#vendew

“We did it! We did it!” Brenit cheers with a giggle. Her eyes sparkle bright with glee.

“Yes we did,” Aria smiles softly. They did it. They proved everyone wrong. They proved fate itself wrong. The Council doesn’t have the gem, and will never have it. They broke the prophecy, all on their own.

“Fuck you fate!” Brenit yells, Dimitri playfully slapping her head at the curse. But even his eyes glow a cheerful pink and purple, as he tries, and fails, to contain a wide smile. 

“I can’t believe it,” Vendew says softly, “You actually did it.” 

Aria sighs, glancing over at her, and smiles. “We did it,” she says, knocking their shoulders. Vendew quietly laughs, and smiles back. The four continue walking, a soft yet warm silence resting over the group.

“Now what?” Dimitri says, breaking the silence. The four momentarily pause, a wave of hesitation washing over them. They never really planned this far. It was always ‘find the gem’ and ‘stay away from the Council’, never what to do with the gem. Vendew begins to speak, but is cut off by slow clapping.

“I’ve heard what happened, congratulations,” Vrowan says as he slowly walks towards them, out of one of the branching tunnels. “It must have taken a lot to go against your council like that.” He smiles at the four, an almost fatherly look on his face. His eyes glint a sharp green, but Aria is unable to see what they’re hiding in them. She shrugs it off, and smiles back. 

“Vrowan, look!” Brenit grabs the gem from inside Dimitri’s bag, and pulls it out. Dimitri makes a grab to stop her, but with a glance at Vrowan, they hesitate and let her go. Aria glances over to him in confusion, but he doesn’t look back, his eyes turning to a stormy gray. What is he nervous about? Vrowan? She shakes her head, and looks back over the Brenit. The gem is glowing a soft silver, cupped in her hands.

“Wow,” he says, in an almost reverent tone. The gem’s light reflects in his eyes, giving an almost sinister and greedy look in them. 

“We were just wondering what to do with the gem now. We can’t let the Council get it, or anyone else who will use it for evil, but what should we do with it?” Brenit pipes up, Vrowan’s gaze tearing away from the gem. The look in his eyes is still there, and a shiver goes down her spine. Something’s wrong. She looks over at Dimitri, who is already looking at her. Faint alarm is in his eyes, the gray turning stormier by the second. Dimitri begins to step towards Brenit, but Vrowan interrupts. 

“Well, if you want, I could take it, just to keep it safe-” Vrowan begins, and sends a smile over to the pair, “-from the Council and others who want to do harm.”

Vendew agrees with him, saying “Of course! Who better than the leader of the nature realm?” Brenit nods her head, and begins to give it to Vrowan, his eyes shining. Dimitri frowns and steps forward, in between the two. 

“What would you do with the gem?” he demands, tone harsh. Vrowan cocks his head, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Well, I would put it into one of my top vaults, to keep some of the more dangerous realms-” he says in a harsh tone, making it obvious which realms he was referring to. Arkanass, Ulna, Shloan, and even possibly Hoal now. Aria shudders at the idea of what those other, darker, realms would do with that kind of power. “-away from the gem.”

Dimitri glares at him, eyes stormy with suspicion. “We could do the sa-”

“No you couldn’t,” Vrowan laughs, cutting him off. “Those other realms have no qualms about hurting innocent people. They are brutal and ruthless, and they have people who can easily infiltrate and steal things. Some-” he adds, in a matter of fact tone, “-even have those type of people as leaders,” he finishes, spitting out those last words as they drip with disgust. 

Dimitri hesitates, eyes lightening up a bit. He glances over at Aria, obviously unsure of what to do. Vrowan sees this, and continues with an offhanded remark of “Besides, in return, I could properly use it for, what was it you wanted earlier?” he says, as if in deep thought, before finishing with a “ah yes, to cure your air.”

With those final words, Aria made up her mind, and could see the others doing the same. Dimitri still has those shadows of doubt swirling in his eyes, but he steps back, glancing at Aria with a nod. She nods back, and steps forward, taking the gem from Brenit. She looks up at her, hope and trust in her eyes. Even Vendew nods at her as she glances back.

“Do you swear to?” she asks, standing in front of Vrowan. He smiles back, his eyes a bright and shining green.

“On my honor as a noble leader.”

Aria hands him the gem, carefully placing it into his open hands. He takes it, and brings it up to his face, inspecting it. A large smile spreads across his face. That look from earlier came back, his eyes shining. He smirks, and pockets the gem quickly. Vrowan straightens up, and brings out his comm. Staring straight into Aria’s eyes, he speaks into the comm. 

“Drow, activate protocol 438. Kill the four.”

At those words, a flood of horror and alarm goes through her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she can see Dimitri freeze and step back, and Vendew’s eyes flooding with horror. Brenit looks confused though, and speaks up.

“Wait whats happening? We did what you asked, and even broke the prophecy too?”

Vrowan laughs. Originally, Aria thought it was a full, heartwarming laugh. The type that you automatically relax around. Now, though it's still the same laugh, she can hear the sneer in his voice. What she once thought was friendly and welcoming drips with condescendence and arrogance, painting over the image she once had of him. 

“You really thought you, four nobody mortals, could dare to defy fate?” he proclaims, bright green eyes shining in amusement.

“But- but we didn’t fulfill the prophecy. The council doesn’t have the gem, you do. And you are going to heal our realm like you said-” Vendew stutters out, horror and doubt beginning to overtake the disbelief in her voice, “-Right?”

“Yeah! We broke the prophecy! How else would we have given the gem to you, and not the council like the prophecy stated?” Brenit pipes up. Aria can see her struggling to realize the truth, hope still flooding her words. A wave of guilt washes over her. Brenit still is holding on to those words that Aria said. Those lies she spouted from her lips, ignorance all over them. 

“No we didn’t,” Dimitri states. His tone is neutral, like he’s reciting facts, but his eyes dance with defeat. “We never broke the prophecy. He did.”

Vrowan laughs at their words, echoing around the cavern. “Ding ding ding, someone give a medal to this kid,” he says with a grand, sweeping gesture. His eyes then adopt a cruel and cold look, a sneer still plastered on his face. “You were so focused on playing your own game, you never noticed the strings attached to your arms.”

“Of course, I’m not complaining. Normally I would be, at the fact that a few cocky children dared to believe they, of all people could defy fate,” he proclaims, eyes sharpening and words growing harsher and more pronounced as he continues, before relaxing again with an arrogant tone, “but in the end, you four will be forgotten, while my name will be seared in the history books forever,” he ends with a careless shrug.

“As the hero, or the villain?” Dimitri asks, his normally bright eyes a stormy gray. He stands straight, a stark comparison to the others around him, all weight down from shock and defeat. A flash of anger strikes through Aria. How could he accept what's happening? That they’ve been played this entire time? They glance to her, and she stifles the words hanging in her throat. 

Vrowan cocks his head to the side, a playful look in his eyes.