Magic of Two

Aftermath Alexander's view

The warmth that Alexander had felt beside him had disappeared, but he wasn't ready to wake up. He was still experiencing the events of last night in his dreams. He didn't want to wake up to find her gone. Alexander wasn't ready for that, he was swimming in the beautiful magic that was last night. He had felt his power grow, and strangely enough, it didn't seem to be stopping.

In fact, it seemed to be keeping him from reliving the events from the night before. He knew Sandra's warmth was long gone and that he would have to open his eyes and accept her disappearance. Though his pairing made things complicated politically, he didn't regret a moment of it.

After some time of laying still with his eyes closed, he felt a sharp kick to his ribs and reacted without thinking. His magic sliced through the air and wrapped around his assailant as though it was an invisible arm. The individual attacking him started cackling, "Alexander, it's me."

He let his power squeeze around the man that he knew was his best friend, which made him feel that the punishment should be a bit worse for him. Seeing as Trevor knew not to attack him in his sleep. The cackles soon turned to coughs and gasps of air in-between words asking for mercy, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Can you let me go and put some clothes on please?"

Alexander slowly released the spell, holding Trevor in the air, letting him land gently on the ground. "You may be my friend but," He cracked an eye open, surveying the large room, still full of naked people, some starting to become intimate again. "If any of these people were to actually notice what you were doing, I may lose my friend."

Trevor flinched at Alex's dark voice. "Yeah. "Sorry about that, kinda forgot that you were," He paused turning away as his friend dressed. "Well you."

Another pause in the conversation came as they worked their way out of the room. Servants and maids already attempting to clean the room up and get it ready for a less risqué ball. The next one was supposed to be his own pairing ceremony with Crystal, a princess who was third or fourth in line for her own throne. Alex himself was fifth in line for the throne. It was a match that drew their respective countries together.

Crystal is from Maristillia, one of their closest allies for the last fifty years, and the king had decided it was time for their countries to start familial relations to try to keep the alliance going, as Crystal's father was on the brink of breaking the alliance. He was of the opinion that the two countries would be stronger under one kingdom, and that was his.

Logan, the ruler of his own kingdom, didn't like that idea, so he pushed the marriage to one of the Dukedoms in order to appease the king of Maristilla. Thinking about it now, a part of the reason why he wasn't supposed to go to these particular balls is to keep him from matching up with someone like he did, as part of marrying into the royal family of any kingdom was to go through with the forced pairing ceremony.

"I don't know what I am going to do Trev." Alex said, going to lean up against the outside wall. "I knew I shouldn't have gone, something was obviously going to happen. It was obvious why my father forbade me. What was I thinking?"

Trevor looked at his morose friend, taking in his disheveled appearance, and noting his grim attitude, "You matched with someone. You didn't just bed that girl, your magic paired together."

Alex flinched at his friend's astonished tone, "Yes. "We both know it will likely mean war now." He was going to be the cause of two nations going to war. The only reason the King of Maristilla was not going to invade their country was because of him being able to marry a daughter into the line of succession. "My father is going to be furious. The king might have me killed. f**k, this wasn't supposed to happen."

His eyes were closed as he banged his head against the wall, trying to get himself to truly regret what he did last night, and yet he couldn't. Sandra's bright golden eyes swam through his mind as he remembered him touching her and running his hands through her dark, brown-black hair. Her moans and sighs haunted him.

Alexander was pulled from his memory by the echo of steel on the pavement and his father's voice yelling at someone that he didn't know. "How could you let him escape his room?! This was your one task, the most important one of the this year! Take Nathan to the cells. IF Alexander has paired with someone we will need a good excuse and your neck is as good as any!"

Alex had never heard his father threaten execution on anyone. It was unheard of in their Dukedom, and was part of the reason why Maristilla's ruler decided on marrying his daughter to them. "Father," He said in a loud voice making Trevor and the poor man Nathan jump in fright, "You will not execute this man. I had no idea that he wasn't supposed to let me leave my rooms. Nor did I know I was being held captive in my own home. I will take responsibility for my own actions."

"You stupid boy," His father yelled at him. "This simply isn't about you being held captive, the princess is here, she is here and is expecting a unmatched lover. You have gone and ruined everything. The kings of both nations are due to arrive in three days. Did you match with someone? Are you paired?"

Alex knew that admitting the truth would likely mean his own head but he couldn't see an innocent person die for his mistakes. "I am."

The whole area was still, everyone staring at Alex in shock. Alex had never disobeyed his father before. In all the time that he had lived. Impossible challenges set forth by his father like becoming the most decorated duelist in all the Kingdom, mastering 17 languages before his 15th year, befriending the prince of their kingdom in reality and not just politically, all had been achieved. This was the first time Alex's father would consider him a failure.

"I was curious about what happened during a matching, a real matching. Not one carefully orchestrated by master priests." He said to start defending himself.

His father roared in anger not letting him get any more words out and screamed, "Take my son.. No not my son, he is no longer my son." The mans black eyes traveled around and landed on Trevor, "You. You are the closest thing to a son I have. Unmatched and unseen. It is a good thing you are already to be rumored to be my bastard."

Alex froze in shock unable to believe what he was hearing. The man who had always taught him to be right and noble, to never lie, to take responsibility of one's actions was disowning him. He looked at his friend, taking in the coppery brown hair that did look similar to his fathers and the dark black eyes, 'are their eyes the same?'

Trevor's face was stone, no sign of what he was feeling was betrayed on his face, "My lord the Duke sir, I am most humbled by your thought of me as a possible son but do they not already know who it is the princess is going to be married to?"

"No." Alex's father sternly stated, "I just stated a son of mine. Hurry shackle Alex and bring this Trevor to the castle. We must hurry. I must write the king at once to make sure this is a flawless event. We must not let this come to war."

Alex's heart sank. In all his life, his father had never treated him so coldly, or without compassion. He had never seen this side of the man. 'Is this who my father truly is?'

The pain that grew inside Alex until it was on the brink of making him collapse. That was until a fleeting melody entered his mind, and he felt a soft warm touch to his mind with concern an worry. "Sandra." He whispered in a relieved sigh.