Return to Glory

What Comes Now?

As Alex had no intentions of being secretive with Aidan, she told him of her deductions, making it clear, however, that she honestly had very little proof to support them. Both concluded that the best they could do for the moment was stay alert, as it would be an overreaction to abandon everything due to a single, incomprehensible attack. Had they had something else that indicated that it truly had been deliberately against the prince, they would have considered proceeding differently. But as things were now, they'd try their best to go back to normal, with precautions.

Aidan had had combat training as part of his grooming as a child, but was rusty, so they decided they'd train together daily, so Alex also had the chance to remain active.

The three men's bodies were disposed of in the deepness of the woods. It was almost a day's work to take each one to the designated point, but both the prince and Alex knew it was necessary. Each one was taken in, about two miles away from the cabin, and left at a sacrifice point Aidan knew of, where it was common to leave offerings for the more menacing creatures of the forest. The couple had to be quick, and be sure not to remain there by the time night arrived, as the area was immune to the repellant charms they were carrying for just in case.

The last body was placed on the small altar just a while before the red-orange rays of the sun began to indicate the end of its descent. As soon as they had finished loading him onto the flat surface along with his former companions, the couple said their quick words of respect, as these were expected, no matter the vileness or purity of the deceased person. "Pass on in peace," they both muttered, as tradition required, and promptly began to pace rapidly in the direction of their home. Even with such a large offering, nothing ensured they'd be safe from any attacks, and Alex hadn't had any encounters to practice for almost two months now, having been lucky enough to avoid stronger creatures for weeks before finding Aidan's cottage. But that meant that she was completely unaccustomed to such a type of fight, and knowing she had her prince near only put more pressure on her, as she felt the need to protect him.

Their steps began to increase in speed as they moved in silence towards their home, the cold air of the night slowly beginning to invade their surroundings. The creaking of branches all around made them start to run, intent on avoiding any encounters at all costs. Alex hadn't been in that area during her time lost in the woods, but by what Aidan told her, it was filled with magical creatures, both harmless as well as menacing. And they weren't about to tempt their luck waiting for the menacing ones to appear.

Luckily, as both were agile and determined in their walk, they quickly reached the cabin, finally letting out their sighs of relief as they finished passing the charms Aidan had placed around the area's perimeter.

"And now what?" the prince asked as they finally had the chance to look at one another.

"And now we go back to normal," the brunette replied, though both were aware that they still had the mess of blood to clean, and that they'd surely be on edge for some time.