"Loving someone isn't about just loving that person. You also have to learn to love yourself along the way too."
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~JAPETH'S POV~
Japeth found Krushem laying in bed in the medical ward of the palace, exactly where the Camelot guard said he'd be.
The thief was motionless, so still that Japeth thought for an instant that Krushem had passed on. But when Japeth drew closer, he saw Krushem was staring at something. His gaze was fixated elsewhere, at something Japeth couldn't see.
When Japeth sat on the end of the bed, Krushem's head swiveled towards him. Seeing Japeth again, Krushem opened his mouth to speak, but an ugly cough racked from his throat.
"Here, drink," Japeth said, grabbing the cup of water beside Krushem's bed. He brought the rim of the cup to Krushem's lips, and Krushem gulped the water down.
"Did—did you get him back?" Krushem rasped. His voice was rough as if it were a struggle for him to speak, and Japeth found himself removing the blanket from Krushem's body.
Krushem was shirtless. His torso was bruised and scratched, and there was bandages wrapped around his abdomen where he'd been stabbed. Japeth could see blood seeping through the bandages.
Sweat beaded Krushem's forehead, making his hair stick to his face. It was clear Krushem was in a great deal of pain, and Japeth used a wet towel to wipe the sweat off Krushem's face.
"Yes, Aric is back. Alive," Japeth answered, pressing the rag against sweaty skin. "Would you like to see him?"
Japeth hated the thought of allowing Krushem to speak to Aric knowing that Krushem had a crush on Aric. But nothing bad would come from Krushem and Aric speaking, would it?
Instead of looking happy, a shadow seemed to fall across Krushem's face and much to Japeth's surprise, Krushem turned his face away from him. It was a clear indication Krushem didn't want to see the boy he claimed he had feelings for.
"I can't," Krushem said. He twisted his eyes close and a shudder raked through him.
"Then let me at least heal you," Japeth offered, wincing as he watched Krushem shake in pain. "I'm the One True King now. You'll feel better once you're healed."
But when Japeth prepared to call forth Lionsmane, Krushem seized his wrist, stopping him. Krushem's ashen face neared Japeth's and he chuckled dryly despite the fact there was nothing funny about the situation he was currently in.
"Think you can break curses?" Krushem asked.
Japeth furrowed his brow and cocked his head in confusion at Krushem's question. But Krushem seemed dead serious. There was a haunted look in Krushem's gaze that Japeth didn't miss.
What was Krushem talking about? What curse?
Japeth waited for Krushem to clarify, to give an explanation to his out of nowhere question, but Krushem's attention was suddenly directed elsewhere as if he was back to staring at something Japeth couldn't see. Perhaps Krushem was suffering from Hallucinations from the blood loss?
"I—I need time...to think," Krushem breathed, not looking back at Japeth again.
Japeth decided to leave Krushem be. He would return later when Krushem had come to his senses and made the choice to let Japeth save him. Whatever inner turmoil Krushem was dealing with, that was Krushem's battle to fight—not Japeth's.
"I'll return soon enough if you change your mind," Japeth informed Krushem, getting up to leave.
Japeth started to move away, but the sound of Krushem's broken voice made him halt at the doorway of the room. With his superheating scims, Japeth could hear Krushem's voice, thick with emptiness.
"Loving someone isn't just about loving that one person," Krushem whispered, either to himself or to Japeth or to someone else, Japeth didn't know. "You also have to learn to love yourself along the way too..."
Japeth lingered there in the doorway, and he looked back at Krushem, but Krushem was still staring at nothing. Japeth felt Krushem's words sink into his soul, winding around his heart so tightly that he felt himself suck in a heavy breath. Krushem didn't know how deeply his words resonated with Japeth, and Japeth wondered how Krushem had lost himself so long ago and why.
But instead of staying there to dwell on it, Japeth had to honor Krushem's wishes to be alone. So Japeth made his leave, walking away from the infirmary.
He followed the invisible tether leading straight to Aric. He could feel Aric despite not touching him in that moment or seeing him as of yet. That invisible tether was a string connecting Japeth to Aric, a string formed by their bond.
Japeth found Aric in the King's chambers. Aric had seemingly made himself at home. His boots were discarded on the floor and he was lying on the giant king sized bed, his hands folded behind his head.
Aric's violet gaze met Japeth's when Japeth entered the room. Aric was toying with his rusted dagger, the same one Japeth gave back to him.
When Japeth gazed upon Aric, it seemed like he couldn't breathe. He was swept up back in the moment him and Aric met at Arbed House, the moment Aric was banished from Arbed House, the moment he got Aric back and countless more moments. Japeth was lost in Aric's violet gaze, a gaze he'd longed to see for so long.
"How'd it go?" Aric asked.
Japeth came to the bedside and crawled onto the bed beside Aric. Aric didn't have to move to give Japeth room; the bed was big enough to fit both of them comfortably.
"He refused to see you," Japeth told Aric, rolling onto his side to face the raven haired boy.
"Figures," Aric scoffed, surprising Japeth. "For as long as I knew him, Krushem didn't have enough guts to do what needed to be done. In the beginning, he held himself back. I had to push him to do better. But then I never saw him after the trial and that was that."
Japeth wondered how Aric could think Krushem wasn't as devoted to him. Japeth could see Krushem believed in Aric and would seemingly do anything for Aric. Krushem had saved Japeth's life after all and gotten past his jealousy over Japeth. Hadn't Krushem met Aric's standards at the School for Boys? Hadn't he followed Aric devotedly, and Krushem had mentioned that he hadn't meant to leave Aric behind after the trial.
"But he was your henchman—" Japeth pointed out.
"I didn't lose any sleep over him," Aric said. His tone was firm with a softness that he only reserved for Japeth. His reassurance worked a charm and Japeth moved closer, closing the space between them.
"I'm sorry I didn't come with you when I could've," Japeth murmured, feeling like it needed to be said.
Back in Arbed House when Aric was banished, Aric had wanted Japeth to come with him. But Japeth had chosen Rhian over Aric. He'd chosen to stay over leaving because at the time, his brotherhood with Rhian was too precious to break.
If Japeth had gone with Aric then, things might've turned out differently. Aric might not have died like he did and Japeth would've had no need to want to bring Aric back. Going with Aric then might've saved Japeth from what felt like a lifetime of pain.
"And yet you stayed," Aric said and his lips quirked up in his trademark smirk. "But now, here we both are in this very moment together."
Japeth felt Aric's breath against his skin. He reached out and ran his hands through Aric's hair, twisting the locks around his fingers. His whole body loosened, his muscles relaxing, and his scims vibrated, purring in contentment.
There was no place Japeth would rather be but right there in Aric's arms. It was where he belonged. It was where he felt like he had finally come home. It was where he'd found himself when he'd been lost for so very long.
Rhian would be writhing in his grave, Japeth knew. His twin would never approve of bringing Aric back and that disapproval had cost him his life.
But Japeth would like to think that somehow from somewhere beyond the grave, Rhian would be watching Japeth. He'd be looking out for Japeth like a guardian angel he couldn't see.
Japeth hoped that was the case. He hoped deep down that Rhian had found peace just as he himself had found peace.
"What did it feel like?" Japeth asked, curious. "What did it feel like to—to—"
He couldn't finish his sentence but by the look in Aric's face, Japeth knew Aric knew what he meant. When Japeth had found out about Aric's death when he'd read Sophie and Agatha's storybook, he'd been devastated to learn that Aric had been stabbed in the back by that infuriating Dovey.
It was a knowledge Japeth almost didn't come back from. He'd almost lost himself in his sorrow. He'd almost succumbed to his grief, until he found a shred of hope in the prophecy of the One True King and Rhian's bold plan to seize Camelot.
Aric was silent as if he was lost in the moments between life and death. Lost somewhere in the past when he'd finally managed to destroy his mother, only to get stabbed in the back.
"There was this....this darkness," Aric admitted, his gaze fixated elsewhere.
Japeth felt his scims slither forward, detaching themselves from his body. They wrapped about Aric, clinging to his shoulders and his chest and arms as if to comfort him.
"The darkness was there before and afterwards," Aric went on. "I wanted to hold onto it, to not remember you...it was too painful to remember you, Japeth. So I tried to forget you. But I couldn't let you go, no matter how hard I tried to. The darkness wasn't enough for me—But You were enough for me. You were more than enough."
Japeth recalled reading Agatha and Sophie's storybook and learning the devastation Aric had caused after Arbed House, torturing without a care. At the School for Boys, Aric had had no boundaries. He had had the freedom to do what he wanted and there was little to no consequences.
But in Arbed House, Aric had been leashed down like a dog. Dean Burnhilde had tried to make everybody in Arbed House—Aric and Japeth included—reject their primal impulses. Aric had never gone far enough at Arbed House. He'd never killed anyone or tried to until he attacked Rhian. But reacting out of anger like that had led him to be banished.
Japeth knew Aric had been very angry after being banished from Arbed. And Aric's target for that anger was everybody else around him.
If Japeth was in Aric's shoes, he'd probably have acted the same way. In a way, Japeth had his own way of coping after he'd learned of Aric's death. He'd hid his resentment for Rhian and his grief deep down and had followed his brother, attacking kingdoms and killing people like Millicent, Lancelot and Chaddick.
Japeth and Aric were the same in that regard.
That was what Rhian had always feared. Rhian had always feared that Japeth would become just like Aric—a "monster."
Somehow, Japeth and Aric were alike in the fact that they both had held deep resentment for Rhian. They both had darkness in their souls that drew them together. That darkness wasn't evilness. That darkness was pain and suffering. That darkness was love, love beyond what anyone could comprehend.
"You don't gotta worry about trying to forget me anymore, cause I'm right here, Aric. I'm not letting you leave again," Japeth told his raven haired friend.
Aric's violet gaze seemed to brighten. The brightness brimmed with a look Japeth knew all too well. It was a look of uncertainty, and yet unbridled contentment too.
Japeth's scims found their way up Aric's arms, covering his shoulders in black scales that glinted in the light of the king's chambers. Japeth could feel how at ease they were. Their relaxed state matched his own state.
But despite the way his body sunk comfortably into his king sized bed and how Aric's warmth radiated over him, Japeth could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
"Hey, you remember that time we um...danced? In Arbed?" Japeth blurted.
Aric raised an eyebrow in question, but the corners of his lips twitched upwards in a half smile. He threw his arms over his head and stretched, and Japeth's scims squeezed tighter as if they were as afraid of letting Aric go as much as Japeth was.
"Our Deadly Waltz? Aric asked, turning on his side to face Japeth. He reached out and Japeth felt Aric's fingers against his skin, tracing circles on his arms.
"How could I ever forget?" Aric said, his voice soft. His smile widened, flashing his teeth. "I bet I'm still better at hand to hand combat than you are."
Japeth felt a prickle of mischievousness. That feeling was a familiar one. A feeling he'd only felt whenever he'd hang out with Aric in Arbed House and the two would go about causing mayhem.
"I bet you I am better than you," Japeth said boastfully, and his scims tensed.
Aric didn't look convinced. He bent his arm, fist touching his temple, and Japeth watched his biceps flex. Aric sure had gotten a lot more muscular since the last Japeth saw of him.
"Oh, you sure about that?" Aric questioned.
Japeth saw the way Aric's body stiffened, becoming rigid as if he was prepared to leap into action at any moment. But Japeth was ready, his suit of scims rippling in excitement.
"Certain," Japeth breathed.
In that single moment, Aric rolled. His body moved away from Japeth, rolling right off the side of the bed. He dropped to the floor and as he did, he shot his hand out, grabbing ahold of Japeth's ankle.
Japeth felt Aric's weight pull him down and he crashed to the floor beside his friend. He saw Aric's fist coming, but one of Japeth's scims launched forward, ensnaring Aric's wrist in a tight grip. The scim pulled back, pinning Aric's arm right behind his back and with no other options, Aric flung his leg out.
Aric's heavy black boot sunk into Japeth's stomach and he stumbled backwards, almost falling to the floor. The action of kicking Japeth sent Aric rolling away.
Aric's muscular arm strained against the scim and with a roar, he ripped his arm free from the scim's grip.
Before Japeth could react in time, Aric launched himself forward and that's how Japeth found himself on his back pinned to the floor with Aric's weight stop of his.
"Now who did you say was better at hand to hand combat again?" Aric said. His voice was teasing, and Japeth felt his cheeks burn in a blush.
The tussle was over, but Japeth could still feel his heart hammering in his chest as he looked up into Aric's violet gaze staring down at him. He felt no fear, no need to shove Aric away.
Japeth was happy. He was far Too happy in that moment. He wanted Aric to straddle him like this for as long as he desired—just as long as the two were close and never apart again.
Aric leant close. His warm breath kissed Japeth's skin and their noses touched. Japeth wrapped his arms around Aric's back, hands finding themselves beneath Aric's shirt.
Aric sure had gotten more muscular since Japeth last saw him. Japeth trailed his fingers up Aric's spine to feel Aric's shoulder blades. The warmth of Aric's skin seemed to make Japeth's fingers tingle as if they ached to never lose contact with Aric's body ever again.
"You're perfect," Japeth murmured, smiling. "Absolute perfection."
Aric laughed and his laughter sounded like music to Japeth's ears. Aric pulled his head up to look into Japeth's face, his violet gaze filled with amusement.
"You're just saying that cause I got fit at the School for Boys," Aric replied, but Japeth shook his head adamantly.
"You've always been perfect to me, Aric. Truly. Your fitness has nothing to do with it."
Aric looked like he didn't believe Japeth one bit, and Japeth laughed. Aric shrugged and a lock of hair fell onto his forehead. Japeth couldn't resist but to reach up and brush the lock of hair off Aric's forehead.
That's when a knock startled Japeth. He snapped his head to the side to look at the closed bedroom door.
"Yer majesty," a voice called. "Yer queen is lookin' to see ya and the rulers from the other kingdoms are here demanding yer presence."
Japeth felt a sinking feeling in his gut. His disappointment seemed to show for he felt Aric squeeze his arm as if in reassurance. Japeth gazed up at Aric with his deep violet eyes and trademark smirk, and he felt his heart fill with warmth, overriding his feeling of disappointment.
"You should get going, your majesty," Aric purred, empathizing the title. Japeth rolled his eyes as Aric got off him and stood up.
"Don't worry, I won't be long," Japeth told him, rising to his feet as well. "I'll just tell the rulers Sophie and I have married and I have burnt the last ring. I'll figure out the rest later. Besides, I can write anything. I'm the One True King now."
Japeth started for the door, but then he halted at the doorway, looking over his shoulder back at Aric. It didn't feel right leaving him now, not when he'd just gotten him back. Not even if it was for a few minutes.
"How do you feel about joining me?" Japeth blurted, looking at Aric expectantly.
Of course, Aric didn't refuse. He flashed Japeth his trademark smirk and held his arm out in invitation.
"Escorting the King of Camelot to his destination sounds nice. Think of me as your...bodyguard," Aric said, and Japeth couldn't resist smiling, his scims purring in delight.
So Japeth linked his arm around Aric's arm and the two headed through the palace towards the throne room but not before making a stop in the Queen's chambers to fetch Sophie.
Sophie, of course, was not in the best of moods.
When Japeth knocked on the door and stepped inside, he found Sophie in front of the double doors leading out to the balcony. Her arms were straining, her fingertips desperately wrapping around the door handle as she struggled to open it. When she saw Japeth watching her, she straightened as if to play it off but it was clear as day that she was obviously trying to escape.
"Sorry to disappoint you but those balcony doors are locked and magic proof, designed specifically for conniving little witches intent on escaping," Japeth told her.
Sophie bristled, her green gaze zeroed in on the Snake. For a moment, it was like they were back to how they used to be before she'd lost her memories and regained them. Back to a time when Japeth and her would bicker and throw jabs at each other.
"You wanted to see me," Japeth pointed out, taking a seat on the edge of Sophie's luxurious queen sized bed. "So? What is it you want?"
The correct question was what didn't Sophie want from Japeth. He knew she'd beg for her friends' lives. He knew she'd yell and scream at him for having killed his brother and having stolen her memories and forcing her to marry him.
But didn't she know now that all was hopeless?
Japeth had burnt the final ring and brought Aric back. He was the master of fate now and if he decided, he could just write all of Sophie's friends out of existence. So what could Sophie possibly do considering Japeth had already won? He'd won and she and her friends had lost. Nothing Sophie could say would serve to change Japeth's mind—
"You wanted me to understand why you wanted to bring Aric back. Said you did it all for love, and..." Sophie's voice trailed off, her gaze dropping to the lion printed carpet.
Japeth waited for her to scream at him, to get angry. But when she looked at him again, he found her countenance was that of a girl who was about to lose everything she cared for.
"It—it's the same for Aggie and I," Sophie breathed, voice cracking. "I couldn't bear to imagine if Aggie had died. I died once but Aggie brought me back. I've almost gone over the edge too many times, and she's always been there to catch me. To save me. If—If it's like that with you and Aric then...then I suppose I get it."
Japeth wasn't expecting this, for Sophie to relate to him and Aric's relationship and compare it to her own. Or maybe she was just trying to manipulate him and gain sympathy from him so he'd not kill her friends.
Although there was a strong chance Sophie was just saying all this as a manipulation tactic, Japeth found himself sinking into it because as much as he hated to admit it, he cared about Sophie in his own way.
"I literally was losing my mind, and you saved me," Japeth told her. "I know you'd much rather I'd have gone insane and lose myself to madness so that way Tedros would've won. But I know there's a part of you that cares. You call me a selfish snake and I call you a manipulative witch but maybe both of us were wrong about the other."
Sophie approached the bed and sat down beside Japeth, but not close enough for them to touch. They were past that false closeness now. Now, their true colors were laid bare and all they could do was decide where to go from here.
"I'm sorry but you'll always be the snake to me," Sophie admitted, shaking her head. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but then shut it as if she couldn't find the right words.
"No apologies necessary, little minx," Japeth replied, reaching out to touch her hand in a comforting manner. But she snatched her hand away before he could do what he intended.
Japeth knew he was the snake and to Sophie, there was no redemption for him. Nothing he could say would change her views on him and nothing she could say would sway Japeth to not possibly kill all of her friends.
Japeth had caused so much harm to the Woods. Him and Rhian had forced themselves into Sophie and her friends' lives. They'd stolen Camelot, imprisoned them and almost executed them. Along the way, Japeth had killed his brother, the one boy Sophie had thought she could have another chance at love with. Then, on top of all that, Japeth had stolen Sophie's memories and then married her without her consent.
There was nothing stopping Japeth from just ending Tedros and the rest of Sophie's friends' lives right then and there.
But...maybe he'd adopted some of his brother's characteristics; like Rhian's generosity. Not only that but Rhian's sympathy too.
Because as much as he hated the idea of keeping Sophie's friends alive, Japeth felt that maybe he couldn't go through with it. His past self would've been content to watch Rhian go through with the execution of Sophie's friends, but now?
The Japeth now wasn't the same Japeth he'd been before. He'd changed and he owed that change to Rhian's death. To Sophie's friendship.
"Rhian called off the execution once, even when I insisted he go through with it. Even when he knew it would upset me," Japeth murmured, falling back into memory. "Rhian cared about me, but he cared about you too. To kill your friends would be dishonoring his memory. Killing Tedros and the others would only hurt you, and Rhian would've never hurt you like that. So I will let them go."
Japeth waited for Sophie's reaction, and when he watched Sophie's eyes widen in shock, he felt a twinge of hope stir in his heart. Sophie planted her hands on his chest as if to push him away or pull him close, Japeth didn't know which. But then he found she was searching his face as if to determine whether to believe him or not. For all she knew, Japeth could be tricking her—Giving her false hope and then tearing that hope away from her.
But this was no trick.
This was real.
"Are—are you serious?" Sophie asked in disbelief, and Japeth nodded.
Her hands found their way upwards to cup his cheeks, and Japeth's face was pulled close to hers. For a startlingly awkward moment, Japeth thought Sophie would kiss him. And the awkwardness seemed to linger in the air for a while before Sophie gaged that he was tense and she quickly released him, her hands dropping to her sides.
"For Rhian, I will not let you suffer," Japeth said, clearing his throat before he rose to his feet. "Now, I must go address the rulers."
Sophie and Japeth's gazes locked and Japeth watched Sophie's gaze burn in tears. From happiness or sadness, Japeth didn't know. Maybe both.
No other word was spoken after that. Sophie remained silent as if lost in her own thoughts and Japeth headed out of the room where Aric was waiting for him in the corridor.
"Sophie not coming along?" Aric questioned, crossing his arms.
Japeth shook his head. "No. She's...thinking things through. I'll address the rulers alone for now."
As Japeth started to walk towards the throne room, Aric walked beside him, surveying the palace.
Soon enough, they neared the throne room and before Japeth could enter, Aric grabbed ahold of his arm. Japeth turned to face him and saw Aric's violet gaze shimmering in mischief.
"Hey," Aric said, elbowing Japeth playfully. "You're not alone. At least you got me. And I bet I'm much better company than that prat Sophie is."
Japeth couldn't help but smile as he threw the doors open to the throne room and stepped inside, Aric not far behind him.
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Happy Valentines Day, guys. ❤️
Sorry for the long wait. I started University and I've been a little busy.
I've also been working on a new fanfic centered around Krushem. You guys can check it out on my profile if you're interested in that.
What'd you guys think of the chapter?
Are you guys happy that Aric and Japeth are reunited?
Comment and vote please.
Thanks for reading!
—Alexis Peters ❤️