No Crown, No Glory

Chapter VIII

"Be brave to stand for what you believe in, even if you stand alone"_Roy T. Bennett (The Light in the Heart)

A body. That was what they found. But it wasn't any body. It was him. The sight of him, lying on the ground, motionless, made Arielle snap out of her daze and reach out to cover Aideen's mouth, who screamed and screamed until their was no sound left.
"Aideen, close it" Arielle whispered, her eyes already watering. The maid slowly nodded, not daring to move. To her, everything didn't make sense, and she feared someone else might be next. She wasn't anywhere as brave as her friend, and, to this point, she simply wished that she never followed Arielle in the first place.
"What--do--we--do?" Aideen's voice shook, as did her entire body. Arielle, on the other hand, kept the calm and coolness, breathing in and out. She, too, had no idea, and seeing her brother like that make her mind travel back to the point she could actually hear the whipping sounds that, for years, hadn't haunt her nights.
Elijah was lying on the ground. Naked, except for the shorts he was wearing. His upper body completely littered with slashing wounds, which were giving off an exquisite blue light-- Arielle's brows shot out. And she slowly walked to him, kneeling beside him. Even his legs were wounded, his injuries not releasing any blood, no samples of it on the surrounding walls either. Arielle frowned. If those were commun injuries, they would have caused him loss of blood, according to her lessons, but it seemed--normal. His unconsciousness state, though, was what bothered her more.
Come on, Elijah, wake up.
She internally hoped. Her hand landed on his cheek, running her fingers on it, as tears came and dragged on her own. She grabbed his shoulders, carefully not to touch his wounds, and lightly shook him.
"Wake up, Eli" She cried, examinating him, from top to bottom, her only findings being his slashes. There was lightly bruising on his knuckles, up to his arms, blood crusts forming on them. His cheeks were swollen, his head bled, indicating he fought with someone. Arielle narrowed her eyes. The slashes are unusual, but, despite the blow to the head, and his bruised hands, there was no reason for him to be--
"Ella," Aideen called, already knelt beside the prince, facing the princess from the other side of his body. They chose to let him stay like he was, while looking for more injuries. She could already picture the fight he had with someone, but could not pinpoint who.
"Shall we call someone? Your father?"
The maid suggested. They couldn't certainly handle this on their own.
"No," She deadpanned. "He can't see him like this," The princess refused.
"Why?" She sighed. "Ella, we can't--" She was cut off by the princess.
"Come on, help me drag him, and--"
"Ella," Aideen called her again. "We have to warn someone. How about the Healers? Your mother? The Guards?"
She shook her head. "Besides, how are you going to explain how--"
Both girls stopped as they heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and gross voices shouting down the tunnel, Arielle's eyes widening as she panicked inside, but chose to stay cool, already forming an explaination for any question that might come. The maid, on the other hand, tightened her grip on Arielle's hand, her instincts making her walk backwards towards the wall to support herself.
"Someone's coming," Aideen whispered.
The princess shushed her.
"Princess?" Someone called, the footsteps sounds getting louder. "Princess Arielle? Prince Elijah? Are any of your highnesses down there?" A guard called, stopping on his tracks as he took in the scene before him. What he saw made shock cover his features. The prince, lying on the ground, looked badly beaten as bruises littered his body and blood came out of his slick head. His dark skin was covered in slashes thay gave off a weird blue light, and the guard hurried, looking back to see if any of those he brought with him came too.
"Princess," He addressed her. "Are you fine?" He asked, concern showing on his badly hidden frown.
The emerald eyes of the guard gazed at the princess, who looked back to the ground, and silently nodded.
"Miss Aideen?" He asked the maid, looking surprised as her red eyebrows shot up. She, too, nodded.
The Guard walked back to the tunnel, his head turning to the other side of it.
"Your majesties! Quick! Here! I found them," He annouced. Arielle silently questioned his use of the word 'majesties' as in, more than one. Her mother was coming too. She didn't want her to see her precious son this way, and rushedly tried to convince the Guard to keep her mother at bay, but he didn't hear it. In seconds, the King appeared, his long cape dragging across the floor, raising his sword up. When he saw his daughter and her maid standing beside his son, unconscious, he strapped it on his belt again.
"Ella!" He cried, forgetting for a moment not to call her that in public. Yet, he did not seem to care. "We were looking for you, we thought that you had disappeared too!" He looked mad, but beyond that, scared. Tired. His eyes had shadows underneath them, the gold no longer outshining. His hair was dishaveled, messy and he had scratches on his forearms. He moved slowly, ever so slightly flinching in pain, which made Arielle run to him.
"Papa," She whispered, the King mumbling something in her hair as he leaned down.
The Queen came in as well, her gasp loud as she held her hands to her mouth, and tears soon followed, falling down to her cheeks. She rushed to her son, not sparing a look at her daughter, already kneeling down next to him. She held Elijah with all the strength she could master, and softly cried in his head.
"Kyra," Khrysaor said, calling to her attention. "We don't know if--"
"Well," Another voice piped in. "That's unfortunate," He mocked, his silver eyes locking on the Aeronian King. "Looks like dear Prince Elijah here, got hurt--"
"How dare you!" The Queen wailed, still holding on to her son. Arielle watched, as her uncle made his way next to her father.
"Might as well handle the crown to me, then" Haakon suggested, his smirk forming on his lips. Despite Elijah being his nephew, he held little to no affection for his sister's offspring. It even shocked Arielle, as she felt Aideen's tight grip bruise her hand.
"Kenyon," The King addressed the Guard, who, from all the years she's known him, never seemed so nervous before as his body shook. "I need to speak to you--outside," He ordered, and Sir Kenyon had no choice but to follow him.
Haakon followed them with his eyes, narrowing them, as Arielle watched him frown.
"Oh, my baby," Kyra blinked her tears away as she got up. Her eyes met Haakon's, and she glared at him reminding herself of his coldness.
Only then, did she approach her daughter and enveloped her in arms. Arielle didn't register the moment, but found herself breathing her mother's flowery scent. It comforted her.
Watching from the other side, Aideen felt sad, as she wished she had a mother too. But it comforted her that her friend had her mother to sooth her.
"Are you fine, Ella? Did you see who hurt Eli?" She petted her daughter's arms, and found her hugging the Queen back.
"Well, it is such a coincidence that she was the one who found the Prince" Haakon implied.
"Don't spout nonsense," Kyra admonished.
From outside of the room, Arielle and the others heard the King yell at the Guard.
"What do you mean you don't know what happened with one of your own soldiers?!" The King's nostrils flared. "It's your responsability to assure the safety of the soldiers from any outside enemy force!" He sighed. "And now, one of them attacked my son of all soldiers?!"
The guard looked mortified as he faced the King's rage. The other guards looked ashamed as well, looking at their feet.
"Cancel the Games!" The King ordered. As soon as Haakon heard that, he rushed to meet the King, sweat running down his forehead. It made Arielle question him.
"But--your majesty--" Kenyon tried to hold on his own, but to face the King's wrath was something he never thought he'd do.
"Are you questioning me?" The King dared, glaring at the poor guard. He was already furious at the sight of his son, that he could not think of anything else.
Why was everybody so intent on keeping the games!
"But--" The guard tried to explain himself, his fear showing off. Haakon stepped in, if only to aliviate the guard's apprehension.
"Now, now, Khrysaor," He said, gladly facing off his fury. Calmness reigned in Haakon's body, as he reasoned with the King. "We both know that's a decision up to the council" He offered, seemingly trying to ease the atmosphere. However, Arielle knew better, as she untangled herself from her mother and stood. Her eyes found Haakon as she got a better vision of her uncle. Tall and muscled, something she hadn't noticed before. A oval face, with a tiny goatee on his chin, a thick mustache and short black hair that framed his face. His eyes, silver and cruel, settled on his niece, before moving to his crying sister, and they somehow softened.
And then, it hit her.
What if the Suryan King had planned all this? What if Haakon had proposely injured Elijah to make Surya win?
Arielle didn't to what extent her uncle was willing to go to win that worthless crown. Surely, he was found on his own dressing room, so it was an opportunity his attacker took on him. But why?
Arielle heard footsteps and was put on high alert. Her eyes snapped to the enterance, from where a muscled figure stepped in. He was a tall, muscled guy attached by the hip to her cousin, Lydia. Her flawless face went pale seeing Elijah hurt, her orchid pink eyes widening in shock. Slowly, she rejected Collyn's attempts at trying to console her.
Collyn, though, shock wasn't on his features. His short, messy hair was on top of his head, orange red with strings of grey falling down his forehead. His eyes were a deep grey, as he stared at the scene.
"According to the rules, Khrysaor," Haakon continued, earning a disgusted expression from his daughter as she frowned. "If a soldier is injured in any way, the team is allowed to put in a substitute " The Suryan King smirked. "Do you have one in your possession?"
"Papa--" Lydia tried to object, but a glare from Collyn silenced her. He stood there, at the Suryan' King's right, like if he was his legimate son, which infuriated Lydia.  To her, it was simply ridiculous and insensitive from her father to continue to press on the games.
Who cared about them anyway?
The Aeronian King breathed in and out, before staring at a sweating Kenyon and ordered: "Bring him to the Healers' tent," He nodded at his son, who was dead silent. He seemed like he was asleep, and Khrysaor liked to believe Elijah would awake in any minute. He clung to it.
Kenyon turned to Aideen, who was surprised at his recognition.
"You--redhead, bring him out to the healer's tent, Collyn, help me carry him"
The maid seemed lost, which only tined Kenyon's own patience. Her amethyst purple eyes found his, and he sighed in frustration. "It's a big tent, just outside the Arena, red with a big golden cross in front of a figure of a lion--ugh, forget,"
Kenyon kneeled beside Elijah and brought his armpits to his hands, as Collyn held his feet. Together, with an escort of the guards, left the room through the tunnels, with one of them holding the candlestick and the others following.
Elijah would be okay. She thought to herself. He had to.
Arielle watched him leave. It was obvious from Collyn's stance that he wasn't as fit as Elijah. He wasn't as agile, but very lean, with his hair growing everywhere. Lydia seemed to get more relaxed without his presence. It was clear by her soft shaking that she was fighting not to cry in front of Haakon. Arielle imagined Lydia's fiance as someone more agile and quick, with qualities that Elijah didn't have, and maybe that would be why the Suryan King had praised him so much, but that wasn't the case. Not that it mattered anyway.
Lydia's teary eyes met Arielle's, and only she could see the evident sadness lingering, her eyes following Collyn leave, and her father discussing something with Haakon. His eyes had cruelty as he narrowed his eyes at the King, who was now holding his crying wife, whose tears kept running down her face. Arielle's own heart clenched, and she thought of all possibilities that could be of who had done that to Elijah. It was clear that he fought, and was dragged there, but the trails of blood were only seen with the candlestick's light. It had to be someone who knew of that place, and had enough physical strength to hold Elijah alone. Even Kenyon had to have help.
Could this be a two persons' job? And if so-- who could be so mean? And then there was the fact that he was only injured, in the week that he was there, right on the day of the Games. No witnesses. No more evidence. Only strange, blue wounds that peaked from the sight. Wait--why did no one get surprised by it? Was it only me who saw? Blood, blue light, a fight. The Catacumbs. Although-
Wait--
"What are you thinking?" A soft, melodic voice whispered, as Lydia moved her way to be nearer her cousin.
"Nothing" Came Arielle's response. Could it be Haakon? Or perhaps another rival? Or, like her father said, an enemy force?
Be it who it was, she wondered, how did Elijah get those strange blue wounds in the first place? It was--beyond weird. Impossible. Defied anything she was ever taught.
"I saw them too" Lydia revealed, and Arielle turned to her, but her cousin was already leaving, as she winked at her before she turned around.
"Face it, Khrysaor," Her uncle insisted. Still arguing with his brother-in-law.
"You have no one to replace your son."
Arielle saw her father sigh, his expression sad and conflicted. Her father was a tall man, taller than Haakon, so she wondered how her uncle could intimidate him. They were both royalty. He looked at Arielle. His tall, brave daughter was coming towards them.
"How come you're more concerned about the Games rather than my brother?" Arielle asked bluntly. She found it unbelievable that her uncle could be so cruel. Even to Lydia, whom, by her short interactions with Collyn, he forced to marry.
"It was unfortunate what happened to the young Prince indeed," He acknowledged. "However, one cannot linger in the past, Princess Arielle, there's no way to revert the situation, so we have to move forward." He explained, albeit a bit too soft.
"I do hope, for our sakes, that Prince Elijah gets better. For now, he remains unable to stand for the Royal Family. And what I said still holds some truth, Khrysaor," He insisted. It was a problem, yes, one they could address later. Now the focus should be on--
"It is true I don't have a proper replacement, " Khrysaor shook his head. "But it still an option to cease the Games at all"
"It was an ultimate decision, King" Haakon scoffed. "You have to follow the rules." Haakon briefly looked at Arielle, who was truly engaged in their conversation.
One question remained: Who would replace Elijah? If they still had a chance to continue playing--
Not that the game had started, obviously, but, if they had a chance to defend the honor for which they fight so hard for, then was it worth giving up? The crown is what it is, but it is honor, glory they search for with this Games, would it be wise to cease them? They were built to avoid wars and disagreements, but--
If they had no one to replace Elijah, then Surya would win. It was unfair. It was a win by default. The glory that the games brought should be belong to the strongest, bravest, most honest, most selfless, smartest, not ones who win by the step down of others. That is not what Aeronia stands for!
Wait--what if--no, no. That would be against the rules--or dangerous as Elijah would say. As Aideen would say. As her papa and mama would say.
'It isn't a place for princesses'
'Danger'
'Honor'
'Glory'
'I will be brave Eli,' 'Always'
Pictures of that day appeared before her eyes, her heart beating rapidly at the reminder, her breathing fast and steady. The hot desert, the wind blowing her hair, her brother hugging her, leaving---
Besides, it would be considered disrespect to the neighbour kingdom not to presue the Games to determine which one is best. And all the players. What if whoever did that to Elijah came back to hurt them? Surely, she had no chance against him, but the others....
It was obvious the Suryans wanted the Crown, and the other competitors were still eagerly waiting. What if... if she could be in Elijah's place? She could be on the center of attention, and, while she was on the Arena, she could access the players and find out which one had inficted those strange cuts on Elijah. Maybe even prove herself to her father.
To bring honor and glory to Aeronia, to her father, to her family.
Snapping out of her daze, she found her uncle and father staring at her strangely. She must have been out of it for quite sometimes, before they were waiting for her to speak.
However, the only words that came out of her mouth were:
"I want to go on Elijah's place!" She annouced, loud and clear, finding no one was there besides both man.
Had known better, she wouldn't said anything.

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A/N: This statement is very important. Initially, I wanted to make this story empowering and strong. These days, we think we can do everything... and that's exactly it. Rules are made to be broken.
~Quaint109😛