Through The Pain

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A few days had passed. They decided to give the boy some space before crashing down again. The maiden was still nervous and so were the other two. But each for their own reasons.

But they still needed his help. They had to go down again sooner or later. Actually, there wasn't much 'later' left. So today was the day.

Right after breakfast, they got going. If they wanted his help, they had less than a year to get it now. To be honest it was annoying to shake everyone off every time they went to see him. And frankly the princess wasn't a good actor. It wouldn't be long untill somebody found out.

They reached the dungeons, all three nervous. The handmaid was kind of annoyed as well. All this trouble for what?? Things would have been so much easier if they just trusted her! But nooooo of course not.

The princess was fiddling with her dress and had stopped her small talk when they reached the stairs. Kind of guilty and angry.

The former thief was just worried for his wife. ...and maybe, just a little bit about the boy-

The hallways were quiet as the passed, the others not really minding them at this point.

They reached the small cell which held the young prisoner.

-"Hey, V."

The short haired girl said trying to get his attention.

He was on his bed with a little raccoon in his hand. He sat calmly as he patted his head. Hearing her voice, he looked up a bit giving them a blank look before giving back his attention to his little friend.

-"Hi."

Well at the very least he wasn't mad. That was a good sign. The princess opened her mouth to talk but before she could form the words, she was caught off.

-"We don't need to waste time on small talks. Obviously, we are not getting anywhere like this."

The princess was kind of hurt honestly.

-"I just wanted to apologize, and see if you where okay."

The blue eyed boy stopped petting the small creature and looked at her blankly.

-"You don't need to. We aren't friends or anything. We just have a deal. I help you get an answer, you help me out. As simple as that."

Varian waited a few seconds to make sure his message was delivered and then continued.

-"Now, as you can see my information isn't enough and the library doesn't seem to help either. But I may know someone who can help with that."

The maiden rosette of her eyebrows.

-"And who? You don't mean a criminal, do you?"

-" No, I mean the blacksmith. Xavier. He was a close friend to my father."

The short haired girl remembered now. That guy used to send Varian books and ask about him every once in a while when he was a kid. But they haven't heard from him in years.

-"Are you sure he can help?"

The matter as question was the blacksmith's ability to help, but Cassandra and Varian both knew that her question was if he was willing to help. Would Xavier help them? Or more specifically, help him?

The young soldier couldn't read the boy's expression.

-"Tell him I sent you. And trust him with everything that happened. If anyone can help us, it's him."

She wasn't convinced. Not at all. But he had stopped talking or looking at them and was back on his little friend.

After exchanging a look with the princess, who was more confused than she was, they said their goodbyes and left without getting an answer.

~▪︎~▪︎~

The black haired girl lead the way. They went on foot since the blacksmith's workshop wasn't far from the castle.

It wasn't long before they reached the small and warm workshop.

-"Hey, Xavier? You there?"

Rambling was heard from under a table and a half bald head came up, making the them wonder how could the man hide under the table.

-"Oh welcome Princess! Cassandra!"

The old man's warm behavior matched his shop's. It made them, specifically the young princess, feel better. The tension was almost gone. Almost.

-"What can I help you with today? Do you need a need a new fryingpan? Or maybe you're looking for a new dagger, Cassandra?"

-"Well, actually, Xavier, we're here to ask you about some of your myths."

The excitment was obvious in the man's blue eyes. The blond felt a pang in her heart as she took notice of how similar his eyes were to Varian's.

-"Ohoho, I have a lot of stories for you, princess! Would you like to know about The cheating Willows or maybe the-"

He was softly cut off by the the short haired girl who know if he started, they wouldn't get a chance to talk.

-"Actually, we were looking for some specific stories. We need some information and we thought you could help us. And,"

Her sentence was left hanging in the air as she felt a little doubting sense grow in her. He hadn't asked about Varian in years, was he really going to help him? She didn't know. She wasn't sure but she had to give it a shot.

-"Varian sent us. He needs your help."

For a second his face was suprised before turning dead serious and worried.

-"So he's stillhanging on, huh? Tell me all you know. I'll do my best to help."

~•~•~•~

{(A/N): Hi!! I wasn't too late was I? I have no idea how long it's been. I was just really relieved that my sister's back. Congrats to me! 'Kay bye!!}