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Chapter Text

Ein sluggishly sat up, propping himself up on one arm as he wiped the sleep from his bleary eyes. He gradually dipped his legs over the edge of his bed, pressing his bare feet to the frigid stone bricks that formed a majority of the floors inside the Southeastern werewolf tribe's castle.

He softly yawned as he rose, adjusting his trouser drawstring while he strode toward the bathhouse, a room separated from the barracks by a singular stone wall. thereafter, he dressed in his undergarments, a black linen braie, not dissimilar to a baggy pair of shorts, above it he wore a fairly thin black tunic, laced by the collar. Over his undergarments, he wore a pair of navy trousers and a matching tunic, topping off the layers with a hauberk, and a tunic of linked chains,

As one final layer of protection, he wore a steel breastplate, precisely in the center of which was a large sapphire- purely to reflect his affluent status as the monarch's royal guard, however, it did have one practical use when it came to the full moon such as tonight. From beneath the plate flowed his hauberk, stopping halfway down his thigh, tied in place around his waist by a belt, with an additional segmented set of plates to protect his groin and hip areas.

Segmented steel pauldrons adorned either shoulder, attached to a leather gorget that remained hidden beneath the breastplate, connecting a navy cloth hood, which he preferred to wear down. Vambraces guarded either forearm, connected to a pair of leather gloves. Finally, putting on his boots and greaves.

Now dressed in his usual royal guard attire, he armed himself with a sword and dagger. To say he was warm was an understatement.

Thankfully, despite his position as the queen's bodyguard, he wasn't forced to undergo the same emasculation other nations used. While the smaller towns with female lords didn't require it, as a male could always take her place, inexplicably, large kingdoms required guards under female nobility to undergo castration. A prospect no werewolf enjoyed the thought of.

Ein adjusted the thick leather straps around his wrists before marching off toward the queen's chambers. Rumor has it the prince'll be married soon. She must be excited. Of course, that sense of wonderment was cut short when he saw her majesty. A soft frown graced her lips, barely noticeable as she made a show of her emotionless attitude. Very soft-spoken and almost always calm. Nothing ever seemed to trouble her, so of course, Ein learned to read her.

He smiled at her very briefly, halting before her, stiff legs at attention, his right arm came up, flat hand placed next to his eyebrow, "Good morning, ma'am, I hope you're well today."

She nodded, "Of course, Sir Ein." She sighed, glancing to the grey-haired werewolf beside her, his hair deceptively colored compared to his youthful face, "You're dismissed, Sir Raven." Her attention turned to the window and her people below

Ein rested his hand on Raven's shoulder and smiled to his adoptive brother, "Get some food and rest, You look a little under the weather." The boy nodded and marched back to the Guard's quarters.

Lady Ylva remained staring out a window before finally speaking as the door shut, "There's word from Michi that she's finally captured a meif'wa fit for Fenrir. Two, actually..." She ran a tortoiseshell comb through her hair.

He nodded, "So I heard, some of the other soldiers were talking about it."

"She's set to be delivered later today. I'll be preparing the guest chambers until then, running a bath for her."

"And what of me?"

She paused, glancing up for a moment before placing the comb on the window sill, "Ein, are you happy?"

"I'm a guard, Ma'am, how I feel isn't important."

She placed both of her hands on the sill, slowly turning her head toward Ein, who stood behind her, "You and I both know that's not true. Please, be honest."

"I'm alright, really. No need to worry about me," he nodded once, "Why do you ask?"

She turned around, placing her behind on the sill, hands gripping it on either side of her hips, "I worry for you... and the future of this kingdom. Soon, you'll serve a new queen... and we know nothing about her. If she runs away, if she hurts someone... if anything happens to her, the people will blame you as her future guard."

"I-" he bit his tongue, swallowing back tightly as he shut his eyes. Finally, glancing back up to her, he released his tongue, "It's hard to believe... even after our King announced the Lunar goddess's prophecy... It's hard knowing it's finally happening," he tilted his head down, staring at her feet, all the while slight tears pricked his eyes. "It's hard knowing that I won't see you daily anymore. You're the closest thing I have to a mother, I don't want to lose that."

"Don't fret. We still need to speak with her.. but the thing is, she'll be far more important than me... and her life should be considered as such." She took Ein's cheek in her hand, picking up his droopy gaze. She slowly extended her thumb, wiping away his tears, "I'll be fine. Believe me. Nothing can happen to her, though... so from now on, you'll be guarding, escorting, and speaking to this newcomer as if she were the queen."

"I-I'm sorry, Milady, you shouldn't see me acting like this," his breath hitched and he once again cleared his throat, "I-I'll do my best."

She nodded, gently squeezing his cheek with a soft smile on her lips, "Don't apologize, my child. I'll still be here if you ever need me."

"Thank you, your majesty, I won't forget all that you've done for me."

"I'm glad then, just... be diligent." She turned, dropping her hand to her side, "After I speak with her, she'll be bathed and presented to Fenrir for... 'engagements.' It'll be your duty to guard her door for the night, we can't-'' she sighed, "We can't let her escape." The regret in her voice didn't go unnoticed. "After she's presented to my husband, go to their suite, I'll bring her there myself when she's finished bathing". her red dress swayed when she turned toward the door. "In the meantime, head toward the throne room. After my husband finishes his appraisal, guide her toward her quarters. Guard the door, let no one in or out, excluding you, me, my husband, and Mino. Once Fenrir and this woman are inside, don't allow them to leave for the rest of the night. And in the morning, bring her to my quarters."

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She had a peculiar scent, not entirely unlike Michi, though she smelled overbearingly of cookies and shite muffins, this Aphmau smelled more like a person, more human, though the soft sweet undertone left whether all Meif'wa smelled this way or if it was just a lingering scent on her skin up for debate.

Most interestingly were the black marks coating her skin, tattoos in a sort of tribal style, unlike the tattoos the werewolves occasionally adopted. More like sigils, or runes, but for what purpose was unclear. She didn't appear to be haunted, nor bewitched, those victims always seemed much colder in the face.

And she had skin similar to Zack's as well, a soft caramel shade, though there was no connection between the two. With Ein's position, he hadn't been able to speak with his own father in ages, though they shared Barracks, his position demanded him at a moment's notice, and he always had to rise before everyone else, the bags under his eyes confirmed this.

She stared him down as she approached the suite, fierce piercing eyes affixed to him as they walked. He made no such move back, instead, he led her firmly, indifferently gazing occasionally at her. And when she stepped past him as he lined up at the door, he could hear her address Fenrir, loudly squawking and yelling. A screamer, yay, He rolled his eyes. As loud as she was though, made eavesdropping particularly easy.

And listening only made his gut sink further than it already sagged. She definitely wasn't into the whole forced marriage thing, and Fenrir was only doing this for his friend. He could step in and ensure they didn't get any funny ideas, or he could help them, less of a risk of losing her if they're on the same side, but if the king ever found out... For Fenrir, he thought, for his old friend.

He looked forward down the empty hall, then back to the door, he could slip in for just a moment. He huffed a singular breath and quickly, he opened it, stepping inside, "Uh, hey," he waved awkwardly.

Fenrir cleared his throat, "Oh-we-I, nothing's going on in here," he answered sharply.

"Yeah, Yeah, no plans of escape, gotcha. I'd believe you if I didn't overhear your entire conversation," he spoke quickly, word after word, folding his arms, "I needed to add something: from here on out, I'm your guard specifically," he prodded a finger toward Aphmau, "Everything you do affects me too. You escape, I pay for it. If you manage to find a way to escape, I need to know and ensure I can vacate the premises too. Or I'll be beheaded. Got it?"

She sighed, "You too, eh? What's up with this tribe?" she grumbled, glaring at Fenrir.

"Come up with a plan, anything, and I'll see what I can do to help," he turned back toward the door, "Be safe, you two."

Fenrir nodded, "Thank you, Sir Ein."

"Of course," he opened the door, and returned to his place beside it, grasping his sword by the pommel. Only three more hours of this before I can go to bed, he sighed, leaning back against the wall, his head tilting upward. Then Raven can deal with this. Raven was just his midnight replacement in most cases. As inhumane as the king was these days, at least Ein was granted sleep.

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When his shift ended, he opened the door, spotting Fenrir on the floor and Aphmau in the bed. He nodded to Raven and wandered off. On the way out back toward the barracks, he passed Mino, "Sir," he nodded, yawning widely.

"Raven guarding?"

"Of course, They're sleeping right now, so don't bother them," he glanced at the tray Mino carried, quickly spotting a particular fish on the platter. He quickly plucked it up, examining, "Mino, who was this food for?"

"The prince, of course, why do you ask?"

"This fish... it's a silverside perch."

He sighed, "Are you just gonna keep bothering me, don't you have a cot to crawl back into?"

It took all the strength inside him not to just flip the tray into Mino's face, or force-feed him the fish between his gloved fingers. The fish had a particular strength in the form of a powerful poison, making it very easy to kill unsuspecting people. A very good way to stop a wedding, but not as potent on its own. "Fine, then I guess I shouldn't tell you this could kill them. dispose of this food this instant and I'll think about not taking this to the queen," he pointed toward the bass and salmon, "Wash your hands as well." he shoved past Mino, pocketing the fish. A little bit of Nightshade, and a skeever's tail and this could be something powerful.

He could quickly gather those items if he wanted to, but he'd be missing out on sleep. Which he desperately needed. He proceeded outside anyway. It took no more than five minutes to find nightshade, and only a few more to skewer a skeever at the end of his blade.

The Skeever tail, nightshade, and fish went into a mortar before all being mashed together with a pestle. The resulting potion could kill an elephant in just a few minutes, so he'd have to be careful with it. But otherwise, very handy for unwanted guests. But only as a last resort. He bottled it and hid it among the various items in the bag under his bed.

Chapter Text

Ein's hand gripped tightly around Aphmau's wrist as he ran through the castle halls, quickly, he turned down a flight of stairs, stopping at the bottom. The king sat still on his throne, a dark bearded, older man around his late forties, not too dissimilar looking from a tall dwarf, crowned with a blue and gold ceremonial headdress. Two brown canine ears protruded from slots carved out of the helmet.

To his side, stood his queen, platinum blond hair wrapped around her finger as she gazed sorrowfully forward, if even just the slightest bit. She briefly glanced at Ein and Aphmau, then back to the door. Fenrir joined shortly thereafter, panting as he finally caught up to the two.

The throne room doors opened and a meek little Mief'wa crawled through, tugging at the chain she carried. The boy on the end of the chain only rolled his eyes, walking forward. The metal collar he wore loosened as she let the chain go slack. The meif'wa, Ein'd known as Michi -the traitorous cat willing to sacrifice whoever whenever if it meant she had something to gain from it.

And the boy at the end of her chain was supposedly Aphmau's lover. Though he was a looker, there was no way he could score someone like Aphmau, not with his looks alone. If the rumor was true, then he'd have to be especially charismatic, or kind. Neither option could be taken off the table at this moment. He was a meif'wa, like Aphmau, but that didn't hold much water. Race alone would prove nothing.

Ein knelt slightly, whispering to Aphmau, "Is he truly your lover?"

She shook her head, "N-no, he's just my guard."

"Just?"

She nodded, and he sighed. She was telling the truth, they weren't lovers, but they definitely weren't just guard and lord either.

Michi cackled as she nabbed a pouch of gold from the werewolf guard, disappearing behind the oaken door. And the king sighed, adjusting slightly in his seat, leaning back, "Tell me, meif'wa-"

"I'm not a meif'wa, I'm a human. Now you better let me and my comrades go before I-"

"Don't speak out of line."

What does he mean by 'I'm a human, could he actually be? Ein folded his arms as he watched the show. Laurence turned toward Aphmau, turned back, and shouted back at the king. Ein grumbled, scoffing, Such disrespect to the king?

Aphmau quickly ran past him, Fenrir in hand. Right, should be paying attention. He stood still, watching as the two pleaded with the king, and when they finished, Ein walked them back to their suite, "This complicates things," Ein sighed as he held the door open for the two, "Do either of you have a contact or anyone that might be able to help you?"

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Ein walked into the dungeon hall, pointing Aphmau to a trapdoor, "You speak to Abby, I need to speak with Laurence. See you in a minute," he walked all the way down the hall, fliping a trapdoor open, climbing down the ladder.

Laurence glared at him as he stepped toward him, "What do you want?" He folded his arms.

Ein sighed, "Straight to the point, I like that... Earlier you said you weren't a meif'wa, you're a human, what did you mean?"

"I wasn't born with these things," he pointed to his ears, "That girl put these on me, same as Aph."

He sighed, "As I suspected." He held his chin between his thumb and index fingers, staring down toward the floor. "If it makes you feel any better about your circumstances, we're trying to find a way to stop the wedding... we haven't had much luck yet, but we think we have a way out. There's another prisoner here, she might have a way out." He walked back toward the ladder, "Sorry, I can't stay much longer," he pointed toward the ceiling, "Guards. I'll do my best to take care of Aph while you're stuck down here." Laurence nodded as Ein climbed back up.

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When they made it to Abby's contact, Ein only stood outside with Ylva, but he could figure the barkeep knew what she was talking about. Ein rejoined her side as she left the bar, she smelled sweet and creamy, overbearingly so, like cookies and cream.

Raven and Ein walked behind Ylva and Aphmau, but they could still hear everything they were talking about, not too far away, but not practically stepping on their heels either. Raven glanced at Ein, "Do you ever sleep?" he tilted his head, "It just doesn't feel right... like, you work your tail off all day, and then I get a standard guard's hour, it just seems unfair to me."

He smiled, "I'm alright, it's not so bad once you get used to standing around for hours on end" he rubbed the bags underneath his eyes, "Why do you ask?" Even now, Raven held onto the values of the Northeastern werewolves, and their long-dead ideals, just like Ein.

"I was thinking about asking the king if we could split the day evenly, not this 12-hour, 8-hour thing we've got going on. Maybe you could actually get some rest then."

"I-I appreciate the offer, but really, I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, Ein. You look like you wanna drop dead half the time," His grey hair swayed as he shook his head.

"Really, don't worry about me, besides, the king has more important things to take care of. Take it up with Blaze if you truly insist... but you really shouldn't."

"Why though?"

Ein looked deep into Raven's eyes, "After Yvette passed... I just... I needed to prove myself, and so I kept pushing and pushing myself to be better, and prove myself... if I ever find her killer, he's dead."

Raven nodded, "I-I think I understand." Even though raven was older than Ein, he'd been working as a guard only since he turned 18, a year after Ein had begun working for her. four years later, they were still as they were back then. Some of the other guards would call him green, or amateur, but not Ein. Instead, he was much more like a little brother in the sense that they both knew what it was like to grow up quickly and how to protect each other. Though they were literal brothers in the sense that Zack had adopted Raven almost immediately after he lost his parents in the Massacre of the North Eastern werewolf tribe, just as Ein had lost his mother.

Ein smiled, "I guess I just dealt with it differently than you... but back then all I wanted was revenge, and so I forced myself as much as I could to always stand back up, no matter how many times I got knocked down during sparring matches with Ylva. I just kept getting back up. Be better than me... find your own meaning in life and stick with it. This life isn't for you... you're made to be so much greater."

Raven nodded, "I'll do my best not to let you down, Sir Ein."

He scoffed, "If you find a way to let me down, let me know. I'd love to hear it."

"You boys having fun back there?" Ylva smiled.

"Oh, you know. Words of wisdom, all that. How about you two?" He rubbed the back of his neck with his gloved hand.

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She's gone. Ein pushed the door completely open, walking past an Unconcious Fenrir, who once again slept on the floor. He walked around to the other side of the bed and glanced underneath it. No one. Surely she didn't jump off the balcony? He stepped toward it, bathed in moonlight, a cold wind swept past him. Looking bellow, there were no robes, no knotted up sheets, no blood anywhere. He glanced across the balcony at the trees. If she got a running jump, she could've made that. But if she failed... Nobody sat at the base of the tree. She mentioned having demi-god powers once, maybe she flew away?

he sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead, What to do, what to do. If she escaped, his head was on the line, but there's no way she'd leave everyone else behind, too many people would die if she escaped. Was she really that selfish?

He pulled Fenrir up, snapping his fingers a few times. "Wake up."

"W-wha?"

"Aphmau's gone."

"What?" he stood on his own feet, glancing back at the bed, "N-no... she couldn't have."

"Well, she's not in bed, and she definitely didn't go out that door." He pointed toward the only door in the room, the one he'd been guarding for the past five hours. Any moment now, he'd have to change shifts. "Don't let anyone know, okay. If anyone does find out..." he glanced back at the door, "Don't frame it on Raven."

"I-I won't."

"Good, I'll talk to you later, and may Irene have mercy on our souls," he pushed the door open, marching out into the hall. He stood beside the door until Raven came by and took his place.

I'm so fucking dead.

Chapter Text

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Ein rummaged around underneath his cot, pulling out his bag. He quickly placed some food inside, followed by a canteen. He had to escape, soon. If they found out what'd happened, he'd be dead. His hand grazed the bottle inside. The poison he'd made a couple of nights ago, right where he hid it. He took it out and looked at the opaque green liquid inside. He swirled it around gently. After a brief moment, he placed it back in his bag.

If they confront him about Aphmau, he'll kill them, run back here, get his stuff, and book it out of here as fast as he can. On the off chance that Aphmau returns, he left the bag there. Can't wear that thing around otherwise if he's not in any actual danger. He stood up, approaching the door, his shift would soon start anyway.

Raven quickly ran up to him, bolting around a corner. Oh, Irene, I'm so screwed. "Ein!" he doubled over, "E-Ein, Ylva wishes to see you immediately -in the cosmetic lounge" he panted, "Sh-she wouldn't say why though."

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. He feigned a smile, "That's okay, get some rest. We both have to be there for the wedding later, so don't forget. I want you to look your absolute best," he patted either of Raven's shoulders.

"G-got it," he wheezed, sticking a thumb up in recognition.

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He slowly opened the door, walking down the short hallway that lead directly into the lounge. He turned the corner, and there, on a stool, sat Aphmau, Ylva running a brush through her hair, "Oh, there you are. I was wondering when you'd show up."

"S-sorry I'm so late, Milady."

"You're forgiven." she walked in front of Aphmau, "There, now don't you look beautiful?" She smiled. "Come take a look at her, Ein."

He stepped closer, "She's pretty, I'll give her that... not my type though."

Ylva chuckled, "No, I suspected not. For starters, she'd have to be taller... muscular, shaggy-haired... a bit gruffer." She smiled as Ein blushed. Irene, shut up! "That's why I'm allowing you in here though, I know you're not gonna touch her."

"Raven's trustworthy too, ya know?"

"I know, But he's inexperienced. I'd like for the pride of our pack to have the best guard on staff. I need someone to look after her while I'm out."

"Understood."

She turned back to Aphmau, "Do you need anything while I fetch the dressers? food, drink, something to read?"

"A book's fine, Something about Lady Irene, thank you."

As soon as Ylva left, Ein turned to Aphmau, "Where the hell did you go last night?"

"A-another dimension... it's part of my power, I can't control it."

He sighed, "No... I suppose you wouldn't. You had me worried sick, you know. I thought my life was on the line. I thought I was going to die."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you worried."

"It's fine... you're back now. Your friends coming, everything is fine," he reassured himself, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath."

"I hope so, we haven't heard anything yet from Lowell or Nicole yet..." she sighed.

"Nicole... the lord?"

"Y-yeah." she meeped.

"Ya know what, I'm not even gonna ask," he folded his arms.

"Probably better if you don't anyway. And once again, I'm sorry." she almost stood up but sat back down as the door opened again. A group of three women came in, followed shortly after by Ylva, who held a book in her hand

Ylva handed Aphmau the book, but snatched Ein before leaving, "Sorry, a lady needs changing, you can't be in here for that."

"U-understood," He followed her out into the hall where he waited for the next couple of hours. And by the time Ylva came back, she already seemed to be regretting the rest of the day, sporting a full frown for once as she pushed through the door. Ein followed her in.

Her frown immediately changed as she saw Aphmau, "You look amazing

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The sun bloomed on the horizon, streaking the sky with red, orange, and a dark blue that'd soon turn black. Ein glanced side-longingly at the groom as he stood. He wore a nervous look, one of unwillingness and confusion. This was a game largely stacked against the bride and Groom's favor, no time left to plan, no time left to talk, the wedding began here and now whether they wanted it to or not. She had an ally in him if needed. But if his treason ever came to light...

Aphmau descended a flight of stone stairs, beginning her walk down the white carpet-lined aisle, a small trail of fabric following shortly behind herself. She glanced at Ein, as he stood beside the chuppah, a blooming archway of flowers and vines. Her gaze quickly crossed to Laurence, the frontmost seat, bound and crying.

Raven, who stood by the staircase Aphmau just walked down, smiled across the room at Ein, he smiled back.

A dangerous stare graced Aphmau's face when she gazed upon Fenrir's father, To his side, stood Ylva. Ein smiled somberly toward Aphmau, a knowing look in her eyes. She slowly stepped off to the side, making room for her beneath the flowered chuppah.

Viewing the wedding was a small battalion of some of the tribe's finest soldiers and high-ranking officers. In the farthest seats from the altar and chuppah were the transformed troops, ready to attack at a moment's notice. After them were the armored guards, and in the front were the top-ranking officials, of course, one was left empty out of respect, as Blaze had an important battle to win. Jax, Ryder, Evan, and a couple of others Ein hadn't met personally

As Aphmau walked forward, the guards saluted her with their swords, holding their blades across their breastplates. The king began his prepared speech. Like a clergyman, he spoke, "Gathered here under the glow of our Lunar goddess, we come together to celebrate a love like no other!" Thus began his slow crawl toward completing this unjust wedding.

Ein bit his lip, Nicole should've been here by now, she had to get here. There was no other hope for Aphmau. And as nice as she was, she wasn't Ylva. She wasn't his queen mother. He gulped down. She shouldn't even be here, but it's not like she could do anything about it. She was swindled and bagged. Michi should've been hunted down. But even when Ein brought it up to Ylva she just nodded and turned her head, stating she couldn't do anything about it.

His fist clenched around the pommel of his sword. There's nothing he could do either. Come on, Nicole, save her. As they reached the 'I dos,' suddenly, before them all, a shadow knight materialized, immediately taking down the guards restraining him. Ein quickly reached for his sword but the sudden realization hit him. Laurence was the shadow knight, and his blade cut through their numbers like a hot knife through butter.

He couldn't attack him, no way he'd survive, but his rampage was going to get everyone else killed if Laurence didn't calm down right now.

The remaining guards took arms against Laurence, most cut down in seconds. Ein extended his sword, taking Ylva behind him. "What about-"

"Don't worry about Aph, he wouldn't hurt her... I think." Ein cleared his throat.

Within seconds, the small hoard of guards attacked the shadow knight. One by one, they all fell. But Ein froze as Laurence turned toward the last guard, holding his sword in one hand and a wooden shield in the other. Now alone, the guard took a swing at Laurence, immediately getting parried. The guard took another jab at Laurence. The shadow knight laughed, cackling as he backhanded the helmet off the guard. To Ein's horrified gaze. Soft caramel skin, shining hazel eyes, and suave pampered brunette hair. That was Zack, Ein's father.

Ein jolted forward, tugged back immediately by his hood, "It's too late," Ylva whispered into his pierced ear. And as she finished her sentence, the Shadow knight punched Zack in the face, quickly slashing into his throat with just the tip of his blade as Zack stumbled backward.

Ein quivered, and shook, unable to breathe, as his eyes focused on the corpse of the only other person he had left. For a moment, he just stared down as Zack bled out, wordlessly gawking at the man before him. This person was his father. And now he laid in a pool of thick crimson blood. Choking on his own blood and bleeding out, he reached toward Ein with an arm. Abruptly dropping it as the life faded from his eyes.

Laurence stood tall around all those who fell, he smiled maliciously he shoved the king off the castle, finally turning his attention the pup who'd sat beside the stairs this entire time, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to take his eyes off this savage murderer. He stalked closer and Closer, as Raven breath held in his throat. he wanted to move, he wanted to run, he needed to.

"Run!" Ein screamed.

The sword entered his chest, and he fell to the floor. Ein wanted to scream, to cry, to crumple up and let the world end him then and there. He wanted to rush to his brother's side and hold onto him in his final moments, but he couldn't even move. The tears trickled down his cheeks as his sword clattered to the floor.

Aphmau quickly stood in front of them, yelling and shouting at Laurence. Ein just stood still, gazing wide-eyed at the floor, his own pounding heartbeat filling his ears and quick breaths hurting the back of his throat, drying it.

He didn't even notice when Laurence changed back to normal again, and they ran away after Ylva said something and handed a key to them. She was letting them go as intended. But not as planned.

Ylva's warm hands clasped around Ein's, standing before him, she looked him in the eye, and she spoke. Drowned out by the increasingly loud beat in his ears. But those lip movements, "You need to get out of here." He could read them perfectly.

He nodded slowly, shutting his eyes. He gulped the heavy ball of mucus forming in the back of his throat down, quickly picking up his sword and running off toward the exit, not sparing Zack another glance. He couldn't, he'd just throw up if he did.

And when he saw Raven at the base of the stairs, he knelt over, shutting his brother's eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

He made his way back to his cot, nabbing the bag from under his bed, and ran toward the throne room. He could get out through there. If he knew Fenrir well enough, once he leveled out, he'd want them gone, the people responsible for murdering his father. Now, he was one of them. He'd gone out of his way to help Aphmau... and now he'd pay too. That much, he was certain of.

As he reached the front gate, he heaved it open glancing back, then forward. A hand fell on his armored shoulder, "Where are you going?" Ein followed the arm back up to its source.

"Bl-Blaze?" His fiery hair and mismatched eyes made identifying him easy, "I thought you were off fighting..."

"I was, we had to retreat or we would've been overrun."

Ein shook his head, "I'm chasing the bastard that killed my family." Did he truly want revenge? Absolutely, but he wouldn't last a second against someone like that.

"Zack and Raven are d- I-I'm sorry, I didn't know."

He nodded, clearing his throat, "Go to the rooftop... if you can stomach it." He turned, shoving the gate shut behind him. In a moment, he glanced up to the full moon, then out to the forest. He bolted into the woods. At most, he had a day before Fenrir would send out someone to hunt him down. He had to get as far away from here as possible as quickly as possible. If he could find Aphmau again, he would... But she left easily a good thirty minutes before him. No way her scent would be strong enough to track.

He ran, and ran, and ran. Until finally. He couldn't. He stopped for a moment to think as he refilled his lungs. Nicole was supposed to rescue her. Scaleswind wasn't too far, but he couldn't make it tonight, not on foot.

He found himself on the edge of the forest by a small pond. He stumbled forward, landing on his hands and knees into the mud, splattering it about the water and grass. A soft fog hovered above the pond, like a light blanket. He took a deep breath, standing back up. He quickly rinsed his gloves in the water before taking his canteen out and drinking from it. He refilled it and continued on. He'd have to distill it later

The mountains, he had to make it to the mountains. There was a cave there, one he'd hid in before, long ago. He could take shelter there for the night.

Sure as ever, there it was. Deserted. Carved out of the thick grey rock. He approached cautiously, stepping past the red mushrooms gathered on the maw of the cave. And when the sun rose, He'd leave to hunt that bastard down, and poison him. He might not be able to duel him, but he can make his last few moments a living hell.

but did he even have it in him, this thing, this poison? Notoriously deadly amongst alchemists. No way In hell a person could survive long under its effects. Even for a shadow knight. It worked by paralyzing the victim, but it slowly ate away at their life over the span of a few minutes. And from what he knew, it was a terrible way to die. sounded perfect for Laurence. But, again, could he even stomach it? Killing someone like this was dishonorable and cheap. He'd just have to find out for himself if he could pull the trigger.

At the end of the day, he just sat against the rocky,moss-coated wall, crying into his knees.

Chapter Text

Blaze sighed as Ein bolted off, revenge wasn't something Werewolves normally dealt with, not like fighting wasn't part of their culture. No, werewolves were prone to violence. But revenge? That was something they so rarely desired. Werewolves were tough, so this warrior to have killed multiple of their men... Ein'd need help if he truly wanted him dead.

Blaze climbed to the roof, freezing as he saw the gruesome site below. As he stepped down the small flight of stairs, he walked past his brother in arm's bodies, Raven, Jax, and Sven --their youngest and newest member. More laid in the center of the roof, piled on top of each other Zack, Ryder, and Evan, yet so many more. He shook his head slowly, You saw this first hand, didn't you, Ein? He held onto the pendant wrapped around his neck as he walked.

He glanced over each one, these were his friends, his superiors, now, he was all that was left of their commanding officers. Though he grumbled at the time of being sent off to war during such an important time for their kingdom, there was a part of him that thanked the lunar goddess for sparing him. Selfish, he knew, but it's all he could do to not boil with anger and sadness, a melancholy stew that'd surely only get him injured or worse. He'd have to hunt Ein down soon, they'd need every one of their remaining men.

He hunched beside Zack, placing two fingers on the man's eyelids, "I'll keep him safe, I promise," he muttered, shutting the dead man's eyes before standing up and removing his ring sigil. The few people remaining alive up here were going through each person, removing their armor, setting it into piles, and 'evicting' the bodies via throwing them into a growing pile at the base of the castle.

He approached one of the servants, "Where's the king, I need to speak with him immediately?"

The servant looked him dead in the eyes and pointed over the edge of the castle by the giant wreath of flowers where Fenrir and his bride were to be wed. Blaze looked over the edge, almost wincing at the broken man below before returning to the servant's side.

"And the queen?"

"She was here a bit ago, but Prince Fenrir pulled her off elsewhere." The servant pointed back toward the stairs, "It might be best if you give them a bit longer, he... well, he looked ready to break down any moment. It might be best to wait before telling him anything."

He nodded, turning back toward the stairs. And as he approached another servant going through Raven's items, a gentle hand reached up toward him, The servant glanced up at him, "Have you seen Sir Ein, he um... Raven had a note for him. Could you give it to him?"

"I'll try, but he's currently hunting down the people who did this."

The servant quickly rose, wide-eyed, she placed both her hands on Blaze's shoulders, "No, he can't! They'll kill him, he's- ...he's going to get himself killed."

"How did this happen, who could've done all of this? Please, tell me."

"The bride, her lover... he's was a shadow knight! H-he took them down all on his own, and she pleaded with him to stop, but he wouldn't. Raven here, he just stood there, terrified. But that man, h-he didn't care, he just kept walking forward and stab him right in the chest. He'd have killed Fenrir and Ein too if it weren't for that woman.

"Just one man did all of this?" he gazed around the bloody reception, "

She whimpered, "They didn't know... they didn't know," she began crying as she continued taking Raven's armor off, piece by piece. She removed a bejeweled ring from his finger, handing it alongside the note to Blaze. She cleared her throat, "That meif'wa, from a few months back, returned with these two girls, and then she returned the next day with a man she claimed was one of their lovers." She took a deep breath, "We should've known it was just a trick, but no... we were going to execute him after the wedding, but then..." her lips hovered just apart, quivering, "Ride quickly, He needs someone to talk him down."

__________________________

Ein's feet stung, having run several miles on uneven terrain throughout the night. His calves burned like fire, and his ankles hurt to move. He sighed, adjusting his plate armor against the rocky wall behind him. Though it was uncomfortable to wear, he needed it at the moment for its singular practical use.

The sapphire, embedded in the chest plate, acted as a sigil, one that prevented involuntary transformation, which wouldn't normally be an issue, but with the full moon, he couldn't take it off, lest he ripped all of his clothes off.

He sighed, rolling over in the bed of moss. How could those savages do it? Those who slept on hay or rock, the other tribes were so primitive by design. It just doesn't make sense, why? Why would a werewolf choose to sleep on hay when mattresses were readily available? Even if they were just filled with feathers or wool, it was better than nothing.

He sat up, knowing the very answer to his question, just not wanting to acknowledge it. Fear. Humans hated werewolves, or most of them did. That girl, Aphmau, didn't seem to mind them so much. But he hadn't seen her initial reaction to them when she first met with Lowell. Though from the brief explanation Ylva gave him, Aphmau'd helped them 15 years ago. She couldn't have been older than 10 years old then though, no way she helped them out.

Then again, she said she was magic, perhaps she gained a sort of anti-aging property. That, or she was like all the other Meif'wa, a liar, a charlatan, and a Con artist. Unlikely, however. Ein knew not all the meif'wa were like that, just the ones he'd met, similarly to how he knew not all werewolves were assholes, he himself and his entire former tribe were a compassionate people.

He stood up, approaching the cave's maw, peeping out into the darkened sky, on the horizon, the sun peeked up, just peering onto their earthen homes. Soon, it'd rise, but he needed to catch up to that group. Even if he died trying, Laurence needed to pay for what he did, so he'd keep walking. So many lives were lost that night. Maybe he could do it, just maybe.

He glanced back into the cave, it was the same Cave Zack had taken them to after... this was once his home. And he'd be leaving it again for the last time. He hadn't stayed in it long before, but it still hurt. He walked out into the road and continued running, his leg shooting pain through it immediately.

Ein's ear flicked as the clacking of galloping horses hit him. Shit! He bolted toward the brush, leaping into it, after a few moments, the galloping got louder and louder, until finally, it stopped. For a moment, the rider stood still. Their horse huffed and sniffled, clacking its hooves against the paved road. The crash of armor on armor announced their dismount, each subsequent step confirmed this, "I know you're out there, Ein. Come on, let's talk." It was Blaze, "This mission of yours, you're gonna get yourself killed," he yelled into the forest.

"Go away, I don't want to talk right now, I just want to be alone!" He rubbed at his leg, standing up, he wiped off a few of the leaves that'd attached themselves to the lowest sheet of his tunic. He stepped back onto the road, "Those men were only following orders, they didn't deserve to die! We didn't want to kidnap them, we didn't want to hurt them, we didn't want to kill him! B-but no one spoke up, no one fought back, no one questioned him. Hell, no one even knows if he could actually speak with our goddess, we just followed him blindly! And look where that got us!" he huffed, "My father's dead, and my friends are dead, My brother's dead, Blaze. He got his justice, where the hell's mine?" he yelled, "You're the only commanding officer left, and we have what, two hundred soldiers left? If that. And we don't even know where Michi got them from. We don't even know where Michi is!" he kicked a rock. "How the fuck am I supposed to kill him if I don't even know where he is? How am I supposed to kill him if he does that to a small army of soldiers? What am I supposed to do?" He looked up to the sky, sticking an accusatory finger, "If there's some big picture I just don't see, I hope it's worth it, you empyreal cunt!"

Blaze sighed, approaching Ein, "Ein, just come home. That man'll kill you if you even get there." he stood beside Ein, looking at the floor, "I-I have a few things for you," he stuck his hand into his pocket, pulling out two rings and note, "They were on Raven and Zack... but they're yours now... since you were the closest person to them, and Raven didn't have any heirs. He wrote the note to you, I didn't read it -if your wondering. Respect for the dead, you know?" He sighed.

Ein slowly took the parchment and ring from him, "Their sigils," he muttered, turning them over in his palm. A small oval of smooth tanzanite sitting in an uncarved ring of silver and the other a gold ring bejeweled with a ruby. He removed his armored glove, placing them on his fingers before replacing the glove, safer than storing them in his bag.

He frowned, glancing back at Blaze. He sat down in the dirt, holding the folded paper for a moment between his fingers."Please, leave me be..."

Blaze knelt beside him, "I'll be on my horse... if you'd like, I could give you a ride when you're finished. He stood up, climbing back onto his horse.

Ein unfolded the note, exhaling nervously,

'Dear Ein."

"I've been thinking a lot lately about the tribe, and our people. We're at war with our own, but what are we even fighting over, surely the land they sit on isn't as important as the lives we've lost to even get as far as we have into them. I don't know much about war, but our tactics,they're brutal. And this entire thing with the prophecy, it just seems unjust, what we're doing here isn't right."

"I see you every day battling to stay awake, and by her majesty's side at all times. You work diligently to ensure you never mess up. You work so hard, and it makes me think that it's all worth it in the end if we just keep fighting. If someone could just end the war and everything magically got better, I'd give anything for that, but it only seems to get worse all the time. And I'm scared. For myself, our people, and you. We've already lost our people once, I don't want it to happen again."

"How far will the King go? He used to be a good man,' that's what Lady Ylva says. I can't help but wonder what would happen if he just stopped, or if someone assassinated him? It's crass, evil, and immoral, but he's gone too far too many times. It'd be doing the world a favor."

"I'm nervous about this wedding too. The bride doesn't want this, and Sir Fenrir doesn't either, but we're forcing them to marry for the supposed good of our people. Her lover's going to die and there's nothing anyone can do about it --or the king would have them executed.

"I'm rambling, but what I'm trying to say is that I just need to know if I'm the only one who thinks this needs to stop. Or maybe we should just run away together? Would you like that? If we moved out into the country and just live like brothers for once in our goddamn lives? I know we'd be leaving father behind, but we'd be free. Every time I ask him about it, he just says the same thing Lady Ylva does, 'we're set in our ways,' and it makes me think that there's absolutely no hope for us."

" I don't care much for guarding, anyway."

"I respect you, and I'll follow you until the day I die. Whatever you think is best, I'll do. Please, tell no one about this. I just really need to get this off my mind. Let me know whatever you've decided when we change shifts tonight."

"I've overheard from some of the other guards that the kings planning on forcing them to mate, so I pray for your strength and will to be as strong as ever."

Ein stared at the note for a moment, folding it back up, and placing it in his pouch. He slowly rose and walked toward the forest until a tree stood in front of him. Quickly, he jabbed his fist into the bark, again and again, punch after punch, tears shed from his eyes like a waterfall, seemingly never-ending as his knuckles bruised. He screamed into the sky, crumpled to the floor, and hung his head.

Blaze appeared before him, wrapping his arms around Ein, "It'll be okay," he spoke softly, patting his back. "It'll be okay."

Blaze dropped Ein off Scaleswind having never known of his treachery and rode back toward the castle empty-handed.

Chapter Text

Ein Knocked on the gate rapidly, "H-hello, is anyone in there?" Of course, he could see straight through the slats, but anyone above was hidden behind a wall. He knocked loudly, "Hello?"

A young woman overlooked the wall, a werewolf, like him, but much younger, by quite a few years, no way she was an adult yet. She hollered at him, "You're different, you smell new. H-hey, you're like me!"

Ein stepped back, peering up at this vivacious Voice, "I'm a werewolf, yeah. I'm looking for some friends, maybe you've seen them."

She glanced around her suspiciously, "My mom'd kill me if she saw me talking to you." She sighed, "Look, sir. I'm sure you're nice company, but we just don't have any more space in the guest house tonight." she grumbled, "But I can't just leave you out there..." she shut her eyes, smacking herself a few times, "Think, Leona, think!" finally, she huffed, flipping the lever, "Fine, I'll let you in, but don't speak to me. My ma'll kill me if she sees me talking to a boy."

"Understood," he walked through the open gate, walking through the village. Though it was big enough to be a small town.

And his snooter wasn't picking up anything over the scents of pigs and dogs, eventually, he just sat down against one of the walls, too tired to stay awake, too bored to continue searching. He'd find her whenever he woke up.

"...I'm sorry..." he muttered in sleep.

___________________________

Blaze approached the castle gate, sighing as he rode up to the stable on horseback. He dismounted, shutting the fence behind him as he walked back toward the throne room. Around him were very modest houses, a couple had windows, but all of them had thatched or sodden roofs.

What am I going to tell them? He placed his fist beneath his chin.

Ein'd successfully gotten away. He won't return until that guy dies, or he dies trying, could just say he died. Be done with it quickly. But if he won against him and returned? That'd be awkward. He pushed the heavy throne room doors open, marching past the empty throne and up the flight of stairs. Maybe I could say I just couldn't find him? If I tell them exactly where I dropped him off, they might force him to return... or back him up. He found his way to Queen Ylva's chambers, finding it staggeringly empty. Not a soul in sight.

He huffed, turning around, perhaps she's talking to Fenrir? He turned back around. Wouldn't be the first time she tried consoling him. Then again, maybe she's elsewhere. Why wouldn't you just come with me, Ein?

I'll have to say he just evaded me. He knocked on Fenrir's door. And as it opened, He saluted the young prince, "Good morning, Sir."

"Is it?" Fenrir huffed dryly, rubbing at his eyes. Dark purple bags hung beneath his eyes.

"No, I suppose it's not." He sighed, "W-we lost this last battle."

Fenrir hung his head low, "She just keeps rubbing salt in the wound, doesn't she?"

"She?"

"Aphmau... my to-be bride, she was all buddy-buddy with them." He rolled his eyes, "Those traitors," he scoffed, "One of the servants told me you were hunting after Ein yesterday. Surely my greatest tracker found him."The briefest of smiles hit his lips, maliciously enthused.

He pursed his lips, "N-no... I lost his trail on the river."

He shut his eyes, taking in a deep breath, "You're lucky I'm not my father, or I'd have you beheaded," he grumbled, opening his eyes, "The next time you see that treasonous filth, don't hesitate to tear him from end to end or I'll have your head on a pike. Which reminds me, half an hour, be there in the courtyard." Fenrir scoffed, shoving Blaze out of the doorway, "Now get out of my face."

He stumbled back, "Y-yes, Sir, sorry to disappoint you," he saluted once more, "Where might I find, Lady Ylva?"

He laughed snidely, "Check the dungeons," he snickered as he shut the door.

Dungeons? Why'd she be there? And as he got there? Oh, that's why. She hung limply shackled to a wall, her usually apathetic face applied, someone more bitter than usual, however, though the circumstances warranted such an emotion. "Lady Ylva, Why are you? He paused, looking at her, "Why did he lock you up? Why's Ein a traitor? What the hell happened while I was gone?" He stepped closer to the cell, sighing at her state.

Her usual elegant off-the-shoulder dress had been replaced with raged sheets of burlap. "He... we were trying to stop the wedding," she muttered, "Ein guarded and ensured we wouldn't get caught talking. Then... when my husband died... H-he snapped."

Blaze nodded, "So you're a traitor because you tried to stop the wedding?"

"Fenrir was there too, planning right beside us... and he has the gall to call us traitors. My own son," she sighed. "If you see a moment, run. Find Ein, and run as far from here as you can."

"What about you?"

She looked to blaze, suddenly her head lolled to the floor, "He's planning on executing me... it's too late for me, but, you can still escape."

*Thunk*

He jolted up, glancing back at the ladder. Quickly, he climbed the steps, bolting down the hallway. In the distance, quick feet patterned against the stone flooring. as he rounded a corner, and then another.

A fork in the hallway caused the briefest delays until he listened for a moment, dashing down the hall closest to him.

A slight figure ran just in front of him, their cloak almost in grasp as it flew in the air. he yanked it back, tripping the person onto their back. Blaze heaved them up, slamming them into the wall, "Why were you listening to us?"

The figure held their hands up, "I was just going for a jog, I don't know what you're talking about!" it was a young woman.

He pried her from the wall, slamming her back into the stone, "Talk," he spat, yanking down her mask, She was pale, with sea-blue eyes. He tugged down her hood, Purple hair flowed from underneath.

"R-really, I don't know anything!"

"Are you really willing to die today?" he unsheathed his dagger, placing it beside her neck, "I'm warning you once, and only once." He placed the flat of the blade to her skin.

"Th-the prince!" She struggled, "He wanted me to spy on you! Too bad you won't escape."

*bump*

Blaze's ear flicked, he quickly jabbed his foot into the soft noise behind him, sending whoever was standing there back into the wall. He grabbed The woman by the neck as he sheathed his dagger, gripping the other by the neck. He suddenly slammed their heads together, knocking both of them out. The other person was a slight male, not as thin, but equally short. "Nighty night, spies," he grabbed the two by their hoods, dragging them all the way back to the cells. In cell two, he placed them into separate cages, locking them in.

But when he returned to Ylva, she was nowhere to be found.

He bolted up the ladder, passing through the hallways until he landed in the throne room, just beyond the grand doors, he could hear the grand announcing voice of Fenrir, "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, your queen!" His bony fingers clenched viciously around the carved grip of his axe. "After committing treason against our people, and assisting in the death of our dear king, she faces beheading as punishment for all those we lost at her fault. Throughout the night, we lost all of our highest-ranking soldiers and generals. and the last one was seen conspiring against her. Her personal guard has fled into the forests." he glanced down to the Queen, "Hear that, no one's here to save you!"

"People, I didn't betray you! The king kidnapped these women and prepared to marry them to the prince. He may push the blame on me, but he didn't want to get married either. The king died because we mistakingly kidnapped a shadow knight," she spoke frantically, not quite as elegantly as she would've liked to sound.

He raised it to his shoulder, preparing to strike down.

*Crack*

Chapter Text

Blaze dashed forward, swinging his blade into Fenrir's axe, yielding in a stalemate. Blaze pressed his palm to the flat of his blade, supporting either end of the sword against the wood of Fenrir's axe. "Are you insane?"

Fenrir bit his lip, snarling as he bit threw, dribbling blood down his own chin, "Stand down, pup!"

*Crack*

Blaze removed his dagger swinging it fiercely toward Fenrir who stumbled back, wild yet calculated swipes, until Fenrir fell off the platform, tumbling into the dirt below, "Your people are dying, Fenrir, and this is how you choose to rule?" Your father never would've wanted this for you. His blade extended to Fenrir's neck, pressed firmly, but not fatally to his skin.

*Thwip*

Blaze quickly rolled out of the way, looking back to where he'd been standing. There, planted in Fenrir's arm, pinning him to the dirt, was an arrow. Collectively, the crowd before them gasped.

The archer took a step back, "I-I'm sorry, I- No, I just, I!"

*Thud*

*Crash*

Their lifeless body slumped to the floor, clattering to the ground as their head rolled along the floor.

Crimson blood dripped from Blaze's blade as he sheathed it, picking lady Ylva up. He ran toward the stables.

____________________________

Ein stood still as he gazed over the gated city of Scaleswind. Though he'd heard tales of a grand city filled with corrupt lords and a navy grand enough to face O'kasis, the feeling was a bit underwhelming. While it was a big city, it just wasn't nearly large enough to face such a threat.

He gazed over the town, diligently watching. Though he didn't get a full eight hours of sleep, he couldn't sleep into the afternoon, so he rose anyway., specifically woken by the noise of a woman yelling, by the time he'd investigated it's source, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The lord, Nicole Von Rosenberg, was standing about awkwardly in front of the gate, her arms folded, and a stern look across her face, like someone'd just insulted her father.

She could've helped the group, probably did, but accusing her out in the open like this would mean likely getting tossed out into whatever crowd she was staring at, which just so happened to be about a dozen shadow souls.

Maybe that pup could help? As it stood though, she wasn't anywhere to be found. He sighed, She's probably home right now, no telling where she is. He approached Nicole, she was his best option, "Um, excuse me, Lord Nicole?"

She sighed, glancing to him, "Yeah?"

"I'm looking for a woman, darkish skin, black hair, goes by the name Aphmau. I really need to speak to her."

She squinted at him, "What about?" She had a gaze that could pierce through a lie like an arrow through linen, better to just say the truth than to lie.

He cleared his throat, "I helped her escape the tribe yesterday... and well, I wanted to see her --to make sure she was safe, and secondly to ask her why."

"Why-what?"

"H-her guard... killed my father... and my brother." He looked to the floor, "Consumed by his shadow knight form. But I'm a big believer in justice... I need to know that he'll be punished for what he did. They were innocent... and didn't deserve it. Hell, Raven... he just stood there, stricken with fear when Laurence killed him. Knowing that he could hurt someone, or her... it's not a comforting thought. So please, I need to know if she's here."

Her frown only seemed to deepen as he talked, "I-I understand... You can find her in my house, but shall any- any harm come to her, I'll personally make sure you perish painfully and slowly."

"You have my word."

She turned back toward the gate, watching her guards and Katelyn slay the remaining souls, "Knock before you enter."

And so he did, He made sure to knock loudly. A tanned man cloaked in a black hood opened the door, "Lord's out fighting right now, she's not home," he almost shoved past Ein before he caught the man.

"Actually, I need to speak with Aphmau."

He sighed, "She's inside."

He took that as an invitation to enter. He found her on the second floor, well, heard her first, followed by the voice of the man who'd slain so many of his kind. He shivered at the thought. Ein exhaled deeply, knocking on the door.

I could poison them both at once and be over with it. He closed his eyes, letting his breath give him a moment of ease before the set of double doors opened. "Ein?"

He nodded, "S-surprise. I bet you didn't expect to see me again," he laughed halfheartedly, scratching at the back of his neck with his gloved hand.

"What are you doing here?"

"I... could explain it all, but-" he reached into his pouch, taking out the letter Blaze had kindly given to him, "It's better if you read it."

She left the door open for him to enter as she read the note. And as she finished, she looked to Ein, "Who was this?"

"My brother... he's..." he looked to the plank flooring, "Laurence killed him yesterday. And my father."

Laurence and Aphmau followed in staring to the floor as a wave of awkward sorrow filled the room, "I would've left with you if I could stomach it standing... I'm sure you've lost people you've loved."

Her black tattoos creased as she winced, "Too many..."

"Then I'm sure you understand why I'm here." He glanced to Laurence, "What I'd give to see you hanged or beheaded, but... I don't want you dead. More death isn't going to bring back the people I love. And it's not going to make me feel better. I just, something, anything. I know it's not my place to say who and who doesn't deserve punishment... I just need to know that he's not going to get away with murdering my family... and so many more without so much as a slap on the wrist."

She glanced to Laurence, a frown on her lips and her doe eyes half shut, "We'll think of something."

"I understand that he's your only guard, so I'm aware it'll probably be something pretty minor, like a week in jail or something, but really anything's better than nothing." He winced, "And..." he reached into his pouch retrieving the vial, He looked at it in his palm before handing it to Aphmau, "It's the poison I made to deal with the king... but we didn't really need it. Dispose of it for me. I don't wanna look at it ever again. And whatever you do, don't open that, and seek immediate attention if it gets on your skin, or breathe it in... it's very, very poisonous."

"Noted."

He took one step back, "I hope you don't mind me asking this, "But I'm kind of a traitor now... so, could I join your little caravan?"

She nodded, "I don't see why not."

"Glad to hear it, I really had no clue where I was supposed to live." He gulped down, "Anyway, I'm gonna head outside and get some fresh air, bye!" he quickly walked out of the room as his face began to redden, tears welling up in his eyes.

He stepped out into the city, and immediately met with Nicole's young face, "O-oh, didn't go well, I take it?"

he shook his head, "N-no, not really, but it's better this way, sh-she agreed to punish him somehow... but," he cleared his throat, "Look, I really need to be alone right now."

"Alright, I'll leave you alone, but there are two people at the gates looking for you, werewolves, actually." She glanced back at the gate before entering, "They don't strike me as liars nor like they're trying to hunt you down, so I don't think you have anything to worry about, but I could be wrong... not that I want to be, but I'm not infallible. O-oh... the guest house is that way," she pointed toward a place not too far from her home, "I'd offer you a room here, but I'm all out of rooms."

He nodded, "Thanks..." He made his way to the gate and toppled over as blond hair flashed before his eyes, pinning him to the ground in a tough grapple.

"Tr-try not to hurt him, Ylva," Blaze laughed, prying her off.

"S-sorry, just- I never thought I'd see you again after that wedding," she chuckled, picking Ein up and dusting off his shoulders.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Long story short," Blaze rolled his eyes, "You're a traitor, I'm a traitor, she's a traitor. Fenrir tried having her executed. Man, I don't care who you are, killing your own ma isn't cool... so I stopped that as fast as I could."

Ein wiped the remaining tear streaks away from his eyes, engulfing Blaze in a tight hug, "You have absolutely no idea how much I appreciate it. Really, dude. Thank you... so very very much." he laughed, letting him go, "So... who wants to join a caravan?"

Chapter Text

They arrived in Phoenix drop at nightfall, and for the first time since he was a child, Ein felt a wave of calm and peace sweep over him, finally free and safe from all the harm he left behind. Maybe it was the strong aura the tree emitted, like a tidal wave of warmth and calmness, swept over them, or maybe it was the simple fact that he'd never been so free in his life. Always and forever under the reign of some self-declared king. Yet now a new king reigned back home.

Ein turned his head, panning up the tree, "I've never seen something so beautiful in my life."

Blaze nodded, Ylva smiled, "I didn't expect to see one of those here. It's not native to this land, but it seems to have adapted pretty well." Ylva bent over the ship railing, pressing her forearms to the wood, "It's a nice touch."

She watched in awe over the trees twisting branches and winding stump

Ein chuckled, "Definitely pretty." His plate armor creaked as he stretched his back out the best he could, "Where are we gonna sleep, anyway?"

Aphmau scratched the back of her neck, "Um, about that," she laughed nervously, "We kinda just sleep in the tree."

Blaze nodded, Ein scoffed, and Ylva just looked back up at the tree.

"Do we have to sleep up there? Aren't there any spare houses on the ground?" Ein raised an eyebrow

She shook her head, "Fraid not. You're kinda out of luck if you're afraid of heights." she folded her arms, "Maybe Donna or Kawaii~Chan'd let you room with them?"

"No... no, just a hobby of mine. I'd rather not burn down your tree," he sighed. The boat slowly came to a halt, landing on the dock. Aphmau quickly tied the boat to a post as Ein walked off. "I'll talk to you in the morning," he waved, stepping off the boat.

"But the sun is only just now going down?" Aphmau took a step forward.

Blaze patted her shoulder, "And we were up most of last night. frankly, I'm surprised he's still standing." He followed shortly after, only a few paces behind Ein.

Ylva bowed to Aphmau, "It'd be nice to just chat over a cup of tea, really that's all I want right now," she laughed lightly.

Suddenly, a blue-haired boy jumped out from a barrel, marching onto the dock, "Haha!" he laughed, "I showed you, mom!"

Ein and Blaze simultaneously turned around before Ein just rolled his eyes, "A stow-away, great..." he scoffed, letting the air flow out from his nose. He turned right back around, half ignoring the two boys standing on the dock, too tired for idle chit-chat. "Yeah-yeah, names Ein, I need to sleep -let's talk in the morning," he grumbled.

He walked around the tree, finding the twisting staircase moments later. He groaned as he climbed each step. Finally, when he reached the top, Ein began removing his armor, setting it in a pile on the floor beside a bed that didn't smell too much of someone else.

Blaze did the same until they were left in just their baggy linens. Ein sat on the bed for a moment before looking back at Blaze. "I-I don't think I thanked you."

Blaze quirked up an eyebrow as he pulled himself into the sheets, "For?"

"Riding me to Scaleswind... nor saving Ylva."

"Didn't you?" He squinted, briefly glancing up at the starry midnight sky, "I thought you did."

"I don't think I did, but I don't even remember," He said breathlessly as if spoken with the last bit of air in a breath.

"Yeah, I'd bet... how long were you on the road for?"

"A few hours, I attempted to sleep in a cave--didn't work." He fully laid down, resting his hands on top of one another as they sat on his stomach.

Blaze kept his gaze on Ein, half propped up by his elbow, "You're okay, right? I mean, I know you didn't get what you wanted, but you're going to be okay... right?" He wrinkled the bedsheets as he forced himself up higher, setting his palm on the bed.

"I... I don't know, not anymore." He laid flat on his back, "I just-- I couldn't kill him. It's not going to bring back my family, and it's not what Dad would've wanted."

"Probably not, no..." He sighed, laying down on his side, Ein rolled onto his, and for a moment they just looked at each other.

Ein smiled softly, "Thank the divine, we're out of there."

"To starting anew," he cheered quietly, extending his fist toward Ein.

Ein reached across the gap, gently bumping their knuckles together, "To starting anew."

_____________________

Vivacious branches of green stretched across the sky, coating the remains of old phoenix drop in a blanket of shadow. Behind a wall of spiked logs cried the laughter of young souls, cornering off what remained of the small civilization from all those fifteen years ago.

They talked about it over breakfast that morning, as they passed around toast, eggs, orange juice, and croissants. Ylva extended her boney hands, latching her fingers slowly around the navy and gold accented handle of a teacup. Ein could recall the distinct smirk she'd adopted since last night, how she smiled at him as he watched her drink, delicately tipping the glass toward her pillowy lips. Truly a woman of class, even in a location as drab as this.

He turned his head toward Aphmau, "So, you said something- what was it?" half of his eye shut, lips pursed together, "Magic sleep, I wanna hear more about this."

"Well-" she stuffed the last crust of a slice of toast into her mouth, wiping her hands together as if rubbing a dish. She gulped down, "Fifteen years ago, I was the lord of Pheonix drop, I did my best to lead and protect its people, but no matter what I did, things just never seemed to always. To make a long story short, Zane Ro'Meave, the high priest of O'Khasis, intentionally caused problems for our people. In the end, he made a portal to the Irene Dimension, and we followed after. There, I prevented Zane from gaining her relic by absorbing it... and so now I have her powers." She slowly raised a hand, glancing over it, "I don't know how to use them... but I do know that occasionally in my sleep I'm transported back to the Irene Dimension. Time seems to work differently there, so just mere minutes are years here. I missed watching my boys grow up, and so much else. So... I guess I'm just trying to make up for all that lost time."

"I-I see..." Ein exhaled, "

Even now, as Ein walked side by side with Ylva through the remains of old Phoenix drop, it still seemed to irk Ein. "I wonder what this could've been," Ylva marveled as they passed a building of neon and pastel hues, cakes in green vines, "Certainly not a traditional home," she turned to Ein, "Any ideas?"

"None, ma'am."

She smirked, raising a thinned brow, "I appreciate the sentiment, but you don't have to guard me anymore, I'm perfectly capable of defending myself."

"Understood ma'am, but I swore I'd protect you till the day I die. I don't intend on breaking the vow." He spoke valiantly.

She rolled her eyes, scoffing, "So noble." she stepped forward, peeking inside the building, now that the door laid flat on the stone road. She inched her body inward, scanning the room. "Smells interesting."

Ein stepped in after, "Maybe a bakery?"

"Probably."

"We shouldn't be in here, ma'am, you could get hurt."

She shook her head, "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I've had enough adventure for the week. Come on, let's find a place we could actually rebuild, I don't wanna spend any more time than I have to up in that tree." He folded his arms, stepping back outside.

She followed him out, wiping the dust from her dress, "Wouldn't kill you to have some fun, you know."

"I-I know. I just... Look, Ma'am. I don't want you getting hurt."

"You worry too much. As I said, I'm perfectly fine." She ambled down the street.

"We could have trackers after us, Ma'am," he stepped around her, grimacing as he stopped, "I don't like the idea of getting comfortable here."

She walked around him, "Track us?" Across the sea? Hun, let's be realistic, we're as safe as we're gonna get."

"Lady Ylva, come on. This isn't time for games and adventure, we should go into hiding, or go with them on their next great adventure."

"Do you honestly wish to travel the world and make this alliance of hers? If you do, you're welcome to go with her, but I'll be staying right here, making myself a home."

"I-I..." his cheek sucked in as he bit the soft pink flesh of his inner cheek, "I just wanna settle down, I'd want nothing more than to just set up shop and call it quits, believe me, I really do, Ma'am. We just don't have that luxury. Not with our tribe on our tails."

"My tribe," she corrected.

"Don't rub it in," he grumbled.

She shook her head, "I'm just saying Ein, my people are after us. Though we accepted your family and Raven, you aren't of our people, not by birth. Not that it matters anymore... we're both dead the moment they catch up."

"Blaze said Fenrir tried to execute you...." he sighed, looking her in the eye as they walked, "Is that true?"

"He's... lost it."

"I-I see..."

She trailed her fingers down his back, "I don't want to talk about it... not anymore, that's behind us. Hey, that reminds me... that elven lady said she wished to speak with you, I believe she lives in the lord's house."

"And you're certain you don't want someone to protect you."

She shook her head, "I'll be fine, I'm just going to check out that statue Aphmau mentioned, the one of Lady Irene."

He nodded, "Have fun."She took a step back, turning around quickly, waving as she walked down the road. He sighed, "Stay safe."

Ein walked through the wooden gate and up to the old lord's house, and as he climbed up the steps Aphmau joined him, "Uh, hey..." He waved gently.

"Oh, sorry, I'm just here to speak with Zoey really quickly, drop something off."

"Is that the elf lady?" he knocked on the door.

She nodded, "Yeah, been there for me since forever, took care of my kids for me while I was gone I just... Nicole left something for me to share and I figured who better to share it with than her."

"Ah, that's nice of you," he sniffed the air, wincing slightly, "Ugh... chocolate," he grumbled.

The door opened, and a tall platinum blonde-haired woman stepped forward, smiling vibrantly at the two, "Come in, come in."

"I-um," Aphmau smiled, "These are for you," she handed Zoey a brown paper bag, and quickly turned around, "I hope you enjoy them," she blushed before turning away, marching off quickly.

Zoey silently peered into the bag, smiling before setting it down on a barrel, "Aphmau told me that you had requested sleeping somewhere away from the tree, for fear of setting it ablaze... mind elaborating?"

"Oh-I... I didn't mean it like... He slightly bent over, whispering in her ear, "I dabble in alchemy,"

She chuckled softly, patting the blue streak in his hair, "It's not a crime here, you have nothing to worry about." she silently approached a trap door beside the far wall, lifting it up. She quietly stepped down a ladder made of thick vines leading into a basement. Ein less gracefully followed after, his metal armor crashing and banging with every step-down. "I kinda figured that's what you meant, she smiled, waving her arm around the room.

She had a wall at the end of the room lined with various shelves and racks above a desk decorated with a large jug of purple liquid. dehydrated greenery hung from a rack on the ceiling, dangling each ingredient. "Feel free to use anything here, within reason of course. I just figured I might as well share it with someone trying to learn the craft."

"Y-you're sure," he smiled, scratching the back of his neck, "I mean, surely you must be joking. I-I can't accept, this is too mu-"

"Hey, come on, I'm over 900 years old, I've practiced quite a bit in my time. I wouldn't mind teaching you a thing or two."

"You're certain?"

"Of course, besides," she plucked one of his hairs, "Consider us even now." she walked back to the desk, setting it in a mortar before grabbing a pestle and grinding it with the other ingredients she'd already pounded into a paste, "Sorry if that hurt, I just needed a werewolf hair to finish this potion. But as I said, feel free to use my equipment, just don't use all of my ingredients..."

He smiled, "Th-thank you..."

"No problem... say, what potions do you know how to make anyway?"

"U-um... p-poison... and strength..."

"Well, I suppose those would be important things to know out there. You're going to need a few other recipes under your belt though... let's start with minor healing options just as an easy start..."

Chapter Text

Ein whimpered, wrapping his arms around himself. His gut pulled tautly as his lungs breathed —caught in the back of his throat, suddenly he rose, "Father!" he yelled, panting.

Blaze quickly threw the blanket off himself, rushing to Ein's side, "What's wrong, are you-" He scanned Ein, "You're okay, right?"

Ein's lips squeezed tightly together against his teeth, "I... I'm sorry, it's just a nightmare, please... go back to sleep." He looked at Blaze in his distinctly mismatched eyes, like emeralds and diamonds, Blaze's eyes shimmered in the moonlight, the glowing god reflecting in his eye, "Really, I'm fine, go back to sleep."

Blaze shook his head, swiftly wrapping his arms around Ein, "Still dreaming of that night?" he hummed, setting his chin atop Ein's head.

"Get off of me," he demanded, "I'm fine, leave me alone," he shimmied his shoulders in an attempt to get Blaze off of him, it wasn't until after several moments that Blaze let go.

"Ein, that's two nights in a row that you've had a nightmare, I'm just making sure you're okay before retiring for the night." He knelt beside Ein's bed, "I'm not an expert at dealing with it, but I've heard from many of my men that they recall specific moments from the battlefield precisely as they happened... I couldn't help them, but I'm going to help you."

"Blaze, I'm fine, they're just dreams... go back to sleep."

He sighed, "Sleep well, okay." He silently stood back up, getting back into bed, tail tucked between his legs.

Ein gently placed his blanket to the side of himself, letting his breath go, slowly exiting his mouth before taking a new breath in. As soon as Blaze began snoring, Ein stood up, quickly inspecting Each bed. As per usual, the stranger had relocated elsewhere to sleep, and all the others remained snuggly in bed.

He slid on his pair of rugged leather boots, wrapping his fingers through the cord, knotting it within a second, as if he were a spider spinning his web, deftly moving his nimble fingers. They met up with his braie halfway up his calf.

He rose to his feet, and walked around the central trunk, finding the ladder and climbing down it. Ein quietly stepped down the winding path down to the docks, finding a stopping point at the edge of them. Staring out over the sea of thick blue waves, Ein sighed, taking a seat.

"What are you doing up?" a youthful voice called from over his shoulder, startling Ein.

"Holy fuck!" he jolted forward, darting his eyes back at the voice. The young lord he'd brushed off before stood before him, blonde locks gently waving in the wind, his blue eyes firmly affixed to the werewolf, "You're quiet," he breathed out sluggishly.

"You're jumpy," he retorted.

He just shook his head, "I wasn't expecting anyone to follow me... sorry, you just kinda surprised me." He stood, hopping up, "Lord Levin, right? I'm Ein," he extended his hand.

"I know who you are, my mother said you assisted in her attempts at escaping the southeastern werewolf tribe. She omitted a fair amount of detail though. and such details as who you and these other refugees are. Just names and vague things to be careful about saying to you."

Ein nodded, "That'd be for the best. I'll tell you a bit more about us if you'd like. But just to let you know, I have no intentions of staying here for long."

The blonde shrugged, glancing out to the sea and then back to Ein, "You're your own person... any amount of information would be useful by the way."

"I was the Queen's protector, her knight, and guard. At her disposal to do anything she requested." He scoffed, "Sir Ein of the northeast... that'd be my official title, but it'd be stupid to use it now that I'm on the run," he rolled his eyes, "A few months ago, our king received a vision from the lunar goddess to bind werewolf and Meif'wa blood. Immediately, a woman named Michi fell before us. She pleaded and begged and whined to be let go. And we allowed her to as long as she returned with a meif'wa but was given the deadline of a few months or she'd be executed for lying. She used a potion on your mother and her friends to give them the right parts and then presented them to us."

"She tricked all of you? surely someone noticed she was lying..."

He shook his head, "I was among the first to know, after Lady Ylva and Fenrir, her son. And most were too afraid to even speak to the king. So we sat idly by and waited. We found a lead in one of the prisoners who had a contact that could get us some help. But they were too late to save them from the wedding. So as Lady Aphmau stood at the altar, and Fenrir stood beside her, her guard, Sir Laurence revealed his true form and slaughtered a good portion of the army's generals and guards... including my father... and brother." He shook his head, "Lady Ylva wants me to stop being so protective of her, but it's hard... I want to leave, yet she wants to stay here. It's not practical though. The tribe will be after us, there's no way they won't send their assassins after us. We're just." he folded his arms, grumbling, we're fucked."

"Sounds like all of you have had a pretty rough time for the past few days... I get that though. I wasn't exactly raised well when I was younger... spent a lot of the time on the run, Mom'd vanished and without our Lord... the village fell into disarray. My godmother, Zoey, took us pretty far away and I spent a few good years there, making friends and growing up. Met some people there... what I'd give to see them again," he sighed, scratching the back of his neck, "I still think of them sometimes," he flushed red, cleared his throat, and straightened his back, "But my duties are here now, so I don't have time to focus on all of that."

Ein scrutinized the boy quickly, squinting over him, "When you guard someone as important as a queen-" he began circling around the boy, "You learn to read people's bodies. They can tell a whole story that clumsy words couldn't even begin to give away." he patted Levin's shoulder, "You said you left behind people, but I'm suspecting there's a specific one you regret leaving behind the most. A lover or a best friend -I won't pry... but I understand. Leaving behind the things and people you love is never an easy feat."

He shook his head, "I'm not even going to ask how you got that impression... but I won't deny that I regret not asking them to come with me. But still... it's too late to look back now."

"Could always send a messenger, request them to return to join you over here. or even just send a letter asking how they're doing."

"It's not that simple Ein, it's... complicated..." he raised his arms as if he were holding a large orb.

"Why is that? what's making it so complicated?"

"Just forget about it..."

"If you insist, m'lord." he sat back down, glancing up at the moon, suddenly stricken by its allure. His consciousness faded as his focus remained solely on the moon. It was just like that night when everything went downhill.

________________________

A meadow, thick luscious grass beneath his feet.

A young boy darted into the field, jumping toward a patch of flowers. He laughed, picking up a flower by its spindly stem, smiling at the row of purple bulbs at its tip, "Hey Ein, look at this!" The boy hollered. This boy he recognized as Raven, his ashy head of unkempt hair and piercing blue eyes was unmistakably Raven.

It was a dream he hadn't had in ages, for good reasons, repressed and forgotten. Yet here it was again, rearing its ugly head like a cave troll.

Zack stood beside Ein, slowly trudging through the grass, a handful of rabbit carcasses in hand, "Hold on, let me see that," he approached, followed shortly after by Ein, he softly plucked the flower from raven's bony hands, "It's just lavender," he slid the flower into Ein's hair, "Bring this to your mother when we get home, she can teach you how to make something with it."

They continued through the meadow until they reached a forest. Zack took point, halting the boys. His ear flicked up as his head panned across the trees. Suddenly, he pointed off to the side. The three continued that way for a few moments before a large Stag walked out into the open.

The trio crouched and Ein silently removed the bow from over his shoulder, leveling it at the deer. Ein gestured for him to breathe slowly. The arrow sprung from his bow, lodging deeply into the deer's eye. It fell over with a loud crash.

Zack laughed, "Good shot. I'm impressed you actually hit that." He rose to his feet, "If you could pull this off consistently, then we wouldn't even have to track them down afterward." He slowly walked toward the deer, "Beats shooting it in the lung," his hand gripped tightly around the arrow, plucking it from the deer's eye socket.

He handed the arrow back to Ein, who promptly put it back in its quiver, and his ring to Raven before transforming right before them. Arms and legs grew as his back stretched and elongated, forcing him to slightly hunch, his mouth protruded, forming a maw like a canine, and finally gaining a full coat of fur.

Zack's werewolf form had a way of awing Ein, Zack had a much softer colored fur than Ein, like chocolate, meanwhile, Ein's was mostly black with dark blue accents toward the ends of his arms, legs, ears, and tail.

Zack picked the deer up, throwing it over his back. "Come on, we should get home while there's still sunlight."

The moment they saw their village, they bolted, dropping their feast in the dirt. In the distance, high in the sky, a stack of smoke blew into the air, dissipating the higher it went. A large smog formed above, ashy and black like the hair of the demons that massacred their home. Alabaster skin -like that of a corpse, but softer, too pudgy to be the walking dead. No, this was a human, the light still sparkling in their vibrant blue eyes -hidden underneath all that Malice.

The way the man, swathed in black and white, approached the small group, laughing maniacally, stuck out to Ein. He's insane. To his side was a guard, Duel wielding mismatched blades of orange and blue, more rugged but with those same eyes and pale skin, with the addition of a scar over his left eye, which he held shut, and stark white hair simply cut short.

The man stood before the trio, laughing, "Sorry about the mess," his eyes squinted as if he were smiling, though his mask entirely concealed his mouth, "-I was just having too much fun." The man behind him followed behind him, sword atop his shoulder. They joined a small group of guards standing out in the field on the opposite side of where Zack had entered.

Ein fled back to his family's hut, barely able to dodge out of Zack's grasp. She'd be okay, surely she wouldn't be hurt, she'd be right where he left her, standing over her distillery, mashing herbs in her mortar. She'd be fine. This couldn't be the end of her. She was too strong to die like this, too good to be bested by such a crazed man, she'd be-

Nothing remained of their hut, just a burning stack of straw, entirely collapsed and fueling a crimson and orange flame, engulfing everything in its path.

There were no survivors. Just the three, and the moon as their witness.

Chapter Text

The moon hung high in the sky, casting faint light on land below, near pitch-black darkness enveloping the land, only illuminated by the occasional torch. Ein sat solemnly on the docks of Pheonix drop, staring out across the sea of blue waves. an ever-present scent of salt water permeating the small village.

He glanced to the side, easing into a full head turn toward the young lord, "Write your friend a letter, it's easier to appreciate what you have while you still have it." He rose to his feet, suddenly towering over the boy, "Whatever you do, don't regret it later."

He stood still, folding his arms as an inquisitive eyebrow raised, "What could you possibly regret? You're not much older than me."

"More than you realize," he marched forward, leaving Levin behind in the moonlight.

Climbing back up the tree and crawling into bed, he removed his shoes and finally fell asleep. By the time he woke up, most of the others had already left. All except for Blaze, who sat quietly by a table Aphmau's friends had somehow managed to get up here. Ein and Blaze had moved their beds where the table had been, out of a need for more privacy, something they rarely had as guards, but here, these people, they knew nothing of their secrets, their ways. Unfamiliar with their customs and the young blue-haired boy appeared to lack all sense of manners, daring to even question the way Ein didn't seem to care at all about his appearance, sans his piercings and dyed hair.

He swiveled on his butt, overturning the blanket and dropping his feet to the wooden floor. The werewolf ran a hand threw his hair, untangling a few knots before settling on his piercings, cold silver setting against his rugged fingertips, a small fragment remaining from his 8 years as a pup in the north eastern wolf tribe.

"You okay?" A voice snapped him from thought, Blaze approached him, crouching slightly to look Ein in the eye, "You're spacing out again."

"I'm fine... just thinking of home."

"Again?"

"What can I say, I'm feeling a little nostalgic?" he placed his hand on the back of his neck, "It's been so long since I was last there... I know there's nothing left of it... but it was my home."

Blaze smiled, slowly sticking his hand out, brushing Ein's waves out of his face, "You should take a bath. That pink meif'wa lady wanted to speak with you."

"It'd be nice if people weren't dragging me around all the time." He scoffed, "Why me specifically, why not you or Lady Ylva?"

"Do you even need to ask that?" Blaze sat on his bed, smoothly slipping one leg over the other, "You're special. You've got a hint of something that people find alluring. Maybe it's magic, maybe it's your charisma."

Ein pressed his lips together tightly, suddenly blowing out a thin stream of air, "Psh, what charisma?" He sighed, "Not like I'll matter to them soon anyway."

Blaze briefly smiled, before quickly looking to the floor, "You're actually gonna leave, aren't you?"

"We're on the run, Blaze, we shouldn't stay in one place for too long."

He slowly stood up, patting Ein's head, "Is that really what you want to do?"

Ein shook his head, "No, but we don't have a choice. At any moment, they could swoop in here and kill everyone. And it'll be our fault... we can't stay here, Blaze."

"They won't find us, Ein. We're as safe as we could possibly be here."

Ein rose to his feet, "We won't be safe until Fenrir's dead, Blaze!" He rose his voice.

Blaze retreated a single step backward, "Ein..."

His fists clenched shut, "I just- I don't get you! You and Ylva, you care about me but I have no fucking clue why. That bullshit about saving me, I don't need saving, I'm perfectly capable of defending myself!" He jabbed his foot into one of the legs of his bed, kicking the bed into the wooden wall, "I don't... I don't need saving. You guys, you're the ones who need protection."

"Ein," he sat his hands gently on Ein's shoulders, "I don't want to lose you too, I lost too many friends already, I refuse to lose you too. Ever since they promoted me, my life has been nothing but hectic, Ein. The things you see on the battlefield... no amount of preparation could prepare you for. You think you can protect yourself, but your life's never been in danger before. I just, I can't hide you if you're not here."

"I don't wanna fight anymore."He folded his arms, setting his grip firmly on either bicep and tucked his chin as he walked past Blaze, "I'll be at the bathhouse if you need me," He silently grabbed a towel off the table, throwing it over his shoulder. He climbed down the ladder.

"Ein..." he muttered, following after, "I know you can protect yourself, you're a capable fighter... you just- I can't lose you..." he scratched the back of his neck, stopping partway down the large winding staircase, and quickly rushed back to the treetop. He approached the table, grabbing the last remaining towel. He caught back up to Ein within a second, "Mind if I join you?"

Ein slowly turned as he stepped off the staircase, "I wouldn't mind the company."

Blaze smiled and gently pressed his hand to Ein's back, "Come on."

Ein removed his shirt, folding it delicately and setting it on a stone bench, then he removed his baggy braie and did the same before replacing them with his towel, all the while Blaze did his best to avoid making eye contact with his best and only friend's parts.

They entered a large circular room filled almost entirely with a shallow pool of hot water. Steam rose to the stone ceiling, and droplets trickled down the pillars and walls. A sconce sat on each pillar, lighting up the room with dim light, flickering about. A strong aroma permeated the room, like orange and lemon.

Ein stepped in first, removing his towel and placing it on the side before sinking into the hot water. As Blaze stepped in, he shut his eyes and placed a hand over his eyes. Blaze chuckled, "You the same, eh?" The water ripped as he submerged himself up to the chest.

Ein looked back at him, removing his hand from his eyes, "You'd think after being a guard for the past... five-ish years that I'd stop caring about staring..."

He laughed, "It's okay, I'm the same."

He lightly shook his head with a smile, "If it helps at all, I don't mind if you look, just no touching."

"I still probably won't."

His cheeks puffed up, rising, "That suits me just fine."

Blaze folded his terms behind the back of his head and reclined, shutting his eyes, "This feels nice, I'd like to do this more often."

"I'm sorry."

"Hmm?" He opened a single eye to gaze over Ein.

"I hadn't meant to snap at you, it's just... I can protect myself, you don't need to worry about me."

"I'm going to worry about you whether you want me to or not, Ein. I care about you, dude, you're kind of a big deal to me."

He scooted closer to Blaze, "Come with me, Blaze. We could have each other's backs, and we wouldn't have to worry about if the other's still doing alright."

"You're positive you want to go through with it? Are you actually going to leave?"

Ein gulped, wincing as a ball settled in his stomach, "I- yes."

"I need you to promise me something, Ein," Blaze dropped both of his arms into the water, sliding just closer to Ein, "Promise me you'll be safe while your gone. And visit us, okay? I'll take care of Ylva while you're gone, I promise."

"I'll try my best to stay alive out there. I just... It's stupid to stay here, they could find us."

"I don't blame you for wanting to leave, really, I don't. But if we just lay low for a while and let Fenrir realize he can't find us, everything will be okay. I'm certain everything will be fine if we just lay hide like this."

Ein quickly shook his head, "Not this again," he rolled his eyes, "I'll be fine, Blaze."

"You'll leave a trail" He stood, a gallon of water pouring off of him. He pointed an accusatory finger toward Ein, "They'll kill you!"

Ein rushed to his feet, "Stand down, Blaze!" He huffed a breath between gritted teeth, "It's stupid to stay here."

"And what's your plan if they find you out there? huh?" he shouted, taking a step closer, trudging through the calf-high water.

Ein stepped forward, "What's your plan if they come busting down the door? You know just as well as I that these people'd be slaughtered if Fenrir found us here!"

"You don't know that!" Blaze inched forward.

"Yes, I fucking do!" he spat, "I've been there. I know what it's like to witness a town burn down! Don't tell me what I fucking know, and what I don't! You don't even know me!"

"Settle down!" a voice called out from beside the shallow pool. There, cloaked in a towel around his waist, a stranger stood. Marked with scars atop his chiseled tan muscles. Eyes as black as coal stared over the two, "You're arguing like a bunch of children!" he growled sternly.

The two immediately shut up, quickly glancing to each other before blush coated their sweatstained cheeks and they sank back into the water. The stranger stepped into the water, removed his towel, and delved into the water. he leaned back against the beveled rim of the bath, "You two should be ashamed of yourselves, now apologize and behave yourselves, you're in public, so act like you have manners."

"Y-yes, sir," Blaze saluted.

Ein rolled his eyes, quickly glaring at Blaze before sitting up straight. He folded his arms and looked Blaze directly in the eye, "I'm sorry."

Blaze sat his hands in his lap and glanced down, "I'm sorry too."

"See, that wasn't too hard, now was it?"

"No, sir," Ein answered.

"No, sir," Blaze quickly repeated.

The stranger opened his eyes and looked at the boys, "Make yourself scarce, please, I'd like some privacy."

"Yessir," Blaze quickly rose, boiling red hot as he through his towel around his waist. Ein slowly rose as soon as Blaze hopped out, dressing himself in the sheet of white cloth, and stepped out. Ein and Blaze awkwardly walked all the way back to the tree in just their undergarments. as soon as they reached the top, Ein walked to the edge of the tree and peered across the tree.

Blaze changed into street apparel while Ein wasn't looking, a puffy white laced shirt and a pair of trousers belted by a wide leather strip. And Ein remained in his undergarments long after he left.

And so he thought and thought. For hours, he simply stood and watched the waves, just thinking.

"You seem lost," a soft voice greeted him. "If Ein kun's hurting, kawaii chan knows just the thing to make you feel better."

Ein cocked his head as he turned around, "Sorry... um... I don't speak in spoonerisms... could you like... not?"

She shook his head, "This is just how Kawaii chan speaks."

"Sorry, just, I'm not in the mood for a headache right now," he uttered bitterly.

She sighed, stepped forward, and found a space beside him to stare out at the sea, "You must be hurting pretty badly if you're this irritable," she muttered sweetly. "I can help if you want."

He bit his lip and shook his head, "No, not right now, but thanks for the offer."

"I'll be in my cottage if you change your mind."

"Noted."

Kawaii~Chan slowly turned around and returned to her home While Ein still just stood there. "We're damned if we do, damned if we don't dad... I wish you were here still to guide me. I know we weren't exactly close to each other in the end," he took a breath, "But I still think of you and mom in some of the hardest of times. Life back then... it wasn't easy, but it was simple... and I miss it sometimes." he ran his finger along the rail, "I need to know what to do, if you're out there, please, I need to know if I should stay or leave."

*Thump*

He quickly turned around to see Blaze standing there awkwardly, "I'm sorry to intrude," he said quickly, "I just... came to see how you were doing. I know we got a little heated earlier, but I calmed down now if you want to talk it over, or if you just want me to leave you alone... Either's acceptable... I just, I'll try to keep an open mind."

He smiled softly.

Ein slept soundly that night.

Chapter Text

Ein silently marched down the twisting stairs to the ground, he wiped the sweat off his forehead, his skin glistening under the high noon sun. He walked down the gravel path until he stood outside a small two-story cottage, Taller than it was wide.

He rapped his knuckles against the hardwood door and took a step back. Within a moment, the door opened and the woman from yesterday stood in the doorframe. Kawaii~Chan, as she called herself, wore a simple muted pink dress with a small silk shawl draped over her shoulders, knotted in front of her neck, and a large cloth apron draped over a majority of the front of her dress. "Ah, Ein, come in, come in," she ushered him inside, shutting the door behind him, "Kawaii~Chan's so glad to see you again, you look so much better today. Can Kawaii~Chan fetch you a cup of tea, perhaps a slice of cake?" she smiled and twirled around, returning to a large fireplace against a wall. She glanced up at him then back to the embers and crimson flames before, once again, returning to Ein, "Kawaii chan doesn't mind making you a glass, the kettles almost finished boiling anyway."

He finally cleared his throat, "Actually, I was curious if I could help you with anything, I feel bad for... the way I acted yesterday, it was unseemly, and I wish to make it u to you." He bowed and smiled, "I'm at your services if you require anything,"

She pointed to Ein's clothes, a simple blue tunic and a pair of black trousers with a leather belt affixed around his waist. "Sir Ein will need an apron if he wishes to assist Kawaii~Chan." She quickly pointed to a pantry on the opposite end of the room, "Kawaii~Chan keeps a few spares in the pantry." She turned toward the counter along the same wall as the door and began slicing potatoes, carrots, and celery, "Lady Ylva speaks highly of your companionship, It's nice to have young folk like you to help me around the kitchen, some of these pots get heavier every day."

"Young folk?" He cocked his head as he noted to offwhite strings behind his back, "You don't look a day over twenty." Although it sounded made up, the meif'wa certainly looked much younger than she actually was. soft fair skin without a scar or wrinkle in sight, vibrant amber eyes like that of a child, and a smile to end all smiles.

"We meif'wa age gracefully, but you flatter me..." she looked over her shoulder at Ein and returned her eyes to the cutting board, "Ein~kun looks rather young to be the queen's bodyguard... mind Kawaii~Chan asking how old you are?" She set her knife down, turning around.

He smirked before glancing to the floor, "I'm twenty-two. I've been serving under Lady Ylva for the last six years."

She tilted her head to the side and puffed out a cheek as she attempted to stifle a chuckle, instead she puffed out a quick stream of air and pursed her lips completely shut, "kawaii chan hadn't expected you to be so young? Did Ein~Kun ever attend guard training?"

"Nah, not formally" he approached the counter, picked up a knife, and began assisting with slicing vegetables, "I trained under the previous captain of the guard, she was an amazing fighter and as her pupil, I aimed to make her proud. for... nearly three years she trained me and we dueled. it only finally ended when I bested her and we just smiled and laughed at each other. I helped her up and we picked our swords right back up and fought again... I sometimes think about her. She was a wonderful woman.

"Indeed she was," a soft voice spoke from the doorway, Ylva curtsied.

"Lady Ylva, you're right on time, " Kawaii~Chan turned around and grabbed the poker, using it to hook around a metal arm that hung over the fire, suspending a kettle of water. The arm swiveled out and she picked up the kettle with a thick padded cloth. She placed it on the counter and reached into the cupboards to retrieve a few small cups and saucers, "If Ein~Kun doesn't mind Kawaii~Chan asking, "What happened to her?"

Ein set down the knife, shut his eyes, and sank his chin into his chest. Ylva spoke up for him, "Are you familiar with Zane Ro'meave?"

Her eyes went wide, breath hitching and she only nodded.

Ylva nodded in turn, "By the look in your eyes I can see you're familiar with the atrocities he's caused." She cleared her throat, "He stormed our castle, and she... Zane bested her in combat and dragged her all the way to the throne room. She barely had enough energy to tell Ein and her son goodbye before she succumbed to her wounds..."

Ein stabbed his knife into the cutting board, quickly turning around with tears in his eyes, "That was the second time that bastard did that to me. That monster slaughtered my entire village and then he had the nerve to come back and kill even more of my people. I'm the last line of my people and it dies with me." he turned to Kawaii~Chan, "My very own mother, uncles, aunt, and cousins all died, and then she died too and his fucking guard dared look at me and tell me, "That's two times we've spared you, pipsqueak, you better be grateful." the tears poured from his eyes and dribbled off his chin.

"Ein," Ylva pressed her hand to Ein's shoulder, gently massaging his muscles, "Deep breaths, hun, deep breaths. come on, breathe with me. Breathe in," she took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, "And out," she exhaled. Ein joined in and soon enough he shed no more tears.

"I just... he should pay for what he did -he should... they were our family."

Kawaii~Chan silently took the cutting board Ein had finished using and slid all the vegetables into a large pot before dropping her own sliced vegetables in, and finally poured a pitcher of water into it. She turned toward the fireplace and stoked the embers to make a nice bed of heat to work with, before setting down a large tray to support the pot. The pot went on and Kawaii~Chan brought the two to the table. "Kawaii~Chan's sorry, she didn't mean to kick up any bad memories.

Ein shook his head, "It's fine, I'll be fine."

Kawaii~chan suddenly shot up, "Has Ein~kun ever spoken to Blaze about it? Maybe talking about it with someone will make you feel better?"

Ein shook his head, "He doesn't talk about her anymore either... too painful. I don't blame him, I don't talk about my mom often either... just hurts to think about." he sighed and watched as Kawaii~Chan poured some water over a small mesh infuser filled with tea leaves. Immediately, the water began to darken and the scent of bergamot hit the air.

Ylva quickly chugged her cup and stood, "sorry for the early exit but this is really all the time I could spare, I promised Zoey I'd assist with a little project of ours. Thanks for the glass of tea."

"Anytime," Kawaii~Chan smiled as Ylva left, quickly turning to Ein, "So, let's skip past the sad portions of Ein~kun's life and skip right to the present, "Ein and Blaze~kun seem close..."

"We are, but it's a bit challenging being friends. We just seem to but heads all the time and it's getting kind of annoying. Maybe it's just the stress of this whole situation getting to me though," he scoffed and rolled his eyes, "We disagree on what's best for the future of our little group... since we're on the run."

"Mhmm," she hummed and smiled, "Ein~kun will figure it out eventually, "Kawaii~chan was just curious."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

Ein looked her directly in the eyes and spoke, as if a gleam in his eye demanded the answer more than anything, "Why do you talk like that... and can you stop, it kinda hurts my brain?"

Kawaii~Chan recoiled slightly, cocking her head. after a couple of moments of silence, she spoke, "Did you mean to do that?"

He stretched his back, extending his arms high, "Do what?"

"You just... never mind. It's whatever. You should drink your tea before it gets cold. I'll be over in the kitchen. And If you feel like continuing, I'd appreciate it, but if you wish to step out now, you may leave and we can consider you officially forgiven."

"Thanks for being so understanding."

"Of course. If you ever need to speak to me, you know where I am.

Chapter Text

The moon and the stars were hidden behind a thick blanket of puffy grey clouds. Each road was only lit by torchlight. Blaze sat listlessly beside Ylva on a crate outside Donna and Logan's house, staring bordely into her eyes as she spoke, "I'm just worried he's going to make a wrong move out there, he could get hurt, or worse, I just wanna make sure he's safe... if something bad happened to Ein while he's out there I wouldn't know. I just- I have to go, Blaze."

Blaze nodded, "I understand, ma'am. I'm worried for him to... I just wish I coulda convinced him to stay... I respect him, I really do, but this isn't a good idea. I know it's not. We're safe here, I'm certain of that, we'll be just fine as long as we lay low."

"But we don't know that, Blaze. We're sitting ducks here. M-maybe he's onto something. If we keep running, they can't find us."

"But if we keep moving, we'll make a trail, there's no way they could track us here." Blaze pushed himself off the crate, "I know you two are scared, but we have to be logical about this, Ylva. If you leave with him... I won't stop you, I just wish you'd consider your safety first." He started down the gravel path.

"Where are you going?" she hollered behind him, only bothering to stand from the crate.

"To take a bath, I'll see you in the morning Milady." He continued down the road without as much as a glance back at her. As he passed through the wooden gate, he placed his palm flat on his forehead and shoved his crimson hair back. "Fuck," Blaze muttered.

He glanced to the moon, a sliver of a white crescent shining back at him, "Keep him safe," he uttered, quickly clasping his hands, shut his eyes, and halted to a stop, "Please, don't let him die out there, bring him home." He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands, half expecting something, a sign to show his wish was granted. Alas, nothing became of it. "Please, at least keep him alive out there."

Blaze bit his lip and continued down the road. As he reached the bathhouse, he quickly unstrapped his belt and tugged off his shirt. He grabbed the towel he'd left on the marble bench there that morning and stripped down to nothing before tying the cloth around his waist. He meandered into the main chamber but stopped as a whimper echoed throughout the room.

Blaze silently hid behind a pillar and held his mouth shut by biting his lip. quickly, he glanced around the corner and looked into the wavering pool. In the soft light of each flame, Ein sat alone, wiping away at his eyes as more tears just fell down his cheeks. Blaze shut his eyes and listened for a moment, as each soft wail slipped between Ein's pinched lips.

Blaze slipped out of the pillar and approached Ein, as the pup quickly glanced at Blaze, "S-sorry, I didn't see you there, I-uh-" he spoke through tears, swiftly rubbing his forearms over his eyes as Blaze quietly sat down on his knees beside Ein. In the blink of an eye, Blaze had his arms wrapped tightly around Ein, holding him softly, yet firmly.

Blaze gripped the edge of his towel around his waist so as to not let it fall, leaving one arm softly tucked around Ein. After a moment of silence, Ein wrapped both of his arms around Blaze, "Are you hurt, are you going to be okay, and do you wanna talk about it?"

Ein shook his head and breathed into Blaze's neck. Muffled and drowned out by the rippling water, he spoke, "I'll be okay."

Blaze released Ein, walking around him. He smiled and spoke, "You control your own eyes, if you stare, I won't care." He gently lowered a foot into the steaming water, followed by the other. He untied the towel, revealing everything from his lower hips to his knees. The hair on his body, a vibrant red, the scars adorning his body, and his immaculate muscles. He'd seen him undress before, yet the amount of fur coating his chest always seemed to stagger him, like a pillow of fluffy red sat atop his chest, compared to Ein's much thinner coat, albeit still plentiful. Even if his head was just resting against it a moment ago, seeing him standing proud and tall was always a sight for sore eyes. How majestic the man looked when he was proud to be himself. A twinge of hope for the sorrowful werewolf gazing upon him like the ancient statue of a fantastical hero. Blaze certainly had the muscles for it.

Ein gulped as Blaze sank into the water, and with a cheeky grin, Blaze glanced at him, "You didn't turn away."

He glanced to the water, his cheeks suddenly burning brighter than Blaze's hair, "I'm not in the mood, Blaze."

"Right, sorry," he scooted closer, setting his arm around Ein's shoulders, "I just wanted you to know I'm fully comfortable around you. You can ask me whatever you want, tell me whatever you want, and whenever you want. I don't mind giving you my ear. I just... I figure it's the least I could do with our days together being as limited as they are." He gently set his hand on Ein's cheek and pulled him in, resting Ein's head atop his shoulder

"Do you ever think of your mother?" He whimpered, sucking back in through his partially clogged nose.

"I-" after a few moments, "I do, from time to time, I remember her face, or occasionally something she once said to me." His eyes wandered over Ein, smiling, "How amazing she was with her sword, or how adorable it was to watch you two train together. Of course, I remember her. I carry nothing but fondness for her, and I try to treasure the life she gave me, and the memories we made."

"I was just-" he gulped down the ball in the back of his throat and squeezed Blaze tighter, "It hurts to think about, doesn't it? Sorry, I was just curious... you never talk about her, so I just figured-- I figured it was hard for you to think about?"

Blaze shook his head and tilted his head, setting it on Ein's, "No it hurts to think about, I just muscle through the pain. Not that it's ever been easy... far from it."

"I guess... as a knight, I just feel weak for crying about it, she's been gone for ages, yet I remember her and the tears just start falling. So many people died along the way, I guess I just don't think their sacrifice was worth it in the end. Mom, Dad, Yvette, Raven... all of them." He scoffed, "I miss them."

Blaze breathed in one long breath, held it for a moment, and let it go, "It's okay to cry, Ein. I know, it's hard to ease the pain, just let it all out and everything will be okay." Sweat dribbled off their skin as they sat in the heat of the room, "Now let's actually wash up, this time, I don't want a repeat of last time."

Ein nodded and unfurled from Blaze's arms, scooting just forward, "Could you get my back?"

"Oh, yeah... where's the pitcher?" Blaze stood.

Ein pointed across the room to a small wooden table. Atop the table sat 6 ceramic pitchers and a stack of washcloths beside it. Blaze stood up and walked across it. and as he approached the end of the pool, he bent over, pressing his fingertips to the rounded stone edge, and placed his foot atop it.

Ein just sat and watched as Blaze returned still blushing vibrantly. he sat behind Ein and submerged the pitcher into the water. He slowly poured the water over his back and scrubbed him with the cloth. Ein leaned into Blaze's hand as he scrubbed, tilting his head back and up as he sighed. "Hey, Blaze?" he muttered tiredly, "I don't say it a lot, but I'm glad I met you."

"It's nice having friends," he gently sat the rag on the edge of the pitcher and placed his hands on Ein's shoulders, beginning to work in his muscles.

Ein chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah... friends... heh."

Blaze smiled, "Have you ever told me how you got that scar... the one on your nose."

"No..." he moaned softly against Blaze's touch, "I don't think I have." He leaned back, pressing his back into Blaze's chest, "Not much to tell about it... A fight occurred between me and one of the neighbor kids, we both kinda... mauled each other."

Blaze chuckled and wrapped his hands around Ein's hips, "How fun," he smiled and glanced down at Ein just as he looked up at Blaze.

"We could always... have a little fun of our own," His smile remained for several seconds as Blaze blushed.

"If you wanna roughhouse, just say it."

He choked, suddenly doubling over, He quickly recovered, smiling at Blaze as he whipped around, "You're a dork, ya know that..."

"What?"

"It's whatever..." his eyes darted to the side before they returned to Blaze, "It's a little late to start anything anyway." Ein sighed, standing up, and taking a few steps backward, "Grab the towels." He turned around and stepped out of the pool before vanishing toward the changing room.

Blaze placed his hand on his chest and sighed, each thump against his chest like a pick on stone. "Every time... it's because of you..." he muttered, glancing to the exit. He smiled, quickly grabbing the towels and rushing after Ein. "Hey, wait up!"

Chapter Text

Daylight shone through the cloudy sky, illuminating the small settlement in orange light like a campfire cutting through the midnight gloom. Ein and Ylva walked through the desolate wastes of the once glorious town, speaking on their goal once they road off the next day, they could reach Brightport in a day or two on horseback, and if they could reach there, they could speak with the Southern Werewolf Tribe and discuss. Assylum for battle tactics if they hadn't quite figured them out yet.

Ein placed his left hand on the pommel of his steel blade as he walked down the street, his gait perfectly matching Ylva's. "I really ought to head to bed, Ein," she picked up a but fabric from around her waist between two fingers as she lowered herself, sticking a leg back before rising, "I'll see you soon."

Ein nodded, "Until then," he placed a flat hand on his belt buckle and bent forward, "Rest, Milady, and sleep well." As she wandered back to the treetop. Ein remained roaming the town to scan for any threats, his typical agenda during the night, even as the sun began rising, he continued his pursuit, as long as they'd remained in the village he'd insure Blaze and Ylva's safety, it's the least he could do for them, even if Ylva insisted he should take the time to relax.

He breathed in deeply, smelling the ozone and pollen in the air, Bees buzzed and flew from flower to flower, and birds came to life, chirping above and all around. "Um, hello, you there!" A soft male voice suddenly hollered, quickly snatching Ein's attention.

He quickly inspected the voice, scanning over a sole male and a small wagon behind him, drawn by a singular horse. He stood on the opposite side of the short bridge within the walls of phoenix drop. "Hello... who might you be?" Ein's ear flicked, tail swaying gently as he walked.

the man wore a simple tan hood of dirty frayed cloth, buttoned at the neck by three silver buttons, concealing most of his head, sans his soft fair-skinned face, not dissimilar to that of a wealthy brat such as a prince, and a singular strand of straight orange hair escaped from the hood, just dangling in front of his face.

Meager armor decorated his body, leather knee pads, vambraces, and shoulder pauldrons marking each limb, each bearing the color purple. Beneath a pouched harness, he wore a rugged leather chest plate over a simple tan tunic and a tunic of linked chains ever so slightly longer than the cloth counterpart above it. The bottom-most layer of the man's outfit was an off-white union suit, fully cloaking his body from ankle, neck, and wrists.

"Hey there..." he waved, "You wouldn't happen to be a wizard, would you?" he smiled cheekily and glanced down at the dilapidated bridge, "If you were, that'd be pretty amazing right about now," he sighed and inspected it further. The meif'wa prodded his finger at one of the stones, watching as the entire brick fell out and clattered to the ground below. He groaned and stood up.

Ein stepped closer, "Mind me asking what you're doing here?"

He scratched the back of his neck, "Mikai sent me, supplies for her growing alliance and whatever, alongside a request to open up a business here... but this bridge is really gonna need fixing before we can even consider the negotiations for that."

"I'll be right back," Ein turned around and bolted back to town. He returned a couple of minutes later carrying a few wide wooden boards and laid them beside the bridge's rails and the final board in the center for the horse to cross on. "Is that good enough?"

The meif'wa shrugged and slid into the carriage, miraculously, the carriage made it across without a hitch. "Thank you, sir, I'll be seeing you," The meif'wa continued on down the road and Ein walked awkwardly beside the carriage until finally, the meif'wa turned down the road toward the inner portion of town while Ein remained going straight.

The bees flew over a field of wild grass and wheat, and the birds chirped in the massive trees above, crying out into the sky, each one singing a song for the world. Like chimes in the wind, they sang. Each rock beneath his foot crinkled and crunched as it ground against other rocks.

He walked all the way up the hill toward this eyesore of a house and found his way to the dilapidated remains of the former dock, a certain boy sitting patiently on a wooden post, he immediately smiled at the sight of the ginger and the boy smiled back, "How's it hanging?"

Blaze held up a wicker picnic basket, "Come on, ya dork," he turned around and jumped down to the shore and walked a few feet before taking out a blanket from the basket and laying it on the sand. He sat down and began unpacking the basket and smiled, "I figured it'd be nice to just sit, chat, n eat while we watch the sunset." he glanced awkwardly up at Ein, "I-uh... KC helped..."

Ein chuckled and finally sat down, "You can tell her I say thanks." he adjusted his tunic and helped pull the remaining items out. In just a few minutes, they had plates of five-finger sandwiches, cookies, deviled eggs, lemon poppy seed muffins, fairy bread, and cheesecake topped with sweet cherries. To drink, Blaze brought a large thermos of a liquid Ein quickly found out was lemonade. "Quite the feast," Ein smiled.

Blaze blushed, scratching the back of his neck, "I wanted to do something nice for you before you leave me... this is just what I came up with as a little gift..." he smiled awkwardly and picked up a sandwich, "So... dig in."

Ein shook his head, scoffing as he picked up a muffin, "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too... it kinda... hurts, ya know... seeing you leaving like this, I just... is there anything I can do to convince you to stay? Anything? We don't have much, but what we do have is far greater than anything we had previously..."

He shook his head, "I doubt it... I just don't feel safe here." he glanced across the sea and to the rising sun and then back to Blaze's glistening eyes, "Is there anything I can do to convince you to come with me?" Blaze similarly shook his head. "Then, to our last day together," he poured a glass of lemonade and raised it.

Blaze did the same, pouring a glass of lemonade, "To our last day together," they clinked their glasses together and took a sip. As they lowered their glasses, Ein smiled at Blaze and Blaze smiled back, suddenly snickering together. "Well, that's fucking depressing."

Ein whipped the tears from his eyes and kept his smile, "How about this, "To friendship."

Blaze raised his glass, "To friendship," they clinked their glasses again, taking a larger sip before they delved into the food. "It's nice to finally have a moment with you with your clothes on... I mean, not that I dislike seeing you with your clothes off, you're body's not ugly or anything, I mean... fuck, um... It's just nice chatting with you... clothes or not."

"Smooth," he smirked, raising a single brow. Ein picks up his sandwich and winks.

"Shut up," he laughs and presses his hand to Ein's face, gently shoving him back. Ein smiled, walking around the food to sit beside Blaze where he promptly shoved him into the sand.

Blaze sat back up, quickly pinning Ein to the sand, "Ha, You're bested, admit you've been beaten."

Ein roles over, pinning Blaze to the sand, "You were saying?"

He smiled.

He blushed.

His lips were on Blaze's in an instant. The soft smell of Blaze's woody scent pressed against Ein's nose as they locked lips. His hand quietly slipped around Blaze's neck while he leaned into it, the other wrapping itself around Blaze's hips, pulling him down while Blaze supported himself on two extended arms, They both held their eyes shut all the way until they release. To which they both responded by suddenly letting go of the other.

"I'm uh... I'm sorry," Ein scratched the back of his neck and blushed.

"Don't worry about it," he punched Ein's shoulder before returning to the food, "We should-shouldn't let this food go to waste."

Ein cleared his throat and returned to the food, blushing the entire time as they ate. Within the hour, Ein and Blaze finished their food, and as they watched the sunrise, they just sat together in silence and bathed in the warmth.

Chapter Text

"I want them found!" Fenrir's voice boomed through the throne room chambers, bouncing off the cold marble walls. "I don't care what it takes, find them! Search the ends of the earth if you have to!" Lightning cracked outside, illuminating the stained glass windows on either wall. "Find them, Dame!"

The raven-haired knight recoiled, her blackened armor crashing against itself as she stumbled, "But sir-"

He growled, raising both brows while his nose scrunched up, wrinkling his forehead, "Find them or I'll dispose of you, I have no room in my kingdom for incompetent fledglings, do as I command you!"

"Y-yessir!" she saluted meekly, turning on the balls of her feet as quickly as she could. Practically running out of the room and back outside through the heavy wooden doors as the greeters held them wide open for her.

Though she ranked top of her class in self-defense and intellect, her wits earned her a slight reputation, one she could only afford to have under Queen Ylva and King Roam. Unfortunately, her small stature meant she wasn't nearly as strong as some of the brutes in her class. Though considering that Fenrir had only just promoted her, her rank wasn't really taken seriously by most of the other soldiers.

she shuttered in the cold, met instantly by a small company of soldiers right where she left them, gathered all out front in the pouring rain. "O-our orders remain the same!" she shouted over the pounding rain, mud splattering all around them, painting their shin guards in thick mud.

Her orders were met with a loud moan of all the soldiers simultaneously groaning. One of the soldiers from first platoon stepped forward, "But Dame Dorothy, we've been searching and searching for weeks, we haven't found a damn thing anywhere on the eastern half of Ru'aun."

She sighed, "I-I know, Kyle... they could be anywhere in Ru'aun... or not. Divine knows they could be in Tu'la by now." She bit her lip, "Our King doesn't care, he wants them found, imprisoned, and executed."

Another soldier stepped forward, "Don't they have a shadow knight? I heard she slaughtered everyone with just her gaze, how are we supposed to capture them? This is a suicide mission!"

Another stepped out of line, "We're all gonna die if we try!"

Dorothy sighed, "We don't have a choice, men, King Fenrir wants them found, so we find them. That's our job."

Kyle shook his head, "And what makes him so competent in the first place? We've lost our only link to the lunar goddess, how are we supposed to know what to do? Maybe she wants them alive?" he shrugged, "I don't care what vendetta he has, we can't do this!"

She looked back at the castle doors, muttering quietly, "You'd know what to do, Rylan."

She adjusted her hauberk, "We can't back down!" in one swift move, she stood at attention, "Company! About face!" a roar of crashing metal filled the air as every soldier in the company smoothly placed one foot behind themselves in the mud, pivoting and turning around in a second. "Company, Forward march!" the group began moving toward the gate. she halted them at the gate, climbing atop her horse before continuing the march.

________________________________

The moon shone dimly above the town of Pheonix drop, through a veil of thick bulbous clouds, the land remained in near darkness. Thunder struck the sky as billions of droplets battered the stone-paved roads, and splashed mud into every crevice between the cobblestone.

Ein looked softly out the window, his untidy hair pulled back and tucked into the collar of a baggy sweater he'd purchased off that Meif'wa. While not exactly his style, its woolen comfort was much appreciated during the cold of this torrential downpour. He didn't exactly have the money to be picky either.

The floor creaked as Blaze stepped closer to him, "Watching the rain?" he muttered, nuzzling into Ein's form. His hand pressed softly to Ein's stomach, rising and falling with every breath.

"I'm terrified, Blaze..." he whimpered shakily. "I..." he clung to Blaze's hand, "I'm afraid he'll find us. Yet... I-I don't wanna leave you behind... but I can't leave in this weather, we could get sick..."

Blaze gently turned him around, "It's okay, Ein, we're here right now, that's all that matters."

He nodded, resting his hand on Blaze's hairy pec, "Do you think we'll ever truly escape?"

"As long as Fenrir's alive? Never..." he muttered solemnly, "We both know that the only way out of this is if we..."

Ein shook his head, "There's gotta be another way... he's just... he lost his entire family, Blaze... and we helped them... he has every right to be angry... I don't know if I could do it."

"It'd be hard... I know... but if we ever had the opportunity."

Ein sighed, pressing his forehead into Blaze's chest, "No, I mean... I watched him grow up beside me, I've known him for all of my life, I can't just... off him without a second thought. He was my friend, he was our friend..."

Blaze wrapped his arms tightly around Ein, clutching him closely, "I know... it hurts to think about... but we have to be honest, Ein... the man we knew's gone... he's mad."

Ein shuddered, clearing his throat, "I... don't wanna talk about this anymore."

"As you wish, love." In one swift motion, Blaze picked Ein up in a bridal carry, walking back to the bed, "Is that sweater comfortable?"

"Hmm... oh... it's nice... ugly... but it feels nice," he answered honestly, nuzzling into Blaze as he was placed on the bed. "Why?"

he smiled, a sharp toothy gleam from ear to ear, "You look cute all swaddled up in it."

He simply blushed, grabbing Blaze by the neck and holding him there, "Be a doll and fetch the wine." releasing his grip around Blaze, he sat up.

The soldier did as asked, fetching the bottle of Cat's tongue wine, yet another purchase Ein made at the small Market Kai set up.

As Blaze poured a glass for Ein, he glanced to his love, "Didn't Aph go on that trip? I hope she has cover for the night..."

Ein accepted the glass, "thanks," he muttered, taking a sip, "Yeah... I don't know, it was something to do with her sons, but she was in such a hurry I barely caught a lick of it."

Blaze nodded, "I hope they're alright... that Levin kid seems to nice to actually survive out there."

________________________________

a thousand plates of metal creaked in the night, clashing and swaying on their bodies. Dame Dorothy swung her sword through tall grass, her pale cheek bloating with every wild cough "Any sign of them?"

the nearest soldier turned to her, "No, Ma'am, this infernal rain's covered any tracks they may have taken if they even took this route!" she shouted through the rain.

"Keep searching!" Dorothy shouted back.

suddenly, Kyle rushed up to her, wading through the mud, his soggy crimson bangs dangling out of the faceplate of his helmet, "Ma'am... we've picked up a scent!"

Chapter Text

Kyle wiped his auburn locks away from his face, with excited eyes of emerald green staring Dorothy in the eyes as he trudged toward her, "Past the Southern werewolf tribe ruins, we found a shipwreck with a scent matching the King's honeymoon suite. The ship belongs to a small town not far from here, Pheonix Drop."

The Dame glanced to the thick mud before returning her gaze to the sergeant, "We'll head for this town then, if her scent's still fresh then it's possible we're not far behind her." Kyle nodded, turning on his heels with a splash of viscous water spraying around him. She situated here;f atop a hill, glancing out at her scattered men still searching. Inhaling deeply, she bellowed, "Fall in!" In an instant her men all began rushing back to her, lining up in their designated spot.

After every platoon leader ensured everyone was present she began, "We've picked up a lead, men. Near Brightport, we discovered a shipwreck belonging to the town of Pheonix drop, our assassin's scent on it."

"So we're getting close?" Corporal Riggs folded her arms.

Dorothy nodded, "If we can get a lead on her in the town, then maybe. There's no guarantee we'll find her, but if we could find even a single trace then we should be able to catch up."

"Bout' damn time..." Rigg's muttered.

Dorothy sighed, "We'll set up a camp on the outskirts of town and go from there. Jen, prepare your squad to scout ahead, we'll need you to investigate around the town."

Riggs saluted, "Yes'm!"

"Rick, search the inside of town, I need your squad to ask around for our band of fugitives, see if you can learn anything."

"Yes ma'am!" he saluted.

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The sunrise rose brightly in the distance, rippling across the ocean as thick grey clouds dissipated into the clear blue sky, a rainbow arching across the sea while Dale sat in a small wooden boat fishing.

Blaze hugged Ein tightly in the doorway of their shared house which sat in the heart of Pheonix drop, just across the street from Alexis's parent's old home and just down the road from the market, both currently under construction. It was mostly made of stone and wood like the other houses, just one large room containing a kitchen, their bed, a couple of couches, a coffee table, and a small side room dedicated for lavatorial uses, though it lacked a bath so they'd have to continue bathing at the local house.

Ein smiled as he stepped back onto the rug in the center of the room, his bare feet thanking him as he stepped of the cold stone, "Can't wait to see you again, Blaze," he winked and Blaze did too.

He smiled, "You say that like I'll be gone for a day, I'll be back in half an hour."

Ein slickly ran his finger over his ear, tucking his shaggy sideburns behind it, "I know... just thought... well," he blushed, "Maybe we could continue where we left off last night."

Blaze's cheeks burned red, "Can't wait."

Ein stepped forward once more, pecking Blaze upon the cheek, "Now go before Zoey get's mad at you."

"Zoey? Mad? as if. You're right though, I'll see you soon," he waved as he turned, glancing back once more, "I love you."

"I love you too," his cheeks bubbled up, shoulders raising slightly.

Blaze shut the solid oak door, stepping out into the town. Mud rushed from between each and every pebble with every step he took. He turned the corner, walking across the rebuilt bridge and out of Pheonix drop where he followed the wall for a few minutes.

Dew-coated grass wiped across his trousers and ankles as he walked along the wall, finding Zoey picking a large flower, a long drooping green stim ornamented with an array of small bell-like petals. she smelled the flower deeply before gingerly setting it inside of a satchel wrapped across her chest and shoulder, sitting firmly on her hip. she wore a simple white dress, and a sparse amount of makeup, just mascara and a bit of blush which was far more than he'd ever seen on her before.

"What's the special occasion?" he smiled, folding his arms.

She blushed and smiled back, "Oh nothing, just the second happiest girl in all of Pheonix drop."

He chuckled, "I won't pry further. "

"Thanks," tucked some hair behind her ear, "Oh right... Sorry, Ein told me you were good at tracking things... I need your help tracking a small cat that's been hanging around the area, I tried luring her out with food and water but no luck. Do you think you could help me find it? I-if not that's okay... just trying to fix the whole Meif'wa thing going on with Aph and the others..."

Blaze nodded, "Of course, I'll help... do you know where I might start looking?"

She pointed to a small crack in the wall, a hole bored from one side to the other, "It gets in through that hole, but after that rain, I don't know if you'll be able to find anything.

He knelt down, inspecting the hole, buried partially in the mud and scrapped along the sides of the stone were several small patches of ginger fur. He reached in, picked up a strand, and sniffed it. Before he could get a good smell, a shrub in the distance crinkled. He quickly rose, grabbing his sword from its sheath, "Behind me," he commanded Zoey. Stepping further into the forest.

____________________________

Ein smiled at Ylva across the table, "I still can't believe we actually got together," he smiled, "It feels like a dream, but if it is I don't wanna wake up..." he chuckled, "Ya know?"

She wore an uneasy smile like she wanted to answer she had, but if she was being honest she'd never actually felt love, not even when she was younger, and especially not with her late husband. "I... no... I don't, but I am happy for you."

he sighed, "I suppose you wouldn't have... would you?" he placed his glass of tea on the table, leaning closer to her, "Maybe you'll find love one day, maybe not... at least I love you."

She smirked, "It's nice to see someone does... it hard knowing your own son wants you dead," yet her smile faded back to a frown, her lips dropping slightly down as her eyes lowered to her glass.

"He's... I can't really make excuses for him trying to kill you... but I like to think there's still a little bit of good left in him... maybe it's wishful thinking... but he and you are the only pieces of family I have left... kinda hard to think about."

She gave him a knowing glance, "I understand." Gulping down a bit of saliva, she placed her cup down, "Can we change subjects?"

He nodded, "I saw the dress you made for Zoey, she looked lovely in it."

"You think so? I tried my best with what that merchant had to sell... even so, she seemed to like it." Zoey picked her mug up, taking a gentle sip, "It's just nice to see people smile, there for a while, you were the only one I saw smile."

Ein leaned over, nabbing a coconut macaroon from a platter Kawaii chan had prepared, "I had people then... Raven and I were close... and even though we rarely saw dad... it always felt so amazing when we did get the chance to talk again." he smiled, "He'd talk about how proud of us he was... actually protecting our queen and taking it seriously, then he'd complain about how dull it was commanding an entire battalion of soldiers when none of em have any backbone." He stuffed the treat in his mouth, smirking, "Raven... liked to... joke about," he swallowed, "How he could wipe the floor with any of them, but he'd always try to convince dad that our job was way more boring."

She nodded, "Zack had a way with keeping morale up, didn't he?"

"Y-yeah..." he glanced to the side, "I miss him."

The front door suddenly burst open, Blaze rushing in, "Ein!" he panted, hunched over, and placed his hands on his knees, "Th-they found us!"

"What?" he yelled, eyes widening as his mouth hung just open. He placed his glass down, quickly throwing on a hauberk of his tunic. He rushed to put his boots on and grabbed his sword on the way out. Ylva followed tightly behind them.

Blaze held a bow tightly in his hand, a quiver upon his back, "I found one of their scouts outside of town... and they got away... I don't know how they found us... but we need to go. I-I have a plan." he sped off toward the stables, helping Ein and Ylva onto a horse before climbing onto one of his own. "I'm going to try and lure them away."

Ein stared at him, you could hear the heartbreak in his voice, "But Blaze-"

"Please, let me do this. You need to protect her, you need to keep her safe."

"But-"

"Please, let me do this!" he cried, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, Ein. Please, Promise me you'll keep her safe?"

"I... I promise."

He pulled out of the stable, "Wish me luck," he called, riding quickly out of the gate.

Ein shuddered as he watched multiple soldiers take pot shots at Blaze, none hitting, but the sight was enough to make him falter for a moment before he rode toward the forest. He could make it to New Matelli, he knew Aphmau had good relations with them.

Rushing under tree branches and leaves, Ein steered tightly, avoiding trees left and right. Ylva hunched over the horse's neck, while Ein's chest sat firmly against her back. they nearly made it out of the forest when an arrow pierced the horse's thigh, sending the two flying off its back, crashing into Mud. "Ylva run!" he yelled, unsheathing his sword as he stood. She bolted out of his vision and he focused on the incoming soldiers.

The first soldier swung at him with an arming sword, he parried the attack, stabbing the soldier in the neck before turning to the next, a stout shoulder wielding a mace, which he quickly dispatched with a simple circle parry, throwing the weapon from the soldier's hand before he slashed across their neck. he rolled out of the way of an arrow, rushing toward them and ending them quickly. they seemed never ending, and he slowed down as more and more came, before one finally disarmed him, knocking him into the sand, the solder held her blade firmly to Ein's throat, "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to." she grumbled, "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Sir Ein."

"Get away from him!" Ylva screamed, picking up a blade before slashing at the female Soldier, another soldier stepped forward, slashing the queen across her chest. a moment of silence passed as they watched her fall backward, splashing mud as she hit the ground.

Ein stared, his jaw agape, eyes wide, his gut gnawing inside of him. His head throbbed as he shut out all other noise. He crawled to her, holding the back of her head as he cried, "Stay with me, Ylva, keep your eyes open, please, no... stay awake. Please, please, please..."

she slowly raised her hand, pressing it gently to his cheek, "I love you... son." she barely muttered, her hand relaxed, dropping back into the mud as the light faded from her eyes.

"No, no!"

"Kyle, shackle him," the soldier sighed, "Fuck... Fenrir's gonna be pissed." she turned to Riggs, "What the fuck were you thinking?" she yelled, "Our orders were to take them in alive!"

Jin scoffed, "She came at you with a sword."

"She was hardly a threat!"

Ein panted, pleading for her to stay with him, crying, and begging. She was gone and he knew it, but he could hardly believe his eyes. He failed. Miserably. His hands were ripped from her fading warmth, held firmly behind him as cold metal shackles clamped shut around them, "I'll kill you, you bastard, I'll fucking kill you!"

Kyle held him firmly in place, wrapping a rope around him. "Ma'am?" he looked to Dorothy... "It's just us left..."

"Why did Rick have to rush after? He should have stayed and we wouldn't have..."

"We wouldn't have caught them, Ma'am..."

"I know... but so many good men died today..." she sighed, "Let's go..."

____________________________

Blaze rode steadily down the road before finally turning around, No way that was all of them, there has to be more. H erode past all the corpses he'd shot on his way out, reaching Pheonix drop without an issue. "Ein!" he followed after their scent, but what he saw when he finally stopped shocked him more than anything. "Ylva?" he stepped off of his horse, inspecting the numerous dead bodies gathered in the mud, and in the center of them all was his queen, lifeless and cold. he gripped the bow tightly. "Those heartless bastards!"He snarled, picking her up, "I'm coming for you Ein, I swear I'm going to find you."

Chapter Text

Dorothy stood silently beside Fenrir, a cold sweat dripping down her neck as he inspected Ein, who knelt before the king, his teeth bared around the wooden gag in his mouth as his nose twitched. He slowly turned to Dorothy, a peculiar scrutinizing gaze like no other she'd felt before. "And what of my mother?"

She could feel her heart sink in her chest, an uneasy feeling like nausea settling in her gut, "She... died."

His gleeful expression soured as he quickly smacked Ein across the face, knocking the knight over. "How?" he growled, grinding his teeth together.

She swallowed, "She came at me with a sword... and Jin... Rigg's cut her down."

Fenrir's gaze remained on Ein, "Sir Ein of the Northeast, Queen's protector, and you couldn't save her from some wretched initiate? You disgust me."

Rigg's shuddered as Fenrir's gaze turned to her, "And you..." he unsheathed his blade.

Jin slowly backed up, "Sir, please, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"There will be no forgiveness, you've shown your ability to follow commands, I have no need for someone as spineless as you."

"Sir, please don't do this!" she turned to run for the door, but the brutes held it firmly shut, the two werewolves gazing down on her with contempt. She turned back toward Fenrir shamefully.

"Going somewhere?" he closed in on her, blade extended. Dorothy looked on in horror, turning away from the sight as Jin filled the hall with her screams. She knew this would happen, it's precisely what happened to her mother, yet seeing it again would only haunt her dreams more so. Low guttural tears echoed throughout the room and Dorothy looked back. Jin's cheeks were stained with tears, she sobbed quietly as if not wanting to offend her lord's ears. through her shoulder and pierced into the door was Fenrir's ornate blade, a shimmering arming sword, its handle forged from gold, and the pommel was bejeweled with a rather large sapphire.

He retrieved the blade, slicing straight threw her arm with a sickening crunch, and the screams continued as the limb fell to the floor.

"You may live," he wiped his blade clean of her blood, "However, I hereby renounce you from the royal legion and you'll serve as a scullery maid from now on. You may move your belongings to the servant's hall. Once you've shown you can follow orders, I'll consider promoting you." he turned toward his butler, "Mino, has the previous servant learned from his mistake?"

"I cannot be certain my lord, but Daniel has shown promise." he cleared his throat.

"Perhaps he's a better servant than assassin." he glared at Dottie, "Maybe my demonstration worked after all." He sheathed his blade and folded his arms as he walked toward the throne, "Fetch him for me, my loyal Dame and we'll discuss your future since frontline work doesn't seem your speed."

She gulped, "Y-yessir," she gave Kyle a quick glance before falling out and taking her leave.

The boy shuddered where he stood, still firmly holding Ein in his place, "What of the prisoner?"

Fenrir circled around Kyle, so that he may look Ein in the eye, those bloodshot eyes, his drenched cheeks not suitable for someone of his caliber, "I should execute you... but unfortunately, you're still useful to me." He knelt down, "You'd make an excellent training dummy, wouldn't it be a lovely sight? soft skin sliced open like an envelope..." he smiled. "Send him to the cells for now... he'll need his strength for what comes next."

"Yessir."

Dorothy walked quickly through the halls, following the sooty scent of her old friend. She found him hunched over a fireplace in the king's chambers, placing a fresh log on the fire, "Sir Daniel," she hummed sweetly.

he turned to her with a fearful look only to sorrowfully glance down, "Don't call me that, Dottie." he muttered.

"Sorry, I just..." she sighed, "It's been a bit since I last saw you, and wanted to cheer you up."

"No need..." he stood, turning toward a broom leaned against the wall, "Best we don't speak, I'd hate to get in trouble again."

The bags under his eyes had darkened since the last time she saw him, "Are you getting sleep?"

He turned to her again, "Is anyone?"

"N-no... I-I have good news though, the king wishes to speak to you." she smiled softly.

He huffed sweeping up a small pile of dust before pouring it into a bin. He grabbed the cart, pushing it past her and into the hall. The card jumped on a large crack, flinging a feather duster onto the floor. He sighed, bending over.

And what she saw horrified her. burned into his right haunch was a symbol, their symbol, blistered into his skin in a crude manner, "Daniel... did they... brand you?"

He sighed, "You saw nothing." He placed the feather duster back onto the cart and continued walking until he reached a door, shoving the cart through and returning a moment later, sans apron.

He began walking down the hall and she followed beside him, "Did Fenrir do that to you?"

"You saw nothing!" he reaffirmed, "You're only going to get me in trouble, so please... just stop talking."

she sighed, "I'm sorry..."

The rest of the walk back to the main hall was utterly silent, just the creaking of their feet against floorboards as they walked. And when they arrived Fenrir was sitting patiently in his throne, "Ah, my favorite servant, How's life treating you?"

Daniel marched to the center of the room, bowed, and smiled, "I'm well, thank you."

He nodded, "Of course." he cleared his throat, "I've called for you because I'd like to discuss what you've learned since your disciplining. Have you done your chores today?"

"Of course, yer' majesty, I was just finishing up tidying your chambers when Dame Dorothy fetched me," he answered sweetly.

"Did you remember to rekindle the fire?"

"But of course, and retucked your sheets, fluffed your pillow, dusted the paintings, tables, and windows. and the same has been done to every bed chamber in the Castle"

"Excellent. I think this job suits you much better, don't you think? You're performing so much better at this than your old job."

He nodded, "Thank you. I've been... taking this job very seriously."

"Glad to hear it." he cleared his throat, "Speak with Mino, he has a job for you."

"Y-yessir."

_____________________________________

Ein awoke in a cold room, the scent of stale air around him as he opened his eyes, laying in a bed of hay and a singular scrap of leather. He groaned, sitting up to find that his hauberk and boots had been removed, leaving him in just a pair of trousers and a thin linen tunic.

The room was cold, unseasonably so. He recognized it as the dungeon, the large cage surrounding him made that all the more obvious. He glared around the dungeon, finding his guard standing by a tall ladder at the end of the room, and he sighed, "Fuck me..."

Chapter Text

*Bang*

Ein jolted awake, immediately glaring at the source of the noise as his eyes adjusted. Before his cell door stood Fenrir, hands clutched tightly around the bars, "Rise and shine, Ein." his brown locks draped over his face, curled strands jumping up in every which way. Below his eyes sat light bags of a slight purplish black, almost bruised.

Ein pressed his hand on the wall, standing to his feet, his shackles jangling, "What do you want?"

Fenrir took a step back, glancing at one of his many guards, "Grab him." He started for the ladder, climbing up where he waited for the guards to carry Ein up.

Ein pressed his back to the wet wall, sharp stones digging into his almost bareback, the thin linen of his tunic doing almost nothing to combat the coarse material.

And in a moment of pure horror, his fleeting hope left him at the mercy of his captors, left without an ounce of courage to fight back.

______________________

Dorothy hunched over her cot, furiously filling a bag with her belongings. She glanced to the wall and out the window, an ugly mural of a crude werewolf stained in garish colors staring right back. She glanced down at a thin piece of paper folded into a small rectangle. She clutched it for a moment, thinking for a minute before stuffing it into her bag. She quickly grabbed her, stuffing it under the cot.

She sighed, and turned around, suddenly face to face with a young man in ragged linens and an apron, hazel eyes to her baby blues, the boy smiled sweetly, bowing. He wore a mop of curly white hair, and an ashen soot-covered face. His delicate features were almost too angelic to belong to a simple servant. His ear twitched gently in the room's silence, blue fur striking against the starkness of the tealish white of his locks. A thin silver looped piercing wrapped around his upper right ear.

He held a folded piece of paper toward her without saying a word, and immediately after she took it from his hand, he vanished from the room, down the hall, and off to his job. She'd have thanked him if it weren't for what she was doing.

she unfolded the paper, darting her eyes over the stained sheet, written in immaculate cursive "He'll be leaving tonight after dark, be there." and she knew precisely what it meant. if she could just make it out of the walls, she could escape. They were her only hope if she was gonna make it out in one piece.

She placed the paper over a candle, watching as the tip faded to a dark brown before catching fire, ash falling from its fragile body.

Leaving the room, she headed for the kitchen. Her solitary feet echoed down the hall, reverberating on the creaky floorboards and stone walls. She hated it, how eery these halls were. Usually, she'd have to squeeze by five other soldiers or guards just on her way to the mess hall, but now... there was no one. Even fewer than there had been even after the massacre. And after the loss of her entire company, there was almost no one. just the guards and the few battalions left on the battlefield.

she pressed her hand against the wooden frame to the kitchen door, peering around the room for a minute before settling on a raggedy man, a mop of long auburn hair draping past his neck in a sort of pseudo mullet. And as soon as his light brown eyes laid on Dorothy's, he smiled, "Dottie," he perked up, even if just slightly.

She trailed her finger down the wooden paneling lines, stepping into the room, "Hey, Rylan, I missed you."

He placed down a rag onto a counter as he approached her, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend, and she leaned in close, "Everything's set, do you have your bags ready?"

He whispered back, "Of course."

"Meet him outside after dark." she stated simply and separated, "I wish I could stay and chat some more but I barely had the time to come down here, I'll see you soon, Rylan." He nodded as she left the room.

______________________

Ein grunted, frigid water suddenly washing over his body, and he tensed, arching back only to find that his hands were bound to the wall, encased in rusty shackles, Ein's hands chafed. He pushed his knees into the wall, trying to force off of it, to no avail.

Suddenly, like white-hot fire seared into his skin, his back lit up in pain, a large gash stretching across the small of his back and up to his shoulder blade. That crack filled the air with sinister glee before the source of the whip cackled.

"I hope you like this here friend of mine," I brought it out for just this occasion," Fenrir ran a finger down the thickly threaded rope of leather. 'Ya see, it was my grandpa's back in the day, he used to tame animals with this thing... I think it fitting for the occasion."

"You're fucking crazy," He barely had enough time before the whip lashed once again across his back. He yelped, tugging on his chains, his face twisting in pain.

"Bet that stings, doesn't it," he grazed his fingers over the torn fabric of Ein's shirt, gripping fiercely onto the fabric and shredding it from Ein's body. "Animals don't wear clothes," he glanced over Ein's body, "I let you keep your modestly, but let it be known, pet, you won't find me so merciful in the future."

He bit his tongue, still trying to come down from the pain searing his back.

"You see, Ein," he pressed his thumb firmly to one of Ein's gashes, forcefully pressing into it until his blood gushed up around Fenrir's finger, "You betrayed me, and our people, and you'll have to learn to be good if you ever wanna see the sun again."

He rammed his booted foot into the back of Ein's knee, dropping the knight only for the chains to catch him, tearing across his wrist abrasively.

Fenrir, took a step back, grabbing a broom from the wall before returning. He looked down at the thin wooden stick forming the handle, trailing down to the yellow straw bristles. He quickly raised the handle to the air, slamming it down against Ein's back. The room erupted in cries.

Fenrir pulled Ein's hair back, yanking his face upward. With his other hand, Fenrir pressed his thumb to Ein's lips, quickly pulling down, forcing his mouth open, threatening to dislocate Ein's jaw if he fought back. Ein exhaled raggedly, wide-doe eyes darting around the cell.

Fenrir sighed harshly, puffing breath from his nose like a dragon breathing fire. Looking behind him, he retrieved a large wooden tankard of water while still holding Ein's mouth open, and placed it at Ein's lips, "Drink up, this is the only time we're feeding you today so be sure to drink as much as you can." He smiled Maliciously, and tilted the tankard up, quickly pouring ounce after ounce into and onto Ein's face.

Ein gargled, drinking as much as he could, but when the water rose above nose level, he snorted water in. Choking and gagging --he threw up, glancing back at Fenrir with fluttering eyes. "F-f-f-fuck you," he shuddered, completely drenched in water.

Fenrir sighed, setting the empty cup down with a solid clack of the wood hitting the stone. Immediately, he swiped his hand back against Ein's cheek, backhanding him before backing up.

The whip cracked a couple of times behind him, just to scare him a little, anticipating the pain that'd come, before the whip dashed through the skin on his back, carving a gnarly gash above his shoulder blades. Like hot coals, it burned, both his skin and the blood seeping out of it. It lashed across his back once more, cutting through his flesh from one end of his back to the other, marking a diagonal x in his back. It sliced again, this time, from rib to rib, missing the center where his spine sat, but cut straight across his back.

He cried, yelping with each subsequent strike. The smell of his own blood filled the air. An eye twitched shut, and as it came once again, the other winced shut. He whipped Ein over and over again until he couldn't stand it. He collapsed, dangling by the wrists.

______________________

Sett winced as he stood before the torture chamber doors, his fingers gripped the old brass handle firmly, yet he couldn't find it in him to push the thing open. He relaxed his grip, shutting his eyes before taking a deep breath and pushing the door open. By now, Ein'd only been in the room for about thirty minutes since Sett last ran off to fetch another bucket of water, yet the knight was already looking worse for wear. What sopping remains of his shirt sat loosely around his form had long since been shredded to nothing but a bloodstained mess of frayed fabric.

His white locks fell before his face as he bent over, placing the bucket down, and he shoved them out of his face as he rose. Ein glanced at him with tear-filled eyes and a bloody nose. Quickly Fenrir grabbed the side of his head, cracking it against the stone wall. And more cries filled the air. Sett winced, turning away.

Ein lurched to the side, spewing a water mess of bile and cookies onto the stained floors. The stench of vomit combined with iron filled the air, and it damn near made Sett throw up himself. The servant sighed as he grabbed what remained of the broom, he'd have to fetch another one, as he was left with a broom riveted to a nub of wood and a long stick.

He turned back toward the knight, the protector of the queen, her faithful guard, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the lad. After all, he was innocent, it wasn't his fault. Yet here he sat, facing this torture for Fenrir's pleasure, and pleasure alone.

The king cackled, grabbing Ein by the back of his neck, "You're lucky I haven't branded you yet," he chuckled, "That's my favorite part..." he licked his lips, flicking his tongue across his fang, "Savor that fear, pet."

An unsettling warmth rushed down Ein's legs, puddling below him as he cried harder. Fenrir chuckled, "Aww... puppy's wet himself... inside." He balled his fist, slamming it into Ein's back. He took a step back, shaking his hand, "Hey, peasant boy, clean his wounds," he quickly marched out of the room.

Sett sighed, grabbing a sponge from his bucket of water and squeezing most of the water out before dabbing it against Ein's swollen flesh, "I'm sorry, Sir," he muttered.

Ein panted, breathing asthmatically as more tears trickled down his face.

"He really did a number on you..." he muttered meekly. Under normal circumstances, he'd sound soft as silk, and smoother than cream, but of course, these weren't traditional settings, and he hated it, the fear settling in his gut like an anvil.

"I-I could get you some food, would you appreciate that?"

Ein nodded slowly.

Sett continued wiping off blood from Ein's back, "I heard from some of the guards that you were with Blaze, is that true?"

He again only nodded.

"Is he still in the area?"

Ein shrugged sluggishly.

Sett nodded, "Right, dumb question, you wouldn't know." he bit his lip, trying to think of something, anything to maybe calm him a little, "I was almost a guard when everything went down... but the King went through every single initiate, plucking out all the best and ditching the worst... I didn't pass his tests and got dropped off here... you're actually the first person I've met here, usually, he just maims and goes on with it... though... there was an assassin... and she... he made an example of her in front of everyone, even her own daughter." he shivered, "I should shut up."

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Dottie climbed into the back of the wagon, under the veil of darkness, she reached her hand toward Daniel, helping him up before doing the same for Rylan. She smiled, "I can't believe we're finally going to escape."

A guard, bound in heavy plate armor, sat at the helm, hand on the reigns. His caramel skin as soft as a baby's, yet mildly scared with a line of a lighter nougat across his cheek. His blonde hair was trimmed to a bowl-cut and shaved with an undercut. his tail swayed impatiently for the trio to sit down.

As the others settled down, Sett appeared before them, handing a letter to the guard, "I'm trusting you, Zach, please be careful." he muttered.

The guard nodded, taking the sheet of paper and glancing at it, "I'll be back in two days."

Chapter Text

Warning: graphic depictions of violence

The only noise, throughout the castle, were the echoes of bare feet on stone floors, each soft wet slap followed by another. Sett creeped through the halls, snaking from hall to hall without a hitch. In his hand, he held a small loaf of bread, halved for convenience sake.

He bit his lip as he slipped down into the dungeon stairwell, careful to not knock over any of his usual cleaning supplies, which he'd regrettably left on the landing just before the doorway. He softly pressed the palm of his hand to the heavy wooden door, shoving until it gave way and opened. like an aged gate, it creaked open.

he sighed at the sight, Ein's abused back immediately in view. The door slowly slid shut behind him, left ajar as it made contact with the doorway. "Ein?" he muttered, just trying to get his attention.

Ein slowly turned to face Sett, shivering weakly in his damp, destroyed clothes.

"I brought you some food, like I promised," he held up the bread, "I'm afraid I can't do much more than this though."

Ein dragged his head up, finally looking at the boy fully for the first time. He was tall, much taller than any of the servants he'd ever spoken to, not particularly bulky however. No where even near his own strength, but as a knight that was to be expected. This servant had just enough muscle to move things around, and that was it.

Sett smiled and held out the bread chunk, "Hurry, eat up, I don't have much time."

Ein swallowed each piece of bread as they came, until nothing remained, "He'll kill you if he finds out... why are you helping me?"

Sett glanced back at the door for a moment, "He'll kill me if I don't do anything... Today or tomorrow, his empire'll collapse and everyone with it." He folded his arms, "He sits on a broken throne. Everyone's uneasy, we've lost most of our soldiers, so he just keeps ordering us servants to take their places, our numbers are dwindling and there's nothing I can do to save them... but I can save you."

Ein stared for several moments, "How encouraging," he uttered.

"I sent word to Pheonix Drop, I... don't know if they'll come... but they have to, right?"

Ein held his gaze for a few moments, "If I don't make it out of here... tell Blaze I love him. If you can't get me out... just get yourself out."

"I won't just leave you like-"

Suddenly, the heavy metal door slammed open, and a mischievous grin strode in. Fenrir chuckled, "A sewer rat coming to the aid of the hopeless princess." he laughed, "How quaint."

Sett stumbled back, "No, Sir, no I-"

"Save it, servant. I don't wanna hear it," he glanced over his shoulder, "Guards, detain this traitor."

The guards he referred to, were young, soot coated, and, as Sett had informed, unfit to serve, yet these two still did Fenrir's bidding, and that was good enough for the young king.

Sett pressed his back to the wall, gasping for air in the face of danger as the two manhandled him into place, shoving, and kicking him until they could restrain him against the wall.

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The night waned on, as enormous clouds loomed overhead, and mud splattered about beneath every drop of heavy rain. Blaze curled his fists as mud splattered around him, his paltry armor caked in mud as he stared down at a mound of fresh dirt, topped with a temporary stake to mark it. He knelt down, splashing dark brown water onto his knees and thighs. "I'm worried, Ylva," he muttered gently to himself. "He's alone... all alone. And I'm his only hope. But I can't do this on my own. I wouldn't make it past the first line of defenses"

He sucked in a deep humid breath, shutting his eyes as he stood, "I want to save him, I want to hold him again, I want to..." he sighed, "I want to make you proud. He deserves that much."

Blaze bit his lip and looked up into the sky, "Do you remember what mom said when that boy arrived in town? I'll never forget it. 'Whether his father joins or not, that boy needs a new home." he smiled, "She advocated for him when no one else would. We were peaceful back then. before the rise of the O'Khasis tyrant. Although I suppose, even then, you were suffering. You were so strong, even at the end. I just... I wanted to save the both of you, even if it put my life in danger. I'm so sorry." he exhaled loudly, albeit barely audible over the rain. "I failed you."

He slowly stood, met immediately by a pale meif'wa, an his hood just shielding him, "Oh, hey Kai..."

The meif'wa glanced at the grave for a moment, "I didn't wanna interrupt you... I figured you needed your time to mourn, but there are people asking for you... other werewolves." He took a moment to stare down at the mud, "Considering everything you just went through, Alexis confiscated their arms upon entry."

"Do you know why they're here?" he asked skeptically.

He shook his head, "They wouldn't say, 'your ears only."

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Fenrir, slowly pressed the palm of his hand to Sett's back, fingers scrunching up the starchy linen of his tunic as he slowly pulled a dagger from a sheath on his hips. Sett winced at Fenrir quickly yanked the hemmed collar of his tunic, slicing down the shirt until it hung limply around him. He traced his fingers along the emaciated shape of Sett's back, finger gliding over each rigid bone. "Whip," he commanded the guards.

Ein screamed to Fenrir, "Don't you fucking touch him," he growled, staring over his shoulder with scorn blazing through his eyes. "I'll fucking kill you, you-" red hot blood seeped from his nose, dripping onto his lip.

Fenrir quickly looked down at his stinging knuckles, acting before he could even think, "Now now, Sir Ein, do try and behave a little while longer, it'd be a shame to kill you too soon." Fenrir smirked, shredding off a piece of sett's shirt and stuffing it in Ein's mouth, "Keep quiet for me." He extended his hand to the guard, retrieving the whip from their hand, "As per you, servant, sing for me."

The whip cracked through the air, dashing across Sett's pale flesh, skidding across each bone, slicing through the thin skin. An unholy roar of agony escaped Sett's mouth, filling the room with his cries of pain. suddenly, he caught his breath, a wave of vertigo-like nausea settling in his mind as his vision blurred.

Fenrir smiled, "See Ein, one whip and he's already about to topple over, Ha" he barred his teeth, "What happened, little savior? Not so big and brave now, huh?" he threw the length of the whip around Sett's throat, gripping either end and tugging back, "I asked you a question, answer me?" he spat.

Sett tried his best to pull back, heaving and prying at the laced leather in vein, finally uttering a weak "No," before Fenrir could kill him.

"See, that's what I like to see." He quickly dashed the whip back across Sett's back, "Prepare the iron," he commanded the guard, sending droplets of blood flying, gashing through Sett's poor skin, all the while Ein cried and wept for Fenrir to stop, muffled and drown out by the cloth rag in his mouth.

"Oh shut up," he kneed Ein in the back before carrying on

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Blaze folded his arms, "What now?" he exclaimed.

"Look, I know it's a lot, after what you just went through, but we need your help, and you need ours," Dottie clenched her fist, "There's no way you could get in there without our help, and we need a place to live, please, we need each other. It's all we're asking."

Blaze scowled, "After what you did to me?"

"I never told Jin to kill Ylva. We needed her alive! Everyone did. I don't know what she was thinking... she's already been punished for it." she glanced down, gloomly.

"What... happened to her?"

"He cut her arm off. without a moment of hesitation... last time I saw her, she was sleeping in the servant quarters. He's insane, Blaze."

"I've noticed." he muttered, unfolding his arms and setting them on his hips, "How many people did you bring?"

"Only a few, Me, two former servants, and another knight, You recall Zachary, right?"

"Of course."

"He's still in the wagon, refused to come in, just in case he unnerved you. But he wants to help you, Blaze. Though Daniel and Rylan can't help us fight, so it'll just be you, me, and Zach going back."

Blaze nodded slowly, "And how do I know this isn't a trick?"

Dorothy quickly handed him a letter, "This is a letter from another servant, a good friend of hours named Sett. He cleans the dungeon," she extended it to blaze. "I know this seems shady as all hell, but if you wanna see him again, you're going to have to trust us on this one."

He opened the envelope, examining the page closely, a yellowed sheet of paper, about half the length of a usual page. he began reading.

"Dear, Blaze Carillo, you don't know me, but I know you, I hope that's good enough for you. My name is Aito Sett, you can call me Sett though. I promised Ein that I'd help him escape, you're my only hope to getting him out of here. Fenrir will suspect you're coming, no doubt. but you have to risk it. There's so few good people left in this house of cards, you have to help us."

"Fenrir's become mad with power. he's not the ruler even his father was, and you know how great of a guy he was... He rules by example, and doesn't care who he has to kill to get his way. Save us, please. I'm doing what I can from here, feeding Ein when I can, but this isn't a stable situation at all, we need you." The letter ended there, and blaze slowly put it back into the envelope.

"Gather what you need," he headed back toward his and Ein's house, "And I'll do the same... meet me back at the gate whenever you're prepared to go.

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Splash!

Suddenly, Sett woke up, drenched in freezing water. he gasped in the cold air, heaving in breaths as best he could.

The two guards released Sett's shackles, like a sack of rocks, he fell to the floor whimpering. The two slowly picked him up, dragging him out of the cell and onto a table, where they promptly bounce his wrists to the table legs and his legs together. Kicking and screaming, until he couldn't get out a word, hoarse throat no longer responding.

"Don't ruin your throat just yet. We haven't even gotten to the main event, yet." he gleefully chuckled, dancing his fingers upon the hefty grip of a branding iron. He lifted it, glancing over the red-hot steel. After a moment, he breathed in, "I can smell it now..." he exhaled and glanced back at Ein. "Ungag him, I wanna hear him."

One of the guards quickly got to work removing the shredded piece of fabric from Ein's mouth, tossing it to the side.

He whimpered quietly, "Please, don't do this?"

"Awh, it's cute you think I give a damn, might I remind you -this is your fault."

Fenrir gripped the left side of what remained of Sett's tunic, pulling it just far enough away to reveal the untouched flesh upon his shoulder. After a moment of contemplation, the iron met Sett's shoulder, burning and sizzling the skin. For several seconds he held it there, until finally he stepped back. In place of the iron was a charred crescent moon. "Love my handiwork, barely even a reaction out of the kid!" He laughed as he placed the iron back into the bucket of hot coals, glancing back to Ein.

Ein cried quietly as he hid his face against the wall.

"You're not out of the woods yet, either, pretty boy," he grumbled. Picking the iron back up, he marched toward Ein, preparing to engrave his skin with the same mark on Sett.

"Stop," Ein muttered, suddenly halting Fenrir in place. "Leave us be," he whispered.

Fenrir looked down at Ein, the at Sett, "On second thought, maybe it's worse to let you seem him broken. Guards! Put him back on the wall." He threw the iron into the bucket, heaving the dungeon door open as he stormed off. The guards quickly reshackled him, placing the servant beside Ein in the cell, locking them in, and leaving for the knight.

Ein slowly lolled his head toward Sett, "Please, wake up, We-we're going to be rescued, remember? We-"

"Is it bad?" he croaked quietly. "The brand?"

Ein looked upon the seared burn, "N-no," he bit his lip.

"You're a terrible liar," he coughed.

"Just a little bit longer, okay. Our friends will save us."

Sett shook his head sluggishly, "I hope so..."

So yeah, I come back bringing tidings of agony and sadness. I hope all 3 of you, who read this, enjoyed this chapter, I had some fun writing it. I'd been putting off this chapter for awhile, because I had such a challenge writing it, and then eventually just kinda stopped writing, but hey, I can at least try and publish something from time to time. Depression sucks to write with as well. I'm gonna try and finish this up though, rest assured.

Fun fact: for the longest time, the working title of this chapter was "The Whippening." was never gonna seriously call it that, but hey, why the fuck not.

Chapter Text

Ein awoke slowly, a soft patter echoed through his ears, ringing ad nauseum, incessantly chirping nearly every millisecond. His eyes cracked open, but saw nothing, a blacked fuzzy void taking over his vision. The pounding in his head throbbed like a mallet to the skull. Such an intense vertigo that even he forgot where he was for a moment.

His hands creaked against the wall, wrought iron chains banging against stone walls. a searing pain flaring up around his wrists any time he moved, so much downward deadweight on his arms that he swore they must've dislocated his shoulders in his sleep, but he wasn't that unlucky it seemed.

a pungent stench lingered through the air, like freshly branded cattle, a stench like singed hair and burned flesh.

The realization his him only as his vision began to come back. He flicked his head to the side, "Sett? You there?"

A desperate whimper answered, followed by a cry. a desperate pathetic cry.

Ein craned his neck trying to see the state of Sett, but couldn't see much more than his matted and tussled hair laying face down on the floor. "Sett, please, stay strong, we're gonna make it out of here soon. Just hold out a little longer."

Sett's breaths slowed, but he still didn't answer.

"Reserve your strength, once Blaze arrives we can get you to a doctor." a twinkle settled in his eyes of genuine hope.

Sett slowly sat up, glancing to Ein, he smiled softly, encouragement seeming to have worked for now. He looked around the damp leaking room and watched the water trickle through the cell bars up high in the walls, all they could see of the outside world. "Rain," he muttered.

Though it wasn't very hard right now, as it had already began to die down, the moisture on his skin felt like wet rag on the forehead after a day in the field. He breathed slowly, taking the moment to enjoy the calm before the inevitable storm to come.

One thing was for certain, this was only the beginning of their trial. every day passed on with increasing dread. day and night, torture throughout the evening, leading to an unbearable night with minimal sleep, only to wake up and do it all over again. on the bright side, at least they got some food.

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Fenrir held his breath as he stood in his room, counting endlessly aloud while drumming his finger off his thigh. He peered over the balcony, starring straight down as rain sprinkled over the back of his tacky neck. His fingers slowly raised, placing them on the railing as he leaned down, resting his chin on the back of his hand. His pupils shrunk as he stared down.

30 meters. that would be enough, right? he wondered to himself, flipping a coin over the edge and watching it fall.

finally, the coin landed on the dirt below. Ping. rolling off into the grass and settling.

He stepped back grasping the edge of the railing before letting go.

What am I thinking? He scolded himself, No, one more day. you can survive one more day.

His sharp fingernails, unmanicured through the weeks of self neglect, clawed directly into the palms of his hands, scratching but not piercing the surface.

He stepped away from the balcony and sat on the bed, letting the night take him as exhaustion set in. today was not the day. not until he saw the day his enemies suffered. all of them. and there was still one mangy wolf to capture, even if the interrogation on the others did nothing more than earn their delightful little screams. he would be revealed soon enough. Unlikely would he let his allies rot in this cell for much longer than they already had.

Soon, yes, very soon, his head would be had.

Thunder lulled him to sleep not long after he climbed into the bed.

When he finally awoke, he grinned. Fuck it. lets make a mess.

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In the night, the rain felt so bitter, vectors of ailment, like pneumonia, or dysentery if drunken. Blaze sat quietly in it however, thinking as they moved through darkness. Folding his arms over themselves, armor creaking as he did so. The guard breathed heavily as the thoughts of endless torture filled his imagination. This little misadventure needed to come to an end, and Fenrir played a dangerous game.

Blaze would soon come for the disgraced monarch and end his tyranny once and for all. His heart burned like a pyre, and soon, he would set that cold cretin ablaze.

He glanced over their group, just the few of them had come, Counting himself, there were five. Dottie knew the inner layout like the back of her hand, Blaze was the strongest and most keen of the group, while Zach served as his backup and rear guard.

Though Rylan and Daniel wanted to come, they were minimally trained in swordsmanship, and so in their stead was one of Aphmau's guards, Alexis, and Kai, who'd volunteered for once. Stating "Who else is gonna by my stock if he dies." though he wasn't good with a sword, shot to kill, and that made him good enough to tag along, protecting his bow from the rain with his poncho.

Kai had been so kind as to gift all the member's with one, and even bring along a few extras for Ein and Sett, and anyone who might be stuck with them.

By the time they finally made it to the castle, one could hardly see the top of the central spire through the rain and darkness, only briefly visible when lightning cracked cross the sky. Few guards roamed the gantry, but those that were barely stood as it was. No real threat.

Kai steadied his bow as the wagon came to a halt not far from the wall, though it was nigh impossible to see the wagon and it's crew, the chance of being spotted remained a worry. So he let the arrow fly, piercing the watchtower guard, sending him tumbling over the edge where he slammed into the mud. He nodded to the others.

"As we planned, right?" Kai chuckled nervously as he sat back down in the wagon, waiting for them to return.

Zach held a thumbs up, "Don't hesitate to shoot if anyone spots you"

He smirked, "That won't be an issue."

Blaze leaped out of the wagon and waded through the mud, followed shortly after by Dottie, who overtook him so that she may lead the others inside. He found a brick wall, feeling around just above the waterline of the nearby pond, which the castle slowly began eroding into.

She quickly kicked at the wall, sending several bricks falling back into the cavity, the remaining loose bricks fell immediately after. she shoved her way inside, leading through a short hallway to a wooden door. Slowly pushing it open, she peered in, seeing nothing. She glanced back at blaze and he nodded to move on.

Zach stepped out of the way, for Alexis to get in front of him. "Thanks," she muttered softly.

The four stepped slowly into the next room, finding a room dimly lit by candles. the room was previously a kitchen pantry, but now remained baron, unstocked for awhile it seemed.

Dottie looked around, "What the hell happened?"

Blaze sighed, "If I had to guess... he needed more troops and began drafting everyone to his dwindling numbers. I doubt there are many cooks left here"

"But how is he going through so many troops every day? this is... barbaric," she squatted down and picked up a piece of stale ship biscuit, tapping it lightly on the floor before setting it back down. "Just a week ago, there were still hundreds of us... we outnumbered so many other tribes."

"Fenrir's army was vast... and in my hands, we were rarely defeated. Hell, on the few times I lost a battle, it wasn't entirely my tactics that had failed us. Our men were just... inferior to them. greater in numbers doesn't mean anything when so many barely knew how to wield a sword. every conflict was a bloodbath."

She sighed, and rose to her feet, "Come on, lets carry on." she moved up through the few worker tunnels before finding themselves in the kitchen. This time of night, it remained thankfully empty. Blaze took charge for a moment, soft patters echoing through the hall beyond.

"Hide," he commanded them, quickly darting as quietly as they could, for cover.

In stepped a young boy, no older than four almost certainly younger, but Dottie recognized the lad anyway. An orphan boy, forced to grow up faster than a toddler should have. He wore soft curly cyan hair, with amber eyes, and the fluffiest black ears. "Kain?" she muttered without thinking.

He quickly stumbled back, having not noticed them. His freckled face contorted in fear before he could even see them, and he shielded himself with his arms, "I wasn't stealin' I promise!" he scrunched himself into a ball.

"No, Kain, it's me... Dottie." she crouched down and placed a hand on his head, "I'm not gonna hurt ya."

He quickly wrapped his arms around her, and said nothing.

"Wanna come back with us?" she could feel him nod against her gut. "Alexis, take him back to Kai, we're not leaving him here."

She nodded, "Hardly a place for a kid like him anyway

"Wuh-wait... there's... others. please, save them... in nanny's room." Kain held onto Dottie for several seconds. "She's so mean..." He finally let go and stepped toward Alexis.

Blaze, Zach and Dottie looked amongst themselves. Zach quickly folded his arms, "My priority's still Sett, I'm not leaving here until I know he's safe."

Dottie quickly answered, "I'll do it, here's hoping I don't get into any trouble." she walked toward the door, "Come on, I'll take you as far as I can,"

Blaze and Zach continued on behind her, all keeping as quietly as they could to avoid alerting anyone. Each floor board creaked beneath their heavy armor, and each step they feared would be their last. Everyone stood on edge for what felt like ages. after awhile, they got used to the creaky boards, but never fully calmed down when they creaked especially obnoxiously.

Dottie stopped, "The daycare's just up ahead, "You guys keep heading that way-"

"-I can guide the way from here... I think I know where we are."

Dottie nodded, "Good luck you guys, and stay safe." she continued down the hall until she placed her hand on the doorknob, glancing one last time back at the two, before very carefully entering.

Zach placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, preparing for a fight. down the flight of spiral stairs, they descended. breathlessly, Zach placed his hand on the doorknob as blaze retrieved the keys from the hook.

He slowly pushed the door open, and immediately felt his heart sank. there sat Sett on the floor, curled into a ball with paling skin. and a back lashed open and bruised. blood seeped from each laceration like a thousand cuts. Zach quickly made it to his side, ensuring he was breathing before trying to wake him.

His eyes flickered open, dull and lifeless, slowly pushing himself up with the help of Zach, who quickly unlocked the bindings.

Blaze snatched the keys as soon as Zach was finished, preparing to find Ein nothing more than a skeleton. But to his surprise, he found him sitting upright, arms bound to his head, with tears rolling down his cheeks. comparatively to Sett, he was immaculate. "I tried- I screamed for him to stop, I begged, but he just wouldn't stop, no matter how much I begged of him. he unbound Ein's arms and helped him to his shaky feet. "Please, you have to get him to a doctor."

Zach lifted Sett up with a growl, "Fenrir's going to pay for this."

Blaze nodded slowly. today, tomorrow, eternity. eventually, Fenrir would suffer to his last breath.

They could write his obituary now for posterity sake, but then again, someone like Fenrir deserved to be forgotten.

They rewound their footsteps until they met back with Dottie, who held a bundle of toddlers in either arm, one had lightish brown hair, while the other had a darker shade, both very curly, with brown ears to match. Both had pinkish eyes.

Dottie frowned immediately at the sight of Ein and Sett, "I'm... so sorry," she bit her lip as Ein approached, saying nothing for several moments. "Where's the bitch that killed her?"

"Huh?" Dottie thought for a moment, "Ylva?"

"She got what was coming to her!" a deranged voice called out, "Going so soon?" Fenrir stepped out of the shadows, wielding a sword pointed at the small group.

"Dottie, Zach, Ein, leave this fucker to me," Blaze scolded, unsheathing his sword.

The group reluctantly agreed, marching away as Blaze stood strong, sword extended from the hip as he formed his guard. Fenrir assumed his, holding his longsword just above his shoulder. Sloppy as it were, his grip remained tight.

Blaze waited carefully, fingers white-knuckled around the grip of his sword.

In a moment, Fenrir swung his blade, Blaze quickly circled his sword around the attack, flinging Fenrir's sword from his grasp. In a moment, the royal's hand laid flat on the floor.

His eyes appeared as if they were ready to burst from their sockets, eyes shrunken into tiny pinholes. Blaze flicked his sword back up, slamming the blade through Fenrir's jaw, shattering the bone in two. He stumbled back, crawling back as he tried to talk but couldn't make out much more than grunts and groans through his broken disfigured mouth.

Blaze Bored him down with his gaze. "I used to respect you. I used to envy you. now look at you." he laughed, kicking him square in the chest, slamming his blade through Fenrir's body, pinning him to the floor. "Dying like stuck pig."

Fenrir's remaining hand clenched around the blade, heaving and trying his best to pry it from his body, but all he managed to accomplish was to slit into the skins of his fingers. He cried and moaned in fear at the sight.

He was going to die tonight, and Blaze would get to revel in every second of it.

he retrieved Fenrir's discarded blade, dashing it through both of Fenrir's legs simultaneously, each nub kicking as he screamed for help that wouldn't come. "I hope you found solace in all the pain you caused, cause' frankly, there's no one here that gives a damn about you. you're going to die a traitor and a failure of a king. I hope you're happy." the Blade flicked through Fenrir's remaining arm.

A roaring cry gurgled out of his profusely bleeding mouth. "Rot in hell, you sick bastard." Fenrir's longsword planted itself firmly in it's former owner's skull.

He retrieved his own blade from the remnants of Fenrir, wiping off the edge with the ruined remained of his clothing. As he turned around, he saw Ein watching, arms folded as he leaned against the wall.

"I wanted to watch," he merely said before ambling down the hall. Blaze took his arm and helped him back to the group.

Chapter Text

The sun elevated into the pinkish sky; scarlet, yellow, purple, and blue all painted across the sky, coated in a thin, murky layer of fog and cloud, like the bottom of the ocean lapping at himalayan salt and coral, mixing with sand and sediment.

Echoing through the woods began a soft patter, like the drumming of fingers on a table. Mixed in with the swaying of branches and the whistling of the wind.

The galloping of horses nearly drowned out the repeated screeching and groaning of the wagon wheels under everyone's weight. Blaze careened his body around Alexis, moving from the box seat to the back of the carriage, where he curled up beside Ein and one of the young lads they'd rescued from the village. The kid rested his head on Ein's thigh, wide awake with glistening stars in the glint of his eyes.

For a victorious rebellion, all those on board had nothing but dour expressions, like that of a funeral. Although it seemed a sweet victory, it had not gone without its fair share of pain for those who knew the prince in his youth; a knowing, shared expression splattered across their faces like a pile of mud in their eyes.

Kain slowly sat up, peering over the side of the wagon into the forest, with a smile that lit up like a candle in the night. He chuckled to himself, witnessing a squirrel climb up a fence post and leaping into a tree with expert grace.

He sat back down, glancing to Ein, who only offered him a sorrowful smirk. He reached out a hand to the young lad, softly tucking a strand of stray cyan hair back into its place. He couldn't have been a year older than the others at most. With an equally bitter expression, he smiled back.

For Kain, this was a moment of freedom, sayonara to the land that withheld him from the outside world, confined him with a woman he'd sooner spit on than greet with a smile. Onward to new, better adventures! Hopefully. But goodbye to the land his parents had raised him in.

To Ein, it was farewell to one of his best childhood friends, farewell to the family that raised him after he lost his home. And he, knowing how much Ylva would have loved to raise grandkids, if she'd lived that long. Too young, she'd been stolen from them.

In one aspect, Ein and Kain were similar; however, so long homeland.

How she would have loved to have seen Ein now, as a pseudo son, heading home after all that he'd endured and survived. All that he'd overcome, with more now than when he went into that desolate place.

Kain's eyes flitted away from Ein within a moment, gazing upon the soulless figure sitting in the back of the cart. Cerulean hair draped over his face, with hollow amber eyes staring only downward. "He 'kay?" he raised his chin, bobbing his head in Sett's direction.

Ein shook his head, "No. But we've gotta give him time to recover, he's been through a lot."

The kid nodded his head slowly, but remained fixated on Sett's hunched form.

Dirt-caked hands ran through Kain's hair as Ein reached out to him, "Don't worry about him, kiddo. Let's focus on getting back home first, then we can lick our wounds and settle."

A light chuckle came from Kai, "You've got a good heart, Kid, don't lose that. You remind me of my own litter."

Ein's interest piqued; he raised a brow, "You have kids."

"A few, assuming my mate's not killed them yet. Not safe to take kids on the road, bandits, harsh weather. I avoid it as best I can, though. I know others that don't have the choice... and it always ends in heartache."

Blaze nodded his head silently, reaching over to scratch Victor behind his ear, careful not to wake the child. "I've witnessed it too many times myself. Young boys, thinking they were ready for the life of a warrior, only to fall ill on the field of battle. Not so much you can do for them as consumption steals them in the night." His eyes finally landed on Kai, "It's for the best. Maybe one day we can get them over here, though. If nothing else, for their sake. Kids need their parents."

"What about them? They've got no homes now that we've effectively razed their home." The Meif'wa folded his arms into the pockets of his pants. Prompting Ein to gently embrace Kain,

"Three's a bit much, for now at least, but maybe we could try... I'd hate to see any of them end up homeless."

Dottie bounced the two kids in her arms, "Is there anyone in that town without kids?"

"Only the warriors," Alexis answered.

"Damn," she muttered.

"Who knows, some of 'em have been trying to leave the fight for long enough... some of 'em just need a push. I'm sure someone will accept them, be a shame to break up siblings... especially ones so obviously pair-bonded. This one hasn't let go of the little one's hand since I found them." The older of the two, Lylan, held firmly onto Victor, little fingers wrapped around Vic's wrist.

"Reminds me of someone," Blaze teased and bumped Ein's shoulder.

"Hey, we were kids, and I'd already lost a village by that point," He remarked sassily.

"Like you still don't cling to me."

"Shush, you!" he put his finger over Blaze's mouth.

Some of the other passengers joined in on the conversation, joking and laughing; Dottie, trying her best not to wake either kid in her arms, wore a red puffy face as she slowly exhaled her breath in an effort not to jostle them awake. And Blaze did everything in his power to ensure she would crack.

Alexis called back to the others as the group crept into Phoenix Drop, "Rise and shine, everyone, we're home!"

Kai was first to leap out of the car, crawling to the back to assist Dottie in getting the kids off the cart. Blaze had Kain resting over his shoulders, hands clasped in front, little legs tucked up around his sides.

And Ein slowly inched his way off the cart, still reeling from the stinging pain lashed across his back.

Finally, Zach knelt beside Sett, "Hey, I gotcha, I'm going to get you somewhere to rest, okay." He only spoke just above a murmur; only Blaze and Ein could hear it, with Kain happily tuning out everything to listen in awe at the birds and woodland creatures.

Ein placed a hand on Zach's shoulder. "Our door's always open if you need somewhere to lay," Ein smiled solemnly at them. Turning back around, he followed after Blaze.

Hopping from the cart, Zach faced away from Sett, while pulling him back over himself, locking Sett's arms and legs in place with the strength of his much larger body.

Kain giggled excitedly, spotting a colorful, winged insect landing atop a daffodil. He reached out to it, "Wuh dah?" his happy little toothless smile radiating with sunshine.

"That's a butterfly. They look prettier than they taste," Blaze winked.

"And how would you know that?" Ein bumped him.

Blaze did not answer, but he did smile. "Don't eat anything that we haven't made for you, at least not until you know what normal people think is food."

As they stepped ever closer to the inner sanctuary of Phoenix drop, that's when the group began to hear a faint rhythm, like a battle cadence filling the air, and as they approached the secondary inner wall, it only got louder. Now chimes, flutes, lutes, pan pipes, and a violin joined the song. A jaunty, but intense tune, like a fair mashed with a war, with a peculiar waltz-like note tying it together.

Kain bobbed his head, smiling widely and pointing over Blaze's shoulders at the group of performers. Not one of the war party recognized, although, to their credit, no one they knew could properly play an instrument if it meant their life were on the line. Even if Ein was half certain Zoey could play something, he just hadn't figured out what.

Aphmau greeted them excitedly, "I'm so happy you guys made it back!" She threw her arms around Ein, which very quickly earned a pain hiss. She jolted back, "Sorry!" taking a step back, "Are you okay?" She, without waiting a beat, grasped onto him, looking him over with intense scrutiny.

He hissed again, wincing his eyes, "I've been better." his eyes went narrow as he spoke, lips pursing. "I'll survive."

"Is Fenrir-"

"He's dead," Blaze answered curtly, "No coming back."

Aphmau nodded quietly, "It's for the best. He seemed like he would have been a nice guy if it weren't for... well... enough talk of that. Who is this little man!" She grinned at Kain, clutching his little cheeks in her hands.

"This is Kain, Dottie found him and a couple of other little ones... 'abandoned' in the makeshift orphanage.

"Abandoned?"

He nodded slowly, as if saying 'We'll discuss this further at a later time."

She breathed quickly between her teeth, "In any case, I'm glad to see you made it back. "Did everyone get back safely?"

Ein squinted an eye, "Well, yes and no. Everyone's still alive. But..." he looked back at the group, "While I was imprisoned, Sett, the dungeon keeper, came to save me, but got captured too. I need Zoey, or you, or someone even slightly medically trained to look over him. He's in rough shape, hasn't spoken a lick since we got him out of there."

"On it! In the meantime, get some rest, relax a bit. I got a band to celebrate your guys' return; you don't have to sit here and listen to it, though."

Scurrying off of Blaze's back, Kain ran toward the center of the town square, waving and flailing his arms with all the energy of a spider monkey after a pot of coffee.

"I'll stay here with him, if you wanna go with Aph, see if Sett'll be alright."

"I appreciate that, blaze." Ein quickly threw his arms around Blaze, then turned back and followed after Aphmau.

Inside Zoey's subterranean den, Zach stood against the far wall, quietly watching while Ein and Aphmau stood near. Zoey worked quickly, examining his scarred and battered form, occasionally placing an ointment on some. Quietly, she leaned in on the burnt flesh around a massive, swollen welt, "They branded him?" she exclaimed.

"They almost branded me too... but I got lucky, I guess..." he exhaled, "is there anything you can do to either get rid of it... or make it less apparent."

"I can try, but when this heals, it's not going to be perfect. No matter what, he's still going to have the scars... Maybe I could try concealing it with a sigil?"

"Just as long as he survives." Zach chimed in.

"He's going to need a support system for sure," she snapped her fingers not far from Sett's face, to which he didn't respond. "He's practically catatonic."

The dullness in his eye was only matched by the paleness of his skin. His ribs just poked at his flesh, pushing outward in a manner not too dissimilar to a slave miner.

And Ein, who had a decent bit of bulk only days prior, was now nowhere near peak physique. But faired far better in most aspects.

Aphmau moved over to look at Ein's back, the fourth time she'd done so, "I still can't believe they'd go to this level."

"I faired better than others..." he motioned to Sett once again, "The gal that took Ylva's life will spend the rest of hers with one arm."

"I can imagine he wasn't too happy his mother'd been killed. Even so... It's barbaric." he fingers hovered over each lash, concentrating on focusing them out of existence, something she'd been steadily getting better and better at as she grew accustomed to her newfound powers.

Ein's face began to relax as she worked. "I can get rid of most of these, but I think I'd pass out if I tried getting rif og every single one."

"A warrior has their scars; every single one tells a tale about their life." His eyes remained shut through the silence that the room took before he finally decided to speak again. "I never knew we had a dungeon until they'd locked you guys down there." He spoke blankly, taking a moment to simply stare at the wall before shutting his eyes. "Do you know what it's like to just sit and listen to the desperate cries of a man who's given up on life, to have lost all hope of surviving the night?" His breath hitched, "I can still hear him when I close my eyes, when I think I can't think of anything else."

Aphmau grabbed a small cloth from an exquisite vanity in the corner of the room, dropping it into a bowl and pouring a portion of water from a canteen into it. She silently returned to Ein's side, hesitantly grabbing the cloth, softly dragging it over Ein's wounds, dabbing it against his tender flesh before rinsing it. Frankly, neither she nor Zoey could fathom how Ein survived that hellscape with his sanity intact, let alone have the energy to stand. So many lashes. Every welt, every cut, every gash, each sprang to life, stinging and aching as she rinsed the blood and grime away from his flesh.

And quietly, he began to shake, "I wish Mom were still alive to see me now." His entire body shook as he cried dry tears, trying his damndest to keep it in, "Every time I wanted to give up, every time I just wanted to cave in and die, I'd remember her face, those last words she said to me, that fucking night... 'never let anyone stand between you and what you love most.' And I'd think of Blaze. We'd live here just like he wanted to, and just live, none of this assassination bullshit," he croaked dryly, wiping the tears away, "I wanted to be his, and hold him tightly... And then..." he shook his head, briefly shutting his eyes, "Then Sett comes and tells me he's sent for you, he wants to get me out of there. I could've cried, but I knew it was too good to be true; it wouldn't end like that."

Ein's hands clenched around his knees, "I saw him again that night. He brought me a little bit of bread, said he was doing it because it was the right thing to do. Said the battle over the southern wolf tribe's land was an astounding failure."

He gritted his teeth, wincing, "I wasn't expecting them to carry him back in and strip him down to just his bottoms. I wasn't expecting them to tie him down, and they... th-ey... the smell of his flesh as they burned a sigil into his flesh, the vile flavor as I threw up on myself, the shame as I sat there bound and forced to watch," He choked over his own tears.

Aphmau stopped working to wrap her arms around him, "You don't have to continue if it hurts you this much to tell us about it."

Eventually, Ein regained enough control to speak once more, "The saddest part is that even after all he'd done to me, done to us, when Blaze lopt off his head, all I felt was sadness. All I felt was the loss of someone I'd once been the best of friends with. He was once a kind man, he was once a benevolent man... losing his father pushed him in some sort of direction no one could have possibly predicted."

"I didn't really have much time to get to know him, too busy planning an escape to figure out the kind of man he was, but even then, he didn't seem like the type to be able to commit this kind of atrocity."

Ein nodded, "I wish there were some way I could change that day, save my father and brother, keep Fenrir from insanity... I-I..."

Aphmau brushed Ein's hair through her fingers, "I know what you mean... There will always be mistakes we make in life, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do to fix that. The moment we make up our mind, we can never go back."

He shivered, "Th-thank you for listening to me."

"Of course, you're welcome here any time." She placed down the bowl of water and the bloodied rag within it, "Hopefully on better circumstances."

He smiled at her, "I really do appreciate." Though his face was red and puffy, and his eyes refused to stop watering with bloodshot veins in his eyes, he smiled proudly.

Before leaving, Ein latched onto Sett, hugging him tightly before letting them get back to work on fixing him up to the best of their abilities.

Ein found his way back up to the party, not long after.

Blaze sat beside Kain on a crate, listening to the band playing, with cupcakes in hand, and one sat beside them, no doubt saved for Ein. Beside them, Dottie bobbed along with the kiddos in her hands, and Kai just watched on from against the wall. Amongst the crowd gathered in the small courtyard were the neighborhood kids, Nekoette running about with some of the pups Donna always had, trying to trip her, and her oldest eyeing up Alexis from across the yard.

All things considered, this party had been a success, or at least worth the money Aphmau had spent on hiring this crew, and Nana's baking made every party a real treat, figuratively and literally.

Ein rejoined the group, sitting beside his love, "Quite the spectacle, isn't it?" he muttered quietly to the kiddo.

Kain nodded to him, babbling something quickly before stuffing his face with pastel frosting. He rubbed the top of Kain's hair and then looked up to Blaze.

"You doing okay?" he reached down, cupping Ein's cheek in his hand, staring into his eyes, "You're-"

"I-I'll be alright, thank you though."

He nodded, kissing his forehead before going back to watching the show.

Thus concluded their night, with fun and games, and a party to boot. As far as things could have gone, at least there was this small highlight to end off this shitty week.