Crown Of Hearts
Chapter 26: doomsday

Chapter 26: doomsday

Damon shuddered from the light touch, instantly looking up at Alexander.

Their eyes met as Damon inched closer and seconds later, their lips met in a hungry and unrestrained kiss that echoed their desire.

It was a hot and passionate clashing of their lips and tongues, soft moans of approval and an occasional gasp when Damon gently nibbled on Alexander’s lower lip.

"How was that?" Damon asked when they pulled away, both trying to catch their breaths.

"Perfect." Alexander breathed and Damon grinned as he rested his head on his chest again.

"Just one more." Alexander pleaded and Damon looked at him again.

"You cannot get enough of me..." He smirked and Alexander’s eyes sparkled with a mischievous gleam.

"Never." He admitted and they kissed again.

Damon didn’t want the fragile bliss he was enjoying to come to an end but as he lay in Alexander’s warm embrace, his thoughts kept him awake for a while.

The next day was when Damon intended to tell Alexander about his curse.

He snuggled deeper into Alexander’s arms, hoping the action could give him more courage not to back out.

Damon knew he had to confide in Alexander and hopefully, they could both come up with a solution to his dilemma.

With an exhausted sigh, Damon eventually closed his eyes and slept peacefully until the next morning.

The day started with his routine morning training and assisting Alexander on his walk.

His movements were now much more steady and Damon smiled as he watched Alexander casually walking around without his help.

Their early morning teasing had helped slightly ease Damon’s nerves.

He had helped Alexander apply the medicine to his wounds and by the time Damon was finished, Alexander’s face was a bright red.

Damon sought out Eamon towards noon and the man had been both pleased and nervous when Damon gave him the king’s positive feedback.

"The king was keen on avoiding the possibility of casualties." Damon informed him.

"I will be careful with the escape plan." Eamon assured, his mind fully registering his near future.

At a point, he was going to be alone with Valerion and this time, the dragon wasn’t going to be behind bars or chained to a wall.

It wreaked havoc in his mind just thinking of what the dragon could do to him once he was free from his confines.

Eamon had noticed all the lingering gazes and smirks during their interactions.

His fate was sealed and he was fully responsible.

"How are you going to excute the escape plan?" Damon asked, drawing Eamon from his thoughts.

"I will put the dragon in a carriage and set off in the middle of the night. Once I am deep into the woods and away from human civilization, I will ask the soldiers with me to leave and then I will open up his chains and set him free." Eamon explained.

"That’s a good plan." Damon noted and Eamon smiled faintly.

"Let’s hope it works." He whispered, truly hoping nothing went wrong.

Damon left to find Alexander once his conversation with Eamon was done.

His heart was frantically pumping as he turned the door knob and walked into the room.

Alexander was standing by the open window, looking at the scenery to help subdue his boredom.

He glanced over his shoulder and offered Damon a smile as he turned to face him.

Damon walked over to him, embracing him in a tight hug that caught Alexander by surprise.

A small frown of concern formed on Alexander’s face when he pulled away and their eyes met.

Alexander had never seen Damon’s vibrant blue eyes look so dull... nearly lifeless.

"Hey, are you alright?" Alexander asked as his palms came to rest on Damon’s cheeks, cupping then in a gentle gesture.

"No." Damon admitted as his hands that were around his neck tightened.

Alexander patiently waited for him say more.

"I am slowly dying, Alex and...I don’t want to leave you." He whispered as those enchanting blue eyes started to glisten with unshed tears.

Alexander’s body froze before he hugged him closer to his chest, the weight of the confession nearly suffocating him.

"I won’t let you die, you hear me..." Alexander whispered and Damon smiled painfully.

"There is not much I or anyone can do about it. I am cursed, Alexander." Damon replied and Alexander felt his throat tighten, the pain of losing this man unbearable.

A lone tear rolled down his left cheek.

"There must be a lope hole, something that we can do because honestly, I don’t want to lose you Damon." Alexander admitted and Damon’s arms tightened around him.

"I will tell you everything that I know about the curse." Damon replied, his voice low and weak.

"Okay, I am listening." Alexander encouraged as they both pulled away from the hug and stood side by side, looking through the window.

"I had always known something was off with me from the age of five when all the other children feared playing with me or coming close to me. The only friend I had back then was Eamon who didn’t seem bothered by my appearance..." Damon trailed off as the painful memories filled his head.

Alexander made a mental note to express his gratitude to Eamon later.

"I could have played with you." Alexander assured and Damon offered him a small grateful smile.

"Anyway, as I got older, I sought out knowledge on my situation and got to know I was cursed. My father sat me down one day and decided to tell me the truth after I relentlessly bugged him..."

"Five centuries ago, the royal family that ruled this kingdom, our ancestors were quite cruel to their subjects and one fateful day, they messed with the wrong person. A very powerful wizard whose younger sister had been burned at the stake for being a witch.

Enraged and grief striken by his loss, the wizard cursed the royal family. Every first born child to the ruling king could die when they were twenty five years of age. The silver hair of the child could be a constant reminder of what lay in store for them and since that day, the royal family grieved the loss of their family members.

I lost my elder brother to the same fate and now, I will lose you too."

In the fifteen years of his life, Damon had never seen his father cry but he did that day, his tears flowing over like a broken dam.

Young Damon had tried to offer some comfort but the grief was unbearable.

He had felt his father’s pain.

Since that day, Damon had lived his life to the fullest, enjoying everything life had to offer in hopes that when doomsday arrived, he’d have little to no regrets.

But now that the day was nearer, Damon did not want to die. No, he couldn’t die.

Alexander was silent as he processed the information.

"It’s only two months remaining to your twenty fifth birthday." He noted, his cheeks tear stained as he looked at Damon.