AN EMPTY THRONE

Isolde POV

"You look like a clown," I say, trying to rile up Akira enough to incite an answer from him. But as expected, the attempt was a failure.

 He has been unusually quiet since we eavesdropped on the conversation between Inayat and Dayuu. Even now, he was so deep in thoughts that he didn't even notice when the Fae nurse was done with her healing. 

"Akira, Akira?" Despite my calling, he kept looking outside the window. The glass of his unicorn tears in his hands was left untouched.

 So I clap my hands loudly in front of him to snap him out of his thoughts. He looks startled by the loud noise and looks at me with a questioning gaze.

"It's done, your dressing. Nurse Afreda said we can leave," I explain in a quiet voice, sensing the distaste from other patients in the wing.

"Oh, I didn't notice. Yes, let's go," Akira says and quickly gulps down the healing drink in his hand. We thank the stoic Fae nurse on our way out who just gave us a small nod. We start to walk back to the dorm.

I look outside the windows of the corridor to see the evening sky had started to pull the blanket of a starry night. Stars flickering like candles were getting ready to mesmerize us with their dazzling presence. The chilly northern wind blew my hair softly with a premonition of winter that is soon to come. 

Winter. The first one since mama left. The first one since I left it all behind. The first one inside a sturdy castle and ample food instead of a shaky cottage with expired rations. 

I still couldn't believe I was here. 

 I look at Akira. His now bandaged white-nose was a stark contrast to his flushed face in the cold.

He was walking in a daze and for some reason clutching his left sleeve tightly with his right hand.

"Is there any hidden treasure in your sleeves? I'm not gonna steal it if that's what you're afraid of." I try to joke with him, waiting for him to reply with his usual snark. 

"It's nothing valuable," he replies in a hollow voice as if trying not to attach any emotions to it. But anyone with ears could feel the dull pain in them.

"You know my mom always used to say that pain is like the dagger that cuts you until your hands have no other option but to wield it as a sword that pierces somebody else," I say in a quiet voice hoping he will share whatever that is bothering him with someone.

 My words were followed by nothing but silence and our footsteps. Well, guess the person he will be sharing is not me. 

Don't be a hypocrite, Izzy, you won't share your pain with anyone for a year, don't expect others to follow your advice either.

The silence, however, was broken after a while by Akira's quiet reply, "It's a letter. From my father." He goes quiet again. 

"Oh," was all I could say to that.

 Sol, I was bad at this.

He sighed, hopefully not at my reply. "He apologized. He understood without me saying anything. After years. He said he wants everything to go back to the way it was." His voice becomes shaky in the middle but he composes himself pretty quickly.

Apology? For what?

 That's none of my business, I guess.

"So will you forgive him?" I ask, trying to make out his expression in Sol's fading light. The shadows of Nyx were hiding his face from me.

"Nope, not unless he comes back safely from that Sol forsaken traitorous Kingdom," he spits out with so much fury that I was taken aback.

"Is Lilura really so bad? Don't we have a truce with them?" I ask timidly. I was never quite brave enough to stand up to someone in their rage. It brought back too many memories.

"Bad? That place is hell. It is crawling with necromancers now. The king is utterly useless there. The heir was even more useless. They probably played right into the hands of the dread mages because of their greed for power," he scoffs with contempt. 

"But your father is the Grandmaster. He will be fine," I try to stay optimistic.

 Hope was a hollow word without actions but it did burn bright in times of darkness.

"Didn't you hear what Inayat said? He went unarmed. That means he left his swords behind. He didn't even take Solebian with him.' His voice brakes more and more with his words.

"He is strong without his blessed weapons too. He will be fine. Have faith in Sol," I drone out what everyone says about the Grandmaster.

Huh. Faith? Remember the last time you had faith in Sol?

"I know he is strong but a mage is vulnerable without their blessed weapons. What if those cursed sorcerers do something to him like block his blessing? How will he channel his magic then?"

 "And how will you worrying help exactly?" I arch my eyebrows at him.

I try to one of mother's tactics. 

"He is my father. Of course, I will worry. Won't you be worried if something happened to your dad?" he loudly exclaims.

"No, I won't," I say easily.

Who'll be worried about the bastard who left mama with a child out of wedlock? Not me, I tell you!

Akira doesn't know that so he was probably looking at me with wonder. Or disgust. But I prefer wonder. Makes me feel mysterious.

"You're father is not only the strongest mage but also a brilliant leader and strategist. Do you really think a bunch of low-life dread mages can corner him?" I ask him with conviction. 

"Gods, you're one of those die-hard fans of his who think he is untouchable!" Akira says while shaking his head which I am assuming was out of disappointment.

"He IS untouchable. He is our grandmaster, after all. He singlehandedly took down the whole malevolent army during the third holy war," I say, having complete faith in my hero. 

"He isn't a God. He is a human, He is my father, for Sol's sake. He was my father before he was your grandmaster. I won't lose him because of selfish people like you who aren't even concerned about him," he screams loudly, leaving me utterly embarrassed.

 I look around to see some students looking at us with interest. I feel scrutinized again. It was mortifying. 

I try to get Akira to quiet down to keep attention away from us before I spiral into dark memories. 

"I am sorry. I am concerned about him but I also have faith in him. He is the grandmaster. You like it or not, we are raised to put our trust in him," I try to reason with him.

"Trust? That's blind faith you guys are showing. And it doesn't help much when it comes to stopping them from dying. You guys enjoy your little lives here with your little faith and there the Grandmasters keep sacrificing their lives for you guys," he shouts even louder this time.

So our lives were little, huh?

He looks like an animal now, with his fangs bared and eyes blazing gold in the dark. There was a radish hue appearing on his neck. His claw-like hands grip my shoulders. Maybe it's a trick of the light or my fear but I feel like I see scales on his face. 

"Alright, I apologies," I try to say without my voice cracking in fear and pain. Before he could reply though, someone comes running towards us.

 Cephas stops in front of us and huffs out labored breaths.

"Akira, father-" he takes another deep breath, "-I heard father talking to mother right now. He said-" he looks around to see if anyone was listening. He signals at Akira with his eyes towards me.

"Go on. She is a friend," Akira says impatiently, reverting back to his previous demeanor. Cephas looks unsure but still continues.

"Father said the Holy army has lost all contacts with Lord Reika after he crossed Lilura's borders. A barrier has been erected around Lilura's fort to keep the Army out. There have also been more cases of infiltration in Azura. Mother was saying the elder court has called for an election. They have put forward Lord Leonidas's name. There are also talks of war, Akira!" the blonde says in one breath accompanied with wild hand-gestures. 

I look at Akira to see all color draining from his face.

Talks of War? Sol, what now?

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GLOSSARY

*The Epic Of Gilgamesh: The oldest surviving piece of literature in the world that tells the story of an ancient Sumerian hero, Gilgamesh who is widely considered to be world's first hero.

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And the conflict begins. An empty throne is a dangerous thing. It seduces people with promises of power and before they know it they become what they despise the most. 

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