Chapter 19: Intent {18}

Liam, after debating a futile discussion in his head, hurriedly pulled back the door and ran into the halls. Completely disregarding his own safety by doing so. She would not kill him. She wouldn't.

Although, he didn't know where she had run off to, instead, leaning off his instincts as he played chase.

He would go after the one who saved his life. There were things left unsaid.

No guards still, driving his pace cautiously, but the castle was loud- noises creaking from all angles as he tried to filter for her footsteps, or even a voice he knew.

And through it, he heard shouting amongst his own heavy breathing; soldiers barking orders and decided to follow behind them.

He turned a corner, spying the agitated guards and remained out of their ear-shot.

"If you spot her, do not engage, we have orders to capture" a guard yelled, others nodding in respect to their captain.

Tearing off into smaller groups while sprinting, Liam trailed behind the biggest bunch in hope they would be the correct ones.

However, running through these marble walls endlessly, did he just realise how big the castle really was; passing door by door, all slammed shut in fear for what was roaming the grounds.

His heart was racing, the pain still shooting through his arm with every swing. He bore his teeth at the discomfort.

The soldiers ahead seemed to clump together, roaring furiously as they came upon a sight that Liam struggled to see.

But between the legs of those soldiers, he saw what they were all horrified about.

And he held back a scream.

A pile of dead, or knocked unconscious guards laid sprawled on the floor...

Even with the night sky ever present... the view was clear as day.

His stomach churned as he clasped his mouth in sheer horror. They were paling, their wounds fresh as blood cuddled them.

The torch above their heads illuminated the dryness of their skin... the decaying bodies.

The medics among the guards raced to their sides, checking for breath, and shaking their heads gravely when no life pulsed within them.

Gods- did she do this? How angry was she?

A few contained a heartbeat as far as he could see, only a few. Liam's legs grew shaky, the stability waning.

Turning back with a new found anger, he pursued on, dread lining his features while he feared what was becoming of this castle and everything in it...

-then he heard it. Heard the sound of yelling slipping off his mothers tongue... If she was in any sort of danger-

Stopping in his tracks, he looked ahead, a narrow staircase leading toward a door familiar to him...

Elianna's door...

There... that's where the clanging and yells resided.

Without hesitation the adrenaline took over and he plummeted up those stairs- drowning out all the thundering footsteps behind him.

Without knowing, the soldiers from earlier came racing up beside him- no care in the world that they were knocking into a prince, causing him to latch to the banister. He swore.

As a matter of fact, one even grabbed his shoulder, yanking it in his direction and spat at him to leave.

"Get back to your chambers! It is not safe for you Prince- you must return!" He tried to push him down the stairs- away from the fray. Liam wasn't having any of it- the anger boiling in his throat, awaiting the command to speak.

He shrugged him off hastily, eyeing him cruelly, "I am aware of the circumstance captain!"

The mans face tightened, the armour rustling with those brushing past callously and into the chaos. "I am not some toddler! I can handle myself!" the prince chewed, shoving into the guard, who - by the look on his face- was not expecting such strength to erupt from the Prince.

The man steadied himself, but the prince was gone.

At last, only a few steps kept him from the second floor; a clip of wind trying to hold him at bay, like a constantine effect that had already passed the guards huddled in, and outside her door.

But he pushed past the wind, and pushed past the guards with an alarming strength.

His body was tiring against those trained in combat but he was unfaltering; rivalling them to the innards of the room until he stilled.

A flash of peachy skin trailing a dark cloth caught his eyes as they slipped their grip on the windows edge. He gulped... she had just jumped.

But what stopped his breathing all together was the sight sprawled a metre away...

His lips uttered a word but no sound came out; eyes turning pale and utterly dormant.

His knees buckled beneath him and the Prince of the Southern Kingdom fell to the floor and screamed.

'Find the Creation stone' was what she said. Something so simple, yet so complicated.

Trudging through the denseness of the forest that surrounded her, Aloysia charged on. Legs screaming at the agony each step caused, blood dripping and exhaustion threatening her eyelids to succumb to the darkness.

The rising sun, blocked to the shrouding of trees overhead, caused the blinding and sting from tears to become dreary. Sleep was bellowing at her, crying at her name.

With one final step, her muscles gave out beneath her, slamming her frail body to the hard ground covered like a blanket of frost.

The moment her body hit the floor she weeped. A whining sound escaping her lips- like a dying animal.

She had been running for 3 hours, traipsing deeper and deeper into the freezing forest to escape from the abhorred tyrant that lived as the Northern King.

But the Queen- her body quivered. Aloysia couldn't let that numbness sink in... no, that grief could befall her, be the cause of her own death.

Even still, her heart ached, like a fresh wound and her chest felt trapped; each breath agonising when she couldn't stop the tears...

Her arms went to cradle her eyes as she remained grounded, with no power to get back up.

How could she just let Cel die? To sit, to stay, to just watch while she sacrificed herself? The guilt, the grief was all too heavy, causing her body to heave.

Nothing but bile greeted her- Aloysia's stomach as empty as her heart.

She kept at it for a solid 3 minutes, her body rendering her useless to move; she didn't even know where she was...

While the tears began to dry out, she sighed to herself-

Aloysia had walked far enough; wanting to claim a rest that was desperately needed. Allowing her to finally yield to the overcoming darkness swallowing her into an unconscious slumber; even with the bitter cold seeping into her bones...