Death Returns

Escalating Situation

Calian stormed through the halls of the castle, knowing the king and queen would be awake by now. He stomped down the grand staircase, red anger burning so hot through his eyes, the passing guests could almost see it. As he was looking around he caught the end of a sentence spoken by the queen, followed by an overzealous guffaw. It came from the left.

He turned sharply and continued to charge towards the noise, his scowl earning strange looks from anyone who noticed, the only thing he could think of was his parents, and what the king and queen had done. He didn't care about his plan, all he wanted now was revenge.

"Calian?"

A hopeful voice came from behind him. He stopped in his tracks, so quickly he almost toppled over.

"Good morning. How are you today?" The voice asked, sweet and soft. He recognized it as Evita's.

He slowly turned, trying his best to push away the rage boiling inside him and smile for her. "Good morning, Evita. I'm.. well. How are you?"

She looked slightly confused with his behavior, which meant he hadn't done the best job concealing it, but once he responded she smiled and walked over as to speak to him properly.

"I'm also well! Thank you again for last night, It must have been a bit awkward so I appreciate you helping, regardless." She spoke with a new energy than the night before. Maybe she was tired or feeling strange because of the odd circumstance, but seeing her so much more upbeat and almost giddy made Calian forget about the emotions that had been racing through his muscles just moments ago. He smiled a little wider and nodded slightly.

"It was no problem, really. Your request was probably the most tame I've heard in years."

"Oh, good. Though I'm rather curious as to what these other.. requests are." She smirked curiously and he just chuckled.

"Well, if I told you I'm not sure you would believe it. Besides, that king of knowledge isn't very becoming of a lady."

"I am much more than a lady, Calian Banik, and I think you know that by now." She exclaimed and gently swatted his arm.

"You're right, I apologize, and I pity the man who makes the same mistake."

"As you should." She nods triumphantly and crosses her arms. Calian smiles and offers her his own arm.

"Shall we join the others?" He asks. She nods again and takes his arm, then they head into the room the king and queen seem to be telling jokes in.

It was a much smaller room than the others they'd seen, though just as extravagantly decorated. It looked to be a sort of living room, the center inhabited by large cushy sofas and chairs, a table in between. Lords and ladies filled the room, all the couches and chairs filled, and the rest just scattered about. The king and queen had taken perch in the middle of the center sofa, all eyes on them. The king was currently in the middle of an amusing anecdote, but Calian wasn't listening. He could only stare at the royal couple, thinking desperately of a way to accomplish what he came to do ahead of schedule. So far, no luck.

"Ah, Calian!" A female voice calls his name. He shakes himself out of his trance and looks around, a bit confused. He spots Princess Siersha striding over from across the room and groans quietly. He notices a small scowl pasted on her face as she noticed Evita on his arm, and he has to refrain from scowling back. "How are you doing this morning? You look well, as always." She says, her attempts at flirting giving Calian a sick feeling.

"Thank you, I am well. And how are you?" He responds through clenched teeth.

"I'm divine." She smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her dainty ear. She glances at Evita, looking her up and down, then turning back to him. "And who is this?" She asks, obviously insecure about her status in his mind compared to Evita.

"Ah yes, how rude of me," Calian starts, turning to Evita. "This is Princess Siersha of Magdeln, Siersha, this is Princess Evita of Lakdun." He introduces them, and the two share forced smiles.

"Pleasure to meet you, Princess." Siersha says, her tone less than friendly.

"And you." Evita replies, sugary sweet, just as always.

"And you two are..?" Siersha prompts, looking from Calian to Evita.

"Good friends." Calian finishes for her. She looks relieved and smiles venomously.

"I see. Well, nice to meet you, Evita. I'm going to go find something to drink. I hope to see you soon, Calian." She says simply and waves, walking off into another room. Calian sighs a breath of relief and Evita chuckles.

"Well, she's a right ray of sunshine. How did you two meet?" Evita asks.

"At the masquerade ball last night. She ambushed me." He rolls his eyes and she laughs again.

"Come now, I'm sure she just likes you. It's no wonder, really, you're quite the charmer."

"I am, eh?" He mutters, fixing his gaze back on the king and queen. Evita doesn't seem to notice his intense fixation, only nods and doesn't say anything more. They stand there for a while longer until the king and queen stand up and tell everyone to retreat to the dinning room for a formal breakfast.

They all gather at the table and say a prayer to their beloved "god", then begin to feast on bread, fruits, wine, and a pile of fine meats. The table is filled with laughter and talk, everyone smiling and energetic. Evita begins to talk with a duke on her right, picking up on Calian's not-so-chatty mood.

He ate quietly, brow slightly furrowed, just thinking. Thinking, of what the couple sitting six feet away from him had done to deserve what was coming. Very, very, soon.

***

A/N:

Shorter chapter today! Sorry, I'm not exactly sure where I want to go from here so I just wanted to focus on finding a good stopping point for this part.
Anyway, It's been like three weeks or something since I last posted, sorry about that, I was at a festival for one of those weeks and the rest, well, I really have no other excuse besides me just being lazy and uninspired.
But I'm going to start writing more because I know how I want his to end and I'm excited for it, also because I have a lot more ideas for stories that I want to start but I won't let myself start another until I finish this one. Discipline 😎
Anywho, thank you for reading, please do consider voting or commenting, and if you like this so far you are welcome to check out my fanfic Stalemate, or even follow me if you're feeling bold.
Have a wonderful day/night!