Alexander was already on his way back, and was in front of a cave through which he had passed through earlier.
He then paused as Alethea's words from earlier replayed in his head.
"I can't leave this place no matter what happens."
Alexander sighed as he muttered to himself, "So she is actually trapped in there instead of living there? But why?" He wondered, but then he waved his hand. "Oh whatever, I should be more worried about how I'm going to get back home safely."
He continued to head towards the cave, but he paused again. He had seen something, but he wasn't sure if it was just his mind that was playing tricks on him, so he moved back to take a second look.
His mind wasn't playing tricks on him, and indeed, hanging on the rocky hills of the entrance of the cave was the kite he had gone through all these sufferings for, but he couldn't even bring himself to be happy.
"How the hell am I supposed to get that?" He said in frustration, as he glared at the kite, and after thinking for a while, it seemed he had come to a decision—to give up. "Oh well. I tried my best."
He turned around to leave, but he still paused, yet again. "That kite was my favorite, and most special kite." Alethea's words rang in his head, causing him to sigh and shake his head.
He then went close to the rocky hills of the cave, and slowly began to climb up. "Geez, it's so slippery!" He complained as he continued to climb up.
After so much struggle, he finally got close to the kite, and detached it from the thorn-like roots that extended from the rock.
He got a little too excited when he sucessfully retrieved the kite, causing him to monumentally forget the kind of situation he was in. He lost his bearing and slipped off the rock, falling directly on a pile of rocks on the ground.
….
In the compound of a house that stood out among the rest of the houses situated about the streets, William could be seen. It was already night time, so he was sneaking into the house.
"And just where have you been?" A voice said, startling him.
He turned around and faced Ronan, the owner of the voice. "Father." He greeted with a little bow of his head.
Soon, Ronan, his wife, and William were seated in a room in the house. They were all silent, but silence itself was very loud.
"Did you go to see Alethea again?" Ronan asked, finally breaking the silence.
William didn't answer, and kept silent, but Ronan already got his answer from that silence.
"Do my words seem so inconsequential to you? Didn't I tell you that you must not visit Alethea no matter what?" Ronan questioned him further.
"She is a child that has been forced to spend all her days trapped in that house." William said, "She would be so lonely if I don't visit her from time to time to converse with her."
"And how many more times must I tell you that your going to see her is not beneficial to her in any way?" Ronan asked, and then he narrowed his eyes at his son in suspicion. "Don't tell me… have you perhaps developed romantic feelings towards her?"
Without giving William a chance to respond, Ronan continued, "You mustn't, no matter what! Absolutely not!"
William raised his chin in protest. "And why not? We are not blood-related." He argued.
Ronan was rendered speechless, while his wife gave William a light slap on the head. "William!" She exclaimed, but William still stubbornly continued talking.
"I've been curious since a while back. Why is it that I must not see Alethea? And damn it, why must she be confined in the middle of the forest in the first place?"
Ronan heaved a sigh. "I don't want to lose either of you." He simply said.
William calmed down immediately he heard his fathers words. "What… do you mean by that?" He asked.
Ronan looked away from his son. "I can't get into any more detail that that. Just know that Alethea is off-limits."
William got pissed off once again. "You are always like this. You always avoid telling me the actual reasons behind your actions and just simply restrict me from doing things!" He sighed, and continued, "If I could have stopped, I would have done that already. I'm at a point where I can no longer stop myself." He then walked out after making himself clear, and his mother immediately followed after him.
….
Eldrid Castle
Nimueh was in her quarters—her shrine, specifically. She was busy pouring ashes on the burning coals, but her expression seemed like that of one who was in deep thoughts.
"My son said that he sees a girl in his dream every night. I'm afraid the girl he is seeing might be his dead twin sister." Queen Nemarie's words replayed in her head.
"A girl, eh?" Nimueh said with a sinister smile, as she continued pouring ashes on the burning coals, muttering some incantations.
After a while, the same dark energy that she had created seventeen years ago appeared and began to travel at a very fast speed.
In no time, the dark energy had traveled past the Black Forest and was approaching the house Alethea was confined in.
Alethea, who had sensed that something was wrong, immediately locked her doors, and hid herself under her blankets, whispering the words, "I'm not scared at all." over and over again, while the doors of the house shook as if someone was trying to break in.
Meanwhile, outside the house, the quartz stones glowed, and it served as a barrier which prevented the dark energy from moving anywhere close to the house. At the end, the dark energy turned right back and disappeared.
Alethea who was still hidden under her blanket continued to whisper to herself until she heard a groaning sound coming from outside. It sounded like someone was in pain.
She slowly got out of her blanket and took a pot from inside, before unlocking the door, and slowly walking out of the house.
She didn't see anyone, so she was confused, but she still continued to observe her surroundings as she went to the backyard. On the floor, in the backyard, laid her favorite kite, and that shocked Alethea, but she also saw something else that shocked her more.
Alexander was lying down on the ground not that far away from where the kite was. His trousers were stained with blood at the knee side, and his breathing was haggard.
….
Alethea and Alexander were seated on the bench seat in front of the entrance of her house, as Alethea nursed the bruises on his face.
"Ow!" Alexander exclaimed as Alethea pressed on his face with a clothe.
Alethea shook her head. "There should be a limit to how foolish one can be. This stupid kite was hardly worth climbing a rock for!" She scolded him.
Alexander frowned. "What? Did you just say 'stupid kite'? You told me it was special, so I got it back for you, and yet, you are so ungrateful!" He complained, and humphed in dissatisfaction.
"There's nothing more valuable than a human life!" She replied as she picked up the torn kite. "Also, if you were going to bring it back, you should have brought it back nicely. Just look at this, it's all torn up."
Alexander scoffed. "Wow, fine. I'm the crazy one here. I went through all of these trouble just got that useless kite. Ow…" He exclaimed in pain when Alethea pressed on the wound on his knee with the clothe.
"Hey, take it easy, will you? It hurts!" Alexander whined, and Alethea became gentler as she massaged his wound.
Alexander went quiet as he looked at her. He could help appreciating her beauty. Her pale skin was even glowing under the moonlight.
When Alethea looked up at him, he then looked away and coughed. "All done!" Alethea said.
"Huh?… oh, right." He said as he pulled down the trouser which he had earlier pulled up to give her access to his knee wound.
When Alethea saw him pull his trouser and wear his boots. She looked at him in confusion and asked, "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I've to go back home. My mother must be worried sick."
"At this time of the night?" She asked in concern. "It's too dark now, it'll be dangerous in the forest. Leave when the sun rises."
Alexander paused his movements when he heard her innocent suggestion. "Are… are you saying I should spend the night here?" He asked, but she only blinked innocently at him.
"Goodness! You should really fear men a bit more!" He said.
"If you want to leave, go ahead. It doesn't matter to me." Alethea then brutally said, without hesitation.
Alexander shook his head and sighed, before he then began to limp his way out of the compound of the house, but stopped when he got close to the quartz stones where he could see the Black Forest not so far away.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and go already!" Alethea urged him.
"I'm going!" Alexander yelled back, but he still didn't take a step forward.
Alethea smiled to herself when she saw this, and she muttered to herself. "Three… two… one." At the count of three, Alexander turned right back and went back to where she was sitting.
"Hey, I was thinking… What kind of a man would I be if I just leave you here all by yourself in such a dangerous place? So I'll do you a favor just this once, and sleep here tonight." Alexander shamelessly made up an excuse to stay so that his pride as a man wouldn't get more bruised than it already was, causing Alethea to smile.
"But we are not sleeping in the same room, are we?" Alexander suddenly asked, looking tensed.
"Of course not! You will sleep on the porch, while I sleep inside." Alethea answered.
"Oh, good." Alexander said, and then his eyes widened. "Wait, I'm sleeping outside?"
"Why? Are you scared?"
Alexander shook his head. "Of course not!… I just don't want to freeze to death out here. It's usually very cold at…" his words were cut off when a thick blanket and a pillow were thrown at him by Alethea, who he hadn't realize had gone inside while he was still speaking.