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Every time Casteel looked at his brother, he remembered all those times his parents had told him that Malik would not be the same man who left Atlantia. Part of Casteel was happy and relieved that his brother was back home where he belonged, but there was also a burning rage inside him for what Malik had done to Poppy when she was a child. Yet, beneath the heated anger and the overwhelming relief, there was an unfamiliar feeling. Malik was his brother - the same brother with whom he had grown up, the same brother with whom he had shared a room for years, the same brother who had helped him so many times. But the man standing in front of him didn't feel like Malik at all.
Most of the time, Malik would strut around with a smirk on his face, but Casteel could see through the facade. It was the hidden behavior that worried him. When Malik wasn't acting like an overconfident prick, he looked like a prisoner. There were times when Casteel had caught him staring out the window directly at Solis, and other times when maids or guards had come to him concerned about strange questions the prince had asked - such as the timing of guard changes or the location of tower watchers. As a consequence of his behavior, Casteel had assigned someone to watch over him.
Regardless of how much Casteel wished not to feel the need to keep an eye on his brother, he had to. He wanted Malik to feel at home, but he also needed to protect his people from whoever Malik had become. Besides, he had to protect Malik from himself, because, no matter what, Malik was his brother.
A month had passed since Poppy's birthday, and three weeks since Malik and Millicent's return. Vonetta, Giana, and Tawny had joined the two sisters to assist nearby villages and get to know Millicent better. Casteel was delighted that Poppy was bonding with her sister and getting a break from the chaos that had plagued their lives. He was willing to handle everything by himself to give her that reprieve, spending most of his day in meetings or the training yard with his soldiers. However, he had forgotten about his brother, which was precisely what Malik had been hoping for. When Niall interrupted one of his training sessions, Casteel rushed back to his tent.
"He's gone," Niall explained as he followed Casteel. "I don't know how or when, Cas. I'm so sorry. He was in his room one second, and then he was gone."
Casteel donned his black cloak and strapped his swords to his sides. "Tell my father I'll be back soon, and he should take my place if there's an emergency."
"Yes, my king." Niall grabbed his cloak and prepared to leave. "Shall I fetch Setti?" he asked, referring to Casteel's horse.
"No, I don't think Malik took a horse. It would be too conspicuous. I'll go alone, and that means you'll stay."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Niall asked, concerned. "You and he aren't on good terms, and-"
Casteel silenced him with a cool look. He appreciated Niall's friendship, but he wouldn't tolerate being questioned. He never had as a prince, and he wouldn't as a king.
Casteel did not need any help or much effort to know where Malik was heading. Solis. The question was, Why? Why would his brother want to go to the same place where he was held against his will? Millicent was now in Atlantia and she and Poppy seemed to be getting along. Why would Malik want to leave? That Casteel was determined to find out. If his brother turned out to be a traitor, he would kill him even if he then had to live with the guilt. He would do it for the old Malik, the one he knew, who would have preferred death over being a traitor.
By the time Casteel reached Carsodonia, it was almost midnight. The streets were nearly empty except for the people that crowded the taverns in the downtown part of the city. Every time Casteel visited Solis he could not help but miss Atlantia. Carsodonia, like most places that had been ruled by the blood queen, was barely standing. The streets and buildings were not taken care of properly, the air reeked, and most people lived in terrible conditions. He promised himself he would change everything in Solis once he became ruler of the land.
The night grew colder as the hours passed, and so did Casteel’s irritation. He would punch Malik first thing when he found him. He knew his brother must be in Solis, but he did not have time to search through the entire kingdom for an asshole that could not sit still.
“You cutie!” A man who was leaning against the wall of a tavern named “The Cursed Keeper" shouted at the Atlantian king from across the street. “Why don’t you come here and-” The man was interrupted by another one, much shorter and sober.
“Shut up Gabriel” The new man smiled apologetically at Casteel. “I am so sorry,” he rushed to explain as Casteel crossed the street and approached them. “He is just way too drunk, I promise he is harmless. Gabe is just an idiot, he has had me standing here the whole night doing this to every single person that walks by” That piqued Casteel’s interest
“The whole night, you said?”
“yes, sir”
“Have you seen a tall man, with blond hair or maybe wearing a hood, light dark skin, broad shoulders, maybe armed?”
The sober man gave Casteel a one-sided smile as Gabriel sat almost unconscious on the floor. “Many men look like that; any special detail?”
“He has amber eyes and also wears a very peculiar ring. It has a D, an E, and an M craved one on top of each other” The eyes were a detail that other Atlantians may have had, but the ring was definitely unique, a little detail but unique after all. His mother has sent two rings to be made for each of her son’s eighteen birthdays. Both rings have the initials of their names and surname carved one on top of the other in a strange but hypnotizing way. Neither Casteel nor Mali has taken the rings off since their birthdays. Casteel still wore his on the opposite hand of his marriage band, and he noticed that Malik still wore his on his right hand.
“Does not that sound like Elian?" The drunken man asked his friend “I know the ring. I once took it to try it on, and the damn psycho almost ripped my hand off. Fucking idiot”
“Yes. Exactly, I am looking for Elian. Have you seen him tonight?”
“Not tonight,” the sober man said, “but I know for a fact that he tends to wander near the bone Coliseum. Kinda weird if you ask me, the place is abandoned but well that guy is weird so”
“Thanks, have a good night” This should be "Casteel looked down at Gabriel, who was almost unconscious on the floor. l “And be a good friend and take him home” Without another word, the king walked away, determined to find his brother and get the hell out of that place.
The man from the tavern was not exaggerating a bit when he said that the Bone Coliseum was abandoned. Casteel stopped seeing people around thirty minutes ago, and he has just reached what would be considered the Bone Coliseum. The place was an extensive landscape full of pink-leaf trees and tall grasses, with a gigantic coliseum that had clearly not been used in centuries. Despite the dense fog that covered the area, Casteel prowled angrily toward the tall, dark figure that had his back turned to him.
“And what the hell are you doing here?” Casteel murmured to himself through gritted teeth. As he approached the figure, Casteel got ready to tackle his brother and scold his older brother like a little kid because he still remembered how much Malik used to hate it. Nonetheless, all thoughts about mocking and fighting left Casteel’s mind as he walked closer. Malik had his hood down, and his hair moved violently with the wind, Next to him, there was a dirty old backpack on the floor that seemed way too light for someone who was escaping. Malik’s back was still turned to Casteel, even though he probably had already heard footsteps. But none of those things caught Casteel off guard, it was the fact that Malik was kneeling in front of one of the pink-leaf trees.
Casteel moved quietly until he was just inches behind Malik, who still had not moved or acknowledged his presence.
“This was the best I could do. I had nothing,” Malik finally said. His voice was hoarse and raspy, almost choking with his words. Casteel’s head swung to his brother, and he could not help the worry growing inside him. Crying. Casteel knew his brother better than anyone, that was Malik’s voice after crying. Has someone done something to him? because if that were the case, then there would be blood spilled that night after all. However, Cas could not make sense of Malik’s words.
“What?” Casteel kept his voice barely above a whisper. He did not know why, but something about this felt fragile.
Malik took a deep breath, but his hand fisted until his knuckles turned white. “They left nothing of her to burn, nothing of her to free her soul, or to say goodbye. Those sick motherfuckers left nothing of her”
Preela. Casteel lifted his gaze to the tree, where Malik kneeled in front. There was a small rock that someone craved, “Beloved sister and friend. Preela BaNwards” and a toy wooden wolf that was craved by hand just like the toy horse Casteel owned.
There was nothing left to say. Nothing Casteel could say or do would be the right thing because there was no right in losing one of those you love the most. The king kneeled next to his brother and quietly wrapped one arm around his shoulders. Malik did not speak but rested his head on his younger brother’s arm. They sat in silence together, Malik remembering all the good times he once lived with his best friend, and Casteel praying to the gods that he would not lose his brother to the pain of the loss.
“Her last words were my name. She screamed my name over and over. There are nights when” Malik’s voice broke again, making Casteel’s chest ache. He hugged his brother tighter to him, as if it were possible to protect him from the past. “There are nights when I hear those screams, and I try to find her to help her, but I can’t.”
“Mal” Casteel looked at his brother kneeling in the dark crying and completely broken
“They sat me there, they said that it was front row for a show, and I swear I tried to help her, but the chains were too heavy on me and I was too weak. Too fucking weak” Malik spoke fast and intelligibly, stumbling over his words as if he needed to get them out of him before it killed him. “They took their time, and she cried, and screamed, but she also fought back and never begged, she never once pleaded for mercy. No matter what that disgusting pig of Jalara and all the other bastards did to her, she died fighting.” Malik stayed quiet and stared at the rock with Preela’s name written on it. “There are days where I believe I am as guilty as them for her death”
“Do not say that Malik. I knew Preela, not as well as you did but I did know her, and I loved her. So I know for a fact that she would not want you to blame yourself for death.” Malik shook under Casteel’s embrace and nodded. “She would want you to remember her with joy,”
His brother said nothing, but it wasn’t needed. Malik’s head rested in his arm, and Casteel’s grip on him did not loosen once. Not even after Malik has ceased crying.
The brothers later sat resting against the tree, Malik next to Preela and Casteel next to him. Hours had passed, and Casteel was sure that his father and friends were probably worried already, but he could not care less when Malik needed him. His brother was not ready to leave, he had not said it, but Casteel just knew. Once Malik was ready, they would go back home together again.
“I am sorry I left. I swear I was planning on coming back,” explained Malik.
“Now I know. I thought ” Casteel hesitated on being honest, “I thought you were going to turn your back on us. Atlantia I mean”
“Cas” There was an undeniable hint of pain in Malik’s voice that made him feel like an idiot “I would never do that, I am sorry I gave you reasons to believe that. It’s just that” he pressed his lips together and fisted his hand on the grass. Casteel reached a hand out to his brother, resting it on his upper arm, trying to show him that it was okay, that he did not have to talk, and that Casteel would support him. The king wanted to show his brother that for the first time in decades, he was safe without a shadow of a doubt. “Today is her birthday, Cas,” Malik finally whispered. “I can’t not visit her on her birthdays. I am her best friend, no matter how many realms put us apart.” This time his brother did not cry but he smiled, probably recalling all those years of happiness alongside his partner in crime. “I dug her grave here with all that was left of her and her belongings so she would be in a beautiful, and peaceful place, but I also could visit her. I can’t and won’t let her go Cas, please do not ask that of me”
“I will never Mal, but I want you to know that Preela is with you, no matter if you are in Atlantia or Solis, or in the middle of the sea. She will always be with you in the same way it was when she lived.”
Quietness fell once again between them, but this time it was much lighter and more welcomed. By the time Malik stood and said goodbye to his friend while asking her to visit him in his dreams, the sun was starting to rise behind the mountains.
Once Casteel made sure Malik had walked enough to not be able to hear him, he turned to Preela and bowed. “You were a strong warrior, my friend. Don’t you worry; I will take care of him for you. We will see you in the Veil”
The brothers walked all the way back to the Atlantian camp, where friends and family awaited. They spent the entire way recalling all the good times they lived while growing up, like the time they were still learning how to ride but decided that would be a good idea to steal their father’s gigantic stallion for a ride in the middle of the night but Casteel felt and ended up breaking his right leg, or when they, kieran, Preela, Delano and Shea tried to sail the sea of Saion and almost drowned, but still the scariest thing turned out to b telling their mother what they have done, and do on. The world felt lighter after all those laughs and the possibility of forgiviness. They were to blind by anger and pain to realize how much they needed each other in this world.
Before they entered the now Atlantian territory Mlik stopped walking and without a world brought his brother to a tight embrace that Cas welcomed gladly
“Cas. Thank you” Malik murmured “You know, for being here”
“I will always be there for you brother. Now let's go back home, together.”