Shades of Secrets

Chapter One

=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=

Smooth darkness spread and devoured any light that dared to enter through the hollow grand room, floating around every corner like death lingering in the air. Touching soft walls and trailing gradually to the icy floor, it continued to crawl its way until drenching the silk sheets of a large bed placed in the middle of the dark room. Gliding through the wrinkles of the silk to the body of a man which laid beneath them, it finally caressed the young man’s face that slowly stirred as he awoke.

His eyes were hidden beneath long crimson bangs, long loose black strands surrounding his body and giving the impression of gentle ocean waves. But the facial features alone were all that was needed to show the emptiness in his emotions, divided with seeking revenge and evil in his soul.

The beautiful strands of his hair had lost their shine, being the one always hidden within the cold but welcomed darkness. The man’s face that was shown was youthful and young, pale beyond compare where the warm lights of the hidden sun would never nourish his skin to its once perfect tone.

His body shown from underneath the wrinkled perfect sheets was lean and strong, natural for a young man his age but the man could feel no pain or even disturbance in his unmoving position. Only numbness spread throughout his entire body, starting from the neck and ending to his toes, for he would never again give any movement or even walk with his legs again.

Glints of multiple hues shined brightly upon his face, the only light the darkness would never come near, before it faded to show twelve gemstones above him. Inside in all but two swirled with powerful forces, forces unknown to the eye that is neither magic nor locked emotions…but souls, beautiful souls which slowly began to form inside the gemstones to become as one.

“Each of you will find her…” he finally spoke in a hoarse voice as if he hadn’t used it for a long time, “Find her …for she will seek me out on her own…and destroy her…”

Ten gemstones glittered brightly at his voice.

“She will seek me…” he repeated to himself, a cruel cunning smile crawling onto his lips, feeling nothing of his body from underneath the sheets when he tried to reach out for the last two empty gems, “She will be with me…Lynette…forever…”

=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=

At the young age of nineteen, Lynette opened her eyes with great difficulty, feeling her body drained of any energy that she’d usually have whenever waking up from her sleep. A rough but gentle hand was felt on her forehead caringly and she gathered what’s left of her strength to just look into the person’s thoughtful gray eyes. “Christopher…”

The older man narrowed his eyes, another hand on his forehead as if comparing their temperatures. “Yep…” he confirmed, dropping his hand and removing the other from her face, “I have no clue of your condition to tell whether you are sick or not.”

If Lynette were standing instead of lying, her jaw would have met the ground with a glare for his stupidity but she’s much too weak to even frown or speak anything more. Knowing the kind of look she wished to give him, Christopher rolled his amused eyes, running his hand through his crimson hair before tightening the sheets around her body.

“Too bad you’re lying on the ground instead of on a bed, Lynette,” he whispered to her, sitting down close beside her body and staring out into the forest they’re in, “Otherwise, I would have forgotten about saving money and found an inn and a doctor for you…”

Lynette’s gaze softened weakly, wanting to roll on her side but failed and only managed to shift her head and touch his hand with her forehead. If there’s anything Christopher liked to do it was to collect as much money as possible and save it for emergencies like they’re someday going to starve themselves when it’s pretty obvious they could survive without working for a whole year.

Other than being with her, Christopher admitted that money is the next most important thing in his life. She wondered how he was ever going to survive if all he cares about is money without even spending a single coin for a nice bed to rest on. But the fact that he would spend them for her…really touched her somehow.

“Sleep,” he muttered to her, relaxing but still alert to his surroundings, “If I know you well, you’ll be walking freely and joyfully without a hint of sickness in you by morning. Such an odd girl, you are.”

She managed a snort, closing her eyes for a restful sleep but not until she took a quick glance at him. Christopher is certainly tall and well-built through all the years of traveling compared to any knights if they were to stand beside him. Truthfully, Lynette didn’t know this man very well ever since she had awoken just six years ago without any memories in her mind. But what she does know is that she trusts him with her life for reasons even she didn’t understand very well.

But how can she when she was rudely awoken and nearly drowned in the icy waters of a small river with him – at the mere age of fifteen – loaming over her, that cracking smile pathetically on his lips and started to shout in such anger with no reason at all like an old friend he may be, scolding at her mistakes.

He started yelling words she didn’t seem to comprehend or even have any heed of mind to his rubbish but only staring at his face…his face she had suddenly wished to see so badly from the only memories she’d gotten before breaking down and crying.

Like an idiot that he is, his words stopped short and stood there awkwardly, not even having a clue how to comfort a crying girl but instead pointing at him self. She can still remember his question, the question alone that always seemed to linger in her mind that brings only annoyance and anger whenever she thought about it. “What have I done to be the blame of your crying?”

Lynette remembered she hadn’t talked to him for nearly a whole week after that event before daring herself to ask him her own questions; who she was, where she came from, but the most important where she could see the sadness and shock in his eyes…who is he…?

As payback – which nearly killed her curiosity and never again will she ignore him – he answered her questions slowly by the next week. All Lynette could gather from him was her name and his identify; Christopher Dryden…her older brother…for he was not the man with no heartbeat in her memories, the man who had saved her from the curse of the cold fire.

“I found you lying on the ground, Lynette…that’s all I can tell you.”

“But…I remember the fire, burning around me…the fire was so cold…and there was a man…”

“…So you really have forgotten everything…?”

“What really happened, Christopher…? Can you tell me…? And the woman from the Fonteyn family…Katherine Fonteyn…who is she…? What has she done that she had to apologize to me about?”

“Katherine Fonteyn…”

“Christopher…I also want to know who you are…”

“I told you…I am your brother…this is where our conversation ends.”

“But…”

“We will search for her…the Fonteyn woman…Maybe once we find her your questions will all be answered, Lynette. Perhaps your memories will also return to you…if you want them to return, that is.”

“Why can’t you tell me?”

“Because I have no answer to give you…”

All those six years, Lynette still had no clue to the woman of those amethyst eyes. She remembered asking Christopher many times repeatedly if he had any knowledge her, but she always received nothing from him…only a promise that they’ll find her…together.

“Christopher…”

Christopher curiously looked down at her. “Didn’t I tell you to sleep?”

“Thank you…” was her only reply, hoping Christopher is smart enough to understand the meaning of her words which was spoken deeper than gratitude of his attempt to care for her. Her eyes finally closed to surrender to the hazy darkness which slowly swept her into dreams of nothingness.

“This is the first time I’ve taken care of you while being sick, Lynette,” Christopher whispered to her, mentally crying to him self and doubling his alertness around him, “So don’t make this more difficult for me then it already is.”

Even if she’s not sick – which he’s not positively sure if she is or not – Christopher would still be there for her through thick and thin. Though her goal is simply to seek the one named Katherine Fonteyn, a woman who he’ll be damned if she’s even alive, he would always be there to protect her…support her as he swore to himself when he found her.

“Katherine…” whispered Christopher, his sharp gray eyes clouded in deep hazy thoughts. Carefully, he slid a handful of Lynette’s long forest-green hair, the color of the lively forests beautifully sleeping in the shadows under the glowing moon, to the side where it would not be ruined by the dirt ground.

It amazed him how they’ve both been going through so many hardships for six years straight, just to search blindly for a woman no one had ever heard of. Six years…not even a single scratch or hint of her location and its frustrating Christopher to the point of giving up and settling down like any normal man would.

But this mission…this search…is important to Lynette. It’s because of this reason alone that it kept her distracted from the pain of having no memories of her life. He understood her pain…understood all of it and it’s very bothersome to Christopher that he doesn’t have the heart to stop her; to tell her to live with the life she has now by creating new memories in place of the old…but he knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it as well as he could.

Without even removing his eyes away from Lynette’s sleeping figure, he grabbed a small dagger from the belt on the side of his right leg and swirled it expertly around his hand before flinging it upwards, considering they’re right below a small steep hill in the dry woods. The sound of slipping was heard from a fearful set of legs, sliding to the floor just in time before the blade was sharply attached to the bark of wood where it could have been their own face.

Christopher proudly patted himself for catching the intruder who’s not even fifty feet near them and glanced over, expecting to see a thief who’s trying to sneak its way towards them or even a group of bandits. But meeting a tearful pair of azure eyes from a man wearing clothing that prints out the word ‘DOCTOR’ in large letters over his forehead was not in his list of possibilities and he felt his eyes nearly bulging out of his skull.

The doctor’s gaze was definitely on the dagger from above his head, his eyes unnaturally wide under his odd colored brown-cyan hair from the near-death experience, the large straps of the pouch he’s carrying sliding from his arm.

Christopher watched him slowly stand to his feet with shaky legs, only to cringe when the doctor fell right onto his rear again, this time gathering himself and pounding his chest as if preventing a heart attack from emerging. Hesitantly, Christopher called out to him, not wanting to leave the sick girl at his side, “Are you alright?”

His bright eyes lowered to meet with Christopher’s blank one, both staring at each other in complete silence. Slowly, his gaze turned back to normal, forcing himself to his feet and nearly cried out in fear when meeting the sharp edge of the dagger, forgetting that it was there.

Christopher couldn’t help but bite back his laughter. “Sir…?”

“Lars Chilton; nice to meet you too,” he suddenly introduced himself, giving Christopher a better meeting and checking inside his pouch, “At least everything is still safe…what were you doing throwing daggers like that at me who has the right to walk by here?”

“I have to be alert whenever someone comes by…”

“By giving them a heart attack?” Lars laughed uneasily, his eyes going back to the dagger, “Do you, by any chance, want to have this returned to you?”

Not waiting for him to even reply, Lars firmly gripped onto the small hilt. Christopher raised an eyebrow, seeing the man tugging his dagger with a strange look on his face and now literally trying to pull, his foot held high onto the rough bark of the tree, pushing himself.

He gave a crooked smile. “Something wrong?”

Lars glanced back at him in disbelief, still pulling. “You have quite a powerful-” And the dagger went free, so suddenly that it stopped his words and before Christopher even knew it he could now see him rolling aimlessly down the steep hill, buried in a pile of crunched leaves near his foot when he came to a full complete stop.

Christopher swore he hadn’t at all blinked. Standing up from his spot, his eyes now held onto Lynette while helping the stunned doctor to his feet. Brushing the leaves and dirt away from the doctor’s once clean hair, being the one much shorter than him by a good foot and a half, he reached down and grabbed the dagger, putting it back in the belt.

Lars beamed at him, the sight quite odd for a man who’s obviously much older then him. “Ah! Why thank you!”

Christopher nodded silently, sitting back down beside Lynette with his arms crossed, eyes completely closed. This was a huge sign given to Lars that he doesn’t want to be disturbed and it seems like he understood, hearing a small chuckle from the doctor before crushing leaves were heard with his departure.

His eyes dully opened when noticing that the doctor had stopped, speaking over towards him clearly, “Though it seems like my help isn’t really needed, I just wanted to warn you that the weather will change before nightfall.”

And then he left.

Tilting his head to the side, Christopher craned his neck as far as it can go, staring at the sky and snorted in disagreement. The sky was a perfect hue of clear blue, impossible for any clouds to consume the heavens and cause uproar on the earth. He knew, being an expert in traveling for six years straight.

Arms resting behind his head, leaning against the rough bark of the tree from behind, he continued to sit there quietly, listening to Lynette’s unsteady breathing in concern. Reaching down to tighten the sheets around her more, a thought ran across his mind and he felt his body stiffen.

Lynette is probably sick…and Lars is a doctor. Lars…now gone and he wouldn’t want to leave Lynette behind to catch up with him for he’s probably quite far. In conclusion, Lynette’s health will certainly get worse and he’s one of the biggest complete idiots ever known to walk on earth for not getting the doctor’s own hint in his last word to help her.

“She’ll get better. Lynette’s too stubborn to let this sickness get in her way,” Christopher smirked, a hand protectively grabbing hold of her small ones, his eyes slowly closing, “At least the weather is warm and nice…this will probably be enough.”

=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=:*:=