alfred hanston & harlow sera
Alfred was about to take his first step when he heard a small voice from behind him. Every single muscle in his body tensed, and his face paled- as white as snow. Any onlooker wouldâve said he looked as if heâd seen a ghost. For a small moment, he believed he had heard one. But deep down he knew, he could sense - no - feel her presence behind him, almost like a faint whisper. Alfred slowly turned around, his gut wrenching in his stomach. As soon as he laid eyes on the flaming red hair and piercing grey eyes, everything he thought he knew was gone. Harlow, his Harlow. Too many emotions came flooding in all at once; love, longing, anger, confusion. Alfred felt like his head was spinning. Months of not knowing, of worrying as to where and why his bird had disappeared. Here she was, right in front of him. His bags slipped out of his hands on to the concrete and he stared at her for a fleeting moment in utter disbelief. Alfie doesnât remember taking the steps, but he was suddenly in front of her, so close he could nearly count each and every freckle on her face. He reached out slowly, his fingertips brushed her cheek tentatively and he quickly pulled away as if her skin was as hot as coal.
Reality suddenly set in. She was supposed to be dead, or so he assumed. His gaze fell to the chair that she was in. He had seen people use it a few times in London but - they were - his face paled even more. Was she paralyzed? Like his father? His face fell at the thought of Harlow confined to a chair for the rest of her life. She was the freest person he knew, flying was second nature to her. Like his father had she been struck by lighting during the war? Was she even hurt on Aurum or Earth? Had she actually been kidnapped? Or had she left him, willingly? His heart wrenched at the thought. So many questions flashed through his mind and somehow he only managed to sputter out a weak, âHow?â It didnât even sound like him.
Harlow didnât know what to say to make any of this make sense. She shouldâve known that heâd be sent to earth, given his status in their district. But this was the one variable she didnât account for. She didnât know how hard it would be to catch her breath seeing him again. All the dreams she had of just touching him again pounded in her chest as his hand brushed against her cheek. Every hope she had of rebuilding their relationship was hard to see when he had that look in his eye. She was searching for anything that resembled forgiveness or wanting but only found confusion and anger from the only person she ever wanted. âI had to protect you,â Harlowâs voice comes out equally small, a ghost of the confident criminal catcher she once was.
She was the criminal now. And no part of her, even the parts that begged her to find Alfred again and never let him go, wanted him to see her like this. âI couldnât let anyone hurt you, Alfie.â This time her voice was stronger, more sincere. All the nightmares of finding him with his wings cut off, or stolen from her in the middle of the night, even killed for his status, they encouraged her to leave. The only way to protect him from receiving the same fate as her sisters was to go with the rebels. Still, convincing that to someone like Alfred Hanston would be her hardest debate.
âProtect me?â A wave of confusion swept over him. There was sincerity in her eyes but something else, underlying, almost- guilty. He had seen the same look many times before in those of the eyes of the convicted. Alfred shook the thought out of his head. This was Harlow, how could he think of her like that. Still, there was some part of him, the officer and the interrogator, that knew she was withholding something. âProtect me from what Harlow?â His voice came out more stern than he had expected it to, but he had to know.
It wasnât Alfie, her supposed to be husband, asking her. It was Officer Alfred Hanston, interrogating her like he already knew what she had done. She bites her lip, looking over at the house. Who knows where their alliances lie, it only made her scared for him. âThey promised you wouldnât get hurt like Wren and Sage if I joined them. I needed you to be safe.â Harlow answers, the desperation starting to creep in her voice. She realized the group that was protecting her, protecting Alfred for her, they had no authority here. She would have to keep him safe here, and that meant staying in this chair and staying on defense until she could find more rebels that had made it here to complete the mission.
His face fell at the mention of her sisters, Alfred knew how much they meant to her. They had been hurt? Is this why she left him? But then why had she never come back? Harlow would do anything for her sisters, he knew that well. Exactly what had she done was what bothered him.
Alfred could tell that her tone was getting increasingly agitated as he pressed her further but he couldnât stop himself. What exactly was she protecting him from, Harlow knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself. None of this made any sense. He crouched down to her height so he was eye level with her, frantically searching her face for some sort of clue, running a nervous hand through his hair. âHarlow did they hurt you? These people, is that why-â he glanced at the chair she was confined to wrapping a hand around one of the arm rests and then glanced back up to her face. âAre they threatening you? You know you can tell me anything, I need you to just be honest with me. You know Iâd never let anything happen to you- everâ. The volume of his voice dropped to a whisper as he finished his sentence. Even though he meant the last part with his entire being, some part of him felt like heâd already failed.
Harlow shook her head. He didnât understand. But heâd always had a way of calming her anxieties, even now. Even with a credible threat, she could almost believe that heâd be able to protect her. Almost. âNo theyâre helping me. Helping us. The people that are supposed to protect us, the Light District, theyâre cowards! They took everything from me and Iâm going to make them pay. And those people help me do that.â Harlow answers, her voice unwavering and her eyes set on Alfred. She needed him to understand that she wasnât the enemy here, and that their enemy was bigger than the both of them.
Alfred couldnât believe the words that tumbled out of her mouth. Harlow, one of the most loyal members of the flight district, someone who wouldâve given her life for Aurum. He wished he could have her take it back, that he had never heard the words come out. Alfred knew by her tone that she believed everything she had said. He stood up almost shakily taking a step away from her. âHarlow- you canât, what youâre saying is treasonâ. He would jail people for the words that had just come out of her mouth. Then it suddenly dawned on him, there was only one group of people who would say such words and make such promises. âAre you working with the rebels?â He couldnât help the flash of disgust across his face before his expression turned stony.
That was it, then. The sinking feeling in her chest wasnât because he was labeling her a criminal, but that he wasnât going to believe anything she said. He didnât see the bloodied backs of her sisters, or hear the witnesses tell of Light citizens who made their way into their district, their home, and take the most precious thing to her sisters. It made her blood boil, not even knowing where theyâd taken the wings. âItâs treasonous to hurt the very citizens youâre supposed to protect! I thought you were about justice.â Harlow hisses back, her grip tightening on the arms of the chair. He just needed to see that this was all for a good cause, she wasnât evil.
And the insinuation that she could be hit her harder than she expected. To be looked at with disgust, it was unbearable, especially from someone she loved so deeply. The very man she was protecting couldnât see she was the same person. Driven by justice, a guardian for those who couldnât protect themselves.
Alfredâs heart shattered into a thousand little pieces. To see the woman he loved, brainwashed by the people he was trained to hate was a pain comparable to nothing. He could see the hurt written across her face as plain as day. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and soothe her, to hold her close and reassure her that everything was alright - but he couldnât. Alfred could practically feel the rage emanating from her, like a thick fog. He knew that he had lost her for a second time.
Alfred tightened his fists at his side at her words, his anger clouding his judgement. âDonât you dare tell me what justice is! Did you know what they did to my father? They kidnapped him on parole, tortured him trying to find information to get into the palace. My father will never fly- will never walk again!â He lashed out his eyes aflame, his voice hushed but his tone strong, the anger that he had kept locked away for years unleashing itself at once. âI looked for you, for months- years. I never stopped. I nearly lost my mind, I thought you- I thought you were dead Harlow. I thought Iâd never get to hold you again, never tell you how much I loved you" He paused his eyes pleading with her before they turned cold. "I wish you wouldâve just told me- so I wouldnât have wasted so much timeâ. He instantly regretted the words that came out of his mouth. They were harsh, and empty as they came from his anger and not his heart. Still, he couldnât take them back.
She didnât know. His father had always been one of her biggest supporters, aside from Alfred. Heâd been the first one she ever told about her feelings for Alfred. To think of that man confined, it broke her heart. But not as much as Alfredâs next few words. It took the breath from her chest. Wasted time? Maybe it was. Maybe sheâd broken him too much to repair anything they shared. Still, hot tears brimmed at her eyes, which she tried to roughly brush away with the sleeve of her coat. âIâm sorry to have wasted your time then. Maybe you should have just stopped, if it was so bothersome to you. Let me not waste any more of your time,â Harlow spits, her voice wet with the tears she wouldnât let spill as she pushed forward, trying to wheel herself past him before any tears ran down her cheeks.
As soon as he saw the small tears form in her eyes he knew he had gone too far. His face flushed red with shame and his heart wrenched with her words. He so badly wanted to brush the tears from her eyes and tell her he didnât mean it but he wasnât so sure an apology could mend what just came out of his mouth. A dark part of him believed that maybe this was for the better, they werenât meant to be, but as she pushed past him his heart ached and he knew that he still loved her. He never truly stopped.
Alfred opened his mouth to call after her, but shut it after a moment. This was not the place, and he clearly wasnât in the right mind to speak to her after he had exploded. He was so irrational and impulsive, his mother wouldâve scolded him. Not to mention there were others pouring in around him. No telling who witnessed their argument. What they might've heard. Alfred watched her move towards the house and did the hardest thing he could and let her go on. Officer Hanston would've turned her in on Aurum, but Alfred couldn't bear the thought. Regardless of her words he decided he would stay silent. He knew that he would have to speak to her again, maybe he could talk some sense into her if she would even speak to him again. Still, Harlow was not the same girl he fell in love with and he wasnât entirely sure how that made him feel.