Ruins And Royalty

Cold Conscious - Chp 2 Part 1

Sweat trickled down my chest, soaking into the fabric of my tunic until it clung uncomfortably to my skin. Bent forward, hands braced on my knees, I drew in long breaths, heat rising from the sand around me. The sun burned overhead, its glare bouncing off my fallen sword, the flash of steel forcing me to shield my eyes.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

The taunt cut through the sweltering silence. I squinted upward, raising a hand against the blaze of light. Ocean-blue eyes met mine, steady and sharp, framed by loose strands of jet-black hair slicked back from exertion. Saurora, my sister, fierce as ever.

“I’m just warming up,” I muttered, forcing a smirk as I moved toward the bench shaded by a sprawling apple tree.

“So am I.” Her reply came breathless, but laced with the same challenge.

We collapsed beneath the shade, the air instantly cooler, the soft rustle of leaves overhead carrying the scent of ripening fruit. A breeze slipped past us, lifting the heat from our skin, and for a moment the world slowed.

I tilted my head back, watching the flawless blue stretch of sky. My eyes drifted shut, lungs filling with the sweetness of spring.

“I think I’ve had enough for today,” Saurora said suddenly, breaking the quiet without lowering her gaze from the heavens.

“I agree,” I admitted, finally turning toward her. Training would soon shift into group sessions once the other nations arrived, but until then I wanted every spare moment with my blade. Time alone to sharpen skill was rare, and soon it would be rarer still.

“Emperos is looking especially beautiful today.” She pushed a damp lock of hair from her brow, still gazing upward, as though the kingdom itself lay painted in the sky.

I wasn’t one for sentiment, never had been. I didn’t crave bonds or wear my heart on display like others. Yet I wasn’t stone either. Whatever reputation followed me through the court, I remained flesh and blood, and in moments like these, sitting beside my sister beneath an apple tree, I almost felt the weight of humanity settle comfortably on my shoulders.

“It looks the same to me,” I said at last, less awed by the kingdom’s familiar vistas than my sister was.

Her gaze wavered, shifting as though she searched for beauty I had failed to notice.

“Perhaps here,” she admitted, “but the palace gardens are radiant today.”

“I wouldn’t have taken you for one to admire flowers,” I teased, raising a brow.

Saurora laughed, nudging my shoulder playfully. “I do like nice things, Aaron.”

Jewels and elaborate hairpins never clung to her. More often than not, she could be found in combat leathers, sparring in the yards or secretly gambling with sailors down at the harbour. Our parents would surely frown upon it, but, like me, she rarely cared what they thought. However, Saurora did put up an impenetrable mask in front of them to keep both judgement and argue at bay.

“But none of that is as captivating as him…” Her voice trailed, eyes fixing on the path that ran alongside the training grounds.

I followed her gaze... and froze. From behind a marble column emerged a figure. Dressed in refined garments, his every movement poised, the youngest Prince of Yarrow passed through the courtyard. A flock of maidens intercepted him, cheeks flushed, eager to bask in his attention.

A sharp scoff left me before I could stop it. I tore my gaze away, choosing instead to study the horizon with deliberate focus.

Saurora arched a brow at me, puzzled. Her soft laugh followed a moment later. “Do you think otherwise?” she asked, curiosity lacing her tone.

“No… it’s not that.” My eyes dropped to the ground.

“You two were friends once, weren’t you? Back when we were children and he was still…” She let the words fade. “You know...”

I huffed a quiet laugh, glancing up at her bewildered expression. “Yes. In fact, I was the only one. No one else even looked his way. Now, they can’t take their eyes off him. Moths to a flame.”

Her posture eased, comprehension dawning across her face. “I didn’t either,” she admitted softly. “It’s a faint memory, but I recall how I avoided him. I pitied him too much for the condition he was in.” There was shame in her voice, and regret.

She was not alone in that. Most had regarded him as a burden back then, frail, fading, easy to overlook. But now… cured, radiant, and brimming with life, he had become the palace’s centerpiece. In just a few days since Yarrow’s royal family arrived, he had already captured more than half the court’s attention. I avoided him like a plague.

“He’s so popular now,” Saurora said softly, genuinely. “He’s probably enjoying all this attention.”

“I disagree,” I muttered, my eyes fixed on him, studying the curve of his face, the way he moved among the crowd.

“Oh?” Saurora prompted, waiting for me to explain.

“It must be dreadful,” I said slowly, my voice low but edged with quiet anger, “to be the centre of so much attention, knowing that people care only because you have something to offer now. I can only imagine how it feels, smiling at faces that once ignored you… or worse, looked down on you, they made him feel like nothing.”

The thought of him being showered with admiration by those who never spared him a thought when he was weak made my blood boil. I had never treated him that way. I had tried to be a friend, to bring a flicker of light into his shadowed world.

This was a prime example as to why I avoided building bonds. Relationships were like snakes, silent at first, coiling softly around you, whispering sweet nothingness, slowly tightening until your bones threatened to break. I’d rather trust no one than risk being the fool.

“I never thought of it like that,” Saurora murmured, bitterness threading her words. Her gaze searched mine, full of unspoken apology. I remained silent.

“You should go over there and talk to him,” she tried again, hopeful. “Surely he would appreciate that, wouldn’t he?”

“I’d rather not,” I replied flatly.

“Why not?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“I don’t have a reason to,” I said, standing. “He’s getting enough attention as it is, and I gain nothing from speaking to him. I’d rather keep my focus.”

“That’s… cold. Contradictory, even,” she countered, as she shot up, stepping closer.

“No. Not at all. He’d be disappointed if he met me now. I’m not the boy I used to be,” I said firmly, turning toward the opposite side of the walkway where Prince Zander lingered with his entourage.

“It won’t kill you to speak to him, will it?” Saurora pressed, following. I knew her; she never let go easily.

“No. But I don’t want to,” I replied, my voice final.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” she urged softly.

“It is,” I confirmed, sighing. I spared one last glance at Zander before exiting the training grounds. Saurora stayed behind, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she would make the effort to speak to him herself since the matter pained her so much. Tough as she tried to appear, Saurora’s heart had always been far kinder than mine.

I finally came to a stop, standing before an open balcony in the hallway. Sliding my forearms onto the cool stone balustrade, I let my gaze wander. Below stretched the heart of the palace, where greenery intertwined seamlessly with sculpted stone and precise architecture. Beyond that, the Kingdom of Emperos unfolded in all its splendor lush vegetation, rivers glinting like liquid crystal, and streets teeming with life, neat and orderly under the unclouded sky.

The view was breathtaking, though I had seen it countless times. My thoughts drifted toward Atlas. What panorama would the deity's kingdom offer, I wondered, and would it rival this?

“The Kingdom of Yarrow isn’t nearly as vast as Emperos… and it doesn’t have a view like this,” a voice murmured behind me, drawing me from my reverie. I turned my head, expecting someone familiar, but when my eyes met the deep, verdant green of another presence, surprise coursed through me, and I pivoted fully to face the intruder.