Reign of Embers

Chapter 28- Hello darkness my old friend

3rd person pov

The world is silent, just how he likes it. No complaining, no noise - just him and his thoughts. He doesn't know why he loves the silence so much, it just suits him - just like causing chaos in the castle suited him when he was a child. But all great things must come to an end.

Someone clears their throat, breaking the contentment of the tall, ebony haired man perched on his dark and twisted throne. Other than the prince, the room is lifeless, like his presence is a leech on the world - sucking out the colour and happiness, only to replace it with shadows and misery. The man tenses his pale fist slightly at the disturbance, the shadows that reside around him jolting with newfound power.

It's a while before the prince wreathed in shadows acknowledges his visitor, preferring to converse with some outside forces - possibly the shadows, possibly the kitchen staff, or maybe he was just deciding who to kill next, but when he does turn to face the intruder, it is not joy that sparkles in his once sapphire blue eyes.

"What?" He snaps, eyes veined with shadows whipping to view the small woman before him.

"Your majesty, some of the new recruits have arrived, but I'm afraid there have been some....complications." The slender auburn haired woman stops waiting to see the shadow prince's reaction, her dark veins bulging, the only sign of her true nature. When the prince doesn't react, she hastens to continue, "You see, they still contain some memories, which is leading them to not suppress their powers-"

"Which means you cannot spawn any soldiers." The dark prince rises, as graceful as those at which he commands, and strides towards her. "I do not see why this should concern me, after all, you are more than capable of wiping their memories yourself."

The woman doesn't cower away, even with the huge height difference between them. "You know I do not wish to control that power," She whispers.

"So you're a coward?" He spits, making her flinch slightly, she catches herself but not before he notices. The prince chuckles. "Dear me mother, is that fear I sense from you? from your own son?"

"Never." She whispers, eyes darting away ever so slightly. Hurt flashes through his eyes so quick it could of been imagined.

After a tense moment, he speaks up again. "Take me to them."

.

One thing to note about the prince's lair, is that it's always dark, always cold, and always miserable. Perhaps this is because he lives in the huge, enchanted ruins of a castle, or because this castle stands in the heart of the mountains, or maybe, just maybe it's because of the massive swam of demon infested beings residing behind the huge soul sucking abyss of a gate.

The prince strolls up through the castle hallways towards the old great hall, a now huge open space joining with the courtyard, cells surrounding the rim against the huge iron fence. As he arrives at the gates leading into the castle, a huge tremor wracks through the earth, followed by a thud.

Gates crashing open, he allows his shadows to encase his features, allowing him to become the dark prince entirely. Darkness streams into the courtyard causing all present to halt and stand at attention. In the centre is a large swarm of dark soldiers restraining who you would guess are the troublesome new recruits.

"What is this?" He says, spitting each syllable out with exact precision.

A high ranking officer steps forward. "Troublesome recruits sire, nothing we can't handle."

"I see." The prince keeps walking towards the mass of beings. "But what I fail to see is why I have half my army trying to restrain them when they should be preparing for battle."