The Rest is Silence

by Chii Rempel

  “You’re awfully fast for a ride out,” the female soldier to my right points out. The two of them are flanking me from both sides, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz in the back, but I’m not slowing down. If they want to chat, they can do so while following me.

  “You’re awfully slow for members of the king’s guard.”

  I can hear Guildenstern and Rosencrantz snicker behind me.

  “I’m afraid we must ask you to stop, milady. The king cannot allow for civilians to be caught in this. We are to escort you back to the castle.”

  I just throw the guy a look and wish once again that I had perfected the one-eyebrow-pull like Xander.

  Guildenstern snorts. “How about I escort you back to your mama, where you belong, boy?”

  “No need to be rude, Guildenstern,” I say, but it’s too late. The soldier has already turned to glare at the merchant, his jaw set angrily.

  “What did you say?”

  “There’s really no need –” the other soldier starts but is rudely interrupted.

  “Oh, there is every need,” Guildenstern says and I can hear the grin in his voice. He’s baiting them, I realise.

  “How about I teach you some manners?”

  “Oh, really? With what, your teddy bear?”

  “Stop this madness, right –”

  “You hear this, boy? You should listen to your elders.”

  I shoot a glance back and realise nobody is paying any attention to me anymore. I catch Rosencrantz’s gaze. He nods. I turn around, my eyes set on the guard and disappear into the darkening light.

  Xander

  I am being shaken awake by a gentle hand on my shoulder and the soft whispers of my name. When I open my eyes, I see Xavier covered partly in shadows, behind him a gleam of orange light. We must have fallen asleep. I regret it the moment I try to sit up. My neck feels stiff as a brick and my back is mourning the memory of a soft mattress. I release a groan.

  “How are you feeling?” Xavier asks.

  I move my head slowly from side to side and stretch my back. There’s an ugly popping sound coming from my spine.

  “Ugh,” I say, “I’ve been better.”

  As I meet Xavier’s dark eyes, his brows furrowed in concern, I bring a hand to his cheek and go for a smile.

  “But I could also be a lot worse.”

  Seemingly content with that answer, his face relaxes into a soft smile matching mine. He stands up and offers his hands to help me. My legs feel like they’re made of lead, yet I somehow manage to stay upright on my own.

  “We should look for a better hideout,” Xavier suggests.

  “You think they’ll follow us here?”

  “I bet you my father is personally on his way here.”

  “What if he finds us?”

  “We run.”

  “What if we can’t run?”

  “We fight.”

  Xavier says this with such determination that it sends shivers down my spine. I’m shaking my head slowly. “I can’t let you do this for me, Xavier. He’s your father. You don’t fight family.”

  “Claudius is your uncle and you still want to fight him.”

  “Claudius stopped being family the moment he killed my father,” I spit.

  Xavier takes my hands. They are so warm it makes me realise I’m shivering. “You are my family, Xander. I don’t want to fight my father … but if it comes to it, I’ll stand with you. I won’t let them lock you up in the castle. We just need a bit of time to find evidence against Claudius. And when the time comes, we’ll return to Trelburg and he’ll be punished for his crimes. And you will sit on the throne, where you belong.

  And, just in case …”

  Xavier reaches into the inside of his jacket and produces the small, leather-clad knife, that he’s always hiding somewhere in his clothes. I completely forgot that he packed it.

  “Why should I take it? It’s probably better if you keep it.”

  He shakes his head and places the knife in my hand. “I know how to fight with my fists, you don’t.”

  “I thought we didn’t want to fight.”

  “We don’t. That’s just in case.”

  I put the knife into my waistband. Xavier takes my hand. “Come on, let’s find a new cave for ourselves. This doesn’t do much to keep us hidden.”

  25

  Arcadia

  The sun has almost completely vanished behind the horizon by the time I reach Rassgar. The king and his guard have come to a halt and so have I, keeping my distance. I can see two soldiers approach Claudius. This must be the two who were following Xander and Xavier earlier. A heavy sigh of relief leaves my lips. They seem to have managed to slip away. For now, at least.

  The two soldiers gesticulate wildly. Unfortunately, I can’t hear what they’re saying but from what I gather, they are pointing into the direction of the mountains.

  Well, looks like I’m going for a hike.

  The last bits of deep orange light creep over the rocks as I indicate Feli to slow down. I’ve managed to reach the mountains before the king’s guard, but that doesn’t mean they’re not close behind. How am I supposed to find Xander and Xavier before them? They can’t have gone too far in. And it’s not like these are particularly high mountains.

  There’s a trail leading inside the rocky formations. Feli and I follow it.

  Xavier

  This mountain range is really more a collection of slightly higher hills. They might be rocky, but there’s enough flat terrain at their feet that makes walking quite comfortable. I know we should probably stay close to the rocks and climb our way to a safer destination, but with Xander’s athletic skills he is more likely to fall and break a leg than anything else. We can just hope that night falls quickly and we can hide inside the darkness.

  Xander grabs my shoulder suddenly, his eyes wide. “Did you hear that?”

  I did.

  The sound of hoofs travels over the rocks and for a moment I panic, fearing we might have been found, before I realise something.

  “That doesn’t sound like the guard storming to find us,” I observe.

  “Maybe it’s just your father?” Xander proposes.

  “Unlikely. He’d never leave without at least two soldiers as backup.”

  “The rest could be on foot.”

  Before we make any more noise and attract more attention, I grab Xander by the elbow and drag him to the side. We won’t be able to hide so quickly, but we can at least avoid being in direct view.

  “Look,” he whispers, “it’s just one person.”

  “And it doesn’t look like someone from the guard …”

  “No, it looks like …”

  “Arcadia?” we both exclaim and our voices echo through the mountains.

  Arcadia visibly jumps on her horse and turns towards us. As soon as our eyes meet, she puts a hand over her mouth and jumps from Feli. Xander is running towards her before I even realise it.

  Arcadia jumps into his arms, clinging onto him with arms and legs around him like a child. I have to chuckle at the sight, as I go to join them.

  “What are you doing here?” Xander asks accusingly, yet he winds his arms tighter around the girl. Arcadia appears to be crying. She sobs into his shoulder, while Xander rubs her back, before he puts her back to the ground.

  “I’m so glad you’re all right! I was so worried!” she cries and pulls me into a tight embrace. I laugh into her hair.

  “You were supposed to stay in the castle,” I chide, but the smile on my lips takes the seriousness off my words.

  “And you were supposed to stay hidden!” she complains. “What was I supposed to do when I heard you were spotted and the king himself was going to hunt you down?”

  “Claudius is on his way here?” Xander asks, all joy of the reunion forgotten. He turns to look at me, his face a mixture of helplessness and panic.

  “Yes,” Arcadia says, “In fact, they can’t be far behind! We should get you –”

  “You should p
robably talk a lot less if you don’t want to be found.”

  All colour drains from Xander’s face as his uncle’s voice sounds behind us. Arcadia gasps and I reel around to find the king sitting atop his horse, a dozen soldiers right behind him. The first face that my eyes fall to, however, is the disappointed face of my father. I feel like somebody has punched me in the gut.

  Arcadia is the first to wake from the stupor. She places herself in front of Xander protectively, fixing the king with a look that could bring giants to their knees. There are drying tears on her face, but her stance is strong and her eyes alight. She’s truly a sight.

  “Out of the way, Arcadia. This is not your business,” Claudius commands.

  Arcadia doesn’t even flinch. I move to stand by her side, my eyes never leaving my father’s face.

  “What’s that famous phrase?” she says, her voice louder and fiercer than I anticipated. “Over my dead body.”

  Claudius inclines his head. “As you wish,” he barks, “be the first to die tonight.”

  At that, my father’s face falters a bit. At least he has the decency to react. His eyes fall to his leader. It doesn’t seem like he was completely in on the king’s plans.

  “Nobody has to die tonight,” I announce and take a step forward. “We don’t want to fight. We just want a chance to explain ourselves.” I look about the faces of the men and women I’m used to train with every day. These are my colleagues, my friends. They can’t have given up on me that easily.

  “Surround them,” Claudius commands.

  I can feel the eyes of every soldier on me as they do as they are told. They form a circle around us, faces stiff, yet their weapons remain down.

  I’ve had enough of this. “What is it that you want, Claudius?” I shout as I take another step towards the king.

  “Xavier!” my father warns. “Stay out of this. This is not your fight.”

  “Not my fight?” I ask and let out an incredulous laugh. “Father, this is my family there behind me! You always say we have a duty to our family. Here I am, acting on that duty.”

  “Fine,” the king shouts, “you want to die for that traitorous brat? Please, be my guest! Soldiers, raise your weapons!”

  “NO,” my father and Xander shout at once. It echoes loud and clear through the ever darker growing day.

  Suddenly, Xander is standing beside me. The air around him seems to crackle, so fiery is the look in his eyes.

  “You call me a traitor?” he fumes. “After all that you’ve done? After bedding my mother so soon after your brother’s death? The brother that you killed in the first place!”

  Deafening silence follows Xander’s words. It’s like he’s spoken them with magic. I can’t take my eyes off him.

  Claudius jumps from his horse.

  “A grave accusation you present there, little nephew,” he says and his voice sounds so much quieter in contrast to Xander’s. It’s like Xander is waking the storm, but Claudius yields the calm of its eye.

  He pats the side of his horse, while his eyes remain on the prince. “Are you planning on providing any proof?”

  Xander’s fists are balled to the point where his knuckles turn white. Claudius knows that we don’t have anything against him. We wouldn’t have run otherwise.

  “We’ll find proof. I know what you did, Claudius, and I sure as hells won’t give up until –”

  I should have seen it coming, really. He had his hands on it the whole time. But I was too occupied with watching Xander, too enthralled by his words. I let my guard down. It’s like I’m seeing it in slow-motion … Claudius straps a crossbow from his saddle. In a fluid motion he points it at Xander. Without another word, without another doubt, he shoots.

  The only thing that matters to me is standing right beside me. My whole world narrows down to one single though: Xander, Xander, Xander. So I push.

  Someone screams.

  I am just so quick. After all, I’m only human.

  The arrow hits me right in my chest, just above my heart.

  And my world turns black.

  Xander

  It doesn’t happen in slow-motion. Time doesn’t slow down, as I watch the arrow that was meant for me land in Xavier’s chest. Time stays completely still.

  Not a single breath is taken, not one blink is made. The earth stops rotating and halts – waits – because destiny cannot be so cruel. Not when we just found each other. Not with everything laid ahead. So many stories to experience, so many moments to share.

  Then Xavier falls. My world falls with him.

  I hear screams. I think I register Arcadia at my side, falling to her knees before Xavier’s unmoving body. I think I hear Xavier’s father shout. Nothing matters anymore. My legs don’t want to move. I stay frozen, unblinking, staring at the fallen figure at my feet that belongs to the boy who’s stolen my heart. Now he’s taking it with him to his grave.

  Slowly I raise my head. I need to look at him. I need to look into the eyes of the man who’s taken everything from me. First, my father. Now, my heart.

  Captain Colson is kneeling in the dust. His arms hang uselessly at his side, his face twisted to an agitated grimace. There are tears. Good. Somebody should be crying. Xavier is worth shedding a million tears for.

  Claudius’ gaze is unyielding. I look into his eyes and make a promise. I will get him. Not in this life, but in the next. And every other one after that. I’ll make his whole existence hell.

  “Get them!” my uncle shouts to his soldiers.

  I grab the knife that is clinging to my back. The leather cap falls off easily. I turn my eyes back to Xander’s body. His face looks torn with pain. Don’t worry, darling, I will bring you peace.

  I draw a last breath. Then I bury the blade deep into my stomach. The pain is so sharp I don’t even feel it. Arcadia starts screaming again, but I only look at Xavier. His face should be the last thing that I see when I leave this world. Xavier, who shouldn’t have been here in the first place. Xavier, who could have belonged anywhere in the world but was given to me. Xavier, who has made my life so full of light and laughter and love. I look at the face of the man that has given me so much but was taken the life that he would have deserved.

  Suddenly, he opens his eyes.

  Xavier

  I wake to a world of shouting and a burning pain in my chest. I open my eyes and the first thing I see is him. Xander is like the first ray of sunshine after a month of darkness. He is the first drop of water after a season of drought. Has the sight of him always felt like salvation? Have his eyes always been so green?

  But as I look at them, they start to widen in horror and for a moment, I don’t understand.

  Then I see it.

  Time seems to be passing outside of my spectre while my brain processes the image before me.

  I see the handle sticking from his stomach. The blade buried deep. Blood is flowing from his fingers where he’s clutching the knife that I gave him only moments before. It feels like a lifetime.

  I sit up and he falls.

  “No,” I breathe, grabbing for him. I crawl towards his breaking body, not caring for anything or anyone but him. With shaking hands I pull him into my lap. He winces with pain.

  “Xander,” I croak, pushing the strands of hair from his face.

  He’s looking at me. A hand rises powerlessly, trying to touch me. I catch it in mine.

  “How?” he whispers.

  I realise that tears must be running down my face because they are raining in his. I bring one hand to my chest, to the place where the arrow hit me and reach into the pocket there.

  Xander smiles weakly as I present the thing that saved my life.

  A heavy silver coin.

  I would laugh, had I any laughter in me.

  Xander stares at the coin likes it is his salvation. He doesn’t realise that he is mine.

  “Why did you –” I try to ask against the tears, but Xander shakes his head and I know why. There’s no life without the other.
He thought I died. So he took his own life to follow me.

  “And he walks the whole circle of creation, from Heaven through the Dirt to Hell, just to be with her,” I whisper.

  He gives me a smile, an honest one, a happy one. Then his light dims and I am left in darkness. Nothing hurts anymore, nothing exists. There’s a void opening inside me and I am left empty. Numb.

  I feel hands grabbing for me, I push them away. Arcadia is shouting at the soldiers to stay away. Haven’t they done enough?

  Suddenly, everything becomes quiet. It is a silence that I know. I’ve experienced it before.

  The fog is thicker this time, bigger. It flows to us from every side. I hear the horses neighing, the soldiers shouting in confusion.

  I look up and that’s when I see him. Claudius. Still standing, still alive. Like nothing happened. Like he didn’t just tilt the world.

  He’s trying to wave the mist out of his face, shouting something to his soldiers that I don’t hear. Not paying attention to us anymore.

  I tear my gaze away from him to look at Arcadia. She’s kneeling next to me, face wet with tears. Our eyes meet.

  I kiss her cheek. Then, I grab the knife, haul it out of Xander’s stomach, and before I give anybody the chance to realise what I’m doing, I stride to the king and turn him by his shoulder. And I bury the knife deep in his heart. I see his eyes widen, hear his breath catch in his throat. Then I turn. This man doesn’t deserve any more of my attention.

  There’s more screaming. I am suddenly pulled down to my knees. By whom, I don’t care to see. My hands are being yanked behind my back, my face pressed down. I let it happen. What else is there to do?

  I didn’t account for Arcadia. Her feet are suddenly right before me.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she shouts. “Your king is dead. Your prince is dead.”

  Her voice breaks a little, but she doesn’t stop. “Haven’t you done enough? Let him go.”

  Nobody moves.

  “Let him go!” she shouts, “So they can say goodbye! You owe them that much!”

  The hands release me. I don’t waste time. Xander is lying there on the ground, abandoned, alone. He should never be alone. I lay my hand on his cheek. He’s getting cold. Cold is not something I ever associated with Xander. Nothing could have prepared me for this moment, nothing taught me how to cope with losing the light. I never knew life could feel so hollow. What else is left for me? Darkness surrounds us and I wish it would swallow me.