Instinct 2

'How did she change in just a split second? This is not like her at all!' "Raelian, that you…that's your name?!"

She looked at herself in confusion and then turned to Alastair, she looked him up and down and smiled lightly "Hmm…Well, this is awkward, because I don't recall having this one! But…wow look at you! You have grown up so much, I didn't recognize you at first!". Alastair's face got dark, he run to Raelian and forcefully grabbed her hand and put his arm around her waist, making her face crush into his chest and her legs swing in the air. He looked at the bracelet and started to put pressure on it as he wanted to break it for good 'This is not another trick from "that person", isn't it? This strange stone is changing her again! Nothing from what she said makes any sense to me! How did she recognize me, why now? This is not her!'

But Raelian didn't take it well the way Alastair grabbed her and she looked surprised that it was causing her pain. She was looking at him with deadly eyes, but he didn't notice how irritating that was for her until she slapped him so hard that he flew straight inside the room, crashing into the wall, causing it to collapse completely. Raelian fell to the ground not far from him since he was caring her in his arms, but soon she got up on her feet and went to see how Alastair was doing. Even though he was badly injured, holding his ribs tight, hardly breathing and coughing from the dust of the collapsed wall, Raelian smiled and thought he was fine since he was trying to get up.

"Oh dear, I didn't want to use that much force on you, but I suppose you expected that much right? Of course, I would apologize if only your intentions were at least justified, but from what I saw you were treating me like nothing. This is not like you! I have said to you before "Next time you should better ask or I will have the honor to break you" don't you remember?"

Alastair didn't respond, he had difficulty breathing and looked like he felt terrible pain on his right side every time he tried to get up. Holding it firmly with one hand and stopping halfway from standing straight on his feet and falling slowly again. Raelian had a bewildering look while seeing him like that and got closer to check what was the problem.

'Apparently, a piece of wood got stuck between the ribs when the body collided with the furniture before crushing with the wall. We have to get it treated or call a doctor for that, but what impresses me the most are the other injuries, on the head and other parts look superficial, but they are not making any progress.'

"That's strange, you once told me that your mother gave you some kind of a blessing, but these are not healing…" she stopped and clenched her fist "Don't tell me she lied to you?!", her face contorted with rage made Alastair worried and continued looked at Raelian, who was so focused on catching the slightest progress on his injuries, like he couldn't recognize her anymore 'This can't be the effect of the stone or the medicine, she is way too expressive to be under someone's magic! Unless…!' Alastair face become pale when he remembered Raelian words before she changed "I have been here for a while now! Before the shouting and after I smelled blood". His lips started to tremble and tears rolled down his face, Raelian jumped in surprise when she noticed it and took the corner of her shirt to wipe them, but Alastair grabbed her hand before she could do anything and placed it on his cheek "Can I…at least to this much?"

Her face showed discomfort, but thinking that this was probably her fault made her heart flutter a little and her mood lifted, so she nodded in agreement while giving him a warm smile. She put her other hand on his cheek and started to wipe Alastair's tears with her thumbs "Does it hurt that much?", he shook his head but continued crying uncontrollably while holding into both of her hands "No, is not that!". Raelian sighed 'That women need a lesson. How dare she lie like that about the blessing and expect me not to do anything! My dear light… you should not cry, is not worth it anyway!'

Holding his face like that and consoling him, she felt a sudden flare of joy which made her feel somehow nostalgic. She could hardly contain her happiness, so she took his face and placed it on her chest, and her arms around his head. Alastair wasn't reacting, he stopped breathing and was frozen in astonishment at what Raelian did, but she didn't seem to care about that and carried on stroking his hair.

"I remember like it was yesterday when you cried about what your mother said to us. You run into my arms and placed your head just like this the whole time I tried to fix your hair, now it is short though, do you remember? I do because those were my last happy moments that we spent together!"

The whole time Raelian tried to console and lift Alastair's spirit, he felt his heart drop and break into pieces. He didn't know what she was talking about and the thought that maybe she was hallucinating into thinking that he was someone else was eating him alive, but her continuously patting his head was making him comfortable and slightly happy 'Why do I have a feeling that this is not meant for me? Like she is talking to somebody else. Why do I have so many mixed feelings of happiness and anger, jealousy and satisfaction from her words and action?'

"Raelian…did the smell of blood…made you like this?" she stopped moving and her smile faded away in an instant. The heart beating faster, heavy breathing, shaking as she pushed Alastair more into her chest felt like suffocation which made his blood run cold while feeling the terrible pain like his head was being crushed inside her arms. She kept mumbling something continuously and insanely fast that Alastair didn't catch despite him trying hard to understand it. When he released his head in a hurry to get out of her grip, he saw her face filled with great fear and her eyes which had become darker than before were wild open looking elsewhere in tears.

"Do…do you hate me?! Only you can understand what I feel and look at the real me! Don't abandon me again like you used to! Don't choose them over me, you know they don't deserve you, but you still choose to take your own path! Stop leaving me alone in the dark, is cold and scary in there, they are eating me alive while I am watching them! Please don't hate me … please…please…please don't hate me!"

Alastair grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently to make her come to her sense, shouting with all his might while looking straight into her eyes "Stop it Raelian! I don't understand any of this…I don't understand why should I hate you! But I promise you…I really do…I promise that I will never hate you!"

As he said that with confidence and with all the energy he had left, nothing meant more to him at that moment anymore. Nor that or the pain couldn't compare with the relief he felt when her eyes, lips and soul all at once were smiling at him "Nothing can't make me happier than this, thank you!". Soon after that Raelian fell slowly unconscious, keeping the same smile while sleeping in his arms. With that warm feeling, as if a wild storm had ended, leaving his turn to the clear sky and the sun shining brightly above them, for Alastair it was hard to think straight.

'How can she be so lovely, even in a time like this? This smile…it makes me forget the whole world and every negative factor. Filled with just happiness and the pure innocence of a child! She doesn't know how much this hurts me, with how much pain it fills my heart when I think that I am not the one it was meant for. And even if I made that promise, that will hold no value after she regains herself and for her, I would continue to be the first prince, prince Alastair, his highness or maybe worse.'

Raelian was with him for less than a day, but every minute spent with her, unconscious or not, meant the world to him. As she slept like that defenseless, holding in her own smile as if she was having a beautiful dream, Alastair hugged her tight with one arm like he didn't want to let her go and with the other unbuttoning her shirt. His hand was shaking each time he tried to remove the buttons, his heart was pounding like crazy and he was sweating profusely, but still, he ended up taking it off completely and leaving her with only the corset on.

He bought her closer to his face and put his lips on her neck, when he confirmed that he left a mark then went for her shoulder biting it carefully to not wake her up. Sliding his fingers gently on her chest and down to her stomach, he continued kissing and biting her all over. His face and body were burning, he couldn't tell if that was because of his desire for her or because of his injuries. The only thing that he wanted was to abduct her, take everything then and there before it was too late, and before he regretted his decision when she faces him again with a hostile glare!

"Raelian, you are so mean to me! Instead of me asking you not to abandon me, you are still the one asking for this, when in the end the only thing you do is leave! I promised something that maybe you have forgotten long ago …I asked you to wait for my return and then give me a welcoming kiss, but this is not fair at all when you can't even remember!" moving his hand toward her face, he moved her bangs and gave one last kiss filled with tears and pure emotions on her forehead "Welcome back, Rai! I am sorry it took so long!"

Alastair sighed and continued to dress her up, but then cold sweat run down his shoulders when he heard steps coming from downstairs 'No way…I forgot about those two! It must be the boy because the other one is probably taking care of his shoulder.' The sound of the steps was getting faster and Alastair didn't have the strength to get up, let alone hold Raelian and move her to another place where he couldn't see her. "Your highness, are you all right? We heard loud noises coming from here, but your highness didn't ask for any kind of help, so I got worried and ran as fast as I could to see if everything was going well!"

"Stay there, don't you dare get any closer!"

Alastair's order left the boy confused and made him more worried, but he didn't have another choice but to stop. The three of them stayed there until the sun rose and light fell on both Alastair and Raelian. The destroyed wall become visible, and the boy first noticed how Alastair was gasping for air and trying to keep his eyes open, a string of dried blood from his head going down his face and another one on his lips. Other injuries on his arms and legs were external, but that small piece of wood on his ribs was looking terrible and constantly dripping blood every time he breathed. The boy panicked "Your highness, why didn't you say you were so badly injured, we should bring you a doctor as soon as possible!"

He turned at the boy and blinked constantly while trying to keep eye contact with him "Did you…did you bring a carriage… as I told you to?" the boy couldn't believe his ears "Your highness, that's not time for that right now, you need a doctor!" Alastair pretended not to hear him and tried to move, the boy jumped to help, but then his eyes went to the girl he was holding. His eyes went immediately to her white skin with marks all over her chest and neck, and the half silver and red hair slightly covered with the prince's shirt. The boy took a step back "I will be back as soon as possible with the carriage, your highness!" and started to walk down the corridor without saying another word.