Chapter 15: A Mess in Archirilio

"Banyu?!"

"Mei?! Alas?!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief as she stood, bowing with reverence. We followed suit, albeit with less ceremony.

"Uh?" The king, ever the stoic figure, interjected, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh yes, Father," Alas replied with a hint of amusement in his voice, "this is our dearest friend from Aisling Village."

"Dearest friend, you say?" The king's lips curled into a teasing smirk as his gaze flickered toward Alas. "Hm, this is interesting."

"Yes, Father," Alas muttered, trying to suppress a smile.

"Your Highness," Banyu bowed deeply, her eyes darting between us with wide-eyed astonishment. As she rose, her gaze locked with mine, and she shot me an incredulous look, silently asking, Your father is a king?!

I could only return her stare with a silent shrug and a raised eyebrow, replying with an expression that said, Apparently.

"Well then," the king spoke, his tone still laced with mockery, "forgive the rather uncouth reception from the guards. Come in, come in." He gestured grandly, stepping aside.

Banyu and I walked together toward the main hall, the weight of the situation pressing down on my chest as I leaned closer to her.

"You owe me a dozen explanations, dude," she whispered in disbelief. "You're a princess?! I mean—what?!" Her eyes were wide with shock, and her voice trembled with the absurdity of the situation.

"I know, right?" I whispered back, trying to contain my own amusement. "And look over there," I gestured toward Alas, who was trailing behind us. "That's my brother from another mother, bruh. Can you believe it? Alas is now the Crown Prince of this kingdom."

"Wait, what?!" Banyu nearly choked on her words, her eyes growing even wider with disbelief. "Oh my god... what about your mother then?"

"We're searching for her..." I trailed off, my voice growing somber. "And by the way, Father knows about the benders."

We had reached the living room by this point, where tea and snacks had been thoughtfully prepared. The air felt heavy as I sat beside Banyu, each of us still grappling with the magnitude of what had just transpired.

Banyu cleared her throat, her expression suddenly grave.

"May I speak, Your Highness?" she asked cautiously, her voice low yet urgent.

"Well, yes, of course," Alas replied, his voice calm but filled with curiosity.

"Um... Alas, Mei..." Banyu began, her voice faltering, her hands trembling as she tried to steady herself. It was as though the weight of the words she had to say was already too much for her to bear. She took a shuddering breath before continuing, her eyes distant, haunted by the images she was about to share. "Archirilio... it's been shattered since you both left. Estevao... he's gone." Her voice cracked on the name, the pain unmistakable. "And worst of all... our existence... has been exposed by the Queen Mother."

Banyu's hands curled into fists at her sides, her knuckles white with the effort to restrain the storm of emotions threatening to break free. "I just returned from the holiday with my mother when we saw her. The Queen Mother. She came to our village, surrounded by at least thirty guards." Her voice wavered as she spoke, like a fragile thread about to snap. "She came for us."

"I stayed behind, hidden with Noodles, so they wouldn't see me. I was still undercover... spying on them. That's when I saw her—the Queen Mother." She stopped, swallowing hard, the words choking her. "She must be the evil spirit El Eliodor warned us about... The one we were told would destroy everything."

Her breath caught as she continued, struggling to keep the panic from overtaking her. "She had a sword in her hand..." Banyu's eyes glazed over, her words slowing as if each one was a wound. "She brandished it as she forced the villagers to gather, her eyes cold, ruthless. She knew only about water benders... and she wanted to learn their power. But when the villagers refused, she didn't hesitate. She took one of the children from the water bender families."

Banyu's voice trembled, breaking with raw emotion. "She threatened us… said she would kill the child if we didn't teach her." Her lips trembled as the memory took hold of her. "It was Luna Lily..."

Tears welled in her eyes, and her hands shook violently. She wiped them away quickly, but the pain was too much. "To protect her child... Eluna Kira, one of our own mothers, agreed. She had no choice—none of us did. We were all exposed. We couldn't fight her... not with so much at stake." Banyu's voice grew smaller, as though the mere act of recalling those moments felt like it was tearing her apart. "Every day, after that... we lived in fear. Fear of her threats, her power over us. The water benders were taken to the castle... my parents too… they were thrown into the dungeons like criminals."

She paused, her chest rising and falling with the weight of her words. The sobs she had been holding back broke free, each one racking her body with sorrow. "I couldn't save them... No one could."

My heart plummeted to the depths of despair. Every word Banyu spoke felt like a dagger to the chest, each revelation heavier than the last. I was frozen, unable to move, the weight of her story settling on me like a shroud.

Holy spirits. The thought echoed through my mind, a cold realization of the devastation that had befallen our home.

I was silent, the overwhelming sadness and anger welling up inside me too great for words. The pressure in my chest was unbearable, the rawness of her pain reflected in my own. I could feel the sting of unshed tears in my eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to cry.

This was no longer just a story—it was real. And the darkness of it threatened to swallow us all whole.

"Oh spirits…" I whispered, my voice barely a breath.

"Wait, wait, what?! Water benders?" Kyre blurted out in disbelief. "What in the world is that?"

"Mei, I thought..." Banyu started, but stopped herself.

"No, he didn't know," I interjected quickly.

"Well, it's not exactly something we were supposed to reveal... but since you're already aware—there are elemental benders all around the world. Fire benders, water benders, air benders, earth benders. Each can manipulate their respective elements," Alas explained in a calm yet serious tone. "But please, don't share this with anyone."

"What?! Water benders?" father repeated, his voice rising in disbelief.

"Yes," father confirmed, his tone steady but laced with a quiet pride.

"What?! You knew?!" Kyre's voice wavered, a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Yes," the king replied simply, his expression unreadable.

"Oh my god, where have I been?!" Kyre exclaimed, his voice rising with frustration and disbelief. "Okay, so what about you all? What kind of benders are you?"

"Fire," Alas answered, his eyes glinting with a sense of authority.

"Water," Banyu said softly, almost as though the word itself carried a weight she hadn't expected to share.

"Water," I added quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh gods," Kyre muttered, her eyes wide as she processed the revelation. "And your father?"

"I'm not a bender, son," the king smiled, his voice warm with a certain pride that contrasted the tension of the moment.

"Huh. Alright, so I'm the only non-bender here," Kyre muttered, still in shock but slowly recovering.

"That doesn't matter," I said with a reassuring smile. "You'll still be my brother, no matter what."

"Now then," the king interrupted, his voice suddenly sharp and decisive, "what's our next move?"

"Wait, you're in?" Alas asked, his surprise evident.

"Well, yes. Why wouldn't I be?" The king's smile was one of genuine resolve.

"Cool," I nodded, feeling the weight of this decision settling on my shoulders.

"How did you even know we were here?" Banyu asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I had Noodles track Zeus…" the king began, before Banyu cut him off.

"Zeus?! Zeus is real?"

"Yes," the king replied with a grin. "He's a white lightning. I'll show you later."

"Alright, since this whole kingdom is enormous, I'm going to need your father's help to find you two. Anyway, on my way here, I saw a ship I recognized. It turns out it's the Master's ship. I told them everything, and they agreed to help. They're currently at Zeus Restaurant, or whatever it's called. We need to meet them there and discuss our next steps."

"I'm in," Kyre raised his hand, his voice steady and sure.

"Are you sure, son?" the king asked, his voice low but filled with concern.

"Yes, Father," Kyre said, his voice unwavering. "If you're going, I'm going. That's what families are for, right?"

The king's expression softened, and he nodded with a smile. "Yes, you're right."

"Then we should prepare ourselves," the king said, turning toward the door. "Let's go."

We all went to our respective rooms to change, the weight of what lay ahead pressing on each of us. It felt good to slip into soft cotton clothing once again, the fabric a welcome comfort after all the tension of the day.

"This room is huge," Banyu muttered as she glanced around.

I smiled softly. "Yeah... It's a far cry from the village, huh?"

"While we're on the subject," I began, my voice dropping to a more somber tone. "The love between my father and mother was forbidden from the start. They fled to be together, to have me and Alas. But after three years, my father was found. He was given an ultimatum—return to his kingdom, or risk the lives of us all. Desperate, he sent letters to my mother, but she never replied. That silence, it worried him more than anything. In the end, the royal family forced his hand—either marry Princess Lezabel and remain in contact with us, or refuse and sever all ties forever."

I paused, gathering myself before continuing, the weight of the memories pressing down. "He chose the latter. But when he returned to our home, he found it in ruins. Our house was nothing but ashes. The neighbors told him we were dead—gone. But Alas and I, we survived. We don't know what happened to Mother. She must have made it out, too... somewhere."

"I hope so," Banyu whispered softly, her eyes filled with compassion.

"Take whatever you need, Ban," I offered with a small smile.

"Seriously?" she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and gratitude.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Take what you want."

"I mean, seriously?" she laughed. "You think I'm interested in these heavy jewels that would just slow me down?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Come on."

With that, the five of us gathered at the main gates, ready to face whatever came next.