Chapter 75 - Last Night's Incident

Ander woke up having a headache, holding his head he sat up. Looking around the area he was surprised by the change of environment. Pulling himself up to stand he felt pain in his waist and below.

Gritting his teeth he got up from the ground. He picked up the leather cover that was spread on the ground which he assumed he slept on. He inspected it to find some clue of where he was or why his body ached. Finding nothing on the cover he dropped it down and took a step forward only to fault feeling pain in between his legs.

He groaned in pain taking deep breaths. "Are you okay?" he heard and looked up.

He stood aghast with his eyes popping out of the sockets as he stared at Avan's bare chest."What are you doing here?" he asked trying to mask his blush and his red ears.

"I went to get us something to eat," he said showing him the fruits in his hands.

"Where are we?" he questioned in an indifferent voice.

"Vertlea," he replied to him and handed him an apple. "You hungry, Ellandra?" he asked throwing a fruit up the tree.

"Always," Ella said jumping down the tree.

"You," Ander said to the fire maiden. "What are you doing here? Why are we here?" he asked.

"We are in my home, we are here to save my people," she informed him.

"You said you wanted to help, I trusted you and this is what you do. You sign me up for a quest without my consent," he angrily said to Avan."Trusting you was the biggest mistake of my life," he added.

"I'll go and fetch us more water," Avan said walking away from them. He gave no reply to Ander's words.

"What are you looking at?" Ander questioned Ella.

"Not how I expected you to act after everything," she said and went after Avan. She traced his steps to the nearby lake and watched him draw water. "Pouring water on your face won't conceal the tears in your eyes," she said to him and took a step closer to him.

"I am not crying."

"You can't do this, it's not far that he gets to say things like that to you. The prince is a heartless bastard," she said.

"It's nothing. Forget it and move on," he said getting out of the lake.

"Are you going to be able to move on and forget?" she asked him, Avan halted but didn't reply. "How can you ask of me what you can't do yourself?"

"It's not what you think," Avan said and turned around, Ella was gone. She had left him and returned to their campsite. She packed their blankets and covers back into the bags preparing for their departure.

She felt very bad for Avan and the way that Ander was treating him after everything that happened.

"My body hurts all over. Were we attacked in some way that I don't remember?" Ander asked his curiosity getting the better of him even though he didn't want to speak to her.

"You could say that," she replied to him." Just because you don't remember what happened doesn't give you the right to assume that everything is other people's fault," she added.

Processing her words Ander knew there was something she was trying to tell him. He could tell that something happened but his memory failed him of what it was. He couldn't recall a single thing that happened after Avan hugged him to comfort him.

"Care to explain?"

"I don't know. Which part should I explain to you, the part where you opened your heart out to him and blamed him for everyone in your life not loving you. Or the fact that you forced him to take you far away from Arimelari since you couldn't stand to be surrounded by all the lies and pain. Maybe the point where you agreed to help me save my people and forced Avan to join us on the journey or perhaps you wish for me to explain the part you seduced him to make love to you?" she asked and paused as if weighing the impact of her words.

Ander stood wide-eyed his body as pale as death after listening to the fire maiden. His heart throbbing exotically, threatening to break its cage and ran loose. He was at a loss of what to say.

"Just because he walked away without saying a word doesn't mean that he is guilty. It is just difficult to prove his innocence when you already think him a villain," she said and walked so close to him that she could hear his heartbeat. "I don't think that only he should suffer for last night's incident," she added and placed her hands on each side of his head. Closing her eyes she muttered a spell.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

"Showing you my memories of last night. As much as I want to I can't u see what happens," she said and slowly the scene around them started to change. They were in the school in his and Avan's room with Avan carrying him in his hands. "Watch," she told to him.

Ander watched Avan set him gently on the bed and cover him up with a warm blanket before getting up to leave when Ella walked into the room.

"You called for me. Not that I know who you are but here I am," she said to Avan.

"Ander wanted to speak to you," he replied.

He helped Ander to sit upon the bed holding him for support. "I am going to help you save your people, we are going on a trip to your village," he said to her.

"Thank you," she said feeling grateful that he changed his mind about helping her. "With the two of us there we can fight them," she added in glee.

"The two of us?" he asked seeming confused. "We are going to be three, Avan is coming too. Aren't you?" he asked him.

"I would love to come along and held but I have something urgent to do here in the school," Avan said apologetically.

"And here I was starting to think that you cared. Didn't you say you wanted to help me, well this is how you help me and if you meant those words then I suggest you cancel your plans because we are going on this trip?"

Cornered by Ander, Avan had no choice but to tag along with the two of them. Ella introduced herself to them, they got their bags and got to his father's office. He opened the door and went straight to his desk, twisting the desk a little. The shelves started moving to create a door behind them. Ander kept his hand on the doorknob and opened it with a drop of his blood.

The scene changed to the forest as they rode their horses in the forest, it was dark but the full moon provided light for them to see the way to where they were headed.

"Do you know something," Ander started getting both their attention. "I hate you, Avan. Ever since I have met you, I have listed everything that used to mean so much to me. Every piece of my life came crumbling down and that is all because of you," he said.

Avan remained silent and just watched him as he went on. He told him about his father, Francis, his mother, and the lies that he had uncovered. He also mentioned his real mother who he had never met but supposedly was a bad person according to his father.

"Stop," Ander said to Ella, he couldn't stand to hear himself talk about his problems to someone who wasn't even his friend.

"Why? We are just getting to the good parts. Right after that tree over there is when the love started. You should see it," she said.

"Stop it now."

"Okay, calm down. I don't need drawing more attention to us than you already have," she said stopping the spell.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You are a dangerous person. Whether you are angry or happy, I should know you tried to kill me eight times last night. I only got to relax after you passed out."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that I have never met anyone more dangerous like you. I mean who moans spells when they are being made love to?" she asked him. "Not just any spells but one's that would decapitate a person and a creature within a forty-mile radius. I would know because if you haven't noticed, there aren't any animals in the forest. Some ran away for their lives while other's died by your spells," she said angrily.

"What?"

"Next time you make love, I would suggest closing your eyes. Sealing your lips with a spell and numbing your fingers, that way you won't anyone while being lost in the clouds of pleasure," she advised.

Avan came back with the bottles of water finding Ander and Ella seated on different sides of the camp not talking to each other.

"Did something happened?"