DESTRUCTIVE MYTH

Dimas stood before a detailed map of the castle Zitex layout, matching it up to the underground tunnel notes Galaleiath had last sent her. Her men were to sneak in via the tunnels attacking the castle from within, driving the king out so she may have him on his knees before her, but the tunnel layout had been the last communication from him, she had expected a lot more by now.

Sighing with frustration she examined the map again, she had to assume that his delay in conveying the finally plans was due to finding Drathis. Once again, that loose end must have somehow snuck past her men into the impregnable castle.

Her thoughts turned to wonder, what would their first meeting be like? She had hoped to be there when it happened, standing behind Galaleiath who she was certain would kill him, years of his brother’s neglect could just do it.

She smiled slowly at the thought bringing on the memory of that long-ago day she had caught herself the elven treasures.

* * * * *

Was it her birthday? She couldn’t recall the exact date of such a trivial thing anymore, after a few centuries of living dates blurred and years became a more relevant reference. Either way, she hadn’t celebrated such a thing, not since she had been in her ignorant youth.

But having found an Elf on her land, it had been the perfect gift just for her, and for the elf to have a brother, well that had just been the cherry on the cake.

Dimas was slightly dumbfounded by her luck, elves were said to have been wiped out, there were odd rumors of small groups left protected in the titan mountains up north but many a spy from kingdoms uncounted had tried and failed to secure any evidence. After years and years of searching many had just stopped deeming them to have died out along with most of the magic in Relangathian. Dimas had started to believe the same slowly giving up hope to ever find one, to tap into its unlimited power source, become invincible.

Yet on a very ordinary night, one of her spies within her walls had rushed to her with unconfirmed rumors of an elf just outside her city walls.

She had never been one to jump at such news, many had said they had found elves, even went as far as to proclaim they were elves offering up their strongest sons as examples for kingdoms to pay handsomely for. But her sources knew what to look for, and the urgency of which her spy had begged to see her, had her grabbing her carriage and men to race down to the village.

Doubt had been her mask till she had stepped out the carriage onto a crowded street, all had recognized her and had dropped to their knees in respect clearing a path to her guards circling a body.

Her heart had skipped a beat; indeed, it had been an elf, wounded and knocked out cold, the elf had been Galaleiath.

Without losing any more time she had demanded they take him back up to her tower, where he had gained consciousness. She had been so bewildered, excited it hadn’t occurred to her that she was using magic to get information out him. She had seen his struggle against the compulsion, the blood running down his nose as he fought to lie, but the pain had pushed him to say Drathis’s name.

locking Galaleiath in the room to rest, she had sent a hunt out for Drathis within seconds, demanding his capture take priority above all else, she had almost joined in on the hunt till guards had responded saying they had just captured a boy for murder, matching the description.

Drathis, just a boy had been dragged forward in chains too big for him, forced down on all fours in front of Dimas.

“Who are you?” Dimas had asked watching the small boy before her, beaten, dirty and shaking, she couldn’t tell if it was from anger, hurt of exhaustion. He didn’t raise his head, he didn’t speak, he did nothing but seem to catch his breath. Dimas neared him bending to grab his face, he fought against her, but it was pointless, against his will he sat up on his knees looking up at her.

Dimas stared at him, his hair was long, black and wild in his face, his skin was stained with mud and fresh dirt from a recent struggle. But what held her gaze was his eyes, not that fact that they were red from crying, but that his irises were such a brilliant green they all but screamed power.

She brushed his hair back looking at his ears, pointed as they should be framed by bold birthmarks running down his neck.

“My, oh my, you are indeed a marvel, Drathis.” She looked down at him, a terrifying smile on her face.

He whipped his head back up looking at her in shock, “How do you know my name?” A small cracking voice pained from screaming and fighting asked.

She watched him sniff as if trying to hold back tears, “I know everything my child.” She said sweetly tucking his hair behind his ears wiping dirt off his face.

“Don’t touch me, I don’t know you.” Drathis protested pulling back in his chains.

Dimas rose walking a circle around him and the two guards holding his chains, she smiled again at her plan for them, it had been something she had always hoped for, almost a century ago if ever she had found an elf, but two? Oh, two just made it all the sweeter.

“Drathis, do you know why you are here before your queen?”

“No,” Drathis lied looking back down at his knees, the guards blamed him for his brother’s death, he knew his innocence.

He hadn’t even known anything could move that fast, she was before him in a blink holding his face with the tips of her nails, her eyes had been dark to start but now they almost glowed red with rage. Her grip tightened slightly and Drathis winced feeling the nails start to cut into his cheek and jaw.

“Do not disrespect me by lying young one, I can see right through you.” She released him raising to her full height “You have been found guilty of murder, killing your own blood.”

“No! I didn’t!” Drathis shouted trying to get to his feet in desperation, but the guards shoved him back down.

“I have witnesses, as well as statements, from these guards,” Dimas pointed to the men behind him “That you got into a fight with your brother and killed him.”

“NO!” Drathis voice cracked, “I didn’t kill him, it wasn’t me, please,”

She raised a hand to his sobbing, “Do you have any evidence to prove your innocence?” Dimas tried not to smile, it was all too easy, she knew he had nothing, just huge pleading eyes watching her with horror as fresh hot tears ran down his face.

Children were so easily manipulated, she thought nearing him, “Then you are found guilty for murder, take him away.” She turned making her way back up to her throne, “Serving life will be your punishment.” She smiled as he was yanked away in a fit of fists, kicks, bites, and curses.

Having finally found a new appetite for life she had returned to her chambers to devour a full meal and an entire bottle of wine in celebration to her success. Two elves with no strings attached, no one to search for them, no reports to be made of them missing, they had only had each other, brilliant.

She would be sure to split up the brothers letting them know how very much alone they were.

A lone soldier with nothing to lose and no family ties made for the ultimate worrier, a fearless worrier, a powerful weapon.

After finishing a bottle of celebratory wine, she made her back to where Galaleiath was being held, she would start with the eldest, his concern for his brother earlier would be her weapon to undo him.

Upon entering she was slightly amused by the destroyed room; Galaleiath had left nothing untouched in his destruction.

“What have you done to my brother.” He demanded armed with a broken chair leg; sharp tip pointed towards her.

“What makes you think I have your brother?” She mocked twitching her hand, ripping the makeshift weapon out his hand and sending it flying through the air sinking deep into a wall. He looked down at his bare hand in shock then back up at her with concern.

“You look satisfied as if you have captured us both.”

“Oh no my dear, I tried to reason with him, I was unsuccessful, I hope to be more successful with you.”

Galaleiath backed up to her advances picking up another make shift weapon he had made from the destroyed furniture, “Reason with him?” He shook his head confusion evident. “Did you hurt him? Where is he?” He snapped pointing the make shift spear at her.

She sighed looking at him then the weapons tip, another piece of wood. She raised her hand in the air then made a fist as the wood began to crack, mold, crumble, then fall to his feet in nothing but dust.

“Stop trying to protect yourself from me, if I wanted you harmed you would have never made it into my walls.”

“I know what kings and queens want from my kind.” He growled

“Yes, everyone knows the rumours, but as you can already see,” She paused sweeping a hand over the room to where a shattered chair lay, it cracked and snapped putting itself back together before him, “I have enough power, sit let me explain what I offer, that doesn’t involve you losing your life.” She gestured to the chair.

“You said you tried to reason with him?” He asked again staring at the solid chair before him, “Do you have him or not?”

“He found us, but he is no longer within these walls,” Just under them.

“I, I don’t understand.” He said softly, but inside he was a hurricane about to rip apart, rip her apart, sadly he was wise enough to know he couldn’t go up against her. She had an uneasy air about her, a suffocating power that seemed to surround her hungrily. “Please, I beg you, tell me of my brother.”

Dimas looked him overseeing the young man frozen in place, tension in every muscle, watching her with pleading eyes so much like his brothers, she was certain were she to deny his request he might just shatter before her.

“I take it he means a great deal to you?”

“He is my only family; he is my life.” Galaleiath said with such passion and love Dimas’s devoured bottle of wine turned to bile inside her stomach. She didn’t like the connection, he needed to have all strings attached to his brother snipped and done so fast.

She walked the room observing his home-made artwork piles, the look he gave her as if trusting her to speak the truth made this just too easy, “Let’s start with how we found you, it wasn’t by chance, did you not wonder how you were in a fight then suddenly in the queen’s domain?” She asked a twinkle in her eyes watching his brows furrow with thought.

“After you fell, your brother was caught fleeing the scene, Drathis correct? Yes, he had been caught by some of my men on patrol, your brother had insulted a guard and for that would have been imprisoned, but he offered a trade, information for his freedom.”

Galaleiath tightened his fists shaking his head, he could almost guess where this was going.

“Apparently he knew where an elf was, and would share that for his freedom, that’s when we were informed of you.” She turned to face him watching him carefully. “Both of you were brought back here, you were treated for your wounds, that is when I questioned who you were and if there were more of you. You said your brother’s name and I had to leave to find him for you, you seemed so devastated without him.” She edged the speech with practiced pity.

“No, no, this is all wrong!”

Dimas smiled at his internal war, carrying on. “It just so happened to be that your betrayer was your brother, when I asked him why he would betray you, he said he just wanted his freedom to go north to find his clan in peace.”

“Lies! My brother would never, he knows none of us are left!”

“Yet he did, he is not here.” She spun slowly raising her hand showing the room, “I offered him protection, told him he would not be harmed, explained I planned to offer you the same. I had found it rather odd that he had been so determined to sell you out, but once I had looked into his eyes and asked if he wanted to see you, he had just said no, do with him as you wish I only gave you this information to free myself.”

Galaleiath took a step back as if he had been struck, his eyes filled with mixed emotion.

“He would never leave me, you have to have caught the wrong,”

“Is this not his?” She cut him short pulling out a small coat from within her robes shoving it to him, he took it with hesitant hands and examined it slowly, his face showing recognition then a look she couldn’t place. “I know its hard to accept, but sometimes those closest to us hurt us for their own personal gain. I apologies that you had to be a victim of that now, fear of being caught can sometimes bring out the rotten inside others.”

He looked down at the coat in his trembling hands, “He would never betray me, the one you caught can’t be my brother, he has to be dead or looking for me still.”

“I will leave you to create whatever story you deem worthy for your imagination; I only give you what was done. And I come with an offer, the same offer I gave your brother before he turned it down.”

Ignoring her he looked out the window gripping his brother's coat, his mind a whirlwind.

After a long pause, he unclenched his jaw, “You know what we are, yet you let one of us go? Just like that?” He said softly in an almost whisper.

“To lose a corrupt one, and keep a clear level-minded individual like you seemed the wisest choice. I am not here to drain your soul or whatever nonsense is going around as other kingdoms might do.”

“And you explained you would not hurt him?”

“He didn’t give me a chance to explain.”

“So, he could have assumed you were one to kill and take what you needed from within us?” He kept his eyes on the horizon out the window as if calculating everything that was being said.

“Yes, and he still offered you up.”

He closed his eyes a long moment standing still.

She watched him excitedly, he turned to face the queen to hear her offer with one condition of his own.

Queen Dimas went on to explain how she would never marry, never relinquish her crown for a king, would never give birth to an heir, but that they were so very much alike in power and she would offer him everything his heart desired if he would only give his life to her in service. She offered to raise him as her one and only heir to her throne showing him how who he was would be his best weapon against any enemy, promising to train him and how to use his power within, showing him lands they would conquer together.

He accepted, on condition that he would be allowed to search for his brother with all her resources till he found him or worse.

She had agreed, and after ten years of searching the world for any trace of his brother, placing banners up for him to come home, making sure his brother knew he was not held against his well, they would be safe.

Ten long years of searching the lands in every direction.

All the while Drathis was tortured and kept hidden deep within her dungeons.

Galaleiath had finally accepted Dimas’s repeated stories to be true, his brother had either left trading him in for freedom, or he had to assume been killed and buried in some ditch to never be found, neither scenario brought him comfort.

This queen was now his family and he gave himself over to her wishes, a guide to a new life.

* * * * *

Since within the prison of Zitex Drathis had hardly slept, the silence between his brother and himself had been worse than if they had tried to talk.

Drathis had been zoning in and out of consciousness, leaning against the back wall when he had heard muffled voices.

Opening his eyes, he crept forward keeping to the shadows to see what was happening, usually voices wouldn’t cause alarm, but this part of the prison had been deadly quite for the past two days. In front of his brother’s cell stood two wizards with who he assumed to be the king, there figures were slightly blurry as if he was watching their reflection on water. Narrowing his eyes, he noticed thin silver edges of a spell surrounding them, something the wizards had created for privacy, he watched them in a heated discussion, but couldn’t pick on anything being said.

Edging closer to hear, he strained his ears to pick up on any part of the conversation. But the spell cocooning them seeming to have strong words with each other made it sound like inaudible whispers from far away, he watched a little longer yielding the same results.

Footsteps from the other end of the prison neared down the passage to his cell, he tensed withdrawing deeper into the shadows till an old man pushing a beat-up wooden cart stopped before his bars seeming to adjust a corpse falling off. Drathis had seen this too many a time to react, relaxing he watched the man flop the body over and walk back around, to his astonishment a folded letter slipped out from his coat and drifted under the cell door sliding to his feet. Drathis looked up at the man who only nodded in acknowledgment before carrying on forward.

He watched the wizards eye the old man, deem him not a threat then turn back to the conversation at hand.

Drathis bent down to retrieve the letter, opening to read.

“Arun, keep faith we will have your freed soon.

Your lady”

He frowned at the note, was Arun not the carriage driver he had killed to impose? Who was daft enough to believe him to still be the driver?