Awakening

It had been just under a day since the Crawler had attacked, and the reports from across the kingdom had been gathered and assessed by many eyes and hands and were now sitting on the desk in front of the Queen… which would probably explain why they looked so dirty and creased, with as many folds in them as there were words written.

Sighing, Milena gathered them together and put them into one of the drawers, making a mental note to file them away later. Although the letters had born good news, they held a sharp sting.

Less than fifty people in the whole of Albion, civilians and soldiers alike, had been killed by the darkness, compared to the thousands it could have been, but the damages done to the properties had created a backlog of funds almost as extensive as it had been after the revolution, though the most expensive of all was the repair work for the Brightwall bridge.

Hobson, of course, had tried to dissuade her of taking any responsibility towards these damages, stating that they should only be repaired through the funds raised by the people themselves, but she wouldn't hear of it, to his great regret.

Page had gone back down into the Industrial quarter of Bowerstone in order to help clear away most of the rubble and Walter was busy sorting out the remainder of the army, making sure every useless gun, bullet and barrel of gunpowder was returned. Logan was the only company that had remained in the castle besides…

Milena clenched her teeth together.

Ben hadn't made any sign that he would be awakening any time soon, the only signs showing he was still in the land of the living being the steady rise and fall of his chest, the small movements of his fingers and the strange expressions that played across his face.

It pained her to see him so still. He had always been so energetic and unpredictable before…

Moving out of her office, she made her way outside, keeping out of the way of any human contact as much as possible, which was considerably easy considering what time it was.

The sun was just coming up, reminding her that life was continuing, the sky turning red as the light progressively changed its colour from a deep black to light blue, only slithers of clouds polluting its vast space. It didn't seem natural for it to appear so normal so soon after the invasion. It just didn't seem natural. When she'd spoken to Walter about it, he just said that nature had an amazing way of surprising you.

Looking up at the sky, she observed a flock of geese flying overhead.

Yeah, he got that right.

Suddenly, she found that she was unable to supress a yawn, and her mouth gaped open in a show of unabashed exhaustion.

When was the last time she slept?

Blinking, she recalled the night before the attack, and how comfortable and warm she had been while lying next to the Major. Her Major. Sure, he hadn't exactly been himself to start with, and that had been almost heart breaking to watch, but he had pulled through, and seemed so peaceful.

But now…

Turning back to the castle, Milena made her way up the stairs towards her own chamber, Tyson trotting solemnly beside her, the dog knowing that now was not a good time to disturb his master.

With each step she took, it felt like an immense pressure was being forced onto her chest, making it harder to breath as she closed the distance between herself and the great door. She was sorely tempted to just abandon her journey and head back to her office or to find Logan or Walter, but she had to see if anything had changed.

As she stood in front of the doors, her hands froze on the handles. She didn't want to know what lay inside.

There was a chance that Ben was wide awake, fully recovered and back to his usual self, but that was slim and unlikely. The more likely chance was that he was still comatose, or… Or he could have died in his sleep.

Tyson nudged her leg and looked up at her patiently, his eyes pleading with her to go in.

Smiling down at her faithful companion, she pushed the doors and stepped inside… before becoming completely and utterly paralysed.

The sight that greeted her was nothing she had expected to see in a thousand years.

"Good morning," Scythe said, bowing his head politely at her, "I trust you are well."

The steady whisper of the breeze tickled his nose as he stared at the target he'd been set, his bare toes digging into the sand beneath his feet.

Ben had removed his jacket, boots and socks some time ago, setting them down in a pile next to where he had first arrived, and had since moved to the edge of the island, his sleeves and trousers rolled up to his calves and elbows.

The strange orb that was floating above the water's surface had a red glow, reminding him of the similar spheres he had seen Milena hit in the Hall of the Dead. What had she called them again? Oh yes. A 'flit switch'.

He'd tried to reach it, but whenever he stepped so much as a toe in that clear, cool water, the winds picked up and the oceans thrashed and roared, submerging the switch in its depths.

He was only going to be able to reach it with magic, and then it would lead him to his next test.

Or, at least, that's what Scythe had told him… before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

So much for teaching me.

Already, he could feel his stomach growling from hunger, and his throat was dry from the inability to drink, the sounds of waves driving him steadily mad with their promise to quench it, but the salt hidden within spoke of a worse punishment.

Was this what the great Hero had in mind? A slow and steady death? Was he to be surrounded by that which he craved, only to be unable to reach it? Already it felt as though it had been days, and still he held no chance of getting any closer to the end of this torture, the sun never relenting, always shining down on him.

Staring out at the switch again, he took a deep breath and tried to calm his thoughts.

He was inside his mind, right? Or at least some kind of place that could only be accessed through the mind anyway. That meant, if he thought of something then that something would appear.

Well, that logic hadn't gotten him anywhere when he tried it after Scythe had first left, or all the times after, so maybe it was more… feelings, or tapping into something beyond just his thoughts.

What had he said? Something about being surprised at how Heroes were made through events like the ones he'd been in? So what would that entail?

Stress? There was an awful amount of stress during those past through months, what with all the deadlines. Or maybe fear? Fear of losing himself to the darkness was an ever present threat during that past year, ever preying on his already upset mind. But that kind of fear didn't seem to hold the right kind of feeling for him.

Perhaps it was the fear of losing something far greater than himself. Perhaps losing something more dear to him than his own sanity, and even his life, was what was needed to unlock this currently unobtainable power that was allegedly inside of him. Maybe a fear of losing the one woman he would do anything for…

Taking a deep breath, Ben closed his eyes and tried to think of his Princess in the way that hurt him most, gritting his teeth when the images became in the likeness of the nightmares he'd had since his first encounter with the Crawler.

Milena watched in fear and anticipation as Ben groaned under her watchful eye, sweat beginning to form on his brow as he began to toss and turn in his slumber.

Scythe had not left his side since she had first set eyes on him, his attention focused mainly on the bandaged man before them, constantly moving his hands over the wound in his chest hidden under the layers of linen, never speaking a word.

The Hero had explained to her briefly that he was here to help him recover, though didn't reveal his reasons as to why. Since then, neither had spoken, the ancient man's concentration obviously needed to help the Major, and Milena too fearful that if she were to distract him, Ben would be lost to her forever.

Sitting there in that silence was something akin to steady suffocation, the inability to obtain any news of her love's progress almost enough to send her into fits of rage, but the knowledge that, if she did so, it would take even longer for him to come back to her kept her lips sealed.

Crossing her arms in front of her stomach, she tried to recall the feeling of his own arms around her, his lips against hers, the feeling that always filled her with his every touch…

Collapsing next to the bed, she leaned on the soft sheets and put her head in the nest created by her forearms, her nose cresting the peak of the fleshy hill, eyes examining the agitated form before her.

Oh how she longed for him to be well again! To be patrolling the halls of the castle with that look of determinism that she had grown to love as much as his frequent smirks.

Slowly, a tear slid down her cheek and she could feel a wail building in her throat, making it difficult to breath.

She sniffed and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. To hell with etiquette!

Grasping onto Ben's left hand, Milena released a cry as she pulled it to her right cheek, letting her tears fall onto it.

"Come back to me Ben!" she cried, "Don't leave me alone."

Unbeknownst to her, the corners of Scythe's lips rose.

True love was something that was sorely lacking in this world…

Blinking his eyes open, Ben found that his environment had changed.

He was now stood on the top of a floating rock, only around five meters in diameter floating above a great depth that didn't appear to have a bottom. The sky was a deep blood red, and the sun was hidden behind black clouds that spread across the heavens like a spider's web.

Turning around, he felt his heart stop at the sight before him.

"Mi… Milena?"

On a mass of land very similar to this one floating some ten yards away, stood Milena, the Queen of Albion, and of his heart, hands held behind her back by a being he had hoped never to see again.

Ben watched as the mirror image of himself caressed her beautiful form, his fingers leaving trails of darkness in their wake, his hair as dark as midnight and eyes as red as rubies. The twin's skin was as pale as the moon, but the shadow and smoke that surrounded him made it seem more grey than white.

Milena was perfect as always, save for the dreaded marks left by that disgusting hand, and her head hung limply forward, eyes closed as though in slumber, oblivious to the evil that held her.

The Shadow grinned, "It's nice of you to turn up!" it laughed, "We've been waiting for some time."

Ben gritted his teeth, anger beginning to build within him, like a spark that had been dropped on a dry hay stack. "You let her go."

Shadow cackled again, "Why should I? Is it not you who's holding her? And besides," he took her chin in his hand and lifted her face up, "I think she'll like me more than you." His tongue made a path along the ridge of her cheek bone, making her move away.

The spark inside him became a raging fire in seconds, and he reached over his shoulder for his rifle, only to have his fingers grasp at nothing.

"She never did love you," it continued, "Not you. She only saw me. It was me that she wanted from the very beginning. Not the incompetent fool that you are. Not even a man. Just a stumbling mess with a past more chequered than the hand-me-downs you wore as a child!"

It threw a ball of dark flames at him, catching him in the shoulder, forcing him to take a step back, hissing at the pain.

"You don't deserve to be called 'Major'. The only man who deserved that title is dead because you were too scared to go to the palace with him! You are nothing!"

Another spell hit his leg, driving him to his knee.

"You are nothing," the shadow repeated, the deep, slimy voice in his ear now, "And you will be nothing. Once I destroy you, I will take her, and ravage her. She will wish she had never been born, and cry out your name in anger and hate."

Ben stared at Milena, her form crumpled on the ground, tears forming in his eyes.

Suddenly, he could feel something cold against his fingertips, surrounding his left hand. It was strange, and yet familiar, the wet texture bringing memories of Milena's own tearful eyes to the forefront of his thoughts.

No. He will not let that happen.

Growling, he swung around, catching the Shadow in the jaw with his fist, forcing it to fall back, its smirk slipping slightly.

Pulling on the fire he felt within him, he pulled his dark twin into a dead lock, his arms surrounding it in an unbreakable grasp.

As it struggled, he released the flames inside and it screamed, its flesh bubbling and boiling, growing red hot and blistering. With one last squeeze, the figure burst into flames, the fire covering its body from head to toe, but it didn't touch him, only licking him in the way a dog would; with obedience and pleasure.

Letting the burning form go, he watched as it tumbled over the edge, disappearing into the darkness below, but some of the flames lingered in his hands, the warmth they granted him filling him with joy and calm, their embrace granting him comfort, granting him access to call upon it whenever he needed it.

He knew now how to pull it to his side when he needed. He knew how to control the flames that had once seemed so terrifying and destructive.

It was a part of him now.

Closing his hand into a fist, he turned back to Milena, who was now stood, smiling at him, eyes glistening.

"Come back to me Ben," she whispered, "Don't leave me alone."

Nodding, he closed his eyes…

… and woke in Milena's room.

AN - Yay! Ben's finally awake! But what's going to happen next? Only time will tell...

Sorry it took so long to update, but I've been feeling a little down recently. I got my IB results last Friday and discovered I didn't pass my course (because of one stupid point in Maths! I didn't even want to do Higher! T_T). I still have a chance to get into my University, but it's a significantly smaller one than had I passed. I did get the points I needed though, so there's still hope... Wish me luck!

This time, I listened to 'Selig' by Helium Vola. It's one of those weird ones that just makes the world just fade away...

Hopefully I'll be able to give you guys some news on my University next time, though I can't promise anything, and I thought I might let you guys know that I'm considering writing a Loki fic and wanted to know what you guys thought before I posted anything (don't worry, I won't abandon this story. I never abandon stories. And I won't put it on hold like some of my others!)

As always, hope you enjoyed the chapter and... Until next time!