Xavier watched, unsure whether he should follow. *** She wrapped her arms around Burke. "Does he do this every day?"
Ellie followed the guard into the hallway and the door shut behind them. *** He opened one eye to look at her. “Every mornin’.”
They approached the King’s quarters and the guard opened the door for her. Her father lay on the bed, a dagger buried into his chest. His eyes were open and his mouth slightly ajar in something like surprise. Ellie looked at this, falling silent, her shoulders shaking. ** “Not since it was your fault, nah.”
Xavier stood beside her, his eyes wide. *** She chuckled lowly, her eyes opening to look at him. They were gentle and sleepy, the blue soft and warm. "I know."
She was silent before speaking. “We need to lock down the castle,” she said, her voice strangely calm. She turned to the guard. “Gather my siblings in the war room. Secure the building, and have my father’s corpse moved to the morgue. No one leaves,” she commanded, heading for the door. *** He looked down at her, watching her thoughtfully. “They really are like starlight, you know...”
She paused, glancing back at him for a moment as they entered the hallway. “Leave me be,” was all she said, heading towards the war room. *** “Not even the sky has such eyes,” he teased.
She turned the corner and disappeared. The rest of the night was a blur. The castle was locked down, everyone kept from leaving. Interviews were made of suspects. No information was found. Ellie entered their room that evening, slipping her cloak off from over her shoulders. She was looking down at the ground, her brows furrowed. *** “I ain’t wrong, Ms. Scarlet.”
Xavier was at his desk, a frown on his face. *** She sighed, watching him affectionately before sitting up. "What are we doing today?"
She went over to the drawers, saying nothing as she opened them, pulling out a pair of pajamas. *** “We gotta go to the market...”
He looked back at her. "Ellie?" *** She stretched, her pajamas falling delicately over her frame. "Alrighty."
She paused, holding her pajamas in her hands before turning to look at him. *** He watched her fondly. “Go get changed, Weirdo.”
He looked hesitant. "Are you okay?" *** She stuck her tongue out at him before getting up to get ready.
Her brow furrowed and she looked down at the ground. “I had dinner with him last night,” she said, her voice cracking. “I talked to him. I made him laugh. How is it that this morning.... how can he be gone? I was just... I was just talking to him. How can he be gone?” *** He stood up as well, grabbing his suitcase and taking off his shirt to change.
He got up and went to her, opening his arms. "It's okay, it's okay, my love." *** She quickly got dressed, coming back into the room and observing him thoughtfully.
Tears filled her eyes and a small groan escaped her chest as she leaned against him. “He was just here... Xav, he was just here... How can he possibly be dead? I...” She was shaking so badly she seemed to be having a hard time speaking. “Xav... I don’t understand. I don’t understand how this happened. I don’t...” *** His arms were evenly toned, the muscles shifting under his skin as he pulled a shirt from his bag out. He squinted at her. “Take a picture of you want.”
An awful gasp came from her as she stood, trembling and breathless in the dim light of the room, leaning against him heavily. “Oh my God. Oh my God. He’s dead! *squee!*... *squee!*, *squee!*, *squee!*.” She pulled away from him quickly, going into the closet and closing the door behind her. He would a groan escape her, high and panicked as she paced around for a moment. The sound grew muffled and there was a large thud. *** “Gah. Stop that,” he said, slipping the shirt over his head.
