Markus
The sisters nodded to each other in agreement before they broke apart, Malia disappearing turning to run toward the palace, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Hesperia withdrew a curved blade and leapt down into the ash to begin searching for any remaining pixies, cutting them down viciously. Cydonia turned to Markus.
She looked him over once before she fixed him with a clever look, all traces of seriousness abandoned with thinly veiled amusement. “Put your armor on, nephew, and whatever you do, don’t let them near your face. As the creations of Sariel, Pixies are capable of piercing out skin if they try hard enough and they always go for the eyes first. I'd hate to think of you without your gaze.” Markus nodded. “As our prince, this is your burden now. Every pixie must be killed.” Markus nodded again. “Go search where there are streams - that is where they usually nest near. Hesperia will join you shortly, make sure you are looking in the right direction. She has some experience with tracking them and will be of good use to you. Learn from her.” He nodded once more. “Dismissed.”
Cydonia turned away from him than without another word to leap down from the hill as well, landing closer to her spear. She went to it and pulled it from the ground, spinning it trice before she twirled it above her head and ignited the air, lighting exploding with a deafening roar outward to strike down any remaining pixies in the air.
Markus didn’t dwell. He turned and raced back to the palace to find that the villas around it were closed up tightly, his sisters twittering loudly behind the closed doors as their mothers came out in armor, looking ready for a slay.
Word spread fast among his Aunts. If one knew anything, they were quickly to let the others know in their own way. Though they didn’t usually choose to run about like Markus did, as fast as he possibly could, judging by how fast they seemed to have caught on there must have been some movement in the few moments it took for Markus to return.
As he came into the palace and went toward his room, he crossed paths with his mother, who raised a hand toward him as she breezed down the hall with a group of the aunts in a hurry, telling him in passing to “Go speak with your father.” in an unusually brisk tone before she returned to hurridly made hand signals at his aunts around her.
Markus went to his parents' bedroom to see his father hunched over a table, writing frantically on a piece of paper with a look of concentration. Markus turned his attention then to where a large eagle was perched nearby on the piece of driftwood mounted on the wall, watching Markus with yellow eyes, a ring of caramel around the pupil.
It was a servant of Penemue that was used as the official messenger between Antonius and his Godfather, who was able to see through the bird’s eye if he so chose due to the covenant of service the bird held with the throne. Markus always wondered just how much the King of Penemue did choose to see - he vaguely remembered his Father joking that his Godfather purposefully turned a blind eye to his debauchery and would not look through the eagle's eyes to spy, but occasionally Markus would see the eagle perched in the throne room, eyeing the ongoings with a gaze similar to the King, sharp, judgmental and suspicious. The eagle even roll his eyes and chuckle when his father told his daughters a corny joke.
"One moment, my son. I will be right with out." His Father mumbled as he finished his work then with a flourish of a signature and rolled the letter to tie it off. The eagle extended a foot with an impassive gaze and Antonius picked up a piece of bread to hold it in front of its beak. He fixed it with a hard look. “This must be delivered right to Godfather - no stops, Lucius.” The eagle chirped. “I mean it!” The eagle took the note. His father used his now free hand to grab the bird by it's beak and pry it open, struggling to shove the bread in - “No stopping for food!” The king said firmly, the bird choking as it swallowed dryly before it gave him a hard nip on his finger, his father yelping before withdrawing his hand to hold it to his chest. “I felt that!” The king cried dramatically, looking offended and emotionally hurt.
Lucius the Eagle could obviously not care less. It huffed again before it stretched out it’s wings to shake itself out, then launching off the driftwood to soar out the window.
“Little prick.” Antonius growled as he went to the window to give it an affectionate wave goodbye with a sweet, fake smile, reminding it to be a good birdy and to not lose the note like he had the last one. He turned then and smiled at his son. “What an eventful afternoon we are having!” He said brightly, shaking out the hand Lucius had bit. “I suspect you’ll have your hands full with all the...going ons!” He said with a hard gulp. “My dear sisters seems...very energized by all of it - what’s your take on all of this?” He asked lightly.
Markus frowned. “The presence of Sariel’s creatures in our lands is most surely cause for concern.” He said plainly.
His father let out a shaky laugh and held his hands to his side then, patting his hips before he looks around with an uncertain gaze and then went to sit on the end of his bed. He stared at his feet. “Yes...I was...concerned about that.” His gaze jumped to the door and he motioned for Markus to close it. After his son had done so, Antonius leaned back against the frame of his bed canopy. “Markus...if it does appear that war is to on the horizon again, then...I’d like you to take your sisters up to Mytikas.”
“Mytikas?” Markus parroted.
His father nodded solemnly. “Yes. You remember Mytikas, don’t you?” He asked in a little curious tone. When Markus frowned, Antonius rose from his seat to go to the window and pointed westward. “The mountains there. You remember them.”
Markus came forward to stand several paces behind his father, staring out at where he pointed. There, against the blue, blue sky was the faint outline of the tall mountains that divided them from Penemue. “The Lackland Mountain.” His mind, for its own protection, blanked. There were no good memories had on that mountain, on he had been dragged too many times by his grandfather and Julius’ lycan. He did not think of the grand temple there or the lines of fig trees with their golden fruit and leaves - instead, he thought of a hole in the rocks, an opening to a cave just large enough to drop someone in.
The noises that came up out of it.
The screaming-
“Lackland.” Antonius' lips thinned at that. “That’s the name Penemue gave to it, but the old name was Mytikas. That’s where our family ruled and our people lived before we came down into the valleys and settled here. There are some old ruins up there, remnants of the House before ours - um, the House of Victoria - that was the one before ours, I think. If you put a little work into what’s up there, you can live there. It might not be as pretty as here or have the same leisures but...it will be safer. You can live there without being disturbed, you and your sisters would be safe there from Sariel's waters.”
Markus dragged his gaze to his father then. “Our land is protected. We have a shield.”
“Shields, even as great as our own, can be broken.” The King said with a dry, nervous little chuckle. “They have been before. They will be again. I don’t wish to gamble any of the lives of my daughters.” Antonius turned back to face him then. “If it does look like we are going to war, you are to take your sisters up there and keep them safe. That is your only duty, over everything else. Above this land. Above the citizens. About even yourself. You must protect your sisters. Fighting against Sariel...should be left up to my sisters. That is their fight, not yours.”
“I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t that be my fight?”
“Because it just isn’t.” Antonius said firmly, a little defensively. “So do as they ask, but when I give you the order to evacuate my daughters, you will do so and stay with them, do you understand?” Markus nodded and his father relaxed.
“And you will remain here?”
“I am king.” Antonius said, his gaze falling. “I must remain here. That was my vow when I ascended, to do everything within my power to protect my land, my people, and my clan.” He sighed, that much put upon sigh.
Markus’ eyes narrowed. “And what of Alexandros?”
His father rolled his eyes, much like his godfather did. “I haven’t the slightest idea what that wretched boy will do - but I can’t trust that he will sacrifice himself to protect my precious babies - which very well might be necessary if we get into it with Sariel. I know you will though, Markus. You will put it all on the line for your sisters. You're just of better character, you always were and always will be. Damned be the day that anything happens to you, because this kingdom would crumble under your brother’s greedy little thumb.”
“Father,” Alexandros called from where he was sitting on the balcony in clear sight, where he had been this entire time. “You are aware that I’m still here, aren’t you?”
“And have you gotten up to help with the pixies?” Antonius asked in a sugary-sweet tone without turning to address him.
A long pause. “Markus is more than capable of dealing with it.” Alexandros said dismissively. “I’d just get in the way.”
“That’s what I thought,” Antonius said sourly. “Besides, Alexandros has daughters of his own now, and if his attention is divided and he must choose who to protect, they will always supersede his sisters. That is his duty as a father. He must protect his own babies first.”
Markus nodded. “I understand.”
“Good...now go. I’m sure you have orders from your aunts - but remember. On my word, you are to leave it all behind and return to Mytikas.”
With one last nod, Markus was waved off by his father and left to prepare for the task at hand. He quickly dressed in his armor and found his blade, fastening it before he rushed off back to the village where the pixies seemed to be congregating.
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