Siege

Twin Cracks

Leala walked down the hall quickly holding nothing, which for most servants was odd. People never wanted them unless they had a request or had asked for something. Leala however was different. Akila had asked for her so that they could talk about the threat on Sinbad's life. She wondered what had happened now that had made this take place. Soon she did arrive at the room where Akila and Daemyn already waited. Sinbad however wasn't there which had left Akila glaring as it meant that he had disregarded the rule she had set down a few days ago at his coronation. A moment after Leala had sat down Sinbad walked in with lipstick staining his cheek, lips, and collar. Anger boiled in Leala how dare he lead those girls on and make them think he loved them. Sinbad was incapable of love and the only one who seemed to know it was her. These girls that followed him thought that he'd make them queen. Akila thought that he cared for her and would be hurt with her loss, but she had thought he cared about his father and he hadn't shed one tear. Daemyn seemed to think that Sinbad cared about people other than himself and had tried to befriend him. In fact, Daemyn thought they were friends and that Sinbad actually cared. Leala could see through the facade he had put on and knew not to trust the boy who was now king. Especially, with matters of emotion and the heart. Once they were all sitting Akila's commanding voice rang out calling for their attention.

"Sinbad," She said turning her deadly glare on her brother "I believe I told you not to go anywhere without Daemyn and that another guard wouldn't do. Or did you forget that like you probably just forgot that girl's name?" Her voice was ice cold and calm. She was angry and everyone could tell. The air seemed to have a layer of ice and the tension was so thick that Leala could have reached out and held it in her hand.

"McKenzie, the girl's name was McKenzie." Sinbad answered "And yes I do remember you saying that. I just chose to ignore it so that I could attend to that matter with her of which is private and not for an armed guard to be watching."

"Ah, so you do remember." Akila said her voice dropping ten degrees in warmth before it had been 20 degrees below zero now it was 30 "Now answer me this. If you can remember her name why is it that you forgot the name of two of your oldest friends. You have grown up with both Leala and Daemyn and you haven't used their names once since you turned 12. Or is it that you've elected to ignore that as well." Akila wasn't happy not at all and she was about to let go of all the pent up anger that she had kept in. "Why is it that you can remember the name of your newest fling whom you will probably never see again but you cannot remember the names of two people you have known all your life?!" She yelled standing up quickly, her chair sliding back and banging into the wall behind her. "Or do you really choose to not only ignore your own sister's simple command to keep you safe, but to ignore the names of your best friends?!" She continued now slamming her hands on the table. She was yelling now which was scaring Leala. Daemyn reached out for the usually more reasonable female and grabbed her hand gently trying to calm her. He had seen her hand flick to the smaller sheath beside her sword and knew she was about to draw her dagger out of anger. This seemed to calm the raging female as she turned, grabbed her chair, and started to sit down. "By ignoring their names you are ignoring them and the friendship they have offered you. You are abandoning the only people who ever had or ever will truly care for you. Are you really...that shallow?" She placed her head in her hands as she started to break and this is what finally caught her brothers attention.

"Akila...?" He asked hesitantly. She never broke, never not when mother died or when father died. She stayed strong it had always hurt her the most but she had always taken it and now he was the one to have done it. The one who broke her and it scared no terrified him. This is not a day he ever wanted to see. He depended on her more than she knew. It was because of her strength that he remained strong, unfeeling, and smug. Now he didn't know how to be those things as he saw his sister break. "Akila...?" He said once again. Leala noticed the fear in his eyes and the break in his voice the way it had changed from the usually smoky tone that attracted all his lady friends to a quiet, brittle, strangled, and tremulous. His voice shook and sounded as though he was about to cry. Akila began to recompose herself as she heard the voice of her brother as it used to be when they were younger. It had always been innocent, tender, kind, quiet, and brittle. He was so kind when he was younger and she missed that so much when all he wanted was to be happy and to be kind. When he remembered things and did them because he knew they were important and not whenever he felt like it. She wiped her eyes of the tears and brought her head up.

"Anyways," She said still a little shaky. "We need to figure out what to do with this death threat. How should we react?" She turned to Daemyn who would have the best idea on what to do.

"I say protect Sinbad, find the inside men, and then wait for this tyrant to come to us. Then we strike when he's expecting to cripple us." Daemyn said as everyone put the past moment behind them for the far more serious problem-at least in their eyes it was far more serious-they again stressed to Sinbad about having Daemyn around and Sinbad nodded fully intending to keep it this time. When everyone left Sinbad had changed a bit and no one noticed except for him.