Author's note: You will notice that the words are becoming a present tense rather then a past tense. Because as you may recall, the prologue was meant to be the present. But since the previous chapters all occur a year before the present, you readers are brought throughout the events that lead to the present which is happening "now". 

(Below is the music for you to listen to until the men's fight ends. If you're scared and just want to read this chapter without it, that's totally fine! Enjoy!)

https://youtu.be/T9IXodtjRgs

Blood stained on lifeless flesh of the Nepalese House. 

Blood blanketed the swords of their glistening reflection of the moonlight that shined before the fallen Nepalese and the Chatilots. 

Now, Tilghman takes one step closer to the pair--Alexander and John Church. The man before them is no longer the companion they once knew. He is a changed man, who has betrayed their friendship for something that they cannot place it. 

John stands before him to protect Alexander. However, Alexander puts his hand on John's shoulder, letting him know this is his fight alone. He does take his eyes off of the man who almost murdured his family and the Nepalese clan he has sworn to protect for the sake of their friendship.  

"I see that my friend has become Schuyler's spawn!" Alexander notices that Tilghman has never looked away from him, realizing that he himself is Tilghman's target. The longer they looked at each other in the eye, the more of a challenge they decided to accept. 

"I don't regret the path that I took in the slightest," Tilghman coldy speaks, taking off his chipped helmet that shielded him from spears the Nepalese soldiers pointed him with. He was confident that he didn't need a helmet to protect himself, especially against Alexander, considering they've sparred before. 

Suddenly, a sword appears hovering over his open palm.

He quickly grips the handle, the swirling smoke fading away. He inspects the blade.

"I can't think of a better way to "practice" than with what u do best, Alexander Hamilton." Tilghman hits a battle stance, a smile on his face.

Alexander raised his own sword as they both circled each other. Without a second thought, he striked, his footwork rusty but smooth and strikes Tilghman from above. Tilghman quickly adjusts, blocking enemy's blow with his sword. The clash of the cold steel echoes through the rolling hills. Tilghman adjusts his feet and counter jabs.

The noble Nepalese then jabs the strike away, preparing for another. They both continue to spar, trading blows. From their past sparings, Alexander could tell the traitor's swings are powerful, yet calculated. More controlled than his own. 

Tilghman strikes harder. Harder than Alexander prepared for, which slices into his. The hard vibration causing his grip to loosen. When Tilghman swings low, Alexander quickly jolts his blade to his legs, barely blocking it. 

His grip loosens and he immediately squeezes the handle, frustrated. He feels a growl under his breath.

Little does he know that Charles was right behind him who knocks him out to backup Tilghman. 

Using the last of his consciousness, Alexander glares at Tilghman once more as if it was the last thing he will ever do. 

His father wounded. 

His brother assassinated. 

The Nepalese women and children who lost their loved ones and are captured because of this conquest. "I shall never forgive you for this!" 

Unfortunately, he gets knocked out by Charlie, leaving him helpless on the cold ground. 

Shortly after, Tilghman is left being on his way to Lord Schuyler and his followers who await the fall of the Nepalese House. "I have captured Alexander Hamilton whilst he was trying to infiltrate the premises."

Brought outside the palace, tied with his hands cuffed, Eliza's lover is forced to kneel down before her father who looks down on him like an insect that must be squashed quickly. Alexander stares at the ground, still shocked by what he has learned and lost in one night. 

"Unless we find Lord James' son tonight, our entire mission would fails." Alexander hears Philip Schuyler turns to the man responsible for his brothers' death, informing him to return home and make all the preparations. The duke obliges, and leaves the fierce leader to deal with the captured Nepalese. 

"Does it dishearten you to see the end of a man you once called a friend and ally?" Eliza's father asks Alexander's former brother in arms. 

"It does not."  Still studying his impressions, Lord Schuyler doesn't look away from Tilghman's facial expressions. 

Meanwhile, Princess Angelica was informed to stay hidden, and as quickly as her husband John Church can, he relays everything he's just learned to his wife. But what catches her attention the most is the fact that Alexander is here.

"Alexander Hamilton? You're sure you are not mistaken? Are you telling me that the duke is still alive?" Angelica asks, to be sure of his safety.

"Yes"

"And where is he?!" Angelica asks once more, almost smiling to hide her true feelings.

"I could not ask him..."

"W-we must bring him to safety. Think what could have happened if they managed to get a confession out of him!" 

John Church heads back outside when the guards are not at their doors. He angrily finds Tench Tilghman who seems to be lost in his thoughts. He looks down at his former companion's feet and looks back up slowly. 

Finding a different man. 

"What do you plan to do with Alexander?" 

"There is nothing I can do at this point," Tench says. But he doesn't look at John in the eye with a neutral look. 

"Have you gone insane? Do you think you'll find any peace causing a friend's demise?" 

John feels a growl under his breath. Because of it, Tench looks up, feeling unsure if what he's doing is right. 

"Tench. If you still think of me as a friend, grant my wish: Allow me to meet Alexander. I'm asking you."

Tench says nothing. After a while, he makes a decision. 

~~~

Something seems to be shaking, and something seems to be echoing in her ears, Eliza thinks. She notices a figure of a man who lends out a hand to her. Eliza looks up and sees the man she's  desperate to see. It was her beloved Alexander whose smile warmed her heart. 

"I'm in the supply room. So how can your smile make me feel so warm?" she asks her beloved. "Because I am here for you, my dear Betsey. I came for you," Alexander responds as he takes her hand to lift her to her feet. 

Cupping her face and stroking her soft rosy cheeks, he gazes into her eyes and observes her eyes darken with stars. 

"I have missed you so much!" Eliza jumps into his arms to hold him. She shuts her eyes and embraces the feeling of being with her loved one; his arms acting like a barrier that wrap around her like a cast. 

In a moment, as she is only focused on being embraced that feels like an eternity, his presence seem to fade away as if he let her go without her realizing it. The air around her grew cold, and the world around darkened when she sees her lover shift away from her. 

"Alexander?!" 

"Betsey..." Alexander calls her and reaches out his hand to catch her. Eliza can see herself drowning in a deep blue ocean and the sunlight that is her lover. As if the world forbade them to be together, the world tears them apart as their hands that reach to another are way far from their reach. 

As the sun must belong to the sky, she must stay in the ocean and only be allowed to look above the surface for the sun's rays of light glimmering. 

"Alexander, please no! Don't leave me!" the Schuyler's daughter calls. She drowns further down in the ocean and overhears cold laughters come out of nowhere. As a reminder of a fued from reality, the laughters slaps her with the thoughts of Chatilots and the Nepalese, calling her a fool. 

The noble woman blocks her ears and shuts her eyes as she tries all her might to snap out of it. "I don't want this! I never wanted this! Alexander please can you hear me!" 

"Alexander? No! Come back to me!" 

No response. 

She slowly opens her eyes and everything looks fuzzy. Thinking she had gone blind, she calls out to him once more. But he's not there. 

Eliza finds herself in her room and sighs heavily when she learns it was a nightmare. She puts a hand on her head due to a slight headache.  

https://youtu.be/0qgP2CpjkB8

"What just happened?...Did I forget something?" she asks herself. She looks around and recognizes her lady-in-waiting sitting beside her, asleep. It would appear that Rose overslept. 

"How long has it been? How could I forget...the deep blue-colored eyes that seemed transparent, the unforgetable words that set me on fire? All of those are etched deeply into my soul. I could never forget them. I must find Alexander! Something must have happened to him!" she thinks to herself. 

As soon as she gets up, she suddenly hears footsteps approaching her room. Eliza quickly gets back to "sleep". However, the footsteps come to a halt and 2 voices of a female and a male echo from the other side of the doors. 

"Mother. Please calm down," her brother Jemmy finally speaks.

"Your father's survival depends on this. How could I feel at ease?" she questions like her heart is about to stop beating. Jemmy could see her eyes almost welling with tears. 

Then, to their surprise, they heard one of their guards outside their building approach, delivering the good news the lady has craved to hear. "My lady! Lord Philip Schuyler has returned!" 

"What? My dearest has returned?!" she asked breathlessly, relieved to hear the news. As she and her son rushed to the entrance on other side of their mansion.  Not aware of her eldest daughter being awake, she rushes outside with her son to the entrance to see her husband. 

Eliza quietly gets out of her bed, trying not to awaken Rose from her slumber. She quickly puts on her cloak as dark as night, dark enough to help her get pass the guards in the dark of the night. 

After gradually closing the door behind her, she finds herself relieved to see there are no guards guarding her doors. For they must have been sent out to follow her father's evil plans. 

And God knows what.  

Eliza walks out as quiet as a mouse while letting the male crickets chirp soundly. Until she recognizes her mother's voice not from afar, she comes to a halt and hides behind the ??? to overhear her conversation with one of her father's men and Jemmy. 

"Lord James Hamilton is alive?! This is terrible. What if things go wrong?" Lady Catherine asks, horrified that their plans may not work. No response from the knight. 

The Nepalese blood is not to be underestimated after all. "What of Alexander? What happened to him?"

"He was captured after trying to infiltrate Her Highness' residence. He shall soon be executed." 

Eliza held back her voice, horrified that he has been captured and is to be executed this time. Her plan did not work. 

"I'm fine here, so go back to my husband's side."

"I was ordered to come back just in case."

"If anything happens to My Lord, we will all bear the consequences. Tell him not to worry about us. 

The soldier hesitated. He did not know whose orders to follow, for the situation has gone out of hand. 

"I said go!" The lady of the household speaks up once more and the soldier takes his leave once he bows to her. 

When the Schuyler members go back in their household, Jemmy hears cracks that lead to footsteps. He turns around to see if anyone is there, but his instincts tell him that his elder sister must be awake. 

He quietly follows her and finds her at the stables untying the reins of their family's horses. He can not believe she is going to go when their mother would be upset at an extreme level. 

"Eliza," he calls her, which halts her from leading the horse out of the stables. 

"J-jemmy! Please no-" His older sister began to realize that she should not be afraid because if she continues to let her insecurities eat her alive, it will be too late before her parents shape her to become the obedient woman they want her to be. 

"I'm heading to Her Highness' residence. I'll go there and stop Father. 

"That is too dangerous! That whole place is surrounded by troops," Jemmy's softspoken words leave her to calm down and feel determined to do as she needs to do. 

"That doesn't daunt me. I must go there," Eliza turns around to get on the horse as she practiced. 

Jemmy notices that his sibling before him is completely a different woman. Since when did Eliza wear such a gaze? Guilt, Despair, Determination, Longing... What has this man caused?" 

"Are you going there to meet Alexander Hamilton?" he asks. Eliza stops in her place and looks at him. 

"Shouldn't someone stop our father?" 

Jemmy fears for his life and hers. For he has never stood up to his father and mother before. However, he realizes that she could be the light he needs to give him the confidence to help his sister out. 

Therefore, he attends towards the entrance where the guards are stationed. "I have something for you to do, so follow me for a moment." The guards follow his order and follow him as Jemmy stalls for time. 

Eliza sneaks out of her mansion with her horse. 

She places her hands on its back and attempts to balance herself as she climbes up the stirrups. Her heart beats loud from the moment she positions herself on her saddle. 

Prepared for what's to come in her path,  she kicks her horse with her foot, commanding it to go in God's speed. 

As much as it frightens her that some of her father's guards might be ahead, she follows her heart not to care how loud her horse gallops. 

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

Back at Her Highness' residence

Unconcious Alexander sits by the pole, tied with a rope securely. Even with his eyes closed, he hears footsteps approaching him. Do they mean to deliver me to my fate? To "help" me leave all this misery behind?

"Alexander?" 

A familiar voice reaches his ears to wake his conciousness. Alexander learns from his surroundings and finds friend, John, and Charles Lee before him. 

"Take your leave," Charles commands the soldiers behind Alexander to leave them. He bows to the princess' husband and also leaves them alone. Checking that they were gone, John walks halfway to find them gone, and unties the ropes that trap Alexander and make his back ache. 

"We have no time." As he does, he can't bear to look at his clothing that have spashes of blood stained. Bruises on his cheeks. His knuckles white. His skin looking pale. 

"What are you trying to do?" Alexander asks in a weary tone. 

"Only death awaits you here. Tench will help us out." 

"Tench?"

"H-he doesn't want to see you die, either. I'm sure it was all forced upon him because of his father," John answers his confusion. Alexander thinks for a moment, asking himself questions of how all this is changing many people. Could the leader of the rebellion be responsible for having many others to follow him?  

"What's more important is leaving this place, so let's think about that later. There's a stable right behind that corner. So let's head there. John said he'll distract the troops and buy us some time," John whispers hastly for who knows how long it will take until the guards come back. 

Alexander does not like what's at stake here when John is risking his life to save him. "This could bring you harm as well," he reminds his companion in a low tone. 

"No matter how merciless they might be, they won't harm me. I am the late king's royal son-in-law," 

"John..."

John looks back up, imploring Alexander to realize how much of God's light is left as long as he's alive. 

"Your father is our last hope" 

Alexander puts his arm around John's neck as John helps him get up on his feet. Not having care of how injured he is, Alexander trudges as quickly as his feet can take him. 

Later, John brings out a horse and Alexander gets on it. Both full of sweat from trying to escape from the watchful eyes of the Chatilots, they feel confident that they can make it. Both grip each others' hands. 

"We are Nepaleses. We do not quake with fear," John reminds Alexander of his role as the son of the Nepalese leader. With that in mind, Alexander takes his leave in haste to his father. From afar, John watches him ride away, and prays to God that he would be safe. 

https://youtu.be/lL8z8OQzC7k

"Yah!....Yah!...Yah!" Alexander commanded his horse to go faster.

He made it back to his mansion, got off his horse and pushed the doors out of his way into the entrance.

"Out of the way!" he commanded, pushing some of his servants who were in his way (by accident).

His arm stung from the gash on his bicep made by a soldier he was crossing swords with earlier. When he reached a room, he found his father who was bleeding and was helpless. Someone he hated and loved.

"Father!"

Alexander rushed to his father and picked him up by the arm gently. His father groaned from the pain.

"I'm fine...I shall head to the military board affairs, so pave the way!" his father commanded.

"AAAAGGGHHHH" a voice of a wounded servant cried out when he was stabbed by a soldier, one of his fathers' enemy's minions.

The soldiers snickered and smirked from the amusement of the wounded that lay before Alexander and his father.

Alexander took the sword, that stabbed the servant, from his body and used it to fight his enemies while his father stood idly by, weak to move.

Alexander was given a cut on the cheek and he managed to dodge and create a gash on the stomachs of the soldiers. They groaned from the pain and lay helpless too hurt to get up with their muscles cut.

Just when he succeeded, the pain on his arm increased and he groaned holding it tightly to endure the pain but was too late when his enemies took their turn to strike. He collapsed onto the cold ground.

"Alexander! Alexander!" his father cried out, while Alexander tried all he could to reach out his hand to him. However, one of the soldiers blocked the father's way.

"Alexander, (something something).... (something something something)wrath!" his father said, from which Alexander couldn't manage to listen to completely after his head was hit by the ground.

The soldier slayed a final blow on his father who collapsed and tried to reach out his hand to Alexander who did the same to him.

Their fingertips were inches apart but it was too late for the father when his eyelids lowered and the sound of his head hitting the cold soil echoing in Alex's ears.

Alex was appalled by his father's cruel fate. To see his father not fully bandaged completely...to see his blood spilled by the enemy was too cruel to watch.

"Father!!"

Before he could move any further, one of the men slashed on his neck. Alexander thought he was going to die. Everything went black. 

~~~~~~~~~

Previously, Tench walks further down the aisle that lead him to the quad outside the palace doors. There lies an army of the Chatilots, armed and ready with their lit torches. They encircle their leader and the one and only: Lord Philip Schuyler along with his bodyguards. Waiting for news to come. 

To his surprise, he finds his soldier -whom he assigned to bodyguard his family while he was away- return. 

"What are you doing here?" he asks with frustration in his tone. 

"Her Ladyship told me to come back and remain by your side. But Alexander Hamilton has fled," the soldier reviews what he has learned. However, he unexpects a smirk from the lords face. Tench follows in pursuit and makes his way to the lord. 

"Was Alexander released?" 

"Yes," Tench neutrally answers. 

"I trust he doesn't realize you did it on purpose?" he asks, uncertain of the consequences. 

However, Tench reassures Eliza's father that Alexander is oblivious. This good news relieves Philip Schuyler that their plan is working, feeling proud of Tench's dedication. 

"Confident in your everlasting friendship, he must have run to his father's aid. And like a beacon in the dark, he will lead us to James Hamilton. You will have to head there," the lord says, reminding Tench that the task is not done. 

Tench looks up with a shocked expression, realizing that the Nepalese lord is not finished with him yet. 

Lord Philip continues, "Sending them alone would not reassure me. So go there, and make sure the last of the royal Nepalese bloodline are slain."

...To be continued...