The Breeze may Welcome You

Dinner began without much of note. Servants dashed around us like their lives were on the line, others gathered near the ornate golden doors sealing us in, all while the ten children of his majesty sat in silence.

“Sir. Rio?” I met Lacy’s eye, the only servant I had. She stood silently behind me, more than aware of how every nerve in my body wanted to slam my chair back and leave. Yet, that wasn’t going to happen.

“I’ll survive,” I whispered. “Trust me.”

To be a child of the king meant nothing but a standard of perfection: generals, magicians, warriors, the best the kingdom of Mikin had to offer. Whenever one of us stepped outside, crowds would gather for an autograph or a chance to talk to a living legend.

Except for me, of course.

A gentle wave of sunlight washed through the spotless windows. Every part of Mikin Castle was a perfect caricature of reality, all the way down to the spotless floors. The walls were perfectly painted, tapestries vibrant, and the chandeliers didn’t show a single blemish.

I swirled my ham around, twisting and turning it as the vague dull sound of my sibling’s voices all merged together. Better to ride the wave without a word, much as I wanted to make my opinion more than known.

“Arhonia’s been moving again,” Olivia spoke, her blonde hair and green eyes both glimmering against her tanned skin. That was enough to silence the room in a heartbeat.

With a snap of her fingers, a crisp mirage materialized above the table as she spoke. “Those plant snorting mutts launched an ambush last night at one in the morning. You can see the results for yourself.”

Olivia was the rare combination of an ego able to rival the sun and the skills to back it up, that could be seen with her last spell alone. Vivid screams echoed out from her magical cloud–a picturesque recreation of last night’s battle. I could see every wound our soldiers took, smell the blood as it splattered against the moonlit grass. Needless to say, it wasn’t a pretty sight.

“So what?” Leopold, my eldest brother, asked. “We lost some fodder that couldn’t live up to the Mikin name. As long as that damned peace treaty stays active neither side can make any real moves.”

Leopold pushed back his chair, standing tall. No, tall wasn’t grandiose enough of a word to describe him. As a family, all of us were very much taller than the average person, yet Leopold towered over all of them–casting a blonde shadow upon whoever he passed. I’d never met someone his height in all of Mikin.

“Peace,” I scoffed. That so-called peace treaty loved to ignore that the population of a small village died on the Arhonian border every day.

I took a long breath, glancing back at Lacy again. Protesting wasn’t worth it.

Olivia continued on. “Yes, none of this matters in the short term, but Arhonia is ramping up their attacks while we look around like sitting ducks! They may fall below our expectations, but even those soldiers don’t deserve to die to Arhonian bastards.”

Like we weren't the whole reason Arhonia bothered to send troops there in the first place. They wouldn’t bother if we didn’t raid their border towns. Holy Wind, I could taste the hypocrisy.

“You rush too much Olivia. I agree with you but the game of war is not finished in a single session. Trust in Father.”

“Of course, Leopold,” Olivia brushed away her magic with a flick of the wrist. “I just hate seeing our citizens get slaughtered by those mixed breed savages–not with Father having Alair’s Breeze at his disposal."

“Forget it. Lacy, get ready,” I whispered. “We’re heading out.”

While Leopold and Olivia continued to talk, I quietly pushed my chair back–Lacy right behind. It was better this way. Let everyone else debate away out of earshot. To the wind, they could stab each other for all I care. Just not with me in the room.

“Rio!”

“Olivia!” I turned on a dime, wearing a smile faker than what those bartenders off Moro Avenue called a pint. “Did you require my expert opinion on anything?”

“Drop the facade. Is your family not enough for you?”

“Not in the slightest. I prefer mine with cat ears.”

“You bitch!” Within the span of a single blink, she blasted me into the wall with a gust of wind. “All that time drawing your life away yet you crumble with the simplest spell. If anyone deserves those filthy ears, it's you.”

“BOOM!” I flinched, a fireball scorching the walls mere inches from my head. I could smell the burning wood–ashes falling on my blood red suit.

“Sorry, I happen to prefer drawing people rather than killing them. I’ll try to become a bit more genocidal before next month’s meeting. Call it a character defect of mine.”

“BOOM!” Another spell sent wood splintering out inches from my face, this one cold as ice. “I can’t believe after all this time–”

“Enough! Rio, stop taunting her,” Leopold glared at me with his electric blue eyes. He wore a small scar near his lip from some fight that occurred before I was born, and whenever he sneered it almost pulsated like a bleeding heart. “Every time we gather you always feel the need to make it a show.”

“Well, a dancing monkey ought to entertain,” I said. “But even this monkey can’t ignore what you’re saying. I love Mikin, I would sacrifice myself immediately if it meant we would win this war. That doesn’t change the fact that Arhonians are human too.”

“Human?” Olivia scoffed. “You’ve never even met one of those savages. May the breeze flow so you understand soon.”

“Well call me the fool, it is my favorite card to play, but unlike the rest of you I’m not the kind of person to judge based on rumors.”

The room stood quiet for a second. I could smell the faint burning wood as the servants glanced around, terrified, as the castle started to smolder and burn like a fleeting memory.

Why rush? Why when, just like a fleeting memory a single spell would make it just like new.

“Rio,” Leopard’s voice boomed. “Leave if you desire.”

“I would love to do just that,” I gave a grand mocking bow, gesturing broadly with both hands. “Lacy?”

“Coming!” she hurriedly gathered up her dress before dashing to my side.

I gripped the exit door. The smooth oak felt like ice against my fingers, not an imperfection to be found. Of course there wouldn’t be. Even Olivia’s blast marks fit into the decor, the walls shifting to accommodate the new disruptions. In front of my eyes, the once white walls transformed into a dull brown–lines of golden vinyl slithering like snakes up the foundation. It was a caricature till the end.

Mimicking art for the sake of aesthetics, without intent, much less a person. What else would I expect from a country where war is the only game played?

As the door slapped to a close, pressure left my body like a steam valve. I leaned against a nearby wall and collapsed. The fatigue never felt real until times like these, when the danger was already out of sight. “Sorry about that Lacy, I know you didn’t want me to get involved like that.”

“Don’t apologize Rio,” she huffed, sticking out a hand to help me up. “They’re, like, totally stuck up their own asses anyway, nothing you can do about that.”

I gave a small grin. “Glad to see one of us is their normal selves.” Her hand felt soft, yet with a hidden strength to it as I landed back on my feet–blowing white hair out from under my eyes. “I may not have the ability, but at least my humanity is still firmly within my grasp.”

As we walked away, I couldn’t help but give one more look back. “Most of them may be scum, but I do wish I could meet someone from Arhonia one of these days.”