Having received the King's blessing, Xerxes hesitated no longer. He bowed to the Princess and extended his hand out towards the dancefloor. "After you, Princess."
Damia gave a desperate look towards the prince, but he gave her a discrete shake of his head and urged her to go on. With no other option, she forced her body to walk toward the center of the dancefloor, with Xerxes a step behind.
Once reaching the middle, she turned to face Xerxes. He extended his palm towards her and as Damia's hand came in contact with his, a jolt of energy raced through her body, originating from his hand. She tried to break the contact and reclaim her hand, but, as if predicting her actions, Xerxes recaptured her hand and guided her through the dance.
"I'm sorry if my actions have offended you, Princess. I mean you no harm, but if you allow me to overstep once more; I find you to be a most fascinating creature. From the moment you entered the room, I knew I had to meet you."
The energy was still flowing through Damia. She could feel it coursing through her veins, as though it was infusing with her blood. Her vision was becoming hazy, and she was struggling to keep her legs beneath her. She could hear Xerxes addressing her, but each time she tried to open her mouth to respond, she would hesitate, feeling immense pressure radiating in her skull.
Xerxes seemed to be aware that something was happening to her, as he supported her body and controlled her every step.
Whispering next to her ear, Xerxes instructed Damia, "I'm about to let you go, Princess. Once we lose contact, you'll return to your original state, but you must not run from me. Follow me instead and I'll return you to the prince. That's the only way I can guarantee your safety."
The pulsing in Damia's head had risen to an unimaginable level of pain and she couldn't find the words to question Xerxes on his statement. She heard the words and a rage unlike any she'd felt before filled her heart, but she didn't understand what he meant or why she was so livid. Anger wasn't an emotion she was familiar with, and if he was threatening her, shouldn't she be fearful, not furious?
Not waiting for a response, Xerxes directed her body to a position she would be able to hold on her own, and took a step back from her, letting go of her hands last.
The fog from Damia's mind lifted instantly and she was no longer in pain. In fact, it left so quickly that she started to wonder if it had actually occurred, or if her mind was instilling her with unfounded fear of the man before her. She wasn't courageous enough to doubt his earlier words so regardless of her body's reaction, she did as he had commanded and followed him back to Prince Elric.
Suddenly, the main doors to the hall burst open and a knight ran through, covered in blood and screaming, "Your Majesty, the King, you must flee. The ogres are attacking the main gate! We don't know how much longer we can hold them off!"
Panic ensued. The once lively and cheerful hall became a sight of chaos and disorder as all the nobles attempted to find escape routes.
Elric did not wait for Xerxes and Damia to make their way back to him. He rushed through the crowd, plowing through anyone in his way until he took hold of Damia's hand. The moment he grasped her hand, an icy cold feeling travelled up Damia's arm and she shrieked in agony, trying desperately to escape his hold.
Her shriek stopped Elric in his tracks. Damia had never before reacted to his touch. She didn't have enough power to sense his so he never had to restrain it around her. There should be no reason for her to have a reaction now.
Though Elric had been distracted by Damia's reactions, Xerxes was still mindful of the attack on the main gate and wanted to see how far the ogres had advanced. They weren't supposed to attack until they were given the sign. And while he didn't know what the sign would be, he had sent his advisor, Adrian, outside to keep watch for anything that seemed out of place. Adrian had not returned since being sent out so he must not have seen the sign.
Xerxes took the hand that Elric had touched and returned Damia to her feet, willing heat to flow from his hand to hers and removing the ice that Elric sent through her. Feeling his touch and remembering the jolt from earlier, Damia thought to retract her hand immediately, but then stopped when she felt the warmth traveling up her arm. Xerxes let go of her hand once he saw the relief wash over her face.
"Princess, you should allow the Prince to lead you to a secure location. I shall see if the knights need any support."
"Damia, you will come with me. There's no time to secure you. You'll be safe with me either way, so we'll head to the front gate as well." Leaving no room for further discussion, Elric suppressed his powers and took hold of her hand once more, pulling her behind him.
---
The knights at the main gates had been reinforced by the mage troops and appeared to have trapped the ten attacking ogres in a barrier on the other side of the river that ran to the north of Wesdon. Though they were trapped right now, the barrier would not hold them back if more arrived.
Among the knight's forces was Grandmaster Niklaus. He expertly directed each strike against the ogres, with each strike pushing them deeper into the barrier.
"Grandmaster, how did this happen?" Elric aproached the grandmaster, still pulling Damia behind him and Xerxes followed.
"Young Master, I expected you to stay by the King, guarding him. We won't let them through so there's no need for you to worry." Grandmaster Niklaus took note of Damia's presence.
"The King is well guarded. I saw his personal guards lead him out of the hall, I assume to the safe house. I will be of greater use here."
"But then what about the pri-"
"Damia stays with me. I will guard her, but I need to know what's going on here. What prompted this attack?"
"We'll both keep her safe, Grandmaster. Please include me in your plans, Prince Elric. I can be of great use in this matter as well." Xerxes, couldn't stand being ignored any longer.
"And how do I know you're not the one behind all of this, Xerxes?" A cold expression covered Elric's face as he dropped all formalities. "I saw that exchange between you and Damia back on the dancefloor. Let me make one thing perfectly clear: Damia is mine, and mine alone. You will not touch her again.
Elric's grip on Damia's hand tightened and she feared he would soon break it. "Brother, you're hurting me. Please, let go."
His icy stare turned to her and intensified, "I don't have time to explain any of this to you right now Damia, but do not call me 'brother.'"
The pressure of his hand increased further, but he released her hand before injuring her and returned his attention to the battle.
"Young Master," the grandmaster directed, "perhaps if you reinforced the magic barrier with an ice wall, the drop in temperature would force the ogres to retreat back into the dark forest?"
A cold wind carrying snow started blowing all around him as Elric extended a hand out towards the barrier and willed an ice wall to start forming up from the base.
Watching the scene on the other side of the barrier, Damia noticed a small figure flying through the ogres, guiding vines to wrap around their arms whenever they attempted to strike a knight or a mage.
Adi...