•• RHIAN'S POV ••
"King Rhian, I insist that Camelot takes action against the remaining rebels outside your dungeons," The King of Pifflepaff Hills said, and the other rulers' voices arose, half in agreement with his statement and the other half still confused over Rhian's sudden claim to the throne.
Rhian was seated in his golden crested throne in Camelot's throne room. The other rulers of the kingdoms were gathered before him, some sitting in chairs and on cushions while others just stood around.
The rulers who'd been present at the moment Rhian freed Excalibur demanded that Rhian held a meeting to deal with some of the issues and pressing questions concerning Rhian's newfound position as Camelot's king. Rhian gladly obliged them, and here he was now, listening to each King and Queen's worries.
"People claim Agatha is missing from your dungeons," The elfish king of Ladleflop pointed out, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Do you deny this?"
Rhian shifted in his seat and gripped the armrests of his throne tightly until his knuckles whitened. Forcing a calm look upon his face, he smiled at the Ladleflop King.
"It's true," Rhian admitted. "Tedros's princess went missing sometime during my claim to the throne. But as soon as I found out of her disappearance, I sent out the Captain of my Guard and a few of my men to track her down. Don't you worry. She'll be found and locked up soon enough."
The Ladleflop King stroked his beard as if he was thinking deep and hard about Rhian's words and the rest of the rulers gathered in the throne room whispered to each other anxiously.
"Be that as it may, Agatha is a beloved hero throughout the endless woods," The honey edged voice belonging to the Queen of Jaunt Jolie spoke up. "There are many who doubt that she would ever follow Tedros if she knew about his illegitimate claim to Camelot's throne. Perhaps Agatha was fooled by her prince's demeanor just like the rest of us."
Rhian's gaze locked on the Queen of Jaunt Jolie. She wore a billowing baby blue gown that hugged her every curve and her throat and fingers were adorned with diamonds. The Queen met his gaze and her red glossed lips quirked upwards in a knowing smile.
"As Queen Jacinda said, we do not know for sure if Agatha was even aware of Tedros's false claims," Rhian told the crowd. "So to be certain, when I do capture her, she will be asked to prove her loyalty to the One True King; me or Tedros. If she chooses Tedros, than we will know where her true loyalties lie and she shall be put to death alongside him."
"And if she chooses you?" The Ladleflop King inquired.
"If Agatha proves her loyalty to me, than I shall let her go," Rhian answered firmly, raising his head in defiance. "Only the traitors to Camelot shall be put to death unless they renounce their loyalties to their once false king and follow me...That includes Tedros."
Shocked murmurs rang from the crowd at Rhian's words and Rhian resisted a devious smile. By saying he was willing to let Agatha go and not execute Tedros, Rhian was shining himself in a new light. The rulers would see that Rhian was an honorable man and an even worthy king because he wasn't being unjust. Although executing Tedros and Agatha would be easy, Rhian felt that the prince and princess would be more valuable to him as allies than as enemies.
If Japeth could hear this meeting now, and listen to the words Rhian spoke of, he'd disagree. Japeth would rather execute Tedros and Agatha than keep them alive. But many of the rulers still doubted Rhian's claim to the throne and if he were to execute Tedros and all his friends, those many rulers might turn against Camelot.
So Rhian had to be smart about this. In order to gain the rulers' loyalties and erase any doubt in their minds, this was the way to go. (Even if it was a way Rhian's brother would disagree with).
"What about Sophie?" Another ruler blurted, but Rhian couldn't tell where the voice came from. "Wasn't she once loyal to Tedros? Why isn't she by your side now? We must speak with her at once—"
A range of voices arose from the crowd as rulers began to argue amongst themselves, some defending Rhian while others kept asking for Sophie to hear what she had to say. Rhian felt a sudden sense of frustration curl in his gut as he watched chaos unfold. Before a fight could break out, Rhian's fingertip lit up and he shot a flare at the chandelier. Sparks rained down over the rulers' heads and they ducked for cover.
"Cease this arguing," Rhian ordered, his voice sharp as a whip as the rulers slowly arose from their crouched positions to stare up at the king. "Soon, Agatha shall be in my grasp and it is only when she is in my grasp that her and Tedros's fates shall be decided. As for Sophie, she is still adjusting to her duties as Camelot's princess and is very busy planning our upcoming wedding. As soon as her schedule is cleared up, she will speak to all of you. Until than, this meeting is adjourned."
Some of the rulers started to protest but eventually, they all admitted defeat and exited the throne room. Finally alone, Rhian felt his shoulders slacken as he slumped against his throne.
Rhian knew that could've gone better. The meeting could've gone along much smoother than it had and if he'd been a bit more convincing, perhaps he could've persuaded some of the rulers to burn their rings.
But alas, it was too late now. Luckily, there would be plenty of other opportunities to get the rulers to discard their loyalties to the Storian. Rhian could convince them to burn their rings at him and Sophie's blessing, one of the pre-wedding events that's he'd be throwing or at the Festival of Lights. Either way, Rhian had about a week before the wedding to take a few steps closer to claiming the powers of the Storian as his own.
Rhian's thoughts turned to Kei. After hearing that Agatha was missing from the dungeons, Rhian had ordered Kei and a few of his men to head to the School for Good and Evil to capture her and bring her back to Camelot. It was only thanks to a quest map that Rhian had managed to track the runaway princess down.
It'd been last night that Rhian had sent Kei off on his task and by now, it was mid afternoon. Kei and his men should've been back by now with Agatha in their grasp.
As if on cue, the doors flung open and a battered looking Kei stepped into the throne room, his hair a mess and his eyes downcast like he feared meeting Rhian's gaze.
"Your majesty," Kei addressed him, his tone respectful. But deep in his voice, Rhian detected a hint of unease.
"Report, Kei," Rhian said. "Were you successful in your task?"
Kei finally met Rhian's gaze, and his brown eyes were full of shame that spoke the answer Rhian hadn't wanted to hear.
"What happened, Kei?" Rhian questioned, his voice quivering in barely restrained anger.
"The School's defenses were too strong, Sire," Kei confessed, bowing his head in defeat. "My men tried to break through but were taken out by the magical spells protecting the schools. We couldn't break the enchantments. I'm sorry."
Rhian clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth together in an agonizing manner as he took in this information. A mixture of disappointment and frustration pricked at his heart as he struggled to think of another solution to fix this problem staring him in the face.
Agatha had to be captured. She was still loved throughout the endless woods and with many people still doubting that she could ever be a traitor, it'd only be a matter of time before the princess started gaining allies to build an army against Camelot.
"Fetch my brother, Kei," Rhian ordered, rising from his throne. "I need to speak with him immediately."
Kei nodded quickly and scampered off, leaving Rhian alone in the throne room in the company of his own thoughts. Rhian waited a long drawn out hour in silence before he heard the doors at the end of the room open and he watched Japeth walk in, his trademark scowl upon his face.
"I heard about the meeting with the other rulers," Japeth stated bluntly, rolling his eyes. "You didn't even get a single one of them to burn their rings—"
"Patience, brother," Rhian interrupted, striding up to Japeth to seize his shoulders. "I didn't call you here to discuss that. I called you here for a different matter entirely...As you very well know, Agatha was on the run but we tracked her down to the School for Good and Evil. I sent Kei out to capture her but him nor his men were not able to break in."
A scoff ebbed from Japeth's throat at the mention of Kei and Rhian tried not to look annoyed by his brother's behavior. Japeth was acting like Agatha wasn't a threat to all that the brothers had worked so hard for.
"Figures you failed at capturing Agatha given that it was Kei you sent out," Japeth mocked, shaking his head in disbelief. Seeing Rhian's defensive look, Japeth hurried to back up his statement. "Oh Please, Rhian," he drawled. "The School for Good and Evil is guarded by a bunch of lousy first years and some dumb old teachers. Kei couldn't even get in. Guess that shows how much blind trust you put in him."
Rhian couldn't help but bristle at Japeth's derisive tone and he crossed his arms bitterly.
"This isn't about Kei," Rhian said, glaring. "I'm asking you for your help, Japeth. If anyone can even try to break through the School's defenses, it's you. So since you're so boastful about how 'easy' it'd be to get into the schools, be my guest. If you do manage to capture Agatha, I'll gladly accept that I put too much blind trust in my friend."
Japeth went quiet. His icy blue eyes narrowed in thought as he pondered his decision. Than, with a flourish, he gripped Rhian's hand and shook it decisively.
"I'll try my hand at capturing Tedros's princess on one condition," Japeth told Rhian. The brothers' gazes locked and Japeth's cold features expressed a suddenly mischievous look. "You're coming with me."
Rhian was a taken back by Japeth's words for a moment, and his hand slipped from Japeth's cold grasp. He searched Japeth's face and saw that Japeth wasn't joking. Japeth was being dead serious, and if Rhian knew anything about his twin it was that Japeth wasn't going to be persuaded away from this.
"What will I tell the rulers?" Rhian questioned. "I'm Camelot's King and now I'm leaving my own kingdom to go on some errand?"
Japeth scoffed again as if he thought Rhian was acting childish. With a flourish, he swung his arm around Rhian's shoulders and pressed his lips to Rhian's ear.
"You are Camelot's king, which is exactly why you should prove you're not as an incompetent king as Tedros was," Japeth murmured, his cold breath tickling the side of Rhian's neck. "Coming along with me to deal with a traitor to Camelot is one task you can do to prove your worth to the endless woods. The rulers will see that you're willing to get your own hands dirty for the sake of your kingdom, and if that won't convince them all to swear their loyalty to you, nothing will."
Rhian contemplated Japeth's reasoning, and he found it to be sufficient enough. He brushed Japeth's arm off his shoulders to look at Japeth in earnest.
"We have a deal," Rhian confirmed. He suddenly remembered Sophie and he narrowed his eyes in thought. "But what of Sophie? With me gone, the rulers will expect to speak with her and we can't have that because she'll just tell them the truth about us—"
Japeth's menacing smile cut Rhian off. It was the smile of a snake prepared to strike.
"Don't you worry about your beloved Queen," Japeth hissed, his voice becoming confident. "She won't get a chance to speak with any of the rulers alone...because she'll be coming along with us."
"Won't she just try to warn Agatha what we're planning?" Rhian asked, doubtful.
"That's the point, brother," Japeth commented, fixing Rhian with a knowing look. "Sophie is gonna be our bait and she'll be leading Agatha right into our trap."
Rhian opened his mouth to protest, but than he thought better of it and came to the realization that Japeth was smarter than he gave him credit for. Perhaps Japeth's plan could work and Agatha would be in Rhian's clutches in no time.
"I'll prepare the horses than while you fetch Sophie," Rhian said, turning to walk out of the throne room. "We ride out at once."
—————
By the time Rhian, Japeth, and Sophie headed out of Camelot towards the schools, it was late afternoon. Rhian had intended to leave much sooner, but Sophie had delayed their trip by a few hours after she insisted she wash up and make sure her appearance was neat. Unfortunately, Sophie's beauty routine lasted longer than Rhian had thought it would and he had to have Japeth drag her out of the bathroom just to get her outside.
"Beautifying takes time, boys," Sophie had quipped. "You can't rush it."
"Time is something we don't have," Rhian had retorted, climbing on his horse and holding out his hand for Sophie to take it.
Sophie eyed his hand in disinterest and turned her attention to the stables nearby. "I'd like my own horse," she said matter of factly.
"No. You'll ride with me or Japeth," Rhian said. "Who's it gonna be?"
"She's definitely not riding with me," Japeth had grumbled, flashing Sophie a disgusted look. "If she did, I'd be very tempted to slit her throat."
So in the end, Sophie was forced to ride with Rhian. Just to be sure that Sophie didn't try to run away or attack anyone, Sophie's hands had been bound by one of Japeth's scims and she'd been seated in front of Rhian on the saddle so that Rhian could keep a better eye on her.
It should've seemed romantic riding with the girl he'd proposed to, but it was far from that. The entire trip, Sophie had a bitter look upon her face as her and Japeth traded some not so friendly comments with one another.
"You know, you make a better snake than you do a liege," Sophie had spat at Japeth. It was the eighth insult she'd told him and each time, Japeth would fire back with a threat in an attempt to get her to shut up.
But this time, the response Japeth uttered wasn't a threat at all. Much to Rhian's surprise, he heard his brother agreeing with Sophie.
"Course I do," Japeth said, flicking his tongue out in Sophie's direction like a serpent. "Just like you make a better witch than you do a princess."
Rhian watched Sophie's fingers curl into fists as if she were resisting the urge to punch Japeth.
"This witch can beat the Snake up any day," Sophie snapped, her voice rising in anger.
"Oh, you mean the same witch who can't keep track of any of the guys she dates?" Japeth fired back, his icy blue eyes clouding over in victory as Sophie's mouth hung open in shock.
"Let me see...I'm pretty sure the odds would be stacked up against you, the witch who can't keep her loyalties in check rather than I, the very snake who holds your friends' lives in my hands."
Sophie said something back to Japeth, but Rhian had tuned her out long ago. He found that he was coming down with a headache with all the bickering that Sophie and Japeth were doing. Rhian had endured many headaches before. Ever since he'd gotten stabbed in the head months ago, he found himself coming down with terrible headaches.
In fact, for months after his head injury, Rhian had endured too many headaches to count. For a while, those headaches were accompanied by nightmares of the attack. For a long time, whenever Rhian would fall asleep, he would see Aric's hateful violet eyes and make out the flash of his rusted dagger before the blade came barreling down for his head.
A shudder passed through Rhian at the memory of the attack, and for a moment, he twisted his eyes shut, his fingers clenching tight around the reins.
"We're close," Japeth's cold tone snapped Rhian back to reality. It was the first time Japeth had actually addressed Rhian on this whole trip, and Rhian's eyes sprung open. He looked over at his brother to find Japeth had eased his horse's gallops to a slow trot.
"What do you mean we're close?" Sophie grumped, extending her bound arms to point ahead. "The Kingdom of Shazabah is days away. If you two had gone to my school, you'd probably know your geography better."
Japeth ignored her and Rhian scanned their surroundings. The trail had thinned out as the trees had gotten thicker. They were within the endless woods, miles away from Camelot and any other kingdom. The closest thing to them besides the schools was probably the reader town of Gavaldon, the very same village Sophie and Agatha themselves had grown up in.
Rhian and Japeth hadn't told Sophie they'd be heading to the School for good and evil and had made up a story about them heading to the Shazabah desert to do trade with the sultan there. This made up lie was probably the reason why Sophie had taken so long in doing her appearance before they started to travel.
Rhian halted his horse and dismounted it and Japeth did the same. As Rhian turned to help Sophie off too, she slapped his hands away from her waist and clumsily slid off the saddle, almost landing on her butt in the process.
"I'm perfectly capable of getting off a horse myself, darling," Sophie simpered, brushing off the fact that she'd fallen on her buttocks. Her tone was seething as she bent to brush off the dirt smudged onto the white lace of Evelyn's dress. "I did use to ride horses on the moor with Aggie at one point. But I'm sure you already know that, given you definitely read my storybook."
Rhian opened his mouth to object when he felt Japeth's icy blue gaze boring into the back of his head. He turned to see Japeth watching him with his arms crossed.
"We'll go on foot from here," Japeth informed them, turning to stalk into the trees after he'd secured his horse to a low hanging tree branch.
Rhian grabbed Sophie's arm and hauled her forward. As she stumbled after Japeth in her fur booties, thorny branches snagged at her hair and she slapped them away, all the while cursing under her breath.
"Please tell me we're spending the night somewhere suitable before heading back out tomorrow," Sophie cried, scrambling over a fallen log. She picked her head up as she observed her surroundings and than, she halted abruptly, a look of realization coming across her face.
"We're near the schools," Sophie pointed out the obvious. "But—but...why?"
Rhian came up beside Sophie and gave her a knowing look that had Sophie shrinking back in sudden dread. "The rulers doubt my claim to the throne," he said, tracing his thumb across the royal Camelot crest on the chest of his uniform. "They doubt a lot of things about my rule, but capturing Agatha is what will ease their minds. Again, they'll see me as the Lion who not only saved their kingdoms from a meddling Snake, but also enforced my claim to the throne by dealing with a traitor in our midst."
Sophie sucked in a gasp of shock. She backed away from Rhian's assertive gaze and ran smack dab into Japeth's back. Japeth spun around, a scowl twisting his cold features.
"No, I won't let you hurt Aggie," Sophie declared, but her voice trembled, betraying her worry. She looked between the two brothers, her gaze frantic before she pitched herself forward, free falling straight for a sharply pointed branch that stuck up from the ground.
Before Japeth and Rhian could react, the point of the stick speared into the binds on Sophie's wrists. There was a terrible screech as the point of the stick impaled the Scim tying Sophie's hands together. Than, Sophie stumbled backwards, tearing the Scim apart before she leapt to her feet and started to run.
For a moment, Rhian and Japeth watched Sophie retreat into the trees. The two brothers gave each other calm glances, for Sophie running away to warn Agatha was exactly what Japeth had planned. Unknowingly, Sophie would be leading both brothers straight to their prize.
Eventually, after being sure to give Sophie a head start, Japeth and Rhian stormed after her, their footfalls pounding against the ground as they followed her along. Rhian's boots crunched over fallen twigs and debris as he hurried alongside his brother and in no time, Japeth and Rhian had broken through the trees to glimpse a spiked golden gate with a not so friendly sign reading, "Trespassers Will Be Killed."
Just as they approached the gate, they spotted Sophie on the other side, continuing to run as the gate swung shut behind her. Rhian eyed the gate, struggling to rack through the possible ways to get it to open in his brain.
Given this gate guarded the School for Good and Evil, it seemed only students or teachers at the schools could easily open it (Hence how Sophie had gotten through the gates without fuss). But Rhian and Japeth weren't students at the School for Good and Evil. But neither had Kei been which was a wonder how Kei had even gotten past these gates.
"Perhaps we can climb over it," Rhian suggested just as Japeth sauntered forward, close enough to the gate to push it open.
"There's no need." Japeth's gaze flickered to Rhian, a hint of mischievousness in his blue depths. Before Rhian could question Japeth on his strange behavior, there was a sudden clink as the gates suddenly parted.
"But how—" Rhian asked, bewildered as he watched his brother slink through the open gates. He chased after Japeth as he started forward.
"Must be because of the fact that Sophie's blood can heal me," Japeth guessed. His voice was chipper though, making Rhian believe that Japeth was hiding something from him. But what?
As Rhian followed Japeth along, he took notice of the way Japeth seemed so at ease with their surroundings...almost as if he'd been to the School for Good and Evil before. Japeth halted briefly and Rhian followed his gaze to a towering silver spire reaching into the sky. This tower was connected to a catwalk leading to the castle for the Evil school and on the far right was the polished stone castle of good.
Something flashed in Japeth's gaze like a little sense of familiarity had taken a hold of him, and Rhian saw his brother's usually cold features soften for the briefest of moments as his icy blue gaze sought the School for Evil.
Rhian tried not to let his mind wander back to the one person he loathed most of all, but seeing his twin's unusually softened expression made him recall Aric. After all, hadn't Aric once attended the School for Evil which had been called the School for Boys at the time? And hadn't he also been the dean of Rafal and Sophie's new school?
Rhian couldn't come up with any other reason as to why Japeth was looking so vulnerable besides the fact that he was probably remembering Aric, his apparent best friend—more like monster.
Rhian wanted to question his brother, ask him if he really had gotten over Aric after all this time. But than, Japeth's gaze zoned in on a blonde haired girl sprinting into the evil school in the distance. There was no time to delve into the past now. Sophie was on the move.
Japeth launched towards the Evil school and Rhian tore after him, watching as Japeth's liege uniform morphed back into his suit of scales. Japeth was surprisingly quicker than Rhian, his legs pumping faster and faster as if he was purposely trying to leave Rhian behind.
Luckily, Japeth slowed down when he reached the entrance of the Evil School. Rhian was panting hard by the time he caught up with his brother.
"Don't—g—go so fast," Rhian wheezed, sucking huge gulps of air into his tired lungs. He noticed a shiny, almost transparent barrier stretching from the bottom of the school's entrance upwards.
"A magical shield protecting the school," Japeth murmured, his voice steady as he reached out a hand to lay his palm against the clear surface. "It's strong, but I think we can break it. Funny though. This shield probably wasn't imbued with first year magic, but rather something stronger...Perhaps this shield is the teachers' making."
"How does that help us?" Rhian wondered, uncertain as he watched Japeth run his hand over the shield. "Your scims can't break through obviously, and my magic isn't that strong—"
Japeth cast Rhian a bemused look that shut Rhian up. "Patience, brother," Japeth told him, his tone sarcastic. "Not only are you doubting yourself, but me, your own brother. The same brother you had enough faith in to send on this task after Kei failed miserably. All that doubt isn't gonna get you anywhere, and it's certainly not going to make you a good king."
Rhian tried not to look hurt by Japeth's words. He knew Japeth was trying to be sincere, but boy did that sincerity sting. It was like Japeth was also trying to guilt trip Rhian for making him go on this mission at all.
"Every shield can be broken," Japeth stated, stepping back. "Especially when that shield comes into contact with a weapon—good's greatest weapon, that is."
Rhian glanced down at the sword sheathed at his hip and he looked back at Japeth in puzzlement. "How are you managing all this?" He blurted. "First, you're somehow able to open the gates, and somehow you know that by using Excalibur, you'll be able to break the defenses protecting the schools..."
Japeth glanced away from Rhian's slightly suspicious gaze as if he truly was hiding something from him. His blue gaze went back to the silver tower for the briefest of moments and in those moments, Rhian thought he glimpsed a look of pain in Japeth's gaze before it vanished.
"It's just a hunch," Japeth muttered, turning his back to Rhian as if he couldn't meet his twin in the eye. "Besides, I thought you had faith in me. But apparently you don't if you keep questioning my skills."
Rhian flinched like Japeth had struck him across the face. He was about to apologize to Japeth when Japeth grabbed the hilt of his sword and drew it from its sheathe. Without a beat, Japeth aimed the blade of Excalibur at the shield and thrust it forward. There was a deafening crack as the blade sunk into the shield and than, all at once, it shattered like glass.
"Let's go," Japeth hissed, flinging Excalibur to the ground at Rhian's feet. Rhian picked up his fallen sword and entered the castle after Japeth.
The first thing Rhian noticed when he stepped into the School for Evil was the many murals lining the walls, each depicting Sophie's face. Each mural had air bubbles with quotes reading, "Cleanliness is a chore!" and, "Beauty can be a great drive to kill!"
Rhian found himself gaping at the the dozens of images of his fiancé's face plastered all over the foyer. Even Japeth was glowering at the murals, his lips twisted into a grimace.
"A little obsessed with herself, don't you think?" Japeth groused, scanning the winding staircases at the end of the room. "God, I hope you don't have any children in the future. They'll be absolute monsters in the making."
Rhian rolled his eyes. "They'll take after their uncle Japeth that way," he joked, elbowing Japeth playfully.
Japeth only glowered darkly at Rhian, unamused by his joke. That's when a sudden noise shattered the tense silence that followed. Rhian and Japeth both turned their attention to the unmistakable click clack of high heels against the floor.
Rhian raised his gaze upwards to see Sophie running up the right stairwell, tripping up steps all the way. Rhian darted after her, Japeth close behind in hot pursuit of their prey.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Sophie was gone. The second floor stretched each way and Rhian found Sophie's discarded high heels flung to the ground.
"This way," Japeth ordered Rhian, turning right. A dozen scims peeled off Japeth's suit and flew in the opposite direction in search for Sophie as the two brothers set off to the right.
Rhian and Japeth stepped lightly, their footfalls thudding softly against the floors as they followed the scent of Sophie's unmistakable pomegranate perfume. The smell left them a clear trail to follow until all of a sudden, the smell was masked by a pungent stench that invaded Rhian's sinuses and made him gag.
"What is that?" Rhian choked, plugging his nose in an attempt to get rid of the putrid smell.
That's when there was a loud crack that came from behind him. Japeth was the first to turn and his gaze narrowed in suspicion. Rhian followed suit and looked behind him, expecting to see Sophie. But it wasn't Sophie behind him, but a strange looking object wrapped in linen.
Before Rhian could move to inspect it closer, the object suddenly combusted, smoke bursting from the burnt pieces of linen. Rhian leapt back in surprise and inhaled sharply. Inhaling was a bad move however, because the putrid stench was even stronger and the smell was almost unbearable to breathe in.
"Sti—Stink—bomb," Japeth coughed, covering his mouth and nose. Rhian kicked the burning linen away, but the smell still lingered in the air, the stench threatening to choke the breath from Rhian's lungs.
Rhian was so busy gagging on the repulsive stench of the stink bomb that he barely noticed it when a hand clamped tight around his arm and he was pulled out of the hall. Japeth shoved him into a room and slammed the door closed to keep the repulsive smell in the hall.
Rhian was relieved when he found he could finally suck in refreshing air and when his lungs had finally cleared, he raised his head to find Japeth had shoved him into a room.
There was a huge glass case filled with objects that took up one side of the room. On the opposite wall, however, hung dozens of framed paintings that looked distorted as if the painter who'd done the artwork had been blind.
Realization struck Rhian as he moved closer o inspect the paintings, and with a single thumb he traced the signature of the artist printed in the corner of one of the paintings; Professor A. Sader.
Rhian and Japeth's uncle had done these paintings. He'd worked as a history teacher at the School for Good and Evil before passing away not too long ago.
"Japeth," Rhian called, but he received no response. He turned behind him to find Japeth's back was to him as he stared into the glass case with a sign above it reading, The Exhibition of Evil.
Rhian called Japeth's name again, but Japeth was either deaf or ignoring him. Rhian went up behind Japeth to see what had caught his brother's attention when Japeth suddenly spun and flattened his back against the glass case as if to hide something from Rhian's view.
"What is it, Japeth?" Rhian asked, curious and confused.
"It's nothing," Japeth told him quickly. His voice sounded strained as if he was holding back an emotion, and Rhian wondered for the second time that day what his brother could possibly be hiding from him. "Stop worrying—"
Japeth's voice suddenly cut short and Rhian turned towards the doorway at the end of the room just in time to see a blonde headed girl creep out of sight.
Sophie.
In an instant, Rhian and Japeth flung themselves after her as she tried to escape them, her shaky breathes echoing in the hall.
She rounded the corner and just as she leapt towards the stairwell, a flurry of ear splitting screeches filled the air.
A dozen scims intercepted Sophie, their sharpened tips quivering as if they couldn't wait to slice into her. Sophie skidded to a halt and in an attempt to maneuver around them, she flung herself to the side, her bare feet skidding across the floor. She was moving too fast to stop herself and suddenly she lost her balance and began her tumble down the stairs.
Fear struck Rhian as he watched Sophie roll down the stairwell, her body out of her control. He feared that she would hit her head and injure herself beyond repair, not because he loved her, but because he was scared him and Japeth would lose the one girl they needed in their plans to control the Storian. If Sophie died, Rhian couldn't possibly attain the powers of the Storian and bring him and Japeth's mother back to life.
Japeth seemed to think the same exact thing, for his scims dove after Sophie in an attempt to catch her and stop her momentum.
"Sophie!" The cry split through the air. The cry hadn't come from Rhian or Japeth and they watched as a black haired girl sprung into their view, her fingertip hot gold.
Japeth's scims faltered as the black haired girl rushed towards her falling friend and with a cry of exertion, she aimed her fingerglow at Sophie's rolling form. A thin dust of gold took dimension, forming a sort of barrier that broke Sophie's fall and stopped her impact to the floor.
"Aggie..." Sophie gasped, wincing as she tried to get to her feet. She seemed dizzy as she struggled to focus her gaze upon the black haired princess rushing towards her.
"Sophie," Agatha breathed, tears brimming in her big brown eyes as she wrapped the blonde girl in her arms in a hug. Both girls seemed so ecstatic to finally reunite that they didn't see the twins starting down the stairs towards them.
"Sorry to interrupt this joyous reunion," Japeth's voice rang out, his voice chilly and sure as he crept towards the embracing girls, "But you both are coming with us."
Agatha's head shot up and her face paled at the sight of the brothers. She tugged Sophie close as if to protect her and aimed her golden fingertip at Rhian and Japeth threateningly.
"Over my dead body," Agatha spat, her brown gaze storming. She tensed as Rhian drew forward, his boots thumping against the floor.
Japeth smirked at the princess and the dozen scims that were still afloat in the air turned knife sharp to point at Agatha's head.
"That can be arranged," Japeth said icily, his gaze hardening as his scims prepared to strike.
Before Japeth's scims could fire at Agatha, Rhian found himself leaping up to shield her. The scims faltered but Japeth's expression was as cold as stone as he looked at his brother.
"The rulers will never trust me if you kill her," Rhian explained, trying to see through Japeth's cold facade. "If we bring Agatha back dead, she'll be no use to us...If you kill her, we'll never get what we want."
Rhian tried hard to see through the stony mask Japeth had on. He tried to get a glimpse past his brother's cold features, but he saw nothing in Japeth's icy blue gaze but rage and raw intent. It was the intent to kill perhaps. It was the Snake's intent.
Rhian recalled how Japeth had agreed with Sophie when she told him he'd make a better Snake than a liege. But could it really be true? Would Japeth truly rather choose to be the Snake than to be his brother's liege?
Rhian was uncertain of who he was seeing before him now. Was it his liege, sir Japeth, the boy who he knew he could love no matter what...or was it the Snake who stood before Rhian now, heartless and ruthless—the Snake who'd attacked kingdoms and killed innocents?
"Agatha is worthless if she's dead," Rhian prodded, taking a cautious step forward. "Don't do this. You're my brother, my liege. You can trust me."
Japeth's stony mask was still before slowly, the scims aimed at Agatha fell back and the rage and intent in Japeth's gaze blinked out.
"Actions are stronger than lies...brother," Japeth said in a strange sorrowful tone before he straightened. "You'll do best to remember that."
Rhian didn't know what to say. He stared at Japeth, struggling to understand the hidden meaning behind his words. But Rhian and Japeth had already wasted enough time chasing Sophie around the school, and now that Agatha was here, action needed to be taken.
With Rhian and Japeth seemingly distracted, Sophie shoved Agatha forward, urging her to run. But it was too late. A dozen scims tore at the two girls, wrapping tight around their bodies until their whole selves were bound tight by scaly binds.
"Aggie, I'm sorry," Sophie sobbed as a single scim wrapped tight around Agatha's mouth, gagging her. "I should've known I was leading them straight to you—"
Sophie's cry was cut off by a scim who gagged her as well, leaving both girls restricted and gagged. Their muffled screams intensified as Japeth drew forward, a cold resolve upon his features. He crouched before a bound Sophie and gripped her chin between his scaled fingers.
"You should've known," he confirmed, glaring deep into her emerald eyes.
That was the last thing Japeth said to her before another two scims covered Sophie and Agatha's eyes, leaving only their noses and the tops of their heads visible. His work done, Japeth gestured for the doors leading out of the castle.
"Let's get back," He said.
Together, Rhian and Japeth carried their captives back to the gate leading out into the woods. As they mounted their horses, Agatha with Japeth and Sophie with Rhian, they started their journey back to Camelot.
As the schools receded behind the trio, what they also left behind was the past of a boy who caused Rhian nothing but pain. Aric was dead after all and Rhian didn't need that sadist's ghost haunting his thoughts.
Yet, for a sliver of a second, Rhian found himself looking behind him as his horse carried him and a subdued Sophie along. Instead of seeing the spires of the school for good and evil towering over the treetops in the distant, Rhian's gaze landed on the boy riding behind him.
Japeth was clutching the reins of his horse tightly and his jaw was clenched, his lips in a flat line of disapproval as he struggled to see past the bound black haired princess sitting on the saddle in front of him. As if admitting defeat, Japeth's gaze turned to the treetops where the tops of the schools could scarcely be seen towering into the darkened sky.
For the second time that day, Rhian detected an abnormal look in his brother's eyes...pain, anger, and frustration all in one.
Rhian wondered what was troubling Japeth so. He wanted to reach out and find out the truth behind Japeth's lies, for there was no absolute way Japeth was being completely honest with Rhian on this whole trip.
Rhian knew his brother. He knew Japeth better than anyone, and he remembered how distant him and Japeth were back in Arbed House. Japeth had felt like an outcast because that was the only thing he knew how to feel after all his fits of rage drove Rhian and their mother away from him. As a child, Japeth had adored their mother. But his love for her only caused her and Rhian heartbreak and pain.
Had Rhian's childhood been wasted by his brother? Had Japeth's persistent fits of rage caused Rhian to grow up faster than a child should grow?
Rhian loved Japeth more than anything. And he loved him because Japeth was his blood, his twin, and nothing could change that.
The past no longer mattered. Evelyn's abandonment, the brothers' distance in Arbed, and Aric were all figments of a past Rhian needed to push away. So Rather than recalling his painful childhood memories, Rhian focused his mind upon the present moment and the future that was soon to come.
Soon enough, Rhian would solidify his position upon Camelot's throne and convince all the rulers to swear their loyalty to him. Eventually, Sophie and Rhian would be married and the prophecy of the One True King would be fulfilled.
Rhian would finally be able to bring his mother back to life and Japeth's wish would be granted. Hopefully, when their mother was back in their lives, Japeth wouldn't feel the need to lie to Rhian about anything. Hopefully, both brothers would be unconditionally happy.
But like Japeth said...Actions are stronger than lies. When Rhian brought Agatha back with him, the rulers would see that he'd been right when he'd said Agatha would soon be in his dungeons. And it was all because Rhian had gone out of his way to capture her.
Perhaps it was that simple task that would truly show the rulers of the other kingdoms that Rhian wasn't just the deserved King of, but the deserved king of the endless woods—The One True King.
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I didn't realize how long this chapter would turn out. Lol, but long chapters are awesome, don't you guys think?
Sorry if it felt like Japeth was the star of this chapter although this chapter was from Rhian's POV. But WOW was Japeth awesome in this chapter!!
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and be sure to comment and vote!
Thanks for reading!
—Alexis Peters ❤️