"So, what's the plan?" Sophia shouts from behind Alex as he shot through the forest
"I don't really have one"
"You don't have a plan? What are we going to do, run in yelling?" Sophia fires back, earning a small chuckle from Alex
"Not quite but-"
"That's what you were hoping for?" She cut him off.
"Maybe" he said sheepishly.
By now they had been riding on the horse for around 5 minutes. Both in silence as the wind travelled through their hair and the trees swayed in a greeting manor. The sun had begun to dip behind the towering trees. Their time was slowly running out and they both knew it.
"We need a plan" Sophia confirms from her spot.
"I know we do, but we don't even know what's happening right now. I've never had to protect you without information on the situation. I've never had to do this before. How am I supposed to protect you if I not even sure whether I can protect myself first?" Alex's mind ran wild. He had to protect her even if it meant his life for hers. But how could he do that if he didn't even know why or what he was sacrificing self for?
"If anyone can do it it'll, be you" Sophia tightened her grip around his body, leaning forward slightly to place a kiss on the back of his head.
"You're not alone" she whispered "not anymore"
.......
The gentle rocking came to a sudden halt. They had arrived.
The sun had disappeared leaving a red sky in its wake. This didn't spark any concern to the pair, After all it was just a piece or art that had taken over the sky. What did worry them was the quietness the painting brought with it.
"Where is everyone?" Sophia says as she slowly slips of the side of the horse
"This isn't good. This isn't good at all" Alex mutters quick and fast. His dismount less graceful than Sophia's.
"What's the matter?" Sophia turns to him. She could see all the features of his face. The wrinkles in his face. The tight shoulders. The wide eyes clearly showing his fear.
"The battles already begun" he takes a deep breath in before walking towards the edge of the field. He reached his hand out in front of him. He could feel the pain and suffering.
"What are you doing?" Sophia went to move towards him when she couldn't move. Her limbs had frozen in its place. The vines on the floor twisting them sleeves around her ankles. She was shackles down by the very earth that she had once felt peace in.
"She's already here" Alex said mostly to himself, unaware of the danger that was already surrounding them both.
"ALEX?!" Sophia called. The vines slowly travelled up her legs causing the panic to feel like it was rising with it. It felt as if she was trapped in a room and all the doors were locked. There was no escape. The water was rising threatening to take her under.
"Yeah?" he muttered half in the conversation but mostly in his own brain
"Alex!" she called again, the panic clear in her voice. The vines had wrapped their way tightly around her flesh. Her old, but still healing, wounds that she had momentarily forgotten coming back to her a fall blast.
"SHOPHIA?" Alex had never turned around so fast in his life. His eyes quickly surveyed the danger. "This is not good this is really not good." he muttered quietly, his feet moving quickly towards Sophia. His hand moving frantically and the vines that refused to give out. Nothing he was doing was stopping the quickly rising vines that was taking her hostage. He stepped back.
"Sophia, I need you to close your eyes for me" he raised his hands. He had only ever done this spell once before.
"Why? what are y-you doing" she could barely hear him above the water. The crashing of the waves getting louder in her ears. The levels reaching her oxygen levels. If he didn't save her soon, she didn't think she was going to make it out of her chamber alive.
"Do you trust me" he looks for her eyes. He needed to see her response.
"Always" the tears brimmed her eyes and the vines began to wrap around her neck. Was she going to die before it had even begun? Her heart thumbed in her chest. This can't be the end. Right?
"Please close your eyes, NOW" Alex held his shaking hands up, closing his eyes and muttered a small spell under his breath. A bright light filled the area flaming orange for a moment. The quiet was quickly replaces by a small bussing noise. the crashing of the waves faded from her ears. The door had opened. She was free.
Opening his eyes, he watched as Sophia's legs gave out beneath her. The small thud sounded through the quiet forest as her body made contact with the cold floor.
"SOPHIA?" Alex rushed forward. He pulled her head into his lap.
"Sophia" he said quietly, his hands moving to brush the hair away from her face. His eyes frantically looking for any sign that she may be conscious. A small wiggle of her finger allowed him to momentarily breath a sigh of relief.
"I'm ok" a small response came from her still body. Her head felt foggy. As if she wasn't really there. Her heart thumped in her chest vibrating her insides. Although most of her senses acknowledged the fact that she was safe and that there were no vines. No water keeping her hostage. Her brain screamed danger. Her body shaking from the left-over adrenalin.
His body sagged in relief. Leaning forward he placed a small kiss on her head.
"I'm ok, I swear" she said again, mostly to herself. Alex would always save her; she knew that. The locked door would always be opened. The water would never force her to succumb to their dangers. She would be fine. Hopefully.
They sat there for a few moments with Alex quietly muttering 'I've got you ', 'I'll always protect you' with the occupational kiss to the forehead. He was just trying to pass the minutes until she felt stable enough to return to her feet.
...
"Hey. hey you don't have to get up yet" Alex was quick to have her lay back down
"Alex "he didn't listen
"Hey" she spoke softly, reaching for the sides of his face making him look at her. "I'm fine, we have more important matters at hand."
They both knew that she wasn't ready to stand back her. Tremors still passing through her body. Her brain not ready to let up any of the images just yet. His eyes stared at her letting her knew what he was about to say wasn't anything but the complete truth "you are my most important thing right now and you don't have to be ok." he placed his hand on top of hers.
A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth; her eyes dull. "We need to fight and I can't do that if I'm on the floor." she begun to get out of his hold to get on her feet, trying to bolt her feeling behind a solid metal door. trapping them inside its cage until she was ready to feel them again. She knew that battle she was going to be apart of had no time for those feeling. Whether the battle was going to happen right now or in a few hours' time, One ounce of fear may get he killed. She flinched at the thought.
Alex helped her onto her feet but he stood close just in case she fainted again. Once he was sure she was alright he stood back slightly. His gaze returning to the empty field that backed on the kingdom's walls.
Noticing his gaze, she spoke up "it was her. Wasn't it?" his gaze didn't move from the field.
"It was her then. With the vines. Wasn't it?" a small sigh could be heard from Alex
"She knew you were coming. She knew that we were going to be here right now. How the hell did she know that?!" he shouted, frustrated with himself, his posture went stiff. His hands forming into tight fists. If he couldn't protect her now. How was he supposed to do it when theywere in battle?
"She knew all of what was going to happen. She has always been 1 step in front of us. No one has ever defeated us before the battle has even begun."
Sophia grabbed his fists, trying to lay them flat with hers. After a couple of minutes she succeeded, intertwining their fingers together.
"We don't even know if we've lost. Right now, it looks like it hasn't even begun" Sophia allowed her gaze to join Alex's. The empty field mocking them as it stood still.
They both looked at the forest. The trees that rustled behind them, didn't move in front of them. the in front water that should have been falling down beside the door to the castle, looked as if it had been frozen still. Something wasn't right. It all looked too much like the sky.
Fake and like a painting.
"Hey Alex?" Sophia questioned
"Yeah?" he replied giving her hand a small squeeze. There was a beat before she spoke again.
"Is there a magic that" she shook her head.
"What? Go on, what is it?" he ripped his gaze off of the still, trees looking at her side profile instead.
"I don't know. and I might sound crazy but is there a way that an enchantress could make it look as if nothing is happening. But there's a whole war going on behind it?" a grimace pulled on her face
Alex stood still for a moment. His brain trying to look through all of his memories. All the lessons he had to be a part of. All the textbooks he studies until the sun had dipped behind the mountains. All of the spells he had to learn just so that he was aware of the consequences so that he could protect those he loved
"The cover spell" he whispers a look of realisation dawned on him. "They've used the cover spell"
"Is that a good thing?" Sophia looks at him, their grip tightening ever so slightly
"I'm going to say in these circumstances. No" he sighed, his heart dropping slightly. "It means that whoever is beyond this facade, knew we were no match for them. And yet we were going to try our very best to defeat them." he paused his breath getting caught. "And they don't want to be caught doing it."
Sophia moved forward, unlacing their hands, and moved into his embrace instead. Alex's arms automatically moved to wrap themselves around her. leaning down he placed a small kiss on her head.
Right now, they knew that this was the calm before the storm. And once they stepped into that spell, they may never step foot back out.