If he'd had his way, wild horses wouldn't have been able to drag Charlie from his Arthur's side.
Unfortunately wild horses had nothing compared to Robert.
Charlie caught his brother's hand mid air before he had realised that either of them had moved. He gripped it and turned his head, an almost robotic movement followed by a growl. He said nothing, only took his brother's gaze with his own and glared.
A lesser man would have flinched. Robert is no lesser man.
"You need to leave," his words weren't unkind, yet still left little room for argument.
His brother's eyes were alight with something that Charlie couldn't quite put his finger on. It was dark and steely, unfaltering as he met Charlie's gaze and refused to let it go.
Taking his brother's gaze with his own, a growl echoing from his chest which seemed to dance across every wall as it echoed down the hospital wing. Several nurses and doctors looked up nervously, though they didn't move, willing to protect their patients till the end.
Charlie regarded them with a less then calm look, and held himself together.
This was not the place to do something stupid, and as much as he hated to admit it. His brother had a point.
Even if he wanted to tear Robert limb from limb for trying to force him to do something he didn't want to.
For a moment Charlie didn't move, it was as though his feet had been glued to the ground. The need to refuse overtook everything, and he could feel himself begin to lose against logic. I need to get out of here, Charlie almost agreed.
The red had almost overtaken his vision, when he made a decision at last.
And ripped his wrist from Robert's grip.
Charlie spun on a heel and made his way down the corridor. Not looking back as he went. Despite the urge which screamed at him to stay by his injured brother, do everything in his power to keep him safe.
But what little was left of his logic knew that Arthur would be in more danger if Charlie stayed.
Pushing past the beds stacked high with the injured and ill, he made his way back down the corridor and down the stairs. Back to the still chaotic world of the main hall to the palace, and into the fray.
He needed to find a way to make himself helpful, and he didn't care what it took to do it.
Even if the stench of blood was slowly choking the air from his lungs and force the darkness into his head.
Dodging through the mass swarm of bodies blocking the way, he found his way to a somewhat familiar face. One of his father's lieutenants, who regarded him with a less then kind look. Which Charlie pointedly ignored.
"Get me out of here," his words were devastatingly simple. A stark contrast with the darkness in his eyes which would have made the devil turn tail and run for his life. "Give me something to do, or I will explode."
There was no might about it, he wanted to minimise the casualties whilst he still could.
"You know where the cells are," was his less then friendly response. Charlie didn't blame him for having other things to be concerned about in that moment in time. But Charlie would only add to his troubles if he stayed put for much longer.
Too risky, Charlie thought. I don't care what the people down there have done, they don't deserve me. His fingers clenched into fists, and he fought the need to plunge it into the face of the lieutenant. "Anywhere but there," he explained no further.
With a sigh, the man at last turned to look at Charlie fully for the first time.
"Gather wood in the forests at the bottom of the cliffs, we need to light the fires and there isn't enough."Then he was gone back into the fray and continuing organising whatever needed to be done.
Charlie didn't need anything else, he waited for no one and was gone through the palace doors once again before Robert and Evie had even reached the main hall. In the back of his conscious memory he could hear their voices, but he ignored them.
Pausing as he reached the door, holding it together just enough to think logically. He grabbed the nearest object which could have been used as something even remotely as a bag, he slung it over his shoulder and slipped through
On four paws before he had even reached the paths leading down the mountains, Charlie bounded down the cliff side. Skidding across the damp ground but barely noticing the scratches it left him. It almost helped take his mind off everything else.
As he reached the bottom of the cliffs and into the start of the woodland, Charlie forced himself back onto two feet. His body fought the change, the part of him which was more animal in that moment was refusing him any autonomy but Charlie managed it.
Panting from the excursion of the run here and the effort of returning to human form. He set to work in silence. The only sound was the gentle patter of rain, varied by the thick foliage overhead.
Dragging the fallen twigs and sticks from the ground, he frowned when he found them damp. He attempted to dry them against his jacket, but found that too was soaked and only worsened their state.
Hesitating, he scoured his gaze across the treeline. As though he expected enemies to be hiding in every shadow. No matter how hard he looked, he saw nothing. That didn't encourage him much, a growl echoed from his throat but he quickly silenced it.
He didn't want to be caught, the enemy was now someone even he wasn't sure he could beat.
After a few minutes in which he saw no movement, he advanced quietly. Slipping through the trees like a shadow against the grey and gloom. Charlie ducked beneath low hanging branches until he reached a part where the ground felt dry to his feet.
And he set to work once again.
Now the woods were drier, he was able to snap the branches from their trees with greater ease and worked speedily. Soon enough his bag was almost full and close to bursting with the weight, he held it firm. Not wanting to have to go to the effort of picking it all up again if it snapped.
Certain his load was safe for the time being, Charlie moved to turn back towards the palace. Looking forward to returning to the warmth of his home now that he had gotten the adrenaline out of his blood stream.
When a growl from nearby stopped him in his tracks.
Slowly, amost dramatically, Charlie turned around, barley daring to breath as he went. Fingers clenched into fists. As much as he prayed that it wasn't going to be what he thought it was, that he had stumbled across a bear, or a mountain lion. Something inside him told him not to be so ridiculous.
He knew what it was going to be before he had even fully turned around and looked.
A wolf stood before him.
Charlie felt his breath catch in his throat as he grazed his eyes across the stranger. Something dark flickered in the eyes of the creature before him, something Charlie could feel reflected in himself.
For a moment, he didn't move or speak.
So he did both at the same time.
"Hello," he said in a quiet voice. Taking a step to the side, he began to circle the wolf. Placing a few metres of room between the two, enough space for him to react should it go to hell but close enough that he could sense the animal's reaction.
"Good evening," it was a woman's voice coming from the wolf. Not that it mattered, the person wanted him dead either way. It was strangely polite and controlled. But Charlie knew better from the look he had seen flicker in the stranger's eyes.
This was no sane wolf.
It was anything but.
Discarding the bag to the side, wanting to be free of anything which could possibly burden him. He could feel the darkness
beginning to overwhelm him, and fight to take control. To tear this stranger limb from limb, and show her his power.
But he didn't, he held himself together as best as he could and continued his circle.
The strange shewolf did the same, until the pair were making a path around each other, not breaking eye contact as they went. Each waiting for the other to make the first move, but for now neither did.
Until Charlie broke, and lunged.
The stranger collided with him before he had hit the ground on four legs again. His sanity lost to the world, all he knew was the fight and the need to kill.
Only now his opponent was driven by the exact same need, and Charlie didn't know who was stronger.
Colliding in a chaos of tearing fangs, slashing claws and flying fur the pair landed on the ground with a heavy thud. The air driven from Charlie's lungs, with the stranger pinning him and tearing into him with everything she had.
A scream tore from Charlie which he was unable to silence. It wasn't as though anyone back at the peak of the cliffs would be able to hear him from all this distance. He was all alone in this fight, and it was beginning to show.
She was every bit as intent on killing him as he was her, and she seemed to be the stronger one.
But Charlie had years of experience on his side. He could only hope that this would be enough.
The longer the fight continued on, the more he was beginning to doubt it.
All the same he fought on.
Skidding left as he managed to break free of her clasp for the first time, he leapt onto straightened legs in an attempt to gain the advantage he spun around. Lunging again the collided time after time. Relentless until they were both covered in blood and panting from the excursion.
Yet the stranger seemed much better off then he. She didn't stumble as she continued to barrage her attacks onto him time after time. No matter how many blows it felt like Charlie had landed, she seemed to have doubled them.
Charlie was beginning to feel the toll of everything that had happened. He believed this place would be where he fell.
If he fell to only one of them, how will the rest of them manage. What was left of his logic thought in a panic between blows.
After all these years, his father's troops still fell to Charlie's strength. Now there were hundreds just like him to deal with. Panic was beginning to distract the young wolf, but he fought against it.
The least he could do was survive long enough to help his friends die in dignity if they had to die.
Howling loudly as a blow sent him skidding in the dirt, it dazed him. Leaving him bewildered for a split second, it was nearly the end of him as the stranger lunged again. Thinking this would be the time to finish it, but Charlie wasn't about to give her that chance.
For a moment, Charlie allowed her to attack him. Playing dead, or at the very least unconscious. He held himself together as best as he could to not lose it and give away the game. Despite the pain and the red lurking at the edge of his vision. He lay still.
Now the stranger was playing with her food, battering at him as though he was a mouse with a particularly malicious cat. Pain ricocheted through his every inch, and Charlie dug his claws into the ground to hold himself together. Fortunately she didn't seem to notice, having too much fun with herself to be aware of anything else.
Charlie didn't know what strength had been given to him to allow him such logic and self control for once. Usually he would have thrown everything he had into the fight, and wouldn't have been able to stop himself. Whatever it was, Charlie knew better then to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Part of him wondered if the self control now would only lead to a greater explosion later when it all came tumbling out again. Charlie forced the negative thoughts from his head and waited in silence, eyes clamped tightly shut.
Not now, not now, not now, he all but yelled the words inside his head as he waited. On edge as the stranger continued to attack him, hard.
Peeling his eye open only just, when the pain stopped for a split second. He saw the joyous shewolf walking away and circling her 'prey' like a hungry vulture. Battering at him every so often as she went, but taking her time. She was enjoying the game.
He saw her turn away for the shortest time and stood in a single swift gesture and lunged.
Taking her by surprise, the stranger clearly thought that this fight had been hers to win.
It was his time to prove otherwise.
Knowing full well that he wouldn't have much time to finish his, the young wolf acted quickly, taking her throat in his jaws and clamping down as hard as he could. Holding still in that moment, and not moving.
It was all over quickly, and he dropped the body silently. Kicking out at it as a form of recuppence for how merciless the stranger had been. He straightened up panting heavily, bleeding from several fresh wounds and struggling to keep himself on his paws.
But he wouldn't have the chance to catch his breath, he needed to return home. And let his family know what he had come across.
Turning on his heel, Charlie didn't bother to shift. The pain stopping it from being a possibility and time being of the essence, he lunged back in the direction he had come from. Fur bristling in the wind as he dodged between the trees. Forgetting about the bag of sticks which had been his purpose for leaving the palace.
Had Charlie been in a less then logical state of mind, he would have charged straight up the side of the cliff. Not necessarily pausing to find his way to the path, but for some reason he paused to collect himself and find the safest way up the cliff.
It was in that moment of logic that he noticed something which scared him to the core.
An army, maybe two hundred strong were making their way up the path towards the palace. The rest of them, surrounded the cliff, every inch of it covered, leaving only the sheer faces of the cliff clear of men.
The palace was surrounded.
They were screwed.