Arkalia

Chapter 8 - Romeo & Juliet

Lilia was happy with her newfound friends. But her mind still wandered about Jae and how worried he must be. She hoped they would find each other again in another strange coincidence.

Meanwhile, on Jae's side of the story, he was running through the forest, desperate to get away from his brother's army chasing after him. He held the pieces of the sword tightly as he sprinted for the border to East Gethina Jewelia, he knew they wouldn't be able to cross until they got permission from the Queen of East Gethina Jewelia.

"Come and get me suckers!" Jae shouted behind him as the soldiers ran after him with their growing annoyance. He was determined to find Lilia no matter what. He knew she was alive and he went through villages, asking whether they had seen her around town. He decided to try the next town over before getting caught by soldiers.

"Just... a few more... feet left!" Jae panted to himself as he felt his limbs aching, he was getting tired as his body threatened to stop but his mind pushed his body to keep running, to ignore the pain.

The soldiers in the back had started to pull back their bows and fired their arrows straight as Jae. He managed to dodge them as he neared closer to the bridge over a canyon. He knew they couldn't get onto the bridge so he used his last strength to sprint to the bridge.

The moment he stepped on the bridge, it had started to wobble. He tried to keep his balance by holding onto both sides of the bridge before quickly walking across. He glanced behind him and the soldiers were about to cut off the ropes attached to the bridge!

He ran across the bridge and jumped. Just as the bridge went tumbling down the canyon, he had gripped onto the cliff of the other side of the bridge. He pulled himself up before he got up and ran through the trees, hoping he could find a secluded spot to rest. He entered an empty clearing in the forest before he collapsed onto the floor and his eyes slowly couldn't see anything.

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Back to Lilia, Roxanne, Arin and her were walking through the markets of East Gethina Jewelia. Arin bounced excitedly as she dragged Lilia around different stalls with Roxanne laughing at poor Lilia.

"I think that's enough food for an entire feast!" Lilia shouted as she heaved a heavy bag. Arin giggled as she carried two smaller bags. "Well, we're having a feast tonight! Before we leave to get the pieces of the Yurazaki sword." Arin whispered.

They arrived back at Arin's house and Sol opens the doors for us. "That looks heavy, let me get it for you." He took Lilia's bag as she carried a smaller one. Roxanne's face was full of jealousy, but she shook her head before putting back her smile.

"I'm going out to get some firewood! Lilia, do you want to come?" He asked with a shy smile on his face. Roxanne decided to cut in this time, "Arin and Lilia were about to talk about Arin's boyfriend!" Arin's face went completely red as Arin started hitting Roxanne teasingly.

"You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!" She continued hitting Roxanne's armor as Roxanne laughed. "I'll come with you if you want!" Roxanne blushed and she looked down at her feet. "Sure, let's get going then." He had a look of disappointment on his face before holding the door open for Roxanne.

"I'll see you guys later, I guess." He smiled before shutting the front door. Lilia sat next to Arin with a cheeky smirk on her face. "So... boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend. Anyways, he lives on the West Gethina Jewelia. It's impossible for us to be together..." She smiled sadly before fidgetting with a black bracelet on her wrist.

"I'm interested in the story of how you met though," Lilia asked. Arin smiled before telling the story, "I was born in the Faery Kingdom before moving here with my father when I was 9. One night, I decided to explore our village. I realized that our village was near the border so I went there at night. I saw a boy standing there, through the metal gates. He had black hair and red eyes, his name is Zero Yuno. From then on, every night we would meet at the gates that separate the two kingdoms."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, why don't you just follow Sol and me out of this kingdom? We would have to enter the West Gethina Jewelia to get another piece of the Yurazaki sword."

"Really?! You'd let me and Roxy go?!" Arin's eyes start to water as Lilia nods with a smile. Arin hugged her tightly before saying quietly, "Thank you."

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"Where are we going, Sol?" Roxanne asked with a smile on her face. She had wanted this for so long and finally, the chance was here. "We're going to my favorite clearing. Especially at this time, there are so many sticks to pick up."

"Oh, so is it very secluded?" Roxanne asked seductively. But Sol being the clueless man he is, replies, "Yea, it kind of is? Why are you asking anyway?" Roxanne giggled before she shrugged and skipped ahead of Sol, whistling to her heart's content. He stared her, confused but put it at the back of his mind before catching up with her.

Once they had entered the clearing, Sol immediately started to pick up stickers next to him. He told Roxanne as he continued picking up the sticks, "I'll take care of this area, you go behind the trees. There's a smaller clearing there, it'll be easier for you." She nodded before walking through the trees.

Roxanne squatted down and picked up a couple of sticks in front of her, she looked up to try and find another stick jackpot. But to her surprise, she saw a man, he looked like he was about her age. He fell onto the floor with a thud, Roxanne dropped the sticks she had just picked up. Her eyes widened in fear and she screamed.

Sol came running into the clearing with his sword drawn, "Are you alright? Why did you scream?" She couldn't do anything but to point at the fallen man and whispered to Sol, "Is he dead?!" Sol walked over to the man and placed his fingers on his neck, checking for a heartbeat.

"He's alive. He's badly injured though. Look at his torn clothes and he has bruises and cuts all over his body! We need to bring him back to the house, he's too injured to take care of himself." Roxanne sighed before muttering, "Your soul's too good..."

They both stared at the injured boy with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

~ To Be Continued ~

A/N: Well hey! At least now you know what to expect in the next chapter! Also... the first relationship is developing! This wouldn't be my story if there weren't any romance involved! ;)

Is Jae alright? How will Lilia react to Jae's injured self? Does Roxanne like Sol? And does Sol like Lilia? Stay tuned to find out!

Follow me on Instagram @chloe.cwrites for sneak peeks and updates! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this story!