Heartthrob of Aclea

Chapter 17 - Brian's Coronation

It was a crispy morning when I took a stroll at the garden where I'd never been before. A fountain stood in the middle of blooming carnation that grew along it. A small lake glistened in the sunlight like some twinkling stars on the starry night sky, so beautiful it was hard not to take a glance at it. There weren't birds singing to break the silence even though the sky didn't rage or cry over its sadness. It was strange indeed. It felt like I was in a dream.

'Aaron, come here!' Sitting there on a lazy chair at the jetty was my father. He was in his usual brown suit, smiling to the point I couldn't conclude whether it was another form of sarcasm or his utmost sincerity.

'Aaron, my boy, you look great!' His compliment slightly put me at unease.

'What do you want, father?' I replied coldly. His facial expression remained still.

'I just want to talk to my boy. It's been aeons, aight?' Not that I didn't want to talk to him, but it wasn't easy for me to continue the conversation after all he had done to me.

'Talk? Too late for that, father. We should have done that before you robbed my happiness. Before you abandoned our father-son relationship.' I started to rant. I hate to see the ease of his way to get along with me. I hate to see how tiny his effort was to fix things between us.

'Abhor me all you want, son. I apologise for all my wrongdoings. I love you. Forever and always.'

GONG!

A loud thud of the fallen prince of Aclea could be heard across the East Wing of the palace. Groaning heavily, I rolled over to lay supine. My left cheek was still hurt from a kiss rewarded by the ground. Another hellish day that I wished it was over, albeit I barely killed the morning.

Who the fuck hit a gong just now?

And what the fuck did I dream last night?

'Rise and shine, brother! Thou shall satisfy the appetency of beholding the sight of thy brother wearing the crown before the sundown!' Brian shouted next to my ear, forgetting the fact that eardrums actually existed.

'Shut up.' I punched the ground for a few times, throwing tantrum childishly. I didn't want to get up until Brian shook me harshly and pulled me so that I could stand up. I tried to balance myself, holding on to random things apart from my brother's shoulder. Alas, I failed miserably when my body and my last night's cup of tea dropped on the floor, crashing and thudding in unison.

'FUCK!' I might have broken my jaw.

'That bad, huh? The side effects?' His tone was rather concerned.

'If you can't proceed, just rest until you feel better. It's okay if you are absent throughout my coronation. Your health comes first!' Brian muttered whilst he helped me sit on the bed. When I looked at him, I saw another him - actually, there were five of him - at the back, mirroring his actions. My fingertips were cold, although the heater was working just fine. The side effects were effing powerful.

'I'll try to be there when you are giving your first wave, okay? I wouldn't want to miss my best friend's coronation just because he was getting over his good ole friend.' I coughed a little.

'Drugs ain't a good friend, Aaron.' He slapped his forehead gently. He pointed to a hook, where my dry-cleaned uniform was hanged. A black suit with lavish embroideries snaking around both wrists and a few of bronze and gold medals of my achievements rivetting at the right side of the chest was perfectly ironed according to the lines and folds. I told Brian that I needed some time to sleep more. He nodded briefly and went out of my chamber as my eyelids dropped, sending me into the abyss of my own darkness.