Chapter 34

Lysander stared at the display in the direction of the arena. He couldn't even begin to imagine what was happening, but in his heart, he still believed Lycurgus was fighting. Somehow, he was battling those wild bursts of energy that lit up the approaching night sky. 

He watched the spectacle for some time till the final clash happened. In amazement, he watched as the pillar of flame reached the heights of the heavens. He stretched his hand out to touch the flame. He could almost feel the power and heat from where he stood. In his mind, he was right there, and a part of him desired to be right there in the middle of the battle. He wanted to know the thrill and feeling of being in such a tense fight. He watched as the flames subsided and the tremors of the battle faded away. He let out a breath, releasing the tension and heat, grabbing his mind to the cooling breeze. 

The coolness of the sea breeze was inviting and slightly reinvigorating, after the humid day. He had learned a trick from his father to gauge when a storm was approaching and could feel the dampness of the air. It was a slight change, but he would describe the air as being heavier, and denser. When a breath was taken it filled your lungs as if you were swimming. Yes, he could feel the water was thick in the air and the rain that would fall today would be fierce and heavy.

He did not know why but the impending storm gave him a sense of fear and unease. The Malunod wasn't supposed to start for some time at least. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes, the sense of dread unshakable. Though the fear was almost palpable his mind was only focused on his brother. 

"Please be safe Lycurgus." 

*******

As the crowds and cheers left the stadium, Taryu stood in the middle of the arena floor silent. He stared at the sands beneath his feet. There he allowed his thoughts to drown him. 

As filled the inner recesses of his being, he released a breath. At first, it was shallow and heavy. 

"Lycurgus" As he said his son's name out loud tears began to roll down his cheeks. 

"My beautiful little boy." He held his hands open, watching the tears hit them one by one. 

He could still see it, Lycurgus, his young smiling son not yet even able to watch reaching from him and wanting to be held by him, by dada. 

Another breath escaped his lungs.

"I… I'm sorry. Le, I'm sorry." He took another staggering breath. "Shezira, I'm sorry." 

It all felt so simple back then to him, and now he wanted nothing more than to simply run away. 

He felt so distant from it all in this one moment. The heat was removed from his back, the celebrations drowned out by his thoughts, the colors of the world muted to his eyes. At this one moment in time, the strongest man in the world felt, powerless. 

A smile curled the corners of his lips as he remembered a moment when Lycurgus fell trying to reach for something as a baby. He wasn't even one yet, but he was so daring. Always pushing what wasn't meant to be pushed, striving for things out of reach.

"And using my shoulders as a stepping stool." Taryu laughed out loud. 

But his smile was lined with pain, he remembered Sheriza fussing at him for not being more vigilant over Lycurgus. 

"I'm so sorry Sheriza, you were such a great mother." He said as he began to grow silent and somber again. 

He tried replaying memories, but his mind drew a blank. So, he stared at the sand. Moments that felt like hours passed him by. 

Slowly the feelings started coming back to him and he began to be released from his stupor. 

He realized that the jeers of the crowd were quite a distance away from the arena at this point and knew he needed to head towards the town center for the ceremony. 

His feet felt like lead upon his ankles, and he reluctantly moved toward the exit. Every fiber of his body wanted nothing more than to stay there and become the sand, but he trudged toward the exit, nonetheless. 

He took one final look back, and his vision was hazy from the tears, he saw it. He saw it clearer than he had seen anything in his entire life, Lycurgus, his baby boy, smiling at him, one last time. 

****

By the time Taryu arrived most of the celebration had died down. He never got a moment to talk to Lycurgus. Instead, he came right when they were beginning to start the reward ceremony. 

The skies overhead had begun to loom over ominously, and a thunderstorm would begin at any minute. Most of the visitors and villagers had taken to securing down all boats and supplies in case it was a severe one. Only the most essential people were in attendance for the reward ceremony of Lycurgus. 

Lycurgus stood before all the chiefs. They all looked at him, each with a different look in their eyes, but they all held the same emotion of fear inside each of their gazes. He suspected why it was, but when he saw it lingering in his dad's face for just a moment, he second-guessed his request. 

He had never seen his father look so defeated before. It felt almost otherworldly, and he felt himself struggling to process this new information. His father looked tired; his eyes seemed slightly puffy as if he had been crying. It couldn't be. He couldn't even begin to understand or even picture what would make his father cry. He found himself gripping Weaver's Spindle tight and he thought of his mother. 

It was the whole reason why he was here. Had he so quickly forgotten her tears? Her pain of being cast out and abandoned after being treated wrongly? Damn her actions, she never deserved to be treated badly in the first place. 

'But does one ever cry if they haven't first regretted?' he thought to himself. 

'What does he regret? How can he have regret?'  He felt these questions come to his mind, but as he mulled over these ponderances something boiled inside his heart. It was a vile and bitter feeling but real all the same. 

It caused a pain to break free and pierce his heart, it was anger. Anger towards seeing his father in this state. If he didn't want to regret it, he should've just made the right choices, and done the right thing from the start. Why should he feel bad for him now? He had the power to make the right decision, the decision that would have prevented this pain. The decision to choose family, but he didn't. Instead, he decided to maintain the law, and just the thought of it sickened Lycurgus and fed into his anger. 

The anger clawed into his throat and devoured all sympathy and empathy. It hardened his heart to change his mind on his request. Now more than ever he had a fire pushing him, fueling him, to accomplish his goal of putting his family back where they belonged in the village. Not to die and starve during the Malunod. 

He scanned the faces of the chiefs, this time his face hardened and focused, and when his eyes fell upon his fathers they stayed there. At his Taryu's broken contact, but within no more than a few seconds he lifted his eyes again, this time with a hardened stoic gaze of his own. 

Taryu spoke, his voice strong and deep "What is your request for winning this tournament Lycurgus?" 

The father and son stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, but the tension and anger all came from Lycurgus, while Taryu simply held up a wall. A wall that was made of the thinnest threads. A beautiful front that did not match what it hid. 

The silence swallowed the room as Kyden eyed Taryu carefully. He sat unwavering and still, it was Dynami who spoke up and asked,

"What is it you want boy?" seemingly irritated at having to ask this question again.

Lycurgus stared at him for a second before answering with a sardonic smirk, "I want to be the chief of Tiziano." 

None of the chiefs moved nor had a look of shock on their face. They simply looked at Kyden first then to Taryu for his response. 

Though he didn't show it, he felt as though the whole world stopped in place. It grew hard for him to even catch his breath and his chest felt tight. He closed his eyes slowly as if to gather his thoughts, but truly he was just trying to calm himself down. 

He let out a shaky breath, and his nerves finally calmed. He opened his eyes slowly and rose from his seat, standing to his full height as he looked down on Lycurgus. 

"You know what you ask for Lycurgus?" 

Lycurgus gritted his teeth and chuckled sheepishly, "You didn't raise an idiot."