"He never seemed shattered. To me, he was a breathtaking mosaic of the battles he's won."

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A guest bedroom,

Crystalline Castle.

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Alexis's POV ~~~~~~~~~~~

A devastated looking Damien snapped back to reality as I placed a comforting hand on his arm. Even though he was here with me, it seemed like he was living through that time frame all over again, his black eyes experiencing those emotions once again. However, when they met mine, the vulnerability in them evaporated away, the only thing visible in them then was anger.

"She told them," he said with so much hatred which was directed at that witch, "She told them everything, over exaggeratingly, I must say. I couldn't break that barrier around me or I would have been able to stop her from leaving that room. I couldn't communicate, I couldn't do anything. I had never felt so helpless in my entire existence than I felt as that time. What happened after that is something I would rather erase completely from my memory if I get the chance. She turned them against me, the people who I thought was my family. My subjects, my councils, servants, everyone loathed me."

Damien was pacing around the room, as if trying to hide how much the thought effected him. He wasn't used to showing his feelings, he wasn't used to being weak as his father had said. I wanted to mention how he could trust me on this. How he didn't have to act like a stranger around me. I wanted to tell him it's okay to be hurting, but no words seemed to leave my mouth.

"She ran out crying that her husband betrayed her. She told them I hid my true identity from her, if she had known what I really was she would have never fallen in love with me, shit like that. She told them it was me who killed my father, and how foolish they were to believe her. They chained me up. Right in front of the castle, there's a stage where the past King's gave their speeches. But after that day, the only noise that was heard around the area were my screams. Katrina told them that not only did I betray her, but also the entire Kingdom. She opened the floor for any volunteers who wanted to cause me pain. You have no idea how crazy this half of my spieces can be. They knew I wouldn't die but that didn't stop them from torturing me. The first punishment they gave me was setting my clothes on fire. It couldn't kill me, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt like Hell. I still remember the laughter around me, the smell of smoke that surrounded me. Everytime I thought this was the end of me, the bitch called reality would bring me back to her right before I felt unconsciousness overtaking me. That was the first time I called out to her. My mom. That was the first time I wanted to relive the sweet memories of her, first time I forgot my hatred towards her. But it didn't stop there, they--"

He cut himself off before he could speak another word, as he finally turned around to look at me. To look at the mess I had become as I prevented myself from crying. I didn't know there were bigger monsters than him out there, who held a thirst for his blood. The thought made me want to somehow hide him from this cruel world and protect him. But then I wanted to laugh at myself when I realized how stupid that sounded.

"No, I can't tell you what else they did. I don't want to fill that pure mind of yours with nightmares" he sighed turning away from me again, "I was chained up for about four days, undergoing different methods that caused me pain. But then, she showed up. Melinda. A witch who was like a sister to my father, who treated me like her own son."

Damien's POV~~~~~~~~~~~

"Stop!"

I smelled her unique power before I saw her. As I tried to open my eyes, I could make out a figure approaching me through the blurriness caused by my tears. However, I had no more strength in me to keep them opened, so they tiredly returned to their closed position. Somehow, her motherly presence soothed me. I felt a tiniest bit of hope bloom in my chest since as long as I can remember. The pain in my body toned down a bit as a sense of safety washed over me.

The wind picked up as I embraced the first positive energy in the air.

My body was sore like it has never been before due to the chains that prevented me from even sitting down. They forced me to stand upright with my arms stretched out, wrists chained to the poles on either side of me. The dried up burnt pieces of clothing were glued to my body like second skin. Nobody wanted their children to witness that scene so they had draped some fresh clothes over me.

"What is going on here?" Melinda's angry tone snatched my attention, "What have you done to him?"

Her voice dropped to a mere whisper, but it didn't sound any less demanding.

"If you knew how this man had betrayed us, you wouldn't be taking his side!" A voice was heard from the crowd surrounding me.

"I know everything, you fool! His identity was never hidden from me."

Murmurs erupted from the crowd, increasing by the second as people shoot accused glares at Melinda.

She made her way towards me, everyone clearing away from her path, "What has he done? Tell me. What has he done to be granted by such sick punishments?"

Her eyes looked over at each and every person presented, demanding answers.

"He became the greatest king Eveland has ever seen," She continued, "is that why you're trying to get rid of him? He gave you all shelter when your families were wandering the streets. Was that his mistake? He took money out of his own pockets to rebuild the homes, schools, hospitals that you all lost while his grandfather was in charge. He's the reason our daughters can leave the house and return safely. Anyone with a functioning mind would think twice before touching a woman against her will, scared of being thrown into the shark's mouth by their king. He banned those sky touching high taxes that you were paying to king Issac. Is that why you're punishing him? Or is it because he gave birth to new employment opportunities so that you can actually enjoy your life instead of struggling to survive. He set a target in your aimless life."

I couldn't open my eyes to see why the crowd was suddenly silent, maybe they had left already, bored of Melinda's words. But as she continued, I knew she wouldn't be talking to herself.

"You really think he killed his father? His teacher, the only person who gave him home when his own mother abandoned him? I never thought you Vampires would be foolish enough to believe an outsider's words, rather than investigating deeper into the situation." she shook her head in disbelief, "This man standing in front of you is the reason this island of Eveland still exists. If it wasn't for him, all that hard work your ancestors put in to get this place to the top would cease to exist. All the other kingdoms would have done whatever they could to make this place completely disappear. Wars would have taken place to fight for the number one position in this Vampire world. If it wasn't for him, your kind would have eaten each other and been long dead. Do you hear me? Dead. He gave you all a new home to spend your life in, he became the hand to get you out of that horrifying time frame. And this is how you pay him? By chaining him up and burning him and making him suffer? Remember when all those children went missing under King Elias' rule? It wasn't because King Derrick of Fierson sent soldiers to kidnap them. It was because your own king was about to sell them to him as slaves. All of you who are only a century old, would not be standing here, but rather be slaves to a much more cruel Kingdom. Damien didn't want you to know this. He thought about how crushed you would be if you came to know about the royals, people who are supposed to take care of you, had plans to completely destroy you. He didn't want you to go through the pain of being betrayed by the people you worship. And you're calling a person which such angelic thoughts a betrayer? If your past king saw a brighter future of this world in his eyes, why can't you? I have never felt so guilty that my kind created you all, a terribly sick society!"

Third person POV

The fast wind which seemed no less angry than a wild animal a second ago, stilled.

Silence.

Silence lifted from the ground, wrapping itself around each Vampire standing around the stage. As it reached their head, the intensity caused them to drop in shame. The silence, mixed with huge amounts of guilt, lifted up, forming a cloud of shame over them. The imaginary cloud twisted and the silence fell apart in a million pieces as a voice in the crowd whispered, "I'm sorry."

It only took that one voice for many others to whisper the same, until everyone got down to one knee and bowed their head, as a respect to the man they had thought completely wrong about.

And for the first time in days, the sun, which has been hiding in the shadow of clouds, reappeared. The sunshine reflected the hint of smile that slowly took place on Damien's lips.

When Katrina appeared, running through the castle gates, looking worriedly around the crowd, she knew she was too late.

The people of Eveland had already recognized who was their real well wisher, who was their true leader.

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