The Happy Couple (Tag: Alidia and Rahim) rated M

Zalard watched from a balcony in his castle in the middle of a dead forest.  The more space he and his master conquered, the more the land changed.  But what was this?  Something moved toward his palace.
"What on earth is that?" he thought out loud.

Kim was almost there to the lair of the evil wizard and Nyx refused to move. "Come on baby girl..." Kim clicked her tongue "Nothing to be scared of..." then she groaned in as she was picked up by the wizard himself as a bird. She felt the talons digging in her flesh. She screamed as she was thrown on the stone floor in front of an unknown creature.

"Who's making all that noise down there?" Zalard asked.  He waited until the girl at his feet looked up at him.  Keeping a straight face was something he learned to do a long time ago.
"This had better be important, because I hate being woken up so rudely." he said as if he were bored.  Of course, he knew he had not been napping.  He just thought he made a better impression if he seemed irritable.

Kim looked up and gasped. "Prince Zalard? It's you...your family more likely your twin sister Sarah I mean Princess Sarah have been worried sick about you. I'm here to make you escape..." her emerald green eyes sparkled. "Come on...before Zaul finds us..." she gasped as she heard footsteps.

"What are you talking about?" Zalard began.  What nonsense was this girl babbling?  Before he could ask her more, Raul came to stand beside him.
"The girl thinks you are Sarah's missing brother, Prince Alexander.  How amusing.  It's nothing for you to concern yourself with, my apprentice." Raul explained, hastily.  That by itself convinced Zalard to question her more.  Raul didn't speak with haste unless he was troubled.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" he inquired.

Kim growled at Raul. "What have you done to him?" Kim looked at the creature "you're Prince Alexander & you have a family that's worried sick about you. And you Raul...you brainwashed Prince Alexander and killed my family...I've been waiting for my revenge..." she began chanting magic spells of a bubble to protect Alexander and make sure he didn't interfere. Then she began fighting the wizard. "Remember Alexander...remember..." she tossed his royal necklace with the royal seal. "Remember...Sarah...your parents..." she groaned in pain as she was fighting Raul.

Zalard just stared at the seal laying at the floor by his feet.  This girl really seemed to believe what she was saying, but it wasn't likely that he would here her side of things with her and his master at each other's throats.  He needed to separate them for a while.  Allowing himself to feel the beginnings of a temper tantrum, the castle began to tremble like it was experiencing an earthquake and the shield holding him shattered under his power.
"Stop it!  Master, this bickering is pointless.  If you will let me handle her while you tend to other business, things will be straightened out." Zalard said.
"Oh?  Planning to throw her in your dungeon, my boy?" Raul asked, sounding a little too enthusiastic for his taste.
"No, this one does not belong in the dungeon.  She's far too entertaining for that." Deciding he was wasting enough time, Raul took his leave.  The vulture-ish apprentice then magically locked all the doors and windows of his palace before giving her a pointed look.
"Alright talk.  You know something he thinks you shouldn't, so what is it?" he demanded to know.

Kim rubbed the scars. She muttered a spell to make them heal. She cracked her knuckles as she made a crystal ball appear. "Long ago there was a queen and king...they wanted children and that's when Raul showed up and offered a spell to make the queen with child...then when she gave birth two children were born...twins...you and your sister Sarah...then when you were two...Raul came and well you know...he brainwashed you..." she touched his cheeks and transported some of sarah's memories of him as a child to him. "remember Alexander..." she whispered repeating.

Zalard could see some of Sarah's memories.  But the spell that erased his memory when he was a child, kept him from accepting them.  That, and something else; something very obvious.  He reeled as he pulled away from her touch.
"I doubt that.  Look at me.  How could I possibly be related to Princess Sarah?" he asked, holding up his hands.  In doing so, he allowed her to see the lily shaped birthmark on his left hand.  He saw her staring at it.  Suddenly feeling self-conscious under her scrutiny, he wrapped his wings around his body until all that could be seen over them were his neck and head.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, beginning to shake.  He had never been told that Sarah had the same birthmark on her right hand, a mark she shared with her brother.

Kim took his hands. "Alexander I know deep inside you...you know I'm speaking the truth...you have the royal birthmark..." she made the royal seal come to them. She showed him the lilies. "Please believe me..." her emerald green eyes sparkled. "You're Prince Alexander and Princess Sarah is your sister...Raul has messed with your head for the last time..." she began chanting a spell to make Alexander remember.

This time, the memories did get through to him.  He remembered his mother and father's faces.  The fun moments he had with his sister.  And finally, that day Raul took him from them.  He gasped as the memories reasserted themselves in his head.
"Mother...Father...Sarah.  I am Alexander." he mumbled in realization.  He looked down at himself, and now felt disgusted.  Raul had tried to use him against his rightful kingdom, against his rightful family.  He back off from the girl who had opened his eyes to the truth until his knees buckled and he fell to the floor, crying with shame.

Kim ran to asset Alexander after all it was her royal duties. She began comforting him. "Your Highness...you're going to be okay...I swear and vow my life on it..." she began singing the lullaby that she remember the queen sang to Sarah when she was upset. "Sun goes down and we are here together...right here in my arms tonight..." Kim gasped as she felt the dark magic force. She began choking for air. "Alexander...your grace...help me..." her magic was draining and her life force was being sucked.

Alexander looked up and saw what was happening.  Even though he still didn't know who she was, he knew he had to help her.  He placed one gnarled hand in hers.  It was a transfer spell that would allow him to give her some of his magic and save her life.  All he had to do was touch her and then-
"I give you everything." he said.  He felt her coming back to life and his castle seemed to brighten up.  When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was his sorrowful face.
"How can ask for help from me?  After everything I've done in Raul's name.  He's made me a monster." he said, ashamed of himself.

Kim looked into his eyes as she regained herself. "Your Grace you're not a monster...Raul made you this way cause he's too much of a coward..." she yelled the 'coward' part. "Look at me...my family the Russo's I'm the only one magical Russo left...when Raul destroyed everything...I vowed 'I Kim Russo will seek revenge...' and now I'm here with you, your grace and you're not a monster but a distraught young prince who's coming home to a family that misses him..." she smiled as her eyes sparkled.

Alexander felt like a tight ring around his heart was loosening because of her kindness.  Kim was willing to look past what had happened and see the real him.  Maybe Sarah could do the same.  Hesitantly, he reached out and clasped her dainty hand in his twisted and spidery one.
"Take me home, please." he begged her, somehow feeling like he was taking a step toward freedom in doing so.

Kim smiled as she curtsied "As you wish Your Grace..." She took his hands and went downstairs and saw Nyx waiting for them. They rode for s couple of days and he was returned to his family with hugs and kisses. Kim bowed and walked out without them knowing she was there.

Alexander was glad to be with his family again.  But, he felt alienated because of the spell Raul used to change his appearance.  And he felt like something was missing in his heart.  He felt as if a piece of himself had gone with Kim when she left.
"Sarah, could you send for Kim Russo?  I want to talk to her." he asked his sister, timidly.  Sarah, seeming to guess something he had not yet, giggled.
"Of course, Alex.  I'll bring her right here." she said with a knowing look in her eye.  She could see what her brother and best friend felt, even if they didn't yet.

Kim was in the royal garden practicing her flower spells and she saw Sarah. She bowed. "Your Highness..." Sarah giggled. "Come on Kim we've been friends forever it's Sarah...anyway Alexander is asking for you..." Kim gasped as she quickly muttered a spell making her primped and proper. She held her friend's hand. "Alexander here's Kim..." Kim looked at him and bowed "your grace? Whats the matter?"

When he saw Kim again, Alexander felt his heart flutter at the sight of her.  This girl, she had revealed so much to him.  How could he give voice to his thoughts?
"Kim, I need to talk to you...about...my feelings.  You opened my eyes to more than just Raul's lies.  I'm able the emotions he wouldn't let me feel as his apprentice.  I can't stop thinking about you when you're not here, and when I'm around you, I can't breathe.  If this is what it's like to feel love, I think I'm feeling it.  For you." he declared.

Kim blushed as she looked at him with her emerald green sparkling eyes. "Your Highness I am honored that you're in love with me but Your Grace there's laws about princes and commoners like me. I feel the same way but I...I can't risk you breaking your own laws for me...before I go I need to do something..." she waved her hands and made him human. When that was done she ran off. She cried as she was in the private gardens.

Alexander was stunned by this.  Not just knowing that she loved him back, but that she had changed him back.  However, he couldn't be bothered with rediscovering his humanity.  Sarah stepped forward and held his hand.
"Laws that cannot be broken can be changed.  I'll speak to Mother and Father about it.  You go find her, Alex, and be there for her." she told him.
"Thank you." he said, slightly startled by how different his voice sounded.  He rushed to the garden, found her, and came to be her comfort in that moment.
"Kim, Sarah's going to see about changing the marriage law.  And I wanted to say thank you for changing me back.  You undid most of the damage Raul caused.  I can never thank you enough for this." he told her.

Kim sniffled and locked her emerald green eyes into his earthy colored eyes. She giggled as she caressed his human cheeks. "Oh Alex...I always loved you..." Kim smiled as she pulled from the air a rose and placed it in his pocket. "Let my pilgrim lips sin as I share true loves kiss with the one whom I love..." she began to lean forward.

Alexander leaned forward as well.  His lips found hers in their first kiss.  He felt his uncertain feelings suddenly settle into place.  His arms acted on their own and they pulled her closer.
"Oh Kim.  I've never felt like this before." he whispered before stealing another kiss.

Kim smiled. "Same here Alex...." she softly moaned as they kissed. She rubbed her hands on his clothed chest. "My Alex..."

Meanwhile:
Zaul was planning his revenge on Kim. He looked into his crystal ball and saw them kissing.

"I love you, my dear.  You know, now that I know who I am, we could protect our home together.  Raul needs to be brought to justice." Alexander said in a conspiratorial tone.