Ayziel
The healer was on his way.
He was on his way to right Ayziel's wrong. To correct the mistake he had made--a mistake Ayziel would not have to bear the consequences of.
"I didn't mean to," Ayziel cried, staring wide eyed as his younger sister convulsed on the queen's bed. His older brother Nicolas and his younger brother, Aidan stood to his right. He wanted to tell them how sorry he was, that he hadn't meant to hurt their sister. He had not meant to bite her.
"Where's the damned healer?" the queen cried, struggling to hold down Malyse as Ayziel's father, King Roderick, paced the room. He quickly joined his struggling wife to hold down Malyse, abandoning his crown on the center table.
King Roderick had dismissed the maids and all the guards so no one would see.
So no one would know.
"Is she going to be alright?" Aidan piped, snot run down his face as tears spilt from his eyes like rain. Nicolas tucked him beneath his arm to sooth him but Ayziel stood alone because of what he had done.
Because of what he was.
They had been playing hide and seek. Malyse had wanted to see what Ayziel could do. She had wanted to see what was so wrong with him that their father kept him under lock and key, she had wanted to see why he never got too close to her, why his lessons were private. She wanted to see how he was what he was.
Ayziel had been reluctant in the beginning. His father had warned him many times to keep his sister at armslength. She was too sweet King Roderick had said, to be tainted by his poision, by the vile creature that he was. His brothers could play with his sister, they were free to roam, free to do as they pleased because they had the one thing he lacked.
Control.
If Ayziel could go back to the moment when Malyse had asked him to show her, he would have changed one thing--agreeing to play with her in the first place. Malyse had been bored since Nicolas was still in training, Aidan was asleep and their parents were in a meeting with the council. Ayziel was Malyse's only option for a playmate. He wondered if perhaps, he should have stayed longer with Lord Caros who was in charge of his lessons in politics. Or perhaps, he should have simply ignored Malyse and went on his way when he found her crying behind a pillar.
But he simply could not leave her. Her cries tore him apart and finally, he gave in to her pleas and her pouted lips, he agreed to play with her---a game of hide and seek.
It was a mistake. But his mistake was not going to cost him, it was going to cost Malyse and everyone else.
The doors barged open and the healer, Belizar, walked in with Sir Harath, the right hand man of King Roderick following closely behind. Sir Harath shut the doors quickly and stood guard. If anyone were to walk through those doors and find out the truth...…
"We must hurry," Belizar rushed, pulling out a small brown bag from his cloak.
"Please do," the queen cried, giving the Belizar space to work.
Belizar's wrinkled hands were quick as he mixed all sorts of powders and different coloured liquids together before examining Malyse.
Ayziel's heart lurched desperately against his ribs, his chest got tighter and he found it difficult to breath when Belizar shook his head.
"What...I…..what did you say happened?" Belizar questioned, searching the faces of everyone present for answers.
"We didn't," King Roderick replied, avoiding the questioning gaze of Belizar.
The queen took her husband's hand in hers, her face contorted into a nasty scowl so that Ayziel found it difficult to recognize his own mother.
"He happened," she spat, pointing to Ayziel as she fixed her gaze away from him.
Belizar turned his focus to Ayziel. "What did you do boy?" he asked, his brows furrowed with curiosity and irritation.
"I…..I...I….Bit….I…bit…bit…" Ayziel stammered, wringing his hands together as his face grew warmer and his palms, colder.
"Out with it boy!" King Roderick roared, pulling his hand out of the queen's grasp and storming towards Ayziel to strike him across the face.
Ayziel fell to the ground, touching his cheeks, he could feel bleeding claw marks where his father had hit him. His mouth filled with the ironic taste of blood which he spat out. He let out a whimper, trembling on the cold hard floor.
His eyes swept over his sister who was lying still on the bed. She had stopped convulsing. He squeezed his eyes shut, bowing his head.
"I bit her," he confessed. "I snapped. I don't know what happened. We were playing and I shifted and bit her. I didn't mean to"
"You shifted. You let her see your wolf," King Roderick stated. His face crumpled into despair and disappointment.
"You have killed your sister," the queen gasped, finally looking at Ayziel. She clutched her chest, rubbing it violenty as if it hurt her physically to look at her own son. "You have murdered your own blood," she screamed, falling to the ground and slamming her fist against it.
Ayziel let out a cry. "I didn't mean to," he sobbed, bowing his head.
He hadn't meant to.
He hadn't mean to.
He hadn't meant to.
"I will do my best," Belizar sighed. "But it will be difficult, almost impossible. A normal vampire bite would be easy to cure but a hybrid, a half wolf, half vampire who has not yet learned to control his abilities like Ayziel.....it is....it is deadlier,"
The queen wailed louder, crawling on her knees towards the bed and clutching the sheets.
"Sir Harath?" King Roderick called, watching Belizar pour elixirs down Malyse's throat.
"My Lord," Sir Harath responded, holding a closed fist to his chest but he did not move away from the door.
"Take Ayziel to his quarters. Make sure he stays there until I say otherwise," King Roderick ordered. He did not spare his son a glance as Sir Harath picked him from the floor and carried him to his room. Ayziel watched as his brothers gathered around Malyse, their sister, touching her hair and kissing her cold hands. He watched King Roderick, their father, hug his brothers and his mother, the queen.
They all took solace in each other except him.
They were the picture-perfect family and he was as he was born and as he would always be.
"I'm sorry, Ayz" Sir Harath said, placing Ayziel gently on his bed.
Ayziel hadn't noticed when they got to his room. He had been lost in thoughts and the growing guilt eating away at his chest.
"I know you did not mean to. Your sister can be a lot to handle but I know you did not loose control," Sir Harath went on. He pulled a chair to the bed and took a seat in front of Aziel. He had a small bowl of water and a wash cloth which he used to clean the wound on Ayziel's cheek. The wound his father had left behind.
Ayziel continued to stare into space as Sir Harath rubbed a gentle salve on the claw marks.
"It will heal but it will leave a scar or three," he sighed, placing the salve at his feet.
"I deserve it," Ayziel sniffled, rubbing his eyes with irritation. He did not want to cry, he did not want to look weak.
"You deserve love, Ayz. You deserve affection. You deserve good things too just like every other child,"
"They all hate me," Ayziel hiccuped, horrified at how easily his tears fell. He wiped them away angrily. He did not deserve to cry. He did not deserve to weep.
"Look at me, Ayziel. Look at me. Now," Sir Harath comanded.
Ayziel's forest green eyes met his dark brown ones. Sir Harath run a hand through Ayziel's golden hair.
"I love you, Ayziel. You are very good boy contrary to what they all think. You only need to learn control. However, I know you lied. Yes, you bit Malyse but the important part is why,"
Dread clawed at Ayziel's throat, suffocating him. Sir Harath couldn't know.
Could he trust Sir Harath with the truth? The truth he himself did not understand.
Sir Harath sighed, pulling Ayziel into his arms. Ayziel squeezed his eyes shut, wrapping his arms around the knight's neck and squeezing tight. For a moment, he allowed himself to feel love, affection and warmth.
Sir Harath was and would most likely remain the only person to hug the little hybrid prince.
"She begged me to bite her," Ayziel whispered, nuzzling closer to Sir Harath's neck but he did not miss the tension and the slight stiffness in Sir Harath's posture.
Ayzriel let his tears fall freely.
Sir Harath would see him for what he was one day. He would treat him the same way everyone else did and call him by the name his parents called him.
Monster.