EREN

Eren was laying on the gigantic bed in his chamber, his eyes fixed up to the ceiling. Stray tears left his eyes and he didn't even know it, trickling down and getting into his ears. That was his life after a whole year without Byron, his thoughts were quiet and his head was empty. Nothing moved him, nothing except Byron's last words which seemed to always ring in his ears.

Rolling to his side, he was playing with a lose thread from his wrappers. Silently praying for something to happen in his life, a miracle maybe.

And that miracle came.

A rhythmic knock was placed on his door, a servant's knock. He couldn't remember asking for anything from the kitchen or sending for anyone. Rolling to his other side, the knock came again. Maybe it was time for another council meeting, he thought.

He was incredibly spiritless, sometimes he did not even have the zeal to breath. He just wanted to cut the passage of air to his lungs and free himself from this endless cycle of pain. The knock came the third time, louder this time. If the servant knocks for the fifth time and there's no response from inside, they'll have to make their way in without needing permission.

He wasn't wearing his face scarf mask. His scar had remained a secret, only the council of Lords, Ursa and immediate members of the royal family knew about it. A servant couldn't see it, a servant never had to see it.

Slowly sitting up before standing up completely from his bed, the knock came the fourth time. He tied the mask around his face, just below his ears, looking at his reflection in the mirror, looking at what he had become he heaved a sigh.

"You may come in," he called out and the door slowly creaked open. "What is it?" He asked, his voice cold.

Turning he saw Aphrodite standing by the door, the sadness on her face almost matched his.

"Oh, hello Aphrodite," he plopped back down on his bed, pulling the cursed mask away from his disfigured face.

Aphrodite had been coming once or twice a month to see him. She'd been the closest he was to Byron. He always inquired from her how his dearly beloved was faring.

Sometimes she would tell the truth, sometimes she would sugar coat her words, but he knew Byron wasn't doing too well. He still wanted to talk to him, he still wanted to accept and cuddle all of him. But he was coming to accept that their love wasn't that fortunate.

"Hey there, Eren," she walked over to his fancy metal table where he usually ate, and set down the tray she had in her hands. "I brought pigeon soup and eggplant parmesan because that was the only way I could get to this part of the Keep; with food. How're you holding up?" She then walked over to his bed and sat lightly at the edge.

"I'm diminishing," he answered in a tone void of almost every emotion except immense sadness.

"Aww," Aphrodite cooed, scooting closer and placing a hand on his laps so benignly, "and your extremely comfortable royal bed is not helping?"

"It would've helped if Byron was on it with me," his voice was shaky from all the silent crying.

"Look at you," she rubbed slightly on his laps, "you're smitten." A genuine weak, yet warm smile formed on her lips.

"I'm not. I've come to realise that I'm absolutely nothing without Byron."

"What if I told you, you could become something again?" Aphrodite teased the question.

He shot up, holding himself up on his elbows. "Please don't joke with serious things like this Aphrodite."

She scooted closer to him, motioning for him to sit up completely. He complied.

"I'm not joking, you should know me by now. This matter is too weighty to be joked with," she continued tracing on his laps while keeping her gaze fixed on his.

"So what are you trying to say?" He questioned about the only thing he cared about. The council meetings were of far less importance compared to this.

"I'm saying you should send a flame butterfly to Byron's window tonight," she announced, her eyes glittering with hope. Hope she wished she could give off to Eren.

"I tried that, over and over and he never came. He receded his love for me."

"I doubt that Byron is capable of doing that," Aphrodite chuckled because she knew her friend.

"But he stopped coming to the watchtower."

"And you stopped trying," Aphrodite countered, making him go mute.

They stayed in silence for another minute. Aphrodite still fondled him gently, giving him time to process.

"So I send a flame butterfly to his window, what if he doesn't come?" He asked, staring blankly to the floor.

"Why don't we just hope for the best this one time. Let's be positive, the earth is kind and positive," she added, making Eren chuckle.

"You always find a way to bring the earth into every single conversation." For the first time since Aphrodite's last visit a weak smile broke on Eren's lips.

"Because Eren Pendragon, son of Berileth Megeldua Pendragon a true descendant of Karth, the earth is mother," she paused and placed a hand on Eren's face, urging him to look right into her refulgent green hopeful eyes, "and the earth is beloved," she finished.

Eren felt a lot better than he did a while ago, he didn't know why but he was instantly hopeful and enthusiastic to try. Even if it meant he had to try every night till the day he died.

"Thank you so much, Dite," he said with a smile which sent light up into his fading brown eyes.

"Dite?" She arched an eyebrow at the boy who was suddenly making jokes and creating names.

"Don't look at me like that, I don-I don't even know what I just said. It just came out on a whim, I was too excited and fired up," he spoke nervously, blood rushing up to his face.

"I like it Ren. I like the name 'Dite'," she opened her arm, gesturing a hug.

"And I like the name 'Ren' as well," he crashed himself into her, filling his lungs with her soothing scent of garden flowers.

***

Aphrodite had left his room after a while, she had servant duties to attend to in the kitchen. He'd ended up eating the food she brought, and sent back the other servant that came with his food. He missed the Floating Mountains girl, Chayne, who used to be incharge of his lunch and deserts.

He was restless for the rest of the day. He paced around his room waiting for the darkness of night to take over, which was his opportunity to see Byron. He wasn't bothered about getting caught by his evil twin sister. She spent the first three months, after the incident in the Throne room, monitoring him, trying to catch him red handed. But she never did. After checking on him and getting on his nerves a few times on the fourth month, she gave up.

She'd found out he was way too depressed and he wasn't coming out of it. He could swear that finally gave her the satisfaction she had been craving, he truly believed she was almost as perverted as the Western raiders. At least now he could use his depression as an advantage, she thought he was broken so this blessed night she wouldn't be watching him.

The evening became quite dark so quickly, Eren thought it was nightfall but it was just thick clouds that informed everyone under the sky of the looming rainfall. Before the rain started pounding everything under it, Eren had already left to the watchtower with a torch. He waited and waited for the rain to subside but it only grew heavier, the tiny needles of rain piercing through from the sky ever so mercilessly.

Eren feared that the flame butterfly would be overpowered and put out by the rain before it would ever make it to Byron's window. Deciding that the passionate love he had for his dearly beloved was way stronger than any forces known to this realm, he mustered every burning emotion he had ever held in his heart since his very first day in the realm and put it into one assiduous, beautifully determined flame butterfly, sending it to go fetch his beloved.

In less than five minutes of sending the creature he heard footsteps hitting against the staircase. In seconds the beautiful slender figure of his lover was standing right in front of him.

They'd shared the best night together, Eren was always going to remember every second of it.

The next day another council meeting was held. All the Lords who'd settled in Phoenix Tail: the capital of the Red Stoichi Tribe, because of the recurring meetings were all present.

There, Goliath had told them that they were about to be hit by a wave of grave danger, but his visions weren't clear so he couldn't say exactly what was about to befall them.

He had all the Lords and even the Tal Dane standing on their toes. Eren noticed that Ursa wasn't all that perturbed by the news, and that made him happy. He was happy that at least one person wasn't dancing to the tunes of one ugly, old Mage who should have been dead centuries ago.

The Mage had also requested for an early replenishment to get ready for what was to come, and the Tal Dane willingly agreed to give him anything he needed to prepare and fortify the castle entrances and walls.

A fear greater than no other gripped Eren in it's ugly, lanky hands. A fear that Faldrey Kieslaer, his beloved, might be the next replenishment for the Mage.

He was going to die before that happened. This he promised his beloved, and it was a promise he intended to keep no matter what.