Survive As The Brute's Wife

"Max!"

Alexandra held him around his waist.

"Max, do you hear me?"

She held him tighter as she could feel him getting heavy in her embrace. As she tried to hold him up, the brooch pin on his coat loosened and she saw it falling several feet down on a steep roof below. It slid down the vast sea of roof tiles and wobbled at the edge of the eaves end of the roof before it traveled down.

She couldn't see where it ended up as it was dark. 

Only then did she realize the height they are at. All the trees looked like grasses from the top of the tower they were standing at. If they fall, they would splatter on the roof hundreds of feet below, and if they survive that they'd still end up splattered on in the ground. They won't survive.

"Max!" she held his coat and tried to pull him inward.  But she felt his entire weight shifting where she was holding him as he had lost his consciousness. His feet tripped on hers.

"No!"

She screamed as he fell over the short railing of the tower. Her heavy clothing fluttered in the strong wind and she swayed along with the wind.

"Max!"

Without thinking twice, she jumped behind him and tried to hold his hand. She couldn't hold his hand as her skirt fluttered around slowing her down. She saw the distance between them widening and her heart pounded.

[He'll die! He cannot die! He can not die!]

At that moment, she was not thinking about herself who shared the same fate as Maximus. She would be splattered to death in just moments. She had vowed to survive this life and he is the one who shared the appearance of the one she loved and the one who betrayed her.  But when she saw that falling she forgot about everything else and jumped behind him.

What she remembered at that moment was his eyes filled with expectation that seemed to have a thousand words to say to her and his warm hand that always reaches for her when she needs it.

She didn't want him to die.

"Kefir!" She shouted. "Heed my voice and come hither!"

She didn't know how she uttered those words, but she did. And the wind that brushed her face as she fell, started to get dense and she started to float in the air as one would, inside water.

She didn't find the time to be surprised as her eyes were focused on Maximus who was falling in terminal velocity. There wasn't even a moment left before he would fall on his back on the roof.

[His spine would break!]

A bright light formed right under her and a familiar great white beast appeared. It was the lion that was white as frost and had the wings of an eagle. The same beast she saw in her memories of war.

"Max!" she screamed at the beast pointing at Maximus not minding herself although she was still "sinking" down.

But the beast didn't listen to her and flew towards her with its wings swirling, displacing the wind like a hurricane. It created wind so strong she saw the branches of the trees breaking and falling on the ground. 

[Cat? Is it you?]

She saw the blue eyes of the lion and she saw the round pupils and figured it should be the cat. She held the mane of the lion and straddled on its neck as it caught her.

"Max… Get him, Kefir…" she spoke to the lion but it paused mid-air.

"Help him, Kefir!"

Alexandra panicked and her heart skipped a beat as Maximus almost reached the roof. But before he could hit the roof, she saw him opening his eyes.

With a feathery touch, his feet landed on the roof and he looked up at her, sitting on the flying lion. Alexandra found her world stopping as her heart started to beat slower.

[He was conscious? Did he play me? Why?]

The lion flew down and she was on eye-level with Maximus. He smiled at her with his hands extended.

"You finally revealed yourself, Lexa!" He said with a grin. His grin held the pride of a family member and the relief of a lover.

[Revealed ?]

Only then did Alexandra realize that she is currently in the view of everyone by flying on a lion with wings. She knew the cat cannot be seen by others but the lion could be seen by the others.

She looked around to see deep woods on one side and the tall castle on the other. ON the castle walls there were some guards and hearing the sound some of them were looking in her direction.

[This was his plan? He pretended to faint to make me call Kefir?]

She felt her heart shattering to pieces. The fear she felt just moments ago as she thought she'd lose Maximus is now replaced with hurt by his behavior.

"Kefir, take me down…Please…" she whispered and leaned on the fluffy white mane of the lion, closing her eyes and covering herself from Maximus.

She heard him calling her name but she didn't like to see his face.

This time the lion listened to her and took her down. She realized that the lion didn't listen to her previously to expose Maximus.

[At least you truly care for me, Kefir…]

She softly caressed the mane of the lion.

The moment they reached the ground, Alexandra slid down from the lion.

[Disappear, Kefir…]

She talked to the lion in a pleading tone and the lion nodded and turned to the white cat.

"Lexa!"

She heard Maximus calling her as he got down from the roof. She didn't want to talk to him and ran towards the woods. Lifting her heavy skirt and not minding her shoes that were not designed for running in rough terrain, she ran as fast as her little feet took her.

The woods got denser as she ran inside and darkness surrounded her. Her chest got heavy and she stopped. Resting her hands on her knees she bent and panted as she couldn't run anymore. She turned to her side and saw the Kefir there and she found some strength.

"Lexa! Where are you?"

She heard Maximus' voice behind her and she started running again. She didn't know where she was going but at that moment she didn't want to see him and she started running.

The grove-like woods started to get denser and there were only dense, tall trees with vines creeping around the truck wherever the eyes can see. The trees seemed very ancient and the roots were tangled everywhere on the ground making it hard for her to run.

But she ran with determination because she didn't want to look back. The more she ran, the lower Maximus' voice got.

*Crack*

She heard cracking noises around and she started to feel fear. She looked to see the white cat not there.

Suddenly something dark, like smoke, started to rise from the ground. The air got heavy and it became harder for her to breathe.

*Hahahahaha*

She heard snickering laugh from the distance and her hands started to sting as the temperature started to drop.

"Kefir!"

She called for the lion – the only person she could trust.

Even as her heart is hurt by Maximus' weird behavior, she found solace that she found that there is someone she can trust.

"Kefir!"

*He won't come…*

The eerie voice that was smooth and yet fright-inducing made her alert. The laugh echoed everywhere and she couldn't pinpoint where the source of the voice is.

Darkness rose from the ground covering everything around making her visibility poor. Her heart started to pound and she took a careful step back. But she couldn't see anything around her and she started seeing dark skeleton hands creeping from the ground trying to grab her legs.

[What are these? And Kefir cannot enter this place..?]

One of the hands already grabbed her skirt and with difficulty, she tore her skirt from the knee down and threw it down. Her heart skipped a beat seeing those hands with sharp claws tearing her skirt apart with no difficulty.  She jumped around avoiding the creepy hands. Although her visibility is impaired, somehow she could sense the hands around and she could barely see.

[What can I do?] 

She remembered that she could control the elements of water and air. She remembered manipulating water by willing it to happen. Thinking that she could control the air the same way, she waved her hand for the dark mist to clear up.

But nothing happened.

*Hahahaha… You still are the same, Drovarys… I'm impressed that you still have a fight left in you… Why don't you just give up?*

The snickering voice started to creep closer to her making the hair on her skin stand up. She wondered how she could get out of her bind.

[Ah… If I channel the power of the beasts, I cannot use them in places they cannot enter?]

"Who are you? Have we met before?" She asked trying to figure out where the voice is coming from while dodging the hands.

[Ah… A sword would come in handy now… Max has a sword…]

She decided to call for Max. She was disappointed in him, but she had no other chance now. She's started to get scared.

But before she could raise her voice she felt heavy breathing on the crown of her head.

She looked up.

"Ahhhh…."