Vaea

Vaea couldn't even think straight over Leilani's weeping. He felt like a cinderblock was resting on the centre of his head, a feeling that seemed to be a recurring one since all this began.

The now-awake Guards and Yunoa Hira were kneeled before him while Leilani sat on a nearby chair and sobbed. He didn't want her here for this, but she insisted on staying in. Fair, he thought, but she could have at least attempted to be less disruptive.

"I can't believe none of you remember anything," he bit through his teeth. He couldn't even blame Malia Lui, she would have taken her mother with her if this was her doing.

But Vaea didn't know who to blame. Captain Jared was missing. He called the only person this would make sense to.

Corporal Keahi entered the throne room in his black robes and conical hat along with a strange man. They respectfully kneeled and Vaea's eyes scanned the man's face.

"Your Majesty, this is Hakumo. He is the best Essence Doctor in Kahele."

Hakumo was a middle aged man, his skin unevenly tanned like Corporal Keahi had just pulled him from the sugarcrane fields. He wore a conical straw hat with bones attached to it, his maroon robes a strangely shiney fabric along with a leather bag. Vaea couldn't decide if the man was poor or not.

"Your Majesty, it is an honour to work for the Crown," he said in a raspy voice. Someone had clearly smoked too many herbs in his youth.

"Find out what happened to my men and you will be compensated generously," Vaea said. "How long will this take?"

Hakumo stood up from his position brushed past the lined up men. They tried to hold still faces as he smelled their persons and stared them down.

"Just under an hour, your Majesty. I take blood samples from everyone?" Hakumo asked. Corporal Keahi walked around the men and found the bloodied arrows lying in a line as well. He picked them up and handed it over.

"Marshall Na was stabbed," Yunoa spoke up. "When the rest of us woke up he had a knife in his leg."

"I will take the knife as well."

Augus was at the beginning of the line, strangely quiet. He was mostly observing the interaction. Vaea wondered what was going through his head, after all, he and Captain Jared were both present at the palace when the attack took place. They should not have been overpowered.

Hakumo packed all the bloodied remnants of the attack in his bag and nodded to Vaea. "Your Majesty, I need a room with silence and darkness to perform."

Vaea knew just the place. He swore to have that room turned into something functional but throughout his reign its like he had blocked out the memory of it. He ushered Augus to stand. "Take this gentleman to the belfry."

Augus' face was shaken and his leg wobbled slightly when he stood up. He did not say a word as he guided Hakumo out of the throne room. As soon as he left, Leilani jumped from her seat and planted herself infront of Corporal Keahi.

"Will you please find my sister?" She begged, her voice already raw. "I know this is Malia Lui's doing. She's a terrorist. Misty has nothing to do with any of this. Please she's innocent."

"I already explained the stakes to him, my love," Vaea told her, taking her by the shoulders to gently move her away. "Finding Captain Jared and your sister is number one on his priority list."

"This list keeps getting longer," Corporal Keahi muttered. "I'll do my best, your Majesty. But I'm afraid I have news."

Vaea groaned internally. More news.

"You have a crowd of protestors beating against the palace walls. They want Malia Lui's mother out of captivity. They're demanding her return."

"What?!" Vaea snapped. "I don't have time to deal with that now. Send your police to remove them, Corporal Keahi."

Corporal Keahi let out a sigh. "I have been dealing with them ever since Malia Lui broke into the Community Hall. They were angry then and they are even angrier now. They blocked the streets and overturned multiple carriages. They say its against their custom to have an Elder away from her people."

"Does it look like I care about their customs?" Vaea glared. "Goddess, everything revolves around this wench. Her mother, her people. The second I Iearnt of her existence everything started going awry!"

"She's a bad omen," Leilani said. "The death penalty should have been brought back just for her a long time ago."

Vaea felt his head heating up. His father used to lose his mind when things didn't go to plan. The war and retaliation from other islands made him take it out on everyone else. Vaea swore he would never be knocked to his knees that same way.

He took Corporal Keahi and left the throne room, telling Leilani he wanted a word alone with the officer. Vaea stopped inside a nearby brattice, overlooking the scene outside. From his position he could see crowds of people surrounding the palace walls. Faint chants echoed, they looked like piles of ants.

"Are they trying to revolt?" He questioned sourly.

Corporal Keahi cleared his throat. "Not yet, your Majesty. But if they are left unchecked..."

Vaea whipped around and stared Keahi down. "You will not let that happen. Be harsher. Give them public consequences. Beatings, whippings, whatever you see fit. But you will not give them the chance."

Corporal Keahi nodded. "Of course, your Majesty. What about the Captain? And the Continentals? Are you going to trust more officers?"

Vaea couldn't afford to trust more people. With Captain Jared gone, only Corporal Keahi would be useful. Augus wasn't even an option. Vaea knew his foundation would shake, Augus wouldn't be able to handle it. He didn't want Augus seeing him differently either, it would be a problem.

"Do not let anyone into your circle that I haven't already approved of," Vaea told him sternly. "We'll get Captain Jared back. Till then, I'll call my mercenaries from Tenso. They'll be better substitutes.

Vaea turned his attention onto the rallying crowd once more. "Until then...I'm sure I can find the Continentals that reimbursement they wanted. I could get rid of two birds with one stone."

Corporal Keahi understood immediately what Vaea was getting at.

One of the servants arrived at the brattice. "Your Majesty, your guest is ready for you."

***

Halo

"You're a damn traitor! I knew the second you came back that you would bring trouble with you. You were never fit to be King...but this?!" Captain Jared said, eyes glaring as he looked on Malia and Halo sitting together.

"Don't you think selling our people to slavery is more trecherous than siding with a rebel?" Halo scoffed. "You have a lot to answer to, Captain."

"And who will I answer to?!"

"Me," Malia spat, twirling her knife around her fingers. "Unless you want your throat cut out."

Captain Jared rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't do that. Or else the King will execute your mother."

Malia's eyes darkened. "Wanna bet?"

Captain Jared's eyes darted like a threatened coyote and he started to shake his entire body within his ropes. He struggled futilely, groaning out in frustration when no progress was made. Malia stared at him like he was a fly she could smash between her palms.

"You're not going anywhere, Captain," Halo said, not recognizing his own tone. "Not until you tell us where all those missing people are...and exactly what Vaea is doing all this for."

"I'm not betraying my King, then I'm as good as dead," Captain Jared spat. "You have no clue what your brother is capable of. You made a mistake turning your back on him, foolish Prince. He'll rip you apart! Why are you doing this? Why are you making more bad choices?!"

Halo grit his teeth, his irritation bubbling to the surface. "Leaving the palace has been my only good choice so far. Tell me the truth, Captain."

"Why? You don't even want to be King. I do not understand your motives. What are you in this for?!"

"Why must everything have a motive?" Halo burst out. "All of you, you all have an agenda. This is why I left! You're all mad. You're asking me why I want to save people you are selling to slavery? Why in Goddess name do you think?"

Captain Jared shook his head as though Halo was the crazy one. "So much older, yet so naive...you really let this feigling drag you into a conspiracy. So you were behind it all? You freed her? And you ran away with her to escape the King?"

Halo did not grant Captain Jared an answer. He wondered how many of these soulless, greedy people lurked in the palace aside from those he was already familiar wih.

Malia drove the hilt of her knife into Captain Jared's stomach with a sharp jab. He let out a guttural cry. "We're the one asking questions here, you mutt. You're the hostage here, not us." She hissed at him.

Finn and Jack entered the room after his cry faded and eyed Captain Jared intently. The already gutted Captain's face fell upon seeing Finn.

"Oh no."

"Didn't think you'd see me again, huh?" Finn said coolly. "What's that place you were trying to send me away to? The Forbidden Kingdom?"

Captain Jared was at a loss for words, Finn's icy and uncaring stare unsettling him. "Nothing to say now without your dirty policeman?"

"I'd speak up if I were you, Captain. Especially since now your life is in our hands," Jack chimed in.

"You people are not smart, the King will discover you all and you'll-"

Malia jabbed a punch into the centre of Captain Jared's face, knocking him asleep yet again. She shrugged, fanning her hand as everyone looked at her confusedly.

"I thought we were supposed to question that guy?" Finn asked.

"He's not gonna say anything helpful now," Malia rolled her eyes. "Give him a few nights here. He doesn't take us seriously enough yet."

"What are we going to do with him afterward..." Jack asked. Everyone stared at Malia for an answer, but Malia's eyes were on Halo.

"It's up to you. I'm fine with sending him away on a boat with a hole in it."

Halo grimaced. He didn't want to think that far ahead yet. "Let's cross that bridge when we get there."

After putting Captain Jared to sleep, everyone gathered at the table for supper. Sina made mushroom stew and it had the entire bunker smelling heavenly. Finn and Jack dug in like animals, while Misty watched in amusement.

She sat next to Sina, giving her puppy eyes the entire night. Malia watched intently, not taking her eyes off the Hira sibling. It was hard to believe that out of all three, she was the exception.

Halo spoke to her with no worries. Malia wondered why he wasn't the slightest bit concerned that perhaps she might betray them.

"What was it like at the palace before you left?" Sina asked her.

"Empty. Suffocating." Misty replied. "Leilani and Vaea are mirrors of each other. This is the first time I've seen them love out in the open. I didn't realize how similar they were, it was icky to watch."

"It's not surprising," Malia said bluntly. "Your family has been living like royalty for most of their life. Of course your sister would like to stick to it. She played the most political move of all, now she's marrying a King."

Misty looked at Malia awkwardly. She could sense the underlying hostility, but she didn't understand where it was coming from. Especially towards her.

"I don't think Vaea will hurt your mother," Misty told her. Malia scoffed under her breath. "Hear me out. He exiled my mother because she spoke against him. Even though he had all the chance to kill her, he leaves her on mostly barren land instead."

Like that was so much better. "Yeah, but your mother isn't considered a feigling. Your mother and mine won't get treated the same."

Finn slurped his stew loudly, slamming his spoon down. "Can somebody tell me the difference between that crap? What the Hell is everyone talking about? Feigling, non-feigling? You all look the same!"

"Nooooo," Sina quickly interjected, pushing her glasses up. Malia knew this as the ultimate scholar move. "We are not the same. Not at all. Kailanians have more natural hair colours but coloured eyes, whilst Sai people have the tendency to have more coloured hair and normal eyes. Don't you see Misty has brown hair but Malia and I have green and purple?"

"Yeah, that's wacky but you're both brown. What's all the fighting about?"

Silence befell the table. Everyone knew how it was for years, but no one knew why exactly. The only Kailanian people at the table were Halo and Misty. Sai people were taught from birth to watch their backs.

"My brother blames you all for the war," Halo broke the silence. "I'm sure you know why."

"I don't know why, tell me," Finn eagerly said.

"Because a lot of us packed up and left," Sina said. "We're the poorest in the country, so instead of fighting a lot of our people took off on boats to neighbouring islands. We're treated somewhat better over there as well. It left our military short of a lot of people, which is why the war ended how it did."

Finn scoffed and glanced at Halo. "For someone who hates emigration, your brother has a funny way of treating foreigners."

"That might be Vaea's immediate reason, but history has taught us that its just stupid differences," Sina explained. "We were all made in Alya and Avani's image. Sai people were hunters and travellers whilst Kailanian people were gatherers and builders. Kailanian people thought because their work could be shown and every King and Queen in history was born Kailanian, that they were the superior of us. Avani, the Sai Goddess is also the Goddess of War and Beauty, so Kailanian scholars have added their own spin on how our society has to function. Essentially, we both need each other."

"We never needed them," Malia spat. "Our ancestors could hunt and travel on their own, now we're stuck in one place, living the same mundane lives under a law we don't even believe. They took our nature from us while they get to live theirs."

Misty frowned like she didn't agree. At the same time she was scared to challenge Malia. "Don't you think things have changed for the better though? Now you don't have to hunt and die to wild animals. You get to live a civilized life and live longer."

Malia's eye twitched. Civilized life. Everyone at the table could sense her anger, but Misty wasn't seeing it yet.

"Civilized huh?" Malia laughed sardonically. "We're not civilized, we're domestication. We're in our homes by sunset, we're kept in areas none of you would go even with a sword and you guys commit more harm to this country than anyone else. But sure, you did us a fucking favour by doing this to us. I knew you were too good to be true!"

Misty's face fell. "What?"

"Malia," Sina cautiously said. "Calm down. Misty didn't set up the system. They did. Also, its domesticated. You almost had the word right."

Malia got up from her food, her mood spoiled for the night. Her plate was clean, but her stomach felt empty. "Yeah, she didn't set up the system, Sina. But you see, they all think like that. Only reason Halo is different is cause he lived overseas."

She took her plate and walked off to her room. Misty sighed. "Did I say something wrong? I didn't know that would offend her. Its just my opinion."

"Surely you should have known how that would sound," Halo told her. "You know what the crown has done to their people, Misty."

"I didn't know it was that serious," Finn said. "Next time, I'll just talk about the weather."

***

Vaea

Leilani found Vaea on his bed, drifting deep in thought with a pipe between his lips. She had taken at least five nervous walks across the palace grounds, bothering the Kingsmen for updates. She didn't care that it had only been a full day since her sister had disappeared, her regal impatience already showing.

She planted her head on Vaea's chest, flicking open his three buttons and laying her whole body over his. Her skin was so cold, but her cheeks red from the island heat. Vaea stroked her soft curls absent-mindedly.

"What a long day it has been," she sighed, defeated. "I hope Misty has food wherever she is."

Vaea was sure she was being fed just fine. After the Essence Doctor examined the weapons, he confirmed two things. That whoever attacked the Kingsmen had access to potions and they were good at what they were doing.

The essence on the arrowheads were made up of endormi, a plant that specifically put people to sleep and an exorbitant that made its effects stronger and faster.

Vaea had thought Malia Lui would have not left her mother behind, but she was also advised by someone with one of the highest exam scores in the country, so he had grossly underestimated her. Sina Lineir had assembled a concoction that left all the guards present with no memory of the assault.

How convenient.

"Your sister will be fine," Vaea said, almost carelessly. Leilani looked up at his slight harshness.

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Because she's with Malia Lui. And based on what your brother told me about your sister and Sina Lineir, this was bound to happen eventually. She was never trustworthy."

Leilani sat up from his chest, staring with a ghastly expression. "What do you mean by that?"

No matter how much Vaea loved Leilani, compared to the sisters, Yunoa was the most useful. He was indiscriminately loyal and would always do what needed to be done. After Hakumo tested the weapons, Yunoa was at Vaea's ear telling him of how he ran over Malia Lui with a horse, how Misty had taken a liking to Sina Lineir and that the two of them had threatened everyones safety under false guises.

Vaea wiped a wayward curl out of Leilani's face. She looked like a deer that was scared out of her mind. "Yunoa told me everything. It would have been helpful to know earlier, but it makes sense now. Your sister and I had an interesting conversation just in this week."

Vaea told her of when Misty approached him in the garden. She had asked to have her potion license restored, but without returning to the Guard.

"I said no," Vaea told her straight. "She was enraged. I reminded her that when your mother stood against me and our marriage, that she took yout mother's side. She said she just didn't want your mother to be exiled, but she chose to sympathize with someone who did not want us to be happy. That is why I could not trust her, my love."

"But...but why do you say she betrayed us?" Leilani frowned. "She could be in danger."

"Do you not think this is a little too convenient? Halo goes missing, then Misty, then Captain Jared and all while Malia Lui is on the loose and inciting riots?

"Halo sympathized with Malia Lui. He asked me to not kill her. Then he ran away. Now Misty, I find out, has been involved with Sina Lineir, the brains behind all Malia's plots. And she is missing also?"

Leilani was defeated and in denial. She didn't want to believe her sister was a traitor, even though deep down, she knew it was not far off. But she had to protect her family first.

"So what? Are you gonna stop looking for her?"

"No, but you know what will happen when we find her, right?"

Misty would be right on that farm with the rest of her family, churning butter and eating raw fish like Sai scum.

Leilani nodded solemnly, placing her head back on his chest. How sad, Vaea thought. But unsurprising. Misty and Vaea had a few quarrells when she found out he was seeing Leilani behind Halo's back. Talking all of morals and that. If he hadn't kept her in her place with her potion license, she would have ran off to tell him long ago.

Keeping everything Hakumo told him in mind, Vaea knew exactly who to trust in these coming trials.