Heya! It's Shadow Games back with chapter 4 of Through the Window of Memories! Sorry the last chapter was so short. I'll make it up to you guys this chapter! *:.｡. o()o .｡.:*
Soulia royalty school, 3rd person POV.
"As you know, we should hate the king of death because…" Elaine listened to her teacher flap her gums on and on about how much of a horrible person Alex was. She groaned a bit and drummed her fingers on her desk, thinking to herself. "I can't tell if she's lying or not…." But still, she listened anyway, once again unable to bring her thoughts off of Alex. Her teacher talking about him wasn't helping at all. She couldn't stop herself from thinking, "Wouldn't he be sexy if her was all, evil and flirty and stuff?" Her eyes widened and she blushed at the thought. She slammed her head against the desk for even thinking about it. The teacher abruptly stopped talking. "Elaine, are you alright?" Elaine brought her face up from her desk. Her nose had started bleeding, and it really hurt. She couldn't tell if the blood was from the thought, or if it was from the impact. "Oh dear…We should get you to the clinic right away!" And with that, Elaine was dragged to the clinic.
Palace of death, 3rd person POV
Alex looked across the table and around the room, not sure what he was searching for. He looked down at his food. Unsure if he could eat it for two reasons. For one, Damon had made it. Nothing good ever comes from Damon's food. Alex had come to learn at a very young age that Damon + Kitchen = Disaster. He picked at his food, moving some aside to look like he ate some of it. He knew it was a childish act, but everyone always fell for it anyways, so why not? His best friend and trustworthy sorcerer, Mahad, leaned over to him and whispered. "Aren't you going to eat anything, sire?" Alex shook his head rapidly. "Nooooooooooooooo." He said firmly. "But what if you get hungry later?" Mahad asked. "I'll make myself something. But this is trash. Don't you agree?" Alex stared at Mahad, hoping he would agree. "Yes sir. Let us face it Damon cannot cook if it meant his life." They both nodded in agreement. "What are you two whispering about over there?" Damon asked from across the table. "Your terrible cooking." Alex smirked. "Why thank you, brother. You're so much support to me." Damon frowned. Alex grinned. "You are very welcome, brother. Remember, I'm always here for you!" He said sarcastically, then quickly got up and ran to his room with Mahad close behind. When they reached Alex's room, then ran in, slammed the door, and just started laughing. "We're way too old for this!" Alex chuckled. "Which is what makes it funny!" Mahad said, gasping for breath. Alex looked outside the door. There was nobody there, but better safe than sorry. He closed the door and turned to Mahad. "Wanna….sneak out and ride into town?" He said with a slight shrug. Mahad nodded. "Sure." And with that, the boys opened the stained glass doors leading out to Alex's private balcony and jumped. After falling five stories (or more, nobody ever keeps count), they finally hit the ground. Mahad cracked his ankles. "Ow, I'm still not used to that…" Alex gestured for him to be a bit quieter, then the two snuck out to the stables as the evening sunset made their shadows stretch long and high against the palace. As Alex opened the doors to the stable, Mahad noticed something. "Sir, over there, what is that?" Alex looked to see something moving in the dark corner of the stable. He moved in closer, when suddenly the most beautiful white foal came out of the corner and approached him cautiously. Alex knelt down and outstretched his hand to the foal. "Are we going to name it?" Mahad suggested. Alex thought for a moment, before smiling and gently running his hand down the foal's small mane. "Yes. We will name her Elaine." He said. Now Mahad thought for a moment. "Elaine…? Isn't that the name of Fate's princess?" He thought. But he didn't question the king. He seemed pretty settled on the name. Mahad watched Alex's smile. It seemed pure, like he was truly happy. "Now, then. Should we ride into town?" Alex stood and turned to Mahad, who had been so deep in thought that he forgot his original intentions. "Oh, yes sir." He nodded. Alex started to saddle up his horse, when he looked down at the poor newborn foal. "Hm…Maybe we should get her a blanket for tonight. She will surely freeze without one." He muttered. And with that, the two mounted the horse and road out into town. "We need to stop by the town market, first." Alex said to Mahad. "The small horse will surely die if we do not get her something to warm herself with." He added in almost a mumble. Mahad nodded. "I see." Suddenly, Alex caught sight of something bright out in the distance. "Mahad, what is that?" He pointed out to the red orange lights in the distance. "Oh no…" Mahad muttered. "What? What is it?" Alex said worriedly. "Sir, that's fire you see out in the distance. Alex, don't you see? The town is on fire!" Alex looked back into the distance. He started to cough as the smoke from the fire filled the darkening sky, but he sped up anyways, his horse kicking up dust from the ground and completely blocking anyone's vision of them. Mahad knew where he was going. He was going into town. Into the flaming embers of the burning city.
Soulia West Wing Balcony, Elaine's POV.
As I stood there in the evening sunset, looking around at the land, something caught my eye. Over by the kingdom of death, I saw smoke rising into the air. It was pitch black, and it darkened the sky over almost all of the land. I started to feel a burning sensation in my chest and started coughing. I've known for years that smoke like that obviously meant a fire. I rushed back down the stairs leading up to the balcony to warn my sister, regardless if she cared or not, but I tripped. I fell down the Lapis Lazuli stairs, pain shooting through my entire body. "Ah!" I cried out as I finally hit the floor. "Argh…Can't move…" I mumbled. I saw Remilia's face over me. "Man, you took a pretty hard fall. Are you okay?" She asked as she helped me up. I coughed again. "I don't know….I saw a-a fire near….the kingdom of death…" I breathed. Remilia gasped. "The kingdom of death is on fire?!" She cried. "Come on. We have to go!" She said as she took my hand and ran down the hall. I didn't understand what was going on with my sister. She normally hated the kingdom of death. Why was she suddenly so urgent?
Kingdom of Death Town Market, 3rd Person POV.
"Sire! Sire! Where are you?!" Mahad called out into the darkness of the smoke. He heard coughing and suffering all around him. He started to search the area, feeling the ground around him, but to no avail. "Alex! Where are you?! Answer me!" He cried. Nobody answered. He suddenly heard the galloping of horses, and it sounded like there were a lot of them. Mahad dove for cover in a tent, where he found is unconscious king. He reached out and gently touched Alex's shoulder. His body was cold, but he was sweating, making it hard for Mahad to tell if he was dead or alive. "Alex…?" He nudged the great king, and saw something fall out of his hand. Mahad picked up the object and studied it, then gasped. It was a Soulian amulet of Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire. It was to be worn by the princess of Soulia so that good spirits would protect her. Mahad's first thought was, "Did he steal this?" But he shook off the thought. Though they were rivals, Alex would never steal something from Soulia. There had to be an explanation. The sound of hooves against the cobblestone of the market got louder. Whoever it was, they were close. Mahad gently laid the amulet back into Alex's palm and closed his fist. He then tucked himself into the corner of the tent to remain hidden. But despite his attempts, Mahad went into a coughing fit as the smoke got into his lungs. The flap of the tent flew open, and Mahad tried to hide himself. Too late. The intruder already saw him. He felt a gentle hand come over his, and he looked up. The intruder was definitely a girl. He looked into her golden brown eyes. "Are you okay? Can you stand?" She asked. "U-Um…yes, I'm fine." He stammered as he stood up. "Okay good. You have to get out of here! I'll get Alex!" She said. Mahad nodded, and ran out of the tent. A few guards greeted him. "Let's go. We have to get you to safety." One said. Mahad recognized the uniforms. These were Soulian guards. Still, he went with them. The guards brought him to an area where other guards had the woman and children of the king of death loaded up onto horses. The men, however, had to be kept contained in cages. Most of the men in the Kingdom of Death were violent cannibals who didn't care who got hurt as long as they got what they wanted. They weren't as bad as they were when Alex's father ruled, but they were still pretty bad. The kingdom had become much more civilized, since then. "Is this everyone?" Mahad saw Queen Remilia on her horse, looking out at all the people. "No, Ma'am!" A guard cried. "It seems we are missing the princess and King Alex!" Mahad caught Remilia growling. "Go find them!" She shouted. The two guards trekked off to go find the two missing teenagers.
Tent, Elaine's POV.
After I told Mahad to get out of the tent, I tried to lift Alex out as well. No luck. I'm just not strong enough. As I put him on the ground, something fell out of his hand. I looked to see my amulet. I gasped. What had he been doing with my amulet? I quickly snatched the amulet and put it around my neck. I was thinking about a way to save Alex when I heard a strange crackling sound. I turned around to see the corner of the tent was on fire. The flames were growing too quickly, and I realized I only had two choices. I could leave Alex to die and save myself, or I could stay and die with him. If only I hadn't wasted so much time on that stupid amulet. I sat next to Alex. "If you die tonight, I'll die with you, okay? You're not alone." I whispered. I started to cough as the smoke got into my lungs again. It was too late to even think about escaping, now. Suddenly, one of the supporters holding up the tent burst into flames and fell. I grabbed onto Alex's unconscious body and screamed.
Flaming Tent, 3rd Person POV.
Alex woke up coughing. He felt something hot on his legs. He looked down to see one of the tent supporters in flames holding him down. He looked around and finally realized the entire tent was on fire. And even worse, he saw that Elaine was with him. He quickly scooped her up in his arms, and rushed outside. He coughed. He couldn't see anything in the never ending smoke. He ran in a random direction, and suddenly ran into something. He looked up. Two Soulian guards glared down at him. "Wha—" He started to say, but one of the guards took Elaine out of his arms. The other grabbed his shoulder. "Let's go, son. You have some explaining to do."
Soulia Clinic, 3rd Person POV.
"What were you doing holding the princess when we found you?" A guard asked. "I've already told you." Alex replied. "I woke up and she was just laying right next to me, unconscious." The guard shook his head. "He won't tell us." He told the guard next to him. "Will you only settle for lies?! Even when the truth has been presented to you multiple times?!" Alex shouted, completely forgetting that there were sick and injured people around him (including Elaine) that just needed peace and quiet. "Calm down, Alex. Please." He heard a soft voice behind him. Alex whirled around and started to growl, but was cut short when he saw Elaine laying there, looking up at him with those golden eyes of hers. Alex couldn't help himself. He gave in. He knelt down and kissed her hand. "Did I wake you, princess?" He asked, a tone of worry in his voice. "No, sir. You didn't. It was the tension between the auras." Alex looked up at her. "Oh…" The two guards looked down at the princess. "Lady Elaine, did he hurt you?" One said, shooting a glare at Alex. "Aw, you think a man with a heart as kind as his would hurt me?" She asked, ruffling Alex's hair. "Elaine…" He said with a bit of a whine in his voice, embarrassed. Elaine laughed a little. "What? I'm improving your reputation. You did save my life, after all." She said. Alex blushed a bit and thought about how much he wanted to slip in bed with her and cuddle her to his heart's content. But he couldn't, with those two guards standing there. "Can I go back to my room yet?" Elaine asked. "I-I don't know. Let me check with a nurse." Said one of the guards as he walked to the back of the clinic. He came back a few minutes later. "Yes, you may take your leave, Lady Elaine." He said. And with that, the two guards left the room. Elaine tried to stand up, but tripped and fell. Alex quickly stood up to catch her. She landed in his arms, then push lead to shove and Alex had his arms wrapped around her waist. Elaine blushed and rested her hands on his shoulders. Their lips neared each other, almost like they were attracted to each other. Flandre Scarlet, who had been walking by, stopped to see what would happen. Feeling Flandre's presence and the eyes of the other patients, Alex swiftly pulled away. "Oh, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to grab you like that." He said, blushing. "I-It's fine…" Elaine mumbled. She really wished he hadn't stopped, but that was his choice. "May I walk you to your room?" He offered. "Oh, sure. You may." Elaine nodded, then held onto his arm as they walked into the hallway. "So I've been given permission to sleep at the palace tonight. You know where I'm sleeping, right?" He chuckled a bit. Elaine smiled and poked his nose. "Yush! My room, right?" Alex nodded. "Yep." He turned a corner and into her room. "Ah, home sweet home." He said and both shared a laugh. "I just feel so comfortable here, you know?" He started to ramble on about how Elaine's room felt so much more comforting than any room in his palace. It wasn't until Elaine had finished changing into her night gown when Alex realized what he had to do. He slowly took off his shirt, looking at Elaine. She blushed immensely. "Just put it in the corner…" She mumbled. He did as she instructed and Elaine led him over to her bed, holding both of his hands. Both were blushing immensely, trying not to let temptation get the best of them. It took a while, but the two finally got settled under the sheets. The first thing Alex did was nuzzle himself up against her, his face buried in her neck. "Whoa, there. You comfy?" She laughed. "Yes." He replied. With the warmth of each other's body heat against the cold wind outside, both fell asleep quickly in each other's arms.