The Returning War (A Songs of War fanfic)

Part 1: Chapter 32

"Vulcannus"

The voice penetrated his foggy mind drawing him towards consciousness

"Vulcannus please wake up"

Gentle hands caressed his hand bringing comfort to the eternal nightmare he had been living in

"Please. I cannot lose you, not yet"

The hands slowly traced up his arm stopping at his elbow

"I get you are not...not in the best condition but I need someone to talk to"

The hands moved past his elbow and began tracing over the rough cut there

"I cannot get rid of these nightmares. They haunt me and tear at my soul. I have not slept since you left"

He flinched and opened his eyes as the hands played over his chest

"Did I ever tell you why The Shadow Reaper hates me so much?"

"I was in line to be the next Queen of the First Inhabitants. Many objected to it because I was a first born; they thought my brother, The Shadow Reaper, would be a better candidate"

She sighed and turned away sadly

"He was so ecstatic to have a purpose in life. But my father would not have it he wanted me to rule; he knew I would be a good ruler. My mother on the other hand hated my and would much rather have died then let me have any joy in life"

"My brother even tried to have me killed for treason many times. Finally my mother went to my father she wanted me exiled or killed. Father refused. My brother proposed an idea, he and I would fight and the loser would be exiled to the farthest reaches of our dimension. My father turned to me to decide; I arrogantly accepted thinking I could win"

"We decided to meet in the centre of our realm. The elders of our kingdom decided our fight would be one of magic. They gave us magical gems that had Ender and Nether magic trapped in them. I was given the one with Ender magic and Reaper got the Nether magic. We fought. Reaper ended up beating me"

"He dragged me to the center of our kingdom. He told of my defeat to everyone who would hear. Then he brought me to my parents; mother was ecstatic but father was mortified; mother had me thrown into prison and stripped from everything of value. I...they branded me as a weak pathetic coward. I pleaded to my father to spare me from exile and he aloud me to keep the Ender gem then took me to the wilderness and left me there"

"I spent many years wandering my wilderness till a messenger from my father found me and gave me a message. My kingdom was in ruins, Reaper was an incompetent ruler and had destroyed my home. Father requested I return home and challenge my brother for the throne"

"Why I thought I could even gain the approval of the people I do not know but the thought of being welcomed was too much. I returned to my home and challenged my brother to a magic duel. He accepted and we fought again. We fought with such power we split our realm and killed everyone but ourselves. I fell into the Nether dimension and Reaper the overworld. When I awoke I was lying in the softest bed I have ever felt and the kindest person I had ever met was busy tending to my wounds. I sometimes wonder if I had never fought my brother a second time, would the world be better because of it? Would you be lying here too weak to even comprehend what I am saying? Would my home still exist?"

Virdencen closed her eyes before looking down at Vulcannus who smiled at her weakly

"I will be ok Centurn" whispered Vulcannus "I will recover eventually and I will always be here for you. I know I can never replace your m..."

"Shh" soothed Virdencen "please do not speak of him, it will remind me of my failure to protect him"