Here’s Alex.  And this one was fun to write as well.  The human girl he keeps looking at and who’s in the end is my friend Regina.

Regina, this story is for you, chica!  I know you love teh Alex.

“Ordinary” lyrics are copyrighted to Train.

Anything But Ordinary

The moon was high in the darkness and few stars twinkled.  Thick clouds drifted slowly across the sky, covering what little stars there were.  A gentle breeze came in through the open windows and balcony doors in the large room.  Flames on the lit candles on the walls and furniture wavered ever so slightly as the wind touched them.

            A young man with black hair sat at the beautifully crafted desk near the balcony doors.  Two strands of silver ran through his dark locks and seemed to almost glitter in the moonlight pouring in.  Large dragon wings of a rusted color were folded neatly behind him as he sat writing on a piece of parchment.  Though not visible at this exact moment, the young man had rather sharp fangs that never slid up.  He was stuck with them whether he was hungry for blood or not.

            Knocking at the door broke through the silence and he slowly looked up.  The single door on the next wall was lit up by the dim light from the candles and moon.  When he made no sound, the knocking came again.  He only turned his attention back to whatever he was writing.

            The door opened and a young human looked in.  “My lord?”

            He raised his hand without looking up and moved it across the air.  The door slammed shut in the girl’s face and it was silent again.

            “No one ever leaves me alone,” he sighed and dipped the quill into the well of ink.  He studied the parchment for a moment and then raised silvery eyes to the door.  “I wonder what she wanted. . .”

            “Maybe if you would not have slammed the door in her face you would have found out.”

            The young man jumped and looked behind him to see another.  This man had long silver hair with the eyes to match.  He also had large dragon wings that were folded neatly behind him.

            “Do you ever knock, Father?” the young man asked in irritation.

            “Not usually.”

            “Then start.”

            “Alex, you have to be there soon.”

            “I know.”

            “Then get up and get ready.”

            Alex looked at his father, still irritated, and rose to his feet.  He stretched his wings out completely and hit his father with one of them.  The silver-haired man scowled and shoved his son, then made his way for the door.

            “Where are the others?” Alex asked as he followed.

            “Waiting for you.”

            Alex nodded as they left the room.  He reached up and played with one of the strands of silver in his black hair, then sighed and looked out each window as they would pass one.  His silvery eyes sparkled in the moonlight and starlight. 

            “How many people are there?” he asked his father quietly.

            “At least a thousand.”

            He groaned and rubbed his face.  “Remind me again why I am doing this?”

            “The Deacon said that if you sing tonight and at least four hundred humans come, he can use them to build his new empire.”

            “He wants to use them as slaves?”

            His father nodded.

            “Then why doesn’t he sing?” Alex asked angrily.  “I do not want to be the one responsible for causing all those people misery.”

            “Alex.”  The man stopped walking and looked at his son.  “They are humans.”

            “Mother was a human.”

            “Was.  She is no longer.”

            He scowled and looked away.  “I do not want to.”

            “They are all waiting.”

            “Why do I have to be the one to sing?  There are others who have voices better than I do.”

            “Because the Deacon chose you.  And he knows how the woman are. . .attracted to you.”

            “What about Kiran? Even men are attracted to him.”

            His father began to laugh.  “Kiran would never sing alone.  You know this.  Now go on.”

            “Fine.  But I blame you for this all.”  Alex shoved his father and walked quickly down the last set of stairs.  “This is not my fault.  None of it.”

            A grand chandelier hung in the center of the main hall, lighting up the room entirely.  Alex’s pants were as black as his hair and rather tight.  He hated it that they were so tight.  It made him feel like a woman.  But his mother had said it was a good look for him and that the people would love it.  So he made no fuss.  His shirt was long-sleeved and fit his masculine form well.  The sleeves stopped at his wrists where he wore several silver bracelets on each arm.  The color of his shirt was black as well, and there was a jagged tear in it across his chest.  Again; Alex hated it.  But all he had to sing was one song.  Just one song and then he could leave and be alone as he always had been.

            He closed his eyes for a moment and placed his hands on the rings to the large doors.  Then he pulled them open.

            At the edge of the forest there was a large stage where a few people were already waiting.  His mother, Nicole Marquis, was sitting on top of a piano and a violin was resting in her lap.  Not far from her was Kiran, his mother’s Guardian.  He was leaning against the back of the stage, drumsticks in his clawed hands.  Rowan was there as well.  His bass was resting along a wall, next to Alex’s guitar.  

            And in front of the stage, with their backs to the castle, was way more than a thousand people.  His father had either forgotten how to count, lied, or more had gathered while Traven, his father, had come to get him.

            All sorts of creatures were there.  Winged creatures, horned creatures, creatures with tails.  And there were humans.  Many humans.

            Alex sighed heavily.

            “Well?” his father asked from behind him.

            “I’m going,” he snapped and vanished. 

            Traven vanished as well.

            When they both appeared on the stage, they could all already hear women from the crowd screaming.  Alex winced.  He also blamed his mother.  This was his mother’s fault.  She had had him sing a few times before in front of others and word traveled.  Fast.

            Nicole thought it was hilarious. She often reminded Alex that he had a “fanclub” and were they in her world, he would be a famous singer.  It only made him cringe.  He didn’t want to be known all over the world.  He didn’t want to sing.  He didn’t want to play the guitar.  He wasn’t some monkey who danced when given the order.  All he wanted to do was protect the ones he loved.  But no matter what he did, nothing ever seemed to work out.  Ever.

            His father sat on the piano bench and looked back at his son.  Alex glowered and then went over to Rowan, who handed him the electric guitar.  The blonde-haired man then grabbed his bass and moved in front of the second microphone.  The young man sighed again, ignoring the screaming of the thousands and thousands of people, and practically dragged his guitar along with him to the main microphone.

            Nicole raised her violin and set it on her shoulder, then looked back at Kiran.  He smirked at her, his silken white hair hanging over his violet eyes, and sat at his drums, moving his microphone so he could sing into it easier. 

            A creature with the head of a griffon walked onto the stage and held his clawed hands out.  It was immediately silent.  He moved over to Alex’s microphone and looked over the crowd.

            “I welcome you all to Roena,” his deep voice echoed.  “And I sincerely hope you enjoy tonight.  Especially all the mortals who have come so far. . .”

            Alex narrowed his eyes at the Deacon.  Everyone began to applaud and scream and the Deacon stepped off the stage.  Alex then stood back in front of the microphone. 

            Just a few minutes, he reminded himself.

            Traven then began to play the piano, his fingers gracefully floating across the keys.  Alex kept his eyes on the ground in front of him and then began to strum the strings of his guitar.  He took a deep breath and stepped closer to the microphone.  And he began to sing.

            “Whose eyes am I behind?  I don’t recognize anything that I see,” he sang, his voice slowly growing louder.  “Whose skin is this design?  I don’t want this to be the way that you see me.”

            As soon as he finished the last word, Kiran began the drums and Rowan the bass.  Alex himself played the guitar louder and continued to sing.  He stretched his wings out behind him, his confidence growing and sang louder.

            “I don’t understand anything anymore.  In this world that I’m tired of, is taking me right up these walls that I climb up to get to your story.  It’s anything but ordinary.”

            He ran his fingers faster across the strings of the guitar, the music growing louder as Nicole began her violin and Traven continued with the piano.  Rowan wrapped one hand around his microphone, no longer playing his instrument for the moment and Kiran leaned closer to his microphone, still skillfully playing the drums and they began to sing with Alex, the three voices rising over everything.

            “And when the world is on its knees with me it’s fine.  And when I come to the rescue I get nothing but left behind.”  Alex closed his eyes, his handsome voice making the girl’s scream.  Kiran continued singing as well, his eyes flashing across Nicole as he beat the drums.  Rowan continued as well.  “Everybody seems to be getting what they need, where’s mine?  ‘Cause you’re what I need so very but I’m anything but ordinary.”

            Alex opened his eyes slightly and his silvery gaze fell across one particular human.  Her dark hair fell mid-way to her back and she was almost as tall as his own mother.  Her clothes were that of a human’s, but of course that’s what she was.  But what caught Alex was her dark blue eyes.  He almost forgot his next words as he saw her, then he quickly looked away.           

            “Can you save me from this world of mine?” he continued.  “Before I get myself arrested with this expectation.  You are the one, look what you’ve done.  What have you done?  You’re just a kid, you weren’t ready for what you did.”

            The chorus began again and the three sang together as they had before.  Nicole strung her violin louder and Traven kept the piano going.  As they sang, Alex’s eyes flashed across the female human again and she smiled at him.  He looked away and finished the chorus with Rowan and Kiran.  Then all instruments but the violin and piano ceased. Alex’s voice became softer and beautiful.

            “I think I’m trying to save the world for you,” he sang slowly, his voice echoing over the crowed.   Because he was no longer playing the guitar, he wrapped his slender fingers around the microphone and his eyes went to the human again.  “You’ve been saving me, too.  We could just stay in and save each other.”  His voice grew louder on the last few words and he let go of the microphone, picking up his guitar again.

            Kiran hit the drums and Rowan began his bass.  Alex held his guitar and started the music along with the others.

            “I’m anything but ordinary,” he sang loudly, his voice strong.

            Kiran and Rowan echoed the last word.  And before the next line began, Kiran beat the drums louder and Alex made his guitar sing.

            Alex smiled slightly and closed his eyes.  “I’m anything but ordinary.”

            The other two sang the last word again and the singing ended.  Alex played his guitar a few final notes along with Kiran and the drums, then the music stopped as well.

            There was silence for only a few seconds before the screaming and cheering practically caused the singer and his band to lose their hearing.  Alex forced a smile, then set his guitar down and looked away.  He turned and walked off the stage.  Had there not been a magical barrier around the stage, the thousands of people would have chased Alex.

            Instead of going back toward the castle, he edged around the stage and made for the forest.  As he was about to step into it, he heard someone run after him.  He turned and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the female human.

            “What is it?” he snapped.  “And how did you get back here?”

            She was about to reply when there was screaming from the front of the stage.  Alex froze, then pushed her out of the way and ran to where he had just left behind.  The Deacon had his soldiers shoving through the crowd, grabbing what humans they could.

            Alex watched silently, aware that the female was behind him.  His eyes shone with guilt and he looked away.  He couldn’t let this happen.  It wasn’t right.  He stretched his wings as he felt the anger in his chest raising.  No more would be used as slaves.  True, he cared very little for humans.  But they didn’t deserve this.  No one did.

            With a soft growl, he stepped forward and flapped his wings once, rising into the air.  He held out his hands and they glowed a dark red.  Then a ball of the same color steadily grew from his palms, becoming larger and larger while Alex fed his anger to it.  And then it shot out from his hands and broke into dozens of smaller orbs.  Each one found its mark.  The soldiers.  As they met the armed forces, all the threats vanished from sight and the humans were let free.  The last one, the largest one, hit the Deacon and he disappeared.

            Alex then landed and folded his wings again, trembling slightly.

            “You know,” came a voice from behind him.  When he turned he saw the female human and she smiled at him, her voice soft.  “You really are anything but ordinary.”

            He stared at her and then a gentle smile crossed his face.