Yay~, so here's the next chapter. Basically this is like a bunch of flash backs from Loren's cinematic record (they go in order, by the way). Hopefully you will be able to understand a bit more about him and how things turned out the way they did :D

please enjoy!

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Chapter 13: Loren Knight

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It was a gorgeous day, to say the least. The sun was at its highest peak and shinned down on the beautiful countryside, making it appear bright like an earthy haven. Though the weather was exceptionally nice today it could not help in decreasing Loren's boredom and annoyance.

He always disliked being forced into accompanying his father on various trips. He didn't mind the end result of the travel but the time it took to get there. For some reason he just found it difficult to stay still, if he wasn't doing something it always made him edgy—and being stuck in a small carriage was not helping him in anyway.

"Father, please tell me we're almost there. I think my legs are cramping." He mumbled the last part.

His father smiled in response. "You're fidgety as ever. We're almost there."

He sighed. "Who did you say we were seeing again?"

"My boy, I've told you many times already. We're visiting Christian, a very good friend of mine."

"Oh, joy." He said sarcastically, running his fingers through his pale blond hair.

"I think you will enjoy yourself more than you seem to think. Christian wishes for you to meet his daughter over our visit."

Loren grimaced. "Father, if you continue to introduce me to all of these different girls, people are going to start getting the impression that I'm some kind of womanizer."

His father grinned. "And what is wrong with that? Being popular among the ladies can get you very far in life."

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Father, I know that I inspire to be like you...but not in that regard. It seems like every time I turn around I see a different woman coming through our door."

"Yes, that may be true—but let me remind you that all of those women come to me willingly."

Loren sighed. His father could be so sly sometimes.

"I don't understand it; everyone is always putting on an act— and not just the men but the women as well. Giving everyone the impression that they are prim-and-proper but then can't wait to hike up their skirts behind closed doors..."

His father stared at him surprised. "Where did you hear such things?"

"...I hear things." He chided.

The older man shook his head in astonishment. "Like father like son."

Loren snorted in response. He didn't really know what to say to that. Yes, the man sitting across from him was his father, but not by blood. Even if that fact was very true he still saw this man as his father, the one who had taken him in when no one else would.

Loren continued to look out the window. He could finally see a grand mansion appearing in the distance.

"Thank God." He mumbled to himself.

...

Once the carriage had come to a stop Loren felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The door opened and he stepped out after his father. He straightened out his clothes as he took in the lovely setting. The manor was perfectly well kept with beautiful rose bushes adorning the grounds and outlining the mansion.

"Laurence, it's so nice to finally see you." A tall man with chocolate brown hair greeted. "And this must be Loren whom I've heard so much about."

He presented his hand; Loren took it firmly and shook. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Loren Knight."

"Pleasures all mine. You may call me Christian." He smiled.

His father smiled as well, it was always nice to see old friends.

"Christian." Laurence began. "It's been such a long trip and I haven't seen you in ages. Why don't we have a drink and catch up?"

He made a genuine laugh. "It's already waiting for us my friend."

Loren sighed. This day is never going to end.

"Oh, Loren. My daughter is sitting in the garden, why don't you go keep her company?"

He forced a smile. "I would be honoured."

Christian and his father smiled and retreated into the manor, leaving him in a state of unease. He smoothed out his clothes and cleared his throat as he slowly made his way toward the back of the manor. God forbid if this girl be worse than the last one he had met. He could still remember her shrill voice which sounded more like a mouse, and her far too frilly dress that was the colour of cotton candy. It was hard to believe that someone like that would be the hire of a noble family.

As Loren made his way through the garden he could hear a light sniping sound which came from behind one of the rose bushes.

"Excuse me?" He spoke smoothly.

There was one final snip and than a second of silence before a response. "You must be Sir Laurence's son. It's Loren, right?" An enchanting voice spoke.

"Yes, I'm Loren Knight and you must be..." He paused. He didn't know her name for no one had told him.

"It's Rose Marie. But you can just call me Rose." She moved from behind the bush holding about a dozen red roses.

Loren's eyes widened slightly, she was simply beautiful. She had silky maroon coloured hair and mossy green eyes, and wore a simple dress that was the colour of ivory with shades of lavender.

"It's very nice to meet you Rose." He took her free hand and kissed it gently, letting his lips linger there for a moment as his eyes met hers.

She smiled sweetly; his charms had hardly fazed her, which only made him more intrigued. Just in those few moments of being in her presence he could tell she was far different than other girls—she was unpretentious but strong willed, it made her even more appealing than she already was.

The sudden feeling he had was so strange. It was like seeing the world for the first time, like breathing that needed air after downing, like waking from a dream. If this was love, he prayed for it to stay.

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.

.

Loren continued to role the crisp snow into a large round ball for the snowman's head. His hands were bare but he found it easier to work with the snow that way.

"Loren, aren't you cold? I have an extra pair of gloves." Rose said a little concerned.

"Thank you for the offer but I'm perfectly fine." He stopped what he was doing and placed his hand against her cheek. "See?"

Her eyes widened. "Wow, they're actually warm. Is that even normal?"

He smiled. "Who knows, I've always had a really high body temperature." He leaned in and spoke quietly. "Since your really special to me can you keep a secret? Being able to stand the cold isn't the only 'none-normal' thing I can do."

She laughed. "Of course I can."

...

Rose stared at Loren intently as they sat in front of the fire place of the library. "So, what are you going to show me?"

"First off, don't panic or anything. You have to trust me because I've done this a lot of times before and nothing bad has ever happened. And I honestly don't know how I do it either." He rolled up his left sleeve, exposing his unmarked skin.

"Okay, I trust you." She said strongly.

He nodded and inched closer towards the fire, stretching out his hand towards the flame but not yet touching it. Rose watched nervously and willed herself not to stop his actions—it was the natural thing to do after all, if someone were about to stick their hand in a blazing fire.

And just like that he put his arm into the fire and kept it there for about ten seconds. There was no pain or concern on his face as he took his hand back from the flames. He held his arm out to her so that she could examine it.

She was completely speechless as she touched the smooth skin of his hand. He was obviously something more than your average fifteen year old—for being immune to fire was far from 'normal'.

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.

.

"I wish I could steal you away from this place—or at least stay here forever with you." He held Rose's hands firmly in his. "I love you so much. I can't help but feel desperate when we're apart."

"I love you to." She rested her head on his shoulder and tightly embraced him. He couldn't help but blush as her chest pressed against his; she had grown and matured over the past years they had known each other—they were both eighteen after all. He had also grown taller and become stronger over the years, he was no longer the slim thirteen-year old he had been when they first met.

"I wish to ask your father for your hand in marriage, I know he would allow it—but your mother hates me with a passion and I know there are others who feel the same."

He knew that he would be able to marry Rose and make her completely his, but he knew that some people did not agree with them being together—especially her mother, she knew he was just some gutter-rat from the slums that was brought up in nobility. The other person who begrudged him was his brother Christopher, who was originally the one to marry Rose, but with the divorce and separation that had occurred with their parents it was like Loren had completely replaced him.

Rose caressed Loren's face, angling his lips towards hers and kissed him deeply. He loved this side of her, how her will was so strong and she did whatever she wanted—gender and status never shackled her spirit.

She released Loren whom was now breathing heavily. "Who cares what they think, we can figure out the complications later."

He chuckled and brushed his fingers through her hair. "We could always have them force us to marry each other, with a shotgun-wedding." He whispered and nuzzled her neck.

She laughed that warm-hearted laugh that he always loved. "Sorry Sparky*, but I plan to walk down the 'virgin road', which means you'll have to wait till the wedding night."

He smiled and leaned his head against hers. "You're definitely worth waiting for."

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Loren always thought he would be able to get though his father's funeral without crying but he was wrong. He never thought his father would get sick and leave him at such a young age; the man was only in his forties and died of Haemoptysis.

The last moments he had spent with his father were engraved into his memory, the crimson stained sheets from the blood he coughed up, his terrified eyes and the retched sounds that escaped his throat as he choked to death by his own blood. It was something he'd never forget.

He held Roses hand tightly as tears streamed down his closed eyes. All he could think about was that his father would never get to see their newborn—the child that he had always imagined calling him grandfather. He hated it; he hated death and the entire unknown. One moment you are living happily and the next you are stuck in the past with your regrets and memories haunting you with every opportunity.

He prayed, prayed to a God he never believed in, that he would never experience this loss again.

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Loren sat at his desk dealing with the usual paper work until he herd a knock at his door.

"Come in." He replied.

The door quickly swung open and his lovely daughter ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him. "Happy birthday, Daddy! Look, look I made a cake for you with Shiloh—we made sure to make chocolate cause I know that's your favourite." Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

The handsome young man stood holding a very extravagant little cake made for a single person.

He did his best to smile. "Aw, that's so sweet of you love."

Shiloh placed the cake before him and lit the small candles.

"Be sure to make a wish Master Knight." Shiloh spoke in an odd tone.

Loren looked up into those silver eyes of his. He could never tell what he was thinking, heck—he didn't know anything about him at all accept that he had been serving him for years now.

He blew out the candles easily; he barely had to blow at all since he could will the fire to burn out if he so pleased.

"Daddy, I know you're busy so I'm going to go to bed now—I hope you like the cake." With that little Alessandra ran off to her room.

He sighed and took a small bite of the cake. The flavour was rich and savoury with hints of vanilla mixed into the creamy icing. He placed his fork down and looked at Shiloh who had not yet left.

"You wish to tell me something, Master Knight." When he spoke it was not a question but a statement.

Loren took his eyes away from the dark haired man and stared into the fireplace where the crimson flames danced.

"Yes, I do."

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Flames, the flames seemed to engulf the entire room now but there he stood unscarred, untouched. Why? Why could such a thing not harm him? Why could he not die by its hand and end it all?

But the thing that confused him the most was that this time, for the first time ever, the fire that caressed his skin was painful—it burned. His hair, his skin, his body would not catch fire and turn to ash but the pain he felt was immense as if he were being seared from the inside out.

I don't understand! It hurts—it hurts! He screamed in his mind.

"Want me to change that feeling?" A voice beckoned.

Loren's eyes widened. "W-Who's there?"

"Ouch, you actually don't remember me? I'm you." The voice spoke smoothly. "Now answer the question, do you want me to relieve your pain? Not only this physical pain but the pain you feel for your beloved. I can fix it, I can reunite the two of you—I can reunite us."

"Rose." His voice was filled with pure sorrow. "Please, I want to see her—I need her."

The said voice chuckled. "As you wish, Loren."

Then suddenly the flames faded away. Without any warning his body began to crumble into ash and the burning pain began to subside.

"W-What is happening?" He screamed in utter fear as his body slowly darkened and fell apart until there was nothing left but a mound of black ash.

The entire room was silent and completely covered in darkness. The only colour in the vast room came from a blood red feather which sat upon the ashes of the former Loren Knight.

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So~ how was it? I hope you all liked it. I personally really liked this chapter, just because I like Loren as a character.

*Sparky*.
OK, so Rose calls him Sparky as a nick-name because of his strange ability with fire—like "sparks" from a flame, so "Sparky". XD

It will prob. Be a while till the next chapter.

PLEASE REVIEW! \( ^_^)/