I didn't mean to, but unconsciously I head directly to the room where I usually sleep. I don't know why I went there of all places, but I ended up standing outside the door.
    
Truths be told, I couldn't begin to imagine where Aelita might have stormed off to.
    
"Perhaps a guard or servant saw her pass-"
    
"Mallory?"
    
Whirling around, I'm face to face with Shaykh, whose questioning expression morphs into joy.
    
"Where have you been?"
    
"Oh right." She's probably the only one who doesn't know that I'm not supposed to be here still.
    
Nevertheless, I'm glad that another one of my friends is safe and in good condition. It seems the ridgeness that was once very prevalent in her is now replaced with some familiar ease upon being in my presence.
    
"I've been around." I shrug off that topic and hop to a new pressing one. "This may sound weird, but have you seen a woman with blond hair passing through any of the halls? It's really blond so it looks kind of white."
    
The questioning look returns and she frowns.
    
"No, I don't suppose I have. Is something the matter?"
    
"Somewhat, but hopefully I can resolve it."
    
"You're always so vague in your answers."
 
"Huh?"
    
She shakes her head, "Nothing."
    
I don't know how she meant that last part but I hope it wasn't completely negative.
 
 "I have to go. It was nice seeing you again. And if you see that woman I was describing could you alert me?"
    
"Of course."
    
I'm already heading off down the hall feeling somewhat guilty.
    
Shaykh, out of all my friends here, is the person I seem to always lie to or give false information to. I don't know why I do this- maybe because she's a servant, but I should really try to make more of an effort with her. God knows I'll probably be spending another few weeks here.
    
The next few places I search for Aelita come up empty. She's not like Xalale so I can't predict where she'll be as easily as I can for him.
    
"Wait a minute."
     
I decide to give into my intuition and head to where I think she could be.
     
My instincts turn out to be right on the dime as I approach the balcony garden. I stop before going further.
     
"What am I supposed to say?" Probably should've thought about that while I was searching.
     
"Who's there?"
     
I tense up but decide to come clean. I need to get her to trust me so she'll open up.
     
"Uh, it's just me, Mallory."
    
Coming around the corner, I see her sitting on a bench, looking much calmer than before. The wind plays through her hair blowing a few strands across her face. Surprisingly, she smiles warmly when she looks at me.
    
"Ah, Mallory. I actually wanted to look for you but I got caught up in this breathtaking view of the valley. How marvelous it is."
     
She scoots over and motions for me to come closer.
    
"Sit."
     
I'd be lying if I didn't admit how nervous I feel sitting next to a woman who might have killed her son over a title if someone hadn't been there to stop her. It just sounds a bit psychopathic is all.
    
For a second I forget why I'm even here to talk to her about. We stare out into the vast valley and admire the view. Finally I break the silence to bring up the elephant in the room, but my words are lost in hers.
    
"I want to apologize for my behavior at breakfast this morning. You're in-between the middle of something you're not used to and have no knowledge as to how it even began. Forgive me for that."
    
"Uh, you're fine. Breakfast was a little...tense to be honest. But I'm kind of used to tense situations here."
    
She turns to face away from the valley and in turn faces me.
    
"I'm sure you are. May I ask you a question?"
    
"Sure, only if I get to ask one myself."
     
She smiles like she did when I first met her in the forest.
    
"Of course," Her smile falters a little before she continues, "I guess I should start by asking how long have you known Xalale?"
     
I have to think on that one.
    
"I'm not really sure. Two weeks, maybe?"
     
Just hearing those numbers from myself makes me want to return home even quicker. I don't want to miss another second back in Cauldron.
    
"How did you meet him?"
    
"Kind of a weird story..."
    
"You told me in the forest that it was a long story."
    
"Yeah, not a very interesting one either."
    
"I have time for long, uninteresting stories, dear. You see what I was freed from, it makes everything appear interesting now."
    
"Okay I guess. I met him outside of a village in the forest. He offered me a drink because I was thirsty and I accepted. He then asked me a question- I really can't remember what it was- and I gave him an answer he liked, I guess. I didn't know who he was or anything until later."
     
What am I doing!? She's too much like my mother in some regard. I felt so comfort and familiar around her that I felt I could share everything. I need to pull back on the flow of information. Especially the key moment at the end of this story.
     
"Before you ask your question. I have another of my own."
     
I listen in.
     
"You said that you saw Xalale as mostly confused and that there was more to him than meets the eye. What was that about?"
     
Memory of what I say must be a genetics thing with these two. I can never remember half the crap that comes out of my mouth, but that sounds familiar.
     
"Yeah, uh, I don't know he's kind of a loose cannon. I don't know how to adequately describe him."
     
She nods understandably.
    
"I find it somewhat confusing, if I may be honest, to how a level-headed young lady like yourself could handle someone as emotionally unstable such as my Xalale."
     
"I manage. Somehow."
     
I shift. "He's decent, most days."
     
"Hm. But you see my point, right?"
     
"Uh...what point was that?"
     
She gives a light chuckle to herself before boring her grey eyes into mine.
     
"That he isn't fit to be king."
     
I shift again. I don't know how to respond to that so I say nothing.
     
"Even as a child his mind never seemed to grasp the reality of things. You can understand the reasoning behind the worry for my kingdom, can't you? But I was stuck between two very unfortunate scenarios."
    
She gives me a look like my input is required.
    
"Uh, I'm not too sure how to address that situation to be honest." We sure were trying to be honest with each other.
    
"But would you agree he's not fit to be king?"
     
She's purposely putting me between a rock and a hard place. Truth be told, I don't know how either of them could properly function as a ruler; they both seem kind of unstable.
    
Then, in the back of my mind, my damn pessimistic voice has to surface and add into this decision.
    
"Why are trying to defend him? It's not like he's proved himself to be a good king. She's right, he is emotionally- maybe mentally- unstable and unfit to rule."
     
That was true, but I don't know how much better Aelita would be taking into account her recent behavior.
    
"'She may have borne me, but she is far from being a mother to me. Don't trust anything she says. She's a snake.'" Xalale's words still swirl around in my mind as I sort this out.
    
"Since when did his opinion become so valuable?" My pessimistic voice questions.
    
I really hate how torn I can be.
    
It was like deciding whether you wanted to walk a tightrope across an active volcano or nuclear waste.
     
Seeing how she acted towards her own son I would hate to envision how she would behave towards the people.
    
"I'd rather not take sides with this. Besides, it's not for me to sort out."
     
Apparently that was not the answer she wanted. Her face takes on a hard edge, but she manages to keep her voice lighthearted still.
    
"Fair enough. I must say, though, you share a close bond with him."
    
She was implying something, I could hear it even if she spoke it a mile away.
    
"He listens to you. I haven't seen him trust anyone in a long time."
    
"We have our ups and downs." Lots of downs.
    
Even her eyes have that same implication behind them. She takes my hands and holds them gently.
    
"How close would you say you really are to him?" She questions lowering her voice.
    
"Huh?" I try to play dumb but she's not buying it.
    
Her face becomes dead serious and her grip on my hands tightens slightly.
    
"Do you feel for him in any way?"
    
"Slow your roll there for a second." I don't know what embarrasses me more: the fact she asked that or the possibility of it.
    
Staring her deadpan in the eyes, I respond flatly.
    
"Absolutely not."
    
This satisfies her and she lets go of my hands. The look in her face softening.
    
"Of course, forgive me Mallory. I just didn't want to assume."
     
I decide to jump at my question before she starts interrogating me again.
    
"Why did you disappear?"
     
I wanted to ask her why she and Xalale never got along, but I could alway pry that from him. This is something only she knows the answer to.
    
"I cannot give you an exact answer for that I'm afraid. I barely know the reason myself. All I can tell you is that it was a curse placed on me for the sins I had committed- or believed to have committed- and that I knew if I ever wanted to regain my honor, I would have to go off and deal with the curse myself. I never had a plan on how to get out of the curse once it had taken effect but by the grace of the Fates, it seems to have worked itself out naturally."
    
"The day I first met you was the day my curse had been lifted. It was nice seeing such sights again, I must tell you."
    
"I have one more question." I say.
    
She waits for me.
    
"Would you kill him just to get to the crown?"
    
She doesn't miss a beat.
    
"I'm a mother, dear, I would never kill my child on purpose."
    
"You sure had me fooled this morning."
    
"But I will say," She continues, "If he does become a problem, I would have no qualms about... dealing with him."
     
The way she said that sent a chill down my back. It sounded like an ominous threat meant to its fullest extent.
     
"Hopefully it will never have to come to that." She adds as if an afterthought.
     
"Right. Well I should probably attend to some things that...need attending to."
      
I plaster on a cheery smile and stand up.
     
"Of course. I would never want to distract you from your duties. Thank you for the talk, Mallory. You're a very calm minded young lady."
      
"Oh, uh, thank you."
      
I hope she doesn't realize how urgently I want to escape from there. I try my hardest to walk casually off the balcony and down the hall, before scurrying away.
      
It wasn't that she scared me- she has her moments when she can do that- it was how uncomfortable I felt around her. She's a complex, sneaky individual- I could tell- but I don't want to categorize her so quickly.
     
She did help me in the woods and she seemed so sweet. Where was that Aelita? Maybe hidden under the new one?
     
I'm tempted to run to Elle and Coxen's room just to check up on them. I know they want to leave tonight and I want to make sure they can slip out as easily as possible.
     
But as much as I want to visit them my feet lead me to the doors of the throne room.
    
"What do I even say to him?" I think.
     
He probably doesn't need to be reminded that his mother is vying for his crown.
     
I decide that if he ask about what we talked about I would tell him, but if he doesn't I won't.
     
When I walk in I try not to show how shaken up I still am. My goal is to act natural maybe ask questions.
     
"Hey."
      
He glances up at me. His expression is unreadable as usual.
      
"I just wanted to check on you, make sure everything's fine..." Ugh, it sucks not to have an actual game plan prepared.
      
He must have been inspecting his ring before I came. He slides it back on his finger and gives me the same unreadable expression.
     
"Nothing is fine at this point, Mallory. I would expect you to know that."
     
"A little snippy aren't we?"
     
"To be fair," I say. "This isn't the worst issue in the world."
     
"My mother is trying to steal my crown. I find your statement hard to believe."
     
"So?"
      
The changed look on his face tells me I've said the wrong thing. His face changes from unreadable to anger.
     
"What lies did she tell you?" He ask getting up to approach me.
     
"We didn't talk about you." So much for honesty.
      
His increasing hostility tells me he's not buying my B.S. for a second.
     
"You lie all the time Mallory. For once tell me the truth."
     
"We've been through this charade before. Besides, I didn't come here to argue with you."
     
"Then what did you come here to do?"
      
I can feel practically feel the anger rolling off of him as he stood in front of me.
     
"I can here to check on you, that's all. Apparently you're mad at me for some reason. Care to explain why?"
     
"You bought her here." He growled.
      
My patient meter is about to expire soon, so I take a deep, mental breath and look him in the eyes.
     
"I didn't know who she was. You act like I did this on purpose."
     
"You knew who she was after I told you and yet you still bought her here."
     
"The situation hadn't sunk in yet. Plus I didn't know your relationship was this rocky."
      
He turns and walks away over to the windows.
     
"I'm sorry, okay." I say following close behind.
      
He shakes his head and mutters to himself, "What am I supposed to do with her?"
      
My voice softens as I stand next to him.
     
"Maybe she's here for a reason. Maybe it's fate trying to tell you to make amends with her and fix whatever has been broken."
      
The way he jerks back from me, you would've thought I told him to go fuck himself.
     
"You're infuriatingly naïve." He snaps with thunder in his eyes. "She never mends what she breaks-"
     
"Forget about her for a second. Sometimes it's better to apologize first than wait-"
     
"She is the one who should be apologizing to me. If you would stop pretending you knew everything, you would know the situation at hand."
      
I have to say, my patience lasted me a lot longer than I expected. But all good things must come to an end.
     
"I'm trying to help you!" I cry.
      
He turns his back on me, already walking back to his throne. "Your help is not required. I am the king and I will figure this situation out."
     
"She's right about you. You are completely unstable. I'm the one who has been looking out for your ass since I got here."
      
It was out before I could pull it back. A stupid, haste expression of anger. I covered my mouth, but it's already out. I'm cursing myself for such a ridiculous slip.
      
He doesn't face me but I can practically feel the heat rolling off him.
      
I want to apologize but I feel it would fall on deaf ears. Besides, didn't I mean what I said. The little pessimistic voice in the back of my mind seems to think so.
      
"You may have said it in the wrong way, but it's the truth. You have helped him so many times. He is kind of unstable."
      
I guess the best thing he can think of is to move away from me- which is probably best seeing how his track record of dealing with his temper is rather perplexing.
      
He clearly needs his space, so I begin making my way toward the door to slip out, but he catches me in the act.
     
"Mallory."
      
I wince. There's still anger laced in his voice and he's definitely still upset with me because he can't even look at me fully.
     
"So she called me unstable and you believed her?"
     
Um, more like just switched the term psychotic with unstable.
     
"You think I'm unfit to rule." His fist are clenched so tight, they're making mine hurt just looking at them.
     
"I never said or implied that." I hate how weak and lame my voice sounds.
     
"You believe every word she says about me, don't you?"
     
He made it sound like it was ludicrous that I didn't automatically take his side. To be fair, I'm taking no one's side on this issue, but he seems to think I am.
    
"Do you think I should be king or would you prefer her?"
     
I have to hold back a massive sigh as I'm faced, yet again, with this Trolley problem question.
    
"I would prefer not to answer this question. Xalale, you're being paranoid-"
     
"Me and this damn mouth of mine!"
     
The fire in his eyes rekindles.
     
"I didn't mean that. I meant..." Nope, that's what I meant.
     
"Leave me be."
      
I was going to do that until he asked me this stupid question.
      
Even though the logical side of me is telling me to just leave him alone, my stubborn, illogical side wants to clarify what I meant.
     
"I didn't mean paranoid in the wrong way, I meant it- I mean, it just, just came out wrong."
      
I'm only agitating him more, but I can't just leave it at this. We always leave it like this and then I have to do major damage control in the end.
     
"I'm not trying to work against you, I'm really not. I'm just trying to make you aware to the flaws that you have."
      
I feel like I'm being stared at like a hawk watching its prey.
     
"Then tell me, Mallory, you of all people, tell me what my flaws are."
      
That was a challenge. He's daring me to respond. But I've held my tongue for far too long and this was one challenge I couldn't wait to tackle.
     
"Fine," I walk closer to his throne so he can hear every word I'm about to tell him. "First off, you are so delus-"
      
My words are interrupted by the sound of the heavy door being opened. Turning around I see Aelita, a slighted smile on her face.
     
"I'm sorry if I disturbed either one of you." She says apologetically.
      
Xalale's jaw is set and I know if he doesn't want to see me, he definitely doesn't want to see her.
     
But she's already striding into the room as if this room was hers. It's amazing how regal she always appears to be. Even in the forset, I could tell she had an air about her that demanded your complete attention.
     
She looks between the two of us and her smile brightens before fading.
    
"I have been thinking recently. I haven't been here for a long period of time, but I feel as if there is something...unusual and unbalanced."
     
My face twist into a question.
    
She continues, moving past me towards Xalale. "I don't believe our discussion from this morning was ever resolved."
    
"This crown is mine."
    
Venom laced his tone heavily but she doesn't seem to mind it. In fact, she chuckles softly to herself before stopping at the foot of the platform.
    
"Ah, my dear, I found this reunion very amusing. Seeing you so grown, it brings me great joy. I of course have my disappointments with you, but this visit has been a pleasure on my behalf."
    
"Visit?" That sticks out to me.
    
"And Mallory," She faces me with a warm, but shallow smile." You are a very intellectual young lady and I'm sure you yourself are quite eager to return home."
    
"Um, yeah, but-"
    
"I have enjoyed your company, but..." Her smile freezes over as she slowly approaches me. "You seem to have a difficult time choosing sides, so allow me to chose for you."
    
It's only then that I notice something wooden in her hands. It looks like a small wooden chest. Out of it, she takes out a small vial containing a transparent, purple-ish liquid.
    
I'm curious- and slightly wary- to know the purpose of the substance, but Xalale apparently decides he's had enough and stands.
   
"Your presence is unwelcomed here. Now leave me be-"
   
"Allow me to first handle my top priority in dealing with this problem." She made this sound as if it was nothing more than a petty chore.
   
Before I have a chance to question what she means, she faces toward Xalale again and uncorks the vial.
   
"I know you won't understand right now- as you usually don't- but for once, Xalale, have faith in my judgement."
   
He begins to approach her, darkness forming around his fist.
   
"Your cryptic behavior is not amusing." He growls.
   
He begins to lift his hands and a sinking feel floods my body. But before he can strike, she pours the unknown liquid on the floor and steps back.
   
The liquid morphs from a plain puddle into a blue swirling vortex on the floor- and from where I stand- looks rather deep with no end in sight.
   
This takes me back, but I know for sure it must surprise Xalale, who stops in his tracks. He realizes his fateful mistake too late and reacts too slowly when the vortex spreads out.
   
It happens so fast, all I can manage is a small gasp as he loses his footing and falls in.
   
All I can do is stare, my mind in a frenzy.
  
"Now, my dear, it would appear you've hit a crossroad." The complacent expression on her face unnerves me and I take a faulty step back.
   
"I can see you becoming a problem and if there's anything unnecessary in my return to reign, it is another problem. So forgive Mallory, but this is our final goodbye."
   
"Stay away from me, Aelita." I warn taking another step back.
   
Seizing my arm, she pulls me closer to the whirlpool of death.
   
"Take care of my dear Xalale, Mallory."
   
"What are you doing!? Let me go!"
    
I try, in vain, to wrestle out of her iron grip, but she pulls me forward as if I were a mere rag doll.
   
The solid ground beneath me is gone and the sensation of free falling takes over.
   
From blue to navy finally to pitch blackness, the light from the throne shrinks from my sight until it's extinguished completely.
   
Now, absolute darkness.