Awakened

Chapter 1

Xavier's POV

"Xavier," I turned on my heels and saw Camari at my open door with her knuckles against the door. She looked as pale as ever, and she gave me this look of sympathy that she knew I absolutely despised. I despised it because it made me seem like an open book. It made it seem like it was so easy to read me. She knew grief and guilt was eating me from the inside out and that is why she gave me that look of sympathy.

"Father asked me to call you.... did you-" I cut her off.

"Camari, I heard you the first time." I quipped sharply and looked back at the mirror to adjust my collar.

I knew what my father needed. He needed someone to take his anger out on, and what better instrument that the cause of his anger. Me.

I refused to collect my crown and throne. My father is unable to go to imperial hell without passing them down to me. He has been on the throne four more human years than he was supposed to, and in demon years that is about eighty years or more.

"Are you alright?" Camari placed her hand on my shoulder and asked me.

"Yes, I am," I lied. I feel numb inside actually, and I feel stupid and useless. After four good years, I was unable to wake Winter up from death. I tried and tried but to no avail. I had been through half the books in the library.

Most of the books were useless, some were just old journals that hadn't been filled in, and the rest, I just still had to look into them harder. My parents don't even let me see her, they feel it would make me get over her faster, but I don't even think I can ever get over Winter.

"You are clearly not okay Xavier... this is about her isn't it?" Camari asked.

"It would never stop being about her. It can't be about someone else."

"I mean she practically stabbed you in the back, but who's judging, not Camari. You are going to have to forget her sooner or later."

"Then what happens?" I asked.

"You bury her, that is what you do to dead people... look you did all you could, and you knew it was all going to be futile at the end If I were you-" I cut off Camari yet again.

"You aren't me," Camari raised her hands in surrender "It's all my fault," I turned to Camari and I met her with her head drawn back and her eyebrows knitted in confusion "I chased her away, I pushed her to fulfill the prophecy I didn't tell her about, I hurt her and now she hates me."

"Hate is such a strong word, Xavier, you know she does not hate you... If she did, she wouldn't take a deadly stab for you. Those evil people are gone and Meredith's getting her own punishment too"

"Meredith is sitting protected by a barrier, eating scones and drinking tea all day long. She sent Winter all the way to the Vatican city to fetch an ancient weapon to kill me"

"Sorry," Camari whispered.

"This has nothing to do with apologies. I have to go, I will talk to you later, if I run too late it would add to the list of reasons father wants to do away with my head" I guided Camari out of my bedroom then when we separated on the way I headed out to the courtyard.

My father, king Lucifer Hades was leaning on a stone ledge sharpening the blade of a sword.

"Good afternoon Xavier," my father said with his back turned to me.

"Good afternoon father," I picked up another sword from the stone ledge, I could see he was expecting this fight "Listen," I started.

"Are you ready?" he cut me off and admired his work in the sunlight.

"I understand you are upset with me," he pushed away from the stone ledge and settled on his back leg "and you want to go to imperial hell as soon as possible." My father made a jab in my direction and he barely missed me.

I jumped away immediately with my eyes wide and my breath quickening. He made a cut at me this time and I grabbed his bade. HORRIBLE IDEA. My father made sure to sharpen this sword well enough not to kill me but to make me take an unimaginable pain.

"Ugh f**k!" I exclaimed then released the blade. I saw my father looking at me with a rock-like expression, this man didn't show any emotion on his face except from anger and pure disgust. At least from what I remember. My palm started to stitch together on its own.

"Serves you right, next time you think before acting,"

"I wanted to talk to you,"

"Well I don't want to talk to you,"

"You're up to 1200, please act like it father," he scowled at me.

"Forgive me Xavier for not wanting to wait for my stupid son to wake up a girl who simply cannot be woken up, EVER!"

"If I try harder, I-"

"Haven't you tried hard enough Xavier... you are a prince and not just any prince, the heir of hell, the first child and boy to the royal family, the next in line to the throne. You should be doing your duty as king and as death and leading more people to hell, but instead you're down here, mourning the death of an eighty year old corpse,"

"That corpse is my wife,"

"So what!, all women in hell could be your wife, what's the hold up. Antonia wants to marry you" he boomed and I stepped back, he was holding a weapon and angry. There couldn't be a worse combination.

"I don't want to marry Antonia, I can't do that"

"You are being foolish,"

"Comes from a man who hasn't known love one day of his life,"

"I care about your mother, you know that."

"You wouldn't sleep around if you truly loved her"

"You need to watch your tone with me young man,"

"I am going to keep on trying to wake my wife up because I refuse to have children with anyone else,"

"So you think I am going to let YOU make ME stay here, I didn't raise you to be a dreamer Xavier,"

"You can force a crown on my head but you can't force me to do the things I ought to do to get the blessing of the supreme one, can you?"

"You will regret this, just bet on me." He stormed away, well that went well.

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"Xavier!" Camari whisper-yelled as she walked speedily into the room I was staying in "what do you think you are doing,"

"Nothing, just looking" I looked at Winter and brushed her pale cheeks then I ran my thumb over her bloodless lips, I missed these lips. I wanted a kiss from her, or a hug, or maybe her fingers buried in my hair.

"You know you aren't allowed in her, hell I am not even allowed in here, if father catches you he'll-"

"He'll what... he can't do anything to me, he needs me" I looked back at Winter.

"You aren't sleeping with her sleeping... dead body are you?"

"She isn't dead firstly and secondly sleeping in what sense?" she raised her eyebrow at me and I immediately understood what that eyebrow meant, s*x. Why in the world would I do that?

"Don't ask that question again Camari, you're not funny"

"I'm sorry, you look the part alright"

"I just wanted to see her face, you get that right... I miss her a lot"

"I know you do" she patted my back sympathetically "I don't want to be the one to suggest this Xavier..." Camari said and I looked at her.

"Suggest what?"

"Xavier please tell me you have thought about the worst thing to do on this planet..."

"I would know if I had thought about it if I actually knew what it was,"

"Let's say a little bird told you that if you got crowned you'd be able to consult Meredith for help"

"You know what... it has crossed my mind, NO WAY, Camari, father would end my life,"

"That's why he would be gone by the time you do it... think about it Xavier, Meredith is almost as old as that dagger she would know what to do, and it would probably be easy we just don't know where to look,"

"How do you know,"

"I do a little reading,"

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING IN HERE!!!" My mother asked with an angry expression on her face "Get out!"

"Sorry" we both chorused then speed-walked out of the room and down the hallway.

"Just so you know, I'm going to do it,"