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After the attack on Area fifteen.......
Cormac had more than enjoyed his stay at Peruel. Seeing the loving couple made him miss Phoenix even more. He was feeling oddly giddy on the inside. A slight discomfort, almost like a stain on a white cloth kept nagging at him. It would make him stare aimlessly out the carriage trying to figure it out.
Gifts from Peruel sat beside him. Things had turned out greater than he had expected. There would be no more war, Area fifteen will be demolished and he and Phoenix will be Wed. All was going well, yet, Cormac still felt the discomfort that haunted him.
He arrived in Seridina at noon, noticing the lack of guards on duty. Cormac would make a stop to the castle first, check in on things with Iker. He frowned as he neared the castle walls, noticing that their was no guards either. The place was deadly silence, over clouded with dread.
Cormac hopped out the carriage and looked into the town. The discomfort he felt was rising to a boil. He rushed thorough the castle doors. The servants turned to look at him hopefully, even they too had an odd feeling than usual. The first place he ran to was his chamber to see if Iker was there. There was no sight of his friend.
Cormac checked the servant quarters with no luck. He was huffing for breath as he ran into the dining hall, bursting the doors open to see his father sitting at the head of the table. "You disappear and come back making a ruckus," King Rhett said over his glass of wine. "Where's your etiquette crown Prince."
"Where's Iker?" Cormac asked as he approached his father. "What did you do to him?"
King Rhett scoffed, "How would I know where that lowly servant of yours is."
Cormac slammed his hand into the table, his anger rising to a boil. If his father had yet again raise a hand to Iker, he wouldn't care if the man before him was his father or not. "I don't know father," Cormac said sarcastically. "Maybe you have him locked up again and taking a whip to his body." He frowned at the man."You're cruel father."
King Rhett glared at his son as he placed his glass down. It didn't came as a surprise that Cormac had found out. He snickered as he slumped into his chair, "You take the side of a servant over your own father."
"I'm not sure if you deserve the title of a father or a king."
"I remember when you were two and your mother passed away," King Rhett began to reminisce. "You were such a cry baby. Now you're nothing but a disappointment. You disgust me then and even more now." Cormac admitted that it hurt for his father to say that. He should be long pass the stage where he felt hurt my his insults. The man doesn't have a shred of kindness or love in his bones. Not even for his own son.
"I'll ask you again father, where is Iker?" Cormac repeated, his face depicting how serious he was.
"Area fifteen or that servant of yours," King Rhett began. "I wonder which you will save. Or will you allow that partner of yours to die as well." In all honesty, the King knew not where the servant went. It was fun to taunt Cormac.
Cormac took up the glass of water that rested on the table, he was tired from all the running and his throat felt dry from the constant biker with his father. He finished the glass in one go, looking at the man he thought he knew. "What are you talking about?" He finally said. "What did you do to them?" The odd feeling was starting to make sense. He knew he had to go to, Area fifteen.
As Cormac made way for the door, he felt his knees went weak. The room spinning as he held his head. "What did-- what did you do?" He managed to say, trying to reach for the right wall amongst many before him.
"Have a nap for now, enjoy the surprises later."
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Back to the present....
"What do you mean the Emperor of the Rian Empire?" Phoenix asked, nothing making sense to him. "Relufian, isn't that the person you were looking for?" That was the only time Phoenix had heard that name. He looked towards Stella, her eyes telling Phoenix she knew something about what Axton-- or rather Prince Rhys was taking about.
Iker recognize the name, he knew it as, "Emory C. Relufian." he said out loud, all eyes turning to look at him.
Prince Rhys eyed the boy, giving him his attention for the first time since he was there. His lips curved into a smile at the sight. "It seems you know something."
"I don't know anything," he denied, trying to ignore the burning gaze he got. "I just saw it on a letter in the castle." Phoenix kept his eyes on Stella. As he recalled his father's name was Emory.
"Emory C. Relufian is the--" Stella raised a hand to stop Queen Zelda.
"I want to be the one to tell him." She finally said, moving forward to Phoenix.
"Are you sure about this?" Siobhan chipped in. She knew everything and she knew why Stella had kept the truth form Phoenix all his life.
Stella took the center of the crowd, her gazed fixed on the person who deserve the truth of who they are. "Your father is Emory C. Relufian and your name is Phoenix C. Relufian. Your father was the prince of the Fian Empire." That part still confused the others as they knew not what the Fian Empire was. Stella decided on explaining that. "Seridina is apart of the Fian Empire along with Aperia. The King isn't the true ruler but he was chosen to rule over Seridina." It was all making sense to everyone, Iker putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
"Years ago when Area fifteen was built, Emory came here to see what it was. He met your mother during that time." Phoenix realized that was why she said he and Cormac reminded her of his parents after she learned the truth of who Cormac was. "He was trying to do the same thing as you did. His father and mother went along with the building of Area fifteen for reasons the King of Seridina had said. Of course your father opposed it, though he didn't have much say in it."
"He tried doing things on his own for a year, his hard work being fruitless. Your mother got pregnant the following year during the summer. Emory was elated, he put in more hard work than he ever did. Just when he was starting to see the results he was killed." Stella continued. "Your mother and I hid in secrecy. The night you were born she died. She requested one thing of me, for me to keep you safe from the King. If he knew Emory had an offspring, she didn't know what he would do."
"I've kept it a secret for your sake along with the promise I made to your mother. Siobhan was the only one I told." Stella hoped Phoenix would understand.
Phoenix was rendered speechless. He was born of royalty, a place he thought he could never reach until he met Cormac. Now, he was to believe he had a greater power than that of the King. What did they expect him to say? Everything he's known upon to this point wasn't real. Who was he kidding? His life as Phoenix was real, his mother and son relationship with Stella and Nevaeh was real. The family he built was real.
Who he truly was underneath was real. He couldn't deny the other part of him. The part that connected him to his father. Phoenix wasn't keen on living a life he wasn't use to, but if it could help.
He looked towards the others, equally saddened and shocked. Dealing with Rocco's death was important. Phoenix didn't want for another person to die, he couldn't go through that again. If he could use what little power he had then maybe; even if it was a little bit, he would like to make amends for what he let happened yesterday.
"You're the only heir left to the Empire," Queen Zelda said. "Your grandfather can only hold out much longer. That husband of mine should be put out of rule."
"I'll go." Phoenix said quickly. "Thank you Ma, but I'll be safe now. He's already marked me as his enemy." He forced a laugh. Stella held back her tears, knowing that Phoenix still called her Ma, made her happy. "Iker can you come with me." Iker responded with a nod. "Will they be safe?"
"They will. It all depends on your actions from now on." Queen Zelda said. "I'll leave some of my guards here."
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Cormac opened his eyes to be met with darkness, a single torch barely lighting the room. He was in an unfamiliar place, his hands chained to the walls and his body feeling heavy. He tried yanking at the chain attached to the wall, his energy feeling drained.
Cormac groaned, his feet slipping against the floor. He looked around the room, seeing a cell to his left. It clicked then where he was. It was the place Iker told him about. He knew his father was ruthless, but to chain his son in an secret cell he had. He knew now that, that man wasn't his father anymore.
The man in the cell watched the boy the King had bought in. He recognize that it wasn't the boy from before. His hatred only increasing towards the King. "Who are you?" Cormac asked, looking at the thin man with an overgrown beard.
The man looked his way, standing to his feet as he looked out the cell at the boy. "I could ask you the same thing," The man responded, stroking his beard. "You've angered the King haven't you?"
Cormac scoffed, "I'm the one who should be angry. As his son I have the right to make my own decisions and walk away from the lies he's fed me all my life. And this is what he did to me?" Cormac didn't realize he was raising his voice.
"His son, you say?" The man almost poked his head through the bars to get a better look at the boy. "He truly has no heart."
"You still haven't answered me," Cormac pointed out. "Who are you?"
The man figured he should answer him. "Malachi," he simply said. "I'm not sure of you've heard of me. I've been dead for almost two decades."
"You're Arabella's father," Cormac said in disbelief. To think that he was the mysterious man. "Why are you here?"
"You know my daughter?" Malachi said, wanting to know more about his daughter. The King hadn't done anything to her right? "Where is she?"
"She's back in Laqum." Cormac informed him. "I also know Ximera, we were going to get married. Turns out I was just another pawn in his games." the metal rubbed against his wrist creating a bruise. "To use Laqum military power to wager war against Peruel. How stupid could I have been?" Before Cormac knew it he was rambling on. Maybe it was because he hadn't got the chance to voice his opinion about what had happened before. "I'm glad I chose to marry Phoenix instead. Marrying a man and removing Area fifteen. This is what he did to me? Is he trying to make me regret my actions? I'll never regret loving him."
"I regret building that wall." Malachi responded honestly. "If I knew what was going to happen, I wouldn't have done it."
Cormav theory was proven right. "Is that what led you here?"
"I threatened to reveal what he was doing. The secrets of his father and what he was doing with the Iron Fortress. He couldn't risk having that so he slipped something in my drink and I ended up in cell before I was moved here." Keeping him alive under such circumstances was the best torture. Wearing away his sanity. Cormav remembered it was the same thing that happened to him.
"I need to get out of here," Cormac yanked at the chain again. "I have to save them from whatever he's planning. I have to see Phoenix and Iker." He ignored the pain in his wrist.
"You've been here for a day and a half," Malachi informed him. He's lost track of his own time, but not since Cormac had arrived. "There's no escape for you or me."
Cormac was surprised that he was here for such a long time. That means he was too late. "I have people who care about me out there. I can't lose hope just yet." Phoenix and Iker was a fighter, they will realize he's gone and look for him.
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