High Society: The tales from Victory

Ezekiel Kings [Part I] (Chapter 17)

The northern lights shined in the horizon, something so quaint and beautiful about it; So high up and untouchable. It waived to and fro without fear or dilemma, a joy unknown by life. Unscathed by the elements, as pure as the human eye can perceive. Even with a cast of virgin reality, such perfection cannot be achieved by humankind.

Yet, with each stride for perfection, the question remains; are you happy? Are you free? Or are such questions asinine in nature? "Irrelevant!", he could hear them cry, from the safety of the Capitol.

Then came the pestering from the back of his mind. With these securities, can you really be safe from the monsters that hide away? Or is that even a possibility? To ever be safe from the monsters that lurk among us all?

These are the plagues and boulders he carried with each step. Eyes aimed toward the sky, higher and higher. An ascendancy awaited him, scathing the sky above. A crown to one day sit on his head, nobility.

Although, he was wary of those with fangs and claws, who so desperately tried to dig into his heel to elevate themselves by his side. They've done it once before, and now their target was spirited away. Perhaps broken and they could never be whole again. So once more the question poised itself: "Are you happy?"

Ezekiel pushed himself off the railing, a boundary holding him from falling, and headed into his bedroom, he sat on the bedside, the other half preoccupied by a woman with a belly plump with life. He placed a hand on her thigh, slowly rubbing it up and down until she stirred awake.

"Zeke?"

"Donna. Sorry to wake, but I-"

"No no, it's fine. You'll deal with me in the morning." She extended her arms out and prepared herself for a hug. Ezekiel chuckled, but didn't immediately comply. He untied his tie, unbuttoned his shirt, took off his tank top, and casted off his pants. His body, tone and sharpened to that of soldier. He laid in bed with his fiance, fingers interlocked, guilt building due to his selfishness.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have awoken you."

"It's fine." She led his hand to her belly. "She'll be kicking real hard, ya'know."

"She's gonna be a fighter like her dad."

"She's gonna be a stern woman, that's what. I see the signs already. She will dominate this household at fourteen!"

Ezekiel began to laugh loudly and held her close, but minded the child. "Fourteen... I remember those days. I was trying to be a teacher!"

"A teacher with a hobby in martial arts?"

"I'd also like to have taught self-defense."

"Woooow, but strong guy like you is gonna scare his trainees away."

"Ha ha, laugh it up. But I was going to be different."

"But your brother..." she grew unnervingly silent. A ravine opened between them, something unspeakable looming, wedged them apart. Their blood ran cold, hearts paused, even for but a moment.

Ezekiel reached out and began to play with Donna's hair. She gave Ezekiel a kiss. Pushing against the tension, their air returned to calm.

"Do you remember how we met?" Donna asked, her fingers coming through Ezekiel's fine hair. Each stroke enforcing the fact that he truly was laying with her.

Ezekiel laughed loudly. "How can I forget? There I was, at a café with some co-workers, we'd been celebrating on account of stopping a burst stone smuggler. So I took the team and somebody who assisted on the case out for a meal.

"Now I'm there sitting, laughing it up with the rest. Not really paying too much attention to our waitress, but at the end of the day I somehow ended up getting a desert. I call our waitress over to explain that this cake isn't mine!