⚠️CW⚠️

Nintendo 64
Alex G (unreleased)
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  0:53 ─●──────── -1:46
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

My brother told me that he's gonna kill himself tonight
With a whole bottle of Prozac or a shiny kitchen knife
He says when he's dead, I can have his Nintendo 64 and I can stay up all night long, playing on the basement floor.

[PRINCE NICOLLÒ OF THNĒSKŌ]

The wedding was set to be two weeks after the engagement. Those two weeks were passing at an alarming pace.

Nico climbed up to the rooftop. It was somewhere he went a lot, to gather his thoughts. It was the only place in the whole castle that wasn't guarded. The only place he could be truly alone. The moon was shining so brightly that Nico could see the newspaper that he had resting on his lap. It was one that was published a day after Perseus' proposal. It portrayed Bianca and Perseus as a happy couple, excited to finally 'tie the knot'. It hurt Nico to read, knowing that wasn't what she wanted. On the last page, there was a smaller article. This one wasn't about Perseus and Bianca. It was about Nico and Thalia.

He knew it was coming. He knew that once he turned eighteen, he'd have to propose to Princess Thalia. The night of the ball, Jason had told Thalia to dance with Nico. 'The earlier the rumours start, the more believable it will be in the future'. Thalia tried protest, saying that Nico was just a child. He wanted to protest, too, but Jason was right. He had to pretend to like Thalia. They danced together for a while. Then people started approaching them, hinting at a relationship between the two of them. No one seemed to find it weird that she was over three years older than him. However, Thalia was the least of his worries. He climbed down from the rooftop and walked to Bianca's room.

He knew she wouldn't be asleep- not when the big day was only a few hours away.
"Bianca," he whispered, opening her door.
"Nico," she replied.
He walked in. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. Why are you awake?"
"I can't sleep."
"Neither can I."
"Can I stay?"
She nodded, moving over in her bed.
Nico sat beside her. He realised that they'd never live together again. Bianca was going to move to Ūdor. Nico would be truly alone.

"You should sleep," Bianca said.
"So should you."
"I will."
Nico hadn't realised how tired he was. It only took him a few minutes to drift off to sleep.

• • •

The next morning, he woke up to knocking. For a minute, he wasn't sure where he was. The sun was only rising. He noticed he was in Bianca's room, but she wasn't there. That's when he realised it was the day of the wedding. She was probably already getting ready.

The knocking continued. Nico went to the door and opened it. Hazel Levesque, the youngest servant in the castle stood at the other side of the door.
"Prince Nicollò," she bowed. "Is Princess Bianca with you?"
"No," he shook his head. "She's already gotten up."
"No one has seen her," Hazel looked into the room, as if she didn't believe Nico. "Did you hear her leave?"
"No."

Hazel nodded, before running off. Nico didn't know a lot about her. She was born in the castle, her mother was a servant. The king agreed to let them both live in the castle. She was about the same age as Nico, but he never really spoke to her. Princes didn't talk to the poor. He turned back around, realising the wedding dress was still hanging on the wall. Bianca wasn't getting ready if she didn't have the dress. He went back over to her bed, seeing a book lying on her pillow. He picked it up. It was the one he had seen in the library- Myths of Olde Olympia. Under the book lay the Ring of Ūdor. Bianca's engagement ring. He opened the book, realising there was a note inside. It was written in Bianca's handwriting.

He started to read it. It was addressed to him.

Nico,
I'm sorry that I am writing this. I'm sorry for everything. I wish I could've been a better sister to you. I'm sorry it had to happen this way.

I refused to marry Perseus. I refused to live my life being controlled by our father and my future husband. I refused to be a pawn. I hope that somehow, by doing this, I've made a change. I hope you get more of a choice than I had. You deserve to be with someone you love. If you marry Thalia, I hope that you can learn to love her too. I don't think I could've loved Perseus. I did try. Marriage wasn't for me. I don't think I could've ever fallen in love with anyone. But I loved you, Nico. I always will. You were the best brother I could've ever asked for. I truly wish there was another way. I promise I will watch over you. Every time you see the moon and the stars, I am up there, looking after you. You will never be alone. You will do the right thing. When your time comes, you will lead. You will be the change Olympia needs.

Goodbye. I love you always.
-Bianca.

Tears were already streaming down his face before he had finished reading the note. He cried until a guard rushed into the room. But Nico couldn't tell him what was wrong. He couldn't speak. He didn't want to say the words he didn't believe. Bianca is dead.

More guards gathered, until eventually the king and queen arrived. Nico was taken out of the room, but he fought and screamed, begging to see his sister, not facing the truth. He was sent to his own bedroom, where he cried and cried until he ached. He felt like he couldn't breathe. After what felt like hours, the king and queen walked into the room, accompanied by two guards. For the first time, the queen didn't look completely emotionless. Her eyes were red and she was frowning. It was weird to see her like that.

"Nicollò," the king said, clearing his throat. "An awful thing happened to Bianca last night-"
"It's your fault!" Nico snapped.
"No, she was murdered. Understood?"
"She killed herself! She killed herself because you forced her to marry Perseus!"

Nico realised he shouldn't have protested when the king hit him. He went silent.
"Princess Bianca was murdered," the king said, more impatient this time. "She was murdered with magick. That's what happened."
He knew it wasn't true. He knew it was a cover up. But he nodded, wanting to be left alone. The king turned around, leading the way out of Nico's bedroom. The queen stared at Nico for a second. He believed that if her husband wasn't there, she would've said something. But she didn't. She left with him and the guards.

• • •

He didn't get to be alone for very long. He was called to the throne room. Very few people knew about Bianca's death. Her wedding was supposed to be in a few hours. The other royal families were on their way. Little did they know that the bride was dead.

"Stop crying," the king said to Nico. "Princes don't cry. Especially not in front of other people."
He tried hold back his tears, though it wasn't easy. Tears of anger, of pain and of grief.

The family of Astrape were the first to arrive. Nico was slightly thankful for that- the last person he wanted to see was Perseus. Nico knew his eyes were bloodshot. He knew Thalia and Jason noticed. He knew the King of Astrape could tell something was wrong.
"What happened?" he asked.

Thalia furrowed her eyebrows, still looking at Nico. He could tell she knew. There was a mutual understanding between them. Nico nodded, confirming Thalia's suspicions. Her hand flew to her mouth and she sobbed quietly.
"Thalia-" Jason grabbed her arm. "What's wrong?"
The King of Thnēskō stood up. "Princess Bianca was murdered last night. The castle was broken into using magick. They murdered her."

Nico looked down at the floor. No one dared to speak. No one even moved. The only sound he could hear was Thalia's quiet cries into Jason's shoulder. Then he heard the door open again. He willed himself to look up. He saw Perseus, with the King and Queen of Ūdor. Much like everyone else, Perseus was dressed for the wedding. He was in one of the finest suits Nico had ever seen. He looked around, noticing Thalia crying.
"Where's Bianca?"

The day of Bianca's wedding became her funeral. The news spread quickly- the joy that had been in the air of the kingdom that same morning was replaced with sorrow. He didn't really remember the funeral. He just knew he wasn't allowed to cry. It wasn't easy. Perseus was allowed to cry- people kept saying how bad they felt for 'her husband'. That made Nico angry. He wasn't her husband. Thalia was allowed to cry, too. Apparently only princesses and husbands could cry. Not brothers. Not one of the only people who knew what actually happened.

After the funeral, the King of Thnēskō made an announcement. One Nico didn't want to hear.
"Whoever murdered my daughter will be found. Any magick users will be found. You cannot hide. Every single one of you will be killed until Princess Bianca gets justice. Every single one of you will be killed until Olympia is safe."
Nico didn't really care for magick. He knew it was evil. He knew it was dangerous, but he felt bad. Why were people who used magick getting the blame? It didn't make much sense, but nothing really did. Not anymore.

The Family of Ūdor and Astrape were invited to stay that night, much to Nico's dread.
"Nicollò," his father said. "Show the princes and princess to their bedrooms."
He didn't want to be left alone with them, but he nodded, leading the way out of the throne room. Once the door closed behind them, Thalia spoke.
"Nicollò," there were no guards nearby. No servants. Just the four of them and tension heavier than the sky. "I'm so, so-"
"Don't," he snapped, his father's words repeating in his head. Princes don't cry. Stop crying.
"They're going to find the murderer," Jason said. Although he was an asshole, he sounded like he actually cared. "Her death will be avenged."

"There was no fucking murderer!" Nico shouted, surprised at his own outburst. The other three took a step back.
"What?" Perseus whispered. "There was."
"What do you mean?" Thalia asked.
"If anyones a murderer, it's him," Nico pointed to Perseus, not caring that he was crying. "It's your fault she's dead."
"Hey, it's not my fault someone murdered her!"
"For the last time, she wasn't murdered! She killed herself!" He pushed Perseus into the wall. "She killed herself so she didn't have to marry you. It's all your fault!"

Perseus suddenly looked sick. Nico almost regretted saying anything.
He stepped back from Perseus. "Just leave me alone."

•••
Word Count: 1873
•••

A/N: oops

This is one of the heaviest chapters in the whole fic, and honestly the main reason it's marked mature. I don't like writing about such a serious subject and I hope no readers were affected by it. Thank you.