The Twins' Grudges

"If you step into this room, I'm pulling the trigger."

Rayan froze, glaring still. Milena heard the King's chuckle against her ear.

"You may have found me, but you couldn't possibly think it would be so easy, young Prince? I am holding your dear wife, and just as I was explaining to her, one man's greatest weakness could be his woman. Both you and your twin are the perfect example and, better yet, you both happen to hold desire for the same woman, don't you."

"You better let my wife go," Rayan hissed.

"Or what? See, Princess Milena, this is the problem when everyone gets too attached to you. You become their biggest weakness. If it wasn't for you, all three of them would happily come and slice this head off, and I would be f****d to find another body for myself. However, because they all hold you so dear, look. I have them in the palm of my hand..."

Milena wasn't so sure about that. Blanche, Raelius and Rayan might be reluctant to move out of concern for her, but that man was also cornered. He had been f****d to take her hostage to defend his life. She tried to move a bit to test his grip on her, but he was holding on strong, and the pain radiating from her shoulder at each movement was just horrible. She could barely think straight, all her thoughts drowned in the pain. They were standing back against the large, open windows, the abandoned ChessBoard right in front of them, and beyond it, the rest of the room, Raelius and Blanche ready to intervene at the first opportunity they'd get. Rayan was still steps past the door, tragically so close yet so far. She knew her husband wouldn't take another step forward if it meant risking her life. She could feel the cold metal of the barrel against her temple, and a man who had decades and decades of practice would not miss that shot by any means. Even Raelius' speed wouldn't guarantee she'd survive this... 

Her best shot was that, at the very least, King Silvius was holding her facing the others, and he couldn't see her face. Milena stared at Raelius, and mimicked with her lips.

"Isn't it tragic?" Chuckled King Silvius. "This is no Chess Game, Princess. See, this is where you have no choice but to acknowledge my victory. I have been holding the power for far too long to be bested by children. Even my brother will not be capable of saving you... Although he's an eyesore as always."

"Take me in her stead," said Raelius. "Silvius. You and I belong to another time. You've got no reason to kill Milena."

"Of course I don't want her dead, such a brilliant child!" Scoffed his brother. "But I don't have a choice, just like with our own sister, Raelius. If I am weak now, this will all bring our Kingdom to ruin! Don't you realize? This decaying nation has only been able to last because of me! Because I made sure the right people sat on the throne, because I made sure humans and vampires stood on equal footing, without ever breaking this fragile balance!"

"Rubbish," said Rayan. "Men like you belong underground, where you should have gone and stayed long ago!"

"I beg to differ, young Prince."

"Silvius, leave Milena be," Raelius insisted, visibly panicked to see her taken hostage. "You can take me instead, but she's going to die at this rate! That child has nothing to do with all this!"

"Oh, shut up, Raelius," he rolled his eyes. "Aren't you tired of being the idiot of the bunch yet? Even when we were young, you were such a good-for-nothing. ...Is it because she looks so much like your precious fiancé? It's true she was quite the feisty woman. Something your bloodline miraculously kept passing on... Now, don't you move or I might have an unfortunate accident with this trigger."

Raelius glared even more. Milena was touched by how desperate her ancestor was to save her, but this was not the main issue, for now. They had to get rid of that man, for good. While Blanche growled furiously, Rayan seemed the calmest of all. He didn't move an inch, just like Raelius, but her husband seemed the most composed and cool-headed. However, the sounds of battle she could still hear coming from downstairs worried Milena. Had he climbed up all the way here alone? Or was he confident enough that he had left the Castle's taking for Rachael or another of their allies to handle? Either way, Rayan was all focused on her, and the man holding her hostage.

"...What do you want?" He hissed.

"It will depend. Is Prince Ellias alive?" Asked King Silvius.

Rayan's expression didn't change.

"...I see. I guess he's still your twin brother, after all. What is it, young Prince? Did you feel too kind to slay your own sibling? Or did he flee the battle?"

"I had other pests to get rid of more urgently," Rayan retorted.

"So he did try to flee. That boy has really lost a lot of his value... Oh, well."

Milena tried to insist. Either Rayan hadn't understood the movement of her lips, or he was pretending not to. She had a hunch it was the latter, but it didn't make her any happier. They couldn't afford to fail now! If that man fled and took control of the Kingdom again for the next centuries, who knew how many more tragedies he'd orchestrate from the shadows?

"...Was your Chess Game interesting, Dear?" Asked Rayan, his eyes going down on the chessboard. "Seems like my Lady outdid herself."

"I had to protect my King," she muttered.

"Enough, you two!" Hissed King Silvius, pulling harder on her shoulder, making her wince again.

"Rayan!"

Everyone froze. Far behind Rayan, the doors to the Hall were banged open, Ellias appearing in the doorway. Milena was shocked by the mess he was in. He had lost half of his golden armor, and there was a lot of blood on his face, running from his hair to the left corner of his jaw, down on his neck and chest. He walked in limping, but still holding his sword and with a furious gaze in his green eyes. He looked incredibly mad, his eyes redder than usual, panting, glaring at his own twin brother as if facing the worst evil. 

Rayan turned around, glancing at his twin brother with an annoyed expression. So Ellias had really fled the battle, one way or another, and pursued a duel against his twin. Judging from his abnormal state and the grey lines under his eyes, Milena guesses his addiction had pushed him over some dangerous edge. He didn't look like himself anymore. He looked like a ghostly, nightmarish shadow of himself. She shivered uncontrollably, her trauma taking over. She hadn't seen him from so close since she had been freed from that tower... and she hadn't realized she wasn't ready to. Moreover, this Ellias was even more terrifying. There was nothing left of the sweet boy she had once been friends with. Whatever substance had been given to him all this time had taken over, replacing him with this strange creature wearing the same appearance, but nothing left of his previous noble self.

"...You shouldn't have come here," muttered the Vampire Prince.

"What have you done!" Shouted Ellias, absolutely furious. "You've brought war to our Kingdom! Fire to our streets, blood! The whole Castle is invaded by your fault!"

Rayan sighed, and turned around, grabbing his sword with both hands as the young King kept coming towards him, his own weapon raised up for a duel.

"It wouldn't be invaded if you'd welcomed me back, Ellias," he said. "But you already had the Royal Knights and those mercenaries waiting for your own Army to greet us with bullets. You're the one who ruined our whole Kingdom."

"You shouldn't have come back! Everything would have been so much simpler if you'd died! I gave you a chance to die honorably, for this Kingdom! You should have died a war hero! But instead, you thought you could come back and conquer our own home! My kingdom!"

"Our Kingdom, you possessed idiot. ...You think I cared anything about leading? Look what you have been doing all this time! I was gone for just a few months and monsters are running loose in the streets! The Royal Council is half-empty, your own Queen fled this place and my wife was f*****g imprisoned in a tower for your pleasure! You dare call yourself a King! You have the blood of dozens on your hands, Ellias!"

The human prince looked stunned for a second. Rayan's rage was louder than his, and the Vampire Prince had much more conviction to carry his words, too. He wouldn't simply be defeated by his twin barging in with a sword in hand. Rayan had held grudge after grudge against his brother, all this time, while he carried on the army's mission in the North. The news he had received in each letter had piled up, forcing him to contain his anger like a bomb waiting to explode. And now had come the time for payback against the man behind it all. He wasn't just furious at his twin brother; Milena could tell he was disappointed too. No matter the circumstances, their rivalry shouldn't have kept Ellias from becoming a decent King, at least. Rayan had left because he didn't think things could go this poorly even if his brother took the crown, yet his twin had proven to be much worse than he thought. Ellias had been the root cause for too many tragedies, and Rayan could not forgive how he had failed his trust. It wasn't just about Milena. He was looking down on this twin brother of his who had just fallen so low, and wasn't even trying to climb back up or admit to his faults. 

Facing him, Ellias looked unsure, still furious, but hesitant. He kept glaring at Rayan, as if the vision of his returned twin was too nightmarish for him to even see anything else, or the bodies lying around the Hall, and the four people standing in the next room. With the distance, and her own tiredness from it all, Milena took a few seconds to realize the King already had a hard time focusing on his own brother. He was probably under some side effects of whatever the older King had drugged him with, only looking more and more ragged as time passed.

"...I didn't kill anyone," he retorted.

"No, you just watched it all happen," retorted Rayan. "Like a coward, you never, ever take responsibility for your mistakes, Ellias. You never stood up to our mother, and you never stood up to anyone, not even for what you believed in or those you actually loved!"

"Don't you dare judge me!"

"You're setting enough of a grand trial yourself!" Rayan roared back. "Look at the hell that has come down to our home! You wanted this crown, this throne? You got them, and for what! The nobles fled, half the Dukes are dead, the Royal Knights are sacrificed for your pointless ambition and our people are shot at with the Royal Cannons! Is that what you wanted that crown so damn bad for! What the hell have you achieved that did not cause death, pain or hardships for others! Mother isn't here anymore to pat your head and tell you you've been a good boy Ellias, so f*****g grow up and see your own mess, because no one's here to ease it up for you!"

"I HATE YOU!"

The twins' swords violently clashed. The two of them began fighting in the darkness of the Hall, such a crazy scene Milena could barely believe her eyes. They were so alike, furious, and desperate. Covered in blood, tired, their armors broken and their weapons damaged. Yet, neither of them was willing to give in. Their swords clashed against the other, again and again, as they moved furiously in the room. 

Next to Milena's ear, a voice chuckled.

"How tragic, isn't it? Two boys who came from the same womb, so desperate to kill the other. It's like one of those incredibly sad stories. Shall we make a bet on who will survive, my Lady?"

Milena could already tell this battle was unfair. Not because Ellias was under the influence of some powerful d**g, unable to control himself, but because Rayan was reluctant to kill his twin. Ellias' life was now bound to the bullet threatening Milena's head. King Silvius didn't even need to say it, it was obvious. He wanted a human King on the throne, and if anything happened to his champion, she'd follow him in death. 

The duel was incredibly brutal, relentless, neither man capable of besting the other. Even their technique was similar, and at times, it felt like watching two paintings of the same fighter under different lights; The darkness of night just made this scene even more unreal. They moved in the darkness, sometimes appearing in the moonlight of a window, before stepping into the shadows again. They were both panting, grunting, the sounds of their weapons echoing against the walls; Nobody else was daring to come to this floor, everyone was busy somewhere else. No, perhaps Rayan had told them to stay back until he had been sure everything was safe. Had Raelius and Blanche managed to let him know her situation before they had all gathered here for the final act?

Milena tried to move again, but the barrel pressed even further against her temple, bruising her skin.

"Not yet, dear Princess," said King Silvius. "We wouldn't want to miss the end of this fierce battle, would we? Our two young princes are giving us the sight of a superb duel for your sake. Of course, things are quite uneven as Prince Rayan is desperate to save your life but, to be fair, Prince... No, King Ellias isn't at his best either..."

Milena was dying to stab this bastard's throat. She would have given anything for a weapon right now, but her best weapon was nothing but her gut, and her husband.

"Rayan!" She insisted.

He ignored her, and kept fighting. He wasn't just reluctant to risk her life, he was reluctant to murder his twin as well. She knew Rayan better than anybody. Despite everything, Ellias was his own blood, and worse, right now he wasn't himself. It was another reason for him to hold back. King Silvius was right on one thing; the tragedy of this whole scene was beyond belief. If she could, Milena would have stepped in-between them, to spare them the sin of killing their own brother... A tear escaped her eyes. It wasn't just the pain from witnessing this, or that tortured her from her shoulder. It was her own self being unable to do anything, anything at all. They were stuck in this whole tragic play orchestrated by Silvius, and her plan would have possibly worked if it wasn't for her husband, her best friend, and her ancestor valuing her life so much. She didn't care. She just wanted to end this, the pain, the madness, the screams and shouts coming from inside and the outside. The pleas from their people, the smell of cannon powder, death, and burnt flesh filling the air. She took a deep breath, and violently pushed her head back, hitting that man's chin.

"Easy, Princess!"

Everyone reacted. She felt the back of her head hitting its target, and the grip loosening a bit on her shoulder. Raelius and Blanche both tensed up, ready to move. King Silvius groaned, but he lost his focus for less than a second, and shot. Milena screamed. 

She took a second to even realize the pain that was coming from her forehead. What she saw, though, was Raelius, grimacing, one knee down and holding his shoulder, blood dripping down on the ground. She gasped, trying to repress the pain. Silvius had shot too close to her own head to hit his brother; The bullet had grazed her head, leaving a vivid pain, before flying to pierce her ancestor's shoulder. Raelius glared up, visibly in pain.

"Ironic," chuckled Silvius. "You're sharing your precious heiress' pain now, Raelius. And yes, this is my warning to you. Our Grand Princess here might be brave and foolish, I will not hesitate to sacrifice her. If I kill her first, her body will be all mine to take, you realize that? To be honest, I hate borrowing a woman's body, but for our beautiful Princess, I'd happily make an exception."

"You're one coward," grunted Milena, a taste of blood in her mouth.

"Call it what you want, Princess, it's kept me alive for three centuries. Meanwhile, look at your dear husband and brother-in-law. Those boys won't even make it to three decades because of their own foolishness."

Milena closed her eyes, just for a few seconds, trying to calm down.

"Rayan!" She called again.

Her vampire prince lifted his red eyes, just once, meeting hers. They stared one long, long second into each other's eyes, just in time for him to mimic a few words. It was a fleeting moment, but it was just for her, and for Milena's heart that drowned a little.

"I'm not losing you again."

Those were the words of a cruel, bittersweet promise he gave her; They would both survive this, or neither of them would. She loved him, but he had never uttered a more painful promise. She remembered the very first one he had made to her, that promise she was dying for him to forget, right now. She was fine with him betraying her, just this once. If Ellias died, even if Silvius sacrificed her, Rayan would make a great King. He had heirs to follow. He had allies to support him, the army behind him. This Kingdom would survive, far better than Silvius thought. She could almost see it... That future without her in it. She was ready for that. Her plan had always been one for victory, for the Kingdom to survive this. No matter the sacrifices...  

However, nothing was over yet. The twins kept fighting, violently, unforgivably, putting their rage and resentment in each strike. No one could tell they were holding back their swords anymore, blood was starting to pour down their injuries, the sweat on their foreheads was real. That duel wouldn't stop until one of them was dead.

"Enough!"

The foreign voice got everyone's attention. Milena herself doubted her eyes, as the last person she had thought about was standing at the entrance of the hall, with her big blue eyes opened wide in shock, despair, sadness. Irony had it that the last player of this tragedy had made an entrance. 

The Queen, Philomenie.