"If he could be a good king, why couldn't he be a good husband too? A good brother even?"
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•• RHIAN'S POV ••
Rhian didn't think he would ever get finished with his duties. As Camelot's King, his Schedule was packed and he barely had any time to spend to himself.
The only upside to being so overwhelmed with his kingly duties though was that Rhian had no time to dwell on his personal worries. A day passed since Rhian had chosen to release Tedros from the Camelot dungeons (a decision that Japeth made clear he was against) and only two days had passed since the Blessing.
Last night, Rhian and Japeth had had a sort of falling out due to Tedros's release. Rhian had hoped Japeth would be okay with his decision to release Tedros from the Camelot dungeons to serve as Sophie's steward, but his hopes had been futile. Japeth had been displeased with Rhian, and the two brothers had gotten into an argument.
However, Rhian had found that Japeth's behavior had once again seemed odd. Of course Rhian understood why Japeth would be angry about Tedros's release. But then, for some strange reason after Rhian had tried to reassure him about Sophie, Japeth's mood had changed. Rhian could tell his brother looked strangely sad and doubtful as if Japeth didn't believe that Rhian could turn Sophie's loyalties around. Oddly enough, Rhian could say Japeth even looked scared.
Japeth—his own twin!—scared! But scared of what exactly? Rhian couldn't think Japeth could be scared of anything. Rhian couldn't comprehend why Japeth would be so fearful about Rhian intending to get Sophie on their side. Isn't that what Japeth wanted after all, the same thing as Rhian; to get Sophie on their side?
Rhian didn't ask Japeth why he looked the way he did, and Japeth bid him a hasty goodbye before leaving. It was that action that made Rhian himself fearful, because he feared that Japeth would go on to try to avoid him again. After all, the last reason Japeth had had for avoiding Rhian was that he was trying to restrain himself from hurting Rhian.
But Rhian felt like Japeth had left so quickly last night because he didn't want to continue on with their heated conversation. Rhian had let Japeth walk away because he figured Japeth needed some alone time, even if that time was spent away from him.
Rhian was still thinking hard about his brother when he almost wandered straight into the crowd of onlookers gathered outside the courtyard. Ever since Rhian began his reign as Camelot's king, it seemed a crowd formed in Camelot each day, eager fans hoping to catch a sneak at him, the Lion, the savior of the woods.
Despite Rhian and Japeth's disagreements, the one thing they had seemed to agree on was Lionsmane. When Japeth bid him a goodbye last night, Rhian tried to ask him about Lionsmane. After announcing to the people of Camelot about Lionsmane and its purpose on the day of the Blessing, the people were excepting Rhian to present the pen to them. Of course, Rhian couldn't get his hands on any magical pens, so he resorted to borrowing one of Japeth's scims. Japeth just gave Rhian one of his scims without a fuss before leaving him to go god knows where.
Now, Rhian had a Scim tucked into the folds of his golden jacket. A Scim that no longer looked like a Scim, but a pen. A golden pen with a nib as needle sharp as the Storian's. This pen look alike was Lionsmane, the very Lionsmane Rhian had promised would be greater than the Storian itself.
Rhian had been surprised when Japeth had willingly given up his Scim. But Japeth knew as well as Rhian did that Lionsmane was just yet another object that would secure Rhian's place on the throne and also secure the other rulers' loyalties towards Rhian.
As if Lionsmane could sense Rhian's racing thoughts, Rhian felt it move within the folds of his jacket. He knew Japeth's scims were tied to Japeth. Japeth could control his scims after all, because they were apart of each other just like Rhian and Japeth were apart of each other with them being twins.
Perhaps, this Scim—Lionsmane—could feel that Rhian was distracted. Of course, Rhian was occupied with his nagging thoughts, but his distracted mind would do him no good when he had to prepare himself to present Lionsmane to the people.
Rhian's gaze flickered to the bustling crowd gathered tightly together in front of the drawbridge leading into the Camelot Village. They hadn't spotted him yet. Good—he didn't want them to go crazy just yet.
Rhian cautiously crept behind the line of armored Camelot guards who were positioned around the wooden stage in the Courtyard. On the wooden stage were two thrones, a bigger one fit for a King—Rhian—and a smaller one fit for a Queen—Sophie—who unfortunately wasn't present because she insisted to Rhian that she stay behind in her chambers to "practice her voice." ("I'm smart enough to know that writing is an art, Rhian," Sophie had told him. "And you can't rush art.")
So Rhian had left Sophie behind in her chambers earlier that day after Kei brought her a list of names belonging to various ordinary citizens from across the endless woods who each wished for Lionsmane to write their tales. Sophie's job was to study the list and the people's stories before coming up with elaborate pieces of writing that would depict each person in a good light. When her work was finished, Rhian would project the stories one by one into the sky for all the woods to see.
For now though, Rhian had to present Lionsmane to the people.
All it took was him getting onto the wooden stage for the crowd to finally spot him. The crowd clamored towards him, waving their golden lion patterned flags and various other lion themed memorabilia. However, Rhian also glimpsed a few signs that people were waving around too, signs reading; "All Hail, Sir Japeth!" in scratchy print. Rhian wondered how Japeth could have so many fans when he barely made any appearances to the public, but it wasn't unusual that Japeth would have a few fans given he was the King of Camelot's brother after all.
Rhian brushed his thoughts aside, and began to address the crowd, his voice as strong and commanding as ever. He kept his opening speech short, reminding the crowd that he promised to give them the glory they so craved. The crowd was ecstatic all the while, slurping up Rhian's words with vigor until finally, Rhian reached into the folds of his golden jacket to procure Lionsmane.
But as soon as Rhian's fingers touched the "pen," it instantly sprung to life, whipping from his jacket to twirl into the sky. It hovered in midair, as straight and slick as a pen should be. It's golden sheen blinded the crowd who covered their eyes from the blinding light before they recovered and began to cheer like crazy.
Rhian watched the crowd stare upon Lionsmane in utter awe as if they were transfixed by the "pen's" sheer beauty. Rhian allowed the crowd to stare a little while longer, watching them as they slowly began to draw closer to the pen before them...and draw even further away from the Storian, the pen they looked so up to until now.
If only Rhian could match their joy and hopefulness. All he felt as of now was a feeling of unease and guilt he'd felt since his argument with Japeth last night. Even Lionsmane seemed to feel different from the crowd, because Rhian swore he saw the pen blink open one eye from the side, just out of view of the crowd, to glare down at him. Japeth was definitely still a little upset with Rhian. How Great.
Eventually, the crowd died down and Rhian opened his jacket. Lionsmane delved back into his pocket, wriggling around for a second in the folds of his jacket as if to get in a comfortable position. Rhian struggled not to flinch at the "pen's" touch. While Lionsmane definitely looked like a pen, it felt like a Scim, scaly and slimy all in one.
Rhian forced a smile at the crowd before climbing off the stage. Since that whole Lionsmane debacle took about an hour, he figured Sophie was finished up by now with most of her list.
So Rhian found his way to the Queen's chambers, resisting the urge to go into the room he knew belonged to Japeth. He kinda wanted to check up on his brother to see if he was doing alright, but Rhian soon thought better of it and dumped the idea. If Japeth was still mad at him about their argument last night, Rhian didn't want to visit Japeth and risk riling him up even more.
"Almost finished, I hope?" Rhian called as he opened the door to Sophie's room, only to stop short when he saw Sophie sitting on her bed.
Tedros was sitting beside her, his head drooping like a sad little boy's. His body was angled away from Sophie and from Rhian's view in the doorway, he could see Tedros's shirt had been ripped open. Rhian could see Sophie's hands rubbing Tedros's shoulders, her fingers kneading the knots in his skin, and for a second, a hint of jealousy ripped at Rhian's heart.
Just as Rhian was about to storm into the room, he suddenly glimpsed a flash of red. Peering closer, he saw that Sophie hadn't been massaging Tedros's shoulders after all. In fact, Sophie was examining his back where three long parallel cuts ran across his spine. The cuts looked fresh, for they were deep and caked in dry blood.
Rhian wondered how Tedros had even gotten such wounds. He figured a guard had whipped Tedros without his permission. It was likely. There was no other way Tedros could've gotten such deep scores along his back if it wasn't from a whip, and Rhian couldn't think of anyone specific who would go out of their way to whip Tedros, the prince who'd been deemed the fraud king of Camelot.
Rhian couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from the scene of Sophie and Tedros. Sophie reached for something in her lap before she brought her hand up to Tedros's bruised and bloodied back to gently wipe his cuts clean with what appeared to be a wet rag. Tedros's body shuddered in pain as Sophie tended to his wounds the best she could.
Sophie and Tedros hadn't noticed Rhian in the doorway yet. Rhian should've announced his presence right then and there, but he remained silent and continued to watch as Sophie cared for Tedros.
Rhian knew Sophie and Tedros had history. They'd dated after all and Sophie had risked the lives of everyone in the endless woods just to get Tedros to kiss her. But after all that history, Tedros had ended up with Agatha instead.
But for the first time, Rhian couldn't help but wonder if Sophie still had feelings for Tedros as he watched her clean his wounds with such tenderness, such care. Did Sophie still love Tedros? Had she always loved him, even when he was with Agatha?
Rhian almost laughed aloud at his absurd thoughts. Of course there was no way Sophie still loved Tedros, and Tedros was obviously loyal to Agatha. Sophie was only tending to Rhian's wounds as a friend would to another, that was all it was.
Besides, why would Rhian be jealous of Tedros? It's not like Rhian and Sophie were a happy couple. In fact they were far from it. Sophie still most likely hated Rhian for all the wrongs he'd done towards her, but he was trying his best to fix those mistakes. That's all Rhian wanted as of now; to make things right.
Finally, Rhian rasped his knuckles against the doorframe, just loud enough to alert Tedros and Sophie of his presence. Sophie was the first to look up before Tedros turned his head slightly to see Rhian step into the room.
"I hope those stories have been written, Sophie," Rhian said in a teasing tone. "I don't want you to forget that little deal we made."
Sophie stood up from the bed and Tedros turned around as if he didn't want Rhian to stare at his wounded back. Tedros's eyes were fixated on the floor, but Rhian noticed that familiar glimpse of anger in his blue gaze. Obviously, Tedros too was still mad at Rhian for stealing his kingdom and imprisoning him, even after Rhian had tried to ask for Tedros's forgiveness.
"I'm still working on them," Sophie told Rhian, gesturing to the other end of the bed where a stack of papers sat in a neat pile. She crossed her arms over her chest as if she were expecting for Rhian to get angry, but Rhian was as calm as a fiddle.
"I see," he said, before his gaze turned back to Tedros who still was staring at the floor like it were the most interesting thing in the world. "What happened to you?"
Rhian was genuinely curious as to how Tedros had gotten those gashes on his back and who caused them. Besides, Rhian could punish the culprit who hurt Tedros, not because he cared about Tedros, but because he cared about making things right with Sophie. If helping Tedros serve justice to whoever hurt him would make Sophie trust Rhian, then Rhian would gladly help Tedros.
But it was like Tedros hadn't even heard the genuineness in Rhian's tone, for Rhian watched Tedros clench his jaw in anger. Slowly, Tedros raised his red rimmed gaze and met Rhian's eyes, finally looking at him.
"Don't act dumb. You know who did this," Tedros seethed, shaking in outrage.
Rhian cocked an eyebrow in confusion, having no clue who exactly had hurt Tedros. Tedros probably thought Rhian was messing with him, playing with him, but Rhian wasn't trying anything of that sort. All he wanted was to know what happened to Tedros, because he genuinely had no clue what had exactly happened to him.
"You're a fool—" Tedros began, still not finished, but Sophie suddenly leapt to Tedros's side. She cut his words off by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Go, Teddy," Sophie told Tedros firmly. "I'll handle this. Besides, I believe I have some wash that needs to get done, so why don't you go do that, hmm? We'll catch up later, I promise."
Tedros looked between Sophie and Rhian for a long moment before he reluctantly picked up the basket of dirtied clothing by the bed and walked out of the room, sending Rhian one last glare before he left.
Rhian suspected the only reason Sophie had asked Tedros to leave was because she didn't want Tedros to risk getting on Rhian's nerves and making him angry. But Rhian wasn't like that. That was more Japeth's personality, not his.
"I suspect you came to discuss all the work I've done," Sophie pointed out. "Unfortunately, I'm not finished. I'm gonna need some more time to write all those stories by the end of the day."
Rhian noticed how Sophie changed the subject. He also recalled the way Sophie had protected Tedros by making him leave. Rhian admired that about her. He admired Sophie for wanting to keep her friends safe. Rhian knew he would do anything to keep Japeth safe, except Japeth didn't need protection. Japeth could handle himself after all.
"Actually, I was thinking you could finish your work tomorrow," Rhian informed her. "In the meantime, I wanna take you somewhere."
Sophie scoffed, and shook her head as if she thought Rhian was playing with her. "Take me somewhere?" She asked. "You mean...like a date?"
The way she said date made it sound like she thought Rhian was stupid. Rhian felt his face redden, and he had to take a deep breath to compose himself.
"No, not a date," he said. "Just...I believe there's someone who really wants to see you. I'd like you to take you to them. Believe me, if you don't appreciate this, I'd say you were cold hearted."
Sophie cocked her head, confusion filling her green gaze. Rhian didn't wait for a response before he stepped out of the bedroom, waiting patiently for Sophie to follow. Eventually, Sophie went after him, her arms still crossed as if she were in a sour mood.
Rhian led her through the corridors of the palace, his boot steps echoing against the pristine tiles. He made his way past the throne room, past the kitchens, until Sophie finally asked where they were headed.
"You'll see," Rhian answered her, keeping his response short and vague. Seeing the bitter look on Sophie's face, Rhian couldn't help the amused smile that played across his lips.
Rhian knew Sophie was probably missing all her friends in the dungeons, and he knew she probably would prefer anyone of her other friend's company over Tedros's. Why Sophie had even chosen Tedros to be her steward was beyond Rhian's understanding.
Perhaps Sophie had thought she could cause the rulers to doubt Rhian if they saw that he'd released Camelot's old King from the dungeons. After all, Rhian had declared to all the woods that Tedros and his friends were to be executed, and surely letting Tedros out of prison wasn't going to strengthen Rhian's 'perfect' image.
But Rhian had allowed Tedros to be released from the dungeons because he knew it was what would make Sophie feel a little bit more safer in Camelot. Of course there was no denying that Sophie probably feared Rhian and Japeth after Rhian had deceived her and even cut her wrist while Japeth had killed some of her friends.
Needless to say, it was gonna take a long time before Sophie started to trust Rhian again. Luckily, Rhian hoped this surprise of his would help restore that lost trust.
Rhian halted at the door leading into the dungeons. There were six guards milling around, keeping watch over all the exits of the dungeons just to make sure no prisoners tried to make any escape attempts. Out of those six guards, Rhian spotted Kei.
"Sire," Kei said, bowing to Rhian at the sight of him. His brown gaze flickered to Sophie before he looked back at Rhian and adjusted the long sword seethed on the belt at his hip.
"Sophie, Kei is gonna take you down to the dungeons," Rhian told Sophie, and Sophie's gaze immediately bulged wide in a mixture of surprise and anger.
"What?" She snapped, taking a step backwards. "Did you bring me here to lock me up? What is this—"
Rhian backtracked, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace in an attempt to get Sophie to calm down, "No, I didn't take you here to lock you up. I," he lowered his voice so no suspecting people would overhear. "I took you here to see Agatha. I—I thought you'd like to see how she is."
Sophie's whole body stiffened in surprise as if she'd never expected to hear Rhian say such words. Then, her green gaze narrowed in suspicion, obviously unable to believe that Rhian would ever allow her to visit Agatha down in the dungeons out of the blue. After all, Rhian had had a hand in helping Japeth capture Agatha by using Sophie as bait, so why in the world would Rhian let Sophie and Agatha see each other?
Honestly, the only reason Rhian was allowing Sophie to see Agatha was because he felt bad about all the deceit he'd done towards Sophie. Rhian was still trying his best to make things right and hopefully get Sophie to trust him again.
"This may be your only chance to say goodbye to her," Rhian admitted softly, knowing the execution was in just two days and Agatha was more or less likely to die alongside Tedros.
Sophie sucked in a gasp as if she'd forgotten that her friends were all scheduled to die in a matter of days. Rhian wanted to comfort her. He hated this as much as she did. But the only way Rhian could call off the execution was if Tedros and his friends swore their loyalty to him. Rhian had already tried earning Tedros's forgiveness, but he'd failed. Perhaps, Sophie could succeed where he hadn't. Perhaps, she could get all her friends to swear their loyalty to him, if only she'd try hard enough.
"You can save them all, Sophie," Rhian promised, his voice raw with passion. "Have Agatha swear her loyalty to me. Convince Tedros to swear his loyalty to me and every last one of your friends can be saved. No one will have to die."
Sophie was still frozen, her gaze brimming in emotion as if she felt she was stuck in an impossible position. Rhian swore he could glimpse tears in her eyes, and his heart ached in regret. If he could call off the execution just like that, he would, but it wasn't that simple. The rulers would doubt him if he suddenly canceled the execution out of the blue without any good reason. Even he felt like he was stuck in an impossible position, just like Sophie.
"Think about it," Rhian told Sophie before he laid a hand on her back to guide her towards Kei. "Go now. Kei will take you to see Agatha. I'd come with you, but I don't think you'd like me being there."
Sophie glanced back at Rhian, but her expression was impassive. Rhian couldn't tell if she was grateful towards him or upset about her friends or what. Then, Kei led Sophie through the dungeon door and the both of them disappeared down the stairs.
Alone with his thoughts, Rhian leant against the wall in wait for Sophie, figuring she'd be finished talking with Agatha soon. Part of him was riddled with guilt over the fact he'd even considered allowing Sophie to visit Agatha down in the dungeons because he knew without a doubt that Japeth would not approve. After all, Japeth had been disapproving of Rhian when he tried to make amends with Tedros. Heck, Japeth was clearly angry that Rhian had released Tedros from the dungeons despite Rhian full well knowing that Tedros was to be executed in a matter of days.
Is that how Japeth saw Rhian? Did he think Rhian was screwing up everything the two brothers had fought so hard for?
Rhian hated thinking that Japeth was mad at him, and he hated thinking that Japeth would be even more cross with him when he found out that he was allowing Sophie to visit Agatha in the dungeons. But Rhian's determination to make things right with Sophie was stronger than his need to not upset his brother. Rhian could only hope that Japeth would come to understand why he was doing what he was doing.
Rhian leant against the wall for a while, thinking long and hard about his brother until he remembered Lionsmane in his pocket and he peeked into his jacket to see that it was no longer gold, but scaly and black, identical to every other Scim that made up Japeth's suit.
Rhian realized that perhaps he was going on the wrong path. So far, the other rulers and all his subjects saw Rhian as a worthy king, a king worthy of King Arthur's legacy. But was a good king all Rhian was?
After all, if he could be a good king, why couldn't he be a good husband too? A good brother even?
Staring down at the squirming Scim in his pocket, Rhian felt a feeling of remorse overcome him. But with that remorse came a feeling of determination to not only to do right by Sophie as her future husband, but to also do right by the one person he knew he could always trust; Japeth.
"I'm sorry, brother," Rhian whispered to the Scim. "You've given me every reason to believe in you, and still I allowed myself to doubt you..."
Rhian trailed off as if he were awaiting for a response. The Scim stared up at him, its little eyes boring into Rhian's soul. Gently, Rhian edged his finger to touch the Scim's head, but the Scim recoiled from his touch, hissing at him. It seemed even Japeth's scims hated any sort of affection.
Sighing, Rhian pulled his hand away, half afraid that if he tried to pet the Scim again, that it would bite his finger off.
Rhian heard the sound of footsteps nearing, and he snapped out of his thoughts and glanced up to see Kei leading Sophie around the corner. Kei bowed respectfully to Rhian before leaving.
Rhian turned to Sophie to find she looked somber as if she'd had a tearful conversation with Agatha. Rhian felt a stab of pity for her, knowing the last thing Sophie wanted was to see her friend, her own sister, locked up in the dungeons.
"I'll never forgive you for any of this," Sophie stated numbly, wiping her teary eyes. Then, her green gaze darkened as if a sudden wave of anger had gripped her in its iron fist. "You can't fool me, Rhian. I'm smarter than that. First, your snake of a brother punishes Tedros right in front of me and then you...you think you can make things right, make me forget about Tedros's beating by allowing me to see Agatha. I won't fall for it."
Rhian fully understood why Sophie would think she'd never forgive him, but her reasons for that caught him off guard. Did Sophie really think that Rhian was trying to trick her by allowing her to see Agatha? And what was all this talk about his "snake of a brother—"
Oh. Sophie meant Japeth obviously, which meant Japeth had been the one to beat Tedros. Rhian should've known that Japeth would do something like this. It was clear Japeth was not the least bit fond of Tedros, especially after the fight the two of them had had the night before Rhian pulled Excalibur and declared himself King of Camelot.
No wonder Tedros had been so hostile towards Rhian. The prince had thought that Rhian was in on Japeth's beating and that he was aware of Japeth's actions.
"I had no idea that Japeth did that," Rhian defended himself.
Sophie looked like she was about to explode in anger. Her mouth opened wide and her cheeks reddened in rage as if she were going to scream at him. Before she could say anything though, Rhian quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall.
"Not here," he warned her, afraid she would make a scene in front of the few servants and maids milling around. If the palace staff witnessed the king and queen of Camelot having a screaming match, word would spread that Rhian and Sophie were having relationship issues. Not that they didn't have any relationship issues to begin with. It was just best if those issues remained a secret from the public.
Rhian tugged Sophie into the first room he could find that was empty; the dining hall. He shut the doors as soon as they were inside and turned to Sophie.
"You better explain yourself, Rhian," Sophie snapped, shaking her head.
"It's true," Rhian told her. "I had no clue that Japeth beat Tedros. Japeth didn't tell me. And I meant it when I said that I took you to see Agatha because I know you're the only person who can get through to her and convince her to be on my side."
A moment of silence followed Rhian's words as he waited patiently for Sophie's response. For a while, the blonde girl had a thoughtful look on her face as she thought hard about Rhian's explanation. It was obvious she was trying to decide whether to believe him or not.
Eventually, just when Rhian thought Sophie was gonna give him the silent treatment, he watched Sophie nod slowly. It was a small gesture, but it was enough of a response to let Rhian know that Sophie at least acknowledged his words, even if she didn't quite believe them.
"Why?" Sophie finally broke the silence. Her voice sounded broken as if she were still upset about the most likely tearful conversation she'd had with Agatha. "Why allow me to see Agatha? What're you hoping to gain from that?"
The only thing Rhian was hoping to gain was Sophie's trust...and maybe, just maybe he was hoping to gain her affection too. As crazy as it sounded, Rhian couldn't help but notice Sophie's undeniable beauty and he couldn't help but feel drawn to Sophie as if the prophecy of the One True King really was true and that Rhian and Sophie really were destined to be together. So Why deny fate? Why deny the inevitable?
Besides, it was only a matter of time before Sophie and Rhian were to be married. That time was short in fact; only two more days until their wedding.
Rhian drew forward, his steps tentative and his movements slow, half expecting for Sophie to pull away from him. It only took seven small steps for Rhian to be right in front of Sophie. He was so close to her now that he could see his own reflection in her emerald gaze. He could even see the little imperfections on her eyelids where she'd applied black eyeliner just above her top eyelashes, and he noticed the powdered texture on her cheeks where she'd applied a light shade of blush to her skin.
Rhian only wished he could wipe off all that needless makeup of Sophie's in order to see the true her. In Rhian's opinion, Sophie's natural beauty was greater than any shred of makeup she'd wear any day.
Rhian also glimpsed the shininess in Sophie's blonde curls and he couldn't resist himself to reach out and touch her hair. He wouldn't be surprised if Sophie slapped his hand away or shoved him down at that moment, but neither of those things occurred. Oddly enough, Sophie just stood there, not moving a muscle like part of her deep down really did want Rhian this close to her despite all the valid reasons she had for hating him.
"I...I'm falling for you," Rhian confessed, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind Sophie's ear. His gaze never left her's, and he couldn't help but become mesmerized by her beautiful green eyes that seemed to bore a hole deep into his heart.
"Rhian—" Sophie began, reaching up to push Rhian's hand away, but Rhian grabbed her wrist gently to stop her. Sophie was obviously trying so hard to let Rhian know that she wasn't interested, but Rhian couldn't bear to accept her rejection.
"No, listen to me, Sophie," Rhian breathed, cupping her cheek in his warm palm. "I know you hate me for everything I've done to you. I know what we had before was a lie. But I don't want us to be a lie anymore. Yes, you may feel like I'm just using you to get what I want, but it's not like that anymore. I want you now, too. I don't want you to hate me for the rest of our married lives. Please, Sophie..."
Sophie was silent, and her silence was like a knife piercing Rhian's heart. Gently, he dropped his hand from her hair and took a step backwards in hopes that Sophie would appreciate the little distance between them.
"I'm not asking for your forgiveness, Sophie," Rhian whispered softly, his voice raw with emotion. "All I'm asking is that you give me another chance. A chance for me to show you who I really am—the real me."
Sophie seemed torn over wanting to give him a chance and wanting to still hate him for everything he'd done wrong to her. In that instant, seeing Sophie look so conflicted, Rhian thought she would never give him a chance. In that instant, he thought their relationship would never improve.
So he decided to leave her be. Starting for the door, his feet feeling as heavy as stone, Rhian swore he felt his heart deflate in his chest. Just as he reached for the doorknob, he called over his shoulder; "I'll see you later when those writings are finished."
There was no response and Rhian flung the door open, about to step out when suddenly a hand caught his wrist. Rhian turned to see Sophie holding onto his wrist.
"Wait," She began, her voice oddly panicked. "I'm...I'm sorry—"
Rhian stiffened in surprise, hearing Sophie's words. Had Sophie really just apologized to him, even after she'd made it clear she disapproved of him having to execute all her friends?
Rhian saw the conflicted look on Sophie's face. There were worry creases on her forehead, worry creases Rhian wanted nothing more but to smooth away with his fingertips.
This time—hearing Sophie truly apologize to him when she really had no reason to apologize for anything—Rhian couldn't stop himself. He couldn't stand Sophie seeming so emotional over all that he'd done to her.
If anything, Rhian deserved Sophie to hate him. Deep down, he knew he didn't deserve her forgiveness even after all the things he'd done to try to earn it. Most of all, Rhian didn't deserve to have these feelings for Sophie, knowing Sophie would never reciprocate those feelings.
But this time, Rhian couldn't stand walking away from Sophie without showing her how much he craved her forgiveness. He couldn't walk out on her without showing her how deeply sorry he was for all he'd done to hurt her.
So, in a final decision, Rhian tugged Sophie close without warning and pressed his lips against her's. Sophie froze in surprise. Rhian went to pull away, intending the kiss to be a short and simple one. But then Sophie was pulling him back as if she craved his kiss as much as he craved her's.
For a second, the two stared into each other's eyes, neither of them blinking or making a sound.
Then, as if they'd been struck with a sudden sense of desire, Rhian and Sophie's lips collided and they were kissing again, their lips molding together perfectly. Rhian was momentarily shocked when he felt Sophie's hands tug him closer to deepen the kiss. They had no time to even catch their breathes as their lips brushed against one another, sticking together like glue.
Rhian's hand found Sophie's own and their fingers intertwined. Her palm was smooth and Rhian couldn't help but feel the contours of her palm, noticing how different but alike they were to his own.
For some strange reason, this kiss felt different from the rest. Rhian had kissed Sophie plenty times before, but that was back when he was deceiving her. This time, this kiss felt new as if Rhian and Sophie were conducting an experiment to see who would pull away first. An experiment to rekindle their long lost love they'd once felt for one another...Except Rhian had never loved Sophie the short time they'd "dated."
But he felt like he could love her this time, if only she learned to love him back. Besides, hadn't the priest at the church told them that love was the most powerful magic of all during the Blessing?
If so, Rhian surely felt like him and Sophie's kissing was making some sort of magic.
He found his free hand moving to Sophie's hair and he ran his fingers through the blonde curls. They were soft against his fingertips, almost like silk.
The kiss seemed to last an eternity although it couldn't have been more than five minutes before their lips finally drifted apart. Sophie abruptly ripped her hand from his grasp and took a big step back as if she thought Rhian had deceived her once again, lied to her like he'd done before.
But there was no deceit behind that kiss. No betrayal. There had only been passion and a yearning Rhian couldn't quench.
"This doesn't change anything," Sophie whispered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand like she were trying to get rid of the taste of him in her mouth. "This doesn't change the fact you're gonna kill all my friends at the execution in two days. Agatha thinks it's a trick—that if she swears her loyalty to you that you'll cut her and Tedros's heads off anyway. I'll never forgive you for that, Rhian. I won't."
Rhian felt disappointment settle in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to spare Tedros and his friends from the execution but the rulers of the other kingdoms would turn on him in a heartbeat. Who knows what would happen then? Rhian could be overthrown by those rulers who deemed him unfit to rule Camelot. They'd see him as a fraud and without the rulers' loyalty towards him, Rhian could kiss the powers of the Storian goodbye.
How could he make Sophie understand his dilemma? How could he make her see that the rulers' trust in him was crucial?
Then, it dawned on Rhian. There was only one option to take. There was only one thing to tell Sophie to get her to see his mindset...Rhian would have to tell her the truth. The whole truth.
"It's my mother," Rhian admitted, voice soft. "I have to bring her back. That's the whole plan. Japeth and I...that's our whole goal."
Sophie gave him a puzzled look, but Rhian could tell she was intrigued and willing to listen to him.
"I don't understand," Sophie said, confused. "What do you mean 'bring her back?' What happened to her?"
Rhian took a deep breath and let it out. "Japeth and I—as crazy as it sounds—are the sons of Arthur Pendragon and Evelyn Sader."
Sophie's face lit up in shock and her gaze widened in a mixture of disbelief and awe. She looked like she suspected Rhian was bluffing, but Rhian's intense gaze convinced her otherwise.
"Evelyn Sader is your mother?" She chocked, shaking her head. "But she was killed by the School Master. What do you mean when you say you wanna bring her back? And what does the execution have to do with getting her back?"
Rhian sighed and fiddled with his fingers as he struggled to come up with a response to Sophie's questions. He hated talking about his mother's death. It brought him great pain to talk about his mother, knowing she'd been dead for awhile now. But he had to tell Sophie the truth. This was the only way he could get Sophie truly on his side.
"After my Mother was killed by the School Master," he began, taking a deep breath, "The Mistral Sisters came to Japeth and I to tell us the news. They gave us our mother's dress and told us of a prophecy. The prophecy said that the eldest brother could attain the powers of the Storian by wedding you while the other brother could be healed by your blood."
Sophie's face still conveyed a look of shock, but little by little her shocked demeanor crumpled to reveal an expression of understanding. Rhian's heart skipped as a feeling of hope overcame him, overriding the sadness he felt from talking about his mother's death. Did Sophie finally see him? Did she finally understand why he'd deceived her and stolen Tedros's kingdom? Could she finally forgive him for all the wrongs he'd done towards her and her friends?
"Control the Storian?" Sophie questioned, her brows furrowing. For a moment, her fingers brushed across her lips as if she were thinking long and hard before she finally fixed Rhian with a look that made his breath halt. "So, let me get this straight...you say that if you fulfill this prophecy, you'll attain the powers of the Storian and with those powers, you intend to bring your deceased mother back from the dead?"
Rhian nodded, unable to contain the nervousness and joy that lit up across his face as he realized Sophie finally knew the truth. She knew now why he'd chosen her as his queen and why he'd done everything he'd done.
"Japeth," Rhian said, "He was...never the same after Arbed House. He changed drastically and when we learned of our mother's death, I could see he didn't want to believe it. He was angry at first, most likely trying to mask his pain with anger that he directed at me. He needed someone to blame for his sadness, so he blamed me."
Rhian recalled that late, late afternoon the Mistral Sisters had stopped by him and Japeth's house, given them their mother's dress, and told them all that they needed to know. How their mother had been killed by the School Master. How the dress would show them what action needed to be taken after that.
"Japeth, he loved our mother," Rhian admitted softly, shaking his head. "He was sad and angry over our mother's death. Then, the dress, the very dress you have on now, showed us the way. We learned of the prophecy and we learned that we could bring her back. So there was hope after all."
Rhian had always had hope that someday, him, his brother, and mother could be a family again, even long before he'd learned of his mother's tragic death. Back in Arbed House, Rhian had once insisted to Japeth that as soon as they left school, they were going to find their mother and then they'd be one big happy family.
Unfortunately, Rhian's expectations had been squashed. He didn't expect for him and Japeth to be by themselves in their old home eating peasant food. Rhian had expected their mother to come back to them, wherever she was, and they would forgive her for leaving them.
Now things were so different from then. Before, Rhian and Japeth had had nothing but each other after Arbed House. Today, Rhian had a kingdom, a crown, and a girl he was so intent on keeping by his side.
If only that girl could truly forgive him for all the pain he'd caused her..
"I'm sorry for all that's happened to you," Sophie admitted, surprising Rhian. Her green gaze brimmed in sympathy. "I know what it's like to lose a mother...and I wanted to thank you."
Rhian cocked his eyebrow, feigning confusion, "Thank me for what?"
"For releasing Tedros from the dungeons, and for letting me see Agatha."
Rhian heard the softness in Sophie's tone. For the first time, he had faith that his plan was finally working. Releasing Tedros from the dungeons and allowing Sophie to see Agatha were all steps Rhian had taken to win Sophie back.
He wasn't trying to trick her or make her fall into a sense of security, only to rip that security away. Rhian genuinely wanted him and Sophie to make up. He needed them to make up or else he feared Sophie would hate him for the rest of their married lives.
Rhian found that a smile had crawled across his face. In that moment, all Rhian could see was Sophie before him, his beautiful future bride who no longer seemed to loathe him, but tolerate him. Having Sophie tolerate him at the very least was all Rhian could ask for.
"I...I should get back to writing those stories," Sophie stated, moving towards the door.
"I'll walk you back to your room," Rhian said, holding the door open for her.
Sophie gave him the tiniest of smiles as she stepped out into the hall, and Rhian followed her. They quickly found themselves outside Sophie's bedroom door.
For a long time, there was an awkward silence between the two as if neither of them knew what else to say after the passionate moment they shared just a few minutes ago.
Then, Sophie ever so gently leant towards Rhian, rose up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his cheek in a kiss that had him reeling in surprise.
"I'll see you later, Rhian," Sophie said, opening her bedroom door.
Part of Rhian wanted to pull her back and smash his lips against her. He wanted to show her just how much he cared for her, but patience was key here. So he watched as she stepped into her room, a dumb smile on his face.
"Later, my queen..." he whispered just as she closed the door, leaving him alone in the hallway.
For a long while, Rhian stood there, still stunned that Sophie finally seemed to be warming up to him. For the first time since he was deemed King of Camelot, Rhian felt a burst of undeniable joy explode within him.
Perhaps....maybe, just maybe Rhian had finally won Sophie's heart after all. Perhaps, things would work out between them.
Rhian felt his heart sore as he practically skipped back to his own room, feeling more like an excited little boy than a king.
Soon enough, Sophie and Rhian would hopefully be married. Soon enough, Rhian would wish his mother back to life and wouldn't have to worry about Japeth being moody and bitter.
Oh yes! In due time, all of Rhian's hard work of doing what was right would finally be paid off. In due time, Rhian wouldn't just be a good king, he'd be a good husband to Sophie too, and he'd be the best brother Japeth could ever ask for.
—————
Sorry that it's been like two weeks or so since I last updated! 🥺
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!
What do you guys think of Rhian and Sophie making up? Honestly, I don't really ship them, but it was kinda fun writing about them.
And for my FAVORITE question; What do you guys think is gonna happen in the NEXT chapter???
A.) Japeth is gonna admit to Rhian that it's Aric he wishes for and not their mother. 🦋
B.) Japeth is gonna be a bada$$ and kill the Sheriff of Nottingham. 😎
C.) Japeth is gonna FINALLY kill Rhian. 🗡
D.) The Execution of Tedros and his friends is gonna take place. 🪓
Comment and vote!! Thanks for reading!!
—Alexis Peters 🥰