RESTORATION KING

[ Starter for @restorationprince! ]

Myrrh looks around the town of Renais’s capital, her eyes scouring the castle town for one figure.

She hadn’t left Darkling Woods in a while—there were too many duties to perform. Morva’s burial, looking after the Sacred Stone that had sealed away the Demon King’s soul, and removing the Darkling Woods of all evil sources… she had been too busy for any sort of leisure visits. Besides, there was no time for kings, queens, or people who had to rebuild the countries to host her.

Now, though, there was time. And so, she had planned a visit with one of her old friends.

Myrrh’s eyes scour the crowd before resting on one figure who stands out over the rest.

He spotted her hand, somehow (though she was of course much shorter than the average passerby) and hurried over, pausing only briefly to smile in return to the people happy to see their king among them. Without really thinking, he bent and picked Myrrh up, forgetting, as always, that she was not a typical little girl. 

“So,” his tone was strangely calm, marking the upcoming venom he was about to launch, “you left her with the books and papers in Renais as always.”

Innes wasn’t sure why the Renais royal could boil his blood that much, but even if he could only best Ephraim in a battle of wits, boy he sure did want to win.

“I’d rather she manage Renais, her home, than what I deal with in Grado,” Ephraim replied, still pointedly... pleasant. “I’m not sure what the alternative might be, given what we’re dealing with?” 

Given the insults he faced -- and those were truly the least of his problems -- Ephraim shuddered to think of the accusations that might be levied against his twin. The thought soured his mood, just for a moment, but he fought to maintain his composure. Eirika would be so disappointed if he got into a fight. (Again.) 

But this time felt rather different because Ephraim actually grinned at him. A shit-eating grin regardless, but…

So he finally noticed me? Innes mused again, thinking how indifferent Ephraim’s reaction so far had been if not him grilling the latter’s ass at archery matches—a payback he graciously gave for having his ass grilled at friendly lance-wielding tournaments.

Well…

“Forgive me, King Ephraim,” in an unexpected move, he changed his curt tone into a very… courteous one. A Seth-kin kind of tone as Tana once dubbed it. “I am very good at it, yes. I even noticed when our seas did not lay the same fish quota as always. Well, you see—”

Here comes the counterattack. Be ready, lance monster.

“I always pay attention to important, worthy things. As far as royal-ing goes, I do agree with you that I’m also very good at keeping up with it, yes. Which explains why I’ve been working home at the palace unlike you who paraded around playing adventurous mercenary.”

She knew she didn’t deserve that – not after how she’d withdrawn from Ephraim, so horrified by what he’d done, even though it had all been for Renais. For her. But she also knew that she couldn’t say no.

“I love you,” she whispered, because an apology was too late and a simple “thank you” would not suffice. She squeezed his hands and then pulled away to check for the knife she still kept hidden up her left sleeve.

“We’ll have to find a way to get Lyon out of here tonight, then. The longer we wait, the more we risk.”

As she squeezed his hands, Ephraim pressed a kiss to her hair and echoes her words. It wasn’t quite enough, but he had to believe there was some better future ahead -- one that, this time, ended with the three of them, all together. 

He studied his sister for a moment, and caught the flash of silver at her sleeve. Good. So she’d been prepared from the start. 

🎊 I’m happy to have met you.

😣 I’m a little nervous to interact with you.

💌 I don’t RP, but I follow you because of your interesting threads.

👭 Can we roleplay together?

👍 You’re doing great! Keep it up!

👌 Your character portrayal is amazing.

🙅 I think your portrayal could be worked on a little more.

💞 Do our muses have the potential to become romantic interests?

💭 Your thoughts on our threads?

💧 I don’t know what our muses can do in a thread together. Ideas?

💔 I would like to improve our muses’ relationship.

🗣 Care to talk outside of our threads? (discord/skype/twitter/etc)

✍ Could we have more threads?

☺ I love our muses’ relationship!

She knew she didn’t have to explain. Their whole lives, she and Ephraim shared everything: a womb, a throne, toys and clothes and food. And what couldn’t be shared was taken in equal turns. Innes and Tana always squabbled over something Ephraim and Eirika had figured out since before they could talk.

“It’s my turn, Ephraim.”

For a moment, the idea of taking turns with this was so grotesque that Ephraim could hardly find words. He gripped at her hands, trying to be the brother he knew she needed. 

“When -- if -- if it comes to that....” 

He thought of the long nights alone he’d spent on the way back to Renais. The way Eirika hadn’t even looked at him when first he returned, how she’d nearly recoiled when she saw that blood on his spear. The part of the bargain that weighed most heavily on him, the part he still could scarcely speak of. 

Ephraim moved before he could think. He’d raged in silence for so long, and all of it bubbled at once to the surface. Lyon’s body was so easy, too easy to shove and pin against a tree, Ephraim’s hand fixed at his throat. 

“Don’t you dare threaten her,” he snarled, inches from a face still too familiar. “I killed you once – I killed Lyon once. Don’t think I won’t do it again.” 

There was still that chill of dread, that he could do it again, that he’d ever done it in the first place. But Ephraim had grown skilled at swallowing it. If it had to be done, he could do it. He could bear anything. 

His lips curled into a smirk. Finally, the tipping point. Perhaps if He played His hand right, He could get Ephraim to kill the boy right after He enters His new vessel, make all of his efforts for naught. Whatever He can do to break these thorn-in-His-side twins as much as He possibly can.

But he let his grip weaken and drop at last. It wasn’t as if he could predict what might happen if he ended it this way, and after all, what would become of Eirika if things went south? 

[Care edition]

“… need to… still…”

The last of the centaur beasts laid smouldering on the ground beside the others; what wasn’t charred black had been stained red. Ephraim’s gauntlets, his lance, the notched axes on the ground… The latter of which may have been coated in his own.

With the adrenaline draining from his limbs and the hum of magic fading away, Pent could feel blood soaking into his robes. He pressed a hand to his side; his palm was red when he pulled it away. Well. How long had that been there?

“I already owe her a favor or two,” Ephraim conceded. “But I know she won’t turn me away for number three. We haven’t much recourse, after all.” Perhaps if he asked nicely, Saleh would help with whatever those favors were meant to be.

“She’s a kind woman. When I – my leg – she helped see to it.” Details weren’t too important, now. He glanced over to gauge Pent’s state. At least he was still conscious and standing. He propped his spear up, forcing himself to stay upright, and pounded at the door. 

Right, there was nothing suspicious about old women living up in the mountains, was there? As Pent recalled, Canas’ mother was one such figure and she… probably would have given him some fierce side-eye with how heavily the feel of anima magic had clung to every fibre of his being, if he were honest, but some part of him still would have liked to think that Niime would have at very least tolerated him in her home.

She had always been so, so slow to see the truth. But they both knew it, now, and that meant they were both better off – right?

Feeling Ephraim cry, the hitching of his chest and the arm he lifted to swipe at his eyes, made Eirika shed the last of her reluctance. They’d both suffered and now they’d weep together. That was nothing to be ashamed of, she hoped.

“Before Lyon went back under, he told me to research the old legends. The stone of Rausten is still intact, and we’ve done this once before…I think we have a chance to save him. But if we mess it up…he has to die.” It took all her strength to say it with conviction, even though she knew it was the truth. “If it comes to that, let me do it. I know I might have hesitated, once, but…he’s hurt you so much…so I have no more reservations.”

"I should have known. The dead don’t just come back, we knew that, I knew that -- but I thought, if anyone deserved another chance....” 

But he couldn’t force any more words at the thought of Eirika having to strike Lyon down. He struggled for them, nearly breathless, hoping to find some hesitation in her eyes, finding none. 

No, he wanted to say. I bore it so you would never have to. But the thought of doing it again made him want to crumble even further. It had been bad enough to pierce a body he’d never held. Could he even pretend he was ready to do it all now? 

🌋- A memory about their first heartbreak

🏠- A memory about their childhood home/where they used to live

📷- A memory that comes with a picture they have

💡- A memory that comes with an object or keepsake they have

🔪- A memory about a dangerous situation

🎈- A memory about a time they were safe and relaxed

📔- A memory from a journal/diary entry

📝- A memory of them getting to know/meeting my muse

🔗- A memory about their proposal/wedding

🐥- A memory about their children (past, present, or future)

👘- A memory associated with an article of clothing they have

⚔️- A memory about war

🌅- A memory associated with a certain location

🏚- A memory about exploration

🛤- A memory about traveling

🌠- A time they wished upon a falling star

🐕-A memory of teamwork

🐺- A memory about being alone

🌟- WILDCARD

He was so stubborn… Eirika bit her cheek until she tasted blood and had to admit that in his position, she would feel the same. Hadn’t she made that choice already? Come back to free her brother, no matter the cost? And now here he was, for her, and he wouldn’t be persuaded any more than she would have been.

“We’ll have to find a way to kidnap him tonight, then. I have a theory that…with the stone of Rausten, and perhaps by the full moon, since the demon is strongest at the new moon…”

That was when he’d taken Lyon as his sacrifice, at least. But she could explain her theories later. They had so little time, but she wrapped her arms around Ephraim’s waist and pressed her cheek against his back, feeling herself crumble in tandem with him.

“I missed you so much.” Her voice was already watery. “I’d wished you wouldn’t come back, but at the same time, I’m so glad you did.”

“I couldn’t just leave,” Ephraim said immediately. At the sound of her voice breaking, he turned back to her and buried his face in her hair, his arms tight around her as if somehow it could keep them together. “I couldn’t. I wanted -- I wanted you to stay away, more than anything. I thought if I could just -- just work up the courage to end it again, then I could go home to you and everything would be all right again --”

It wouldn’t have been all right, he knew. It hadn’t been all right the first time, after all. He’d just stayed silent about it, kept it a secret. But now it was all out in the open, every raw, vulnerable emotion he’d ever had about it, and he couldn’t simply hide it all again or pretend as if it had never been there. He wiped at his cheeks, furious at himself more than anything. More than the demon -- more than Lyon, and the realization of how angry he was at Lyon just made it all worse.