Wow I really hate this. Sorry for making you guys wait. And there's going to be more after this chapter, I promise.

~•~

There wasn't any time to think. There wasn't any time to plan or rationalize or calm the unsteady, rapid beating of my heart. All that existed were actions and reactions and the pure, terrifyingly savage instincts that exploded the second the King raised his hands, sending barbed blasts of energy hurtling my way. I clutched onto my own source of magic, battering his attacks away as I struggled to keep myself under control.

The monster inside of me woke as the adrenaline of the battle filled my veins. It begged to be released the second it sensed the first drop of blood, a hit he managed to glance off of my arm. I knew that the instant I gave in to it, there would be no going back. The Tenebrie inside would consume me, and there would be nothing left of the dwindling substance that was my inherent goodness. I would be a monster lost to fear and panic.

But regardless of the risks, I gathered my energy, sending it into the storm raging above our heads and bringing it crashing back down on the King. As rain pelted my vision, I was unable to tell if I was wounding him at all, but it didn't matter. The only thing I could afford to focus on was the next attack. Time passed in bursts, each second more detrimental than the last. One wrong move, and it was over. I was painfully aware of everything that was riding on each moment passing on in the blink of an eye. Thousands would die if I couldn't get this right. Thousands more would never know what freedom tasted like.

And if I couldn't get through this, I couldn't ever see Alexander again. Even if he hated me for everything I had done and everything I had become, I'd do anything to see his gorgeous smile just one more time.

The battle was almost like a dance, every movement carefully calibrated, and the song was the clanging of our blades. Frustration rose in the back of my throat, threatening to break free, as he managed to slice at my skin while I couldn't get anything back at him. His energy stung every time it weathered through my shields and found a place against my skin.

It was strange, fighting against somebody I had trained alongside, somebody I had known for a good portion of my life. Even as I predicted every move he would make and prepared my defenses for every spell he could throw at me, he seemed to have a good sense of the things I was capable of. At least, the things I would have been capable of before I had died. Now, there was nothing standing in my way. I had everything left to fight for, and nothing left to lose.

The scythe felt solid in my hands. Burning, but solid. And solid meant real. It was the only thing I could place my trust in, the only thing that wouldn't fail me. I let my energy thrum through it as I blocked and parried and struck, letting it guide me through the battle. He returned each of my strikes with his own, but I could feel him, slowly growing more and more desperate. His strikes turned sloppy, a far cry from the precision he was known for.

"What are you fighting me for, Thomas?" he demanded as he stepped out of the way of the curved, moon-shaped blade of my weapon just in time. His drenched clothes made his movements heavy and unbalanced, but to his credit, it didn't slow him much. He adapted, just as I had. "I'm the one who helped you. I showed you how to embrace the Tenebrie side of you. Do you really think your precious little friends are going to feel the same way?"

I ignored his words and the pain flaring through my body with every hit he landed, losing myself in the fury of the attack. It would have been so easy to surrender myself to the animal inside, to the energy threatening to corrupt me. Between dodging the strikes of his sword and dancing away from the energy he hurtled my way, the desire slowly grew stronger and stronger, whispering in my ear, begging me to latch onto it. I could feel the creature, clawing at my insides. Every part of me knew that if I didn't embrace it, I didn't stand a chance.

And in the end, the King proved much stronger than me.

My hands scraped against the ground, scythe falling with a clatter a few feet away. King George stared down at me, sword pointed at my throat, inches away from burning my skin. "What a shame," he said, holding on to each syllable longer than necessary, if only to make me feel every last second of rising fear. "You almost made a fine pet."

I closed my eyes, ready to accept my fate with whatever ounce of dignity I had left, but the attack never came. The King let out a startled breath, and when I flickered my eyes open, he was being held by large, flowering tendrils seamlessly erupting from the ground and wrapping around his limbs. I swallowed, letting my eyes sweep across the otherwise empty field, and there Alexander stood, hand clenched.

His gaze met mine, and he smiled, and that smile said far more in that split second than any words could ever have the hope of communicating. I relaxed, just a little, and let my wings carry me into the sky.

It didn't take George long to recover himself, but in that small moment of weakness, Alexander fell to my side.

"I can handle this by myself," I murmured, at a loss for what else I was supposed to say.

"I know," slowly came his response as he readied his sword. I would have given the world just to know what he was thinking. "But you don't have to."

"I do. Go, Alexander."

"I'm not leaving you here."

"Why not?" I demanded, gathering all the energy I could into my palms. The air crackled with electricity. "You could get hurt if you stay here, Alexander, and that's the last thing in the world that I need. Just go and find safety."

"I'm not leaving," he repeated, just as stubborn as he always was. I lunged forwards, hastily constructing a shield around us to stop the King's burst from hitting him. "I'm going to stay, Thomas. I'm not going anywhere unless you're going with me."

Stars above, why did he have to be so difficult? And brave? And everything I've ever wanted?

I unleashed my energy into the clouds above our heads, sending the finely honed blades of lightning striking at the King, and even he was no match for the chaotic power the storm contained. Alexander worked at my side, focused intently on causing havoc with the army of plants he had created, armed with barbed thorns.

Alexander's energy flooded around me, fitting together almost perfectly with mine, and in that moment, nothing else existed. The rest of the world just melted away, and I was completely fine with that.

I was blind to the hits the King managed to land on me. I welcomed the pain, using it as an anchor so I didn't quite lose myself to the magic rippling both through my veins and in every bolt of lightning striking through the darkened sky. It was Alexander I worried about.

I tried to keep track of him, but the rain falling around us made it next to impossible. Especially with how quickly he moved, darting in to strike at the King and disappearing a second later. All I had to hold onto was the unsteady pulsing of his energy in the back of my mind, and even then, how trustful was that?

Steel scraped against steel as I fought off Fredericks's attack, the storm raging around me. As terrible as it was, I couldn't stop the grin from sliding to my face with every step I gained on him, pushing the King back and back. My scythe curved through air, arching towards him with its menacing point. I lost control, I lost the caution I should have had guiding my movements.

And that's all it took.

He spun away from me in my moment of careless triumph, and a sick, slicing noise filled the air. I stopped, heart crashing to the floor as a yelp of pain followed. Alexander, who hadn't been there just a moment earlier, staggered backwards. A crimson flower bloomed through his ripped shirt sleeve, and he fell.

Instinct took control, acting in seconds as I hastily threw up a shield between us and the King, and dropped to Alexander's side. "Shit," I hissed. "Alexander, tell me you're okay!"

"I'm fine," he hissed, trying to brush me off. "He only nicked me."

"This is much worse than a nick," I shot back, tearing off my sleeve to clot the bleeding. "Dammit, Alexander! I told you to leave."

"I'm fine," Alex insisted, his smile faltering. "I can still fight." He reached for his sword laying at his feet, but I pushed it away from him.

"Stay here," I growled. "Don't move."

"Thomas!" he began, but his words were drowned out as a crack of thunder filled the air.

I spun on the King, who was leaning over his sword. Despite the substantial wounds he had taken, he was grinning. "What?" he demanded after a long moment. "Can't save that bastard of yours?"

Something hot and violent and terrifying grabbed control of me in that single moment. Something I couldn't explain, and something I didn't want to. I gave myself up to it, let it break through the cage I had forced it into. And it almost tore me apart.

Rage powered my movements, curved the lightning around my form. Gravity let go of the world as I advanced on the King. The fallen blood was lifted into the air, mixing in with the rain that had ceased to fall and started to swirl around us. The electricity that gripped onto me in that one moment was unlike anything I had felt before. He raised his hands to protect his face, a childlike, instinctive motion that amounted to absolutely nothing. For the storm came hurtling down at him regardless, holding him in place and stealing away his breath, his energy, and his life force.

I would have killed him. I would have stolen everything he had stolen from me. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that there would be some hidden, disgusting part of me that would have enjoyed every second of it. I would have rid the world of King George once and for all, spilling his blood against the mud and grime.

If not for the two softly-spoken syllables that left Alexander's mouth, bringing me back. When I turned to him, he was staring at me with a look I couldn't decipher. I let go of the energy, and a weariness finally caught up to me.

But I shoved the curved blade of my scythe up against his throat as the storm mostly abated anyway, refusing to hesitate, refusing to show weakness. He stared up at me, blood dripping from his mouth, as the tendrils of lightning held him in place. "Is there anything you have to say?" I demanded, the words cool enough to make even him flinch.

George smiled, then laughed a hollow, mirthless laugh. "If you really think it's going to be that easy," he said after a moment. "Then you're mistaken. Go. Enjoy your little victory. But this isn't over."

"I've had enough of you," Alexander hissed, starting forwards with a raised sword, but I flicked my hand to stop him from attacking. If anything, the bleeding was getting worse, and the spell I had tried to fix it was fading just as quickly as my energy was.

"Go see Angelica. You need to get that healed," I said. "I'll be there soon."

I could feel his eyes on me for a long moment, almost burning a scar into my chest, but he eventually sighed and left without another word, leaving a gaping hole where he had been moments before.

"Give me one good reason why I should spare you."

"Because I don't believe that you can kill me."

"This war is over. Your armies will never be the same after this."

"You think I need them?" he spat, smirking. "You're very cute, Thomas."

"Enough." I pressed the weapon against his neck, almost breaking skin. "You're going to pay for everything you've done. Every traitorous act you've committed against this country, every thing you did to hurt the people you were supposed to protect."

And everything you've done to me, I silently added.

"Kill me then," he said, raising his jaw in open defiance. And in his eyes, I saw just a hint of uncertainty, a  flash of fear. It flitted past in just a moment, almost to the point where I wasn't sure if it had even existed at all. But I saw the same thing I saw in the eyes of the girl who haunted every nightmare I had if I ever managed to sleep, and my scythe came clattering against the ground.

The King laughed once more, shaking his head. "You're weak, Thomas."

"Leave. And don't ever come back, or I will kill you."

He disappeared, the electric tendrils wrapped around his arms fading into the darkened sky. I stared at where he had once been, unsure if I would ever have to face him again. My fingers trembled around the scythe once I had bent to scoop it up; its blade was still slick with his blood. Nobody would have to know what happened here.

Pain set in now that the battle was over, but I forced it aside as I journeyed through the forest. The sounds of the battle had become mere fading echoes, and when I finally poked my head into the clearing where the stench of death already filled the air, it was already over. Washington stood alone, surveying the scene. His eyes met mine, and when I nodded, I saw a rare, weary smile.

I'm going home.

"You deserve it."

I'll see you tomorrow.

My wings unfurled, the feeling of freedom tingling through them as I lifted myself into the sky. I don't know how long it had been since I had last flown, but to be honest, I didn't really care. It just felt good to finally soar again, to clear my mind of everything that had happened. I set my sights on my home and didn't stop until I had landed on the balcony in the library.

I stood still for a moment, giving myself as much time as I dared to adjust to the memories that came flooding back. Outside, the rain was beginning to pick up even though the storm had long died away, reduced to the occasional rumble of thunder a thousand worlds away. Then, giving myself exactly five seconds to gather every last confusing emotion together into a neat little ball, I stepped out into the hallway and down the staircase.

My room didn't feel like it was mine. Just another place I had stayed in. The bed wasn't even made. I wondered if anybody had even stepped foot in here since the last time I fled. I stripped myself of the long cloak and the black overcoat and all the other unnecessary shit until I was wearing only the white undershirt and the black leather breeches.

My fingers ran across the soft, cozy blanket as I fell onto the bed, staring out at the window. I knew that eventually, I'd have to start packing and emptying the room of the millions of years I had spent in it, but I couldn't bring myself to do it right now.

"What are you looking at?"

The voice startled me from my thoughts, and without taking a second to consider, I drew my scythe still slick with the King's blood from thin air and turned, pointed directly at the intruder's throat.

"Hey!" Alexander exclaimed, raising his hands defensively. "It's me!"

"Alexander?" I asked, dropping the weapon. It disappeared before it clattered against the ground. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check in on you, duh," he said, falling to the open spot on the bed next to me. A few inches of space lingered between us, and it was so much but it wasn't enough at the same time. Still, I moved just a bit away from him. If he noticed, he said nothing.

"Don't worry," I said, absolutely despising the silence that lasted between us. "I'll be gone first thing tomorrow."

Alexander's eyes widened as he looked at me. His smile was unconvinced, confused. "What? Wait, what do you mean?"

"You know," I said, pulling my legs closer to me. "Just so things aren't weird between us."

"I'm confused. You're not leaving, are you?"

"Well, I have to sooner or later," I said, my forced laugh sounding so flat. "And I just figured I didn't want to stay and...well, you know."

His hand found mine. "You can't leave!"

"You don't want me to?"

"Of course not! Why would I ever want that?"

I blinked, working past the lump sitting heavily in my throat. "Wait, but...don't you hate me?" The last few words came out as a whisper, because any louder, and I knew I would have fallen apart.

"Hate you? Why would I—" His eyes filled with understanding all of a sudden. He drew something from a pocket hidden in his coat and pressed it into my hand. I stared at the vial for a long moment, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

"You didn't...you don't want your memories back?"

Alexander smiled, intertwining his fingers with mine, which only set off fireworks in my chest. I felt like I should have commented on that, but that would only make me look like an idiot. "No. I don't."

"But... why not? I—I don't understand."

"Well, I figured they were my past. And if it comes down to a choice between learning my past or keeping my future," he said slowly, as though making sure I understood what he meant. "I'd pick my future every time."

I opened my mouth to speak, then laughed.

"What?"

"You're such a dork."

I kissed him.

Alexander leaned closer against me, and I slid backwards so my back was pressed against the couch. I felt his mouth curve upwards into a grin as he slipped his other hand underneath my chin, angling my face closer towards him.

And I remembered just how wonderful his lips were against mine.

~•~

Alexander's fingers slid lazily through my hair as I listened to his calming heartbeat, my head resting against his bare chest. I drew myself as close to him as I could get. He was so soft and blessedly cool and wonderful. And Divinity, the way he—

Well, uh, never mind.

"You should get some sleep," I whispered, afraid that if I spoke too loud, I'd break the spell.

"I'm okay."

"Alexander," I said warningly, meeting his gaze. "You have to sleep."

"I don't want to wake up only to find that you aren't there," he said after a long moment, pressing his forehead against mine.

"You're ridiculous."

"You're ridiculous."

"Fine. How about this?" I squeezed his hand. "I promise that I'm not going to let go of your hand."

He smiled, kissing me softly. "I'd rather just stay up all night and talk with you."

I hit him as gently as I could. "Get some sleep."

"Okay, okay." A long pause. "I love you, my Thomas."

"I love you too, my Alexander."