Crystal Legacies: Rebirth

Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two:

Vengeful One

After all of the hard work he'd put into helping around Cecil's tavern and inn, Dante rested peacefully at night. Or he did on most nights. He was less restful this time, his dreams plagued him with things he'd never actually seen. Things of Gods and men, of death and betrayal, of power and weakness. It wasn't until Razaria turned over to cuddle into him that his dreams took an altogether different turn.

The hallway they walked through had stones so white that he knew that they were in a castle. No one else would have been able to afford to show off the finery he saw as he walked his love back to her room. Dante had a sense of anticipation as they moved through the castle; today had been a good day and unlike plenty of days before, he had a full belly. Perhaps he had a bit too much to drink at the feast though, he could practically feel the wine creeping through his veins.

"Who is this old friend I have heard so little about?" Dante asked the woman next to him.

She was beautiful in a way that Dante couldn't help but overlay the image of Razaria on top of her. If they'd been painted, even by the most talented of painters, the only difference would be the color of their eyes and the way they styled themselves. Of course there were subtle differences in their features but the more he saw her, the more he found himself seeing Razaria.

"His name is Ayden," the Lady, the Queen a part of him supplied, "He was my best friend. We told each other everything. Yet when marriage didn't seem to be in the near future, he left me to court our other friend - Sophia. I have not seen him since."

"It sounds like you miss him," Dante found himself saying with a tease.

The woman, who he could now only see as Razaria, blushed as she stopped in the hallway. One of her hands traced a doorway, one that Dante assumed led to her personal chambers. Another one traced her lips reflectively. That action told Dante more than he wanted to know. Though somehow instead of being angry it made him laugh at her wistful expression.

"Was he your first kiss?" Dante asked as he leaned in towards her, rocking on the balls of his feet and laughed.

The Razaria-like woman shifted nervously. Her hand flew down from her lip as she looked up at him every couple of seconds. Dante opened her door, still smiling at her good naturedly.

"You are not...angry? Most men would be angry," she admitted as she stepped into her room, hands gently brushing along her skirts.

"Most men are insecure. I am not most men," Dante told her, continuing the conversation as he moved in closer.

She stepped back into her room reflexively, dazed as she looked up into his eyes. Dante's smile changed into a little more of a smirk as he stepped forward enough so that he could close the door behind him. Not that she seemed to notice as she forced herself to look away from him. Something had definitely got into her head - he could tell that much. Something that took her attention off from the fact that they were oh so casually walking towards her bed.

"Even if you do not mind, please do not tell the others. I do not want them to–"

"Relax," Dante said soothingly. "I will not say anything to them. But you should not worry too much - after all, a kiss is a kiss. It is almost pure compared to what I have done."