A/N: Hey!! :P haha, i actually finished earlier than I thought! So, you know the deal, you read, then review! Guess that's it...
Curious: hey :P thanx for the review! I'm so touched... *sniffles* so here's a new chapter for u! keep reviewing!
Chapter Nineteen
"You missed a spot." Alessia looked up from her position on the floor at Catarina, who was lying back in the couch. She pointed a finger in the general direction of the spot and lay back, missing the dirty look Alessia gave her. After Charites left, everything soon turned back to normal, except for the occasional angry mutterings of Papa about his lost money–-whenever Mama wasn't there, of course.
Not today, though. Today, Papa was leaving for Kirmal to do the inventory of the ship they found a few weeks ago. Though she knew that he was terrified of the forest leading to Kirmal after what happened with the beast, his greed won the battle with his common sense.
But Mama was a different story. Soon after Charites left, she tried to revert back to her old self, but Alessia could see that she was still worried about what happened to Charites. Alessia was too. She still worried if Charites was still alive and if she was doing well, or at least all right with the beast around. Catarina and Papa had gone back to their old ways, seemingly unaffected by Charites' disappearance, but Alessia still thought of her.
Alessia moved to the left on her knees and winced. The lye in the soap scoured her knees and she lightly pressed her bruised knee with a finger, testing its tenderness. Wincing, she balanced herself on her feet, so as not to add more damage to her red knees and continued scrubbing the floor. Catarina pointed out another spot on the floor that she missed and Alessia moved to scrub that spot. Yes, everything was back to normal.
~~~
"Leo?" Aglaia said tentatively, wondering why she should remember that name. The beast—Leo took a step forward expectantly. Aglaia frowned, trying to remember and came up with nothing. Although the name Leo was slightly familiar, as if she had said that name a thousand times and it rolled off her tongue so smoothly.
She was about to say that she didn't remember anything when she saw Leo's face. He looked hopeful, yet his face revealed despair with each passing minute of silence. Biting her lip in concentration, she searched her memory for anything, any clue about who Leo was. Nothing. She had no memory of him.
~~~
A silhouette of a woman sneaked out of a house unnoticed against the hazy sky readying itself for the coming sunrise. She carried a bag on her shoulder, looking around cautiously for people. A rooster crowed, startling her and she hurried to the direction of the forest.
Alessia furtively went deeper into the forest, looking behind her to see if anyone was following her. She clutched a crudely drawn map in her hand. Over the past few weeks she had been asking Mario subtle questions about the location of the castle and had drawn a map from all the information she got.
Unfolding the map, she checked if she was going the right direction and started walking again. Alessia shivered and looked around her. It wasn't only humans she was afraid of catching her. Dangerous and deadly animals lived in the forest–-tigers, bears, lions. Alessia knew that she was going to be seen as an easy target, and brought the kitchen knife safely tucked in her sack to protect her.
Growl. Alessia frantically searched the forest for the source of the sound. It growled again and she realized it was her stomach. Looking up, Alessia guessed it nearing noon. She stopped beside a tree and opened her sack, rummaging inside for the loaf of bread that she packed. Finding it, Alessia broke off a small portion of the bread, deciding to save the rest for later. She sat down against the tree to rest and ate her lunch.
As soon as Alessia finished, she stood up and checked her map, then continued in the right direction. Snap. Alessia clapped her hand to her mouth, screaming as she fell on a bed of twigs and leaves. She looked down at her foot only to see a mess of steel, blood and skin. And everything went black.
~~~
How can she not remember him? Leo felt betrayed. And hurt. He looked deeply into her eyes, searching the depths of those expressive gray eyes for any clue that she remembered him. But nothing.
All he saw was his reflection on her eyes, bedraggled and lonely and pleading. Leo brought his head down, touching his nose to the ground, too miserable to lift his head up. He felt her tentatively step closer, as if afraid of what he might do to her if she gets too close. Leo closed his eyes. If she knew him she wouldn't be afraid of him, would she? Maybe she wasn't the same Aglaia. It could be coincidence that she had the same name. But who else names their children Aglaia but fairies?
He couldn't stay in the same room as her anymore with all these questions in his mind. Turning around, Leo heard her breath catch, as if surprised by his sudden movement. He gave her one last look and left, bolting for his room.
~~~
Akakios muttered an invisibility spell, cloaking it over him. It wouldn't do for some of those stupid humans to see him and cause a riot, attracting attention. Normally he wouldn't mind, let them gawk and point at him, but attention was the last thing he wanted in this mission. He had to find out if Aglaia found a way to her lover–her...prince. He spat out the word in his mind, disgusted at the thought of that human and his Aglaia. No one touches his property. He had to find out.
So he told Thais to announce to the fairies that an urgent matter came up and he had to leave. He just had to see if Aglaia was with him. He was nearing the castle he transported Leo to. There was no sign of life, the old village long abandoned after the attack that killed their royal family. The survivors escaped to the border and the ogres that attacked the land soon tired of it and left as well.
Akakios flew towards the castle and circled it, peering through the windows for any sign of Aglaia. He caught a glimpse of brown and stopped, flying back. He shook his head, realizing that it was just that idiot prince. He was about to fly away when the prince left and he saw Aglaia. He ducked before she could see him and shook his head. So she had found him.
Curious: hey :P thanx for the review! I'm so touched... *sniffles* so here's a new chapter for u! keep reviewing!
Chapter Nineteen
"You missed a spot." Alessia looked up from her position on the floor at Catarina, who was lying back in the couch. She pointed a finger in the general direction of the spot and lay back, missing the dirty look Alessia gave her. After Charites left, everything soon turned back to normal, except for the occasional angry mutterings of Papa about his lost money–-whenever Mama wasn't there, of course.
Not today, though. Today, Papa was leaving for Kirmal to do the inventory of the ship they found a few weeks ago. Though she knew that he was terrified of the forest leading to Kirmal after what happened with the beast, his greed won the battle with his common sense.
But Mama was a different story. Soon after Charites left, she tried to revert back to her old self, but Alessia could see that she was still worried about what happened to Charites. Alessia was too. She still worried if Charites was still alive and if she was doing well, or at least all right with the beast around. Catarina and Papa had gone back to their old ways, seemingly unaffected by Charites' disappearance, but Alessia still thought of her.
Alessia moved to the left on her knees and winced. The lye in the soap scoured her knees and she lightly pressed her bruised knee with a finger, testing its tenderness. Wincing, she balanced herself on her feet, so as not to add more damage to her red knees and continued scrubbing the floor. Catarina pointed out another spot on the floor that she missed and Alessia moved to scrub that spot. Yes, everything was back to normal.
~~~
"Leo?" Aglaia said tentatively, wondering why she should remember that name. The beast—Leo took a step forward expectantly. Aglaia frowned, trying to remember and came up with nothing. Although the name Leo was slightly familiar, as if she had said that name a thousand times and it rolled off her tongue so smoothly.
She was about to say that she didn't remember anything when she saw Leo's face. He looked hopeful, yet his face revealed despair with each passing minute of silence. Biting her lip in concentration, she searched her memory for anything, any clue about who Leo was. Nothing. She had no memory of him.
~~~
A silhouette of a woman sneaked out of a house unnoticed against the hazy sky readying itself for the coming sunrise. She carried a bag on her shoulder, looking around cautiously for people. A rooster crowed, startling her and she hurried to the direction of the forest.
Alessia furtively went deeper into the forest, looking behind her to see if anyone was following her. She clutched a crudely drawn map in her hand. Over the past few weeks she had been asking Mario subtle questions about the location of the castle and had drawn a map from all the information she got.
Unfolding the map, she checked if she was going the right direction and started walking again. Alessia shivered and looked around her. It wasn't only humans she was afraid of catching her. Dangerous and deadly animals lived in the forest–-tigers, bears, lions. Alessia knew that she was going to be seen as an easy target, and brought the kitchen knife safely tucked in her sack to protect her.
Growl. Alessia frantically searched the forest for the source of the sound. It growled again and she realized it was her stomach. Looking up, Alessia guessed it nearing noon. She stopped beside a tree and opened her sack, rummaging inside for the loaf of bread that she packed. Finding it, Alessia broke off a small portion of the bread, deciding to save the rest for later. She sat down against the tree to rest and ate her lunch.
As soon as Alessia finished, she stood up and checked her map, then continued in the right direction. Snap. Alessia clapped her hand to her mouth, screaming as she fell on a bed of twigs and leaves. She looked down at her foot only to see a mess of steel, blood and skin. And everything went black.
~~~
How can she not remember him? Leo felt betrayed. And hurt. He looked deeply into her eyes, searching the depths of those expressive gray eyes for any clue that she remembered him. But nothing.
All he saw was his reflection on her eyes, bedraggled and lonely and pleading. Leo brought his head down, touching his nose to the ground, too miserable to lift his head up. He felt her tentatively step closer, as if afraid of what he might do to her if she gets too close. Leo closed his eyes. If she knew him she wouldn't be afraid of him, would she? Maybe she wasn't the same Aglaia. It could be coincidence that she had the same name. But who else names their children Aglaia but fairies?
He couldn't stay in the same room as her anymore with all these questions in his mind. Turning around, Leo heard her breath catch, as if surprised by his sudden movement. He gave her one last look and left, bolting for his room.
~~~
Akakios muttered an invisibility spell, cloaking it over him. It wouldn't do for some of those stupid humans to see him and cause a riot, attracting attention. Normally he wouldn't mind, let them gawk and point at him, but attention was the last thing he wanted in this mission. He had to find out if Aglaia found a way to her lover–her...prince. He spat out the word in his mind, disgusted at the thought of that human and his Aglaia. No one touches his property. He had to find out.
So he told Thais to announce to the fairies that an urgent matter came up and he had to leave. He just had to see if Aglaia was with him. He was nearing the castle he transported Leo to. There was no sign of life, the old village long abandoned after the attack that killed their royal family. The survivors escaped to the border and the ogres that attacked the land soon tired of it and left as well.
Akakios flew towards the castle and circled it, peering through the windows for any sign of Aglaia. He caught a glimpse of brown and stopped, flying back. He shook his head, realizing that it was just that idiot prince. He was about to fly away when the prince left and he saw Aglaia. He ducked before she could see him and shook his head. So she had found him.