Chapter 11: Departures

As children, Drysyan always had hostile behaviour towards Riona. The castle thought it to be sibling rivalry while the King assumed it to be because of their mothers. In truth, it was because Drystan knew Riona was not of the same blood. He could sense the bitterness, the aggressiveness and the sheer will of Riona. It made him internally vomit.

Riona raised from her cushioned chair. "Drystan, I do not deserve your hate," she said, voice starting to crack with instant emotion, "You surely know that, deep down in your cold heart."

Drystan followed her stance, shaking his head violently, his facade tearing. "Oh but you do," he laughed mockingly, a dangerous sound that caused the hairs to rise on Riona's arms. "How," she peeped, "I was born in your family."

"You don't get it!" shouted the prince, the true heir of the kingdom. "You were merely a disgusting maggot that wormed its way into my family! You stole my father's attention! You snatched my mother's adoration and worst of all: You obtained my birthright to the throne. So do tell me, how did little ol' miss perfect manage to take everything just by your talent?"

"Talent? I worked for my abilities..."

"Abilities? Why don't you tell me a joke we can all laugh at," spat Drystan.

Tears brimmed in the corners of Riona's eyes. Never had she been yelled at with such cruel words. To think they came from someone she once considered family...

"You can have the throne! I don't want it, just please, please take those accusations back. Father loved us both!"

Drystan stood taller. "Did the Moth tell you that I killed father?" asked Drystan, his voice more solemn. "Did the Moth tell you that I asked them to invade that night? Did he tell you that I promised them the princess? Of course, they failed with that detail but they managed perfectly to decorate the floors with crimson."

Riona fell silent. The world seemed to stop as she whispered, "You sacrificed your mother... To have me killed?"

"It was a sacrifice that needed to suffice my hatred. Unfortunately, it didn't. It only watered my growing animosity."

Riona dropped to her knees at that very moment. "I-I can't believe you did that... Elenor was the purest of souls and you signed her off to her grave... You... You set the palace up... Then, why did you play with me outside?"

Drystan glared down at the ruined woman. Her knees dug painfully into the soil. Her best friend watched in horror from the sidelines as it all came crashing down on her. Drystan admitted coldly, "I wanted to kill you myself."

The gates opened to Riona's heart and out poured the salty tears. Sobs pushed from her, choking her from the inside. "I trusted you, Drystan," she cried, "I loved you either way! You were my big brother! My twin!"

Drystan glanced towards Vance. The knight cowered slightly, his hand moving towards his sword. Drystan returned his attention to the crying woman on her knees. "That was your mistake, Riona. You freely gave your trust to a snake."

Vance stepped closer, hesitantly. He neared her, preparing himself for the most insufferable offence he could ever commit — execution by decapitation. Killing a future queen.

The night before he had told himself that it was fair sibling rivalry. He told himself that all royals killed each other off through poisons or assassination. Though not once would he have imagined him to be tied into such a mess. And for what, a first love?

He unsheathed his blade, his sight clouding over. He was about to lift his sword when a broken hushed voice asked, "Vance, do you remember what you told me on my sixteenth birthday?"

He kept silent, raising the blade towards the sky.

Riona lifted her head. Damp lost strands stuck to her cheeks. Her eyes were unclear as if some moon has eclipsed her irises. "You told me," she muttered, "that I wielded the sword like no other."

During that very moment, a silent whistle blew through the sky. It had been so fast that once Vance looked up, an arrow had pierced the rib cage of the prince. Drystan gurgled, a palm slapping on his chest. Blood was oozing through his exquisite green shirt. He glanced down as his body heavily thudded to the ground.

Riona spun light on her feet, her boot kicking at Vances legs, tripping him to the grass. She stood, pulling out her sword. She moved closer to Drystan, her expression still in a looming dark trance. "You warned me that father wouldn't always be there to protect me," she said, a single tear trickling down her face. She gritted, "Guess what, harpy, I too have friends in high places and they have demons of their own."

Drystan spat blood at her feet, "Go to hell, whence you came from."

Riona grimaced down at Drystan, "And you crawl back."

Drystan was about to utter a new insult but the princess cut him off by slicing her sword into his throat, the boot of hers stepping down on his face, pressing his head further into the ground. He stilled and she breathed, as if to smell his soul escaping through his blood.

She turned, dragging the blade along the ground. Vance scurried up to his feet, he dropped his own weapon, raising his hands in submission. He violently shook as he muttered a pathetic question, "Whay shall be done with me?"

He violently and nervously shook his head as if waking from a nightmare. His hand subconsciously reaching for his hair to swipe through it. Poor Vance. He must have thought it would wipe away the terrifying fear he was currently swimming in.

"I am deeply wounded by your betrayal, Vance... deeply cut in my heart. I still can't bring myself to believe that you, my best friend, would turn to Drystan's side." Riona blinked away evident tears that she forced back. She couldn't bare to portray weakness before a new enemy.

"I loved you... still love you..." she admitted, looking him straight in the eye. Never would she have thought to express herself in such a dreadful situation.

"What will be done with me?" squeaked Vance, repeating his question as if he hadn't heard her love declaration. Sympathy was locked in her glossy eyes, yet her face grew hard with heartache. He had ignored her, meaning he ignored their past.

"You are stripped of your title. You are no longer Knight Vance Venetus, Highest knight of the Butterfly army. Now and always, you will be Vance a traitor of the throne."

Out of nowhere, two guards seized the now known untrustworthy back-stabber.

"I declare that you are to be banned from the kingdom in three days with no goods, property or worth to your name. Your shoulder blades are to receive a scar by your own blade to symbolize your betrayal, so with no other words, kneel."

The two men, Enzo and Lance, swiftly forced Vance to his knees, harshly ripping open the back of his shirt. Enzo glared at the rat in his hold as another guard picked up Vance's sword. "I looked up to you," sneered Enzo harshly, causing the traitor to flinch.

The other guard handed the sword delicately to Riona's slightly shaking hands. With a shaky breath her voice cracked in sorrow, "This hurts me more than it will hurt you. Do bare me in your thoughts when you long for home..."

Her motions were swift and easy. It felt that not even a moment had passed and the sword was rammed into the soil, followed by the hasty steps of her majesty fading in retreat, in fear that anyone would catch a peek at the hot salty tears that were flooding from her eyes once more.

Vance glanced up in pain, but not the pain of the freshly cut wounds — the pain of the broken bridge of trust. The scarlet blood rippled down his back as he was harshly pulled to his feet and dragged to the stables to be tied in the sun till a prisoners carriage were to be set up for his departure.

Enzo stood beside Lance, both keeping an eye over the traitor. Lance frowned slightly, querying, "Where you the one who shot Drystan?"

Enzo shook his head. "No."