Yay! Chapter seven! And I actually loved writing about Malik's insecurity! It made me giggle and laugh hysterically!
Reply for Some Random Reviewer: Sorry! Sorry! I won't dis my writing anymore . Ah, exams. Awful D! Anyway, Malik and the Prince both can swim and the water doesn't kill him, but Malik does have a fear of water for reasons you shall read in the chapter to come.
This chapter is on the short side though. I really couldn't cross into the next idea because that will require lots and lots of room. As in a whole other chapter. Which may take a while to accomplish. SO BE PATIENT!
Disclaimer: Jack owns nothing but the plot. Everything else is not mine. If it was, the poor Dark Prince wouldn't have died.
Chapter Seven: I'm Not Scared!
"Nu-uh..." Malik made a sound of protest and backed away from the imposing door that defended he and the Prince from the watery hell outside.
"Come, don't be such a child." The Prince walked over to the opposite wall and prepared to clamber up to the lever that would open their escape route. When his first foot was firmly on the earth, though, Malik released a shout of sorts and his counterpart collapsed onto the floor with a yelp of shock.
"What is wrong with you!" The Prince sat up roughly and snarled an oath.
"We..." Malik stopped speaking to think, "We could drown!" He exclaimed finally with feigned drama, "There must be hundreds of feet of water above us, and last time I checked we had no gills." To exaggerate his point, Malik wiggled his hands at his neck in a fashion that was like a fish's appendages.
"The dampness reaches only fifteen feet up the walls, fool. We will have no trouble swimming to the surface!" The Prince tried to climb up again but Malik yelled and tackled him away.
"You don't know if that's true! The wall could have increased in width!" He insisted fearfully.
"You..." Realization crossed through a set of blue eyes, "You're afraid of water! You can't swim!"
Malik froze mid-step and whirled around harshly, "I can swim!" He insisted angrily.
"Ah, but you admit to fearing the water."
"I am not afraid of water! I just don't like it is all..." Malik eyed the door hesitantly, "I am not afraid." He repeated, more to himself as opposed to the Prince. "I do not get afraid."
"Then what do you propose we do? Fly? Dig?" At the deadpanned tone Malik grimaced and sighed in defeat, "I don't care... just no swimming."
The Prince balked at his defeated tone, the arrogance and sarcastic wit faded into tenseness and unease. "Are you truly that frightened?" He asked curiously.
"For God's sake!" Malik clenched a fist, "I am not scared of water! I am uneasy about this swimming business, but I'm not scared!"
Ignoring his displeasure, the Prince delved into his memories, extracting one incident that could explain their current situation.
Flashback
Around the water.
The Prince frowned as he eyed the lake before him. They had only been in this area of the kingdom for a while but already he could see there were no Sand Monsters or traps. Just a fair-sized lake. To swim through would be easiest, but his other side was putting up a wild struggle.
Around the water, Prince. The thing in his head instructed dryly, and the young heir knew it's face would be scrunched up with unease.
"It would be much faster to swim on through."
Around, Prince. The voice demanded with a growing temper.
"No." The Prince stepped into the water and felt the presence in his mind vanish as he began doing a lazy, peaceful breaststroke, assuming the arrogant creature had left to brood over his lack of care to it's desires.
Half-an-hour passed before he emerged from the liquid, dripping but otherwise please by the peace in his mind.
As soon as he was higher than knee-depth in the water, however, a wild cry of upset erupted from his other side, I said to avoid the water, you ass! It exclaimed furiously, almost shrieking.
Stepping back in shock, the Prince found silence once again as he passed thigh-depth water. With a puzzled frown he stepped forward.
Stop going in the–
He stepped in again. Then out.
PRINCE! STOP–
In again. This time, however, he drifted around, enjoying the quiet lack of taunting as he circled the lake, dwelling in his thoughts and the sense of peace that came with no Sand Monsters, all of which were no doubt against entering water.
Stepping from the lake, the Prince paused and started walking, suddenly deciding his counterpart's disappearance was a bit chilling, seeing how it hadn't returned yet.
In fact, the dark entity didn't return until that night, when the Prince was miles away, and when it did, the voice was a whisper, even when shouting about how much of an idiot he was. Quite peculiar really. Not that he would ask what had happened. No, there was too much to do without worrying over some spirit's distaste for water.
End Flashback
"Whatever happened won't happen now that you are human." The Prince announced coolly. "What did happen, anyway? It was hours before I heard you again."
"What happened to me was the same as what happens to any creature of the Sands." Malik stated tersely, still eyeing the door with distrust.
"Which means what?"
The dark entity looked up sharply, "What happened when you shoved a Sand Monster into water, Prince?" He demanded icily.
"Usually the fall killed them."
"It was not the fall that killed them," Malik said, clearly upset, "It was the water."
The Prince raised a brow questioningly at this turn of events and folded his arms, "So are you saying you died every time I went into water?" He proposed curiously.
"No. I was temporarily destroyed, but as long as you got out of the water before I was totally erased from your mind I could regroup my different abilities and make myself anew." Malik explained darkly, "And I only vanished when you were at a certain depth, which explains why you could still hear me in those little pools you used to stop your transformation."
"Why did the pools stop the infection but leave you?" The Prince wondered aloud.
"Because your- or should I say my body was composed entirely of sands, and was much more sensitive to water." Malik explained crossly.
"Well," Unbeknownst to Malik, the Prince was sidling closer to the lever, "There is only one way to see what will happen." Before he could be stopped, the heir to Babylon launched himself up the wall and released the lever to the door.
"Wh-What!" Malik gasped as the water swirled in, then panicked and grabbed at anything he could for safety. As the liquid flooded over his shoulders he released the floor and grabbed the next best thing: The Prince.
Swallowing his pride, Malik held on for dear life as his counterpart swam out and up, breaking the surface with a gasp, "What are you doing!" The Prince yelled irritably, "I can't swim for both of us!" He quickly shoved Malik off and growled when the catatonic man just sunk slightly and reattached to his arm like a child.
"You tricked me! I can't swim! I'm not good at this! I want out!" He finally shouted nervously, releasing the Prince quickly nonetheless and performing the saddest excuse for a doggie paddle in the world as he made his way to the muddy, gross wall, now holding the ledge jutting out only two feet up.
Malik stopped however, when a strange sound came from behind him. Turning slowly he cast the Prince a withering look as he snickered in the water.
"Not afraid, hmm?" The royal demanded arrogantly.
"Shut u-u-uwah!" As he spoke, Malik's grip on the muddy ledge loosened and in one second he had slid back under and with a splash he fell into the deep, impending water.
When he resurfaced the Prince was laughing hysterically, having clambered onto the ledge himself.
Sinking into the water again Malik hid his reddening cheeks and growled something inaudible before reemerging and stating simply; "I'm sure Farah will appreciate your concern."
The serious mood was restored and the Prince looked down at him crossly, "Come on, there are foot and hand holds all up the wall."
"We're climbing!"
"If you know how to fly, feel free." The Prince looked down at Malik as he clawed at the clay of the ledge desperately, looking like a drowning cat with his white-bonde hair stuck to the sides of his face and several stray parts stuck up in the air untidily.
"...Prince?"
"What is it now?"
"..." Malik slid slo-o-owly back into the water, "I appear to be stuck in the water."
Yay! Finito! Done! Complete! Therefore, leave a review and I'll talk to you later! D Ciao!
