11-13-2020, 01:55 AM
NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — Aurum had seemed rather aggravated as of late, and it wasn't hard to see why. His home was once again facing a large threat that wanted them to be subservient for seemingly no reason, and he once again felt as though he couldn't do anything. Technically they had the revolt coming up soon, but there was no guarantee that would work, even if the angel refused to back down no matter what the odds were. Besides, until then he was forced to just wait around, feeling restless and frustrated as he paced circles around the inside of the bunker. He had gotten a little taste of relief when he had challenge Ninazu, managing to get a few good hits off on her and make his displeasure known, but that was in the past. For now, he was forced to just try and make the best of things, even as every bone in his body was telling him to bull rush the nearest Wanderer. Letting out a grunt to express his frustrations, the lion briefly pressed one large paw against his eyepatch, feeling the beginnings of a stress headache coming on. Knowing that he needed to get out for a bit, Aurum got up to his feet, shooting a withering glare in the direction of the nearest guard as he moved out of the bunker, and into the fresh air. Eternal's call reached him almost as soon as he stepped out into the sunlight, causing him to perk up with interest.
The other's tale was... familiar, at least in a sense. Aurum knew the salty tang of envy well, having spent a large portion of his life fighting against it, only for it to almost entirely swallow him in the end. He liked to think he was a far better person now than he was back then, but then again, he had thought he was a good man back then too. Sighing, the lion briefly shook his head, trying to drag himself out of the past before he fell in too deep. When he came back to the present, Eternalknight was questioning the crowd around him, asking about the story he had just told. The angel hesitated briefly, swallowing thickly before he spoke up, "It was a good story, Eternal. It certainly sounds as though that was a turning point for you, even if the day didn't start off so well." He almost winced at the fatherly tone his voice took on, not having meant for it to be there. He really had to stop letting his parental nature take over, since he knew it could he overbearing. He hastily decided to change the subject, claws briefly sinking into the ground, "I... I can tell a story, if people would like." He felt uneasy as soon as the words left his muzzle, but he could already feel a few interested gazes on him. He guessed there wasn't much of a way out now.
Taking a deep breath inward, Aurum kept his one eyed gaze focused on the ground as he told his story, knowing he would probably get emotional, "Our story starts... with a young prince. He was the first born, to a powerful queen and a loving king, and he was promised from the start of his life that he was going to be special." Images of himself lingered in his own mind, just a bright eyed and innocent young cub, with the whole world waiting before him. His teeth briefly clenched together, before he continued, "And for a while, it seemed like that promise was true. His mother was always very hard on him, yes, but he believed that would just make him a better king one day. But then... the king and queen had another child. A younger brother for the prince, plagued by sickness yet fawned over by the both of them. The young prince tried to be happy about the new addition to his family, but... it was hard. His parents paid attention to him less, and his mother grew even more harsh in her treatment..." There was Poetking's young face, staring up at him with a grin on his muzzle. At the same time, he could've sworn that he felt Judith's eyes boring into him, as if trying to burst him into flames. He had to stop himself from glancing over his own shoulder.
With a shuffle of his wings – as if he was shaking off Judith's gaze – the lion continued, "As the prince and his brother grew older, he began to feel jealous of all the attention his brother received. He wondered why he suddenly wasn't good enough for them. He wondered why he always had to suffer at his mother's paws. Ultimately, things ended up coming to a head a month before the prince's would be coronation. He was told, then, that he would no longer be crown king. Instead, his younger brother would take up the position. Of course, the prince was so furious, he was almost driven mad..." Just the memory of it was enough to cause anger to flare up in Aurum's chest, although he pushed it down as soon as it came. He wasn't angry anymore, just... remembering. With that in mind, he pushed on, "This madness pushed him to do the unthinkable... he tried to kill his younger brother. He plotted with the nobles of his kingdom that didn't like his brother, and tried to stab him before the coronation could take place. However, in the end, he wasn't able to do it. He loved his little brother too much, and so the other escaped, rushing off into the unknown." He had been so close. The knife in his jaws, Poet's back turned to him. But then... he just couldn't. He remembered all of their time together as cubs, and he hadn't been able to do anything to hurt his brother.
Aurum then closed his eyes briefly, clearly overwhelmed by emotion, before he moved on to the last part of his story, "At that point... the prince felt lost. He no longer knew what his life's purpose was. He grew depressed, and angry, and was eventually thrown from the kingdom by his mother, on threat of death. He was told to go and find his younger brother, or never come home again." Golden paws trudging against unknown earth, leaving the home that he had known for the entirety of his life. Out into the wilderness beyond, not knowing if he would even emerge alive. How frightening it had been, back then, "Eventually, the prince found his brother, in a sweltering and musty swamp that immediately irritated him. The place was known as Tanglewood, and initially, all he had wanted to do was leave. However, as it turned out, ending up there would be the best event of his entire life..." Aurum's gaze gained a glistening edge, tears coming to his eye. He quickly swiped it away, a soft and emotional chuckle leaving him – he really hadn't meant to get so into his own tale.
The finale of the story was definitely the best, at least in his opinion. So, with a broad grin on his muzzle, Aurum soldiered onward, "Not only did the prince end up reuniting with his brother, but he also found an entirely new family within Tanglewood. He found a sister, and a son, and friends who he would never give up for the entire world. Before long, the prince totally forgot about power or how hungry he had once been for it. Instead, he grew to be happy, as long as he knew that those around him were safe, and happy as well. That was better than any throne in the world, at least to him." He then began to chuckle at that point, shaking his head from side to side as he spoke, "As I'm sure you've all already figured out... that prince was me. I'm not entirely sure where I would be now, if it hadn't been for the influence that Tanglewood has had on me. I'm not sure I want to know, if I'm completely honest. If I had to go back and do it all again, I'd probably make all the same decisions – even the poor ones – in order to end up right where I am, right now." Things were far from perfect within Tanglewood at the moment, but that didn't mean Aurum loved it any less. The swamp dwelling group was his home, and he'd continue to sing its praises until his last dying breath. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.
The other's tale was... familiar, at least in a sense. Aurum knew the salty tang of envy well, having spent a large portion of his life fighting against it, only for it to almost entirely swallow him in the end. He liked to think he was a far better person now than he was back then, but then again, he had thought he was a good man back then too. Sighing, the lion briefly shook his head, trying to drag himself out of the past before he fell in too deep. When he came back to the present, Eternalknight was questioning the crowd around him, asking about the story he had just told. The angel hesitated briefly, swallowing thickly before he spoke up, "It was a good story, Eternal. It certainly sounds as though that was a turning point for you, even if the day didn't start off so well." He almost winced at the fatherly tone his voice took on, not having meant for it to be there. He really had to stop letting his parental nature take over, since he knew it could he overbearing. He hastily decided to change the subject, claws briefly sinking into the ground, "I... I can tell a story, if people would like." He felt uneasy as soon as the words left his muzzle, but he could already feel a few interested gazes on him. He guessed there wasn't much of a way out now.
Taking a deep breath inward, Aurum kept his one eyed gaze focused on the ground as he told his story, knowing he would probably get emotional, "Our story starts... with a young prince. He was the first born, to a powerful queen and a loving king, and he was promised from the start of his life that he was going to be special." Images of himself lingered in his own mind, just a bright eyed and innocent young cub, with the whole world waiting before him. His teeth briefly clenched together, before he continued, "And for a while, it seemed like that promise was true. His mother was always very hard on him, yes, but he believed that would just make him a better king one day. But then... the king and queen had another child. A younger brother for the prince, plagued by sickness yet fawned over by the both of them. The young prince tried to be happy about the new addition to his family, but... it was hard. His parents paid attention to him less, and his mother grew even more harsh in her treatment..." There was Poetking's young face, staring up at him with a grin on his muzzle. At the same time, he could've sworn that he felt Judith's eyes boring into him, as if trying to burst him into flames. He had to stop himself from glancing over his own shoulder.
With a shuffle of his wings – as if he was shaking off Judith's gaze – the lion continued, "As the prince and his brother grew older, he began to feel jealous of all the attention his brother received. He wondered why he suddenly wasn't good enough for them. He wondered why he always had to suffer at his mother's paws. Ultimately, things ended up coming to a head a month before the prince's would be coronation. He was told, then, that he would no longer be crown king. Instead, his younger brother would take up the position. Of course, the prince was so furious, he was almost driven mad..." Just the memory of it was enough to cause anger to flare up in Aurum's chest, although he pushed it down as soon as it came. He wasn't angry anymore, just... remembering. With that in mind, he pushed on, "This madness pushed him to do the unthinkable... he tried to kill his younger brother. He plotted with the nobles of his kingdom that didn't like his brother, and tried to stab him before the coronation could take place. However, in the end, he wasn't able to do it. He loved his little brother too much, and so the other escaped, rushing off into the unknown." He had been so close. The knife in his jaws, Poet's back turned to him. But then... he just couldn't. He remembered all of their time together as cubs, and he hadn't been able to do anything to hurt his brother.
Aurum then closed his eyes briefly, clearly overwhelmed by emotion, before he moved on to the last part of his story, "At that point... the prince felt lost. He no longer knew what his life's purpose was. He grew depressed, and angry, and was eventually thrown from the kingdom by his mother, on threat of death. He was told to go and find his younger brother, or never come home again." Golden paws trudging against unknown earth, leaving the home that he had known for the entirety of his life. Out into the wilderness beyond, not knowing if he would even emerge alive. How frightening it had been, back then, "Eventually, the prince found his brother, in a sweltering and musty swamp that immediately irritated him. The place was known as Tanglewood, and initially, all he had wanted to do was leave. However, as it turned out, ending up there would be the best event of his entire life..." Aurum's gaze gained a glistening edge, tears coming to his eye. He quickly swiped it away, a soft and emotional chuckle leaving him – he really hadn't meant to get so into his own tale.
The finale of the story was definitely the best, at least in his opinion. So, with a broad grin on his muzzle, Aurum soldiered onward, "Not only did the prince end up reuniting with his brother, but he also found an entirely new family within Tanglewood. He found a sister, and a son, and friends who he would never give up for the entire world. Before long, the prince totally forgot about power or how hungry he had once been for it. Instead, he grew to be happy, as long as he knew that those around him were safe, and happy as well. That was better than any throne in the world, at least to him." He then began to chuckle at that point, shaking his head from side to side as he spoke, "As I'm sure you've all already figured out... that prince was me. I'm not entirely sure where I would be now, if it hadn't been for the influence that Tanglewood has had on me. I'm not sure I want to know, if I'm completely honest. If I had to go back and do it all again, I'd probably make all the same decisions – even the poor ones – in order to end up right where I am, right now." Things were far from perfect within Tanglewood at the moment, but that didn't mean Aurum loved it any less. The swamp dwelling group was his home, and he'd continue to sing its praises until his last dying breath. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.
— Reggan