Sickleshipping: The Village of Thieves

Possessed

Five years later.

The muscular, tanned boy with crazy blonde hair tore through the village, ducking his way through passersby and avoiding the hoard of guards streaming after him.

"We'll catch you Mariku you Thief Prince!" One called after him. Mariku laughed.

"Seriously guys? All this over some groceries?" He ducked under a vase and through some fabric hanging from a home.
"You have nothing better to do than chase me?"

He ran into a nearby alleyway and onto a straw roof, flanking across to the other side of the house and then onto a second. He gripped the wooden gate at the entrance to the city before swinging his legs over. From this height, he jumped onto his horse which reared and galloped forward. Mariku checked the grocery bag. Not one thing was spoiled.

"I hope Akefia's pleased with me," Mariku smiled before lifting the reins and turning the horse towards Kul Elna.

Akefia was waiting for him at the gate as he always was. But there was something about him Mariku didn't like. Since Kisara had betrayed him so many years ago Akefia rarely smiled. He only showed affection for Mariku, shunning himself and locking himself up in his home alone. Some of the older children had left. They still visited, but they didn't live in the village anymore. So there was fewer children than before. Mariku kept encouraging Akefia to get new ones, but Akefia didn't even leave the village anymore for anything either.

He left at night but never did anything. Didn't even get drunkpike he used to. Just left for a few hours then came back and fell asleep, the nightmares assaulting him. He screamed all trough the night without a break. Mariku hadn't been able to get anything out of him. But he knew the dreams were about the pharaoh.

"Hello love," Akefia wrapped an arm around Mariku's back, pulling him close and kissing him softly. Mariku smiled sadly and Akefia's face remained impassive. It was like he was broken. All of his vibrancy and happy smiles that were contagious around Kul Elna were replaced by an empty, soulless creature.
"Did you get the groceries?"

Mariku nodded and held up the bag. Yuugi, one of the younger children at age nine appeared from under Akefia's cloak and grabbed a piece of bread from the back. He shuffled back in. Akefia smirked at Mariku, but he didn't actually look happy. It was a malicious smirk.

"Mariku. I think you're going to enjoy this," he led Mariku into the rickety, run-down main house that belonged to the two of them. When Mariku was twelve he and Akefia had declared their feelings for each other and therefore Mariku becane the Thief Prince. That and because of his skills in the trade, taught privately by Akefia himself. He'd take over as Thief King when Akefia died. And he planned to keep rescuing children like Akefia did.

Akefia took some sticks and burned them in a bowl until trails of smoke arose. He began to mic the ashes with water and compacted them in his hand into a dry paste. When Akefia had effectively created charcoal, he began to sketch on the wall.

At first Mariku thought he was sketching blueprints. There was a cluster of dots labelled 'Kul Elna' another labelled 'City' and a large box which interconnected two smaller boxes labelled 'Palace'. Akefia turned back to Mariku smiling like s proud child. Mariku was happy that Akefia was smiling again. Didn't know why, but anything was better than nothing. He wished things would go back the way they were. But they probably never would.

"You want things to go back to normal don't you?" Mariku heard Akefia asked.  He wasn't surprised. The man could read people very well. Especially children.
"Things will after this. I promise,"

Mariku examined the crude buildings Akefia had drawn. The palace was by far the most detailed, with all the entrances marked out and....the guard's schedules?!

"This is where you've been going at night!" Mariku observed. Akefia nodded.

"I couldn't tell you before in case you got caught stealing and questioned. But theres no use in keeping it from you now. We'll do this together Mariku!"

"You want to rob the palace?!" Mariku was stunned. He knew that Akefia could easily accomplish it. But him? It was an honour to be chosen for this but he didn't want to slow Akefia down.
"You think I'm ready for that?"

Akefia nodded.
"You're strong Mariku and you learned from the best,"

Akefia suddenly jolted. He bent down and gripped his hair, pulling and screaming. Mariku noticed that he always screamed 'zorc!' when this happened and it happened a lot. Mariku called it a fit, but it wasn't like a normal fit. It was like Akefia was possessed by a demon. Akefia threw himself against the wall and banged his head with a crack before seemingly calming down. Mariku ran up to his now silent and still boyfriend.

"Akefia?" He gripped Akefia's shoulder, who turned to face him.

The possessed Akefia was smiling menacingly like a hungry wolf who had found an injured lamb. His licked his lips and his tongue had turned black. It wasn't like he was looking at Mariku anymore, but like he was looking past him into nothing. His eyes themselves which were normally dull and lifeless were shining as if someone had turned on a light switch behind them. His mouth seemed like purple light was coming from it too. Mariku backed away.

"Don't be afraid dear," Akefia's voice sounded different. It was always hoarse and scratchy. But now it sounded smooth and confident. And he was speaking sarcastically.
"Akefia's body won't let me harm you too much. Otherwise I'd kill you. You slow Akefia down and you know that. But we're going to the palace without objection. We will spill the pharaoh's blood and the blood of his priests. We will steal everything. Take everything back that is rightfully Akefia's!" Screamed Akefia or whoever the presence possessing him was.

"Ummm..." Mariku gulped. He knew he shouldn't ask a question, but he couldn't help it. "A-are we going to kill anyone?"

The possessed Akefia's features hardened.
"They killed Akefia's family. Destroyed his life. They kill the innocent. Slaughter families. Enslave old men and whip them until their bones crumble to dust. They rape children, Mariku. You haven't seen what they do but I have. Akefia has. They deserve to die,"

"All of them?"

The possessed Akefia gave him a confused look.
"All of them,"

"Even my sister?" Mariku asked in despair. He didn't want her to die.

The possessed Akefia started laughing. He was laughing but he looked angry. He didn't look like himself. He looked like a monster.
"You want to protect her?!" He laughed. "Your sister who left you to die? Who let your father carve symbols into your back -in the name of the pharaoh by the way - and let him kill your little brother?! You want Akefia to spare her?!"

"Well n-no b-but..." Mariku stammered, tears threatening to appear.
"She was scared.....she was young.....she didn't know how to help!"

Mariku felt his feet move on their own, his back slam hard against the wall and the possessed Akefia standing over him with unforgiving eyes. The possessed Akefia dug his long nails into Mariku's jaw.
"Don't make excuses for these people Mariku! You defended yourself. She could have defended you! She didn't. Had she ever tried to find you since then?! Ever went back?! She's a Priestess. You know what her job is?!"

"W-what?" Mariku was terrified.

"She uses her Sennen Tauk - the tail made from my families bodies - to sniff out and kill people like me. People who need to steal to survive. That's what she does. She tells he guards where to find them and then she kills them. Do you still think she deserves to live?" The possessed Akefia questioned.

Mariku had mixed emotions. He believed Akefia yes, but he didn't think it was his sister's fault. She was nice. He knew that. But his fear caused him to whisper.
"No...you're right...she deserves to die.."

Akefia stepped back. Mariku noticed that he wasn't possessed anymore. His eyes had turned dull and lazy again, the light from his mouth gone. Akefia's grin faded to a frown and his tongue regained its natural pink colour. He looked very confused.
"What....were we taking about again?" Akefia rubbed his head and looked at Mariku's jaw.
"You're bleeding!" He exclaimed.
"Did I do that? Did Zorc do that?"

Mariku didn't know who Zork was. He just kept his eyes concentrated on the floor and didn't feel the hug, didn't hear the string of apologies escape Akefia's lips.