Chapter 135: Surface Tension

Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall

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Arterius stared at his blood-stained knife once again. The on his neck stung as the blood trickled down on it along with the cold wind blowing on her skin. He picked up the knife and tried to wipe the smear of blood on the blade when Lord Prestonheim and Stolas arrived at the exact moment he raised the knife near his face.

"Arterius, no!" Lord Prestonheim ran towards him.

His godfather immediately took out the knife from his hand and threw it on the ground. Stolas came behind his godfather and checked on the wound on his neck.

"Prince Arterius!" Stolas exclaimed as he took a clean cloth from his pocket and immediately covered the fresh wound on his neck. "A-are you…W-what is this madness?!" His ward was running out of words to say.

Arterius said nothing. He was too frustrated with himself for doing such foolish and reckless action. He looked at both of them in the eyes and tried his very best to say something, but words weren't coming out of his mouth.

All of a sudden, he felt a burning pain on his face. He wasn't able to catch it, but Lord Prestonheim delivered a slap on his face. The sound of the crisp slap rang in his ears. Arterius was surprised but at the same time, he knew it was coming. The only thing was it hurt him more than it should.

Arterius was no stranger to beating and pain. That was the only language his father had for him. Often times his father would berate him for his existence alone. According to his father, as Prima was destined for great things and thus it was a Prima's obligation to pursue greatness. Apparently, he wasn't doing anything great to make his father proud. To the Imperatur, greatness was measure in strength and power. If you are unable to end rebellions or conquer new lands, then you are nothing more than a deadweight to their family. His father would often beat that into him or as he would say, beat some sense into him.

But the pain he felt right now was different. It hurt a little bit more. The feeling was something he couldn't describe into words, but the pain was squeezing his heart in ways he thought he would never feel again. It felt like disappointing his mother.

Lord Prestonheim lifted his hands once again, Arterius closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. But instead, he felt a tight squeeze in his body. His godfather hugged him tight. He could hear a muffled sob from the old commander.

"Never do that again!" The old Commander's voice quivered. "Do not waste your life, my child." He sniffled.

Those words his godfather whispered to him pierced his heart. Prince Arterius after all the pain and suffering he had to endure, was at his peek already. His emotions were something he could no longer hold in any longer.

Arterius hugged back his godfather as tears flow freely from his eyes. "I—I am…sorry…" He sobbed at the shoulders his godfather while Stolas silently tended his wound. "G-godfather…Stolas…I have let y—you down." He wept.

"That's alright, my child." Lord Prestonheim patted his head. "Mistakes are mistakes. I told you about it haven't I?"

Prince Arterius tried to compose himself as he looked at the both of them, "I am afraid…I am terrified of what was about to happen." He sniffed. "I will lose my identity, godfather. My birthright…my everything! I wanted to end it all to save myself from the shame…but…"

Lord Prestonheim didn't answer a word, instead, he simply looked at him with compassion. Like those eyes of his mother's. Lord Prestonheim hugged him tightly once more. It took a moment for the Commander to reply to him.

"I understand how you feel, I've been there." Lord Prestonheim took a deep breath. "But you know that is not the answer."

"I know…" Arterius sighed. "I should've known that before hurting myself. It's just…death was quiet a tempting end."

"Is it really?" His godfather asked.

Arterius closed his eyes and took another deep breath, "No, it isn't. That's not how the way it should go." He shook his head. "I realized it would only make it worse for me. I realized I wanted to die not to be forgotten. I realized I wanted glory as much as my brother does and so…I would like to fight my way through and earn my place at the throne." He clenched his fist.

Lord Prestonheim smiled and messed his hair. "Look at you!" He helped him back to his feet. "You need to live for you to prove to them your worth! Don't worry about the expedition, I am certain that they would deliver!"

Arterius nodded and focused his attention to his friend, Stolas. "I am sorry—"

"Don't ever do that again…A-arter—" Stolas bit his lip and silently continued in tending his wound. "Please…just…" He tried his best to compose himself.

He hugged his ward and apologized with all of his heart. He felt like he betrayed him both with what he has done. But even so, Lord Prestonheim and Stolas welcomed him back and made him feel what he thought he'd lost a long time ago—he felt like he was home.

After patching up his wound and few more talks with the both of them, they decided to go back to the camp where a messenger of the Bieroffs waited. Stolas approached the messenger and asked what the message was for, but he wouldn't tell.

"I would only speak with none other than the Prince and no one else." The messenger raised his chin and condescendingly walked away from Stolas.

The messenger continued to approach him and his godfather who was irked with the way he treated Stolas. The messenger stood in front of both of them and clumsily bowed.

"Fair morning, Prince Arterius." He greeted blandly. "My Lady wants to tell you to that she has told his brother about what you have done here in the Crescent Isle and will be sending out some knights to take you back!" He smirked.

Prince Arterius could feel his godfather's anger surfacing. Lady Bieroff just had the audacity to threaten a royal heir as if he was a peasant. He looked at his godfather and saw his calm expressionless face, but when he looked down, he saw Lord Prestonheim clenching his fist and was ready to hit the man who was disrespecting him.

"This is coming from Lady Bieroff?" Prince Arterius asked calmly.

"Yes! It is!" The messenger took out from his pocket a parchment wax-sealed with the Bieroff's sigil. "Here, read!" He threw it on the prince's face.

That was the last straw to Lord Pretonheim's patience. The old Commander threw a punch at the audacious messenger hitting him right in the nose. The messenger flew a footlings away and was most likely unconscious with a broken nose.

"You bastard!" Lord Prestonheim spat. "Learn to respect a prince!" He approached the messenger and yanked him back up.

The man's hand flailed as his godfather lifted him back on his feet. "Wake up you bastard! And listen well!" The Commander gritted his teeth.

Prince Arterius really didn't care how others would treat him. He had always batted his eyes over those who would simply disrespect him. He approached his godfather and patted his back.

"Godfather, you might've killed the guy already." He squinted at the messenger who was bleeding by his nose.

Prince Arterius turned his attention to Stolas and nodded. His ward knew what exactly what he meant. His ward called out a knight to bring a bucket filled with cold water. Lord Prestonheim laid the messenger back on the ground and waited for the knight to bring a bucket full of cold water.

The knight asked what to do with the water-filled bucket and Stolas pointed it on the unconscious messenger lying on the ground. The knight nodded and splashed the water all over the messenger's face.

The messenger woke up instantly, choking on the water and some of his blood. He curled into a ball as he tried to warm himself while nursing his painfully broken nose. Lord Prestonheim kicked the messenger's posterior to get his attention.

"Hey! You bastard! Wake up!" Lord Prestonheim spat.

The messenger looked at them baffled and scared, "W-who…are...you?!"

"W-who…wha—" the old Commander was confused. "I…just punched you in the face and now your—"

Suddenly the messenger started to convulse. His body contorted along with a strange sound coming out from his throat.

"What's going on?!" Prince Arterius said as he grabbed Lord Prestonheim's arm tugging him away from the messenger.

The messenger's body twisted as his joints started to sound as if their cracking. Every bone of the messenger's body began to break and fold into ways they never knew was possible. The messenger's mouth began to open wider and wider, unhinging his jaw. A black substance began to crawl out from his mouth.

"What in the world…" Arterius cannot believe what he just had witness. It was the same thing that his godfather was plagued with a few weeks prior. The black substance immediately evaporated into thin air.