Summary:
How two very different beings and polar opposites first met, and how the light was brought to the dark and a new experience was brought to both.
Warning:
Cliffhanger-ish ending and fairly fluffy, if this even counts as a warning?? It makes even me want to read more about what the hell happened??? Also, the expectedly unexpected is as expected.
There was once a land that was engulfed in darkness. In the sky far above was the kingdom of elements where the Kings of five elements lived, the King of Fire called Tempris, the King of Water called Rayne, the King of Earth called Claye, the King of Wind called Gale, and the King of Light called Luminous. Below the lifeless earth was a kingdom of darkness where the lone King of Darkness resided. One day, the King of Light realized that, although the underworld was far out of their reach and the darkness was too powerful for them to fight, it was possible for all elements to touch the middle earth and create a unique harmony that can birth new life.
King Luminous, proposed this idea to the others and they though it would be a wonderful thing to create a neutral land for all beings and elements to come together and develop in harmony with one another. That was not all, of course. How could the five kings no think of their greed and expanding their domains when the more influence they have the stronger they are. There was but one issue, however. Who would be willing to go to ask the terrifying King of Darkness to willingly relinquish his partial control of that land when there was little to gain and much to lose?
It was at this time that the youngest son of the King of Light, Aura, thought this a chance to prove himself to his strict and scrupulous father and therefore volunteered. Before the King of Light could say otherwise, the other Kings pounced at the chance, not wanting to risk themselves or their own children since the King of Darkness was known to have an unpredictable temperament, making it impossible to know his thoughts or desires.
The King of Light knew he could no longer refute the other kings as the idea was originally his own, so once he and his children had returned to their home, Aura was scolded dearly.
"The King of Darkness is a vile beast!" The King of Light lectured his beloved youngest child, "He drinks the blood of the living creatures he decides to prey upon! He has been witnessed to consume flesh and corrupt innocent beings for fun, and yet you stupidly agreed to walk right into where his hands can reach you! It is too late to withdraw now, so you must be brave. You must watch your words and actions at all times or even all of Sky Realm together will be unable to help you at all my silly son."
Aura who did not know or hear of the Dark King's temperament until then was suddenly regretting his brash actions, but refused to back out, and was thus sent into the Dark King's domain with no way out and no one to help him. He had only his own thoughts and prayers to accompany him during his journey.
Soon enough he was approached by one of the Dark King's retainers, Shade, who had been sent as a guide, and questioned on the reason for his advancement into their domain.
"I am the youngest son of the King of Light, Aura. The Five Sky Kings have a proposition and request for the Dark King and I was sent as an envoy." Aura explained. Shade examined the other. A youthful face, pale skin, long loose hair like a waterfall of golden silk, and eyes like the brightest blue sky. He wore cloud white robes adorned with golden threads and had a large hood over his head making it difficult to see his face. Upon examination, Shade, came to the conclusion the youth likely was the envoy from the letter his king had received and he granted the other permission to enter the Dark King's castle and wait for the an audience if his ruler so chose to allow it. Just as Shade examined the youth, Aura did the same. A sturdy and strong build, hands covered in callouses from training with weapons, short black hair, black eyes, and a mature chiseled face that only seemed to hold a stern look much like his father's. He could not stop the sense of familiarity within his heart and became much more relaxed then he had been before arrival, especially when he thought over the other's quiet temperament.
Aura and Shade spoke back and forth as they continued their way to the castle and slowly, Aura learned that despite the others lack of expression on his face, he was a kind soul who greatly looked up to and worshiped the Dark King.
"If only we could find something to make him happy," Lamented Shade, his sadness only clear in his eyes, "The king is powerful, he deeply cherishes all his citizens and abhors criminals, and yet is also very understanding. His only shows of cruelty are towards the unforgivable and enemies who hurt those close to him. Yet, despite his power and position, despite the love and reverence everyone in the underworld has for him, he rarely smiles or shows much joy." Aura was taken aback at what he had heard.
A good king? He only hurts bad people? Why is it he had heard so differently during his entire journey to the outer edges of the underworld? Why is it that the expressionless man showed sadness at his king's troubles? Aura even began to wonder if was being tricked but as he traveled closer to the center of the underworld where the castle was, the more he saw the people living there worshiping their king's every word and action. The entire underworld could not be in on this scheme, could they? Were they all being tricked too or were the Citizens of the Sky Realm misunderstanding something? Aura could not understand the discrepancies, and simply decided to discard any expectations he had held until then.
Soon enough, Aura had reached the castle and was asked to wait in a room as they notified the Dark King of his arrival, during which Aura spoke with some of the maids and butlers and quickly befriended such amiable people. It seemed that the people of the underworld were... more outgoing than those in the Sky Realm. Once Shade had returned Aura steeled himself to meet the king only to hear the king did not want to meet with him. It seemed the reason was... he didn't feel like it. Shade chuckled at Aura's gobsmacked expression and told the youth that although the Dark King was a great ruler, he was rather whimsical and that despite his refusal to meet, the youth was allowed to stay within the castle grounds and do as he wished so long as he caused no trouble or went to meet the king directly.
Confused and not knowing what to do, Aura asked Shade for what actions he should take next. Shade simply nodded as told the youth to 'do as you wish,' before leaving to continue his original guard duties. Aura spent the day simply sitting around and exploring the halls of the lower castle. He was brought three meals a day and provided with anything he needed, yet he was not spoiled, nothing was requested of him, and the king refused to meet with him. Aura was lost as for what to do with his time since he could not leave before meeting with the king.
One day, when venting his frustrations to a kind maid called Umbra, she told him that the castle had a library that the workers and visitors were allowed to use that was separate from the royal archives and the king's personal library, so he was allowed to use it as well. This shocked Aura since back home, lower class workers were not usually not allowed castle library permissions, and what shocked him even more was that small public libraries littered the underworld's lands, making them commonplace.
Soon enough, the library was a frequent destination of his, but much to his dismay, even after more than two months of waiting, the Dark King still refused to see him but did not kick him out. Aura, though distressed, still made sure to send back at least a letter to his father to tell him he was alive and well. During this time where he awaited an audience with the king, Aura grew close to the castle staff and would often help them with their work and chores since he was grateful to them for their constant kindness.
Of course, not everyone was welcoming, but he paid those few people no mind. One day, while helping the gardener take care of the plants in the palace garden, Aura encountered something amazing, or rather, someone. A tall man with the most handsome face Aura had ever seen and onyx colored eyes standing right before a bush of white roses the gardener had planted for Aura. He had long black hair that reached his waist and was barely tied back with two braids that came together at the center of the back of his head. The man wore a soft expression and had lazy, yet had such sad looking eyes.
"Hello there, I've not seen you before sir." Aura said to the unknown man, who was startled at his sudden speaking and quickly turned towards him. The man looked at him before nodding, not saying much. Aura was already used to this as Shade often did the same, so he simply carried on by himself. "Do you perhaps like the roses?" he asked. The unknown man nodded his eyes alternating between the roses and Aura. Aura saw this and laughed lightly at the man's cute behavior.
"I've not seen them before." The unknown man spoke in a deep melodious voice, sending chills down Aura's spine. His eyes finally locked onto Aura before narrowing some. The youth could not help but compare the man before him to a lazy black panther as even his clothes were made of black and silver linings. The unknown man was better dressed than most workers at the castle, but Aura has seen some of the visiting nobles and they were definitely more fancily dressed than this man, so he could not help but assume the other was but a mid-level worker on a break or something of the like. Aura smiled as he replied.
"Yes, the kind head gardener recently planted them for me after he jokingly compared me to one." He said, raising a hand and failing to try and stifle a chuckle and the memory of the gardeners great exaggerations. The man firmly nodded.
"I can see why, he did good." He added with a straight face and level tone, to which Aura could no longer suppress his laughter, he thanked the man for his complement as continued to laugh. The man's eyes widened at the sight of Aura's outburst. To that man, it was as if the sun had moved from it's place in the sky and stood before him, blindingly bright, yet he found himself unable to look away. "I don't recognize you."
"Ah! Yes, sorry for my late introduction," Aura said, wiping a tear from his eye caused by his heavy laughter, "My name is Aura, I am the envoy of the Sky Realm here to speak with the Dark King." The mysterious man looked surprised. He glanced at the other's garden work clothing which did not fit an envoy's image to which Aura explained he was helping out the gardener as thanks for the nice flowers he was given.
"You are the envoy? Then, may I ask why you haven't gone home yet? The king has refused to see you for nearly three months by now, no?" The mysterious man asked. Aura frowned at his question and simply pulled the pruning tools out of the bag he carried with him and going to work on the bushes.
"That's right." Aura spoke with displeasure, "The Dark King refuses to meet me simply because he doesn't wish to and I have no clue what to do about this. It's not like I can force him to meet with me and I have nothing to offer him in return for a meeting, but I cannot return home until I do..... I mean no disrespect by saying this but as I have met with many royalty and nobility in the upper kingdoms, it seem to me that you have a truly odd king." Aura sighed with a bitter smile. "Now that I think about it, I've not seen you before either, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name, funny gentleman?" Aura chuckled as he recalled the earlier complement.
"Ehn... Call me Vilis." The man, Vilis, said quietly.
"Vilis, a pleasant name. It means ' Misty Night' in the old tongue, does it not?" Aura asked with a soft smile. Vilis took a moment before replying with a nod. Aura continued, "May I ask what you do here? You don't have to answer, I'm simply asking because we have not seen each other before despite my time here."
"Hmn... Well, I... fill out papers, talk to people, give signatures, and approve or disapprove things. I don't take many breaks unlike today. My assistant kicked me out of my office and told me to rest for at least an hour and a half before returning, so I didn't know what to do." Vilis said as though he was unsure of it himself, which Aura found painfully adorable and hilarious. After all, not many people are told to stop working.
"You must be a hard worker then." Aura gazed upon Vilis' face with narrow eyes, almost adoringly. "That's good, but don't forget to take care of yourself. I've heard the king here also does nothing but work which greatly worries the palace workers for his health, if you do the same, others will be fretting over you as well." Aura said as though speaking to a child. Vilis was halfway through a nod before he paused.
"Will I... get see you again if I do?" Vilis asked as though he was confused of his own words. Aura was surprised but quickly smiled and said he would like that and to be here at lunch tomorrow so they could eat and take a break together. Even Aura himself was surprised how Vilis, who was taller, larger, and seemingly stronger than him, could resemble a shy child making him want to care for and protect the older man from the cruelties of life even if it sounded silly.
True to their promise, they both met up where the white rose bush was planted the next day, even if Vilis was somewhat late due to work. They walked silently together to a bench at a rarely visited edge of the garden. Once they took a seat and opened their packed lunches they began conversing about mundane things such as their recent experiences, their likes and dislikes. It was a simple but pleasant and calming experience for the both of them, and like this much time passed. During this time, Aura discovered that rather than being innocent or naive, Vilis had seen more of the world than others making him cherish every little thing so much more than the common person and that he held a vast expanse of wisdom but always held an open mind. Aura once joked that perhaps Vilis could be fit to be king to which he received a somber response.
"No, neither he nor I are fit to rule." Vilis said as though he had not just insulted the most cherished person in the unground and castle, and the sole king of the underworld. Aura was so astonished by what he heard he nearly choked on his food.
"You are the first person I've met since my arrival to say such a thing, what makes you think as such?" Aura questioned.
"You know of his poor personality as you have been subject to it since your arrival with his refusal to meet with you, so perhaps you have not heard of his horrendous war crimes? Maybe you have not seen the extent of his whimsical nature or uncaring and indifferent rulings? I have, and he is not fit to be enthroned and as worshiped as he is. However, I am no better. I, too, have much blood on my hands, I have done many bad things, and taken many cruel actions despite knowing they would harm people."
Aura sat silently as Vilis spoke and even afterwards, their lunch continued in silence.
"I don't think that is entirely right," Aura said in a light daze as the other man's words seem to echo within his head and affect him more than he thought they would. "If the Dark King was truly as terrible as you say, the people of his kingdom would not cherish him so much as to cling to his every word in announcements and worry for his health if he were to overwork himself. These things would be unimaginable for most rulers. He is indeed a whimsical person and his thoughts are hard to comprehend even for his aides as I have met a few, but even so they care for him and support him."
"The Dark King, as the sole ruler of the underworld has the right to be somewhat whimsical if he so feels like it, he has the power and position to do so, yet he never does so in a way that would cause any serious troubles. And war crimes you say? What action of his can you so one-sidedly call a horrendous war crime? He is a lone ruler, the complete monarch of the underworld who even has a hold on the middle earth, the stress he must feel to hold such a position would likely drive anyone mad. Slaughtering his enemies? If he shows any leniency, as a lone ruler with no other kingdoms to support him, he would be called weak and his people would be attacked." Aura stared straight into Vilis' surprised eyes.
"And you, I may not have known you long, but even with my shallow knowledge I know you are a person who considers his every word and action greatly before acting. The blood on your hands is likely only there because you had no other option, otherwise why would someone like you, who even went so far out of your way as to help me save measly bird before, take a life when you value it so much. Taking cruel actions you say? How many people were harmed and how many were saved? How many future people would be helped by it? I've heard you speak of your co-workers, and of the people you manage, and even I can see ever so clearly how much you consider all of their positions before doing something that you think will benefit the majority. You are just and fair, and I do think you could rule. I truly believe that If you were to say otherwise, than not to mention kings, you could never call someone else a good person ever again."
Once Aura stopped speaking, complete silence engulfed them. They simply looked at one another for an unknown amount of time, and just as Aura was about to ask if he had said too much, Vilis dropped what remained of his meal and hugged Aura so tightly he nearly couldn't breath. He was tempted to say something but when he felt the light tremors in the other's body he could not bring himself to do so.
"...."
"...."
"....Thank you... Really..... Th... thank you....." Vilis said ever so softly, as though the wind could very well have stolen his words away if it had blown just then. He withdrew his arms, releasing the poor victim of his iron grip. When Aura looked at the others face contorted with countless emotions and with the corner of his eyes reddend, he felt something odd stir within the pit of his stomach. Soon enough Vilis' face returned to normal after he had picked up the wasted remains of his lunch. Just as it was time for them to leave to their respective places, Vilis called out to the younger man.
"Yes?" Aura said looking at the conflicted expression on the other's face.
"I'm... If you managed to get an audience with the king... would you leave? Would... would you not be willing to stay for anything?" Vilis asked as emotions uncharacteristically swirled within his words and his eyes held an unsure look. Aura felt his mouth go dry.
"Do... you want me to stay?" Aura asked. Vilis cautiously nodded.
"This... is odd for me to say, especially now, but I... enjoy spending time with you and being with you. I enjoy joking and discussing things with you. We... don't know each other very well so I'd like to change that and for us to... see each other more often?" The man continued hesitantly contemplating his words before quickly adding "Of course if you don't want to that's fine! After all, you've been far from home for so long, who wouldn't miss it, right?" After a moment of silence Vilis made a slightly hurt expression. "I underst-"
"Alright." Aura cut him off.
"?"
"I think... I'd really like to get to know you better." Aura said with a light blush on his face. "Of course, after I speak to the king, if that ever happens, I'd still have to go home for some time to speak with my family and convey the king's words." Suddenly Vilis smiled more brightly and warmly than Aura had ever seen before. Vilis quickly grabbed the younger man's hand and spoke with a stern tone.
"Then, before everything else I need to tell you that I've lied to you before and that I wish to be honest with you from now on."
"You've lied to me? About what?" Aura frowned lightly. He did not appreciate being lied to, but the the other man was being honest about it and was willing to come forth about it before their relationship progressed any further which clearly showed how serious he was about this matter.
"I can't really tell you right now, but tomorrow... You'll know everything tomorrow. I know what it isn't right to put this off any longer, but I think... Things will become very confusing if I tell you about it now."
"Confusing?"
"You'll know what I mean by then, I promise. I'm very sincere about my feelings but if you change your mind once you know the truth, I won't blame you or hold it against you." Vilis confessed with a pained but sincere expression that Aura simply felt he should not deny the others words.
"Alright then. Tomorrow." Aura agreed. Vilis squeezed his hands for a moment and thanked him deeply before releasing his hands and returning, leaving a shocked Aura to process everything that just happened. The moment everything that had just happend finished setting in, he turned redder than strawberries and suddenly curled up to hide his face. He had been liking the man for a while now and he suddenly finds out the feelings are mutual!? And now he had to wait until tomorrow to find out what exactly he had been lied to about? However, Vilis doesn't seem like the type to lie without reason? Could is be some severe secret? Aura felt his heart wouldn't be able to take it if he continued his current train of thought so he decided to simply go back, read a book until dinner time and sleep.
Much to his surprise, he didn't struggle as much as he thought he would when falling asleep. Perhaps it was the odd feeling of assurance he felt.
After waking the next day and eating breakfast, Aura received some news that really did make him choke on his food.
"Th-The Dark King is willing to see me? Today? Soon you say? I- I need to be prepared in a few hours??" The youth questioned everything he heard as though he couldn't believe it. After nearly six months the king was finally willing to see him, but why did it have to be today when he was going to see Vilis?! Aura had a bad feeling about this, could Vilis have been close to the king so he made this meeting happen to come forth about his position? Ah, just thinking about all those times he complained about the king right to his aide made his head hurt. However if he truly were the king's aid, why would he say the things he had said yesterday?
After what felt like only a short time, Aura was brought to the audience chamber by Shade who said nothing the whole way there, making him feel tense. Aura wore the proper envoy's clothes with the hood pulled up and walked in with head down. He kneeled a proper distance from the throne before giving his greetings.
"Oh King of Darkness and sole ruler of the underworld, I am honored to be allowed this audience with you today. My humble name is Aura, youngest son the the King of Light." Aura greeted formally.
"My greetings to the tenacious envoy Aura. My name is Hayze. You may remove your hood and stand, as for your proposal, I've long considered it and today is simply a formal agreement." A familiar yet unfamiliar voice spoke, making Aura tense. As he did as he was told, he felt he body freeze, his blood run cold, and his heart nearly stop. The one sitting on the throne with such a cold expression was... the man he thought was Vilis. Vilis, no, Hayze was the Dark King. Indeed this is a rather important matter to clear up before starting a relationship with someone. There was only a momentary pause before Aura continued.
"I see, I thank you for your grace, your Majesty. I shall convey your words the the Kings of the Sky Realm." Aura bowed and spoke.
"Please do, may you be safe on your travels." Hayze said sternly before standing up and leaving the audience chamber first. Aura's eyes followed his figure only to bare catch sight of the other's tightly clenched hands
Aura couldn't quite remember what happened after that, when he came to himself, he was already packing is items that same night to prepare to leave tomorrow.
What... will become of their relationship next, Aura could not help but wonder.
4438 words, a fair amount, no? I'm rather lazy and my ADD and ADHD make it rough on me, so please don't expect long chapters from me. That aside, I based this on a BL manga I once read. Any guesses anyone? I'll take a request from the first person so get it right, though please don't expect too much from me. (; ^w ^)
