Chapter Text
Silver’s mind was swirling in chaos.
“My sister, your WIFE, Princess Leah, is suffering from the child YOU placed in her!”
“Father, get back. Malleus has lost control of himself!”
“My liege... Please, calm yourself!”
Why are you afraid? A wonderful future awaits you.”
“The guardian fairies gifted me this ring when I was a young boy. It should be one of a kind. Who ARE you?”
“I will not forgive you.”
~*~
Silver awoke with a start, a haggard gasp escaping his pale lips.
He sat up as adrenaline coursed through him, almost falling of the edge on the bed.
‘What happened? Where am I? Where’s Lord Malleus and Sebek? Where’s father?’
The bright florescence lights stung his tired eyes and created spots in his vision. After blinking a few times he was able to make out his surroundings.
At first he guessed he was in an Ignihyde student's room. All around him were several machines he had never seen before. Many were attached to him.
“What is this…?” Silver lifted a bandaged hand to his face. Through the medical fabric he felt a plastic mask.
It attached to a machine and there was a needle in his skin which drew attention to wires taped to his chest. The device—an oxygen machine, he realized--administrated a strange scent as well as air. He must have been in a hospital room.
“Why am I here...?” he wondered aloud. And why was he hooked up to these things? What on earth happened--
Then he remembered.
Malleus’ overblot. How he turned into a fierce dragon, destroying the Diasomnia Dorm. How he and Sebek had no choice but to to take arms against him. And then Lilia--
‘Father!’ Panic flooding his senses Silver leapt from his bed and ran toward the door.
“Augh!” The IV ripped from his arm and the tube connected to his mask yanked him back like a chain. In a fury, he tore it off and threw it to the side. He then pulled the wires from his chest causing monitor to scream like a siren. He didn’t care. He had to find Lilia!
With this thought in mind he threw open the door and hurried down the hall.
He didn’t even notice the swarm of STYX doctors hurrying into his room just after he had turned the corner.
~*~
Silver’s eyes shot around him, though in panic he struggled to see a thing.
‘Where is he? Is he alright? Are they alright?’ He vaguely noted that there were people around, but he paid them no mind.
“Father! Father!” he called as he ran, his pounding heart drowning out even his own voice.
He felt like a child. A pitiful child running his parent for comfort after a nightmare. In this case he hoped that it was all just a nightmare!
‘If it isn’t, then father--’
Silver’s heart jumped to his throat, threatening to choke him as fear circulated through him. The memory brought a terror he never even imagined he could experience.
“Raahhhrrr!!”
Silver flinched. Even now the ferocious roar that cut through the sky like lightening sliced his his mind like a sharp blade. Absentmindedly, he grabbed his arms.
He could still feel the heat of the flames that ravaged his flesh. How they danced across him as he attempted to defend Sebek from the onslaught. How the attack pushed back and nearly swallowed him when--
“No!!”
A phantom image of his father appeared before him, jumping before him like he had in the recent past. Then--
Whoosh!
Ghostly flames swallowed the memory of Lilia defending him. Then in a flicker, replaced the image with Lilia’s fallen form.
Silver’s teeth clenched and tears sprang to his eyes.
‘Father…’ He had to find him. He had to know. To know if Lilia was alright. Or if he…
“Silver!!”
A familiar voice appeared behind and yanked him back by his arm. It was a full minute before Silver could recognize the face.
“...Kalim?” The other boy let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness I caught you! I didn’t think I would,” he said. Had the situation been different, Silver would be glad to see his friend, more so that he was unharmed. However--
“Kalim! Is father—Lilia alright?!” he demanded, his voice raspy. Everything about him was growing wild with worry, his eyes, his voice, his heart beat—but he didn’t care.
None of that mattered right now. All that mattered--
“Silver, calm down!” Kalim interrupted as soft as he could. He gripped Silver’s arm as if to anchor him and in calm, soothing tone. “Lilia’s fine, I promise. He’s alright!”
There was a soft beat as the world realigned itself.
Silver stumbled, his body suddenly weak despite the weight lifting from his chest.
Lilia was alive. He was alive! And he was "alright." But what did that mean exactly?
“So, he’s not hurt?” Silver pressed on. “No side effect from...” He couldn’t finish the sentence. Kalim did his best to keep a brave face for Silver's sake.
“Lilia’s okay,” Kalim assured him once more, trying to keep the other calm. “But he’s not here. Due to his condition—being so severe, he was taking to a special facility with Malleus.”
“And… Malleus?”
“He’s fine too, but…” Kalim’s expression sadden a little and Silver’s dread started to return.
“But…?” Kalim’s brow wrinkled and his shoulders slumped as if a heavy weight dropped on him.
“Well, he just over blotted, didn’t he? I mean, Jamil over-blotted and was fine afterwards but still, I can’t help but be a bit worried, ya know?” Silver’s gut turned.
Kalim was right. Malleus might have been returned to normal but that didn’t mean there was no side effects. And now that he thought about it, wasn’t Malleus hurt…?
Seeing Silver turn white, Kalim covered his emotions and went back to reassuring him.
“Ah, never mind! I’m just over thinking it. I’m sure Malleus is fine! Really!” he insisted forcing a broad smile on his face. “For now, you don’t look so good yourself. I think you should lay down a bit longer. Do you remember where your room is?” Silver shook his head.
“Ah, not really?” he muttered. He but a hand to his head, feeling faint. Kalim had to steady him to keep Silver from falling.
“That’s okay. I’ll take you to Sebek’s room for now instead,” he said. Silver’s chest tightened at the mention of his friend.
The last he saw of Sebek, he had been blasted to the ground about to be struck by Malleus’ furious flames.
“Is he...”
“He’s fine too!” Kalim said quickly. He must have felt he worried Silver enough already and that stressing him out anymore wasn’t a good idea. “I met him while I was checking on the Scarbia students. Like you, he was worried about everyone so seeing you would probably relieve him.” Silver nodded, closing his eyes as he took a shaky breath.
“Y-yes,” he murmured, brushing some hair behind his ear. “That would relieve me as well.”
~*~
The hallways were busy and a buzz with hurrying doctors and scientists.
After everyone started waking up they were brought here to make sure there were no side effects. Some were injured as they had fallen asleep while cooking, going down the stairs, or just working. Thankfully, none of the wounds were severe—that Silver heard of anyway.
What seemed to be affecting most people was the fear of what happened.
People were terrified that they could be so easily bespelled. Not to mention, they were horrified that they were separated from their loved ones without knowing it. Parents seemed to be the most disturbed by this. Silver could see them hugging their children close to them, while the kids themselves were confused. Others seemed to have for off, vacant looks as if they were still trapped within a dream. These looks chilled Silver the most.
‘I wonder if they all blame Malleus.’ Silver’s heart beat painfully in his chest as he thought of his lord.
All Malleus wanted to do was make everyone happy. Growing up surrounded by loneliness and loss, Malleus knew pain quite well. As such, he desperately wanted to make sure no one else suffered and could live their dream life. It wasn’t Malleus fault his grief turned that desire into a curse.
‘And if I hadn’t let my emotions get the better of me, then Malleus wouldn’t have fallen to that despair.’ Guilt twisted Silver’s features along with the emotional knife in his chest.
If he were to be honest, then all this was his fault.
Silver knew Malleus was suffering more than he was over Lilia’s departure. As his knight, Silver should have supported him. Instead he burdened him with his sorrow, which in turn poisoned Malleus until...
“He’s down the hall in the final room,” Kalim’s voice brought Silver’s focus back to reality. The Scarbia House-warden pointed down the hall at an askew door. From it, Silver heard the familiar tones of his friend, muffled though they were. Hearing it made Silver feel lighter.
“I’m you two have a lot to discuss, so I’ll leave you alone. In the mean time, I’ll let the doctors know where you are. I’m sure they’re worried about you,” Kalim told him. Silver nodded.
“Thank you, Kalim. For everything.” Silver hadn’t noticed before, but there were heavy bags under his eyes and his form seemed weary with exhaustion. Even so he forced a broad grin across his face and patted Silver on the arm.
“Don’t mention it! It’s least I can do,” he proclaimed. “After all, you, Sebek, Idia and Ortho saved all of us, remember?” Silver had to suppress his emotions at his words as he continued. “Besides, this is all a house-warden’s duty after all. Though in the past I passed it all off onto Jamil…” Kalim trailed off for a moment, then shook his head. “Ah, never mind! I better get back to my duties. You make sure to take it easy, alright? You look like you’re going to fall over.”
“Yes… I will. And again, thank you.”
Kalim left and Silver was alone, which gave him time think and overthink.
He closed his eyes as a migraine appeared in his frontal lobe.
He saved them? Could he really claim to have done such a thing?
After all, it was Idia and Ortho ho came up with the plan to save everyone. They were the ones who created the Harmony armor. Not to mention, Idia was the one to direct the final blow.
All Silver did was run around dream to dream, ushering other dreamers like a bus. And the only reason he was able to do that was because Lilia distracted Malleus. Not to mention, in the end when he and Sebek fought Malleus he failed. He dropped the blade and Lilia had to save him once more. At the cost of his own life.
Not to mention, if it wasn’t for him then…
Silver opened his eyes and froze.
“This…” He raised a hand to his hair, his expression a mix of shock and horror.
In the reflection of window pain he saw that his hair was gold. Gold.
His locks had been silver for as long as he could remember. But now it was a golden blond, as if reflecting the rays of the sun.
Which meant he now looked exactly like the man who murdered Malleus’ mother: The Knight of the Dawn.
Silver’s entire body shook, and the dream he saw of the past flooded his mind until it was all he could see.
He recalled the humans invading Briar Valley. Raping the land, and leaving mountains hollow. How they destroyed the homes of innocent Fae folk. How they, the soldiers, then attacked an undefended castle where a baby Malleus lay, unhatched. How Maleanor—and the woman Lilia loved more than anything—sang to him one last time before the Knight of the Dawn arrived and slayed her.
The Knight of the Dawn. The one who had the exact same face he did now.
Silver swayed on his feet, raising a hand to his dry lips as the world disoriented around him. As he stumbled, the words of Henrick—his uncle—echoed in his ears.
“My sister, your WIFE, Princess Leia, is suffering from the child YOU placed in her,” Silver heard him say. “Every night, my father prays for her health, but it’s not enough! With the princess’s glow, we might be able to save them! We must take action, not just for the people—who lived in the shadow of fear of the Draconias—but for our family!”
‘The child…’ It was his fault. All of it.
The taste of iron touched his lip. He looked at his fingers and realized that blood had trickled from his arm down to his finger tips. There was literally blood on his hands. Physically and metaphorically.
It was for HIM that the humans invaded Brair Valley—the place Silver had the gall to call his home for sixteen years.
For Silver, the Knight of the Dawn killed the Briarland Princess, who fought for her country and her unborn child. A child she never even got to see.
All because of him.
‘Father—no, General Vanrouge—no—who...who...how... Lord Malleus, I—I—’ The boy couldn’t think. It was all he could do just to breathe. The weight of his father’s sins was pressing down on him and threatening to crush him to the ground.
Nausea filled him as the world began to spin until all he could see was his bloodied hand. He was going to throw up. He...
He stumbled down the hall when he heard two bellowing voices.
“...Queen Malefica will handle everything. She won’t let anything happen to her grandson,” Baul said, tone firm but gentle at the same time. Hearing his voice after everything that happened was odd to say the least.
In Lilia’s dream they traveled across Briar Valley and fought the Silver Owls--Silver’s people—as allies. But in reality, he and Silver never once spoke to each other. When he visited it was see Lilia or Sebek. Now he knew why.
But the voice that nearly knocked him off his feet was hearing Sebek’s speak.
“Urk… It’s not like I don’t trust our Queen, it’s just…after everything...” “After everything that happened because of Silver…”
Silver’s eyes widen. He was sure Sebek hadn’t said those words and yet they echoed clear in his mind, as if spoken into his ear.
“I understand. But right now all you do is allow yourself to rest. Then when Malleus needs you, you be proper condition to rush to his side,” Baul continued. Silver peeked around the door away.
Baul fretted over Sebek like a mother hen. Silver noted that he looked almost exactly the same as he did within Lilia’s memories which was over 400 years ago. The only difference was his hair length.
Though Baul's expression was naturally stern his eyes were gentle as they looked at his grandson.
“All that aside...” he continued, voice lowering to a gentle rumble. “It looks like you were able to carry out your duty and protect everyone. I’m proud of you.”
Sebek fought hard not to cry, but his eyes still watered.
“Grandfather—” He bowed his head out of respect and to hide his expression. “I’m honored you came!” Baul stared long and hard at Sebek.
"Of course I did,” he finally said. “After all, you--” His words failed as the old warrior finally broke down. He reached forward and pulled Sebek into his arms. The boy was both startled and embarrassed, but he didn't pull away.
Silver watched the scene with a heavy heart.
He couldn’t go in. He couldn’t ruin Sebek’s moment with his beloved grandfather.
Especially now that he looked exactly like the man who destroyed their land.
Silver raised a trembling hand—the one NOT covered in blood--to his head. He grabbed a strand of hair, staring at it. If Silver went in there now, looking like this, what would happen?
Would Baul attack Silver, recognizing finally what he was? And what of Sebek? Would he stop him, or join him in the assault?
After all, Sebek knew the truth just as he did. He knew what Silver’s ancestors did to their homeland and what they stole. He saw the pain and harm Silver’s kin caused his people. He saw first hand what the human did to his people—to grandfather—and he even experienced it.
More so, he saw the man who bore Silver’s face slaughter Malleus’ mother. And the agony that action caused everyone they loved.
Knowing all that and more, how would Sebek respond? Could he ever look at him again and see him as his friend? Or would he be his enemy from that moment on? Silver wasn’t brave enough to find out.
He turned and ran, his whole world falling apart.