Sen leaned back in the chair with a sigh, wiping away the tears that had escaped his eyes. Ceva stared him straight in the face, or to be exact, she watched his glowing eyes. Giving her a charming smile, Ceva almost fell off the balcony.
He could hear the young princess speak but ignored her while he perused his surroundings. The Relevis had peculiar views on festivities. Shouldn’t a festival be dedicated to drinking and song, not bloodied bodies? The smell of blood hardly made Sen excited. ”Where is Sidastir?”
“Are youwell, Draconis? I did not mean to horrify you,” uttered the princess with afrown while she tried to see what shocked Ceva, but Sen hid his eyes.
“Why lie, princess? You had every intention to scare me since I highly doubt you are foolish enough not to know that torture and executions would hardly win by trust,” laughed Sen, ensuring that his voice sounded human. Peering at his face,the princes grew rigid at the sight of his eyes.
Where they terrifying? Sen thought they were beautiful. Like two little stars in the nightsky. Far better than the humans's dull color.
His eyes caught the movement of Alacer and with a velocity far above that of Akana, Sen rose and grabbed onto Alacer whose hand had darted to the sword-hilt under his mantle.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Sen started to put pressure on Alacer’s hand. The hand started to crack, and with a grimace, Alacer let go.
“So rude,to draw your sword against the one you are supposed to protect, or did the phoenix princess lie about this as well?” asked Sen, turning towards Victoria whose visage was far from its original innocent expression.
“Will you harm me?” she asked, giving him a perusing gaze as to try and detect his lies.
“Who are you?” Ceva suddenly sounded, the voice uncertain of the answer. Akana had not told her about him, a fact Sen took as an insult. Scolding his brother in his mind, but Akana just ignored him, still trying to get his initial shock under control.
“I am Sen. Akana’s far more charming brother, and I won’t harm you,” Sen peered at Alacer who was rubbing his aching hand. “Much.”
“I’m only here because Akana did not appreciate the princess idea of amusement,” Sen leaned closer to Alacer, taking in his scent. Releasing a burst of harrowing laughter, his original voice of a thousand voices came through as he saw no reason to hide it.
“I must agree with Ceva. You are peculiar. I smell the scent of death from you. Guards rarely drench themselves in death. No, you are something else-“Sen's thoughts were interrupted thoughas someone stormed onto the scene.
With a smile, Sen turned toward the panting Sidastir who had frozen on the spot. He first looked shocked by Akana’s closeness to Alacer, giving him a sharp glance, before Sidastirs glance turned to Sen, realizing that his eyes were glowing.
“Sen, release him!” said Sidastir, a tad uncertain what was truly going on.
Sen raised his hands as if to surrender and took a few steps back giving Sidastir a joyful smile. “My beloved husband, have you come to keep me company?”
Magnus entered the scene with a concerned look on his face. “What’s the matter with Akana?”
Apparently, he didn’t either know of Sen’s existence. Irritation started to rise inside of Sen as he realized that his existence was completely unknown. With a pout, he glared at Sidastir.
”Sen, I think it’s time to leave this to Akana,” Sidastir muttered, making Sen’s foul mood even worse. Everyone wanted Akana, but no one wanted him.
Sen released a huff,” I have just gotten out! The phoenix princess might be a horrible host but I know how to amuse myself.”
Turning around under Sidastir’s shouts of discontent, Sen grabbed onto Ceva. Feeling her magic, taking a sip and jumped with her in his arms as he let the wind guide him from roof to roof during his escape. Only slowing down when he found his target, a rowdy tavern, as he released a glaring Ceva. He noticed that she seemed to have considered stabbing him with a dagger, she had hidden in hertoga, during the journey but seemed to decide against it. Most likely becauseshe was afraid of hurting Akana. Akana, always Akana.
“Sorry formy crude behavior. I needed your wind element,” Sen said cheerily, almost laughing when Ceva’s eyes widened for a second before narrowing. “I know of your hidden talent.”
“How?”
“I can copy magic, a nifty trick to do with that kind of magic, is that you learn to identify the magic a person have. You have training in wind elementalism,” Sen said with a shrug.
“Can Akana-“
“Yes, though not well. I’m far better at it. How did you think he got dragonfire?”
“I assum edit had something to do with him being a vessel.”
“Sure ithas, but how could he survive. He is draining the dragon of magic, ensuring that he could act as a vessel for the mighty but annoying dragon.”
Ceva stared at him, seemingly trying to detect lies. “Then are you the dragon?”
“Rafabik? Don’t insult me. Akana and I are one and the same. He is not my vessel. We are born together as brothers, different sides of the same coin. We are both vessels of Rafabik, though I have spent far more time with the dragon since I rarely get to come out and play,” Sen walked into the tavern, eager to get adrink. Touching himself with an increasing frown, he realized that he had no money.
Looking around, he saw something of interest. Some men were competing in arm wrestling for money. With a smirk, he walked over pulling off the tiara on his head, laying it on the table. “Who is willing to try and win this fine prize?”
Stares followed him, turning to the prize.
“That is the Eitirian tiara of the Rial Caraid of Eitir,” whispered Ceva hastily, as she had followed him.
“I know,” Sen just said simply and grinned at a man twice his size sitting down across from him. Lacking half his teeth, the man-made up for it in pure muscles as big as Sen’s head.
“I will teach you some manners, boy,” he said in a heavily accented moranian.
Sen placed his arm in the right position, “looking forward to it.”
The man grabbed his hand, entirely engulfing it, and put some pressure on his hand. So much pressure that a human or elf would most likely have been in serious pain. Sen was neither. With a smirk, he awaited the signal and the moment it sounded...
Crash.
Sen slammed the man's hand into the table cracking it. Money and the tiara landed on the floor with a clang while the man whimpered in pain as his hand had been crushed. Sen stretched his fingers as he took the tiara and the prize money from his opponent.
“You can’t-“ grunted the man but Sen just stepped over him, or to be exact on him, as he walked over to the bar with his newly earned coins. Everyone cleared a path for him while he hummed cheerily, not caring that everyone was staring. He was quite enjoying it.
Ceva sat down beside him, cocking an eyebrow at him.
“What?”asked Sen in a bright mood.
“You are ordering me one as well.”
“Why would I-“
“You kidnapped me, and stole my magic.”
Sen had no argument to that and ordered her a drink as well. Taking a large gulp of the beer, clearly feeling like she needed it, Ceva turned to Sen. “If you and Akana are… Brothers in the same body. Are all Auons like you? Having two personalities.”
Sen shrugged,” I assume so. I am connected to their race, their so-called nonexistent magic. They all should have two personalities. Why though, I’m not sure.”
Ceva bither thumb, trying to figure it out. “Could it be connected to the emotions? Auons have no emotions. From what I can tell, you have. A second personality was created to handle the emotions, and since the emotions are connected to the magic, so is the second personality.”
“That is my guess. Since the Auons don’t use their magic, don’t even seem to realize it exists, they have also forgotten about us. Their second personality. We just stay deep inside their mind, hidden from the world,” Sen said, suddenly feeling bitter at the thought of all the things he was lacking. This wasn’t his life, it was Akana’s.
He just hijacked it.
*****
Rushing down the street, Sidastir watched the buildings for a sight of his runaway consort. The streets were littered with people but an Auon should be easy tospot among them.
“Was that really Akana?” panted Magnus as he rushed after Sidastir.
“Yes.”
“Is that what made Akana have dragonfire and made that sound last year? You know in the tower like he was a dying griffin?”
“Not really, and yes.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Akana has two personalities. The first one you have met, the second one, Sen, comes forward when Akana loses control over his feelings.”
“Has this happened before?”
“Three times during the summer. The first time, he rode a silver deer through the throne room, the second time he got drunk and partied with the trolls for two days straight, the third time he went to explore the dwarven ruins under the mountains. I had to save him. All of the times it ends the same way…”
“How does it end?”
“With him sexually harassing me, often drunk. Saying that it is unfair that only Akana gets to taste me.”
“…Well, he is not wrong.”
Coming to a halt, Sidastir stared at Magnus like he had just grown a second head. “Excuse me?”
“I mean, they are technically the same person. Kind of, Sen sounds more like a normal teenager though. That means you sleeping with just one of his personalities makes it sound like you only love half of him,” Magnus grunted as he tried to catch his breath. Despite being physically stronger than Sidastir, the ice elves had far better running ability than humans.
“It feels like adultery,” muttered Sidastir, and Magnus rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, well. It sounds like you should go home, instead of running around like a headless chicken. He will come to you when he has finished playing.”
“But he can be in danger.”
“The guy can breathe fire. I feel sorry for the fools who decide to pick a fight with him."
“And Sen can carry a silver deer so he is really strong as well,” Sidastir muttered grimly, remembering after he finally caught Sen in the throne room how he had picked up the silver deer and just carried off with it. The poor deer looked horrified, only dragons are normally able to lift them.
Magnus stared incredulously at Sidastir,” So why are you so damn worried!? Get home and wait for your beloved. He will come to you.”
Sidastir grimaced but agreed that was for the best. The sun had started to set and he highly doubted that he could find him in the dark so, with no other options available, he went back to the mansion the old woman waiting for him with narrowed eyes. He ignored her and just brooded in his and Akana’s bedroom. It was nearly midnight when a ruckus awoke him from his brooding.
Dashing out with his heart beating in his throat, he entered the atrium to see Sen humming happily while bathing drunkenly in the pool while Stella and the Caldere siblings stared at him in horror.
“My handsome husband!” Sen splashed happily when he saw Sidastir. “Swim with me. Preferably naked.”
Sidastir wanted to groan and pulled Sen up from the pool while he gingerly clung toSidastir like a leech. His hands going inside his clothes.
“Draconis has been out drinking. I will take him to the bedroom,” Sidastir said, and understanding flashed through the three servants' faces. It wasn’t unusual forforeigners to get drunk since the wine of the Relevi was often sweet, and many foreigners didn’t believe that it was alcohol since there hardly was a taste of it.
Sidastir was just about to lift Sen up when he suddenly found himself being held by Sen who grinned at him. “I think going to the bedroom is a great idea. I want to spoil my husband.”
The three servants stared at the scene as the two masters went out, one carried by the other, and couldn’t help but to wonder if they might have mistaken the wife for the husband…
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