The next day Vexen rose exceedingly early, surprising his maids greatly when they came knocking to clean his chambers and he was already gone. The old man made his way to his lab quickly, again, not pausing to take or rebuke the taunts that the prisoners threw at him as he passed through the dungeons. The rest of the castle would probably be awake soon enough, and he would be in and out quickly this time for sure. For now his mind was focused on one task, and one task only; to dispose of the prince permanently. Strike soon, and early, when those fools would least expect it...
As he sorted through his books again, the man began to contemplate the different types of spells he could choose from this time. To try the same spell again might be all too easy, and yet he guessed that the prince would suspect something like that happening again, and try to plan for it. He scoffed. As if anyone could plan for what the Great Vexen was capable of, and think that he would be safe from his wrath!
No, not that spell again. Perhaps something just as simple...But a different kind of magic... His finger traced over the spines of the thick volumes for a moment before he came across a similar book to the one he had used the night before. Aha! Perhaps this...
This book was bound in a deep, earthy red binding, reading "Spells of the Beast: 2" in the same font as before. It was an entire set of books that he owned, each specializing in different kinds of curses, and within each was a particular spell he favored. This one in particular could create n animal-like creature of the sorcerer's design, using the ingredients as determining features of its appearance and temper. Thinking that this spell could sufficiently toy with Roxas as it killed him was a delightful thought to Vexen, and he set the book on the table open to that page as he began setting up the cauldron again.
He poured in everything necessary to spy, with just a sprinkle of blond hair to seek the boy out specifically. Vexen frowned as he put the bottle back on its shelf, noticing that there wasn't much left in it after this time. He didn't like to imagine the possibility of failure, but if that were the case this time as well, there could be no more beating around the bush about it. It was becoming apparent that he either had to kill the boy today, or do the job without these specific curses. There was still time enough before his birthday to deal with him successfully, but Vexen had to be sure to get rid of him once and for all, even if that meant he had to go and kill him himself.
"Now let's see what the little brat is doing now," he said darkly, swiping his hand across the misty surface of the liquid to clear it again. The scene unfolded before him; it was still a bit early in the morning, and the prince was curled up beside the same redhead he had seen that night, the both of the sleeping peacefully. The old man had to resist the urge to vomit when he saw how close they were, especially when he took note of the small smile gracing Roxas's lips then.
"Oh how precious," Vexen spat, but watched intently as the blond boy stirred slowly and began to look around, blissfully bewildered. He had no idea that he and his little "friend" weren't as safe or alone as they thought...
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Roxas's eyes fluttered open slowly, under pressure from the constant stream of sunlight coming through the window. He blinked around for a moment, dazed, before the events of the previous night caught up with him. It was then that he also noticed he wasn't in his room anymore.
"Axel!"
The blond almost shot up in bed, if it hadn't been for the arm wrapped securely around his waist. He also failed to notice his predicament as he jerked upwards, his head coming into contact with the underside of Axel's chin, clonking them both hard.
"Ow! Fuck! What?" the older boy yelled, shooting up suddenly and almost taking Roxas out as well.
A minute later had the two boys looking around nervously, rubbing their respective injuries, before their eyes came back to meet each other. Axel's expression was displaying his usual bout of morning grumpiness, just looking a bit more flustered, and Roxas looked as if he were about to cry, rubbing his head and looking slightly down, almost sheepishly. The silence carried on for only a few minutes, and then the redhead's face began to crack into a wide smile. Roxas quickly followed, and the two burst into fits of laughter, feeling silly for how they had each reacted.
Axel wiped his eyes and laid back against his pillow, his arms folded neatly behind his head.
"Well, that was a fun way to wake up. I'll have to sleep with you more often."
Roxas snorted, punching him lightly on the shoulder. It was just like Axel to slip some banter in there to try and lighten the mood. All silliness aside, he was glad to see that everything was still in one piece...
But for how long? Vexen knew he had survived the first time. He probably knew he'd escaped again. Roxas had a feeling he wasn't going to give up any time soon. Was there no safe place for him now, if Vexen could always find him and send his spells after him? The boy sighed heavily, flopping back down beside Axel, who watched him curiously through one eye.
"You're still thinking about last night, aren't you?"
The blond nodded, trying to let the exasperation just slid off. Oh course he was still thinking about what happened! It was hard to brush off a life-threatening experience like that and act like nothing happened!
"I know it's him," Roxas said simply, as he looked up at the ceiling. He rubbed at one of the purple bruises on his arm, wincing faintly. "He's not going to quit, Axel. He'll keep coming back to finish the job, and that puts you in danger too."
"First of all," Axel replied, sitting up now and looking down at him calmly, "I'm not going to let you run off into danger by yourself. If you can't even take care of yourself in a-"
"It wasn't my fault!" That had actually hurt his pride quite a bit. "It's not like I could do anything against th-"
"Exactly. Which is why I'm staying with you. If I'm around, there'll be less of a chance for you to get killed." Axel stared firmly back at him, meeting his gaze challengingly, until Roxas finally sighed again. Axel was his perfect match in stubbornness; there was no way to win if he had his mind set on this already. Having conceded thus, the young blond began to think hard.
"That leaves us with several problems. We can't leave here because we have no where else to go, and without you working at the mines anymore, we'd have no money for..." The blond paused, giving his friend a curious look. "...Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be there now?"
Axel smiled back. "Guilty as charged. And I don't think we should go anywhere. At least, not yet."
"Axel! Why would you do that? You know how Xaldin gets when you skip out!" Roxas snapped, jabbing a finger into his chest. Deep down, he felt guilty because he knew that the only reason Axel had stayed behind was for him. Despite how well he was taking everything, his friend had to be just as nervous as he was.
"It's alright, Rox. Really," the redhead replied, ruffling the younger boy's hair reassuringly. He chuckled when Roxas batted his hand away, still firmly pouting. "It's not gonna kill me. Besides, I wanted to make sure you were okay. It didn't seem like a good idea to leave you alone so soon after last night."
The blond's look melted away into one of guilt and somberness, and he looked down at his lap and muttered, mostly to himself.
"You didn't have to do that..."
A warm arm wrapped itself around his shoulder, and soon Roxas found himself in a tender hold, with a firm but not unkind face looking back at him. He swallowed just a bit nervously.
"Yeah...But I wanted to," Axel said, and when the blond looked into his eyes, he saw nothing but the truth. "You're my friend, Rox, and I'm not just gonna let you try and tackle this all on your own."
Despite his protests, Roxas let himself relax in Axel's arms, enjoying the feeling of comforting hands rubbing gently at his back and shoulders. He sighed, letting his eyes slip shut and his worries slip away, if only for a minute. That felt nice. Although his cheeks flushed a little at the soothing gesture...
In the back of his mind, something was yelling at him, asking what he thought he was doing; but there was a slightly louder, more pleasant voice telling him that this was okay. Axel really cared about him. He just wanted to help.
Roxas still felt confused, and now that he had a moment to think, he distinctly remembered the redhead kissing him last night. Not just that he had woken up to Axel bent down, towering over him while giving him mouth to mouth, but he had felt the faint tingling on his forehead from where Axel's lips had touched briefly. Axel had kissed him, however sweet and brief it was. He raised a hand to it now, touching the spot and starring off pensively. Did that mean that he...
Just beside him, Axel didn't seem to notice his thoughtful gaze. "I'm still going to have to work, but I'll stick closer and try to come home sooner so that you can-"
"No Axel!" The blond turned to him angrily, slapping his hands away. When the redhead gave him a confused and slightly hurt look, Roxas simply shook his head and stood up. "I'm not just some helpless girl, and I refuse to let you throw everything away just to babysit me! I can look after myself just fine while you work!"
Now it seemed to be Axel's turn to get angry. He looked back at Roxas with a scowl. "Well that's not what I saw last night.
In case you've forgotten, Roxas, I had to drag your frozen body out of there and resuscitate you, or you would have died! What if something worse comes the next time? Or even the same spell? It's obvious that with the right timing, the kingdom would have be short one heir!"
"Well, excuse me for not being able to sense magic spells!" he snapped back. "I told you, Axel! I'm not that great at that! But I'm trying!
And are you any better? Because if you aren't, then Vexen could just as easily pick us off one at a time! Face it: you're just as helpless as I am!"
The redhead growled. "If he thought I would be a problem, then why didn't he just kill me directly last night? Somehow, he can curse you directly, but I was able to break through!"
"WELL, WHAT COULD YOU DO ANYWAYS? YOU DIDN'T COME WHEN I NEEDED YOU! WHAT IF YOU HAD BEEN TOO LATE, HUH? IF HE CASTS ANOTHER SPELL, I COULD JUST SUFFOCATE IN MY SLEEP AND YOU WOULDN'T HAVE FOUND OUT UNTIL MORNING!"
Roxas yelled this last bit, as angry tears welled in his eyes. He couldn't lie; he'd been so scared that night that he was going to freeze and die alone, and never see his friends or his people again. Never see Axel again. It hadn't been Axel's fault, but Roxas couldn't help but feel a little hurt that the older boy wasn't there when he needed him. Especially now that he wanted so much to be there for him now...
What if Axel had come too late? As much as he hated to admit it, he still felt weak before Vexen's power. Both of them were. His fist clenched at his side tightly, quivering a bit as he starred defiantly back at his friend. What if he still couldn't do anything? Was he doomed to live in fear, just waiting for the next attack that would put an end to him?
Who was to say that Vexen couldn't curse the redhead?
Axel's face flashed briefly with rage and sorrow before coming back to that cold, quiet scowl. There was hurt in his eyes, and it pained Roxas to see, but he wasn't going to take it back. It wouldn't help, and besides, it was the truth.
"Fine. You think you'll be better off on your own? Be my guest. Get yourself killed for all I care. Now I've got work to do." And with that final quip, the redhead was out of bed and dressing silently, giving the young blond the cold shoulder the entire time. Roxas scoffed and stomped out of the room, letting the door slam behind him without another word.
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Vexen smirked maliciously as he watched the two arguing, before the prince finally stormed off.
Perfect! They were separated, and now was the perfect opportunity to strike again.
He watched as the redhead left, walking off and beyond the cauldron's range of view, and immediately began tossing in ingredients, not caring as they rippled and distorted the scene before him.
"A little wolf hair for ferocity," he practically sang, sprinkling a few grey hairs into the concoction. "And sharp teeth to bite and tear...Good. Good...The scent of royal blood will be your bait..."
Now the prince was alone, and this beast would corner him before that blasted redhead could interfere. That foolish boy was not going to escape this time.
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What does Axel know anyways?
The boy stomped his way to the closet where the cleaning supplies were kept and immediately began busying himself by cleaning up the kitchen. It had been left slightly dirty; in light of what happened, Roxas assumed it just slipped Axel's mind to take care of the dishes and left-out food. He grimaced as he saw a couple of ants scuttling about, and convinced himself that this needed to be done now. Any excuse to avoid going back to his or Axel's room a little while longer was welcome, so the young blond started scrubbing away, dumping what could no longer be used and making sure everything else was clean enough to be put away.
A few minutes later, Roxas heard the front door slam. Despite his usually calm demeanor, Axel had to be fuming; he'd skipped on getting something for breakfast; and the biggest teller of all, he hadn't said goodbye. Not one word.
The boy sighed heavily, now worrying that the redhead. And despite his anger, he was a bit stung by Axel leaving so abruptly, not even giving him a chance to wish him a good day at work; to stay safe and come home in time for supper like he always did...
Roxas threw down the sponge and starred at it intently, not moving from his spot on the floor. Tears were burning in his eyes even as he tried to let his mind wander, and he watched as one rolled down his cheek and fell, leaving a small, wet spot on the floor. Axel had always been kind to him; doing so much, even when he didn't have to. The blond felt angry, indignant, and terrified, but now the thing he felt the most, and what stung the most, was his guilt. He had hurt Axel...
"...You think you'll be better off on your own? Be my guest. Get yourself killed for all I care..."
Did Axel hate him now? The boy sat on the floor for a few moments, letting his tears fall and break the silence of the morning. The sunlight was brilliant as it shone through the kitchen window, and it stung his eyes a little more when he looked up at it. His eyes then moved around the room and landed on the rubbish, seeing that there was quite a lot of food from supper that had ended up there. It made Roxas feel worse to think that now they had let all of that go to waste, but even more so because it was Axel's; yet another thing he had done for him that Roxas failed to appreciate. He sniffled sadly, shaking his head a little.
All he ever seemed to do was disappoint people...
But no. Dwelling on his mistakes wasn't going to do him much good now. After a moment to wipe his eyes and compose himself, Roxas got up, deciding he would go find Axel and apologize. He'd take him some food too, to help ease his welcome a little bit.
Surely that would smooth things over between the two of them!
Roxas instantly set about putting everything away quickly, preparing a simple, but delicious meal to take to his friend. He moved with a newfound purpose and vigor, all the while thinking of something to say that might make things better for the two of them. At one point he was so distracted by this that he ended up cutting his index finger, yelping when he caught sight of the small trickle of blood flowing from the cut. He mentally berated himself for being an absent minded klutz, but he couldn't help it. He was so nervous!
I hope he forgives me...I really didn't mean to...
In the end, he simply stuck that finger in his mouth, sucking it lightly as he finished up, and left it unbandaged even as he sped out the door. He was so caught up that he barely even noticed.
The path was well-tended in terms of most forest paths, but the miners had gotten lazy in more recent months. Now, there was a fair amount of grass and moss growing over the stones, tickling the bottoms of Roxas's feet as he jogged along. The boy laughed a small, breathless laugh as he thought about it. He had been in such a hurry, thinking he could catch up to Axel easily if he ran, that he hadn't really bothered to change or even throw on a pair of boots before he left! That would have been the silliest thing back at the castle...
Oh well. It was a relatively nice day, and the weather, living so close to the mountains, made it so that the day could be warm and pleasant, and the night could be cold and unforgiving. He would be back in plenty of time, and the sun was cooperating. It could be weird sometimes though; raining on one side of the mountain and perfectly clear on the other.
The little blond finally had to slow down after a few minutes; he was beginning to lose track of the path, and there was still no sign of Axel anywhere. He must have been pretty sore indeed to be walking so fast. Or maybe he just didn't want to be any later than he had to be. Roxas couldn't guess. He looked down at the ground glumly as he walked. Either way, it was his fault.
Ugh! Focus! he thought, mentally slapping himself. Just gotta keep walking until I reach the-
It wasn't until he walked right into a tree, yelping and rubbing his head indignantly, that he realized he must have taken a wrong turn on the path somewhere. He didn't really recognize the area at all. It looked like some kind of clearing, filled with scattered large rocks and occasional trees, and backed by a huge cliff wall.
He wandered around for a moment, taking a look at everything as he tried to regain his bearings. But it wasn't long before Roxas gave up again, sighing as he settled himself down on one of the large stones, his back to the rocky wall. He set the small parcel of food he'd made beside him and picked up a small stone that had been under his foot, chucking it across the field absently.
Great. Now I'm lost. Another deep sigh as he lowered his head in defeat. Probably just make Axel angrier...
He knew that deep down that Axel still cared a lot. And Roxas couldn't bring himself to hate Axel, despite those hurtful things he'd said. Maybe he cared more than he should; there was still that unanswered question about how Axel felt about him. Was he just Axel's adopted little brother, or was he something more?
Roxas pulled his legs up toward his chest and hugged them tightly, resting his head on his knees and groaning. What was he supposed to do now? Wait for someone to come and find him? Or should he risk getting even more lost and try to find his way back?
As he looked at the surrounding area with blank eyes, thinking hard, Roxas's gaze came to a dead stop on one particularly large rock sitting over by the bushes on the other side of the clearing. He blinked for a moment, swearing he had seen something glowing and red on it just a moment ago. He watched it for a minute longer before continuing his thoughts. There had to be a way out of there somehow...
Suddenly there was a rustle of grass and brush, and Roxas whipped around, startled, to find two glowing red orbs now looking down on him from high above. Then he noticed the dark grey fur, and saw that it wasn't a boulder standing before him. The creature starred at him a moment before opening a large, razor-toothed maw and letting out an ear-splitting roar that seemed to shake the whole forest to its very core.
Roxas's heart dropped like a rock into his stomach, and his face went sheet-white as he screamed in terror.