Heroes of Darkness

XIV

ALEXANDER

Gods, Alex, what are you getting yourself into? He wondered to himself as he helped Elizabeth up the steep grassy paths. He felt nervous now, even guilty that it was he who was spending all this time with his brother's betrothed. Whether or not it was Leo's idea, Alex still felt guilty. Surely, she would realize after meeting with him that Leo was a completely different person? The charade couldn't last forever.

It was a good thing that Eli must have been a little tipsy, otherwise, she surely would have known the difference. They walked along the short trees and grey flowers as they climbed the misty side of Mt. Pyre, to find the secret garden called the Pool of Memories.

He didn't know about Leo, but this was the only place that Alex could think of taking Eli. With any luck, she would get bored of it and request to head back just in time for the masquerade to be finished.

Alex had reluctantly searched for Eli all night on the dance floor, posing as Leo, who this entire event was centered around. He spied his younger half-brother in his own Banette-shaped mask. The serving girls were chasing after him. At first, Alex was envious of him, but a few minutes holding Eli's hand almost washed away his thoughts of the other girls.

"We're here," he said quietly. Eli staggered up the final ledge and peered into the secret garden. There were a few of the same small, grey flowers here, but in the center of the area was a pool that seemed to steam with a chilling mist. When he looked at the pool, Alex felt the familiar silence as all other sound seemed to drown away.

"It's..." Eli observed the pool in awe.

"Not what you expected?" Alex asked. He shrugged and sat on the grass. "I wouldn't think so. It's beautiful because of the quiet."

"What do you do here?" Eli asked shyly, as she sat down close to him. A little too close for Alex's comfort, but he accepted her hand anyway, it was soft and delicate.

"I sit just like this and think."

"What are you thinking about right now?" she asked. Her voice was music to his ears, strangely. He was used to flirts from other girls. It was nothing to him... except this time he felt something in his stomach, a fluttering.

Alex turned to Eli and saw the stars behind her shimmering through the mists, and her eyes shining brightest of all. "I'm thinking about us." What did I just say? He thought to himself. Leo, you're supposed to be Leo, a voice in his head said, but the fluttering strengthened in his stomach, and he couldn't help himself. "I'm thinking about our marriage. From the day I first laid eyes on you, I thought you the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen." Was that him being Leo, or him being himself? Either way, it must be true.

He felt her cheeks redden as she lay her head on his shoulder. "Why do you call this place the Pool of Memories?" She asked as she dipped her feet in the water. She turned and looked him in the eyes through her mask and deep into his. "Is it where memories are made?"

Alex laughed genuinely. "No," he said, putting his own feet in the pool. "It's actually where the Specter family takes their Spirit Pokémon and remembers events of the past. Our Ghost Pokémon are able to help us commune with our ancestors."

He felt Eli shiver at the mention of ghosts. Alex didn't know what made him put his arm around her shoulder. He wasn't even trying to make a move. He wanted to protect her from her fears. "The ghosts can't hurt you," he whispered to her quietly.

Alex noticed her brushing a circlet on her wrist. "This?" Eli asked when she saw his gaze. "This was given to me by my friend, Jessi, when we were both little girls."