Chapter 1

Blamed.

Chapter 1

 

 

 

 

          “They did something to Co’s eye.” Co quoted. “Damn them! Damn them all!” He shoved his hand around his eye. He slipped his eye patch back on.

            “You’re majesty, it was unavoidable.” His steward mumbled.   

            “Yes,” Co squinted his eyes, “I apologize.” He slouched back on his chair, and stressfully rubbed his good eye. He had grown into a man, at the age of 17. His mother had passed away when he was just 9. Lori had also passed away, during the birth of her only daughter. Co closed his dry eyes, and rested his head on the back of his throne.

            He received a rude awakening from a visitor at his door.

            “What!?” Co shot up, a little angry from the all-of-a-sudden disrespectful interruption.

            “You’re sire, we have you’re new guardian.”

            “Great, bring him in.” Co indicated with a simple wave of his hand. A small girl, at least 3 years younger then he walked in the door.

            Her eyes were pulled up towards her hair line, with long eyelashes. She had a light drizzle of freckles across the top of her nose. She had soft lips, and deep golden eyes. Her skin was beautifully pale, and she had a perfectly skinny body. Co’s eyes expanded at the unexpected beauty. Her light brown hair was long, but clipped up in a pony tail on top of her head; still handing down to the top of her arms. It had the slightest bit of curls.

            “I’m Alba. I’ve been assigned as you’re new guardian.” Her sweet voice nearly sang.

            “What!?” Co stood up. “She’s a little kid!” Co looked unbelievably at his steward; whom just shrugged.

            “She’s the daughter of Lori and Marx.” With that said, Co relaxed a little. Lori and Marx; the two most legendary warriors of all time. “She’s a prodigy.”

            “Prodigy? Yes, right, of course. An 11 year old girl, Prodigy of the warrior Marx.” Alba sniffed, bent down, and picked something up off the ground. She looked at it closely, while everyone in the room examined her. She proceeded to put it in her pocket.

            “I’m 15, actually.” She sniffed again.

            “15,” Co paused. “You’re lying.” He looked at her suspiciously. Alba shook her head, and kept her hand in her pocket, where she had put her newly found item.

            "I don't lie." She popped the thing in her mouth. He stared at her with a lot of judgemental thoughts.

            "Something about you makes me feel nostalgic." Co placed his chin on his hand.

            "Isn't she just like her mother?" Marx walked in from the door which was hanging open. He stood behind Alba, and put his hand on her shoulder. Alba's head shot up to look at him. A conditional smile was on her lips, Co could tell it wasn't really sincere. His mother used to give him the same smile. Alba made a move around Marx, to a boy behind him. His face was emotionless, and his hair was golden brown/red. Co's eyes expanded. As impossible as it was, he had the eye color of the royals.

              Light violet blue.

              Alba ran over to him, and grabbed his arm in a sibling kind of way. Co observed the two shortly.

              "I thought Lori only had a daughter." He squinted his eyes.

              "She does." The boy said, in a monotone voice. Alba turned and hugged him, stuffing her face into his chest.

              "Ruzo-Ruzo is my boyfriend." Alba mumbled from under his clothes.

              "Ruzo-Ruzo? Is that really your name?" Co squinted his eyes.

              "Ruzo, just Ruzo." Co bit the inside of his lip. "Co, is that really your name?" Co clenched his jaw shut.

              "Cosani is my real name." He looked at the faces below him. Ruzo had been rather bold about insulting the prince. "I'm afraid Ruzo-Ruzo will not be staying here as Alba will. For-" He paused."For personal reasons." He stuck one end of his pen in his mouth and chewed on it; boasting of his power.

              "No worries." Ruzo put his hands up in defence. "Like I would ever want to stay here anyway." Alba pulled at his jacket, begging him to stop. Co let out a low grumble.

              "That's it!" He shoved his fists closed and his eye patch off. He cracked his neck twice both ways, and made his way down from his thrown. One of his violet eyes darkened, nearing a black color at Ruzo, as he made his way over to him. Alba's eye expanded as she breathlessly mumbled into Ruzo's ear.

              "Run!" She pushed him.

              "You're not going to help me?!" He shrugged away from his situation towards the door.

              "Ruzo-Ruzo!" Alba called after him, but he didn't look back. Co had not moved, he was still standing just feet away from Alba. "Ugh, b*****d!" She threw her fists to her side. Co's eye brightened to a normal, as he flung his eye patch back around his eye. Alba took a step back.

              "What a-are you?" She pushed her eyebrows together. "So w-weird."

              "Coming from the girl who picked something up off the ground and ate it." Co put his hand over his face. And shook his head. "Do you think I want to look like this- or have this happen to me?" He leaned in at her. " Do you think I choose for this to happen? Do you think I would really want to live like this if I had the choice?" Alba stared at him wide-eyed. "It's because you're father and mother didn't protect me! This is all their fault!" He looked up and glared at Marx.

              "Co, you know very well that it couldn't be avoided! You know we protected you as best we could." Marx argued back. "Stop acting like this is all-"

              "Enough!" Co yelled. "You're excused, Marx." Marx grabbed Alba's arm.

              "She's coming with me then."

              "Excellent!" Co smiled sheepishly. "The more the merrier!" He pushed his lips together.

              "Father, I don't want to go. He has taught me something very important. I want to stay here." Alba pulled her wrist from the grip of her Father. Marx starred at her with disbelief.

              "Don't tell me he has dazzled you, too. Honey, there are plenty handsome men, please do not fall for him, just as your mother." Alba looked at her father.

              "Father, Mother was far too old for him, what is this 'falling for' you speak of? I love Ruzo, and no one else."

              "Mother insisted that we save him, she gave her life for him, because-" He paused. "Because of that cursed eye! It has a way of drawing people in!" Co looked, shocked, at Marx.

               "This eye has nothing good about it, Marx! Stop trying to blame-"

               "Blame, huh? Why not, you seem to be doing it yourself." Marx gave Co the look of death. "I'm beginning to wish I never did save you." A cry left Alba's throat.

               "Please!" She cried. "I care for both of you, please stop fighting!" Co's eyes expanded. He had never been told that someone cared for him. Co stopped, as Alba had demanded. Not knowing why he was listening to her, he took a seat on the ground. He stared at the ground.

              "Alba, dear, you do not care for this boy. You are being drawn in by his eyes! Please listen to me!"

              "Father, it's mother." The last tear left her eye, as she looked up at her father. "It's mothers memories and feelings that I'm receiving. I will protect him with my life." Marx was struck with pain.

              "Not you too. Not you! Anyone but you! You have always received your mothers memories, but please, not about him! Do not protect him as your mother did! I don't want to loose you too!"

              "Loose me? You said mother died because I was born." Marx shook his head at her.

              "It's his fault. He did it to your Mother. She gave her life for his. He was dying because of the Condors had left a mark over his left eye. She was distraught, she couldn't live with herself for letting them do it. So, as I took him back, she gave her life to his. Fixing his eye at a price, that's why it's as it is. When I returned from bringing him back here, she was gone. Alba, dear, you were already born, you were one, at home, safe."

              "Y-you lied?!" She looked furiously at Marx. "You had me feeling all this guilt my whole life! Thinking I was the cause for Mother's death!? And on top of that, making me live a year younger then I am, I'm 16, not 15!" Alba took a step closer to Co. "I will follow my mother's path, as being this boys protector. As he has said, Father, you are excused. Tell Ruzo-Ruzo I love him, and I wish him well with his life. I will see him shortly. Now get up and out of here, you-" She sniffed her tears. "You liar." Marx felt his heart ache, but he did as his daughter had said.

               "I apologize to both of you, from the deepest part of my heart." Marx bowed before them, and took his leave.

 

Reviews

[James Watts]

“They did something to Co’s eye.” Co quoted. “Damn them! Damn them all!” (either a comma or exclamation after eye. Second half is sort of cliche, would consider revising.)

“Yes,” Co squinted his eyes, commas not needed, use periods)

"You're not going to help me?!" He shrugged away from his situation towards the door.( avoid double punctuation. Either a ? or an ! but not both.)

This was was just the small things I noticed. Overall, not a bad write.