Forgotten Memories

Chapter 9

Cole pulled up to the castle and got Arael out of the car before making his way up the stairs to the entrance. He knocked three times before standing back and looking around to make sure no one had followed them. The door opened to reveal his Maggie and he quickly rushed in. His father was on his way down the stairs when he noticed them.

"I'm sorry. I know you don't want us here but someone got into the house and hurt Arael and I didn't want to stay there in case they were still in the house. I wouldn't have come if I knew where else to go",he told his father frantically as they made their way to the living room. His father hurried to create space on the sofa for him to lay Arael down on.

"How did anyone find you?",his father asked him as he gently placed Arael's sleeping form down. He sighed and shook his head. They had always taken weird routes to get home so no one could ever follow them or predict their movements.

"I don't know",Cole whispered. His father could hear how tired and defeated he sounded even though he had tried to hide it. He could also see the pain Arael was putting his son through when he looked into his eyes. Cole's eyes had never seemed so dull and hopeless before. His father started to wonder if bringing Arael back was such a good idea after all.

"Cole, do you think it was such a good idea to bring her back? I mean she's only causing you pain, son... Don't you think it might be best to start letting her go?",the king asked his son. Cole glared at his father angrily before picking Arael back up.

"I wouldn't care if she locked me up and tortured me for the rest of my life. She is all I need and I'm not letting her go even if it kills me",he spat at his father before pushing past him and heading up the stairs to his room.

"Then I'm glad you're prepared because it probably will",his father muttered behind him. He knew he wasn't supposed to hear it but he did. Cole felt his anger melt away into sadness as he looked down at Arael. His father was right. The sleeping Angel in his arms would be the death of him and possibly herself as well if he could not get her to remember him.

His footsteps echoed around the empty halls of the castle. The cold marble floors and the tiled walls seemed colder than before. Everything seemed darker and more lifeless to him. Nothing he saw made him wonder about where it came from or how it had been made anymore like it used to. The ancient vases and paintings didn't grab his attention and pull him in anymore. It was as if as soon as his light, his love, had gone out, so did his love for everything else. He opened the door to his room and laughed humourlessly. Everything was staged. His room was done up perfectly so that it would be ready for unexpected cameras. Nothing about the room showed off who he really was. The walls were done with a dull grey and the floor and ceiling was done with white marble. In the centre of the room was a bed large enough for five with ancient wooden posts carved to perfection. The bedding was grey and dark blue and his wardrobe was the same blue. There was nothing special about his room. It didn't bother him before but he couldn't help but feel unwelcome when he walked in.

Cole called out for Maggie as he took Arael into his bathroom. Maggie hurried in, touching his shoulder gently to let him know that she could take it from there. He left the bathroom knowing Maggie would wash the blood out of her hair and off of her body. He grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt and headed to the bathroom in Arael's old room to shower. Her blood had gotten on him as well and he didn't want the first thing she saw to be him covered in blood. After washing himself and getting dressed, he headed back to his room where he saw Maggie brushing out Arael's long blonde hair. It was wet from being washed but Maggie had a towel with her to dry the hair as much as she could.

"I hope you don't mind, there weren't any clothes for her so I used yours",Maggie said as he walked towards them. He looked down at her dressed in one of his white t-shirts and a pair of his briefs. A small smile formed on his face at the sight of her in his clothes. They were much to big for her but at least that allowed for a bit more coverage for her.

"It's not a problem at all. Thank you so much for helping me, Maggie",he muttered as he placed a small kiss onto her head.

"I don't mind at all. I'd rather the girl keep her dignity and innocence by me doing it than having you ogling her bare body",she teased. There was a hint of honesty in her voice and he knew that she was actually serious about wanting to keep Arael's innocence.

Once she finished brushing and drying Arael's hair, Maggie left leaving Cole alone with Arael. He saw the bandage peaking out from the neckline of the shirt and smiled, knowing Maggie had wrapped the wound up once more with a new, clean dressing.

"I love you",he whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead before grabbing a pillow and a thin sheet and lying down next to her on the floor.