The White Darkness

By Helbaworshipper

False Treaty Arc: Wakamiya Kingdom Preparation

The beautiful day was perfect for a sacred union. The Sun, most known for the sacred Lotis light, allowed the nearby flowers and food to glimmer to show what would happen after it was done. This was a ceremony of utmost importance. He could feel the power of the robes he wore, the pure white glowing. The people were starting to come in to simply sit at one of the fancy benches. They wore similar glowing white, only some wearing mirrors.

Turning towards the figure in front of him, currently dressed in an expensive fabric, did not speak. She seemed so happy to be in this situation. He moved towards her carefully with one hand hesitating as he grasped his mirror in his hand. It felt like a lead weight at the moment. She was smiling with such light but he… He didn't know if he truly wanted this.

The veil swayed against an incoming wind, but it wasn't a normal, gentle feel. It felt like it was a cutting, sharp wind. It cut into his arms, red blood slowly flowing down towards the ground. The others did not seem to notice it. In fact, he could see a few of them were now collapsed against the back of their bench. The veil was torn some, but not showing the face of the figure in front of him.

He moved another step towards the woman, starting to try and lift the fabric covering the face. He couldn't find the drive to do so. He didn't, for some reason, want to see who was under the fabric that served as the last barrier. He turned his gaze as he felt more wind cutting into everything. Flowers began to fall apart, people falling to the ground now, bleeding into the green grass.

"All you have to do is say one word." The voice did not come from the figure in front of them. It was behind him in some way. It sounded like a female voice, but he couldn't tell who it was from. It was familiar but it wasn't… "You can destroy everything in your way. All you need to do is will it into being..."

"Will what?" He asked, turning as he faced a figure in a gray veil. They seemed worn down, the dress almost falling apart. He swore he saw something that looked like tears going down their face. "Why do I need to will into being? What is..." He heard something fall, turning back to the woman in the white veil. As she fell, the figure behind him seemed to grasp his hand.

"Help… Help me… K-"

A cold wind woke him up, his body sitting up. He put a hand to his heart, trying to grasp his current situation. He shook as he tried to remember what was going on. Where was he? What time was it? He couldn't tell what was going on. He lifted one hand up as a voice broke into his stupor.

"Your Highness," it was a soft voice. A voice that normally someone would call a ghost. Yet it was the most comfortable voice he could hear at the moment. A woman with long black hair pulled into a bun looked towards him with a gentle gaze. He started to leave the bed as he watched her patient smile.

Having a personal maid that had once been his father's was awkward for him. Even when she woke him up in the morning, it still felt as if he was a kid in the garden napping. She always had a lack of words, even back then. Still, her voice was as gentle as he had remembered. Even with the slight scratchy sound when she tried to speak a bit over her usual tone. A hand on his shoulder told him she was quite serious, as usual.

"Is father going to meet me after breakfast?" He asked, moving towards his closet. The pajamas he wore couldn't keep the cold out, but he knew the warm sun would soon give him something to motivate him to get dressed. He needed to start his usual routine so he could maintain his current position.

Nodding, the woman moved out to allow him the privacy to change. Kayna was always like this, even with his mother around. As a child, she had helped take care of him constantly. He could remember many times when having a fever that she was always by his side. She was also supportive of his friendship with Princess Alice of the Seno Kingdom. His mother had also loved having Alice around him as a child.

Perhaps if things hadn't happened… Alice might have been his potential bride in this situation. Still, he couldn't argue against the treaty that would potentially end the war. He had to get ready for his next task. He couldn't stay like this forever. He grasped a uniform in the nearby armoire, beginning to place it on. That dream from before though… Why did it feel so real?

The archery dojo was an addition put in the castle before his father. It was old but built by a famous builder. Every heir to the Wakamiya kingdom trained in it to earn the right to inherit the throne. His own father had once been an amazing archer and had given him pointers when he was younger. However, he had never once shot an arrow. Only offering advice seemed somewhat hollow. Still, he needed to have more than just Lotis in his combat potential.

He grasped one of the well-crafted bows. He carefully grasped one of the strings, slowly attaching it and making sure the tension was just the right level. He approached the arrows and grasped enough to practice. He approached the edge of the wooden floor and looked at the targets ahead. He had to decide on the distance. Choosing one that wasn't as far away, he stopped in the proper spot. Slowly he grasped the arrow and placed it against the string. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the target in front of him. He pulled the arrow back slowly, beginning to pull the string-

"All you have to do is say one word."

The arrow flew, going off course just enough to go right next to the center of the intended target. The voice from his dream made him lower the bow a bit. He was shaking, not sure if he could trust himself to grasp another arrow. Yes, he had doubts regarding his current situation. He didn't want to marry Princess Mayura. It wasn't as if he felt he had the choice to choose, though. He even had an arrangement for if no other person chose to try and form a treaty with the Wakamiya Kingdom. By all means, he was aware of how little the kingdom mattered.

Why did he have such fear of that voice? What in the world did it want? Still, how the dream had ended… Why did that person need help? Why would she question things? He moved one hand to the arrow slowly and lifted the bow again. He couldn't allow it to shake him up. He simply had to follow what would save this world.

Following Kayna out of his room, he thought about the current situation. Right after training and bathing to look presentable, he usually saw his father for breakfast. He often dreaded meeting his father after the serene feeling of the archery dojo. However, it was not possible to avoid this current situation. Eventually, his father would do his best to be a guiding voice without being asked to fight.

Lately, he was being pushed into getting any advantage that would allow him to marry Mayura faster. Considering the support from the Seno Kingdom, it made sense. Even as he tried to avoid the gaze of the man who had raised him, he couldn't avoid hearing the jovial and somewhat to the point tone. He did his best to be respectful as he sat at the large table in the sunlit room.

"Princess Mayura has offered a potential tutor at her expense." His father started, not seeming to see that his son was currently doing his best to keep his mouth full. The fuller his mouth was, the easier it was to have a few moments to simply wait and figure out how best to sidestep the subject. "If you chose to make the request, then you could get the engagement done sooner." He could feel the power of the gaze.

"You speak as if they would help me if I was not to be married to her." He answered in a careful tone, grasping another bite of his breakfast. The thick bread was sitting in one hand as he stared at his Lotis bracelet. "Even if she was unable to find anyone, she could convince them if that was what she wanted."

The truth is that no one really offered. His closest teacher had been his Mother when she could manage to get the time and wasn't being drawn into battle plans or potentially aiding a nearby kingdom to show their ability to be helpful to the more powerful remaining kingdoms. It felt rather tiring to think of how they would be denied any tutors simply because of the lack of merit.

"Such agreements go hand in hand with a treaty of alliance." Not seeming at all discouraged, he could hear the tone doing the best it could not berate him. He could see the cup in his father's hand slightly shaking. "The Seno Kingdom would never ally themselves with people of no reputation. Once they see your power and status, tutors will compete simply to be in your presence." The slightly glimmering glass moved around with a rather dull colored red. His father was drinking to get his mood up again. It wasn't the first time, but he was certain breakfast was the last meal he would want to see it.

"And how many tutors are available for such a post when war is still going on?" He asked more so from his own self-studies. It wasn't rare to find the tutors enlisted into the long and drawn out battles. Very few of them would even remotely be allowed to leave an army unit, much less be allowed to leave for such simple reasons. The war between the Lotis and Maram forces were not going to end without strong soldiers.

"The Princess Mayura's proposal to hold off on her sister's lessons should be considered." It was almost like he was certain he could push it before the women would arrive. "The Weilhausen's would easily find another tutor to replace her current one."

"Your proposal should be brought to the one you wish to ask for permission." He felt a part of him doing his best to remain as calm as he could. If he did not remain calm, he would do something rather regretful. He didn't want his father to see him do more than he already did. After all, having Alice be removed from her tutor simply for Mayura's selfishness… Did that woman know no boundaries? Alice was working hard enough as it was in her current position. Even when she wasn't nearly as accepted, she did her best.

"You can't be so lazy." Normally such words would mean a lot more than it did now, but his father's anger was starting to come out. While he still drank the wine in his glass, he could tell the man was unhappy with being shot down without even remotely getting the desired result. However, as a man without any Lotis, he could only make proposals. He was trying to force things down the throat of a man who couldn't find any reason to make underhanded moves on a person who had not remotely done anything wrong.

"I work hard on my own to master what I can for combat." He spoke with no hesitation. "I learn the strategies of war and I can learn Lotis when I am able to get such means without taking away the forces supplied for those who wish to do the same thing." He started to get up from the table. "Princess Alice is just as set on making the war end. Her tutor is paid for and doing his job."

"It isn't enough to simply think a woman of her skill can compare to the one you'll be marrying." He could feel the edge of the anger that he could remember. The days his mother would be pulled away simply to do more and more for the sake of their status. He couldn't find the words to think about why and what he should do regarding it. It felt like they were there, but he had to hold it in. There was no reason to fight with his father right now. They needed peace before constant bloodshed within their own walls.

"I will do so in the way that is in harmony with the Lotis. Mother would have desired it so." He answered, feeling only slightly comforted as he started to exit the big dining room. How much longer could he hold back his own feelings about this? It was necessary to marry Mayura for not only the sake of the kingdom but for the war. It didn't matter if he had a desire to have anything else. Still… A part of his heartfelt pain. There was something he wanted so badly but couldn't even understand it enough to have words to describe it. Something that had been inside him this whole time. Perhaps this engagement would allow him to forget it.

Some words were best left forgotten in a world like this.