Save for the pillars, the hallways were completely burnt, the once beautiful walls of Arcadia reduced to nothing but a debris. The chandeliers hung high burning in unison with the flames that palace guards were so much trying to extinguish.

The dungeons were located below the keep. Isadora ascended the staircase, a distant growl of what could be a trace of Alexander sounding in the distant. Corpses lay everywhere, burnt beyond recognition. The remnants of their silver armors was the only evidence of the knighthood in them.

Then, at the end of the staircase came the sea of darkness. Save for one hole on the whole that allowed a thin ray of light, the rest was all but dark. A fresh scent of burning flesh lingered in the air. Isadora wondered what had become of Alexander.

There in the darkness he sat, coiled up in a foetal position. His head was buried in his knees as if he was in some kind of mourning but she knew he was not. She wanted to touch him yet a voice in her head warned against it. So she called instead.

"Alex?"

She saw him freeze, and then ever slowly, he lifted his face in the darkly lit cell. Was it his face or eyes that scared her? The eyes, she had seen him all red before yet there was a touch to it today that screamed of danger. And his face, it was painted all red. His red orbs stared into her blue ones, warning bells now ringing in her mind. But Alexander could never harm her, could he?

For a moment, he just stared at her, and she swallowed harder with each passing second. And when he stood, she finally thought he was back to his senses. But his grip betrayed her thoughts. It was a firm one, so iron she could feel his nails digging into her skin. Frantically, she bolted back but his was a tight grip, she moved and he followed like a prey.

"You’re hurting me Alexander," she complained, but to whom? His red orbs answered cruelty back, and when they stood at the ray of light, she gasped in surprise. His hair, if it was hair currently, looked like spikes, so sharp a touch on his head would send one bleeding. Blood rushed close to his skin and he looked nowhere close to the Alexander she knew, save for the familiar cold eyes and face. The man in front of her was an animal, stripped of all humanity. Had Alexander gone berserk? She had to speak some sense to him.

"Alexander? It’s me, your wife," she said, her eyes glowing in hope. He halted for a while and Isadora thought he had regained his sanity, only to hold her by her neck a fleeting seconds later.

His bony hand around her neck was firm, giving her little to no space for breathing. He lifted her a few feet above the ground as if weightless. She tried to kick her dangling feet but to no avail. And when she looked at him, all she could see was cruelty, and surprisingly, a tinge of confusion. Confusion, yes! If he had wanted her dead, he’d have done the honor ages ago. But why couldn’t he kill her? It was as easy as a snap of her frail neck.

Tears streamed down her cheeks now. She knew there was an ounce of Alexander left in there, she just had to push him out. But how!

"It’s me..." She choked the words out. "Isadora," in a whisper, she added. And as if he had broken from a reverie, his face looked surprised all at once. He let go of her neck and she landed hard on her buttocks!

"Isadora?" He called hoarsely, yet his voice was as gentle as he could remember. She stood up abruptly ignoring the pain and the feel of his fingers around her neck.

"Yes, it’s me," she affirmed. She took a step forward but Alexander was quick to gesture her into a halt.

"I don’t want to hurt you again. I’m not at my best right now and I’m afraid I can do something stupid," came his hoarse voice again.

"You can’t hurt me!" She stubbornly said.

"I already did!" He said, his voice hardening now. "I don’t know what would have happened if..." He drew a long sigh. "I can’t forgive myself. Please leave."

"I can’t." She replied. "The poison is spreading in your body and I can’t wait to see you die in these stinking dungeon." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"I won’t die! It’s not like the first time I’ve been poisoned!"

"It’s different..."

He growled louder this time, a green liquid now replacing the blood that coursed through his veins. She could see it, the way he was sweating. The poison was now working.

"Let me help you." She tried advancing but Alexander backed off into a more darker corner. His breath came out rugged now intensifying Isadora’s worry. She had lost so many people dear to her, but Alexander was not in the list. She had summoned her dragon because of him, and now he wanted it all to go into waste? Never.

"You should leave before I lose my sanity again," he warned, now leaning on the wall.

"I wish I could," Isadora answered and stepped forward. Alexander tried as much as he could to walk away from her but she caught up. How stubborn, he couldn’t help but clench his fists!

"Look at me," she demanded, holding his face in her hands. His skin was burning!

Slowly, he lifted his face, his burning eyes settling into her kinder ones. She smiled at him, the warmest smile he’d wish for at this dark hour.

"I don’t want to leave you Alexander! Let’s build our empire together, have our wedding in the shores of Valoria. You promised me."

He held her hands in his, "I did!" He whispered. "But I’m afraid I’ll have to take my words back."

"You can’t!" She said, and smiled at him again. He creased his brows at her, confused. And when he least expected, she sealed her lips with his in one passionate kiss, and went limp in his hands, her body all green!