Chapter thirty six

Red stained the once-clear oceans of Sindria, tainting the bright and happy mood of two young royalties, their surprise and horror hidden beneath the waves gently crashing into the docks several yards above. Fear chilled Prince Alexandros to the core, his limbs jagged and motionless, his own well-being forgotten as he watched Princess Amirah convulse with pain.

She'd coughed up blood several times now, the magic tool she'd held in her mouth probably nearing the ocean floor. A gulp of air resulted in saltwater-filled lungs, making the princess cough and panic more. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her body curling in on itself.

Alex reached out to her, but it felt like she was lightyears away. His breath caught in his throat and he began to shake. He didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to think it, nevermind say it. But he knew. It was his fault.

This feeling was only confirmed as someone jumped into the water, casting waves and air bubbles in Alex's direction, causing him to drift away some.

It was Sinbad, fully clothed and decorated in jewelry as usual. His expression was hard and determined, his eyes locking onto Amirah and in seconds he was at her side, strong arms wrapping around her and holding her close. Sinbad's eyes landed on Alex has he carried Amirah to the surface, his gaze narrowing into a glare.

Alex was surprised he wasn't dead. The king's gaze surely suggested he should be. Sinbad's usual warm smile and kind eyes had frozen into pure rage, and although Alex knew the king didn't know who he actually was, in that very moment it felt like every single lie had fallen away, the truth of the situation spilling out. It was nearly enough to make Alex break down in tears and confess. Instead, he hastily gathered what he could of his composure and swam up after Sinbad.

~

By the time Alex had reached the surface and pulled himself onto the docks, Ja'far, Leonidas, and several citizens of Sindria had gathered around Sinbad and Amirah, the latter who was lying on her back, coughing up saltwater mixed with blood. Everyone's eyes snapped to Alex as he climbed onto the docks, though Leonidas was the only one to react, rushing over to him and growling in hushed tones:

"What the hell, Alex?! What the hell happened?!" Leonidas yanked his soaked brother to his feet, angry enough to shove the smaller prince back into ocean if not for the scene it would cause.

"I-I don't know! She was fine one minute and then just-" Alex stammered, but was cut off by Leonidas shaking his head:

"It doesn't matter. Get changed then we'll go see what's up." By now Sinbad had picked Amirah back up again while Ja'far soothed the gathered crowd, the pair then heading back to the palace in a rush to treat the princess.

"B-But Leon-"

Leonidas placed his hands on Alex's shoulders, staring him dead in the eye. "Focus, Alex. This is no time to lose your head-"

"You know mom did this, right?"

"I know. It wasn't a part of the plan, but we have to deal with it. You can't let them figure out who we are. Got it?"

"I can't just let this happen," Alex spoke, barely hearing Leonidas as his thoughts raced.

Leonidas' grip on Alex's shoulders tightened. "You have to."

Alex closed his eyes, trying to pull away from his brother. "I can't-"

"Alex. If you fuck up somehow, one way or another you're gonna end up dead. Whether it be by Sinbad's hand or Mother's. You don't want to figure out which is worse," Leonidas insisted, then growled, "I told you not to get attached, didn't I?!"

"I know!" Alex snapped back, finally shoving Leonidas away. Quieter, he repeated, "I know..." He hung his head, a wave of hopelessness washing over him. Then he gasped, an idea coming to mind. Trying to cover his newfound determination up, he muttered, "I'm gonna...go for a walk... After I change."

~

Amirah's hospital room was a private one; small yet sterile and separate from the other hospital rooms, which housed several patients rather than one. Zaahira's room was similar, located on the other side of the medical wing. Magicians specializing in life and healing magic were scattered everywhere, while Sindrian guards stood stationary outside of both of the girls' rooms, seemingly prepared for anything.

Prince Alex waited until the situation calmed down and the generals and King Sinbad were forced to return to their duties, leaving Princess Amirah -who had yet to wake up- alone besides the guards outside her door before attempting to visit her.

A pair of spears crossed over the doorway to Amirah's room, one of the guards asking in a gruff voice, "This is a private area. State your name and business."

"Prince Alexandros Apostolos. I'm betrothed to Princess Amirah, may I please see her?" Over the anxiety-fueled hours that had passed Alex had managed to find his princely demeanor once again, calmly reporting his name and intentions to the guards although he was still worried sick.

The guards instantly realized his importance, retracting their spears and nodding their heads to him, "Go ahead, Prince Alexandros. Our apologizes."

Alex smiled, "Thanks." He nodded once then entered Amirah's room, closing the door quietly behind him. Amirah was sound asleep, though she didn't look peaceful in the slightest. She was pale, sweat beading up on her forehead as she jolted this way and that, her face scrunching up in pain every once in awhile. Nightmares. Bad ones.

Pulling a chair up to her bed Alex sat down, trying to think of how to approach what he wanted to say. He was taking a risk, but in his eyes he had no choice. It wouldn't be long until Sinbad or Sharrkan snuck away from their work to check on Amirah, or Leonidas began searching for Alex's whereabouts. Breathing deeply, Alex began:

"Mother, I know you're in there. You can hear me. I..." Alex trailed off, unsure what he was doing. "Mother, stop this. You can't kill Amirah and Zaahira like this."

"Why not?" His mother's voice echoed around the room, a darkness weighing down the air.

"B-Because..." Part of Alex wanted to retreat, to tell his mother he didn't mean anything then run from the room, putting as much distance between himself and his mother as possible. Yet the other part of him knew he couldn't do that. He had to do something. And if that meant acting as if he was alright with her plan, then so be it. "If you kill Amirah now, then I won't be able to marry her and your entire plan will be lost. What would be the point in all this if it ended now?"

"What a clever little boy you've become. Not even two weeks in Sindria and you've already sharpened your tongue... Though you are right, the magician still has no reason to stay alive."

"Sure she does! She's Amirah's best friend, you can't just-"

"You've failed at being useful in every other aspect of this plan, you won't prove weak in this regard as well, correct? Because if so, you will promptly be removed. There is no room for error nor emotions in this, Alex. "

Weak. Alex balled his hands into fists. "I'm not disagreeing with your mother, I just think you should reconsider," He stood, his chair scraping the tile floors. Angrily, he said, "You're telling me not to let my emotions interfere, yet clearly your hate for Sinbad is what drove you to do this! Isn't that a tad hypocritical?!"

His mother laughed, "Oh, very well. You've caught me...Though what will I receive in obeying your wishes?"

"You're...bargaining with me?!" Alex raised an eyebrow. "You agreed, even?!"

"I'll admit I got a little ahead of myself with the spell I've placed on the princess. I grew too eager to see Sinbad's face twisted in pain, and forgot about our plan... I'll remove the curse from both the princess and the magician, as much as I'd love to watch them die from it's effects."

Alex opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it, unsure he wanted to know the answer. He wanted to know why his mother was acting so cruel and vengeful towards Sinbad. As far as he knew, she had no reason to hate the king. He couldn't help but think she'd been tricked into hating him. Those masked people who came to the country years ago...

When Alex was younger, he remembered his mother being normal and kind, treating him like her son instead of some horrible excuse for a human being or a soldier she had to whip -or shame- into shape. She was kind to his siblings as well, though his younger twin sisters weren't even a thought back then. When did she change into who she was now? Alex couldn't pinpoint an exact time. It happened gradually, and before anyone could stop her, she'd bowed to the will of the masked people who entered their country, dragging Leonidas down with her.

Quietly, Alex muttered a 'thank you' to his mother before leaving the room, the color slowly returning to Amirah's face, her nightmares slowly becoming dreams.

~

Author's Note-

Sorry if updates are slow, I'll be honest I'm at an emotional low right now. 

I hope you enjoyed this, though c: