The Prince of Thius

Chapter 2

Alexander sighed heavily to himself. It had been days. Days since the encounter with his father, days since he start on this bloody book and days with what seemed to be no progress whatsoever. He had only left to complete his duties but not for much else often opting to eat in this very spot. Thankfully it went a long way to avoiding his father. Alexander leaned back and stared at the ridiculously huge book in front of him. When he had first acquired it he knew that finding what he wanted would be a difficult task. However, he hadn't opted for it to be so well hidden.

"You seem to looking for something," an ominous voice said. Alexander's eyes widened and he looked around wildly. "May I ask what it is?" Alexander stood abruptly.

"W-where are you? Show yourself," Alexander demanded. In the shadows Selena cocked her head to the left. She had forgotten she was hidden. It was a bad habit of hers that she never bothered to fix. Deciding it would be mean to mess with him, even though it was quite tempting, she stepped out of the shadows behind him. Walking silently around him and the desk she glanced at the book she had seen him reading since she got back to the palace two days prior. She stopped in front of the young man and stared at him curiously.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"Who are you?" Alexander ignored her question and glanced over her clothing. It seemed oddly familiar. Selena mentally slapped her forehead. It didn't occur to her that the boy had never met her. Great, way to make this that much more difficult.

"My name is Selena Florente," she started to answer but stopped when she saw the scowl on Alexander's face.

"You are the leader of the Shadow Legion aren't you?" Upon hearing the name he had put together the pieces. "Did father send you here to spy on me? I didn't think he would stoop so low. I haven't caused any trouble so you can stop wasting your time," Alexander accused coldly. Although on the out her face remained emotionless, on the inside Selena was shocked. Though she had to admit, it was a bit like Alex to do something like this.

"I am not spying on you rest assured. I am here because of something entirely different," she assured him. Alexander eyed her suspiciously but said nothing. That was good. For someone that whined so much she was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold his tongue in certain circumstances. She took care to gauge his reaction when she continued. "I am here because you have been selected to join the Shadow Legion," she said moving towards him. His eyes widened in surprise and fear. It was a good sign, Selena decided. He should be afraid.

"By whom?" he asked, the pitch in his voice rising.

"By your father and myself."

"What? Does he want rid of me so badly that he would see me dead?" Selena almost smiled at his question. She wasn't so sure if the king wanted his only son dead but it didn't matter. Just because she agreed to his outrageous request doesn't mean that young Alexander would ever get to go out on his own; at least not while she was in power.

"You will not die. Unless you are fit after your training you will not be sent out with the rest of the recruits. Instead you will be sent back here. Also, as far as everyone will know, you are merely Xavier, son of Duke Vren," she said. Alexander stand down in shock. He couldn't believe this was happening. It was a definite death sentence. His mind was reeling.

"I'm not going with you," Alexander whispered. Elena had expected this. What she hadn't expected was Alexander vaulting up and running pass her towards the door. His mind screamed that he had to get away. Logically he knew his was futile. Unfortunately he had heard the horror stories. Shadow Legionnaires going out on secret mission, one hundred troops alive. Only to come back with ninety-four of them dead even though the mission was a success. History called it necessary, he called it a nightmare. The door was within reach when he felt a small palm press into his back. Selena pushed Alexander into the door pinning him to it. His face hit it hard and he could taste the blood.