Ashton Flare

My hand instinctively reaches to the place my dagger would normally be. I think I felt a tug at the bottom of the thin blanket I'm using to protect myself from the cold. The moonlight still shines through the window, but my brother seems nowhere close. He would've been beside me the moment I jolted awake from sleep. But I see nothing but the occasional spiders at my feet, and yet I can't shake the gnawing feeling in my stomach.

I have heard stories when I was young. But you never know which stories can actually come true. The spirits of the wanderers are said to roam around their homes at night, searching for Unscathed to kill for leading them through a life of misery. That is a story I hope is not true.

I jump off the bed not wanting to be alone right now. A few snores fill the room. A mother holds her baby close as they sleep in the bed beside ours. My stare lingers on them a little too longer. I have never seen anything like that.

I do not remember anything from when I was a kid except Arieon and our etiquette lessons, but I remember each of my siblings had different room, a different crib to sleep in. We were alone since childhood. But again, weapons are only used when they have to be. And a child was nothing but an inconvenience to the crown.

I sigh and tear my eyes away from the sight. I have to get out of here. The room, the place and the people seem just as a part of a nightmare. Every nightmare has an end, and I will do anything to leave this one behind.

Perhaps I can find the tunnels they bought us through. Arieon and I are twins, I must have at least half the sense of direction he has... hopefully.

~~♡~~

I admit it, I am completely lost.

Each of the walls is decorated with nothing but spider webs and a few bullet holes. I'm just hoping that opening random doors would lead me home, a stupid effort but apparently that is all I am able to do it.

I sigh as I open another door, this one doesn't have dust on the handle like the others. Perhaps it is used often then. The sight before me leaves me speechless.

Nostalgia hits hard as I watch the moonlight dancing at my feet. The trees, the fountain and the lights are just too perfect to be real. Yet I walk the same way as I did with Arieon just hours ago. To the fountain where the water doesn't reach my body.

Not this time though, I control my heat enough to let the water fall on me. For the first time in my life, I want to drown my problems away by just drowning myself.

"Do you want to catch a cold?" a male voice comes from ahead of me. Any other day I would know it's Arieon, but I don't believe him to be such a stalker to find me here, wherever 'here' is.

"Yep." I reply as I look at him, he is ahead of the tree Arieon usually leans on. His hair is brown, dirty and weirdly cut. Exactly like his tracksuit that is covered in dust as well as dry blood. His dark skin and the wide smile do less to make his different colored eyes seem normal. One ocean blue and the other emerald green.

"Luca! Are you getting attacked by squirrels again?" A girl shouts from between the trees behind him.

"For god's sake Katrin, that happened once." Luca replies rolling his eyes, but the smile doesn't leave his face. Suddenly a figure drops from the tree behind Luca.

"Points for dramatic entrance." I murmur.

Luca however barely flinches, "Hello Katrin, mind telling our audience when you want to stop trying that annoying trick?"

She winks at me putting her hands in her pockets. Her brunette hair is covered in leaves from the trees, but her clothes are something I would like to wear. A deep red and black jacket over a black tracksuit which bleeds into red as well at the ends.

Watching Luca and Katrin standing side by side, I am reminded of a creature of the old times Azela once told me about. I think it is called a penguin. Luca's dark complexion next to Katrin's fair skin matches it's sketch perfectly. It looks rather odd yet cute.

"Want to quit bickering like two-year-olds so we can actually practice?" another girl with raven hair joins them. She towers over them but wears nothing but her own dark blue tracksuit with a yellow pin in shape of a shield on it's left side.

"Nope."

"I'll pass."

She sighs but a ghost of a smile creeps upto her face. I bet this is pretty normal for them, too bad my normal is miles away beside a throne that is now half mine.

Her eyes dart to mine, she just nods my way acknowledging my presence. "I'm Rory. Apparently the only one who can stop these two from eating each other's heads off."

"Ashton. By the way, I think I saw a place like this at the castle. I suppose it is related?" If I am going to be up all night, might as well do something worthwhile.

"It was built a few decades ago for us to practice infiltrating, but now it is all but forgotten. Makes it the best place for practicing, trying and utterly failing to try to defeat Rory in a fight." Luca replies. Rory smirks at the compliment but says nothing.

"Practicing what?" I ask trying to appear disinterested.

"Just trying to plan a weekend getaway to the North Castle to pay the next heir a visit." Katrin says playing with an arrow.

"Translation, to kill the heir and end the reign of flames once and for all." Rory says with a devious grin on her face. Where is Arieon when I need him?