I Scored Myself A Mate

The tension seemed to be resolved a bit. Still both of them were a bit tense, the remnants of their emotions faint in their hearts but Allias hoped this would be the last time. Both of them had decided it would be best if they put all of their focus in Ares' case, that was the right thing and it would reassure them, even the slightest lead was going to be progress. Theseus was heading towards Ea's room, he wanted to ask him if he sent out the letter and if he had received an answer or not but he didn't have to, he met the young elf right at the moment he was getting in his room. 

"Hey." He called out and Ea, startled since he was occupied by his own thoughts jumped a bit. "Sorry didn't mean to scare you." He said. 

"It's fine." Ea answered and opened the door. He held it open for Theseus to walk in and closed it right after he had entered. The general looked around a bit, realizing that his room had never really changed from the moment he met him. "is there anything you need?" he asked, surprised as to why Theseus had found himself in his room. 

"No, no. I just wanted to know if you sent the message to Amelia." The white haired man said, playing awkwardly with his fingertips. 

"Yes, I did. We just have to wait for a reply. Honestly I hope she answers soon. We don't have that much time." He stated and Theseus nodded, agreeing with him. There was a slight silence that followed, lasting for two whole minutes before the small elf spoke again. "Was that all?" 

"I…I wanted to see how you feel. With everything. Are you alright?" Theseus asked him. Such a foolish question. How could someone be alright after what he had been through. The thought of losing the love of your life, the fear of being alone forever, the uncertainty and that piercing pain in your chest, numbing your whole mind and body, Theseus knew it very well. That's why he was worried about Ea. 

"Thanks, but there is nothing really to say." Ea said as he started to settle a few papers on top of his desk. He tried to keep himself busy, do something because waiting was simply too torturing. He expected Theseus to leave, his intent of not sharing his thoughts with him was obvious but the general for some unknown reason had chosen to stay. When Ea turned around, holding a few papers that were intended to be thrown in the trash Theseus was sitting on his bed looking at him. "What?" 

"We are friends, right?" Theseus asked him, surprising him. 

"Why are you asking me that out of the blue?" Ea told him. 

"As a friend I should be with you. If you want to talk to me, tell me about your feelings…"

"You and I both know you don't do feelings the best way." Ea told him and the general smirk. 

"True." He agreed shrugging his shoulders. "I believe though that I might understand your pain. Even a little bit I think that if you wanted to talk to me I could lessen your burden." Theseus said. Ea looked at him for a while. In all honesty for a second he had believed he was joking but the white haired elf seemed completely serious. Ea wasn't really the type that could express his feelings well, especially feelings like the one he was having right now. He walked slowly, sitting on the bed next to the general and looked at his shoes. 

"I…it's not really that I don't want to talk about it. I just, don't know how." Ea mumbled. He felt Theseus' hand resting on his back and turned his head to the side to meet the eyes of the only person he had ever considered a friend. 

"You know. I held Allias in my hands as he died, a screamed his name, begged the gods to bring him back and as I watched him disappear I hoped that I could disappear with him too. But that wasn't the hardest part. It was the pain that followed, the endless loneliness and all of the things that I had been used to doing, naturally had turned into nightmares. Waking up next to him, back then I would extend my arm and the spot would be empty, an overwhelming feeling of sadness would come over me and I would start crying, just because of that. I would sit on his throne, see the same things he saw from that gold chair and feel like I wasn't supposed to be there. For a while I felt his face fade from my memory and I was terrified, I trashed my room that night, wanting to rip my brain out just at the thought of forgetting him…" Theseus was talking about his experience, hoping that the small elf would want to share his feeling with him. He was going to speak a bit more but he heard Ea sniffling, he turned to the side to see him cry and wipe eagerly his eyes with the ends of his sleeves. 

"What if he never comes back?" He cried, his sorrowful expression hidden by his long sleeves. "What if I am left here, all alone and the only thing I have of him, our last memory is with us fighting, with us ending things so horribly? I can't bear it, even the thought of a morning without him burns my chest and I…I can't deal with it. There are so many things I need to tell him. So many I love you that I never said because I am an idiot. I…I just wished I could have been more honest with myself because when I saw his body, when I felt his blood on my hands and when I watched him die through our link I regretted everything. All of my decisions, all of my harsh words. It really took just one second, just a look in his regretful eyes for me to realize that it doesn't matter. Nothing else does as long as I get to have him by my side. I don't care what he did before, I don't care who he was, none of that matters if I can't have him as he is now." He told Theseus, his tears flowing like small waterfalls, damping his sleeves. "he called out my name, his last word was my name and I… I had been such an idiot. I wasted so much time, I took everything for granted and ruined it. What if I don't get him back? What if I am being punished? Ares was so kind, honest and I…what am I? A coward. I had never imagined a life without him, I always believed he would be there and now, now I want to rip my skin off, I want to simply disappear. I want to scream and cry and cry but I can't. I have to stand on my feet, I have to do something, move search for him because if I am left alone with my thoughts, even for a second I will collapse." 

"Ea, look at me." Theseus said and cupped his face. Forcing him to stop rubbing his face with his sleeves which had turned a bright red. The area around his eyes had been swollen and agitated. "We will find him. We will find my brother. I swear. No matter what he will come back to you." He told him and the small elf cried loudly, like a child. Theseus hugged him, squeezing him in his arms.

"I…I won't be able to live if he doesn't come back. Theseus I…" Ea cried, his words muffled. 

"Don't say that. Don't think like that. I will help you, all of us will and Ares will return, I promise you." He whispered as he caressed his back when a knock was heard on the door. Ea jumped slightly, startled once more and Theseus giggled as he stood up.  He opened the door and faced a soldier. He was surprised at first since he was looking for Ea but Theseus' strict look made him speak. 

"There is a woman in the palace's gates, she is looking for you. A witch." The soldier said.