Everything's Fair in Love and War - An Amourshipping story

Chapter 25 - Shattered Glass

Alec's troops who had sped off without him, screeched to a halt at the open gates. Their horses were held back rudely and they stared at the unprotected entrance of the castle. Bare dust and patches of grass that had withered from negligence lay everywhere; but a guard, or a soldier, or a friend of the enemy were no where in sight.

Even though the gates lay open, they stayed put. They suspected a trap and waited till their leader appeared. Many mounted off their horses and even though they faked confidence, they were confused beyond words.

Serena watched them from the window. She placed herself on the dusty sill that lay at the edge of the hall. Through the rain that grew less intense, she could read their faces very clearly, and her mind was in a very similar muddle. She had heard the glass shatter, and startled, she had ran out of her room. Her footsteps bounced off the walls and the sudden noise calmed her. The glass, her shoes; the castle felt wrongly silent. 

The hustling in the corridors only remained as a distant memory and she felt like it had always been this way forever. Faces of familiar butlers and maids quickly passed through her mind before it returned to the empty gloomy silence. She walked along the first floor and let her hands slide through the wallpaper, occasionally stumbling across locked rooms. Her thoughts were empty and she aimlessly walked to the staircase at the very end. 

Since she was only looking ahead, she stopped following her hand and stepped back in surprise when her fingers met an open door. It was Delia's room. She was on her bed with her head in her palms. Jessie and James were seated on either side, with their hands on her shoulders; wordlessly trying to calm her down.

 Her highness was already calm, to be frank. But her peace had been the result of a long drawn internal battle. She ran out of tears hours ago, even though she wasn't done crying; she was never going to be done. She cried because of helplessness. And that that was all she could do when her own sons were out to end each other.

James briefly looked up and met her gaze. She stiffened at the attention. He looked at Jessie and with a motion of their hands, they shooed her away. Suddenly she remembered why she had left in the first place - the glass. She nodded and ran but her confidence betrayed her midway. She paused at the staircase and stepped back.

Terrifying red eyes crept into her mind. She clenched her fists at her chests.

'What if it was Alec?', a voice in her said.

That led her to the window. The huge source of light that faced the front of the palace. Lucy taught her how to dust a window at this very spot and she smiled emptily at the memory, placing herself against it. She had watched Ash and the guards move away from the front and though she was confused, she watched on. The front of the palace was now bare except for Alec's confused troops.

"Serena?"

She turned around to face Ash and shot a look at the window "They're here" she said, watching Ash take a few steps forward "But Alec's not with them".

"I know" Ash said, smiling and placing a hand on the window sill. Serena turned to look at him, "I'm confused" she remarked.

"It'll soon make sense" he said, placing his hand on her shoulder and slowly pulling her into a hug. They couldn't see each others faces, but their voices were heard perfectly well.

She closed her eyes and placed her head on Ash's shoulder. The words that had been stuck in her throat, since the very beginning, let themselves loose "Are you going to.....kill Alec?", she asked. She knew the answer but was scared; Alec had been ruthless and was the sole cause for all of Ash's misery. She knew that every gentle person had a limit and in her heart she knew that Ash would remain as loving as ever; it was selfish and very senseless, considering all that he had been through.

"No" Ash replied,  "A person can be hurt in so many ways; hurting them physically is just one of them. Not that me and you know anything less about that."

Serena squeezed her eyes shut, she didn't want him to continue. Why did those words sound so malicious? "What are you getting at?" she paused to swallow "What do you plan to do?"

"I only broke the glass", he mumbled "And that's all I am doing. It's cruel and hypocritical, but I don't want to get rid of him.....not that I could even if I tried."

"He has a human soul."  Ash mumbled, his voice wavering "Just like any other person, he is tied down by memories and feelings and they -- they'll all bring him back."

Serena pulled herself away and looked at him. Her blue eyes met his brown one, which were glazed over; it was brief and he looked the away to the ground. She gently kissed his forehead, her palm cupping his face "It's okay" she said, smiling softly "It's okay to cry"

"It'll all be fine" she added "We'll go back to happiness."

~~~

Alec's only remaining guard - Cain - had watched the arrow hit the tapestry. His dedication, which was built on the foundation of fear, prevented him from questioning his motive. However, he was worried. Alec had almost taken their lives when he realized he was tricked and that was barely an hour ago. Where did all the rage go?

"My lord?", he asked, guiding the horse to his master "Are you okay?"

Alec refused to reply and stared out of the window. The fabric lay helplessly and his mind dissolved into a mess. The image of his father flashed on and off, and for the first time, in his entire life, did he look at his father in fear. 

Awe, respect, admiration - but never fear.

"Alec" he said. "My name is Alec. Just like yours."

He wanted the sound of the glass to revive him. Noise and destruction kept him alive and he hoped to feed off the million shattered pieces; he waited for the chaos, but the arrow only flew on ahead, striking the tapestry.

"He pulled out an arrow" the boy mimicked the action "And then 'THWANG!' it hit me."

When it left the bow, the weapon belonged to him. It belonged to Alec, a man whose success was counted in blood and misery. But when it entered his room, it changed its master, it was no longer Alec's slave. It suddenly belonged to Red.

And just like Red, with overflowing loyalty, it split them in two.

He would've never said this before, but he hated that he and his father were on one side.

A/N~~~~~~~~~

Double update!