Pandora's Box

Chapter 1

The kingdom of Fayjorn remains a mystery even to the day of its destruction. Never once had Fayjorn accepted any outsiders regardless of the situation. Never once had those insurmountable iron gates creaked open to let people in or out. Never once did anybody in Fayjorn screamed when the kingdom was razed to the ground in the light of day by unknown forces. No one saw any armies march in and never saw a soul escape. The remaining seven kingdoms had only noticed the demise and destruction of Fayjorn when they noticed the skies darkened by smoke and ashes from burned down houses. Even then nobody was able check on their mysterious neighbour for the remains can never be found. Nor did anyone dare to.

The kingdom of Fayjorn was much older than any living person and everybody knew it. So was the rest of the kingdoms but Fayjorn always had this aura of seniority just by the mention of it. Nobody knew the origins of the kingdoms. They were just there. Of course, rumours about Fayjorn was always circulating. The kingdom was housing dragons or maybe it had a coven of witches that raised the kingdom from the ground with dark magic. 

All simply rumours that never failed to amuse Ivy Jagger, especially the last one. She never once believed any rumour that spouted out from the mouths of anyone. Not her father's. Not her neighbour's. And not even the King's. She knows them for what they are; old wives' tales concocted by people who fear the unknown. She also didn't know why these people would care about what happened thousands and thousands of miles away. Practicality is the only thing she could rely on after the death of her mother.Tears prickled in the back of her eyelids as she remembered what she could about her mother's last days in this realm.

"I tell you, tis' true! The kingdom was finally burned down by the dragons that were there!" Ivy couldn't help but snicker, her tears and near breakdown all forgotten, as she heard the unmistakeable drunken slur of one of the tavern's regular customers. 

"Now why would they burn down their home Tom? That ain't make any sense!" came an equally drunk, yet suprisingly reasonable, reply. Tom sputtered out his drink and slammed down his mug, making most of the ale fly out of the mug. Ivy made a face of pure disgust as some drops of ale made contact with her raven black hair. Some of it even entered her mouth, burning her tongue as she attempted to spit them out. She never liked the alcohol anyway. She was only here to make sure that her sorry excuse for a father didn't make a drunken fool out of himself. Scanning the room for the only adult figure she had left, she noticed that her father was no where to be seen. 

"He probably fell asleep in a ditch somewhere, drunk off his ass." Ivy mumbled, before turning her attention back to the most interesting conversation in the tavern. She knew that her father would come staggering into their worn down house the next day.

"Since when do dragons ever make sense, Tim? You never do." Now Ivy remembered who they were. Tom and Tim Medlen. Twin brothers that never once agreed with each other and it'll be a frosted day in Hell if they ever do. They do, however, seem to have a bond that would never be broken. Sure, insults keep flying in between those two, but they never took it too far. And they would never physically harm each other.

"Tell that to Mother and Father. They said that yer birth makes no sense." The crowd roared with mirth while Ivy winced. She knew that had got to hurt no matter how drunk you are. Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed to change and right then, Ivy had this strange feeling of dread in the lowest pit of her stomach. She knew something was going to happen. Something terribly bad.

Tom paused, his drink half-way to his lips and stared intensely at his twin brother. Ivy could have sworn that Tom's blue eyes glowed a sickly green before fading away, returning back to a sea blue.

"You know what Tim?" Tom placed the mug down and the thud sounded across the suddenly quieted room. Tom wasn't looking so drunk anymore. In fact, he looked almost frightening and even deadly.

"Sometimes I wonder. I wonder how my life would be like without you around to steal everything. Stealing Mother and Father's attention, stealing the heirloom they would no doubt pass on to you, and even stealing my looks." Tim slowly edged away from his brother as his eyes flickered around the room, probably looking for the nearest escape route. Ivy could only stare in rapt attention as the scene unfolded before her eyes.

"Why can't I have what you have? But ... maybe it's not too late. Maybe, I could still steal from you what you stole from me." Tom was now stalking towards Tim, pinning him down with nothing but the eyes of a mad man. The rest of the tavern stared on, unsure of what was really happening.

"To-Tom, what ar-are ye say-saying?" Tim stuttered out, staring into his brother's crazed eyes. To Ivy, the scene was as clear as day. No longer was Tim and Tom blood brothers, they were now something more primal. By some twisted turn of events, Tom was now the predator while Tim was the unfortunate prey.

"Don't you see brother? You have everything I'm supposed to have if only you were never born. You stole my life simply by living and now, I'm going to steal yours."

With inhumane strength, Tom smashed his mug into the table, causing the wood to splinter apart. Staring at the sharp edge with a sick sense of satisfaction, Tom turned his gaze to his cowering brother. Ivy watched in horror, frozen in her spot, as Tom lunged, grabbed Tim's head and forced it back, revealing the tanned skin of Tim's throat. Without hesitation, Tom plunged the stake into Tim's throat.