King of a large empire, Aiko gained his throne through lies and cunning misperception. He has made himself a legend, forming an image of an all-powerful and indestructible being to protect himself from threats and build his cold, hard exoskeleton. He's a broken machine, hoping to protect what little happiness his heart still holds. Ever since he was a teenager, he has held a powerful position throughout the land, or rather, the seas.
The Pirate King inherited this title at the youthful age of fourteen years, after the death of his father, and became quite haughty and hard-headed. He's still completely convinced that he's the most powerful being in the land. As Pirate King, he was in charge of a fleet of pirates that caused chaos for the surrounding countries. He had a hidden home base on an assumedly insignificant island, from where he directed the fleet. The kings of many countries were pinned inescapably under his thumb, and the troves of treasure his ancestors had gathered kept him living comfortably. He controlled any flow of trade that went over the ocean, and many countries went out of their way to stay in his favor. It was the only way to keep their economy afloat.
Aiko was satisfied with his life, but power was handed to him once again, after a fateful visit to the royal palace during the summer of his 18th birthday.
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Aiko padded along the dirty streets, his eyes sweeping distastefully over the cracked streets and inept buildings. He didn't enjoy cities or towns, he preferred the rocking of his ship, but visits like these were a necessity if he wanted to keep his current position. He hoped that his rooms at the palace would be a bit more lavish than the capital city's inn.
He'd slept there anonymously last night to gain insight on how the economy was fairing within the kingdom of Kobiam, whose king had invited him to discuss trade deals. It seemed that it was failing, and the unkempt city proved that point. Now he'd have an edge up if the king wanted to bargain. Lost in his thoughts, he soon found his paws on the stone steps of the palace gate. He could've taken a carriage, but he hated smelly horses, nosy drivers, and worst of all were the uncomfortably soft seats that made it difficult to sit at the proper angle.
Aiko didn't need to flaunt his wealth and power. With one look at him a blind man could see it, a deaf man would move from the path of his approaching footsteps, and a mute man would fall to his knees to sing him praises. That's just how the world worked when Aiko Selwyn moved.
He approached the gates and looked expectantly towards the guard standing near the gate switch. The guard rotated it hastily and Aiko resisted the urge to roll his eyes, choosing instead to enter the castle grounds. Without a word, another guard escorted him to the throne room hurriedly. The king sat upon his throne, tension filling his body. He was aging and weak, but he made a valiant effort not to let it show. The queen had once been lovely, but as she sat at her husband's side, Aiko took note of the fact that she now looked frail. He took this as confirmation of the rumors he had heard. An illness ran through her veins. The only royal that did not look as if she were deteriorating before his eyes was their daughter, Princess Henrietta Kobias, instead wearing a defiant look that morphed into surprise as her eyes landed on his face. There was only one reason she would be here, and he knew exactly what that was: Marriage.
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Aiko had been at the palace for two days now, and when the king had offered his only child's hand in marriage in exchange for less trade tax and an alleviation of raids on the kingdoms' ships, Aiko had pretended to think about it. It didn't matter. Everyone in the room had known that he'd accept. Marrying Princess Henrietta gave him a huge amount of sway in the countries government, and with no other heir in line, he would be next in line for the throne. A small smirk had made its way onto his face at that thought, and he had invited the princess on a 'date' of sorts in order to get to know his future wife. He may be ambitious, but he wasn't going to get married to a girl not even knowing what her favorite color was. He'd promised his mother that much before she'd left this world. As he'd had to spend the past day and a half arranging for his beta captain to take temporary control of his fleet's affairs, their date was delayed until today, and now he was at her door, waiting on her maids to finish readying her to leave. He desperately hoped she wasn't stuck up and fragile, but by the look that had graced her face when he had first seen her, this was not the case. He straightened in his chair as she entered the lounge and surveyed her visage quietly. The princess was stunning, there was no doubt about that.
"My lady, how does thee fare on this fine day?" He questioned, standing up to offer her his arm as they headed to the garden. A small smile graced her face and her eyebrows raised in amusement.
"Actually, I find myself quite disappointed. I was hoping that thy language might be a bit rough on the ears and that we might drop the formalities, if only for a short period of time." She snickered, her mouth curling up at the corners as his face projected absolute astonishment.
"Oh thank the lord," He scoffed with a grin breaking out on his face. "Princess, I think we will get along just fine."
"That we will, captain," She replied with a smile. He grinned and tilted his head as a question escaped his lips.
"So, what's your favorite color?"
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Aiko was right, he and Henri got along perfectly fine, at least, they did for the first four years. They had a son, Mikali, and were in love, happily ruling their kindom... or so Aiko thought. Henrietta ran off four years into their marriage with the captain of the royal guard, leaving Aiko completely heartbroken and ruler of a kingdom that was only his until his child turned 18.
Two years later, Henrietta returned with a newborn kit he knew wasn't his and pleaded with Aiko to take care of him. She left the next morning with no explanation. The kit's name was Mishal, and she begged Aiko not to blame him for her mistakes. How could he refuse the kit a home when the look of desperation and fear that crossed Henri's face absolutely shattered his heart? After all, he still loved her, no matter how much she'd betrayed him. He took the kit in, but never truly treated him as his own. Who could blame him, when a cracked heart rested in his chest and got closer to cleaving in two everytime he saw his love's face reflected in that kit?
Aiko continued to construct his shell, fortifying it with actions that spoke louder than words, and words that hurt more than actions. He pushed the few friends he'd made at the palace away and soon the ambition that Henri had once helped keep at bay grew into an uncontrollable storm. Legends had scared the king of Kobiam into giving him his throne, and legends were the tool that allowed his influence to unite the northeastern world under one king: King Aiko Selwyn.
