The Shadow behind the Light

Chaper three: Junifere

Zenqui had two children, twins, Zenifere and Junifere (who at the time was called Zenfere). Their mother was out of the picture so we were raised by our protectors. As heirs to the throne, Zenifere and Junifere were protected most of the time. Junifere and Ezen became increasingly close and it was clear that Ezen's 'eyes' would not harm him so they were allowed to be alone together.
It was quite often that Ezen and Junifere would travel to Bixeánví castle, near the south border, it was only about half a day's walk or half hours transport. They would go alone with one protector who would loosely follow. When they got to the castle they would go into the large garden and train.
To be an excellent king, Junifere needed to fight good and well to be a worthy successor and ascend to the crown alongside Zenifere. Junifere being the older of the twins, had had his first education in crowns in the morning and Zenifere in the afternoon.
This day was no different to the times they had been before. Bixeánví castle had better training facilities and grounds and a bit more privacy. Nothing was out of the ordinary, I thought. About halfway through training, Three guards approached us. We told them that we are fine and they should leave us but they raised their weapons and fought.
Ezen and Junifere were young and inexperienced teens, they couldn't fight against the fully trained warriors and were quickly defeated and kidnaped.

The Queakears are the opposing side to the Quearoses. They reside on the south on the other side of the outlands in between. The Quearose side is the North side of the outlands. They have been in both wars and cold wars for centuries.
The kidnapping of Junifere Quearose eventually led to the Battle of Crowns early into Zenifere's reign.

The Queakeares assumed that taking the eldest heir to the Quearose throne would lead to leverage and ransom but Zenqui refused to negotiate a deal or even acknowledge that Junifere was missing; to him, i don't think Junifere even existed anymore.
Eyes if not born by them, Ezen inherited them from her mother, are caused by severe pain or trauma. Being a Quearose, Junifere was designed to be strong in both mind and body. It was unheard of to have a Quearose with eyes- they were dangerous, eyes were massively outlawed and looked down upon in the Quearose society.
I watched as the Queakeares turned the amazing, loving, kind, innocent Zenfere into the uncontrollable violent weapon; Junifere.
I've known Junifere ever since he was 124. I have always admired his abilities and how he operated his body so easily. I know what happened with him, to him. I never like to bring up his past and the many things that happened back in those days and the following 895 years following. He did not deserve the brutality, or the mortality he was limited to. Junifere deserves the world. For Junifere, I would burn down the entire world and fall until Skyé collapses and I am no more. For Junifere, the world. No one in my story, even Preáze, deserves what Junifere has gone through, not one.
I don't remember much about the time with the Queakears. I barely remember the battle of crowns shortly into Zenifere's reign. But I remember the task I was given, by Juni. I left early in the evening. I used my shadow to go to Quearose territory, Quirl Castle, before Zenifere took over. Zenqui was tending to his garden. I stood behind him as he turned around to face me. He raised his weapon but could not strike as the dagger I held in my right hand sank into his flesh and began to fill his left lung with blood. He fell before me, in a lifeless lump. Satisfied, I turned around and shadowed back to Queakear territory, completing my task, nothing like a bit of regicide to start the day, I thought as the sun rose as I returned. Ezen did find out later. Again she blamed it on her eyes. Always the eyes. Ironic really.
The next thing I remember is Aleahx finding us.  Aleahx was one of our protectors as teens. He was Zenqui's second in command and closest friend. When he died, Zenifere outcast him, he was a threat to him. Zenifere had the power to fake documents, accusations, had him tried for treason. But Aleahx fled to the outlands before trial. That is when he met Treaose, and formed the outlanders; a camp or tribe of those who had been outcasted, exiled, ran away, ect...
Treaose was actually Junifere and Zenifere's mother who had forcibly fled after their birth due to Zenqui's... personality issues... Zeni and Jun didn't find out that Treaose was their mother until fairly recently.
When they rescued us, Junifere was an out of control weapon. Ezen was fierce, deadly and scared and her eyes were bright glowing yellow but I think she understood. Aleahx and Treaose  took them back to the outlands, to their herd of outcasts.
After a few months, Ezen was able to control her eyes and they turned back to that dark shade of brown. In a way, they remind me of Juni's eyes. I never actually saw him in the light, he was always burdened by darkness, but I could see his eyes. His glorious, luxurious, beauteous, splendorous, distinguished, and magnificent eyes burnt an unforgettable and divine hazel glow that matched his distinctive striking smile which complimented his sovereign magisterial dark red skin wings with flaked on dirty white feathers.
Junifere, however, did not settle. If anything he got worse. He wasn't mortal anymore. Any of mortality's features he had previously possessed were gone. He was an out of control weapon that couldn't have gone a day without seriously hurting someone. Aleahx and Treaose agreed that it would be safer and more beneficial to return Ezen and Junifere to their people at last- Zenifere and the Quearoses. So the decision was finalized. Aleahx, Treaose, Ezen and Junifere, along with four other outlanders to help keep Junifere in control, snuck into Quirl and took Ezen and Jun to the castle. They (Treaose, Aleahx and Ezen) all agreed that it would be safer in a calmer and safer environment where they didn't have to constantly move around.
Unfortunately however, they were wrong. Ezen did not know that while she and Jun had been away that Zenifere had become a despot dictator, a tyrant. The second Zenifere saw Ezen and Junifere, standing alone, weaponless and injured, he decided to imprison them both as not only could they be spies, but Ezen's blood has ties into a claim of his precious throne, and Junifere was the only other heir. But even though Ezen begged. They were helpless, and alone. Zenifere did not care. The only reason Junifere was still breathing was because he is Zenifere's twin, Zenifere did the bare minimum to keep Junifere alive.

It was also soon discovered that Junifere's injuries from fighting himself and others for so long had taken a toll on him. As time would go on after his eventual release, he would become partially paralyzed and unable to walk without aid, but that won't be quite relevant until I meet Juni again, mortal and weak.