Each year the Kingdom of Khearia throws a festival in remembrance of one of their most beloved kings who had tragically perished along with his wife and second son. His first son, Prince Fabian, was the only one to survive. Witnesses claimed his cro...
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ㅤThe night's sky hesitated to fall as the excited flurry of soldiers cast their avid gazes onto the scene before them. But, their jeers echoed far away to James, a silent assault on the ears. Instead, Fabian was the only object James' numb brain could focus on.
ㅤJames was looking into the eyes of death, seeing his image reflected in them inside his brother's sickly familiar green irises. The colour of Spring. He might die yet he felt no urgency. His heart was not on the battlefield. It was elsewhere.
ㅤEris was in his grip, held at the ready and even she felt subdued compared to the bright sadistic cheering around them. All James wanted was to get close to his brother but he was chained by the ankles.
ㅤIt had been almost sixteen years since he'd last seen this boy and he didn't even have the opportunity to talk to properly the man. Even though nothing good could come of it, James was winded with want, knowing he'd never get the chance again. Fabian was going to die, either by his hand or by the soldiers. But James' potential death felt trivial in comparison to the opportunity he was watching slip through his scabbed printless fingers like sand.
ㅤLike savages around a fire, the soldiers demanded, "Kill him! Kill him!" hungry for a sacrifice.
ㅤJames' grip tightened. His heart panged at the fear on his brother's face. But, he also burned at the affront that Fabian would show such a display after everything he'd done. James couldn't forgive him.
ㅤJames tried but couldn't take that first step forward, unable to attack. Turning to look at Alex's tense worry and resignation, James recognised that his lover knew it too. Those eyes quickly widened and James lurched back, narrowly missing a blade.
ㅤAh, James thought, it's like that.
ㅤHe hadn't been capable of disappointment. It was a quiet acceptance, and it soaked bone-deep. They both hadn't changed one bit.
ㅤJames retaliated, striking Eris through the air, wrists momentarily weakened with the vibrating clang against Fabian's block. It would've hurt them both. Fabian was quick to slide his sword away, the sharp edges on both grating, and hammering down right for the top of James' head. Heart flinching, James had to block the blow with both hands, supporting the end of his blade with a flattened palm. It seared his skin but Eris wouldn't eat him. Only him.
ㅤFabian shouted in frustration. "Why you?" he demanded. "Why did it pick you?"
ㅤHe was talking about Eris, James realised.
ㅤHe pushed back, hand clenched over Eris' edges, the inside creases of his fingers cut. Fabian stumbled back from the force, chest heaving through his breastplate.
ㅤAlthough tired, Fabian's condition was far superior to James'. James' arms trembled from a night of war, the splintering fibres in his muscles screaming out, his body not entirely compliant. It was a disadvantage that could prove fatal.
