The Shadow Children
Yuuri
The memories he possessed were few, few but ever so important. Those few were immensely happy, and though he knew he was missing an eternity of memories, he was content to keep those he’d made with those whom had raised him once again, stood by his side despite his new youth. The words Victor spoke harshly contradicted his new memories, those which were filled with soft smiles and comforting warmth, though with all the denial Yuuri wished to stand by, his heart sank with the weight of the truth he found within those words. The sunburst scar upon his chest, the searing pain of the memories burning just beyond his reach now made effort to come to the forefront of his mind.
Yuuri was known for being a soft soul, harsh words hardly passed his lips, his kingdom was fair as was he. The thought of now such a gentle soul taking up arms seemed impossible, and yet that obsidian blade made to cut and slash at the light still sat within the halls of his palace. ‘For ceremonial purposes’ he’d been told. He’d been lied to. By now it was a comfortable lie, one that the people of the night wore well. A simple comfort in a misguided will to protect. But now, betrayal made itself a new companion within his heart, every beat pushing forth its vile purpose.
Eventually the god found himself back within the borders of his palace, soft beams of starlight bending themselves around the dancing shadows. At this hour, the palace was at peace, outside of their forest home, the sun was still about and so within the woods all slept, the only comfort of sound being the babbling brooks and quiet laughter of the shadow children who played through the palace halls weaving songs and stories from the dreams which they collected.
If one was lucky, you might find yourself able to barter for pleasant dreams from the shadow children. They were fickle things who loved all things which glittered, it was not so much hard to trade with one as it was impossible to find them. The only one that seemed always able to find the dancing shadows was Yuuri himself who often traded in starlight for a dream. Starlight was precious, Yuuri being the only one able to truly handle and shape it, and were it not for his nightmares the children were burdened with carrying, he would not trade with something so valuable. But it was not only good dreams which the children collected with to craft, but it was all dreams. Those good, bad, or even those which go unremembered in the halls of one’s memory.
It was not for fantasies that he now went to the children for, now he was seeking his nightmares, his memories which he had longed to be just that. Bad dreams. Carefully he sat besides the shadows, inquiring of them for his past. A bottle of starlight for a bottle of pitch, black smoke tangling itself into flashes of the past before morphing again, never fully making a scene within itself. With the darkest parts of his past in hand yuuri made his way back to his chambers, the tears not yet ceasing to fall from his face. There he sat among his blanketed galaxies, contemplating the bottle of dreams.
“Yuuri...I came as fast as I could...are you alright?” the familiar echo of Yurio’s voice made itself known to him, breaking his reverie of sorrow.
“ I don’t want to believe Victor...But it’s true, isn’t it?” His voice small, hoping for a faith he did not have against the weight of his truth.
The fae’s eyes flicked to the bottle in Yuuri’s hand, new understanding dawning upon him. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know...But you don’t need to experience that pain again. Trust me, please”
“Everyone has lied to me since I came back. You lied to me! It has been made clear to me that I can only trust my own memories! Why did you not tell me...All these years..”
“ because I didn’t want to see you hurt! I may not have been there when you died, but I watched the stars disappear and the sun burn the land...I don’t want you to have to face that hurt again.”The fae now on his knee, clutching yuuri’s hands over the bottle of memories, as if his will and care alone could protect the god from his own past.
“If you want to help. Then stay with me. I have to know, i’m sorry, but I have to know...To experience again what I lost. This…” he said clasping the bottle tighter, “ This is apart of me too.”
“alright...If that;s what you need...I’ll stay”
With Yurio’s confirmation some tension left Yuuri. He would at least not be alone through his ordeal. Taking a shuddering breath, he wiped the tears from his face. The memories tasted bitter on his tongue, and no sooner than they had been swallowed did Yuuri’s world fade to black, the past pouring forth.