101 | affection; a ghost festival

"No," came the decisive and blunt answer of the pink-haired man, seated in the corner of his room with a stack of books neatly laid around him.

Lux sighed, crossing his arms as the other man didn't even look up. He thought Kaden was improving, with the lights that turned on more frequently than they had before, and the newfound hobby of reading.

At least, he thought it was an improvement. But Kaden flipped the same pages from the same stack he'd returned with at random, over and over.

Sometimes, Lux would barge in and find the man sitting, an open picture book spread before his curled legs, a blankness dulling his rich eyes.

It was good and all, but an escape from reality wasn't the most beneficial for a man that secluded himself for years, sitting in the dark every day.

Kaden's reading was obsessive; as if searching for an answer to an impossible question pressed between the endless lines. Confusion would flicker across his face and he'd lean back, fleeing into the dwellings of his mind.

The darkness no longer trapped him; but these words seemed to seduce him.

The same books, the same lines. Was it merely replacing one terror for another? The endless darkness, or the endless words; which would strip his soul first?

The answer should've been obvious, but watching that little puppy made Lux doubt his own answer.

Was it an improvement or a decline when Kaden still rarely left his room, merely glancing indifferently sideways if somebody entered, if reacting at all. If it was a good day, perhaps a slice of an apple would be nibbled.

Lux had a strong suspicion that nibble belonged to Kaden's feline, however.

How long could he stare and watch a man whittle away, into ashes and bones? Into less than that?

Lux had been tempted to snatch away Reed's new guard, knowing that teenager's identity, and hoping it would make a difference. But he tried, that time several months ago, when he'd pointed Arlo out from the castle windows.

He'd stood teasingly, pointing out the teenager who closely followed the crown prince, by the window at the end of the hallway that overlooked the gardens. "Isn't that a cute guard, following closely behind Reed?"

Back then, Kaden had spared a single, cold glance before turning and returning to his room. Lux wondered if that response would be the same now?

Lux stared silently, and came to a conclusion. He would kidnap Kaden's cat.

Feline, beast, whatever

At the moment of decision, he strode forward and decisively swooped the clinging beast from Kaden's head, collecting the squirming feline in his arms.

Kaden's head swiveled sideways immediately, a dark frown flitting on his face.

In the emptiness that was Kaden Chauvet, he still knew clearly. That Jest was his only companion left.

"Have you ever been to a festival, puppy?" Lux struggled as a claw raked against his shirt, drawing clean slices in his expensive shirt. He bundled the cat away from his face as it meowed impatiently. "Not the face, Your Majesty. That's worth even more than my shirt."

Kaden seemed to stare in silence for a second, then he shook his head. "No."

"Then we'll go, and you can expand your knowledge."

"Give me back Your Majesty."

"I will, after you agree to me. If not, Jest is mine." The feline screeched in protest. "For a week. I honestly can't deal with this beast for more than that, but can you bear to be without him for a week?"

Kaden continued to frown, placing the book down. His gaze flickered, debating his options of playing dead in his room or being dragged around by an annoying rat.

He sneered. "I'll give you nightmares for a week."

"Then I'll suffer sweetly with your feline. Jest can keep me company."

"...when is it?"

The sudden turn of obedience made Lux laugh. "Now. It's happening tonight, but it's in a different town, so we need to leave soon. Am I hearing a yes, puppy?"

Kaden strode forward, snatching the feline back into his arms as Jest happily leaped toward him, curling a long tail around his neck and purring. His gaze softened, rubbing the soft fur.

He bent down to pick up the picture book—a lion and cat proudly painted over the cover—and placed it into a bag.

Lux felt perplexed as he watched the man walk back to him, waiting. "Are you taking that book with you? I won't stop you, but, why?"

Kaden said nothing, shuffling past him and out the door. Likely, Lux had predicted his response and prepared a carriage outside—therefore, there was no need to wait here with that man.

The other gave a half-laugh, half-sigh as he followed behind.

The town that the festival occurred in was situated beside the Eastern Forests, a small place with an even smaller population. They followed more traditional views, and all the houses were aged, memories embedded in the bricks and vines wrapping around their walls.

Lux hummed to himself in the carriage, seeming to not mind Kaden's stubborn silence. There were various festivals and celebrations that occurred throughout the year in different areas, but there was something special about this one.

A ghost festival. Late into the night, when the sun was locked away in darkness, the dead came to roam.

It was by chance that he came across a group of students discussing it, lamenting that they were unable to attend due to the distance. He considered, that perhaps the appearance of ghosts would annul the illusions that haunted Kaden.

If the ghosts were real, they could be chased away. The images trapped in Kaden's mind could not.

Lux tapped the side of the window, poking at the glass lazily. It was unlike him to involve himself in the business of a dying man. What was left of him? What was left that the past three years hadn't rotted away?

Like Lux, Kaden was another pawn of Reed's cryptic and unknown plans. He sympathized with the man, but it was a mistake to become closer.

Lux only wanted one thing—to find the one person who he might be able to call family. Not the arrogant ruler of his homeland, the man who would abandon his wife and ruin his children, but that young child with large, innocent eyes that gleamed with mischief.

In order to do that, he'd escaped his home, and for what? To become a pawn of a man that promised his aid, a man so convincing and cruel that Lux had believed him?

And that was the issue.

For as much as Lux despised that crown prince who reminded of his father, there was something that compelled him to trust him, to believe him. That the words of that man were a promise; a prophecy set to come true.

Day had slipped into night, and fog furled along the dirt covered grounds as the carriage kicked to a stop. The wheels wedged into a rock along the path, and the unprepared Kaden was sent flying to the opposite side.

His body slumped over the leather seat beside Lux, and seemed to debate his options of closing his eyes. Lux smiled over at the unwilling man and dragged him out of the carriage.

An iron fence bordered the town to amplify the eeriness soaked into the streets. Lux neatly strapped a mask around Kaden's face and placed one over his own.

"It's a Festival of Ghosts. If your mask falls in front of one of them, then your face will be stolen, your soul eaten," whispered Lux in a hushed and creepy voice.

Kaden stared at him with vaguely curious eyes. "My soul will get eaten?"

Lux paused, debating something internally and stretched over to double knot the back of the mask, securing it firmly and reducing the chances of it falling off. Then, not feeling quite secure, he added a third knot.

"Alright," said Lux, satisfied as Kaden stared at him with a frown. "Let's get going. I see the entrance in the fog—it's really haunted, isn't it? That's great."

The carriage rolled away, the clatter of the wheels fading into the distance. Down the pathway to the archway of the open gates, a woman stood with her head bowed, feet bare against the mossy stone.

Dark, glossy hair spilled over her shoulders to gently sway above the ground, and a white lace ribbon fixed over her eyes, blinding her to the ghosts and horrors of reality. A white dress draped over her, lace fixing around her waist as her sleeves hung loose, revealing the tips of black painted nails to match her raven lips.

When they approached, her head lifted slightly and a lock of long, black hair fell over the white ribbon. Her lips seemed to twitch into a deeper frown.

She raised an exposed hand, palm up. "Your hand, guest."

Kaden was confused, but obediently placed his gloved hand over hers.

Underneath the ribbon, her eyes seemed to move left and right, pressing to burst from the lace that masked them. Kaden felt the fog crawl up his ankles, twisting as cold pressed through his clothes and into his skin.

Her voice seemed to reverberate in his ears, a soft, soothing whisper that sent goosebumps rushing along his arms.

"Those who run too far to escape fate are destined to walk into its path once again."

There was a touch of sorrow in her melancholic voice, a tilted chin and a lifted gaze. Kaden felt certain, even with the guise of the ribbon that she was looking at him.

"It is a pity, truly. Is tragedy all you can achieve? Are both endings to your tale, sorrowful or happy, only achieved by tragedy? Is that your happiness? You, the survivour that doesn't wish to live?"

Kaden flinched, jerking his hand away as the woman swayed, like a ghost tethering to the edge of living. Her fingers curled contemplatively, as if grasping the remnants of Kaden that she had stolen and read.

Unbothered by Kaden's sudden distancing, she turned to Lux and spoke quietly—was it a mistake that there was a hint of boredom in her voice?

"A runaway prince," she lamented. "Does your family miss you?"

The red-haired prince smiled, red eyes curving dangerously. "There is only one that could've and she is dead."

"Only one?" wondered the woman, asking the chilly air. The lace ribbon blew around her, but it was fastened securely around her closed gaze. "Or is the other one you don't dare consider, for his wellbeing remains unknown?"

"Now, fair lady," His voice took to a dangerous, warning edge. A low hiss, like a slithering snake slowly constricting around its prey. "Be careful what you say. I've never been known to be a tolerant man."

The woman neither flinched nor moved, only regarding him with cool distaste.

"What lovely red eyes, and lovely red hair."

Lux's face faltered into confusion. He tilted his head. "A beauty, I know."

"In the blaze of your determination, learn to calm your burning and open your eyes. Seek out what is already before you or be blinded by your own flames."

His shoulders rolled, and he raised his eyebrows. "Are you calling me lovely?"

"If you believe I refer to your appearance, it is your parents who are lovely. You are merely a byproduct of lovely appearing people. The hue of your red is certainly rare," she paused, contemplative. "It would sell well."

"Aren't you supposed to be welcoming us in?" Lux shrugged his hands in his pockets, tilting his head with an easy smile. "Instead of thinking about how to sell us?"

"The poor only think about money. Please enter."

"You have no other comments?"

"I only get paid to recite my lines. There are no more lines to recite." The woman spoke calmly, her feet delicately stepping back as she gestured past the gates with an open palm. The fog seemed to wisp and part at her movement. "Enjoy your time."

Lux, in an amused mood, smiled again. "You don't mean that, do you?"

"I do not. To him, however," she nodded at Kaden, a hum of thought in her soothing voice. "I do."

"Would you look at that, puppy. You're charming even with that sullen expression. You get special treatment."

Kaden stared dully, and Lux ignored him, leading the way into the town shroud by fog and mystery. The low howl of a beast came from deep within the forest, the cluster of trees that continued endlessly.

Paper lights, delicate things, decorated the side of the brick walls in shades of deep red and white. They pulsed in the darkness, like the beating of a glowing heart.

The town was not empty; as soon as they stepped past the gates, it seemed to break a barrier of silence, and noise bustled around them, far and close at the same time. Figures passed them wordlessly, a brush of wind breezing past Kaden's shoulder.

It was strange, filled with obscurity. There were people, and there weren't; it felt as if only they existed, and yet it was crowded. Kaden didn't know how to describe the feeling, but the town bustled with dead air, even in its liveliness.

The mist swirled, seeming to dance and twirl into various images before dispersing and spilling across the cobbled ground.

Kaden stopped by a rectangular wooden basin, filled with water. Inside, small fish jumped and happily swam around in clusters.

An old woman crouched behind it, raising her head. Her bones creaked as she gave a wrinkly smile that was missing one tooth. "Care to play, lad?"

He stared, and ignoring Lux that had still been walking, crouched down in front of the basin. He watched the ripples run across the still water, the fish swimming underneath the surface.

The woman handed him a tool fashioned of wood and paper. A carved handle, and a circular top with a hole filled with a thin slip of paper.

"The aim of this game is to scoop the fish into a small bowl." She handed him a bowl woven from wood, filled halfway with water. A little branch prodded out of it. "Win, and you can keep the fish. Or I can give you another prize."

Lux had turned up ahead, seeing the empty space where his companion should've been. He strode over, catching sight of a crouching head of pink hair.

The man peered over Kaden's shoulder curiously. "Hm. They're a little too small to eat, so it's a waste to keep them."

The old woman scrunched her nose. "Eat? Lad, these are to be kept as pets."

"For survival, anything can be eaten," remarked Lux, feeling relaxed and particularly annoying. He smiled at the horror flickering over the woman's aging features. "Of course, this isn't a survival moment, so no eating will be occurring."

Kaden didn't glance back and frowned. "I won't eat them."

"I said that no eating will be happening. And you don't eat anyway. If you'd said you wanted to, I would've scooped out the lot."

The old woman's face warped again, aghast at the idea. Kaden had zoned the both of them out, fixated on the fish as he raised his hand in the air. With a newfound surge of determination, the tool swept under the water.

A fish flopped on the paper, but once exposed to air, the delicate paper tore and the fish happily plopped back into the water.

Kaden's frown deepened.

And it continued to deepen as another paper broke, tore, and multiple fish selfishly jumped back into the basin, wriggling their tails mockingly.

Lux had crouched down then, solemnly observing the act, influenced by Kaden's frustrations. "It's all about timing. You have to scoop when the moment feels right. The last time was a little too fast, I think."

Frustration manifested in a willingness to talk for Kaden. "Feels right? Tell me the seconds. How much slower?"

"It's all about the feeling."

"The exact seconds."

The two men looked sideways at each other, silently judging the other's words. Kaden preferred the specific, logical timing; he was a child that read books until his nose bled and only knew reality. Lux believed in his instincts more than anything; he was a child that slept in trees and made flowers out of books.

They both shuffled closer, and Kaden lowered the scoop once again. He counted slowly in his head—an estimate of one second slower should've sufficed—and Lux narrowed his red eyes before he exclaimed, "Now!"

Kaden swept the fish into the bowl and it swam in circles, wanting to flee.

He spun around with the lack of a smile, but delighted eyes, and Lux couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and ruffled Kaden's hair, and Kaden didn't flinch. "You caught it," he praised with the pride of an older sibling. "Good job, puppy."

Kaden's head seemed to lower slightly, not rejecting the praise. Lux smiled, but his body stiffened.

It was hard not to love this man, a man who didn't believe he could be loved, awkward and foolish. Pitiful and tragic. Curious and easily delighted, even in the despairing of his own twisted delusions.

But strong and unshakable at other times, menacing and frightening. Cold-blooded and indifferent when he chose to be.

It was hard not to love this person who longed for affection, even as he denied it. Kaden, who despite his sullen exterior and desperation at building walls, loved others so easily.

And there was no person who hated being loved. They would want his love, his sympathy, even at his expense.

Lux thought, under the cold watching of the moon, that he could understand a little of Skye's obsession, of Reed's oddness. Of Kaden's loyal companions—the red gaze darted, gazing deep into the fog—

—who would do anything to save him.