Majesty: Royal Vying

Chapter Two **Promotional**

The sky outside had faded into darkness when his mother came knocking at his door. He sat up on the edge of his bed and reached over opening it. In her hand, she held two golden bells. Her fingers were stuck in the bottom keeping them from ringing.

"Sweet boy, it's time to send the family away and eat. Give this one to your sister." She gave the bells to him and pulled him out of his room. She ducked under the blanket and looked out into the room full of wandering spirits.

In the darkness of the room, their eyes glowed soft and yellow. As soon as Leouch stepped into the room they dropped their jaws. Henrietta rang the bell in her hand once and the spirits started shaking. The ringing hummed through them and they closed their mouths.

Turning to his side, Leouch handed the other bell to his sister who was sitting in a chair. She took it from his slender fingers and began to ring it. She didn't look at him. She didn't say a word but only wiped her eyes.

"Travel home safely." Their mother whispered, raising her hand to the open door. The sky was a dim yale and everything had gotten quiet. An echo of the other bells given to the rest of the living family rang and the spirits started disappearing. One second they were standing there vibrating and then they were gone.

When the bells stopped only one spirit was left standing in the room. Their aunt Vivian stood there with her once green eyes glowing like the two golden coins laid on her corpse's eyes behind her. She smiled across the room towards her sister, Ginger.

Her sister stood up and slowly crossed the room before pulling Vivian into her shaking arms. They looked like a person standing in front of a mirror. The only difference between them was Vivian's eyes. The color of the dead.

"Did you pass peacefully?" Ginger asked pulling away. She wiped at her cheeks with her shawl clenched in her shaking hand.

"Not with your snoring." Vivian laughed softly and she took a deep breath. "I don't want to leave you here. I don't want to leave at all."

Henretta wiped her face and walked over to the casket and slowly dropped the lid closed. When she turned around Vivian was looking at her with her arms waiting. Leouch felt a pang shoot through him at the thought that this might be him and his sister one day.

What would it be like to leave your twin after a lifetime of being together? Would it feel like he was visiting The Empire or would he feel like half of himself? He didn't know. Mori had always been in the background of his life. A hand clenched his and he looked down. Mori brought it to her chest and wrapped both of her hands around it and held it against her lips. The same pain echoed through her.

"It's time to eat. Leouch, Mori, come help me bring out the food." Henrietta slipped under the heavy blanket.

Later that night nearing early morning, Mori sat on Leouch's bed looking at him over the top of her book. Her intense almost red eyes shimmered in the lantern light. He sat at the head with Mordecai in his arms. He stroked the bird's feathers. A scowl was indented to his forehead.

"Are you really going to leave during mourning?" she asked. He nodded and looked to her.

"I have duties as first child," he said tilting his head. "I will continue mourning at The Empire."

"You value the throne more than our culture."

He straightened up and the bird leaped away flapping his wings. The bed beneath them creaked as he moved towards her. She shut the book and pressed it against her chest like a babe.

"It's funny you bringing up mourning and values only to push your opinions. It would be someone like you to use a death against me. I hope you feel proud about that," he hissed ripping the book from her fingers. He chunked it and it bounced against the walls.

"You can act like I don't care about my family as much as you want, but the only reason I want to be Crown is to make it better for us! For everyone we know." His eyes flicked between hers and just as he was leaning back the door opened. Henretta stood in the way.

"Both of you, silence. I won't have you belittling each other while your flesh and blood lies cold and stiff in the next room. Separate or shut up," she slammed the door.

"Just because I'm leaving the mourning does not mean I am leaving my mourning behind. I would quickly dismiss the invite of any other place in a moment, but you know I‌ have no choice. It is not an invite. It is a demand. A demand that if I do not follow then I lose everything I've worked for,"

"I love Aunt Viv and I‌ love you. I love this community and everything we've gotten to keep since immigrating to Euphinnia. I would lay my life down to keep our home safe and I do that every time I‌ leave." He took a breath. "Am I not valuing our blood trying to be the first Valician Crown?"

"Valician's don't care about titles or Crowns," she says quietly.

"We started caring when we joined during the war. Loyalty to the crown was the only reason we got to hold tradition during the war. If you'd remember, the only reason we weren't forced into fighting during the war is that we bent the knee." Leouch stood.

"Are we still Valician if we lose ourselves in trying to survive?" She asks standing up to leave. She stepped into the doorway and turned around. Leouch moved around the bed and put his hand on the doorknob.

"Should we die out for something as simple as titles and Crowns?" He shut the door in her face and slid the lock.