Heart of Darkness

"How do you interpret your dreams?" The king asked. 

"I usually need to have a dream about a certain thing more than once before I can interpret it. The interpretation is something that happens naturally. It is not something I necessarily know but my brain somehow does," he explained. 

There were things in his mind that he just knew without ever learning. 

"Does it mean you will have more of this dream and you will get more answers?" 

"Probably." 

The King looked concerned about him but tried to hide it with a smile. "Is your training going well?" 

"Yes, Your Majesty." 

"The boys are probably giving you a hard time." 

"I can't grow strong without hardships. But they aren't giving me a hard time anymore." 

The boys bullied him at the beginning but he had learned to fight back. Now, no one dared to face him in a fair fight. And soon no one would dare to face him in any fight. 

The King smiled and then sighed as if thinking about something that made him happy and sad at the same time. 

"Why did you choose to be punished, Your Majesty?" William asked. 

"You really know a lot." He said. 

This time it wasn't his dreams though. Lucrezia had told him and she hadn't lied. 

"Well, I just wasn't happy with the way I was. I never cared to hurt others but I never cared to help them either. I lived a very luxurious life. Everything was served. I never needed anything so I lived in ignorance. I never made a good change in someone's life. Never added any value. My existence was just that and it led me to lose everyone I loved and cared about." He leaned back resting his body on his arms and looking up at the sky. "After losing everything I just continued to exist with my grief and then I tried to change with no good results. There was no one to push me so I asked for punishment. It sounds stupid I know." He chuckled. 

William shook his head, "it doesn't to me." 

"I am glad."

"Do you think you are close to becoming the man you want to be?" 

The King became thoughtful. "I think I still have a long way to go. I don't want to just be better. I want to be someone who makes a change in someone's life. Someone wanted and needed. Hopefully someday if I have children, I want to be someone they can be proud of. Someone they look up to." 

William felt a lump in his throat thinking of his father. If only his father had thought so. 

"I was just thinking if you were my son, I would feel very lucky and proud and because of that I would have wanted you to be proud of me as well." 

William clenched his jaw, fighting back the tears that threatened to leave his eyes. He had tried so hard, tried everything to make his father like him. To make him proud. He had longed for a smile from him. A hug. But it never happened. And here this stranger was telling him this. 

The King frowned. "Why are you crying?" 

William shook his head. "I am not," he said but his voice betrayed him. 

"Come here," he told him. 

William shook his head again forgetting that he was the King. 

"It is an order," the king said and William came closer to him. 

To his surprise, the king wrapped his arms around him. "There is nothing wrong with crying," he said stroking his back. 

William wanted to draw back from his embrace. No one had ever hugged him beside his sister but having those strong arms wrapped around him, making him feel safe and comforted he couldn't resist and tears streamed down his eyes. So this was what it felt like to be hugged by a man. 

He loved his sisters' hugs but this was different. This was what he had been missing and what he had longed for. He knew he shouldn't let himself get used to this but just for a moment, he wanted to allow himself to have what he never had. He buried his face in his shoulder feeling his fresh minty and masculine scent. Feeling his strong arms like solid walls around him to protect him. William wanted this to last and it was bad. Very bad. 

He pulled away from his hold, not wanting to get too comfortable. "I am soaking your clothes with my tears," he said using that as an excuse. 

"I don't mind," the King told him. 

William shivered now that he wasn't covered by his arms. The king took off his jacket and put it around his shoulders. Then they sat beside each other and watched the night sky in silence. 

After a while, when he calmed down the King spoke. "Have you seen anything about the shades recently?" He asked. 

"No." 

"What about your sister? Did you see anything related to her?" 

"Is something wrong with her?" He panicked. 

"No. She is alright and Rayven is taking care of her. But the shades seem to be looking for her. Your sister is different too."

"How is she different?" He asked. 

"I hoped you would know. The shades might think she is the prophetess and I think maybe she is one."

The king told him everything from the shade named Constantine looking for his sister, his home being searched, and what he found about possibly hidden prophetic abilities. His sister already knew everything now and on top of that, a shade was after her. 

"I need to see her," William said. 

No matter how strong his sister was, this was still too much. 

"Please Your Majesty. Allow me to see her." 

Skender nodded. "Alright." 

The king used his demonic powers or whatever it was and took them to Lord Rayven's castle. It was as if he made his presence known without saying anything because after a short moment Lord Rayven and his sister came and she seemed to already know that he came to visit her from the way she hurried with a smile on her face. 

"William!" She ran to him and hugged him, forgetting about His Majesty standing next to him. 

William hugged her back. The King smiled while Lord Rayven watched them looking relaxed. This was the most relaxed William had seen him look. His eyes seemed different as well. 

His sister pulled back to take a good look at him. "You have grown so much," she said. 

William smiled. He had only been gone for a few days and Angelica didn't look good at all. She looked thinner and paler.

Angelica ruffled his hair and then turned to His Majesty. 

"Good evening, Your Majesty." She curtsied. "Thank you for bringing my brother." 

"He wanted to see you," the King said. 

William met Lord Rayven's gaze and then bowed. "My Lord." 

"William. I am glad to see you," he said. 

Even his voice sounded different. The King had already told him about Lord Rayven's efforts to protect his sister, but something much more has certainly happened. He could sense it in the air. 

"Well, Rayven and I will leave you two alone to have some time together," The king said, and then just like that, they disappeared right in front of their eyes.

William looked over to see Angelica's reaction. He could tell she had seen it a few times now. 

"Come." She said taking his hand. She took him to her room. "Did you eat?" 

"Yes," he said but she still insisted and brought fruits for them to eat. 

"Are you eating?" He asked her.

"Yes. I have been eating and resting well," she told him. 

"How is Lord Rayven?" He asked her. 

"He is…" she paused and looked at him. "You knew all along. That is why you were worried and acted coldly toward him." 

"Angelica. I did not want to keep anything a secret. I couldn't tell you what he was because that was their rules. Only he could tell you when he was ready. And I didn't tell you about his plans because I was afraid you would leave and I couldn't see somewhere else that was safe for you. I could only hope that he would change his mind."

Angelica sighed. "William, you are wise. I know you choose wisely what to tell me or not even though I let you know you can tell me everything but I understand you won't. There are certain things you can keep to yourself if you choose to but certain things I should know." 

"I know," he said. "I should have told you about his plans. You had a right to know." 

She nodded, "good." 

"Is he not leaving now?" William wondered. 

He couldn't leave if he was trying to protect her. 

Angelica looked down at her hands. "He told me today he wasn't going to leave me." 

William sighed in relief but then realized she wasn't as relieved as him.

"Why don't you look happy? Is he treating you bad?" 

She shook her head with a smile. "No. He treats me very well and I am happy."

She wasn't lying to him. What was the problem then?