Chapter 450 - 450

Seeing the death of a loved one was painful, it tore you to shreds seeing them slowly wither away. Guessing the death of someone who was away though was brutal. Unaware if they were alive or not, scared, anxious, unable to function because you didn't know. 

Theseus didn't know, no one had told him what happened to Allias. No one knew and as he left the room filled with dead bodies, his boots painted by their blood he stepped outside, leaving bloody footsteps in the pure white snow. He looked up at the cloudy sky, he felt the cold snowflakes land on his skin and fell on his knees, his fists gathering the snow. He cried, and cried until his body turned cold. He pained and screamed, he bled for his love but no one could see it. He blamed fate, he blamed the world and he blamed himself. Allias, Allias, Allias he had mumbled again and again. Allias, he had screamed until his throat was sore and his vision blurry. Allias until his body couldn't handle the cold any more, the snow piling up and him collapsing. Allias, he had whispered in his sleep while his fever went up and silent tears escaped his closed eyes. 

Allias, Allias, Allias. A silent prayer and a powerful wish. The name he loved to call, the face he loved to observe now sounded like a cacophony and his memory had been altered by a bloodied and screaming king, asking him where was he. 

Theseus jumped in his sleep, sweaty and anxious, his heart beating so fast it could escape his chest and he swore. He had been laid on the couch of his study, the fire burning warm right by his side. He stood up, dizzy and ripped the office to shreds, again and again, like he used to do. He fell to the floor, hiding his face in his palms as he cried. As he screamed. 

"Theseus." he heard his brother.  He was standing at the door, looking at the mess the general had made with wide eyes. "We don't know if he is dead yet." he said. The general snapped his head up, his eyes wide, red from crying and a deforemd smile appeared on his face. 

"It's snowing, Ares." he told him as he stood up. He rushed towards him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "It's snowing. In spring. Do you know what that means?" he asked him. Looking as if he had gone completely insane. "He is dead. He is dead somewhere and this time I can't even hold him! This time he ain't coming back" he mumbled, his eyes looking everywhere, frantic. "This time he is not coming back." he whispered again and again. 

"We don't know that! We don't know what is going on!" Ares shouted at his brother. "We got rid of the snitches. Come on. Just a bit more. Then we can go look for him. He wrote you a letter didn't he? He couldn't have died, Theseus. Allias would not leave you behind." Ares told him. 

"Then what happened? Why? Why is it snowing again!" The general screamed, kicking a book front he floor and making it land right on the fire.

"He was sick right? What if he lost his powers? He may be weakened. I really don't think that he is dead Theseus. I am begging you. Just a bit more, just a day more and I swear then you'll be free. You will be free to go and look for him. Search the whole Fairy nation. Every corner of the world. Just one more day. Stand on that throne one more day, please." 

"I don't want to"

"You have to! You have to do it, orelse Allias won't be able to return. Will you let that man run free? That nobody who so easily  turned our lives upside down? Will you bring Allias back here to actually get killed?" Ares provoked him. Theseus felt like he would explode, every second that passed by, every thought that poisoned his mind had him thinking the worst of outcomes. If, if one in a million Allias was alive, he was wasting time here, he should be out there, searching for him, not trailing insignificant lords here. 

"Ares, do it for me." Theseus said. "Stand in my seat and kill that man. Give the order. Let me go to him." he said and his little brother sighed. 

"You know I can't do that. He assigned you as the next king. I can't take that seat. You will have to sit there. It won't take long, we have people out there looking for him. Ea has gone too, Asmodeus. Everyone is out there. We will find him. I promise." Theseus sighed, he looked around him. Once again he had drowned himself in chaos, buried his existence under his self hate and once again he was unable to do what Allias had told him. He remembered that letter, he remembered those words, he knew what he should do but in this growing madness of his he found himself useless.

"What if he is truly dead?" He asked his brother.

"He is not. I am sure of it. He is still alive. The king wouldn't die so easily. So please, please. We need you. Everyone needs you. Get out there and make this Allias' kingdom again. He is counting on you." Ares told him. 

It was a burden, it had always been and it hurt. This huge crown, this title that Allias was always forced to carry. Back in the day he had chosen to ignore it but now, now he got it, he could understand why Allias seemed to be so lost all the time, swimming in an endless ocean of thoughts. Being a king, having to be a king even when you didn't want to, it hurt. 

"Find that bastard." Theseus said and stepped out, closing the door loudly behind him. "Find him and make sure you bring him to me alive. I will deal with him." He said and Ares nodded eagerly. Theys stepped out into the throne room, Theseus getting back on the throne. He had fallen so many times, this seat had been unwelcoming a lot more but he would always make it, as long as he had Allias in his heart he knew he could it and now, if he had to do this to find him he would even though his heart was bleeding, the doubt of him being dead was a hungry monster, feeding off his insecurities. 

The double doors of the throne room opened, revealing a sweaty and scrawny soldier. He stood before Theseus and bowed respectfully, his brother on his side. 

"What happened?" Theseus asked him. 

"We have him. We found lord Kronos." The soldier announced.

"Gods…" Theseus mumbled. "Thank you and…forgive me for what I am about to do." he said and stood up. "Where is he?"

"In the dungeons."