The Lost Dynasty

Chapter 45

Once a vibrant, musical, extravagant utopia had its livelihood sucked out, leaving no trace of its colourful history.

The palace palette was bland and dull.

There was no proof of a living soul existing.

Underneath the once glorified paradise was a dark, cold, stone catacombs. Where the 2 intruders were bonded from the wrist by chains as if they were untamed animals.

"Kyda stand still" Ali pleaded as he attempted to examine her neck, not caring about his rusty cuffs cutting and digging into his wrist. "I'm fine" she gently pushed his hand away as she was struggling to digest what Saif has done to this once golden masterpiece that she once appreciatively stayed in.

Ali noticed her deep within her thoughts. By what he had observed from now to afar when he was a young lad at the stables, nothing good came out of her thinking.

He broke the eerie silence between them "I'll make sure nothing happens to you". Kyda felt like she was abandoned in the dumps and was giving up all her hope "Why?".

Ali's smile slowly began to drop down to a straight line "Huh?" but she responded with the same tone.

"Why would you do all of this with me?"

The young man did not respond to her answer. He was obviously hesitant in his answer. With the time to process her question and reflect on himself, he finally answered with a simple phrase that he articulated clearly and boldly.

"I like you"

Kyda stared at him for a moment.

'Like'?... it could be interrupted in many ways.

All she could do was nod a simple no "Just because you like me, you're willing to risk your life for me?". She exhaled heavily "You would definitely get the Good friend award from me and that's because Amita isn't around to outshine you". She chuckled weakly to herself as she closed her eyes and lead her back against the hard rough stone wall as her head flopped back.

With her weak attempts to lighten up the mood, it had made no affect.

Her motivation and wishes to come back had backfired and she ended up chained.

It's worse than she expected

"That not what I meant" he spoke with a straight face, as if he was serious. Kyda allowed her head to flop to the side to witness his determinate eyes.

His solemn, stout-hearted expression was not faltering, he seems to be fully committed to his emotions.

Fully committed of they could become together.

She burst out laughing.

"You almost had me there, kiddo" she looked down to her shackled hands "You looked so serious with your baby face" she teased "... that was probably the highlight of my day".

She faced him with a meek smile "Pretending we're adults but really we have no clue what we are doing" She manned to hug her own knees "I'm scared of making a choice... I wish there was some instructions or template to help us through this hard knock life".

She caught a glimpse of her own red sore wrist underneath the tiny gap between what's left of her skin and the cold metal clasp and how it harshly rubbed her delicate skin. She could imagine how Dr Adil will call her a fool and careless as he would place his special hand-crafted ointment on her wrist, that he would have spent hours collecting the ingredients and tools to make it just for her.

"Don't grow up, Ali... be that same little boy-" she paused in her speech as she witnessed his hand on top of hers and he slips his thumb through the space of the shackles to her skin.