Second Piece of the Map

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

| The Kingdom of Glacier ~ Royal Advisor Curt's Bed Chambers |

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sir!" A guard bowed, awaiting his response.

"What is it?" Royal Advisor Curt tore his gaze from the window, turning around, facing the guard.

"You have a guest, he is right outside the door." The guard looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes as he looked straight at the door suspiciously.

"And who would that be?" Royal Advisor Curt walked over to his chair.

"He says his name is Hal." The guard replied.

°What is he doing here in the palace grounds?° Royal Advisor Curt's eyes searched the ground aimlessly.

"Let him in. You may leave." He waved his hand in dismissal. "Tell the other guards they can take the night off."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Why the long face, Curt?" Royal Advisor Curt heard as the hooded guest came in, kneeling, taking a closer look at his face. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked up at the person before him.

"How dare you use my father's name?" Royal Advisor Curt boiled in rage.

"Would you calm down?! My ear hurts with all the shouting." The person chuckled, taking a seat. "You wouldn't mind me offering myself a seat, would you?"

"It's my pleasure! It seems your hearing is getting a lot better?" Curt retorted through gritted teeth. "Why did you use my father's name?" He repeated.

"First, I'd like to thank you for your expert knowledge on healing my ears, if it weren't for you, I would have needed a note to communicate even with a similar short distance between you and I right now, and second, the fewer people know I'm the one who came visiting, the better. You can't search for a person using a dead man's name, now can you?" The person pulled down his hood.

°My father was in the wrong to help you out of your situation back then, look where that got him° Royal Advisor Curt shot a glare his way.

"Does your son know about this?" Royal Advisor Curt looked him in the eye with a dead serious demeanor.

"That would be something I would reveal later on, who knows to what extent I would be able to regain my hearing to it's natural state." The person shook his head, a smirk making it's way to his lips.

"So why are you here then? I can't offer any other favor again." Royal Advisor Curt sighed in despair.

"Actually, I came to thank you for your help, my son's application was rejected." The person replied.

"You ruin that boy's one chance to avenge us all and you thank me?" Royal Advisor Curt shook his head in disbelief. "How do you think Allen would feel once he found out his little over caring father was behind all this?"

°Was my father wrong about the vision?° Royal Advisor Curt wondered.

"It was the only way I could to save him." Arnald hung his head low, "I don't want to lose him too."

"Don't you want your wife avenged?" If you don't, I want my parents avenged! My brother brought back to me." Royal Advisor Curt closed his eyes in agony.

"Revenge isn't the way, your brother is probably better off where he is, besides the King Ragan is dead, there isn't a reason for a revenge anymore!" Arnald sighed at the thought of the chance he had missed.

°I have my devils to contend with° Royal Advisor Curt shook his head in denial.

"Do you really think, I had my mind set on that stupid old fool who started this chain reaction?" Royal Advisor Curt scoffed, laughing in a crazed frenzy.

"What do you mean by that?" Arnald became suspicious.

"Did you really think that fool would die without leaving anything as low as a mindless servant doing his bidding even after his bones rot away?" Royal Advisor couldn't take the guilt any longer.

"It's still uncertain, what does that have to do with you?" Arnald shook his head in confusion.

"Why do you think my brother and I were separated then? Why do you think we were spared to live? Did you really think we were just lucky?" Allen yelled in anger, covering up his teary face as the memory of that grim day rushing back.

"I- I didn't know," Arnald stammered, placing his hands on Curt's shoulder. "Would you like to share it with me?"

"There's someone else, someone more worse than King Ragan, he was the one who seperated my brother and I and keeps my brother hostage in Avalon." Royal Advisor Curt brushed off Arnald's hand off his shoulder, "If I don't comply with his demands, I can never see my brother and that could probably mean his death too."

"Do you mean King Zane?" Arnald asked on the likely possiblity.

"King Zane? No!" Royal Advisor Curt clarified. "The person in charge has the King in his palms, is much worse, and knows about that map, that was the way they could easily come here to kidnap Princess Aria."

°Of course! that would explain how they could navigate their way through the Mirage Forest° Arnald put his hand on his chin in thought.

"They have a second piece of the map?" Arnald inches forward, taking a hold of Curt's collar, so he could clearly affirm what next he might have to say.

"..." Royal Advisor looked on, tired and guilt stricken.

"Speak! Please!" Arnald begged, shaking Curt. "Your father made the same mistake once, I couldn't help him then, but if you can just tell me the situation of things, maybe... just maybe I could help out."

"They have..." Royal Advisor Curt began.

~~~~~~~~~~

| >> n << |

~~~~~~~~~~