Chapter 2: King's Heart

"HOW are you adjusting again in the palace so far, darling?"

The Queen's mellow voice echoed in all corners of the large dining area for the royal family. The spacious chamber was conservative and dark in both color choices and lighting. The floors were tiled with dark wood and a rich paneling as it screamed a formal air of royalty; intimate in atmosphere with light kept to a minimum even with three, grand chandeliers hanging on the ceiling.

The Queen glanced at Caelus from her seat with apparent concern in her dark, purplish orbs. The Queen's features resembled that of Caelus, only her eye color does not match his as Caelus' resembled that of snow that fell on a glacier; which is then compressed and becomes a part of it.

Caelus' ice blue eyes almost seemed electric; making anyone cannot stand looking at them straight. He inherited this color from his father, the King, which has also been passed through generations of kings of Phospiest. Aside from the 10th prince who is now six years old, Caelus is the only one who possesses the symbol of the family with which many people deemed a waste, as he did not express any interest on the throne and even becoming a king.

"It is a lot more comfortable now, your majesty," he replied with a smile.

As one of her biological son, Caelus holds the privilege to call the Queen "mother", unlike most of his half brothers who need to stick with the formalities. When he was younger, he often clung to her side all day, insisting that he calls her "mummy" rather than "ma'am" or "your majesty, the queen" as he did not really enjoy abiding with the royal protocols. It was only when he reached his teens that he was forced to do so, as he realized that it could potentially bring unwanted attention to him.

"That's a good thing." The Queen sighed with relief.

"I cannot imagine the difficulties that you had to endure out there in the storm, darling..." she continued, almost tearing up as she gazed at the King who remained silent on his seat.

"It's your prayers for me to be safe that led me to be able to join you here, your majesty," he comforted the Queen as he put down the fork.

Caelus glanced at the King who is looking at him. The King nods in acknowledgement and signalled a servant to serve the wine for the family of fifteen who are currently having their breakfast of the day. This does not usually happen as the King started forbidding the family to have breakfast together after Caelus went missing more than three years ago.

The Queen was so heartbroken about her eldest son's situation and seeing his empty spot at the dining table with everybody else present only worsen this that she was bedridden for months. From then on, the King did not encourage everyone to join them for breakfast, unless there are special occasions. The situation today is different since Caelus has returned so the King would make it so that the usual routine is back.

"You have not shared the things that happened to you for the last three years and we did not ask you to do so since we think that you might need some space. Are you fine to talk about it now?" the first Prince, Silas, chimed in.

Caelus glanced at his older brother with a reassuring nod. He did not have any enmity with any of his brothers and sisters in the past since although the inheritance to the throne can be competitive; the Western Kingdom's royal family seems to be united. Of course, Caelus does not dismiss the fact that what happened to him three years ago can be a result of treachery.

What he learned being far away from home and into the wilderness where everyone can do anything to survive, is that he cannot trust anyone. Sometimes, trusting one's self is already difficult, what more could it be allow someone to stab him in the back when he leans on them for support.

He may not have expressed any interest about the inheritance but his status as the second prince and first born to the Queen — even inheriting the royal eyes that served to be a mark of a King — are all things that those who want the throne to consider about him. Caelus has now realized that these kinds of people don't want any confounding variables to threaten them in achieving their goals.

That can also be said about Caelus' right now. He wants the throne and he will stop at nothing to get it, even if it could mean treason or his brothers' death. They have proven themselves ineffective to Caelus, much more to his dismay. These people cannot bring any good to the kingdom in the next century so it won't be too much of a waste to eradicate a few of them who will try to stop him.

"The wilderness is really a dangerous place. I almost lost my life there a couple of times," he replied simply and took a sip from his glass of fermented grape wine.

"How did you end up in the wilderness?" the King, who had always stayed silent, finally asked.

Caelus looked at his father with an unsure look. "Some people... tried to assassinate me, your majesty."

A series of gasps from a few of his siblings were heard after what he said. The King remained silent for a moment before he nodded.

"That can be the case. Some trails were left when you went missing so the investigation started to rule out a possibility of assassination. With you here, it is already proven true," the King said, his tone grim.

Caelus was secretly surprised. So his parents did investigate about his disappearance and even considered some anomaly. Only, the heavy snow and storm can potentially destroy any tracks of stuff that happen anywhere so it must have been difficult for them to make a conclusion.

This is also the reason why most people thought he sneaked out and was unfortunate enough to survive.

"For them to attack my son, they must have some guts!" the Queen raged, her beautiful hands slamming on the table with unrestrained anger.

Everyone went quiet after what she did, most were surprised because the Queen has always been calm and elegant that even the most horrible of things cannot shaken her disposition. Things, though, might be a little different when it comes to her children.

She only had two children in her life, more so, Caelus is her only son. It is particularly difficult for her to maintain her position if she did not have Caelus so she has always been protective of him even though he had been a brat as a child. She can even go to such lengths as to make enemies with the other consorts if it would secure Caelus' position to the throne if he had expressed interest about it back then.

Only, Caelus' unruly personality did not allow her to do that and nobody can really guess if she thinks it's a blessing or a curse.

"I plead you to calm down, your majesty. This matter does not deserve the pain in your precious skin," Caelus comforted his mother as he reached out to press his palm on her hand, squeezing it lightly.

The Queen heaves a heavy sigh, nodding in understanding.

"Your son is right, your majesty. You don't have to stress yourself with this matter since the one who did this will start barring their fangs as soon as the position for crown prince will be opened," the King agreed before he started wiping the corners of his lips lightly with the table napkin.

"My heart will not be at rest if these people still wander around the kingdom freely, your majesty," the Queen lamented.

"Mother, it is okay. I will be fine. Father, the King will definitely not let anyone harm me and my brothers and sisters," Caelus assured his mother as he gave the King a glance.

He did not mean a thing about what he said since he knows that other than Vritra, no one can actually secure his safety inside the palace. Even so, he knows that saying this will give more credibility to the King while also raising his opinion of Caelus. Since he wants to make a good impression to everyone, he would not mind saying some half-baked words once in a while.

"I know... I know. Thank you for your grace, your majesty, the King," the Queen respectfully said and stood from her seat.

In her glamorous garment — adorned with beautiful laces of silk and jewels that hang from her ears, to her neck and wrists — the Queen bended her knee and bowed at the King's direction. Caelus stood up as well and gave duly curtsy to the King. His nine siblings, the three royal consorts who can also be considered Caelus' mothers in matters of propriety and all of the servants present in the dining room also respectfully bowed at the King.

The King did not say anything and simply gestured them to stand. Although he tried to hide it, the flattery is as clear as water from his eyes.

"YOU want me to reconsider the refugees who want to enter the stronghold, is that it?" the King slowly reiterated Caelus' statement as soon as he was called upon the office after the family breakfast was over.

"Yes, your majesty," Caelus replied with a firm tone.

The King went silent for a moment, making Caelus clench the long and slender fingers pressed unto his chest as he bowed to his father. He had expected that he will be called to meet the King today but he initially did not want to bring up the topic about the villages that were destroyed last night if not for the King asking him what would he want as a gift for his return.

Caelus' desires for things and people, as he know it, are immaterial. He couldn't remember the last time he wanted something physical from objects and people alike. The pleasure most people claim from these things do not seem real to Caelus and he does not know why.

"So you have heard about it as well," the King stated before he stood up from his seat.

Caelus remained in his position. "Everyone was talking about it, your majesty."

"Do you really think what is wise to do right now is to waste our resources to extend assistance to those civilians?"

"I would not say it is a waste," Caelus replied, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"It is. Do you know why the strongholds are built?" the King asked.

"It is to provide shelter, your majesty."

"Yes it is, but if it was aimed to provide shelter for everybody, then the wilderness shouldn't have imprinted a scary reputation to the people who even lives here," the King spoke, a hint of amusement obvious in his voice.

"You see, you cannot save everyone. It's impossible. Our world does not allow such a thing as absolute safety... Even strongholds can be destroyed in case we cannot predict a super storm that will descend upon us."

Caelus raised his head and looked at the King who was also looking at him. His father gave him a deep, gauging look; as if he is trying to find out what he is thinking at the moment.

"I believe we have enough to help, your majesty."

"We may, but we shouldn't. You see, power gives you the ability to decide who will live a good life, and who will not. Because we rule this land, it is in our hands to give or to deprive others but we cannot simply hand to everyone what they need. That's not how it works, Caelus."

Caelus' pupils contracted when the King called him by his name. The King is someone Caelus has always looked up to in admiration. In his eyes, his father is the wisest person he's ever known. The King may not rule the largest and wealthiest empire in Horai but his knowledge of his position does not fall short to any kings and emperors which is also the reason why the Western Kingdom is surviving until now.

"Why not, your majesty?" Caelus asked.

"Because it would deem the value of earning merits useless." The King walked towards Caelus and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Horai is a harsh world which means that the requirements to survive will also not be easy. If someone wants to have access to greater resources, then they will have to prove themselves capable. They will have to battle the difficulties of the storms to reach a level where they can claim more privilege, young one," the King explained in a solemn manner.

Caelus returned his father's gaze. "It is not their fault to be born outside the strongholds."

"Yes, and so is it not our fault to be born in the position of power and be burdened by it. When I was young, I also wanted to have the capacity to protect and provide everyone shelter from this storm." The King sighed and retracted his hand from Caelus' shoulder.

Shaking his head, he said, "But I grew up and realized it's impossible."

The King walked back to his table and grazed the royal seal placed above it with his finger. His eyes drooped, and the side of his lips showed an almost unnoticeable tremble.

"If you want to be able to help everyone without being restrained by the limits of this world, then you will have to change the world, Caelus. Only then will this dream of mine, and possibly yours... be possible."

His father shifted his vision his vision on his direction again. Caelus remained standing, his face serious as he was before he entered this room. He found the King's remarks true and wise, but he couldn't appreciate it as much as he wants because his chest suddenly felt like something heavy is compressing it at the moment.

He woke up one day, alone in the snow where he could see the stronghold in a distance. He couldn't almost recognize the vastness of the snow-filled lands that lay in front of him for a second. Caelus remembered gripping his chest tightly, his tears were streaming down his eyes for a reason he couldn't recognize.

It felt like he woke up from a very long dream and that dream was so painful it carved an infinite void in his heart. His memories were in disarray and his head felt like they were in the clouds.

It was like he had forgotten something... and that something was so precious to him.

It was tantamount to losing his heart.

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