chainless DISCONTINUED

11 - Solace

trigger warnings // mentions of violence

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Drained is what best describes the King of Merri as he sits at his desk, in a study he hasn't left these past few days.

Worn out eyes read the letters formed words, vision blurred. He sighs shakily, rubbing his eyes then leans back in his seat. The King didn't remember the last time he slept for more than two hours, jittery with nerves and anxious thoughts. He had promised himself to not miss his arrival, which includes staying awake throughout the muggy nights. There may have a schedule that Techno swore to keep, but anything could happen that could either lengthen or shorten the timeframe of when the new prince is destined to arrive.

He fumbled with the ring on his finger, heart-aching over his beloved wife's emotional state- She had seen and talked to different doctors specializing in the field, taken remedies that only lightened her mood briefly. She deserved happiness, organic happiness. It's been a rough couple of years, and with the Queen's duties tossed back onto her just like that?

He wasn't King for very long, hence why many still regard him as the 'Late Prince'. He was just a boy, gripping his bearings and exploring the world. Going on expeditions to widen trade routes and strengthen friendships between kingdoms.

The King's heart sinks at the memory, getting the letter that finalized that his son's shipwreck was found in the gulf of Valen... It haunts his dreams during the night. What happened afterward was brutal on the royal family, getting condolences from the other royal families across the globe, from their people in the cities and towns wishing for nothing but healing and happiness- It was a lot upon them emotionally. And then, they had to find a new heir; because Princess Fia was a mere infant unfit to rule over a kingdom.

For the Royal Family of Merri, it was bound to them to not rule over a kingdom past fifty years of age. Reason being; a bad history of elder rulers bringing their kingdom to the brink of decay.

It was one of the oaths you swore to when taking the throne, 'Never to rule past your fiftieth year'.

An oath no King of Merri has broken since being afflicted. The King swore to himself not to be the first just because of their horrible situation. He and the Queen had twelve years to find a new heir... She had given up last year during a crisis of aversion.

So many tears he has shed, so many times he felt hollow inside... The only thing that kept him going was the idea of hugging his new heir, of guiding them to the stars and burning sun. He held out, every day listening and watching before his eyes as more and more information came through, more and more scouts came back with findings from Morbus.

He got another letter, he remembered, from a scout. Detailing of peculiar findings that not even they expected to find. The anxious wait for the return and safe deliverance of the will. The elements of knowledge that they needed to make this work.

The King will never forget holding that message in his hands, marking out what happened to his son on that ship; that he was gone from this earth he lived and played on as a lad. But, he now held a new memory to cling to. The receiver of the will, and of the painting his distant relative created of a little hybrid boy with bright eyes and a glistening future ahead of him.

His door rattles from the weight of knocks, his breath hitching from the sound those knocks weighed. Recognizing them as his trusted Royal Knight many nicknamed him to be 'The Blade of Merri'. He stood from his seat, placing the palms of his hands on his desk. He hesitantly cleared his throat, and said: "Come in.".

The door swings open, the King's eyes making contact with his second most trusted Royal Knight, Sapnap. The middle-aged King is taken aback at his presence, having not seen him in his study in a long time. Not since... He doesn't dwell too much on that memory when Techno walks into the room, his large stature ducking under the top of the doorway to avoid knocking his head.