Roman (Ch.28)

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"Exactly." The spite whispered out as the world fast forwarded around us until I was staring over an unconscious boy in a bed. Little Roman's head was all wrapped up while a heart monitor beeped in the background.

"I took my eyes off of him for a moment." Deceit was sitting there in a chair broken as he held his head in his hands. "A moment to talk to a guard about... It all seems so pointless now."

"You can't beat yourself up over this, Young Prince." Father stood there beside the bedroom window as he looked over at the little one in the bed. "He's alive at least."

"Not because of me, Your Highness." Deceit groaned as he picked his knees up and buried his head into them. "I promised you... Virgil... HIM, that I would always protect him. That I would keep him safe. I failed."

"You did not fail him, Deceit." I could hear the pain in my father's voice as Deceit just shook his head. "Listen to me. For I may be younger than you I am still wise. You. Did. Not. Fail. Him."

"How can you say that when your son lies in a coma?" I cringed. I couldn't help it. The way Dee's voice cracked... the look in my father's eyes... it tore at the heartstrings. "I turned away from him for just a moment and he fell off the fucking wall." Father just sighed as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"I do not know about fairy upbringing. But I do know we humans make mistakes. We make more mistakes in a week then the average idiot makes on a geniuses test." Deceit raised his head slightly shooting Father this look of confusion. My father just frowned as he stared at the ground. "We will always make mistakes but we have learned that that's fine. It's fine because we learn from them. Parenting is... It is no different."

"Your son is..."

"There will always be parents that look away from their child. That... losses sight of them or misses something." Father's eyes grew dark as he looked back up at Deceit. "Do you think that makes them bad parents?" Deceit frowned as he sat up straighter looking over at the King who looked about ready to cry as well. "Do you think that I am a bad parent?"

"Of course not..."

"This is the second time my son has nearly died." Deceit stopped short hearing how his voice cracked. I had never seen my Father so emotional before. "I wasn't even there this time. I was in council. Does that make me a bad father?"

"No." Father just smiled as Deceit looked back over at the little me asleep on the bed. "You are not a bad Father, Thomas. Do not believe yourself to be because I couldn't do my job."

"My son is alive, Deceit. I don't know how. But by some miracle, he was saved again... I don't know how he will come out of this trauma he endured. I don't know how this affected him but... You have been his faithful guardian for 6 years. You've helped him through the grief of his mother... though literally everything. Do not leave him now. He's going to need you. He's always needed you." Deceit shook his head again and I could feel my heart breaking. I couldn't help but wonder... what Deceit was going through now? How was he taking my kidnapping? 

"He needs someone better. I'm just a stand it, Thomas. Virgil would have done so much more." Father sighed as he walked over to sit beside the snake. 

"And how would that young elf have handled this?" Deceit's eyes went wide and I cringed. Even I knew the answer to that? "My son is wild... A true human child. Filled with energy and big dreams... His imagination and creativity rivals even the greatest of our artist and writers... I am certain this would have happened regardless. Maybe not the same way but even still... How would Virgil have handled it?"

"He wouldn't have." Deceit just sat there frowning as My father smiled sadly. "He wouldn't have been able to. He..." Deceit shook himself out of his thoughts as he smiled a little. "That's why I offered. Virgil can't handle certain things. This... this would have been too much."

"It's too much for anyone to see a child so broken." Father reached out pulling the fairy into a comforting hug and Deceit broke down in his arms. "The fact that you are so torn over this means more than you will ever know. After all... what is 6 years of a human child's life when compared to a fairy's." Deceit only cried louder as Father held him tight. "You are just as much a member of this family as Virgil is to yours. Roman admires you. He needs you. You're like a brother to him. Don't ever forget that, no matter what comes of this."

I was silent. The whole time I never spoke a word. I just watched as my Father comforted a distraught Deceit as he himself cried over his broken son. It was heartbreaking.

"I'll say whatever I please about that snake but... I can't deny he cared for you." I narrowed my eyes as I looked over to at my younger self. The wraps around my head were still bleeding through slightly and I frowned. Why? Now I get so much as I small cut and I heal instantly. Why is it that I didn't heal this? Why is it I don't remember ever having magic? "The mind is a powerful thing, Roman. Your's... Your's could literally create miracles." I looked back to see the little sprite frowning as it sighed. "Children dream of being magic of having powers but those that do... they tend to only want to be normal."

"So your saying I did it to myself?"They nodded and I was just... stunned. "But that... I understand that but... You're saying I did it to myself. I was clearly strong enough to do that so... I must have had a handle on my powers. How the hell am I supposed to now?"

"What do you mean?" I groaned in frustration as the world began to change again. "You want to know about your powers?" They honestly looked shocked as a smile slowly grew on their face. "I guess I just assumed that you would wish the same as you did before."

"I need to understand this part of myself. It's not going to go away." Their eyes shined with joyful anticipation as they took my hand again with a smile on their face.

"Well ok then... Let's start at the beginning."

*Discontinued* CursedWhere stories live. Discover now