Ash didn't wake up and chose staking; stalking chose him. Walking past a bedroom in the middle of the night sounded creepy in very language there was, but that was the path he'd chosen and so, he stuck by it.
Ash and Gary had arrived at the castle in the middle of night, after completing their report, they'd retreated back to their rooms, or at least promised too.
The raven haired had taken a turn at a dimly lit hallway of the manor, a path that lead to a certain someone's residence, someone who he couldn't wait to see.
Round the corner from her room, Ash stopped. A muffled scream seemed to echo from far away. Though he wasn't sure whether or not he'd actually heard something, Ash didn't want to risk anything. Without skipping a beat he dashed towards Serena's room.
"Serena!"
Ash tore through the door, nearly knocking it off its hinges, his eyes widened as they lay on her. Though she was alone, Serena looked distressed—her sheets were tangled around her, drenched in sweat.
"No... no!" she cried, her voice was desperate.
"Serena!" Ash ran towards her, quickly cradling her in his arms. "Hey... I'm here."
Her eyes opened, remaining unfocused for quite some time, "What... what... happened?" She tried to sit up straight, but her hand slipped, unable to maintain balance. Serena fell back in his arms, and begrudgingly stayed still.
"You were having a nightmare... I think."
"Yeah, maybe," she wiped her forehead, "I'm sorry I... I haven't had any since I moved here. This was the first."
Ash's chest tightened. He hated seeing her like this, haunted by whatever darkness she'd faced in that godforsaken place. "Do you... get these often."
Her eyes locked onto his, still filled with panic. Her breath became shallow as she slipped into the deep end of her thoughts.
"Yeah," she shifted, adjusting herself in a more comfortable position, "the time at... that place. I don't remember much of it... it comes back in pieces through the nightmare. Samuel said that the same happened to him... so, there is nothing wrong."
For a long moment, he just sat there, holding her close, watching her breathing rise up and down ferociously. When the terror began to fade, her breathing slowed. She rested her palm on his hand and said, "I'm okay now."
She leaned into him, her forehead resting against his shoulder, her body still trembling slightly. Ash wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a protective embrace. Ash wanted to stay like that... maybe forever, but he wasn't sure whether or not she wanted the same.
Quickly, Ash pulled back, "Do you want me to leave?"
Serena stayed quiet; her cerulean eyes shining under the moonlight. "Yeah," she said, "you can go now."
"What are you doing here? It's night. You should sleep," Charlus said, walking into the infirmary.
Samuel turned back, dropping his wife's hand. "I could ask the same of you."
The brunet narrowed his eyes, "Fair game,"
Charlus let out a groan as he sat down at the foot of Ailsa's bed. His mother had been in a coma since the time Haldfest was destroyed, Delia had informed him that she had transported Ailsa on the first flight back to the Raider Manor and then to the castle of Van Black. Seeing Ailsa lying incapacitated and hurt awakened something inside of Charlus, something he hadn't felt in a long time. He wasn't educated enough to put a word to it, he couldn't help but feel it, silently.
"How often do you come here?" Charlus asked.
Samuel scoffed, "Come? I never leave."
That made sense, every time that Charlus had visited his mother, he'd seen his father lying beside her, either idly or working on his laptop.
"You know if she was awake, she'd point out the irony," he said, "neither of us visited her when she was alive and when she's—"
"She's still alive," Samuel raised his voice.
This was probably the second time that Charlus had seen his father raise his voice, if he remembered correctly, both were in the honour of his mother.
"You know what I meant,"
"I did, surprisingly." His father sighed, "It was unfair of me to yell at you for my own shortcomings, I'm sorry."
Huh, his father was just as he remembered—simple, easy minded, placid and non violent; the complete opposite of his mother.
"You don't belong here,"
"Ouch,"
"No, I mean... the chamber, you don't belong in a place as wretched as this. You're kind and good. Wars are fought to defend people like you, you're way too innocent for a place like this."
Samuel frowned, "Where did that come from suddenly?"
Charlus pouted. It was something that he'd been wanting to say for quite a while, not just to Samuel, but to every kind soul that worked in chamber. He'd never found the courage to say it out loud, but after hearing James's declaration of war... the courage had found him.
"I learned a distressing truth recently about the war." He sighed, "Chances are that we'll lose, dad. I... want you to get out of here as fast as you can. Go and save yourself, this isn't your fight."
"I can see that you've thought a lot about that," Samuel brushed his cheeks, "do you know before your mother became the Governor of the chamber... who was the first in line to inherit it?" Charlus shook his head. "It was me. I know I may not seem like it, but I was a fighter. That all changed after I was taken a prisoner of war, when I came back, everything changed. I... I took the easy way out and became a coward. I ran away from a war that my wife sacrificed her youth to fight for. War changes people, it made Ailsa stern and confident and it made me docile. I ran away once, Charlus. I won't do it again, irrespective of the outcome."
"This war is unlike the one we faced last time dad. We have a battle facing on two ends... I don't know what we're going to do or how we're going to survive."
"You've always been like this, son." Samuel laughed, messing his hair. "Even in your math classes, seeing a long question made you overwhelm and you stopped trying."
"What are you saying?"
"When a question appears long, there is only thing that you can do."
"What is it?"
"Dissect it," he smiled, "if two people attacked you simultaneously then what would you do?"
"Kick them,"
"How?"
"Well, depending on the position we're in. Either I would run after one and attack him and then use his body to annihilate the other one."
"And if that wasn't possible?"
"Well then God gave me two hands didn't he, I would—" Charlus stopped, suddenly it all made sense—the plan, attack and the way out.
"Come on,"
"I would attack them simultaneously."
YOU ARE READING
Into The Unown
FanfictionPart three of the Lost in their Past series. Embark on a thrilling journey where adventure, mystery, and romance collide. Serena's life takes a surprising turn as she unravels the forgotten truths hidden within her ancestry. The discovery of an anci...