Nik's brows knitted faintly in confusion. "Wh–" he broke off, trying to figure out what Kaylum meant by that. "I…what do you mean, you had been wondering?" he questioned, studying the other prince for a long moment, before his gaze broke away again. "I did not…" he searched his memory to try and figure out what Kaylum could be talking about.
“Ah, sorry sorry,” Kay waved him off, leaning towards him excitedly. Since Nik was revealing his secrets, Kay had no qualm in revealing his own. “I’ll explain. Honestly I can relate to your situation, though it is kind of the reverse. I was born with the ability to separate my spirit from my body. When I do that, I can see people’s souls. I remember looking at yours several days ago, and it had this weird black thing on it that I don’t usually see in souls. I mean, human souls are different from shifters’ souls, but it’s usually a sign that something was wrong. You appear healthy, so I couldn’t figure out what it was, but a curse makes so much sense, especially if it happened while your soul was still forming in the womb.”
He paused, then realized something. “Oh… uh, sorry for looking at your soul without your permission? That’s… that’s probably kind of rude…”
Nik blinked at him, slightly less confused now. "I see. It's…fine? I suppose." he said slowly. "But– yes, to get back to my explanation. I was cursed while my mother was pregnant, and…the scars on Seren's face are from me. He…I…I attacked him, and he learned the truth about what I am." his gaze flicked down to the floor again, unable to meet Kay's. "And he left. And now…I'm so sorry, Kaylum. This is my fault."
Kay tilted his head. “Nikolas, why are you blaming yourself? That human decided to attack the camp on his own. Personally, I don’t see any reason why he should have attacked just because you hurt him. It wasn’t like you asked to be born with a curse.”
He looked away, down at his hands. “Besides. If we can get out of here, maybe I can find our parents’ souls. I don’t think they would’ve passed on yet. Not when they died so suddenly, without knowing whether their sons are alright. I can make peace with Father and Mother’s deaths if I just see them one more time. Assure them that I’m okay, that I’m going to be okay without them.”
Nik continued to stare at the floor, shaking his head faintly. He had no way to see his own father again, and while he was glad that Kaylum had that possibility, he did not. Nik would never see his father again, and maybe not his guards either. He didn't know if the four had survived or not.
Kay looked up, then realized what he said. “Oh. Um, I’m sorry. I’m just saying so because it sounded like you thought I would be resentful of you for their deaths, and I’m not. So…”
Really, he wasn’t sure what he was feeling right now. He went from grief to amazement in a span of ten seconds. And now… was it hope? The belief that they would make it out of this, that he would see them again? Nik could never share that hope. The next best thing is that they would find Theodore’s body and hold a funeral for him. Perhaps they could do that for Lisette and Auren too, but it’s not as if Nik could converse with Theodore’s soul as well. Kay suddenly felt bad for bringing it up.
“Perhaps… if we get out of this, I can lay their souls to rest, and you can lay their bodies to rest,” he murmured. As if that will make everything better.
Kay looked up, then realized what he said. “Oh. Um, I’m sorry. I’m just saying so because it sounded like you thought I would be resentful of you for their deaths, and I’m not. So…”
Really, he wasn’t sure what he was feeling right now. He went from grief to amazement in a span of ten seconds. And now… was it hope? The belief that they would make it out of this, that he would see them again? Nik could never share that hope. The next best thing is that they would find Theodore’s body and hold a funeral for him. Perhaps they could do that for Lisette and Auren too, but it’s not as if Nik could converse with Theodore’s soul as well. Kay suddenly felt bad for bringing it up.
“Perhaps… if we get out of this, I can lay their souls to rest, and you can lay their bodies to rest,” he murmured. As if that will make everything better.
Nik shook his head again. "It's…I am glad that you have that possibility." he said softly. "It's a wonderful thing, to know that even if they are dead, you can see them once more." he did not look at the other prince. "And I highly doubt that we shall get out of this, and even if we do, their bodies may no longer be…recognizable." he winced faintly as the words left his mouth.
“Oh…” Kaylum didn’t want to think about it, what Nik said. It felt too far in the future now, anyway.
He was silent as his mind began to drift. There was a heaviness now, a numbness. His hope began to waver. Already? It seemed his emotions could not stay fixed. He tried to ignore it, tried to stay calm and assess the situation. They were in a cell. They had no weapons. Kay could not use his abilities except for shifting… but he hadn’t tried using all of them yet. Nik was crippled…
“How’s your leg?” He asked all of a sudden.
"Not walkable." Nik replied, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. "If you get the chance to escape, you should leave. With or without me. Head towards Cortien, if you can, it's the closest city to us." Cortien was a Kevran city, and was the closest city to the country's borders. "And…then towards Malos. Our capital. Show them the mark on your shoulder, because if I'm…dead, you would technically be the rightful ruler, and you will need to establish that with the court as soon as possible."
“Do you know when it will be walkable?” He pressed. Then he heard Nik’s words and gave him a look of something between fear and anger.
“What? No. Even if you do die, I am not traveling this human country to establish my rule over it. They won’t accept a dragon shifter as their ruler. Besides, I have my own kingdom to worry about.”
He sighed. “Look. It wouldn’t be smart of me to escape without you anyway. You heard what that human said. If I do leave without you, you die, and I’m not going to stay in Kevra. That leaves him with the opportunity to establish his own kingdom, one that will continue to war with Tesh. I would not rather have this period of war continue into my reign, thank you very much.”
My reign. Not his parents’ anymore. Kay would have responsibility over all of Tesh, if he managed to make it out of here. He just could not bring another kingdom, a human one at that, into the equation.
"I don't know. It could be days." he replied, then shook his head. "No, what I am saying is that the Kevran cities are closer. You will need somewhere safe. If my guards survived, they would all protect you, even if Lieze would…well. She won't be kind, but she would protect you, if only for my sake." he let out a faint breath. "I understand that you want to take care of Tesh, and I am not saying you shouldn't. It is only that…without me, Kevra has no one. There are no cousins, no siblings, no uncles or aunts or children that could take the throne. The closest relative is a second cousin of my father, who is…not a good man. As my soulmate, you have claim to the throne, even without marriage." he opened his eyes, looking over at Kaylum. "Seren has no personal quarrel with you; you are the one most likely to have the chance to get out of here."
Kaylum scowled, dissenting thoughts still running through his mind. His court won’t accept me, I don’t want this anyway. Tesh should be my first priority.
His mouth twitched, baring his fangs for a second. “That may be so, but… I am not human. Even if our relationship is not personal, he may still kill me purely because of that fact. My powers have been compromised. The chances of escape between us are not that great in difference.”
He looked away, rubbing at his eyes. Days until Nik could walk. Months until Kay could fly. It was clear they wouldn’t be escaping within the hour. He still wanted to try using his powers again. He made his feather wiggle, at least.
"I know, but…" he closed his eyes for a moment. "Kevra's crown is complicated. Seren will want it. To get it, I have to give it to him. Unless Tesh's crown has something similar, it will be an easier task for him to take over your country than mine." he didn't go into detail on Kevra's crown not yet. Not now. Not when it could be so complicated and difficult to understand.
Kay pursed his lips. “Um… we do not have a crown, per se… we have a crest. At least, my family line does. A crest can’t really be given if it’s… tied to your family name. He can’t just take our crest, otherwise it would be as if he is claiming to be apart of our family.”
The symbolic and political power a crest carried was also complicated and difficult to explain. Kay’s father had tried to explain it to him once, and Kay did not think he could explain it as well as he had.
"How is rulership passed down in Tesh?" Nikolas asked. "Is it the crest of your family, specifically, or is it just the ceremonial passing of the crown and your…crest, does not affect it?" he had never really heard the details of this before, and was intrigued to learn more. It was quite interesting, and he wanted to learn if Kaylum was willing to teach him.
Questions made it easier, though Kay blinked a few times. “Sort of? It’s mostly understood as the family itself is in rulership, since everyone within the family bears the family’s crest. Our crown is mostly ceremonial in nature, and really it’s more about naming heirs within your crest. Less about passing rulership down, and more about who is going to fill your place when you die or abdicate, if that makes sense. The title of king or queen is just given to the oldest living member.”
He tilted his head, still unsure if he had explained it correctly. “So, you humans think of it more as rulership is in the hands of individuals?”
"Yes. Typically it is passed down through family line, such as from my father to me, but it can also be passed, in lieu of any living family who is qualified for the throne, to a close friend." Nik said, trying to explain. "It is usually passed to the oldest legitimate child in the family, unless there are circumstances which prevent that. Our crown is also…it is both a physical and a magical thing. If the current holder of the crown is still alive, then they must give it to the next heir, whether that be a blood heir or not. Without being given, then it is still in that holder's possession. If someone dies with the crown, then it passes to the next blood relative. So, as my father…died…in possession of the crown, it passes to me automatically. However, if Seren kills me, it passes to my father's second cousin, as he is the closest relative, and Seren will then have to wage war in order to get control of Kevra. But if Seren can, ah…convince me to give him my crown, then Kevra will have no choice but to accept him as the rightful ruler."
Kaylum listened attentively, though it was a lot to take in. “Fascinating. Tesh rulership does not work like that at all,” he chuckled. “If Seren were to kill me, he would have to establish his power over Tesh before another noble family claimed the throne first. And even then, the people may still treat him as a human invader and not a king. We find that one mind in control very… untrustworthy. Multiple minds is better than one.”
He nodded slowly. "So Seren will likely have to take Tesh over by force." he said, considering this. "Kevra…all he has to do is break me." his gaze flicked to the closed door of the cell. "He's going to focus on me first, then. Which is why if you escape first, I need you to claim the Kevran throne. You can, as my soulmate. Even without us being married, you'll be able to lay claim to the crown through the bond." he looked at Kaylum. "If you have laid claim to the crown, then even if Seren breaks me, he cannot technically claim control, as he would have to get the crown from you too."
Kay’s frown returned along with his doubts. He looked away. “Let’s just focus on keeping you alive and your spirit unbroken, then.”
Exhaling, he shifted and examined his wings again. They looked to be in need of a bit of preening, so he stretched his neck and combed the feathers with his muzzle and teeth. He ignored the aching that still seemed to take the place of the primary feathers that had once been there.
He shrugged his shoulders faintly. "I need you to promise that if you escape without me, you'll take care of Kevra." He said softly, eyes staying focused on Kaylum. "Please." He didn't want the crown going to his father's cousin, but he would never give it to Seren. Having it partially in Kaylum's possession was his only choice. He had to trust that Kay would take care of his country, too, if Nik was unable to.
Kay stopped preening and snorted. “Fine. I promise.”
This made him start thinking about what would happen if somehow he didn’t survive and and Nikolas did. Perhaps Nik could make the claim that he was apart of the Oré family through his soul connection to Kaylum, but that was something unprecedented in Tesh history. There were stories of shifters having connections with humans, but those were just that, stories. It didn’t matter if Nik or Seren took over the Tesh throne, the people would view them the same way, as human invaders who are masquerading as leaders. Personally, Kay hoped that the Yol family would take over, since he had a good friend who was a member.
Nik watched the other prince for a long moment, then looked away, letting out a soft breath. "Thank you. And…if you do escape, and make it to Malos, and my guards are there, recruit them to protect you. They will, if only because of the connection between us. I would not trust anyone else in the capital to be able to…to put aside prejudice enough to keep you safe."
Kay could feel the other prince’s gaze. “… Right.”
He went back to preening, soon moving onto the other wing. His guards… Kay didn’t really have an opinion on them at the moment.