DESTRUCTIVE MYTH

The grand hall was filled with nobles draped in gems and the finest fabrics, a large majority of them were dancing while a select few were caught up in food, drink, and chatter. He had never been to one, but from what he had heard, they were nothing more than a chance for royals to show off, catch up on the latest gossip and increase their social stature, no one was really there for what the ball was being held for, especially not Drathis.

In a sea of hundreds, the pull to each other was impossible to ignore.

As if massive magnets had drifted great distances through countless obstacles and were now moments away from smacking into each other, pulled together by an unknown force, their eyes connected.

After he had been announced as Galaleiath the music had stuttered to a halt.

Between stunned gasps, rubbernecking and almost inaudible whispers, Drathis stood frozen on top of the stairs looking down to the other end of the ballroom at,

Himself.

Yet the man was not his identical, he had darker green eyes rimmed in black, blacker than he was used to seeing them, where had he seen them? His hair was slightly longer and he seemed taller, older. But apart from that he could see how they could be mistaken.

The frozen man across the room’s brows furrowed in confusion as if he didn’t believe what he was seeing.

Drathis knew that face so well yet not at all, then it suddenly dawned on him, as if he had just been smacked in the head.

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, the sudden tightness in his chest preventing any reasonable words to form, his mind for the first time had failed him, denying who he saw, denying the possibility.

The other man took a hesitated step forward cocking his head slightly to the side sizing him up in just as much disbelief.

It was the static energy in the room, almost visible between them that jolted through Drathis bringing his thoughts back to the here and now, this was indeed happening, could it be?

He opened his mouth to say the name again almost choking on the overwhelming feelings crushing him, had his heart ever raced this fast?

“Gareth?” Drathis dared, his voice deep, unrecognizable even to himself.

Saying the name now he almost felt like a fool, his brain screamed it was impossible, his brother was dead he had seen him fall he had seen the blood.

His heart raced with a thousand what if’s while his feet wouldn’t move, it had to be a trick.

“Who ar,” The man tried to ask but stopped to clear his throat obviously having the same internal battle, Drathis watched him take another step, knuckles white with tension around the hilt of his still covered sword, snug against his side, another indication that the man believed this to be an illusion as well.

Drathis finally having his stubborn body respond took a step forward down the first step, their eyes lost contact for the briefest of moments and the rest of the room suddenly boomed back into existence as voices sounded alarmed and armed guards rushed in from all sides forming a circle around him and his mirrored image.

“Stand down,” His reflected image roared at the guards, but they ignored him, Drathis frowned as a rush of goosebumps ran over him, it was his brother’s voice.

Looking around him to the far right he finally noticed a fearful king standing encircled by a group of beautiful women barking orders to the guards.

Still, in shock he ignored the danger now surrounding him, he turned back to the dark green eyes now watching him in fascination, they could kill him he didn’t care, he just needed to know if this was indeed his…

“Drathis?” The man almost whispered stepping closer cutting Drathis’s thought process, his eyes were vulnerable almost hopeful then with one blink the reaction was gone replaced by remorse.

Drathis nodded slowly his head betraying him, he knew that voice, but this couldn’t be happening, it was an illusion, he couldn’t grasp the situation, of all the tricks Dimas could play on him, his brother was not one, he was gone.

But watching the dark eyes staring into his soul, it seemed so real. This was indeed the darkness he had felt that had made him ill, but how could it be, if it was an illusion how had the queen pulled it off, would this be his end?

His brain screamed for a logical explanation, this wasn’t his brother his brother never felt this dark, this hateful.

Dear gods, was this really his blood his heart cried.

“This is a trick; you are not my brother.” The man snapped taking a step up closer, Drathis did a double-take at the words he had just thought.

“Galaleiath!” Someone roared, they both turned to see the king addressing them “Do not advance, it is clear this is a hoax.” The guards carrying shields closed in slowly creating a barrier between him and the jeweled-up royals in every color of the world pushed up against the walls watching in fascination.

“This can only be Dimas’s doing, back away Galaleiath, I do not know how her magic had entered our hold but it will be diminished!” The king's voice carried across the room, “I will not have my most trusted general captured, now back away.”

“How do we know which one is real?” A woman on one of the king’s arms voiced watching the two. The king gripped her closer looking back at the two men, doubt now settling.

“Your majesty,” Galaleiath started towards the king seeing the unease, but the guards circling them stomped their boots and shield pushing him back, not giving him a chance to explain to the king that he was the original.

“Seize them both.” The command came, and was carried out.

* * * * *

Being dragged down to the dungeons despite Drathis unnatural power was torture, his chest tightened on the staircase down flashing back to the worst days in the Black Maser. He thrashed and kicked, head butting those closest to him making small dents into their amour, but the king had known what to expect sending wizards along with the capture to dampen their powers.

Thrown into separate cells, hearing the heavy sliding gates shut and lock sent him into hyperventilation, he gripped onto the cold damp walls willing air into his lungs, but the panic and memories flooded him still, crippling him where he stood.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Galaleiath grumbled standing in the middle of his own cell adjacent to Drathis, arms folded across his broad chest, the capture had left his uniform ripped and unshapen, it was clear he had fought to try keep his weapons, had failed and was beyond pissed off.

Drathis ignored the question trying to focus through the irrational fear, he turned his thoughts back to all he had been through since his escape from the Black Maser.

Four small barred walls were nothing against what he had been through, if anything it was peaceful.

He repeated the lie till his breathing became deeper, steadier, slightly dizzy he slumped down onto a cold rock nearest to him holding his head in his hands, taking deep breaths.

“Stop watching me as if I might dissolve.” Drathis mumbled still holding his head, he didn’t need to look up to feel eyes burning into him.

“Would you? It would save me a world of shit.” Galaleiath growled.

Drathis lifted his pounding head to look up at the man, he had almost, in all his panic forgotten who was before him, bolting up he neared the bars separating them. “Cut the shit, who are you?” He demanded inches from the bars.

“I should be asking you the same thing,”

They checked each other one more time before Drathis broke the silence, “My brother, Gareth died when I was a kid,” He started getting to the point, for he could see this being a battle of the most stubborn, “You resemble his likeness but nothing more, your nature is,” He broke off trying to pinpoint it.

“A little twisted?” Galaleiath offered having a small chuckle to himself, “Nice try, so you supposed to be his younger brother Drathis? Is that it? Well, congratulations you idiot, your cover is blown, Drathis is dead.”

“What?” His confusion deepened, “I’m Drathis, and feel very much alive, if it wasn’t evident from my erratic breathing just a few minutes ago, I am not the imposter here.” Drathis pointed at him, “Did the bitch send you? Did she think I would lose all sense thinking my brother was alive, and let you use that distraction to capture me? I’ll give her this, it could have worked, she can be bloody creative, but it failed, we both captured, now drop the act.” He turned walking a frustrated circle in his cell. “I honestly thought for a second you could be alive, it’s a sick joke.” Drathis looked up at him, there was a smile on his face but his eyes promised death.

Galaleiath frown deepened listening to the man was turning old gears inside he hadn’t oiled in years, he dropped his arms stepping nearer, if this was a tick it was too good, “Show me your neck,” He hissed gripping the bars between them, “Show me now!”

Drathis raised an eyebrow, “Whatever for?”

“She said my brother lived, I did not believe her, but I remember his markings, it is not something an imposter can fake, show me!” He growled the last part.

Drathis froze taking in the info, if this was his blood, he would remember his brothers as well, no two markings were the same, it was the elf’s fingerprint. “If you show yours first.”

Releasing his grip on the bars with an exaggerated sigh he turned raking up his thick black hair with both hands displaying the tribal design he was born with, it had spread up into his hair and had started down his shoulder disappearing under the shirt collar, but the center was just as he had remembered.

As youngsters they had trained together pushing themselves to the limit then rushing to the other to show off their neck to see if their power had grown, it had, but never by much.

Drathis stared numbly, it truly was his brother yet not, something was wrong, horribly wrong.

“Your turn.” Galaleiath turned tensing, gripping the rails again.

Drathis on legs that weren’t his turned and raked up his hair with one hand as the other pulled down his jacket displaying his birthmark, a sharp intake of breath was heard and he took that as a sign of recognition turning back to face him.

Galaleiath had paled slightly, his face unreadable.

Long silence.

Eyes locked.

Longer silence.

“So, she was right,” Galaleiath finally spoke softly, “You didn’t die, but you left me to.”

“I didn’t leave you to die.” A knife through his heart at the bitterness in his brother’s voice, good gods, his brother!

The dark menacing air from earlier returned filling the dungeon.

“I told her you would never leave me, we were brothers till the end, she said I was wrong… I believed you dead, why else would you have ever left me? But I see now she was right though.” He chuckled to himself “I held you in the highest regard, deemed you lucky to be gone from this world, wishing every day to join you, yet here you stand.” He chuckled again, danger in his eyes. “I told her if you did indeed live you were no longer my brother.”

Drathis listened in confusion, there was so much wrong with that statement, but he could only pick up on one word.

“She?”

“Yes, she, my Queen, Dimas.” He snarled, Drathis did a double-take, had they truly been separated to believe the other dead, raised under the same roof? He could almost not believe it, almost.

At a loss for words, he could only repeat the last part, “Dimas?”

“Are you slow at hearing or something?”

“What the actual hell, were you doing with that bitch? She ruined everything.”

“You ruined everything.”

They stepped nearer to each other almost at arm’s reach but wise enough to not risk it, yet.

“You died.”

“Do I look dead?”

“But, I, I saw you.” Drathis hesitated replaying the memory burned into him, the way his brother had fallen on the sidewalk blood running down the street, knife in chest. The way he had rushed to save him but the two men who had fought nearby had turned on him, he could have sworn they had fear in their eyes realizing Gareth had been an elf. Guard’s patrolling had rushed to the scene and Drathis had been blamed, being only a child, no one believed him. He had turned to run but it had only made him look more guilty. “You were laying in a pool of your own blood, you weren’t moving.” Drathis almost whispered.

“You didn’t even bother to check if it was my blood!”

“Anyone could see it was.”

“It was a drunken fool’s wine!” He wasn’t about to admit there was blood as well, it wasn’t a deadly wound.

“What?!”

“I was knocked out with his bone flask filled with wine!” He shouted stepping nearer, “Are you saying, you didn’t even come near me too, see? Didn’t try wake me or even try see if I was,” He broke off his voice breaking, then shook his head violently peering back at Drathis, “Ran at your first opportunity to get rid of me didn’t you, like a bloody coward, I could never believe yet,”

“I was eight,” Drathis cut him off, “I was unable to get to your side, I wanted to be by you, but unable to in time before being blamed and caught.”

“Lier!” Galaleiath shook the bars with a roar as energy pulsed out of him zipping and sizzling across the iron bars then he turned away into the dark shadows of his cell.

“Gareth,” Drathis whispered, he had so much to say, yet his words kept failing him, how could he begin to make him see his side, yet again what was Gareth’s side of the story? What had Dimas said? She had clearly spoken to his brother more than him.

“You big enough now to say my full name, Drathis.” The snarl came from the shadows, “we not kid’s anymore.” The last part came in a whisper.

Drathis could hear the warning in his voice, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Were you also imprisoned by Dimas?” Drathis asked nearing the bars, he had to know it was burning him up, what had Dimas done!

After a long time, Galaleiath finally spoke “The guards on duty that night spotted my ears and neck, must have been the way I was laying on the ground, abandoned,” Drathis flinched at the word but kept still willing his brother to go on, “Either way news got to her majesty faster than I could escape, I recall being carried into the Black maser to an empty room,” He remembered the pounding headache from the fall, the knife in his shoulder close to his neck, being drenched in wine and blood. Healers fussing and a tall woman dressed in black from her crown to long dress trailing on the floor. He recalled her grabbing his face examining him with such fascination demanding answers, who he was, were there more, what was his name, did he have parents. Galaleiath had tried to keep his mouth shut protecting his brother was his main goal in life, but forced compulsion had him telling all.

“She, healed me,” He mumbled remembering the queen rushing from the room on a clear hunt to find Drathis, he had been locked in the room for a full day smashing everything he could get his hands on to escape, yelling and raging till his throat bled, he had to get free to save his brother.

Elves were not safe in anyone’s hands; they were seen as a power source nothing more. but no matter how he had tried to escape the door and window had been laced with magic he was unable to break.

Running on exhaustion, fear for his brother then fear for himself, he gave into sweet oblivion after thirty-two hours of no sleep.

Queen Dimas had eventually come to him, the difference in her night at day, she seemed excited and very satisfied as if she had caught herself the last eligible handsome prince, having a proposition for him he couldn’t refuse.

“This amazing woman with such raw power, for once didn’t want what was in me, for once the rumors had been a lie, she wanted to help me. She offered me more than I could ever hope for, and I said no, I wanted my brother, that is when the truth had ripped me.” Galaleiath growled recalling the day he would never be able to carve out his mind.

Galaleiath sat on the stone slab supposedly his bed for the night looking through the shadows at the pools of moonlight just outlining Drathis, it was surreal seeing Drathis, he kept expecting the ghost to disappear, willing it not to be true, if it was truely his brother, well then, his death would please his queen and for him, it would be sweet revenge.