Shadows in the Dark

Ben looked dashing in his new uniform. He had kept his trousers, but his old shoes had been replaced by mid-calf black boots (the kind that had already been worn by at least three people), and his jacket was no longer the sleeveless shirt-like body warmer, but a long sleeved coat with blue trimmings, similar to what the Major Swift had worn though without the additional shoulder pad, the tail hanging down to just above the backs of his knees.

He stood proud and tall in front of his Queen as he bid her farewell, almost an hour after the exceedingly short ceremony, a smirk on his lips, though his eyes held the sorrow of lost ones.

Milena had wanted nothing more than to hold him, to comfort him, to ask him what his troubles were, but society and tradition forbade it, and so she had to watch him leave with his men, unable to do anything about it.

For the rest of the day, she had ended up performing more judgements in the throne room, though she didn't really see the importance of the decoration of the castle, and it had ended with her a further nine hundred thousand gold out of pocket. She still had over half of what was needed to fund the armies, but, at the rate she was going, it was unlikely that there would be anything left by the time she had fulfilled her promises.

Now she was once again alone, stood, staring, at the map of the kingdom she ruled, her thoughts returned to her handsome Major.

What had been in that letter, the one Walter had told her to give him? Will his eyes always be filled with such sadness? And when will he be given peace from the dreams that plague his nights?

A knock at the door broke her away from her dismal thoughts, and she turned to face it.

"Enter."

As the doors swung open, they revealed the leader of the Auroran people, Kalin, whom she had just met with in the throne room.

"Your majesty," she said with a bow as she entered, "Might I just thank you once again for the kindness you have shown my people."

Milena smiled, "You are most welcome, Kalin. It is the least I could do for your help."

The other woman returned the smile, "I believe you summoned me?"

"Yes," she looked down at the map again, examining the mountains that surrounded the Shifting Sands, "Do you remember, after you found me, the… affliction that had been affecting Ben?"

Kalin frowned, "Yes. But Priestess Mara assured me that it had passed."

Milena inspected one of the model ships that had been placed on the sea, "If that is true, then he wouldn't be suffering from nightmares, would he?"

"It is not uncommon for such things to occur."

Sighing, the Queen finally pulled her attention to the only other person in the room, "During the past few months, Ben has taken to sleeping during the day, as his nightmares are plagued by the very creature that attacked us when we first arrived on your shores," Kalin gasped, "It appears that the sunlight can keep it at bay, but it will only get worse."

She paused for a moment, holding back tears that she could feel were about to fall, "I need your help, Kalin."

She nodded, her eyes serious, "How bad are these nightmares?"

"I have not witnessed many, but he screams in his sleep. He will not talk about them with me, but my brother has told me that they had spoken. He says that it's still inside him, that he can feel it there."

The Auroran nodded again, "I shall send for the Priestess. It will be, as you say, the least I could do."

The celebrations had lasted all night, and most, save the unlucky few who had drawn the short straw, had slept until midday had come and gone, Major Finn included.

He still wasn't used to that yet. Major Finn.

It's not that it didn't suit him or anything, it was just… strange. He still wasn't responding when someone called him that. He wondered if he was ever going to get used to it, if he was ever going to live up to the rank.

The sun was beginning to set, and it had been a few hours since he's woken, but now he was sat with a few of his men around the fire, and all was well.

"… an' so I says, "Why don't you come here an' meet mine?"" Johnny finished, bursting into laughter with everyone else, slapping his knee.

Ben smiled, "Now that reminds me of-"

"Sir?"

Sighing at the interruption, he turned around in his seat to find one of his sergeants stood waiting. "What is it Danny?" he asked as he recognised the face.

"There's a woman asking for you," he replied, making a few of the others give Ben knowing looks, "She said she's from Aurora."

The Major frowned, "Aurora?"

He nodded, "Yes sir. She's in the stables."

Turning back to his men, he apologised and made his leave, smiling at the comments that they made. What in the name of Avo would a woman from Aurora be doing here?

As he stepped into the stables, he immediately recognised his guest.

"Priestess Mara?"

The woman smiled at him, "Not what were you were expecting, is it."

He blinked, "What are you doing here?"

"I have been informed of your… sleeping conditions," she replied, her face turning serious, "It is quite clear that you were affected by the darkness far worse than I had ever imagined."

"Informed of… Did Milena send you?"

Ben could feel his anger rising, but he didn't know why. It was as though something was trying to make him fight, to get this woman, who was only trying to help, to leave.

"She merely explained what she knew," she explained, "I am the one who made the decision to see you."

"She shouldn't have done that."

"And why is that?"

"Because it's none of her bloody business!"

Silence descended among them.

Frowning, he combed his fingers through his hair, trying to understand what had caused his outburst, confusion dancing across his features, "What's happening to me?" he murmured, the rage suddenly drained from his body.

The Priestess stepped towards him and closed her eyes, holding her hands out towards him as she chanted something in a language Ben had not heard before. After a moment, her eyes flew wide open and she took a step back, gasping for breath.

"It is in you," she rasped, "It is festering. I can sense it now."

"What does that mean?"

Soon, she was able to breath properly again and regained her posture, "You are being haunted by the darkness inside you. It is trying to break you, bend you to its will. I would help you here, but I do not have the correct medicines and I will need help to pull it out. It has burrowed deep, so deep that I failed to see it before."

Ben lowered his gaze. It was really that bad?

"What… What do I need to do?"

"You can't do anything here. We have to go to Aurora."

The dry heat of the desert sun was blazing down on her, forcing her to sneak a small mouthful of water from her flask. It had been two days since Hobson had sent her on this 'adventure', and she was feeling rather the worse for wear.

The Sandfall Palace had not be very hard to find, as most of the people in the city had known of its location, though they dared not go further than the edge of their home.

The Sand Fury infested the deserts of Aurora like flies gathered around a donkey. Every couple of hundred yards, they would pop up out of the sand and Milena had to fight. The Palace had been even worse, but luckily there hadn't been much sand for them to hide in. In fact, it had been a little oasis in there, with enough water to swim in.

The diamond itself was almost too big for her to carry, and every time those Sand Fury turned up, she had to drop it whilst she and Tyson took care of their distraction.

She was close to the city gates now, which had been recently fixed thanks to 'Reaver Industries', and the damned thing had nearly gotten her killed at least a dozen times now, but the stairs were, though impossible to climb with such a burden, a safe haven from hidden enemies.

After finally entering under the stone doorway, she was met by several guards, congratulating her on her most recent achievement, and, thank Avo, a wagon.

Now that she didn't have to carry around that damned weight, all she wanted to do was have a nice bath and go to-

"My lady!"

Was she never to get a moment's peace?

"My lady!" a woman cried, running up the hill to meet her, "We need your help. It's… the temple… he's fighting-"

"Slow down," she asked, troubled by her fearful tone, "Who are you talking about? What's happening?

The woman nodded, "When Priestess Mara… was told of your friend, she… brought him back here so… she could treat him and-"

"What? Ben's here?"

This wasn't making any sense. She had been told the Priestess had gone to the main land to treat him there. How much worse could it be than she had feared so that she would bring him back here?

"The darkness has taken root inside of him. He fights… against our efforts to free him, and we fear for his… life, and ours, as its grip has only tightened… since his arrival. If we leave it much longer, it will be too late… to save him."

Milena's breath caught in her throat.

How could this be? Had she not seen him only days before, happy and healthy in her castle?

"Take me to him."

There were hands everywhere. Dark, unfriendly hands, trying to pull him from the bed in which he lay. It was cold and filled with shadows, but it welcomed him like a friend. A long lost friend that had been away from home for too long. It was where he belonged.

There were voices too. They tried to convince him that this bed was not his, but he knew they were tricking him. The shadows told him of the voices' lies. They would not fool him.

The voices tried to tell him they were his friends, that they were trying to help him to free himself of the shadows, but he ignored them. He had no friends. Everyone he'd trusted before, even Major Swift, had been using him for their own gains.

The world was nothing. It had taken away everything he had ever had. It had made him watch as it burned him with its heat. Only the shadows could understand him. Only they could comfort him.

There they were again, those hurtful, pointed fingers, digging into him as they poked and prodded him, trying to drive him out of his comfortable hole.

Go away! I don't need you!

He was in the corner. There was nowhere to run, but the shadows protected him. They kept the worst of the voices at bay, so they were only whispers. They pushed the hands and fingers away, so they felt like nothing but rain. But still, they tormented him.

Leave me alone! I don't need any help!

Please, Ben, let them help you!

That voice. It was not dull like the others. It did not whisper threats. He knew that voice, but he could not recall where he had heard it.

A soft had grasped his arm, making him flinch from its sudden heat, but it did not burn like the others. It was warm, reassuring, and it called him away from the safety of the shadows, promising something more than just darkness and the cold, but heat that would not burn, joy and love.

The shadows tried to dissuade him, to keep him from pushing them away, but he wanted so much to know that bright world, and he held tightly onto the only link he had with it. The shadows tore at his flesh as he forced them away, left freezing burns on his skin. They did not want him to leave.

But the hand held ever tighter.

You have to fight it. You have to win.

The voices were getting stronger as he pushed away the shadows again, and light started to seep through the shade. The screams of the shadows were becoming a distant memory, the pain subsiding, and he began to realise who's voice had been calling him.

Milena?

I'm here, Ben. It's me.

Where was she? Why couldn't he see her? Why were the shadows hiding her from him?

He tried to pull himself further out of the pit they had brought him in to, but they were grasping at his heels, weighing him down.

Fight it. You can't leave me!

No, he couldn't. He wouldn't!

He tugged his feet free of the shadows and ran. He ran as far as he could, until…

The Priestesses of Aurora surrounded him, and there was a strange odour in the air. The women were all staring at him, fear in their eyes, except one.

The Queen's eyes were filled with tears and hope, and her hand still grasped his arm.

Slowly, he brushed some stray hair behind her ear and smiled, "I will never leave you, Princess."

Milena smiled and pulled his lips to meet hers, the salt of her tears tasting sweet on his tongue.

No. He would never leave his Princess.

AN - Well... I hadn't expected this chapter to be that dark.

Ah well, the story goes where the story goes, and it was interesting to write in such a way.

I forgot to ask in the previous chapter; did you guess what pistol Ben had?

Any who, this was a fun chapter to write, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'm sorry if it was a little too fast, but there you go.

Until next time!