Forgotten; Worshipped (Imported from Ao3)

13

"What do you mean? Probably just wants his privacy or something," Hercules shrugged his shoulders but Thomas wasn't the least bit satisfied with that as an answer and frowned. He looked around the room again. The doors everywhere had odd shapes. The only doors that were normal were the black doors strewn about here and there, but the other doors were in weird shapes. Hearts, circles, triangles, fish, feathers, axes, birds, tear drops, bears, pigs, it looked so incredibly odd to him. He had never seen such a room or such odd doors in his life before. The hallways were also not always on the ground, and they were not always the right size for a normal person to walk through. Alexander, Thomas thought, would have no problem with either the placement, shape or size of the doors or hallways, he could turn himself into wind and fit easily. Suddenly, one of the doors, a red one in the shape of a fish, on the walls detached itself and floated into the middle of the room. Thomas and Hercules watched confused as blue glowing chains wrapped tightly around it.

"I can't imagine that... He had this palace from the moment he existed... I remember, at first, there wasn't anything special about it. It was a grey palace, nothing more. And now? Look at it! A tornado and a storm to protect it, fog around the gardens, doors and hallways that move and some are inaccessible because of either chains or because they're above the ground? Why even have these? See, the hallways are even changing in size! It's certainly not to play tricks on anyone, no one ever goes here except him... He's... hiding something, I'm sure..." Thomas mused with a thoughtful glare.

Hercules looked at him oddly, but when he considered what he said more carefully he hesitantly nodded. He could see what Thomas meant. Hercules couldn't figure another reason why Alexander would create such strong protection around his home. The fact that he even actively called it a protection was odd as well.

"Wh... What would he need to protect, I wonder?" Hercules mused and Thomas nodded.

"That's what I'm wondering too. I mean, I know for a fact that he is in the other realm more than in this one. He barely even lives here! So he can't be afraid of being attacked himself, he gets himself into situations where he is beaten up all the time, so that's off the list. But he still has this protection... Why?" he threw his arms up into the air in frustration and Hercules snorted.

"So, something in here needs protecting... Maybe one of these doors or hallways, or maybe the stairs he mentioned lead to that thing he wants to be under constant protection?" Hercules suggested and Thomas nodded with a frown and put a hand to his chin in thought.

"That would make sense. It would explain why he warned us not to touch any of the doors or walk into any hallways or the-" he said and suddenly there was a loud crash behind them and they turned around startled. There was a staircase leading to some dark place.

"So that's the staircase that 'may or may not appear'... good to know..." Hercules laughed nervously.

Thomas looked at the staircase. It was simple, the most simple thing about the room. It stuck out like a sore thumb under the odd doors and the constantly changing hallways. Thomas grew curious and approached the stairs, but Hercules held him back.

"He just told us not to even touch that thing, Thomas! If he really is protecting something, then let him protect it. There is likely a reason as to why it's under his constant protection," Hercules reasoned and pulled Thomas away from the stairs. Thomas frowned at him and then glared at the staircase. It just sat there, taunting him for not being allowed to find out to where exactly it leads. His curiosity was eating at him and his legs grew restless. He wanted to go up those damn stairs.

"Come on, Hercules, we might find out something about him we didn't already know or conclude!" Thomas tried, but Hercules shook his head at him.

"No, Thomas. We can't just go behind his back. If he wanted to show us, he'd show us, or allow us to look for ourselves. But he explicitly forbade us. Alexander knows what he's doing, and I don't think a warning from him should be taken lightly. Let's not stick our noses into his business," Hercules tried to reason, but Thomas just frowned.