All Things Must End

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐 • 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕠𝕟 𝕆𝕟𝕖, 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕠𝕟 𝔸𝕝𝕝

        We all stare in shock at a young man, maybe eighteen, tall and skinny, lying slumped against a cracked brick wall between the stove and food pantry. He is badly burnt, the black char extending up the wall until it turns into ceiling. A small flame still dances on a burlap bag of potatoes until it sputters out in a stream of smoke. He coughs and sputters, blood coming from his mouth, letting us know that he is alive, but barely.  

        My confusion over who this man is and how he got this way is put to rest when I hear a soft cry from inside the pantry. I reach out to open the door, but Aleksander beats me to it. The door creeks open with its rusted hinges, revealing little Amelia huddled on the floor with her knees to her chin. Warm tears trail down her face. Fear and adrenaline shake her to her core. She doesn't even move when I bend to pick her up. She just stays limp like a rag doll.

        "Take the man for questioning," Aleksander barks at Ivan. "Find out who he is and who orchestrated this attack by any means necessary."

        Ivan nods, taking the mysterious man none-too-gently by the arm. Ivan wrenches him up, earning a pained groan. The man stumbles as he is pushed out of the kitchen, leaving us in peace to take care of Amelia. I set Amelia gently on the counter, inspecting the abrasions on her elbows and left knee, but she seems unharmed otherwise. I immediately start to dampen a cloth with warm water and dab it lightly on her scrapes and bruises. She hisses in pain.

        I try to stay calm on the outside, but on the inside, my heart is racing as fast as a hummingbird. Aleksander hides his fear a bit better than me. He approaches my left side, smoothing back Amelia's snarled yellow curls in an attempt to console her.

        Aleks gives Amelia a minute to catch her breath before he asks, "What happened?"

        Her moist blue eyes glitter like the True Sea when she looks up at him, frightened out of her mind. "I-I wanted a pastry for breakfast, so I snuck into the kitchen to get one. Then, h-he came up behind me," she stammers. "He tried to grab me, so I fought back." She hiccups in between sobs. "Di-did I kill him?"

        "No, he is still alive," Aleksander answers quietly. Amelia grapples with the reply, unsure if she should feel comforted or more distressed. "What happened next?"

"He tried to hold me down, but I burned his arm and part of his face. He shoved me away across the floor." She points to the abrasions on her skin, where the floor must have scuffed her up. "Then I sent wind at him, so he hit the wall, and I think some of my fire was carried with the wind too when it hit him, I don't know. . ." She trails off, trying to remember what happened exactly, but it must have all happened too fast to comprehend until it was over. "Then, I hid."

"I'm proud of you," I whisper against her cheek before placing a soft kiss there.

"For almost killing someone?" she frowns.

"For protecting yourself."

After I pull her into a hug, I continue to dab her scrapes with a warm washcloth, then moving to her face to wipe away her tears.

        Aleksander's silence makes me glance up with concern to find him absolutely livid. Now that his fear is gone, it is easily replaced with rage. I don't blame him. Truth be told, I am just as angry, but the difference between my anger and his, is he projects it onto others. And for just this once, I am eager to see it. The feeling of your child getting harmed is worse than a knife through the heart. If they come for my Amelia, they come for all of us. Aleksander. Me. The entire Second Army. There is nothing we wouldn't do to protect her. That is why after an entourage of guards comes to flank Amelia, I follow Aleksander to find Ivan and the assailant. This man will not have the peace of death, though he will wish for it. Beg for it.

       Since we require answers quickly, Ivan didn't waste time dragging the unknown man down to the dungeons. Instead, he was thrown into a well-lit dining room a few doors down and tied to a chair with thick ropes.

        The heavy oak doors slam shut behind us, leaving us alone with the tall man. His straight, military-length hair is jet black with liquid splotches of red shining through on his scalp. His eyes are nearly swelled shut, nose broken, not to mention the blistering burns by courtesy of Amelia during the struggle.

        Ivan is out of breath from the 'interrogation.' As much as he denies it, he has also taken a liking to Amelia. He could have just used his Heartrendering on this man, but that would not be harsh enough, apparently.

        "Chinua Bat-Chen," Ivan huffs. "Another assassin from Shu Han. He wouldn't say anything else unless he speaks to the Queen." He looks at me solemnly.

        Aleksander turns to me, a shadow cast over his grim face, and he says, "I'm keeping my shadow monsters. This ends now."
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No one hurts our Amelia and gets away with it! Things are about to get messy, but that's nothing new. Thanks for reading!! Feel free to vote, comment, and react or share he story. ♥️🌓