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Araya Lucaris (Elora Krisara x AndrewS)

"I'll take a look around."

Vander wanted to be helpful, though he was in a place he hadn't really been before, and he didn't quite know where to even begin looking. Things were very clearly astray, his eyes falling to the sketches she had been carrying in her arms as she sat them down onto the nearby desk.

"Arcane research?" Regis asked, also peering at the pages from where he was sitting. "Part of your training?"

"We did something like that too, remember, Van?"

"Yeah." Vander nodded, kneeling down to check beneath the desk for a sign of what they were actually searching for. "My father wanted everybody employed within the castle to have some form of arcane education, even those who couldn't actually use magic."

"So, most of the men." She added, glancing at Kelaria, knowingly.

"Women were always more inclined to the arcane arts...for as far back as my studies had taken me, that was something that always appeared to be true. Those who were most powerful were queens and empresses. That remained true until..."

"Until Alzahar brought dark magic into our home."

Just when it seemed as though they were having an actual, honest conversation about something other than light, darkness, demons and the state of their home, Vander brought it back down to reality by mentioning Alzahar's name once more. It felt like all of the easiness in the room vanished upon this sobering reminder, and he quietly kept close to the ground, checking beneath her bed next.

"It's okay, Van..."

"Is it?" He asked, peering up from where he had been, on his knees, at the opposite side of the bed. "It doesn't feel like that. Not right now."

"Master Vander, you should celebrate today's victory before worrying about tomorrow's fight. You have dealt a great blow to the demon, and you freed your brother from his torment..."

"That doesn't change the fact that he's gone. Or that the being responsible for his death is still here, in this very castle...and besides, I-"

Vander trailed off, spotting something at the very back corner where the bed met the wall. He reached underneath, stretching across the floor boards, swiping at it with his fingers until it began to roll back towards him. Even in the low light, he could see the rune that was etched onto it's surface. Assuming this was what she needed, and that it must have fallen, then rolled beneath her bed during the commotion, he retrieved it and held it up to Kelaria from his position on the floor.

"Is this it?"
 
The blush returned to her cheeks as Vander asked about the sketches. "Um- everything else yes... but not those. Those were just for fun. Just for me rather than something I was required to do or was commanded to do. They aren't very good. I didn't have time to perfect the skill, but I enjoyed making them." She continued her search, eager to be done talking about them. In truth they were of the few things in the room that weren't dedicated to her research and studies.

Kelaria couldn't help but give Alexandra a very small knowing smile in response to her look. "That sounds about right." Aside from Vander and those who dabbled in demon magic, she knew no men with the talent for arcane arts. It was almost unheard of. The theories were many. Some said it was a genetic thing. A trait that could only be passed from mother to daughter rather than to sons. Others believed it was a gift from a powerful goddess who favored women over men. "I think it was a good thing that your father encouraged even those without the talent for it to study the arcane. It's important to understand some of these things, and some of the best scholars on the subject have no magic at all." She contained to shift through papers, avoiding looking at anyone for long. She was right in her worries it seemed. Being back in this room was more painful than she had imagined. It was proof of a life she'd never return to.

For most of the remainder of the conversation Kelaria remained quiet, letting Vander have his moment but finally spoke up when he pinned the responsibility of his death on himself. She shook her head and simply said, "You're wrong." She didn't elaborate and she said it so matter of factly that it was as though there was no other opinion at all. Something about what he said brought back her own painful memory and her own guilt. She had more she wanted to say to him on the matter but wouldn't in front of the others.

Kelaria looked up as Vander held out the seal. Kelaria straightened and moved to retrieve it from him. "That's it!" she took it and moved across the room towards her bed. Under the edge of the bed was a small divot in the floor, the exact size of the face of the stamp. She pressed it into the floor. "A key would have been to obvious so my grandmother thought to disguise it as a sealing stamp. In case of moments like these where the book might fall into the wrong hands." there was a clicking sound of a latch unlocking, allowing Kelaria to shift and raise up that small section of floor, revealing a hidden compartment that housed a very old looking leatherbound book. The Etherborn house seal was embossed on the cover.
 
Kelaria's insistence that he wasn't at fault was something Vander had come to expect. While it definitely brought him comfort, though not as much as her touch would, it wasn't enough to erase the stain it had left on his conscience. She cared for him, and they were allies, if not something more, but even she couldn't turn a blind eye to the fact that he had just killed his own brother, and that he had killed many others. Vander, and Alexandra to an extent, were both complicit in the taking of Arellia Castle, the very same place they were walking freely now alongside the princess who's family they had been responsible for slaying.

Vander couldn't tell completely if Kelaria truly held no contempt towards them, or if she had pushed it deep down, suppressing it the way she had her light. He wouldn't have blamed her if she hated them, but the fact that she very clearly didn't was the most confusing part.

Handing the stamp over to her, Vander watched it react to her touch and, beyond that, open a hidden section of her bedroom. Alongside the dust that was released when it opened, there was a book inside, her family's emblem notated on it's cover. This was what she was looking for, and the enemy hadn't found it.

"Clever girl." Regis commented, from his perch, while Vander took another step closer, having returned to his feet.

"This isn't just a regular journal, is it? You wouldn't go through so much trouble hiding it."
 
Kelaria gave Regis a small smile before turning to take the journal from its hiding place. She brushed the dust from its cover. She unlatched it and flipped it open, unknown to her a loose paper fell out. There was a look of deep emotion in Kelaria's eyes as she turned the book over. "It's more than a regular journal. It was used as a way for the women in my family to pass on their knowledge to their daughters and their daughter's daughters. Everything my great great grandmother knew about blood magic is in here." she looked to Regis for a moment before looking back to the book. "My grandmother's knowledge on enchanting." she flipped through the pages that somehow hadn't been affected by age. "My mother's knowledge on divination...her visions. Any prophesies she ever had would have been written in these pages. There's information in this book that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Including information that could be used against them...against me. Possibly weaknesses and vulnerabilities." She ran a finger over her mother's handwriting. Her eyes were glossy with emotion, but she did not cry. Instead, she closed the book and latched it again.

It appeared like there was something heavy on her mind as she looked down at the cover, something she left unsaid. For a brief moment that look of self-loathing returned to her features. Her fingers traced the emblem on the cover. Before she looked up she wiped the look from her face and looked at each of the faces in the room. She gave a very nonchalant shrug. "I think it might prove useful. At the very least I figured it would be a good idea to keep it from falling into Alzahar's hands."
 
Vander wanted to reach out and embrace her, but he decided that this wasn't quite the time to do so. Instead, he listened to her talk, recounting what it was this journal meant, not only to her family, but to her self as well. It made sense to keep it secret; the knowledge it held could have compromised not just Arellia, but the Araya Lucaris itself depending on what was scrawled across the journal's pages. Even though it was concealed and hidden in a way only Kelaria would have known of, Vander was still thankful they had retrieved it nonetheless.

"A very good idea." Vander reaffirmed, with a nod.

"There's one thing I don't quite understand, though..." Alexandra started a new conversation with a question, though it was related to what they had been talking about prior. "If your family had prophecies, and had an eye into the future, how did any of this happen? I'm sorry if this comes across as insensitive to the dead, but the Queen should have known better...it isn't like an invasion of this magnitude could just come out of nowhere. She should have seen it coming, especially if she could glimpse the future..."

"As far as I know, Alzahar's interference would have thrown any prophecy or prediction into disarray. Demons did not exist in our realm before the Araya Lucaris made them real." Regis began to answer for her, calling upon his own knowledge, but leaving enough space for Kelaria to answer as well if she wished to elaborate or explain more accurately. "As agents of darkness, demons would be unseen by the knowing light of the Etherborn family, as powerful as it may be. Brilliant sources of light are not capable of seeing their own shadow, after all."

"And it wasn't like relations were absolutely terrible between both sides prior to my brother taking over...they weren't great, but they weren't awful either. There was a peace and understanding between my father and hers. I'd imagine that Kelaria's family were blindsided by the sudden events, especially after having no idea that dark magic would be involved..." Vander also added, presuming that whatever prophecy Kelaria's mother had seen wouldn't have been able to account for the Araya Lucaris interfering and creating the demons that eventually led the attack, but he was open to being wrong about that presumption.
 
Kelaria clearly didn't take Alexandra's question as insensitive. It was a rather valid question. Her mother was a very skilled and well-respected Prophetess and if one did not know exactly what went into the art it would be easy to wonder how she could have let this happen. She looked at Regis and Vander who answered before her but left room for her to answer on her own as well. "You're both correct in a way. At least in part. Yes, Alzahar's interference did affect the reliability of my mother's gifts. From outside the darkness that is his magic it would be easy to miss and mistake as just a shadow. Only from within it could you see if for what it really was...once it was too late. My mother had very little frame of reference for what a demon's magic truly looked like, felt like. At least not until it was too late. " She continued to run her fingers across the embossed cover of the book.

"Divination is a very powerful form of magic. A diviner can see into threads of time that haven't occurred yet and that is a tool that can easily turn the tides of battles and prevent disasters. That kind of knowledge can be deadly. To know your exact path of success or failure. Imagine if Alzahar or even Balthier had that kind of magic. It would have been devastation for my kingdom. I would already be dead, and he would already have what he wanted." She turned her gaze back to the book in her hands as she recalled her mother's disappointment when Kelaria had proven to be a poor diviner. Kelaria kept her breathing measured and controlled as she tried not to dwell too much on her mother's many disappointments in her.

"But anything that powerful has to be balanced out some way, it's simply the way of the universe I suppose. There was always uncertainty. Sometimes my mother could give a vision so exact and perfect that you could time it down to the second and every last detail was correct. She predicted the exact moment of my birth, knew what time, what day, and exactly how long the labor would take. She knew I would take four even breaths before I cried the first time and that my father would force himself into the room before he was allowed out of impatience to see us. Most things though she couldn't get such a clear view on. Some things were left open to interpretation and the addition of Alzahar's magic only made that margin of error far greater. Some phophecies were given in just words, prose meant to be dissected and studied for their meaning. Sometimes she would see unclear or hazy images or constalty changing scenes. The future is always changing. It was never set in stone. I think Alzahar's magic is too unpredictable so in addition to not understanding it well enough, it was also changing too constantly to keep up with."

Still without looking up she continued to explain. "My whole life she knew something was coming. Told me constantly that there was something I'd have to do someday for my people. She knew there was danger in my future, but she never knew what. She spent countless hours studying her many visions to find the reason but in the end all she knew was she had to prepare me...she just didn't know what for. I don't think she ever would have expected this. She never saw danger in her own future but maybe that was because she didn't have one." Kelaria flinched at the thought. She took in a breath and brushed it aside. Vander was the one who was suffering right now, and she wouldn't let her own grief cloud his need for comfort. He had suffered far too much today, and she knew he was conflicted about it all.
 
Kelaria clearly had great knowledge of her mother's gifts, gifts that had influenced the way she lived and how she was raised from her very birth. With her light, she was more powerful than anybody had any right to be, but knowing that her family also had the ability to glimpse the future made Vander very glad that the legacy of the Etherborn rested on Kelaria. Had it been the other way, and it was the Albrights with the power of divination, there would have been no chance for them to have stopped Balthier. Having an enemy who knew their every move before they could make it, and could see every possible outcome...as cruel as fate had been to them, it showed kindness in allowing Kelaria to be the one inheriting that legacy, and not Vander or Balthier.

"Your mother did an incredible job preparing you, Kelaria." Vander reassured her, reaching his hand out to rest a top her should. He looked at her with such kindness, appreciation for what she had become and how strong she was, even if she didn't feel it. "I don't believe it's any coincidence that you are the one left to survive your family's legacy."

"I concur." Regis added. "Your mother must have seen the woman you would become. If she had seen that she would not have a future, it would make sense that she would do everything in her power to prepare you so that you would."

"Have you ever been able to practice divination?" Alexandra asked the question that was playing on Vander's mind so that he didn't need to speak it himself. She seemed as though all the talking about how great Kelaria was had been getting to her and she wanted to change the pace.
 
Kelaria seemed a little uncomfortable under all their praise, but she was trying to let herself believe it. She looked at him when his hand rested on her shoulder, and she gave him a small smile. However, her gaze and her smile dropped at Alexandra's question. "I have been able to practice...I'm not very good. I've never been a good diviner much to my mother's dismay." Kelaria left her answer at that as she looked down at the book. With a breath she finally stood from her position on the ground. "This is what I wanted to retrieve. If you don't mind, I want to grab a change of clothes to change into once I've gotten cleaned up. If we run into anyone on our travels, it would be best that I don't appear like this" She gestured to her ruined outfit.

Before going to move towards her wardrobe she looked to Alexandra with a look of concern. "How are you feeling? Any better?" Obiously the warrior would need more than a few moments rest but she wanted to check in regardless. She felt bad that Alexandra had overextended herself on Kelaria's behalf. She already worried about her relationship with Vander's former...lover. She didn't want this to put a greater divide between them.

They would need to get moving soon but for the moment this seemed like a decent enough place to allow her more rest if she needed it.
 
"Hm?" Alexandra questioned, as if surprised by Kelaria's sudden question. "Yeah. I'm fine. Please, do not worry about me."

Vander knew that Alexandra was just trying to deflect, but he didn't speak up to ruin her cover. Instead, he nodded towards Kelaria as she spoke of grabbing a change of clothes, finding himself a place to rest as well, seated next to Regis, and by extension Alex as well.

"You've done well, Master Vander."

"Do not praise me."

"Suit yourself. Just know that I am proud of you."

Vander appreciated the sentiment, but he was far from feeling deserving of that kindness. Much like Kelaria, he was uncomfortable receiving that praise. He knew he had come a long way, but he hadn't come far enough, he still had a long ways to go before he'd feel as though he had absolved himself of his guilt.

There was an air around this stop that made Vander think that this might be their only chance to rest. When they left the castle, it wasn't really known what would become of them at all. Vander still intended on taking Kelaria to the Araya Lucaris, but that wasn't a journey Regis could make, nor was it one he would expect Alexandra to want to make. If this was to be their last time all together, Vander didn't want to spend it being treated as somebody that he wasn't.

"Perhaps we should spend our time discussing what we're going to do next instead of trying to make me feel better."
 
Kelaria frowned as Alexandra brushed her off, clearly not at all convinced by her words. She then turned to gather clothes for herself and grabbed an extra outfit in case Alexandra decided she needed to change as well. She found a leather backpack she used to take out with her when she traveled with her father. She packed the clothes and the journal into the bag as she listened to the conversations happening behind her. She wasn't exactly sure why but she suddenly felt very much like an outsider as she listened in. They all spoke so comfortably to each other. They had known each other for most of their lives. Kelaria on the other hand was having to be very careful of what she said and around whom. It was a bit tense, at least for her, now in this room.

Kelaria finally turned back to the group that rested on her bed. She stood awkwardly by the wardrobe and faced them. "Alexandra, you mentioned before that you intended to go your own way for a while...I'm not sure if that's still your plan or not but please know you are welcome to travel with us. Your help has been invaluable, and I believe someone with a talent like yours has more than earned the right to see the Araya Lucaris." She paused to watch her reaction. "But if you can't travel with us, I understand. No one wants to push you to do more than you can."

She looked to Regis. "Do you have anywhere safe you'd like us to take you? You need time to recover..." She didn't want to be rude, but she also knew Regis wasn't prepared for the challenges this journey would face.
 
"I see no value in me tagging along any farther." Alexandra replied, bluntly, to Kelaria. "I will not change my mind. This is not my journey, nor is it my place...I'm not really sure where my place is anymore." Alex's eyes moved between the three others in the room, lingering longest on Vander, catching his gaze for the briefest of moments before forcing herself to look away. She had told Vander that she would just be in the way, especially with whatever was beginning to grow between him and Kelaria, and it likely pained her too much to witness it first hand. With the guilt on her shoulders, the pain she was feeling, being alone likely wasn't the best thing for her, but if it was what she wanted, Vander knew he couldn't force her into anything and that he had long since relinquished the right to have any influence over her actions.

"If I may, Ms. van Arbos..."

"Regis...call me Alexandra. We've known each other far too long for you to continue to be so formal..."

"Right. Ms. Alexandra..."

Alex rolled her eyes, but allowed it.

"Perhaps you have forgotten what I said to you once before. There is a place here for you, and you are not a complication...Alexandra, Vander fights for redemption, and Kelaria fights for her people. You need only find what it is that you wish to fight for and, in that, you will find your purpose, and your reason to continue."

"He's not wrong." Vander added, speaking candidly. "You've always been at your best when you've had something to believe in. Your parents, your training, us..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "...and my brother. But, now that he's gone, your purpose of serving the king has been fulfilled. For maybe the first time in your life, you are free to take whatever path you choose."

"I...I don't know what to do with that freedom."

"If fighting is what you wish to do, there are plenty of battles yet for us to fight. If answers are what you're looking for, the Araya Lucaris can provide more than you'd ever need. And if you just don't want to be alone...well, that's okay too."

"Van..."

"Become the Alexandra van Arbos you've always wanted to be. Unshackled by fate, unguided by expectation. You have fulfilled your duties and now, it's time for you to live your life."

"I...I'm really going to hurt you, Vander...you need to stop making me cry."

A small smile broke Regis' lips first, his weathered hand coming to rest on top of Alex's leg, comfortingly. "And if it's another duty you're looking for, another ruler to serve, you need only look in front of you. There are two of them, right here, and you have already become their blade."

"You would have me? Even with our past...I tried to hurt you both, I turned my sword towards the two of you, blinded, then jealous...I couldn't save my parents, my friend, my King...how could you rely on me for anything other than disappointment?"

Alexandra van Arbos used to be a woman who very rarely showed her true emotions. Vander was perhaps the only person, outside of her parents, who had seen her as something more than what she let on; a warrior through and through and nothing more to the public eye. Yet, she was a very emotional person who had become good at suppressing it. When it came to matters of the heart, if a blow snuck past her guard, she would unravel. She had cried more, and felt more, in the past few days than she had in the entirety of the time she and Vander were apart. It was a lot of emotional baggage, and weight. She had accomplished so much but yet, she found herself in the same position as Vander and Kelaria did, bereft with guilt, dealing with feelings of guilt and sadness that she had been unequipped to handle.

She felt like she was losing a part of herself by letting her emotions come undone, but really, she had been missing the point of who she was entirely.

"You have a great strength inside of you, Alexandra. A strength unlike Kelaria or Vander. Your heart. You feel everything so strongly, it drives you. You feel with such intensity that you've felt the need to hide it in fear that others would see it as weakness. Even now, you act as though the things you perceive to have failed have completed erased all of the good you have done."

"To answer your question, bluntly, no, I would not have you join us." Vander told her, drawing a strange look from Regis, and no doubt Kelaria as well. "...because this isn't you. This isn't the Alex that I know, and it isn't the one that I care for. I don't want this Alex on our side." Vander continued, showing some emotion of his own in the animation on his face as he spoke to her. It was clear that he cared a great deal for her, even if it wasn't the type of care she wanted it to be. "I want the Alex who keeps fighting, the one who's strong, the one who perseveres through anything and everything because that Alex? There's nobody like her in either kingdom, no one. I would be honored to have that version of Alexandra van Arbos fight alongside me once more."

Alex reached her hand up towards her eyes, swiping away the pesky moisture that continued to form beneath them. "I do not deserve any of this...but I am grateful for it all the same. Kelaria..., do you feel the same way as Van? I feel as though you are the one who has the most to risk by allowing me to travel with you farther..."
 
Again, Kelaria stayed back and listened to the conversation between the other three. She listened to Vander and Regis as they tried to comfort and inspire Alexandra. Kelaria didn't interject and made no efforts to insert herself into the conversation but did nearly speak up when Vander told her he didn't want her to join them. She relaxed slightly when her elaborated. She found herself nodding slightly in agreement to Vander's words. The way he spoke about her made it easy for Kelaria to try to imagine what the old Alexandra was like. The version of Alexandra before she got hurt.

Kelaria looked a bit surprised when Alex asked her opinion. "Vander trusts you and aside from trying to kill me yesterday-" She gave a small smile to show she was joking. "-you've given me no reason to doubt that. You've helped save me twice now and made huge sacrifices to do it. I trust you and would be grateful to have someone so capable traveling with me." She gave another smile. She meant her words, but she also knew that having Alex along would be hard as well. She didn't know how the other woman felt about her or where she stood with her. Kelaria was aware things would be tense given her evolving relationship with Vander. She would also have to be more careful about what she said and did with him. That was a bit disheartening, but she didn't want to make Alexandra uncomfortable being so near them. Kelaria would just have to be careful to put more effort into filtering herself again.

Kelaria's smiled dropped and she turned quickly to look out the windows. She could feel a stinging sensation across her skin, like there was something gathering in the air. "Something's happening..." It felt like the air was slowly pushing down on her. Even in the light of this room she could feel the pressure of creeping shadows. She moved towards the door. She reached a hand towards the door and pulled it open a fraction to peer outside. She let out a gasp and closed it quickly. Her light reacted painfully to the growing shadows in the halls. "He's doing something to the castle. Trying to flush us out." She looked to the other three. "We need to go."
 
"Then it is settled. I will travel with you both." Alexandra nodded, finding her fire again, her heart feeling lighter after feeling their acceptance. "...and I'll stop crying so much as well. That is a promise."

The happiness that had settled in around the room was beginning to fade. Vander reacted the same way Kelaria did, with Alexandra picking up on the feeling around them shortly after. Something didn't feel right, it felt like Balthier's magic was all around them in every direction. Balthier was gone, which meant it had to be Alzahar using some sort of spell...but what?

Shadows danced across the hallways of Arellia Castle, dying the walls black, not with paint or color, but with residual darkness that was spreading quickly across every single floor like a deathly embrace. Alzahar's magic was seeking them, tracking Kelaria's light, which meant he wasn't too far behind either. "I can teleport us out."

"No, you can't. There's four of us, Van, there's no way you can pull that off right now."

"I have to try. If he finds us, everything we just went through was for nothing."

"Princess, is there a way out of the Castle that we could use?" Alzahar was as clueless as Balthier was to the inner workings of the castle, to the secret passageways. Arellia Castle was raised high above sea level, a fact that Vander had learned pretty quickly when he was thrown from the castle in his initial escape from his brother. It had worked once before...but there was no way Regis could survive that sort of fall. Vander was lucky he survived, after all, and he likely only did because Kelaria was there to heal him when he came to.

They needed to think, quickly, before the encroaching shadow swallowed the entire palace.
 
Kelaria tried to think but was finding it hard to concentrate with the weight of the growing shadow that threatened to overtake her castle. "Um- I think...um-" she blinked a few times and looked down trying to clear her head. She was eager to find a solution that didn't rely on Vander teleporting them anywhere. She didn't like the unreliablity of it and she didn't like the risk it put him in to use his magic like that. With four of them it would likely be too much for him, especially after fighting his brother. "Um yes. There's a way out through the tunnels but it will lead out into the ocean this time of day. We'd have to swim to shore." She looked to Regis and Alexandra. "Are you able to swim?" She pinched her eyes shut for a moment, Alzahar's spell was giving her a headache and completely scrambling her train of thought.

"No matter what we do, we will have to move quickly. Outside this room I'll be weak until we make it out of the castle. Whatever Alzahar is doing is having an effect on my light. Even in here, protected by the wards, I can feel it pressing down on me. I won't be able to help much once we leave here." She looked to Vander to make sure he understood. She wouldn't be useless, but she'd be little help. Kelaria was confident she would be fine once they escaped the castle.
 
"There's no way that Regis would make it out alive. Let me try the teleport."

"Absolutely not." Alexandra argued. "I'll use my magic to protect him on the way down. If neither of you can use your magic, let me use mine."

"You could barely walk a few minutes ago. You're in no condition either. I can do this." Vander continued to argue, but even Regis knew it was a terrible idea for any of them to put themselves on the line any farther for him.

"Do not worry about me. It is more important that the two of you make it out alive with the Princess. There are more important things at play here than the life of a tired, old man." He reasoned, his voice showing no sign of fear or hesitation, just an exhaustion that came with age, adding more credence to what he had just said. "If I do not survive the fall, then I will pass in peace knowing that you are safe, Master Vander, and that there's still a light of hope yet for the twin kingdoms to rebuild."

"We're not letting you die. Why would you even suggest that?"

"You try to pull this self-sacrificing nonsense all the time, Van. Now, you see how it sounds to the rest of us."

"It's not the same, we-"

"Please, both of you." Regis interrupted their bickering to refocus them on what was more urgent. It was nice, in a way, to see the two of them back to normal, going back and forth with each other, but the circumstances were far too dire to linger on that fact.

Alzahar's darkness was drawing nearer, seeping through the walls, barely being repelled by the warding of the room. Their window was tight, even now, if they wanted to make it to whatever passage Kelaria had in mind without being caught in the moving shadows.

"I promise you that whatever happens, I will be all right. Please, Princess, we must move."
 
As the shadows began to seep into the room Kelaria felt the weight pressing in on her grow more intense. She was struggling to take full breaths as though there were a heavy weight on her chest or a hand on her throat. She was plenty aware of the urgency but didn't like the implications being made by Regis. "No one needs to do anything drastic. There is no fall. The tunnels will lead us down safely we just need to be quick. The tunnel will let out into the ocean so as long as you can manage to swim then everyone should be fine. Hopefully once we are out of the castle proper, I will be able to help."

Despite the urgency Kelaria couldn't help but look at Vander when Alexandra called him out. "She's right you know."

Kelaria moved towards Regis and gave him a firm look. "Regis Fairwind, I put a lot of effort into making sure you stayed alive. I will take it as a personal insult if you go and die on me now. Do we have an understanding?" it was the first time Kelaria spoke to him with any sort of authority but with nothing but kindness and concern in her eyes. "If you need help say something so we can help you. We are all going to make it out of here." She spoke with an unexpected confidence.

The shadows crept closer and closer, reminding Kelaria of the urgency of the situation. "This way!" Kelaria led the others back into the passageways. The pressure on her lungs intesified the second she was out of her room and the pain in her head was just shy of unbearable. "Quickly." She urged the others, keeping a close eye on Regis. As quickly as she could manage under the given circumstances, Kelaria began to lead them down the tunnels towards the escapeway.
 
Vander was appreciative of how badly Kelaria wanted to save Regis. She had barely known him for more than a couple of hours, yet, she refused to see him die. He couldn't tell what part of that was her trying to protect him from losing somebody else he cared about versus her trying not to fail another innocent person, but it didn't matter. When she said that she was going to make sure that Regis got out alive, Vander believed her, and it made him want to try all the more to make that a reality.

If she wasn't going to let him teleport them, she must have believed this plan would truly work. Vander was worried, but he had trusted her with his life before, he saw no reason to alter course now. With an affirmative nod of his head, and a sigh of relief from Alexandra as he stood down from his stance, he grasped Regis' wrist to make sure he was moving with them, the scholar giving Kelaria a look of concern but staying quiet for now as though she had put him in his place for now.

The seals were beginning to undo themselves, causing the darkness to seep through the walls, battling against the wards and suffocating Kelaria's light. If they didn't move now, they wouldn't be given another chance, so the four of them took off together, back into the castle's hidden passageways. Vander stood closely behind Kelaria, with Regis being pulled by his hand. Alexandra followed up the rear, she too trying to make sure that Regis was safe, but the urgency of the situation caused difficulties for his limited movement, as well as Alexandra's own injuries and fatigue. Furthermore, with Kelaria's light affected, she wasn't exactly the torch she had been before, which made it harder to see and cast the tunnel, which should have been their path to freedom, in a more daunting manner.

Vander may have been connected to dark magic, but it didn't make him comfortable in the absence of light.

"Keep going, old friend. You're doing great..." He reassured, though he could already feel Regis needing to slow down. "Just a little bit farther..."

"Allow me..."

Alexandra lifted her hand upwards. A pulse of blue light followed suit, healing the exhaustion in Regis' body, temporarily. "Alexandra..." Regis spoke, but she shook her head, pressing her hand against his back to urge him forward. Vander tried to peer beyond Regis, to check on Alexandra, but was unable to see her in the dark. Had his eyes been adjusted, he would have seen her leaning against the cold wall of the passage to steady herself, hiding how drained she was becoming.
 
Silently Kelaira was kicking herself for not healing Regis more when she had the chance in her bedroom. She honestly hadn't even thought of it since Alexandra had healed him when they were first reunited. Kelaria's concern immediately shifted back to Alexandra when she saw the flash of blue light. She knew Alex didn't have the energy to spare yet that didn't stop her from giving it to Regis. Kelaria glanced behind her but could hardly see Vander who was directly behind her, much less Alexandra who was at the back of the group. She tucked herself against the wall so that Vander could pass her.

"Vander keep going forward, keep a hand along the left wall, you'll feel a turn coming up that will lead us down. Just keep going down and west and we will reach the exit." Kelaria's voice was tight like it was difficult to breath and more difficult to speak. She allowed Regis to pass her as well. "Regis stay close to Vander. If you need help tell someone." She reminded him firmly. She let the men pass her so that she was in the back with Alexandra. She took the warrior's arm. "Lean on me as much as you need to. " She spoke quieter now so that it was directed mostly at Alexandra. "Don't argue either. You can't critisize Vander for being selfsacrificing then turn around and do it yourself moments later." There was no judgement in Kelaria's voice. They had all done a bit of it today. Sure, Vander stabbing himself took the cake but Regis had tried to convince them to leave him behind. Kelaria had thrown a damn rock at a demon instead of running. Alexandra was draining herself to help the others.

"Let me help you. We're all getting out of here even if I have to find a way to carry each of you out myself." There was no judgement in her voice but there was a strong determination. The princess wasn't going to take no for an answer.
 
Vander took the orders given, forging onwards into the darkness of the tunnel, feeling Regis walking closely behind him. He wanted to question why she suddenly had him take charge, but he didn't. Instead, he focused on the fact that he was the most capable of fighting right now, so the front of the line was exactly where he should have been anyways just in case they walked into something they shouldn't have. He could still feel the magic above them, captivating the castle, shrouding it in Alzahar's darkness, so he knew time was of the essence and they didn't have time to stop and discuss anything. He trailed his hand across the wall, as she told him to do so, searching for the break in the solid surface that would notify him of the turn they needed to make.

Meanwhile, behind him, Alexandra felt herself being aided by Kelaria, against her own judgement. She opened her mouth to argue, pulling back, but Kelaria had already anticipated her doing so, and cut her off before she could speak a word. Realizing she had no way out of this, and sorely needing the aid, Alex allowed herself to lean against the Princess for support out of necessity, not desire, not exactly feeling happy about being so weak and vulnerable that she would need the help in the first place.

The hypocritical nature of her actions had not been lost on her, but it was exactly as Regis had said; she felt too strongly, her heart was as much her strength as it would be her undoing, and knowing that somebody so important to Vander was in pain made it hard for her to stand by. Despite her jealousy towards Kelaria and Vander's budding romance, Alexandra was far from hateful or cruel, and she showed that in the way she selflessly tried to help even when she knew her body wasn't going to agree with her.

"There really is no need..." She protested, finally, speaking softly so that the others would not hear. "I am not a fragile flower, despite any impression I may have made upon you." Alexandra hated being seen as weak, especially due to her emotions, so she was immediately back on the defensive, just as Regis and Vander had said she would be. "I can do this on my own..."

Vander found the turn and stopped long enough for the girls to catch up enough to see that he was changing directions, slipping into the next corridor with Regis. He could barely see them, but he could tell that Kelaria was helping Alex, leaving him with a strange feeling inside over whether or not that was a good thing considering their ever complicated situation. If Kelaria was taking care of Alexandra, who was taking care of her?

"Do you want me to lend a hand?" He asked, over his shoulder, wondering if there was more he could do.
 
Alexandra's protest caught Kelaria off guard, not because she had protested, Kelaria knew she would, but because of what she said. "I can assure you that you've left no impression that you're a fragile flower. Needing help doesn't mean you're weak. Letting yourself be helped even when you want to resist is far stronger than simply allowing yourself to suffer out of pride." Kelaria shouldered as much of Alexandra's weight as she could. "There is nothing weak about you Alexandra. We may not have known each other long but that much is obvious. " There was an edge to Kelaria's words. Not because she didn't mean them or because she held it against Alexandra for needing her aid. The edge in her tone was due to Alexandra's resistance. She knew that she wasn't Alexandra's favorite person, but she knew that if Vander had offered the help Alexandra would have been far more willing to take it.

A fragile flower. Is that how Alexandra thought of her? Twice now Kelaria had appeared before the warrior in a state of total weakness. Alexandra had witnessed her fall apart emotionally and had witnessed Vander save her on multiple occasions. Even now, with the darkness swallowing her castle, Kelaria was being suffocated by it. Kelaria was crown princess, it was easy for people to assume she had lived a lavish and comfortable life leaving her with no strength and backbone of her own.

"You helped me. Let me help you." Kelaria spoke in a softer tone now, losing the edge in her voice.

Kelaria looked up as Vander called to them. She shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see the gesture. "We're fine. Just keep moving. We're almost there." The smell of salt water was starting to fill the tunnels faintly.
 
Alex wished to continue to push back against Kelaria's request, but found herself lacking either the words, or the courage, to do so. The Princess saw much more in her than Alexandra saw in herself, and while she had agreed to travel with them, she hadn't yet dug her way out of the hole she had fallen into within her head. Vander could tell, too, that Alexandra was not herself lately, it had inspired his speech prior. Though his words had gotten through to her, they hadn't been enough motivation for the warrior to recover from her self-doubt. Once upon a time, Vander could have helped her. His words would have been enough, but they no longer seemed to suffice now that his role in her life had shifted.

His attempt to help was turned down, so he forged ahead, focusing on completing the task she had given to him before. Following the tunnel with his hand on the wall, the sound and smell of the ocean seeped through with the wind, meaning there was clearly some sort of way out here, they just needed to keep moving. A crude staircase was carved into the rocks and stone. It was hardly elaborate, but it was enough to help them descend a little lower, with Vander holding Regis with each step while he presumed Kelaria would do the same for Alex. At the bottom, the tunnel curled back towards them, but by now, he could feel the breeze pushing back against them, much stronger than before, and he picked up his pace until it led him towards an opening.

The outside light breached the darkness of the tunnel and, beneath them, a short fall away, was water. Vander had fallen from a much higher height than before, but this seemed a little more palatable. As Kelaria had said, it was hardly a fall, but he still feared for Regis all the same. Looking back at Kelaria and Alex to confirm that they had made it as well, Vander took a deep breath, drawing in the fresh air.

"Who wants to go first?"

Above them, the shadows continued to move. They felt like they were drawing near, but that would only have been possible had they found the secret exit they had used. If Alzahar's spell was seeping down through the catacombs, it meant they had to make their escape now. "Do you feel that?"
 
"Be angry with me for it later. Right now, my concern is getting you out of here alive." Kelaria said softly before turning forward again, following Vander's lead. Occasionally she would instruct him on where to go but for the most part it was a fairly direct route from where they were. Kelaria tried not to linger on the tension between Alexandra and herself as she continued onward. She was grateful Alexandra would be joining them. Her skills would be incredibly useful, and she hated the idea of leaving the warrior to have to fend for herself after everything she had been through. It wasn't that Kelaria thought Alexandra couldn't handle being on her own. She just didn't think she should have to handle it all on her own. She knew that Alexandra coming along would be a good thing but she also knew that it would be tense and uncomfortable. Kelaria would always have to be careful of what she said and did in front of Alexandra's watchful eyes. Neither woman could be sure how the other felt. Alexandra had nearly killed Kelaria and Kelaria had accidentally stolen the man Alexandra loved. They were united only by common cause and perhaps a familiar pain.

The smell of the sea air and the breeze that filled the tunnel should have been comforting. It should have allowed Kelaria to take in a full breath at last. It should have relaxed the pressure on her chest and the restraint of her magic. It did none of those things. Instead, Alzahar's magic was stiffling it. It had chased them even here. Kelaria's felt her knees weaken but with only a slight stumble she managed to maintain not only her weight but Alexandra's as well. She nodded her head at Vander's question. Her voice sounded strangled. "I feel it."

She looked at their little group then back at Vander. "You should go first. You're the most able-bodied. You can help anyone who needs it when we get into the water. Please go quickly though." Her vision was going hazy.
 
The feeling of his body breaking the surface of the water dulled the cold for the initial few moments Vander was submerged. Soon, however, the chill of the ocean water began to cut through him, causing him to gasp a little as his body bobbed back to the surface from the force of the waves. He looked up into the mouth of the cavern as the others looked down. From his position, past them, Vander could see what had become of Arellia Castle, Kelaria's home.

The spell that had been cast by Alzahar had permeated the outside of the castle walls, not just the inside. There was a veil of dark, shadowy magic that clung to the perimeter, covering the stone of the palace towers and walls in a sheet of black that seemed to be moving, constantly, as if it were somehow both solid, yet made of smoke or mist. He didn't need to tell them how urgent it was that they made this jump right now, but he still wanted to, he just found it difficult to catch his breath as the cold water thrashed against his chest, restricting his lungs from drawing deep breath.

"I'll go next." Alexandra said, peeling herself away from Kelaria's side. There was a look in her eyes, as she met Kelaria's, that seemed to express a genuine 'thank you' without saying a single word, appreciating her help but being too brave and proud to admit it. Though she was weak, still, she let herself fall gracefully over the side, diving in head-first. Vander panicked, initially, when she didn't breach the surface immediately, but Alexandra popped out of the ocean, gasping for air, just a moment later. He waded against the force of the water to meet her side, the two of them looking skyward again. Regis needed to go next, but he was the one they were most worried about.

He looked down into the water, trying to summon the courage he needed to take the risk. Alex and Vander watched on, concerned, as the castle above them continued to blacken. Regis' eyes met Kelaria's, giving her a nod, before he leaned forward, trying to ease himself into the fall. As his balance shifted and he lost footing, he toppled over the side, crashing into the water.

The two already in the water immediately moved towards him, waiting for him to come back up from beneath. When he didn't, Vander drew a deep breath and plunged underneath. Alexandra prepared to do the same, but she wasn't sure it was smart for her in her condition. Her eyes glanced up at Kelaria, in concern, while beneath the water, Vander pushed his way through the cold, unforgiving ocean, digging his way closer to Regis, who was sinking. He flailed instinctively, trying to pull his body to the surface, but there wasn't enough strength in his bones to do it. Vander reached him and began to pull with all of his strength, lifting the scholar desperately until they both peaked back above, gasping for air.
 
The fact that Kelaria was struggling against the darkness swallowing her home was beginning to become more and more obvious. It was hard for her to watch Vander dive into the water because her vision was darkening, and it made her panic that she couldn't make out his shape fighting the dark waves. While she struggled to see him, panicking over his wellbeing, she relied on Alexandra's reaction to know what was going on. Alexandra wasn't likely to act calmly if Vander was in real danger. Their relationship was changed but it was obvious they still meant a great deal to each other and likely always would.

It was Alexandra's words that eased a bit of that anxiety as she announced she was next. She was too calm for Vander to be in danger. However, Alexandra leaving meant she wouldn't be able to use her reactions to her advantage any longer. Kelaria met the warrior's eyes, and she nodded once, recognizing the look in them quickly. She didn't speak about it either, just allowing for there to be a silent understanding between the two women. She braced herself for the sound of Alexandra's descent, taking her out of her field of vision as well.

Finally, Kelaria turned to Regis and her anxiety returned. If anything were to happen to any of them in this Regis was the most likely to have it happen. "Remember what I told you. If you die on me, I will take it as a personal insult. You of all people should know it isn't wise to insult a pr- a queen." She tried to make it sound like a joke in order to ease the tension, but the panic was evident in her voice. Without warning, even for herself, Kelaria hugged him tightly. She hardly knew the man, but she couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to him. He wasn't her father figure but there was something paternal about the man that made him loveable. His encouragement and advice today had meant a great deal to her. He was one of the reasons she had gotten herself this far today. After releasing him she helped to lower him down but felt the moment he lost his footing and slipped from her grasp. Her heart plummeted.

Kelaria leaned over the edge trying to hear what was happening and trying to focus her gaze enough to see where Regis was but at most, she could only see two bobbing blobs against the dark water then only one. She felt useless! She was powerless to help once again! She could dive in and try to find them, she was a strong swimmer, but she worried adding more commotion to the water would make things worse. After several painful moments that could have been seconds but felt like whole eternities, she faintly heard the sounds of labored gasping. Kelaria's sigh of relief soon joined the distant sounds.

Now it was her turn, but the world had begun to spin around her as the quickly darkening tunnel threatened to swallow her. She could feel her recently freed magic crying out again. Instead of safely and gracefully diving into the water below Kelaria suddenly found herself falling as the darkness swallowed her consciousness. She plunged into the frigid water, having passed out before she could actually make the choice to fall. The cold of the water tugged at her consciousness and allowed herself to be alert enough to begin fighting the waves that were pulling her under and knocking the wind from her lungs. She fought the current, determined to break the surface before Vander did something rash while he was supposed to be helping Regis.

With a suddenness, now away from the worst of the darkness, Kelaria's light returned to her with such intensity that the water around her light up and quickly grew warm. After struggling for a long moment, she was able to pull herself to the surface, gasping for air and coughing the water that had invaded her lungs when she hit the water. Quickly she found that her strength was returning despite the effort swimming in rough waters required. She looked around until she spotted the others and quickly swam to them, bringing the warmth with her. "Is everyone ok? Regis?!" She allowed her light to wrap around the others, lending them some strength.
 
Arellia Castle looked to be cased in a dark crystal, though the magic that had claimed the place was anything but solid. It appeared to move, continuously, like smoke being manipulated by a breeze, never straying too far from the walls that once housed Kelaria's family. The way the darkness had wrapped around even the bottom of the castle, it's hidden hallways concealed within the stone of the plateau it had been built upon, made it appear as though it were floating entirely, adrift within a cloud of overwhelming sorrow and despair.

Beneath it, Kelaria joined the cold embrace of the ocean where Vander was desperately trying to keep Regis from dipping underneath the water from the ripples created by her sudden descent and entry from above. Alexandra was on the other side of the scholar, combining their efforts together in keeping the elderly man at the surface of the water, not allowing the waves to claim him beneath once again. Kelaria's concern was louder than the natural sound of the water, but as Regis continued to cough and gasp, she would find he was far too ill-equipped in the moment to answer her call towards him.

"He's fine. I think..." Vander replied in turn, though he didn't know anything for certain. He didn't even know if this was something that could be healed by magic; there wasn't any physical harm done, it would be water in the lungs that threatened Regis' livelihood now.

Above them, a sound even louder than Kelaria's voice echoed out. It sounded like a screech. It was demonic; it was angry. The dark magic that had consumed the castle pulsated, undulating through the vibration until it settled again into it's constantly moving form, Alzahar's magic refusing to let go of the building beneath even after his spell had completed itself.

"...the shore. We need to go." Alexandra nodded her head towards the shore, though it was still quite a swim away, and her tired muscles were making her practically dead weight in the way she could hardly pull Regis against the current.

Vander recognized where they were headed as the place he had come to after his fall, there would be a small settlement that, hopefully by now, had begun to rebuild after being razed by his men. It was there he had met Kelaria for the first time, so this was a place familiar to her too, a homecoming for them both as a return to their unlikely partnership had begun. He only hoped he had enough strength in him to make sure everybody made it to shore safe and sound.

He began to paddle towards it, one arm forward, cutting through the water, while the other remained wrapped around the waist of the only family he had left.
 
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