Alaric refused to release his betrothed. Orik, Vayne, and another Initiate appeared from the hall that Alaric ran from.

Orik wore a concerned look as he searched the crowd of Initiates looking for Alaric. His face relaxed once he saw the sopping wet Alaric gripping Lilia.

Vayne and the other Initiate wore sadistic smiles. They seemed to enjoy Alaric's reaction in all of the wrong ways.

"What happened, 'Ric? Where have you been?" Lilia asked. She stared at Alaric with more concern than he had ever seen from her.

Alaric shuddered. He wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or the thought of the horrifying thing that he had just experienced. He wanted to tell her about some of the thing, but he knew that he couldn't. She wouldn't understand.

Orik dismissed the group of Initiates for the night and urged them to return to their rooms quickly.

Alaric held onto Lilia and turned to leave. A hand caught his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He looked back to see Orik.

"We need to talk about what happened while you were in there, Alaric," Orik said sternly. His blue eyes looked less concerned at this point, but that made Alaric more concerned.

Alaric nodded but didn't let go of Lilia. She didn't look to have any interest in leaving Alaric's side as it was.

Orik didn't seem to notice the Princess as she clung to Alaric. He waited instead for the last of the Initiates to wander out of earshot. Once, he was sure that they were alone, he spoke,"What happened while you were in there, Alaric?"

Alaric shrugged. He didn't want to share all of the details in front of Lilia. He knew she wouldn't like it.

She frowned. "It's ok 'Ric. The things that happen in there are out of our control... I understand what you went through. We all do." She then reached up and touched his face.

Alaric shook his head. Orik remained silent. He stared expectantly at Alaric.

Lilia began to shake. "R- r- ric, its.. okay... I- i'll tell you.. about.. what happened while I.. was.. in there," her voice shook more than her body. Tears ran down her cheeks at the thought of sharing what she had experienced.

Alaric frowned. He didn't like seeing his beautiful bride to be in such a sad state. He knew that whatever she had seen, it broke her spirit just as much. "Don't. There is no need. I'll tell you both."

Orik nodded silently as Alaric recounted his experience. Lilia gripped Alaric tightly, he felt her pull herself closer as he talked about Amindra's kiss.

Once Alaric finished recounting the experience, Orik spoke,"I hate that room, if I'm being honest. Each Initiate must enter the room at some point. It becomes dangerous, if you enter knowing what is going to happen to you in there."

Lilia shook her head. Alaric realized that he was the only one that hadn't seen the event coming. "What is the purpose of that room and forcing us in there?"

"You know what happens when you stay in the room your first time. No one comes out the second time that they enter the room," Orik said with an edge.

Alaric realized the purpose suddenly. Fear. An Initiate was taken into the room in order to scare them into obedience. "When was the last time that an Initiate was actually put in there again?"

Orik shrugged. "Not ever as far as I know. Lilia's elder sister, Priness Iris, is the last to disappear in the room that we know of. No one knows why she disappeared the first time that she entered the room."

Alaric looked at the woman clinging to his arm. He held her a little bit closer. "I can see why no one strays far enough to warrant a second time in the room."

"Quite. Now be off. Don't share the things that you saw with anyone else. Loose lips get other killed when that room is involved." Orik turned without waiting for another word and left.

Alaric watched the man leave before looking down at his wife to be. "Are you ok, Lilia? I'm sorry about your sister."

Lilia nodded but remained silent. He realized why she had been so concerned about him. That room truly scared her, much more than it did him.

Alaric slowly guided the girl to her room. Two guards stood at her door as always. They would only let in those that had permission from the princess or the king to enter.

Lilia walked slowly into the room. She stopped to face Alaric just before she slipped from view. "A- Alaric, please come in. For while." Her eyes were sad.

Alaric wanted to comfort the girl. It made his heart hurt to see her in such pain. He nodded and followed the girl into her room.

Alaric was surprised by the room. His room was nicer than any that he had seen before, but her room was even more. He expected it to be ornate. This was beyond what he had imagined.

Her bed was at least twice the size of his. It looked to be large enough to hold half a dozen people comfortably. The bed sat on a white platform decorated with white ivy carved into the wood that sprawled around the bed.

The walls were white with black stars. Every other piece of furniture in the room bore the same ivy pattern. Every piece was colored black, white, or gold. A heavy, white chair sat in the corner. The cloth was black with gold leafing.

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Alaric helped Lilia into her bed. He made his was over to the chair and sat. Lilia watched his every movement.

Alaric met the brown-haire girl's eyes. "I want to love you," she whispered.

Alaric felt a smile reach for his lips, but he didn't let it show. "I want to love you too, Lilia. I think it will come with time though."

Tears began to stream down Lilia's cheeks. She turned her head quickly but not before Alaric saw the tears. He moved over to her bed and sat next to her. He was unsure of how he could best help her, so he just placed his hand on her shoulder.

She pulled away from his hand, but then wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him gently down next to her and held his face next to hers. She touched her forehead to his and closed her eyes.

Alaric enjoyed the feeling of having Lilia close to him. It made him think for a moment about the Hunter that he had spent so much time with. He missed her, but the Princess was just as appealing to him. Maybe more even.

Alaric pressed his lips against the woman's forehead for a moment and placed his head back against hers. "Do you want me to stay here with you tonight?" he asked gently.

Lilia sighed and shook her head. "You cannot. It isn't right. Despite how badly, I want you to stay."

"It is ok, Lilia. I want to stay awhile longer at least," Alaric said softly. He rolled onto his back and gently pulled Lilia to his chest. She moved willingly and laid her head on his chest.

Alaric didn't need her approval or disproval. He just needed her close.

After a few minutes of silence, Lilia was fast asleep. Alaric was growing tired. If he was going to leave, then he needed to soon.

Alaric slid the woman off of his chest gently. He rose quietly and crept out of the room. The guards didn't acknowledge Alaric as he left.

Alaric wound his way down the halls of the castle. The route to his room was becoming second nature, but the walk made Alaric uneasy this time. It was dark, and he felt alone.

He felt like the shadows were beginning to shift more and more as he got closer to his room.

Alaric closed his door quickly behind him. He sighed deeply once he felt safe in his space. He took a few steps toward his bed when he heard a step behind him.

Alaric spun around as fast as he could. His heart was racing.

Amindra threw her arms up defensively. "I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me!" She cried in her sing-song voice.

Alaric lowered his arms once he realized that it was just Amindra. Seeing the girl made him uncomfortable after what happened to him in the room. "Why are you in here?" Alaric asked challengingly.

 Amindra began to cry. Between sobs, she answered. "I'm so sorry. I had heard that something happened to you. I came in to check on you, because I was worried. I was looking for you, when you came in, so I hid. Please don't hurt me!"

The girl collapsed on the floor, once she finished speaking. Her body shook as she cried.

Alaric took a deep breath. He was growing tired of all of the emotion. "I'm fine Amindra. Please calm down. You just scared me is all." He reached down and helped the beautiful girl to her feet.

She draped herself dramatically over Alaric and sobbed. Alaric thought it strange that the girl was so attached to him. The two barely knew each other.

Alaric let the girl calm herself before pushing away gently. "You should go, Amindra. You need to go rest, as do I."

The girl was still whimpering slightly. "C- can I stay with you tonight?''

Alaric shook his head. "No. You need to go to your quarters. It would look wrong if you were found in here with me."

She nodded in agreement and stepped out slowly. "I'm still sorry."

Alaric eyed his now empty room carefully. He wanted to relax, but he couldn't. Too much had happened. He hadn't really slept soundly in awhile. He wasn unsure if this was even really his room. He was unsure if he was even alone in the room.

He sat on the ground with his back against the door. He gripped his knees and began to breathe heavily. He was losing control. He left home in search of adventure, and instead, he found horror. Sweat began to bead on his brow.

The night was long. Alaric was becoming too used to that though. He often slept little and the sleep that he did get was filled with nightmares.

Timid tapping on the door woke Alaric. Alaric pushed himself up off of the cold ground. He realized that he had fallen asleep right in front of the door.

"A- Alaric, are you ok in there?" Amindra's voice came from the other side of the door.

Alaric sighed deeply. At first he had enjoyed the devotion that Amindra put in to serving him, but he was growing tired of her following him around like a lost dog all of the time.

"I'm ok Amindra. You can come in now," Alaric rose to his feet and pulled the door open.

The beautiful girl eyed Alaric wearily. Nonethless, she entered the room quickly. "A- Alaric... are you ok? You look exhausted..."

Alaric nodded slowly. He fofrced himself to pull eyes away from the girl. Despite her beauty, she had little personality. She bored Alaric. She fit every description of the perfect woman, but she had no fire.

"What do you need, Amindra?" Alaric asked flatly.

The girl frowned. He hadn't been flat with her in such a way before. "I was just worried about you. I didn't mean to disturb you though. I- I can go."

Alaric felt bad. She had come because she was worried about him, and he was only thinking of himself. "I'm sorry Amindra. You just caught me off guard. How did you sleep?"

Amindra's eyes lit up at the kindness. "I slept well. I would think better than you." She giggled.

Alaric could feel his cheeks beginnning to burn. "I had a hard night. I'm fine though. No need to worry," he said with a wave.

"Do you love Priness Lilia?" Amindra sang quietly. Her eyes looked sad again.

Alaric frowned. He thought it strange that she would ask him such a question. He barely knew the girl. Love was out of the question, at least for the moment. Alaric heard a familiar voice behind him,"You can have them both, boy."

Alaric spun around quickly, but there was no one behind him. He remembered suddenly the being that he met in Lucenne. The hairs on his neck stood up as he heard the gravely voice chuckle. The being was npwhere to be seen, yet Alaric could hear him.

"A- Alaric, are you ok?" Amindra asked. Alaric could hear the fear in her voice. He didn't mean to scare her, but he was just as afraid.

Alaric tried to shake off the unease that he felt at the sound of the being's voice. "I'm alright, Amindra. It was nothing. I just thought that I heard something."

Amindra glanced anxiously around the room. Alaric was fairly sure that she hadn't heard the voice. "O- ok... I have to do some chores. I- I'm glad that you're well Lord Alaric," Amindra stuttered as she slipped out of the room.

Alaric watched the girl flee from his presence. She paused in the doorway and met Alaric's eye. "Alaric, I.. care about you." She was gone before Alaric could even think about what had just happened.

The eerie laugh came again from behind Alaric. Again, there was no source to the voice. "Young Lord, it would seem that you have too many lovers. Can you hide them from each other?"

Alaric's stomach sank. He hated women. They just made life more complicated than it needed to be.

He was to marry Lilia. End of story. There was no hope for a relationship with Amindra, and he desired no relationship with her.

"Alaric, aren't you going to reply? They both want you. We can make them both yours, if we are careful." The disembodied voice whispered. 

Alaric hated that he was even considering the words. "No. It is not right. I want none of it."

"We shall see. Amindra is more than she appears. You'll soon learn that."