Thick Skin and A Jeweled Heart [8.1]
"The King wishes to see you."
A young girl at the age of ten looked up from a stone figurine of a mighty steed. It huffed and flipped its mane before going once again stagnant, only scuffing its hooves against the girl's palm intermittently. She placed it on her bed, jumping off and walking to a man in his 20's.
The man's skin was light green with specks of copper and gold resembling freckles all over his complexion. His eyes and lips were shiny and of a deeper green. Even his hair looked shiny and kept in place. Actually, his whole body was shiny. It seems, that the man was made out of pure aventurine, a kind of mineral.
The man nodded and stepped aside to let the girl out of her room. As she walked alongside the man, she smiled. "You're always so odd, brother. Would it hurt you to speak more?"
Her brother just glanced down at his little sister, his expression ever so unreadable, and continued to lead her down the twisting stone stairs towards their father's office.
You wouldn't believe they were siblings if you saw them. The girl's pale skin stood in a stark contrast compared to her brother. She had brown hair and matching brown eyes, paired with a kind smile. Her brother on the other hand looked serious; his face looked like it was carved out of stone, perfect and measured, too beautiful to be human.
But no one was human in that castle. The man's sister was just one of the many that resembles one. That's not the reason why she's so special, though.
"You know," the little girl started, pulling at the sleeves of her nightgown nervously. "I keep having these dreams about father." She looked up at her brother, gauging for a reaction. When she saw none, she continued, "They're more like nightmares, really. Father always--" she looked up again "--tries to hurt me in them."
She stopped talking, her brother's lack of reaction worrying her. Has she gone too far? Is he trembling with anger inside, not daring to believe that their father would hurt a fly, even in her dreams?
He did look kind of angry, staring long and hard in front of him as the little girl's voice echoed down the stairs.They continued to walk in silence, their footsteps against the hard stone of the stairs reverberating against the walls.
Finally, he said, "Father will never hurt you," His eyes flickered momentarily to the little girl and his gloved hands twitched, as if fighting to reach out. "Don't worry." The girl smiled at him, nodding. "I believe you, Ian!"
Ian's blank eyes twitched, his whole body tensing, and he abruptly looked forwards. "Yes," he said, his voice tight, "I would never lie to you." The little girl sighed and held hands with her brother, not noticing how tense he tense he was and saying, "A dream is just a dream." as the stairs ended with a long corridor, doors spaced evenly on either side of the corridor walls.
They walked hand in hand towards the end of the corridor, where a giant double door stood high. The door was engraved with golden patterns, shifting mysteriously and shining brightly under the low light of the torches on the corridor walls. As they reached it, the door opened by itself, swinging open slowly inwards, revealing the room inside.
All around the room were showcases of wealth. To a statue of a tiger made entirely of diamonds and paintings and portraits from the world above, to jars upon jars of startlingly red blood stacked on shelves made entirely of shells. A high winged chair stood behind a desk, facing the arched window with its back to the two children standing by the door. The desk was clean but for a sharp dagger with an aventurine hilt.
The siblings can't see him, but they know their father is in that chair, waiting to be addressed.
"You called me, father?" the girl asked tentatively.
"Ahh, my gem," their father cooed, turning his chair slowly to face them and reveal a charming human face with blank, green eyes. He spread his arms in an invitation and his smile stretched wide across his face. "My Jade." You could tell that he was old, not from lines and saggy skin, no. But from his eyes that didn't match his smile; cruel, mean and experienced, in a way only an adult could pull off. He was good at hiding it though, the ill intent in his eyes gone as his daughter pulls him in an embrace.
"Why did you call for me?" little Jade asked, pulling away from their hug. But her father keeps her close, hands settling on her shoulders. "Did anything weird happen since the last full moon, gem?" He asked, gently digging his thumb into the soft flesh of Jade's arm through her nightgown. Jade flinched slightly, eyes darting towards her brother by the door, whose face was impassive. "No, nothing peculiar, father."
The King's eyes also flicked towards his son before shaking Jade slightly, digging in his thumb harder. "Tell me the truth, Jade." Jade's eyes met his, wide and transparent, showing her hesitancy and fear. "N-Nothing--"
"Tell me the truth!" The King snapped.
Jade flinched at that, recoiling from her father's touch. The King quickly loosened his tightened grip and rubbed her hands up and down soothingly. "Sorry about that, dear. Do you forgive your father?"
Jade nodded, looking down as the King's hand reach out to pull her closer. She frowned and looked away as he leaned in close, humming, "I just want you to tell me the truth. It's really important that you do." he smiled sweetly at her.
Jade turned her head towards her father, a mix of emotion going through her. She's confused, scared and comforted by her father at the same time. She's not sure which feeling to follow through with.
"What about it?" he asked.
But most importantly, she felt hesitant. She didn't want to tell her father about the bad dreams mostly evolving around him. It's a gut feeling, feels like it'll only lead to something bad. So she followed through with that one instead, stuttering, "Nothing p-pecular."
The King's smile dropped fast, replaced by frustration. It went as fast as it came, melting into a neutral expression so fast, Jade didn't notice it. But a man in his 20's still standing by the door did. He looked from afar as his father said goodbye to Jade, kissing her on the head. She looked happy enough to have seemingly satisfied her father, smiling and waving goodbye as she walked back towards her brother. With one last glance at his father, he turned to leave the room when he spoke, "Ian, a moment please?"
Jade turned around, looking at Ian. He froze by the door, hands hovering on the doorknob. What did his father want? He blinked and nodded at Jade, telling her to go to her room by herself. She then left Ian to himself with the King.
"Is there anything you want to tell me, Ian?" the King asked him, standing up from his chair. Ian turned around slowly, meeting his father's penetrating gaze. He felt bare and vulnerable under his father's attention, glad of his stone face as it's unable to portray most emotion. He tried to keep his voice under control as he asked, "Tell you what, father?"
The King stared hard at his son before walking slowly towards him like a hunter stalking its prey. All the while Ian kept his gaze steady as they meet the King's, unconsciously standing straighter as the King stopped in front of him. "You know something." he said.
"Know what?" Ian counters.
"Don't play with me, boy." said the King, his voice low enough to be a growl. Ian faux innocent as he shrugs. "I don't know what you're talking about." he frowned "What's so important that you need to know how Jade's month went so badly?" he asked in his usual monotonous drawl.
His father's face was unreadable, but the tremble was unmistakably there when he raised a hand to grip the doorknob. "You have twenty four hours." Ian backed away as his father closes the door, giving him one last warning stare before it shuts completely.
He stared at the door, his face ever so unreadable, and walked down the expanse of the corridor towards the spiraling staircase.
A young girl at the age of ten looked up from a stone figurine of a mighty steed. It huffed and flipped its mane before going once again stagnant, only scuffing its hooves against the girl's palm intermittently. She placed it on her bed, jumping off and walking to a man in his 20's.
The man's skin was light green with specks of copper and gold resembling freckles all over his complexion. His eyes and lips were shiny and of a deeper green. Even his hair looked shiny and kept in place. Actually, his whole body was shiny. It seems, that the man was made out of pure aventurine, a kind of mineral.
The man nodded and stepped aside to let the girl out of her room. As she walked alongside the man, she smiled. "You're always so odd, brother. Would it hurt you to speak more?"
Her brother just glanced down at his little sister, his expression ever so unreadable, and continued to lead her down the twisting stone stairs towards their father's office.
You wouldn't believe they were siblings if you saw them. The girl's pale skin stood in a stark contrast compared to her brother. She had brown hair and matching brown eyes, paired with a kind smile. Her brother on the other hand looked serious; his face looked like it was carved out of stone, perfect and measured, too beautiful to be human.
But no one was human in that castle. The man's sister was just one of the many that resembles one. That's not the reason why she's so special, though.
"You know," the little girl started, pulling at the sleeves of her nightgown nervously. "I keep having these dreams about father." She looked up at her brother, gauging for a reaction. When she saw none, she continued, "They're more like nightmares, really. Father always--" she looked up again "--tries to hurt me in them."
She stopped talking, her brother's lack of reaction worrying her. Has she gone too far? Is he trembling with anger inside, not daring to believe that their father would hurt a fly, even in her dreams?
He did look kind of angry, staring long and hard in front of him as the little girl's voice echoed down the stairs.They continued to walk in silence, their footsteps against the hard stone of the stairs reverberating against the walls.
Finally, he said, "Father will never hurt you," His eyes flickered momentarily to the little girl and his gloved hands twitched, as if fighting to reach out. "Don't worry." The girl smiled at him, nodding. "I believe you, Ian!"
Ian's blank eyes twitched, his whole body tensing, and he abruptly looked forwards. "Yes," he said, his voice tight, "I would never lie to you." The little girl sighed and held hands with her brother, not noticing how tense he tense he was and saying, "A dream is just a dream." as the stairs ended with a long corridor, doors spaced evenly on either side of the corridor walls.
They walked hand in hand towards the end of the corridor, where a giant double door stood high. The door was engraved with golden patterns, shifting mysteriously and shining brightly under the low light of the torches on the corridor walls. As they reached it, the door opened by itself, swinging open slowly inwards, revealing the room inside.
All around the room were showcases of wealth. To a statue of a tiger made entirely of diamonds and paintings and portraits from the world above, to jars upon jars of startlingly red blood stacked on shelves made entirely of shells. A high winged chair stood behind a desk, facing the arched window with its back to the two children standing by the door. The desk was clean but for a sharp dagger with an aventurine hilt.
The siblings can't see him, but they know their father is in that chair, waiting to be addressed.
"You called me, father?" the girl asked tentatively.
"Ahh, my gem," their father cooed, turning his chair slowly to face them and reveal a charming human face with blank, green eyes. He spread his arms in an invitation and his smile stretched wide across his face. "My Jade." You could tell that he was old, not from lines and saggy skin, no. But from his eyes that didn't match his smile; cruel, mean and experienced, in a way only an adult could pull off. He was good at hiding it though, the ill intent in his eyes gone as his daughter pulls him in an embrace.
Now, the girl and her father is a completely different story. As the daughter was pale, the father's skin was light brown, green eyes startlingly bright against his dark skin
"Why did you call for me?" little Jade asked, pulling away from their hug. But her father keeps her close, hands settling on her shoulders. "Did anything weird happen since the last full moon, gem?" He asked, gently digging his thumb into the soft flesh of Jade's arm through her nightgown. Jade flinched slightly, eyes darting towards her brother by the door, whose face was impassive. "No, nothing peculiar, father."
The King's eyes also flicked towards his son before shaking Jade slightly, digging in his thumb harder. "Tell me the truth, Jade." Jade's eyes met his, wide and transparent, showing her hesitancy and fear. "N-Nothing--"
"Tell me the truth!" The King snapped.
Jade flinched at that, recoiling from her father's touch. The King quickly loosened his tightened grip and rubbed her hands up and down soothingly. "Sorry about that, dear. Do you forgive your father?"
Jade nodded, looking down as the King's hand reach out to pull her closer. She frowned and looked away as he leaned in close, humming, "I just want you to tell me the truth. It's really important that you do." he smiled sweetly at her.
Jade turned her head towards her father, a mix of emotion going through her. She's confused, scared and comforted by her father at the same time. She's not sure which feeling to follow through with.
"What about it?" he asked.
But most importantly, she felt hesitant. She didn't want to tell her father about the bad dreams mostly evolving around him. It's a gut feeling, feels like it'll only lead to something bad. So she followed through with that one instead, stuttering, "Nothing p-pecular."
The King's smile dropped fast, replaced by frustration. It went as fast as it came, melting into a neutral expression so fast, Jade didn't notice it. But a man in his 20's still standing by the door did. He looked from afar as his father said goodbye to Jade, kissing her on the head. She looked happy enough to have seemingly satisfied her father, smiling and waving goodbye as she walked back towards her brother. With one last glance at his father, he turned to leave the room when he spoke, "Ian, a moment please?"
Jade turned around, looking at Ian. He froze by the door, hands hovering on the doorknob. What did his father want? He blinked and nodded at Jade, telling her to go to her room by herself. She then left Ian to himself with the King.
"Is there anything you want to tell me, Ian?" the King asked him, standing up from his chair. Ian turned around slowly, meeting his father's penetrating gaze. He felt bare and vulnerable under his father's attention, glad of his stone face as it's unable to portray most emotion. He tried to keep his voice under control as he asked, "Tell you what, father?"
The King stared hard at his son before walking slowly towards him like a hunter stalking its prey. All the while Ian kept his gaze steady as they meet the King's, unconsciously standing straighter as the King stopped in front of him. "You know something." he said.
"Know what?" Ian counters.
"Don't play with me, boy." said the King, his voice low enough to be a growl. Ian faux innocent as he shrugs. "I don't know what you're talking about." he frowned "What's so important that you need to know how Jade's month went so badly?" he asked in his usual monotonous drawl.
His father's face was unreadable, but the tremble was unmistakably there when he raised a hand to grip the doorknob. "You have twenty four hours." Ian backed away as his father closes the door, giving him one last warning stare before it shuts completely.
He stared at the door, his face ever so unreadable, and walked down the expanse of the corridor towards the spiraling staircase.
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