Liam felt out of place among the nobles. His skin itched under the clothes he was wearing. 

The murmur of voices was an unfortunate buzz that wouldn’t abate, and Liam felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to control his breathing, and when he opened them again, he was face to face with a boy. He looked around his age, perhaps a year or two older.

The firelight glinted off his brown hair, turning it bronze in the dim light. The boy faced Liam, eyes searching.

“You are Liam?” He asked.

Liam nodded, unsure.

The boy smiled slowly. “My name is Julian. I’m Lord Kay’s son.”

Liam nodded, wondering if he was supposed to recognize him.

Julian sighed. “I know-” He paused, eyes closing briefly. “I knew Theodore.”

Oh. Oh. Liam’s eyes widened.

“It’s nice to meet you. Theo, he wouldn’t really talk to me about the noble stuff, so I don’t know much about his friends in court.” He said, apologetically.

Julian didn’t seem surprised to hear this. “Yes, well, he spoke of you often. He held you in the highest regard.”

Liam didn’t know what to say.

Julian carried on. “I cared deeply for him. As children, we’d get up to a lot of mischief while our fathers were in court. I miss him.”

Liam nodded once more, latching onto Julian’s words. “I miss him too. So much. He was my best friend through everything, my confidante. I only wish I’d listened to him more, or gotten to him in time, maybe I could have done something.”

Julian seemed to shrink into himself, eyes sad. “Yes, maybe. Here. This was his. He left it the last time we saw each other. He’d want you to have it.”

He held out his fist. Clenched tightly within was a familiar pendant. It was round, and bronze. Carved into is was an eagle. Liam remembered it clearly. Theodore would always wear it, and on returning from the court, he’d been distraught, realizing he’d lost it.

He took it from Julian, staring at it, unseeing. Theodore was gone. Truly gone.

He hadn’t realized until then.

His best friend would never laugh with him again.

Liam pushed the door open and walked in, setting his sack on the wooden table absentmindedly.

“Mother?” He called softly.

There was no answer. He walked further inside, and stopped to open the kitchen curtains before heading towards the adjacent room where he, his mother, and his grandfather all slept.

He smiled softly at his mother, pulling a blanket over her. He pressed a hand to her forehead, hissing and pulling it back, smile vanishing. Her fever had returned.

He sighed and went to get a wet cloth, returning to dab at her forehead carefully.

When he felt he could leave her, he returned to the kitchen. He took out one third of the pheasant, salting the remainders and hanging them over the table. He took the third he’d cut and with a dull knife sliced it into smaller pieces.

He put a pot of water over the fire and left it to boil, before adding salt, and a few herbs he’d picked up and placing a lid over it.

He sighed quietly. The third wasn’t enough for three people. He supposed he’d be eating the stale barley bread once more.　

“I -I have a twin sister.” Fear admitted.

Ares raised an eyebrow, grey eyes boring into hers.

“Her name is Terror. She -We never really got along. I always wanted to be like her, following her around, but she never wanted me.” The mage said.

She sighed, looking at her hands before meeting their eyes again. “When our father died, I thought we’d stick together, but she left me in our home, and vanished.”

Liam looked incredulous. “Who names a child Terror? I mean Fear was bad enough, but Terror, really?”

Fear flinched, looking hurt. Sera slapped the back of Liam’s head.

“Argh, what in Vaskia did I do now? We’re all thinking it anyways!” He said, rubbing the back of his head in annoyance.

Athena answered in Sera’s place. “That was completely insensitive, Liam.”

Liam looked sheepish. He blinked at Fear, hazel eyes wide, Fear could see the remorse shining in them. “I’m sorry, Fear. I didn’t mean it like that, you know that, right?”

Fear smiled shakily, nodding. “Anyways, I raised myself, and well, you guys found me. I saw Terror in my vision. She’s siding with Xalia, helping her take down all of Vaskia.”

Athena’s expression turned into one of sadness. “We may have to kill Terror, you know that don’t you, Fear?”

Fear straightened her shoulders, and forced a smile onto her face. “I understand that. Terror’s made her choice. I’m making mine.”

She looked very innocent, Fear noted. Her curly blond hair, and bright blue eyes gave an impression of purity. If Fear hadn’t seen the atrocities that she had committed, she would have been skeptical to even believe that Xalia could hurt a fly.

The elf smirked. “I’ve been expecting you for quite some time. The hero, the gentle, the protector, the loyal, and the brave.”

Sera snarled at her, fangs bared. “Why are you doing this?”

Xalia’s eyes darkened. “Why? Why?! Why shouldn’t I, after everything this kingdom and it’s Royal Family have done to me?”

Ares rolled his eyes. “Yes, we’re aware, you’re angry because your family abandoned you as a child, as they couldn’t afford to take care of you. Your adopted father was killed by a soldier of the King’s army. Too bad.”

“Do you realize that the soldier was acting in self defense? Your father attacked him first, and he was flogged as a punishment for killing him rather than merely restraining him.” Athena said firmly.

Xalia took a careful step forward. “Lies, all of them. My father was a great man. For his death, all of Vaskia will pay. I will take the throne, dispose of the Royals, and take control. Once everyone has been sufficiently punished for opposing me, I will bring Vaskia to a new age of beauty and power.”

Sera snarled again. “Then we will stop you.”

Not my last post, but the one before is RIDDLED with grammatical mistakes, oh gosh, I am so SORRY. I don’t really concentrate when I write really quickly, and I didn’t realize! I’ll fix it later, promise!