I Scored Myself A Mate

Allias jumped scared and heavily breathing. Another nightmare again. He thought as his eyes faced the bright sun. He was resting underneath a tree at the royal garden, feeling the coolness of the shade when he slowly fell asleep only to remember one of his worst memories. Now just a few years later after he became an adult the murder scene still haunted him. 

They were trees like these the ones they would jump from and land like cats perfectly on their feet. Allias could only remember as blurry dark figures, since his eyes had become blurry from crying. To his small self they looked enormous and scary but probably now he was taller than them. 

From time to time he would think of that moment. The one he saw his father for the last time. As the years went by his smiling face, the calmness and love in his voice were slowly starting to fade away no matter how hard he tried to lock these images and sounds inside his heart. He kept trying and trying but every time the sun rose, a spec of his memory would become weaker and only the idea would remain.  The only picture he would never forget were his eyes. How he looked at him during his final moments. The eyes, which their color reminded him of his favorite caramel sweets had turned into a bitter medicine, or more fitting a poison. The way tears rolled down from their corners as he felt the cold blade pierce his skin. How his face got dirty from the mud. A man who always shone, standing tall and prideful was lying dead on the ground, unable to do anything to save himself just to…save his son. 

"My prince?" He heard someone call out. The voice signaled a young individual who was running. Soon in front of him appeared Ea. A small elf of the Disee Tribe, the son of a royal family. He was running towards him, his chubby cheeks flushed and when he stood in front of him he tried to bow but instead he ended up supporting himself on his knees to take a breath. He couldn't be older than ten years old.

"Ea? When did you get here? Was your family supposed to visit?" Allias asked him still sitting on the rich green grass and he signaled with his hand for the boy to come closer. With a bright smile Ea sat down at first and then with no shame at all he laid on Allias' lap, dark hair contrasting with his white trousers. The boy chuckled and wiggled around to get comfortable. Allias had already forgotten the dread his dream had caused him. He was looking at the child's peaceful face and he smiled faintly. "So, will you tell me?" He asked him again.

"Oh, yes. My dad said he wanted to talk about something with the Queen. So I begged him to bring me along to see you!" The boy exclaimed happily and the prince began playing with his hair. "Can we go to the lake again? I think I can get some fish this time. I practiced" 

"And where did you practice exactly? Because there are no lakes in the Disee Capital?" Allias asked him.

"I practiced at the fountain in front of our estate." Ea mumbled embarrassed and closed his eyes, hiding his face on his lap when the prince began laughing. 

"Well I am sure you will be a great fisherman then" He told him. "How about we get up. I need to greet your father."

"But it's so nice here" Ea told him. "Can't we stay a bit more?"

"No sir. We can't. Come on now. Up, up or I will drop you" He cheekily threatened him and the young elf stood up with a very obvious pout. Allias followed, ignoring the green stains on his trousers as he walked. He took Ea's small hand and began walking through the garden when he noticed that something was off. Everything was unusually quiet. He stopped to look around, the flowers were in full bloom and the leaves of the tress were slowly dancing from a light breeze that had just began. He heard loud rustling and his heart began to speed up. He took Ea in his arms and ignored all of the child's questions as he began running. When he entered the throne room, out of breath and with a manic look on his eyes the queen stopped her conversation with Ea's father and looked at him, utterly confused. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Send guards to the royal garden I believe someone has entered the palace." Allias said.

"Are you two alright?" Ea's father asked and the prince nodded. The child was clutching onto him, hiding on the crook of his neck as they spoke. He must have scared him. 

"Yes we are but mother. Please send someone to check."

"Did you have nightmares again?" The woman asked him. 

"What? What does that have to do with anything?" Allias asked her. 

"It has. When you become delusional and think everyone is after you. It's been such a long time Allias. You need to let go. No one could go through the palace's walls." 

"Mother, I know how this sounds but I am sure I heard it." Allias said trying to convince. 

"It could simply be an animal."

"An animal wouldn't sound like a grown man was walking through the leaves."

"Allias. Let go of Ea and go rest."

"No!" Ea shouted and held the elf prince with more strength. He didn't seem to want to let go of him. Even when his father approached them and tried to get him off he was still latching onto him. He had to threaten him that they would leave the palace and go back home if he didn't reform this instant. Scared that he wouldn't get to spent time with him Ea returned in his father's embrace and waved goodbye at him with teary eyes. 

The prince knowing that he had no other chance he went back to his room, hoping that his mother wouldn't pay him a visit later to scold him about his embarrassing behavior. She never believed him when it came to stuff that could end up being dangerous. She blamed the trauma, as she called it from witnessing his father's death. Maybe it was that. Maybe he indeed had become overly conscious of everything scared that something like that might repeat itself but today, he had clearly heard it. That sound that so much reminded him of the death bringers. The same rustling and light steps. Could it be them? Returning to finish what they left off?

Allias' mind would wonder like this for hours visiting dark places that filled him with anxiety. He would wonder if these people were planning to come after him and his family one day. As he laid on his bed, playing with the edge of his silk sheets, twisting it between his fingers he would think and think until he looked at his mirror, the one with the golden frame and realized that it was already night. The mirrored showed perfectly the outside, facing the balcony door. The prince stared at it for a while looking at the stars, the clear of clouds sky. It was a beautiful night but his mind was being once more tortured. 

Unfortunately, he couldn't ignore the sound when he heard it again. Someone was climbing. Allias was sure of it and he stood up as fast as he could. As the stranger was getting closer he could even hear his breathing. He hid at the wall just where the balcony began, his back stuck on it feeling the light curtains move with every slight breath he took. This person, the one who seemed to be planning to enter his room so shamelessly that he didn't try to camouflage himself was probably the same one as before. Allias stopped breathing and looked at the letter opener on his nightstand. A silver miniature blade with a very pretty round gem at the handle, that resembled the color of his eyes, a gift from his mother on his eighteenth birthday. It was sharp enough, a much better option than facing this dangerous stranger bare handed. 

He saw his shadow as he jumped up on the balcony. His steps were heavy as he headed towards the door. Allias in an instant had jumped out and with as much force as he had, untrained and scared he pushed him back bringing him to the railings. His eyes were closed afraid to look at the name of his possible killer and he swung the letter opener in the air and he knew he had managed to hit his target when he finally heard him gasp. 

"Ha!" Allias exclaimed proudly, sounding very silly. He was trying to force now the intruder to fall off the balcony, hopefully he would break his bones into thousands of pieces and wail in pain. 

"Stop. Stop it dammit!" The stranger shouted and grabbed the hand he was holding the letter opener with. Allias' eyes opened widely and in shock somehow, tripping on his own foot, lost in the confusion he managed to push him off. The man trying to calm him down was caught off guard when he was suddenly out in the open. "Shit" He shouted and Allias extended his hand to stop and catch him, his body bending over a bit too much resulting in both of them falling off after all.

He was literally freefalling.