Once upon a time, there was a boy, a sixteen years old in noble clothes, looking at two baby girls in a cradle. The scene seemed so calm, out of time. A precious and volatile moment. Under the sunlight coming from the high windows, the auburn curls of the boy seemed on fire. A pair of golden and gentle eyes overlooked the two newborns. He wondered simply : How could a human being be so tiny ? It was a funny yet scary thought how quickly they will grow while they could barely be held with two hands.
The two of were sleeping soundly as if nothing would bother them in their little white clothes. He grazed the head of one of them with his finger but alas, was captured by a tiny hand ! He smiled. He tried to get away "forcefully" yet the tiny hand had such a strong force, one that only a hero could vanquish.
He suddenly frowned, feeling something akin to magic aura and finally chuckled silently. Indeed, they were the daughters of the emperor, blessed with the gift of heaven and earth. They will not only grow up to be beautiful but also powerful. It eased his little heart who already imagined the future with them and how he would have protected them from all danger. A stupid little dream worthy a boy like him.
The girls looked the same, same little nose and cute ears, a pair of bright golden eyes like him and their father. They would also have their mother hair. None of the children of the royal pair received the silver hair of the De val family nor the sea green eyes of the dazzling empress whose beauty and charm seemed out of this world. He giggled while thinking of the situation. Of fire and gold only.
Fire was also his main magic but magic wasn't something everyone could get. You needed affinity with nature, it was only a talent first decided by birth, then luck and finally by how you trained. Obviously, those high born could easily become powerful. Yet nowadays, there were magic academies promoting classes for all without discrimination, giving equality and equity as much as it could.
It was Argus' idea when he was still young. He wasn't even eight at that time. After seeing a commoner being able to light a candle with the a hand gesture, but nothing else, he could understand of how much of a wasted potential it was. It could not only help the army and turn it into the strongest, it could also help manage the everyday life of the whole empire, for each layer of the hierarchy !
But it was also mostly because of his older brother. Ten years and a different mother were the main differences between the two of them, yet not the more important ones for they lived in harmony. For a time that is.
Thinking of him, his mood turned sour before smiling bitterly. His gentle gaze caressed the two little girls sleeping soundly. Finally, his finger was released.
He turned around and watched his mother smiling at him sweetly from the bed where she was lying down. Her long and wavy auburn hair were shining in the light of dawn . She was simply beautiful. But to him, she was simply a lovely and cute mother. Putting her finger on her lips, symbol of silence, she then patted the bed. He came and sat at the bedside. She put her hand on his.
He asked her how she was doing and she answered that she was obviously tired. They laughed together discreetly in order to not bother the two little angels. They talked about their family members and the future that awaited them and jokingly talked about the marriage of the twins. Should they find other twins to match them ? Surely not, that would be quite ridiculous, no ?
But at some point it became a little awkward as they tried to avoid the same subject, the one about his brother. It was simply the sad story of a man with a broken mind who loved too much. there was nothing else to add.
He then remembered a good piece of information. He spoke of how the knight's training was interesting but not challenging enough so the council thought of something ! The result was that there would be a hunting expedition soon and he wanted and will participate in it, he didn't let his mother speak on it, with his best friend ( the son of a Duke) Gerom Du Restun.
Gerom Du Restun. A tall guy with such a fair skin that made girl jealous, his long and straight dark chestnut hair, an aquiline nose and pale blue eyes. If not for his strong body, he would always be confused for a run away patient from the Humble's Hospitable. It was always a problem for him. The mischievous guy always tried to roast in the sun and failed. He only became pink.
After speaking to each other, they turned towards the cradle. Both thinking that this day would be a lovely day to remember by. The birth of the blessed twin princesses.
But ultimately, birth is simply the dream of the futur and memories are simply past wishes long gone cold.
Argus couldn't stay there forever even if he had time. He had already an appointment, he needed to go. His father was waiting. Politics and history lessons were not to be missed !
He walked in a long corridor in which you could find large paintings of glorious battlefields where his ancestors ruled, the portraits of the previous monarchs. It was very impressive. It gave an oppressive aura. Then he saw his father. He stood there at the end of the corridor, looking distinguished. He gave him a small smile and patted his shoulder twice in silence. There were mainly silent communications between the two them, well, he was naturally like this, awkward with words. ( Quite a shy emperor on might say if he didn't any better.) He was also very happy about the birth of the princesses. And together they went on their way.
Charles observed the calendar with narrow eyes. He lamented about the vast differences in organisation and names. He couldn't find an appropriate day for that memento. He breathed in and out but was still quite disheartened.
' So monday, tuesday and so on. January, february and such. Hmm. 365 days in the year. Yes indeed. Too different. They divide 365 by 7 ? giving 52 weeks or so. It doesn't make any sense... Where do they get their numbers anyway !? '
Hugo explained many thing to the child on his lap. He was clearly uncertain about him understanding any of what he said but the thought about having a little genius made him smile. But then he thought about the previous incident and coughed twice, the face reddening a little. Hopefully he wasn't a genius.
Charles, hearing him coughing could only think of one reason for this action, rolled his eyes.
" And the clock ? How do hours works ? "
Hugo was much obliged to change the subject. This curious kid was something, always asking questions, seeking something new. He barely played twice with his toys. And so he brought two different kind of clocks : the digital and analog. He simply explained and Charles listened quietly, findind it all very interesting.
" So what day is it today ?"
" Well, it's your birthday for starter. An important day because you were born on that same day four years ago ! So today is the 3rd of May 2019. So you're a Taurus. That's why you may be a bit headstrong... ah wait you shouldn't believe anything with astrology and stuff like that ! All lies ehehe. "
' What he's talking about ? I don't understand. '
The doorbell then rang.
Hugo looked up and then looked back at the clocks on the table and laughed. He put the child down then shuffled his hair once again. It happened too often to Charles' taste, it might become too annoying at some point. But he couldn't get him to stop because he'll find the "excuse" that he is too cute.
" Hey Charlie, I hope you didn't think that your adoption was your only birthday gift, did you ?"
Charles stared at him puzzled and watched him open the door and saw who was coming. A tall black man, taller than Hugo by a whole head, with quite the musculature and along side the completely bad head, he looked rough at first yet he gave a saintly aura. He also had a very gentle and kind smile, the one you see on those that couldn't hurt a fly. An impressive man all in all. And beside him stood a cute little girl in a green and fluffy dress with red shoes. She raised her arms high and shouted :
" Happy birthday Charlie !"
And then she ran up to him and hugged him.
Charles didn't had time to react for he swore he could have the the phantom image of his previous friend, Gerom. But that only lasted an instant, that alone, reassured him. He may not be so alone after all. He smiled peacefully and hugged her back.
" Thanks, Addy. "