Vice watched with wide eyes as the general extended his arm toward Ambrose. She felt her heart beat once. Twice. Twenty times. Ambrose did not move, did not dare to breathe.
The general opened his hand, a clear offer, even if it was impossible to understand.
Ambrose raised what was left of his arm in supplication to his leader. General Wulf did not hesitate in wrapping his fingers around it and pulling Ambrose to his feet. Even when the man stumbled, General Wulf caught him and supported him to prevent him crashing to the ground.
Vice heard Birches and Dallin arrive just behind her and Vex, but she did not - could not - turn around. She was hypnotized by the scene in front of her, if only because she had no idea what had spurred it on. Ambrose was clearly more shocked than any of them as he stared at the general with eyes as wide as discs. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Maybe he thought the general was going to attack him.
Surely, he did not expect him to say what he said next:
"I know you didn't do any of it, Ambrose."
Even a human could have heard a pin drop. All of the Fae were holding their breath, but naturally, Ambrose did not respond. He did not have a tongue, first of all, which presented enough of a problem in itself. Vice also suspected that he just did not know what to say. General Wulf sounded morose, so it did not seem to be any sort of trick. But without any explanation, it was hard not to be nervous, even for Vice - and she had not been on the general's bad side to begin with.
The general aided Ambrose in exiting the cell then, and Vice could sense the exact moment when the Wolf's magic returned to him. Ambrose closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose, and she saw the tear that left the corner of his eye, though she was not sure if anybody else did. The general certainly did not give them much time to catch up to his pace.
"I have to be somewhere," General Wulf stated, turning towards his Wolves after passing the support of Ambrose on to Dallin. "But please listen to me carefully. There may be no night more vital than this one.
"Nobody can know just yet that I released Ambrose. Nobody can know that I have in any way changed my opinion of him yet. I'm in the middle of playing a very dangerous game, and any little thing that comes to light could tip the scales out of my favor. You all must understand that this is a game I cannot lose, for all of our sakes."
He paused, and Vice glanced at Vex. Her twin was smiling, and Vice guessed that it was only because they had been proven right: Ambrose had been innocent after all. While Vex could evidently focus on that piece of news and be gladdened by it, Vice was more distracted by the unanswered questions: for instance, if Ambrose was innocent, it meant that the princess had lied. Vice was very curious to know what could have made the princess come up with such an intricate lie, and what could have made her refuse General Wulf, her protector, of all people, the truth. However, she knew that now was not the time. She should just be content knowing that Ambrose would in fact not be executed, and hope that answers would come as soon as these more important matters the general was discussing were settled.
"What do you need us to do, Sir?" Birches asked, stepping forward to stand at Vice's side. "You know that we trust you, and will obey your orders without argument."
Vice noticed Vex nod curtly beside her, and so imitated the motion. She was sure Dallin did the same. They had all discussed their commitment to General Wulf with each other; it was a fairly common topic of conversation throughout all the time they spent together. They knew that while everyone was flawed, the general typically had amazing judgment and foolproof methods of achieving his goals. He had the ability to see all sides of a situation and twist them to his advantage, but could also end quarrels with a single-minded ferocity that allowed for no empathy at all. All the Realm knew that he was the most impressive warrior it had ever seen; and in a world of magic, that was really saying something. To serve under him was an honor they would all appreciate until they died - and if that happened sooner than later, at least they would go down fighting with the best.
"Go to the lake, all of you, and wait by the shore," General Wulf commanded. "I can't afford to talk any longer; I need to leave, but I will meet you there when I can."
He was not kidding about not having time; he zipped out of the dungeon after that so quickly that Vice almost did not see him move. She certainly did not hear him as he passed.
"Only one reason he would be in that much of a hurry," Birches commented. The Wolves all turned their heads towards him, and though they all opened their mouths, Vice was the only one to actually speak.
"The princess."
Nobody responded, though Birches did nod his head a few times in thought. Vice stared into the darkness as if expecting a light to emerge from within it, but was not given such satisfaction. She had no idea how Ambrose had lasted down here for a week. She thought she would have gone crazy; nobody to talk to, and no way to talk even if someone visited. Everyone thinking she was a criminal even if she was entirely innocent. Having nothing to look forward to but her own unjust public execution. Being alone in the dark, and expecting the same to come after death. Vice shivered.
"We'd better get to the lake."
Vice was not listening hard enough to recognize who said it. It did not matter, anyway. The Wolves had already wasted enough time as it was, and General Wulf would not have given them a warning if he did not think it was something they needed to heed. There may be no night more vital than this one, he had told them. From the sounds of it, whatever happened tonight could make all the difference in the world come morning.
_____________________
He paused outside of his room, sensing her inside already and inwardly cursing himself for not moving quickly enough. She seemed to be waiting for him, though; she was not moving around, from what he could hear. Perhaps she had fallen asleep. It would not be the first time she had chosen his bed over hers for the night; in fact, as a child, she would often sneak into his room for comfort in the dark. He had always slept gladly on the floor, relieved to have her even nearer and so be able to more easily keep her safe.
He pushed open his door and saw her sitting on the edge of his bed, a piece of paper in one of her hands, the other clenched into a fist. She was wearing a royal blue nightgown that looked like it was made of silk, with lace borders at her neckline and just above her knee. He wondered if she was cold with just straps resting on her shoulders rather than full sleeves - as well as with most of her legs bare, which caused him to flush - before realizing that the blood potion was what kept her warm; she would be burning up from the inside. He gritted his teeth and closed his door quietly behind him.
She still did not look up. Tarin narrowed his eyes and strode towards her just to notice that she seemed to be in some sort of daze. Her eyes were open, but unfocused - even when he squatted down in front of her, her pupils did not shift.
"Princess," he called out softly, nervousness brewing in his gut. When he got no response, he reached up to run his hand over her wet hair - which was interesting to him in that it was much longer and straighter than when it was dry, - pausing when he got to her cheek in order to stroke it with his thumb. She had taken a bath after all, but still managed to beat him here. He was glad to see her without a coating of blood, but she was still covered in enough bruises and cuts to make him despise himself.
He was just about to say her name again when suddenly, she blinked rapidly and gulped in a mouthful of air.
Just as suddenly, she saw him, and subsequently shoved him away before darting towards the door.
Of course he was utterly bewildered as he stumbled and just barely caught himself against his dresser, but he could not let her simply leave after such a scene. "Princess!" he exclaimed anxiously, grabbing for her wrist before remembering that it might hurt her to touch the bandages, and thus grasping her hand instead.
"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, jerking her hand out of his. Just to add to his shock and confusion, he heard tears in her voice.
He stepped back obediently, lifting his hands into the air, but could not resist from locking the door with his magic to prevent her from leaving. Sure, she was his leader, and could easily call for him to be imprisoned for such an act, but he needed to know what was going on.
She tried to turn the knob and growled in frustration when it only clicked at her. She spun back to face Tarin, and while she indeed had tears in her eyes, the emotion that was now taking over her expression was anger.
"Let me out."
"I will, Princess, but only once you tell me why you're in such a state," he responded as calmly as he was able. Her raging eyes were reminding him of when she slapped him at the ball - but at least that had been her. This was a version of his princess that scared him, that was an enigma to him. He had no idea what to predict from her.
"Oh, you want to know why I'm upset, Lord Tarin?" she seethed, taking a step closer to him. That might have been the only time Tarin had taken a step to get farther away from his princess.
"Yes. I always want to know why you're hurting, Princess," he replied, trying to make himself sound convincing amidst his apprehension.
He had forgotten about the paper she was holding until she unfolded it with a dramatic flourish and a hissed "Fine." He noticed that it shook due to her trembling hold as she looked down at it, and her eyes began to swim with new tears that she did not shed.
"Tarin," she began, and he could tell by the way in which her eyes followed the paper that she was reading from it.
"I began this note with the intention of apologizing for what happened yesterday. But then I realized that I am not sorry that it occurred. I have loved you since we were children, Tarin, and I know that you can grow to love me again as you used to. Our kiss was just a start." Here, Serena choked, and the tears she had worked so hard to hold in made their escape down her cheeks.
"I will be waiting for you in my chambers when you are ready to remember the past. I have left you just one memory of mine in this regard, in the hopes that you will cherish it as much as I have."
Serena crumpled the paper in her hand after that, and Tarin stood stock-still, unable to believe the timing of it all. Surely Cade had something to do with this - or maybe this note had been in Tarin's room all day, and he had been so overwhelmed upon his brief return that he failed to even notice it.
"There isn't a name at the bottom," the princess remarked softly, staring at the floor, her free hand still clenched into a fist that Tarin imagined was digging her nails into the same cuts she had made earlier in the clearing. "So I could only guess at who left it for you. Until I touched this, that is," she continued, and fast as lightning, she lifted her fist, and something was suddenly flying at him. His reflexes were such that he hardly thought about it as his own hand caught the small object out of the air. The instant he touched it, his bedroom disappeared from around him, and he was back in Serenity Point.
He recognized Holly's house immediately, and not just because she and her parents were sitting around the dinner table with his younger self. Her paintings were up around their dining room; one of a waterfall that roared just outside the Point's borders, one of their small lake glistening in the suns' light, even one of Tarin fighting, his emotions and movements brought out through her marvelous use of color. Tarin had basically grown up in this house, seeing as his own home situation was not exactly ideal, and even all these years later, he would never be able to forget what it looked like. He knew, for example, that if he were to turn the corner into the living room and then one more into the foyer, he would come across the stairs that would ultimately lead him to Holly's room, which was more of an art studio than a bedroom but for the small bed that rested against the wall.
Holly reached for Young Tarin's hand, and the latter smiled as he took it. Tarin swallowed hard as he witnessed the look on his own face; he had already faced pain, but he had experienced none of the world. He had loved Holly, but he had thought he was in love. He looked on her with eyes filled with a fierce affection, and Holly's parents did not miss it. Tarin doubted that Serena had, either.
Bracken and Mivian, Holly's parents, glanced knowingly at each other with identical smiles. Tarin stirred with discomfort even as his younger self seemed completely immersed in the scene.
"When can we expect a ring on our daughter's finger, Tarin?" Bracken asked, his tone one of jest, though Tarin knew, then and now, that it was still asked with real curiosity.
"Father," Holly chided, though her eyes, too, were glinting with an intense desire to know his answer. They had been at each other's side for years now, after all. It would not instill surprise in anybody in the town if they were engaged tomorrow.
"As soon as I have enough money saved to provide her with the one she deserves, Sir," Young Tarin replied. Bracken was pleased with this answer, reaching across the table to slam a hearty hand against Tarin's shoulder as Mivian stood in place and beamed. For her part, Holly turned in her seat and pulled Tarin's face to hers, giving him a doting kiss that he returned if for but a moment too long.
"Do you mean it?" Tarin alone heard her whisper as their faces were mere centimeters apart.
"Of course I do," he responded without hesitation. "I love you now and forever, Holly. I've told you that a million times."
Holly's eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with the happiness Tarin had so adored drawing out of her. Then she began to fade, the color leeching out of her as surely as it was causing all of his surroundings to disappear.
Tarin released a long breath he had not realized he had been holding in and placed a hand against his stomach, knowing the memory had run its course as the gem fell from his hand, and knowing that it had done more than just remind him of the past.
His princess still stood across the room, one hand on his doorknob. She was looking at him with eyes filled with an agony far deeper than physical pain, and with each of her silent tears splashing against his floor, Tarin imagined another piece of her fragile heart shattering.
He forced himself to swallow down the nausea he felt rising. "Princess--"
"You were all I had. You know that?" she interjected in a whisper that caused Tarin to feel the beginnings of panic as he struggled with his breathing. He thought he might suffocate if she continued speaking, but Serena just turned away from him after that and slammed her fist against the door. It blew outwards with such force that the entire thing flew into the marble across the hall and broke into three or four large pieces. The princess ignored the damage and swept out the opening. It took Tarin a few seconds to realize that he wanted to go after her, and in his dizzy disorientation, he felt as if the floor was moving underneath him as he ran down the hall and up the stairs. She must be going to her bedroom. She must be--
He halted before reaching her door. Not because he wanted to, but because there was a contingent of warriors blocking his way.
"Move," he ordered shortly. He so expected them to simply obey that he began to stride forward. When they failed to shift, he stopped again, raising his eyebrows.
"I told you to move," he said, and the warrior closest to him cleared his throat.
"The princess commanded us to keep you away from her, Sir," he stated, giving a small shrug before pulling his sword from its sheath. His expression was set with determination, though some of those standing behind him looked like they might wet themselves. "Please don't fight us for doing her bidding."
Tarin cursed out loud and glanced over all the warriors' heads. The princess' door was within sight down the hall, and so he raised his voice as he called for her. The door did not open.
"Sir, please, just go back to bed before we have to remove you."
Tarin snorted, though he knew the man was just trying to help him. There was no way this group of Fae could defeat Tarin in a fight, but at the same time, he understood that it was their duty to follow the instructions of a royal. Tarin would be much more willing to fight them if they disobeyed his princess, and so he tried to reign in his temper.
He had nearly succeeded when Cade came up from behind him.
"Why hello, General," he greeted, smirking wide as he dipped his head at Tarin in a clearly mocking gesture. "You're up and about quite early."
Tarin felt his hands shaking, his nostrils flaring. His magic was itching to kill the man in front of him, the one who had tortured his princess, the one who sought her demise. He was sure the desire was evident in his expression, as Cade lifted an eyebrow and took a step towards the warriors.
"What are you doing here, Cade?" he demanded. Perhaps he had caught him sneaking towards Serena's room for part of a plan; maybe due to Tarin's presence, it would be ruined, at least for tonight. And tonight was all that mattered, he hoped.
Cade's smile grew into a grin. "That's Lord Cade to you, General," he responded. "And I'm here because the princess sent for me. I am nothing if not an obedient servant to her royal highness."
With that, Cade walked towards Serena's door, and the warriors parted to allow him to pass without issue. Tarin clenched his jaw to prevent the helpless scream he felt building from exploding into much more as the warriors closed formation again before he could make his own way forward. Cade strolled right to the door and knocked, and it opened from the inside to allow him in.
And Tarin made the executive decision that whatever punishment might follow would be worth it. He could not leave the princess alone with him.
He formed his magic into an updraft to launch him up and over the group of warriors. One of the more quick-witted among them threw a spell at him, probably to freeze him, but Tarin had a shield up before the spell made its way to him. It bounced against his shield and got sent back the way it came, causing the warriors to scatter in confusion even as Tarin landed in front of Serena's door.
He cast manners aside and shoved it open, riding a wave of adrenaline as he took a single step into the room--
--just in time to see his princess pull Cade to her in an embrace.
"No!" Tarin barked, and while Cade whipped around in surprise, Serena just narrowed her eyes into cruel slits as she looked upon him. He knew then that she had expected him to act the way he did. She wanted him to see Cade touch her.
He felt his lip curl as his throat produced a deadly snarl. Cade looked to Serena, clearly expecting her to say something as Tarin approached him, but she did not so much as part her lips. She simply watched with a veiled interest as Tarin grabbed Cade by the throat with one hand and heaved him against the nearest wall. The lordling's hands came up to scratch at Tarin's, but the latter's grip was unyielding. He barely even felt the boy's struggles.
Tarin heard the warriors run up to the doorway, but they did not enter the room. Perhaps Serena had done something to stop them. Tarin did not know; in his mind, he had finally been given an excuse to tear this traitor apart, and he was not about to let it go to waste.
"Your Highness," Cade choked out, his face turning redder by the instant.
Tarin squeezed harder, his rage reaching such a level that he felt his temples throbbing. He turned his head to meet his princess' gaze, seeing if she would tell him to put the lordling down. He knew she was not herself - he knew it - but he still could not help feeling sickened by the way she was looking at him.
"So it's not okay for me to do?" she wondered, her voice as soft and dangerous as when Tarin spoke to one of his victims. It was much more chilling when she did it, at least for him. He had never heard her speak this way before. "How hypocritical of you."
"Your... highness... can't... kill... me..."
Tarin snapped his head back to Cade with another snarl. He should have squeezed harder, but the deed seemed to be done. Serena had listened.
"Don't kill him, Tarin."
Tarin loosened his grip only a bit to allow Cade a breath. "Princess, we need to talk--"
"What makes you think I want to speak with you further? Let Cade down--"
"So that you can kiss him again to get back at me? Is that your game, Princess?" he demanded, inadvertently strangling Cade with more strength once more. "It seems as if we would both be the losers there."
His princess scowled, and Tarin felt the pain in his head lessen by just a smidge. His reasoning had gotten through to her - not much, but it was still something. "Let him down, Tarin," she repeated firmly, and this time, Tarin cast Cade a dark smile.
"Oh, I'll let the worm down," he retorted. And indeed he released Cade, though the lordling was paralyzed with Tarin's magic in a blink. The general hauled him onto his shoulder and gestured to the princess with a flicking of his fingers.
"Please follow me," he requested, offering his hand to her. "I will explain it all, if that's what you want. I will do anything you ask of me. But first, just come with me."
Serena eyed him suspiciously, and Tarin noticed now that the warriors had left the doorway, though he was not entirely sure when it had happened.
"Why would I trust you, Tarin? All you've done is lie to me. About everything."
"No," he said instantly. "Not about everything, Princess. Never once did I lie about my feelings for you. Please, you know that I would never hurt you--"
"You ALREADY DID!"
And Serena exploded, as if she had enough pent-up magic restrained inside of her to fight off an army. It was like a supernova; the brightness was all that could be seen, and so Tarin ducked instinctively, which ended up being a smart move when a stray beam of magic struck the largest diamond on her wall and caused its shards to fly in all directions. In a blind panic, Tarin formed a shield around his princess, sensing rather than seeing her presence as he put all of his energy into its fortitude. He felt the floor below him quake even as he heard the ceiling give off the bone-chilling sounds of a cave-in above them.
"Princess!" he shouted, tossing Cade's frozen body to the ground as he dove for Serena. He tackled her around the waist and rolled them both across the room. He could feel the magic leaving his princess like powered-up lightning bolts, and reinforced his shield as well as he clutched her shoulders.
"Princess, stop, stop!" he screamed as a wave of dust rose up and blinded him further. The ceiling had fallen in, and though the initial brightness had diminished somewhat, there were still flashes every time one of her magic bolts made contact with something and caused it to either crumble or explode. The floor quaked again, and his panic increased.
"Princess," he repeated, pushing his face closer to hers to examine it. Her eyelashes were fluttering; she was conscious, but only just. He could tell immediately that she was not in control; she was not trying to do any of this. Her magic had finally overwhelmed her, as he had feared would happen in both the ballroom during the party and the clearing more recently. She might have learned how to call upon it, but she was no more knowledgeable on how to contain it than she was when she was seven years old, facing down an Infernal army on the fields of Azure. The vast storage of the stuff inside of her had erupted the instant she let her emotions go completely free, and neither her surroundings nor she stood a chance against it.
"Oh, no," he murmured to himself, looking around desperately for an escape route. He needed to get her out of here before the room collapsed on top of them. He assumed it only had not already because of his shields, but if he overextended those, they would be just as doomed.
That was when the floor gave out, courtesy of another bolt leaving Serena's body. Tarin shouted and held onto his princess for dear life as they tumbled onto the level below, but her magic was not nearly spent yet. If anything, now that it had discovered its freedom, more of it let itself loose than ever, creating absolute chaos wherever it went. Tarin had lived in this castle for so long that he could hardly bear to think about the devastation being unleashed upon it and its residents. He only hoped that the guards stationed around it would be working to evacuate rather than trying to find the source of the power - they would only end up being destroyed even quicker than the precious rooms around them.
For a few moments, they were in a decadent guest chamber...
And then, upon that crashing around them, they fell into a setting in which Tarin could see nothing but dust once more; dust, and destruction...
And then they were in the dining hall, and Tarin knew that the best way for him to stop this madness and prevent further damage to the castle was to get the princess away from it. His ears were buzzing with the sounds of heavy things crashing, falling... he knew that the implosion of one part of the castle would lead to the imbalance and subsequent collapse of others. He could not think about it, though.
Before the dining hall, too, became nothing but ruins, Tarin threw Serena's prone form over his shoulder and cast a quick spell of his own at one of the windows. The glass shattered, and Tarin leapt through its frame into the courtyard.
He used all the magic he felt he could risk to nullify Serena's own, hoping to block at least some of her outpouring of raw power until he could get her to Muiress... or until she went unconscious on her own.
Then Tarin just ran, faster than he had ever run before. He refused to look back.