Bride To His Darkness

A hushed anticipation lingered in the air, most especially for Ivan whose forehead had creased into a slight frown. Hearing the word ’first prince’ being mentioned by the guard, he turned around the same time the grand doors were open, and to his bemusement, it revealed a familiar figure who confidently stepped forward, only to come to a stop at the entrance as his crimson eyes scanned the councils and nobles present - it shifted to the four Lords who were seated on the elevated dais before landing on a certain vampire Lord. "Missed me, my dear little brother?" The corner of his lips lifted as he took a couple more steps closer, his arms spread out in a gesture as though he was about to hug Ivan, but even he knew that was a grave mistake he could not make...unless he wanted to lose an arm on his first night of return.

"Eamon?" Ivan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized the man who approached - the brother he despised, the one who secretly subjected him to years of cruel torments during their youth. There was absolutely nothing about him that had changed...his face, that enigmatic darkness that was effortlessly concealed by his eerily calm demeanor, it hadn’t changed either, but what irritated Ivan the most was when his brother, whom he hadn’t seen for years, flashed him a warm harmless smile as if he didn’t show up here without any ulterior motives in mind.

"Prince Eamon? Who knew he’d be arriving tonight?! This doesn’t make sense at all!" The Councils began their murmuring as Eamon stepped forward to stand only two feets away from Ivan, and his audacity to still have the bravery to look him in the eyes, made Ivan’s fingers curl into fist at his side, and he was tempted to do something dangerous, something that could ruin his name and shatter everything he had worked for, there was a chance he could die, but in return his loving brother would also be dead, and the vengeance in his heart can gain peace.

"Is this how you choose to welcome me after our years apart? With a gaze that can kill." Eamon sighed softly before taking his hand under his sleeve and bringing out a scroll. The smug smile on his lips was the type of smile Ivan had grown quite familiar with - to others it could mean nothing, one couldn’t possibly guess his thoughts when he had deceived everyone with his quiet countenance, but to Ivan, that smile conveyed a sense of triumph, a long awaited opportunity meant to shatter him and his position for power.

The two brothers refused to look anywhere else as the courtroom instantly gained silence, their aura’s were oppressively challenging, crimson eyes staring back into a completely darker shade of red, and Draven, who still appeared calm and composed, could feel his lips twitch in delight.

Carina, who was as surprised as everyone by her son’s dramatic entrance, could feel her uneasy system relax as she moderately sank back to her seat with her chin proudly tilted up. Her son never told her he would be storming the royal court tonight, not like this. Surely he couldn’t possibly have journeyed alone, but then where were his brothers?

"Eamon.." Ivan’s voice, though tinged with a sense of surprise and anger, tried to keep himself collected as he addressed his older brother with the same harmless smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "To be honest, I wanted to host your welcome celebration and kept asking Carina when you were going to make your return, but is it just a mere coincidence that you grace the court with your sudden entry tonight? If I’m not mistaken, what farce are you attempting to play here?"

"Your manner of speaking has changed.... you welcome me with daggers and now, you speak as if I tied a bomb to myself. Do I pose that much threat? When I was told you had changed completely, I didn’t believe it until now." Eamon, who didn’t bother to hide his astonishment, spoke softly as if he was a proud older brother. With the scroll in his hand, he unfurls it with a flourish. "I never wanted to battle a weak human for the throne, so I gave you time, but after seeing the outcome, I personally admire the man you are gradually becoming.... Just the way I had pictured it." His eyes gleamed with a wicked delight, and that last phrase brought back memories of their troubled childhood, memories of the time when Eamon would grab him into a corner and say he would wait for an opportunity like this one.