Mea Culpa

VI

Above is a clip of a remix by Fairlane, on Trap Nation's YouTube channel. I listened to it while writing this chapter. I'm so hooked!!!

{~~♡~~}

Time flew by in a heartbeat for Caspian. One day passed like a minute. One week passed by as an hour. He wandered around the castle aimlessly in a daze, unaware to much of the conversation in the kingdom.

Nobody was sure what was wrong with him. Even Arthur confessed to Aethulu that he was worried for the prince, but there was nothing she could do, as she thought that it was partly her fault for why he was so unresponsive.

Athena was no longer in such a fragile state, she was stable – but of course, still comatose. All anyone could do was hope for the best that she woke up soon. Nobody had ever felt as useless as they were that day, when their princess was discovered almost dead, when the prince had sneaked out of the castle – unbeknownst to the guards – and came across the most hated villain of the country. The king was reaching his last days, with only a week at most to spend. With Athena asleep, there was no way she would be able to see her father before he passes.

It was safe to say, thought Aethulu, the nation was in complete and utter chaos.

{~~♡~~}

"Caspian, please, talk to me!" begged Arthur. He knew it was a lost cause, but he needed to hope that something inside his son would say something. His plead was heard to deaf ears, as not a sound emitted from the prince. "You know I love you and I can't bear to...to," he made a wheezing sound, and a coughing fit started. His fists shook uncontrollably as he attempted to reach weakly for a cloth to hide the drops of blood that escaped from his lips. As if rehearsed, Wensly arrived at the foot of the throne with a glass of water, leaving with a bow in respect. Arthur shook the contents down his throat with a frail gasp.

He looked to Caspian, who stood watching him cautiously, however there was no movement from his mouth, no sound, no expression or concern, no emotion written on his face. The king sighed in defeat – it seemed like both his children were not going to be able to say goodbye before he parted from the world.

{~~♡~~}

It was a battle raging inside. He was so unaware of what was going on outside his head, as the fight was taking all of his concentration. He couldn't remember a touch of the outside world, only that there was a place to return to. He didn't even know how long it had been that he was trapped. It seemed like an eternity to him.

He couldn't remember his past, the present, not even his own name. He was locked inside his own mind, with bars of darkness and cold. It burned him to touch them, leaving him to lose any hope of fleeing his prison. Every day, when he could feel a light rising in the distance, it would come. It would watch him as he tried hard to escape. And then it would laugh as he cradled his burnt hand, when he attempted to break free.

Today was no different. The wisps of darkness arrived to his cage, solidifying into a silhouette of what he believed to be a monster. No human being would do this to him, no person with a heart would lock him from a life he seemingly deserved.

"Yes, you surely deserve a life that you created by tearing mine apart," it hissed indignantly. Circling the prison, it cackled as he sent her a furious glare. "It definitely makes sense."

"What the hell do you want from me? What have I done for you to do this?" he whimpered, feeling the pressure on himself. He was already receiving the punishment from disrespecting the princess, as it called itself.

"You haven't done anything, little prince. It's more of what your parents have done to me."

Shock overcame him, not to hear that he was a prince, but to know that his parents – if he even remembered them – were capable of hurting this person's life.

The darkness morphed into a young girl of 4 years. She had strikingly jet-black eyes, with dark brown hair that cascaded in waves, cropped to her shoulders. If he didn't know better, he'd think that this was an adorable little child, but something told him it was not as he seemed.

The girl walked around the cage with a cheerful grin on her face, but it was a cold, almost cruel smile. "I am a child of the throne of Rhiamar. I am an Eymor – Raviel." Her eyes turned blood red, which startled him for a moment, not expecting it.

Scenes flashed in his head of a family. A happy family, with a loving kingdom. There – in the midst of it – was the little girl. She was holding her fist in a tight knot, her eyes closed. He could see a shadow at her ear, whispering something to her. Opening her eyes, they were red, as was the energy gathering in her hand. A shout was heard from a distance, and immediately her eyes faded to black.

A wide grin was spread across her face as she sprinted to where a young man stood. He had a trimmed beard, with moss-green eyes, and a glittering gold crown. When he saw the girl, he beamed, before spreading his arms, to which she leaped into.

"Daddy!" she shrieked happily, burying her face into his shoulder. "I love you, Daddy!" The man chuckled, beckoning to a young woman in a regal gown. A gleaming crown was shining radiantly in the daylight on her head. She embraced him with love, picking the child into her arms. "Mummy, can we go home?" The couple linked hands and walked back to the castle. It was perfect, like the happy ending to a love story.

"Indeed, it seemed perfect," came the princess' voice through the reminiscence. She seemed sad, wistful about it. She missed the life she had before whatever happened to ruin her. "It wasn't to be..." The memory dwindled into dark emptiness.

A new scene took shape of the queen in the previous recollection. She was shouting orders to guards –

"Leave no survivors! They need to pay for what they did to your queen!" They bowed in respect before scuttling out of the throne room. "Wait! There will be a young girl of 9 years. Keep her alive!" With that, she collapsed into her throne. When the room was emptied, she put her head into her hands, and cried.

The scene dissolved into another. It was in the castle of the perfect family. The first thing he noticed was the complete and utter chaos and disorganization. Screams and shouts rung across the hallways. Everyone was in an uproar as they ran left and right. The king – who he assumed to be the ruler – was carrying a little boy in his arms, commanding the soldiers in front of him. The child started crying at the noise, leaving the king to rush off to a woman – not the previous, but another. She held two other babies, desperately trying to calm them. She looked up to the young king, eyes glistening with tears.

A shout was called across the hallway. The two looked to see guards with spears dipped in blood, at the doorway. In fury, the king gave his son to the woman, unsheathed his sword and ran at them.

Before anything else could happen, everything faded from view.

"Well, Caspian? What do you think of me now? Am I the heartless murderer that I'm made out to be? Am I the innocent child you saw in those memories?" Caspian was completely speechless, what he had seen had shaken him to the core. His amnesia had healed, leaving him to recall everything that anybody had informed him of the Shadow Princess. What she had shown him, now completely changed his view of her. He wouldn't necessarily claim her innocent, for she had done bad things. But, he was enraged. At that woman, for hurting that family. He wanted to hunt her down...to make her pay for what she had done to the girl's life.

"I already did that...years ago, Caspian," She sounded regretful, disappointed in herself even. "It didn't do anything to ease my pain."

There was no word, nothing to describe the awkwardness between the princess and Caspian.

"I-I'm sorry...for locking you away. You didn't deserve it." She whispered, waving her hand. Everything dissolved, leaving the prince to believe he was waking from a dream.