The archive of the forgotten

the king of misery

Today is the wedding of princess Charlotte. That's why we are sitting here. All of the guards are bored, well who wouldn't be it's six in the morning and we were told to wait here but we cannot do anything. I sigh. "Boss, Can you tell a story to keep us busy?" He nods. "As you wish Alec." "Tell us the story you wanted to tell us! The king of tragedy!" He shakes his head. "Not the King of tragedy, the king of misery."

"Once in a kingdom not so far from here. In a castle just like this one was a young prince. Silently crying, listening through the door of the room. About the news about his older brother. This family was not a normal royal family, no. They were the leaders of the biggest country in the world, hacionea. The land of the rich and powerful. but the royal family were the last ones of their kind. The young as they call themselves. They do not age after twenty one. They can only die when killed by another young. The tradition was that your firstborn son killed you when you have decided you had lived enough. But apart from that you couldn't die. The royals were the last young. You had the parents, king ambrosius and the queen athelinda. The oldest son Tiernan and the younger one Emrys. The oldest one was proud and strong until fate hit him. He became deathly ill....."

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I clench my jaw as I step forward. Two soldiers with rapiers and armour against me, a sixteen year old with only a blouse, trousers and leather boots. Granted I do have two rapiers. I sigh. He is watching from his room. I look up at the sky and swing my rapier, it lands with a clear tone on the one from the other. I immediately feel the other coming closer and parry it when I feel a fist brushing my face. I feel the copper taste of pain and blood in my mouth and my expressions change from normality to anger. I push one down of the soldiers down with my foot to use both of the rapiers against the one who decided to fight dirty. I manage to get his rapier out of his hand and I point both the rapiers at his throat. He smiles and nods. I help him up. I hear some clapping and cheering from the balcony. I look up my parents are looking at me, coldly as always. My best friend is cheering me on. I nod. I can see my brother watching through his semiseethough curtains. I haven't been allowed in his room since I was ten. He was eleven. Only my parents and physicians are allowed in there. I only talk to him through the door. I remember the day the physicians came to him. It was so long ago.

I cannot stop thinking about the day he was diagnosed. We were fighting, he taught me a lot about but this time he seemed to have no mercy. He didn't stop when I lost my rapier, he wanted to stab when something black looked like it was flowing through his vains, he began to choke, he began to convulse. I remember crying near his room thinking it was my fault. The physician was speaking in a lowered tone but I could still hear them.

"It can't be cured. It's the sickness of the ligion mountains. The only solution would ask them for help." "But they have cursed our family for generations, how do we know they'll help him?" My mother said. "We don't" the physician answered. "We cannot trust them athalinda, what will happen when we don't have their help?" "We are not sure your majesty, we have never seen it on the young, normally it takes about two years to corrupt ones wholes body, slowly driving them mad, hurting them, the longer they live the more contagious it gets. At first you'll only see changes in his body he'll be sick and after some time he'll become panicked, confused, murderous and crazy." I heard my mother crying. It broke my heart.

I sit down at the door. "Good morning Tiernan." I hear the voice that is scarily similar to mine speaking back. "Good morning Emrys, you fight very well." He says. I smile, "I have learned from the best." He chuckles. "How are you feeling?" I ask. "Well, I'm alive right? that's something." I chuckle. "Yes but do you want to be?" "I do not know what frightens me more Emrys, not seeing you grow up, not being able to live, dying or slowly descending into madness." "I'm happy we talk daily." I say. "Does mom know?" he asks. I shake my head, not realising he does not see me. "I'll take that as a no." "Yes." "Emrys?" "Yes?" "If I would say that I want to escape would you help?" I look at the golden ceilings of the palace, every little detail is meticulously shaped. I ask myself if I would. "I do not know brother." I can feel his warm smile through the door. "What do you look like brother?" He asks. I smile, "Why?" "I am still imagining you as a child, I never see you up close." I smile. "I look like dad, I have long blonde hair, honey blonde almost strawberry blonde. I wear a pince-nez just like father. I have wavy hair which results in some kind of curtain bangs because not all my hairs sticks when I braid it. My eyes are still hazel, I only have freckles in the summer. I have dad's nose, you know, that almost hooklike nose. But mom says it suits me. I'm considered beautiful. What do you look like?" "I am not allowed to have mirrors, I can hurt myself with it, so I can only guess." I nod, I want to say something but I feel as if everything would be the wrong answer. "Emyrs! You are not allowed in these quarters!" One guard screams, I laugh. "Bye tiernan." "Bye brother."

I am descending the stairs when I bump into my personal guard. Gaétan, I smile. "Sorry for bumping into you." He smirks and puts his hand on the wall so I am kind trapped between his body and the wall. "you may do so anytime." "May I really? I need to go change." I say smirking. He raises his eyebrows "And what if I like you like this? instead of those frilly colourful clothes? This suits you more, it's more elegant." "I disagree and you may not disagree with me, you can only follow orders soldier." He laughs. He lets me leave  and I wink at him.

I enter my room and grab on of my rapiers. I take of my beautiful silk blouse. The festering wound in my stomach hurts, the old scabs on the sides look burnt. I grab my rapier. I don't know why I do it. Well, actually I do. It's my fault my brother is sick. I dared him to speak to a lady from the ligion region, it was two days before he collapsed. It's my fault he is dying. It's my fault he is suffering while I am here living my life. I grab my rapier and push it through my festering flesh, I barely feel the blood pouring out anymore only the satisfaction of the cutting pain. A pain that would kill a human. The pain I deserve.

A story about a hedonistic prince in order to hide his misery. I have a lot of the characters in this book completely fleshed out but the story is not set in stone yet so suggestions are more than welcome!