Keyron swung his sword precisely, each movement fluidly controlled, like a dance of power and discipline. His muscles burned with the familiar ache of exertion, but he welcomed the sensation. He had taken an oath to protect the royal blood he was bound to, and that he must do. He fought his way into the throne, erasing every obstacle in the way of his prince.
Prince Fenix followed behind, walking majestically, his steps steady and firm. His royal regalia, which has always been gold and exquisitely colored, was now white, indicating mourning. The throne room door opened, and he made his way in, while Keyron stood by the door like a guard dog, ready to pounce on whatever threatened his master.
"What behavior is this Fenix? How dare you break into the throne room without being summoned and that too in the presence of my ministers?" King Eric Swan yelled. His entire life has been upended in a single, devastating moment. The throne he had spent his days preparing for was no longer his. The crown on his head meant nothing, his bloodline no longer mattered.
The title of crown prince meant nothing when the power structure had been uprooted. Fenix glanced over at the grand room. Four ministers, the almighty queen, and his step-sister. They all sat staring at him like a plate of leftover soup. Fenix was a gift to the court, and an exchange awaited. He no longer willed power and his life was not his to command anymore. Fenix stared every one of them in the eye, he wanted their images imprinted in his head, their faces of mockery, and the laughter they all held waiting to be released fixed in his mind. He sure was going to remember everyone.
"You said you loved her" he turned to the king. His hands trembled but he held his cool. "But you're yet to see her remains, the room she is kept in is too cold, it was her birthday and all she wished for was to have a good year with her husband and son… father tell me where she went wrong? Where did I go wrong, how did my mother and I offend you?" The king's eyes darted from his son to his Queen. He was scared of saying the wrong words but someone wasn't.
"She committed suicide, how is that his majesty's fault? And shouldn't you be getting ready, you leave at the break of dawn" Queen Claudia Swan announced as her daughter giggled by her side. "The break of dawn? But at the same time, my mother will be laid to rest" realization down on him. "No... you can't do this to me, do you hate me so much that I do not get the chance to bid farewell to my mother?" his place in the kingdom was no longer secured. His family's legacy has been stolen from him, a cruel irony that is hardest on the day of his mother's funeral
He chuckled, nothing mattered anymore, so he might as well air his mind. "How can she commit suicide when her body was covered in sword wounds? How did she commit suicide when every other servant in her quarter was killed or fled? My mother would never leave without saying goodbye" Fenix's face remained serious and calm as he approached his father.
"This is what is left of me," he says, dropping the royal betrothed bangle to the floor. Silent gasps from the ministers spread throughout the room. "What is this, Fenix? Aren't you scared of bringing bad luck to the royal home, and you're betrothed?" Queen Claudia roars like a wounded lioness, but her anger is the least of his worries.
"My betrothed?" He raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Her Majesty aware that my present condition cancels said agreement? I am not only a wrapped-up gift to be sent away; my elder sister seems to have tasted the forbidden fruit that should have been mine." Princess Yelinda's smile faded as she quickly scanned the room, but her younger brother's words had been heard and understood. She stormed her feet hard on the floor, her nails digging deep into her skin.
"Why can't I have him? You are to be married to another and now he is a free man" Fenix nodded. Indeed he was to be married to a man he knew nothing of. He has heard unpleasant stories of a man who said to hunt the night of his enemies. They were sending him to his death, how could he not know that? It had always been clear in the court that Fenix was the king's favorite, and his mother was the love of his life, but seeing his nonchalant attitude towards the ex-crown prince relieved the ministers. no one wanted to be ruled by the son of a concubine.
"You should be held in contempt" Prime Minister Logan Mascot hissed. Fenix turned but held his smile. "There won't be a need for that minister Logan, I depart at the break of dawn, what use would I be held in prison for a few hours change?" The room fell into an uncomfortable silence but Fenix was done. He turned and walked out without another word.
"Arrogant brat" he heard them curse.
The snow had resumed, and Fenix walked inside with no resistance. He cared not of his health or his tears as they streamed down his face. The pain of betrayal weighs heavily on his soldiers as he takes his final steps around the place he once called home. Keyron followed closely behind, his steps quiet but firm on the cold soil. Walking past his quarters, his eyes lingering on the courtyard, where he had tea with his mother and helped her master chess, now what was left of her was nothing but fragments of his memories.
Approaching the door, he pushed it open again, everything had been taken care of, all her items covered in white clothes the floors cleaned and evidence of his gruesome fate wiped. He could still hear her laughter echoing from within, the apartment was cold, it had lost its warmth but the smile and touch of his mother were imprinted on every wall and object. It was a torment to be so close yet so far. Prince Fenix moved to the bath not letting anyone help him undress and slip into the warm water.
The heat seeped into his skin, soothing his tense muscles, but it did nothing to calm the storm within him. Keyron's eyes followed his every moment, his heart heavy for his master, it was torment to be so close to him but unable to offer him a shoulder to cry on. As Prince Fenix sank into the bath, he closed his eyes, allowing his mind to wander back to the fleeting moments of happiness with his mother, a reminder that he still had part of her. He shared her blue eyes and pale white porcelain skin which seemed to shine under the light. He was like a doll kept wrapped nicely and protectively over the years but unfortunately, he just broke.