For the next month, Alexis visited him everyday, and he slowly got better. After a week, his face regained color, after two, he was eating and washing, though he barely left his chair.
To him, Alexis was a nameless, voiceless, faceless healer whom he would talk to. To Alexis, chase was still the boy she loved.
She first night she was here, she made a mask that covered her mouth nose and forehead, which she's wore under her hood. She was sure that Chase didn't know that it was her under her hood. He had gotten better, and has even gone to the dinner feast, in which brazillia constantly tried to kiss and talk to him.
Alexis was quite glad when he said he wanted to stay in the room. But during the last week, he had gone quiet again. He often looked guilty, and often looked sad again. Alexis was bothered by this, and though she takes to the other healers they said that she had gotten further than any of them, and didn't know what to do.
There were some days he wouldn't talk often, just started out the window, around the room, or at Alexis, as he was doing now. It made her uncomfortable sometimes, when he sat in his chair and started at her with such intensity, it reminded her of an old memory from when they were both teenagers. Before he was royal. The chair in which he now sat in everyday was the chair in which they had their first kiss. And he has sat in that chair, that day so many years ago, he was staring at her intensely, when he pulled her onto him and kissed her.
What's wrong?
"nothing, really."
Why have you gone quiet then?
"I could ask you the same thing"
What makes you guilty?
Chase was quiet at this.
"what makes you think I'm guilty?"
I see it
"what would I be guilty of?"
That's what I'm asking.
Chase stared at her again, still looking guilty. she didn't write anything else. She knew he was going to talk, Alexis would just wait for it to happen. But it was twenty minutes before he did.
"I wish she was still here. I really do."
You said that, that's not what's bothering you.
"let's go to her grave."
Why are you guilty?
"I need to go there."
Chase said, and stood up. He still towered over her, and as Alexis started at him, she couldn't help but want to kiss him. But she couldn't. She was supposed to be dead and he was married now.
He strode out of the room and she followed, clutching her pen and paper. He walked out of the castle, ignoring Brazillia's voice as it called to him and Alexis felt a savage happiness at him ignoring her.
He was offered a cart as soon as he left the gates, but ignored it too and set off at a pace to the cemetery. She didn't think he would say anything so she followed behind, careful to keep her hood up. They walked over the familiar grounds, that they had walked many times before, back when they were dating.
But when they reached the spot she stopped dead. He noticed she wasn't there and backtracked to catch up. the scene ran through her head again, clear as day. Chase grabbing her hands, her pulling away, the message from Violet, Robbie's questioning eyes, the smell of roses from her hair, and Chase calling her after she ran. Alexis looked over to the woods where she had disappeared the months earlier. A single bush of flowers was planted exactly where she had stood that day. White roses. And again, her memory took her back. They were kissing in a tree, she when they were leaving, chase saw a bush is white roses. He has tried to pick one for her but had pricked his finger on the thorns. Always had kissed him on the cheek to "make it better" and he has asked why white roses were her favorite. So she had told him, white roses signified hope to her. And that maybe he has picked one in how's of getting kissed. He told her that it would probably happen anyway.
"this is where I last saw her. I planted the flowers soon after." he was also looking at the line of trees.
"and to answer your question from earlier, I feel guilty because I loved her. But I now have feelings for you too. And I feel like its an insult to her memory. I don't even know your name, I havent heard you talk, I've never even seen your face but I do." he started at the roses, quiet again. He though that he had never seen her face. He really didn't know who she was.
"you have. Maybe you didn't realise, but you have seen my face many, many times Chase." she said, her voice singing in the silence. Alexis turned to chase, who was staring with his mouth slightly open.
"that's- that's Alexis voice, she, you have... No, no." he stuttered, looking at her. She wasnt surprised by his confusion. He had heard a voice he hadn't heard in three months, the voice of a dead girl, spoken by a women who couldn't speak. Alexis said nothing.
"she's not here, no sorry I thought you just... No sorry, I'm imagining things." still, Alexis said nothing.
"just imaging things. You can't speak." he mumbled moving closer to her. She still didn't move.
"take off your hood." he said, staring into her eyes. She didn't do anything for a moment, then slowly lifted her arms to her face, pulling off her face wrap and pulling down her hood. Chase stared at Alexis, and stumbled backwards. Still she said nothing.
He slowly moved forwards and grabbed her arms, as if checking to see if she was real, if she really was in front of him or if he was imaging things. She held onto him back and neither moved. Their faces were close, so close, and Alexis closed in the gap, kissing him hard. It was too familiar, then he was kissing her back, his hand on her back and hers in his hair, same as they always did, and it was suggested that pulled away, although Chase refused to let go of her. He hugged her tighter when she moved away, and she felt a tear drop onto her neck as he sunk to his knees, which made Alexis fall as well, and they lay there for much longer, embracing.