SGE His Broken Heart (Sequel to His Darkened Heart)

~PART ONE~

Chapter 1 Days Passed

~JAPETH'S POV~

ONCE UPON A time, Japeth thought he could have love. The love of a boy who he'd once called his best friend.

It was that same boy who Japeth's twin, Rhian, loathed. While that same boy once filled Japeth's heart with joy, it was also that boy who'd filled Rhian's heart with hatred.

If Japeth knew anything, it was that there was a fine line between love and hate, and an even greater line between bonds of blood and friendships. In fact, Japeth knew that all too well.

Too much time had gone by since Japeth had last seen his best friend. Too much time had gone by since he'd learned of his true love's death and vowed to bring him back from the dead.

Aric...Numerous times, Japeth found himself unable to sleep at night and he'd whisper the raven haired boy's name to himself over and over again as if to remember it. Just the thought of Aric, his best friend, his only love, made a sense of longing fill Japeth.

There was a black hole where Japeth's heart used to be. It was a hole that Aric had dug up when his life was cut short. No matter how many times Japeth tried to fill it, the hole still lingered there—a gaping reminder of Aric's absence.

Despite his grief, Japeth pushed himself to keep going on with his life. He ate when supper would come around. He continued to plot alongside his brother in their grand plan to take over Camelot. Even when Rhian continued to urge Japeth to be more evil, more malicious when he posed as the Snake, Japeth listened.

Japeth spent most of his days fighting his brother. Over and over again Japeth would wear his mask of scales and use his scims to attack kingdoms—kingdoms that Rhian would "save."

In his golden lion mask, Rhian would ride in on his white horse like some champion to save lives. With his scaled mask and skin tight suit, Japeth posed as the lion's sworn enemy, the snake who claimed he was the rightful heir to Camelot's throne.

Day after day, Japeth and Rhian kept on the tiresome act of fighting one another, attacking and saving kingdoms over and over again until the days seemed to become shorter and shorter.

"I will fight to protect Camelot until my last breath," The lion would state.

"A kingdom to which I have rightful claim," The snake would respond, his voice chilly and sure.

"And what right would that be?" The Lion asked.

"I am King Arthur's eldest son. It is my birthright to take Camelot's throne as my own. Tedrosss is the true sssnake in this tale," Japeth would say, repeating lines he'd rehearsed a thousand times before.

That was how most of the lion and snake's conversations went as far as any unsuspecting person knew. All witnesses would see was a mighty lion, a masked hero, protecting Kingdoms from a snake who caused unrest in the endless woods.

And perhaps that couldn't be further from the truth.

When Rhian and Japeth weren't posing as the lion and snake, things weren't as normal as people might believe.

After leaving Foxwood and the only home they knew behind, the brothers had been on the move, constantly traveling from kingdom to kingdom. They'd camp out in the woods at night because Rhian insisted they couldn't risk being seen and recognized by people.

"We wear masks," Japeth had hissed at his brother. "Nobody is gonna be able to recognize us! I'm tired of camping out in the woods like we're dogs."