TW// Vomit, trauma, panic attack, violence, blood
Yarrin was the same as Tivon remembered. He might have thought that it would change in the last two years, but it was still the same. The stone, one story houses with brick roofs weren't as cramped together as in other villages and towns in Naydawin. All the houses had stained glass windows, colouring the inside of them in beautiful paintings of colour. The town's paved roads were busy with people.
Tivon came to the market square. He could notice the lack of provisions. The prices were higher and there were more people on the streets begging for just the smallest amount of food.
Tivon had noticed it in other towns too. It was hard to get food, even for him and Cornelis. He knew it was selfish of him to burden Rea with all these problems. He wanted to help her, but with everything happening around him, he just didn't know where to even start.
He turned into a wide street with all kinds of shops. They were spread down the street on both sides. The display windows were big, stained glass ornated only at its frame, so it was possible to see what the store had to offer. Rea's birthday was in three days and Tivon intended to buy her something. A gift was the last thing Rea needed, but he wouldn't just give her a gift. He would offer her help. He knew some things about how to rule a kingdom, which still wasn't enough, because father always refused to teach and show him. If he could offer Rea just a tiny bit of help, they might just save this kingdom.
What if I'll be just a burden to her? Tivon already couldn't bring himself to tell her what had happened in Rhiamon. There was no use in telling her. He already thought it a trick of his mind. Surely, he had just imagined it. With so little sleep he had, he must've imagined them.
But they felt so real. He felt their touches.
A shiver passed over his body as he was mindlessly walking down the street, paying little attention to the surroundings. Suddenly something bumped into his knees. Tivon looked down. A pair of brown wide eyes were staring back at him. They looked familiar.
"I'm so sorry." A man picked up the child into his arms. "I'm so sorry, he just learned how to walk-" The man finally looked up at Tivon. "Your Majesty?"
Tivon waved his hands. "Oh, no more. No need for that." He looked at the man closer. He too looked familiar. His eyes darted between the child, barely two years old, and him. He finally figured out why those eyes looked familiar. They were his mother's eyes. Gyla's eyes.
"Tivon, right?" Tivon nodded and the man smiled. "You resemble your mother."
"Are you-"
The men's cheeked blushed. "Yes." He handed him his hand. Tivon shook it. "Alecsei and this is Luca."
They stared at each other in awkward silence. Luca buried his head into Alecsei's shoulder. "Mommy?"
Alecsei patted his back. "Yes, yes, we'll go to her."
Before he could turn Tivon asked. "Can I visit my mother?"
He saw the brief hesitation in his face.
"I-I don't think..." He stuttered. "Y-yes." He said with a sighed. "Follow me."
Their house was simple. Stone, one story house with brick roof, a simple garden in front of the path leading to the front door. It was a little further away from the main square, a house closes to the shore. When Alecsei opened the door, Tivon saw Gyla sitting by the window, looking out onto the open sea. Alecsei smiled gently, his eyes radiating love. Tivon never minded her mother having a lover – it was for the same reason he didn't tell Urien about them. Alecsei came to her and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. She turned her head to him, her eyes blank.
Alecsei looked down at the table beside her. He picked up what Tivon presumed to be her cup. "You left your tea, honey."
She smiled at him, her eyes still hollow. "You made me tea? How thoughtful of you, dear."
Gyla didn't reach for the cup. She just looked back through the window. Alecsei put Luca into her lap. With confusion she looked at him and then smiled. "Oh, hi Luca. Did you have a great time with dad?"
Luca nodded and hugged Gyla round her waist. She stroked her hand down his hair and looked at Tivon. "And who are you?"
Tivon wanted to scream. He was staring at a face so familiar to him, at a face he always trusted, the face of her mother, whom he loved so dearly. But staring back at him with dead eyes was a stranger. Tivon opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. His own mother had forgotten him. He reached for her hand. "It's m-me, Ti-"
Alecsei pulled him away. "His name is Tihey." Tivon looked at him distressed, already opening his mouth to protest. Alecsei pulled him into the room closes to them. Tivon needed explanation. If it meant that he would need to use violence than so, be it.
Tivon grabbed his arms firmly. "What happened to her? What have you done to her?!"
"Shhh. Please, don't shout." He took a breath. "She's forgetting things. The doctors say it's a disease of the brain. She probably doesn't remember you at all."
Tivon's stomach dropped. His knees were shaking and if he weren't holding Alecsei's arms he would fall. Alecsei noticed the colour draining from Tivon's face. He sat him down on the chair.
"She doesn't r-remember anything?"
"She did at first."
Tivon looked up. "What did she remember?" Alecsei hesitated. He was looking for the right words to say to Tivon, but Tivon knew he was only looking for pretty lies. "What did she say?" Tivon raised his voice.
"Not all good things." He said quietly. "Every time she looked at Luca, she said that she was grateful that he doesn't have the same scar as you. She said that she didn't like to look at you." He looked at Tivon. "I-I don't think I should be telling you this-"
"What else did she say?"
He wanted to hear it all. For years, no, all his life he thought Gyla was the only one who understood. Tivon thought that she was the only one who he could trust.
"Gyla did say that you were smart, but she didn't like that you were too smart. Smarter than her. She got pregnant with Luca because she wanted to redirect her attention away from you. She was happy when you gave the kingdom to Rea and exiled your father."
Tivon couldn't breathe. The room started spinning beneath his feet. His mother hated him from the very start. No, she didn't just hate him, she despised him. Is he really such a burden to everybody?
"Tivo-"
Tivon sat up and stormed out of the room. "I need to go."
He was already at the door when Gyla asked. "Leaving already?" Tivon stopped, his hand on the handle of the door, shaking. "Well, I hope we see each other again. You seem like a pleasant person."
Tivon left the house, closing the door behind him. He started running down the street. Lies. Every single word that ever came from her mother's mouth were lies. How could a mother, his own mother lie to him? He felt sick. He turned in the corner of the street and vomited. How could you hate your own child so much?
A thought crossed his mind, that it had never crossed him before.
He should've died on the day of the accident. That lightning should've killed him. Why didn't it kill him? Everything would be easier. Their lives would be so much better without him.
He felt the village, staring at him. At first Tivon thought it was because he looked distressed and panicked, but their looks weren't worried or pitied. They were angry.
They had recognized him.
Slowly they started walking towards him. "Why did you do it?"
Tivon stepped backwards. "D-do what?"
"You exiled the King!" Shouted one.
The others quickly joined him. "You gave away the kingdom to that whore!"
Tivon hit the wall of a house. "W-what?"
Everyone started shouting and Tivon couldn't make out their words anymore. They had cornered him, and Tivon didn't know what to do. He couldn't just attack his people, but if he stayed there, they would kill him.
Suddenly, a building beside him exploded and all Tivon could see, was white. When his vision returned, he found himself on the ground, his whole right side in pain from the impact. He couldn't hear anything. Something was banging against his temples. He squinted his eyes to see panicked people running around the ruins and suffocating smoke.
Quickly he realized that the banging in his head wasn't his heart. It was the village bells.
The raid bells.
He quickly went to his feet, knife already in his hand. He couldn't see, through all the smoke, where the attack was coming from. He ran to where the smoke hadn't spread out. Tivon saw people attacking the villagers and stealing the village necessities.
Pirates.
The town was being raided by pirates.
Tivon ran. He had to get to the royal army. Someone crashed into him from the side street. He looked up at panic golden eyes. "Cornelis?"
"We need to go!" She grabbed his wrist. "We need to get to Rhiamon."
"R-Rhiamon? Why?"
"I need you there-"
A building behind them exploded. It sent Tivon and Cornelis to the ground. Tivon turned around and squinted through the eyes. A tall figure was walking towards them, a sword in his hand. When the smoke from the rubble disappeared, Tivon's heart stopped.
His black hair flew in the wind, dark brown coat covering his scared arms. He had his mask on, but Tivon still knew. He could cry with relief. He finally came back. He didn't leave him. Tivon always quietly hoped he wouldn't leave him. And he didn't.
"Elias." Tivon sobbed.
But Elias merely encircled his sword in his hand, slowly getting closer to him. Why is he approaching me like he's going to att-
Cornelis stepped in front of him in the very last second before Elias' sword met her skin. He impaled her left shoulder. Despite that, Cornelis reached up her hands and twisted Elias' heart. Elias stopped twisting his sword.
Tivon's mind went blank. "Cornelis what are you doing?"
"Tivon run!" She screamed as Elias managed to push the sword further.
He was hurting her. She was hurting him. Tivon got up on his feet.
"Cornelis you are hurting him!" He looked at Elias. "Elias!"
Elias pulled away his sword as Cornelis dropped her hands. She pressed one hand to the wound. Elias turned towards Tivon, looking pass Cornelis like she wasn't even there.
"Elias?"
Cornelis reached up her hand. She couldn't focus. The blood from the wound was pouring down too rapidly. She's going to stop his heart. He looked at Elias. What are you doing Elias? Tivon put his hands up in a surrendering motion.
"Elias, it's me Tivon." Elias didn't even flinch at his name. "Please, stop this, whatever you're doing."
"Tivon run!" Cornelis' blood was dripping down Elias' sword when he brought it up. "Tivon!" Her voice cracked with panic.
Tivon dogged the sweeping sword and grabbed Cornelis' hand. He ran behind the ruined building and down the street. He looked over his shoulder to see if Elias was following. When he made sure he didn't, he turned around the corner into the street. He sat Cornelis down and applied pressure on her wound.
"He wasn't supposed to be here." Mumbled Cornelis.
"W-what?"
The panic screaming was all Tivon could hear over his beating heart. His mind was rushing. Why would Elias attack him? Cornelis' eyes were fixed on the ground.
"Y soky xdty uy gondqiak ponr gonsarry aog."
Tivon looked at Cornelis. Gondqiak ponr gonsarry aog. Couldn't come back. What is she talking about? What is going on?
"Cornelis what is going on?" She looked him in his panicked eyes.
"I don't know." Was all she managed to reply.
She flinched as the pain in her shoulder worsened. "Hang on a bit. I'll get you to Rea." He tried to breathe and steady his dashing mind.
You need to get to Rea.
You need to help Cornelis.
Elias wants to murder you.
"T-that can't be Elias. It could be anyone. S-someone who wanted to pretend to be The Masked Man." Tivon's voice was shaking as he spoke. Tivon was only lying to himself. He knew that was Elias. He would recognize him blind. He just couldn't believe it.
"Tivon I-" Cornelis looked up. He saw it in her expression before she said it. Tivon turned around. The last thing he saw before darkness sprawled his vision, was a white mask with red windings on it.
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Cornelis language:
"Y soky xdty uy gondqiak ponr gonsarry aog." "I made sure he could not come back."