ALORA LUX RADEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

                            CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

WITHIN THE CAVE...

"Mother!!!"

Alora gasped, her head jolted up as she clasped her hands tightly against her naked chest. She looked around, her eyes narrowing on Crius, then ignoring him.
That was when her senses came back. Her distraught hit her. The pain of her mother's death, the destruction of her kingdom and the grief that came alongside having her heart ripped out by her best friend.
Her eyes dulled again as she began to find her foot, she stretched her hand to grab the wall for support, ignoring being naked before the opposite sex.
She fell back down, hurting her ankle in the process, she was too weak to walk. That was when the tears which she had been holding back poured from her eyes. She didn't wail nor weep, she just sat there without any care in the world as memories flooded her head and tears descended her eyes of their own volition. She clutched her chest harder as she cried, her eyes, the once bright golden orbs that radiated life now welled up with tears that poured down her cheeks like a river of sorrow. Her body trembled with ragged breaths as the weight of her grief crushed her. Time stood still as she wept, the world had faded into insignificance. All that remained was her grief, her pain and the overwhelming feeling of loss that seemed to threaten to consume her.

"Go hold her", Abyss gestured at her, he told Crius.
"Oh hell no." Crius swallowed, his gaze was hooked on the long thick black hair that covered her small frame, he saw the small breasts that screamed nothing of teenage beauty, her face, despite the unending rain of tears was something even he could not describe. She was the complete definition of ethereal, resplendent and transcendent beauty. One which he had never seen before in his entire existence and he was sure he would never see.
'How did I not see her this way,' Crius mentally slapped himself.

"Weren't you the one boasting about the number of nude beauties you've seen, what difference does she make?" Abyss taunts Crius.
"You need to console her, if not for anything, we need to know who she is and how to help her."

Crius nervously wiped his palm on his thigh, he then took in a deep breath before he approached her.

"Hello!" He spoke as he reached behind her.
She ignored him again.
He walked a bit closer, squatting down, he stretched his hands to hold her shoulders.

She trembled slightly as his body made contact with hers, as if jolting awake, she turned to meet the worried gaze of Crius with her red ones.
Crius held his breath as she looked at him, his heart began to pound against his chest. He had never felt this way in his life, he resisted the compelling temptation to grab her in his arms and cradle her, to protect and kill any whom had caused her harm.
Crius immediately shook his head as he hurriedly stood up and retreated a few steps back.
'Why did I think of killing someone just now?' He thought.

"I .... am sor...ry," Alora stuttered. "Who are you."
She wiped her tears, she had come to terms with her loss. She had chosen to forgive Constance. She could not bring herself to hate Constance for killing her, for killing her mother. Yet she wanted to, she could not think of any other way, holding unto that grief, that grudge, would make her bad, it would form her into the very hateful things she often read about in the books back in the citadels of scrolls.
But she promised herself to never again give her heart anyone, she would become strong enough to protect all whom she cared for and would never again be subject to this cruel fate.

"I am Crius Orryn Eos", Crius replies. Abyss noticed the surname he had come to accept. Crius shook off the weird feeling he had just now, he came close again to Alora, then he bowed slightly to her. He reached down to grab her cloak, then he handed it to her.