Eyes slit with anger, Nicephore stood upon his isolated perch, gazing out at the land he had fought so hard for. Behind him stood his personal aide, who had been given the task of informing the older male that his grandson - the heir to his throne - had finally returned. He wasn’t angry about the return of Amias - no, his anger now was anger that had been building ever since his grandson fled the territory, staying hidden away deep within Nicephore’s heart. It had been the biggest act of betrayal the aging Roi had seen from Amias. In the past, there were always slight indiscretions, but nothing big. All of it was expected from someone who was to be chained to the throne someday. But when Amias stormed out of the Makini lands that night, nothing could describe the anger in Nicephore’s heart. Luckily, for the most part, it had been kept fairly well hidden. Of course, the general public knew that Amias didn’t show up to the ceremony that morning - a public shame Nicephore had never before faced - but they all still believed that he was still in the lands. What had made it all worse was the fact that no one actually knew where Amias had gone - just that he was gone.
He was waiting, now, in his forested cove that sat perfectly within the massive branches of the largest trees in the area. The dens in these high perches were exclusive to the royal family and the nobility - the common classes made their dens in lower trees, or even somewhere on the ground itself. It was probably for the best, at this point, to keep the general public from seeing the Roi in this extremely agitated state. In a few moments, when Amias would finally be forced to confront all that has happened, there is no telling what kind of violence might ensue.
Walking up the winding branches, Azizi - no, it was Amias now - was being led by one of his family’s many aides. It was a younger female, probably someone new to the position, and she looked nervous beyond belief. Her footsteps were light, and she kept a good distance ahead of Amias, glancing back nervously every once in a while. He couldn’t help but laugh a little under his breath; his situation must be worse than he had originally thought. He knew, though, that the situation had to have been kept under-wraps, as his grandfather wouldn’t allow for anything less. It made him nervous; so much so that he could feel the immense pressure of the lump in his chest. He didn’t want to fight his grandfather anymore. Before, he was different. Going out into the world by himself had smoothed him, making him a kinder cheetah. At this point, he wasn’t even sure if he had the juice left in him to actually fight. What he really hoped for was that this whole mess could be settled with words, with an inevitable physical punishment in store for Amias. After all, the family still needed him, as they were too proud to let any of their blood run astray.
Nearing the top leafed-cove, he could see the guards on either side of the entrance. Two massive leaves covered the door, and as the aide leading Amias approached, the guards carefully moved them both to the side. Taking in a deep breath, he eyed his aide one last time as she stepped to the side, giving him a small bow as she tucked herself away from the drama that was sure to ensue right past the door.
Hearing the sound of the leaf-doors being lifted, Nicephore took in a deep breath. Although he was known as being a ruthless yet protective Roi, he was still a grandfather. It was hard for him to have to be in this situation with one of his own, regardless of the fact that Amias had been less-than-thrilling recently.
Raising his bi-colored eyes to meet Amias’, he could feel so many emotions bubbling up to the surface. Anger, frustration – relief. His gaze was harsh, with a fiery blaze building behind them. The silence between the two males was immense and cold, with tension that felt quite suffocating to the aides that stood just outside the door. As the leaves slid shut, with nervous aides shuffling back and forth on their paws, Nicephore took one gentle step forward. His chin was slightly elevated, showing his age and superiority. He wasn’t going to speak first – no, the young cheetah should know that it was his place to ask for forgiveness first, before any other words were said.
Pulling his front paws together tightly as he stood, Amias slowly brought one out before him, lowering his head in a deep bow. His eyes were glued to the floor, and his tail swayed only for a moment behind him. He thought carefully about his words – his newfound personality would much rather mend things with his grandfather than just start another fight. In this case, especially, it would only hurt him and his family to drag this out and protest his grandfather any longer. For now, all he could do was suck up his pride and try his best to get things back to where they should be.
“Grandfather, I humbly ask your forgiveness.” His voice was deep, and it trailed off like a servant’s would when addressing their master. After his words, there was a long silence. He had nothing else to say, not until he heard what his grandfather had to say. If he didn’t want to hear any more of Amias’ words, than no more would be said.
Watching his grandson before him, Nicephore flexed his claws slowly. There were so many things he wanted to say. He wanted to yell – to shout, as loud as he could – things that the Roi shouldn’t. Most of his thoughts and anger came from being a grandfather; why would his pride and joy, the future heir to the pride, want to run away? Hadn’t he raised him right? Or was all that time simply a waste?
Thinking about it, though, he knew that those were weak words. They wouldn’t do anyone any good; in fact, they would most likely hurt him, if anything. And if any of them were said aloud, what kind of Roi would that make him? Someone feeble, who easily gives in to emotion. That was a trait that had been outlawed in his family, ever since he could remember.
“You come before me, asking for forgiveness. Why do you deserve such a thing from me?” His eyes were cold, his chin tipped upward ever so slightly.
“I deserve nothing, grandfather.” He waited a moment to speak, so as not to sound too haughty. “I can only hope that you can find it within you to allow for my return. I –“ he paused, not sure as to whether or not he should proceed. It was risky, putting forth his own desires, especially in this situation. “I just want for things to return to what they were, as much as they can. I know, I’ve failed you. I’ve failed our pride. After all that you’ve graciously given to me, I had no right to leave of my own accord.” His nerves felt like they were eating him alive. He tried his best to keep his thoughts from racing – and words that shouldn’t be said within his own head. “I can only stand here before you, and beg for your forgiveness.” Standing there, with his eyes glued to the ground and his head bowed low, Amias felt like he couldn’t breathe, waiting to hear what his grandfather had to say. If he wasn’t allowed to stay here, if he was permanently kicked out – he just didn’t know what he would do. As much as he had tried to deny it and run away from it in the past, this place was his home, and he really did care about it. And it would be the first time that someone from the royal bloodline would be banished, and he didn’t want that label at all. It would shame his family the most and he couldn’t bear that thought.
Keeping his eyes on Amias, Nicephore slowly started to circle him as he spoke. Certain parts of what he said really angered the aged cheetah. He was not generally a forgiving male, a quality that had earned him a fairly nasty reputation. As angry as he was, though, he definitely didn’t want to drag this out for too long. No length of arguing and fighting could change the end decision; something that, if he thought about, he had decided long ago, when the incident first occurred.
“Amias, lift your head now.” His eyes were cold as he came to stand directly in front of his grandson. “There are many things that I wish to say – many injuries I wish to inflict upon you and your pride.” He flexed his claws in an agitated manner as he spoke, making little scratching sounds on the intertwined tree branches. “But right now, none of it would do this pride or this family any good at all. After all the pain that you put us through, I think there’s been enough suffering.” Cutting his eyes to the side, he took in a deep breath. “Your punishment will come at a later date, I can assure you of that. But from here on, I can say with earnest – welcome home, my boy.” Turning around to face the window once again, Nicephore was done with the conversation. It had taken so much energy to keep his cool, and to not do something drastic that his family would complain about. Right now, this was the best end result – though, Nicephore would keep his word when he said that punishment would come later. That, he was certain of.
Still keeping his head at a slight bow, Amias was very fearful of Nicephore’s words. His eyes darted back and forth as he spoke, and he found himself holding his breath when the Roi went silent. When his grandfather was finally done speaking, Amias closed his eyes for a few moments, trying very hard to not smile from the joy he felt knowing that he could stay in his home. The thought of a later punishment didn’t faze him in the least – the fact that he could continue to live here was more than enough to cover for that. By the time Amias did bring his eyes up, however, his grandfather had already returned to his perch by the window. Growing up, he had always stood there when he was deep in thought, or keeping watch over the pride. This time, though, he could tell that that was his cue to leave. Giving one last bow, Amias couldn’t help but smile as he prepared to leave. “Thank you for your generosity, your Grace.” Dipping his head, he turned, giving a light tap on the large leaf-doors. As they gently slid open, he eyed the guards on each side of the door, both looking as relieved as the aide that had waited patiently outside for his return. They knew, from Amias’ expression, that things had gone well. Giving them a smile, Amias, carefully followed the aide back down the long and winding enclosed corridor, finally feeling like he was home again.
