A/N: confused yet? Haha no worries, the story is meant to be like this. Keep in mind that this is still just an intro; the real story doesn't really begin until ch 4. Please, please, please, please, please give me feedback. I want to know how this idea is working.
Now onto the second chapter…
The clouds continued to roll over Altea, making the early afternoon appear dark. The storm had continued for three days now, pouring down rain at random times and causing occasional flooding. No one thought much of the rains; it was common to have unpredictable weather during the summer. All who lived on the countryside were almost thankful for the water, because it had been so hot and dry lately. Those living in the kingdom's capital didn't mind the weather, just keeping to their busy daily lives in the city.
Just like any kingdom, Altea was reigned over by royals, who traditionally lived in a decent sized castle that lay within the city limits. The king was known as a gentleman, who loved his people. He was an older man, but not aged enough to be plagued by wrinkles. Since he was in his late teens, the king had governed his people justly and with compassion, something he never knew his father to have done. The king sat in his small study now, staring out a large window thoughtfully. His blue hair ran just past his ears, marking his royal stature. For as long as he could remember, blue hair had been a sign of royalty in his family. It was something all of the subjects admired and even envied, but the king was careful never to flaunt it.
Rain continued to fall outside the tall glass window, making the king reminisce about a time when he was younger. It had been more than ten years ago now and he'd just been crowned as his current title. He'd been on the countryside and the rain came down just like it did now. He'd been in simpler clothes and a crown had not sat on top of his head like it did now. He remembered how he was sitting on the porch steps of a modest farmhouse, just enjoying the sound of water falling softly around him.
Suddenly, a pair of delicate arms wrapped themselves lovingly around his shoulders. They were the arms of his beloved, who he was staying with at that time. The golden haired maiden had been in his life for several years then, and he honestly couldn't think of spending his life with anyone else. The two planned to marry in the spring of that year, but it was to be a secret wedding. It was too dangerous for them to have people know about their relationship.
The king continued to think about how had he sat on those steps for hours with her, not having a care or responsibility in the world. They did end up marrying, but sadly the two could not live together afterward. Their situation was far too complicated.
"Sire," A voice shocked the king out of his thoughts and made him jump. He looked over to see a faithful servant standing at his door, a worried look on his face.
"Oh, Alfred." The king said, clearing his throat. "It's only you."
"You have a visitor, Sire." The butler informed him mechanically, bowing slightly after he spoke.
"A visitor?" The king asked, thinking out loud. He turned back to the window for only a moment. "Who would come to see me on a grim day such as this?"
"It is…" Alfred began, but then looked away, unsure whether or not he should answer. The king turned back to his servant,
"It is?" He pressed, curious about who had come to see him.
"It is…your wife." Alfred finished, not meeting his master's gaze.
The king's cerulean eyes glistened momentarily and his heart skipped a beat. His wife? That couldn't be possible. She would never come into the city…it was too risky.
Alfred noticed his king's distress, and quickly came to his side.
"Are you alright, Sire?" He asked, worried. The king waved his servant away and rested his head in one hand.
"Yes, just…just send her in."
Although Alfred hesitated to obey, he bowed and then stepped back into the hallway. The king closed his eyes briefly; trying to remember the last time he had seen his wife. It had been almost a year ago, when he had gone to visit her at their country home. She'd told him that she could never come into the city. She couldn't risk having their biggest secret discovered.
"Marth." Once again the king was snapped out of his thoughts by an unexpected voice. This time, the person at his door was female.
The blue haired man rose to his feet at the statement of his name. It'd been a long time since anyone had referred to him so casually. Upon standing, Marth could see the tear stricken face of his wife. His expression turned from shock to concern as he swiftly crossed the room and took the maiden in his arms. It felt amazing for Marth to hold the one he loved again, and he couldn't help but just keep her in his embrace for a few silent minutes. She wore a heavy black cloak and her golden hair was soaked with rainwater, but it didn't stop him from pressing her head to his chest.
"Why are you here?" Marth whispered into her ear.
Quiet sobs were the only response he got.
"I didn't know…where else…t-to go." The maiden stuttered as she cried into her husband's shoulder. Marth decided not to question her further for the moment; he could tell that interrogating her would not produce answers. The woman pulled away from Marth's chest after gathering herself and ceasing her sobs.
"He's gone." The woman said, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes again. She gripped at her husband's cardigan desperately, as if she feared her knees would give out from under her. "Caleb is gone." She clarified. Marth's eyes became wide with terror and his body froze. "He was out in the field when this storm rolled in," the woman continued, clutching tighter to the fabric. "I was in the house. I thought he would be all right with his friend for just a few moments! But then the clouds started to gather and I heard someone scream outside, so I ran out to find Caleb. When I couldn't see him, I searched everywhere in the grass…but he wasn't there." Her voice cracked on the last word.
Marth stood in silence, unable to grasp just what she was explaining to him.
"I d-didn't know what to do, s-so I borrowed a horse and came here." Tears began to stain her face again. "I got here as fast as I could…b-but I couldn't just come to the castle dressed like a commoner." The woman pulled aside part of her thick cloak to reveal the sleeve of a brilliantly embroidered red gown. "I-I had to buy this in order to come see you."
"My son…" Were the first words that slipped past Marth's lips. He hadn't been able to see Caleb for over a year now…and suddenly it seemed that he would never see him again.
"I d-don't know where they would have taken him." The maiden continued to speak, trying to break the king out of the shock that kept him frozen. Marth appeared emotionless, but what the maiden couldn't see was the rage starting to build within him. "Marth…please…" The woman cried, shaking her husband's shoulders. "Please talk to me!"
"You left him alone." Marth whispered, anger starting to taint his voice.
"What?" The woman pleaded.
"You left him alone!" The king roared, stepping back from his wife. "You knew what the risk was, and you still left him alone!" The woman looked at her husband's furious expression in fear. His eyebrows furrowed in extreme aggravation and his dark blue eyes burned through his glare. The woman stepped back worriedly, grasping at her cloak. All of a sudden, Marth raised his hand and brought it down mercilessly against his wife's face. The strong hit caused her to fall to the wooden floor, rubbing her throbbing flesh with a delicate hand.
"Marth…" Tears clouded the woman's vision as she tried to look at her enraged husband. Her voice was weak when she found the strength to speak again. "We'd been there for six years! I d-didn't think-"
"That's right, you didn't think!" Marth screamed, raising his hand again as a warning. "But that's' not even the worst part. You shouldn't have come here first! You should have looked for him!"
"What was I suppose to do?" The woman retorted. "You know they wouldn't stay in Altea! He's probably been taken back home!" She rose to her knees, bearing a pained and defiant expression. "You know I wouldn't be powerful enough to follow them!" Marth turned away from her at that point, instead looking towards the clouded sky. Lightening flashed and the king clenched his fists in silent fury. He wanted so badly to be able to blame this all on her, but he knew that was impossible. She'd done everything she knew how to do, but that didn't bring Caleb back.
"He's been gone for three days now." Marth whispered, his anger beginning to ebb. It wasn't in the king's personality to show fury like that, but this situation seemed to make his true colors show. He didn't mean to hit his wife, but his rage had just pushed him to the edge. Caleb meant everything to him, and the woman he loved was the only one responsible for him when he was away from him. So now that Caleb had been taken…it was automatically his wife's fault that it happened.
"I'm sorry…" The maiden croaked, raising a hand to her cheek. Her face twisted in pain, thinking that her husband truly hated her now. "I'm…confused…I d-didn't know…where…to go." Marth turned his gaze back to his wife; finally beginning to understand the hurt he had caused her. "I…w-was scared!" The woman shook in fear, reminiscing the afternoon that she had experienced three days ago. She's ridden through the night and the rest of the next day on horseback after Caleb was taken, attempting to reach help as soon as possible. The woman hadn't questioned her decision to come tell Marth first until now.
Marth sighed deeply, suddenly feeling guilty for having hit his wife for no real reason. He bent down next to her on the floor and grasped her shaking arms.
"This isn't your fault." He whispered, pulling her back into his embrace. "I shouldn't have done that to you." His tone became soothing and apologetic, but the maiden couldn't seem to calm herself. She's never been touched like that before by him and it terrified her on the inside. Had her husband changed since she'd seen him last? He didn't appear any different, but doing something like that…it just wasn't like him. Marth was always gentle and loving, and he was never one to act on impulses. It confused the maiden, and she restrained from embracing her husband in return. She couldn't forgive him so easily.
"We need to start thinking about where Caleb might have been taken." Marth continued in his gentle voice, not noticing that he was the only thing keeping the woman pressed against his chest. He stood up, pulling the maiden to her feet with him. "There are only so many places they would go." It was now that the king pulled away from his wife, taking a look at her traumatized face. She stood frozen in his arms, eyebrows furrowed together in a desperately worried expression, eyes looking off into nothing.
"Zelda," Marth whispered his wife's name in hushed worry. The woman continued to shake almost violently, tears still rolling down her rosy cheeks. The king grasped Zelda's shoulders roughly, anxiety starting to overcome him. "What's wrong?" He pressed.
Zelda's delicate hand rose to her mouth, covering the small sobs that were producing in the back of her throat. She backed away from her husband, fear evident in her body language. Marth held his arms out in confusion as she retreated from him. She'd never looked at him that way, not with that kind of terror in her eyes. Marth hadn't meant to lose his temper so suddenly, but it seemed that the consequences of his actions were far greater than he had realized. He'd broken the trust that they'd always shared and now his wife was backing away from him, dreading what he could do to her next.
"Zelda…I-I…" The king stuttered, looking down at his outstretched hands. "I-I didn't mean to…" But his pleas were futile. The maiden continued to stammer backwards, almost losing her balance a few times. Once she had reached the open door, she pulled up her cloak frantically and bolted down the silent hallway. Thunder crashed outside the window as she ran, anxious to be out of the castle as soon as possible. She didn't want to be there any longer, not with him.
Marth sprinted after his wife, desperate to fix what he had suddenly broken. He could see the black cape his wife wore and her golden hair flowing over it as she ran in front of him. Flashes of red appeared when she turned, revealing the extravagant gown she had shown to him before. Lightening flashed as Zelda reached the great hall. She could see the exit just yards away.
"Zelda!" The king called, his voice reverberating off of the stone walls. The maiden looked back once, seeing her husband chasing after her hastily. The giant wooden doors of the exit were just feet away, when the dress caught under her foot and caused Zelda to fall to her knees. Seeing his love fall, Marth dashed to her side at full speed, closing the space between them. "Zelda…" He whispered, outstretching his hands toward her. Despite the gentle tone, the maiden recoiled at the sound of her name, wrapping her cloak around her protectively.
"P-Please…" She croaked. "D-Don't touch me." Her hands came up and hid her pain-stricken face. "D-Don't hurt me…" Lightening lit the grey room, momentarily casting shadows behind the only two people in the large space. Marth didn't respond to his wife's plea, too stunned by how the situation had drastically turned. How had he caused the love of his life to fear him so suddenly? One stupid mistake and now everything seemed destroyed between them. She'd trusted him more than anything…but he couldn't trust her enough to control his emotions.
"I-I don't know what came over me," Marth stuttered, extending his hand and placing it on his wife's shoulder. She jumped at the touch, as if it held an electrical charge. "Please…please don't leave." He begged. As much as Zelda wanted to run and hide, fearful of the man her husband had become since she'd been apart from him, she knew she couldn't. This was still the man she had married long ago and the father of her now missing son. She fell into her husband's waiting arms, gripping at him hysterically.
Marth embraced her back, trying to console the pain she was feeling. Despite his violence toward her, it seemed that Zelda was willing to forgive the man she loved. They had to stay together, especially now when something they both cherished had been taken.
"C-Caleb," Zelda choked, sobs starting to begin again. "I-I want my son." Marth held her tighter to him, understanding the emotions she felt.
"We'll find him," Marth whispered, burying his face his the golden tresses of the maiden's hair. Truthfully, Marth was just as scared as his wife about everything. He was terrified of never seeing his child again, and now he was afraid of what he himself could do if he wasn't careful. Would he be able to lose his temper again like that? Would he become so enraged that he'd hurt the ones he loved? These terrifying questions swirled in the king's mind as he held Zelda, who repeated their son's name every few moments.
The future seemed bleak, holding only promises of hardship and heartache. Thinking of what was to come, the two held onto each other in hopes of enduring the pain together. They could only hope that their relationship could tolerate the coming adversities.
