Angelica took a swig of the hot cocoa her husband brought her, she looked at Thanatos up and down, “You look like hell.”
“I feel like it too,” he replied, shifting in the seat of the couch.
“I guess I should start at the beginning.” She smiled, “You know, over my life, I’d seen so many beautiful couples. So many souls tied, so many who were just perfect for one another.” Thanatos nodded his head. “It left me so excited when I found mine. He was so kind, so loving at first. I’d thought I found my fairytale, but it quickly turned to a nightmare when I realized how cruel Apep could be.”
Thanatos' eyes widened. “You’re tied to Apep?!”
A sad expression overcame her face, “I really thought he loved me, but in truth, he was just happy to have a powerful necromancer by his side.” The bitterness of her words stung, as he knew first-hand how evil Apep could be. “He secluded me from my family, locked me away, and used my magic to do harm to others until finally, I found enough strength to escape.”
A horrible thought crossed his mind, “Is Evie his-”
She quickly shook her head no, “I met a wonderful necromancer in the town I’d run away too.” She looked up at the older man, and he kissed her forehead.
“Yeah, everything was great, until he heard the news of my pregnancy and that threw him in a rage. He wanted children, powerful, easy to mold and I’d done everything in my power to make sure that would never happen.” She sighed heavily, her mind seeming to be somewhere else.
“When Evie was born, I took one look at her and knew she was much more powerful than I ever would be. I went out of my way to hide her, knowing that she would be safer when she was older. She would be protected, loved, and cherished by her own soul tie- you.”
The skin on Thanatos neck prickled, “How could you possibly know that?”
“You don’t remember me when you were a child, but I was there. I saw you. Your strength, your heart, your darkness…the same darkness I later saw in her.” Clapping her hands together, she laughed, “Could you imagine a mother's elation, her best friend's son, the soul tie of her only daughter?”
Thanatos couldn’t help but laugh with hers being infectious, reminding him so much of Evie’s.
Angelica continued, “Yeah…I tried HARD to protect her, but in the end, he still managed to get to her. She was picking berries in the woods and he approached her with one of his infamous deals.” The sadness slowly returned to Angelica’s eyes, “He told her that all the necromancers would be killed, but that if she made of deal with him to be his wife when she was older, he’d give her enough power to stop it from happening.”
Thanatos looked at the ceiling, seeing the tears run down her face being too much to handle.
*“I may have sold my soul, but you sold your heart. You don’t get to judge me!” *
“She was just a child. A sweet innocent child who didn’t know any better. She didn’t know that she could never stop the war because Apep would be the one to slaughter us to make sure she was all alone. She didn’t know…that many miles away he would prey on the love of another child to make a similar deal.”
Thanatos' shaky hand covered his mouth, he looked Angelica in the eyes, “Why me?”
“Because you were her soul tie, what better way to get rid of you than to take your heart?”
Oftentimes he found himself joking about the fact that his heart was dead. About the fact that his chest felt so cold. Yet, to know the true extent of where his callousness truly came from, made Thanatos feel completely numb.
“There was nothing I could do to change what he did, and I knew we would all be killed. So before the war, I told her everything about you, and begged her not to save me when it was time.”
“Why would you do that?”
Angelica smiled and leaned forward to grab his hand, “Because she needed to see you, the part that he hadn’t killed. She needed to see how merciful and kind you can be. He may have made you cold, but I'd known from other encounters, he hadn't completely taken away your heart. He couldn't. It was meant for Evie, not for him. She watched from the bushes as you collected us.” Angelica's words caught in her throat, “I may never be able to see her wedding, but with my last breath I watched her fall in love.”
Thanatos retracted his hand and stood. His large body pacing the room, “You sent her to me.”
“I told her to find you. Evie is really smart, she managed to get Apep to make a deal. If she could get you to fall in love with her, it would void their agreement and she could be with you. You know how he loves games; he didn’t refuse knowing years ago he’d blackened your heart.”
The room spun, and Thanatos knees buckled, at the realization of what Evie had risked. “How-how do I fix it? Please, tell me how I fix it?”
Angelica closed her eyes and looked down at her lap, “I don’t know if you can…but I think you should start with the truth. There are way too many secrets, too many lies. It’s hard for people to know who to trust.”
Thanatos shook his head and walked over to kiss her on the cheek.
“Find her Reaper and bring her home. Maybe…she could come to visit. We get so lonely here sometimes.”
Thanatos rushed through the home, his body colliding with someone else. Derrick looked at him, his leg bandaged, his eyes tired.
“What are you doing here?” Thanatos asked simply.
“I-I've been living here hoping to find a connection to where Evie was taken…I was only trying to help her.”
If there was anything that he could fix immediately, he knew his brother's heart was the first. “Come on, I need to speak with my family after I handle something.”
Derrick nodded, and the two exited the home.
-----------------------------------------------------
“What is he doing here?” Romulus said, cutting his eyes as Thanatos entered his mansion with Derrick.
“You were right, Romulus, it was more to it. Derrick didn’t betray you, he was looking out for Evie.” Derrick limped past him and stood in front of Romulus.
“Don’t you ever keep anything from me again.” Romulus said tearfully, before pulling Derrick into his arms.
“Are mom and dad still here?” Thanatos asked hurriedly.
Confused, he shook his head, “They’re in the dining room.”
Thanatos rushed past them to his parents, upon seeing him, his mother ran and wrapped her arms around him. “Romulus told us about today, I’ve been so worried about you,” she said, pulling him to the table.
His father remained quiet but looked at him, the disgust in his eyes apparent.
“We all need to talk.” Thanatos’ voice was low, and his mother looked at him and then to Romulus as he entered the room with Derrick.
“What’s Derrick doing here? I thought he left for work.” The two men looked at one another. “What the hell is going on?” She said sternly to her sons.
Thanatos was the first to say, “I just talked to Angelica mom. Her soul is a little way from here, but it’s still around.”
“Talk to her about what?”
Thanatos breathed in deep. Knowing what he said next would change everything. “Do you remember how different I was as a kid? Until about ten I’d say…then everything kind of just changed.”
She shook her head, “You were always a bit of a wild child.”
“No mom, there was something else.” He turned to Romulus, his voice shaky, “We used to be so close remember? I’d do anything for you.”
Romulus didn’t like the look in his brother's eyes. Nyx placed her hand on top of his.
“Thanatos what did you do?”
Inhaling deep, he looked at her, knowing his words were about to destroy her. “I’m sorry…I was just trying to be a good big brother.” He bit the side of his lip, the weight of his secret tearing him apart. “When I was ten, there was a man who told me Romulus and I were special. We were magical. We would rule. He told me that I would be loved and revered, that I’d have all the friends in the world…but he said Romulus would be hated, he'd be cold and alone.”
“Who was this man!” She shouted at him but instead of answering he turned and faced his brother.
“He said that he could change it. Make sure that never happened to Romulus, but I’d have to give him something in return. So, I agreed to give him my heart- I was just a kid I didn’t know what that meant. I just wanted to protect the person who meant the most to me.”
Tears rolled down the sides of Romulus's cheeks, shakingly, he grabbed Thanatos shoulder. Repeating his mother’s question he asked, “Thanatos what did you do?”
Thanatos inhaled sharply, “Romulus I switched our birthrights, I’m not the original Grim Reaper…it was you.”
------------------------------------------
A soft rap on the door of Angelica’s cabin startled both her and her husband. Cautiously, she walked to the door opening it, at first not seeing anyone.
“E-excuse me,” a little voice called to her.
She looked down and saw two children. Holding a crumbled letter to her face the little girl spoke to her.
“Mr. Tanteenose sent us here with this, he said for you to read it.”
Taking the letter from the child, Angelica slowly opened it to read.
*You have newly been assigned the caretakers of the souls of Rose and Jack. Hence and forth for eternity. You are required to provide shelter, food, and love in the afterlife that they were deprived of in life. You shall refer to them as your children and love them as if they are your own. Should you not accept this new role, please send word back as to the reason for a new assignment.
Thanatos*
Angelica's hands shook as she looked up from the letter, the two children eyeing her curiously.
“He said if it was okay with you, we could live here now.” Jack looked down at his shoes, “Is it okay?”
Tears flowed down, as she looked at the children’s faces. Reaching out she softly touched Rose's hair. Immediately Rose ran to her, wrapping her arms around Angelica’s leg and breathed in content.
*Thank you*
He’d done this for them. The Grim Reaper who had no heart showed her once again why she’d been right all those years ago. Ushering the children, she yelled to her husband, “Hey honey, come look! Thanatos gave us a wonderful gift.”
----------------------------------------
Silence fell onto the room as Romulus wide-eyed stared at his brother. “You did what?!”
“I was just trying to protect you,” Thanatos repeated. “I never hated you or resented you. I just didn't want you to find out what I did.”
A laugh from the corner made everyone look as Cybrus cocked his head back. “This is preposterous!” He said finally. “Romulus could never be the Grim Reaper. Look at all the destruction you did all because you couldn’t control your damn emotions! Now for you to come here and lie to your family's face?” He stood and pointed his finger at Thanatos angrily, “You walk around this place as if you own it. You know they’re all terrified of you! You were horrible before but now, you’re just-just I don’t know what!” He threw his hands up walking around the table and muttered under his breath, “Apep and his damn deals, the stupid girl should have stayed with him in the first place.”
Thanatos felt his blood freeze, “What did you say?” Cybrus turned to face Thanatos as he rose and walked slowly to his father. “I never told you who I made the deal with, never told you who Evie was with.” He leaned in close, “How do you know father?”
Cybrus pushed against Thanatos chest, “Don’t you start a fucking witch hunt with me!”
“How do you know father?"
Cybrus put his hand to his head, “He said that switching you wouldn’t change anything! That you probably wouldn't have even taken the deal!”
Thanatos stared at his father, floored. “You...you did this to me?!”
“NO! YOU DID IT!” Cybrus said, pointing up into the air pretentiously, “It was up to you to take the deal.”
Thanatos felt his entire world rock, his hands began to shake. His voice was but a whisper, “I was just a kid dad…”
“A RESILIENT ONE! I KNEW YOU COULD HANDLE IT BETTER THAN ROMULUS COULD. YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE.”
Nyx's lips trembled as she listened to her husband. “How could you do that to our son?”
“YOU SAID IT YOURSELF NYX IT WAS LIKE APPLES AND ORANGES WITH THESE TWO. TAKING HIS HEART WAS NEVER THE PLAN…now look at this monster we were left with!”
Thanatos had always disliked his father, but that feeling was also conflicted with love. A desire somewhere deep for him to care for him as he did Romulus. A desire to just be cared for at all. Yet, today as he looked at his father, he felt as though he was looking at a stranger.
“You ostracized me my entire life when it was you that made me this way.”
His knees grew weak.
*“Why don’t you ask your father.” *
The burn of Evie’s words delivering the final blow. He turned to Derrick, “I need to find her. Tell me how.”
Derrick sadly returned his stare, “He took her away. No one knows where, I've been looking for months. Now that he has them, he’s never going to let them go.”
“…Them?”
Derrick didn’t want to speak, but he knew Thanatos should know, “That was why she came that night…Evie’s pregnant with your child.”
He couldn’t breathe, “I-I got to get out of here.”
He rushed out of the dining room and through the large front door. The cool air smacked his face, the sting of his father’s deceit, everything hit at once. He stumbled mindlessly through the grass of the courtyard.
*“You ugly thing.” *
He dropped to his knees. The pain sliced into him deep.
*“A wretched thing masking as something decent.” *
“Oh my God! Thanatos.” He heard his mother scream as she raced towards him, but he couldn’t move. Dropping to the ground, she grabbed his face making eye contact, “You’re okay…you’re okay.”
Tears covered his face, as the agony moved through every part of him.
“NO DON’T YOU SEE! SHE NEEDED ME! SHE SAID IT MOM! SHE TOLD ME SHE NEEDED ME AND I TURNED HER AWAY!” He could no longer hold in his anguish, and he wept uncontrollably in her arms, “She asked me to love her twice mom…and I told her she was nothing. I left her and my child alone…she asked me to love them, and I beat them down…I saw it mom, I saw her light leave and I still turned my back. What’s wrong with me?" He wailed, "What’s wrong with me? OH GOD, MOM PLEASE...WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME?!”
Nyx listened to the pleas of her son, her own heart twisting apart. She cried into his hair, unable to do anything to take the pain away.
*“When you find out the truth and realize what could have been, I really hope you suffer.” *
His tears reached the ears of the people of Magical Fall. His sobs bellowed through them unlike anything they’d ever heard. His screams of anguish tearing into mothers as he called for his, many held their own children close and wept. There was none on the streets or the trails, the night that Thanatos laid in his mother’s arms and cried. Everything around had completely ceased to exist outside of his pleas for the pain in his chest to stop. A deafening silence fell over the land as they listened to the wails of the Reaper, whose once dead heart was now completely broken.