In The End

Chapter 3- Octavian

I stared at the ceiling, waiting for my father to get home from work. It would be late today, going around telling people to beware of magic. King Malcom had recently become more and more paranoid, consequently he has been getting weaker and weaker. He doesn't have an heir, his hold on the country would come to an end. "Not that he would let that stop him" I mumbled, kicking my feet off the bed. On my desk lay books from the royal library about the past few centuries. The war, the turning of powers, and the wielders. Flipping some of the pages, the words I had read hundreds of times just swirled around.

"Octavian! Come help me with dinner."

"Coming, mom," this was the routine every day. My mother would refuse my help all day, saying I needed to study and practice my skills if I ever wanted to follow in my fathers' footsteps. And then minutes before she thought my father would get home, she would ask for my help. We would sit at the set table for minutes or hours, just waiting for him. When he walked through the door he went over to mom and kissed her forehead and then took a plate and walked to their bedroom. Why she continued to do this, I didn't understand. There was never a thank you from him, he didn't even acknowledge me, and every day the light in her eyes got dimmer.

The kitchen smelled amazing, I could see vegetables frying and chicken in the oven. "Set the table, your father will be home any minute now," nodding I sighed, I got the silverware and plates out of the cupboards. Three spots set, but only two would be sat in. She was humming while she cooked, graceful as always while she moved around making sure nothing burnt. I just watched her, remembering when we would dance around the kitchen when I was younger. We hadn't done it in years, once dad started coming home late and stopped taking over the dance, it hurt her more than she would ever admit.

With the food cooked, and the plates full, she sat down in her spot. Just staring at the door, I knew it would be a while before he came through. "'Tavian, sit, sit."

"Mom, dance with me," I held out my hand, her eyes widened, and she started to shake her head, "mom, please." She nodded, her eyes starting to water.

She used to lead, while I kept my feet on hers. But now, standing a few inches taller than her, I led. Occasionally I would watch her eyes drift towards the door, to take her mind off it I started to hum the same song she always did. She should have left him years ago, but she wouldn't survive it. Seeing him move on from her, it would absolutely break her. And as much as I respect my mother for staying and trying to make it work, as much as I respect my dad for caring about his career, but both were incredibly oblivious to the other. My dad couldn't see how much he has hurt mom, and she couldn't see how much he cared about the kingdom more than our family.

"Let's eat, it's getting dark."

"But your father..." she stopped and looked at me, I finished her sentence for her, "will eat when he gets home"

Nodding, she sat down and took a bite of her food that was still warm for once. It was delicious, and just as we were putting the dishes away after washing them he walked in. "Hello dad, how was work?" Nodding, he grabbed his plate and went into his office.

She watched him go, and soon after excused herself to their bedroom. I sighed, but before I could dwell on it, I grabbed my coat and walked out the door. The only way to gather more information about these people was to go out late, to see if I could catch any snippets of conversations. More than just the monarchy had become paranoid, but for me it was more than that. If the war hadn't happened, we would be much more powerful than the kingdom has been. The wielders hold a tremendous gift, one that could be utilized to help the farmers and the fishermen of the country. And yet the only thing the king knew was that they were powerful than him, and if he could kill off the wielders than he could control the people.