Death is My Frenemy Rewritten (Book 3 of the Rewritten Death Chronicles)

Chapter 5: Blindfold

*Struts onto the stage wearing a glittering gold tunic and an olive branch crown*

LOL. Why am I like this.

Don't forget to vote, leave feedback, and share this story with your friends! Thank you so much for the support!!! xx

P.S- THIS SONG IS #FADE AF.

***

"Are you okay?" I asked Alexandru, as we stepped away from each other.

"Yes," he said and raked his fingers through his hair. "I am sorry you had to witness that." Although he seemed to already have collected himself, he had a fading red mark from his father's hand on his face. "I truly had thought he would stay in the city tonight."

"I wish I could have done something to stop him."

He evaded my eyes as he lowered to the ground to dunk his hands into the pool and rinse his face with cold water. "I thank you for your care, but it is not your position to stop him."

"It's not right how he treats you. I can tell you work hard to impress him. You deserve so much more."

"He is only looking out for me," Alexandru said, wiping his hand over his face one last time before pushing his hair back off his forehead. "I made a poor decision, I know better."

"None of this is your fault. The way he treats you...it's not your fault."

"It is not about fault. It is about discipline and control. I do not expect you or anyone else to understand. But know I would have never survived this long if not for my father's hard hand."

He strode past me, and I followed him. In the kitchen, there were now two servants that appeared to be preparing food.

I felt so pained to hear him talking this way, excusing his father's behavior after the fact, but I didn't know what to say, when he didn't see it for himself. When this was just a memory trapped in time and I had no idea if what I said would even make a difference.

"Picture the strongest fighter you know," Alexandru said, turning toward me. The strike of his father's hand was now a diminished mark on his cheek. "They had to be kicked while they were down to rise up to their greatness."

A chill raked through me. Death had said those exact words to me in our training, but now, after all that I had witnessed and been through, I finally understood them.

"How long have you and this Remus fight been enemies?" I asked.

"Two years. You speak to me so casually after my father spoke of witches and daemons."

"Because I've encountered my fair share of them."

Alexandru stilled. He looked up at me and stood to his towering height, as if suddenly understanding something. "You are a hunter."

"No, I'm not a hunter. I just..." I thought of a possible answer to this endless fable I was creating for myself. "I travel a lot. And I read books."

"You read books of daemons?"

He really had a way to make anything sound insulting.

"Where I come from, they're called demons," I said.

"Yes, where you come from, this mysterious place that you will not name. You are simply are the most untrustworthy person I have ever met."

"That's weird, you did call me a trusted friend to your father..."

"I only said that to save your life," he emphasized. "We are not friends, we are passing strangers."

I wasn't sure why he even felt the need to clarify that to me, but then I remembered Malphas' last words to him. "Fine, we are passing strangers. Whatever makes you feel nice and detached from me so you can wipe my memory, right?"