Different Worlds

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

​A riding accident. That's what he told everyone it was. That's why he wasn't allowed out of the castle now. He leaned on the window. His father was extremely angry at him that he'd left the party too. Or that he had never showed up. It was supposed to be all for him and he hadn't even showed him up. Maybe he should give up on Charles. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to meet up with Charles but he also realized his father and family wouldn't be happy with him if he didn't become a good king. Or a prince. Whatever he was. But before any of this was decided, he had one other thing to attend to. He groaned softly as he rolled over in his bed. His whole body ached and he was in a lot of pain. He wanted to go out again, he had promised Charles that he would come back and visit. He slowly got up and paced the floor. He was slowly stretching his body back to the shape it used to be in. He headed down the steps and out to the back of the castle. He drew his sword and began to move slowly around the practice field. He didn't want to injure himself further, but he did have some unfinished business. Erik was a very good swordsman. People had always complimented his talent. He had the vengeance that a good warrior needed. He slashed the first practice dummy in half, realizing he wasn't really supposed to be using real swords here. He usually used the practice ones so they didn't have to rebuild the pretend soldiers. Oh well, the blacksmiths could do something for once in their life or whatever. His glare hardened as he faced down the second set of armor.

​"You want to know how it feels?" he growled under his breath as he lashed out, sending the rusty helmet flying off of the post. He spun around, bringing his blade into the side of the wooden beam and then instantly flicking it upward so it cut under the armor and through the chainmail underneath. If it was a real person, he would be dead. Erik sighed and leaned back. His wounds were healing up a little bit. He smirked before turning and heading back towards the castle. He wandered inside and up to his room. He kept his sword sheathed and hidden beneath his cloak. He ducked around the guards in the castle and made his way down the path out towards the villages. He was watching the sun go down as he walked. Charles had wanted him to be careful. He would be. Nothing like that would ever happen to him again.
​Erik had never been the desirable kind of prince. He'd always wanted to do things differently than how he was supposed to. He wanted to run around and play like the other boys his age. When he was teased, he immediately turned to vengeance and anger. His mother had even hired some kind of doctor to come and see if he was insane. He wasn't crazy. He just handled things differently. He still wanted to help Charles in some way. He had never known about the poor district. His father had always made it seem like everything was well in the kingdom and since he wasn't allowed out, he never knew what was going on. And to think, every person in the poor district thought he was a monster. Even Charles. Because Charles didn't know who he was. Charles believed he was just a rich kid who had gotten lost and scared by a dog. He didn't believe that he was the prince. That he had been locked away in his castle for seventeen years and had never seen what horrors his father had unleashed on the people of his kingdom. He'd fix it all. Once he had the chance. But to do that, he might never be able to see Charles again. The way that the poor boy talked about him, he had a feeling once Charles saw he was the prince, he wouldn't want anything to do with him.
​He arrived in the poor district as the sun disappeared. He tugged his cloak around his neck and shivered, his hand going to his sword. He didn't trust this place at all in the dark. Most of the poor people had been willing to help him, including the couple that had most likely saved his life. But some of them, like the ones who had almost killed him, he knew would try to rob him. He slid into the shadows of one of the small homes. He heard laughter and footsteps. He watched as three people showed up in front of him. They hadn't seen him disappear but he recognized them as the three boys who had beaten him up. He gritted his teeth as he singled out the leader. The blonde kid with the slicked hair. He waited until they had passed and then turned the other way and continued on his way. He smirked when he heard their footsteps pause and their voices get quieter before they resumed and this time, in the same direction as he was walking.

​"Didn't you get the message last time? Or do we have to teach it to you again?"
​
​"I'm sorry, what?" Erik turned to see the three boys standing behind him, "I'm just on my way home."

​"You're the same rich kid from before. You have some nerve coming back here."

​Erik smiled slightly, "I found I rather liked the inhabitants here."

​The blonde stepped forward, "Alright, enough of this. I dare you to throw a punch."

​Erik took a step back and held his hands up, "I don't want any trouble. Just let me go home."

​"No, no that's not going to happen. You got away once, you're not getting away again."
​
​The three of them laughed and started to surround him. Erik swallowed nervously as one of them grabbed his arm and shoved him on the ground. The other one kicked him in his ribs and he gasped as he realized he wasn't as healed as he thought. He held a hand to his side and groaned softly. The blonde knelt down next to him and smirked.

​"So, how do you want to go? Should we drown you? There's a river just a little away. We could crack your skull. Or maybe tie you up and starve you just like we've had to deal with."

​Erik didn't reply. He let out a slow breath and the blonde laughed.

​"You're pathetic. So boys, what are we-"

​He was cut off as his eyes widened. Erik glared up at him, his arm stretched out. His sword in his hand had cut right through the older boy. He slowly stood up, keeping his sword buried in his body.

​"Yea, I'm pathetic," Erik agreed before taking his foot and pushing the boy's body off of his sword. The blonde was dead before he hit the ground. He turned his glare to the other two boys who stared at him in fear and then turned and ran away, screaming. Erik sheathed his sword and dashed out of the village and into the field. He had to get home quickly. He ran faster than he ever had and then grinned as he saw a farm appear next to him. He turned and grabbed onto the first horse he could find. He swung himself up onto the animal and clicked his heels against its side. The horse took off and he was gone before the first lights in the poor district turned on and people surrounded the body of the young man who had been stabbed right through the heart.
​When he got back to the castle, he put the horse in an open stable and then walked inside. His sword was dirty, that happened when you killed people. He got into his room without being seen. He laid his blade out and began to clean it. He kept good care of his swords.

​"Erik."

​He jumped and turned to see Raven, "What do you want from me?"

​"We haven't talked in forever. I have barely seen you. Where are you going?"

​"Did you ever think that I was staying away from you?"

​"Why would you do that? We're going to get married in a month and a half right?"

​Erik swallowed, "You know I don't want anything to do with you."

​"Oh come on, Erik," she said as she walked towards him. Erik took a step back and shook his head.

​"I don't want to talk right now. You may leave."

​"I'm not leaving."

​"Well you should," Erik snapped before turning back to his blade. He finished wiping the blood off and tossed the cleaning rag in the garbage. He'd need a new one after that. Raven still hadn't left him. "Will you leave me be?"

​She hugged him from behind and he stiffened instantly. He had never been comfortable with affection. His sister had usually used it to take advantage of him. His father didn't really hug him much and his mother had never been a kind of person who hugged. Well, not since he'd started having his anger outbursts.

​"Relax will you?"

​"No."

​"Erik....."

​Erik shrugged her off and tried once again to get her out of his room but she would just not leave. Why did she like him? What did she see in him that made him so desirable to her? No one else saw those things. He didn't love her. He never would.

​"Please, just leave," he half-begged. Raven didn't say anything to him but she did go. He breathed out a sigh of relief and went to his window. He sat down next to it and rested his head on his arms. A cool breeze blew inside and he shut his eyes to feel tears run down his cheeks. He hated this life. He'd give it all up if he could go live somewhere else. Even if it was in the rich district. Just as long as he wasn't here. He'd killed a boy today. He swallowed and hoped that no one thought it was him. Hopefully those other two boys wouldn't say anything about him. He hadn't thought that part through.
​What if Charles heard about it? What if Charles put two and two together and figured out it was him? He didn't want to lose his only escape from this world. Charles was his only friend. But if he found out that he'd killed someone, he wouldn't want anything to do with him. Erik really hadn't thought of the consequences of this action. He would need to get better at doing that.

​"Erik?"

​"Didn't I tell you to leave me be?" he asked angrily as he rounded on Raven. Or....who he thought was Raven. "Mother?"

​"Are you alright?"

​Erik stared at her in shock, "What?"

​"Are you alright? You've been so distant lately. You spend so much time up here."

​"I'm fine," he whispered.

​"It's a prince's duty to do what is right for his kingdom. Even if they don't like it."

​"Marrying her isn't the right thing," he said. He was trying so hard to get angry again. Scare her off so he could be alone. But he couldn't. "I hate this, mom. I don't want to be this."

​He hugged her. He didn't know what had made him do that, he didn't like affection but before he knew it, he was hugging her and crying. He was scared of what would happen if he was found out. He was angry that he didn't have a single choice in his life. He was upset because nothing he ever did seemed to be right. She led him slowly to his bed and laid him down. He couldn't remember the last time she'd covered him up and held him until he fell asleep but it hadn't been in a long time. He sniffled as she held his hand.

​"I'm sorry, mom," he choked out, "I'm sorry I'm not good enough to do this."

​She didn't say anything to him but maybe it was better that way. She just comforted him until he couldn't cry anymore and he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He fell asleep in peace. No worries clouded his mind.