Concealed Love

Chapter-26 His past II

         Asfet and Al sat there, waiting for someone to come search for her. By looking at the surroundings he summed up that it was below his previous hunting ground and with the help of his sword he should be able to fly up there.

          His people must be looking for him as they should have got the news of the general's betrayal, they had killed all the soldiers positioned on the border so they were sure to have found out.

           The forest was dangerous, it was right in the middle of both empires so there ought to be monsters everywhere. He accompanied Asfet as they kept talking about her situation and home.

          She said " I love mommy most, she always play with me but sometimes, I wish daddy could play with me too, he is never home. "

            Al looked at the cute little girl and said, " Don't worry I'm sure he will if you ask him to, he must have been busy. "

          She smiled and said, " Yeah, daddy loves me a lot, he even gave me my own private castle and whatever I ask of but I'm rarely allowed out of it, mom says it's because it's dangerous outside. "

           He smiled, " Oh, your mom is right, you cannot go out on your own okay?, there are a lot of scary monsters outside. Do you live in the castle with you mommy and daddy? "

            "Nope, I live with the guards and maids, they are really nice to me hehe... Mom and dad live at the big castle, it's really big and pretty, I secretly sneak in from time to time hehe. " She was still a kid oblivious of her environment.

            Al was surprised by her words, " You are not allowed to go in the big castle? "

             " Yes, dad put up a big sparkling wall around my castle so I can't go out but he didn't know that I have a secret hole in the back of the castle, but mom found out about it when she visited me last time and she scolded me telling me not to go out of ther again, so I never did." She didn't knew that her environment was different or strange at all.

             " So why are you out here today? " From her words he knew that the little girl was kept isolated from the world and even from her family, and by her description of her family, she seemed to have been from a noble family or perhaps the daughter of the demon king. But why will they keep her away even from her mother?

               The girl giggled " It's my birthday today so I'm allowed to go out, every year on my birthday dad allows mommy and me to go out together. Mommy is so cool she sees everything, the last time she said that I'll meet a good brother here and I really did, oh and that, she said that I could also share the potion with you."

           He was stunned, " You're mother knew you'll meet me? "

          She replied cheerfully " Ummn "

         "What... " Suddenly a wild bear appeared and saw them in thier hiding place.

           It came charging on towards them and Al warned Asfet not to come out and rushed out before it could reached them and slashed the Bear's head off, then he heard some peoples shouts, "Princess, princess, are you there? "

          Before their voice got any clearer a woman came out from among the trees, she was a woman with slim features, porcelain skin and a long black hair, darker than the night with bright golden eyes.

           She came up to him slowly and smiled, than turned towards Asfet and said " Asfet dear, come let's go home. "

            The little girl rush out to embrace her shouting, " Mommy, you found me. "

            " Of course my child, mommy will always find you, now say goodbye to this big brother, we're going back. " She said gently as if her daughter was never lost and as if she had known the boy standing in front of her.

            Al asked " Who are you? "

             She gave him a sweet smile " I am an Oracle, and the last of my kind. That's all you need to know, now hurry on before the others see you. " Her voice was kind and warm.

             Al understood, if the other demons arrived, they will find out right away that he was a human. So he said "thank you " To her and patted Asfet one more time before landing on his sword and said " Thank you for saving me." He moved up towards the top of the cliff as the little girl shouted, " Good bye big brother. "

          Al got inside the border of his kingdom and pondered, ' they called her a princess so she really was the demon kings daughter, and the lady said she was an Oracle, I never knew they really existed. Even so I never found out why she allowed Asfet to safe me. '

           He wondered alone for some time and soon some of the new soldiers on patrol noticed him. They ran up to him at first suspiciously as they were informed that he was dead but after seeing the sword in his position they knew he could not be an imposter.

           He was still aloof and without emotions in front of them. He may have got his emotions back but he had no particular feeling about it, he was determined to remain emotionless like his old self. The humans saw him as a perfect person fit perfectly for ruling the nation mostly because he had no feelings and subsequently he also had no desire of monopoly. Sure he may lack love for his people but to them as long as he could defeat the demons, he was the ideal ruler. So if it was revealed that his chains were broken  there will be internal chaos, and as such, Al decided to live on by killing his feelings.

               When he arrive home he met several shocking stares and gasps followed by a happy howling cheers of the people. They had been disheartened when they heard of his dead but his living face brought back their hope along with their smiles.

              He told his father and the other generals that he escaped the fall as he was caught by the branches of a big tree. No one had ever been below the border so they believe whatever he said. Besides the only thing that mattered was that he was alive, he didn't matter because they love and worry for him but because if he had died their plans would have failed and they would have to suffer much more losses. His father only asked him if he was okay and called for the imperial doctor without more sentiment.

           One of his guards informed him that, the general and his family had fled from their home before they could get him and his whereabouts were still unknown. Al understood that the general probably never returned back after he attacked him.

             His mother ran to him as soon as she head that her son came back alive, crying loudly as she held his hand, she was wearing a mourning dress with her unkempt hair down. She stayed like it for a while without a word and for the first time in his life Al felt the warmth of a mother.

             His mother, the empress was a woman of few words, she does her duty and most of the time keep herself coped up in her chambers, she also never gave much attention to Al but even so, she was a mother who loved her child.

             He tried to embrace his crying mother and tell her not to be sad and that he had returned home safe and sound but the path he had chosen didn't let him do the wishes of his heart. So he could only watch as his mother cried in front of his face.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                  Years past and his knowledge and wisdom grew along with his power and it's stability. Time drew near for him to make his move against the demons, he had gone on several wars but always as a soldier or a general and never as a leader of them all.

                 All through the years he had never forgotten of the little girl that had saved him back than, she was the only thing that kept him with a little warm smile whenever he looked for comfort inside his memories.

              After he got back and made himself more stable he send out a secret spy to investigate of the demon King's family and through it he got to know that Asfet was the only daughter of the demon king and it was rumoured that the demon king married a descendant of an ancient oracle to gave birth to a child who can be his ultimate weapon.

               There was a legend that children between an oracles bless by the heavens and a demon abhorred by it would bring chaos, they had the power to destroy whatever was around them and also themselves. So the demon king wanted a son whom he can use and monopolise but instead of a son, the queen gave birth to a daughter and his dislike for her and the child grew. Still he wanted their power so he gave them whatever they needed except, love and freedom.

                Al heard of this and once, he snuck into the demon castle to see Ella but instead of her he met her mother. She had seen that he will be coming so she was waiting for her, she saw him and stopped him, " It is not the time for you to meet her again yet, in time it will come a day that you will be forced to see her again. At that time you will decide her faith. "

               Al asked her what she meant but she only told him that he'll eventually understand when the time comes so he asked her, " At that time did you know that I'll meet Asfet there, if so why did you save me. Was it you who made that potion"

              She answered him truthfully, " I knew but it was not me who decided to save you, it was what she would have eventually chosen. I only saw what would happen in the future, I don't have the power to change it. And the potion was one I had made for Ella, she was a child cursed by the heavens to bring chaos and in order to stop it I made a potion to break it but it is not enough for her as she was not cursed but the curse itself, she would have never existed if there was no such curse. But as for you who was cursed, it was able to break what you were never meant to have. "