SGE His Broken Heart (Sequel to His Darkened Heart)

~PART TWO~

Chapter 20 A Fractured Mind

~JAPETH'S POV~

Japeth's shoulders became covered in a fur cloak. His golden printed lion belt clinked as he walked and his head felt scratchy with all the gel he'd put in it in an attempt to perfect Rhian's dumb haircut (because there was no way Japeth was gonna actually cut his hair).

The air was abuzz with excitement as the people of the woods gathered outside Camelot, waiting to be let through the gates so they could attend the wedding between King Rhian and Princess Sophie.

But Japeth felt no joy or excitement in that moment as he stared into the mirror before him. A maid was making some last minute adjustments to his outfit but soon, she placed Rhian's heavy golden crown on his head; the final touch.

Japeth didn't look at the maid. His gaze was locked on the mirror. It wasn't himself that stared back at him. It was his brother who stared back at him with his golden skin, green blue eyes, and fake haircut. The outfit Japeth wore felt itchy against his scales and his scims wriggled in discomfort.

The Mistral Sisters had taken Sophie away to prepare her for the wedding and in a different room, Japeth too was prepped for the event.

Japeth had cleaned Rhian's blood off of him, rubbing at his hands and scales excessively until his skin was raw. But he could still feel Rhian's blood beneath his fingernails and still hear Rhian's last words echoing in his head over and over again on an endless loop.

No matter how hard Japeth tried to wish the thought of Rhian away, the memory of his brother stubbornly danced around in his head. Part of Japeth was riddled with guilt and despair over what he'd done, but the other part of him was full of hope because now he had the chance to bring Aric back himself.

The maids that had seen to it that every little detail of his attire was perfect finally stepped away and filed out of the room. Japeth continued to stare at his reflection in the mirror, and he felt his insides twist in pain.

You'll be more broken than ever...Rhian's voice echoed in Japeth's skull and overcome with frustration, Japeth grabbed the mirror and flung it down. The body length mirror crashed to the floor at Japeth's golden boots, and shards of glass scattered across the floor, the mirror breaking upon impact.

But there was still a giant shard of broken glass that seemed to glare up at Japeth in which Japeth glimpsed the distorted reflection of Rhian staring up at him.

Screwing his eyes closed to keep himself from seeing the image of his deceased brother, Japeth reached into the folds of his fur lined cloak to grip the handle of the dagger tightly. Keeping Aric's old dagger so close seemed to give him the strength to ward away his unwanted thoughts, and Japeth kicked the shard of glass away and took a deep breath to compose himself.

Through the window in the room, Japeth glimpsed the golden message lit up in the sky. It'd been there since the early morning, a message from Lionsmane announcing the wedding of King Rhian and Princess Sophie that afternoon. The rulers had already been on their way to Camelot, and there was no better time Japeth could think of but now to go through with his wedding to Sophie.

Japeth had ordered the pirates to clean up the bloody mess in the King's chambers after they'd gone to bury Rhian's corpse. Then, Japeth had made sure the Mistral Sisters' task with Sophie was finished.

Thanks to a magical spell, the Mistral Sisters had seen to it that Sophie's memories of who she was and the memories of her old life were wiped from her mind completely. Basically, Sophie was a blank slate.