After the agreed duel between Aisling and Ezio, both of their forces retreated to their respective camps. When their men arrived at their camp, Aisling, standing in a pedestal, made an announcement to his men.
"This day, our ancestors who watches over us from the heavens smiled upon our nearing victory and upon Occiden's freedom. But the wolf is up in the sky and so is my brother's dragon. You all know what that means. The last time such an event occurred in our history is when the first king of Occiden battled his brother millions of years ago. Now, you witness another brother's conflict and I find it hard to see all of you caught up in this war."
His words only gained the people's support as his noblemen shouted, "We stand by the one true king and emperor. We stand by the prince whose name is Aisling."
"In three days, this duel must happen and...," Aisling stammered, "my... my brother must die."
Suddenly, his sadness over this burden made the once cheering men, dead silent. His eyes almost cowering with tears as he continued his speech.
"I promised you all peace. I promised you the freedom you and your families deserve. And I will see to it that our victory will transpire," he said as voices of agreement hurdled from the crowd.
"And so, for the sake of that victory, one man from among our forces must carry this responsibility to fight," he said.
"Our one true king and emperor, Aisling!", the crowd shouted. Everyone believed that the third prince who holds the Excalibur shall be the one to take part in the duel. To the people, he is seen as the strongest of them. Aisling, who has already taken the hearts of the Occiden people embraced him as their king and emperor and as the sure victor who will secure Occiden's freedom and greatness.
The crowd was cheering for him but their joyous celebration ceased as he raised his arms.
"And...And so for that brave man who shall secure our peace and our victory, I hereby appoint...," he paused as the crowd was silent to hear what their prince has to say.
"I hereby appoint my brother, the second prince Kyrian to fight in my stead!"
Then the silence broke like a glass shattered by the forces of a strong wind. It broke the moment Kyrian's name was uttered and Aisling's men thundered in disbelief.
"Your majesty, what is this nonsense?"
"Your majesty, prince Aisling, why the second prince, Kyrian?"
"No! not the second prince!"
"We strongly disagree to this, your majesty!"
Their voices are all hard to distinguish and decipher as all of them spoke at once. Their crowding shouts and their loud comments only expressed dispute and disagreement to Kyrian.
"The wolf is up in the skies, your majesty. It is the wolf who must fight," one of the men said.
"The wolf only signifies my agreement to the duel, the spell doesn't bind me to fight that battle itself. I can still select someone of my own choosing," Aisling rebattled.
"But your majesty, you hold Excalibur, the strongest sword," another exclaimed.
"My decision is final. My brother, Kyrian shall fight for us!," Aisling shouted in response to the growing chaos.
He summoned Kyrian by his side.
"Your majesty! I cannot do what you want!" Kyrian exclaimed at the king and emperor of the people, also the third prince and also his brother.
"You are stronger than me, Kyrian. Everyone knows it. You are the only one who can rival Ezio," Aisling said, leaning closely to Kyrian and clasping his hand with his.
"You are the chosen one by Excalibur, the greatest and strongest sword in the entire world. You hold the most powerful force in your hands. Your victory is ensured."
Aisling could not bear the growing noise from the people that surrounded them and in his irritation, he swung his hands in the air and called out, "Secretum praesidium!" which created a barrier that encircled the two brothers in their own private space.
"Ezio is the strongest of the three of us, perhaps the strongest of the entire Occiden kingdom. He was a genius since birth and I have never won a spar against him," Aisling said
"Your majesty… please," Kyrian tried to plead.
"But you did. You won over him many times before," Aisling emphasized. His words louder and enunciated.
"That was only child's play, your majesty. We only wielded wooden swords back then, not your Excalibur nor his Coreiseuse", said Kyrian naming Ezio's sword of wrath and destruction, which Ezio made the mages forge for him, even before the war started.
"If anyone stands a better chance against our brother, it is you," Kyrian continued. It was a very long silence, almost an eternity to Kyrian as he awaited his brother's reply. Aisling turned his back on him and when he turned around, Kyrian could not bear what he saw.
It was a painful expression from his little brother, one that screams of anguish and of pain. "I see," he thought. Aisling may have the power but his love for his brother is greater. He is too kind and gentle to even go against Ezio or even bear the thought of killing him. To Aisling, taking the life of a brother, despite the fact that he hated him and ignored him for many years, is still too painful and excruciating for him to do.
"I can never kill him," Aisling said in a sad voice, as his tears threatened to fall from his eyes.
"You know I can't," he continued. "But you can," he suddenly said.
Kyrian was surpised but more than that, he was hurt. Aisling's words despite meaning encouragement also meant something else. It was as if to say, "You can kill him. You are after all skilled in it."
He is a murderer to his younger brother, someone who can kill willingly and easily without any remorse or guilt, someone who is cold and indifferent to wars and death, the "ice prince", the "devil" and the "bastard." It pains him so that his brother was no different to everyone else who are afraid of him and who still closed their hearts and doors on him. But Kyrian, despite his cold figure and usual emotionless face answered his brother, "Alright your majesty, your wish is my command," with a broken heart.
"The duel will be three days from now. That will be more than enough time for the mages to put a spell on your sword. When it's done, it shall be called "Dansleif", the one who shall inflict a wound that will never heal," said Aisling.
Aisling took his brother's right arm and clasped them closely to him as he said, "Integrare", disintegrating the privacy barrier which he casted a while back. The silent dome that once encircled them slowly faded as the chaotic crowd's voices started to be heard.
"Colligo," Aisling said as he looked straight on his brother's eyes. Upon his utterance of the binding spell, a blue fire painted the mark of a wolf on the back of Kyrian's right hand.
"Just until the battle," Aisling said. "Just until then, you are binded to me. After that, I shall free you."
Soon, the noisy murmurings and buzz from the crowd slowly silenced down as the two brothers stood before them, facing each other and hands clasped with each other. As soon as they saw the mark of a wolf on Kyrian, they knew that there is no turning back, that there is no taking back of Aisling's final decision. As a big hush fell on them, Aisling was ready.
"Videtur!," both of the brothers said in unison as the black phoenix blasted up the skies and sat side by side the blue wolf.
"Fide!," Aisling called out as the blue wolf clothed Kyrian's black spirit animal and his phoenix turned blue, imbued in Aisling's blue flames. Soon, the blue wolf disappeared as it was changed into the blue phoenix that now stood in the skies together with the crimson dragon on the opposite side. The spell was done.
Now, Occiden knew that in three day's time, they shall witness the dragon in battle with the phoenix who is fighting for the wolf.
It was this time that Kyrian realized he was a sacrifice. His brother shall not taint his hands with the blood of their enemy because it is his beloved brother, Ezio so he was sent to do the dirty work and kill that beloved brother for his sake.
No one thought of him nor the pain and trauma he will go through again because they knew nothing about it nor would anyone care to think of what he feels. They only see him as a soldier who will kill if commanded to and will still be indifferent about it.
"It's alright", Kyrian tells himself. "I could not do anything about it, anyways," he said to his thoughts. To Kyrian, nothing can be done to change his people's perspective of him so even though the pain and sadness wanted to consume him, he hid it and denied his heart of feeling what he calls "weakness."
Kyrian can only look forward to his new sword. He like the sound of "Dansleif", the one that shall inflict an unhealable wound, one that will strike a permanent blow and the one chosen to kill his brother; not Excalibur, the most powerful sword but Dansleif, a sword that shall contain black magic, the touch of death and the venomous poison of demise.
To an ice prince and devil such as himself, that sword was perfect for him. "So he sees me that way, as well, huh?" Kyrian thought thinking of the sword his brother wanted him to have, a dark sword for a dark person like himself.
However, the time shall come when Kyrian shall thank his brother for bestowing him Dansleif. It will not be a sword of death like he emancipated but a blessing that shall save a life; it will be the sword that shall save someone else, someone he would get to meet in the near future.