just how much time had passed in the real world? "I thought I would ask since you had spent almost an hour in the cathedral, though I do not presume to understand the whims of one as powerful as you."
Was that a hint of jealously in his voice? Cai thought, getting to his feet and ignoring the proffered hand. Whatever. He wasn't that concerned about what the Hierarch thought of him, but he may as well accept his offer. "Thank you, Hierarch Aretis. We go to the Sola Atria." he declared, masking the apprehensiveness he felt and putting on a confident face. While he may despise his position as the potential heir to one of the most powerful factions on the face of Magnus-Primae, it was his duty to act like he was suitable for the role as monarch in front of future subjects. He tore the scarf off and held his head high as he strode into the main chamber of the cathedral, in which golden light illuminated him and made the birthmark on his cheek seem even more stark and obvious. Cai smiled graciously at the people who gasped in astonishment and fell to their knees, feeling Aretis's judging eyes analysing his every movement as he amplified his voice so it would reach far into the building, giving a small: "Ave lux, citizens of Civitas Sol."
The boy favoured them with a magnanimous smile and bowed, mentally trying to stop his cheeks from burning and his body shaking from the attention. He would not have a repeat of the debacle in Capitalia Lux, especially since there was no one to rescue him this time around. The Hierarch followed him as the prince swiftly left, feeling ashamed at the equal amounts of respect and fear the people showed him, but unwilling to let Aretis perceive that. He swiftly walked to the ornate city hall where the strategy session would take place, the old clock on the central spire of the building informing him that they were almost late, a fact that no doubt his father would be thrilled about, having his son appear tardily to an important planning assembly. He brushed off the concerns, figuring that he didn't actually care what the man thought.
Caiellis pushed open the doors to the large room, giving a brief nod to the guards stationed either side, and was met with a disapproving glance from Marik, who said: "Nice of you to join us, Caiellis, Hierarch Aretis. We were just about to begin."
He beckoned over to a large table covered with an extensive map of Magnus-Primae, showing the positions of each different city or important location of the continent that was known by Lucael (Only Geansse of the Erian Conclave was labelled in their area, the rest simply known as the Deep Forest and a mysterious mass of green), with the exact positions of each Lucaelian army highlighted. There were several others sat around the table – Guardians Oleic and Tristram, Uncle Tybalt, general Carlis Montlea and his daughter Elizabex (Cai assumed Leo's absence indicated that he was with Alexander), and a man and woman that he didn't recognise from a brief glance alone, though the boy would probably be able to dredge up their identities from his memory at some point.
Only the most influential generals and Lucaelian figures were able to participate in the strategizing, who would then relay it to their captains and subordinates, although today's session would only be discussing preliminary plans for the assault as none of the Light-bearers from other cities had yet arrived. Cai knew that when his brother's condition had improved then their father wanted them to go back to Capitalia Lux and meet with all the Light-bearers, but meanwhile the Sola Atria would provide ample accommodation for the royal family.
The youngest Lucerna took the empty seat to the right of his father, although he was tempted to be petty and sit far across from the man and force Aretis to sit next to his king, but acting up in front of the commanders would make him look extremely childish. His dad regarded him impassively, his blue eyes as inscrutable and cold as ice, and instead of returning the look Cai examined each of the commanders, most of whom he knew anyway.
Tristram grinned back at him; Tybalt gave a tiny wink but otherwise his ancient face remained focussed; Carlis temporarily bowed his head while his daughter gave the little brother of her twin's best friend, and her own friend, a smile that showed how enthusiastic she was. This would be right up Elizabex's (and his own, he supposed) street, using logic, intellect and cunning to outwit their opponents while having to use mathematics to manage the forces, but he also wasn't surprised that Leodred hadn't come – the older boy would find it immensely boring, although he enjoyed combat and Carlis would no doubt want his son to follow in his footsteps. A smile almost ghosted itself over his features before he repressed it – how many other thirteen year olds would be allowed into war councils potentially deciding the fate of their faction's entire army?
The other members sat around the table reacted in the same fashion as the esteemed general, although Oleic sneered almost imperceptibly and Aretis smirked. Cai's eyes flicked over the empty chair to the left of his dad, imagining his big brother there, looking bored at the strategizing but giving his little brother a smile or an encouraging thumbs up when he glanced at him, and tried to ignore the emotions of loneliness and longing that welled up inside of him.
Marik slammed his hand on the table, instantly attracting the attention of his generals, and readied himself for using his kingly proclamation voice that would boom across the room and hopefully inspire them.
"My commanders, too long have we tolerated the menace of the New Empire of Welkas as they blamed minor attacks on bandits and continually harassed us as we concentrated on the greater threat of my own traitorous brother," he bellowed, noticing the enraptured gazes of his audience as he infused his voice with a small amount of motivational White mana to augment the message in the words. "I know that some of you advocated war from the very beginning, but I was unwilling to risk the safety of the kingdom after we had just ended a civil war. Instead, I argued that diplomacy was the correct way forwards. Clearly, I was wrong, and it led to the abduction of my precious sons (Caiellis could have snorted – surely he means precious son?), the only heirs to the Lucerna throne. Luckily, through their fortitude and strength, they managed to escape (it would help if you actually told us that) the despicable New Empire, although in kidnapping my sons they made a grave mistake. I also made a mistake in entertaining the notion of negotiating with these cowards. Now I say, no more! We strike to wipe the Orders of Passion from existence!"
A small cheer erupted from the commanders, quiet only because of the lack of people, although the guards at the door also joined in. Caiellis was busy realising just why he despised his father so much – it was the fact that he couldn't help but admire him, couldn't help but look up to him and think that if he was only half as successful as his dad then his reign would be worth it. That in turn led to him brutally crushing the emotions, reminding himself that this was the man that had caused his mother to die and wasn't close enough to his brother to prevent him from ripping Caiellis's and his brother's life apart, the man that had made him want to cause himself pain or even kill himself, the man that couldn't prevent his own children from being taken away despite being the king, the man that through all that still acted like he knew what was best for Caiellis, still acted like he knew his son when in reality he knew nothing! It also didn't help that the limbs on the left side of his body were throbbing painfully.
Marik didn't fail to notice that his youngest didn't deign to join in with the cheer, the boy instead turning his gaze upon the table to avoid eye contact with his father, and once again Marik could see Caiellis's mind working, tracing mental paths around the armies and forces and imagining them dancing around the cities of Welkas in a battle for supremacy, calculating expected losses from what he anticipated now he had visited the Empire (though he did not presume to know the true extent of Welkalite forces, especially since they consorted with demons, so made a wide margin for error), going over numerous different scenarios in his head at once and selecting the ones he thought best. Even though the boy was still angry at him, still locked within his teenager tantrums, he was glad to have Caiellis with him, and was certain that with all these generals at his disposal he should be able to work out an optimal strategy before going back to Capitalia Lux, saving tremendous amounts of time and allowing him to simply relay the orders to the commanders not present.
Once the noise had died down, Marik spoke again, this time outlining the plan that he himself had come up with so that his generals could pick it apart and improve sections of it, though he was confident it was pretty much the correct course of action. It involve a large amount of offence and seizing the initiative to devastate the Welkalite capital before responses from the other cities could come in – then, if they didn't surrender, they could focus their efforts on each other city one after another until either they did or Welkas was obliterated. It would involve lots of bloody fighting and quick deployments of armies, but Marik had often done so in the civil war (and others) and was familiar with that fighting style, it also being his most preferred. When he had finished, he asked: "Any questions, or improvements?"
"Yes, actually," Caiellis put in quickly, and his father turned to him curiously, "This whole plan is illogical. Instead of throwing all our soldiers into a single battle against the capital city, we should instead enact a long, protracted siege that forces them to draw their resources inwards, detracting from the forces in other cities. Then we can attack them and easily overwhelm them, draining away all their assets and materials from the rest of the empire. Then we can wait for them to make mistakes – if they leave the safety of the capital then we can annihilate their army, whereas if they don't then we can slowly surround and crush them until they are forced to react. We are better equipped for a long engagement, so I personally don't see the need for any rush that could compromise the whole war."
"Interesting," Marik replied simply, irritated by his son's tone, turning back to the rest of the council, "Anyone else?"
"Aren't you even going to consider it?" Caiellis demanded, not noticing the warning glance Tristram shot him. "I thought the whole purpose of the strategy council is to debate the plan, but it you don't want to even thing about my input then there is no point in me being here."
The king turned his coldly frustrated gaze back to his youngest son, who returned it defiantly, meeting his eyes and silently goading him to snap. Instead, he relaxed himself, refusing to shout in the middle of a war council, and alternatively responded calmly, "Caiellis, fix your tone, it is not suitable for a gathering of generals. And yes, while I have considered your ideas, I want this war to be over as soon as possible – first to prevent any other factions from trying to interfere, namely the Yentarian Republic, and also to ensure that the main body of the army does not spend too long out of Lucael, as for all we know Johnias is still active in the abyss and plotting to overthrow me."
The boy nodded, though he still didn't agree, and Marik then asked, "Any more suggestions."
"The part of the plan that-" his son was about to say, his disrespectful tone the exact same as before, still infused with annoyance and an accusatory tint, before Marik angrily slammed his fist on the table. "Caiellis!"
The boy rolled his eyes as if he was the one that had to deal with a petulant and insolent child, and sighed. "Oh I do apologise. My esteemed King Marik Ensis Lucerna, may you spare a moment to grant me your exalted permission to contribute my humble ideas to the discussion?" he half-sneered contemptuously, imitating some of the frightened servants that weren't familiar with their monarch, though both him and his father knew that Marik had snapped unnecessarily and that Caiellis had been perfectly reasonable in wanting to help. Marik scowled, his son making him look like a fool, and muttered: "Permission granted."
"Thank you," he smiled innocently, looking exactly like the diligent and helpful son Marik knew he would be if they got on better, "I was about to say that the fact that we are risking everything in a single battle is extremely reckless and not really necessary when we can take fewer risks and still achieve victory just as decisively. Furthermore, the Welkalite military is suited for huge amounts of violence in short amounts of time, so the plan that I suggested would help to counteract that. Finally, Usnaan is the capital of Welkas and we all know that they consort with demons – in fact, judging by the example of Ershun Firefist, Master of Gluttony, who me and my brother defeated in our escape, each Master of and Order of Passion has access to a greater demon – in his case it was Azarklak, Lord of the Everlasting Banquet, and although he stood little chance against two First Sisterhood angels, he still was a formidable foe, and if there are more powerful demons there then you could end up sending our army to all die in the first engagement. To conclude, I think that the plan that you have put forward is illogical, reckless and smacks of arrogance and not truly understanding our foes."
Although his son did raise thought-provoking points, the way he said it incensed the king, as well as Caiellis's clear intentions to insult him. "Show some respect, boy, or I will have you removed from this council and further ones."
"Why, are you not willing to admit that you could be wrong? You really do have some problems with listening to people," Caiellis spoke perfectly evenly, though each syllable was suffused with resentment and hatred. Before Marik could react and explode in front of his son, Tristram got up from his seat and yanked Cai out of his, pulling the weightless prince outside and placing his large hands on the boy's thin shoulders, who was beginning to tremble with rage.
"Cai, you really need to stop jabbing at your dad in the middle of a council session," he chastised, using the gently admonishing tone he had developed when he had to care for Alexander and his little brother during the civil war, though he had normally used this one on the older boy after the siblings fought, the younger prince at first not wanting to speak to him and preferring to talk to Uncle Tybalt. "While I don't know exactly what has happened between you two, though I did hear some angry shouting yesterday, I know that you and your dad aren't on the best terms at the moment, but you shouldn't let that get in the way of forming a strategy that will put soldiers' lives at stake, ok?"
"He's just so stupid!" Cai yelled, frustrated tears starting to well up in the corner of his eyes. "He refuses to accept that anyone but himself could be right, and he thinks that he knows me and Alex when in actual fact he doesn't know anything about us!"
Tristram sighed, knowing well that the volatile combination of the king's pride and his son's dislike of him due to what he had said to him when he had returned from the war, greeting to boy with disappointment and censure instead of love after nine years of not seeing him would have been bound to detonate sometime soon, and Alexander's wounding was evidently the perfect catalyst for it. He pulled the boy into a hug, resting his stubbled chin on his head in a manner that the boy's big brother had often done. "Caiellis, if you ever feel like you are under too much pressure, or that you don't want to talk to your father (he heard Cai snort) or brother about something, then me and Uncle Tybalt are always here to give advice or comfort you. I know you don't want to worry Alex, especially in the state that he is in, so if you want to talk to someone then don't forget that your Uncles are always willing to help. Just because the civil war has finished doesn't mean that we have stopped caring about you."
"Thanks, Uncle Tristram," the boy sniffed, and although the words were genuine and heartfelt the Guardian knew there was little chance that young Cai would want to share his worries or burdens with others, but he needed to know that just because his big brother was out of the picture for the moment and he felt animosity towards his father didn't mean he was alone. "I'm ready to go back in now."
They returned to the room, Cai becoming blank-eyed and shutting away his inner emotions in the fortifications inside his mind, and Marik smiled at Tristram, wondering just how the man and his fellow Capitalia Lux Light-bearer were so good with his children, and massively grateful he could call upon them as friends. His son still contributed to the planning, but never spoke out of turn or argued with his father, dispassionately inputting his thoughts on the situation. After the best part of two hours, he called the session to a close, very glad with the amount that they had done for the day; and anyway, it was time for lunch – unless his youngest son had gotten his own food, the boy hadn't eaten anything, which meant that the last time he had eaten food was yesterday morning. He meant to go and speak with Caiellis, but he slunk away before his father could reach him.
.*.*.*.
"Dammit Alex, you always get me with that!" Leo exclaimed in over-exaggerated indignation as his bed-ridden friend used his sappers to destroy the walls of Leo's city. They were playing the same card game that Elizabex had won on the monorail journey to the Scholaria Magnus to try and combat some of the boredom Alexander was feeling. The door was then pushed open and the boy's twin sister entered, followed quietly by the smallest Lucerna, whom Alex thought always looked too shy in the presence of his friends, despite the siblings knowing Cai ever since he was born.
"How was the war council?" Alexander asked, raising his eyebrows slightly as his little brother's lip twisted into a small frown before the boy returned to his previous blank expression. Elizabex replied enthusiastically, "It was as interesting as I thought it was going to be."
"So not at all," Leo sniggered, chortling with Alex at the impatient sigh his sister gave him, looking as if she was about to burst into one of her lectures about how strategy and forethought were just as important as martial skill. "What about you, short-stuff? How did you find it?"
Leodred grinned at the glower directed his way by the older brother, and Cai uttered: "Acceptable." Elizabex pondered informing her friend about the arguments his dad and brother had taken part in, but decided that of Cai wanted Alex to know then he should be the one to tell him, but if not then she shouldn't be blabbing her mouth about something the younger boy would want to keep secret. Her twin asked: "So is that good or bad?"
"Are you telling me that you don't know what acceptable means?" Caiellis let out a hint of a smile at Leo's annoyed glare and the warning glance Alexander gave his best friend, despite the fact that he had never hurt the younger boy and never would. "Of course I know what it means. I just wondered if you found it good or bad."
"I found it acceptable," Cai was grinning now and Elizabex ruffled his hair, "My student has learnt well."
"Your student?" Leo laughed, "Since when?"
"Since you always used to leave him with me when you took off to cause trouble," the girl smiled fondly at the memories of the two boys playing pranks on their teachers and getting caught and disciplined each time, even though she was sure Hierarch Tybalt had enjoyed the little games and discovering their new plans. "And he forced me to read him books that even I barely even understood at the time."
"Yeah, even at the age of two my baby brother preferred adult novels and history books to children's stories," Alex winked at his little brother, who scowled at the nickname he hated most. "Angels, he was a strange child. I'm still sure he's a Yentarian in disguise."
"You mean is a strange child," Leo added, turning his attention back to the game and staring intently at the cards in his hand. Elizabex shared an evil and conspiratorial glance with Cai, reaching out to her brother and dragging him off his seat. "Come on Leo, let's get something for us all to eat."
"But sis!" the almost-eighteen year old huffed as his stronger sister pulled him off the chair, though his struggling made the task exponentially harder. "We were in the middle of a game! Why can't you and Cai go?"
"Because," she answered, knowing just from the look in Alex's eyes that he wanted some time alone with the younger boy. "Anyway, you can return to your game when we've got lunch. Plus, you're Alex's best friend, so you should be able to choose a good meal for him."
Leo pouted and stopped resisting, walking out of the room with his twin sister. Elizabex was going to make sure they spent as long as possible getting the meal, just so her friend had more time to spend with his own brother.
Cai's green puppy dog orbs took in his brother, who stuck his tongue out at the look of concern the younger boy gave him, preparing himself for the flood of inquiries about his health and well-being, knowing that if the positions had been reversed then he would be doing the exact same as his sibling. He shook his head as the image of a contentedly smiling Caiellis with his eyes shut surrounded by pulsating tenebrosity, tried to usurp the real one.
"Alex, you ok?" the boy asked after a short pause, sitting down on the edge of the bed and reading the information on the single machine that was connected to his brother.
"I'm fine, runt. Just a little restless, that's all," Alex flexed his biceps meaningfully, "Can't stand all this damn resting. Not my style, little dude."
Caiellis let out a small chuckle. "Yeah. Because you're in the right condition to be up and about or training. It's not even been a day yet."
"Hey!" Alex protested indignantly, "I can still kick your ass, bitch!"
"Sure you can," Cai smiled, glad that his brother was at least acting normal, sliding further across the bed, "I would like to see you try it."
A half-hearted swipe at the youngest prince's head that was easily evaded was all it took to deflate the older brother, who groaned loudly and slumped back into his cushions. "Angels! Kill me now!"
Grinning from ear to ear in a way that he barely ever did, Caiellis reached out and ruffled his brother's spiking blonde hair, earning a deep growl of disapproval from Alex.
"Cai, do that again and I swear I'll-"
"Do what, Alex?" Cai taunted, though he posed the question as an adorably innocent inquiry, moving further backwards as a foot swung a bit too close for comfort, "What will you do, big brother?"
Alex scowled. His little brother was not going to get the better of him; "I'll..." he noticed how Caiellis still looked concerned for him beneath the annoying little brother persona, and he had to stop a grin from working its way onto his face. This could be profitable...
Coughing loudly and clutching his stomach, Alex's scowl suddenly faded, and it worked like a charm. Abandoning his quest to tease his older brother, Caiellis stepped closer, bringing out the puppy eyes in preparation for his brother to try and brush off the pain he was feeling. "Alex? Are you alright? Do you need any painkillers, or healing?"
"N-no, it's ok. I'm fine, urrgh," Alex rolled his head to the side, a flawless fake grimace plastered on his face that threatened to crumble when his little brother came within reach, mortified that by making Alexander move that the older boy had hurt himself. Just a little closer, baby brother... Ah, perfect!
Cai leaned closer to his brother, a small hand on his shoulder, and the next moment he was on his back, the boy's arm around his neck in a headlock and pinning him down. He blinked, dazed, up at his big brother, a wide grin on the upside-down older boy's face. Alex offered his little brother a bright and victorious smile, before promptly beginning to tickle the small boy, running his free hand through all of the perfect spots that a younger him had memorised that made the kid hysterical. Cai giggled uncontrollably, trying to futilely pull his brother's muscular arm off him and escape from the tormenting, though his body shook with laughter. He tittered hysterically, gasping for breath, his healing left arm complaining loudly at the mistreatment. "Ow-ow, hahahaha, please, ahahahaha, big brother, hahahaha, please, hahaha, stop."
Alex halted immediately, though his little brother laughing had always brought a smile to his face and provoked more laughs from him.
"Truce?"
"Truce," Cai gasped, still giggling even though his brother had stopped. Before he released the kid, Alex planted a kiss on his head, a rare gesture from the older boy, and said: "I know you are concerned for me, but I'm alright now. I know you blame yourself, and you shouldn't. Ok, little brother?"
"It was my fault," Cai sighed, the voice full of self-loathing, and Alex grinned: "If you say that one more time I'm gonna start tickling you again. So, is it ok, little brother?"
"Yes, yes, it's ok!"