Ch5 - Death

Would you mourn the death of a sadist tyrant?

Purpura was sitting in his assassin's gear.

He felt tired, it'd been nearly a year.

He'd mostly spent the time trying to keep Tynan away from home.

But it didn't seem to be helping.

Every time they were back in the castle Tynan seemed worse.

It was almost like the time outside the castle reinforced how horrible the Queen was.

Purpura rested his head in his hands.

Tynan was beginning to lash out more when they were here.

His work reminded as calm, and collected as normal.

Yet his words and tone were beginning to slip when his mother spoke to him.

Purpura wasn't sure what he was doing wrong.

He'd been so busy this last year he'd barely done any contracts.

Tynan finally walked in, and Purpura looked up.

Tynan came to the table, and sat down.

"Your note said you wanted to show me something?"

Purpura took out a scroll, and handed it to Tynan.

Tynan took it and skimmed it.

"This is about my mother...

Before I was born."

Purpura nodded, and let Tynan read.

Tynan sat reading it word by word.

"Is this what you've been working on the last year?"

Purpura nodded, it wasn't the only thing.

But it was what mattered.

Tynan read certain parts allowed, glancing to Purpura.

Purpura would nod that he was reading it properly.

"Five years?" Nod.

"She was convinced it was her that couldn't conceive." Nod.

It was quiet again, "Even the Kelpshin? She was very desperate."

He was quiet, but then laughed, "Something she found must have worked, or I wouldn't be here, right?"

Purpura didn't laugh, didn't even smile.

Tynan studied his serious expression a moment, before focusing on the scroll.

He kept reading, moving along the information.

He then stopped, and reread a particular passage at least a dozen times.

He then looked to Purpura.

"Is... this insinuating, what I think it is?"

Purpura's eyes looked away, before he nodded.

Tynan stood up, "This is nonsense.

I think I would know!

There's be a sign!"

Purpura picked up a mirror and showed it to Tynan.

Tynan stared at it, before speaking.

"Green eyes.

She always got so angry when I mentioned it.

I was actually beat for mentioning it to my father..."

Purpura lowered the mirror.

Tynan sat back down, "But...

Do you think my dad... the king. Do you think he knew?"

Purpura shook his head no.

Tynan reviewed the scroll again.

"This is insane... I mean... The timing works...

It would also explain why she was so critical of me... I think...

I don't even know, I only ever questioned it to get a rise out of her.

I didn't think it was true."

Purpura wasn't sure what to do, he began to reach his hand to touch Tynan.

But Tynan stood, clutching the scroll.

"I'm gonna confront her.

She can't dismiss me, like when I was a child.

And now I have proof."

Purpura's eyes went wide, that hadn't been what he wanted.

Tynan moved to leave the room, and Purpura quickly followed.

Tynan moved quickly, and Purpura touched his shoulder.

However Tynan ignored his touch, and kept moving.

Purpura paused a moment, but sighed and kept following.

Eventually Tynan reached a large door.

He banged on the door harshly.

It opened, and Tynan entered.

Purpura cautiously followed.

This was the Queen's private study.

And she was sitting in a chair, with a cup and a book.

"What do you want, boy?" She asked.

Her tone both dismissive and annoyed.

Tynan used shadows to close the door.

The two stared each other down, before Tynan spoke.

"Who, is my father?"

The queen gave an annoyed sigh, "Again with this?

You are no longer a child.

Your father is, or was the king."

Tynan smirked a cruel smirk, one that made him look more like his mother than ever before.

"King, of what nation?" he asked.

The queen's pampas dismissiveness quickly faded, she set her book down.

"Of this nation." She said firmly.

Purpura felt like leaving, and rather wished he hadn't followed.

Tynan's fist clutched, "Oh, that's strange.

You two were attempting to conceive for nearly a century.

You disappeared for five years, traveling for an answer.

And when you return, suddenly the two of you conceived?"

She stood up, "I don't know how you learned of my trip.

But yes, I found my answer.

A shaman was able to cure me."

"Oh, was it a Kelpshin shamman?" Tynan asked.

Her expression turned instantly fowl, and she looked ready to scream.

But she took a deep breath and regained her composure,

"You're old enough to know.

Yes, it was.

I will admit, I was desperate.

For their help, I promised we wouldn't commit large forces to the boarder skirmishes.

And neither would they.

A secret treaty, if you will."

"What did the shaman tell you?" Tynan asked, his tone betraying he knew more that she'd said.

"That is between me and the shaman." She answered.

Tynan opened the scroll, "Are you sure he didn't tell you, that you would not be able to conceive a healthy child with the king due to our family's inbreeding over the last hundred thousand years?"

She gave a scowl, but Tynan didn't stop.

"He said that any child conceived risked extremely weak power, or deformity.

Thus your body was rejecting him.

I'll be honest, that explains why Cruedlis struggles with her abilities.

But me... Everyone calls me a prodigy.

The most gifted shadow demon in the last few millennium.

Now, how could that be if generations of inbreeding has slowly been weakening us?"

Purpura watched as her mind seemed to be working.

Thinking.

Trying to come up with a believable lie.

Finally she settled on an old lie, though she was clearly angry.

She didn't ever seem to have any emotion except from anger.

"As I told you, when you were a child.

I prayed. To the gods, like the shaman suggested.

While I was there, they suggested a large celebration to honor the god of life.

Our kingdom is not so religious, so they offered to do it for me.

It's why I was there for as long as I was.

When I returned, your father and I managed to conceive a healthy, though ungrateful child."

Tynan began to laugh, he knew it was a lie.

Perhaps the celebration was true, but it didn't actually explain everything.

Tynan moved further down the scroll, and was about to speak when she spoke.

"Where did you get that?" she asked, both anger and curiosity in her tone.

"Research during my various trips this year." he said.

Her eyes seemed to notice Purpura standing behind Tynan.

Purpura felt himself swallow, he truly wanted to be anywhere else.

But Tynan drew her attention again.

"This here says I was born nearly two months early."

"Projected dates of birth are arbitrary at best." she interjected.

"Yes, if you're speaking of a few days.

Maybe even a week off.

But two months?

And fully developed?

Completely healthy?

Two months early?"

"What does any of this even matter?!" she finally shouted.

Tynan closed the scroll clutching it in both hands.

"It matters, because you've been lying.

To everyone, our people, my sister, the king, and most importantly me!

We both know that the Kelpshin royal family has green eyes!

I mentioned it the first time I saw their picture!

And you wouldn't let me anywhere near them."

"They are our sworn enemies!

Why would I let my often rude son near them?!

I barely let you near anyone of importance!

Because I never was able to teach you to mind your place!"

"My place?!

As what? As the heir apparent of the Heartless Empire, or the Kelpshin Kingdom?!

Because if the Heartless king isn't my father, then I shouldn't be the king of the Heartless Empire!

But I was born before any of the children of the Kelpshin!

So that makes me their prince!"

The two of them were quiet a long time.

Before Tynan spoke again, "Say something!"

The Queen gave a quiet sigh, "You're right.

During the celebration I spent a night with the Kelpshin king.

A month later, I knew I was pregnant.

I hurried back here, and insisted that you were the off spring of my husband.

I suppose I was lucky you were only two months early.

The gestation of kelpshin is nearly three months shorter than our own."

She was quiet a moment.

Tynan was just absorbing that she was admitting the truth.

She regained a bit of her dignity as she continued.

"I was fearful that you'd come out with their awful stripes, or complexion.

Some horribly telling sign that you weren't a shadow demon.

But you looked normal.

Everything was spot on, until you opened your eyes.

I nearly fainted.

My husband was the one who said it had to be a sign from the god of life.

I didn't object.

I spent every day afraid you would shape shift, or that you'd never show any shadow demon abilities.

My fears were alleviated when you started crying once, and turned completely black."

She touched her heart, "I was instantly relieved."

Tynan spoke, he was calmer.

Her story had calmed him a bit, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Tell you what? That you're the b*****d child of our sworn enemy?

That your blood meant you shouldn't be king?

No. I swore I would ensure you would be the perfect king.

I dedicated every fiber of my being to making sure you would never need to know!"

Tynan was quiet.

Then the Queen spoke again, "I want you to think about what you will do with this knowledge.

You could tell everyone.

You will instantly lose your status, and position.

You could try to go to the Kelpshins.

Even if blood is important, I highly doubt they would gladly accept a boy who's only resemblance to the royal family is green eyes.

And do you think they'd even consider letting you actually have a position of power, let alone king?

Kelpshins and Shadow demons are sworn enemies.

And you, as the b*****d child of such hatred...

You would only be an outcast."

Tynan seemed to think on the idea.

She stepped up and reached out her hand to take the scroll.

"Give me that, and I will destroy it.

So that no one else ever learns this secret."

Tynan stepped back, "No, I will deal with it.

I have to think a bit." he said and went to the door.

Purpura moved to follow.

"Purpura." she cooed quietly, and he froze.

Tynan hadn't heard her, his mind elsewhere.

He just left, leaving Purpura standing there.

Purpura wished he had shadow abilities, so he could just disappear.

She moved her hand slightly and shadows closed the door.

"Come here, Purpura." her tone was deceptively sweet.

He didn't like it.

He took a deep breath, before he walked over to her.

"Now, Purpura.

I know one of the reasons, my son employs you is that you are...

Good at keeping secrets.

He trusts that you will keep any of his secrets."

Purpura gave a light nod.

"That's good.

Sadly, I do not have such a blind trust.

I have worked too hard, and sacrificed too much to risk letting some assassin know such a delicate secret.

And though, I know you are mute, so you could not talk.

I have seen your written hand.

Which... I must say, looked remarkably like the writing style on the scroll he was reading from.

I can only guess that you were the one who did all the research for him.

Or perhaps on your own.

Either way, I do not appreciate someone looking into such matters."

She turned away, almost contemplative.

Purpura braced himself, when a shadow suddenly lunged him.

He instinctively formed a shield of blood.

"I knew it!

No worries, I am well practiced in killing your kind!"

Purpura stepped back, but felt himself stopped by a wall.

His eyes glanced back to see a black wall of shadow.

The Queen lunged, and he threw up a shield.

Her shadows effortlessly ripped thru it.

He was pinned against the shadow wall.

He wasn't sure how to escape.

The window perhaps?

He was ready for a slice, some sort of strike.

He'd sparred with Tynan enough to have an idea of what to expect.

Instead the Queen pushed her hand against his chest.

He felt himself gasp in a sudden surge of pain.

He was frozen in pain, as her hand turned to black shadows and reached thru his chest.

He grabbed at her arm, trying to stop her.

This was new, he wasn't sure what she was doing, but his body was reacting violently.

Suddenly his eyes flashed red, as he was trying whatever he could to stop her arm.

Nothing he did made any sort of impact on her shadowy body.

She just laughed, before she suddenly ripped her arm out.

He felt a horrible surge of pain.

As he looked at her hand, holding something.

His red eyes faded quickly, and he felt his whole body seizing up.

He felt like he couldn't breath, when his brain suddenly realized what was in her hand.

She smirked, "Did you know we got our name from our blood demon victims?

The slowest, most painful way to kill a blood demon is to rip out their heart.

Their abilities try to keep them alive, but their abilities are actually powered thru their heart.

So, they are trying to use their heart.

But without their heart their body can't recognize it's own blood.

It thinks it's an invading blood demon, so starts to burn the blood demon's from the inside.

So a blood demon essentially kills themselves, with their own blood.

Isn't that beautiful?"

The door to the room opened, just as she crushed her fist and let little bloody bits fall to the floor.

"Mother?" it was Tynan.

Purpura could hear him, but couldn't force his body to move.

All he could do was drop to his knees, and collapse.

Tynan suddenly spoke in a rage, "What did you do to him?!"

"He knew our little secret, and he was a blood demon.

I'm not sure how you never figured it out." she said calmly.

"I knew!" Tynan shouted.

She scoffed, "Then you should have killed him years ago."

Purpura laid on the floor, his position letting him watch as Tynan suddenly attacked his mother.

The two were fighting violently.

The room was covered in black shadows as the two seemed to just attack each other like savages.

He had never seen shadow demons fight, nor seen Tynan fight with such emotion.

It was weird.

Purpura felt the room faded a few times.

He was trying all he could to just stay conscious.

He could feel his body dying.

The pain he'd felt constantly in his throat was spreading thru his whole body.

The Queen was right, his body was killing itself and it was excruciating.

He felt the room fade again, before he was lifted up a bit.

It was Tynan.

Across the room, the queen was on the ground not moving.

How long had he blacked out?

Tynan was examining him a bit, "I'm sorry...

I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have left you in here with her.

I should have known she'd do something like this..."

Purpura moved his mouth as if he was trying to talk.

Tynan gave a weak, sad smile.

"I don't... I don't know what I'll do without you."

Tynan lifted Purpura into a hug.

Purpura quietly whispered in Tynan's ear.

Tynan's eyes went wide, before looking to Purpura again.

But Purpura was gone.