The sting of betrayal caused by Leon affected me more than I cared to admit. So I wrote this short fan fiction to get the grief out of my system so that both me and my MC can recover from it and move on.
Anyway, enjoy. And feel free to point out any grammatical mistakes I’ve made so I can make corrections and improve my English language skills.
He Who Abandons Is Not Worthy
Standing near the edge of Arcadia, Alex looks into the indigo, starry night sky beyond. He thinks back on the times, the simpler times of his life, he had with the White Fangs. He thinks about the other members of the White Fangs, his old friends.
His best friends.
And he misses them dearly.
He thinks about Ilya.
He thinks about Saine.
….And he thinks about Leon.
Yes, even Leon. That noble-hearted, carefree Sun Prince who turned into the severe King of Param. He still can’t believe the king was so swift to call for his execution. He thought they were friends, and that they trusted each other.
He wonders when it was that Leon has changed.
And Leon’s last words to him were hurtfully scalding: “You will burn like the traitor you are, Selencal. May your death grant peace to all the souls you’ve murdered.”
He has tried his best to forgive Leon. But the sting of betrayal cuts too deep for him to overlook.
Tears run down his cheeks, and he makes no effort to stop them. He only stops himself from fully breaking down lest he attracts unwanted attention. He continues gazing at the stars through blurry vision.
Mere moments later, he hears soft footsteps approaching him from behind. He can already guess who they belong to, for they are ones he is very familiar with. And if he still has any doubt, the familiar scent of mixed wet earth and juniper trees dispels it.
“Alexis, are you alright?” Eli asks gently.
Alex wipes his tears with his sleeve. “Eli…” he croaks weakly, not turning around to face the older mage.
Eli walks up to him and gently turns him around to face him. The older mage is regarding him with that all-too-familiar expression of concern. “What happened?” Eli asks. “Did someone hurt you?”
Alex shakes his head. “No.”
Eli is silent for a moment, then gently says, “Want to talk about it?”
Alex hesitates for a moment before he answers, “I was just….thinking about my friends in Param.”
It takes Eli barely a moment to venture a guess. “And you are thinking about that Parami king who has failed you, as a friend?”
At this, Alex burst into tears again and sobs uncontrollably. Eli guides Alex’s head to rest on his shoulder and holds him firmly in his arms.
“Alexis,” Eli says gently even as Alex weeps into his shoulder. “Your tears are precious. That man who gave up on you isn’t worthy of them.” He rubs Alex’s back soothingly. “You shouldn’t waste your tears on him.”
Alex realises that Eli has a point. He sniffles, “I’m crying for Leon. He died on the day of his coronation.”
Eli is silent for several heartbeats as he continues rubbing Alex’s back before he gently says, “I see. I see.”
Alex has no doubt that the older mage understands what he means. Truly, no one in the world knows him like Eli does.
Alex has decided right there and then that the Parami king is not the Leon he knew. The last time he saw the real Leon was the night of the celebration for their victory in reclaiming Param, where he departed for Thaubal’s laboratory halfway through. Leon, along with Saine and Ilya, were there at the palace gates to see him off. That image of his three best friends standing close together and seeing him off with bittersweet smiles, that last memory of Leon he has, will be one that he will always cherish and hold dear.
Perhaps it was a blessing that he didn’t—couldn’t—attend Leon’s coronation. Because then he would have witnessed the death of Leon and the birth of the new Parami king who would eventually sentence him to death.
With some efforts, Alex stops the flow of his tears and composes himself. He breaks away from Eli’s embrace and regards the older mage with resolution. “My friend Leon is dead,” he says. “That Parami king is but a murderous king who wears his face, and his name is Leomar.”
Eli simply nods in response.
And I won’t shed a tear for that murderous king, Alex silently promises himself.
As if hearing his thought, Eli gives Alex a small smile, one that says he is glad Alex has found a way to heal from that sting of betrayal that has been hurting him for too long.
“Come, Alexis.” Eli places a hand on Alex’s back and gently guides him away from the edge. “Let’s take you back to your quarters.”
Alex nods, ready to retire for the night. He casts a look at the starry night sky, across which shooting stars streak—where stars fall, once more before walking away from the edge with Eli.
