Chapter 85
George started to feel guilty since unlike Artemis he had failed to protect his own wife and she died in the end. He kept her death away from Alexander for a long time and who his mother really was. He was supposed to tell Alexander the truth one day but he found out on his own.
"What do you need me to do son?" He sighed but still agreed to help Alexander even though something in his gut was telling him this will end badly.
"I need your men to surround this forest while I find a way to get all of them away from the castle. Do not fight with the palace guards unless they attack you first. Artemis, can you get the forest to not attack my father's men?" Alexander turned to Artemis.
She rolled her eyes for getting blamed for the forest attacks. "The tree is the one you need to speak to. We did not get to finish seeing what is under the tree," she showed her hands covered in dirt.
Her abilities didn't work to help her dig out underneath the tree making her have to do it manually. Artemis and Alexander didn't get to see what was under the tree as Leon had arrived with George.
"I will speak with the tree," she told Alexander.
"Good. I will see you soon father," Alexander hugged his father just in case he couldn't keep the promise.
Artemis looked away from the father and son hugging, feeling a strange pain in her chest. Why was Alexander doing all of this when he could simply run away with his father now? She could die and reincarnate here again. She felt guilty for him risking his to help her. Her problems with the palace had nothing to do with him.
"Alexander," she called out to him, interrupting the hug between him and his father. With her mind made up, she slowly approached Alexander and George. "You were one annoying human but at the same time, you were my first company in years. Thank you and I am sorry for tying you into my mess."
He made her feel emotions she had not felt for many years. Emotions she tried hard to convince herself were not real. Thanks to him, she didn't lose herself in complete anger and got to see at least one human risking their life to help someone like her. Alexander had a rare soul for someone surrounded by absolute power he could use to hurt others.
Someone like him needed to be cherished instead of here in a battle that did not concern him.
Full of guilt, she placed a finger on Alexander's forehead causing light to appear. It didn't take long for Alexander to pass out after what Artemis had done. She caught him in her arms before he could fall to the ground and with the help of George, she laid him against the ground for her to take off the bracelet.
"You have raised a good son," she complimented George. "He's not greedy for things that do not belong to him. No matter what you did before meeting his mother, there has to be goodness in you that she noticed. It's evident in the principles your son has."
Artemis knew George had hunted and killed people like her under the orders of the old king. All it took was meeting a siren for him to see that not all non-humans were bad. "Take him, your army, and leave before anything bad can happen," she took the bracelet off of Alexander's hand. "When he wakes up, tell him that I am grateful to have met a human like him."
"He is not going to be happy with this decision. I want him to return home safely but he wishes to help you. I don't want him to regret failing to save you. It is not a good feeling," George had been unable to stop blaming himself for his wife's death. He promised to protect her but she died.
"Help me to not live with the regret that I might've gotten him killed today. There's something brewing inside of me, filled with a lot of anger. A lot of people are going to die soon and I don't want one of them to be him. Go now before it is too late. Chain him down before he wakes up. He can't help being the hero," Artemis stepped back with the bracelet in her hand allowing George to take his son.
Despite his age, George lifted his son over his shoulders without a problem.
"You need to go too. Some souls are eager to take your body," Artemis told Leon, trying to scare him for the last time.
"That's not funny," Leon said but cautiously looked around. "I will help keep Alexander safe. He might try to strangle us for going along with your plan but who cares, right?"
"Come along Leon," George pushed the sword he previously held towards Leon so that he could defend all three of them from what was in the forest.
"Goodbye," Artemis softly whispered, remaining in her spot. Now it was just her alone in the forest with the sirens and tree. "What is this?" She asked herself when she felt something coming out of her eye.
She used her finger to get rid of whatever it was and when she looked at her hand, Artemis saw that she had started to cry without realizing it.