I remember those wonderful days where the sun rested warm on my back, where a billion stars would greet you once the sky fell to black. Where all families young and old would move confidently in faith that their king would protect them. It was all so surreal, being back here now. Being back after everything had fallen apart. A sharp sigh echoed through my chest as my tired gaze fell before the ruins. I can still remember their faces. The families that grew here. I could feel the sand through my toes as I passed through the streets, appearing as nothing more than a ghost among a broken past. I could hear their whispers, echoing through the silence, channeled through Midas' mumbles as he whispered cries of regret and loss. My head was downcast as I approached the palace. This was my home. Now it is nothing more than a crushed pile of rubble. Stepping forward, I could feel my heartbeat quicken as I approached the gate. For years i have tried to take that final step inside the gates. I longed to see if my family had left anything behind, yet I feared accepting that they were gone. I knew that once I made that final step, acceptance would soon follow. My body trembled and everything around me seemed to still. Midas' mumbles ceased as he looked towards me with a cautious look. "Icarus?" He asked me, a curious look on his few features. "Are you... afraid?" Finally I broke and fled, the sand kicking behind me as my tailmouth simply chuckled as if he knew I would run. He probably did. This was not the first time I had fled this place. Snarling to myself, I pushed down the pain and sorrow. Passing the final broken home, I forced myself to push on, kicking sand into a dying sun.
Chest heaving with each breath, I made my way through the caverns. As always, I found myself absentmindedly fingering a gem pendant on my neck. This was my mark. A pendant formed for me through the trials of my master. His heartache and loss led to the creation and founding of an entire organization of viscets, all prepared to sacrifice themselves for his cause. If only I could feel an ounce of his courage. Maybe then could have been the king they needed. Stepping into the dining hall, I froze at the two other occupants. At the table sat two, one leaning casually against the table with her hammer beside her and the other stiffened as our eyes met. Our eyes met and I could see the disappointment and anger within his pupils. Without even muttering a sound of farewell to his companion, the PPS stood and left. A tired sigh escaped the brown bee patterned viscet as she watched her previous mentor go. "I wouldn't worry about Cyrus," she spoke reassuringly, her smile soft with a motherly annotation. Despite her words, I could still feel the hesitance inside of me. I simply couldn't understand him sometimes. Cyrus and I, we came from the same city. We shared the same heritage, lived similar lives, yet he still pushes me away. Does he blame me? The feeling of something brushing against my pelt broke my concentration. Gentle brown eyes met mine as Fauna rested beside me. "Are you alright?" She asked, concern in her voice. Oh how much I wished I could say yes and be done with it. I felt irrational anger fill my chest and the whispers starting again. Turning my head to the tail beside me, I could see Midas muttering once more. I tried my best to force down the fury before I made a mistake I could not fix. I looked up, expecting to see judgment in Fauna's eyes. They knew I was nearing corruption. It was simply a matter of time. Against my expectations, all I found when I looked up was fear. Not fear of what I was becoming, but fear of what would happen to me. I felt her reaching out to pull me into a hug but anger gripped my heart. I harshly broke myself from her embrace, growling as I did so. Surprise swept across her features. Realizing that I'd just pushed away someone else, i closed my eyes with frustration. Fleeing, I abandoned the cavern, ignoring the calls she left for me.
Again, I found myself there. Sitting at the steps to the broken city. Midas mutters as usual. I can barely make it out as he speaks what the spirits say. The cry of a mother, calling for her child. The wail of a soldier full of regret. So many circumstances fell from his lips. My eyes fell to the sands as regret filled my heart. I was their royal, the leader. My father had trained me and taught me all that he knew so I could rule the sands as he did. If only he could see me now. Sometimes, I begin to think I hear Midas mumble one of his thoughts. The full message is always lost, swallowed by a city's pain as they cried for their prince. A prince who would not cry. One who kept silent in fear that what few words he would speak would overpower the whispers of his citizens. I want them to be heard. I want to understand what they were going through. I long to remember. So much of my childhood has already been lost to the sands of time. I feared losing the people of those times as well. Perhaps that's why I always come back. This place was a reminder, a memory of a time long lost to me. One that I continually returned to in hopes that my memories would return. Glancing up, I saw the sun dipping beneath the horizon, bathing the land in a wave of oranges and purples. It was not the colors that caught my attention however. The shadows grew as the light fell, reaching for me. I could practically feel her eyes on me as I felt it again, the pull of temptation. The darkness within me continued to grow as the light within me faded. My stomach twisted at the thought. For so long I've been wrapped in darkness. I knew eventually it would come to me. Fear echoed through my skull as I swiftly rose and turned to meet the gaze. My eyes widened at surprise. When I turned, I expected to meet the shadow queen. Instead, the shadow guardian stood there, cold gaze upon me as he watched my every action. "Icarus? We have a guest." I felt my eyes narrow at the tailmouth's words. Cyrus, recognizing he had been seen, stepped swiftly from his post in the ruins. I looked down on the PPS as he neared. He spoke not a word as he continued to gaze through me, anger still evident in his gaze but... something else was there. Curiosity. "Come," he said before moving off deeper into the ruins, not even checking to see if I followed. It was then that I heard all the whispers. No longer did they cry. Instead, I heard a single voice, one I recognized instantly. "Go," my father's voice spoke. Listening to the commands, I followed the other until we reached the outside of the palace.
Despite my assumption, we did not enter palace grounds. Instead, Cyrus makes a sharp turn just outside the walls and I follow him until what was previously the homes of the wealthy begin to turn into the humble abodes of the lower class. He stops before one. No. It could hardly be called a home. Years of billowing sand had left the limestone worn and broken. What was previously a strong wooden door had turned to splinters. A feeling of foreboding filled me, even as i continued to follow Cyrus into the home. He leads to a back section. As i lifted my nose, I could still smell a hint of spice and ginger. This must have been the kitchen. He pushes rubble from what I quickly identify to be a rug. Once the rug has been cleared, he turns to my. "Icarus." His voice catches my attention, causes my nervous eyes to meet his confident gaze. "What you see here is not to be mentioned to any others, do you understand?" There was no hesitation as I quickly nodded and Cyrus gave a sharp nod in return. He pulled the rug away and my eyes widened at the secret passage hidden beneath. He pulled on a rope that served as a handle and the old hinges squealed. After he descended into the darkness, I took my first step forward before halting. I felt it again, that same fear that stopped me from entering the palace. A fear of learning what I already knew. The instinct to flee filled me and I quickly turned to run. A voice stopped me in my tracks. "Running again? Is that all you can do?" I growled at Midas. Though I appreciated his use as a spiritual medium, his critique was not needed. Still, I found myself listening. Who was to know when Midas was the one truly speaking? "Haven't you ran long enough? Running doesn't make it go away. Haven't you seen it catching up to you? You knew you'd have to face this." Yes, he was right. I've fled from my mistakes for so long. Already they were beginning to catch up. Specifically in the form of a PPS guardian. It was at this moment that I made a decision. No longer would I run. A stepped towards the entrance once more, looking over the edge to see nothing but the top of an old wooden ladder and a tomb of darkness below the sands. Taking a deep breath, I descended into the depths.
It seemed like years before I reached the bottom.A silent gasp escaped me at what I saw. Cyrus, face illuminated by torches lining the walls, sat patiently and allowed me to take in my surroundings. Thousands of stone slabs surrounded me, each one covered in carvings of a kings history. "Icarus. Look, it's us." I turned to where Midas' focus was. A slab much larger than any others rested before me. I could see everything, from my birth to my first coming of age ceremony, to the official announcement of my inheritance of the throne. All of it was sealed, protected deep in these catacombs. "Thousands of Royals have had their histories carved into these stones, yet yours is the biggest of all. You still have a lot of empty space as well. Lots of room for change and growth. But you miss one thing." My thoughts had halted at his words. "You hope to repent for your crimes, yet you refuse to accept that they exist. Each day, you hear your failures, spoken through a tail that speaks yet you do nothing to silence it." His hand rested lightly on the stone as he looked over the hieroglyphs that covered it. "When?" His voice broke as he spoke. "When will you let them rest?" A sigh broke from his chest. "Until the day you accept that you destroyed your city, they will remain in purgatory. Your father is gone. Their lives are in your hands. Accept this responsibility and find just what type of king you are." As he began to leave, my eyes turned to the stone. There, I watched with wonder as a new carving was made. Two viscets sat side by side, darkness dancing at their paws yet each faced the light. One seemed to have steps ahead as if he had walked back and I had a road before me, one formed from the steps the other had taken. A feeling of determination filled me. I would follow this path, for it was a road leading to something I had always longed for.
Redemption
