The crown prince knelt at the foot of an obsidian alter. He took a moment to ferry a small flame to the wick of each ceremonial candle, lighting them all in a row along the gold engraved ledge, then settled back down onto his knees to wait patiently for a sign. Watching the delicate points of light burning brightly, they flickered and danced against the black stone slab behind them. Hypnotically, the fire called to him, and it made his mind feel as if it were beginning to drift off into a warm dream.
When suddenly every single flame extinguished in a wave across the alter all at once, trails of smoke from the dying fire filled the room, floating past the prince in curling tendrils of white mist, and in response Malekai closed his eyes in prayer. Obediently, he bowed his head to better hear her in his mind... the great Goddess. His body was filled with her blessed energy. As long as he listened, she would speak her cryptic wishes, and he would be her harbinger to carry out judgement upon the people without a second thought.
Then the door behind Malekai opened. Entering into the private sanctum was a man who permitted himself to speak with the prince. "Pardon my intrusion, your majesty..." The butler apologized in a polite tone. "But we have refugees arriving from the east, it seems."
How strange... the prince thought.
Malekai looked at the man from the corner of his eye and then rose up without a word. Upon the pedestal at which he had prayed, the statue of the Goddess of Death stood tall, covered in her dark shroud. The entire back wall was eclipsed by her black alter alone.
...It was a macabre place to pray.
The intruder who had spoken earlier grew anxious the longer he had to stand there in that smokey room. Of course, he was also hesitant to interrupt his highness' concentration a second time, but his nerves were now urging him to say something more.
The man slowly opened his mouth, "About the banquet to--"
"Tonight." he was cut off by Malekai, who tilted his head thoughtfully. "Someone is going to try to kill me tonight."
For a few minutes, no one said another word. The prince's assistant instead swallowed nervously in the space of that long silence.
The prince then smirked, an audible soft laugh escaping him as he whispered to himself, "Maybe I'll finally be free of all this..." There was a painful look in his eyes as he stared one last time at the Goddess' dreadful face, before he turned away and walked out of the sanctuary.
[NOTE: Riku is given his mission parameters and arrives at the palace first.]
A sleek black automobile pulled up outside the gates to the palace. It effortlessly shifted from top speed down to a smooth gentle cruise as it rolled slowly into the inspection point, stopping just before the protective bollards that blocked the path. The vehicle turned off its headlights out of courtesy for the guards standing stationed at the entrance, yet still, the windows of the car were tinted too dark to tell who was behind the wheel while it idled there.
Two of the officers glanced over at each other regarding the new arrival, but no one went to check on it in a timely manner. They both seemed to stand there for a full minute, silently suggesting to the opposite man that he should be the one to go towards the car first.
During their delay, a third officer was forced to emerge from the nearby guard post to address the situation himself. Hesitant as he was to confirm the identity of the driver, or for that matter, the passenger most certainly sitting in the backseat, he went anyway in steady strides to approach the driver's side door. Although everyone knew who it must be behind that glass, no one wanted to accept the fact that the harbinger of death had arrived. There was no avoiding him now.
The brave officer watched as the window rolled down while he stooped in preparation to request their I.D. The chauffeur provided it readily, along with proof of invitation and a glimpse of the prince sitting in the seat behind him. After all was said and done, the vehicle was allowed to enter the royal plaza ahead, as the guards opened up the gates and the bollards retracted flat into the ground. Once inside the cul-de-sac, the car pulled up and parked parallel to the staircase outside leading up to the large doors of the palace.
"We're here, your highness." The driver's gaze traveled up into his rear view mirror, after a moment realizing the prince was unresponsive to his announcement, the man spun around in his seat. "Highness...?" He called once more, peering with some concern into the dark space where the prince sat motionless and slouched.
This made Malekai's head rise up and his eyes open very slowly to stare back at the chauffeur. In dead silence, the prince pushed open the door and exited the vehicle without speaking a single word in return.
Malekai looked up into the sky; his eyes rolled slightly as if under a trance. The color of his iris changed from light blue to blood red and then back again while he continued to walk up the palace steps. His hands moved to adjust his suit and tie on the way there. Then through the double doors, Malekai Corvus entered into the castle and was escorted to the banquet hall without delay.
His dreadful aura made it quite clear to everyone in attendance that the guest of honor had finally arrived.
[NOTE: Riku is being bothered by other guests that are offering to adopt him, (as a cat/slave/servant? I don't know why, I didn't write his character, it's weird), then he trips and spills his drink on Malekai.]
"Was this the assassination attempt?!" the thought flashed through Malekai's mind as he stood frozen on the spot, feeling wetness spreading through his clothes and across his torso, followed by a rapid cold chill creeping into his skin.
Muscles stiff, matching the incredulous look still stuck on his face, he blinked slowly a few seconds after he fully registered what had happened. All he knew was that someone had rushed towards him, then there was a crash and cold shards pelted his skin in an abrupt spray of glass. Two centimeters from his tense fingertips floated a spear of bright energy, which had materialized in that instant and was poised to strike the assailant in retaliation.
Somehow, he'd stopped himself just short of grabbing the weapon and stabbing his attacker instinctively. It was a good thing too, because there was no real attack to be seen once he surveyed the area. If he has acted on reflex alone, there would've been the dead body of a neko boy kneeling at his feet now.
Malekai quietly took the time to sweep some pieces of champagne glass off his suit. Meanwhile, people all around the room stared in frightened anticipation of what he was going to do to the boy who begged his forgiveness. The drenched prince couldn't keep a small smile from sliding across his lips as he thought of this. It was so silly. He started to chuckle.
At first his chest had heaved with a cough, but then it came out as bursts of genuine laughter. The fact that he was cracking up all by himself in the stark silence made him want to laugh even more. The party guests were probably terrified.
It was only a little later that the noble men and women attempted to join in on his humor, laughing along with him at an unheard joke.
He couldn't believe it... his mind felt like a weight had lifted from it. How long had it been since he'd last heard himself laugh?
A feminine voice from afar remarked, "It's good to see the darkness has lifted from you, Lord Malekai." The princess of Valdoris moved gracefully as she approached in her pearlescent white gown, her skirts swirling freely around her feet while she walked. Lady Alora was a fair-haired woman, glowing with youthful beauty and long golden tresses draped down her back. She shared a smile with the prince. "We should celebrate your new found freedom from the goddess' oppression."
Malekai sighed heavily. "No, Alora; I'm not here to have fun."
She smiled much bigger this time. "Who says that kind of thing?" The princess laughed. "You sound like an upset child unwilling to relent."
The harbinger's eyes flashed momentarily a red hue, and then he asked, "Who is this here on the ground...?" He was indicating to the neko who assailed him earlier. "Who let him in?" Malekai's tone suggested that he found the boy to be unfit to attend the banquet, based on the appearance of his mismatched attire. Particularly his pants.
"Oh? I heard he had an invitation." Alora further clarified with sympathy apparent in her words, "We must've sent them out to his late master who once held status in our court some time ago. We did not know he was dead, and I did not have the heart to turn his poor pet away. If this is what the owner wanted, I will not deny a dead man his wish."
"Yes, well..." The cold-hearted prince didn't care for his sob story. He proceeded to unbutton the front of his suit jacket, which was drenched and deathly cold to wear now that it was soaked through to the skin. Malekai shrugged out of his sleeves, folding the wet cloth over his forearm, and he started snapping his fingers several times to get the neko's attention. "Hey! Quit mewling, cat. Tell me your name. Be quick about it before I change my mind. I'm only listening because you made me laugh... do it again and, hell, I might adopt you myself."
[NOTE: Riku talked back to Malekai and turned down his offer.]
The entire time, Malekai's brows had been raised up high in surprise ever since he'd first heard the words "unfortunately for you" spat back in his face; anything that followed afterward only served to sustain his state of disbelief. Needless to say, nothing quite like this had ever happened to him before tonight's banquet.
His mind had prepared his mouth to start speaking almost immediately in response, except in reality, he simply had no idea what to say to someone so... foolhardy. Thus the whole room watched as the harbinger stood there with his lips slightly parted, uselessly agape while he allowed several precious seconds to pass by without issuing a proper reproach.
It was impossible not to be taken aback by this boy's daring display of insolence. How could it be that this neko had never heard of him?
The red-eyed prince expelled a wordless breath in frustration, then stated. "I was given a title, not a name; the meaning of 'Malekai' is literally nothing more than 'my messenger' in the ancient language."
The way he talked of this was dampened by a dull undertone, his voice notably tired, yet he delivered each and every syllable with a sharp edge despite that, as if the words tasted wrong and he wanted to get them off of his tongue in annoyance.
"It was given to me by the dark goddess Avornyn, as I am her herald, the harbinger of death and the hand of her judgement upon the people. I have been known to be a bad omen, some say I'm a demon myself. I wouldn't know what to tell you about that. However, you are welcome to call me whatever you want."
Malekai paused to get some champagne for himself from a passing server's tray.
"Whatever makes you more... comfortable.. kitten." The prince offered him a wink in mock flirtation. As he showed a bitter smirk to accompany the gesture, he raised his glass in a false toast to the boy's honor before taking a sip.
The alcohol was weaker than he would've liked.
[NOTE: Riku got offended and gave Malekai a lecture about slavery and people hurting him on purpose.]
Malekai blinked, but didn't open his eyes for some time until the boy was done talking. His iris' were back to being sky blue again before he offered a confused tilt of his head.
"What on earth are you talking about?" The prince asked, exasperated. "I didn't do anything to hurt you, intentionally or otherwise. Huhhh.. dear goddess..." He sighed, finished his drink, turned to deposit the empty glass on a nearby surface, then grabbed a hold of the glowing spear that he'd summoned earlier to stab the boy. His reflex was fast enough to startle a scream out of the womenfolk in the room who feared the sight of bloodshed. But nothing bad had actually happened. He only brought the tip of the spear an inch away from the neko's chest to prove a point.
"If I wanted to punish you, I would have used this the first time I summoned it. It was an accident. I'm sorry." His apology sounded stiff, it felt forced, but it was the best anyone would get out of a death dealer like Malekai, who hadn't meant what he said it any measure of remorse, he just wanted to set the record straight so that the issue could be put to rest.
"I don't particularly sympathize with the plight of slaves," Malekai admitted plainly. "If someone wants to be free, they can always just kill themselves or kill their oppressors. It doesn't matter which path a person takes in life, all of you will go to Avornyn eventually."
The prince put away his weapon; it disappeared in a burst of light, leaving small particles, like little sparkling stars to float down and flicker out of existence a few seconds before touching the floor.
Another drink was soon handed to him by Lady Alora, who looked worried. "We have wine, if you want. Or perhaps, you'd prefer something stronger?"
"Give me whatever you've got in great quantity."
She went to fetch a server to fulfill his request, while he went to sit at a table by himself. Nobody wanted to sit with the harbinger.
Malekai stared down sadly at the table. When he saw a beer slide into the space underneath his face, he knew it was Alora handing it to him without having to look. To drown out his frenzied thoughts, he drank deeply until the ale was all gone. Then another full glass found its way towards him to replace it.
There were so many things he had the urge to say to that impudent cat. Some of what the boy spouted during his diatribe was true... while the majority of it was mostly rooted in naive ignorance, the small bits of truth that slipped through the cracks were a hurtful reminder of how numb Malekai had become to his own neglected happiness.
He knew exactly where he was going to go after he died -- that is, if the goddess would even allow him to have that much. He was already a slave himself to that dark and dreadful mistress, though the cat didn't seem to care about that, since it didn't fit his narrative of how much worse his suffering was in his self-imposed servitude.
People like Riku were merely chained to their masters by fear of death; every punishment they endured was considered pleasant in comparison to dying slowly of starvation, trying to survive and fend for themselves in the streets. It wasn't an impossible task to be free if one wanted to be, but it took far more perseverance to sustain oneself and to deal with the hardships that would led to a better life. If ever there was a choice, Malekai would've gladly taken such a chance himself, unlike all those slaves too scared to fight for their own freedom.
Dying didn't seem so bad when life itself could be so much worse.
But of course, Malekai would never know the merciful feeling of eternal rest in the afterworld, because his soul had been bound to Avornyn from the very moment of conception in his mother's womb, and the covenant forever sealed when he was old enough to hear the goddess in his mind for the first time.
He drank even more alcohol as it arrived in front of him endlessly in succession, one after the other. As the cups continued to come his way, he kept on emptying them on the spot.
It was only once the cat got into another commotion with another man, that Malekai lifted himself out of the liquor to see what was going on this time. It couldn't possibly be the same complaint being pushed onto a different person, could it? Was the boy intending to do this all night, all around the room, until some poor sod promised to pass a law to stop the slave trade? If the boy didn't want to be someone's pet, it made no sense for him to be here at this party amongst rich aristocrats, unless he was in fact hoping for a politician to put an end to slavery for him.
Seeing that some guy had gotten his guts kicked in a little bit by the neko boy, Malekai wobbled up from where he was sitting and stumbled over to get in on the action.
"Hey, cat!" He called out; for lack of knowing the neko's name, he tacked on, "Listen, I don't know your name -- but why don't you just kill that guy? It's not like you'll get in trouble for it." The prince assured him with slurred words.
"Letting people like that live is your real problem. You say you don't want to be a slave? Then don't sell yourself as a pet, it's that simple. Murder any man that tries to take you by force."
He stuck out his hand and summoned a sword.
"See? Look; if you stab him, he can't come back to bother you."
The guy was gone before Malekai could turn towards him to demonstrate.
[NOTE: Riku argues with him again about his beliefs.]
"Ugh! You're impossible to talk to!" The sluggishly intoxicated prince threw his hands up in the air, sending his sword flying out of his floppy grip and launching off across the room where it landed with a clang upon the marble floor; the momentum continued to send it sliding along the smooth tile, spinning around on its hilt like an out-of-control compass, until the blade sliced into the back of a guy's ankle as it whirled past his feet, causing him to topple over in agony.
"Eeeyyaaauuugghhhhh!!" screamed the man in a masculine fashion. It was clear to see, with the wound wide open and starting to bleed, that his Achilles tendon had most likely been lacerated.
Malekai let out a little giggle in his drunken stupor while Alora rushed over to help.
The injured guest gave a look of absolute shock and horror when realizing it was the prince who'd done the deed. He clutched his leg, crying out occasionally in distress as his peers tried to administer first aid.
"Oh MY GODS! My ANKLE! How could you..?! Nghh..! I've done nothing! All I wanted was to leave this accursed party! Well now I see I should've walked faster... while I was still able to walk!" The man wailed mournfully as if he were a ghost at his own funeral. "If I'm meant to die, do it now, you damn reaper! Do not let me linger--!!"
"Be quiet!" demanded Alora. "He's not here to hurt you. It was only another accident." She slowly glared up at Malekai in deadly condemnation as if to suggest he should agree, lest he look forward to facing a woman scorned. Quite a frightening sight, coming from a girl who'd never so much as raised her voice in anger at him before.
Malekai got the message and went away to sit down somewhere he wouldn't hurt anyone else.
Acting quickly, Alora ran back and forth to fetch the proper supplies to patch up the injury. "What is your name, sir?" She asked, half serving as a distraction to dull the pain while she worked on him.
"K-Kenneth McKay." He grunted through clenched teeth. "You can call me Ken, or.. heh..." He chuckled, a bit embarrassed to tell her, "...some people call me Kenny."
"Kenny?" She smiled brightly, humoring him.
"Yeah, it's uh, not my preferred nickname, but--FUUUCK!!!"
"Sorry!" She apologized, apparently having poured a whole pitcher of saline solution into his open wound all at once.
Meanwhile, the other guests around them began to disperse at the behest of castle security, who made their rounds, kindly informing everyone that the banquet would be ending in about an hour, due to the unfortunate events which transpired tonight.
[NOTE: Riku goes to help Kenneth and apologizes for making Malekai frustrated in the first place.]
Having heard Riku's apology and subsequent offer to help him out, Kenneth appreciated the concern, but he assured the boy, "Oh, no, it isn't your fault. You don't owe me anything for someone else's mistake." He winced while Alora wrapped a bandage tightly around his ankle; she had something else to suggest on the contrary.
"Actually, Lord Kenneth, if you could let him lend you a hand, that might be beneficial to the both of you." The princess proceeded to explain her reasons for saying this. "For one thing, I must ask you to stay the night, to make sure you don't put any more strain on your injury on the way home; I can get a cleric to come in the morning to heal your leg properly. And secondly, I believe Riku has been looking for a new master..."
Alora looked up at Riku, praying he wouldn't object to her idea, as she had a much bigger plan in mind that she needed to discuss with the neko privately. She couldn't say anything more about it in the presence of her other guest though, so she shot Riku a sort of sly glance and suggestive nod to hopefully give him the hint to play along.
Kenneth was about to counter her idea with a nervous laugh, "Well, I don't know if I---"
"Nonsense~" Alora cut him off. She still tried to sound charming, as she abruptly slung the man's arm over her shoulder and lifted him up onto feet -- or rather, his foot -- and motioned for two of her larger guards to come assist Lord Kenneth. "Can you please help him into one of the guest rooms? His leg is injured." She instructed, then traded him off to one of the other men who supported Kenneth's weight in her stead. "Listen, I'll send someone to stich you up in a bit. Just try to relax and get some rest for tonight, alright?"
"Al..right.." Kenneth couldn't really complain, realizing the princess was taking personal responsibility for what had happened to him at her banquet, and now she wasn't going to allow him to turn down her hospitality no matter what.
She smiled. "Oh, and Riku? There's something I would like to ask you, if you'll just give me a minute... I'll be right back." Alora left the guards to carry off Lord Kenneth while she trotted over to where Prince Malekai was apparently passed out on a chaise lounge in the corner. She shook him awake. He came back to consciousness with a confused grunt.
"Yeeah.. whadya whaant..?"
"We've got guest rooms, you know." Alora reminded him, laughing. It's not like Malekai had never been to the Valdorian palace before; he should've known by now he was welcome to whatever room he wanted. She prodded him to find a better place to sleep off his hangover, "I bet a bed will be more comfortable than this couch you're laying on."
"Porbblably..." burbled the prince.
She snickered. "Okay, come on~" Lifting him by the arm, like she did with the other aristocrat, the princess hefted up an intoxicated harbinger from the sofa to help shuttle him off to another room. He stumbled along in delayed step with her while they walked down the hall.
The lights clicked on in the guest room as Alora flipped the switch on the wall, illuminating the luxurious suite in a warm glow; it was a bit dim, but in a welcoming way, like the light from a gently crackling fireplace on a cold night. The bedroom looked a lot cozier like this.
The whole interior was decorated in tones of creamy vanilla white and soft honey gold. Everything from the curtains, the cushions, the headboard, dresser and nightstand were all custom made to match, created by master craftsmen from the highest quality materials the royal treasury could buy.
Alora helped Malekai move slowly over to the enormous plush bed, littered with bunches of puffy pillows and layers of fluffy blankets which were just waiting for him. The minute his body hit the bed, Alora watched as he was swallowed up by the immense softness on all sides. She was pleased to see that the harbinger did indeed seem very comfortable and relaxed now, entirely unlike how he'd presented himself upon first arriving at her palace mere hours ago.
"Mm... lay down with me.." he moaned languidly. "...Alora." His hands held onto the falling fabric of her dress as she had leaned over him to put a pillow under his head.
Slightly embarrassed by his display, she blushed and let out a flustered laugh. "Now's not the time~"
When she least expected it, Malekai lifted himself up halfway and kissed her lightly on the lips. It only lasted for a fleeting moment, but in her mind, it must've felt like an entire lifetime before she even realized it was over. Malekai had already laid back down again, he was playing with a piece of her dress, curling the cloth around in his hand, trying to pull her in ever closer.
"...Please.." he begged her. "..We might not get another chance like this..."
It tore at Alora's heart to hear him say that. This was the real Malekai. This was what he really felt like.
If it hadn't been for Avornyn's hold over him, Alora remembered a time when she and Malekai may have been more... but as he got older, the goddess gained greater control of her herald, and by the time he was in his late teen's, growing into adulthood, the jealous goddess had turned his heart cold towards the Valdorian princess. Of course, Avornyn could not keep him from caring for his childhood friend completely, but she could certainly stop him from loving her.
"I... can't. I'm sorry." Alora tried to grab onto any excuse within reach to make sense of what she was saying. "Y-you're not sober. You should try to get some sleep."
She swiftly unlatched herself from Malekai's grasp and got far away from where he lay. She couldn't allow herself to fall into false hope with him. What would being with him for one night accomplish anyway? He'd only be back to the way he was before when they both woke up in the morning. It wasn't worth the heartache.
On her way out of the room, as she clicked the lights off, she reminded him, "Don't forget to get under the covers."
In return, he called out, clearly drunk, "Aloraah, I'm lonely! Hey wait, can you send that cat boy in here real quick? Tell him to come suck my dick!"
Alora burst out laughing as she left. "Goodnight, Malekai~!"
Walking back to the banquet hall, she was happy to find that the neko was still right where she had left him. "Alright, Riku. Thank you for waiting for me." Alora adjusted her skirts before seating herself at his table in a chair across from him.
"I have a favor to ask of you." She interlaced her fingers together, resting her hands on top of the table.
"It might not make sense, but I'm certain that you had something to do with Malekai's shift in behavior tonight. He's never been like this before, and it all started when you spilled champagne on him. He actually laughed. A GENUINE laugh that I haven't heard from him in forever." She smiled bitter sweetly, and then sighed.
"You may or may not know this, but we've been at war with Malekai and his kingdom for a while now, and this banquet was essentially supposed to be our final effort to appease him, to try to nurture peace between us. But we all know why he was really here... he came to receive our terms of surrender, and I honestly never imagined that this banquet would be able to end without bloodshed." Alora stopped to consider for a second that Lord Kenneth McKay had gotten his ankle sliced open, but that was far from being counted as a casualty, no matter how much he insisted that he'd almost died on impact.
She went on to say, "Whatever affect you had on him -- on Malekai, I mean -- obviously turned the tides in our favor. I owe you, Riku. We all do. Although I can't quite explain it, I know I need you around here until I can get him to sign a peace treaty. Please. If you agree to stay, I can promise you will never have to worry about selling yourself on the slave market; I can guarantee you will get a good master, if that's what you truly want."
[NOTE: Riku didn't add anything significant to the conversation; meanwhile, elsewhere…]
Kenneth McKay was supposed to be in bed with his wound freshly stitched, bandaged and medicated to dull the pain. Yet here he was, right after getting his ankle sewn back together, already eager to stand up and start walking again. He considered taking a stroll around the castle corridors for some much needed exercise.
The man grimaced as he got out of bed, slinging his legs over the side; those blankets had been boiling him alive. He'd tossed them off the instant the servants closed the door to his quarters. Kenneth couldn't believe they would just bury their guests in so many sweltering layers in the middle of summer. Who on earth thought this was necessary? Why would anyone need such a copious bounty of bedsheets to smother them while they slept? It wasn't even cold in his room! Hell, it wasn't cold at all anywhere else in the castle!
...And to think that the servants had simply suggested he stick his leg out if he was feeling a little sweaty -- with the bulk of the thick quilts tucked underneath it, his leg would've been leveraged at a full tilt high into the air, looking like his intent was to set his foot upon the ceiling. He couldn't imagine anyone who would sleep comfortably with their leg up saluting the roof.
Kenneth pressed his palms into the mattress and started to push himself forward off of the bed, his feet were planted firmly upon the floor as he shifted his weight slowly onto them. Given enough time to adjust to the burden, his muscles were making progress in this gradual transfer of balance. At first he used the nightstand to support himself further, then grabbed the edge of the dresser next, until finally tilting over to grasp the wall when he was fully standing.
It wasn't impossible to walk with his Achilles tendon cut in such a fashion, keeping it flat against the ground allowed him to sort of slide along with that foot; all he had to do was remember not to bend it, because the tendon wasn't able to pull him back from falling over if he tilted it too far forward, not to mention the back of the ankle would rip wide open like a gaping mouth if he tried to do that, so that was incentive enough for him be very careful when walking.
It took some time for him to scooch across the room to reach the door, but he did it. He headed out into the hall. Much to his surprise, no one important paid any mind to the injured man shuffling off somewhere without assistance. It was quite the trek too. Yet no one stopped him on his way to the banquet room.
Kenneth eventually came to the corner of the antechamber that would lead into that grand hall, where he heard two voices talking within. If he wasn't mistaken, it sounded like one of them was the Valdorian princess, while the other belonged to that neko who'd annoyed prince Malekai. Kenneth listened closely.
The cat spoke first, "If you have something you want planned, I will wait to tell Mal my decision until it's resolved. I can only hope that Mal would accept a worthless neko like me."
"What...?" Lord McKay's heart skipped a beat. What was this? Now the neko was referring to death's harbinger casually as 'Mal', and Alora seemed to be making a deal with this kid?
He overhead the princess' response, she laughed slightly, "Malekai actually asked for you to come to his room a little while ago. I wouldn't advise it, but you can go see him right now if you feel like getting on his good side."
A frown crossed Kenneth's face. What the hell was going on here? Were the three of them in on this together? He knew there was no way in hell that sword had come flying his way by accident! It was an attempted murder! Malekai must've known about him... but how?!
Hearing the approach of castle guards patrolling the halls, Kenneth was forced to hobble fast back to his room before he could gather anymore information. Slamming the door shut, he bolted it and turned around to see that there was a black bird sitting, waiting on his window sill. It's beady eyes bore into him from the other side of the glass. It stared expectantly.
Kenneth went to the window. The dark sky greeted him to only an endless abyss beyond it. The bird appeared to be nothing more than a haunting silhouette of something that wasn't there, a ghostly shadow blending into the blackest night. Lord McKay let it in.
"They know about me." He began to say to the bird.
"I believe there are three of them. Alora Valdoris, Malekai Corvus... and a neko known as Riku Sutton. I need to know who he is. I've already been wounded, perhaps even compromised at this point. My Achilles tendon has been cut, and Alora says she will get a cleric for me in the morning. If you can send aid, send it soon." Kenneth paused to think over what he should say next.
"I... will see what I can do about the prince... if at all possible. But it does not look promising." He sighed and then shooed the bird away into the night.
He prayed to get a report back soon. He needed to know badly about that cat boy. Riku the Neko was the true wildcard in this equation, and without that intel, Kenneth wouldn't know who to watch out for.
[NOTE: Riku didn't want to see Malekai, and instead asked for a place to sleep for the night.]
There was no delay to Alora's answer, "Of course." She regarded him with a motherly warmth and kindness in her eyes. Even if he hadn't of asked her, she would've insisted he stay in their guest quarters as the night drew to a close. It was only natural. He, too, was one of her guests on this strange occasion, and she couldn't allow any of her party-goers to worry about where they would be sleeping for the night.
"Come with me; I'll show you to your room." She got up and escorted Riku to a place just a few doors down from where Malekai and Kenneth were resting already; Alora pointed out that fact to the neko. "Lords Corvus and McKay are in those rooms right there. If you should need anything, there is a phone by your bedside; it can't make any calls outside of the castle, but you can dial 1 or 0 to get assistance from someone on staff."
She swung the door wide open and flicked on the light inside for him preemptively. "Oh, and there's no need to worry about getting up as soon as the sun rises; whenever you do wake up, breakfast or lunch can be brought to your room any time at your leisure." She departed shortly after saying, "Have a good night, Riku. I'll see you tomorrow."
The princess was potentially too caring for her own good. Here she was showing hospitality to the dark harbinger who came to destroy her kingdom, a wounded aristocrat she would probably have to pay a cash settlement to for personal injury on her property, and now a homeless neko who technically was never supposed to be permitted into the palace.
Riku was right about one thing; it had definitely been a long day.
Alora retired to her own royal chambers once she was done with her duties an hour later. A black bird flew by her bedroom window, but she paid it no mind. She clicked off the lamp next to her, pulled the covers tighter, turned over and closed her eyes.
---
Kenneth McKay snapped to attention when he heard a tapping sound. There perched upon the ledge was the loyal little messenger bird. At last it had returned, pecking at the window with it's beak to let him know it was back.
The man's chair creaked under him as he moved to stand up on his feet. He staggered over to the window, again unlatching the lock and parting the panes of glass. The cool night air came in alongside his feathered friend. "Alright, what do you have for me..." It was a rhetorical question as the bird could not be bothered to answer.
His fingers worked to unfasten a small note stuck to the avian's leg. "Let's see..." Kenneth exhaled heavily. After reading the reply delivered to him within the micro document, he tore apart the paper and swallowed it's shredded pieces.
---
Lying at rest in his bed, prince Malekai looked peaceful. The room was pitch black until a dim stream of light broke through the darkness, briefly, then disappeared. A soft shuffling noise started to make it's way slowly towards the sleeping prince. At the edge of the bed, it stopped. The dark shape stood there like a shadow looming over him. After a while, it went away. The light reemerging one more time, before eclipsing into total darkness.
In the morning, crown prince Malekai Corvus would be found dead.
[NOTE: Riku woke up early, being the first to find the body and alerted Alora to his gruesome discovery.]
Alora dropped what she was doing and swiftly went over to where she heard someone crying out her name, calling for help, claiming that Lord Malekai had been... "Murdered?!" She wasn't sure what he had seen, but she was having a hard time accepting that allegation as truth. Frantic for answers from the neko, she began to stutter in her abrupt panic. "W-what do you mean? Tell me what happened?!"
The guards had apparently heard his shout too; four of them arrived in the area and gathered around Alora in a small semi-circle to oversee the situation. If an actual murder had taken place within the walls of the palace, then first and foremost, they had to be on high alert to protect the princess from whatever foul play was afoot here.
There stood Riku in front of them, his eyes filled with pain, the wetness of tears, anger and agony both blending into an expression that told so much more than his own words could ever hope to convey.
Alora wanted to demand more information, but she easily recognized the signs that he was dead serious about what he'd said. There was no need to ask him anything else. His reaction told it all. The way he was on the verge of falling apart in front of her was enough to signify that something truly terrible had indeed happened to Malekai.
This was the boy who had looked the dark prince dead in the eye and didn't feel fear. Not even at the threat of the harbinger's blade had Riku ever appeared to be so distraught as he was now.
No.
There was no way...
Alora couldn't stomach the thought of it.
There was no way Malekai could die...
Avornyn wouldn't allow it.
There was no way...!
Alora fled down the corridor without another word. The guards had no choice except to chase after her. She slammed open the door to Malekai's guest room and ran inside to see... the body... lying there on the bed...
He looked exactly the same as she'd left him there last night. He hadn't moved a single inch since then, not even to get under the covers... even though he was cold. Alora closed her eyes tight, ignoring the fact that he felt like frost. Her hands frantically traveled over the icy canvas of his neck, pressing firm into his veins, feeling for blood vessels, trying to find a pulse, however faint one may be. It HAD to be.
But his skin wasn't warming up under her touch. There was no rhythm of a heartbeat underneath. There was nothing.
Malekai's cold corpse was left undisturbed as minutes passed on in silence. Understandably, Alora showed no sign of being able speak to anyone at the present time. Even if she had tried, she couldn't force herself to talk; not when there was an aching tightness knotting up inside her throat, scalding and painful like a lump of molten metal hardening within her esophagus. Every time she felt the urge to form tears, she had to swallow hard to suppress her urge to cry, and it hurt like hell. But that was nothing compared to the hell her heart was going through right now.
The guards waited while she just stood there, lingering at the edge of the harbinger's bed, looking down at him for the longest time. She lifted her hand with little effort. A lackluster attempt to touch him once more, to remember him. Her fingertips lightly traced his lips; those lips that she'd felt upon her own for only a fleeting moment the night before. He'd kissed her for the first time... and now it was to be their last. If only she'd known, she wouldn't have left him there alone.
God... and he had begged her to stay.
But she didn't listen.
After all those years of wishing to be with him again, to hear him laugh and hold him close... to know that it wasn't Avornyn for once, but rather the real Malekai looking at her through those eyes, aware of his own heart, his own mind, and to say with his very own words that he wanted to be with her.
Why then, when he had finally asked her to stay, did she decide to walk away?
She even remembered the way he'd pleaded with her; just like his hands clutching onto her dress, his voice was shaking and had cracked under the strain of his sadness. "...Please.. We might not get another chance like this..."
It destroyed her emotionally to replay those words in her mind, now knowing what had become of him.
Somehow he'd known... he wouldn't wake up in the morning.
The prince looked so peaceful like this.
Alora didn't like to think about it, but... maybe... maybe Malekai had been the one.... to bring about his own end.
He was the Harbinger of Death afterall; he HAD to have known if he was destined to die tonight. But with the way he was laying there, practically untouched, no apparent injuries, no signs of a struggle, entirely identical to the position where she'd put him down the previous night... it appeared as if he had been willing to let himself die here, either by Avornyn's hand or his own effort to end his loneliness at last.
Alora didn't know which was a worse thing to want to believe; that Malekai had been murdered, or that he'd done the deed himself. It was all so strange and surreal. She still couldn't come to terms with the idea that he was actually dead.
She took in the image of his soft, pale hair spread out across the pillows. His comfortable body being cradled by the plush sheets surrounding him. His face resting in such a way that it seemed he was sleeping deeply. Not dead, but dreaming. A dream that intended to trap him for a thousand years, unable to wake as he was under the sway of a spell. If only the world were so whimsical that such spells could simply be broken by true love's kiss -- oh, how Alora would have awoken him already if that were the secret to free him from his frozen slumber.
Alora felt like she was losing her mind.
Her eyes snapped up to see that Riku was still standing there; so were the guards, all of them waiting for her to tell them what to do about Lord Malekai's alleged 'death'.
Her first words after a long while of silence were a whisper, "I want to know...who.. who could've..." She stopped short. There was a smell of incense in the air. Frankincense to be precise. Strange. It wasn't a scent she'd noticed last night, nor was it the sort of thing that Malekai would've had in his possession. It reminded her of the religious rituals often performed at the church.
The princess took a shuddering breath, then said with a clearer tone and calmer composure, "Who was even capable of killing him? He was the Harbinger of Death; he would've known this was coming. First we need to know how he died to determine whether we're dealing with a murder or... maybe..."
She didn't want to say it.
"...it might be... a suicide."
