Drakonis

Punishment

We all sat on a rock outside the king's throne room. I could hear the Queen shouting at him about her son's injuries.

Uhroh and I sat with our parents as our mother examined our faces. "How dare they do this to you," she spoke, almost crying at our bruises. I had it worse than Uhroh since he was able to actually fight Nestor back.

Father was silent as we sat. The door opened, and the king signaled us to enter. The queen sat visibly upset as her maids tended to her son.

Nymara was present as well, staring at us all with a sad expression. "Tonight has been an unfortunate turn of events," the king began.

"Punish them for harming our boy!" the queen shouted in anger.

"What about what your son did to mine?" our mother shot back, equally angry.

Both women held sharp glares, and I could sense this was not going well.

The king raised his hand for silence. "This feud between our boys must end. They will all be punished for their part in tonight's events. Starting tomorrow, they will work together on a task that will require cooperation and mutual respect."

The queen's eyes widened in disbelief. "You cannot be serious! My son is the victim here."

"And mine is not?" our mother countered. "They all need to learn the consequences of their actions and how to work together."

The king nodded. "Precisely. They will be tasked with rebuilding the west wall of the castle. They will do this together, under supervision, until it is completed."

I glanced at Uhroh, who looked just as stunned as I felt. Rebuilding the west wall was no small feat. I thought that place was abandoned now.

The queen looked like she was about to protest further, but the king's expression silenced her. "This is not just about punishment. It's about teaching them a lesson in unity and cooperation."

Both mothers looked furious, but they nodded in reluctant agreement. As we left the throne room, I could feel the weight of the upcoming days settling over us.

"Did you hear what she said?" my mother shouted to our father as we reached our rooms.

"She tried to blame our boys for what happened? Loran looks like he got jumped!" she continued as our father sighed.

"Thalia... you must breathe. They should have known better than to engage in that," he stressed as she glared at him.

"No, they defended themselves, which is what you taught them," she whispered, walking away to her room.

My parents never typically fight, but I could feel the tension. My father sat down in the living room, looking stressed. Uhroh gave me a sad expression as he went to follow our mother.

It was our thing: whenever one of them was visibly upset, I sent Uhroh to calm Mom down, and I calmed Dad down.

I took a seat beside him and looked over. "Your mother is right," he dragged.

I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

He sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "I taught you both to stand up for yourselves, but I didn't mean for it to lead to this kind of violence."

"Father, we didn't start it," I said quietly. "Nestor and his friends ambushed us. We had no choice but to defend ourselves."

"I know, Loran," he replied, looking weary. "But this punishment the king has devised... it's meant to teach all of you a lesson, not just in defending yourselves, but in understanding and cooperation. You boys have to learn to work together, even if you don't like each other."

I could see the worry in his eyes. "We will, Father. We'll get through this. We'll rebuild that wall and prove we can work together."

He nodded, but his expression remained troubled. "I hope so, Loran. I truly hope so."

Meanwhile, in my parents' bedroom, Uhroh found our mother sitting on the edge of the bed, tears streaming down her face. He approached her gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Mom, it's going to be okay," Uhroh said softly.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with anguish. "I just can't stand to see you boys hurt. And then to hear the queen accuse you..."

"We'll be fine, Mom," he assured her. "We'll get through this. We're strong, like you and Dad taught us."

She hugged him tightly, her tears soaking his shirt. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise," Uhroh whispered, holding her close.