Queen Vivienne held Aerion securely in the crook of her arm. Weeks had passed since his surprising intervention in the throne room, weeks filled with his increasingly adventurous explorations of the castle's vast corridors. Today, however, was different. Today, for the very first time, Aerion would see the world beyond the castle walls.
A contingent of Royal Guards, their polished armor gleaming in the morning sun, formed a protective perimeter around the Queen and the young prince. Their movements were fluid and silent, a testament to their rigorous training and unwavering loyalty. As they stepped through the towering gates of the Citadel, a wave of sounds and smells washed over Aerion, a stark contrast to the controlled environment of the castle.
His crimson eyes, wide with wonder, darted in every direction. The bustling streets of lorium, the capital city, were a vibrant tapestry of life. Humans in their colorful tunics and flowing gowns brushed shoulders with sturdy dwarves, their beards long and intricately braided, haggling over wares at overflowing market stalls. Graceful demi-humans with luminous eyes strolled by, their voices like melodic chimes.
Even a small group of orcs, their tusks prominent but their expressions surprisingly mild, walked past, their deep voices rumbling in conversation. Everyone who noticed the Queen and the infant prince paused, bowing their heads in deep respect, their greetings a low murmur that followed their procession.
"Look, my child~," Vivienne murmured, her voice a gentle melody as she pointed towards a group of children chasing pigeons in a cobbled square. "Those are children, just like you will be one day, running and playing." Aerion's gaze followed her hand.
Further along, Vivienne gestured towards a craftsman meticulously shaping metal at his forge, sparks flying with each hammer blow. "And that is a blacksmith, Aerion. He works with fire and metal to create tools and weapons, things that help our people." Aerion watched, mesmerized by the dance of the flames and the rhythmic clang of the hammer.
His internal monologue bubbled with childlike awe. [So this… this is Lorium, the capital city of Sangrael. It's so… alive! So many different people… all living together. It's amazing!]
As they strolled past a popular-looking inn, its windows open to the street, a sudden commotion erupted from within. Shouts, the clatter of overturned furniture, and a general air of chaos spilled out into the street. Instantly, Guards reacted. Those closest to Vivienne and Aerion formed an immediate, impenetrable shield, their swords drawn and their eyes scanning the inn's entrance with fierce intensity. A few other guards, their movements swift and decisive, disappeared inside the establishment, their duty clear.
Vivienne remained calm, her hand a steady presence on Aerion's back, though her own gaze was sharp and assessing. A moment later, the guards emerged, their faces grim. Between them, they held a man, his clothes disheveled, his hands stained a horrifying crimson. They brought him before the Queen, their grip firm.
"Your Majesty," the lead guard reported, his voice low and grave. "This man… he has confessed to taking a life within the Golden Barrel Inn. We found the deceased inside. Weapon of act has been taken in procession."
Vivienne's gaze, though gentle, held a piercing quality as she looked at the dagger reddened with innocent blood then the accused man. He was human, his eyes darting nervously, his face pale and streaked with sweat.
"Why?" Vivienne asked, her voice quiet but carrying an undeniable weight of authority. "Why did you commit such an act within our holy city in this land ? Why in the land known for cultural harmony?"
The man avoided her gaze, his lips twitching. "He… he wronged me. He deserved it." His voice was rough, devoid of remorse.
[He deserved it?] Aerion thought, his mind struggling to reconcile the man's callous words without more explanation. [He took someone's life… just like that?]
"Wronged you?" Vivienne repeated, her brow furrowing slightly. "And you believed taking his life was your right? Did you not consider the laws of this land? Did you not think of the pain you would inflict?"
The man scoffed, a harsh, bitter sound. "Laws? Pain? What do they matter? In the end, we all return to the dust. It's meaningless, a fleeting shadow. His life weren't worth more than the pig I ate yesterday?" His eyes held a chilling emptiness, a stark nihilism that sent a shiver down the spines of some of the onlookers.
[Meaningless?] Aerion's thoughts churned, a disquiet settling in his small chest. [He really believes that? That life has no value? An average nihilistic is he?] Vivienne's unwavering gaze on the man filled with a sense of her inherent righteousness.
"Anyone's life is not meaningless," Vivienne stated, her voice firm, yet tinged with a profound sadness. "Every life has value. Every loss leaves a void. Justice exists to protect that value, to ensure order and peace within our realm. Your grievances, real or imagined, do not give you the right to extinguish another's existence. Whatever that man has done to you doesn't give you right to take his life."
"Justice?" the man sneered. "Justice is for the powerful. The rest of us are just pawns in the games of who rules and at this point that who is you."
[He sounds so… empty so… Lonely] Aerion thought, a growing unease settling within him. [Empathy is a thing. Is it not?]
Vivienne's expression remained calm, though a hint of sorrow flickered in her eyes. "Even pawns, as you call them, deserve the protection of the law. They deserve to live without fear of such violence." She turned to the guards. "Take him. Place him in the cells. He will await judgment before the Royal Court."
Her word Strick man's nerves he looks at arieon with absolute coldness, "This.." he pointed towards arieon, Vivienne's grip tighten a bit on him and waiting for whatever he has to spill out, "He is the future king right? But what if he commits the same sin as I? Will you still walk him to same justice as I? Will he be charged with same force as I being? Life is a life you say...then Will that life be the same life regardless of situation."
As the guards led the man away, his defeated figure a stark contrast to the vibrant life of the street, Aerion's thoughts became turbulent. The man's words, his casual acceptance of taking a life, echoed in his infant mind. He saw again the twisted metal of the car, the horrified faces of his friends in those final moments. He too had been a part of taking lives, albeit unintentionally. The weight of that memory, a heavy burden from his past, pressed down on him.
[He killed someone because he felt wronged… I… well….i killed my friends in that crash. Was that an accident? Yes… but the result is the same. How can I judge him? How can I feel this… this sense of rightness at his capture, when I myself am responsible for taking lives? Can I ever forgive myself for what happened, when I can't even understand how this man could do what he did?]
A profound conflict stirred within the infant prince, a chasm opening between the inherent righteousness he sensed in Queen Vivienne and the uncomfortable, guilt-ridden truth of his own past actions. The vibrant colors of the capital city seemed to dim, the joyous sounds fading into a confusing echo of his own internal struggle. The weight of his past, the burden of lives lost, settled heavily on his small shoulders, a stark and unsettling counterpoint to the warmth and security of the Queen's embrace.
2 years and 6 months had passed, the chill of winter giving way to the promise of spring. Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows of the nursery, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air and catching the bright strands of Aerion's hair.
No longer a newborn, he sat amidst a pile of plush toys he didn't play with. Vivienne left him to join Valdemar in the throne room. After a few minutes, Areion stands up on his two feet, more stable now. He kneels in between the bed and window and takes out pages behind the bed and unfolds them, and casually he opens the linked room from the gate near the queen's wardrobe, which serves as a scriptorium. He enters the room and closes the door without making any sound and lights the lamp with a matchstick sitting aside. He climbs on a chair and then a table.
He takes out the ink cartridge and opens it swiftly and dips the big, dazzling, reddish-orange feather-supported metallic attachments and pumps it with ink before sliding the tip of it onto the page. He thinks to himself.
[It's been 2 years, 6 months, and 12 days in accordance with Earth's perspective. Here time doesn't flow like that; it's weird. I didn't understand it at first, but after calculating this world's time metric, I'm 2 years, 6 months, and 12 days old. It is important for me to write this stuff down. There is a lot to comprehend and learn about this world. I can understand them because they speak just like I used to on Earth, but writing is so different and all gibberish for me, but I'm trying to understand the nuances of it. I'm not good with languages I guess.]
After writing this down, Arieon fills with ink again before sliding it
[Although I can't read properly, I can understand pictures and graphs, and I can tell there are a lot of mysteries for me to understand. After the day I call Lucian brother, he comes to meet me and take me out to give me walks, and he just likes my company. I assume he likes me, but Caius, I can't say about him; he doesn't even acknowledge my presence, and I can see changes in his expression whenever maids and guards call me Lord and him Master. ]
As ink dry into paper he refills again and continues to write his mind.
[On the other side, Valdemar, my father, always shows his love and affection toward me. I've been in the throne room and our garden, which is just a garden by word, although it Is as big as a forest with wild animals. I can tell he is strong, not just physically but also mentally and spiritually with high purity to SāraJibh. This is what they call for a person to tell how strong they are, and he is a lot.]
He continues writing and pumping ink into the feather.
[And my mother, Vivienne, she is a gorgeous high elf. I can't say I saw someone this beautiful even in my previous life plus she is extremely cunning and kind. People call her High-priestess, a sage whenever she comes back from training eveyone bow down in throne room it's weirdly mesmerizing, it can also be for the reason that she gave birth to me I feel her warmth whenever she looks at me or call my name touch me I crave it more than before, mhmmmmmmmm….. Motherly love—it's difficult to put a word to it. There are also few people who are interesting indeed.]
He hears sounds of soft footsteps from the other side of the wall walking toward the double door. Arian did not waste time and adjusted things as they were and walked out of the Scriptorium and started playing with toys, leaving no trace for anyone to be suspicious of.
With a soft sound, the double door opens, and Vivienne enters the room, and her gaze falls upon Arieon, who's playing with his toys, and then subtly looks at the gate of the scriptorium. Arieon, who's faking his demeanor, notices this subtle change in her eyes but doesn't show any confliction in his gaze or behavior that could lead to any suspicion. Vivienne looks back at Arieon and gently smiles and walks toward him, resulting in her carrying him in her arms.
"You sneaky little devil."
She said while poking his cheeks.
[And also she is very, very smart but also very, very kind; she reminds me of my m… Mother.]
Arieon shakes his head to remove these thoughts from his mind.
[Dwelling in the past is not helpful anymore. Now she is my mother.]
"Where you been? Mhmmm?"
"I was in there."
Arieon said nervously, pointing a finger at the door.
"Oh, really? So I was right about you being cheeky again… But it's okay because you are being honest."
"ma…."
Vivienne's heart blossoms and feels a surge of bliss and warmth inside after hearing that simple yet powerful word by Arieon's mouth.
"Yeah?"
"What is there?"
"mhmm baby, that is my private room where I study geography, history, magic rituals, and spirituality. I can teach you, If you can understand what it means."
Arieon nods.
[I was right. She is full of knowledge. I should start from here. I need to learn more; it's quite captivating.]