102 Prisoner

After watching his king antagonize Artemis, Alex knew he would have to prepare to leave the kingdom. Others would think he was was a coward, but he thought of himself as practical. He didn't know if she would retaliate immediately, but prepared all the same. He was in his office throwing all of his most valuable items into his bag, and had his rapier at his waist. As he prepared to leave, night fell and he saw the blood moon outside his window, Alex knew he made the correct decision to leave.

He heard the screams as he was about to walk out of his office, and recalled the nearest secret escape tunnel. Normally the royal family were the only ones who knew about these, but he secretly investigated everything he could about the castle ahead of time. He looked back at his desk, and grabbed the last thing he wanted before leaving, a decorative pen his father gave him when he started advising the king. He stuck it in his pocket, not even concerned with the ink stains at the moment. Alex then made his way through the castle, as he had another destination in mind before fleeing, as he turned to the tower the princess was locked in.

***

Alice didn't think she would be able to cry anymore after this last week. She watched as her hero was attacked, and knocked out, then he was imprisoned while she was locked in a tower, almost as much a prisoner herself. Everyday for the last week her maid would come to attend her, while also sharing every detail about Leo's torture, possibly on her fathers orders. She also heard about how the entire city was on the search for Iris, who she was informed carried Leo's child just today.

As the sun went down that day she saw the red moon rise, and after several minutes she heard the yelling, as monsters spread from the prisons to attack. As she watched the people she was prepared to sacrifice herself for being attacked, she only felt numb. She no longer felt the need to care about them, as the only person who genuinely cared about her was having his most important person being hunted by them. As they started to multiply, her door opened and Athena's champion Alex walked in. He took one look at her, and he suddenly grabbed her arm and started dragging her.

"You're coming with me princess. You're father is gathering his best in the main hall, when he brought this on us to begin with. By morning the city will be in ruins, and everyone most likely dead." Alice didn't know what to do, but frowned and said,

"No! I'm staying." Alex's face twitched, before he suddenly backhanded her. Alice was stupefied, she had never been hit before and didn't know what to think. He suddenly grabbed her by chin, and forced her to meet his eyes, and said,

"By morning everyone you know will be dead, and it is all because of the one you seem to be infatuated with. Arthur most likely won't care about a princess from an already destroyed kingdom, you are mine." Alice felt an intense fear of her future. She knew that Alex was always interested in her, but she never accepted him because she knew he saw women merely as targets to conquer. Before either of them said anything, there was a sudden shaking, and a hole opened up beneath her and Alice disappeared.

"KYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Alex heard her shout, as there were several roars in response from the monsters. The sound of her shouting got further away, as well as the majority of them. He still had one monster remaining though, as it tried to climb through the hole to get him. Alex immediately pulled out his rapier, and started to attack the monster trying to get him. He stuck it into its arm, and it immediately grabbed the blade without a care for further injuries, and pulled it out of his hands before tossing it away. Alex watched as it started to heal the minor wounds seemingly instantly, and backed up to the wall with apparently no other options.

As it climbed out of the hole and started crawling closer, Alex fumbled, looking for any weapon to use. He grabbed anything within reach, and could only find trinkets to throw at it. He then searched his own pockets, and found only his fathers pen. As the monster lunged he jabbed with the pen into its face, and was completely confused by the result.

"AAAAARRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The monster cried out, as the part where the pen touched it started smoking. He looked down at the small pen in his grip, and lunged at the creature this time, sinking it into its skull, and every spot he could reach. He earned himself another scream, as the monster slowly started dying from its wounds. Alex then fled towards the nearest secret tunnel, and he continued holding the pen in his hand as if it was a national treasure. The small trinket his father gave him, he now considered his most valuable possession.

***

Alice was terrified as the creatures dragged her away. She was entirely convinced this was how she died, as their claws scratched her and she became battered from being dragged around. She closed her eyes and awaited her fate, preferring even this over what Alex had intended. They finally stopped dragging her, and with a bit of hesitation, Alice opened her eyes to find herself staring at Iris, who she thought she would never see again. Before she could say anything, Iris knelt down in front of her, and looked Alice in the eye before asking,

"Did you help them take Leo?" It was a simple question, one that she half expected. She looked Iris in the eyes, and said,

"No, I would never willingly betray him." Iris stared back at her for a moment, then pulled Alice into a hug.