2.1 | Alice ✔

Red Mistress Ophelia

A few days had passed, and tensions were unbearably high with the citizens of Rose Estate following the party. Zain knew he had himself to blame, but that didn't make him feel any better, considering he'd dragged Saber into it, too. She was always so supportive and trusting of him; he couldn't help but feel he had taken advantage of that. On more than one occasion.

The lively atmosphere had abruptly died, rumors of White Kingdom spies hovering like a storm cloud on the heads of their neighbors.
It had been two whole days, and he hadn't seen Saber at all. He was worried about her, but he wasn't sure who to ask of her whereabouts, or if it was even a good idea. Ridosen had been the only one to keep any contact with him, and he made sure that was as limited as possible as well.

Zaer and Seifer were too enveloped in each other to remember the rest of the world, and Elizabeth avoided him like the plague, no doubt feeling as if her mind had been violated. He felt so shitty about all of this.

"Zain." He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice from the doorway. As usual, it was only Ridosen, and today he was dressed in irresistible camouflage. A dark feeling settled in his belly as the man tightened his hunting gloves. "We're going out to check if the coast is clear. You should get ready to resume your journey."

"A-already?" he croaked in alarm. He wasn't sure how long he was expecting to stay here, but he at least thought it would be a tad while longer. Judging by the look on Ridosen's face, though, it probably was best they leave as soon as possible. Crestfallen, he lowered his head in affirmation.

"We won't be able to escort you to the king ourselves. We can't risk being caught," he explained gently. Zain looked up and saw something in the Hatter's eye. Worry? It couldn't be . . . "You have two options. You can take the path that goes through Mortem, which will take you to the back of the castle, but get you there quickest. Or, you can return to the path you started on, and follow the rose bushes."

"Which one is safer?" Zain murmured.

"None," he said flatly, making Zain's stomach drop out. "Both paths are EXTREMELY dangerous. Traveling in the open, you'll at least be able to see the monstrosities. 'Mortem' stands for 'death'. Self explanatory. Traveling through the impenetrable dark of the forest, they'll spot you before you even know what's coming."

Zain felt sick. He was seriously reconsidering if this mission was worth it. But after everything the people of this realm did for him-and with such unbiased attitudes-he had to try.

"O-okay. We're gonna go with the rose bushes," he said sheepishly. With a sardonic smirk, the Hatter nodded his head.

"Very well. We'll be back around midday. Feel free to shop around for your needs." With a flourish, he turned and left the room. Zain sighed deeply. He guessed he'd been too caught up in luxury to really consider how hazardous this journey actually was. He stood to his feet and left the room in search of Saber. Her room was located a few doors down, but he wasn't sure how often she stayed in it. He knew Elias was always up her ass . . .

He blushed at himself. Why did he sound so jealous when he thought about them? Elias kind of reminded him of the stalker types, and no matter how good he looked, he wasn't into that. Well, Ridosen had some stalker qualities, too . . .

"Zain?" He jumped out of his skin for the second time today, staring into the pale face of Saber. She was hovering in the threshold of her bedroom, dressed in her White Kingdom apparel and holding her staff beside her.

"Ah . . . hi," he said awkwardly, stricken by the pained smile on her face. She didn't realize how horrible she was at hiding her feelings. "Today's the day."

"Yeah. I know," she muttered solemnly, lowering her head and tucking some hair behind her ear. "Hatter was just here to warn me."

"He's going out to check the coast for us. That's nice of him, right?" he informed with an uneasy chuckle. She looked at him, and the facade broke. "I know you're sad to be leaving. I know you're scared for the journey. I'm afraid, too."