I Scored Myself A Mate

He couldn't bear to hear it. It was like a spell filled with malice. Hearing Theseus tell him he would die, it hurt, it hurt more than the arrow on his shoulder, than the pain he had to go through that horrible week until his head healed. Just the thought of it was devastating. 

"Don't say that!" Alex shouted, punching lightly Theseus' chest. "You have to live. You have to." He told him, his voice weak. Why was he feeling like this? Petrified by images of him being gone, desperate to keep him alive. He barely knew him, he had talked to him twice so why? Why did he have such a huge impact on him? "I don't know what's going on." Alex mumbled, filled with confusion. "I don't know why I feel this way" he said, his eyes staring at the soil, his fists dived deep into the dirt when he heard the stranger with the red eyes talk to him.

"Isn't it obvious?" The young elf said and Alex looked at him. "You love him, that's why you don't want him to die. That's why you didn't hesitate to jump in front of that arrow. I'm sure you felt like it had happened before, right? Maybe a faint feeling?" He asked him.

"Ares!" Theseus scolded him but his brother ignored him. He walked slowly towards the confused king and sat down, placing his palm on his good shoulder, his eyes glued on the green orbs. "For how long are you going to keep running away?" He asked him and Alex's eyes turned round, his lips parting as he inhaled slowly.

He was running away? From what? He wondered.

"I know you've been through a lot. I know living must hurt and I know that sometimes you feel so alone you're desperate. I knew how you felt, we all did and I am sorry we couldn't help you. But my brother, he almost went insane longing for you. If it's not for you, if it's not for your people or for us, then it's for him. You have to remember for him. Your time is up, you need to come home." He said, his voice strict.

"Ares, you don't have to pressure him like that. He is confused." Theseus said as his brother stood up. The young prince scoffed, his eyes mockingly landing on his brother.

"He is not confused. He is lying to himself. He is scared. He found an easy way out and he doesn't want to come back. It's not that he can't. He didn't want to be himself anymore. That's why he lost his magic too. Isn't that right?" Ares asked, a grin on his face as he looked at the stunned king. 

Alex stood up, taking a few steps away from everyone, feeling the sharp tip of the arrow deep into his skin move as he breathed.

"Alex…" Theseus called out his name. "It's fine. You can take your time, it will…"

"No you can't!" Ares shouted. "You can't take your time and your name is not Alex, it's Allias. You are the king of the elf nation and all of us are your subjects. There is a bloody kingdom once again drowned in snow waiting for you and Ea is ready to collapse while you two have been touring the Veil. Get your sit together, stop babying him"

"Can you shut up for once!" Theseus screamed at his brother, grabbing him by the collar of his tailored shirt. Ares grabbed his hand, pulling it away and clicked his tongue.

"It's nice to see you after three years but honestly…" he told Allias. "I am disappointed in you. Hiding behind this whole I can't remember facade when I know very well that if you wanted to remember with the power you have you could have done so. You're one of the strongest creatures on the Veil and you're telling me that for three years you were unable to even remember your lover? The one you actually died for before? It's not that you can't, it's that you won't and that is depressing." Ares said.

"I…" Alex mumbled. He felt his head heavy, his heart was beating loudly between his ears and the world seemed to spin. "I'm sorry" he said, trying to avoid all of them.

"He doesn't know what he is talking about." Theseus said between gritted teeth.

"I know very well what I am talking about. You almost went insane. Mark has been traveling for three years away from his partner, Ea is exhausted, doing what was supposed to be his job and I...I can't stop feeling fucking guilty for everything!" Ares screamed. "You called me here for what? To pat his head? Every single day for three years I prayed that he was alive, I hoped that I wasn't the reason he died. All of us, I wish we could have helped him, I wish we were better, less selfish, I wish I understood back then what he went through, how hard it was but now...when he is like this...how are we going to fix anything when he reached the point of not wanting to come back?" 

"I think that's enough" Mark said,not sharing their aggression.

"No it's not enough" Ares said, unable to stop their heated argument and Theseus started swearing at him.

"He ran away" The red head told them, looking at them with an expression that showed clearly that from now on he considered them as idiots.

"What?" Both brothers said at the same time and their heads snapped towards where Alex was supposed to be. 

He had disappeared. 

"You guys really….it would be nice if you could get along just for once. You know, so you won't forget that the point here is to make the king remember and not your childish fighting!" Mark shouted in their faces before he sighed loudly. "Go, go find him" he said, waving his hand. 

"I won't be letting Ares search alone for Allias, he will start attacking him again" Theseus said with a frown.

"Was I wrong though?" The red eyed elf asked, raising an eyebrow and his brother found himself unable to answer. 

"Just go before I fucking kill you.." Mark threatened them between gritted teeth.