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Alexander Stowe really hadn’t been able to sleep. He’d tried, of course, but the chaos of the day hadn’t seemed to escape his mind. Part of him still couldn’t believe the strangeness of his situation. One could also probably say he was in denial.
After everything he’d gone through, how could he have died?
Feeling irritated, Alex crawled out of his bed and slowly tip-toed into his living quarters. Well, he supposed they weren’t just his anymore. He turned his head towards a door identical to his own which stood a little off to side from Alex’s. Shaking his head, Alex passed his desk and headed out the door.
When he finally made it outside, he let out a sigh of relief. It really was a beautiful night. There was hardly even a cloud in the sky, Alex noted. He then decided to walk over to the beach to admire the stunningly blue ocean. After he was done with that, he finally settled down onto the cool sand. He ran a hand through his tangled chocolate curls and watched as ocean waves splashed onto the quiet beach.
“I thought that I’d find you out here,” came a quiet voice from the dark.
Alex startled, jumping around to face the voice. He then let out a small sign of relief when he realized who had followed him into the dark of the night. He pulled his arms around his knees and sighed.
“I don’t want to talk, if that’s the reason why you’re out here,” Alex said, coldly.
“We don’t have to talk. We could just...sit? It’s beautiful outside tonight, you know?” The voice chuckled back, though, Alex could hear a hint of sadness mixed into the words.
Fine, you can...sit,” Alex replied, with feelings of suspicion evident in his tone. With a sigh, he made a gesture inviting the other to sit beside him.
He hoped that this wasn’t a mistake.
Alex watched as his strange companion gracefully sat down on the grass before then crossing a pair of long legs. After that, the man took a hand and raked it through his mane of long, white-hair. Alex noticed that he was wearing a pair of green slippers and a completely black sleeping robe.
Not wanting to start conversation, but also feeling quite curious, Alex decided to say something.
“Did I wake you up?” Alex asked, quietly.
Black eyes met dark brown curiously.
“No, I was in the middle of a nightmare. I couldn’t sleep, so, I decided to make myself some late-night tea to calm down, but then I noticed that you’d left. I made the decision to follow you out here,” said Marcus Today.
“Ah, so you couldn’t help inserting yourself into my business then? How perfectly in character for you,” Alex said, cooly.
Marcus flinched in response, and yet, Alex didn’t feel that bad at the moment. There were just so many secrets and so much unresolved conflict between them. Sure, Alex had missed the man greatly, but there was also a part of him that slightly resented Marcus Today. As he’d gotten older, he’d realized that there were some things that should have simply been told to him instead of dangled in front of his face like a shiny new toy.
Eagala became a monster because Marcus had left her behind.
He’d left Alex behind too.
He’d left them all behind.
“If you want me to, I’ll leave you to enjoy the night alone, Alexander,” Marcus replied, sounding hurt but clearly trying to mask it.
“It’s not that I don’t want you here...it’s just...I don’t think I’m ready. To be near you...I mean,” Alex said, before once again running a hand nervously through his messy curls. He really wished that he’d tied his hair back into a ponytail before coming out here.
“Is it my appearance? I could change it, if you’d prefer me to,” Marcus answered, lightly.
“It’s not that, well actually, maybe it is slightly that, but, there’s other things too. Like, how you left me behind with your mess, and kept things from me, and hid so many secrets from almost everyone you knew,” Alex said with increasing intensity, feeling his restraint break away.
Before Marcus could even get a word in, Alex continued on.
“And of course, there’s also the fact that you were planning to fake your death and not tell anyone! Did you ever think about how I would react to that? Did you? No, I’m sure you didn’t because for almost the entire time that we knew one other, you just wanted to force me into a position that I had no interest in taking! And when I said no, you never even tried to look for someone else!
Marcus stared.
“The simple and cold truth is that all you ever did was use me!” Alex cried out before promptly turning over and punching the first head mage of Artimé square in the nose.
Marcus fell backwards into the sand in a quick flurry of motion. Shock was etched very clearly into his face. In another quick movement, he rolled back over and adjusted his body into a sitting position. He moved his hand to his now very-red nose, and his mouth opened in an “o” shape.
However, Marcus wasn’t the only shocked one. Alex was staring down at his fist in horror, hardly comprehending what he’d just done. He hadn’t punched someone like that in years. He’d kept his old feelings and anger deep down inside his heart, locked away.
“I’m sorry. I..don’t know what came over me. Let’s just forget about this, ok?” Alex whispered, while plainly being on the verge of tears.
“No,” answered Marcus Today.
“What?” Alex replied, weakly and in a confused tone of voice.
“It’s quite obvious that I hurt you, and you’ve been holding in these feelings for a very long time. I’ve..done things, you know that, but I was the biggest figure of support in your life back then. I was a grown adult who should have known better than to play with your feelings and ambitions. I was desperate during those days. I think...loosing Justine...did something to me, but that doesn’t excuse my actions. I am sorry for hurting you Alexander, I am so so sorry. If you don’t want to interact with me anymore, I will understand. After everything you’ve gone through, you deserve peace,” said Marcus, remorsefully.
And then, Marcus got up and started to walk away.
Startled, Alex jumped up from the sand and hobbled over to the retreating figure. He grabbed Marcus by the shoulder in one swift movement and spun him around.
“You don’t get to walk away from me again. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” Alex croaked, tears starting to leak from his dark eyes.
And then, Alex Stowe pulled his former father figure into a hug.
Marcus was as stiff as a statue for about three seconds before relaxing into the embrace. Above the two, a cloud passed over the moon. Both looked up and pulled away from each other as the sky darkened.
“A bad omen?” Alex asked softly.
“I don’t believe so. Actually, I think we caused it on accident,” Marcus replied.
“We caused it?” Alex questioned.
Marcus chuckled before responding. “Artimé here is a bit like Artimé in the land of the living. Both you and I are connected to this place, and sometimes, our emotions can reflect into the landscape around us. See?” Marcus pointed to the sky just as the dark cloud swiftly passed over the moon and disappeared from existence.
“Wow, it completely disappeared,” Alex said in awe.
“Indeed, perhaps it was late to a date or something. Who knows,” Marcus responded with a laugh.
Alex couldn’t help but smile at the words.
Perhaps they really could stand together as equals. It would take time, but, maybe, it would be worth it. The pain wouldn’t ever really go away, but maybe, it could be soothed.
“You really are an absolute train wreck sometimes, aren’t you, Marcus?” Alexander Stowe asked with a sad smile.
The white-haired man stared at Alex in surprise at the words, his black eyes wide.
“You called me by my first name,” Marcus marveled.
“Yeah I did, you better get used to it, old man,” Alex declared with a laugh.
Marcus laughed too, and then held out his hand.
“Would you want to try being friends again, Alexander Stowe?” The Warbleran ex-prince asked with a smile.
Alex thought it over for a few seconds before coming to a firm conclusion.
“I would very much like that,” said Alex Stowe, the second head mage of Artimé, before grabbing the other’s hand and shaking it once, firmly.
For the first time in many years, Alex felt like he’d truly found his equal. Together, they could handle anything life-or-well-in-this-case-death, would throw at them.
And maybe, just maybe, everything would work out for the best, in the end.
Alex wiped away his tears.