Kiss the Darkness Ch. 05

Christian felt as though he'd just been slapped in the face. He didn't understand why Alexander had reacted the way he had. Was he having second thoughts already? Christian followed, running after him and calling his name. It was like when they first met. He wasn't going to let him get away then and he sure as hell wasn't about to let him go now. When he reached the gardens he found Alexander standing under a hawthorn tree, leaning against the trunk. He had his back to Christian and he was crying heavily.

"Alexander." He walked up to the boy and gently touched his shoulder. "Alexander, what is it? Tell me what's wrong."

Alexander turned and looked at Christian. His eyes were red from crying and his hands were shaking. "I wish now that we'd never come here." He whispered as he looked to the ground.

"Why?" Christian was so confused. Earlier he'd been so happy but now, it was as if the darkness of the night had somehow seeped into his very soul. "Alexander, has something happened? Has someone mistreated you?"

Alexander looked up suddenly. "No." He shook his head. "No, they've been wonderful here."

"Then what is it?" He went to hold him but Alexander pulled away. Christian was beside himself with worry.

"Christian..." Alexander rubbed his eyes as he spoke. "I thought that the Gods had brought us together. I thought that we were meant to be but I was wrong. I was so very wrong. We can not marry Christian, it would never work."

Christian held his breath and tried to understand what Alexander was saying to him but it just made no sense at all. "Alexander, why would you say that? After what we've been through, what we've shared together, how can you think they we're not meant to be together?"

"Your father wants me dead." Alexander sobbed. "He will never accept me as your husband."

Christian sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Alexander, I've spoken to the Priest. We know a way around my father. If the Priest blesses our marriage..."

Alexander shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Whatever you say, whatever we do it won't matter. Christian it's not just me. Your father wants my entire race obliterated. If you show up with me as your spouse..." Alexander turned around. His entire body shook with fear and anger. His mind kept turning to one single fact, The King had murdered his father. The King had tried to murder him. Suddenly everything seemed hopeless and Alexander just wanted to curl into a ball and die. "If the King discovers who I am, what I am...he will kill me himself."

Christian narrowed his eyes. "I don't understand. Alexander, what do you mean 'what' you are?"

Slowly Alexander turned and faced Christian. He did his best to compose himself but the tears would not stop coming. He wanted so badly to just run into Christian's arms but then he thought, what if Christian hates me too. What if when I tell him the truth he rejects me, or worse, what if he takes me to his father. He tried to push those thoughts out of his mind. Christian would never do such a thing. He loved him. But still, Alexander was scared. If Christian did betray him in such a way whatever the King did to him would no longer matter. Alexander would welcome death at that point for how could he live knowing that Christian despised him.

He took a deep breath, looked Christian in the eyes and spoke the only truth that he knew. "I...I am part Draveil Christian. Ar'gas Kerred was my father. King Guillame slaughtered him and his men, you saw the bodies. But worse, he tried to kill my mother when she was pregnant with me. As far anyone knows his orders were carried out. It just happened that a guard at the time took pity on my mother and allowed her to escape. That's the only reason I'm alive now. My grandmother told me as she lay dying that my mother was betrayed by the King.

She and my grandmother went into hiding for fear the King would discover that she lived and would send men to kill us. She died before she could tell me the rest. That's why I came here, to find the truth. But I never expected to meet you and fall in love with you. I prayed that my grandmother was mistaken, that the King would never do such a thing. I didn't understand why he would fear a pregnant woman or a baby but now it all makes sense. The old monk told me, he said that Guillame feared the Draveil King would attempt to overthrow him and steal his throne. He had to make certain that he was dead and without an heir. Christian, if you return to the palace with me at your side, do you realize what your father will think?"

Christian nodded slowly. "He'll think you've come to kill him and take his throne."

"That's why I can't marry you Christian. I only came here to find out if what my grandmother had told me was true. If the King had meant to kill my mother and if he was the reason that we were forced to flee and hide away in the country. I never knew who my father was until we came here, to the monastery. My mother died when I was very young. She refused any medical treatment because she feared that someone would recognize her and then we would be discovered. When my grandmother told me all this I was in shock. At first I was angry, I was furious. It seemed that the King had caused all the pain and sorrow that I'd experienced, and I wanted an answer as to why. Even if it meant my own death. I had to know, but then I met you."

Christian took a step back, nearly falling over a stone bench before catching himself and sitting down as he tried to make sense of what he had just been told. Would his father actually have stooped so low as to murder a pregnant woman? It seemed preposterous but then again, he had killed the Draveil warriors and, of course, Alexander's own father. But still, it was all too much to take in. Alexander was the heir to the Draveil throne. He was the son of the Demon King himself! Suddenly it all made sense to him. The temple, the lightning. He didn't understand it before but now it was all too clear. Alexander was a Draveil, a demon. King Guillame had only seen the boy as a nuisance before but now, now he would see him as his enemy.

"You said a monk told you all this?"

Alexander nodded. "In the library. A monk named Asgall."

Christian took a deep breath and stood up. "Take me to him."

Alexander sighed heavily. "He's this way." He said, then turned and walked out of the gardens and back towards the library with Christian following closely behind him.

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Asgall was looking over the last page of the book carefully. "The Gods are truly smiling on you my old friend." He whispered. "All these years I thought your son dead, but the Gods had other plans in store for him." He picked up the quill beside him, dipped it into the ink well then placed the tip to the paper as he carefully wrote the name 'Alexander MacCraith Kerred' on the line beneath Ar'gas's name.

Just as he'd penned the last letter the door to the small chamber suddenly swung open. He looked up to see Christian leaning in the door way. He was Shaking, breathing heavily and looked Disheveled. "Your majesty!" Asgall gasped.

"Is it true?" Christian demanded. "Is he really the son of Ar'gas Kerred?"

Asgall sighed. "Sit down, son."

"Just tell me!" Christian snapped.

Asgall nodded. "It's true. Alexander is Ar'gas's son and heir."

Christian suddenly fell to his knees, weeping. "No." He cried out in anguish. "There has to be some mistake."

Asgall shook his head. "There is no mistake son." Picking up the book he'd earlier showed Alexander, he turned to a page in the middle of the book and held it out for Christian to see. Christian looked at the painted imagine in the manuscript and his heart sank. There he saw the image of a man sitting before a fire. The man was older, very distinguished looking, but also with a fierce look about him. But that was not what stood out to Christian. The resemblance of the man to Alexander was uncanny. The hair, the shape of his face, and of course those large violet eyes.

If Christian hadn't known better, he would have thought he was looking at a painting of Alexander from many years in the future, but he was not. He was looking at the Demon King, Ar'gas Kerred, Alexander's father. "Why?" Christian sobbed. "Why would the Gods do this to us?"

Asgall sat the book aside. "The Gods did nothing but bring two people together. Why should it matter that Alexander is part Draveil? Is he not the same man that you fell in love with? Is he not the same man that you planned to wed? Nothing has changed. Alexander has a good heart, and his father was a kind and good man. I have no doubt that Alexander will make a loving and devoted husband."

Christian shook his head. "But everything has changed." He groaned. "He's right, we can never be together now."

Asgall narrowed his eyes as he pulled Christian to his feet and glared at him. "Boy, the Gods do not make mistakes! You and that boy were brought together for a reason. Can you now so readily reject his love merely because of his parentage?"

"No." Christian looked at the monk, his eyes wide. "Gods no! I care not who his parents were. I care not that he's Draveil. My love for him knows no prejudice. But knowing what we now know, he will never be safe! My father will not stop until he sees him dead. Not to mention the fact that it was my own father who slaughtered his kind! If not for my father Alexander would have been raised a noble, he would have been raised a Prince! Instead he was forced to grow up as a commoner. He watched his mother die of illness and left to be raised by an old woman. He's known nothing but heartache and grief his entire life. How can I face him knowing that it was all caused by my father, my blood?"

"You are not your father." Asgall pointed out. "His sins are not yours. And don't be so quick to believe that Alexander's life was not a happy one. It's true that he's suffered some misfortunes in his life, but he's also been blessed in many ways. The old woman that raised him was kind to him and he loved her a great deal. I can tell by the way he spoke of her. It pained him greatly when she passed but her death brought him to you and you have filled the emptiness in his heart that he's felt since losing his grandmother. Christian, that boy loves you with all his heart. His love is a pure love, something you don't often find in this world. To deny that now would be the real tragedy."

Christian walked to the table and sat down, placing his head in his hands. "So what should we do? Run away? Leave Avimur for good?"

Asgall sat down next to him. "No. Do not run. If anything Alexander deserves to stand before the King and have his birth right restored. He may have been raised a commoner but he is still a Prince. King Guillame can not deny that for it is something that was ordained by the Gods; and it was Ar'gas's desire to bring peace to the two Kingdoms. Now that he is gone, it is up to Alexander to carry on his work. What better way to establish peace but a marriage between two royal houses?"

"My father would never recognize our marriage."

"You spoke to the Gwendell did you not?"

Christian nodded. "Yes, I told him everything. I told him of my plans to marry Alexander and about my father refusing to allow it."

"And? What was his advice?"

"To marry at the Shrine of Xagros, under the law of Affreres."

"Do you know the meaning of Affreres?"

Christian sat back in the chair and placed his hands behind his head. "Somewhat. I know that it's something which prohibits the King from interfering."

"More than that." Asgall told him. "The law was created to protect men who wanted to establish a covenant with one another, but it grew to something much more powerful. When Xagros fell in love with Reeyer against his fathers wishes the two married. As you know, Reeyer was the son of the of the Demon God, Ar'oneth. When the other Gods sneered at their union Xagros stated that united Lovers stand strong together and only through their love will they gain strength in times of need. He declared that this love was not only limited to the love between a man and woman but between two men or two women as well. That was when the law of Affreres was created.

It states that two people who form a bond through love, either romantic love, or brotherly love have the right to join their houses. One house, one cup, one life. It's a pledge to devote yourself to that one person until death. When blessed by the God Xagros, not even the King can dissolve the union. To do so would mean to defy the will of the Gods, something that not even the great King Guillame would risk."

"But, you don't know my father. I can't risk Alexander's life, I won't. He means more to me than anything. How can I trust that my father will uphold the law? He's already done so much harm, what is one more sin to him?"

"Trust the Gods." Asgall told him. "That's all that you can do. They would not have put Alexander in your path if his destiny was to die at your father's hands. I believe that he has a higher purpose to fulfill. The Gods saved him when he was still inside his mother, they saved him when the guards came for you, they will not abandon him now."

Christian sighed. He felt so helpless suddenly. He vowed to protect Alexander. How could now put him in danger by taking him before the King? "I hear what you are saying. I just don't know that my faith is strong enough."

"But our love is." Christian looked up and saw Alexander standing in the doorway.

"You could be killed." Christian said softly.

Alexander smiled. "I'd die without you anyway, but I am not afraid. I have faith in the Gods, and in you. I do not know what will happen when you take me before the King but after listening to what Asgall has told you I feel that it is my duty to at least attempt to bring peace to both Kingdoms, as my father wanted. If King Guillame strikes me dead then you'll have to trust that that is the will of the Gods."

"I can never accept that." Christian said angrily. "What good would your death do? What purpose would it serve?"

Alexander shrugged. "It is not our place to question the will of the gods, only to obey it."

"And you would be so quick to lay down your life?"

"Of course not." Alexander went to him and held his hands. "I want to live with you happily as your husband for many many years. But if we really want to be together then we have to set aside our fears and see this through to the end. If we run now, we'll be running for the rest of our lives. I can't live that way Christian, and I don't think you could either."

"If it meant keeping you safe..."

"Safe, but never free." He touched the side of Christian's face and smiled. "But, if you think it best to run, then I won't argue. I will follow you where ever you go. I will always be by your side. From now, until forever. If you'll still have me."

"If?" Christian pulled Alexander against him and held him tight. "Damn it Alexander, you are all I want. Of course I will still have you. You are my true love. The question is, can you still love me, knowing what my father's done?"

"Your father's sin is his own. I've never blamed you, not once, and I never will. And I'm sorry that I got so upset earlier. I was just afraid that...well...I was scared that when you learned the truth you would stop loving me."

"Silly boy." Christian laughed. "There is nothing in this world or any other that would make me stop loving you. You are my soul."

Alexander closed his eyes as he rested his head against Christian's chest. "And you are my heart." He whispered.

Christian stroked his hair lovingly. "Then, I think it's time we saw the priest." He told him. "By this time tomorrow we will enter the Palace as husbands and no one, not even my father, will be able to drive us apart."

"I'm ready." Alexander said, looking into Christians eyes. "I have just one request."

"Name it and it will be yours."

Alexander smiled. He leaned forward and whispered something into Christian's ear. Christian immediately smiled as he looked at Alexander. "Oh, my love. I don't believe that will be a problem at all."

Alexander blushed. "Then, shall we?"

"We shall." Christian offered his arm to Alexander which he took at once. A few short moments later and they were walking out of the library and towards the shrine. Asgall smiled as he watched the two leave. He turned and walked to a shelf on the back wall and took a small box from the shelf. He blew the dust from the box, secured it within his robes, and followed after the others.

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Niobe climbed the great mountain until she'd come to the trail that cut through the rock. She smiled when she realized that the great stone path had been opened. "So..." She said as she tapped her finger against the swords sheath. "The child has become a man. He's found the temple at last."

She picked up the sword and began her trek up the path. The darkness shielded her from any who might be watching but she herself remained unaffected by the night. Feeling her way along the path she stumbled only once, but found her footing quick enough and continued on her journey. The temple came into view and she stopped to rest a bit before entering. Her blind eyes fixated, staring into nothing, though still she had a sense of things around her. It was the energy that she sensed. The spirits of the ground, and trees, and rocks spoke to her and told her where to step. The gentle rock she sat upon led her to it and bit her rest.

Even the sword in her hands spoke to her, humming and singing. It was home and it was glad. The closer she came to the temple, the louder the sword became until it's cries of joy were deafening. "Yes, yes." She spoke to the relic. "Brought you home, I know. We'll go in soon, let an old woman rest a bit." The sword quieted some but still continued with a soft melody that rang out like the chime of bells. A warm breeze blew past her and she raised her faced to the wind, sniffing the air. "I see. So, the time is at hand. Mustn't doddle then. No time to waste."

She rose with a deep groan, her bones creaking as he stood. Taking up the sword once more she entered the archway and down the tunnel that lead to the heart of the temple. A blue ball of light glowed at the end of the tunnel and she followed its warmth as it bobbed and danced in the night air. The orb stopped just before the gate and so Mistress Niobe stopped as well. "I suppose this is it." She said as she unsheathed the sword. She placed the tip against the ground and waited. At once the blade began to seep into the soil. Vines rose up, wrapping around the steel, all the way up until the hilt was covered.

"You're home now." She whispered. "Now, you will await a new master. The one who's veins flow with the blood of Gods." She stood back, releasing the hilt of the sword and looked to the sky. "If there be something which I can not see, Moon send your great wisdom down to me. Shine your lite on those who seek, to smite the wicked and protect the weak. Reveal what is, and what is to be, the darkest truths now shall be free.

Shadows of darkness, spirits within. Harness the energy, let it begin. Drawn down the moon, bring me thy shadow. The sun is now free, commence with the battle."

Niobe turned and began to walk back the way she had come. The temple around her was humming and the ground quivered beneath her feet. "Be still." She whispered into the night. "I have done my part. Now death awaits to take me as it once took all of you. Wait for the one who will free you, the one who walks the path of darkness yet stands in the light. By his hand alone will the gate once more be opened. Await your King." The darkness swirled around her, closing her in. A moment later she was gone and the requiem of souls stood waiting.