Ascending Pride

Death

It was funny really. After 22 years of being everything his country, family, and betrothed needed he was still dying a dog's death. Al just lay there glancing from his one of only still two living brothers, to his fiancé. Theodore, the younger brother Al had been protecting for 16 years, had just stabbed him in the chest. The irony was not lost on Al.

Al was the first 7th tier mage in over 300 years, and worrying for his younger brother had created an enchanted dagger that could pierce anything containing less than an eighth-tier mana script; so barriers, enchantments, wards, and even active spells. It would seem Theo hadn't quite trusted him, so he had added a mana absorber strong enough to drain a lesser dragon.

Al thought about resisting... but this life had been rather tedious, and since the main person he was protecting had decided to try and kill him... Al glanced down at the wound, already his veins were showing through his skin like a growing purple black spider web as the poison spread. Dragon's vein... Theo and Rosaline had really gone all out to kill him today.

Al could barely breathe, let alone speak but there were a few things he wanted to understand. Al raised a single eyebrow at them, Theo and Rosaline clearly understood his implication. Theo was almost as pale as Al was. Al internally sighed, if this didn't break Theo, it would definitely twist his personality, and Rosaline looked as if she were ready to vomit. Al preferred to not die covered in her fowl.

"You killed them... it's only fair..." Theo mumbled as if he were trying to convince not only Al but himself. Theo's hands were still covered in Al's blood, the dull dark red staining his blue clothes was starting to pool underneath his older brother. Still, even as Alphonse lay dying, he didn't get angry, didn't show fear, didn't show remorse... as if Al was only politely interested. Al was always only ever mildly curious, and always polite... but beneath that mask lay a monster.

When Alphonse had been made crown prince at the age of eight, there had been a dozen siblings... today there were only three remaining. Tomorrow there will only be two.

"You know why, big brother Victor, big brother Bradley, big brother Jaimie, none of them tried to hurt us... they... they were neutral... but you... you killed them anyway!" Theo gasped out as he wiped his hands on his pants. Theo could barely see through his teers, no matter what... killing Jamie was too much...

"The others were supporting Ivan so fine, it was kill or be killed, but they were neutral. We can't trust you." Rosaline added as she gripped her dress tightly, but her eyes didn't waver from Al's. if he could kill a twelve-year-old child without provocation there was no telling when they would be next.

Al just wanted to sigh at their naivety ... yes, technically Victor and Bradley had been neutral; but only because they were helping both himself and Ivan. Not to mention Jaimie had defected and had been supporting their eldest brother, Ivan. At only twelve he had successfully slipped infertility medicine to Rosaline and her two sisters. If Al hadn't been so diligent with his intelligence three young ladies would have been ruined.

Al made direct eye contact with Theo then glanced at his drawer. When he died his protective barrier would also end. In it was an objective record of almost everything he had done, what he planning, and even his intentions were sometimes mentioned. Unfortunately, neither Theo nor Rosaline would be capable rulers... but that wouldn't be his concern. The pain was no longer sharp, just a dull throbbing with every beat of his heart. He glanced toward the window.

Al watched a distant cloud, they had been careful not to damage his heart... Bethany, oh Bethany... did the queen really believe he would let them take his heart? Since Al was not born by the current Queen like Theo, he'd known this day would come. What a shame if they had waited another ten years Seibel would rival the Empire.

Another 15 and they would overtake Smyrna, and in twenty years Seibel might be able to absorb most of the empire... if nothing else Smyrna would be indebted to Seibel for generations to come... Alas, Bethany clearly wanted to recreate the horrors of the empire using his heart.

Al thought about his own mother who had been a traveling dancer, she left the day of his fifth birthday in an attempt to escape Ivan and Bethany's machinations.

For three years he had hoped she would return for him... then Al struck a deal with Bethany a week before his 8th birthday. On his 8th birthday Ivan was deposed as crown prince and Alphonse, bastard child of a dancer took his place. Alphonse recognized he couldn't be naïve if he wanted to survive.

Ivan and Theo were full brothers but Ivan had tried several times to kill both of them off. Alphonse been fighting for not only his survival, but Theo's. Alphonse's heartbeat was slowing and his lungs couldn't inhale. He closed his eyes and waited. He didn't want to see the iconic blue eyes all his siblings had inherited, not the green eyes of Rosaline. Not the shining blonde hair to reflect the innocence he'd long discarded, nor warm orange hair that reminded him of the soft sunsets.

Al almost wished they'd simply put him out of his misery. His own wheezing was distracting him, then again he didn't really need to focus to die.

Theo was trembling, Alphonse was really dying. Alphonse had been so invincible, killing and scheming all these years. They'd been planning this for almost 4 years and Al... didn't even seem surprised. He was so contradictory, as if nothing mattered, but also fought the hardest. Now... he was really dying. The jewel in the dagger was now blood red, swirling with power that slowly started to dim. They watched both horrified and relieved. It was over, Alphonse Luther Vi Britannia Seibel the invincible was truly dead. They collapsed as Theo crawled to the body.

Teers pouring down Theo's face and onto Al's.

"It's over, we're safe now. Her majesty should have everything ready, we have to go Theo." Rosaline urged then started tugging on Theo's left arm. They couldn't be here when the Queen arrived, this way they could blame the Smyrna Empire's delegation. They ran past two of her majesty's personal guards and didn't look back.