SGE His Broken Heart (Sequel to His Darkened Heart)

Chapter 17 Past Present

"You know what, Rhian? You deserved to get stabbed in the head...If only I'd done the stabbing myself."
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~ JAPETH'S POV ~

Japeth never thought the darkness could be so welcoming, yet so overwhelming all at the same time. In a sick and twisted way, Japeth welcomed the darkness. It was the darkness that had been rooted in his mind since he'd lost Aric. The darkness that had filled his thoughts when he'd fall into his role as the snake, a heartless monster who cared about nothing but fulfilling his own goals. In a way, the darkness was a friendly reminder that he was not alone.

But with that darkness came the deafening silence—A silence Japeth had a difficult time breaking. The darkness brought this silence and with that silence came the raw emotion Japeth struggled to contain.

Anger, pain, fear...It all threatened to consume Japeth, and all he could do was try to unleash it by wrapping his hands around his cell bars and tugging with all his might. For so many long drawn out hours, Japeth would shake his cell bars like a madman struggling to break free.

Then, when Japeth's bones began to ache and his fingers became stiff from gripping the bars so tightly, he would collapse to the cold stone floor in a heap of exhaustion.

Japeth lost track of how many times he'd do this, over and over again on a never ending cycle before all the strength would seep from his bones. Heck, Japeth didn't even know how long he'd been locked up in this cell like a trapped dog; Two days...? Three, four?

Too many times to count now, a guard would come to his cell and offer him food. Not sour beans and stale bread. Not the usual gruel that was given to Camelot prisoners as meals but the meals fit for a king; Huge portions of lean meat, gravy, and a colorful salad dressed in blueberry sauce. At other times, the meals would consist of a mere bowl of stew with steaming hot broth.

But each time a meal arrived, Japeth would turn his nose up at it in disapproval. He hated that despite sticking him in this stifling cell, Rhian still had the audacity to make sure he was brought the best meals as if Rhian was trying to show Japeth he still cared about him. If Rhian cared, he wouldn't have tricked Japeth into the false hope that he would bring Aric back, and he certainly wouldn't have thrown him in the dungeons.

At one point after Japeth was done rattling his cell bars and was lying in a spent heap on the dirtied cell floor, the guard offered him another meal. The lid was removed from the silver platter to reveal an assortment of berries; raspberries, porkleberries, and blueberries. By now, Japeth would just glare at the guard who'd quickly leave with the meal in his hands.

This time though, Japeth reached a trembling hand through the cell bars to pick up a handful of blueberries, leaving the raspberries and porkleberries untouched.

Oh, how Japeth had missed these. He knew the bitter, yet sweet taste of these blueberries would bring him back to his days in Arbed House when he used to sit on the steps in front of school with Aric by his side. Those days had been the best moments of Japeth's life because it was Aric who made those moments so memorable. Without Aric, Japeth's life was a disaster—Japeth was a disaster...And whose fault was that but Rhian's?

Rhian, as good as he claimed to be, drove Aric away. Rhian, Japeth's "better half," had promised to bring Japeth's true love back from the dead, only to break that promise and throw Japeth in this rotten cell.

Japeth had tried to sway Rhian's mind. He'd tried to see the goodness everybody else saw in his brother, but he failed to look past Rhian's mistakes. Now, Japeth's mind was finally clear. Finally, he could see the truth; Rhian wasn't good. Without his throne and his shiny crown, Rhian was no king. Rhian was the selfish brother for choosing Sophie and her pathetic friends over his own flesh and blood when once upon a time, Japeth had chosen Rhian over Aric.