Devilkghth

Devilkghth looked around at his fellow knights. The group was gathered in the great hall of the palace of the royal family of Sreng, where one of the many festivities was taking place that evening; though he didn’t exactly know what to do with himself since he had come to court with his father, but he still didn’t feel as if he could really join in with whatever they were doing. It wasn’t like it mattered anyways, since he already knew the rules of etiquette as well as every single person in attendance did and he wouldn’t have been able to follow along anyway, which made him somewhat less than useless, so there was no point even entertaining the thought. So instead he just wandered around aimlessly for a bit, trying not to stand out too much when he saw other people who were clearly going about their own lives or activities, and eventually finding himself walking into a room he hadn’t seen before.

The door was closed behind him, though not by much, and when he turned back around he found that it looked almost like… well, an office, except it had a desk and a chair and everything else, except it seemed empty. Not that Devilkghth was interested in that kind of thing anyway, because he wasn’t even sure what he wanted from this sort of job. There had to be some sort of work requirement that needed to be fulfilled, something he could complete without fail, but at the same time he also didn’t want to get his hopes up too high. It wasn’t like he could go running up to someone and say “Hey! Can I be a knight?” And the most he would likely accomplish was making someone feel uncomfortable enough to make them turn down the job, so no thank you!

But then the sound of footsteps drew closer and he realized he had made a mistake; after all, no one had ever said no to him before, no one, and it might have been presumptuous of him to assume, but surely someone in this castle must have heard the rumors surrounding his parentage. Maybe even someone in charge, though the thought of anyone deciding whether or not he should be a knight terrified him even more, so it was probably best not to even try…

“Oh hey there… what brings you here? Did you need to use the bathroom?” The stranger asked, and he tried not to let it distract him too much from the fact that the guy who was talking to him was looking at him funny. He tried not to think about it, especially while he was standing so close, and tried to smile as naturally as possible. “Um, I guess. Do you have an extra chair or something? It kinda seems lonely here and I’d like to sit down for a minute.”

“Yeah, of course! Just give me a second. I’ll grab you one.” Before he could get another word in edgewise the guy ran off, leaving Devilkghth standing alone, wondering what he was supposed to do now, and if maybe the stranger was only saying it to get rid of him. Then again… no, surely he couldn’t mean it, but why else would he keep staring at him for so long?

It took a while, but eventually the guy reappeared, holding a chair that he held in front of him while offering a sheepish grin. “Here we are! You can sit down and relax until your dad gets back; he doesn’t get here very often, but he has important business today.” When Devilkghth didn’t immediately respond he continued, “Oh, and sorry for running off on you like that, I usually don’t run off like that…”

“That’s okay,” the Knight finally muttered, although he sounded less convinced than his companion did, “I didn’t mind. Are you the king’s personal advisor?”

“Huh? Oh, no I’m just one of his knights. I’ve got my own position of sorts, if that helps. Anyway, I should probably get back to my duties now, so if you need anything call me anytime, alright?” Devilkghth nodded stiffly in response, but when the guy had left again the Knight sat down in the seat opposite, resting his arms on the table. His eyes darted to his surroundings, wondering if there was any chance someone was watching, but it appeared everyone was engrossed with conversation. Finally he let his guard drop and sighed, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hands. It had been quite a day, he realized, having spent all morning waiting around in various places throughout the castle, not knowing what to do. But now that he was sitting down he found it harder to move than it was before. What if this man had some sort of trick up his sleeve? Or worse, what if someone found out what had happened? They could put him away just like that… He felt sick and his stomach churned unpleasantly, and he clenched his jaw tightly as tears threatened to form in the corners of his eyes. No, he told himself forcefully, there is nothing to worry about, they won’t get me! I am safe, he repeated over and over inside his head. That night when he went to sleep he dreamed that he was hiding beneath a bed again, unable to move even if he wanted to; but it was not only there that monsters kept appearing, crawling underneath the covers and pulling him away. As he struggled, crying, he felt the familiar sensation of his father’s hand slipping into his, and he woke up covered in cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably.

He was in the throne room again, but this time King Kholin was nowhere to be seen, and there weren’t any guards in sight either. This didn’t stop him from getting to his feet and looking around wildly as if they might jump out at him at any moment, but once he got used to seeing nobody, he started slowly making his way over to the entrance, and when he finally managed to see that the corridor stretched all the way outside to the gate he broke into a sprint, racing for freedom. As he passed the first few steps he noticed two men standing in front of him, but he paid them no attention and kept going. At the very end of the hallway he turned around for just a moment, but then the guards caught up with him and he fled once more. Once more the world changed completely and he was in a forest again, and once more there were creatures attacking him from everywhere and he couldn’t fight back, but somehow he always managed to escape somehow. And yet again he woke up covered in cold sweat and with a pounding headache. How could he possibly sleep through these horrible nightmares? He didn’t know the answer to that, but that didn’t matter anymore.

Once more he found himself wandering aimlessly in the halls of the castle of Sreng, and once more he found himself at that exact spot, this time sitting next to a fireplace. A man and a woman were speaking to each other, both dressed entirely in white, and though they were far too far away for him to hear what they were saying, it seemed like they were arguing. Suddenly, the man pulled a sword from thin air and pointed it directly towards the other, his whole body trembling as he yelled, “You will listen to me right now! Leave us alone, or else you’ll regret it!” The words were clear despite the distance between them and Devilkghth couldn’t help but stare in shock at the scene playing out in front of him. It wasn’t a dream this time, apparently, although he wished it was.

“And I already told you, it isn’t my fault!

Devilkghth's eyes burned as he watched his wife walk into the forest. He clenched his fists, his nails piercing through the soft flesh of his palms. His breathing became more rapid as he felt the flames of his magic start to build up in his heart. The magic was slowly building inside him, threatening to explode. A small sob escaped his lips. He couldn't do it! He shouldn't do it! Not after everything! But he could never stay away. He'd always wanted to save her, despite their differences. Her love for this realm made him want to protect it with every fibre of his being. It was her kingdom now, and his only wish was to keep her safe from harm.

He took a deep breath before standing and turning towards the direction of where she went. Without another moment to waste he followed her path. There wasn't much he could do at first when the ground started shaking beneath them. In an instant Devlik was back by her side. With great effort he managed to calm the t