~JAPETH'S POV~
Being stuck in a magical sack was not something Japeth was particularly fond of. He didn't know how much time had passed since those pathetic heroes had gotten the best of him and thrown him in the Nottingham jail.
When Japeth was finally freed, he was surprised to find Kei and two pirates had been the ones to save him. Of course, Japeth had known Rhian had been in cahoots with Kei for weeks now ever since Rhian had informed Kei of his plans to take over Camelot. But seeing Kei now, after weeks, was like a big punch to Japeth's face.
Kei had left Rhian behind by choice. He'd left to do EverGuard Trials to serve Tedros as a knight of Camelot. But Rhian believed that he was the heir of Camelot and had believed Kei had betrayed him to serve a false king.
Japeth had never been particularly fond of Kei. He'd always found Kei to be an incompetent boy who would never reach his full potential so long as he remained friends with Rhian.
But it wasn't Kei's personality or past actions that made Japeth so perturbed by the sight of him. It was Kei's presence itself that felt like a big punch to Japeth's face.
Seeing Kei made Japeth envious of his brother because at least Kei was here now. Rhian's old friend was alive while Japeth's friend was dead.
But at least Japeth had had a better friend than Rhian did. Kei had left Rhian behind by choice while Aric had been forced to leave. Japeth knew that Aric would've stayed with him if he could, but it just wasn't possible.
After breaking out of the Nottingham prison, Japeth set off back towards camp. From Kei he'd learned that Rhian had gone on a date with Sophie, Tedros, and Tedros's princess, Agatha.
Japeth couldn't help but feel bitter at the thought of his brother having a grand time with two girls and a boy Rhian believed was his half brother. Perhaps Rhian was pretending to enjoy himself on his date, but that didn't change the fact that Rhian was dining in luxurious fashion and probably eating food that far exceeded the taste of stale bread and sour beans him and Japeth ate as their daily meals.
Jealousy wormed its way into Japeth's heart, jealousy he couldn't push away as he stormed back to camp. There was a bitter taste that stuck to the roof of Japeth's mouth that he couldn't swallow down when he pictured Rhian flirting with Sophie.
Ever since he'd found out that his father was Rafal, Japeth had had an inner hatred towards the girl who'd killed him. All Sophie was was a stuck up little girl who cared more about herself than anyone else. Selfish and vain is what she was.
It was just plain ironic that the girl Japeth loathed would have to marry his brother.
Leaves crunched beneath Japeth's feet as he hurried back to camp. The sky had darkened overhead and above the treetops, Japeth caught sight of the crescent moon. For a moment, he faltered, staring up at the sliver of moon as if it was a sight he couldn't tear his gaze away from.
Japeth recalled a memory he'd once had. A memory of him and Aric staring up at the night sky, at the beautiful full moon as they sat atop a roof together in Arbed.
Perhaps a moment like that would never come around again. But in order to get past that impossibility, Japeth had to do the impossible; return Aric from the dead.
Japeth continued along, drawing closer and closer to camp. Through the trees, he caught sight of a flash of white. When he emerged into the secluded little clearing him and Rhian had set up camp in,he was greeted by his mother's dress laying over a fallen log. Him and Aric's tattered blanket was still hanging on a tree branch just where he'd left it but it was Evelyn's dress that made Japeth narrow his eyes in suspicion.
If Japeth remembered correctly, Rhian had left their mother's dress folded up in a bag. The dress had moved on its own which was odd because it'd been dormant ever since Japeth had gone to the Garden of Good and Evil and learned his father was Rafal. So why had the dress moved now?
Japeth eyed the dress closely, searching for any signs his mother's spirit might've left for him. But there was nothing and the dress was as still as death.
Than, Japeth peered closer at the dress and found a crumpled piece of paper lying beside the fallen log. He picked it up and spread it out to see it was a page from Sophie and Agatha's storybook.
An illustration of Rafal clutching Sophie close as Evelyn shattered into a thousand red butterflies stared back at Japeth. Japeth was confused. Why had his mother's dress wanted him to find this page?
As Japeth studied the illustration of his mother's death, the fluttering sound of wings drew his attention upwards. The white dress had transformed, shrinking smaller and smaller before a dash of color filled a pair of wings. The butterfly glided silently to the page and floated down, right on top of the image of Sophie.
Japeth saw that a single word had been smudged. Beneath the painting was a paragraph but this one word was different from the rest. Weakness, it read.
Was the dress trying to tell Japeth that Sophie would be a loose end to him and Rhian's plans? Or was the dress trying to say that Japeth needed to find Sophie's weakness?
Japeth chose the latter. But how? He'd already read every inch of Sophie and Agatha's storybook and it was obvious that Sophie weakness was being blindsided by men. But what if there was something else? Another secret weakness Sophie had that Japeth needed to know?
If Japeth was going to find any answers, he knew where he needed to go. Sophie had become the dean of evil after Rafal's death, so she'd spent much of her time at the School for Evil. More specifically, Sophie had to have a dean's office somewhere, or some place she kept busy—That was where Japeth would hopefully find Sophie's weakness.
Japeth set off without a beat, hurrying on away from camp. Part of him was filled with anticipation to search the School for Evil. Once, the School for Evil had been the School for Boys. The same School for Boys where Aric had resided in when he left Arbed. Perhaps, Japeth wouldn't just find answers regarding Sophie. He'd also get a look at the place his best friend had once been in.
Japeth didn't care if his brother came back to camp to find him gone. He cared about hurrying along, faster and faster. His thighs burned by the time he glimpsed a spiked gate beyond the trees.
Japeth was probably miles upon miles away from Sherwood Forest, and his lungs screamed for air, but he was on a mission. It was his determination that'd gotten him this far, and he wasn't going to turn back now.
So Japeth stared at the sign on the gate that read, Trespassers will be Killed. He scoffed, Unafraid, and moved to push open the gate. But it wouldn't budge.
Sudden hissing filled the night air and Japeth watched as a dozen Spiricks emerged from the darkness of the night, their fangs deadly sharp as they set their malicious gazes on Japeth standing there.
As if awoken from a slumber, Japeth's Scims arose from his body and Scims and Spiricks glared at each other in a standoff that had Japeth certain of who had the advantage.
The Spiricks suddenly looked wary at the number of Japeth's Scims and reluctantly, they drew back. Triumphant, Japeth moved to open the gates again and there was an electric buzz in the air like the gates recognized something in Japeth's blood. Slowly, without a sound, the gates before him parted and Japeth walked through them.
Japeth glimpsed the lake on the good side, it's waters reflecting the moon high in the night sky. The good castle was easy to spot in the darkness with its polished white structure. Japeth had to look closely to spot the evil castle with its black paint and murky moat lapping at its sandy shores.
Japeth studied the evil school and his gaze focused on a single tower. If Sophie had anything to hide, it'd most likely be in the School Master's tower.
The tower was still there, standing beside the school for evil, close enough to the evil castle that one could mistake it as it being a tower belonging to the evil school.
But Japeth knew better.
Hidden in the shadows of the night, his icy blue gaze roamed over the refurbished evil school. His ears picked up the distinctive sound of voices and he looked to see a bald man speaking lowly with a young woman who was feeding a bird sitting on her shoulder.
Japeth waited for the two supposed teachers to head to the other side of the beach before they entered into the good school and out of his view. When he was sure nobody else was up and about, Japeth made his move, tearing for the front of the evil castle and hurrying on until he found himself at the base of the School Master's tower.
The tower was massive and stretched high into the night sky, but Japeth didn't feel anxious as he took in the length of it. Instead, he felt adrenaline course through his veins as he gripped onto the first bricks and pulled himself upwards, propelling himself up higher and higher like a skilled climber.
His scims tore halfway off his body to latch onto the bricks with their knife sharp tails in order to help him climb faster. For a moment, Japeth stilled halfway up, looking down to see the ground far beneath him and his mind recalled Aric.
Once upon a time, Aric too, had climbed up this very tower. In Sophie and Agatha's storybook, Japeth had read that Aric had led Agatha up this very tower to meet her prince who wanted to kill her at the time.
Japeth found his fingers tracing across the grooves in the brick and he pictured Aric beside him, the raven haired boy's arm muscles bulging as he tore upwards.
Pain pricked at Japeth's heart but it was that pain that pushed him onwards. He climbed up, further and further and it was like the memory of Aric was climbing beside him. Japeth almost fooled himself, making himself believe that Aric really was climbing beside him. But Aric wasn't there, and it was all in Japeth's head.
Finally, Japeth saw the opening above him and he hauled himself through the window. He stumbled inside, his body crashing into something soft. He picked himself up and found his toes were sinking into a plush white carpet rather than a cold stone floor.
Instead of the gloomy brick walls and cold atmosphere Sophie and Agatha's storybook had described the inside of the tower being, Japeth took in a different sight entirely. Fairy lights hung from the carved ceiling, a canopy bed sat nearby, and Japeth glimpsed a walk in closet full of shoes and clothes.
Of course...Sophie had taken residence in this tower when she became dean of evil. Not only had she remodeled the evil school, but she'd remodeled the inside of her ex's tower as well.
Japeth couldn't help the disgust he felt as he took in every inch of the fashionable decorations and the black and white theme in the room. He swore that if his father could see what had happened to his tower now, he'd be rolling in his grave.
Japeth's icy blue eyes scoured around the room. He turned his nose up at the vanity sitting by the bed on which open bottles of perfume sat along with a dozen beauty products. Japeth ran his hand along the satin black bedsheet and found a leather bound book hiding beneath one of Sophie's embroidered pillows.
Japeth flipped open the book to find elegant handwriting dotting most of the pages with dates at the top of each entry. It was only than that he realized he had stumbled upon Sophie's diary. How stupid of that blonde witch to have a diary without a locking spell on it or something.
That witch Dovey is getting on my last nerves! One of the entries said. She says that I can never be an as great dean as Lady Lesso was, but I shall see to it that I prove her and her stuck up good students wrong. My decree as dean of evil is that I shall throw a Never Ball for every top ranked student by the end of each week...
Japeth scowled at the name of Aric's mother and flipped through more pages, scanning the words until he halted at a single entry, his grip on the leather bound book tightening.
I never thought it'd be this hard being away from Agatha again, Japeth read. And now she isn't responding to many of my letters and I worry that perhaps she's forgotten about me. When I'm not punishing some insubordinate students and baiting Dovey, I find that I'm in the School Master's tower most of my time. Without anything to distract me, I find myself being bombarded by memories. Memories of him. Memories I can't seem to let go of. I know I made my choice to be alone, that I don't need men in my life anymore, but I feel so lonesome sometimes. So I recall what we had, and I know he was evil and he wanted Tedros and Agatha's heads, but he loved me.
Japeth's blood boiled in a mixture of rage and frustration as he glared down at Sophie's neat calligraphy inscribed on the page. If Sophie truly felt alone, she wouldn't have killed Rafal, her only shot at love. If Sophie hadn't meant to kill him, she wouldn't be using Rafal as an excuse to fall back into her old ways of chasing after love.
Pathetic and conniving is what that blonde witch was. It was no wonder every single relationship she'd had had ended bad.
Japeth only hoped his brother wouldn't fall for that blonde witch's tricks just like their father once had.
Japeth tore the leather bound book in half and threw both halves to the ground, his fingers curled in barely restrained rage.
That's when he heard scuffling. He turned his attention towards the source of the sound and he found that there was one thing that Sophie hadn't bothered to change within the School Master's tower.
A white stone table stood across the window. On that table was an open book and as Japeth watched, a silver pen filled a blank page with color. A picture began to form and Japeth made out his brother's blue green eyes lit by candlelight. Rhian was sitting beside Sophie who was clutching him tight and across from them was the back of Tedros and Agatha's heads.
Japeth slunk towards the Storian as it wrote beneath the illustration. The words that Japeth didn't even take the time to read as he extended his hand forward, his fingers itching closer and closer until he could almost brush his fingertips across the pen's silver steel.
As if the Storian sensed his presence, it glowed a violent red and retreated from Japeth's touch. Japeth couldn't tear his gaze away from the markings engraved on the ancient pen. It was the markings of a hundred swans etched into the Storian's surface, markings that tied back to the ninety-nine rings Japeth and Rhian had to burn to take the powers of the pen for themselves.
The Storian aimed its sharp nib at him, threatening to stab Japeth, but one of Japeth's Scims blocked its attack, its tail curling tight around the Storian. Seized in the scim's vice like grip, the Storian thrashed around, struggling to break free, but to no avail.
Japeth stared at the struggling Storian, a calm resolve sinking into his bones as he reached out his hand again. His fingers traced the Swans etched into the pen's steel, and a deep sense of urgency filled him from head to toe.
"Soon," Japeth murmured, retreating from the pen, "Soon, you'll no longer be the master of the woods. The prophecy of the One True King will be fulfilled, and I'll have my Aric back by my side."
The Scim loosened its hold on the Storian, and the Storian ripped free. It twirled in midair and dove back down to the page to complete its work.
Still, Japeth didn't bother looking at the words the Storian had written about his brother's date. If Japeth knew anything, it was that the Storian wrote lies. The Storian was on good's side and had cursed evil to lose against good to make up for the mistake Japeth's father, Rafal, had made when he killed his own blood in the Great War.
Japeth stared around the decorated chamber once more, picturing it as it used to be with its murky stone walls and floors. Once, Japeth's father had stayed here alone, isolated from the world after the Great War came to an end.
For a moment, Japeth imagined what it'd be like if his father, Rafal, had never left his sons behind with their mother. Perhaps, both Rhian and Japeth would go to the School for Good and Evil. Rhian would be an Ever and Japeth would be a Never. Both Evelyn and Rafal would reside up in this tower in the company of each other. Perhaps, they'd all be one big happy family if Japeth and Rhian's parents had never split up.
But if Japeth and Rhian's parents ended up together, Japeth might've never gone to Arbed and met Aric. And Japeth swore he would rather spend a lifetime missing Aric than to never have known him at all.
Japeth picked up the torn halves of Sophie's diary off the carpet and read over that single entry again. His mother's dress had been correct. Sophie did have another weakness besides her obvious love towards boys.
It was Rafal's death. Deep down, a part of Sophie was guilty for destroying her last shot at love just to save her friends' lives. And since Japeth was Rafal's son, he knew how he could use his father's death against Sophie. Japeth couldn't let Sophie end up tearing out Rhian's heart the same way she'd torn out Rafal's.
Japeth moved back to the window and began to climb out, but he stopped at the last moment to stare at the chamber one last time. A hundred impossibilities stared back at him. Than, his gaze found the Storian.
The pen had stopped writing and was hovering over the open storybook. Its sharp nib turned to point at Japeth as if it was awaiting for Japeth to leave.
Eventually, Japeth climbed back down the tower, his black scims helping to disguise him in the night.
Somehow, Japeth managed to find his way back outside Sherwood Forest. He recalled Rhian probably having a splendid time on his date with Sophie, and he wondered what his brother was up to now.
Curiosity got the better of Japeth and instead of heading back to camp, Japeth took a different route deep into Sherwood Forest.
Japeth could hear voices as he broke through the trees to stumble upon a dirt path. Footsteps accompanied the voices and he spotted four figures coming down the pathway, food drunk in each other's arms.
Japeth flattened himself in between two trees to conceal himself and watched the couples come closer until he could make out their faces in the moonlight.
Tedros was holding Agatha close and just a few steps behind them, was Rhian and Sophie.
"I can't believe you ate all those pastries, Sophie!" Agatha was cackling, a throaty laugh that had Japeth rubbing his ears in discomfort.
"I did not," Sophie argued, snuggling into Rhian's chest like Japeth's brother was some warm teddy bear.
"You May act ladylike at times, but we all know you're a witch," Tedros joked and a smile found its way on Rhian's face.
"Whatever, it was worth it," Sophie said, smiling at her friends.
"Sure it was—" Rhian began, but his voice suddenly trailed off as if he felt something was off. His blue-green gaze flickered over to the trees and he looked at the exact spot where Japeth was hiding.
Sophie and the others were oblivious to Rhian's sudden change in mood and it was too easy for Rhian to break free from Sophie.
"Hey guys," Rhian said. "Suddenly I've got to pee. You guys go on to the Arrow without me. I'll catch up with you."
Sophie kissed Rhian's cheek goodbye and Tedros and Agatha promised to save him a seat at the bar before the three friends turned and walked on. When they were out of sight, Rhian dashed for the trees and skidded to a halt right in front of Japeth.
"What are you doing here?" Rhian questioned, his voice stern. "You could've blown my cover! They still think you're in jail—"
"What? I can't visit my brother when I worry for him?" Japeth asked cockily, his Scims tightening.
"Not now," Rhian growled, obviously heated. He released an exasperated sigh and seeing the frustrated look on Rhian's face made a sliver of satisfaction run down Japeth's spine. Japeth was enjoying his brother's worried look too much.
"I was on a date with Sophie," Rhian told Japeth. "And Agatha and Tedros were there too—"
Rhian stopped talking and was staring at his brother hard as Japeth looked towards the path, barely listening to his words.
"I said I was on a date," Rhian reaffirmed, his voice rising and Japeth's attention snapped back to him.
"You don't have to repeat yourself, brother," Japeth retorted, crossing his arms. "I heard you the first time."
"No, you were ignoring me," Rhian said, studying Japeth closely.
"I was not. I heard every word...Said something about you and Tedros going on some date," Japeth blathered, waving his hand dismissively as if he were batting away a pesky fly. "My, my, Rhian. I didn't know you were into guys—"
"It was a double date," Rhian clarified, not amused by Japeth's dismissive attitude. His tone was laced with annoyance. "And I was on a date with Sophie, not Tedros. Plus, Tedros is our half-brother. Do you have a scim in your brain or something? You're talking nonsense."
Japeth tried not to bristle at Rhian's words. Half-brother. Rhian still didn't know the truth. If Rhian knew the truth, he'd lose all motivation of taking over Camelot since he'd know that it was Tedros who was the rightful heir all along. If Rhian knew the truth, he would break, and as much as Japeth wished to see his brother break, he couldn't risk the prophecy not being fulfilled.
"It's not my fault you can't take a joke," Japeth grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Anyway...how was your lil date, hmm?"
"It went well enough," Rhian responded, clearly not taking note of the underlying bitterness in Japeth's voice. He turned away from Japeth to walk over to a nearby tree, leaning his back against the trunk. "The important thing is is that Tedros and Sophie trust me—Tedros seems to look at me the same way our father, King Arthur, once looked at his knight, Lancelot. And let's just say Sophie is much easier to handle than I thought she'd be. It's only a matter of time before we reveal the truth and take over Camelot for ourselves...In the meantime, you can't come see me. It's too risky and we can't have anyone finding out about us, got that?"
Japeth nodded curtly and Rhian looked anxious for a moment. His blue-green gaze bounced over the trees behind him as if he feared that Sophie or someone would come out of the woods and catch him and Japeth red handed.
"I'll contact you when I need you, Japeth," Rhian said quickly, moving forward to clutch Japeth's shoulder. Rhian's expression softened slightly as he reached out to brush a strand of copper hair away from Japeth's face. Japeth slapped his hand away.
"Have fun with your girlfriend and our half-brother," Japeth sneered, glancing away.
Rhian was quiet for a moment and when Japeth looked back, he saw there was an apologetic look on Rhian's face.
"I'm sorry, Japeth," Rhian whispered, his voice sincere. "It's my fault you got captured by that magical sack. I'm the one who insisted you come attack us. Now you're here checking up on me when it is I who should be the one making sure you're okay."
Japeth tried not to look like he was affected by Rhian's apology. He struggled to push away the emotions that threatened to seep into the black hole of his heart and forced a tight smile at Rhian.
"I'm fine," Japeth said, the lie slipping from between his clenched teeth. "Why wouldn't I be—cause I got captured by some dumb sack? I'm here, now, aren't I?"
Rhian looked solemn but he smiled back at Japeth and tipped his head apologetically.
"You're here," Rhian confirmed.
"I'm Right here," Japeth murmured, his fake smile beginning to hurt his cheeks.
Rhian turned and walked back down the trail, leaving Japeth behind for the second time. Japeth didn't watch him leave this time. Immediately, he went back to camp.
Evelyn's dress was where he'd left it and so was the tattered blanket hanging from the tree branch. For the first time, Japeth felt the tiredness sink into his bones and he moved slowly towards the blanket hanging from the tree branch.
Japeth laid down on the cold forest floor and curled the blanket tight around him. All at once, his Scims seemed to relax as if they recognized the feel of this particular blanket, as if they were comforted by the fading smell of blueberries that lingered on the fabric.
As Japeth closed his eyes, he recalled being trapped in his father's magical sack. He recalled climbing up to the School Master's tower and coming face to face with the Storian, his one hope of getting Aric back. But most of all, Japeth recalled Rhian's apology.
I'm here, is what Japeth had told Rhian. But it wasn't true.
The truth was that Japeth hadn't been here for a long long time. The hole where his heart used to be was stuck in the past. A past where he missed Aric more than anything.
Perhaps, Aric wasn't the only person in Japeth's past that he missed. Because a part of Japeth also missed the person he himself used to be with Aric by his side; a boy who was so whole and untroubled.
But that boy was dead alongside Aric. And the worst part was that Rhian, Japeth's own twin, couldn't even see that.
The old Japeth wasn't here. He was gone, and there was No chance of ever getting him back if Aric never returned.
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