CHAINS − FOR HONOR

Chapter XI: Family Troubles

(APOLLYON’S POV: EARLIER IN THE DAY)
I exited my son’s room, his wife was tending to a cramp or something. So I left to mine, my daughter and loyal assassin Mercy were waiting for their plan. “So, Tiberius is being disobedient, defiant. He needs to be reminded that he belongs to me and the Blackstone Legion. When he enters, I’ll signal you two to grab him. He’ll struggle but I need you to take  his arms and hold bind him to the wall. Wait in the corners”. I commanded, and they followed. “I’ll be back momentarily, remember wait”. I exited my room and stood outside the door, then noticed my child approaching me. “Come with me child”. I said re-entering the room, sitting on my bed. “Have you seen Marcus, visited him since his preparal”? He nodded, I noticed his hands collapse into fist. He’s angry, but, He’ll be broken in a minute. “Hmm, I’m sure. But I need you to know one thing”. I snapped my fingers and he was attacked, Mercy and Ira pulling his arms. Eventually they pinned him against the wall, he still struggled as they bound him to chains. Resilient, expected. “You need to know that you are MY son, MY weapon, MY tool, MY toy, MY torture pet, My test dummy. And I’ll do whatever I want to you, pain or pleasure”. Mercy gave me her dagger, and I smiled as I ran it along his chin. ‘My sweet child’. “Remove his Armor”. He would fight, even though it didn’t help, but they managed to remove his wrist guards and pull up his sleeves. ‘Poor child’. I stabbed the dagger into his forearm, turning it with the flesh. He yelped in pain, my daughter covering his mouth. “No, let him yell, I want to hear the pain”. I ripped out he blade, his blood draining to the floor. Shame because that’s partially my blood, but it was still pleasing to see him bleed.

I slashed him, slicing up his arms. He eventually stopped his cries, staring me dead in my eyes. I knew he was furious, I stepped in closer. He kept locked with me, “Hmph. You’re weak”. I backhanded him, then jabbed his stomach twice. “Weak, Blind, Simple. You’re just like your father.. Who you killed”. His eyes widened, anger and pain grew inside, I could tell. I drew a gash across his other arm, his face stayed rather defiant, only a heavy breath escaping. I ran the blade along his chin, “If you weren’t so valuable to me, I’d gut you right here. That face is just like his, as shameful as that may be, I’m not going to rid it”. His face twisted with full rage, then went red as I slashed the dagger across his cheek. I’d lick the blood if my helmet weren’t on, but he understood the message. “Take him to the nurses, tell them that we found him in an alley by the castle gates. And make sure they say nothing”. My daughter left with my son as I sat upon my bed once more. I looked to my assassin, “What”? She stepped over and asked, “When Master”? I simply smiled at her and said soon. She had been wanting Tiberius as a partner for a while, but with Sophia in the way her wish was delayed. I had asked Ira to try and convince Sophia to talk to me, one on one, but that has yet to come. “I’m going to shower Mercy, you can join me if you wish”. She stayed silent, momentarily, then nodded as she set down her weapons. We showered and played a little as we did, then once it was over I rested, she returning to wherever.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mother, Mother awaken”. “Mother”! I sat up, slightly aggravated but I settled. “Yes Calidum? What reasons have you to wake me”? She looked angry when I looked in her eyes, “What”? She stayed silent as she just huffed more. “Child speak up or leave, don’t come waking me unless it’s important”. “He’s gone”.

“Who is gone Calidum”? “Tiberius”. I wasn’t surprised, he did seem rather angry. Marcus did always tell him to get fresh air. “No matter, he couldn’t be too far astray. Send out a searching patrol, I’m sure he’s just wondering the halls”. My daughter then roared as she rubbed her head, “Mother he left the castle, his belongings are gone, so are Sophia’s”. This caught my attention, he ran off. He left his family, for what? The blackstone legion is all he has, all he ever will, especially once Sophia leaves him. “Send a party out now. I want these walls searched immediately, and check within a five mile limit of the castle. I’m going to sleep, if you find him wake me once you’ve captured him. If you can’t find him, we’ll start again tomorrow. Go, Now”. She nodded as she darted out the door. I was bitter, my own son left me. “He doesn’t understand, only the strong survive in this world. I won’t let him grow weak like his father..”. I lied back down and looked to my side,  “Though Marcus I do miss your touch, our times in bed were rather rememberable.. Hmm, sometimes I regret executing you. But you grew weak, you fell, just like your empire. Tiberius will be back, and then he’ll replace you at my side as a Warlord of the Blackstone. Even when I’m gone, he’ll reign”. I gathered under the warmth of my blankets, my mind drifting off as I too shifted into ease.

The morning broke, and I rose from my bed, I suppose I was shifting a lot, my blankets were everywhere. “Hmm”? I pulled back one of my sheets, seeing an odd shape. It had been Calidum, her body was bare, though her face smiled her body had a different emotion. “Hmmm, years of fighting have given you marks of survival. You’re a child of mine no doubt there”, I rubbed her soft face as she breathed calmly, why did this make me so happy? I have been around pain, war, death and bloodshed all my life, and for reasons I smile at her. I suppose my mother side still exists, I’m not just a warlord. I’m a mother. “Hhmph. You were always crying and unable to rest when you were young, why now do you sleep so soundly? My sweet child,  hard to believe you are still without a lover. Hmm, Maybe..I suppose that could happen..”. “If what could happen mother..”? I looked to her face, it almost resembles mine. “Just thinking aloud daughter, I take it you couldn’t find him”? She nodded as she stretched, “Sorry for intruding mother.. I just wanted to stay in here”. I smiled, I felt warm as she too smiled. “No need Calidum, you are my daughter. Come, we have a hard day ahead of us..”. We both went to the bathroom and cleaned ourselves up, I mainly fixed my hair. She was blessed to have my attributes, I suppose Marcus went to Tiberius and I to Calidum, she definitely had my body. “Mother.. How old were you when you married Marcus”?

Strange, She usually doesn’t care to ask about Marcus. “Why do you ask Calidum”? She stopped brushing her hair and looked to me. “I just, I guess I’ve been thinking about how you and he were together, plus women generally have a lot of children so, when did you and he wed? And why only two children when others have plenty”?

“Well, I had met your father when I was twenty-one, he impregnated me later that year and I gave birth to you at Twenty-two. Then Tiberius came along, we actually married once we knew I was pregnant. I guess we never had more because of our duties, we are knights. He and I did plenty, you remember when I told you to stay in the closet. That’s when a viking group came to plunder our village, we fought and won, obviously. That’s your answer child, why do you ask? Do you want to have a family? You are of age”. She seemed somewhat taken back, then she seemed in thought. I wasn’t wrong, she was ready, just needs a lover. “I suppose I could mother but.. I don’t really have anyone, that is interesting to me..”. I smiled as I thought of an Idea but I doubt she’d agree. “You could have sex with your brother”. She snapped her head towards me, but didn’t look shocked. “I.. Is that allowed..? Would that be acceptable? Or right”? I don’t understand why she asked that, she knows what I have done. “Yes, but you don’t have to love your brother like a partner but you can use his seed for your own. It’s all on you, I won’t force you to do anything”. “Mother, can I say something..”? “Of course Calidum”. She hugged me and sniffled, “why did you have him kill Father”? Hm, once again, why is she asking about him? “Marcus grew weak, he was an old dog who got too loose on his chains. He and I didn’t see fit on ways of rule and order anymore, he saw his old ways of an Empire. I have my own ways of leading, other than that he and I began to argue.. The love we felt seemed to have dwindled, and well. I had grown tired of him, though sometimes I miss him. My child you need not to burden yourself with these worries, my personal life is different than yours, and not important to you”.

“But you’re my mother, anything with you is important”. It’s good that she cares, but that could be a possible threat to her strength. “I know Calidum, but you must understand that not everything is something you need to know. And not everything is always true, so don’t stress too much over things”. She nodded as she let go, returning to my room to dress. I finished up my hair and too went to dress, “You know Calidum, you should probably wear more gear, it would be beneficial”. She didn’t respond, only stood there. “I appreciate all of this mother, the advice, love, everything.. I, I love you”.

“I love you too”. She had left, her orders were to find her brother and she was going to. But I felt strange, why did it feel so weird to say ‘I love you’? Am I that heartless? Have I really forgotten the difference in being a mother, and a leader? “That’s why he left”. My own son, ran off to be away from me. To be safer, “Hmm. He’ll learn his lesson, he’ll remember how broken he is without his mother, then he’ll come crawling back”. But I couldn’t believe my thoughts, he might regret leaving but he won’t come back, I know he won’t. But the mother in me hopes he does. “Family..Hmm, perhaps I’ve been too harsh to the term family, since I never really had my own”. I hope he comes back.