Chapter 3: Childish Dispute

“Master Apprentice, are you alright?” Laure asked Sairek as he stormed through the front gates to the castle. Sairek merely responded with a grunt and he was going to leave it at that, but his anger was thirsty and he replied at her venomously. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“The longer you keep your emotions in, the tougher it will be to endure.” Laure advised him.

“Oh, I don’t plan to keep anything in!” Sairek barked, looking back to her with a glare. “I’m going to take care of that right now!” He turned back around, storming off, leaving wet and muddy footsteps in the carpet of the entrance in his wake.

Laure audibly sighed behind him. “Would you at least like a change of clothes, first?”

“No! Let him see me like this! It’s what he wanted, right?!”

Laure left it at that.

Sairek walked through the main hall, passing by a set of four soldiers who guarded two sets of matching spiraling stairs that connected both the second and third floor of the castle. They, very wisely and silently gave Sairek a wide berth, no doubt thinking to themselves that more typical arguing between King and Prince was moments away from starting.

Sairek stomped his way towards the throne room where he was sure his father was currently residing right now. Two men guarding the door moved to block him from entering.

“Prince, you cannot enter right now. Your Father is in a—” One of them began.

“I will seriously retire both of you right here and now. If father is allowed to abuse his power, then by The Lands, so will I. Get out of my way.”

The two men looked at each other, exchanging a silent conversation of expressions before they both slowly just stepped to the side.

“Wise choice. Thank you.” Sairek said in a tone he believed was less toxic than before, though he couldn’t be entirely sure...

“Um… Master Apprentice, Sir, if you don’t mind…” The other one spoke abruptly just before Sairek shoved the door open. Sairek stopped, slowly turning to look at the man. “If you don’t mind… may we take our leave? I—We don’t wish to be involved again.”

Sairek frowned slightly, genuine sympathy on his face. It was never his intent to make the soldiers or any other worker's jobs in the castle harder with he and his father's petty drama and arguments. “Yeah, sure. Take an early lunch break. If father complains about either of your absences, it’ll be on me.”

“Thank you, Sir.” The other one bowed in thanks. They both hurriedly moved to step away from the drama that was about to start.

Sairek watched them go before he took a deep breath and stepped forward, he moved to push the door open and flopped up uselessly against it as the door didn't budge.

“...Locked? What the heck?” Even during meetings, that usually was never the case. Either his father did not want to be disturbed, or he expected him to come barging in angrily.

His father was in a meeting, he did not want to embarrass himself in front of everyone. He took a few deep breaths, trying to quell his anger. Then he raised his fist…
...and absolutely pounded on the door. Several times.

“Who the deuce?” He heard someone call out from within the room.

“FATHER–!!” Sairek shouted angrily. “You have a lot to answer for! Let me in!!”

“Oh Flaming Lands, what is he angry about now?” He heard someone else groan through the door.

“Sire, what happened this time?”

He heard his father growl angrily through the door. “I did nothing! He—”

“LET, ME, IIINNN–!!” Sairek shouted angrily, pounding on the door harder, louder.

“Absolutely do not let him in. That’s an order!” His father sighed.

Sairek stepped back from the door at this point, losing the ability to hear anymore talk. He held his staff out, pouring as much energy as he could into it, before he lifted it and pointed it at the door. In front of his staff, earth began to form, starting at the size of a pebble, then a rock, then eventually, the size of a boulder nearly as big as him. It floated in the air, spinning slowly as he continued to give it as much mass as he could until his head began to pound from the mental strain and he was breaking out into a thin film of sweat.

“Ethirul.”

He pushed the energy outwards and with so much mass, he skidded against the tiled marble floor about a foot and a few inches backwards. The boulder launched off, slamming through the doors bursting both doors of the throne room open with an abruptly loud slam. As large as the rock was, it was brittle, and exploded into chunks on impact, bits of the rubble rolling on the ground, some of the rubble rolled up onto the red carpet of the room and some other tumbled up to some people’s boots.
At the noise, some people jumped, but all of them turned around to look at what the abrupt noise was to see Sairek having stepped into the room while the now two crooked doors leading into the room creaked and groaned shut automatically behind him, unsuccessfully latching back completely closed. They would need to be fixed later.

“Sairek! What in the Flaming Lands are you—” His father began.

Sairek pointed a finger at the group of people in front of him, a dozen in total, not including his father. “All of you. Out. Now.”

“Sairek, you can’t—” His Father began to protest.

“Yes, I can. They’re my soldiers too.” He glared at his father, then looked back at them. “Clear the room. Unless you all want to sit through another one of these arguments again?” Sairek questioned.

Most of them all looked at each other, then at Aayron, then back to Sairek. Then wordlessly, they began to move out of the room, using the broken doors as their means of escape.

“H-Hey! We’re in the middle of a meeting! Get back here!” Aayron hissed at them.

“Sorry, this meeting is adjourned.” Sairek growled. Once the last person had left the room, he motioned his staff to point at all the dirt from his boulder that had sprawled everywhere. Slowly, the bits of dirt and rock began to move again, as he once more chanted “Ethirul.” Moving the dirt and conjuring more to create a wall of dirt that would block the door, closing off their discussion completely, before he turned back to his father with a glare.

Aayron let out a long sigh, slumping into his throne chair, his head buried into a palm which he dragged down his face slowly. “What do you want, Sairek…” He groaned.

“You know exactly why I am here! Are you seriously trying to play this dance with me again? Just look at me!” Sairek shouted, emphasizing his current state with an emphatic gesture of his left hand.

“Looks like you learned a little humility today.” His father commented, crossing both his arms over his torso.

“I think you’re the one who needs to learn a little humility.” Sairek growled quietly. “Whatever ability you had to parent me seems to have died along with mother!”

He knew mentioning her would get a reaction out of his father. He was right. That 'obviously annoyed but otherwise calm' expression his father had quickly turned sour very fast and transformed into a heated scowl. “Don’t mention your mother like that…” Aayron growled in warning.

“I’m not allowed to say and do things, but you can say and do whatever you want, that’s how this world works for you, right? Your own son shouldn’t have to be the one to tell you, but this...” Sairek paused, gesturing to himself again, “...isn’t what the vast majority of people would call ‘good’ parenting.”

“Who are you to criticize how I parent you? You just think it’s unfair to be punished for doing ridiculous stunts all the time. I’m sorry you see it that way Sairek, but it’s just tough love. I’m not going to go easy on you, just because you’re my son.”

“I do those ‘ridiculous stunts’ because you continue to refuse to listen. How else am I supposed to get your attention of how I feel? Words certainly don't work with you. Of course instead of listening, you just make excuses. I don’t enjoy doing any of this. I’d much prefer if we met a middle ground somewhere, but you still refuse to budge! It’s either your way, or I’m an enemy to you! Tough love? That’s even more of the sham than the excuse you made to make me end up in this sorry state!” Sairek growled, turning his back to his father and beginning to storm off. “I should have known this was a giant waste of time.”

“Sairek, get back here!” Aayron barked in order.

“You don’t listen to me, so I’m not going to listen to you! I’m going outside for a while; by myself.” Sairek growled in heated disgust, continuing to storm off. When he reached the door, the dirt wall crumbled and fell down into a flat pile and soon evaporated into the air, allowing Sairek to access the now crooked-doors. He pulled one open which gave a weary creak, before shutting it behind him none-too-gently, the harsh slam echoing into the halls while a dozen people waited outside, turning to stare at him, some looking understandably, awkward at the circumstance.

“Oh, don’t look so lost. Return to your posts.” Sairek croaked dryly to them, rushing past them with hastened steps towards his bed chambers. He was going to leave, but not while still looking like this.

His father always claimed that he was still childish in some ways, and maybe he was correct, but wasn’t that okay? He was a child. He shouldn’t have to act like an adult! What was his father talking about? That was who he is still! People should act as who they are—not what they are. His likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams, his interactions… all of those; they shaped him as a person. Not the blood he was born with. Not the title that had been forcefully bestowed upon him.

He was sick of the lying. Sick of the pretending. Sick hiding how he was actually feeling behind a mask. Sick of the responsibility of it all. He couldn’t even be allowed the grace to just forget about it and live now and then. To just be himself.

If that was such a crime, then his responsibilities could rot in the Underworld for all he cared. His father could punish him until the end of days, but he would refuse to break. His life was his own to live, not for his father to command. He refused to settle for anything less than that. One way or another, he was going to take control of it.

* * *

Sairek marched his way down the entrance hall. He was now cleaned up and leaving like he declared he would be. He opened the door outside the actual castle into the courtyard, walking along a cobblestone pathway towards the gates leading to the castle’s own walls. He was about raise his arms to push his way through when a guard suddenly sprinted in front of him, blocking his way through. The man's breathing was winded as if he had sprinted here to just catch him on time. Instinctively, he began pouring energy into his staff in preparation for if things got sour.

“My… My apologies Master Apprentice, but I am afraid it is the King’s will to not allow you to leave the castle grounds.”

“What, am I grounded?” Sairek asked sarcastically.

“Well... actually, yes.”

Sairek blinked, then glared at the man dully. “That was supposed to be a rhetorical question.” He droned.

The man ignored him. “You are to report to your bed chamber immediately, or I am to escort you there if you refuse.” The soldier replied in a firm tone.

Sairek rolled his eyes. “Ah, more ‘house arrest’ from father. How original. As if being locked into only my room is any bother when I’m already restrained within these damn walls. Like a few hundred yards makes a damn difference.” Sairek spat venomously. “Regardless, I have no intention of reporting back to my bedchamber at this time. I simply wish to be alone. So with that said, you will step aside. I am leaving.”

“The Kings’ orders are above yours, Master Apprentice. I will not move aside.”

Sairek let out a loose exasperated sigh. How many times now has he heard that one before. “Father complains about me performing ‘stunts’ and yet continues to actively provoke me to do them anyway. Very well…”

The calm tone Sairek had just spoken in was abruptly dropped as he lifted his staff and slammed it down hard. The energy he began conjuring into the staff already flared so much that one of the cobblestones the staff landed on cracked and shattered underneath the force of it. Though he was just a child, the soldier flinched at his sudden aggressive nature. Sairek took a single step forward, and if looks could maim…
“I swear on Yggdrasil and the Flaming Lands themselves that I will set this ENTIRE courtyard on fire and will allow it to burn to the damned ground if you do not remove yourself soldier! You have got ten seconds! Ten. Nine…” Sairek began to count, making the fact he was gathering energy for such a feat very evident and apparent in display that he was not bluffing.

The man began to sweat, hesitating and becoming stiff for a moment, then suddenly making an abrupt motion towards Sairek in an attempt to grab him.

Saiek was of course ready for such a thing and quickly stepped to the side and back. He pointed his staff to the right side and flatly chanted out “Balinzer.” A firm jet of flame flowed out of his staff onto the grass, where he released control of the energy and just allowed it to begin to burn away, slowly beginning to spread into a live fire.

By now, the man had indeed managed to grab him, but was staring wide-eyed at the courtyard that was now on fire and yelled "N-No!" in horror. His shock allowed Sairek to slip out of the man’s grip easily and he stepped back, where he turned to look back at him.

Sairek repositioned his staff at his side in what he adopted as his ‘formal stance’. He looked at the guard and spoke sternly. “Now that you realize that I was being serious, do I need to start a fire on the other side too, or are you going to leave the gate unmanned and take care of that before it gets out of hand?”

The man growled in a frustrated groan. “I do not get paid enough seru for this…”

“I’m sure by the night's eve that I will be locked in the tower again until next week, dealing with all sorts of paper work. I’ll give you a raise or something.” Sairek drawled, walking past the man and towards the gate. “If somebody asks, I’ll be at the abandoned beach or something. Not like I have anywhere else to go after what Father made me do today...”

“And do what, go for a swim?” The man scoffed at him in a sarcastic tone.

Sairek opened the gate and turned to look at the man once last time. “No, I have no intentions of swimming in the ocean water, but I do have intentions of swimming in the sorrowful waters of my own tears. I shall listen to my maid's advice and not bottle my emotions in for much longer and I wish to do that in a private setting away from place that fuels my ire. So with that said, if you wouldn't mind...” He trailed off, stepping through the gate doors and slamming them powerfully behind himself.