the infamous second son has rose from hell to unleash the heathens that shall consume the earth. he comes by many name: the psycho, the butcher, the darkling, the monster and the one that should have vanished. he has survived where his mother perished. and, if his father was to kick the bucket, he would still cast a shadow through his son.
He always saw himself as a happy-go-lucky joker except people never quite appreciate his gruesome, sarcastic and dry humor. As long as he laughed at his jokes and mockery, Aeron was fine. Today, the joke was on him and he did not quite appreciate it. However, for some obscure reason, he was not going to let that female cuspian of the Coalition Army die. They had spent quite some quality time not at each other's throat down there. He should have left her to rot, but, instead, he dragged hr along and had her pose as his mute subordinate. 'This pathetic meaningless charade perhaps could turn out to be rather amusing,' he thought to himself as they joined the rest of the camp.
The camp had doubled in size the morning. He quickly glanced around to size it up and estimated that at least a regiment within the perimeter getting ready for their next offense in Tempestade. He noted the artillerie, which only meant that the Coalition Army had totally caught up with them. The Imperial Army had successfully advanced since the Festival of Leo's conclusion, but, since then, the other army had called reinforcement. The blonde was either one of those reinforcement or she had always been assigned where he struck today. Furthermore, the number of soldiers was rather alarming. It meant that he had to find a way to send her off as soon as possible.
A hand on her wrist, he pulled her closer and started to walk as fast as possible until they reached a particular tent set at the other end of the camp. It was a bit more luxurious than the common tents. It was normal since he was not just any soldier. He was a decorated officer and a prince. He obeyed to no one except a few even if the others were his superiors. Aeron pushed in the tent after he scoped his surroundings. Everything was at its place. There was no one is sight. The cover was safe, but for how long? He preferred not to think about it; yet, he had to.
"Sorry if I was a bit rough with you," Aeron actually apologized. She was lucky that the army had thought him minimal respect along with discipline that he would always use to his advantage.
He walked around the tent to check the thickness of the fabric. He could barely hear the noise outside, which showcased the quality. The tent was rather simple inside: a bed made of a couple of covers, a bag containing clothes tossed in one corner, a ax that needed to be washed and polished. Hopefully, the young woman did not mind the lack of grandiose comfort, because that would be where she was going to stay for a while with him.
"I assume that like all soldiers, you glanced around and noticed a couple of things," he engaged the conversation. "The officer-in-charge gathered quite a lot of people. Supplies, immunitions and more men are surely awaited. That being said...the next offensive is not before a couple of days. I'd say a week or two. That's the only time I can ship you out undetected. Do you remember what I told about your new identity? You are some mute girl under my care...a spy working for me...you answer to no one but to me." He stared at her for a moment. "Do you also have any question for me? Start asking while I'm still inclined to answer them...Naiya." He named her with the first name that popped into his mind, the name of one of his unfortunate victims during that surprised attack.
The radiant sun was blazing in the Badlands' sky. All wished for a bit of rain to refresh themselves. It was in those moments, they wished they could just fall on a waterbender cuspian or not to capture and to fight with. A little water would not hurt of course, but, then again, what were they saying. They were firebenders and water was their primary weakness. Of course, they had been quite successful over the Coalition, but it had more to do strategies and other stuff in those veins that the prince cared not. He was there dying under the heat and wiping clean his murder weapon of choice.
Fear, empathy, sadness, guilt and many emotions had always been part of his vocabulary, but nver have he felt them. They had never resonated into his core and made him feel that undescribable pain that one could feel, but not exactly feel it. When he slaughtered those children, it was with pure exihilaration that he did so. There was not one a twinge of digust in his actions. One of his superior slightly older of age witnessed the account with utter disbelief. He believed that there was a certain nobility and valor to wear the uniform; yet, there were monsters like Aeron roaming around and playing soldiers. He was disgusted and ashamed for two.
Aeron followed the man with eyes all day long until they finally had time to discuss on their own. He was not indifferent from the critique. Thy always fascinated them, because everyone seemed so surprised about his behavior. Had they not heard of the rumors? Had he not made a name for himself after all these years? Even inn military acaemy, the Dragonborn had quite a reputation. It was there that the unspoken label finally came out. If his father would have allowed a certain diagnosis, he would have learned that his son was some sorts of psychopath. He took from his father, although, rumor had it that Hyunjin was once a kind man.
Aeron found his superior sitting on rock contemplating something. He remained silent and pensive, which made Aeron want to learn more so he approached him. The man had a small portrait in his hand that caught Aeron's attention. "My late wife." The man presented before he faced the young boy.
The man stood up. He ws slightly imposing in height and weight. He managed to keep his uniform clean even after all this time in this desert. He was impecabble in all accounts. "Aeron, why are you a soldier?"
The question was no shocker to the young prince who coul have been anything he ever wanted. He had the name, the money and etc. It was his father's decision alright. The king's orders could never be contested. From the moment when he faced war for the very first time to now, the prince never felt more at home. He was born to be the wrath of the Emperor. He was born a monster. That was his purpose and everyone knew that, so why did his superior decided to even ask him this stupid question.
"I am the Butcher, sir. The emperor saw that this life suit me best," Aeron still decided to answer. He shrugged it off unbothered by all the stigma that it could possibly imply.
"Of course, of course," the latter said. "Some of us sacrifice ourselves for our nation, for glory, for their family and for themselves. What honor do you see in being the Butcher? I see none, my lord. Dead wife that I vowed to protect. Meanwhile, you are having your little trivial games. Is war a game to you?"
"I do not see where you are going, sir. Hear me well, hear me clearly. Whatever reason pushes someone to, someday, wear this uniform does not matter. How they fight it, how they enjoy it, how they hate it, does not mater. No one forced you or me to actually join the army," Aeron retorted. "In the end, rather you like it or not, you will take lives. I care little for the lives of anyone. They call me a damned demon for that. I did really bad things since I was their age, and, trust me, I'd subject you to the same little games if I feel like it. I hate to break it to you, sir, but your wife is dead. Might as well take your leave now that you have no motives. Mine is to..."
Aeron took a particular stance that one used only when they were about to use lightning. He noticed that person trailing behind them possibly to ambush them. The Badlands were no place for a bit of chitchat. One had to always be on guard. He aimed and hit his target with some more precision that Hyunki, the only superior he cared about, would have been proud of.
"...eradicate the world of the worms that crawl on this earth." It made him laugh, because that was his father's motive nowadays. In reality, Aeron was simply in the army, because that was the most fun he could get. He did not quite like life at the court. He felt liberated on the battlefield where only orders were meant to be slightly followed. Sometimes, the superiors seemed to shout nonsense simply to follow protocole, because, in the end, it was ither kill or be kill. Rather or not you capture a post or a fort was secondary. "I'm just a monster doing his father's bidding. It so happens that I have a penchant for gruesome heartless killings that would make even the most invulnerable soul throw up."
Aeron picked up his ax and walk to his victim who was simply stuned from the decharge. It made the boy smile has he ended up chopping the new victim until he could feel the blood on his skin.
"One day, you might find someone who could change that vision of yours, my lord," the man told him.
It made Aeron laugh loudly. "Such person who could make feel anything? That person will never exist. Who would even try to bother with the Butcher, sir? I am the awaited fiend that came out from a whore's womb. All my life, I waited for the right purpose. I failed many times to exterminate my brother, but, now, now, I can exterminate just as many cuspians as I want. I can do even more. I have indeed been such a terrible lad. I have abused my siblings and those under me. I have learned, but they will forever fear me. My sister failed to communicate love. After all, my father loves and he made me the soldier you see before you. I will never find anyone that I care about either. I do have a certain admiration for a brother who would pray the vessels for my upcoming death and for a sister who is strong and fair unlike the disty daisies of the court. You had your wife, congratulations. I feel nothing. I am either angry or happy in my devious ways. Someone so special to exist, to accept me and to, perhaps, fix the heart that never once felt..."
The erratic Aeron mocking his superior in a nonsensical speech suddenly paused and looked up in the sky. Droplets were falling from the sky. In a time like this, water had to start pouring. If anyone was in the area, he or she should take the occasion to attack the soldiers and others hunting them down. The firebenders were more powerless. They were something that Aeron hated the most...'weak'. If there was something else that Aeron could associate 'weakness' to was people blessed with love. His father declared war after the love of his life died. His brother was at the mercy of the futile and fake daughter of the minister who never showed if she loved him in return. The man was in love and, now, he lost all direction in life. A special someone would only make Aeron weak.
"Love is a weakness, sir. It is for that very reason why I was blessed to have none," Aeron said more composed. "I have nothing to fear. I have nothing to lose. I have nothing to prove."
"May the vessel prove you wrong," his superior cursed him. "Perhaps, a golden angel radiant like the sun who can make even you the most vulnerable?"
[ readers discretion is advise. // tw: blood, ‘infanticide’ ]
"Round up lads, I thought children loved to play games," Aeron told them has he pulled his ax from an infant's neck severing the jugular. "Come, kids, be good lads and lassies and hold hands." He motioned them to make a fine circle around their fallen comrade. And began to sang the song along with them totally enjoying himself. "Ring around the rosy. Pockets full of posies. Ashes, ashes. We all fall down." The kids all leaned on the soiled ground silently praying for their fate as the young prince added his own twisted lyrics to the song. "Ten children were round. Six have perished. Headless,headless. You taste my ax." He rose the weapon in the air, and swung it into a young defenseless shivering child without remorse. He was having fun and that all that mattered. It was 'hunting season' after all, one of the best holidays in Surya.
Orders from above announced that they were going to rest in a luxury area days after the attack on Tempestade. Aeron did not quite expect to end up in the Badlands out of all places. Young men his age would have been delighted to stop by the red light district, but he was in heaven in here. He would the chance to pulverise just as many little vermines as he wished. His squad ended up ambushing a mishapen village primarily composed of non-benders, which saddened him greatly. He had always wish to all on his younger twin in hopes of finally cleansing the world from the stain he was. Also, Samuel vanished and left him without a companion to play with. He had Hikari, of course, but she was worthless and boring. He had Seunghee, but she understood very quickly to stay put, so he lost any interest in her all together.
That was when he decided to round up all the children he could find. He decided to relive a time of his life when he and Sam would enjoy listening to their whore mother's nursery rhymes. Actually, Sam would be thrilled by them and, to have equal fun, Aeron would try his best to make him cry. It was quite a peculiar sight. Sam would cry with a smile on his face, because he would listen to those songs while he was being punched or pinched by his twin. Needless to say that, none of those children were as lucky as Samuel. They were not going to live to see another day. In the end, Aeron left in the middle of the ashes ten headless children who all fell down. He walked away dirty with the blood of his victims and whistling the song.
During the entire trip to this avant-garde district, Aeron was quite astonished that he managed to lie to his eldest brother and to drag him in what was nothing more than a red light district. At first glance, it did not look like it, but that was one of this hubs where rich nobles with too much time of their hands would indulge themselves in debauchery of all kinds: women, men, games, bets, trades, booze and tournaments. The list of illegal activities that were held in this area could go beyond the imagination of most. Nearly everything was possible in this corner of the city.
“Worry not, brother, your fiance will never know unless you cannot keep anything to yourself,” the cadet said when he handed his brother a mask to remain incognito. “Instead of always attending your lessons all the time, you should learn how to be a man of your time. This is where your future generals and ministers spend a lot of their quality time. No wonder you did not know what I was referring to when we came here or else you would have exactly know what I was talking you into.” He opened his arms widely. “I present to you paradise on earth. You don’t have to transgress your vows. Nothing obliges you to spend the night in good company.”
The youngest showed his brother around. He did not hide his amusement as he showed the ‘brothel’, the ‘casino’, etc. The boy kept the best for last, the ‘arena’ where were held all kinds of tournaments. If violence was not part of the entertainment, this place would have lacked the core essence of the paradoxal Surya. Surya where formality, luxury and etiquette prevailed, but, also, violence, passion and immorality. Vanity had been at its height since their father became the king. It used to be expected for their brother, but, now, even the idealists and the optimists thought otherwise.
“There are times where they simply replicate a passage of our history of wars. There are times where they cut the chase and simply decide to put two combatants in the ring. There are times that they bring in animals. Everything you can imagine. It will always end into blood and death. Slaves and poor people win their lives here, because the truth is that this business is rather lucrative.” He brought his brother to a lodge owned by the royal family. Perhaps Daehyun could realize on their own that some of the servants that were tending to their needs were part of the personnel of the castle. “Taxes pay everything you witness. Those warriors, they do whatever they can to feed their children, because they don’t want to end up in the Badlands if they can no longer afford Surya. They fight. They live or they die for our entertainment. I cannot deny that I absolutely love those splendid fights to death, because that is when anyone show their true potential. Sometimes, some non-firebenders end up here. They become superstars if they survive. They obtain immunity from the New Order.”
In the arena, a fight between a lion and a man had finished. The starved animal ripped apart the man. It was not time to clean up for the next event, one that Aeron had been waiting for all week. He even let out a ‘splendid’ when the names of his favorite fighter was shouted by the announcer. He was facing another powerhouse. For the sake of everyone, they were not going to fight to death; however, til one abandons or one is knocked out. The fighters knew that, if they were to abandon, everyone would ask for the weakling’s death. The will of the crowd was always law.
“So, brother, I hope you do enjoy the display,” Aeron let out knowing full well that it was most likely the opposite. “You know, when you become king, cleaning up father’s mess won’t be the picnic. Like I said earlier, this is the playground of your future associates unless you change everything. Rumor has it that some have been meeting here…” The boy turned himself to the servants and guards and asked them to leave the premises and remain outside the lodge if they valued their worthless lives. “As I was saying…” he almost whispered. “Some have been plotting to usurp the power from father’s hands and eliminate the Dragonborn line. All those years, I’ve always rambled that I hated you, but…for reasons…I’d rather see you on the throne than any of those parasites that swarm our nation. Instead of advocating peace the way you do brother, you should play their game until you wear that crown. Be evil, but not entirely. Learn to scheme, to deceive and to crush. That is the only way you can win against father and against all.”
The fight caught Aeron’s attention for a moment. His favorite obliterated his opponent. Better yet, his opponent was on the ground unconscious. A man came into the room and handed the young prince a rather heavy bag. He knew he could count on this fighter to win a fine sum. He knew that this would end with a knock out when most bet on an accidental death or a lost. However, those nobles did not know how a man would react over particular situations; while Aeron, who happened to be a soldier, knew exactly what it felt like. A certain though almost made him melt the gold. Daehyun most likely probably disliked him more now. After all, Daehyun always preferred the other kinder twin.
“I guess that today was a great day. How rare is it to spend some quality time with your big almost invisible brother.” He smiled. “Tomorrow, I’m shipped again…I was not supposed to say that…oh well. You must know that I’m a soldier, so it doesn’t exactly mean anything. Let’s go or do you want some more action? Rather this or…” He let out a chuckle. “Do you want something more sensual?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, dear little sister,” he mused as he embraced her from behind. “Nothing is without a price.”
It had been nearly a week since he had lost interest in Samuel mainly because he had been under the watchful eye of their older siblings since he tried to drown him again to cleanse him from his original sin (to be born on that day). His eyes had fallen on his sister older in age but she never acted as such. She was so unlike Seulgi who was strong. Hikari was always on the side. She looked pathetic. It was on this that he planned his scheme. She needed ‘love’, ‘attention’ and ‘care’. After all, she lost her mother when she was still an infant and possibly had no recollection of her. From what Aeron understood, her mother was one of his father’s personal whores (concubines) and she was burn at the stake for having a female as a first born. Pathetic. It was sad that her whoring mother had died in horrible circumstances and left that useless child into this world.
“You see, from now on, I will play with you always.” Aeron announced before he pushed her on the floor. “I will make sure you wear the prettiest clothes and the nicest jewelry, because I don’t play with people who could be confused for a meager servant.”
He leaned next to her on the ground and met her very eyes. They did not look much alike even if half of their blood was the same. She took from her mother that his father happened to have simply liked for entertainment and for bearing children. The younger male extended his hand grabbed one of her long locks. She had fine hair for a useless doll. It was worth combing and brushing everyday. Her skin was fair therefore he would always make her wear sumptuous dresses that were rich in color like his older sister or, perhaps, he should opt for pastels so she could blend with the walls and be invisible to most but him. She was a new plaything of his, but one not as filthy as his twin brother. She was a weakling next to hi however. At least, she had no one to really run to either. Their father did not seem to care about her. The new official whore did not seem to like her either.
“From now on, our roles are reverse.” He threw the lock in her face and sat down. “You are to call me big brother. You better do what I say, because you do not want me to be get angry, right?” Aeron let out a chuckle and stood up. “Never forget that I am the first one who decided to acknowledge your miserable presence. No one thought to dress you up. Why would they bother?”
RETROGRADE’s very first meme is here!! It’s a meme consisting of a list of prompts you may reblog up to three times over the week ( until 08/30, because another meme will be posted then! Of course you are free to publish responses even after that date if you still have unanswered prompts ). You may answer the prompts in canon verse, present, past, future, or AU; use them as starters or drabbles; let your imagination run wild!
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violent roars of flames stood high on the pedestals that surrounded, an audience hushed behind the dancing embers. there was no sense in this mindless dispute, only that there was a twisted amusement that came from the both partaking. on the stretched walkway they stood on opposite ends, a prince made up of nothing more than gold & as for him, he was nothing more than one of their most trusted members of society. he held no status to his name other than a leader amongst men to reign terror, & that was something prince aeron respected. the feuds between the two, even for the most simplest of matters, always ended with an audience by their feet. maybe it was because they loved the attention, maybe it was because they loved the thrill of potentially burning the untouchables of their nation.
with his torso bare for the taking his footing shifted to a stance of power. the prince had all the potential in the world to take him down, but their bloodlust clouded by smoke always skewed their judgement. their excitement would spill & hyun ki’s movements were always sharp, ready to hit back whenever a vulnerable spot was shown. the disagreement between the two this time around revolved around where the nation would stand if their father were to fall. they had no problem speaking out about it, yet he was uncomfortable — which brought him to raise his voice to one of the many he swore to protect. which brought him here now with a sickening smile twitching upward, though he was careful not to bear his teeth.
“after you, my prince.”
royalty always came first, but in this case his words were double crossed as his fists cut forward with a lunge, a gust of flames spiralling towards their feet as warning. if he were to be tested in front of officials he would have to give himself a name, and he was sure their fathers were somewhere within the audience. “you never were the greatest dancer. let’s give you a lesson, yeah?” continuing with the repeated cycle of fists cutting through at a beat in his mind the flames whipped sharper, blades of flames cutting around their feet as he advanced.
"i find it rather humorous that, once we step out of the battlefield, our roles our reversed. you are, after all, my commander; yet, i am also your prince. the throne and this title mean little to me as we both know that, the moment the dying corpse graces us with his last breath, daehyun the 'peacemaker' shall be king," retorted aeron as he dismissed the title and the gesture. the older male was to him more of a brother figure than his own brother. he, at least, did not hate him for what he potentially was, a demon. after all, the major general was quite a beast when he was on the field. there was no stopping him and aeron admired that side of him.
tucking a few long strands behind his ear and tying the rest with a ribbon, the second prince revealed his demonic two colored eyes to the audience and to his opponent for this spearing match. agni kai was possibly one of those things that the young man seemed to enjoy aside from terrorizing those below him, hunting in the badlands or butchering his other victims. there was an exhaliarating feeling that often accompanied those sparring. perhaps, it was the fact he was putting himself on the line. his honor, his pride and his name were at stake when he lost. perhaps, it was that he could fight someone as strong as the latter. after all, the mere fact to come out victorious would please him greatly.
he held his stance as hyunki led his offense mercilessly. he dispersed the flames with a circular defensive motion with his hands. the young prince was not going to quiver in fear even if he knew how he was not as equally skilled as his opponent. skill and strength were not the only elements to be taken into consideration. aeron had survived the war based on far more than that. he care less about giving a beautiful display of his mastery. instead, he rather went for his more brutish ways. his attacks may lack of grace and be considered as ugly, but he returned the other's blows with power. a stream of fire followed a sequence of kicks and punches and he ended it with a fireball.
Aeron remained alone with his father whose imposing stature had the best of him. It was better if he remained serious. The emperor placed his hands hands on his second eldest son, his personal killing machine. "Years ago, my son, you have dared to cross the line. Have you not forgotten how I have shield you from the loathing of your eldest siblings when you were viciously brutalizing your younger siblings? Have you not forgotten how I gave you a second chance as I sent you to the most prestigious military school and even given you the chance to climb up the ladder as an officer of the army?" Aeron listened to his old man and nodded. The second prince could not bite the kind hand of his overbearing father yet. He was the monster of the family, the two-colored eyed fiend. The one that all had lost faith in except for his comrades in the army, because he used his pleasure into inflicting the worst of crimes on those wretched Tempestans and Elvans. He used his apathy into good use. He enjoyed the blood he bathed in.
"Do not say a word to your siblings when you eclipse yourself during the second week of the festival. You have important duties as a soldier of this nation," his father whispered as he pointed the map. "I want those who live in those lands to perish, Aeron. As much as you care little for your siblings, you must care even less for those worms that have yet to break down and to submit to our rule. There shall be nothing but carnage and despair. You will burn those houses to the ground like the good son that you have been to me all those years as a recruit." The grin on Aeron's face as he could already hear the screams of his victims was not only despicable but also devious. Hyunjin had never tried to fix his son even if his own wife wanted him to grow up into a fine man. He silently applaud the psychopath that he had bore. The vessel of aries had gave him a weapon to utilize. The teenager pointed a part of the map and circled a village with his fingers. The father looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Fine choice, my son. If this village is destroyed, there will be a new path towards the capital that could help our army avoid the trenches."
"When midnight comes," mumbled Aeron as he waited by the side of his commanding officer. He knew exactly what was coming and he was excited. Soldiers never squirmed, weeped, shivered or begged, which always turned him off when he tortured them. He would always end up killing them off to quickly. On the other hand, civilians were perfect pray for predators like him. He laughed maniacally by the side of his comrades who were slightly disturbed by his sudden outburst. He was going to give his father justice as he would kill them one at a time. From experience, he knew where to strike, which was at the heart of the people, the temples. He knew very well that there was a Temple of Gemini erected within this community. The vessel with the two faces, the twin, the Gemini. Those little lambs were to be the light of the deity while he was to be the darkness, the wolf. Alas, he heard his commander ordering them to charge. It came to him as a blessing. "Now, you shall learn how to fear those who were born from the blood of dragons."
He ordered his men to leave the temple and to lock it behind them. There were indeed people within that temple frightened to death. They had a reason to fear and he was before them in flesh and blood. Adept in various weapons such as swords, lances and axes, he preferred to cut down his enemies before using fire thus why he was regarded as the 'The Butcher' of the Military. He was a madman for sure, which pleased some of his bloodthirsty commanders. Today, he was going to take his sweet time with those people. They could try to run, to attack or to hide. No one was coming out alive from this burning temple except for him. They were innocent unarmed civilians, but, in Aeron's eyes, they were his little preys promised by his father. He was to do exactly what his father said. No gods were coming to save them. He was the only god. Their god of damnation, of torture. He took every semblance of protection, faith, hope and love away from them as he killed mercilessly children, elders, mothers, fathers, lovers and friends in a temple, in a holy sanctuary.
In the end, when morning came and the smoke were visible in the grey sky, Aeron was covered in blood holding his ax and sitting on a fragment of a marble column. Most of his victims were reduced in piles of ashes. He dropped his ax on the neck of this man and grabbed a severed head. "All hail to the emperor, my friend. Your death is only a token to his exquisite grandeur and his sheer happiness, because he is the Dragonborn. I am only his royal highness's boogeyman, almost his slave when you think about it..." he laughed barely amused. His long hair hid his eyes. "There is no saving for me rather it is so-called love or gratitude. Sister says she loves me, but father also says so. Isn't it ironic?" He threw the head away and picked up his ax laughing. "Man, we are to hunt down the survivors. They can't have gone too far."
Lady Iseul had three children according to the annals, but four from the oldest servants memories. Her last children were twins bestowed not only the ability to bend but the be ability to incarnate evil or to incarnate unluckiness. It was suggested that Lady Iseul had gave birth two fiends with two colored eyes: one as blue as the sky and one as brown as the earth. At first, people would say that it was a sign from the vessels that they would reign over the heavens and the earth. Their claims quickly changed when the eldest, Aeron, whose name was perfectly chosen as it meant carnage and slaughter, was a devil in the shell of a human. Barely an infant and almost no longer a baby, he began to unleash his wrath on his siblings, because that was what he preferred to do instead of playing with inanimate toys. The youngest twin, Samuel, who was so sweet and caring as a child, was a cuspian those vile fiends, those failed candidates. While one lives has a prince, the other is in exiled and forgotten. The royal family cannot allowed its reputation to be stained by its own blood.
(*) The type of fear Hikari had known all her life came in forms of beautiful unforgettable faces and expensive cloths of red and gold, not the usual descriptions associated with fear.
The first type of fear, she had already learned to appropriately react to for her father’s worsening illness had the queen pretty much occupied with caring for him thus leaving her very little time to dwell on Hikari’s affairs. But nothing could make Hikar’s blood run cold quite like the sight of her second eldest brother with his mismatched colored eyes that had been a fixed figure in all of her nightmares– he was her second type of fear come to life.
Shaky hands gently put down the glass of wine in her hand as she tried to keep her face void of any emotion. The nearest exit was fifty meters away from where she stood in the grand ballroom of the Duuri palace and she could only hope that she’d manage to walk the distance undetected and unnoticed by him. She gathered her skirt and walked with her head down low, her heartbeat running so wildly that she was sure he could hear it from he stood mingling with the other nobility.
She had expected to see him here for the last she heard, he was involved in the Suryan conquests at the border and that was a far distance from Duur. It had been months since she had seen him last and she could only hope that she would succeed in prolonging it. She would fake a fever and ask that Daehyun and Seulgi allow her to head back to Surya alone– anything to keep her away from him, she’d do.
But fate had never been kind to Hikari, that much was known but it became even more obvious in the cold fingers that tightly gripped her wrist as she walked out of the double doors leading into a dark hallway.
Sumptuous was the grand ball that Duur had prepared for the occasion. It had been a while since had even wore uncomfortable clothes and he would have done anything to trade his ceremonial attire for his uniform. He did like the change of scenery however. It was quite fun to bash a few heads or incinerate entire squads, but he missed the prolonged psychological torture he could put his favorite victims into. In the battlefield, everything came to an end too quickly unless they captured prisoners (who never truly last when Aeron was mandated to interrogate them). The lasting effect of his reign of terror over his younger siblings seemed to have never failed. As he noticed his darling little sister leaving the party in their honor. Amused to say the least, he could not possibly leave her alone. He had missed his dear sister. It had been months, alas, that they had not have a heart to heart.
For as long as he could remember, Hikari was perhaps his little doll and teddy bear. The kid at the time loved to shower his sister with care. He liked to choose her dresses for the day. He enjoyed giving her big hugs and kisses and tell her about his day. That would what a young lad would do. It seemed normal or creepy depending how one looked at it, but it was for one purpose alone. What could look like a display of affection was simply to worsen what was to come. The callous child he was never seemed to regret what he had done to make her so fearful of him. He liked dressing her up only to verbally torture her. She was after all the daughter of the fallen second favorite. Her mother gave birth of a daughter before of an heir unlike his mother who gave the king an heir first before the fairest daughter. He liked to remind her just how ugly she was. He liked to remind that it was her fault that he mother died possibly on a funeral pyre. When she was defiant, he would make her regret. A misplaced stare could lead to slap across her porcelain face.
She chose the perfect area for an ambush. Dark always were sure to heighten her fears and to amplify his threats. He wanted to leave lasting scars since he was going to return to the front in two weeks time sadly. The young man waited for her behind a column, and when she appeared near his position and came out from the shadows. He did not let her the time to scream by clasping his palm on her mouth. He dragged away to a dark corner and pinned her to a wall. He hoped that she had a glimpse of her agressor, but it did not matter, because he was assured that never was she going to forget his voice.
“My sweet little sister,” he whispered with a mischievous yet evil grin. “I believe that leaving a ball without advising your host is quite impolite of you. Have you forgotten all your manners? Father wouldn’t be happy, wouldn’t he?” He ended with a chuckle.
