Polemos

Chapter One

154 years later, the same Sendarian royal family still stands considering Ardoni's lifespan, Cydonia has a new king, Hasan II, and the different Felinan territories are still at battle for more land.

Sendaria is a beautiful place, the sky displays that perfectly. But, Prince Thalleous Sendaris, was never awake to cherish the sunrise. Ever since the war came to a pause, Thalleous lost his meaning in life. To fill that hole, he traveled year-round to try and finish his mission of completely ending the Voltarian race. His mother, on the other hand, would never let him leave for too long without coming back home to eat and get a proper night's rest. He never understood how much he needed that.

Just as the sun hit Thalleous' face through the windows, he heard a voice he wasn't too sure he was awaiting anymore. "Good morning!" this voice was cheery and warm with a bit of a Bajaw accent to it. Despite its volume, the voice was so welcoming it forced a half-asleep Thalleous to peer his eyes open before jolting back after noticing how close the voice's source really was. It was Hawken, a good friend of six or seven years. Hawken was a human scholar studying Sendarian culture and warfare when he came across Thalleous, whose interest peaked after seeing the first human man to step foot in Sendaria. It didn't take long for them to become close. "Jesus Christ! Hawken!" Thalleous face immediately felt like it was on fire, mainly because of Hawken's existence at all, but also because he was completely nude under the covers. "I've found something for you," he said, dropping three ancient-looking books by Thalleous. "What are they?"

"Archives. Far before you were born. They're Voltarian, and if we could figure out a way to translate them, it could reveal their...plans...maybe." Hawken was never interested in hunting the Voltaris as much as Thalleous was, in fact, he wasn't even in Sendaris for such a thing, but he always managed to find some ancient secret for Thalleous to dig through. "Thank you," Thalleous sighed, squeezing the skin in between his eyebrows. "Yeah, of course, I'm never busy, your parents never make me busy." there was an overwhelming silence between them before Thalleous finally came to. "Could you...turn around?" Hawken raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I- uh- I don't have anything...on." Hawken choked down a laugh before turning away from Thalleous. When Thalleous finally got dressed, he grabbed the archives from his bed and hurried downstairs. Hawken quickly followed. "I'll never understand why you don't stay in a place like this." Thalleous rolled his eyes with a smile. "I'm always everywhere." Thalleous paused. When he looked over at Hawken, his eyes could pass for a God's and he wouldn't have a second thought. "You could start to come with me if you wanted to." Hawken's smile grew so wide it had to have hurt for him to let it fall. "Sure," he replied, smile still visible. "Are you going to see Osivian before we leave?" Thalleous demeanor went from comfortable to cold in a split second. "No." he refused, sternly. "Thalleous, he's your brother-"

"No, he's not. He's my father's bastard son." before Thalleous was born, King Amphion had an affair with Lady Hyacinth Sendaris, a widow of a veteran of The Great War many years ago. When Queen Eloise found out her husband's firstborn didn't come from her room, she was crushed but hid her emotions and acted like nothing had gone wrong as a means to not anger him. Thalleous never forgave his father for such an act. When he couldn't direct his rage toward the King, he did it toward Osivian, the bastard. "Thalleous," Hawken said quietly. Thalleous turned to him. "If not for Osivian, do it for Ria and Senn, they admire you." Thalleous sighed. Ria was Osivian's blood daughter who lost her mother during her birth. Ria was always rebelling against the responsibilities of a princess. Any man who asked for her hand would be turned away, she would spar with swords in her good dresses, and she would try and be free when she wasn't.

Senn on the other hand, was Osivian son, but not by blood at all. Senn is what people call a 'clanless' Ardoni, his markings are pale white. Although his features like his curly hair and dark skin can make people assume what clan he belongs to, no one ever does. Much to Osivian's frustration, he encouraged Ria's behavior. "Fine." Thalleous gave in. "Will you come with me?"

"It's your family Thalleous, not mine." Hawken chuckled. "I'll be waiting for you."

~...~

Speak of the devil, Ria was doing exactly what she always does, sparring with Senn with ancient iron swords. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever heard of a Sendarian Joan De Arc," Senn teased, swinging his sword which Ria blocked without trouble. "And now I see why." Ria's force pushed her brother back slightly while she tried to hit him where he wasn't looking. "Obviously. I'm too pretty to burn." little did they know that Thalleous had arrived. The prince always wished he had this kind of relationship with his brother but at the same time, he understood that would never happen. "And plus, I would never make it to France," Thalleous spoke. "Don't limit yourself, child." he chuckled to himself seeing Senn and Ria's reactions. "Thalleous!" they exclaimed, dropping their swords and running up to hug him. "But then again, France isn't all that interesting," Thalleous whispered. "Are you leaving again?" Senn asked. "Yes, but this time Hawken convinced me to say goodbye."

"Where is he?"

"Back at the main castle, waiting for me." Senn and Ria giggled at each other, causing Thalleous to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. "What?" he asked. "Nothing." Senn deflected between laughs. But one thing about Ria, she was horrifyingly blunt. "When will you two get married?" Thalleous eyes widened. Men couldn't get married to one another under any circumstance. But it wasn't like Ria knew that. The only love story between two men she ever heard of was the one she made up in her mind. And she was right. Thalleous was in love, but for as long as he lived he swore he would only let Ria and Senn believe that. "I-"

"Thalleous? Is that you?" Thank Junoo. "O-Osivian! Apologies for arriving uninvited." Osivian sighed with a smile on his face. "Thalleous this is your home." no it isn't. He thought to himself. By the time Thalleous was done ranting and complaining in his mind, he realized Osivian was still speaking. "I specifically told you two to stay away from each other," Ria tsked. "Ria you have too many responsibilities to be wishing to leave here, it's not happening." Ria rolled her eyes. "You don't know that." she retorted. "Y'know what? I do. Because you going to Ataraxia with the rest of the princesses and you're getting married tomorrow." Ria was shocked. "You're fourteen you don't have much time left." Ria felt like fainting. "I don't wanna go."

"Well, you are."

"You can't make me go!" no matter how much she pried or begged, Osivian wouldn't hear it. "Go pack. Now." when Ria left in angry tears, Osivian moved his frustration to Senn. "You're starting to get way too comfortable in a home that isn't yours." Thalleous finally spoke up. "Osivian that's enough. Senn go inside." Senn took no time to obey him. "You can't make her go. She's far too young."

"She's my daughter, I decide what's best for her," Osivian argued. "This isn't what's best for her! She's going to be miserable for the rest of her life. You're not worried about what's best for her! You're worried about what's best for the crown and that isn't her identity."

"If you think you can do better than me have kids of your own." Osivian hissed before walking away.

~...~

While a devastated Ria sobbed while resting her head on her bed, she heard a noise outside of her bedroom door. When she walked outside her room, she gasped. There was a beautiful diamond and ivory spear with a redwood staff resting near her door. When she picked it up, she found a note wrapped around it.

If your father asks, I didn't encourage you do to anything
-Thalleous