KGWrites

Alyx

Alyx Cobalt’s Apartment, Falcon’s Nest Palace, Kingdom of Aldiron

Pain.

Alyx felt pain before she could even manage to open her eyes. It burned down her body, spreading outwards from her chest. She’d felt pain before, the Winter District had often brought its fair share of beatings and pulled muscles. But this pain was unlike anything Winter had given her. It was unrelenting, pulsing across her body with each beat of her heart. It felt like it was driving liquid fire through her veins. She wanted to scream, but her whole body felt like it was beneath a lead weight, she could barely even move.

Then, almost as fast as it had spread, that fire waned to a dull ember. Pain still radiated across her in waves that she could almost visualise, but the weight lifted and Alyx felt able to breathe again.

Her eyes opened slowly, her vision was a blurry mess of shapes and colours. But after a while she was able to understand what she was looking at. The shapes around her came together to form her apartment, with autumn sunlight filtering through the shutters of her windows.

Autumn sunlight that caught fire as it fell upon the woman sitting at Alyx’s bedside.

Iona Ravellan was sitting with her head bowed, hands clasped and pressed to her lips. At first, Alyx thought she was asleep. That was until she caught a whisper to Iona’s voice, a prayer to The Village, in particular to the Physician.

Despite the pain, Alyx felt her chest ache with a different feeling as she realised that the Princess was praying for her. She couldn’t help but smile.

“I thought you didn’t care about The Village and the Gods. Yet here you are praying.” She chuckled. Her voice was hoarse and raw, and her throat felt so dry that it felt gargling sand just to speak.

Iona’s head snapped up in surprise as Alyx spoke.

“Alyx?” She asked, her voice light and unsure. It was almost as if she thought she’d imagined Alyx speak.

“Last time I checked.” Alyx responded with a laugh. A laugh that quickly devolved into a rough, hacking cough that caused her to groan in pain as she rolled onto her wounded shoulder.

“Take it easy Alyx.” Iona chastised her, her voice still gentle. “Try not to move too much.”

“You don’t say.” Alyx moaned as she rolled onto her back again. She was silent for a while, letting the pain fade again before she opened her eyes and looked up at Iona.

“What happened?” She asked. Whenever she thought back it was like wading through unrelenting fog, she couldn’t see or recall anything after she saw the knife in her chest.

“You saved my life, took a crossbow bolt for me. And a blade to the chest. I thought you… I thought we’d lost you.” Iona replied slowly, an emotion Alyx couldn’t read clouding her features. Alyx nodded stiffly, the memories of the events slowly returning. But one still eluded her.

“How’d we get out of there? There was still another fighter, and Spyder…” Her voice trailed off as she remembered the massive frame of Spyder Xeros standing and laughing, trapping them within the Oasis’ ruins.

“I’m almost offended that you don’t think I’m able to handle myself with that.” Iona chuckled, then she looked at Alyx, her gaze serious. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel like someone shot lightning across my whole body. And then let a horse trample me.” Alyx replied. Iona hadn’t answered how they’d escaped, she noticed. Why wouldn’t she tell me?

Diving back into the memory, Alyx strained and focussed, parting the hazy clouds. She remembered killing the knife wielder, finding his blade in her chest, looking up at the crossbow. She remembered not being able to move.

And then the clouds parted entirely as the sudden memory of her enemy being hurled through the air burst through Alyx’s mind. The image of Iona stood at the centre of the cyclone shone through like a beacon in the dark. Princess is a witch, that’s what Spyder had said before he’d run away from the Oasis.Alyx turned her head back to Iona, her eyes wide in amazement.

“You used… you used magic.” She exclaimed. Instantly, Iona’s head whipped around to check the room. Seeing no one she let out a sigh of relief and turned quickly back to Alyx.

“Hush! If the wrong person hears you say that then I’m dragged off to The Village to be tried before the Gods as a witch!” She said hurriedly and Alyx’s mouth dropped open. She knew that priests often preached about the dangers of magic, even called it unholy. There’d been plenty of sermons given on street corners in the Winter District growing up. Priests speaking about how The Scholar condemned the practice of magic to be outlawed and that The Bailiff Themselves would see anyone who used it executed. But to think it would actually happen, let alone to the Princess herself…

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t think.” Alyx said after a second, recomposing herself. “But you did do that though, right? I’m not remembering it wrong?”

“It would be easier if you were.” Iona responded, clasping her hands before her face and leaning her chin on her thumbs. “But no, you’re not imagining it. I did use magic to get us out of there.” She kept her voice low, as if cautious of being overheard.

“And were you ever planning on, I don’t know, letting me know that you could do that?” Alyx asked, her mind flashing with all the times having a magic user could have been useful in the past.

“Honestly no, probably not.” Iona told her, her expression unfalteringly serious. “It’s… it’s not worth the risk of someone knowing. Not even my friends.”

“Wait so, no-one else knows?” Alyx asked incredulously. “If it was me, I don’t think I’d ever be able to keep a secret like that.”

Iona smiled at that, lowering her head.

“No, you’d dare the Gods to just try and stop you.” She chuckled. “Alyx, please don’t tell anyone. I shouldn’t have done it in the first place.”

Alyx reached out, sending a pulse of dull pain up her side. She placed her hand on Iona’s knee and squeezed gently.

“You saved my life Princess. I’m pretty glad you did it.” She said, smiling up at Iona. The Princess looked at her from behind her orange hair and smiled. She has dimples when she smiles, Alyx thought to herself, I never noticed that before. She started to wonder what else she hadn’t noticed. Her freckles are darker on her nose and just below her eyes. The green of her eyes has little spots of gold in it. Alyx wondered exactly how she’d managed to never notice how beautiful Iona really was.

A moment of silence passed between them. A fleeting moment that to Alyx felt as delicate and precious as a snowflake.

And then Iona looked down, her smile fading, and the snowflake melted.

“Alyx, that man that attacked us. You seemed to know him. Who was he?” She asked. Alyx sighed. She was being dragged away from that moment for Spyder?

“Spyder Xeros, biggest bastard in the Winter District. He and I… we’ve got some history. We don’t exactly get along.” She explained and Iona nodded.

“Yes, the two of you were pretty descriptive about that. But why did he attack that place? Who was the man you two spoke about?”

Alyx turned her head away as her vision flashed with the skeleton impaled on the Trident, as if turning away would hide her from it. But it followed her, flashing horrors over her memory.

Sigmund’s scratchy beard rubbing against her cheek as he hugged her. The bleached white skull.

Sigmund handing her a single silver falcon and grinning as she clutched it to her chest. The broken jawbone hanging loose.

His deep brown eyes watching over her and James like a hawk as he taught them the basics of thieving. The empty black eye sockets staring out at her.

Tears began to well in Alyx’s eyes and she squeezed them shut, unconsciously tightening into a ball on her bed. She had to take a deep, shaky, breath, and then another before she felt up to answering Iona.

“Sigmund. He… he ran the Oasis. He taught James and me how to look after ourselves in the Winter District. He basically raised us for a while. He… he was kind.” She said slowly, picking over each word carefully, as if the wrong one might break her. And then she opened her eyes, feeling tears run down her cheeks in slow rivers as she squared her jaw.

“And I repaid him by getting him killed.” She said, her voice emotionless and dull. Spyder’s voice echoed around her head.

Some known associates of his burned down a tavern, even killed some of my people. And well, business is business, he would have to make up that loss to me.

When she’d fought Spyder, when she’d humiliated and crippled him. She’d left Sigmund in the wolves’ den, and he’d found a way to just barely survive. And then she’d gone and made it worse, and Spyder had killed him because of it.

It’s my fault.

Alyx Cobalt didn’t cry, that was her rule. If you cried, then you’d lost.

Today, she’d lost.

Alyx’s tears came in a wave, in thick sobs that sent tremors through her whole body. Her sobs were at first just ragged breaths that she struggled to let in, but eventually the dam broke and they just became anguished cries with no end in sight. Every painful breath she sucked in was stolen by her grief and guilt. It was like the air itself was choking her breath from her.

Eternity seemed to pass of cries and ragged breaths until Alyx felt a delicate but firm grip take her by the shoulder and a hand slip into hers. Slowly, she looked up from the ball she had rolled into to see that Iona had crouched down next to the bed to be at Alyx’s eye level and was holding her hand. Alyx gripped Iona’s hand tight, as if she was the only thing holding her from an abyss of grief.

“You didn’t do this Alyx.” Iona told her, a firm certainty beneath her gentle voice. Alyx shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

Yes, I did.

“No, you didn’t. I know you think what you did has something to do with it, but it doesn’t. And it’s not your fault. That monster we saw, that man who laughed as you nearly died, that’s whose fault it is.” Iona said, leaning in close so her voice was barely a whisper, something only Alyx could hear. Alyx still couldn’t speak, and just whimpered and sniffled, burying her head into Iona’s hair as more visions came to haunt her.

They stayed like that for some time, with Iona hugging Alyx to her while she cried. Now and then, Alyx would calm enough that they could speak to each other. But always, the tears and guilt would return.

After what felt to Alyx like an age but may only really have been an hour or so, the door opened, and Sir Junice walked in. He stiffened immediately when he saw Iona hugging Alyx to her, his jaw hardening and working from side to side like a cow chewing cud.

But that emotion only lasted a fleeting moment before his demeanour shifted, a look of surprise colouring his features.

“Miss Cobalt! You’re awake!” He said, his smile showing off a row of perfect white teeth.

Alyx only nodded, pushing herself away from Iona and taking a few deep breaths to steady herself before she dared talking. But Junice, it appeared, had said his piece to her and had turned his attention to Iona.

“I apologise for interrupting, your Majesty. But your father is set to begin his speech soon. We really should go.” He told her and she stood quickly.

“Oh, I’d completely forgotten. You are right Sir Junice, we need to be there.” She replied, a little too quickly, like she was embarrassed to have been found with Alyx like that. Alyx’s chest ached a little in response, but she buried it deep.

“Speech?” She asked, looking up at Iona who nodded grimly.

“A few of my father’s scouts returned a couple of nights ago while you were unconscious. Lord Draconeus and his armies have left his fortress and started moving south. There’s no doubt he’s headed for Aldiron. My father’s about to make the official announcement about it. Aldiron is about to go to war.” Iona explained and Alyx’s chest twisted. She’d spent her life barely surviving street fights, now there was to be a war? She looked to Iona and saw a similar emotion flicker across the Princess’ steely expression. She’s just as scared as I am.

Reaching out, she took Iona’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. Iona looked down in surprise and Alyx tried to give her a reassuring smile.

Which was easier said than done when just moments before Alyx had been crying into Iona’s shoulder. But still, Iona smiled back.

“Go on then, you should be by your father’s side. I’m not going anywhere.” Alyx told her and Iona nodded, slowly slipping her hand from Alyx’s grasp and moving past Sir Junice towards the door.

As she passed him, Sir Junice turned to Iona.

“If it please you Princess, I’d like a moment with Miss Cobalt myself. I’d like to give her my thanks for serving so well as your guardian.” He said. Iona looked at him for a long while, trying to read him and seemingly coming up empty as she turned her gaze to Alyx, asking for her opinion.

Alyx too had tried to read Junice and found nothing. So, despite trusting the knight about as much as a starving shark, Alyx nodded to Iona.

“Very well but make it quick Sir Junice. We must join my father and Alyx needs to rest.” Iona said, giving Alyx one more smile before she turned and left the room.

It was only when the heavy door had closed behind Iona that Sir Junice turned his head to Alyx, and all semblance of that smile faded. Alyx’s blood went cold.

“You wouldn’t have needed to serve as her guardian if you hadn’t taken her into that vipers’ nest in the first place.” He growled, approaching the bed to sit down on the chair next to it. He sneered at Alyx as he looked her up and down.

“Some member of the royal guard you turned out to be. Some half-starved street thugs nearly killed you. The only reason you’re not a total disgrace to our very order is that the Princess came out unharmed, though I believe that to be of her own skill than any supposed heroics on your part. I honestly doubt you even remembered to protect her, too busy saving your own pathetic hide.”

Alyx gritted her teeth and glared at him, placing her right arm down to push herself up into a sitting position. She tried her best to ignore the pain, but her arm shook beneath her, and she couldn’t hide the tremors. She pushed her face forwards towards Junice.

“What’s the matter Junice? Not able to say this yourself any other day? Needed to wait until someone else kicked me about before you speak your mind?” She hissed at him, her voice hoarse with held back pain.

Junice’s face scrunched with rage, a vein pulsing on his neck.

“Better you had died out there. Now you’re here still clinging on. A piece of Winter District scum stuck to the boot of your betters!” He responded.

“Must be uncomfortable with that silver spoon up your arse Junice! Winter District scum’s tough you know, takes a lot to get rid of it.” Alyx spat, her voice a low growl. “I’m still breathing, and I’m going to keep breathing too. I can only guess how much that precious pride of yours is dented that I fought for and protected the Princess so well that she came back unharmed. How much it must sting that I’m a better fucking guard than you’ll ever hope to be!”

Wordlessly, Junice reached forward and pressed his gauntleted hand into Alyx’s left shoulder, squeezing her crossbow bolt wound. Pain burned across Alyx’s body, and she collapsed backwards with a growling groan. Junice stood, keeping one hand pressing painfully down on the wound as he leaned close to her ear and spoke in a whisper.

“You don’t belong here, rat. And sooner or later, everyone will see you as I do. A thief that got lucky and was given far more than she ever deserved to be near. Do us all a favour next time and die in the gutter where you belong.”

He pushed off from Alyx, sending one last blast of pain from her shoulder as he stood to his full height. Then, as she lay, curled into a ball and taking long, hissing breaths trying to numb the pain, Junice turned and strode out of the room.

Alyx Cobalt’s Apartment, Falcon’s Nest Palace, Kingdom of Aldiron – Two Hours Later

A while passed before Alyx allowed herself to uncurl from the ball. Even longer passed before the pain stopped coming so heavily. Alyx passed the time staring at the ceiling and imagining all the ways in which she’d get her own back on Junice.

She was halfway through a particularly entertaining scenario involving tying him behind her horse on her next riding lesson when her brother and Lillian entered the apartment. Upon seeing his sister awake, James hurried over to sit in the chair next to her.

He took her hand and squeezed three times. It was a simple message, but one that both held dear to their hearts. I love you. A squeeze for every word.

Alyx gave him a sad smile and slowly returned the squeezes.

“Sigmund’s gone James. Spyder killed him.” She said, careful to hold back the floodgates of tears she could already feel returning.

“I know. Iona told me.” James replied, his gaze distant, clearly haunted by similar memories to Alyx.

“Because of me. Because of the injury I gave him, and his people I killed in the burning tavern.”

“No, because Spyder’s a sick bastard. He did this Alyx, not you.” James told her firmly, like he was absolutely certain of it. It was the same thing Iona had said, and just as before, Alyx didn’t believe it. Instead, she turned her head to look James in the eye, her gaze as cold and hard as cast iron.

“Next time I see Spyder, I won’t make the same mistake again. I’ll fucking kill him!” She said, resolute in her certainty. James looked grim and shook his head gently, not looking at Alyx. After a while of letting Alyx’s promise of vengeance hang in the air, James spoke again.

“No more of this.” He said, his resolve as strong in his voice as Alyx’s had been, making her look to him in surprise and confusion.

“No more fighting, or getting hurt for other people, no more being hunted and looking over our shoulders every minute of every day. Spyder and Trident obviously haven’t forgotten us, and the palace and its walls doesn’t seem to worry them. If the walls last much longer.” That last sentence seemed said more to himself than to Alyx. She tilted her head.

“Heard the speech then, did you?” She asked and James nodded.

“Draconeus is bringing his army across the Bloodfields, ready to invade. The King’s sending legions to meet them as they cross the river. Marius and his father are heading out at first light. Violet’s father too. In a few weeks, Aldiron will be a kingdom at war.” He explained, his voice grim. Alyx nodded.

“Seems like the world’s trying to kill us again.” She joked and James eyed her carefully, taking a deep sigh.

“I’ve had enough of the world trying to kill us. Time for us to make our own path.” He replied coldly. He turned to look at Lillian, motioning for the girl to join them as he lowered his voice.

“We’ve all found out enough between us that I think we can get into the treasury and back out with enough money to make a hundred new lives for ourselves. We just need to make it until Alyx recovers from this. And then, we get the fuck out of this hellhole, before it gets any worse.” He said, his voice barely above a whisper. Lillian nodded quickly, agreeing with James’ plan. Though whether out of a desire to escape herself, or more out of a sense of not knowing what else she could do, Alyx wasn’t sure.

Alyx herself drew back almost confusing herself as she hesitated. Why hesitate?

Then her mind answered for her.

She remembered giggling with Lillian like little girls on their first night in the palace.

She remembered the rush of victory the first time she beat Haster in a sparring match.

She remembered sitting on a sofa, cuddled up to James in front of a fire while he read a storybook he’d found to her and Lillian.

She remembered Iona’s green eyes, flecked with gold. Her shy smile bringing dimples to her freckled cheeks. Her laughter as she’d watched the street performance in the Winter District.

You don’t belong here.

Junice’s voice split the perfect images and burned them, replacing them with visons pulled straight from Alyx’s nightmares.

Lillian lost and surrounded by fire, screaming out for help as she choked and burned.

Everyone will see you as I do.

Haster, Marius and Meghan all looking at her in hatred and rage, turning their backs on her and walking away.

Better you had died out there.

James’ body, crows feeding on it, impaled next to the skeleton of Sigmund in the Oasis, his eyes still wide in fear and pain and his hand stretched out to her in one final grasp for safety.

I doubt you even remembered to protect her.

Iona, tied upon a pyre, as the priests gave their sermon condemning her soul to damnation for witchcraft, screaming out for help while around her, everyone cheered.

Shuddering, Alyx opened her eyes again, banishing the nightmares. But along with them, went her hesitation. She looked at James with a steely certainty.

“Give me time to heal, then let’s get the hell out of here.”