Winged: Chapter 1

PORCIA

Leonidas Viotti felt the hairs on his legs dance appreciatively to the rhythm given by the wind now hitting his legs. The cliff he currently occupied was no place for him to be sitting on, especially with the storm currently brewing. The darkness slowly crept in, and he was not in the least bit scared. All he wanted to do was escape from what was behind him, the constant deathly toll of the bells that reminded him of the anniversary of his brother. He stared down at the rocks down below him, the waves had gotten angrier as they responded to the change in weather, without giving it a second thought, he threw himself off the cliff heading head first down towards his demise, shutting his eyes in anticipation for what was about to wreck his body into a black hole of pain, that would be if he didn't die immediately upon impact, but in the last moments just before what could have been the culmination of what he'd started, he spread out his wings gliding across the water silently.

He flew into the castle through the halls till he got to his destination; his pearly white wings sagged behind him as he refused to fold them in properly. His father, Lycus, stood hunched in front of him, confronted along with his battle generals as they stared at the map in front of them all eyes focused on the singular location of the point his father's finger was currently focused on discussing military tactics. His entrance changed the direction of those eyes as they landed on him, silence falling upon the room. His father's eyes were like a laser on him before he ordered for the room to be cleared.

"Where have you been for a day?" Lycus asked, taking a seat.

Leonidas knew he knew the answer but wanted him to admit it, and he gave him exactly what he wanted; there was really no use lying. "I went flying over the Alne." He silently dared his father to reprimand him, but a sigh told him such was not going to happen. Lycus smoothed the wrinkles on his forehead with his fingers.

"I feel the pain too, Leo, but he's been gone for 3 moons now. The hope I once had of finding Jodocus is almost nonexistent."

Leo could feel his anger rising. "How dare you say that? You swore to me we would never stop looking..."

He was interrupted by Lycus: "Don't talk to me in that way, boy. Your brother is gone, and you need to come to terms with that. You are the only son I have left, the future of this realm, and I will not tolerate you flying over dangerous waters, endangering your life. You will stay within the boundaries of the realm at all times. Is that understood?"

His father had stopped speaking to him as a father with the change in voice, but now as his sovereign lord, and he responded in like. "Yes, your majesty" He gave a mocking bow right at the end to finalize the display before turning around and heading out.

He could still feel his brother; people had called him loony when he'd made it known that he still felt his brother's life force through the twin bond they shared. They'd equated it to his inability to accept the reality of the situation. Jodocus was not dead; he knew it, he felt it, and he believed in his feelings no matter what his father or the people thought.

The sound of the horn which suddenly blew distracted him from his thoughts; the court messenger was here with news from around the realm and beyond. He flew to the courtroom, taking the left seat next to his father; the right empty seat felt full with memories.

The court messenger presented Agila one of the scouts, who gracefully glided into the courtroom before landing in a bow at the feet of the throne.

"Your Majesty."

Lycus raised his hand to signal Agila to get off his feet.

"What do you have for me Agila?"

"Disturbing reports from the realm, your Majesty."

Leo felt his father tense beside him as Agila continued.

"Your subjects have been disappearing with no trace."

"This could just be an anomaly," Leo spoke up out turn earning a side eye from his father.

"No, your grace. About a hundred people are now randomly missing from the kingdom as if not to arouse suspicion, the cases seem similar to how..." His train of words trailed off as he stopped speaking. "I request permission to continue speaking your majesty, as this is a delicate subject." He cast his eyes downwards as he spoke.

"Speak what's on your mind," Lycus commanded.

"Yes, my lord. It's similar to the disappearance of the prior crown prince." He looked up as if confirming to see if it was okay to continue. "People have been disappearing out of their beds."

Leo felt a spark of excitement, which caused him to leap up from his seat. "So, what you are saying is it's possible Jodocus could have been kidnapped and still be out there?"

"No, no my lord. This is all speculation we're still investigating." Agila finished leaving who the susisopn was on unsaid.

"We cannot act if nothing has been confirmed. Get more evidence and report back to me."

Leo looked at his father in shock, whose face remained unfazed. Despite the possible link to Jodocus. "Father, don't you think we should arrest the mages in the realm and see if we can get any more information about this?" He blurted out again, this time receiving a response from his father in front of the court.

"And risk a civil war amongst the mages in the Kingdom, is that what you want your people to go through due to unestablished claims?" Lycus thundered at him over the silence which befell the hall.

"No, father, I apologize for speaking out of turn."

Leo gave a bow before slowly making an exit first through everyone at court, he had been too quick to anger; he was unfit to be the crown prince he'd always known. Jodocus was meant to be the next king, but now he was weighed with the burden of trying to fill the shoes of his faultless twin and as each day passed by, his feet seemed smaller than ever. The court barely supported his claim to the throne, and that outburst he had just had solidified what they felt to be true. He needed to let off some steam, he landed on the ground as he walked over to his sword instructor and best friend.

Inaki stood leaning against a wall, eyes closed, sword at his hip ever ready. He spoke to him as he approached, eyes still shut. "What have you done again boy?" he teased him.

"I don't think you're allowed to call me that." Leo shot right back.

"Pick up a sword and do something about it then, that's if you're up for the challenge... boy."