Silence was a luxury that no one ever asked for. There was always something keeping it from happening; whether it be the average bustle of life, or the normal yelling and fights of the king and queen, there was hardly ever quietness. And when it did happen, it was like the calm before a storm. Nothing good ever came of silence. In fact, he would even say that it only got worse. Everything always just got worse.
He was waiting for it, the moment when the ethereal nothingness was shattered. Every part of him prepared for the moment, almost to the point that he wasn’t concentrating on his book. It would take him several more years to realize that such bracing wasn’t normal, even if it had been hinted at by his mother many times before.
“You’re up late, aren’t you?” Odelle gently made her way over to him, sitting down beside him. She pushed back a piece of his curly hair behind his ear as she gave him a weak smile. “Why haven’t you gone to bed yet?”
“I wanted to finish this chapter.” He was waiting for them to start yelling. It was much better to already be awake when Zofie came to him rather than be half-asleep. “It’s a lot longer than I thought it was, but I’ll be done in a couple of minutes.” To make it look like what he said was true, he showed her that the chapter ended on another page.
“Promise me you’ll get some sleep when you’re done. There’s a lot of church events coming up soon.”
…
“What the hell is this?” Nigel hardly looked at the glass before his expression twisted into disgust. “I didn’t ask for some damn three-hundred-year-old cup, dumbass!” He threw it at Dimas’s feet, the glass shattering. He evidently hadn’t waited for the glass to down a bottle—it was discarded nearby, ready to be used for whatever else he desired.
“I’m sorry, Father,” Dimas said emotionlessly. There was no denying or fighting this; it wasn’t like he could win, his opponent outmatching him in almost every way that would matter in a fight. It wasn’t even a fight he wanted to have. “That’s what they gave me…”
“And you didn’t just use your brain and get something better? I wanted a glass for my beer, not some Orestis-knows-how-old cup that’s too ornamental to even hold!” He dismissively gestured to the shards. “Now go clean those up, unless you’d rather be on the wrong side of a sword.” As if a threat of its own, his sword lay right beside him, ready to be picked up at a moment’s notice.
“Of course, Father.” He dutifully completed the task, dismissing himself in order to throw them away.
Dimas didn’t think anyone was around, most of them either with Zofie (who’d recently fallen ill again) or out in town for some reason or another. That is, until he heard a voice that didn’t belong to any of the servants.
“Would you like me to assist you?” Thero seemingly walked out from the shadows, nodding to the glass he was holding. Another moment of consideration made the guard add, “Or come back with you, for that matter?”
“I’m fine on my own.” It was a futile effort for the eight-year-old to try to move past the grown man, but he tried anyway. “If you’re really worried, you can get Mother. I don’t have a good feeling about this…”
“Let me come with you. King Nigel may restrain himself if I’m there.”
“He’s not, I think we both know that. This should stay within the family.”
…
After being thoroughly beaten for doing nothing but looking outside the wrong way, they arrived at the Lake. But they maintained an appearance as if nothing had happened.
Odelle went up to Casper with her usual calm façade, exchanging small words of greeting. This was not the first time the two rulers have met, striving for something to tie the two kingdoms together, but it was the first time with the rest of their family. Behind Odelle was Nigel, Dimas, Zofie, and their respective guards; and behind Casper, his wife Minne, their son Imre, and each of their respective guards.
A couple hours later, the rest of the representatives showed up. All of the Seothian lords, and all of the Qizarn bishops. This was nothing new to them. The only thing that was new was the slightly larger gathering, as most had brought the child that would proceed them or their wife that they didn’t want to leave her on her own. So as all the officials got settled, and they all set up their temporary lodging, the children and spouses dispersed throughout the clearing.
Nigel had, thankfully, found a few minor lords to occupy his time. That meant that Dimas didn’t need to worry about what he did or said, and that he wasn’t restricted as his father’s personal slave.
“What’s this one called, Brother?” Zofie leaned against him, carefully playing with a small blossom.
“That’s an ikretta. You can tell by the shape of the leaves and how low they are to the ground,” he replied thoughtfully. “Thalis made them, along with all the other plants and animals, from the materials he was given a long time ago. Orestis liked them so much that He not only made them plentiful in the mortal world and gave them the ability to bloom all year, but He also made them the only flower that could grow in Sanctuary.”
She smiled a little as she continued to twirl the blossom. “It must be beautiful, then…”
They heard someone walking up to them before they heard her voice, so they’d both already turned to look at her by the time she reached them. “You’re Odelle’s two kids, right?” It was Minne, with Imre close beside her. “Dimas and Zofie? I’m Casper’s wife, Minne, and this is Imre.” She was only saying it to be nice; they knew her name, and she knew theirs, so a proper introduction wasn’t needed at all. “I was wondering if you two would mind if he stayed with you for a little while.”
“Please say no,” the Seothian prince mumbled. “I would rather be with Mother and Samone… or listen to Father…”
Minne frowned. “Don’t be so rude. It’ll do you some good to get outside of who’s in the castle, especially when they’re both people you’re going to be working with in the future.” She turned back to the twins. “I’m sorry, he’s not very fond of strangers. Just try to be nice with him, okay?” And without much more warning, she walked away.
Imre watched her leave with a hurt expression. When he looked at them, it had changed to the kind of hopeless gaze that a caged animal might have. He resigned to his fate, sitting down on the grass where he stood. “I suppose it makes sense, on the off chance we’re ever going to need it.”
“Seothia keeps their king until he dies, don’t they?” Zofie was the first to respond, since she’d been the one taught it. She’d be the next queen, after all; Dimas would only be that important if she died, and that was only if another female relative couldn’t stand in. “You might not even get the throne; your son will. Meanwhile, I’ll take Mother’s place in another fifteen years, and my daughter will replace me at the same age…”
Though not giving any actual reply, Imre nodded.
“How many times have you been here?” Dimas then prompted, not wanting them to be in silence.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Just this once,” Imre replied.
“Then what if I showed you around?” Why was he nervous suggesting such a thing? It wasn’t like anyone was going to yell at them for it, at least not in public. “There’s a village about an hour away from here. If you’re not needed for anything, we can go together, since everyone’s going to be settled here for a couple of days. It’s a nice view of the Qizarn lifestyle, if I do say so myself.”
…
It took everything in him not to show any kind of emotion. He couldn’t cry out or say anything, no matter how much blood he tasted or pain he felt. All he could do at this point was try to block the accusations, hope for it to stop, and pray that someone showed up before then. Preferably Thero, without Zofie; he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone because of his job, but he’d be able to take a hit better than Odelle would.
Nigel was relentless in his sobered rage as he was his drunken one, maybe because he knew no one was around to witness it. Each kick seemed to mirror his sense of power, just as the shove had that brought Dimas into this vulnerable position in the first place. “It’s just my luck. The one woman who could give me the most power turns out to be completely disrespectful and so outspoken that it makes me sick. To make matters worse, the only kids to live over a month are you two brats! At least Zofie is some kind of redeemable, if she ever lives long enough to get to the throne. But you’re nothing more than a waste of air. What use would someone like you have, with little chance of the throne or any spark of talent for black magic whatsoever? And you’re so much like her, being such a smartass about everything like you know more than I do!”
His attack ended just as quickly as it started, partnered with a voice Dimas didn’t expect to hear. “Play nice, now, Father. Ypokyro sti thélisi mou, Koúkla. Sit.” When he dared to look, Nigel was unnaturally walking towards the swing, clumsily sitting down in it; only his expression showed that he had no control over such actions. The one controlling the strings was none other than Zofie, guiding him along with her hand with a faint smile but blank eyes. “Now sleep.” He closed his eyes immediately, the only thing keeping him from falling off being his weak hold on the swing’s string.
Odelle and Thero came out soon after, making it very likely that the latter had been tasked with finding the former, meaning neither witnessed the princess’s display of magic. Thero gently ushered Zofie away from the garden, and Odelle went straight for Dimas.
“Let me see you,” she demanded softly. She breathed a sigh of relief after a moment of checking. “Nothing a bit of rest can’t fix. Sit up and lean forward, let’s take care of that nosebleed.”
He did as he was told, not saying a word until prompted.
“What got him worked up this time?”
“He missed.” It was all that needed to be said.
She was quiet for a while, thinking about what he said and then on her own comment. “Would you rather be somewhere else?”
“I want to be with you and Zofie.”
“I don’t want either of you to be in a situation where you don’t feel safe, or you’re getting hurt so often it’s normal… It’s already the hell I have to suffer through, I don’t want the same thing for you. I’m afraid of what they’re telling Zofie, but there’s nothing I can do to get her away; she needs to be here for the kingdom, to fill in my place when the time comes. You, though… you have a chance. You don’t have to worry about us, and I’m encouraging you not to be in this situation. Minne told me Imre had nothing but good things to say about you. If you’d like, you can stay with them at the Seothian capital for a week or two. A vacation from everything you’ve needed to endure here…”
“You’re still going to be here, though.”
“We’ll be fine without you. He doesn’t dare to hurt Zofie, and I’m well accustomed to being around him. I think this will help you, and that’s all I want.” She pulled the handkerchief away to see if his nose was still bleeding. “You need to remember something, and this stands for everyone you meet. Never, ever trust anyone who gives you butterflies, okay? Get as far away from them as you can. Everyone you keep close shouldn’t make you so nervous; you need to feel safe around them. I made that mistake when I met Nigel—mistook uneasiness for love—and I don’t want you to walk in the same path I did. Can you promise me that?”
His solemn nod was his only answer.
…
Two Qizarn guards stayed with him for the entirety of the trip, and four Seothian guards joined when they were a day’s away from Lelishara. It honestly made him a bit uncomfortable, but he understood it all the same. Three of the Seothian guards and one of the Qizarn then came with him into the capital and guided him through the castle, while the two remaining put away the horses and carriage.
This castle was so much more confusing than Qizar’s, no clear way of determining what was where. He was glad to have the guards beside him after realizing that, since he surely would’ve gotten lost otherwise. They stayed at the door when he entered the dining room, however, leaving him to fend for himself.
Of the seven people there to greet him, he only recognized three; there was Casper, Minne, and Imre, but the four girls were all unfamiliar to him. Minne was the one to get up and direct him to his seat, right beside Imre and on the opposite side of the strangers.
“We’re glad you came to stay with us,” the queen remarked with a smile. “Let’s get you introduced to everybody. Samone is Lord Kesem’s daughter, Lydia is the oldest child of Andrew and Diana Stone, Domenique’s mother is a friend of mine, and Kiah’s a personal guard Casper hired a couple months ago.” Each of them nodded at their name.
“You’ll be staying with us for an entire week, correct?” Casper prompted, continuing after Dimas nodded. “Make yourself at home. May this prove that our two kingdoms can live in peace with each other by this great act of trust.”
…
The time he spent with them definitely wasn’t a waste. In fact, by the end of the second year knowing them, he’d already spent more time there than he did at home. He wrote to Odelle and Zofie almost every other day, since spelled songbirds flew much faster than horses could run; it was how he kept in touch with them, without having to fear Nigel upon his return to Hyasari.
They went on many trips together, so much that he began to wonder if he’d seen more of this foreign land than his own home. It was when their bonds grew the most, when they formed a kind of friendship he hadn’t realized he’d longed for. It wasn’t like the brotherly affection he had for Zofie, or admiration and respect for Odelle and Thero. This came from something outside of the residents of Hyasari, something he completely chose to initiate on his own.
On one such occasion, he discovered something he’d since strived to hear again. They’d gotten into a conversation about something—the topic hadn’t been important. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, until one of Dimas’s stories made even Imre laugh. That laugh was something that didn’t deserve to be hidden; a boisterous, proud laugh that left them all stunned until they joined in. To think that such a secluded person, hardly showing any emotion at all, could be the owner of such a happy laugh and bright smile. Dimas wanted to hear more of that laugh, see more of that smile.
For the first time, he was beginning to understand love on a concept deeper than for one’s own family and friends. There was no nervousness. Just determination.
…
“Tell me you’re lying.” It was the only thing he could manage to say. He couldn’t breathe, and was glad that they had been sitting down when he heard it. But the news and the somber mood of the room killed his appetite and the appeal of what was left on his plate.
“Reports don’t lie when paired with word-of-mouth,” Casper replied solemnly. “Odelle’s dead. It seems your sister’s queen now.”
Dimas soon quietly dismissed himself, and immediately arranged for a ride back to Qizar. He sent a letter to Zofie and, knowing he wouldn’t be sleeping anyway, left as soon as everything was ready.
When he got there, he didn’t wait for any proper introduction or permission to enter. The only thing he seemed to walk in on was a conversation between Zofie and Kadol, and it seemed to be pardoned when they saw him. He wasted no time walking over and hugging his sister.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered, filling in for the words he couldn’t say. “I know you didn’t like it here… but he’s gone now, too. Committed suicide a few nights ago. He likely didn’t want to be accused of anything…”
“I wish I could’ve been here sooner.” Only now was he beginning to regret how much time he’d spent away. It had been two months since he was last here.
“It’s alright, Brother. I don’t think anyone saw it coming.” She stayed silent for a moment. “Mother told me she’d be in the library; said she was doing research for a meeting. I’d intended to shadow her, but I hadn’t been feeling well and Thero advised I simply go to bed, given how late it was. I woke up to the chaos after one of the maids found her dead. We’ve determined everything that didn’t cause it, and I now have in my possession what she’d been writing soon before…”