A goblet hit the marble floor with a loud clang, echoing through the palace and marking the peak of the celebration. Sunlight poured in from gilded archways, scattering across the marble where courtiers stood in carefully arranged groups. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, broken only by the formal announcements of ministers and scholars.
The king and queen stood at the center of the room, with young Prince Theric between them. He smiled widely as he greeted each guest who came forward.
Valen was not with the royal family or mingling with the guests. He stood in a corner of the hall, holding a glass of fruit juice and watching the crowd. The people around him made him feel even more alone; servants passed by without noticing him, and nobles whispered and glanced at him with little warmth. The sense of separation weighed on him, making him feel isolated. Even though he and Theric were brothers, the gap between them felt much wider than just a social difference, and Valen was painfully aware of how distant he had become.
Valen sighed and stared into his cup of juice. "What am I even here for?" he muttered, stopping his stirring to glance at the large mirror on the nearby wall.
Valen had once been called a prodigy by the royal family. He remembered a knighthood ceremony from his childhood, when the hall was beautifully decorated, and the entire court gathered to watch. The king gave him a ceremonial sword and called him a worthy heir to Maltheris's first hero. In those moments, his father seemed proud and affectionate, and the queen smiled with pride at her son. The king would have done anything for Valen then, and he favored Valen's mother above all his other wives, calling her his true love even though he had many wives and concubines.
However, young Valen remained unaware that the expressions of love and affection he received from his father were conditional, driven less by a genuine familial bond than by the obligations and expectations inherent in their roles as monarch and heir.
"How is your training going, Valen?" the king asked young Valen, who was seated on the other side of the table they shared.
"... My training hasn't been going as smoothly as I expected it would," Valen responded as he smiled awkwardly.
"What do you mean?" the king asked, his tone suddenly sharp, almost like he was questioning a prisoner. The mood in the room shifted, and even the knights outside the door felt a chill.
However, Valen was oblivious to this and continued speaking with no care in the world, "He even tried to-"
"Did you not hear me ask you a question?" the king's voice interrupted Valen as he was speaking.
"I asked what you meant by 'Training not going well,' " the king added as he stared at Valen intently.
Valen paused, his eyes instinctively dropping to the floor as he searched for the right words. "I meant it wasn't going as smoothly as I expected, not that the training itself was lacking or I was not training as I was supposed to," Valen said, beginning to feel the tension in the air.
"Hahaha," the king laughed as he heard what Valen had just said, cleaning the tears from his eyes from excessive laughter.
"You should have said that from the start next time. Don't beat around the bush—just say it, or you might give me the wrong idea," he said as his laughter faded.
"Y-yes, father," Valen responded with a look of confusion and relief on his face.
What was all that tension about? Was it coming from my father? No, that can't be it. Why would Father be upset with me? It was probably nothing, Valen thought as he kept talking with his father.
Valen stood alone at the edge of the hall, looking at his reflection in the mirror. As he stared at himself, the busy scene around him faded, and memories of happier times came back. The sound of his father's laughter echoed in his mind, pulling him deeper into his thoughts.
"Valen," a voice called from behind, pulling him back into the present moment.
"What are you doing here alone?" Theric asked as he approached Valen,
"....Nothing, brother, I'm just enjoying the view, I prefer to watch the people enjoy themselves rather than join them," Valen said sarcastically.
A hint of tension showed on Theric's face. The slight twitch at his mouth and the brief sadness in his eyes showed he was worried and disappointed, struggling to connect with Valen.
Theric began to speak, "..... Hey Valen, why don't you come with me to-" just as he was talking, Valen cut in,
"I have something else to do, I'll pass," he said as he walked past Theric, walking towards the exit of the hall.
Seeing this, Theric became even more determined to stop Valen. He reached out and said, "Wait, Valen, it's just a—"
"WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP AND GET A HINT, THERIC?" Valen said, angrily, as he turned to look back at Theric, who stood there stunned.
The hall became silent as Valen's voice was loud enough to draw the guests' attention. Murmurs began circulating through the hall as attendees questioned Valen's behavior. From one corner, a whisper sliced through the crowd: "Does he think he's still a prodigy? He's no Hero." The sting of the comparison hung in the air, sharpening the gazes and whispers of those gathered. In that moment, Valen felt the familiar weight of judgment settle over him, amplifying his sense of inadequacy. The realization that he was measured solely against the mythic expectations of heroism intensified his estrangement.
"Why was he even brought here to begin with?"
"I see why people say he lacks the quality of a hero."
"Silence"
A voice interrupted, and the hall went quiet. The king had spoken, and no one dared to say anything else. The courtiers all bowed together, their respect for the king clear as they lowered their heads. This show of obedience made the king's authority feel even heavier, and the sense of dread in the room grew.
The king walked toward Valen and Theric, his footsteps echoing through the hall.
"What happened?" He asked, and both Theric and Valen had their faces turned downwards so as not to look directly into the king's eyes.
The king's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Explain," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for hesitation. Everyone in the room felt a chill as the authority in his voice demanded an immediate response.
"Kawkawkaw." The magical musical bird, previously responsible for providing melody during the celebration, began to frantically kaw and flap its wings, its distress sharply contrasting the earlier harmony. The disruption drew the guests' attention and heightened the tension in the hall, reflecting the emotional turmoil stirred by the incident between Valen and Theric. The bird's owner attempted to calm his familiar, whispering, "Amy, calm down... please," but the bird continued its agitated cries, underscoring the unease permeating the room.
A vein appeared on the king's forehead as his face grew darker. The bird's cries and flapping grew louder, and then, in an instant, it turned to ash.
Gasps could be heard from the crowd, as they all looked in horror at a once living summon that was now a pile of dust.
Valen, seeing this, felt a strange detachment as his body betrayed him. His leg wobbled, threatening to buckle under the weight of his despair, and his chest tightened painfully, every breath a struggle against the invisible grip of panic. The rhythmic thud of his heartbeat was like drums pounding in his ears, drowning out distant whispers that faded into distorted echoes. The world around him blurred, a whirlpool of colors and sounds spinning out of control. In a desperate instinct, Valen clutched the fabric on his chest, trying to steady his frantic breathing as his eyes darted to his father. He reached out, his fingers brushing against the king's robe, seeking anything solid to anchor him. Instead, he found only the cold contempt in his father's eyes—a look of disgust that pushed him further into the storm within.
A single tear streamed down Valen's face as he looked up and saw the expression on his father's face as he stretched his hand to him for help.
After a short time, Valen let go of the king's robe as he began to fall to the ground, passing out slowly.
The king stood there unmoved as he saw his eldest son lying on the floor,
"Pathetic," the king said as he looked at the passed-out Valen, who lay on the floor.
"VALEN!!" Valen's mom shouted as he ran to where Valen was lying and picked him up, trying to wake him up as tears streamed down her face.
"How could you?..." She said as she looked up at the king, who still stood there unmoved by the scene unfolding before him.
"HE REACHED OUT TO YOU FOR HELP... WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?" Valen's mom said, crying uncontrollably as she held Valen in her arms.
The king still stood there, still not moved by his wife's actions,
"Take them out of my sight," he said, and immediately, armed guards walked in and tried to strip Valen away from the queen.
"No, stop it.. don't you dare touch him," she said as he shielded Valen from the guards.
"I said take them out, did I not?" As the king said this, the guards immediately grabbed Valen from the queen, grabbed the queen by the shoulders, and began dragging them out.
"F-Father i-" Theric, who was witnessing all of this, tried speaking.
"Quiet, you," the king said as he stared at Theric, who immediately swallowed back the words he was about to say.
The hall was silent as no one dared say a word; all they could do was watch as the scene unfolded before them.
As the door closed behind the guards, its heavy thud echoed through the silent hall, marking the end of the scene. The king sighed and looked over the guests, whose faces showed shock and fear, frozen by what had just happened. No one spoke, as if the tension in the room kept everyone from even breathing, leaving a heavy, uneasy silence.
Seeing this, the king said, "It's over, all of you are free to leave," as he walked towards the exit, the silence still resonating in the hall, disturbed only by his footsteps.
Then the door closed again, leaving the guests confused about what had just happened.