Astrolia is lively.
The carriage dropped me off in the town square due to Prince Leo's orders, saying I didn't deserve to have a full ride to the villa, which I ignored and withheld my displeasure so that I didn't further mess up. The sun was beginning to set, and the town was alive and loud. The streets still bustling with people of all backgrounds. I walk through the city with no real intention, loving being alone within the city. Having been alone for the first time in weeks. The island air is warm, and the buzz of chatter is loud and comforting, unlike the castle library.
"Found you."
Maverick's hand rests on my shoulder, making me look up quickly and move away before fully recognizing him. Red eyes stared at me with confusion before letting out a soft huff. "You had not returned with Ventura nor Rhodon. So, I came to search for you." He speaks with a shrug, and I let out a soft sigh, having no desire to return to the Villa yet.
"If you do not want to return. We can wait. Luckily, I know a few places to dine and unwind."
He doesn't wait for me to answer and grabs my hand, pulling me along and I blindly follow. His hands are hot but not to the point of discomfort. He's tall and easily leads me through the crowd, his grip never faltering. My gaze moves around the crowd and the ground feels numb to my feet. Their faces seem to move in slow motion and become faces I've seen before. The words of the journal come to mind. As if all the pieces fell together.
They became sea demons...
I stop in place and Maverick slows me and turns and faces me. Before I control my mouth, the words flutter from my lips. "It was because of you." The words are simple and vague and for a moment I feel as if I know nothing, I feel like I'm wrong in my assumption before I look at Maverick. His face looks like stone and his eyes reflect nothing but guilt. It all makes sense.
I know I'm right.
I pull my hand away from his limp ones, the fear I felt, the worry, the discomfort for the land of Astrolia, all tied back to him. The missing pieces fall into place and Maverick searches my face with a slight panic in his movements.
"It was a curse..."
I can't find any words and Maverick's hands grab my shoulders, not allowing me to move. Before you place my final judgment. You must comprehend all that happened in full."
Maverick doesn't give me a choice as he ushers me through the crowd and through the town, as the sun disappears and its colors fade leaving behind only the dark sky. He's stronger than me as he races back to the cave behind the waterfall, the world seems to completely blur as I move. The taste of his bitter blood rises in my mouth and my legs ache by the time we reach the waterfall. The taste burns my throat as the sounds of rushing water become clearer and closer.
It was like getting hit with a brick as all the information made sudden sense. We reached the waterfall and it's hard to see anything in front of me except for the stars that reflected off the pool and the light of the moon. Maverick releases my grip and wastes no time stripping out of his clothing and diving into the water. "Remain here."
If I left, I would get lost within the vast wilderness. He knows that. I sink to the ground. Closing my eyes, trying to rid the thumping of my head and the bitter taste. I wrap my arms around my knees, a part of my mind drifting off to Adam and his reaction once I told him of everything. I would tell him.
Once I returned, Lord Ventura would already have written a letter to the King of the recent events, or maybe he would mention nothing of my short disappearance. I shook my head slightly, before opening my eyes at the sound of splashing and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
It was a bright green jewel that looked like an eye.
"That is what made me a siren. A curse. Levithan's Curse. View me however you must but believe me and you will see how I am not innocent, but I am no murderer without intent or personal gain." Maverick with glowing red eyes, leans against the pool of water.
I slowly and hesitantly grabbed the jewel, it burned my skin, but I can't drop it.
Astrolia was a beautiful nation, the only island within the calm belt ruled by humans. But it was like any other civilization, and not exempt from the monsters of the calm belt. It was beautiful but not peaceful. So, the fearful king begged any pirate they could find to seal away the King of Sea Demons.
All refused, except one. Captain Killian Calnick Maverick, the Slayer of Sea Demons. The King begged the young pirate and promised that he would be seen as a hero in Astrolia citizens' eyes.
Maverick, young and delusional, agreed. And he went and sealed the sea demon in the depths but overcame a curse and a sickness. The only way to cure it was to wear a green jewel, the eyes of Leviathan. After five years of Maverick's disappearance, Helio rose to age and changed the fate of Astrolia. And asked for Maverick to return once again, for the King had kept his promise, and all saw him as a hero. A savior.
Saviors deserve to be celebrated.
He returned. As if time had never touched him, and the nation adored him. Having not suffered the anger of Levithan or sea demons. But everything changed when Maverick's wife returned to the palace deep within the night, with crying eyes and bloodied clothes. Helio gave aid and Maverick was missing.
Astrolia fell into ruin. As Helio ascended to King, technology boomed in desperation to calm the people, and people began missing. All seemed lost and nothing made sense. Maverick's curse had not affected only him, but those that loved him, and that love turned into hatred. Into anger, into something different. These people, all delusional people, they, themselves turned into the very sea demons they feared. Helio, a young king with his wife and child, made the decision.
To kill all those that mentioned Maverick's name.
Nothing but bloodshed and horror silenced the people of Astrolia, making each and every one of them obedient. And amongst the chaos, he dubbed the Snapdragon the Nation's flower, as if an apology for his horrid actions.
The jewel drops from my palms, my hands burning, eyes skimming over the peeling skin of my palms. Thoughts rack my brain, everything falling into place, like a puzzle I finally completed. "12." Maverick's voice is like a buzz in my ears, his webbed hands gently grabbing my wrists and bringing them into the water of the pond. It sizzles and I wince, my knees aching.
"That is my crime. If I had properly listened to him then mayb--"
"Astrolia wasn't separated from the rest of the world because of Kastro..." My brows furrow as the words leaves my tongue, "It was because of guilt..."
Maverick says nothing. His chest rises and falls, brows pushed together as if he were hesitant to speak. We sit in silence, the pain of my burning palms, slowly disappearing. My tense shoulders drop, and I watch Maverick pull away from me.
"...I-"
"In the law of the King. You, 12 have been caught conversing with that of a sea demon. Your punishment is undecided." I nearly leap to my feet, Edwin standing like a wall, with two soldiers standing at attention on either side of his form. Maverick is quick to climb out of the water, changing back to his human form within an instant, grabbing my arm and forcing me behind him.
"You have always lived a life for the dramatics."
Maverick speaks almost teasingly, my gaze glancing around the dark, we've been surrounded. Edwin talks with a smug grin. "Come with me 12. If you listen, then maybe the repercussions will be minimum. Your nation can continue to form alliances."
"It's clear to me that Astrolia has no desire for allies. You chose to stay secluded. Why?"
Edwin pauses before tilting his head as if thinking for a moment before he looks at Maverick. "King Kastro was guilty, same as his father, but he was truly murdered. His last dying wish was seclusion." Edwin speaks with a small frown and Maverick forces me slightly back.
"You talk as if his blood isn't on your hands."
The air grows thick and cold, and I watch Edwin's posture shift. My heart sinks into my stomach, watching the man wave off the soldiers. "Return to the Palace and await further orders."
"12. You must survive." Maverick's words send words down my spine, and I take a hesitant step back. Maverick posture shifted, as Edwin glared at me. His voice dropped several octaves until it sounded inhuman.
"A final chance."
When I say nothing, taking another step back, Edwin growled. My eyes went wide as his once formal posture changed. "Go!" Feeling a push on my chest, I spun around and took off. Descending deeper into the jungle as a sickening roar made my skin crawl. The sounds of arguing shake the very floor, as I run.
Edwin wasn't human.
The ground lurched beneath me, sending me flying to the ground. Rocks stab my skin painfully, a cry of pain falling from my lips. I staggered back to my feet, and the ground shook again, slamming the front of my body into a tree, the air leaving my lungs, I gasped in pain.
Another roar and the sound of trees snapping and falling, the ground bending and bowing at any movement, forcing me to my feet. I whimpered in pain, feeling pain shot through my nose and skull. my eyes searching my surroundings, before spotting a hole in a trunk of a large tree.
Using the dirt and leaves, crawling against the jungle ground and into a dark unnoticeable opening. The smell of damp dirt and blood clogged my senses, my ears felt like they were gonna burst. My heart hammered against my chest; I hugged my legs. Burrowing my face into my knees, feeling tears burn my eyes. The jungle continued to move, the tree swaying as if a mere branch in the storm.
Until it went quiet.
My heart stopped, and the sound of shouts and horses caught my attention. Edwin had moved right past me, completely and utterly unaware. As if in a daze. Maverick flashes in my mind, the thought of him being dead made me freeze. Listening to the Astrolia soldiers move along the path of destruction. 'You must survive.'
Breathing was becoming difficult. My lungs burn and struggles to inhale the damp air. I suck in the air, sending my body into a fit of coughs. My hands slamming over my lips painfully, trying to quiet myself. I roll onto my side, coughing into the ground, my hands clawing at my chest, my legs blindly dragging and pushing at the floor.
I couldn't breathe.
I beg for air, my hands painfully clawing at my throat, saliva decorating my gaping lips, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. My body tenses painfully. My throat constricting.
"12."