Anemone - Forsaken
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Warning- This chapter may contain moments of madness and/or detailed explanations of pain, if you are uncomfortable during this chapter please leave and read something better. Thank you.
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Everything was really weird, everyone turned their head and whispered when he walked down the hall, they would talk to him slowly like he was a baby, and guards were practically glued to his side. He wasn't allowed to touch any of the papers in his room, it was almost a bad omen for him to hold a quill, and he wasn't allowed to be on his feet much.
The medical examiners said that he should spend time around people he knows so he could regain memories about them faster, but who were these people anyway? He knows that he lost his memory, but what if he never knew these people in the first place? But, if he didn't know them, why would the guards let him be around them? So, concluding that he knew all of the guards around him, he held conversations with them and entertained himself with their stories of battle, war, assassination attempts, betrayal, and their silly home life that Theseus adored so much.
"And my wife, Miranda, looked at the robber and said; 'Thanks for teaching me the meaning of plethora.' " One guard said, sending the crowd into a laughing fit, Theseus threw his head back and tears filled his eyes as he wheezed so loudly that the guards patted his back and chuckled at the display of emotion.
Eventually, Theseus and the guards had sat down and he had listened to all of their stories, all of the jokes and tales of war, and they all were holding a simple conversation when Prince Wilbur approached and leaned on Theseus's shoulders. "My Theseus," He cooed into his little brother's ear, "We are expecting you in the dining room. Come join us, and let's eat lunch together! You love me, right?"
"I..." Theseus hesitated, Wilbur's hands drifted down Theseus's torso and clasped together over his ribs as he let his head drop onto Theseus's collar. Theseus's back straightened and his muscles stiffened as Wilbur grew closer. The guards cast Theseus a worried look and some stared at Wilbur strangely.
"Theseus.." Wilbur warned, his hands separated and one clutched his younger brother's throat at the other grasped a handful of Theseus's clothes. "I am your brother, brothers love each other. My songbird, Do you love me?" Theseus felt the hand gripping his throat tighten, Wilbur, pressed his body closer until Theseus felt like he was in a hug of death where if he said the wrong thing he would die.
"Of course, I do. I love you, Wilby." Wilbur let go and backed away with a sick smile, he patted Theseus's hair and said, "Good, Let's have lunch together as a family, My Songbird." With this Wilbur departed and Theseus took a gasp of air and shakily cupped his hands and let his face drop into his palms.
The guards comforted Theseus and soon, Wisp, who sat next to Theseus, tilted the prince's head up and showed the light red marks where Wilbur had grabbed Theseus's neck. This angered some guards who threatened to throw Wilbur into the prison for hurting Theseus, but Theseus calmed them and told them it was okay. "He's my brother after all, what more could he want than my well-being?"
The guards didn't respond, some knew of their siblings who tried killing them or another sibling, some heard of stories where prince twins killed each other for the throne, and others knew of siblings so possessive they locked their siblings away to "keep them forever" but Theseus, who hadn't heard these stories, only knew of loyal and kind siblings who protected the younger brother or sister from danger. So he saw no harm done, no cruel intent, or sketchy behavior in Wilbur's actions.
Theseus smiled lightly and asked where the dining room was, if lunch was anywhere near soon it was probably now. With the sun directly above Theseus's head, the small group reluctantly left for the lunch invite.
The small group appeared in the dining room, a guard, whom Theseus had learned the name was Jerome through a story of his, pulled a chair away from the table and gently guided the Crown Prince into it. "Thank you, Sir Jerome," Theseus smiled at the guard who smiled back and stepped away from the table.
Wilbur sat directly next to Theseus who still felt uncomfortable around him. What was my relationship with him? Why is he so creepy? Did I enjoy his company or was I just as nervous as right now? Theseus was pulled from his thoughts when the emperor cleared his throat and stared at Theseus. "Theseus, how nice of you to join us."
"It was my honor, your highness," Theseus dipped his head into a slight bow, the manners and etiquette slipped into Theseus's behavior like second nature. Although he had told no one and expected no one to know, Theseus kept diary's under his bed and had been writing everything down since Wilbur first ran from the castle. With these books, Theseus learned about his behavior, (he never wrote down events that happened, just his feelings.) and soon saw that Theseus didn't like to write about his family much. But he'd noticed that in the first book he started to reference Philza as "My Highness" or "The emperor" more than "Father" until he'd forgotten to call him anything else.
"Now, I truly hope you regain your memories soon. You still have work to do and that pile will only grow the more you wait," The emperor smiled coldly, taking a bite of his food.
drip.
Heat rose to his face and his cheeks flushed red as he looked away from the king who sat undisturbed at the head of the table. He caught a glance from Techno and the two cast looked at each other, talking silently and not speaking at all. Theseus looked around the table, seeing that there was The emperor, Wilbur, Techno, and himself there, but there was another figure who he didn't recognize. The tall boy sat the closest to the emperor and he seemed very nervous. Why?
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A glass falls on the floor. R@^800 stares at the shattered pieces with wide eyes. Instead of scolding him for breaking an expensive object, the 3m83r0r leans closer and asks, in a worried voice, "Did you get hurt?"
"No," R@^800 says, his shoulders spiking up to his ears. "I'm sorry, I'm just- I don't think I should be here."
No, T0m^^¥ agrees, glancing up and then lowering his gaze back down and pretending to be extremely interested in a piece of sweet bread on his plate. When was the last time the 3m83r0r sounded so caring about him?
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Fuzzy static filled his thoughts as he looked at the strange boy, Theseus clutched his head and groaned lightly, gripping his fork so tightly his knuckles turned white. A guard, Arri, Stepped forward and kneeled next to Theseus. "Are you okay, my prince?" Arri whispered, trying not to make a big deal out of it.
"Yes, I think- I'm pretty sure I just remembered something. I'll be fine, I can make it through lunch." Arri stood up and returned to his post, eyeing Theseus even closer than before. Theseus refused to look at the strange boy, even glancing in his direction sent his thoughts buzzing and the ringing came a little louder than just the low hum he'd gotten used to.
"Theseus?" The Emperor said, was that a rhetorical question? That's beside the point, Theseus's mind was everywhere right now but he focused on making it through lunch. "Yes, Your Highness?" Theseus responded, glancing at the man who sat triumphantly in his seat.
"I would like you to meet my guest, he's also got memory problems and I think you two would get along well. Considering how close you two were before you had your little 'accident,' " The Emperor smiled, were we that close? He remembered reading about a "filthy rat" who snuck its way into the castle and about how terrible the commoner made him feel, but it never mentioned any names. That was the theme of the day; "People you probably know but don't!"
"I would love to, Your Highness." The family sat and ate, mild conversation broke the silence sometimes but quickly died down until all you could hear was chewing and cutlery scraping against the fine plates in front of them. Theseus stared at the delicately painted vines that surrounded the edge of his plate, they twisted and tied together in an elegant dance, and small flowers and leaves stained gold glittered the silver ribbons that created such a graceful gyrate his eyes naturally followed them around and around until he finally snapped away from his thoughts and was helped out of his chair.
Theseus was tugged away from the dining hall and he waited outside the door for the commoner to appear, The doors opened and Technoblade stepped out, he had a quick chat with Theseus and he left, Wilbur walked through the doors and hugged Theseus once more and reminded him that Theseus loved his brother before disappearing down the hallway. Finally, the strange boy that made his head hurt peeked his head out and stepped forward.
"Hello!" He cheered, closing his strange eyes. "I'm supposed to show you around, right?" He mused, half to himself and a half to Theseus. Theseus nodded, refusing to look up at him. The boy took his hand and carefully guided Theseus around. In each room, he entered he felt the strange nostalgia that swept over his senses and was so strong he felt nauseous just standing there. In each room he entered he thought he heard a woman's voice, each time saying something different he couldn't make out. Just an echo of what once was, he'd remember her voice even after it dissipated with nausea.
He was tugged outside, the luscious gardens peered at him softly and a gentle breeze welcomed him with a soft touch. His collar rustled, the breeze reminding him that he'd forgotten to put on his tie. He smiled slightly, letting himself relax. But just as suddenly as he'd been pulled outside, he was beaten with nausea and the memories that wanted to be remembered. Keeling over he gripped his head and mouth, lunch threatened to spit up as it warmed the back of his throat and his mind ached deep in his skull.
"T0m^^¥ , arisa a aya garden tasu sun." The voice echoed loudly, this time staying longer than in previous rooms. "aci, preshesai!" Theseus heard a young boy echo back, and it was over. The pain stopped, the ringing and buzzing ceased, and he felt normal.
What the hell does that mean?