The Cosmic Princess

Ike's Story

Ike's P.O.V.

Song: Mayday Parade- A Terrible Thing - Check this song out y'all. Sets the mood.

I had been only seven when I had fell out of a tree in our backyard hiding from Ingel in a round of hide-and-go-seek. I had broken my arm the minute I landed. Years later, I could still feel the penetrating chill that ran down my spine at the dark, apathetic expression in my father's eyes as he stared me down while I told him, tears racing down my face despite how hard I had tried to keep them in and holding my odd angled arm in clear misery.

Seeing my pain, his words had been pretty simple- when I stopped crying like a poor, pathetic excuse for a son then maybe we would fetch for a healer. Until then, I was going to stand there. He had taken enjoyment out of berating me in front of everyone in the room going on and on about how I was an embarrassment if I couldn't even handle a little bit of pain without crying. And indeed I had felt like an embarrassment. The fellow house soldiers that I had looked up to as a child and tried my hardest to be like watched as my dad laid into me, mentally breaking any concept I had that allowed men to have the right to cry and show any vulnerability. From that day forward, I did my best to never cry. I didn't even cry when Thane was killed in battle. He had been one of the soldiers I looked up to the most. In some type of way, I always envisioned him as a second father- who didn't make it his mission to crumble me at every possible second. With him, it was easy. With him I finally got the chance to be a regular child with a doting father. However, when the Dynoats came, he was one of the first soldiers my father sent out to battle...

I had been only ten when my father began to walk me through the steps of becoming king, not just a regular king, but the king of kings on Terra. I suddenly found my childhood abruptly cut short and spent most of my days in hours long lessons, studying, or doing work revolving on being a king. Simple things that children took for granted such as going outside to play or making friends was a reward I never got.

As time went on, my father began to almost mechanically mold me into the man he had envisioned. Just like he wanted, I became cold, stoic, and hardened. He had single-handedly made me bend to his will and for that, I would always regret it. I became his puppet unknowingly scared of breaking from his values and instructions in fear of the repercussions. My mother watched from the sidelines, reluctantly believing in my father's word that what he was doing was for the best. After all, how could you argue against a man who had ruled over Terra for decades. In his eyes, you couldn't.

As time went on, I became known for my indifference, arrogance, and rudeness. People feared me, but they respected me because despite my negatives they knew I had what it took to be a king. I may not have had the emotional empathy, but I had about everything else. Just like my father, my word ruled and what I demanded, I got. Staying under my dad's shadow allowed me the greatness protection from his wrath, and although staying in the shadows was draining, it was safe.

I had been only thirteen when I stumbled upon a group of girls pushing around a much littler, and weaker girl. My days of just going through the motion and eagerly waiting to be king abruptly changed the minute I locked eyes with timid hazel ones.

Her name had been Teelah, and something about her made me want to protect her.

So I did.

I vowed to protect her and keep her safe, never wanting to stumble upon a scene in which she looked so defenseless, scared, and weak while her opponent looked so menacing. She was a beautiful little thing with a heart of gold. She was quiet and timid, but she was warm and sweet. She managed to do something that no else ever could and somehow, the cold frigid walls that I had built around myself to make myself more "kingly" as my dad would say began to melt. A part of me felt like I was breaking from my dad's mold- it terrified me but exhilarated me. I didn't want to be under his control anymore, but I had been scared and had no idea how to get myself out of this. Teelah came along at just the right time when giving up for good had just seemed so easy. She provided the lifelong for me to hold on a little bit longer.