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trashjuicesmidrewrite · 10 days ago

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Episode 9 •3• (MID Rewrite)

Okay so just so no ones confused I renamed Lady Bish to Lady Ki so I could take her character more seriously and I renamed Rhal to Hitoma so I wouldn’t go through the earth shattering, mind numbing amount of embarrassment that’d come with misspelling his name, autocorrect changing it to Rhys, and then not noticing it before I post the ep. (Basically it’s just a bunch of quality of life stuff for me lmao) That’s all I wanted to say I shall not yap for 10000 lines like I did last ep lol. OMG LAST MINUTE NOTE TUMBLR FREAKED OUT ON ME AND SHOWED ME A BLANK DRAFT AND FOR A SECOND I THOUGHT I LOST ALL MY PROGRESS 😭 (luckily tumblr was just being goofy)

Episode 9: Qualities of a King

Hitoma adjusted the collar of his new royal garments. He’s wanted something like this for ages, to wear a title such as king proudly and be able to flaunt it with nothing but a few pieces of clothing.

He was wearing a black silk jacket buttoned up with tiny bits of gold on the side. It was adorned with designs of rising red flames growing scarce as they went higher up on his torso and arms.

His pants were similar, except they were missing the red flames. A crimson red sash went across Hitoma’s torso, spelling out Chikara in their native tongue in golden letters. Perfect. It was all absolutely perfect

Except it wasn’t, and Hitoma couldn’t ignore it any longer. The elephant in the room was right next to him, flaunting its new garments the exact same way he was. It deserved it less. He knew it did.

This person was Lady Ki, or as it was now, Queen Ki. Hitoma vowed to never call her that.

She smoothed some wrinkles that were in her black silk dress. It was loose and slightly baggy in order to promote the modesty that came with being queen in Chikara. It was adorned with the same pattern that was in Hitoma’s clothes, but a bit more flowy.

Due to Lady Ki’s…body type…it happened to fit on her more than it should. She didn’t seem to care though, at least not as much as some guards Hitoma has consistently gotten on to.

Lady Ki looked over to the man with disapproval. “Your hair, you should fix it.” She stated.

Hitoma’s hair was styled as professional as it could be in a shaggy haircut. He’s wanted to cut it, but all the work and public appearances one has to make when king has stopped him

“I…more than likely would’ve had time if you had told me we were going to see Mothando today.” Said Hitoma passive aggressively.

Lady Ki hadn’t told Hitoma anything of what she was doing. He believed that she should at least be transparent about simple things, yet she wasn’t. It made him mad, but being pissy about it wasn’t going to do anything.

Lady Ki glared over at Hitoma. “You could always tell me what makes you so angry. Asking me about things is always an option as well.” She sassed.

“What’s the point?!” Snapped Hitoma. He took a deep breath to calm down. “No matter what, it feels like you’re lying to me. If I ever have to-“

“Kill me so you can hog all this power? You truly are an exact copy of your father.” Interrupted Lady Ki with a sly look in her eyes.

Hitoma looked at the woman shocked, mouth agape. He didn’t dare try to speak, fearing that he’ll stutter. He looked at his own reflection in the mirror.

A well kept secret between him and his father of what he saw that night. How did Lady Ki know? When did she find out?

“He told me a bit ago before he died.” She answered, seemingly reading Hitoma’s mind. “I trust that you know better than to simply use me.”

The new king wasn’t paying attention to Lady Ki at all, choosing to remember that night.

Watching Yakedo rip apart his mother out of anger. Seeing the blood that coated almost the entire room. His mother had struggled. She fought, but was no match.

He remembers cowering in fear after his father met his eyes, his whole body covered in his mother’s blood. “Hitoma. Come here.” He said, not making a single move.

At the time, he couldn’t do anything but listen to his father. Yakedo hugged him tightly. It felt real, and he didn’t want anything else other than to feel his father hug him like this again.

Despite this, Hitoma knew it was to hold him still. “Don’t tell anyone of this. Not even your brother.”

Hitoma had abided by that order for over a decade. Asch still thinks their mother was killed while protecting them from intruders.

“…I apologize.” Said Lady Ki.

Hitoma was so surprised by the sudden words he jumped a bit. He looked at the woman who for once looked remorseful.

“It was out of line for me to say such a thing. I shall be more truthful to you.” She continued, looking straight into Hitoma’s eyes.

The king hadn’t noticed how “catching” Lady Ki’s eyes were. It honestly made his chest feel tight, but he tucked that feeling away.

Hitoma cleared his throat. “Shall we get going?” He asked. Lady Ki nodded, and they were on their way to Umnotho.

A guard escorted the two to a carriage made specifically for Chikarian royalty. Wood painted black to make it blend in and look menacing. War horses that are nothing but slightly injured, reduced to leading this.

They had entered the back of the carriage, and the coachman removed the privacy guard temporarily.

“It’s an honor to be carrying you two to Umnotho today.” He said. “I must ask though, where exactly will I be dropping you off?”

Hitoma waited for Lady Ki to answer, but she never did. He looked over to her, and she seemed frustrated with something.

“I’m afraid Mothando did not tell me.” She finally said, “Taking us to Umnotho territory to get there shouldn’t be harmful.”

The coachman nodded and raised back up the privacy guard. The royalty could feel the slow start up of the carriage before they were on the move.

Hitoma looked over to Lady Ki. “I don’t know much about Mothando, but from what I’ve heard from Yakedo, she’s not one to forget something like that.”

Lady Ki looked away. “I forgot.” She simply said.

She seemed genuinely embarrassed at this, and Hitoma really wanted to laugh. He didn’t want to make Lady Ki feel bad about this though.

Then again, a part of him thought it was humorous that if he did the exact same thing he’d be getting an earful.

It was quite a while before they started riding on Umnotho land. Hitoma remembers all of the arguments and close calls his father had with Mothando. He always thought it was foolish, but he wouldn’t even be here if he voiced his concerns.

“Hitoma, you’ll be talking to Amahle. That’s the princess.” Stated Lady Ki.

The king looked at her with surprise. “Shouldn’t I be talking to Mothando? This should be a team effort, shouldn’t it?” He asked.

Lady Ki sighed, “We’ll have to make outings like this frequently. Amahle will be showing you around the palace whilst talking to you about Umnotho culture.”

Hitoma had a concerned look in his eyes that Lady Ki couldn’t help but notice.

She cupped his cheek, “I promise everything will be fine between me and Mothando. I have everything covered.” She reassured.

Hitoma hesitantly accepted the plan. He pulled away from Lady Ki’s hand and looked out the window of the carriage.

He could tell they were almost to the point where they had to sail for a bit in order to get to the palace. It was the only thing separating the two kingdoms, which his father had always complained about.

The coachman stopped the carriage and opened the door to lead the two royalty out. “I pray you two are safe when you return. Chikara shall rise.”

Both Lady Ki and Hitoma repeated Chikara shall rise and headed to the boat with an Umnotho sailor in waiting by the ramp.

She bowed before the two. “It’s nice to finally meet you two. Hitoma, is it? I promise you’ll love Umnotho!” She said cheerfully.

Hitoma simply nodded and walked ahead of Lady Ki when the sailor signaled for them to enter.

Just like he imagined, for a small boat, it was rather luxurious. Two chairs filled with goose feathers with a gold table between them sat in the bottom of the back of the boat.

On the table was a tea pot sat beside two already filled cups of tea.

“Mothando has asked you two stay here, so you can’t enjoy the view unfortunately.” Said the sailor. “Disappointing, I know, but you never can be too careful.”

The sailor gave them a wide smile and left them to their own devices.

The two chose not to talk to each other, making an awkward atmosphere. Hitoma did take the time to enjoy the tea that was provided, but surprisingly Lady Ki chose to skip over this.

They both sat in silence with the occasional slurping from Hitoma drinking his tea.

Mothando sat in her bedroom anxiously awaiting Hitoma and Ki’s arrival. She knew Ki was going to ask something about Yakedo, and she felt a sense of dread in the moment.

Garmon had accepted the ex-king’s request to visit him, but had set it at a date that happened to be today. It was madness, and Mothando was angered by the fact that she told him Ki was visiting, and yet he still set it today.

There was no changing Garmon’s mind about this, so she just had to plan accordingly.

The Queen heard a knock at her door. “Umama? Is everything alright? You have some visitors soon, lungisa?” Worried a voice outside the door.

“Don’t worry Amahle, I’ve already dressed.” Said Mothando getting up from her chair. “I’ll be there in a bit, but please greet them if I’m not there in time.”

Outside of the door, Amahle made a sound of acknowledgment and went towards the entrance of the palace, going down a flight of stairs.

Hitoma looked in awe at the sights and sounds Umnotho had to offer. Everywhere he looked people were dancing and smiling gleefully. Children played tag in reserved spaces, monitored by parents laughing joyfully to each other’s jokes.

Even when Daemos was dark most times, it felt as if everything glowed here. He thought it looked marvelous, but Lady Ki seemed to think the opposite.

“They’re acting like there isn’t a crisis going on.” She said with venom in her voice.

She was right, if not for everything else outside their kingdom, you’d think magic has never been better. Hitoma wanted to say something to combat her line of thinking, but even he thought it was foolish to act like magic isn’t dangerously close to running out.

The carriage they were riding in went through the golden gates that led to the palace, leaving behind the joyful Daemons.

“Lesi isitobhi sethu, ngithemba ukuthi konke kuhamba kahle!” said the Umnotho coachman.

“O-Of course…Ngiyabonga.” Faltered Hitoma, using the little Umnothu he knew.

Him and Lady Ki were led inside the palace by a guardsman. Before they reached the top of the stairs leading to it, the large golden door opened to reveal an uncertain looking girl.

Her pecan skin seemed to have glowed thanks to her yellow and dark purple clothes. It looked to be a makeshift yellow tank-top, as the sleeves looked ripped off. The girl’s hair was in a high Afro puff, held up by an unseeable band. Her pants were held up by a dark purple belt, the same color as Daemon blood.

She seemed to have had heterochromia, with one eye being a bright golden color, and her other eye again being the same as blood. Her horns even had the same issue.

Hitoma guessed she was the general and walked up to the girl. “We’re very sorry if you’re meeting with Queen Mothando, but we must see her and her daughter.” He bowed, “have you seen them?”

The girl snickered, then giggled, and full-blown shrieked with laughter. The guard behind Hitoma seemed to have exhaled out of their nose as a laugh.

Through her happy tears, she started clapping for Hitoma. “Ah, yes! You are such a good man already!” She said, “I am not a guard, I am the princess!”

Hitoma eyes widened out of embarrassment and quickly straightened up. He looked away from the girl who, now that he was closer, turned out to be way taller than him.

“No, no, Umuntu! You’re alright, it is my fault for not wearing my usual clothes!” She opened the doors wider. “Come in, come in! You are such a joy already!”

She practically ran ahead of Lady Ki and Hitoma. They did follow behind, but stayed far enough that the girl couldn’t hear their conversation.

“I always thought it was odd that the universal language isn’t as well known here.” Said Lady Ki leaning towards Hitoma so he could hear.

Hitoma shrugged, “it is their kingdom. Besides, it keeps the culture strong.” He looked towards Lady Ki, meeting her eyes. “Perhaps we should consider funding a class in the academy for learning Chika.”

Lady Ki’s expression grew softer, and she nodded while quickly looking away. Hitoma was a bit confused by the reaction, but thought nothing of it.

The girl stopped at a fork in the hallway and waited for the Chikarians to catch up.

“Queen Ki, go down this hallway and enter a door to the right! Uma- uhm, Mothando said you may partake in the sweets in there and sit where you’d like.” She said, referring to the hall on her right.

Lady Ki nodded and did as she was told, leaving Hitoma and the girl to themselves. She seemed to be questioning something, and Hitoma stood awkwardly so she could figure out what it was.

It looked like she finally solved her mini puzzle when her face grew brighter and she snapped her fingers. “I never told you my name, did I?”

Hitoma stuttered for a while before the girl interrupted him again. “I’m Amahle! Yini igama lakho?” She asked.

The king begged his brain to remember what that phrase meant, but it ultimately failed him. He didn’t want to admit he couldn’t remember such a simple thing though, at least out loud.

Fortunately, Amahle seemed to have perfectly read Hitoma. “Ah, sorry. I have a habit of going back and forth from Umnothu…what’s your name?” She said, with a thick Umnotho accent.

“It is Hitoma, I apologize for not knowing much of your language.” He said while bowing.

Amahle giggled, “It is okay, my friend! I myself do not know much of Chika!” She held out her hand. “Let me show you around! That is the main reason you are here, lun- right?”

Hitoma nodded, and Amahle immediately grabbed his hand and ran through the halls.

The king found himself almost tripping multiple times because of how fast Amahle was going. Eventually they ended up in a library of sorts.

It looked beautiful. The shelves filled to the brim with books painted with a beautiful dark brown. The wooden floors giving one a break from the white and gold that covered the hallways. An old gold colored carpet took up a good amount of the room.

“This is our library! I may not look it, but I love a good book from time to time.” Amahle said softly.

Hitoma hummed in acknowledgment, choosing to look over some of the books. Something was plaguing his mind about Amahle’s appearance though. He’s only seen something like it once before, so it was an anomaly to him.

Amahle looked over to him. “I thought Chikarians thought staring was rude. Was that a myth?” She questioned while cocking an eyebrow.

Hitoma once again faltered with his speech for a bit before Amahle broke into a hardy laugh. “It is jokes, my friend! Amahlaya!” She said while grabbing a book from the shelves.

The princess handed over to him while she sat into a comfy looking wooden chair. “Hitoma, it is nice you are so upfront about this!” She said while signaling for him to sit across from her.

Hitoma sat like he was supposed to and looked through the book. It looked like it was info on Daemon birth defects and different disabilities.

He stopped on one that seemed to depict a Daemon with the exact same condition as Amahle. It looked to be more severe, with even their skin being a dark purple.

Actually reading the page, the condition was called hypercoagulability-Y. To him, it just sounded like some sort of spell he and Asch used to make up when playing with each other as children.

“Ah, I see the question in your eyes, my friend!” Said Amahle. “Basically it is an issue where your blood is thicker and faster in some parts! Luckily, mine isn’t severe, but others do not have lady luck’s blessing.” She kissed her teeth.

Amahle moved to a more comfortable position, resting her feet on the table while the chair tilted. She seemed tired, but content.

Hitoma read more of the pages, learning about all sorts of different diseases and issues the Daemon body may have.

There was one specific to Chikarians, where your fight or flight response is triggered easily. Anger is part of the process of which the body automatically tries to react. It’s manipulated in a way where a Chikarian is more than likely to choose anger than every other reaction.

It proceeds to show a lot of past Chikarian rulers, including his father. Amahle seemed to have noticed Hitoma’s reaction to this.

“Aw, my friend, don’t mind the propaganda.” She said while almost falling off of her chair. “It is sad our tensions have been maintained all these years.”

Hitoma said a quick thank you, but did genuinely wonder if this issue was real. He questioned if he had it.

There were many times where his body would just act out a certain way. Whenever he and Asch fought, it’d always result in Asch having significant cuts and bruises. It’d result in him talking down to his brother, stating the usual “useless” and “Weak, pathetic” speech.

Then again, these weren’t unhappy moments for him. He reveled in the praise he’d be given by his father and guards who were monitoring them in case he got too close to killing Asch.

He felt satisfied whenever he would leave Asch to his own filth, whenever he could see his father cuss him out because of his tattletales.

Of course, Asch would do the same strategy of telling father the littlest of things that he knew would make him punish Hitoma. He couldn’t act like there was a balance between them, Hitoma most definitely got more privileges as he grew.

He remembers being frustrated with Asch coming up more when the topic of king came up. He remembers his grandmother having a conversation with his father about how Asch could be less cruel, if only a little.

He remembers being livid about this. In truth, he cried little tears when Lady Ki told him she died of old age. It was odd a funeral was not held, yet a tiny piece inside of him knew he wouldn’t visit it.

“Ingabe uyaphila? Hitoma, answer me! Khuluma uma ukwazi!” Worried a panicking Amahle.

Hitoma was quickly snapped out of his daydreaming and looked around frantically, startled.

He met eyes Amahle, and she looked as if she was close to crying.

“Ugh! Awuhlekisi! You had me as scared as a Mir soldier with its tail tucked between its legs! You looked brain dead! Isikhwebu esingcwele…” she kissed her teeth while hitting Hitoma on top of his head.

Hitoma wanted to be angry at this, but he couldn’t bring himself to. The action was almost motherly.

Amahle shook her head. “I have lost track of time…I’m supposed to be teaching you about Umnotho! Not telling you about my life!”

Amahle grabbed Hitoma’s hand once again, and led him through the halls. They were going in the direction where Lady Ki was told to go, until the princess passed it.

Instead they went into a porch of sorts. It was decorated with beautiful bird houses and flowers. Amahle opened a window to reveal some type of zip line.

“You do know how to use something like this, lungi- hawu…correct?” Asked the princess while mounting the ride.

Hitoma lied and nodded his head, which signaled Amahle to zip down the attraction. Hitoma watched as she skillfully landed on her feet and waved over to him.

He looked over to his left to see a basket full of the things the girl just used to get down to ground level. There was a handle on either side and a dip of sorts in the middle. As much as it looked frail, it did seem to be pretty strong.

Hitoma placed the middle of the bar on the line. He stepped over the window, shaking a lot out of nerves.

“Hitoma! My friend, you’ve got this! Let yourself flow like water!” She hesitated a bit before saying “And hold tightly to it! You won’t live from that drop!”

Hitoma started to shake even more, but did as he was told. He gripped onto the handle tightly and jumped off the window sill.

The king shut his eyes so he wouldn’t be tempted to look down. Before he knew it, he crashed into the poor princess. He swiftly got off of her and said his apologies.

“You are too kind, my friend. I am the Isilima for not dodging!” Said Amahle while getting up to dust herself off.

They walked through the luscious forest for a while. It reminded Hitoma of when he and his brother climbed up the mountain to fight each other.

The two eventually found a shack that Amahle excitedly opened and led Hitoma inside of.

It was filled with many different instruments and drums. A lot of them seemed to be made of wood and animal hair and bones. It wasn’t much like the luxurious gold and silver the king had come to expect from this place.

“My Uma- Onkulunkulu bami…Mothando said to not go outside where all the people are. I still wanted to take you outside, so I filled this shack with Umnotho culture! Can you guess what it is?” Amahle said excitedly.

Hitoma faked thinking hard about it to humor Amahle. He playfully snapped his fingers like he finally figured it out. “It’s music, isn’t it?”

Amahle did a wide smile. “Hitoma, I love your humor! Haha!”

The princess took out a tall drum that was tucked between some string instruments. She slammed it in front of Hitoma and got them both a stool.

“I’ll teach you something easier to learn.” She said while stylishly performing a polyrhythm on the drum.

Hitoma looked puzzled for a bit, so Amahle explained more. “It is only hard if you think about it too hard, Hitoma! One hand does a different number of beats than the others!”

She started to hit the drum a set number of times. “It is easier once you think of a saying to go along with it! Like…please pass the salt and pepper!” She said rhythmically.

This seemed a lot less complicated than what Amahle had done before. Hitoma attempted it using the strategy Amahle suggested. He looked up at her, noticing her eyes were wide with surprise.

“Wow! Hitoma, you are a natural!” She jumped up with excitement and grabbed another drum to slam next to Hitoma. “Let us jam together, my friend! A call and response! How does that sound?”

This was something Hitoma was used to. Whenever a new year rolled around, Chikarians would dress up as mythical fire breathing beasts and parade through the streets. His father never really liked it, but he and Asch loved to see to common Daemons participate in such traditions.

The Daemons dressed up as these creatures would speak in deep, booming voices in Chika. Those who were on the sidewalks or leading those in character would act like the beast’s minions, singing praises to it.

The parade would always end right in front of the palace, and finally conclude with a prayer to Sonné, the god who cared for these creatures.

He remembers how his mother would tell him and Asch to also pray to Irene, for a hopeful and peaceful year. He’s never cared to do his research on the gods, but he knew Irene was supposed to keep you protected and at peace.

He’s always assumed this goddess in particular hated him. For whatever reason.

Hitoma could feel himself starting to drag along Amahle’s fast paced beat, so he threw his thinking in the trash to keep up with her.

The two queens stared at each other with disgust. They knew things about each other that made them want to slit each other’s throats, but they kept everything to themselves.

“I suppose I shall stop with the staring and get on with my questions.” Said Lady Ki, keeping her eyes on Mothando.

The Umnotho queen readjusted in her seat. “Of course, go ahead.” She said, “if I had such a bad built butch bitch of an attitude and body I’d have to work up the confidence to talk to me too.” She snarked to herself, just loud enough for Lady Ki to hear.

The Chikarian queen hummed in response and took a sip of her tea. She held the liquid in her mouth, and proceeded to do a spit take right in Mothando’s face.

“Hm.” She said in response, blinking only a few times with the tea dripping down her face. “Such a childish response means you agree with me, right?”

Lady Ki Held in a growl. If she had actually snarled her teeth, she knew Mothando would’ve had something to say about that too.

The two were going at it with the insults for a while now. If she was being honest, Lady Ki simply wanted to blow a bit of steam off before asking Mothando her questions, but after she fired back, there was no way she could end on a loss.

“It’s odd…I wouldn’t think you’d know much about children.” Jeered Lady Ki.

Mothando wiped some of the tea off her face. “Hmph. There is such thing as knowing too much about them though isn’t there?”

Lady Ki showed her teeth. “We are five years apart! I’m only 28 not-“

“Damn.”

Lady Ki held out her hands to strangle Mothando, but quickly restrained herself once she saw the guard’s face.

“You are nearly twice my age Mothando, I feel you have little to say on the matter.” She said while still calming herself.

The Umnotho queen laughed to herself. “I’m aware, uju. It’s just that you look like…that?”

“You’re just trying to get me angry at this point. There’s no way in hell you think that.” Said Lady Ki while furrowing her brows.

Mothando straightened her posture to keep her Afro from getting flattened in the back. “It’s surprising it took you this long to figure out I was trying to get a rise out of you. Could you stop this madness and tell me what you need to.”

Lady Ki grumbled to herself, but got comfortable in her chair while refilling her cup of tea. She drank some and held it in her mouth, darting her eyes towards Mothando. She could see that the Umnotho queen flinched, if only just a little, and felt satisfied with herself.

“I’d like to ask about Yakedo. I know your little secret.” Lady Ki smirked.

She felt a lot of enjoyment from watching Mothando shift around in her seat while tensing up. She wanted to strike another nerve, but who knows if that’ll send her to the same fate as the man.

“Ki, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but clearly it’s out of delirium.” Said Mothando while standing up. “Now I believe you’ve been here long enough.”

“I don’t need him to come back. I need him dead. Kill him and I’ll make sure Hitoma never finds out.” Said Lady Ki trying her best to meet Mothando’s height.

The Umnotho queen’s expression turned into nothing but hatred. “I don’t care about what you want or need. If you don’t get out of Umnotho territory in the next ten minutes I’ll make sure Chikara falls.”

Lady Ki started to laugh in Mothando’s face, provoking her even more. She slightly shoved her in the process.

“All of these empty threats…do it then. I dare you.”

Mothando pushed Lady Ki away and put her hand up in a finger gun. The Chikarian chuckled at this for a while.

“Ilanga.” Said Mothando before a beam of light shot out of her fingers, barely missing Lady Ki.

The newer queen immediately halted her chortling, feeling over her face to see if it had been cut. Sure enough, she looked at her hand to see the tiniest bit of blood.

She turned to look at the wall and saw a hole spanning multiple rooms was made. The Chikarian looked back at Mothando and bowed. “We’ll be leaving right this minute. I couldn’t be more sorry.”

Lady Ki ran out of the room leaving Mothando to count the minutes.

After Hitoma’s response, Amahle did a section longer than usual, signaling to the Chikarian he should end with a big finish.

He definitely delivered, deciding to preform the complicated polyrhythm Amahle had shown him before. The timing of everything about it seemed to amaze Amahle, which is what he really wanted.

When Hitoma was finished, the princess rewarded him with applause and loads of praise.“Kuyamangaza! You have had to have done this before, my friend! That was amazing.”

Hitoma scratched the back of his while doing a tight smile. He had to admit, this was fun, but what he really wanted to do was find out what Lady Ki was up to.

He liked hanging with Amahle, he really did, it made him revisit some memories he thought he’d never come across again. It was just that something about Umnotho, more specifically the palace, made him feel uneasy.

There was something with Amahle too. She wanted to tell him something, but he couldn’t tell if it was just something simple or life changing. It drove him crazy, but couldn’t show he was feeling this way.

Looking over at her, Hitoma could see the princess’s expression darken slightly. Amahle quickly shook her head and plastered her smile back on.

“It’s been a while, don’t you think? We should get back to the castle.” She clasped her hands.

Now she was speaking Hitoma’s language. Again, fun, but he really wanted to go back to Chikara.

As he got up out of his stool, Amahle rushed to block the door. Hitoma could feel his panic settling in way too early. His posture and face tightened into straight line to make it known that the girl shouldn’t try anything funny.

“C-Calm down you Ikhanda elishisayo. I need to give you something. Hold out your hand.”

Hitoma hesitantly did as he was told, and Amahle put an envelope in it.

It was surprisingly heavy. At least heavier than what’d you expect something like this to be. There was something in here, and Hitoma desperately wanted to know what was inside.

“Aye you isilima! I don’t want you to open it now.” Amahle looked out the window of the shack. She turned back to Hitoma, “open it when you are back at Chikara. Alone.”

This only piqued the king’s curiosity even more, but he obeyed and put the envelope in the inside pocket of his jacket. Amahle smiled at him, but Hitoma still had the feeling she was hiding something.

The two exited the shack and walked through the forest. It was hot and humid, making Hitoma’s hair limp.

This wasn’t a rare occurrence, Chikara was the hottest out of all the kingdoms, but getting this sweaty in his outing clothes did not feel good.

Everything stuck to him like glue, and it made his clothes feel heavier. Amahle asked him multiple times if he was okay, but he lied and said everything was fine.

It was weird. He didn’t remember it being this hot earlier. There was no way the excitement of going down a zip line distracted him from how hot it was for how long they walked.

Actually, it felt as if they were walking for even longer. He could’ve sworn Amahle had moved way more branches out of the way for him when they came here originally.

The princess stopped suddenly and groaned into her hands. “Onkulunkulu bami…I swear this is the same way we went earlier…” she whispered to herself.

“Are you saying you got us lost?” Hitoma snapped, feeling his anger rise quickly.

Amahle licked her finger and put it in the air. Hitoma felt as if he could explode with anger and sweat.

“Hitoma, my friend, calm yourself. I can feel your fumes from here.” Said Amahle while looking around.

This made Hitoma even more furious with the princess, but he at least made an effort to hide it.

Amahle started to have a look of slight fear in her eyes. Hitoma thought that it scarily didn’t suit her, and if whatever she’s scared of is out here in this forest, they needed to get out immediately.

“Hitoma…I…I cannot tell if this is aura or magic, but…someone has got us trapped.” Stated Amahle in a tone more serious than ever before.

A sound of rustling emitted from behind the duo, making them both jump. Amahle formed her weapons, two mambeles, and inched closer to the sound.

As she got closer, the rustling became more frantic, and an odd giggling sound started to come from the shadow. Amahle suddenly stopped in her tracks, and her look of fear was replaced by frustration.

“Nadia! Yeka isihogo?! Using your aura like this is not funny!” Shouted Amahle while putting away her weapons.

The figure emerged from the shadows, revealing it to be a small strange looking girl. She was as pale as a ghost, and her eyebrows were the thinnest things Hitoma’s ever seen.

Her hair was straight and pale blonde, and her eyes were like staring into two dark green voids. It was odd how much of the eye her pupils covered.

Her horns were mint green and they spiraled outwards. It was an uncommon for Daemons to have this type of horn shape, unless they were Mir of course.

It then dawned on Hitoma. It’d be weird for a unique looking Mir girl to just wander into Umnotho territory, unless they were important enough to have business there. This had to be the Princess of Mir.

“Ama? Did you like the prank..?” Asked Nadia while cocking her head to the side.

Amahle rolled her eyes. “I suppose your pranking skills have been getting better…” she exasperated while looking the smaller up and down. “Are you in your casual clothing? I thought Umama and Garmon’s meeting was supposed to be important.”

Hitoma decided to examine the odd girl’s clothing as well. She was wearing a knitted green cardigan over a white shirt. She also wore a dark green skirt with mint green flowers embroidered all over.

“My Папа said that I should wear something that I could play with you in. I chose this.” Nadia said plainly.

Amahle sighed, “I can never be against spending time with you Nadia…I do have to get back to the castle though. Got to get this…how do you say…” the Umnotho princess whispered something to the short girl.

Nadia giggled to herself. “It’s Горячая голова.”

Amahle did a hardy laugh. “Yes! This Горячая голова! I have got to get him back to the palace, so lessen your aura.”

Nadia held out her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. The trees around them started to faze out revealing them to be right in front of the castle. Hitoma’s eyes widened with surprise. He didn’t know something like this could be done without magic.

The short princess laughed to herself when she saw Hitoma’s face, but didn’t seem to want to answer his questions. She walked in front of both him and Amahle.

The king looked over towards the Umnotho princess, and she did a wide grin. “Nadia is a strong little one. She is just…unique. She was a sheltered child, I would not expect her to be a master at socializing.”

Amahle went to catch up with Nadia. Hitoma still had questions, but he could ask another time. After all, Lady Ki wanted to see Garmon next.

The three entered the palace, hearing the sound of quick footsteps. They sounded like the clicking of heels, which let Hitoma know it was most likely Lady Ki.

Sure enough, the Chikarian Queen turned the corner sprinting. She had a look of panic on her face while looking straight at the king.

“Hitoma! Let’s get out of here! Preferably quickly, and within the next two minutes!” Said Lady Ki, obviously out of breath.

Just as he was about to protest, Lady Ki grabbed Hitoma by the collar and practically dragged him back out the door.

Amahle looked slightly surprised but waved at him. “I guess you are leaving now! I hope to see you again, my friend!”

Nadia waved at Hitoma as well with a tinge of emotion in her face. The king waved back at them, but was mainly focused on how Lady Ki was stretching the collar of his clothes.

This was the first day he got to wear something like this, and it was being ruined because of carelessness. It especially wasn’t helping that his shoes were creasing and got absolutely covered in mud when he was following Amahle in the forest.

He could feel his temper rising as Lady Ki pushed him into the carriage. She yelled something incoherent at the coachman who looked rather distressed.

“Angiqondi!” He cried while looking at Hitoma for some type of help.

Hitoma could do nothing but shrug and let Lady Ki continue her babbling.

“Get us to the boat! Are you deaf?!” She finally yelled while banging on the protector separating her and the cowering coachman.

“Kulungile! Kulungile! Ngicela wehlise umoya!” He panicked while putting up the privacy guard.

The carriage started going at a very unsafe speed, with it sending both Hitoma and Lady Ki to both sides of the seats.

“This coachman is going way too fast! I’m gonna tell him to slow down.” Shouted Hitoma while going to knock on the privacy guard.

Lady Ki grabbed his hand arm tightly practically piercing his soul with her glare. “If you tell that man a thing, I swear on my life you won’t make it to Chikara alive.”

Hitoma stared back at Lady Ki with something other than fear. It was shock. he wouldn’t expect her to make such a bold threat, but he listened to her and sat back in his seat.

Throughout the whole ride back to the boat, the king continued to stare down Lady Ki. She hadn’t seemed to notice due to her own panic, but Hitoma had turned the other way to get a glimpse at the envelope Amahle gave him.

Originally, he was going to tell Lady Ki about it. Due to his self admitted pettiness though, he decided against it. He slyly put the letter back into his inner pocket and looked out the window.

“It’s nice to see you Mothando, I do hope you’ve had a great day so far.” Said Garmon while walking with the queen to the prisons.

She kept quiet while still following the Umnotho soldier through the forest. Mothando was still greatly peeved by the Mir king’s disregard for her schedule.

It was childish and she knew it, but there was no way her mind would let her let go of it. Once she was feeling a certain way, it clawed into her psyche like an animal. She hated this aspect of herself, and it was impossible to hide.

“You’re being awfully quiet…is everything okay?” Worried Garmon while quickening his pace a bit to be beside her.

Mothando sighed, “It’s an insignificant issue. It’s just…” the queen hesitated, “you know how much it irks me when you don’t consider how I work.” She finally said.

Garmon looked slightly surprised, yet still remorseful. “Oh…my apologies Mothando. I would’ve rescheduled, but my sweet Nadia requires a lot of attention, so…not a lot of dates work for me.”

The two walked behind the soldier quietly. Neither of them truly wanted to talk to each other at the moment, as both of them had grievances with one another. Of course it wasn’t life changing amounts of hate, but neither of them wanted to unpack anything.

They finally reached the entrance of the prison, and the guard pushed the doors open, revealing it to be a flight of stairs.

The Umnotho prison was an underground building kept far away from the main city. It’s only guarded by the most talented and trusted Umnotho men and women, and has some of the worst criminals from different kingdoms.

The reason for this is that this prison can actually reform someone. Mostly due to Mothando and Garmon’s teamwork.

The animals and soldiers that are kept there have the ability to beat someone down till they’re too scared to even walk. These newly frightened Daemons are then sent to Mir to start the journey of becoming better.

Most times they do end up taking their own lives, but there are Daemons who genuinely end up changing for the better.

Garmon has always thought a place like this was too harsh for Yakedo, but Mothando was dead set on sending him here. He’s actually wanted to stand his ground lately, and order her to send him over to the Mir prisons.

In fact, once he’s done talking to Yakedo with whatever he needs, he will be speaking his mind.

“You know the way Garmon. Please make it quick.” Said Mothando while standing beside the soldier as they opened the door to Yakedo’s cell.

The Mir king nodded and went into the darkness that led to the Chikarian’s imprisonment. It was a long walk before he saw the man.

In all honesty, he looked terrible. He seemed to be asleep, but he looked as if it took every ounce of his energy to not let his heart go out. It sickened Garmon to find him like this.

He walked over to the ex-king and crouched down at his level. He fit his hand through the bars to run his fingers through Yakedo’s hair.

Garmon turned his head to the animal controlling the ex-king’s ailment. “Открыть” he commanded.

The bird-like animal headed Garmon’s words and crowed loudly. Yakedo’s body language immediately lightened, and his eyes slightly opened.

“You…came..?” He said listlessly, clearly not in the right headspace for anything.

The Mir king started to have tears prick at his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. “My gods…this is all my fault Yakedo. If I hadn’t been too hasty, you wouldn’t be like this. I’m sorry…”

The Chikarian’s furrowed his brows. “Garmon…I do not want or need your pity. Stop your crying.” He chided.

Yakedo sat up which looked to take up a large amount of his energy. He looked straight at Garmon, practically freezing him out of fear.

“I wanted you here because I need you to get me out.” Said Yakedo while grabbing Garmon’s hand. “I can’t live like this any longer. I can’t live like a peasant. I’d rather starve myself than have to eat nothing but bread and subpar meat for another week.”

Garmon stared at how Yakedo squeezed his hand, but he quickly took his mind off it. “As much as I’d like to get you out of here, there’s just no way Mothando would ever let me-“

“Then make her let you. Threaten her, do something. You have the power to control beasts that can eradicate all of Daemos. Stop being a weak waste of space and be a king.” Insisted Yakedo, squeezing Garmon’s hand tighter.

The Mir king could tell Yakedo was desperate. He could tell his only way he thought he could get out of here was convince Garmon he liked him. He told himself it wasn’t going to work. Not again. Not ever.

The more Garmon saw the look in his eyes though, the more sympathetic he became. If he was being honest, Yakedo was right too.

He’s always been a doormat, he’s always went with what others did. Mothando was the only person aside from his late wife who didn’t take advantage of this weakness, and slowly she’s starting to disregard him.

Everything about the situation made Garmon sick to his stomach until he could feel himself agreeing with Yakedo. He stood up and looked back towards the creature.

“Следуйте за.” He said to it, and it started flapping its wings to gain height.

Garmon walked back down the long hallway. Resentment started to find its way through his body, and he slowly started to get angrier and angrier.

He stopped a few steps to the door as Mothando noticed him. “Oh. That took a lot less time than I was expecting.” She cleared her throat, “I understand if it’s private, but I’d like to hear about the conversation you two had.”

Garmon glared at the queen, attempting to pierce her confidence. Mothando looked confused by this, but kept her stance.

“Garmon? Are you alright?” She said wearily while backing away.

“Mothando, I…I’d like you to apologize to me.” Mumbled Garmon while taking a step towards her. “If you don’t, I’ll have to resort to serious measures to make you.”

The queen nodded slowly while raising her hand. “Of course…” she pointed at the soldier and he quickly tried to strike Garmon.

“Атака” he stated, and the creature behind him went to rip at the soldiers face.

They fell down and writhed in agony as the beast picked at their ribs and teared at their skin. Mothando watched in horror as she saw Garmon walk towards her.

“Apologize to me. Now.” He demanded while stomping on the soldiers neck, making them choke out a scream.

The queen looked between the soldier and Garmon. She’s never seen him act like this, not even towards creatures who disobeyed him. If she tried to stand her ground, she’ll surely die here. Even if it’d be terrible for him in the long run, it’s clearly what Garmon wanted.

“I’m…I’m sorry. Please call off that thing.” She fretted.

The Mir king seemed to be studying her. He got off the soldier’s neck, but didn’t tell the creature to fall back.

“Mothando…” he hesitated, “Beg.”

“Wh-What?”

“Beg for my mercy. Tell me you’re sorry and that you’ll never take advantage of me again.”

Mothando slowly kneeled down, looking up at Garmon with subtle anger. She then bowed, “I’m deeply sorry Garmon. I beg of you to call off your pet, and I’ll be more considerate of how you feel.”

The king smiled, “Привал.” The creature immediately turned towards Garmon and flew to rest on his shoulder. The soldier gasped for air as they bled out on the floor.

Mothando continued to glare at the king. “Did he make you do this?” She asked while reaching her hand out to care for the soldier.

Garmon sighed, “he simply said something that I agree with.” He looked as Mothando ripped off parts of her dress to cover the soldier’s wounds.

“I’d like to transfer Yakedo over to the Mir prison.” He stated, not looking to argue any further.

Unfortunately Mothando didn’t catch the hint. “Garmon please…I’m so close to him telling me where he is I…” she trailed off as she tried her best to stop the soldier from bleeding.

“I don’t want to demean, but…have you never stopped to think that he may be-“

“Garmon please. You’re not acting like yourself what happened..?” Said Mothando, trying her best to fight off tears.

The king was going to tell the creature to attack her, but something stopped him. Something was watching him. They were watching everything take place and waiting for him to make one more move.

He looked around to prove himself, but saw nothing. Slowly, everything he’s done so far started to affect him. This wasn’t like him, he didn’t even know why he was so angry.

Tears started to fall down his face and he collapsed onto the ground. His whole body started to ache as he sobbed into his hands.

“Mothando I…I’m so sorry I don’t know what happened…” Garmon wept softly.

They sat in silence that was interrupted by the quiet gasps that escaped the soldier’s mouth. The Mir king wanted to apologize, but he could tell Mothando didn’t want to hear anything until she was done tending to the injuries.

“Garmon, I’ll transfer Yakedo over to you as soon as he tells me where my son is. I swear on my life that I’m so close to making a breakthrough.” She finally said.

The king could do nothing but nod. “I shall put the ailment back on him.” He said as he walked back through the hallway, leaving Mothando alone.

Hitoma stayed awake waiting for Lady Ki to fall asleep. He’s been doing this for weeks ever since she said it’d be more professional to sleep in the same bed. Obviously, he thought it was weird, so he’s been sneaking away to his old room at night, and sneaking back in the morning.

He’s honestly been meaning to ask Lady Ki about it, but there was never a good time. Then again, there’s always never a good time to ask her anything.

He slowly sat up and got off the bed. He thought it was rather lucky that it was so big that even if he jumped on it, it’d only tilt Lady Ki’s side slightly. Maybe that was why she even thought sleeping together would be a good idea.

Hitoma tiptoed throughout the room and exited quietly through the door. He left it cracked slightly only because closing it would be too much sound.

He walked through the long hallways of the palace that led to his old room. When he went to turn the knob, he noticed something horrible. The door was sealed shut.

Hitoma started to panic. When did someone do this? How did someone do this? Why would someone do this?

He immediately thought of Lady Ki. It had to have been her. She must’ve seen him sneaking out one night, and if that’s the case, she’s probably wide awake sitting up on the bed waiting for him to do a walk of shame back into the room.

Part of him wanted to accept defeat, but the other part really wanted to read the letter Amahle gave him. There was no way he could have any privacy to see what was in it without Lady Ki snooping in his business.

He had to think of some other place to have his privacy. There was the restroom, but Lady Ki might ask why he’s taking so long.

He could go to a balcony, but any guard could walk in on him while they’re patrolling. The more he thought about it, the more impossible it was to find any type of security.

His thinking was rudely ambushed by a guard tapping his shoulder. He slightly jumped and quickly hid the letter in the pocket of his sleep garments.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, my king.” The guard bowed. “I just wanted to know why you aren’t in your bedroom.”

Hitoma was still surprised, but cleared his throat to speak in a professional manner. “I simply couldn’t sleep. I’m sorry for any worry.”

The guard nodded, but seemed to have been looking at something behind the king.

They then looked straight into Hitoma’s eyes. “I promise to you I did not tell her, my king.”

Hitoma’s surprise started to show on his face. It wasn’t Lady Ki who found out?

Despite the guard meaning to reassure the king, it only made him more anxious. People who served for Chikara obviously had personal lives and opinions, but to have such disdain for him to rat him out to Lady Ki honestly had him scared.

To think that there was possible gossip like this. Except, maybe he was being irrational. Hitoma’s no stranger to overthinking like this, but something in him made him think he was right.

“My king? Are you alright?” The guard asked, immediately kicking Hitoma out of his mind palace.

“O-Of course…” he sighed, and hesitated. “I don’t want to sleep there is all. This room is the only time I can be alone…I shouldn’t be venting to you. I’ll go back to bed.”

Hitoma went to return to his bedroom with shame. He’ll have to find a way to read the letter another time, and also find a better place to sleep.

The guard quickly went to grab Hitoma’s hand, making him jump. “My king, I…my sleeping quarters are near the palace if you don’t mind walking for a bit.”

The king was about to tell off the guard, but they continued. “I have a night shift, so I won’t be there until early morning. Around the time you’d have to go back to your room.”

Hitoma softened his expression. If this guard was telling the truth, he could finally be far away from Lady Ki and be with his own thoughts.

“…I’ll take you up on this offer. Thank you, truly.” He shook the hand of the guard. “By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, what is your name?”

The guard smiled. “It’s Zex, my king…here let me show you where the room is.”

AND WE’RE DONE! Really hope you guys like this episode even though it’s more Daemos focused lol. Also I’m gonna be real there are so many sayings in different languages that I can’t pack all the translations into here so I’m just gonna recommend Lingvanex for all of the Zulu and DeepL for any other language I use. Those are the translators I used to write the dialogue and they seem pretty accurate. (At least DeepL does I trust it way more than the other one but unfortunately it didn’t have a Zulu option) other than that I hope you enjoyed!

#aphmau my inner demons #my inner demons #mid rewrite #my inner demons aphmau #My inner demons original characters #He goes by a different name here too #I rlly messed up by making all these oc’s huh?#Whatever #My inner demons oc

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