Chapter Text
The sea was rougher tonight.
It's calloused hands ran along the hull of the ship, it's harsh breathing sending shivers up the sails and creaking into the beds where men lay asleep. The world felt hushed by its fury, the ocean left disturbed and broken. Zam was awake, for once. His boots thumped into the hull of the ship as he walked, their black matching the daylight's closed eyes.
His elytra was in hand, broken wings resting in Zam's tanned skin, yet comforted by his soft palms. He wanted to get it fixed before the morning, for otherwise it would just be an inconvenience to the planned expeditions. But, he was caught off-guard by the sound of dropping items, as if a chest had broken. Zam grumbled under his breath, walking into storage closet that the sound had originated from.
Then, he felt himself freeze.
" Hey, Zam. "
ItsSubz.
A traitor.
A traitor to his great empire.
If Subz was any other person, Zam would've reached for his weapon and killed him right then and there. But instead, he felt himself hesitate, not bothering to raise his sword at Subz and just stared in utter silence.
Subz stared, his expression neutral as Zam took in all his features once again. Purple eyes that seemed to glisten a darker colour, and that strange black scar had definitely grown across his face further. Brown hair was longer, curlier and definitely more messy than Zam remembered it being. Subz's horns curled slightly more at their ends, and seemed to have more of those indigo vines all over.
What had happened to him since he left? He was never this unkept.
"I should've killed you the first time we met." Zam managed to say, gritted teeth, as he instinctively rubbed his rings, the gold sharp within it's gemstones, an aurora to behold on a gloomy lit ship. A sign of a captain - a status to adorn too.
"You probably should've." Subz responded, neutral as he shifted his feet and leaned more on the other, the buckles on his boots rubbing slightly. It took all of Zam's willpower to keep his composure, his lips growing dry as he crossed his arms over himself slightly. What was he cowering from? The man who stood before him? No, god no - he was the captain, not the peasants below.
"I hate you." It slipped so easily from his mouth, like the light of a cigarette fading away over the hull, lost into the deep aquamarine sea.
Subz's expression just softened. Why did he look kind? Why did he stop to think?
"Kill me then." That wasn't impulse. That was processed, that was mechanically organised to fit inside that complex brain.
Zam didn't move. He wasn't scared, he promised himself he'd never fear anyone again.
"Go on." Subz extended his arms slightly, his palms flat out and feet slightly parted, a pale skin to hold a halo above his own demonic horns, crooked.
Zam just stepped to the side, the wood creaking, the pine inside begging to be snapped and replaced - purpose served.
"Go on." Zam placed his arms behind his back, palms tensed and feet apart, his darker and tanned skin reflecting the deepest kisses of moonlight, golden eyes shining with the lions beside, the sunlight’s deadly rays unable to hurt Subz.
Subz stepped forward, his deep purple eyes lingered on Zam's necklace, his pupils contracting slightly, before turning away, back facing him fully. Why didn't the prince reach for his bow? The arrows were freshly dipped, potion dripping and staining that stupid pine floor, the nails sticking out with a lost cause. Subz's back was right there, completely exposed and vulnerable, yet Zam did nothing. If only his glare could pierce skin, like it used too. All that remained now, were deep, deep hollows...
Subz simply just disappeared, and Zam knew that he must've gotten off the ship on an instant. It wasn't like him to stick around. Then, he looked back to see what items had been dropped. No chest was open, and no chest was broken. Zam felt himself audibly sigh, god he hated Subz ease to rile him up, despite all the years he'd been preparing to see the man again the shock still got to him.
He should just try and get some sleep again, he wasn't in the right state of mind to deal with this shit.