Thief II

The shrill cry from one of the maids had everyone awake and panicking in the dead of the night. Icarus had been awake the whole time, he couldn't sleep when there was an invisible enemy inside the walls of his castle. Unlike the princess, this unidentified entity might possess the guts to actually murder him in his sleep, or even steal away his prisoner. He couldn't afford either of those two things happening, so he had forced himself to remain awake for two nights now.

He rushed down from his bed and so did Isabelle from her cushion.

"Stay here, don't move from this room." He ordered before casting an extra protective barrier over the room. Swiftly, he rushed towards the direction of the scream and found Julian and some guards already assembled at the spot. The scream had come from a figure he recognised, it was Maria, and she was dead. She had black veins running through her face, a missing limb and bruised neck.

This was not his first time seeing a mutilated corpse, but something ominous was definitely going on here. The dark energy that pulsated from the corpse was proof that someone had used magic on her, and Icarus had his suspicions on what sort of magic it was. He exchanged glances with Julian who was just as puzzled as the king.

"Take her to the morgue, and the rest of you should return to your stations." Icarus ordered before turning around. While the guards moved out to obey the king, Julian chased after his friend.

"Aren't you going to do something about this?" He asked as he approached Icarus.

"And what exactly do you want me to do Julian? I've done everything I can, and still can't find this thief. What else do you want me to do?" Icarus replied with a frustrated look on his face. He was suffering the most out of everyone around. This was the type of stuff that brought chaos into a household, and if he couldn't keep the castle safe, how on earth was he supposed to handle the entirety of his kingdom?

Julian understood Icarus's words better than everybody, perhaps fear had gotten him to start asking stupid questions, and he soon came to regret his actions. Icarus had fortified the barriers around the entire castle, he stayed awake all night, and sometimes patrolled the castle just to make sure everybody was safe. But an enemy he couldn't sense or see was something beyond even the might of Adamine Icarus.

"I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away by the situation." Julian confessed with an apology.

"I don't blame you, I'm just as scared as anybody, but we have to stay strong so they don't yield under the pressure." Icarus said before turning to meet his friend's troubled face. "Let's save the conversation for the morning, it's far too late for us to discuss this."

Julian nodded with a smile before leaving. An exhausted sigh broke past Icarus's lips, and slowly he walked back to his room.

Icarus stepped into the room, the weight of the situation heavy on his shoulders. Isabelle, perched elegantly on her cushion, looked up at him, her eyes searching for reassurance.

"Is everything alright? What happened out there?" she inquired, a hint of concern in her voice.

He met her gaze, a mixture of sadness and reluctance in his eyes. Icarus hesitated, unsure if he should tell her or not. The last thing this night was a weeping princess. He wasn't good at consoling people, and he didn't want to appear heartless to her, especially since he was trying to win her over.

"It's the thief again.." He began slowly, his voice barely a whisper.

Isabelle's expression shifted, a flicker of anxiety crossing her features. "What's wrong?" she asked, a knot of apprehension tightening in her stomach. She had been worried since she heard there was an enemy Icarus couldn't detect. She knew he would do anything to keep her safe because of Avalon, but if he couldn't detect this enemy, then her life might be in danger as well.

Icarus hesitated for a moment, then spoke, "It's Maria, your personal maid."

A silence lingered in the air, and Isabelle's eyes widened in anticipation. The room seemed to still, the howling of the wind outside the only audible sound.

"She's dead.," Icarus revealed gently, his voice carrying the weight of the situation.

Isabelle's breath ceased for a while, and she felt the room spin. She stared at Icarus hoping he was joking, while her mind struggled to comprehend the reality of the loss.

Icarus, sensing the trauma, walked closer to her. "I'm sorry about that. I know she was your friend," He sympathized, a genuine concern etched on his face.

Overwhelmed by grief, Isabelle's composure wavered, and she fell sideways on the cushion, her eyes welling with tears. Icarus walked and sat beside her. He steadied his hands on her, and gently pulled her into his arms.

Isabelle found herself enveloped in his embrace, the unexpected comfort in his arms felt both foreign and strangely consoling. She could hear the sound of his beating heart, and it provided a melody that served as her lullaby. His warmth was soothing, and it sapped away the little strength that she gathered to pull away.

As her tears flowed, Icarus whispered words of solace to the heartbroken princess. He understood how she felt, and while he felt genuinely sorry for her, he never expected that Maria's death would bring him and Isabelle this close. He wanted to view the maid's death as a good thing, but the circumstances surrounding it made that impossible.

Isabelle found herself clinging onto his strong arms as she cried her eyes out. She had somehow found refuge in the arms of the man she had learned to despise, and while her mind urged that she pull away, she didn't have the strength to do so. The news had left her exhausted, and she had battled with heavy eyelids before the news. Nature called, and his body provided the comfort she needed. Before she had time to realize it, Isabelle was fast asleep in his arms, her head rested on his chest, and her arms clinging onto his shoulder.