127 | bite; a platter for a master

Reed sat on the edge of a boulder, inconspicuously placed between two arching trees that curved into each other. He'd received a notice—the way to enter would be between those two trees at the first stroke of light.

He fiddled with the paper between his hands, eyes lowered to the neat handwriting.

A practiced, obedient handwriting. Words that expressed no emotion, only stating cold information, drawing a line between the reader and writer.

There was still time before nightfall, and time before the sun rose. The letter had been sent at perfect timing, and Reed was forced to recall his soldiers away from the town.

Nicola would be safe, he knew. Even in a town she didn't know, the woman was skilled and could care for herself.

She would venture beyond unimaginable feats, beyond his grasp. To begin with, she was not an existence he could hold onto.

Neither of them were.

Branches cracked underneath a solemn step, and Reed lifted his weary eyes. The exhaustion that had seeped into them quickly receded, returning to indifference.

Lux, with his arms crossed, stared at him quietly. He held out a hand. "You've read the letter, haven't you? I'll be kind and throw it out for you."

"There's no need."

Reed folded the paper carefully, edge to edge, smoothening the small square and slipping it into his pocket. Lux narrowed his eyes knowingly and said nothing more.

He walked over and slumped by the boulder, directly sitting by Reed's feet.

A frown twisted the prince's lips. "What are you doing?"

"Honouring you with my company, it seems."

"That's no honour. Are you so bored that you've come to disturb me? Unable to act without orders, when I've given all of you free time?"

Lux sneered but didn't budge from his spot, fiddling with two branches that were by his leg. He started to spear leaves through, creating a skewer of various colours.

One man watched quietly, and one man hummed to himself.

A passerby would assume them to be friends; an almost peaceful coexistence falling between them. For a few moments, it was not a reluctant alliance between two princes.

It was just the two of them, doing nothing and doing everything simultaneously.

Lux made five skewers, pretending to plate them on the surface of a brown leaf. He bent his head in a mocking bow, holding onto the plate with two hands. "For you, my proud master."

Reed lifted his brows. He played along in a cold tone. "You're offering your master dirt and leaves?"

"Only the finest quality of nutrition for you."

"I am not a rabbit."

"Now, now, my master. Many do not indulge in meat."

Reed scoffed. "And they indulge in skewered leaves?"

"The leaves skewered by a runaway prince is a rare delicacy. Almost as rare as the dear master who is indulging in this play."

Reed's body stiffened, his tension returning to his limbs as he waved his hand, dismissing the silly leaf skewers. "This is ridiculous. It was a waste of my time to indulge you."

Lux smiled sardonically, wagging three skewers between his fingers. "If you don't indulge in your doggies at all, Prince, they won't remain loyal to you."

"I know that well enough."

Reed looked away, seated on the boulder underneath the basking sunlight. Flowers bloomed at his feet, but his visage was ice cold—unsuited for such scenery.

"Tell me, prince," said Lux as he placed his leaf plate down dismissively, propping up a leg. "I've seen your performances, your manipulations. It would've been wiser to put up that facade rather than reveal your true self to me."

Reed regarded him. "Would you have believed it?"

"Naturally, I wouldn't."

"I knew that. You and I are most aware of the false pleasantries of nobility and all the lies the living speak."

The air was not cold, but a swirl of coldness danced in the air, entangling with the swaying nature that bathed under the sun.

"But had you lied to me, perhaps I would've pitied the miserable you. Perhaps I wouldn't bite."

It was a question that disturbed Lux. He'd seen Reed's fake smiles that won the love of all the students in the Academy and all others, the drawl of confidence that spilled in his every step.

Although he wouldn't fall for such an obvious act, there were certain ways that Reed could have tricked him.

After so many years, it was impossible for a man like Reed not to find any weaknesses within Lux. The opposite was the same, however.

Reed's mouth parted slightly. His lips were dry, and yet they swallowed the warmth of the sunlight that could not ease the constant chill in his body.

"There was never a need."

Lux had returned his attention to the leaves in Reed's silence, but hearing the whispered words, he stopped.

"Never a need?"

"Yes. A perfect pawn. I never wanted somebody to be loyal to me, or to love or feel sorry for me. I didn't want somebody who would stay by my side."

"And you, a prince with nowhere to go, a deteriorating bloodline. A connection to the one I had taken in. You were perfect."

Lux's lips curved downwards in displeasure. "You're crazy. Do you hear yourself?"

"You were without morals yet defined by morals. Willing to go against the subjective truths of the world to attain your objectives."

"You were merely a skilled and talented man with a goal. And I was a man who had access to achieving that goal."

"That's all."

It was the most honest Reed had ever been to Lux, his voice eerily soft under the blurred haze of sunlight filtering through the clusters of swaying leaves. It cast against his sculpted profile, fragmented through blonde eyelashes.

There, the contradiction between the cold figure and the warm backdrop created a haze, illustrating a creature that wandered between fantasy and humanity.

Of course, Reed knew the value of his face.

The worth of it in this judgmental society.

He learned how to manipulate his expression, to take advantage of his visuals to manipulate others.

For his wonderful father, now lying in the ashes of what had once been a monstrous man, that beautiful child had been his most important treasure.

A child sculpted and shaped to become a ruler; a weapon made to control the crowd.

Reed had threatened himself to prolong Kaden's life, once.

And of course, growing up in such an environment where his purpose was to be a liar, a cheat—how could he not have seen the perfection in Lux?

A runaway prince with a seething hatred for his kingdom, wild and uncontrollable. Violence ran rampant in his bones and blood coloured his burning gaze.

Without a doubt, a man who could kill without a blink, the sort of person who would do anything for his objectives.

And a missing little brother he sought to find—an objective that Reed discovered and knew.

He didn't need any manipulations; he did not need Lux's loyalty to him, but rather, Lux's loyalty to his missing little brother.

So long as that burning prince never came to realize that the one leverage Reed had was not a leverage, but a weakness.

His weakness; their weakness.

The twig in Lux's hand snapped in half, all the leaves in between drifting to the ground.

"Reed," he said quietly, dropping the broken skewers to the ground. "Do you plan to die?"

There was that look in the crown prince's cold blue eyes. A human complication. A look that Lux never wanted to analyze and dissect, for knowing would be regretting.

Regretting all their years and days wasted in this twisted facade of a forced alliance.

His hands fisted the ground, feeling the skeletons of the leaves prick his skin. Reed closed his eyes and exhaled, a light breath loud in the space between them.

He scoffed. "There's a better chance of you dying, in which I would not hesitate to sacrifice you."

Lux snickered, swallowing hard. "What a shame."

"And you won't let me—" Any illusion of softness had vanished, returning the taciturn, cold prince. "As I am now, I cannot die."

Lux swung his head around, sneering. "Ha. As if. There isn't a tool or ability that can grant you immortality—" His words fell, eyes narrowed.

Then, he lowered his head and cursed.

———+++———

"They're here."

Noah crouched among the thick branches of the center tree, an ancient and wise thing that spread its roots across the lands. It was said that the environment changed daily in these twisting lands, but Noah had willed it to remain the same.

A thick, dense forest crowded by trees. It was a maze that they knew the exit of—and all intruders would fall lost in the twisting turns.

From where they perched high in the tree, the towering maze could be seen in detail. Kaden could not see Reed's group yet.

But he felt it, in the air that filled his lungs. That Reed drew near, and in following, their conclusion crept closer.

"They'll enter the maze soon. Chauvet, I can control the environment, I can try to help you in that way. But my connection isn't strong—I will have to remain here. I cannot help in any other way."

His dark hand held onto Kaden tightly, as if scared to let go.

He'd let Kaden go once, and what had happened?

He almost lost his treasure.

Kaden's leg swung in the air, one hand wrapped around a twisting wooden branch to secure himself. The others had already dispersed in the maze.

The maze formed a circle of trees. The edge of it, the crumbling cliff sides that led to oblivion, wavered mysteriously.

Something sinister lurked beyond the trees, beyond the edges of the land, but even Noah didn't know. How could he? He spent far too long denying his identity and knowledge.

He said it could be the border of his control, the barrier separating different territories. If he had time, he could control his new abilities and perhaps extend his territory.

But for one blessed by Time, he could do little.

Only in his loveliest dreams could he guarantee their happiness.

Kaden gave a low chuckle laced with arrogance and tease. His green eyes gleamed, and Noah wanted to worship the mischief that gave life to his gaze.

"Come on, now, dear Bellamy. Have you no faith in my abilities?" Kaden laced their hands together, gently loosening the hand holding onto him and intertwining his own.

"In the worst case," he smiled. "Won't you sweep me up in your arms and carry me, princess style?"

Noah's dark gaze flickered helplessly. "Is that what you want?"

Kaden blinked, and his grin grew. "Why do I feel like that's something you'd want more than me?"

He lifted their interlocked hands between them.

"Aren't you the dear little puppy who can't stop clinging to me, Mr. Wolf?"

Noah's eyes narrowed at Kaden's teasing, and he yanked his arm back, drawing Kaden closer to him. His large, black wings encircled their bodies in the shadows of the leaves.

Their faces were inches apart, and Kaden stared at him for a moment before leaning forward to take the initiative.

Noah's eyes widened as he felt the heat of the other's lips fall onto him, a warm that seeped into his mouth. It was consuming; he wanted to consume this person.

Then, as Noah's hand held onto the other's waist to move closer, Kaden turned away and looked down.

"Time to go, Bellamy."

Noah's hair was slightly mused, and frustration and complaint soured his expression.

His breath was slightly ragged, low, and magnetic. "Chauvet. Do I have permission to do whatever I want?"

Kaden glanced back, slightly confused. Had he teased the dragon too much? Knowing that Noah wouldn't take advantage of him or push beyond his boundaries, he nodded.

"Of course, that is a privilege I kindly bestow upon—"

Kaden hissed, his eyes growing round with a flicker of pain. The dragon pulled up his wrist, opening his mouth and biting down.

When he pulled away, eyes lowered and satisfied, he examined the deep grooves in Kaden's arm that bloomed with a red underneath his skin—just enough to not draw blood.

Kaden frowned. "Are you actually trying to become a dog, Bellamy? I'll keep you anyway, but that hurts."

"Good." Noah pressed his lips to the wound, and Kaden winced. "I hope it hurts. I hope that every time you think of death, this pain will be a reminder of your living. I hope every time you risk your life, you remember me."

Kaden faltered, his gaze softening. Noah's fear of losing him ran deep, too deep for them to easily ghost over.

In the future, it could become a destruction.

Kaden did not fear that; he did not dismiss or deny the darkness in Noah's heart. For now, all he could do was reassure the dragon, until there came a day he would be at ease.

Noah murmured against Kaden's bitten wrist. "Chauvet. Can you kill Reed?"

Kaden paused and nodded. "I can."

"Then," The soulful and dark eyes looked up, gazing through his eyelashes. "Can you save him?"

Kaden flinched. Noah sighed and shook his head. "Forget it. I believe in your judgment, Chauvet. I trust in you if nothing else. Please stay alive."

Kaden smiled. "I promise you, Bellamy." Then, he untangled their bodies. He leaped down from the tree, dashing into the tangled maze.

Noah watched him with a complicated gaze. Killing Reed could end everything—both Nicola and Kaden had suggested such an idea, and Niklas had not opposed it.

Why did he feel like that wasn't the right answer?

Noah wasn't particularly attached to lives, and the matters of death were sad but insignificant.

But the life of Reed Chauvet was a complication.

Noah would be thrilled for that blight in Kaden's life to be erased, smothered into non-existence.

But for Kaden—would that really free him?

———xxx———

Lukiyo says,

I promise I didn't figure it out until like a day ago, but this story nears it's end. There are 6 chapters left and 3 confirmed side chapters (I'm breaking my no side-chapter streak haha) that will be told in the POV'S of Reed, Noah, and the Duke (the last one is tentative, and may switch back and forth between more familiar characters) I might (?) do a chapter for Skye too, but that is also tentative.

For Reed (001 | royalty; the stray who holds the doll's lost heart)

For Noah (002 | beast; the dragon's treasure found in noise)

The third will allow for a glimpse in their life, with the Duke's appearance. He, despite not having appeared, has spent a long time waiting for the return of one of the two he lost many years ago.

Thank you to the infernos of the world and back, to everything beyond.

See you on Sunday ^^