TᎻᎬ ᎡᎬᎠ ᎡᎬႮΝᏆϴΝ
𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was walking around the living room, hands on her head, impatiently waiting for 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and the others, wondering if her brother is okay. 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 , 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 and 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 were there too, waiting. 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 was standing, resting his back on the wall, his arms folded, patting his feet on the floor. 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 was sitting, bent his back, and his elbow rested on his lap as both his hands were tied beneath his jaw. 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 was standing too, hands on her jaw, completely lost in her thoughts. After hours of impatiently waiting, they heard a horse neigh outside and 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 quickly ran to the door then 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 quickly yelled
"Noo!! "
𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was startled and curious why he's stopping her
"What!? " she asked
"We don't know if it's really them, we can't tell if they were caught or not, you know it was a very risky quest, there's a high chance they got caught" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 denoted
"He has a point there" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 supported, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 sighed and asked
"So what do we do, their footsteps are getting closer "
"Should we check the window? " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 questioned
"No, that's a bad idea. Let's just wait and see who comes through the door, if it's an enemy, we attack" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 concluded, they all nodded in agreement.
Seconds later, they heard a knock on the door, suspense grew in their midst, they started looking at each other. They were waiting, hoping the person say a word and maybe they will recognize the voice but not a single word was uttered. This left even more suspense within them. The knocking continued rapidly and suddenly stopped , for 5 seconds, no single sound was heard, it became completely silent , then in a spur of moments, the door was kicked open and there was nobody in front of it. This made them scared, only 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 wasn't, he walked up to door, they were looking at him, gesturing him to stay back but he paid them no mind as he walked out the door, then a sword was swung , he quickly, drew it his to blocked it ,with ease.
"𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜!!? " he surprisingly asked
"𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗!? " 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 asked. The rest of them were surprised
"𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜? , what the hell are you doing?" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 probed
"Are you kidding me man, we thought you were an enemy" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 claimed , 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 sighed. Note that, all these was said almost simultaneously.
"Why didn't you guys open the fucking door" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 pressed
"We're in a middle of a war, we can't just be opening doors" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 pointed out
"What!! " 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 exclaimed
"Why didn't you say something? " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 asked
"We thought since nobody came out, then something wrong is going on, like maybe y'all got captured or killed" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 explained
"Killed? " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 prest
"That's a little harsh, don't you think? " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said. 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was startled then asked
"We? "
"Yes, I'm not alone" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 replied
"Who's with you? " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 enquired
"Where are the others" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 probed. Something clicked with 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 and she looked at 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 and asked quietly
"Did he...come with you? "
"Who?! " 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 asked but he immediately grasped and said
"Ohh, yeah"
She shivered as she heard her name from behind
"𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊, is that you 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊? "
She slowly turned back and it was her brother she hasn't seen in more than a decade, the brother she loved so much she dedicated her whole life to, the brother whom she chose over the world, over her home, over her first and only love, the brother that loved her so much and did everything for her, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗. She bursted into tears, she ran to him and hugged him so tight, he smiled, a genuine smile this time, and held her, she couldn't stop crying. They both really didn't know how to react, finally meeting after everything. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 and 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 were standing behind him. 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 was smiling hard and so was everybody, except 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 of course and 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 who was smiling but not hard. It was a beautiful moment for all of them. 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 rubbed his face, looking at his scars, she gasped, couldn't believe.
"You've been through so much " she said as she kept sobbing
"Yes but soon it'll all be over" he replied as he held her head and continued
"You've grown to become such a beautiful woman, I've heard of the things you've done, I'm so proud of you "
"I had to do it, for you brother " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 replied
"No 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊, for us " he concluded, she hesitated then spoke
"I'm so happy to have you back brother, I miss you so much "
"As do i, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 , as do i" he responded.
"Aww" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 expressed. They knew how special this was to 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 , because, since they knew her, her life has been centred around him and since they now shared a bond with her, they could share the feeling with her too. 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 was the first to walk up to them and join the huge, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 was surprised but smiled when he saw 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 smiling about it.
"C'mon guys" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 said, 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 and 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 looked at each other, then walked up to them and joined the hug too, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 dropped her sword and walked to join them too, smiling. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 only smiled but didn't join and of course 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 who walked out of the room, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 noticed but continued.
"Where the hell is the food? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 pressed, they all laughed
"Yes, let's go eat it before it gets cold " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 added
"Don't have to worry about that, we kept it warm" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 said
"Awesome, so..... " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 started
"So, shall we? " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 continued
"Hell yeah"
"Finally"
"Let's go" they all replied as they made their way to the dinner table. 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 couldn't stop smiling, he felt warm but quickly realized he's not supposed to get too comfortable with his current life until he gets his revenge and the smile complete died, he paused.
"What is it brother ?" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 asked
"Nothing my little dove, you guys go ahead, I'll join you shortly" he replied, she hesitated then nodded her head and kept walking.
Moments later, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 joined them at the table, they were eating, drinking, talking and laughing, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 stood up to serve him, he was smiling but deep in his heart, he was trying so hard not to be happy, trying to replace these moments with all the memories of his trauma and he did this so well that nobody noticed. Only 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 noticed something wasn't right but went along because she didn't want to ruin the moment.
"This food is even better than i imagined" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 claimed
"That is true, woww, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 is such a good cook " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 expressed
"She should cook more" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 added
"No, this is one of those food you eat once in a while so it stays special" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 stated, they all agreed, chuckling, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was smiling
"Uhhh, she wasn't the only the one that made the food , you know" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 pushed
"True, true, she played a big role too " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 supported
"If that's the case, then i played a big role too, 'cause she didn't do anything serious" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 revealed, they all laughed
"Shut up 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎, what did you do? " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 pressed
"I was there for a while, I think 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 was a big part of the cooking " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 joined
"Thank you. you see? " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 mentioned
"All you did was fetch wood 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 added
"To be fair, that's the big role " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"Yeah but it didn't make the food tastier" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 countered
"But he contributed" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said
"Shut up 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 , that's not the point" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 shut 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗, leaving him absolutely defenseless.
"If that's not the point, then try making a food tasty without fire wood" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said, trying to defend 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗. Everybody chuckled but in agreement, except 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 and of course, you know who....
"What do you guys think 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 did?, she barely did shit, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 is just being kind " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 claimed
"No she actually did something" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 defended
"𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊, can you list the things you did?" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 requested
"Uhh yeah, sure... " they all became silent as she was about to start
"....so, I did the dishes-" they all started laughing, not giving her enough time to even finish. 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 was laughing the hardest.
"Y'all won't even allow me finish" she said as they continued laughing, she got mad, folded her arms and frowned.
"So....by the way, I forgot to ask, what happened earlier?, why did you guys not open the door" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 asked, they all immediately pointed to 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎.
"C'mon guys" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 started, saw 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 waiting for an answer, then he continued
"Ok..fine, lemme explain; I was just being careful, 'cause...it is possible you all got caught and they came for the rest of us, so we had to be careful"
"Sounds super paranoid but not a bad point" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"Why didn't you guys say, anything, so maybe we can recognize your voice " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 pressed , 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 immediately pointed to 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 .
"Really? " he asked, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 chuckled
"It's simple, since nobody opened the door or say anything, it's normal we assume something isn't right, so we split up, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 took the front, we take the back" he explained
"Paranoi but good point " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 countered, they laughed
"It's not paranoi, it's instinct" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 returned
"Instinctive paranoi"
"Oh my goodness 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗, not again" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 expressed , they all burst into an even louder laughter
"It was kinda funny, y'all just hating at this point" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 defended, while chuckling.
𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 cleared his throat and the room suddenly got silent, he then asked
"So when is the invasion? "
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 sucked his teeth and said
"Don't fucking ruin the moment, baldy"
"What?, I'm not even bald " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 replied
"You're injured, you should focus on recovering first before the invasion" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"This injury might take months to recover, we can't take that long " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 pointed
"Not full recovery, just a little better than your current state, I'm pretty torn myself, I'm not fighting like this" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 stated
"Alright, but we shouldn't take too much time, don't worry about my injury, I've had worse" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 suggested
"It's my call and yeah sure, it'll be soon" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 responded
"Right..." 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 said and continued
"Please you all can go back to your meal"
Everyone was kind of surprise with 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗's attitude, no really living up to crazy monster rumour. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 who knew him better than anyone else there was more surprised, how calm he has been in the last 24 hours, meanwhile 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 wasn't too surprised, because she never really knew the "crazy monster" side of him, she only heard of it and never really even believed anyways. So they kept eating, drinking, talking and laughing till they all went to bed.
The next morning , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 had just woken up, everyone else was still in bed, he barely could sleep anyways. He was walking towards the living room when he heard some strange sounds outside, he was going to ignore it but regarding what they did in the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕, he had to be vigilant. He couldn't go back to his room to get his sword so he quickly picked up a long broom and quietly walked outside. When he got there, he saw 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 training, he was surprised because it was still very much early in the morning.
"Pretty early to be awake " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 said to him
"I was just about to say that. I'm not the one training" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 scoffed and said;
"Well, couldn't sleep, I've been up. I'm guessing you didn't sleep either" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 mentioned.
"Uhh, yeah...barely " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 responded and then continued;
"Has it always been like that for you?, not being able to sleep"
"Hmmm....it's been really long, a decade at least " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 replied
"Damn" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 expressed
"What about you? " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 probed
"Uhmm, pretty recent...pretty recent " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 stated, unsure. 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 nodded his head and said ;
"It gets worse "
"Yeah, thanks for the encouragement, I definitely needed that " . 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 chuckled and spoke ;
"Don't shoot the messenger"
"Whatever.... "
"Hey, why don't you join me? " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 offered
"Me?! " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 shocked, pressed , 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 shrugged his shoulders.
"Noo, what are you saying?, hell no"
"What?, you scared I'm gonna beat you? "
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 laughed and said;
"Scared?, of you? "
"Then stop being a bitch and grab a weapon "
"No, that's weird- no..I'm not....fucking doing that man, just let it go, it's not gonna happen" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 concluded, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 sighed , shook his head and aforesaid;
"All you do is boast and talk about beating me but you never actually fought me"
"That's not true, we have had duels and i won it all" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 defended
"Really? Are you really saying that? "
"Yeah, why won't i?"
"Dude, that was sport, a fucking horse race " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 revealed
"So what?, did i win or not? "
"Can't believe you're saying this "
"It's simple, did i win or not? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said, chuckling
"That wasn't a fight, who ever heard you talk about duels will think you beat me and you're stronger " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 pointed
"Well I am stronger "
"No you're not "
"I am"
"Come prove it then, grab a weapon"
"Stop making me feel like I'm scared to face you in a fight. I just find it weird that you're asking me to train with you"
"Why is that weird? " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 asked, curious
"Well... You're.. 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 and I'm 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜, we're not supposed to be training together, seriously dude, when did we become friends?. I'm just not okay with it, I don't know, it doesn't feel...normal"
"Yeah I understand...that you're scared"
"Ohh fuck off"
𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 laughed at 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 a little as he walked back inside, wondering what was going on with 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗.
Few days later, they were all present in the living room, where the map of the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 was placed on a large table and they were all discussing the plan of attack. They were there for hours, memorizing the instructions, positions and all.
"Let's take a break" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"What?" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 pressed, they all looked at her.
"Well, we've been here for several hours, let's take some steam off " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 added
"I agree " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 supported
"Of course you do " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 countered
"We have to go through everything, severally " 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 returned
"We still have time, c'mon, let's just...i don't know, maybe get some drinks? " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 continued, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 couldn't believe it
"I mean now that you mentioned, there's this new bar in town, maybe we can check, just saying.... " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 added
"See? " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 supported
"That's not a bad idea" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 joined
"Of course, it isn't " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 countered 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 once again, he was so confused.
"No, of course not " 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 blocked
"With all due respect sir, it's not your call" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 said, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 immediately turned his angry gaze at him and he quickly turn his away. They all now looked at 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 who has been silent for answers. He looked at them confused like he forgot he was the leader
"What? " he asked, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 gestured him to say something. He then remembered it was his call and recognized why 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 was trying to have more free time with them before the invasion. He then looked at 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 who has also been quiet and 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 shook his head then he looked at 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 who was smiling and she nodded quickly before 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 could notice her. Both her and 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 scoffed, leaving 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 at the middle, confused.
"Alright, alright, 𝙻𝚒𝚞 is right, we gotta take a break, we've been on this for the past few days, we have to clear our head a little" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said, every one smiled, except 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 of course, who punched the table and 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 who robbed his face. Everybody looked at 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 as he furiously walked out of the room silently and immediately he slammed the door, they all resumed the talking
"So where is this bar you were talking about?" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 asked
"I really don't know the name of the place but I can lead you all there" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 replied
"All?, are you all going to the bar? " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 asked
"Uhh yeah, are you coming? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked
"No, that's weird" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 returned
"Ahhh, I see what you did there " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 pointed out and smirked
"I'm staying with him " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 said
"Ohh" they expressed
"You guys have fun" she added
"Sure, c'mon guys, let's get going " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 instructed and they all went out while talking.
After they left, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 walked to the couch and sat, she was fixing her beautiful hair with a huge smile on her face, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 couldn't stop looking at her, his little sister now all grown, intelligent and beautiful. He had a proud smile about his face. Out of nowhere, he asked;
"Did you ever fall in love? ", a dangerous question as long as the mission was concerned. She was a little shocked, she stalled for a moment , smiled again and said ;
" Well.....not actually"
"Not actually? " he asked while smilling
"You know... I had to fall in love with the prince for the mission, so not actually" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 explained, falsely but I don't need to say that, I mean you get it.
"Ohh, yes, yes....hmmmm" he uttered
"What? " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 asked, very concerned
"I've always wondered how the prince looked like, 𝙻𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚊 having a son. Tell me about him" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 requested, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was shocked, she didn't believe it.
"Wait....really? " she asked, he nodded slowly.
"Are you sure you wanna talk about that?!" She pressed, he nodded slowly again.
"You wanna talk about 𝙻𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚊, and her son? she pressed again, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 sighed and said
"You're right. I'd hate to talk about that, by the gods no"
"So why'd you bring it up then? " she asked curiously
"I miss you and I want us to talk but I don't know what else to talk about" he stated
"Ohhh, c'mon brother, they are lots and lots to talk about. You're saying, all these years and you having nothing to say? " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 pressured
"Well, I'm sorry, I'm just not good at these things you know. Can't think of anything, I mean, I don't want to. My brain....you know" he explained. 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 sighed and spoke
"I understand brother, I do. So it was true; the thing about your brain?
"What did hear about it? "
"Well...they say you have a brain condition that doesn't allow you think straight...stuffs like that " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 said gently. 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗's face immediately darkened, tension grew, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 noticed and got scared for a second before he suddenly smiled, tension disappeared, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 calmed down a little but still startled by it.
"People say a lotta things, it doesn't mean it's true " he said
"So you don't have a brain condition? "
"Oh i do, just that it's worst than people think" he claimed
"Really?,how so? " she asked, curiously, concerned and scared of what he might say, maybe the rumors are true. 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 inhaled, exhaled heavily and spoke;
"I don't like talking about it... "
"Ohh.....okay" she expressed, sad
"....but" he continued, her face lit up.
"Since i have nothing else to tell you after all this time, I'll make it up with this " he offered. She sat properly, he fetch a glass of water and drank, sighed and sat down.
"My condition is worse than people say. It's not that I don't think straight, I don't think at all, I work with impulses" he started, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was confused
"What! " she expressed
"Exactly, exactly..... I know how it sounds, I developed it myself, it was either that or suicide" he bombed , 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was about to react when he said ;
"No, no. No reaction, calm down and listen till I finish". She quickly nodded
"Alright, since i was young, I knew my brain worked differently, because i wasn't thinking like people around my age, in fact I felt smarter than everyone around me, in fact I was, nobody could surprise me, I predict everything that's gonna happen and they always happened. Well....that was until, you know... "
"Yes brother, I do"
"Fuck!, I really suck at telling stories " he said, exhaled hard, took a sip from his glass and continued
"Ok...i'm good now. My point there is; I have or rather had, a special brain, that's why everything was working well for us, slow but working, even my dreams and all of that, you get it.....so uhhhmm, one day my brain developed, I could now not only predict but copy moves, blockings, register patterns and this started happening on the day i really really wanted to fight. Then...all of THAT happened , and my brain got filled with hate, rage and trauma..... "
𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was trying to keep up with the bad explanation, fortunately she was able to
"And uhh... Yeah, if I try to think deep or give second thoughts, the traumatic experiences immediately floods my brain and eats it up, for hours and I can't help but try to end it, the only way to end it?, suicide. I never got over what happened and i needed to stay alive to get my revenge, so I developed this condition of not thinking deep, did everything through impulse and that lead to sometimes, brutality, bad decisions and you know all those monstrous behavior. I choose to do those things than even have a slight thought of that experience, wasn't giving it any chance, or i could lose my life,I had to change. It was like a parasite in my brain waiting to explode and so I never let it " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 briefed, trying not to make it emotional, even though he tried lessening the emotional, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 sobbed. This startled him because seeing her cry may dig his brain, he looked away and said;
"𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊, please stop"
"I'm sorry brother, it's just that....you went through soo much" she expressed, still sobbing, trying to wipe her tears. He doesn't know how to react to emotions so he just stood, looking away, face still, trying not to think deep.
"𝙿𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗 told me everything, the torture you went through and the-"
"He told you that! " he interrupted her, abruptly, she nodded, tears still dripping
"Why would he do that? " he said, held his head and aforementioned
"What if I tell you I have good news?, would you stop crying? "
"...ye-, yes brother, yes, what good news?" She probed.
"So.....while i was in the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕, few days ago, seeing her-"
"Seeing who? " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 interrupted and asked, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 looked at her deeply
"Ohh", she quickly understood.
" So you saw her.... " she then asked
"Yes and don't bother to ask what happened, I was acting in an impulse. What I wanna say is, some things happened and I got stuck in a burning hall. Right in that burning hall, I almost died -" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 gasped, interrupting him again. He sighed, held his forehead and said;
"Don't be surprised, do you know how many times, i have been on the brink of death? "
"Ohh" she expressed
"Should i start counting them for you? "
"No, no, no, please don't" she pleaded
"Right, okay, so listen " he requested , she scoffed a little, he looked at her tiredly.
"I'm sorry, you know we haven't talked in a long time, and I love talking to you so i want to keep you talking" she explained
"This is hard for me you know, take it serious"
"Alright, I promise, I promise" she assured. He sighed, yet again and continued
"This time, the near death experience was different, because i was home....i didn't know what I was doing, i couldn't take anything in because i was scared, I was just doing whatever and I ended up in the fire, almost died and in that moment, I thought about you and no traumatic memory flooded my brain, instead it was our happy memories that filled it and then i lived, because of you 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 "
Then he noticed her weeping again. He was gonna snap a little but stopped himself and instead he said
"It's okay 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 , it's okay. After that i found myself thinking again, well not as i was but now i can give second thoughts and quickly snap out of it. Now I'm calming down again and I've realized so many mistakes I made, including leaving you... "
Her cry got louder, like she was CRYING full on and he didn't know what to do. He was trying to think of what to do and the same time trying not to think too much so he just continued
"So many had happened that all lined up to my brain being a little free. First time was years ago when i saved a little girl that looked just like you, somehow my impulsive thought was to save her and i did and she hugged me, I couldn't help but think about you. Nothing happened again till when I came back to 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎, seeing all these things was bringing back good memories and I tried to ignored them but they were coming and then the fire incident and after that, seeing you. Seeing you was the biggest major part, not just that, seeing you happy with your new friends"
"Brother, stop" she said, he looked at her and saw tears all over, she couldn't take it anymore, she stood up and hugged him tight.
"I'm so happy, brother, I'm so happy" she expressed, he hugged her too, tightly.
"𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 " he called , while hugging
"Yes, brother" she said, shifting back to see his face as he speaks
"Through all of these happening, do you know the biggest regret I had? "
"No brother, tell me" she requested, he hesitated and said
"It was involving you in all of these "
"What?, no, why would you regret that? " she pressed
"You could've lived your own happy life"
"Brother, what the fuck are you saying? " she snapped, for real!!
"Live happily?!, how the fuck am i supposed to live without you, knowing what you went through and are going through, huh!! " she said strongly, he was shocked, because obviously, this was the first time she ever yelled at him. Instead of any other thing he could do, anything at all, he decided to smile. She shifted away from him.
"𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 , calm down, you didn't get a chance to live a normal life"
"Brother, it is impossible to live a normal after what happened to us, it wasn't just you that got betrayed, I too got betrayed, 𝙻𝚢𝚔𝚘𝚗 died, 𝙼𝚊𝚣𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚖, 𝚆𝚛𝚎𝚡. Brother, what are you saying? "
"Yes, I'm aware, my torture too, I didn't forget, I'm gonna get my revenge for sure but involving you.....i don't know"
"I involved myself, and besides, none of this would be possible without me. Do you know what I've sacrificed for this brother? , don't sound ungrateful"
"No 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊, no, listen" he said, drew close her, held her shoulders
"I'm grateful, I wish i knew how to express it, i just don't wanna lose you, if I do it's over for me, I'll actually gonna turn into that monster you heard about, I'm very serious, you're the only one keeping in place. Listen, I'll turn into a MONSTER" he proclaimed, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 got frightened, it got quiet for some seconds.
"Brother.... " she said, then held his face
"I won't die, you mustn't worry about that, we'll get our revenge together and go on to live a happy normal life, me and you, okay?" She assured and 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 nodded, holding her hands on his face.
"Besides, you won't turn into a monster, you will never. Moreover why would I be scared of death when I have you by my side, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜, literally the strongest of them all on my team, worry not brother, worry not" she concluded, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 sighed, looked at her, kissed her on her head and said
"What would i do without you? ", she smiled hard
" Let's go get our revenge" he added. Kissed her head again and gave a look that seemed unaccomplished, like he had something else in mind he wasn't telling.
Meanwhile, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎, 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 and 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 were in the bar, it was a new bar in the city, it was huge and beautiful, it was no doubts the most beautiful bar they've ever seen. It was colorful and rich, the designs were eye-catching, the walls were made with bold bricks adding to the alluring and mature aesthetics of the bar. It was filled with flashy people. No doubts the bar were for the rich because in a place like this, the drinks will definitely cost twice as much but obviously that wasn't going to be a problem for them.
"Man, what a sight this is, I've never been to a bar like this before" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 expressed
"How many bars have you been to " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 asked
"Well, not a lot " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 responded, trying to escape the conversation
"Number?, give us a number " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 probed
"I'm pretty sure, the bar we went to for the prince is the only time he's been to a bar" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 said, joking, as he and 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 laughed, but it seemed like 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 was agreeing to it, shrugging his shoulders.
"Wait, really?, that's it?! " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 pushed
"No way...come on man, it can't be" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 said
"Well.....it is" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 revealed, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 burst into a very loud atrocious laugh, so loud the whole bar stopped to stare at him, then 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 who was also laughing pinched him to reduce the laugh, he quickly noticed and laughed quietly instead, embarrassed, they were all embarrassed, with the disgusted faces the crowd gave them. 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 also chuckled, they all slowly bow their head to hide from the crowd as they continued to laugh quietly. Few seconds later, when the laugh died down, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 spoke
"Seriously though, the only time you went to bar was when it was a mission"
"Yeah" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 replied
"Honestly, that's pretty sad " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 pointed
"Yeah...., sorry I laughed " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 apologized
"Shut uppp, you're gonna apologize now after laughing your ass off, dumbass" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 smiled and raised both hands like he's surrendering, then they all laughed a little too as they continued to have their drinks.
Meanwhile, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 and 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 were at the bar bench, taking shots. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 looked back at them laughing and said
"Well, looks like the kids are having fun"
"Kids? " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 probed
"Yeah, what is it"
"You sound like a father-"
"Woah, no, no, no shut up" he interrupted 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and she laughed and added;
"I'm serious, 'cause why else would you say kids? "
"I don't know, 'cause they're younger? "
"Yeah but not by much "
"Nahh, I think it's pretty much "
"How much? "
"Uhhh....maybe like a decade "
"No I don't think so"
"Yeah, I mean they're about the same age with the prince, and he's like.. Uhh I don't know, maybe 20 , so yeah it's almost a decade"
"I think 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 might be a little older "
"𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗!?, why'd you think that? " he asked
"I don't know, I just feel like...he's been-"
"You don't know what you're saying" he countered
"You're right, I don't know what I'm saying" she agreed and they both laughed. The laugh died down in seconds as awkwardness emerged from their midst, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 looked away, continued his shots, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 gazed at him for a moment then said;
"How have you been? "
"What!, you sound like we don't live together" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 uttered
"Yes, we live together, yet so far from each other " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 voiced, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 scoffed and said;
"What that fuck does that even mean? "
"Ohh I think you know what I mean" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 claimed. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜'ssmirk was immediately wiped off his face, he adjusted his body and looked away again.
"Just tell me how you've been!? " she pressed
"Look 𝙻𝚒𝚞, I don't know what you want me to tell you . I'm fine okay? "
"You haven't been getting enough sleep, have you? " she mentioned, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was surprised she knew this. He cleared his throat and asked
"How'd you know that? "
"It's obvious, it's written all over your face and let's just say I don't get much sleep myself"
"How bad is yours? "
"Really bad"
"How long has it been? "
"For as long as i remember, it's the trauma from the wars and how I use to always stay awake to avoid getting caught or killed, or raped, you know what I mean" she poured
"Yeah....jeeez, that sucks"
"I know, it's all over now though, I just gotta realize that" she concluded. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 didn't know what to say at that moment, she then asked
"What about you?, what's keeping you up?"
"Uhh...i don't know"
"You don't know what's keeping you up? " she pressed
".... I do, i just don't wanna talk about it "
"I just told you mine, didn't i? "
"Yeah, sorry " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 couldn't believe it, she shook her head and turned away from him, ask the bartender for more shots. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 looked at her subtlety for a second and turned towards his shot. While they were sitting there in silence, a young man approached 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 , stood beside her and said
"Is this man bothering you? "
"I beg your pardon? " she asked, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 heard, look deeply at him and then ignored.
"Look at him, he doesn't look happy. He doesn't know how to treat a beautiful woman like you, come with me lemme treat you right" the stranger stated. Obviously 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 didn't like this but she decided to play along just to see 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜' reaction.
"How? " she asked
"Well, first of all, I'll take you to my table right there, with my friends" he said pointing to his friends, and they waved and laugh.
"I know he couldn't afford a table but I can " the stranger added, with a smirk. 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 scoffed looking at 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 only shook his head, he wasn't gonna interfere because he knows she can take care of herself.
"Looks like you and friends bought it together" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 flagged, the stranger hesitated a bit and said
"No, I paid for it"
"Really? "
"Of course, see I'm training to become a soldier in the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 , so I'm pretty rich and also my dad is a retired 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 soldier" he said buoyantly, proud of himself.
"Oh, so you must be strong? " she poked
"Yeah for sure" he replied and flexed his muscles
"Ohh wowww, that's great. Alright, let's go to the table then " she suggested
"After you beautiful" , he said, looked at his friends who were hyping him up and surprised he's pulling it off, he was feeling himself.
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 tried to hold himself but he couldn't, he quickly grabbed her arm and said ;
"Are you serious? "
"What? " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 pressed
"You wanna go with...him? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said with a funny face.
"Wait, wait, wait, what are you tryna say?" The stranger pushed, they ignored him.
"Since you don't wanna talk, I might as well... " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"Jeeezz, okay, fine, I'm gonna tell you, what the hell" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 agreed.
"Alright then, I'm listening" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 prest. The stranger was just being ignored, he was getting agitated, he couldn't believe it.
"Damn, alright, lemme get a table " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 suggested, the stranger was shocked.
"You sure you wanna get another one, you just got one for the kids" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said, at this point they both knew what they were doing. The stranger gasped.
"Kids? " the stranger said to himself.
"Sure, that's not an issue " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said, at this point they both knew what they were doing. The stranger gasped.
"Kids? " the stranger said to himself.
"Sure, that's not an issue " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊. It was pretty obvious that buying a whole table was expensive and 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 just bought two, leaving the stranger absolutely speechless and embarrassed. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 and 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 was getting lead to their table when 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said;
"Nice try kid" . This made him more furious and his friends already started laughing at him, he just shamefully went back to his table.
"Take a good guess on who owns this bars" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 requested
"Oh definitely Lord 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗, it has to be him" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 answered, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 snapped his finger and said;
"Exactly, it's him"
"Of course it's him, bald fucker buying everything"
"How'd you know? " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 asked
"My dad? " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 probed
"Oh right, they're friends" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 quickly realized
"Is he that rich? " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 enquired
"He has an entire city to his name, yes he's that rich " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 mentioned
"Damn" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 expressed
"That's crazy" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 expressed too, gave it a thought and continued ;
"Do you think he's richer than the King? "
"Who?, King 𝙷𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛? " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 asked
"Well, yeah" he replied
"You always find a way to ask stupid questions, jeeeez" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 said and sighed, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 started laughing , 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 once again, wondering what he said wrong.
Moments later, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 looked afar from their table, tapped 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 and said;
"Look at them, what do you think their talking about" pointing to 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 and 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊
"I don't think we should be poking our noses in grown ups' business" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 said, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 burst out laughter
"Grown ups?, what are you?, a fuckin kid? " he said, continued laughing
"Shut up" she countered
"You don't wanna wake up mommy and daddy? " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 said, imitating the voice of a kid, still laughing. She shook her head, trying not to get mad
"You sound like they're your parents, like you're their kid" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 added
"Alright, I get, I get, can you guys just shut up " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 snapped. They both started trying to subdue the laugh but it wasn't working especially well, so she got mad dropped her drink, stood up and walked
"Where are you going? " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 asked
"Going to use the bathroom" she said
"You're not gonna take permission from mummy and daddy? " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 said, imitating the kid voice again. They both laughed, then she turned grabbed their glasses of drink, pour it on them , turned and walked away.
"Oh c'mon, what the hell? " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 said, STILL LAUGHING
"This is crazy, she can't even take getting laughed at and she laughs at me all the time, fuckin hilarious" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 mentioned
"She's adorable" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 said sarcastically as they both were cleaning themselves up.
On the other side of the bar was 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 and 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 talking.
"...so that's what making you not sleep? " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 asked
"Pretty much. I just don't wanna be like 𝙲𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 claimed and 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 scoffed.
"What? " he asked
"Be like 𝙲𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎? "
"Yeah, you don't think I can be like him?"
"Nahh, I think you're good, you have nothing to worry about" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said, chuckling
"Yeah yeah, I just don't know why I feel that way. This life.....just too many things happening, too many evil. 'Two evil never equals one good'. It's what he used to say, basically what he meant was everybody is evil in this world, there's no good person. He was referring to 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎 and 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎 mostly, both do evil to keep a good image and I'm starting to realize that. Too many evil, but I don't wanna end up sitting home, reading books all day and saving children...i mean, it's not bad but you know what I'm saying" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 expressed
"Yeah, of course I do " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 replied, she was somehow stunned because this is the longest sentence he ever said to her.
"Look at the bright side, being 𝙲𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 isn't bad, we are who we are today because of him, he's living a life of peace " she said to him
"I know but that's not what I wanted- want, I mean. I wanna fight, be on the road, live in glory as a soldier, be what he failed to be not what he became. You know when I was young and hearing his stories, i use to wonder, who in their right mind gives up a life like that and I just wanted to prove him wrong, but now....fuck, I'm saying too much " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 emphasised and realized this isn't the usual him.
"No, no, no you're not, c'mon" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 disagreed
"Yes, but anyways, you know all the reasons I can't sleep now, so let's talk about something else " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 deflected
"Okay....like what? " she asked, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 paused to think for second and then it clicked
"Oh yeah 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗, what the fuck is going on with, he's acting....different" he said
"Yeahh, right, that's such a twist. Well I never knew him much but that guy at home isn't the same guy in the Emperor's court who threw that axe at you " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 followed
"Exactly, something isn't right"
"I mean it's a good thing he's changing"
"You think? "
"Yeah, why not? "
"I guess it is, but it just feels kinda strange you know, for yearss I've known him as this dumb, dark, rude, evil Saddistic meat head and now he's being a normal guy? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 uttered, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 sniggered
"I hate when people I hate start being good people, like just stay there, stick to fuckin script, don't ruin it, I don't wanna like you " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 added , 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 laughed and said
"I think that's just villainous"
"No it isn't, it's not-, I just feel that way, like who wants to love someone they hate?"
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said as they both laughs.
"You have a point though, but I'm ready to give him a chance " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"Well that's angelic of you " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said
"You should too"
"Uhh..nahh, ain't happening" he said, she continued laughing.
"Can't stop wondering what happened to him, maybe it's the near death experiences. Can you believe he almost died three times that day? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 revealed
"Really? "
"Yeah, for some reason, he just wanna die" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 claimed
"But you saved him, right?, maybe you don't hate him as much as you think"
"No, it's different, i had to "
"Why?"
"𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊?, the Emperor?, the invasion? . C'mon, you know I had to "
"Right.....maybe it's 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 changing him"
"Yeah?, maybe..... Maybe it's every thing, the near death experiences, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊, the nightmares-"
"Nightmares? "
"Yeah, he gets a lotta nightmares, that's why he don't sleep. The last time he almost died, it turned out he was having a nightmare"
"What? "
"Yeah" he answered laughing.
"That's so funny, I can't.... " she expressed. They kept laughing for some moments, then it got soothing for some seconds, then 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"This is our last fun time before the-", she was interrupted by that stranger who just walked up to their table.
" What do you want? " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 pressed, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was starring at him too.
"You both think you can just make a fool of me and get away with it?, do you know who i am? " he pushed
"Uhhmm, what did he say he was again...." 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 started, pretending to think by holding his forehead with one hand and snapping his fingers with the other.
"Hmmmm...damn, I can't remember" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 continued, also pretending to think, the stranger was getting seriously furious. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 snapped his finger louder this time and excitingly said
"Ohh, I got it, I got it"
"What is it, what is it? " she required
"....a uhmmm, a cobbler right? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked, looking at the stranger, the stranger clenched his fist, like he was trying to hold himself.
"No, no, a cobbler?, I don't think so" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said, looked at the stranger too and asked
"It's not a cobbler right? " adding fuel to his anger. The stranger hit both hands on their table and angrily said
"I said a 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 soldier, damnit!!!!! "
"Ohhhhhhh" they both simultaneously expressed.
"Right, right" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 continued, nodding his head to it
"A trainee!!, right i remember that part" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 added. The stranger drew close to her, she sarcastically shifted her body, like she was scared, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 scoffed.
"Look at me, you ugly bitch-" the stranger started
"Ohhh, now I'm ugly? " she said sniggering
"Been tryna tell you" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said and they both laughed, the stranger banged the table again with his right hand, while his left hand was placed on the top of 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊's seat, trying to be intimidating.
"Listen to me you bastards, trainee or not, I'm a soldier and you should show some respect or I'll ruin both your lives" the stranger warned. Sure he did.
"Ohh, this is serious" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said smiling, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 actually didn't think 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 could hold himself for this long, it made her smile seeing him having fun without being drunk this time.
"Now, i don't know who the two of you are, buying a table like that, but i haven't seeing you in the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 before. So whatever you are, it doesn't matter. You can't talk to a soldier in such manner-"
"A trainee" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 interrupted, and they both laughed. This time the stranger really got pissed and before he could do anything, 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 dragged his right arm from behind, leaving him unbalanced and his face on the table, then 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 bent the right arm and had him in pain. The stranger was struggling, totally pinned down when 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 asked;
"Is this man bothering you two? "
"Oh no, no, 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 , leave him be" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 requested, chuckling with 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 .
"Ohh, ohh, sorry" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 apologized and freed the stranger, even helping him to arrange his shirt, the stranger pushed his hands away, embarrassed again. He was contemplating fighting but he thought about how easily he was just pinned and how strong the grip was so he just held himself, and left. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 and 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 laughed, 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 once again was confused.
"What was that about? " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 asked
"It's really nothing, why are you here? " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 returned
"Uhhm, i just wanted to ask when we're going home, then i saw that guy, looking like trouble, so....." 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 explained
"You didn't think we had it covered?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 pressed
"C'mon, he was just trying to help" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 defended
"I'm sorry, it was instinct" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said
"Instinctive paranoi? "𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 mentioned, they all laughed.
"We were just about to leave anyways, it's getting late " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said.
"Right" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 added. They stood and saw 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 and 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 who was already standing , waiting for them so they can leave.
"Woahh, you guys really wanna leave huh? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said
"Well they both can't stand themselves right now" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said, referring to 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 and 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 . They were both standing in distance from each other. 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 quickly noticed and asked;
"What happened to them? ", 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 sighed and started telling them what happened as they walked up to them and from there, they all walked out of the bar talking and of course, laughing.
That night when everyone was already home, preparing for bed , 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was getting ready for the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕. In the living room with 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 who was there to go with her. They had to go see 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊, who has been close to 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 and has been helping her secretly sneak 𝙴𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚊 out to see her. The plan was to make her convince 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚒𝚊 the princess, to host 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 in a dinner in the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 , framing it as a way for 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚒𝚊 to help 𝙴𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚊 get her. Which was a very easy task to be fair, because 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊 won't decline a request like that from a " friend" and obviously 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚒𝚊 will agree, once again because it will be nice to have her brother's lover or rather crush over for dinner. So this most crucial part of plan was definitely going to work perfectly and easily (this just shows how well crafted the plan was, accolades to Lord 𝙿𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗).
However, even though this part of the mission was clear as day and as easy as falling off a log, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 still had an uneasiness about her face. 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 noticed this and didn't hesitate to ask;
"Hey, are you okay? "
"Knowing what's coming, am i supposed to be? " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 flunged back
"I know, I know, this whole thing is really hard on you, hard on us all, but more on you" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 empathized
"Don't rue me 𝙻𝚒𝚞" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 raised her head she's being bowing and said. 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 backed down, then 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 continued
"I'm already prepared for everything that's to come, physically and mentally. It's just... I don't know how to face them that day, you know"
"Face who? " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 raised, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 walked to a couch and sat as 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 stood and listen.
"All of them. How do i look at 𝙻𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚊 in her eyes after everything she has caused and not react? " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 said, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 was speechless for a second.
"And at the same time, how can I look at 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊 or even 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚒𝚊. They trusted me, I mean...i know i shouldn't like them, I should hate them, even 𝙴𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚊 but I just don't, they are such sweet people that was unfortunate enough to have that bitch, 𝙻𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚊 in their life, 'cause it's all her fault, not mine, or my brother's, it was her's. But now, i just don't know how i'd be able to hold them at sword point that day, with a normal face. I don't know what I'd say, I don't know how I'd react , I....it just bothers me more than it should" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 expressed. 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 who has been patiently listening, walked up to sit with her on the couch and then aforesaid;
"It's totally okay to worry about that. But the advice I have for you, you might not like "
"Really?, what is it? "
"Okay, so...be mean, just be mean" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"What? " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 exclaimed, confused
"Yes, yes, hear me out. When you prepare your mind to be mean, that way your soft emotions wouldn't be able to get the better of you. No matter what they say, no matter how devastating and sad it sounds, be mean, no matter what crosses your mind, be rude. That's the best way to get through, you'll regret it for sure but that'd be later when the work is already done, you wouldn't be able to take it back." 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 advised, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was shocked and said ;
"That sounds rude as fuck"
"Well it is, but it gets the job done quicker, not easier"
𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 sighed and mentioned;
"I guess I'll have to try that"
"You can do it, you just have to prepare your mind. Picture 𝙻𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚊 if you have to" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said, shrugging her shoulders, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 looked at her with an agreeing expression and said;
"I'll try that....thanks 𝙻𝚒𝚞"
"Of course, don't mention. Shall we go see this 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊 now and get it ready for the big day? "
"Oh yes, we shall" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 said and she exhaled deeply, and stood up, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 stood up too, then 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 said
"Let's get going" as the both walked out, marching towards the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕.
(Please read the rest of the chapter in the next one, this couldn't contain the whole chapter)