Song recommendation: Overfire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3_rno6CB0k)
Albaric mounted the last of the steps and emerged back in the light of the palace. To his surprise, he was met by a figure leaning against the wall in wait. The grand wizard stepped forward. His snakish eyes didn't have their usual venom. However, on seeing the Sword Saint he let out a derisive snigger.
"I never thought I would see you on your knees - begging to the Emperor like that? It's pathetic," he remarked.
"What else should I do?" Albaric returned. He started to walk away.
"Do you really think there is another Demon Lord?" the wizard asked in an unusually muted voice.
Albaric stopped in his tracks, "You're asking that now?"
A flash of emotion rose in the wizard's eyes, "No matter what you may think of me Albaric, I have always done what is best for the Empire! You don't have any right to judge me. You just left even after everything that happened...I did what I had to do. This is no different,"
"If that's what you believe, Michael, then you and I have nothing more to say to each other," Albaric swiftly departed down the hall.
As he did, another figure who had been lingering in the shadows emerged. A petite white hand caught Michael's shoulder.
"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet," the voice was sickenly sweet.
Michael's expression became cold. He cast a wary glance back. Sister Leila stood behind him. Her ruby lips drew up into a small smile. The hand slid up grabbing him by his brown hair and pulling him close. His lips met hers. They were cold, as always.
"My love," she whispered, "My brother has already called on me. My place will soon be restored. Everything has gone as I predicted and soon you will have what you want as well. Don't give me a reason to doubt you,"
Michael pressed her against the wall with the same force. They were both overtaken by the shadow of a dark hallway.
"As always you're right," he breathed a hot breath against her neck, "but what have I told you about spying on me like this?" His words were said with an air of jest that didn't reach the eyes.
"You told me you hate it," Leila smiled. She swept a thread of her black hair behind her ear and leant in. "But you know, the more you tell me 'no', the more fun it is," she brushed him aside and strolled away. Michael let out a sharp breath as he watched her go.
He hated it but she was right. The entrance to the dungeon was still in view. Michael glanced at it then back to the white papered wall in front. He forced his eyes to inspect the floral laurels. Be reasonable. Why sabotage everything now? The wizard sank back against the wall, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
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The next day Albaric discovered Ace in the stables. Usually, the horses were brought out by the footman, and so he had little reason to venture there. However, on entering Albaric recalled fondly that as a young knight he, like all the other knights, was required to take turns on stable duty. Though admittedly he sometimes skipped this duty when it suited.
The outbuilding was fitted with a long line of stalls. Most of the horses were on duty so no one else was there. Ace stood at the far end of the stable. The smell of fresh hay and the brisk autumn sun appeared like a natural backdrop behind him.
He was latching a receptacle to a white-maned horse. He patted the tan fur with a sigh. Albaric mused he might have been a stable boy in another life. He had the kind of personality animals responded well to.
"Where are you going?" Albaric asked as he approached.
Ace glanced up, "I want to leave the palace for a bit. I need to train but I feel like everyone's watching me here,"
"Then what about one more lesson before tomorrow?"
"You don't have to do that, Albaric. I've already put you in a difficult position," Ace faltered, "I'm sorry,"
"Don't worry about that now," Albaric began to saddle up the horse in the next stall.
Ace followed inside. "Aren't you upset with me?" he asked, "All I've done is cause you trouble. Lord Clover was really angry,"
"I'm not angry," Albaric chuckled, "and as for the demon lord, the person Clover is the angriest at is probably Clover. It's probably not about you. Just give them some space to cool down,"
"Clover's angry because of what was said yesterday?"
Albaric paused, "You shouldn't believe everything you heard yesterday,"
"You mean about Lord Clover and the Empress?"Ace asked in a low voice.
Albaric nodded but didn't say anything for a moment. He finished saddling the horse and began to lead it out of the stall. However, before mounting he turned to Ace as if unsure of whether to say anything further.
"The truth is I don't know the full story. But the Empress wasn't the kind of person who took something like love lightly. I truly believe she loved the Emperor. Clover shouldn't have provoked him like that but I can only imagine what it's like to have your deepest secret used as a weapon like that,"
"Then you think Clover really loved her?"
"That's what it seemed like to me," Albaric inhaled deeply, "They had an unhealthy relationship, to say the least. Clover did some unspeakable things, but I think she too hurt Clover in ways that they won't soon recover from. Well, that's just what Michael told me...I probably shouldn't speak on things I don't know anything about,"
"Michael...You mean the grand wizard? He was the one who told me Lord Clover isn't capable of love. All he does is lie," Ace frowned, "I hate him," he confessed.
"He wasn't always like that," Albaric turned back to the horse, "Pain is like a spider's web - It entraps and binds everyone that comes into contact with it. Clover and the wizard have their own complicated history. I'm not trying to pass blame but this whole thing is a tangled mess that's been years in the making. I only wish I could have kept you out of it,"
"Don't worry," Ace rejoined, pulling himself up onto the horse, "I'm done with it all. Regardless of whether Lord Clover can love or not, It doesn't matter anymore. This is the last thing I will do, one way or the other,"
With that, Ace took off in a trot. Albaric watched with a sad and uncertain regard. Eventually, he followed, but his heart felt heavier the faster they became. As the horses' gait grew into a steady canter, the white palace walls dipped out of view. They descended the hills and reached a forest not far from the city's borders.
The forest was covered with a thick brown coat of leaves. The sun appeared like a pale mirage under the white sky. It was bright yet cold and stark. The first rattles of winter's wind were coming from the North by the time they reached the woods.
As Ace dismounted, he felt a sharp turn of the wind. It rushed him, pushing his black hair from his eyes. It stung and his eyes watered. Just like the last embers of summer were buried by the cold, he knew he needed to bury his feelings for lord Clover. It left him feeling numb.
The lesson proved more useful than he imagined. Albaric knew a lot about the Emperor's fighting style. The more Ace learned, the more convinced he was that his defeat was inevitable. Yet, he didn't feel deterred. Instead, a slow resignation secured him. His mind never felt clearer. Even his magic behaved as well as could be expected.
With focus, he could summon an object maybe once or twice with ease, but rarely more than that. Albaric rallied with the progress he had made, but Ace remained doggedly unmoved. He could only find irony in discovering the power he had worked for weeks to evoke coming on the eve of his death.
Still, he rationalised, that was in agreement with everything that had transpired in his life so far. Always close but never there. It was almost natural. Why grieve for it? How can you fight against what life intends?
Albaric noticed Ace's peculiar detachment and misapprehendingly commented:
"I know it seems like a lot to learn, but we still have a few days,"
Ace nodded along nonetheless. He almost felt sorry for wasting the Sword Saint's time. Albaric didn't seem satisfied and was about to add something further when Ace intercepted him.
"You know a lot about how the Emperor fights. Are you sure you should be telling me this?"
Albaric was caught off guard and took a moment before answering.
"Unfortunately, telling you won't be enough. He's not going to go easy on you,"
"You think he's going to kill me too?" Ace said aloud. He had only intended to think the words but they unintentionally slipped out. Albaric's eyes widened as if surprised.
"No, that's not going to happen," Albaric dismissed.
Ace laughed, "You can be honest. I chose this,"
Albaric laid both hands on Ace's shoulder bringing the pained laughter to an abrupt stop. Albaric looked different than usual. His wavy blonde hair fluttered in the wind but his ruggedness was temporarily surpassed by an unusually vigorous and exceedingly serious light in his grey eyes.
"I'm telling you that won't happen."