The halls were hollow and empty, and Akitara could only feel the coldness.
A world of the lonely, that is how the prince would frame himself, Battling swords with the legs of maids or running down stairs and shouting so the echos could comfort him. Akitara never realized that he was supposed loop to have friends, he was the only small life in the castle itself, and the only comfort he needed was his mother. From the moment he was born she adored him, keeping him close at all times. Akitara knew his father was king and that he was very busy, but every so often he'd sit on his lap during a dinner or when they had guests. He was an adventurous kid, his imagination keeping him company as he played with normal boy toys and goofed off. He was a free spirit and quite the handful. He was very obedient to his mother, but no one else. He loved fooling around, he hadn't the care in the world, and never felt the weight until he realized he was supposed to.
On the celebration of his birthday; Akitara was shot.
It was an arrow, nailing him right in the back. The king didn't bat an eye and Junki was in tears as the guests gathered around. Akitara would have died that day if one of the guests wasn't a trained nurse named Misaki. His vision was hazy. He saw the pink hair woman covering him as she seemed to be touching him. He looked to his crying mother besides him. Passed her as he looked on, his father sat on the thrown. Why isn't he looking? Why does he look so at ease?
Why doesn't he care?
When he woke up in the hospital bed, the small child realized that he was being punished already for a crime he never committed.
As he played in the garden, Akitara found comfort in the colors, but caught eye of the beautiful roses. He slowly got to his knees, admiring it's beauty. The garden was beloved by all, and he would often go to play, the maids watching as he messed around. A smirk came to his face as him hands grabbed at the flowers, the vines piercing his skin as the blood ran down his wrist. The roses were the ones everyone liked the most. He winced a little but started to tare the flowers out of the ground one by one, mixed with laughter and a mischievous grin until the rose patch was scattered. The once beautiful patch now torn to pieces and all over the place. He was so proud he didn't mind that his hand was covered in blood. He was a little boy, he never realized that what he was doing was wrong, he just wanted that spark of rebellion in him. Seeing the garden now a mess made him feel accomplished. Maybe he was jealous. Jealous that everyone else saw that flowers as nothing but beauty when they were covered in thrones, and yet when they gazed upon him, all Akitara could feel was them contempt.
He ran down the hallways of the castle, dodging the maids and butlers that were casting him weird looks. He ran to his mother's room, his favorite room of them all, where he mostly slept and spent his time. Junki was brushing out her hair when he came in, she hummed a old tune from her country. She saw him and her face paled white at his state.
Akitara held out his bloody hands in front of him, some of it leaking down his forearm, but he kept it away not to ruin his clothes. "I hurt rose!" He shouted proudly with the biggest smile on his face. He wanted the praise, or even some discipline to his action. Just any kind of reaction. Anything. The words mumbled out from the sheer of the moment.
Junki stared down in horror, her hands starting to tremble. Those golden eyes just staring deep into her, the blood and the grin, the horror overwhelmed her. When she looked at the proud happy child, with blood on his hands and a smile on his face. She snapped.
He... He looked just like him.
Her hand swung fast; nailing Akitara right in the jaw with enough force to have him lose the weight in his feet and fall to the ground. His cheek stung as he looked up, tears in his eyes from the pain, grabbing his cheek. it wasn't a simple smack. It hurt, hurting badly, her nails and caught his face with the smack and tore a bit as it swelled. And as he stared his mother up in the eyes, he saw the terror, the disgust. It was the same look all the maids had on their faces every time they looked at him.
Junki continued to look down as the mark on his cheek and his horror until she came to her senses again, quickly getting to her knees. "you... you meant the flower." She says under her breath, meekly, almost as if to herself.
She was taken back by herself. Of course he meant the flower. How? How could she have imagined her little Akitara hurting one the maids? Why did she think this child had murdered someone? How could she have hit him? Why did she see such a monster in her eyes? She gathered him in her arms, the regret filling her chest. "Oh Kitty I am so sorry." She started to sob.
But Akitara was scared, he was hurt. He pushed away from the hug and quickly ran out of the room, hearing his mother call out after him. One of his bloody hands cupped his throbbing cheek, tears slipping down his face. He ran down that same hall, the whispers of the working echoing his pain. Why? Why were they talking about him? What did he do?? Why couldn't he escape their voices? Why did he feel so alone? STOP LOOKING AT ME. STOP IT.
He stumbled back after running into someone. He looked up, catching beautiful pink locks cascading down the shoulders of a very busty woman in a completely white uniform. She looked down curiously. "The prince?" She questioned and looked at his disheveled appearance and mess as well as the tears. She was taken aback and disgusted to say his name, but said no more.
Akitara was taken to the nurse's office. His legs swinging back and forth from the high table he was sitting out. Misaki had bandaged his hands up as well made him hold an ice pack to his cheek. Akitara was mostly humming to himself, a lollipop in his mouth, as Misaki leaned against another counter, a strange man standing next to her, he looked a little older then her.
"Look at him." Misaki whispered to him. "The prince, the son of our target is just sitting here. He tore up the garden. Hard to imagine that the apple would fall far from the tree." she grumbled. The man threw back his head in a laugh before swinging his arm around her and pulling her close, something she seemed used to but still uncomfortable.
"Then what if I kill him too." He whispers with a coo of insanity in his throat, only for her to hear. She sighed and pushed him off her by force before walking over to Akitara, whos eyes were trained to his knees that where kicking out his legs. She was checking on his cheek and seeming if she had to help it anymore, there was this unwillingness to care, this cold and unforgiving look.
"Why did mommy hit me?" Akitara whispered out and looked up at Misaki. Misaki was surprised. Junki was the one to hit Akitara? She didn't know the queen that well but she seemed to care about her child. Did she change? Did she realize what kind of monster he was? Her brain was brewing up thoughts and ideas. She looked down at the small monster, offspring of her worst nightmare and enemy. She cradled his head with her hand and pitched his injury, he tensed up and winced with an ouch forming at his lips as he gazed at her in horror.
Misaki got closer to his face, anger in her eyes. "Because she hates you. Do you know the story of your mother? She was forced to marry your father after he killed her family and people, and you are nothing but a product of her misery." She whispers. Horror filled in Akitara's eyes, losing all his senses. She leaned into his ear. "You are the biggest problem to her. A small little monster."
Akitara jumped off the table and ran out of there with tears in his eyes. Killing? Daddy was a killer? He hurt Utata? He's the reason he can't see his grandpa? The horror swarmed his heart. No No. Mommy can't hate me? Why does mommy hate me? The hallways seemed endless as he ran.
Mr.Sake started to laugh historicallyin the nurse's room. "Cinderella you are so bold." He tells her, proud. But the gears in her head were still turning as she goes to her chart and looks at her bookshelf.
"Maggot... You ever hear of the art of brainwashing and hypnotism?" She questioned.
he tilted his head. "What do you mean Cinderella? What are you suggesting?"
An evil smile appears on her lips. The idea was brilliant. her earlier studies of medication had the subject that peeked her interest, but she never considered it in any medical practice. True hypnotism and brainwashing required techniques to really rewire the brain. It was almost, inhumane, and required years and years of manipulation. But... starting with a child. And evil child with a future to shape the kingdom. It almost seemed worth it all.
"We are going to build a king from the ground up. Not a monster of Aine. But a leader in which we will never have to fear tyranny. And I will go at all lengths to ensure that he not only becomes the best king... But the ticket to our revenge."
