REWRITE Tale of Origin Chp17-The Recovery

Tale of Origin
By Arecus. Conberma (Liyu Conberma)
Chapter 17: The Recovery

---

The Present…

All the young people heaved a breath together as Darren paused to wet his throat. He’d been talking a long time. As Trails handed him a glass of water, Sonic decided comments were in order.

“Wait a sec! What do you mean four kids? We have another sibling and no one ever told us?!”

His uncle emptied the glass and set it down before answering. “I wouldn’t take it seriously since Kaze was delirious at the time. And don’t bother getting too rattled. If your parents had another child they wouldn’t keep it from anyone—especially family. I’m just showing you what he told me as accurately as possible, even if it’s the stuff I don’t believe myself. Case in point, this next part Kaze insisted really happened during his fever dream.”

Silver spoke up this time, wondering about something else as the frozen image of Kaze and Sapphire continued to float in the air. “Our father doesn’t look like he’s only got one arm now. What about that? Some kind of magic-related healing?”

“We’ll get to that later. I'm telling this story chronologically. No jumping ahead to satisfy your curiosity.”

---

Back to the Story…

Sapphire felt Kaze’s hand slide from her cheek the moment he slumped to the deck. She cried his name and held his face, fingers trembling as she feared the worst. Benonic leaned forward to feel his brother’s pulse, assuring them that Kaze was only unconscious. He and Alexei helped carry the prince to the captain’s quarters until they reached land, Sapphire staring after them with a yearning to remain at his side.

Posiden knew there was little point in staying on board now, but there were important things he needed to say. “This is…my fault.”

The Queen of Cosium looked at him, then shook her head. “No, the fault is mine. Rakar was the one who killed my husband and I blamed you,” she corrected, shame all over her face.

“We are both guilty of falsely accusing one another. I accepted the appearance of truth when my wife was poisoned without trying to confirm it. Instead, I let rage and grief blind my judgement.”

“I hope it’s not too late to make amends,” Athena said with some optimism.

“My thoughts exactly,” Posiden agreed. “We can draw up a new treaty or renew the one Mortesen forged between us.”

Before they could discuss it further, the King of Atlantis was interrupted by his daughter’s distressed voice, “Daddy, please let me stay with him. At least until he gets better!”

His first instinct was to reject that kind of request, but after seeing how Kaze had proven his love for Sapphire—and how she loved him in return—he couldn’t deny this small favour. But he also knew he wasn’t the one who had to make the decision. Posiden turned to the monarch beside him.

“If Queen Athena allows it.”

Sapphire’s pleading eyes pierced Athena’s two hearts, nearly breaking them because she had not only seen this before, but experienced it. She knew without a doubt that the merhog truly loved her son.

“I will permit it if you let us to treat you. You took quite a number of injuries too,” Athena stated, which was her way of saying “yes”.

Sapphire soon lit up with a tearful smile of gratitude, then she bowed in respect. Posiden took her hand, Trident letting off a golden light. An instant later she was gazing down at a pair of legs that had replaced her tail.

“Daddy, I…!” she trailed off, too happy to say anything more.

“It’s a temporary shape-shift, Sapphire. It will only last a day.”

The princess threw her arms around him and sobbed with joy. But the second she let go of him, her tail reformed. Sapphire stared in puzzlement and even Posiden didn’t seem to understand what was wrong. But Athena pointed to a red stain on her arm.

“Kaze’s blood. If any of it touches you, you’ll turn back.”

Relieved that it was a problem that could be so easily remedied, the princess’s hand glowed and a thin film of water drenched her, washing the fur clean. This time Posiden’s spell worked.

Then Athena helped her up, wrapping one arm around her as she whispered, “Might be a good idea to find you something to wear.”

---

Kaze squinted against the sting of bright light. Blinking uncertainly a few times before he fully opened his eyes, the prince found himself in vaguely familiar surroundings.

The canopy of a bed stretched above him, and it took some moments before he recognised his own room. It was the same size and shape as his chamber, and even his collection of oddments were in their customary places—except they were all pure white in colour, as if the world had been bleached.

Sunlight from some invisible source shined brightly, making the snow-crystal room hurt his eyes. Kaze shielded them with his right arm—

Wait a minute…right arm?

Kaze looked at it in dismay. Had it been a dream after all? His severed arm lying on the deck and the stench of burnt flesh…

He sighed in relief, then the azure hedgehog realised he couldn’t feel any pain at all. Looking down at his body, he could find no wounds, though he knew for certain he’d received some.

Beginning to grow nervous, Kaze glanced around once more and nearly leaped out of his skin when he suddenly noticed Sapphire right beside him. She was pale too, as though most of the colors in her clothing had been washed out, but they weren’t entirely white.

“Sapphire! Do you know where we are?” he asked her. “It looks like home but everything is… Sapphire?”

She sat in the chair, not acknowledging his words. Face drawn into a tight look of concentration, she appeared entirely focused on him…yet she didn’t seem to see he was awake. Eliza came into the room and spoke in a voice he couldn’t hear, but the merhog princess shook her head, setting her jaw.

“Sapphire?”

When there was still no response from her, the prince carefully sat up. This place resembled his home, but it was more like another world. It wasn’t just their voices that were muted. There was no noise, not even a distant bird chirp.

Sapphire reached for Kaze’s hand…passing right through it. The azure hedgehog jumped, but then she and Eliza faded from sight.

Not knowing what had happened, he left his bed and walked from the room. A serving girl with a basket of laundry walked right past him, not even meeting his eyes. In mid-stride she disappeared.

…And yet this place gave off something mysteriously peaceful.

The paradox of the familiarity and strangeness would have naturally intensified Kaze’s disquiet, but its air of serenity made him relax. That was the way this place was meant to be, and once he accepted it, it accepted him. He couldn’t be sure, but perhaps…

“Papa?” Kaze whispered.

“Hello, my son.” Mortesen stood a short distance behind him, smiling warmly. He was a shock of black in this white world.

“H-How?” Kaze stuttered, almost tripping his way towards his father and unwilling to blink lest Mortesen vanish too. “Am I dreaming?” Then he came up short, face going pale. “Or am I dead?”

Mortesen chuckled, reassuring him with a firm grip on his shoulder. “No, you’re not dead. Not yet, at least.”

“Then…where am I?”

“This,” Mortesen gestured to everything with one hand then looked back at his son, “is the Barzakh.”

Kaze recognized the ancient term for the barrier between the living and the dead. “Purgatory?!”

The ebony hedgehog nodded in confirmation. “Rakar’s gift gave you the strength to fight, but there was no healing involved. You fought that duel while your body was already pushed to the limits of what it could handle. You simply couldn’t feel it. Not only did he injure you badly, but it took a great toll on you as well.”

Hearing that, Kaze’s memory turned to what had just happened…battling against Rakar, deciding not to kill him, and his kiss with Sapphire… The azure hedgehog felt overwhelmed. He had to know.

“You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You knew I would see him through your eyes,” he said accusingly. “Papa, why? You know what Rakar’s reign over your kingdom—our kingdom—was like. He made our people suffer, spreading misery like a disease! Look what he’s done to Mama, Ben, Darren and myself—to you! Why did you make me spare him?”

Kaze had never shouted at Mortesen in anger and doing so now felt worse than wrong. Though he loved his father dearly, the fact that he’d stopped him from finishing off his sociopath uncle was nothing short of betrayal.

Mortesen continued to stare at his son with a sorrowful expression. Finally he let out a sigh, replying, “Rakar is…misguided.”

“No kidding,” Kaze said with full-fledged sarcasm.

There was a momentary paused, then his father jerked his head to one side. “Walk with me.”

One step later the world shifted and they were in Rakar’s room. Kaze hadn’t entered it even once that he could remember. It looked innocent enough with the tapestries, paintings and books, and he suspected the place was quite colourful in the real world. Then he noticed Mortesen push open a hidden compartment on the large bookshelf against the back wall.

The prince approached but as soon as he recognised a severed hand, shriveled and bony, he flung himself away. There were other objects among the jars of liquid where things floated, but he didn’t allow himself to see them.

Mortesen closed the panel, a cutting expression of sadness on his face. “He calls it his ‘collection’. Souvenirs of those he had the most pleasure breaking before he killed them. When I say Rakar is ‘misguided’ it is not because I am unaware of what he has done. I have followed his movements for years, just as I have followed the rest of you.”

The pain in his father’s face grew more pronounced and his fingers reached out to touch a sheathed dagger on the desk.

“Kaze, please try to understand,” his father pressed. “He is my brother.  That person he’s become is not the one I grew up with. He wasn’t like this before I married your mother. I don’t want him to die under these circumstances or else he…he’ll be lost forever…”

“He deserves it!” the azure hedgehog ground out.

Mortesen seized his wrist in a grip of solid iron, showing sudden anger. “Can you truly grasp eternity? No one deserves a fate of endless torment no matter who they are, so don’t you ever say such a thing again!”

“Yes, sir.” Kaze looked away, partly ashamed at the reproof but still not entirely sure Mortesen was correct.

His father’s expression smoothed back into one of concern and his grip loosened. “I know what he’s done is inexcusable, but I believe with my whole heart that there is still hope for him. I had to try.”

“And if your actions lead to the suffering of countless more people? What then?”

Mortesen bowed his head. “Their fates will be added to my atonement. That is why the dead are so rarely permitted to intervene. I may have rescued you…but by influencing your decision I have opened the door to much suffering as well. The responsibility is mine. So must the punishment be as well.”

Suddenly understanding that his father had known the consequences could be devastating for himself made the act seem as though it was done less out of false hope and more from…desperation. Kaze didn’t know what to say. What must it be like for Mortesen to know his own brother was a monster? …But one he couldn’t help still loving.

“You knew he’d reject you.”

“If that had been Darren or Ben, wouldn’t you have done the same?”

The prince averted his gaze, knowing how truthful the words were. He stood beside a table covered with books and curiosities, his multi-coloured eyes sweeping over them as he tried to avoid looking at his father. Then he stared in shock, lurching forward to touch a glass box with several feathers inside.

His own feathers.

“Wh-What is he doing with these?!”

The former king noticed what had caught his son’s attention. “Studying you. Rakar has always been disturbed by your Royal gift—more than he is by Darren’s. Your wings didn’t just heal, but restored things to the way they ought to be. He was relieved when you lost that ability five years ago.”

Immediate longing returned to Kaze’s face. The burnt wing unfurled and he reached back to touch the feathers without looking directly at it. “You said before that my wings… I might get them back. How?”

There was genuine compassion in his father’s earth-brown eyes. “I’m sorry, Kaze, but I can’t help you. Even our ancestors who share that Royal gift with you are confused. All they can tell me is that your wings ought to have healed long ago and the fact that they don’t show their true form even here in the Barzakh means the cause must be in yourself, not them.”

Kaze wilted, the wing shriveling away once more. To have his hopes raised and then dashed…

“Does that mean I did something wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” Mortesen repeated, then closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh before looking at him again. “You will have to find out on your own. Come with me. I can feel our time growing short.”

Taking his son’s hand, Mortesen stepped forward—and they stood in the throne room. Kaze’s eyes were drawn to the scepter resting on the royal seat itself. It was the only thing in the place that wasn’t bleached white, its jewel gleaming with a green light that pulsed and almost seemed to be trying to speak to him.

“For nine years the Cosmos Diamond has been solitary, waiting for you to take it. Now it’s time you settled into your role as the king you were always meant to be.”

A wave of dread crashed down on the young hedgehog and he backed away as though trying to protect himself from the throne. “King? But I-I-I’m not ready!”

“I doubt anyone who deserves the Crown ever feels ready for it. It was the same for me, and I didn’t have the experience you do. You’ve been caring for the people for years now.”

He shifted from foot to foot, digging for excuses. “Papa, all I’ve ever done is try to help the villages around the castle—twenty or thirty miles away at most—and I did it from behind a mask. I knew what was wrong and I tried my best to fix it on a small scale. You can’t expect me to jump straight onto the throne with the same kind of confidence.”

An impulsive grin started to pull on Mortesen’s mouth, as though the idea hadn’t occurred to him and was actually rather amusing.

“Perhaps not. Karok certainly wouldn’t make the best ruler in the world. But maybe you’ll avoid some of my mistakes if you take things slowly and think about the unintended results that your actions can cause before you go changing all the laws Rakar passed. Athena can help you. But you don’t have to be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid!” he denied sharply, back straightening.

Mortesen quirked an eyebrow and leaned so close that it felt awkward for Kaze. “You should know better than to try lying to me.”

His son flushed, lowering his eyes and muttering, “Okay, fine. So I’m kind of scared I’ll be a pathetic king. Is that so wrong?”

“You’re the one who thinks so, otherwise you wouldn’t have lied to me a second ago. Even if you don’t feel ready, it’s still time to take your place. At least you won’t be alone. All you need to do is ask her.”

The reminder of Sapphire immediately swept away all other thoughts. Rubbing the back of his head bashfully, the azure hedgehog tried to find words for the feelings tumbling about inside.

“I don’t know if she would really… She says she wants to be with me, and think I want to be with her for the right reasons, but… I just don’t know.”

Kaze couldn’t meet his father’s gaze. All he could think about how inadequate he was compared to Sapphire. She was perfect. But he…

“I don’t understand why she would want someone like me.”

“Does it really matter?” Mortesen wondered. “The important thing is that she does, and she’s willing to give up everything she’s ever known to be with you. Stop treating her choice as though it’s a foolish sacrifice.”

Before he could try to protest again, Kaze heard a sound that reverberated everywhere, making the entire Barzakh tremble.

“Sapphire!” he gasped.

“I believe our time here has drawn to an end.”

Kaze looked back at his father, distressed. “Papa…I…”

“One last thing, Kaze. Tell your mother it’s time to give back something she took from you and Sapphire. She’ll find it in the Forbidden Forest,” Mortesen said. “Now it’s time for you to go home and bring peace to Cosium once more. I’m proud of you and your brothers. I know the three of you will protect Cosium like your mother and I did.”

Quickly, Kaze gave his father one last tight hug, trying to memorize everything about him. He would miss his father dearly. It didn’t seem fair…but in another way he knew this chance to see his father and discuss so many things was a gift meant only for him. What Mother would have given to be able to see him again…

“I love you, Papa,” he said longingly.

“And I you, my son,” Mortesen replied with a nostalgic smile, “Send your mother and brothers my regards. Perhaps I will visit you in your dreams.”

The bleached world around him was fading to white nothingness and he could hardly see his father anymore. His fingers held tight to the older hedgehog, but they felt less and less substance.

“Oh, and Kaze?”

“Yes?”

Mortesen was so pale he could hardly be seen. “The two of you have my blessing.”

And then everything disappeared entirely.

…

…

…

---

Kaze shifted, attempting to untangle himself from the netting of dreams that tried to keep him mired in sleep. They were still clinging to his mind when he opened his eyes at last.

He was in his own room, not whitewashed or surreal. That in itself was comforting. But he felt a dull, aching pain that stemmed from his right shoulder and looked over. Breath hitched in his throat. Unfortunately the one part of all this he’d hoped was a nightmare turned out to be reality.

The prince started to reach toward what was left of his arm, but stopped when he couldn’t move his hand. Finally he looked down and saw a familiar figure seated on a chair beside his bed. Sapphire’s head had fallen forward to rest on the covers and one hand held tightly onto his.

Kaze slowly pulled away and tried to sit up, but he couldn’t seem to do it with just one arm. He gave up after a few tries, not wanting to disturb the princess by thrashing about. Leaning back against his pillow, he was surprised to find it damp with sweat. His own?

The soft murmur of voices approached and the prince quickly closed his eyes again.

“…a few hours ago, but Princess Sapphire refused to leave,” he heard Eliza saying.

His mother replied in a low voice as the door opened. “At least his fever is gone. Have one of the servants take the princess down to the docks before Posiden’s spell wears off again. I don’t want her drying out like she did yesterday.” He could imagine her shaking her head with a smile. “That girl is so stubborn.”

“I’ll make sure she goes as soon as she wakes up, Your Majesty. Would you like me to change the dressing on Prince Kaze’s arm?”

His mother didn’t answer for a few seconds. “No thank you. I’ll do it myself. He’ll be awake soon anyway. Why don’t you go get breakfast for him. Something light. Take your time, though.”

“Very well, Your Majesty.”

Her shoes clicked on the tile floor as she left, then Athena’s skirts swished closer.

“Mortesen always creased his brow a little whenever he pretended to be asleep. So do you.”

Kaze sighed and gave half a smile, opening his eyes to see her. This time as he stared, her appearance didn’t change the way it had on the ship. Instead he had the vague sense of knowing what she looked like years ago, and the conversations that had created such a clamour before were now more like memories than strange voices in his head.

“Ben could only help you so much, unfortunately,” she said, unable to smile back. Her fingers began to peel off strips of bandages and gauze on the stump of his right arm, making him wince. “He healed it enough to keep you from bleeding, but if you move too much, the skin breaks because he can’t create new tissue. It’s technically still an open wound, so you’ll have to be careful. Once you’re stable we can have it healed more fully with magic.”

Kaze didn’t reply. He kept his eyes averted while she put on new bandages, a blank expression masking his thoughts. Once the queen was done, she sat down on the bed.

“You’re alive and so is she. That’s all that matters right now.”

“It wouldn’t have been this way at all if…”

Confusion touched his features. Some of his memories were half-muddled, as though he’d been dreaming while awake. His encounter in the Barzakh was growing vague, though he still had a sense of the things that had passed between himself and his father.

“Mother, something odd happened during the duel. Rakar made me see things that nearly made me go mad, but then Papa was there, protecting me. It felt too real to be my imagination… But when I came back to myself, it was as if I was seeing things through his eyes. I could feel the way he did. That’s why I couldn’t go through with it. He loved Rakar. Just the idea of hurting him was…painful.”

Athena blinked, unsure what to say. She watched as Kaze covered his eyes, jaw clenched.

“I could have done it—I know I could have killed him! But all I could think about after that was wanting to help Rakar. How could he feel that way about the one who murdered him?!”

Athena watched her son with a trace of the same confusion on her face, yet still more understanding. “I don’t know. Mortesen was exceptional.”

He looked up through his fingers in surprise. “You mean you believe me? You don’t think it’s an excuse—that I was an idiot or a coward for not ending it?”

She gave the tiniest glimpse of a smile. “He was there. And it doesn’t surprise me that he would want Rakar to live. He cared very much for his brother. It’s the reason I never questioned my trust in him.”

“Mother… That choice was disastrous not just for me, but for all of us. We can never be sure we’re safe from him. I don’t want to be living in fear that he’ll come back when I least expect it and take away everything I have left. I feel so…ashamed…”

“Do you think you’re the only one who’s ashamed of their actions?” she asked in a hard voice. “I was the one who let him trample my people. I didn’t stop caring, but I cared more about other things, like my own depression. Over the last two days while you’ve lain here I’ve tried to recall how it started. It feels almost like trying to dig through a box of wet sand for marbles—but I think I’ve finally remembered the first time it happened…”

Flashback

Athena passed a row of windows that showed off the sea, making her grow stiff with rage. Her husband’s presence was beginning to fade with frightening emptiness. Days ago she’d stopped expecting him to come in, disheveled and pretending nothing was wrong.

It was past time to stop mourning and start being the queen she was. The people needed her to be strong. She would be. For them and for her children.

She opened the door to Mortesen’s study to find Rakar going through reports. He looked up, getting to his feet at once but not able to hide his astonishment.

“Sister? Did you need something?”

“It’s time I started doing my duty. The people need to see that their queen is still capable. What are these?” She picked up one letter before he could answer. “Compensation for the peasants who volunteered to fight? I’d say a gold apiece since they didn’t need to come and did anyway.”

Rakar tightened his jaw. “The treasury isn’t exactly overflowing.”

“I know what we have, and we can afford it—especially with the reparation we’ll be receiving from Gardford and Rofaki for this failed conquest of theirs. Now what else is there?”

The male hedgehog reached out, hand encircling her wrist, and she froze. His voice echoed in her ears, unnaturally loud.

“Mortesen’s death affected you more than you want to admit, Athena. Why don’t you go back to your room and I’ll take care of things until you feel better.”

He released his grip and she sagged. When Athena came back to herself, tears streamed down her cheeks and Rakar was gently supporting her by the arm.

“Rakar… I’m sorry. I thought I might be able to help, but I…I just can’t deal with anything right now.”

“Do you need me to escort you to your room?” His voice was pure compassion.

“…Yes, please.”

End of Flashback

Athena shook her head. “And that was it. One second I was determined to do what I had to do, and the next…I simply couldn’t think about anything except your father. I remember times when I wanted to do certain things or go places, but after talking it over with Rakar…suddenly they were unappealing without any valid reason.”

She met Kaze’s eyes and he could see the self-reproach in them. All this time they had been under the impression Rakar could do nothing but see people’s souls when in reality he was…affecting them and their impulses.

“Mother, if the true nature of his Royal gift really was kept a secret, I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to find out what he was capable of or what we need to do to protect ourselves from it.”

The queen gave a sigh. “We’ll figure it out somehow. But to be quite honest, there’s very little we can do. Now perhaps you can tell me what you’ve been up to in your spare time.”

Athena stepped across the room and picked up a hat lying on his writing desk. He also recognised the outfit he’d worn as Karok folded neatly beside it.

“I haven’t seen this since before you were born. Certainly brings back memories,” she said with an amount of amusement. His mother flicked her wrist, sending the hat gliding over to land on the bed beside him. “Where did you find it?”

“The Forbidden Forest. It was in a chest hidden behind the waterfall.” He touched the hat’s wide brim. “You met the last Karok?”

Athena’s laughter was so sudden and unexpected that he worried it would wake Sapphire. She didn’t stir, though, and he wondered exactly how long she’d been awake caring for him.

“Not exactly, Kaze. I was Karok. It sure has been a while since I last wore this old mask.” Athena placed it over her face, giving a mischievous grin.

The azure hedgehog gaped at this revelation. His mother was his inspiration to become the legendary masked hero?!

“HOW??”

thena pulled it off, giggling at her son's flabbergasted expression. “You look just like your father did when he found out my secret. I became ‘Karok’ to defend the commoners of Cosium from their cruel, distant ruler—similar to you. The difference is that back then I never would have expected to ascend the throne.”

Kaze stared at her, for the first time realising he’d never wondered how his parents met. He’d taken it for granted that theirs had been an arranged marriage between royalty like so many others.

“What happened?”

His mother shrugged as though the tale was nothing of consequence. “Long story short, I had a twin brother who died when we were children. My father couldn’t let his people know about it because girls were not permitted to inherit the throne of Marcuria. Instead he had me dress up as my brother, raising me to be both a prince and princess.”


“A life with two identities?” Kaze looked rueful. “I would have gone mad if I were you.”


“Sometimes it felt as though going mad would be the easier option. The truth came out eventually and my parents were forced to flee with me here to Cosium. Once they were killed, I was alone. I decided to do my best to fight the injustice of your grandfather’s reign because I had nothing else to lose. Meeting your father changed all that,” Athena said with sudden longing.


Her son’s expression took on something sullen. “With all due respect, Mother, how could you not tell this to your own children?”

“It’s a secret to everyone, not just you. People seemed to have forgotten Karok since I married your father. I never saw any particular reason to reveal it to any of you. It’s an old tale about a masked hero who appeared and disappeared nearly twenty years ago.”

“Heroine,” Kaze corrected.

“Doesn’t matter—not when you wear a mask. What does matter is that you brought relief into people's lives when they were suffering. You restored the meaning of Karok in their hearts: hope. Now that I understand you weren’t some random peasant galloping about and causing trouble, I want you to know I am proud of you, my son.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Then Kaze did a double take. “Wait a second!”

“What?”

“If this outfit was once yours, does that mean I’ve been wearing woman’s dress all this time?!” Kaze cringed at the thought, cheeks flushing red.

“How rude!” she teased with a humourous smile. “You can hardly call it a ‘dress’. It was designed for either gender. Not much point in wearing it any longer, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire kingdom knows Karok was really you by now.” She tugged his ear to get him to look up at her. “And don’t make fun of my uniform. I may not be a seamstress, but I know I did a good job. Why didn’t you come to me about this?”

Kaze pulled himself away from his mother’s clutch on his ear, and then chuckled bitterly, “I think we both know the answer to that. Benonic was gone, and every time Darren and I tried to talk to you about what was happening in the countryside, you ignored us. You’d given Rakar half the authority as regent. What was I supposed to do?”

“I’m so sorry, Kaze. Forgive me for being blind.”

“I already have, Mother. What’s past is past. We have to keep moving forward.”

“Thank you.”

Mother and son were silent until another voice broke the silence.

“Kaze…”

They both froze, eyes turning to Sapphire. The merhog shifted then raised her head. He was struck by those vivid green irises.

“Kaze!”

An instant later she practically landed on his chest, hugging tightly.

“Sapphire! No, no, don’t—!” His mother’s voice cut off and she dropped into a resigned sigh. “Too late… I’ll have some servants fill the bath until Posiden comes back to help you.”

“I don’t care, Queen Athena,” she murmured, tucking her face beneath Kaze’s chin. “He’s awake. Nothing else matters right now.”

The blue hedgehog gave her an understanding look before leaving the room to call some servants. Sapphire pushed herself up to look at him, relief in every gesture. Kaze suddenly felt bashful. He bit his lip, eyes darting to either side and then resettling on her face.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to meet the lovely Princess Sapphire of Atlantis.”

Her smile blossomed. “The blessing of the moon could not compare with the pleasure of meeting you, Prince Kaze of Cosium.”

“Then now that we’re introduced formally I’d like to say I’m glad you’re still here,” he said in a much lighter voice. “I thought you’d be in Atlantis. Mother said it’s been two days.”

“And you think I’d leave you before I knew you were alright?”

“Well, I suppose not.” He glanced at the closed door. “What was Mother upset about?”

The princess suddenly looked sheepish. “I’m sorry. I was so excited to see your eyes open I must have squeezed too hard. I’m not supposed to touch your arm, otherwise the blood will change me back.”

She sat up beside him and he could see green fins peeping from beneath the dress where her feet ought to have been. Reaching to the bedside table, Sapphire took a roll of bandages and began replacing the ones that had been bloodied during her jubilant assault.

“I don’t see any reason not to help now that I don’t need to worry about changing back.”

“But isn’t it uncomfortable?”

She carefully wound the new bandage around his arm’s stump. “The change, yes. As a sea creature on dry land, yes. Being with you, no.”

Sapphire’s eyes returned to him as he placed his hand softly against her cheek. Tenderness sparked between them. Their lips were nearly touching when—

“Kaze, Mother said you were awake and we—oh.”

Benonic and Darren stood in the doorway, appearing more than a little surprised at the sight. Seconds later a solid stream of water threw them back into the hallway and a rush of wind slammed the door closed.

“Well,” Darren said, dripping from head to toe. “I guess that means they’d like us to come back some other time.”

“Probably,” Benonic agreed, brushing the wet bangs out of his face.

---

That night Kaze felt a touch on his right shoulder—not the gentle, tentative handling of his mother or Sapphire, but rather the harshness of one who didn’t care how much it hurt him. He jerked out of sleep. A set of candles were lit on the bedside table, illuminating the familiar figure of his uncle. Red eyes stared down at him, that dreadful ambience seeping everywhere.

“Rakar…” he whispered, hardly able to speak.

“It’s time to finish what was started. I can’t leave this work half-completed.”

Kaze tried to pull away, but the shadows all around him took on material form and he couldn’t move. Before a cry could reach his lips, a gag of solid darkness stretched across his mouth. The prince was left trapped and helpless in his own bed as Rakar stood there looking on with a smirk.

“The reason weaklings survive is because the strong tolerate them. You had the potential, but you squandered it on the ones meant to serve those above their stations. Doing so elevates them above even yourself. How can you be such a fool?” A dagger with an ivory handle slipped from his sheath and he gave a sigh that sounded almost disappointed. “You could have worked with us, young Prince, but if you are not willing then there is only one outcome that—”

Loud noise came from behind as the doors flew off their hinges. A spray of pressurized water scattered over the room and Sapphire stood there, emerald eyes glittering in the dimness and long quills swaying at her hips. A bow materialised in her hands, arrow already nocked and aimed at his heart.

“The fish,” Rakar sneered, turning to face her. A filmy black shield appeared around him. “I doubt very much this will end well for you.”

The princess didn’t even reply, face darkened by a murderous anger as she released the arrow. Glowing blue lights streaked after it, then the shield cracked and splintered. Rakar’s eyes widened and he started to fling a hand up just before the shaft buried itself in his chest.

The red-brown hedgehog flew back into the wall and crumpled to the floor, blood drenching his clothes. His eyes continued to stare at Sapphire as she came forward, another arrow ready to fire.

“Master…!” he choked out.

Then his eyes lost their spark of life. Shadows gathered and the merhog could see them eating away his fur and flesh the same way Kaze’s arm had been destroyed. A sickly smell of decay filled the room, then all that remained was a skeleton. The unnatural shadows dissipated along with the last lingering sense of Rakar’s Royal gift.

Kaze pushed himself up, able to move once more, but then he fell backward again as Sapphire threw herself on him. Fear had replaced the angry resolve and she held on tightly.

The princess finally loosened her hold, staring into his face. “I was so scared! If I hadn’t felt his presence, you—you—”

The azure hedgehog reached around, hugging her as well as he could with one arm. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he actually felt free.

“It’s over thanks to you, Sapphire.”

They continued to lie there for a minute or so until she suddenly made a strange noise and pulled away.

“I-I killed him!” Her eyes were filled with disbelief and she covered her mouth. “I know he was going to kill you first, but I—I murdered someone!”

Kaze touched her elbow but she yanked away and fell off the bed. There were sounds of gagging and retching just out of sight. He couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t that long ago that he’d first killed a person. Occasionally the soldier reappeared in his nightmares.

He slipped out of bed with difficulty, going to the pull-cord that called servants. Maybe his mother could help with Sapphire too. And he was not about to sleep in that bed while his uncle’s skeleton was in the room.

---

Darren paused outside the door two days after Rakar’s death, unsure whether his presence would be an intrusion, but then he heard his brother spit out a curse. He nosed in to see Kaze trying to untangle himself from a shirt.

“Do you need some help?”

“Not unless you want your head bitten off,” he growled, finally getting out.

“Maybe I should ask Princess Sapphire to—”

“Don't you dare! I’m already helpless enough. I don’t want her thinking I can’t even get dressed on my own without making a mess of things.”

Darren picked up the clothing from where Kaze had angrily thrown it, noticing some blood staining the sleeve. “What happened?”

“What do you think? Every time I try to get it on is like a wrestling match.”

He got a new shirt from the wardrobe and started to hold it up so that Kaze could put it on without too much effort, but the azure hedgehog shook his head irritably.

“I don’t want to be treated like an infant. I might as well save myself the trouble by not wearing anything at all.”

Darren gazed at him without expression, then tossed a cape his direction. He snatched it out of the air.

“Try not to make people uncomfortable, Kaze.”

He gave his younger brother a sarcastic look and put it on, but then his eyes went wide and Kaze gripped the stump. Darren stepped over, concern all over his face.

“What’s wrong? The physician said it shouldn’t hurt anym—”

“What does he know?! He’s got both arms!” he snapped, jerking away.

His hand rubbed the arm frantically, dropping down to grab at the empty space too. Blood stained the bandage and Kaze grimaced with pain.

“Sometimes I feel like it’s still there and it itches like crazy, but then the feeling disappears. The physician didn’t warn me about that.” His hand balled into a fist. Kaze looked infuriated and gave a scathing glare to his unwelcome guest. “Just go away! I don’t need your help and I don’t want you here!”

But Darren stood there passively, staring. Kaze was nearly ready to unleash a storm of biting insults, but the black hedgehog’s words cut him off.

“I don’t mind you speaking that way to me because I know you need to vent on someone.” He crossed his arms thoughtfully and continued, “You’ve acted this way before—five years ago—and now I understand why. You’re not really angry, are you?”

Kaze looked as though he was going to explode, but then he suddenly wilted, sagging into the chair beside him. He stared at the lone hand resting in his lap and spoke in a hoarse voice, “I don’t know why I want to hurt someone right now.”

“I do,” Darren murmured, going over to stand next to him. “It’s another way to express the pain you’re feeling inside. You don’t want to keep feeling weak, so hurting someone else gives you a false sense of power.”

The hand covered his face as Kaze sat there, taking deep breaths and trying to hide his misery. “The one I really want to hurt is beyond my reach. He’s dead, but I still want to hurt him and I…can’t. I’m sorry for taking it out on you.”

The ebony hedgehog squeezed his shoulder in a sign of brotherly affection. “At least be honest with yourself about why you’re attacking others—but if you ever displace your feelings on Mother or Princess Sapphire, I will personally break the only arm you have left. Got it?”

Finally Kaze let out a chuckle, though he knew Darren was probably more serious than joking around. After a few seconds his brother gave a small grin.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked.

“No,” Kaze replied. “You can stay. It gets quite boring when Sapphire goes out to wet her tail for an hour or so. But maybe you could bring Ben here too? Things have been so hectic that it’s past time we had a proper reunion.”

---

The prince mentioned Mortesen’s message to Athena over a week after the duel. It hadn’t felt right to bring it up until Kaze was able to get around easily again because he knew he had to go along.

Kaze helped Sapphire up onto Spedso’s back and then offered a hand to his mother. She accepted, mounting the Mystical easily. The prince wore a shirt with long sleeves to hide the fact that his arm was missing, and the right one hung empty at his side.

Taking the reins, he began to lead the way into the Forbidden Forest. Their conversation was more distracted and meant to fill the silence rather than communicate with each other.

They had been traveling for most of an hour when Athena suddenly straightened. Her head twisted to one side and a second later she’d thrown herself from Spedso’s back, almost unseating Sapphire in the process. The flying horse flared its wings in surprise.

“Mother!” Kaze called, starting to run after her.

He stopped as a stag came flying out of the dense trees, turf spraying around its hooves as it came to a skidding halt in front of the queen. Athena flung her arms around its neck, burying her face in the thick, curly fur. The Mystical lowered its head, tenderly rubbing a cheek against her back and closing its eyes.

“Flora…” she whispered. “My friend, how I’ve missed you…”

Athena slid up onto the stag’s back, fingers twining into its green fur. Years had passed since she’d last seen her Mystical. It always had an impressive rack of antlers, but now there were even more prongs than she remembered.

“We can all ride now, if you wish,” she said, unable to hide her joy.

Kaze swallowed uneasily, shaking his head. Sapphire reached out and touched his shoulder, saying, “It’s alright if you need help getting up. That’s the way it is. Please don’t be ashamed.”

He hesitated, then Spedso stretched one leg forward and bent the other, lowering itself as far as it could. Allowing himself a smile, Kaze took the hint and got on, gripping the mane with his only hand and feeling the merhog princess wrapping her arms around his chest from behind.

Riding was much more difficult than he expected. If not for Sapphire he would have fallen off several times despite Spedso’s careful steps. It was simply too easy to overbalance.

They reached the bowl-shaped valley after a time, stopping to take in the sight. Grandmother Lake’s well-kept secret with the crashing waterfall and stand of weeping willows waited for them to enter, overshadowed by the Cliff of Wing.

The young couple stared, remembering their time here together. Athena’s memories of this place were interwoven with sadness and a poignant sense of loss. Mortesen had brought her here so many times… She blinked away the tears before they could fully form and nudged Flora into the valley.

Near the lake, a small white object sat beneath the largest willow as though someone had left it there to be found by them. Both Kaze and Sapphire stared at it wonderingly, convinced somehow they that they should recognise it, but Athena was the one who dismounted.

“An ocarina,” she said, bemused.

As her fingers touched it, tiny flickers of memory teased her subconscious. Black writing had been burnt into the underside of the little instrument that was shaped like a seashell, but the queen only understood the Old Tongue words for “king of wind” “memory” and something that was either “hide” or “steal”.

Grasping a large stone, Athena brought it down on the ocarina, breaking it into pieces.

Kaze and Sapphire had barely gotten off the winged horse and froze. Then her arms encircled him as she buried her face in his shirt and cried. He reached around, hugging her back.

“I knew it was you, Sapphire,” the prince whispered. “I knew something was missing and ever since you came back into my life, I’ve known somewhere inside that you were the one I was looking for.”

She quelled her tears with difficulty. “Kaze… My father has been trying to get me engaged for two years. I kept telling him I wasn’t ready, but it was a lie. I was trying to find you even though I didn’t know who you were.”

The azure hedgehog turned his eyes away from hers. “You really want someone like me?”

She reached up, touching his face with tenderness. “Kaze, the last time we were here you said you would accept me even if I was blind. Do you think the fact that you have one arm matters to me?”

A shuddering breath interrupted them and they looked back at the queen. “It felt like too much… More than I could cope with…”

She knelt beside the ocarina shards, still holding the stone as though she had no idea what to do with it now.

“I couldn’t think of anything except the wounds in my own heart… If Kaze went back to you I knew I would have to see your kind again. I didn’t want to stop hating them for what they—for what I thought they did to Mortesen. When Rakar suggested our memories be chained inside the ocarina you gave to Kaze, I… I gave in.” Athena looked up, her crimson eyes filled with pain. “I chose it. I did this to you both. I’m so sorry…”

“Mother,” Kaze whispered, hardly able to believe she could be responsible.

Sapphire walked past him, kneeling down in front of the blue hedgehog. “Queen Athena, I know you did this to try to escape more pain, and I can sympathise. What’s done is done. I promise I will never hold this against you.”

The tense lines in her face faded with the words and she took Sapphire’s hands, grateful her apology had been accepted. “Thank you, my dear.”

Kaze helped the merhog stand a minute later, then led her a short distance away as though he wanted a little privacy.

“Well, we have to get married now, don’t we?” he asked, the beginning of a smirk on his face. “After all, we’re betrothed.”

“If that was a proposal, it was a very unromantic one, Kaze,” she said with the tiniest pout.

“Does this make it better?” he asked just before pulling her close and meeting her lips.

Sapphire melted, leaning against him and closing her eyes.

---

To be continued…