Chapter Thirty Five: Who Are You?
"Who are you?"
The question rang in the air. Looking to see if she was okay, Mark was surprised that she had not even flinched at his question. Surely she should have cried, Mark thought. He had gotten up from where he was sitting to stand by the bed. The Lord looked at her, confused that the girl was sitting beside him. Outside, he saw lightning and heard the sound of heavy rain.
Getting up from the bed, Alexandra stood, drawing to her full height. Mark was amazed at her composure. Had it been her, asking him the same question, he was sure that he would have looked hurt...he knew he would have felt like a knife had cut through his heart.
"I am Queen Alexandra Astale of Seraphine." She told Nicholas.
"What is a Queen doing by my bedside?" The Lord asked, sounding more confused.
"Lord Nicholas James Devereux, I am here because you got injured during an attack on the castle. One of the former lords of my country decided to cast a spell on me. You jumped in at the last moment, and took the full blow." She explained to him. Mark could hear the distance in her voice, she was not acting at all as if they were friends. Giving him his name, and where he was from; Alexandra seemed to be keeping close to the facts.
"What happened to me?" The Lord asked, after a moment.
"You've lost all your memories. We were told by the Oracle to find them, or risk losing your life."
"Why are you helping me, if I'm just a Lord? I don't even know you. Shouldn't you be running the country?" Nicholas asked, the obvious question.
Watching her, Mark saw a thoughtful look cross her face. It was like she had not been expecting him to ask her such a thing.
"I owe you my life. I promised your sister, Sophia, that I would help you...and I'm trying my best to repay that debt. My country is fine for now, it's in good hands." Alexandra told him. "If you have any other questions, just ask Mark. I need to step out for a minute, I forgot something in the other room."
Trying to catch her eye, Mark would have stopped her, but she moved quickly to get out of his reach. He watched in awe as she walked out of the door and into the rain.
"Have we met?" Nicholas asked him. "You and I? You look familiar."
Turning to look at the Lord, who was now sitting up, Mark sat down on a corner of his bed.
"We have, mate. You're one of my best friends. We've known each other since we were kids. You, me, and my cousin Valek. He's back at the castle, taking care of things." He told the young man.
"How am I a Lord?" Nicholas asked, as though the sheer thought of it was absurd.
"Well...it's a long story. Basically, your ancestors held the rank, but it was taken away from them when they betrayed the crown. Alexandra, the Queen, gave you back the title." He said, trying to explain it in the shortest manner possible and make it easy to grasp.
"Was I always a Lord?"
"No...you were the Head Chef of the castle...and have also served as the Royal Advisor. A position your parents once held." Mark explained. "Lately, you've been doing all three jobs."
"Are you also a Lord?"
"Nope...Valek and I are the Heads of Alex's security."
"The Queen said I had a sister. Where is she?" Nicholas asked, looking around, as though Sophia would appear from behind the adjoining bathroom door.
"She's back in Seraphine with Valek. They're taking care of castle matters while Alex is with me and you."
Sitting in silence, Mark watched as Nicholas mulled over the information he had been given. It wasn't long before he asked the inevitable.
"If she's my Queen...why don't I feel like we've met? Why don't I remember her?"
...
Sitting on the sidewalk that led to their rooms, Alexandra sat shielded by the rain, the overhead balcony of the second floor rooms covering her.
Her fingernails dug into her palms. Hadn't she promised that she wouldn't cry? She wouldn't renege on her words. I didn't think it would hurt so much, she thought, Nicholas' first words echoing in her mind.
'Who are you?' He had asked her.
Nothing in the world could have prepared her for the those heart wrenching words. She had felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her.
Steeling herself, she heard the door open from behind her.
"Are you alright?" Mark asked, coming to stand by her.
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She lied, looking up at him with a forced smile, not wanting him to coddle her or feel sorry for her.
"I just wanted to make sure." He said, clearly not fooled by her act. "Go inside. I need to check a few things."
Nodding, she slowly got up, under his watchful gaze. Opening her door, she knew he was looking for any sign of weakness.
"Will you be coming back?" She asked, hopefully.
"You need sleep...I will check up on you, later." He told her.
"Okay..." She said, the moment she had been dreading had come, quietly she entered her shared room.
Walking in, she saw Nicholas sitting up, propped up by a pillow. He was watching her closely.
"Majesty...I thought you would be asleep by now." His formal tone cutting deep into her heart.
"Umm...unfortunately, we're both sharing a room...since Mark's duty means he needs solid hours of rest...so that leaves you with me." She told him, not knowing how to explain the situation. She couldn't tell him that she was the one he loved, or that it would kill her to be apart from him. "If it's alright with you, that is...if it bothers you, Mark and I could switch."
"No, it's fine." Nicholas said, making her heart jump a little. She had thought he would object to her.
"Did Mark answer your questions?" She asked, sitting on the opposite end of the bed.
"He did."
"Then you will know not to call me 'Majesty'." She said, hating the formal sound of the word.
"I apologize. Mark said you disliked it." He smiled, sheepishly.
"Is my sister really your Lady-In-Waiting?" Nicholas asked her, after a moment.
"Yes...she is. She's also my best friend." Alexandra answered.
"Mark said you both grew up together."
Alexandra nodded. Looking around the room, she noticed that there wasn't any where she could sleep other than the bed...the couch in the room was a single seater, and she was not about to try sleeping on the floor.
"You can sleep on the bed, if you like." His voice intruded her thoughts.
"Do you mind?" She asked, trying to make sure. Nicholas must have noticed her taking a look around.
"No..."
...
Waking up in the middle of the night, Alexandra felt arms around her. Disoriented for a moment, she forgot where she was, turning to nuzzle against the source of warmth.
Nick, she thought, the familiar scent of him surrounding her, making her smile as she buried her face in his chest.
A bright flash of lightning illuminated the room. It wasn't the castle, she thought. A flood of memories of what had happened over the last few hours, engulfed her; Alexandra found it hard to breathe.
Untangling herself from his arms, she got up quietly and ran for the door. The pain so sharp and sudden, that it caught her off guard. Standing outside, she let herself cry, the sobs shaking her. Tears streamed down her face, as she wiped them quickly. From behind her another door opened.
The arms around her this time were different, but also familiar to her. Mark pulled her close to him.
"Shh...it's okay, Lexie." He said, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I know it's hard."
"I promised myself I wouldn't cry." She said, as he held her.
"It's okay, Alex. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself." He told her. "I know it must hurt that he can't remember you, especially since you love him."
Wrapping her arms around him, Alexandra held on tightly to Mark. There was still so much that scared her, there were so many unknowns. Would Nicholas even love her again?
Standing there in the rain, she allowed herself to cry. I need to get this out of my system, she thought. I will be strong, I will help Nick...and I won't cry any more...