CHAPTER 4

The castle was in an uproar as daybreak came. Servants and courtiers alike bustled through the closed halls. It was a frenzy. Aerys hadn't a clue where Cypris had been nor what had happened. She was clueless, and no one around her seemed to have the slightest idea. To them, the sudden ringing of the bells had been akin to a witch hunt. Each sought shelter in their rooms, leaving their human servants to tend to what they needed outside their rooms.

Seconds, then minutes, passed as Aerys paced her room. What had happened? Where was Cypris? Her minutes of thought turned into hours. Seldom people passed her door. Only Larysa had come in to help her change from her dress and leave fruits.

The castle was quiet, even for morning standards. Footsteps and scuttling no longer plagued the halls. Everyone had been deathly afraid. Even the humans knew better than to be out and about longer than necessary.

Again the bells rang. Once. Twice. Six times. Death would come. And it'd be soon. From her windows, she could hear jeering as horses and guards brought forth a cart. She could not see who had been the one to solicit the bells. Whoever it was would meet their fate in the coming hour.

A knock came on her door. "Come in."

Larysa silently opened the door, gently closing it behind her. "I've been instructed to prepare you." A command of Evenos's, no doubt.

"Of course," Aerys went toward the small platform near her mirror. In Larysa's hand was a black dress accented with her family's blue. How one dressed meant a lot on this day. Wearing anything else could be construed as standing against them. And that wasn't something to be trifled with. Not when death bells rung overhead.

Thirty minutes passed between each set of six. She was ready. Her hair had been styled with a singular braid, a sign of victory in her culture. This would be her first in preparation for the execution. Once over, however, it would be taken down. Victory in this way wasn't seen as those earned through conquest. This execution would only signify regret for the remaining night hours.

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Aerys wore no jewellery as Larysa accompanied her, a tasteful distance behind. Those she passed made way as she ventured towards the throne room. The large doors were wide open. Each side had been manned by an armed guard. She slowly descended the dark stone steps. More enormous pillars surround the post in a circle. Each of them had a statue carved into it.

Her father sat on his throne. It was opulently made from a foggy marble-like stone. Waves of white and blue shimmered in the right hints of light. Moonstone.

Just below its steps stood her sister and mother, each adorning their own amount of braids. Her brother and his mother were rightfully distraught on the opposite side. Phaestus held an arm around her shoulders. Without hesitation, Aerys stood by her mother.

Droves of people came through the doors. Vampire and human alike. Each stood separated to a side. Loud murmurs weaved throughout the crowd as they wondered who'd committed such a heinous crime. Only a fool would do such things and get caught.

The bells struck for their final time, silencing the crowd. They sat just diagonally from the throne room, the sound of the deafening amongst their ears. Metal clanking took its head as the guards brought in a hooded man.

His clothes had been tattered and lacking lustre. He didn't put up a fight nor make a sound. One of the guards made his way to the wall behind the throne, pulling a large iron lever. Mechanical sounds coursed as the rounded roof overhead opened up, revealing the moon as it reached its apex. It was time. Judgement would be passed. Under the moon, something that could not be hidden. Much like the truth.

Another guard came in. She was blindfolded, her clothes a stark white. A silent sister. Despite having no sight, she made her way quickly to the post pulling off his hood. He glanced up for a moment catching Aerys's eyes before rapidly looking down.

Bright blue. Almost pale in colour. His hair was a dirtied blonde, a sign of human dilution. Even his smell seemed closer to that of a human.

"You stand accused of treason. You stand accused of murder. You stand accused of conspiracy to overthrow." The silent sister spoke behind him, her hand firmly on his head, pulling it upward. "How do you answer?"

She was met with silence. His mouth was sealed shut. He'd likely been brought in quickly without much chance to question him. "Bring him." Her father's voice boomed from the throne.

A guard by the doors nodded quickly, departing for but a few moments before dragging in a boy with pale tufts. Aerys knew who it was immediately. His pale blue eyes quivered in fear as he looked between the king and the man.

Aerys whipped her head towards Evenos, her eyes pleading for someone to make sense of this. Her sister glanced before keeping her eyes firmly on the scene ahead. The longer she stared between Cypris and the criminal, the more it made sense. This was his father. The father that'd been away on business for nearly a year.

The guard pulled Cypris out of the moonlight, pushing him to kneel in front of his father. If the threat of death couldn't get him to speak, maybe his son could. The silent sister forced his eyes to meet Cypris. Panic quickly filled them as he stared.

"You've been found conspiring with outside forces on plans to commit regicide. Do you deny it?" The silent sister began once more. When he did not speak again, the guard holding Cypris pulled his head back by his hair. When Cypris had let out pained sounds, his resolve had noticeably weakened.

"You've stolen funds and had people killed and replaced. Do you deny it?" Once again no answer. A dagger was pulled towards Cypris's neck. Silence had its costs.

"I'll speak!" He stared directly into the leering eyes of her father above. His yellow seemed all the more intimidating without the moon's illumination. Quickly he put his head back down, looking at his fearful son. "I'll speak."

"I was only trying to save us." As the silent sister went to pull him upward, she'd been stopped. Her father commanded her to stay her hand. "Save everyone," he muttered more toward himself.

"So you killed, lied, and conspired against your king?" He continued muttering under his breath. To those that could hear it, it sounded like some mantra. A faith they could not put a place on.

"I would've saved this kingdom and all your lives. Can't you see, this is not what the gods intended." Loudly he spoke to the crowd of humans to his right. "For us to be made livestock to these… these demons."

"They lay no foot in the sun, burned by God's will. They're abominations, creatures of the night." He turned his head proudly, perhaps spurred by creating a stir amongst the humans. "Do you wish me to confess? I'm guilty. Guilty for not having tried to save us sooner."

The moon above was hidden by clouds, and the light that shone upon him snuffed. The trial had ended by the will of the sky above. From his throne above, the king met eyes with the silent sister below. He nodded his head once.

"The gods have made their will known." She announced to the crowd around.

"Cypris…Cypris look at me boy."

"Teucrus Galanis, in the name of King Zenos-" Through tears, Cypris stared at his father. Dirt had covered the both of them from being dragged about dirty holding cells.

"Take care of your mother and sister-"

"Son of the Fifth Moon, House De Santi."

"Your uncle will take care of you-"

"First of His Name." The silent sister received a large sword from a guard holding it up into rays of moonlight.

"I'm sorry, my boy-"

"Under the moon, you are hereby sentenced to death." Swiftly his head landed on the ground beside his body. His eyes were still wide, the light dimming from them as the rest of his head lost blood. His body fell forward, blood pooling onto Cypris's knees.

There'd been no chance to truly mourn his father's death as he was dragged from his knees and made to stand in front of the king. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Aerys, who'd begun to silently cry. Tears flowed down her face, but not a sound escaped her lips.

"Your father's holdings will be redistributed toward the people. Any wealth given toward orphanages and lands is redistributed to the workers. Your family manor will be in the custody of the throne." Cypris hadn't wanted to look at him. Stare into the eyes of the man that killed his father.

He instead scanned the faces of his family. Phaestus had been looking forward. His own mother looked down. Evenos had no expression, much like her mother. To them, this was nothing more than duty. There was no remorse, no apology, just cold, bitter truth.

His father had betrayed them, betrayed him.

"I do not believe a son should pay for his father's mistakes." Cypris held his head down, waiting for the final judgement to pass. "You and your family shall be placed under your uncle's care."

Without so much as a word, he was dragged from the throne room past his father's body. He'd be sent away effective immediately. It'd only be weeks before his family's material possessions were sold or given off to whomever the crown saw fit. His home no longer belonged to him. Nothing did.