Chereads / The Marble Raven / Chapter 2 - Episode 2.

Chapter 2 - Episode 2.

Colburn

I walk into my bedroom to have my assistant immediately at my side offering me tea, a robe and food. "It seems Alvar isn't as amazing as they say." I chuckle as I strip my shirt, tossing it to Currant who catches it easily. "Just stood there like a marble statue." Given it was a three second encounter, but nonetheless, you'd think with his publicity he'd have better reactions.

"Yes, Sire."

I slipped out of my pants, once again throwing them to my loyal servant, just before reaching my beautiful closet. "I need to meet our prisoner, what shall I wear?" Gold? Blue, maybe?

"Well-"

"I wasn't talking to you!" I yell at his stupid face, causing him to shrink back.

I pick out a beautiful button up with a jacket that is studded in obsidian and purple diamonds. It glitters in the light when I twirl around in the mirror.

"Colburn!" My favorite person in the world, aside from myself of course, runs into the room, jumping onto my bed, screaming my name.

"Is that Melanie Candace?" Her freckled face comes into view, smirking as always.

"The one and only, and damn does that blazer sparkle." She winked, crossing her long legs as she checked me out.

"I know, right? I have to go see the little Finn Whitcomb."

"Oooh, can I come?"

"How can I say no to that?"

"In other news, did you hear about the two women, yellow and purple?" Of course I had, it's international news. Vulnate and Istintis are sworn enemies, having two near pure purple and yellow people getting married could be punishable by death in all kingdoms. The fact that they got away with it is astonishing, but it doesn't affect me too much so let them do whatever. Although it is gross, a purple and yellow? It's almost as bad as a Black and White getting married. It gives me shivers.

"Gross."

"Heather Onyx and Aurelia Xanthus,"

"A Black, really?" A disgrace, Vulnate is our closest ally and to have a half Black, half Purple woman marry our enemy's closest ally is kind of insulting.

"Yup, the Purple was the Head Spellcaster, obviously fired and the Yellow," Melanie grimaces slightly, she's mostly black but has some purple in her eyes which means she hates Istintis almost as much as the Whites. "She was head doctor, almost entirely pure, probably 96%."

Your purity mostly decides your position in life, there are times when someone like me becomes a royal despite being 50% enemy and 50% pure black, but that was because the two didn't mix. My eyes are still deep like the Queen's, despite my white hair.

"Well, love, we better be on our way. I don't want to be in a mood when we see the beautiful Finn."

As we get to the holding cell I am met with several guards protecting the room. The holding cells can hold demons, especially low powered ones, extraordinarily well, but humans are stronger, much more so than the Blacks.

That's how this whole thing started, because of the power difference. The Whites hated that the Blacks had powers and the Blacks hated that the Whites had strength. Then the entire world got in on the war, four countries that relied almost entirely on their natural abilities, and four that used their magic almost entirely.

"Oh, Prince Finn." I bang on the bars, causing his head to snap and meet mine. Despite our hair being almost the exact same color, his eyes were pure white, while mine contrasted completely.

"Colburn." His voice was strong, not one of a young man who was kidnapped.

I scoff, crossing my arms as he glares from the stone seat, "Did I give you permission to call me that? I don't take disrespect from your kind."

"And you kidnapping me is not disrespectful?"

"Touché."

"What do you want with me?" He was still sitting, his bright white suit, slightly stained from the trek here, contrasting with the dark, near black stone had him glowing against it.

"Well, not much with you, but with your body." He furrows his brows slightly, before returning to his indifferent expression, "Your child would be the true heir, and then we can take over your kingdom."

"Alvar won't let you get them, you should know that."

"Oh, we don't need to get them. We've already gotten them." I smirk before feeling Melanie walk up beside me, her arm snaking its way around my waist.

"Oh, love, you're screwed." She grins sweetly, her freckled cheeks rounding and her purple eyes squinting. "We're already inside, didn't you feel it?"

"Alvar will save me, I know it. He'll destroy you." His eyes, there it is. My opening, it's right there.

"When he gets here we'll just kill him. It's not like he's better than the entire Thordian Kingdom." He seems to get angry, finally standing to his feet.

"He'll kill you all!" His hands find the bars, hitting and denting them slightly.

"Oh, the puppy growls." Melanie smirks, her dark lips spreading across her face in a sneer.

"Well he can try I suppose, and when he gets here, I'll show you how we kill Whites of his cal-"

"Please~" He seemed broken, which as cute as it was, made me slightly angry, "Just tell me what you want. Leave him out of it."

I scoff, "Weak."

I turn around, leading Melanie with me as we hear the young seventeen year old hit the wall, angry. I suppose that's what love does to you. It makes you weak, stupid, and naive.

---

The guards were set to arrive any day now, I have someone watching them at all times but they are surprisingly slow considering they have literal magic.

"I'm bored." Melanie barges into my room, jumping onto my bed causing a pillow to fall off.

"Hello bored, I'm not in the mood." She looks at me and lets out a fake laugh before sitting up. Her long black hair lays on the sheets in her position, making it look even softer than before.

"What shampoo do you use?" I'm small, thin, weak, fragile, I've been called it all but my hair is the worst part. It's pure white, almost like the King's. It labels me a traitor, my mother and father traitors to their kingdoms which makes me like them. I hate it. But talking about hair is normal, it hides the fact that I hate myself and everything my hair stands for. And the funny thing is, I am insulted about how feeble I look but never, not once have I been ridiculed about my hair. And I just want to rip it out. If it wasn't treason to do so, I would.

"Lavender and aloe, it's nice, right?" She shook out the strands, still laying on my bed. There's a knock on my door, interrupting our conversation but Melanie doesn't seem to care as she continues on, "I got the secret from my mother before she went back to Vulnate," Her mother was from the Purple Kingdom and I remember when she went back, it broke Melanie despite it being her who told her mother to do it. "She-" A knock again interrupted her, "What the hel-"

And in walked Blake Flannery, my leader, the general.

He was meant to teach me how to fight, to train me. The Queen was busy so he offered to take over in my upbringing.

"Colburn." He smiled the, I suppose, largest smile he could.

"General Flannery." He did so, he helped raise me. Taught me defense, offense and any '-fense' you can think of.

"The Queen requested your presence." Until I got too caught up with my royal duties, he was always there. Physically at least.

"Got it." He left pretty fast, leaving Melanie and me alone while she simply stared at me for a few moments, her lips slightly apart. "Close your mouth before someone sticks their dick in it." Her lips snap closed slightly but she stays silent for much too long. "Speak."

"I don't understand your relationship. He basically raised you but each word seems so forced." Nobody understands, and I wouldn't expect him to.

"I've been officially crowned heir, he has to talk to me like that unless the Queen's nonexistent child shows up."

The Queen never wanted a child, especially after she took me in. Claimed I was a big enough handful. I am eternally grateful to her but she didn't really have the time to raise a child, hence why Blake, a man who loathed children, was forced to step in.

But she's the mother I needed and have. Even if she can be absent sometimes.