And I don't think we can solve 'em

This goes out to all the women getting it in;
you on your grind

Her anger hadn’t subsided after seeing Myrddin, it had grown even worse. Aurelia had gone to the room where she usually held audiences with the citizens, sitting down in the middle of the room where some kind of throne was placed on a raised platform. One of the guards that was assigned to guarding that said room had followed her inside. Yet she had simply raised her hand. Ordering him to fetch Ezekiel, evidently stating that he didn’t need to be handled with care whenever they did so. And the man simply obeyed the wishes of his Governess.

Her icy blue eyes were fixated on the door. Waiting for the boy to arrive. The appointed knight had reached his chambers rather fast. Not knocking and just walking in accompanied by another guard. Knowing damn well that Ezekiel could easily throw a tantrum and over power one man alone. Without ushering out a word, both men grabbed the person in question by the shoulders and dragged him out of his room. A scuffle did unfold yet they overpowered him eventually. Though another scuffle soon unfold and some kicks were thrown, but it didn’t matter. They had one clear goal and that was getting Ezekiel to where he was needed.

The moment the doors opened was the moment the woman looked back up. Staring straight at the grey haired boy that was thrown in. The big doors were closed again and the wooden beam was put in place so that the door couldn’t be opened from the inside out.

’Ezekiel.’ The tone of her voice was cold and flat at the same time. But her eyes they were lit aflame.

To all the men that respect what I do,
accept my shine.

some children are simplyborn with tragedy in their blood

The silver haired sorcerer had been holed up in his room. He avoided the rest of the inhabitants of this castle, which seemed to get busier with the day. Today he had decided to keep himself occupied by reading, which not often happened. Ezekiel had to do something to keep his mind on anything but the shitshow that he was knee deep in at the minute. It was not quite successful, as he had taken up an old obsession. The book he was reading was laden with drawings and sketches of bears. He knew the book inside out, from a time he was still desperate to understand his familiar. The sorcerer knew he wasn't going to find answers in here, but it was just some mental torture he inflicted on himself as his eyes glided over a drawing of the frontal face of a black bear.

Suddenly the door was opened of his chambers and he sat up straight in bed in an instant. He slammed the book shut, his two-colored eyes suspicious. He expected nobody, and even Chaska would knock. But as he heard the rattling of armour, he was on edge in an instant. Two men entered his room and Ezekiel got up to his feet. ‘‘What is the meaning of this?’’ he barked at them. And without any explanation, they both grabbed him in the shoulders. The sorcerer was quick to hit one in the face with his elbow, before his other arm was twisted behind his back. He bit back a groan in pain and started to kick out to them, calling them every rude name in the book.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew where this was going. The consequences of his actions were finally catching up on him. He got a few blissful days where he might have thought it all would have blown over. But when the doors of the audience room loomed in front of him, he put his heels in the ground one last time in a desperate attempt to flee from what he knew was behind that door. But he just got a shove to the back of his head and with both arms locked tight behind his back, he had no way to go, but forward. The lioness' den.

The guards roughly shoved him through the doors and Ezekiel heard them close it shut behind them. He kept his head low as he felt extremely exposed in the grand room, with nobody on his side to back him up. It was like beginning a chess match and all he had was a pawn, and his opponent still had all the pieces on the board. His hair was messed up from the struggle with the guards, falling in from of his eyes and his clothes were roughened up. But as his aunt spoke his name, he threw his head back to stare at her from across the room. His balled fists found a way behind his back as he forced himself to stand tall, but his heartbeat was hammering in his chest. This woman would eat him raw, and he completely froze with only the sight of her. A very small bow followed. ‘‘Aunt,’’ he replied in a hoarse voice.

NC

This goes out to all the women getting it in;
you on your grind

Ezekiel would undeniable get angry at how he was being treated. But for what it was worth, she could’ve made it a whole lot worse as well. He deserved it. To feel the pain that her son felt. That much was true. Would it be the solution to fight violence wit violence? Certainly not. Not in the case of Ezekiel. Since he was to damned oblivious to even see what he had done here. With the direct attack on Myrddin, he had made the Vylasar’s look weak in the eyes of everyone. He had made sure of that all on his own. And he would pay the price for it, on his own as well. He would feel the consequences on his actions on every level. She would make sure of it.

The boy was pushed in and it lit aflame inside her. One that had slowly been burning after she had talked to Myrddin, but it was trying to break out. Rage through the room and destroy everything in its wake. But she couldn’t. It wasn’t suitable for her to act out on her emotions in such a way. Which was why she had thought of the perfect punishment already. The way he responded to her, made the corner of her mouth slightly curl up. This idiot was nothing like her brother, Elyon wouldn’t have put the family name on the line like that. Ezekiel was a young man with a chip on his shoulder who was constantly about to explode in violence at the least provocation. He should be better. She expected that from him.

Aurelia straightened her back, rising from her seat. Walking down the four steps that led up the raised platform. Since she was quite certain that the boy wouldn’t dare to come closer. But she decided on giving him the benefit of the doubt. A chance to prove that he wasn’t the ignorant fool she thought he was.

’Come here.’

To all the men that respect what I do,
accept my shine.

some children are simplyborn with tragedy in their blood

It was like time had slowed down and his senses were suddenly magnified. Ezekiel looked at his aunt, his eyes slightly widened and he felt the fear trailing up his spine where he stood. Because this woman held all the pieces in her hands and he was already in check. There was no way he would come out of this room unscathed. His mind was running in circles, because there was no way to explain to this woman how he had attacked his son, made him bedridden, and probably forced to heal for weeks on end. After all, she was Myrddin's mother, not his. And he expected a mother would be livid at the one who hurt her child, even the governess of Lythrania.

There was no way to explain his actions. No word he could utter would reach her ears. There were no options, because he knew he was already defeated. She had probably already made up her mind an he could do nothing to make it change. Not that he wanted it, he deserved it. He could not run forever, how much he wanted it. Because every fiber in his being pleaded him to turn around and escape this room in any means possible. But that was not possible, so he tried to bypass the fear in the only way he knew how, change it into anger. So he looked straight at his aunt, his whole body tensed up. But as soon as she raised from her stair and descended the dais, his heart rate quickened.

This game his aunt was playing, it was like torture. She wanted him to walk into his own demise. He clutched his hands behind his back firmer together as he pondered over those two little words and what his best move would be. Because he tried to get in her mind, what she would like most to see from him. She wanted to see him squirm, that's for sure. So without wasting any more time he already did, he stepped forward and walked towards his aunt, keeping his head low. Because after all, Ezekiel was more stubborn than smart, and the small sliver of pride he still owned, begged him not to back off.

NC

This goes out to all the women getting it in;
you on your grind

The grey haired sorcerer had entered the room and Aury felt an irk coming up. Something she pushed away. She had to. She couldn’t let her emotions get the better of her. If anything, Myrddin was alive. This would’ve been a whole other situation if he had actually killed her son with his stupidity. He could praise himself lucky that something like that hadn’t happened. Aurelia wondered what was going through his mind right now. Would he even feel some kind of regret over what had happened? Where his dreams hunted with the image of Myrddin getting mauled by his familiar? Part of her could only hope so. Hoping that he would learn from the grave mistake he had made. Yet with the boy standing in front of her you never knew.

She had straightened her back, keeping her gaze locked on him as he approached her. He kept his head low. Not even facing what was about to happen. Maybe the man standing in front of her wasn’t as strong as he wanted everyone to believe. Perhaps. The distance between them was closed. ’I received a letter. Telling me that a dispute happened between you and Myrddin.’ She spoke eerily calm. For a brief moment gazing outside through a window, before putting her focus back on the other. ’Talk. Now.’ A simple demand. No way one could misunderstand this. Perhaps the one working brain cell he had could comprehend that.

To all the men that respect what I do,
accept my shine.

some children are simplyborn with tragedy in their blood

The way down to his aunt seemed to stretch forever. Every step he took, was like voluntarily taking a step closer to his demise. He was thinking about every single doom scenario that could come up in his mind. All spiraling down to an untimely death. But he had the irking faith that it would not come down that far. A dead Vylasar was certainly a worse smudge on her ledger than a disobedient one. But he had done the unthinkable to her son. If Kenai had only struck a bit more true, or Ezekiel had not been able to stop him sooner, Myrddin would be a dead man. And even the sorcerer had not meant it to even go this far, it had happened. He had no excuse.

So of course he did not dare to look her in the eye. Because he did not know what would be worse, ice rage of disappointment? This woman had raised him since he was a baby, once he thought her to be his mother too. He had this innate urge to prove himself to her, to be a man she could one day be proud of. He was not doing a good job at the time. He screwed up in every way possible and he was being a huge dick about it at the same time, taking his temper of at anyone who dared to get close. He never meant to hurt anyone, but it just happened as he tried so desperately to protect himself. It was the only way he knew how.

When his aunt's voice broke the silence, he at last looked up to her, but he could not hold eye-contact for longer than a few moments. Ezekiel clenched his jaws tight as she spoke about what she had heard. The grip he held on his own wrist increased. He had to carefully pick his words now as she demanded him to speak, but he could only feel dark remorse about the whole situation. He had spoken with Myrddin, but even if his cousin could forgive him, he knew his aunt never would. No word that would come out of his mouth would change that. ‘‘Have you spoken to Myrddin?’’ A final act of defiance. He didn't knew where he scraped that last bit of nerve from, but he talked, just like she wanted.

NC

This goes out to all the women getting it in;
you on your grind

Oh, this was exactly how she had intended it to be. She wanted the other to feel like his whole world was on the verge of crumbling down at the spot. She wanted him to feel judged because that was exactly what she was doing. She would be the judge to his mistakes and come to a decision on what to do with him. The way he had harmed their name, was the way she would harm him as a person. That was the simplicity of it all.

Aurelia was utterly disappointed in the man that stood in front of her. By all means, had she not done everything for him to grant him a good future? Had she not gone out of her way to teach him the importance of family? Given how he was acting, she hadn’t. And that was her mistake. But she hadn’t unleashed the beast that was his familiar on his own blood. And where she knew that the other faced some difficulties in his life, she couldn’t see that as a reason to actually maul a family member. Not in the way he had done so.

The way he stood there almost made her scoff, almost. But she kept her demeanor the same. Threatening, cold, distant. But when he actually spoke, she narrowed her eyes. ’That doesn’t matter.’ Oh no, she would not grant him an answer to that. Why would she? ’Now start telling me what happened exactly Ezekiel. I’m giving you a chance here, by Lythrana, I should kill you on the spot for what you did. So you better start speaking and don’t act so smart. Because you have proven otherwise.’

To all the men that respect what I do,
accept my shine.

some children are simplyborn with tragedy in their blood

The room was larger than he ever thought it was before. Every little sound seemed to echo against the cold walls. So he kept completely still, his whole body tensed up, while his mind was still racing to figure a way out of this. Out of this conversation, out of this room. He knew his actions had consequences eventually, he just thought he could have outrun them a while longer. Maybe until Myr was healed and his cousin would somehow pick his side. That had been his final hope, but time had ran out. No way from here but forward. But forward had bears on the road, fears like his familiar that he had to face. And for now he had to face his aunt.

Aurelia Vylasar told him that that did not matter. But it did, he wanted to bite back, but he wisely kept his mouth. He would not go against her, or even dare to raise his voice a tiny bit. He was not a kid anymore, he had no excuses. He was soon to be married, for Lythrana's sake. She would expect heirs out of him soon. The thought alone made his toes curl. He could not read this woman, expect for that he could see that he was not pleased, but you didn't have to be an empath to figure that out.

Ezekiel flinched physically as she told that she should kill him on the spot. He knew she wouldn't, but those words still stung. He demanded her to speak up and he stared at her for a moment longer. He had to be smart about this. Careful. Two characteristics he did not possess. ‘‘It was an accident-’’ he started weakly. ‘‘I am sorry.’’ And then the floodgates opened, because he didn't know how he could talk this right. ‘‘He provoked me and I tried to walk away. I did. But he kept pushing and I snapped, okay? I know I should have been the bigger man. I'm sorry.’’

NC

This goes out to all the women getting it in;
you on your grind

She should’ve been here when it happened. She should’ve been here to look after both of them. Now, now it was already too late. The moment had passed. Only judgement would follow. For what he did, he would get a punishment fitted. A civil punishment, one he could learn from. Any other mother not in her position would’ve probably done things different, but she couldn’t. If anything she had to follow the law. She had to act in the way a governess would act. Which was undoubtedly not something the grey haired wizard would like. No one would like it. Yet that was the burden she had to carry. If she would let this go by unnoticed, then she would lay out that she was easily to walk over. That she would let anything slide. Something she couldn’t have.

It didn’t matter if she had heard the other or not. Myrddin was the one that was hurt, the one that had lost the ability to walk for a while. Ezekiel had walked off unharmed. Physically. Perhaps mentally the young man was in a whole other spot, but she doubted that she’d actually break through. He would get some time to think about what he had done. Would it be accepted? No. Did she care? Off course. But it was something that had to happen either way. This wasn’t a simple argument, this wasn’t Ezekiel punching Myr in the nose. No, this was an attempt on taking her son’s life.

As the word accident rolled over his lips, she narrowed her eyes. ’An accident is something like unintentionally slapping him. Not unintentionally killing him.’ She spoke, her tone cold and distant. He was sorry. The boy was sorry. Was he really though? Was he really sorry for almost killing her son? Or did he simply have a bigger plan to become heir himself? Perhaps the Rizal blood in him was stronger than she supposed. What followed next was something along the lines of what her son said. ’People like us shouldn’t snap. Because then things like this happen.’ She went on in that same distant tone.

The woman straightened her back once more. Looking at the boy that was standing in front of her. A soft sigh slipping over her lips. ’I can’t let this pass Ezekiel. I can see that you regret what happened. But I can’t let you go unpunished.’ She informed him her tone this time filled with some concern for the other. Aurelia held out her hand to the other. ’Give me your staff.’ A demand.

Behind her a door opened up and three guards came into the room. Her expression turning stoic once more. ’I hereby sentence you to three days in confinement. To think about what you have done.’ The woman swallowed visibly, guards stepping in from behind her and taking Ezekiel by his arms. On their way to carry him off to the same tower where she was holding the young Efrain.

(Credits to Jaz for giving me the idea)

To all the men that respect what I do,
accept my shine.

some children are simplyborn with tragedy in their blood

Suddenly he was a kid again. It was like he had accidentally broken a very expensive vase or failed in classes. It was like he was back at being a little kid and Myrddin had already summoned for years and it appeared like he didn't even have a single bit of magic running through his veins. It was like that all over again, and he had disappointed his mother in just being present. But everything was different now, and this woman in front of him wasn't his mother anymore. And this time he did something very, very wrong. He was about to get the scolding of a lifetime, and there would be nothing he could do to change it. He couldn't travel back in time. And he sure couldn't change her mind.

When she started to speak back, Ezekiel desperately wanted to interrupt him. It wasn't like that. He was not unintentionally - well maybe - trying to kill him. Myr pushed him, and he pushed back, hard. And as he had told in an angry fit to that guard of his, if he really wanted to put him down, he could have done it. But he had fought back against his familiar. He wanted to tell her this, but it would not change the result, so he bit her tongue and averted his gaze to the ground. Because she was right, people like them shouldn't snap. But even though, she could not understand what his life was like. Nobody could, because they had pretty, soaring familiars. Not something with jaws that could snap a leg clean off. So that familiar silence loomed over him once again as he accepted the words.

Ezekiel tensed his jaw as his aunt told him he could not go unpunished. So he gave a curt nod. Sure, he hadn't expected less. And as she told him to hand over his staff, he glanced up to her. ‘‘I- I don't have it with me,’’ he murmured. Because he was dragged roughly out of his room, but otherwise he had not done anyway. It had been collecting dust in his room ever since the accident. He wanted to offer to get it for her, that was how desperate he was at this point. It was not like he ever wanted to summon again, but- it still ripped his heart out. Kenai was part of his soul and to be parted with him was, tough. Because even though he hated that part of him, the bear would always be at the ready for hi, to protect him when he could not himself. And if the familiar would be in this very room right now, he would tear down the walls and bury his aunt with it.

The sorcerer turned around as he heard the guards open the doors and he looked back at his aunt, his lips slightly parted as he showed a bit of surprise on his face, as his two-coloured eyes widened a bit. Then the sentence came and he didn't know if he was let off easy, or that he should fear whatever confinement meant. ‘‘Please, let me at least talk to-’’ To whom? Chaska? Myr? Oh, he really needed to explain himself to his fiance after this. But before he could finish his pleading, he was grabbed by his arms once more and he in a reflex struggled against it at first. But he soon gave in as he was dragged out of the room, towards his new little home for the coming three days.

NC