𝕭𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗
"Bonjour, Lloyd!"
He looked over. He saw a woman with short black curly hair, pinkish skin, horns, and weirdly shaped eyes. He was afraid again, not daring to move as she went to him. She couldn't walk, she didn't have any legs. She flew instead.
"Don't you remember me?" She became sad, stroking his chin with her long seven fingers with her left hand. "I'm your own flesh and blood."
He shook his head, his body trembling.
"Lloyd, I saw you. You saw me. Remember that day you were alone in the house?"
He got chills. When he was alone in the house when his mother left, he hid in the blankets. Before his uncle came, there was an imaginary friend. They spoke about games before he fell asleep.
"It's you. Rainbow." He touched her face.
"My name is Da-Eun, but call me Da."
He wrapped his arms around her and began to weep. "You're my sister! Mom and dad love you!"
"Ah, I know." She gently pulled him away and wiped his tears. "I don't look like you. I never had a chance to develop a human form."
"That's fine." He picked up a flower and put it in her hair, making her blush. "You look beautiful regardless."
She picked him up, scaring him again. He clung to her as she flew, afraid to see the ground moving below them. Lily greeted them, laughing when she saw her scared little brother.
"Welcome back! Grandma and Grandpa want to see you!"
"I see." He turned to Da. "Can you put me down?"
She put him on the ground, kissing his head. "Pussy."
"Hey!" They all laughed, the older two ruffling his brown hair.
He strangely knew where to go. He went to a forest, the same one where he got the necklace. Hidden by the trees were his grandparents, both human.
"Oh, my shining star." His grandfather was the first to embrace him. "Look how you've grown. As strong as a mountain! Please eat more, less smoke!" He popped a butterscotch candy in his mouth.
Da-Eun kissed his face, hugging him. They were around same height, no need for bending down.
"Now that you're here, we can finally explain everything."
Lloyd smiled. "Please do."
She took his hand, grandpa taking the other. They walked around, showing him the best sites from Korea, North and South. Of course, Grandpa Doh had to sneak in sweats in his pockets.
"During The Two-Year War, our great-great-great-great grandfather discovered a plant. It was called heleusa. When he ran out of food during battle, he ate it. It gave him unmatched ability and ambition, he singlehandedly won the war."
Lloyd listened close, grandpa picking him up so he could pick fruit from the orange trees.
"However, after the war, his once black hair turned as white as snow. His eyes turned blue. The village he fought so hard for buried him alive, fearing he was a witch. His daughter, Hwang, was so desperate to free him that she ate the remaining parts of the flower and worked two nights and three days to get him out, digging with her bare hands.
When he was out, he escaped to a different country, nobody knows where. Hwang died young, leaving two sons. Ye-eun, her oldest, was born with the powers of the plant. One night while his wife was giving birth, he saw a beautiful woman that told him that one day, one of his descents would bring honor back to the family and would finish a job for the Goddess of War."
She stopped and looked at Lloyd. "And somehow, centuries later, you're the one."
--
"I'm willing to go back to being his heir if he needs me to be."
Sarah was decussing important matters in another room with the courts, Lloyd's parents, and François. Luna was sleeping on grandpa's chest, having been woken up by her mother late at night.
"Doctor, how's Lloyd?" Marcel was signing to her, still feeling incredibly guilty for what he said before.
She was holding needles full of blood. "I've been bloodletting, hopefully it should work out soon."
Ho looked over. "That's bad."
"Sir, I'm the doctor."
He stayed quiet. Then when she left, he passed Luna to Marcel and instantly went to the folders of everyone who works in the castle, he had a key. He read hers.
The university didn't exist.
Her name wasn't spelled correctly.
She wasn't born in 2000.
"Marcel, look." He held it up to his face. "She's a fraud."
He gave Luna back to him and stormed to his brother, pushing the doors open. He pushed the paper to the head of the table, everyone else having their eyes on him.
"She's a liar!" He spoke again, Beom and Marie having their jaws on the floor. "Look!"
There were whispers as the paper went around.
"Arrest her immediately."
The guards tracked her and picked her up by her armpits. Once she saw her file, she tried to escape, screaming at the top of her lungs. François launched himself at her, scratching her face and pulling her hair. Marcel and Marie were able to drag the prince off, who had a bruised and cut-up lip.
"Off with her head!" He screeched in French. "She is to be killed!"
Just as she was going to get up, Beom ran past his wife and son-in-law to attack her. He was harder to pull away, it took four grown men a good few tries to rip him off. She was dizzy as she was dragged to the cell where Hunter stayed. Her punishment was to be decided.
--
Lloyd was on grandpa's lap, having his hair stroked and being told stories. Da and Lily were with grandma, discussing business matters.
"How are my boys?"
"Uncle Ho has so many kids, he's a great dad." Grandpa beamed, he always worried about him the most. "Appa is-
"Hellllo!!!"
A man with long black hair came to the two others. Apart from Lily, he was the closest to looking human. The only things that were off were long ears and two extra eyes that spilled over his right one. Other than that, he looked like Beom.
"Lloyd, I'm Jo." He spoke smoothly, as if he was talking to a baby. "I'm your oldest sibling."
He sat up, holding his hand that had four fingers. "I'm sorry about what happened to you."
"It's alright. I sent you to mom and dad to make them feel better, and you're doing a great job."
His face felt hot as tears streamed down. He hugged him. "That's what I needed to hear."
Jo picked him up. "Grandpa, can I take him with me? It'll only be for a while."
"Yes, but be quick."
--
Sarah was officially queen, Luna being the country's sweetheart. They needed something to distract them, they were sick with worry. Their former king was being brought back home. From what they were told, he was too unwell to rule.
François was glued to Lloyd. His eyes hurt from crying. He was a total failure. He hurt his baby. Marcel tried to tell him otherwise, but it was obvious he didn't agree with his words. He was moving back in with their grandparents, and he had the same looks as everyone else. Beom didn't want to be anywhere near him, that's why they're in separate trains. Marie only visited Lloyd, asked him about his condition, then left without as much as a glance.
"Beom, that's your fourth plate."
"I know." Before he could put the fork in his mouth, he started to cry hysterically.
Marie hugged him, rubbing his back. "I know it's hard."
"I failed, Marie." He gasped as he spoke. "I failed him as a father."
"No." If he failed, then she failed too.
"Our child hates himself so much he's cutting himself up. And he's sick. He feels like a failure and so do I!" He took off his glasses, covering his eyes.
"We can help him. He'll be home, so he can relax." She saw him crumble, just like he did when the incident happened.
Meanwhile, in the other train, François broke down. Marcel offered no assistance, instead playing cards with one of the five guards.
"Please wake up!" He tried to shake him again. "Lloyd, I'm so sorry!"
He considered those dark things again. He should, shouldn't he? He made Lloyd do it, it's only fair.
--
"Okay, little brother," Jo cradled him, refusing to put him down even when he was shaking. "When you die, you're going to join us. So, I'm going to give you some practice."
"Hu-" Lloyd was dropped, screaming as he fell.
Before his face could hit the ground, gray wings broke his shirt. He stayed there, his nose touching the bottom. Jo clapped and embraced him.
"Good job! You can fly!" He pitched his gray cheeks. "What eye color do you want?"
"....red?" Jo flicked his forehead, turning his eyes a beautiful shade of ruby red.
"What hair?"
"Umm, you choose." Still in shock, he watched as his brother turned his long, wavy brown hair to short, curly, and blonde. "So pretty!"
"Lloyd." He held his now claw-like hands. "Don't you want to stay here with us? We'll be happy, we can have so much fun!"
He suddenly remembered. He wasn't supposed to be here. "I need to wake up, big brother."
Jo frowned before snapping his fingers.
----
François and Lloyd were in their old pink house again. Beom and Marie brought the house next to them, still refusing to look at the depressed redhead. Marcel was being driven back to his grandparents.
François wept in the bedroom. Blueberry tried to offer love, Jr was busy exploding, Benjamin refused to leave Lloyd, and Apple was snuggled up to her favorite owner.
Lloyd sprung up from the couch. He looked around, then out the window.
"Jo!"
The man went up, and so did Lloyd. He rushed past the guards, who were helping unpack. He slammed the door open, François jumping then crying out.
"François, did you-" He was embraced, his husband apologizing and wailing. "Did you see him?!"
"Oh, I've given you a fever! You're seeing things again!" He placed in bed and tucked in, the dogs all jumping up to kiss his sweaty face.
François was getting his in-laws as Lloyd looked out the window. He must've been sick, there was nobody there.
"Lloyd!"
His mother hugged him close, so did his father. Nothing was making sense.
"Just stay here, let me get your favorite things." Beom rushed down the stairs, Marie following him.
He sighed. It had to be a dream. François was too hysterical to speak, and his parents were busy. The animals were happy that he was awake. Benjamin was laying on top of him and the others had zoomies. What the hell happened?
He reached into his pocket for a cigarette, only to put out butterscotch candy.
---
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