Radimus Rune's Story

"I think that it's time we've come upon this decision now, don't you, Cavis? It has been a long time coming and you, a long time friend. Perhaps it will even help with the unification of our classes, I'd think. A measure in good faith." Radimus said, and wrapped an arm on the shoulder of his 'long time friend'. Quickly, he released, and found himself moving toward one of the lavish couches by the mantle and fireplace. Fondly, he'd taken a picture of Elleanore in his hand, and regarded it as he'd spoken.

"Your daughter is absolutely lovely, and my son is the hardest worker I've seen. Given the opportunity, he would be nothing less of a great man. Unfortunately, with the place he'd been set in life, he had not a chance."

The man set the picture down. Radimus. A poor man, whose only adornments came from the military he served in. He took the effort to wear clean clothes, and present himself kindly, however. He was kempt, though strong from the work he'd been put through. It was of no surprise he'd be in the company of richer men.

Cavis stroked his thin beard, watching Radimus as the man walked around his parlor. Radimus had a calculating gaze, a quick eye, one that assessed a situation and sought for the way that it could best benefit himself. He couldn't help but feel a distinct discomfort when the other man picked up the picture of his daughter, his precious Ellie, and fawned over her like she was some kind of a horse on the sale block.

He let none of this show, however. His smile was thin, but he made sure it was believable.

"I know Adrien." he said calmly, his voice smooth and low. "And it was never a concern that he couldn't make a place for himself in this difficult world. We all had to make something from nothing. Adrien is not lacking in those skills." He glanced to the stairwell, as his daughter in question descended. Her chestnut hair was done up in curls, blemishless face adorned with a blush as she regarded the pair of men who eagerly looked to her arrival.

The dress was her finest, yet still simple. A soft pink thing, as soft as baby's skin. Cavis continued to smile as her eyes met his.

"Papa..."

"Your future father-in-law, Elleanore."

The girl seemed surprised, but took it all in stride. She gave a delicate curtsy towards Radimus, clasping her hands in front of her as she rose to her feet. She knew of Adrien. He was a handsome boy, even though he was poor.

"Where is Adrien?" she asked, looking from one to the other.

--

"GAH! Yah ninny! Why the fuck'd you hit me straight in the kneecap!"

The dark-haired boy was swinging his stick around, lying flat on his back with his long legs sprawled awkwardly beneath him. "I can't feel me toes, mate! Yeh've made me a cripple fer life yeh have!" Then his face melted into the most pitiful expression, as he lobbed his stick at his scuffle-mate with no sense of remorse. He hoped it jabbed the other lad in the kidney.

"Because I very well know how to scrap!" said Adrien, whose hand held a stick of it's own. A juvenile sword, if you will. "Stop complaining! Maybe y'shouldn't've gotten into a scrap with me if you'd think it cripple ye --"

It would be then that the stick hit him square in the jaw, and he whined out while holding his face. His hand came from his face to the line of his eyes.

"Blood! You drew blood! S'at what you're looking for? To kill me, now? Are there any Blakes guards around? Hey, get up!" Adrien chimed, and with a hand, bent over to grab Xander's shoulder. In friendliness, it was, though his own stick was still pointed to the gut of the poor boy on the ground. "I'm a mad animal on the ground and I don't want to choke you out, so lets make it fair, yeah?"

"A'ight mate!"

And Xander's ropey arm wrapped around the back of Adrien's neck, jerking the other young man to his knees as he took his knuckles and rubbed them furiously against the top of Adrien's head.

"Say uncle!" he warbled, grinning like a lunatic.

"Hey! Get off! Y'll make me have bald spots and I won't get anywhere in life if I've those!" Adrien squealed. He swept a foot behind him, locking it behind Xander's, and hurled forward. Hopefully, not to choke himself, and hopefully, to send his scuffle-buddy flying over his shoulder.

By then, the sticks had been dropped. "Y'know y'can't win against me, Sandy. What happened last time, aye?"

"I know last time yeh didn't have a broad to romance, Dree."

This time the grin was just wicked.

"Ah, what?"

And then, the realization washed over his face. Oh, Radimus would kill him. He'd string him up tight by a noose. "Oh, you bastard, you knew, you knew! And I'm all mucked from fighting! By the gods, where's a bucket of water?"

He rushed around the stable. Soon, he'd come upon the delapidated well which sat with bucket nearby. Quickly, he laced his hands around the rope and drew water. In that time, he almost ignored Xander's presence, dedicated on cleaning up before he'd meet at the mansion, late indeed. A bucket full of water would present itself to poor Adrien, who would haphazardly shove himself face-first into it.

"For someone who doesn't like the uptight powdered wigs we like to call 'women' nowadays, yer sure awfully intent on impressin' the young lass." Xander said unhelpfully.

"We all know what you really do with them sheep in the woods, Dree."

"You're a dolt! Not even Ellie I care for, really. You know Radimus! By the gods, he's even tried to rough YOU up a few times for muckin' with me in good spirits! I'm supposed to be at Cavis' manor, for gods sake, and you know how important it is for us t'leave an impression on the powdies. At least, for him." Adrien explained. Then, he approached Xander quickly, as if he were about to collide into him. His face was sopping wet.

"Alright. Give me your shirt. It's not as dirty as mine, and god knows the fact I'm bleeding from the face'll leave a good impression."

"Don't hurt meh!" Xander cried pitiously. "Just don't make it last long, mate. I need my dignity!"

He ripped his shirt off, giving Adrien a shove before throwing the shirt at him. He flexed then, tanned skin stretching over a chest that was more bone and sinew rather than muscle.

"I rival the sun, mate! Lookit!" Then, he seemed to debate that, and added, "Ahh get the hell outta here. Don't buy the cow until yeh get a chance to drink the milk!"

Adrien caught the shirt and quickly replaced his for Xander's. It was a little tight on him, as his frame was a little larger than Xander's, but it fit. He threw the dirty shirt in Xander's direction when he'd gone so far as to flex. "Cover it up, Sandy, y'stringy dolt."

"N'trust me. I'll make it last as little as I very well can."

He looked between the stable exit and Xander, before taking off running.

--

"I don't..." Radimus looked about, as if his son were hiding someplace. Then, he brought his hand to his face and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Promising as he may be, he's still a boy, and I can make confident bets that he's still hard at work and forgot our date."

Hard at work. Radimus didn't believe those words himself. A hard worker was he, but his free-time was only spent doing menial things. Impatiently, the man tapped at his own crossed arms, his gaze piercing through the door in which Adrien would enter by.

And Adrien had. A bit too quickly. A slam, and the door swung open in an arch to reveal the long-awaited Adrien. He'd looked unkempt, at best. His hair was wild and dirty blonde, and his skin tanned from the sun outside. A worker's tan. When he'd found himself in the staring presence of the others, he quickly adjusted himself, and gave a neat bow at the door. His shoes were left at the mat, before he'd come jogging to meet the three.

"I'm deeply regretful about my lateness. The date escaped my mind." He said, almost earnestly. Oh, but he was putting on a show, if only for his father and 'Ellie'. He bowed toward the lady, and looked to Cavis and Radimus with worry. "Fillin on what I missed?"

"Not a whole lot," Cavis said, clearly amused. Elleanore was staring, her cheeks flushed with sympathetic embarrassment at the way Adrien was presenting himself. When the young man turned her way, she inclined her head stiffly, her lips pulled into a thin, white line.

"Good to see you again." she murmured, clearing her throat for a moment before lifting a hand to touch her knuckle to her bottom lip. "Perhaps we were not communicating the time well enough?"

"I'm sure he had better things to do." Cavis said with a sudden laugh. "Come along now, the lot of you are as tense as if we were at a funeral."

Ellie looked distinctly uncomfortable. She tried not to sigh, keeping her thoughts to herself as she forced a smile for Adrien. Better things to do than meet your fiance? Oh dear.

Adrien, as dense a boy as he might have seemed, then, was not a stranger to Ellie's discomfort. He warmly smiled her way, and perhaps his smile was laced with a little bit of vindiction. They were powdies, after all. What could he really expect? Soon, though, he addressed Cavis.

"Nothing better to do? Nay, I'm simply a miss with times. There could be nothing better than existing in Radimus', yours, and lady Elleanore's presence." He said, with a chuckle. In all actuality, though, he looked for his own father's approval. His father, who stared at the floor and shook his head.

That, before raising it, clearing his voice, and correcting Adrien. "You mean, your father's presence."

"That I do!" Adrien cheerfully replied. "Now, what was it we were to?"

"The Governor's coming back." Ellie spoke up, her voice as soft and delicate as her dress. "There was an announcement he was meaning to make, and he wanted the whole town to come together to hear it."

"She's right." Cavis said with a sigh. "I have a feeling it isn't good news either, just so you're all prepared." And it was true. Colonists who had strayed from the walls of their towns had been brutally attacked. There had been one fatality, and one of the tribesmen had been killed in a previous raid attempt on a pair of hunters who were coming in with fresh game. The violence had increased so dramatically in the last three weeks that it had alarmed most of the more well-informed folk.

"I'm certain he'll have a plan." Ellie added. "He must. Its his job to keep us safe."

"The Governer is coming back, and I plan to aide him. Governer Ormond and I were at the treaty site when the conflict had initially started, and so, I will be aiding him with his speech. He is a strong man, but surely a timid one, and perhaps not the best at speaking. But, at that, I have no doubts that he will keep us safe from the savages in the woods." Radimus quickly added, his tone so regal it would come a surprise he wasn't a high-class man at all. Still, they were laced with poison when mentioning those who lived in the forest.

He continued on.

"I expect Adrien and Elleanore will be attending together, and our Cavis, if he feels the need?" The man asked.

"If only to educate myself." the man replied, obviously bored. He took a deep breath, heaving a sigh before waving a hand to Elleanore and the others. "May as well start walking now, otherwise the crowd'll be too big for us to see."

--

The town square was a spread out, nearly empty section of the town, located near the very center of the collection of houses and buildings. In the distance, the wall that separated the colonists from the tribesmen stood tall, like a grim reminder of the violence that lay in store for anyone who went too far away from the safety the town provided. Cavis came to the edge of the crowd, rising to his tiptoes to peer over a few thicker heads. He smiled, however, relaxing as the Governor ascended the platform.

"Easier for us to see." he explained to the two younger companions. Radimus, as it were, had decided to go to the podium itself.

The crowd quieted as the governer ascended, as well as Radimus. Taking the platform as well was Gerald Mason, whose timid, background position would come to show that he was only there to complete the trio of those who were there on the fateful day that war was waged.

Illiam was a quiet man, now, though his face was wrecked with distraught. He was pale, with a tight bowtie, that of which he loosened rather quickly. On him, he bore war medals, and the outfit of a commander. It was not the outfit he'd worn that day, but then again, none of the three had worn the same. Quickly, Illiam cleared his voice, and fixed his jacket. All eyes were on him. He began to speak.

"It is on this day that I regale to you the news of which you all have probably assumed the worst of. I thank you all for attending, even if it be such a grim spectacle. A grim spectacle this is, though it was not nearly quite so grim as the day I had presented the treaty to the Vanduo tribe that borders us; that we build so high of walls to keep out." Illiam had started. He gestured to the gigantic walls; those which confined the colonists in, and kept those tribemen out.

Suddenly, however, he glanced to Radimus. The man, white as he may have been, grew only paler in the face. He clutched his heart again, as if continuing only made him weary.

"Excuse me for a moment."

He stepped back, to consult with Radimus. Their whispered words could surely not be heard by even the crowd directly in front of them.

Meanwhile, Adrien had taken to the side of Ellie. His face was calculating; a strange look for a boy so rough. He couldn't draw them away from Illiam, and particularly, his father. When they stepped away to speak, he looked to Ellie and Cavis.

"Do you think Governer Ormond is right? I mean -- Right for us. Well, I mean... Well?" He asked, garnering for the opinion of the two.

"He should have killed the tribesmen where they stood." Ellie said, the words unusually harsh for someone so, well, delicate. Cavis glanced to her, his brow wrinkling for a moment, before he turned to Adrien.

"I don't know that any of us expected so much trouble coming here." he said. "Ormond has always been a good leader, even now. Every man has his breaking point, and if what I heard was true.." he sighed. "He has a right to be as upset as he is. What he saw was no easy thing to witness."

"That's pretty easy to say when you're not the one having to brave the forests to feed our people meat, huh?" Adrien countered, though his voice didn't carry a tune of aggression at all. "Even if you kill them, there's going to be more, and starting a feud with a bunch of forest people isn't such a good idea when we need that place to catch game."

"Ahem." spoke a voice, from up front. It was Radimus'. Illiam had stepped back for a moment. "I apologize for the intrusion, but it comes that it would be better if every one of you knew the events that happened the treaty day, gruesome as it is to retell." He breathed in.

"We took our horses to meet them. Earlier on, Governer Ormond had made reconciliations with the tribe leader of the Vanduo. It was brave; we encouraged men to go with him, but he declined, in hopes that he wouldn't come off as a threat to the tribesmen."

And so, he met with the tribe leader. All went well, until the date when three of ours and three of theirs were to meet and sign the treaty. But we did, and Illiam -" Radimus stopped to correct himself. "General Ormond had presented the document. The Vanduo turned it down."

The first lie.

"They were to use a ... rune? Is that what they called it? I expected it in good meanings; they had not shown violence as of then. When our dearest Governer was to accept the rune in good faith, an arrow strung out from the canopies."

The second lie.

"These ... people turned against eachother, for such crude reasons. No; they did not want peace. They did not want to come into terms with ours. It was simple enough; they wanted to be left alone, and they would assault their own kind to do so. It was in their plans. The tribe leader fell, and they put us to blame for such an act, nearly killing us in our escape. It was then that our war had started. We all escaped without harm, but Governer Ormond had taken a threat to his life in the process."

These people do not want peace. They don't want the harmonies of our people. They want to stick to their ways of witchcraft and devilry. It is to Governer Ormond how we will deal with that thus."

Ellie had remained silent, her brow knit together in disapproval as the crowd began to shout, crying out in their indignation at the behavior of the tribesmen. Various calls echoed, anger mounted. The scene began to get more rowdy than it was before.

"Well it was our own damn fault wasn't it?"

Xander's voice echoed louder than the rest.

"We did kinda, y'know, invade their homeland didn't we?"

"Papa I want to go." Elleanore said to Cavis, who glanced down at his daughter, and then to Adrien.

"Begging your pardon, sir." he said, tilting his head before offering his arm to the young lady. She all but clung to him as the pair exited the square.

"We did not invade. We settled." Came Radimus' voice, which grew in anger. "We settled on lands flat and unclaimed, and all we ask is that we use the forest for game hunting. To feed our people! As if the forest had belonged to a single man! And, we stayed in our own. We built walls. Then, when we ask for peace between us all, who mutually share the land, they spit in our faces. Is that not injustice, Xander?"

The crowd roared.

Oh, yes. He would put the boy on the spot. As would he with anyone who did oppose his reasoning. A man powerful was a man frightening. Adrien nodded toward Elle and Cavis as they released themselves, and jabbed Xander on the elbow.

"Just don't." He harshly whispered.

"Yeh remembered my name!" Xander said, his grin wicked. It was clear that he didn't care one bit what this man thought of him. "I happen teh know yours too, so now that everyone's been reminded, why don't yah tell us just what we're supposed to do now? Go out into their forest and kill em all?" He sighed, turning and shaking his head before tossing a hand in Radimus' direction.

"Feckin stupid, the whole lot of yah."

"And this is why we must educate our youth. We came peacefully, but again, they spat in our faces. And we are to take it? Nay, we have not even came to a decision about the tribesmen yet, and yet the youth assumes that we're set on killing them! A violent youth! That is not what we are!" Radimus explained.

Illiam only sat in the background, with wide eyes. These were lies. He knew it, Gerald knew it, but neither of them dared speak up against a man so charismatically powerful. The crowd spoke out.

"That boy'll learn!"

"Those savages'll learn too!"

"Yae, what is it ye'll d', Governer Ormond?"

Adrien grabbed Xander's arm. "What say we get outta here? Let you take out your frustrations on me if y'like. Before the crowd starts taking theirs out on you, or you get a rock thrown at your head."

Xander's look was sharp.

"I'll say what I like, cuz I mean every word. I like you, Dree, but I don't like yer old man. I know a lyin face when I see one, and he's about as slick as the serpent was in Eden." He jerked his arm free of the other young man's grasp, and stormed off.

"C'mon! It's just politics anyway!" Adrien mimed, and took off after Xander as well.

It had been roughly an hour since the darkly clad, mysterious third party deposited Adrien on one of the sick beds in the make-shift hospital that had been created in one of the back rooms of the town hall. The nurse and the physician collaborated to let Adrien's father know about his state as privately as possible, however, due to the nature of small towns and the fact that whispers spread like wildfires, nearly a dozen of the townspeople were present on the doorstep, inquiring after Adrien's condition and the circumstances surrounding his injuries. The nurse, a portly, aging woman who had seen her husband and all of her children buried thanks to the summer flu, regarded the growing crowd with a simpering stare, her fat arms crossed over her chest in a clear display of passive aggression.

"Will he be alright at least?" Jason Porter called from the back. The cobbler was too nosey for his own good, possibly from the practice of sticking his face into many a smelly shoe. He had a nose for good gossip.

"I'm not going to be deliverin' any information until his father comes 'ere to see him."

"Miss Patsy!"

The woman's piggish eyes turned towards the young, gangly lad who unceremoniously elbowed his way through the crowd, his mop of dark hair sticking up in all directions as he loped up the stairs to stand before her. Even though Xander was easily six inches taller than she, the young man felt intimidated by the glare that met his eyes.

"When I said his father, I meant--"

"Oh I know what you meant. You've always been such a good, dedicated nurse. But, see, here's the thing, if Adrien's dying in there, who better than myself to cheer him up as he slips into the afterlife? Wasn't there some woman as gracious as yourself who suggested that good company always eased an aching soul?" He batted his eyes.

Patsy did not look amused.

His expression withered. "Ma'am, if he was awake, he'd be asking for me. I know it."

Patsy glared for a moment longer, before rolling her eyes and jerking her thumb over her shoulder. With a cheerful grin, Xander bent and kissed the woman straight on the mouth until she blushed, before he danced out of the way of her swatting hands and back on into the sick room.

"But what about--" came an indignant cry.

"SHUT IT ALL OF YOU!" Patsy hollared, her face still a rather distinct shade of red.

As Xander slipped into the room, he noticed immediately that one side of Adrien's face was peculiarly swollen. He knew that sort of blow. It wasn't the kind one received from a fall. It was the kind one got from someone else's fist.

But he determined to keep himself cheerful for the sake of his friend. Walking over to his bed, he sat himself down, before putting a hand on Adrien's shoulder.

"You're supposed to shoot the deer, Dree. Not head-butt it into oblivion."

A figure pushed through the crowd, so very unhappy in his demeanor. He pushed past Jason Porter, the cobbler, who hollered until he'd realized the assaultant. He pushed past Myriam and Gregory, and soon, he sidestepped into the sick office, ignorant even of the nurse's presence. This man's face was red with embarrassment and anger, and he stopped in the doorway to dispel those who insisted on watching.

"Go! The lot of you! Leave!" Radimus hollered, with a flicker of his wrist. The man's voice was maddened, and his eyes, surely wild. A few whispers crossed the crowd. A few dispelled, but the nosiest of them stayed. The man, with no time on his hands to fight the colonists, turned with a huff into the room.

The lean figure that stood over Adrien's bedside was soon enough grasped by the back of the collar and shoved aside with reckless abandon by the angry father, whose words were far too loud for the sick office to bear.

"What is the meaning of this? Have you gathered the townspeople? And what of my son, who I am the last to hear of?!" He demanded, of the tubby nurse.

Xander managed to catch himself before he went careening into a counter, then decided to make rude gesticulations behind Radimus' back while the other man screamed at Patsy.

The flustered nurse was back to being all business. She regarded Radimus patiently, before her shoulders lifted in a heavy sigh. "We've been trying to look for you, Mister Rune. But when the townsfolk decided to come to harrass my patient, your son," she clarified, "I saw fit to stand by his side and keep out the riff raff while he rested."

She glanced to Xander briefly, who immediately stilled with a congenial smile on his face.

"Some figure came dragging him in from beyond the Wall." the nurse explained. "Said he'd been attacked by a tribal when he wandered too far." She sighed heavily. "He'll need your support, rather than your reprimand, Radimus."

It was easy to see that Patsy was somewhat of a mother to all, and there wasn't a single man or woman who escaped her counsel.

"You don't tell me how to govern my son!" Radimus ferociously replied, not keen on shrinking from the woman's intimidating maternal instincts like the rest. He stopped in his tracks, and pivoted to Adrien's bedside, his knuckles white with anger. "And that's it? Some figure? You've not a name, or a face? None of which I can speak to? This care is a shame!"

Adrien emitted a groan; he was coming back to the rest of them. Radimus had taken it as a sign to speak with his son.

"And you! What have you been told about the natives? What were you looking to do, wandering that far? Impress someone? The deer we eat are on the border! I thought you a smart boy. You should know this! Even after my speech!" He exclaimed, slamming his hand onto the bedside. The boy's eyes wearily opened to behold the vicious voice of his own father, who had certainly been getting ahead of himself.

"That's enough!" Patsy shouted, voluminous even for her.

"I will not have you upsetting him while he's still healing. If you do not calm down, I'll have you removed too. My priority is him." She pointed to the boy in the bed. Xander, standing off to one side, looked incredibly pleased at the turnout of the conversation.

"Perhaps you should step out, Mister Rune. Get some fresh air." he suggested unhelpfully.

Radimus regarded Patsy with hate, struggling to keep his own abusive paternal instinct over hers. Ultimately, he regarded her with no other option than to leave, as any words that would come from his mouth would certainly be of reprimand. He pushed out of the room, and shoved a townsfolk on the way out.

Adrien painfully looked between Xander and Patsy, vision still blurry. Even then, he mustered a smirk, though the other side of his face stayed swollen and bruised.

A voice came from outside.

"Well, that's'is father, then! What 'appened?"

"Xander, mind you go close the door." Patsy suggested, tiredly rubbing at her temples before disappearing back into a store room. The sounds of rummaging could be heard, as well as mild cursing. Patsy had never stuck to what her gods had told her, and spoke as she liked. Xander, on the other hand, did as he was bid, closing the door on the faces of the curious townsfolk before returning to the side of his friend.

"You look a right mess, mate." he muttered, showing concern, rather than playfulness, for the first time that day.

"What the fuck happened to you out there?"

"'Ead-butted a deer." Adrien said, with an attempt to lighten the mood. He hadn't the slightest idea why it had come to mind, though.

"W'ad ... 'Ow'd I get here?" He asked, obviously confused. His words were slightly muffled by the swelling of his face. "I got punched, s'what. 'Ow long I been out? Cun't feel m'face."

He brought a limp hand up to touch it.

Xander swatted it away.

"Stop that." he scolded. "One of them tribals got you good huh? Good thing they didn't gut you and leave you for the wolves."

There was no hint of teasing in his tone. "Why'd you go out so far, Dree? You know that place isn't safe for us. Like it as not, y'do have a girl you're eventually gunna provide for."

He paused for a minute.

"That idn't why you went out there is it?"

"W'uh? Nay, not th'..." Adrien hesitated. "Saw some white fur, 'ad m'new rifle. Was jus trackin' a tiger. Bet she was good, tooh. Didn't find'er, tracks were dry..." The hand that had been smacked away went to brace his head again, though not his jaw. He wracked his mind for the memory of the event.

"S'a ... Saw a tribe lady caugh' in a trap, n'I couhdn't just leave wifhout lettin'er free," he recalled.

Xander stared.

"You saw one of them?" he asked, his eyes wide. In the meantime, he wondered what kind of a trap could be set for a human being...

"What was she like? Did she try to gut you? Why did ..." but the sentence trailed off. Adrien was not his father. Adrien would have let the girl go.

That's one thing Xander loved about his friend.

"Shuh was stuck in a bearh trahp, guttin' me wouldn't be good for eifher of ush. She held her knifh up like I was gonna shoot her, though. Dunnoh much abouth her past thath. Think her name was..." Adrien tried hard to recall. "I didn't get her namhe."

No. He was too busy being grounded to get her name, but she certainly got his.

"Ah." Xander didn't seem too enlightened by his explanation. The young man sighed. "Well, next time, try to take someone with yah, that way you won't come back a bloodied pulp, and maybe we'll get her name before she beans you in the jaw."

"It washn't --"

He looked like he was ready to say more, but there was a soft knock on the door, and it opened to reveal Ellie and her father. As usual, she looked impeccable, and embarrassed. She didn't seem to know what to say upon laying eyes on Adrien.

Cavis was there to recover for her poor form.

"They didn't knock out any of your teeth did they?" he asked, smiling good naturedly as he gently touched a hand to his daughter's shoulder to guide her forward. "Has your father stopped by? He was pretty worried."

"Oh, he did." Xander cut in, glancing to Ellie before meeting Cavis' eyes. "Left an impression. He needed to take a walk."

"How are you feeling?" Ellie asked, shyly approaching the bed as she gazed down at Adrien. It was clear she didn't know exactly what she was supposed to do, and she almost looked like she was afraid to touch him.

Cavis and Xander exchanged glances briefly.

Adrien's explanation was also interrupted by the entrance of Cavis and Ellie. He attempted a smile, but only half of his face seemed to raise. "Hope I didn't miss another meetinh at th'manor." He joked, in an attempt to ease the tension of the room. "Don't 'ave t'act all scared."

"Nay, m'teeth're all there, sos m'beautiful smile. S'm'noggin I'm worried about. Yae, as Sandy said, Radimus stopped by. 'E means well, though I didn't'ear half th'words 'e was sayinh'."

Adrien looked toward Ellie as she approached, his smile softening a little more. "Feelin' like I got socked in th'jaw. It ain't as big'a deal as people'rh makin' it. 'Ow're ye? Look right pale."

"Ellie took the news a bit hard. She was very worried." Cavis interjected, putting an arm on his daughter's shoulder. The girl glanced away, towards the floor as she chewed on the corner of her lower lip.

"I'm glad to see you're alright." she added. Her lips pursed tight, and with a slight flourish, she turned from her father and excused herself before hurriedly leaving the room.

There was a beat of silence.

"I'm thinkin the meat on yer face made her a bit queasy, Dree." Xander noted, one brow lifting as the door swung shut behind the lady's skirts. Cavis sighed heavily.

"You'll have to excuse her. She's never done well around the sight of blood, and I think her concern for you is unsettling her." He gave Adrien an encouraging smile. Patsy entered the room not long after, with a draught that smelled curiously of whiskey.

"Alright, the lot of you need to leave so he can sleep." she told them. This time, Xander didn't seem to protest. Especially when Cavis extended an invitation to dinner that evening with them.

"Ah, my pleasure sir. Dree," Xander saluted the other lad before giving him a wave. "I'll see you in the mornin. Rest easy, mate."

And the pair exited the room in time for Patsy to hand over the steaming mug.

"Ignore what you think it might taste like and swallow the whole of it." she said, giving him a look that was not meant to be argued with.

"Well, s'nice knowinh' she wadn't runnin' cause she doesn't like me, huh?" Adrien joked, to Cavis. He watched the trail of Ellie's dress disappear from the room with a frown and a wistful sigh. The girl wasn't at all as bad as they'd made her seem, with their titles. Titles, which he was guilty of. Soon, Patsy ushered everyone else out as well, and Adrien set his head to look at the ceiling.

"Lemme go wif'm, Patsy. I'm well enough to walk. If y'can feed me brews, I can feed myself. I'll just go back to m'house and sleep there."

He took the steaming mug in hand and plugged his nose. Then, he shot back the concoction as well as he could, which wasn't quite well enough. It stained his shirt and sent him into a coughing fit, which took a bit of recovery, before he'd downed the rest.

Patsy smiled.

"Believe me, lad. There idn't too much you'll be able to do once that stuff settles. Y'might as well just let yerself rest for the night." With that, she disappeared from the room again, going away from the sick bay and into the town hall.

Not too long after she'd left, softer footsteps approached Adrien from the head of the bed.

"Looks like someone backhanded you good, boy. Giving your old man lip?"

It was the man in the dark clothing. The pistol in his hand made it clear that Adrien was not to make a sound.

Adrien's eyes, which had slowly been lulling their ways to sleep, softly opened when he'd heard footsteps. Perhaps it was just Patsy again, checking in on him, he thought. When his tired eyes adjusted to dark.

And even though darkness inhibited the room, the man's cloak was darker. The boy's eyes followed his form down, to the glint of the gun.

"I didn't thinkh y'very old at all, actually."

Even with the gun in the room, the boy displayed both a fear and a callous, obvious hate for the cloaked man. "Caught me there."

"I just came to give you a little bit of advice." the man said, a smile in his words. He came around, more to the front so that the gun was clearly visible. "Early this morning you were attacked, rather viciously, by a tribal wench who intended to nail your heart to the wall of her cave. Gave you a good blow to the jaw before a masked stranger swept in to save you." He gestured to himself.

"At least, that's what you're going to tell people, Adrien Rune. Are we clear on this?"

"N'what do you plan on doing if I don't? Acting like a native came here and shot me, too? 'Cause they very well have guns, don't they? Stop showingh that around, and g'out of'ere!"

Adrien looked to the gun, and his hand felt for the lantern at his bedside. He grabbed it, and deftly swung it in the man's direction. It was nothing but a measly lantern, but the point was made enough.

The man blocked the blow with his forearm, before seizing the lantern and tearing it from Adrien's hand. He was fast, frighteningly so.

"There's a few neat ways to kill a boy, but I can think of a few fancier ways to kill his little fiance." There was nothing but menacing promise in his tone.

"You make the choice, Adrien."

Adrien scowled, the swollen part of his face only hindering the emotion little. He seemed to huff, then, and waved the dark-coated man away. His voice shrunk, and his eyes diverted themselves.

"Get out of here, why don't y'? 'Fore I scream, and someone comes running. Leave!" He hissed.

The man chuckled.

"You didn't hear it, but that girl screamed something fierce when I sliced up her face. She's probably the ugliest thing wandering around in those woods now." The man shrugged. "Good riddance. Enjoy the rest of your night, young man."

And before Adrien had a chance to see where he'd gone off to, he disappeared.

Radimus waited for his guest of honor to arrive.

In preparation, there was not much. Unlike the other people he'd ever so rarely invited to his home, he was not trying to impress. The only thing on his mind was the business that they'd had to get done. So, the couches were prepped with pillows, the fireplace stoked, and the man who had done such a miniscule amount of work waited impatiently for a knock on his door.

There were no others in the house, surely. Adrien had gone hunting only recently then, and wasn't expected to return in, at the very least, an hour. So they had time to converse; time enough.

The knock was not long in coming. Upon answering the door, the man who had come to call was resting lazily against the frame of the door, his chin angled slightly towards his chest as he gazed at Radimus up through the thickness of his lashes. Dark eyes, hard and calculating, narrowed slightly as his thin lips pulled into a rather mocking smirk.

"You called?" he said, his voice a deep, rumbling drawl.

"Only to discuss business." Radimus replied, with a certain anxiousness. He ushered the man inside to come in, have a seat, or stand if he'd really liked. The point was to discuss, not to mingle.

"Adrien will not be a problem. He's off... In the woods, somewhere. Speaking of Adrien," The man's gaze sharply shot upward. "If, somehow, he gets in your way, you may deal with that, but to kill him would be nothing more than an embarrassment. Completely unacceptable, no matter how his ignorant mind sympathizes with the natives. Are we understood on this matter?"

He laughed, an abrupt, booming noise, and planted his hands on his hips. "I could have killed your son twice over if I cared enough. He's too damn nosey for his own good, Radimus. Why aren't kids practical and by the book anymore? Like Rawls' little girl."

The smirk became a little more pronounced. "By the way, good find. Adrien sure as hell wasn't going to get a girl like that on his own."

"Yes, well, the boy reacts poorly to reprimand. He's of his own thoughts. Spare the rod and spoil the child. Bah! If I'd more control over him, I would surely make it so he wasn't such a ..." Radimus shook his head, as if he'd lost the word. "A smack or thrice does him no good, however."

"Elleanore, herself, is nothing but a step forward on my part to be inducted and introduced to those of higher-class than I. With how he is, I imagine the boy couldn't find a girl worth or above his own if he'd even worn fine clothes and spoke properly. Formerly, I might have chastised you for such a comment, but it dawns on me now that it is not a comment so far off."

Radimus moved to his own couch, and promptly sat down.

"Are you ready to talk business? I didn't call you to mingle, however charming your presence might be." Radimus said, a certain sarcasm to his voice.

"You're the one doing most of the talking." the other replied, folding a pair of lean, muscular arms over his chest. He tilted his head to one side, blue eyes turning gold in the reflection of the firelight. His smile melted to a look of calm calculation.

"You'd said something about damage control." he said, the red of his ear-length, wavey hair glittering like spun gold as he turned away.

"Make another mess that I need to clean up?"

"Gerald Mason. The man was something of a recruit; used his family ties to join Ormond and I at the initial meeting with the natives. I had only met the man a few times previously, and he was meek, with a slippery tongue. I'm not quite sure he could keep the incident under wraps. As a riot of some sort would surely break out if the people had found we'd lied to them, I want him eliminated, if we are to cover our bases. He was a coward, anyway. Ran away when you'd taken your shot."

Radimus' eyes rested on the man, a tinge of annoyance settling behind them.

"Ormond would be a problem if he hadn't gone along with it. I believe he's to keep his lips shut, and as he stands, he is the outer cover of our operations, anyhow. To kill him would devastate the people."

"I thought the general idea of being here was 'kill the tribals'." the man replied disapprovingly. "What am I supposed to do? Drag this man out by his ear and say the tribals killed him?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Listen, killing savages is one thing, but another man?" He jabbed a finger in Radimus' direction. "A man who considers you a friend, no less. It's something else entirely."

A pause, and then the man's smile turned wicked.

"Yet, as always, your wish is my command."

Radimus' face twisted into an angry scowl, before he'd hastily stood up and slapped the other man's hand away. "You do not lecture me on morals, sir, when you know the situation that adheres you to I. It is a moralless concept in itself, no less a binding one. Do not bring hypocrisy into my household."

"Yet..." He continued, his hand lowering. "What you speak of isn't so bad an idea. If he must be killed, it must not be evident that it be by one of us. You have experience in knocking people out and dragging them to places, only to blame it on the tribals, have you not?" He asked, his tone reprimanding.

The man chuckled heartily.

"What? Now you suddenly care about the boy? I'm surprised." He stretched his arms over his head, looking more bored by the minute. "We finished? I have other things to do."

He eyed Radimus lazily.

"The sentiment I shared was only to inform you of your own hypocrisy." Radimus said, a scowl ever-present on his face. "If you are so busy, then take such a thing out of my household." Radimus sat down, and squeezed the middle of his brow.

"You are dismissed."

Off in the distance, a good ways away from the village, Aja was kneeling in the snow, her brow knit in concern as she stared at the ground. Her shoulders were tense, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she closed her eyes. Fear gnawed at the pit of her stomach, a discomfort so profound that it nauseated her.

"Aja,"

She looked to Adrien, immediately alert to the tone of his voice, the ponderous look to his gaze.

"What if y'came back with me t'Blakestown?"

What if she did?

She felt the liquid-like warmth of Motina's breath brushing over her shoulders before she even saw the big cat appear. Shifting forward, she put her arms around Motina's neck, the shaking in her hands more pronounced as she folded her fingers into the cat's thick fur. Motina's large forepaw curled around her back, pulling her close as she turned her muzzle to gently lick the side of Aja's face.

"They'll kill me." she whispered, pressing her face against Motina's fur. "Adrien's so different. The others won't understand...and that man, the cloaked one..."

I will be with you, Ajani. I am never far.

That wasn't a promise that she would be safe from harm, however. Aja shivered.

"Should I go though? Would it help?"

It is a stepping stone, one of many. Adrien had risked his well-being to stay here, and Vanduo has accepted him with my Mark. Now you must go. You must reach out as your father did.

"They killed him..."

And if they hadn't, he would have returned to try again.

She closed her eyes, her arms still tight around Motina's shoulders. Indecision warred within her, right up to the moment where she saw her father's face hovering before her very eyes. That was when she knew.

"You'll stay with me?"

Forever.

That said, her arms dropped. Motina gave her shoulder a comforting lick before she stood to all fours, and turned to disappear into the trees. Ajani waited for a moment, before standing herself, turning and walking back to the village with a sort of steely resolve.

--

Not a few hours later, Aja emerged from her hut in a soft brown, woolen dress. The sleeves reached to her wrists, with the neckline looping below her collar bone and high along the back of her neck. Beneath the bodice, she wore a white, starched collar, and she'd carefully wrapped her hair in a white cloth, disguising the scars on the side of her face with the illusion of modesty. A forest-green cloak was fastened to her shoulders, the hood up to partially obscure her face in shadow.

She fidgeted with the sleeves for only a moment before striding out of her hut, and on towards the stables.

"Adrien?" she asked, hesitating as she sought him out amongst the horses.

Adrien had already chosen his horse. It was white, as a few of the other ones were, and it bore the same shaggy features that the others had. Almost gently, he brushed the shaggy mane away from the horse's eyes, and wondered if he was to tie it back. They were much different than the city horses he tended, after all.

But soon, his name had been called out. He drew himself out of the stable, and looked for the source. When his eyes had set upon Aja, who'd dressed herself in delicate colonist clothes, he'd almost reeled back in surprise. It hadn't looked like her, but...

She'd fit in. Even though her features were unique to their own and she, beautiful, there were many other beautiful women that roamed the street. Not quite as -

The boy gave a brisk palm to his own temple. "Ajani!" He replied, albeit late. "Y'look... Normal. For a colonist, anyway. Good job hding your..." He gestured to the place on his own face where Ajani's scars had been. "I'm right sure that th'cloaked man lives in Blakes."

I s'pose this means you're taking me up on th'offer, then?" He asked, though the answer was rather obvious. To his face, played a slight smirk, and perhaps, he didn't see the situation as gut-wrenching as Ajani had.

But he was not the one in hiding.

She nodded, forcing herself to maintain a sense of calm as she came up to his side. His mentioning of the cloaked man caused her to tense, but she didn't let it come to her expression. She kept her eyes averted, attempting to adopt that shy, evasive demeanor that seemed to captivate many of the colonist women she'd seen.

"Hey may recognize me." she said, and her voice, to her consternation, trembled slightly. Eyes wide, she met his gaze.

"I don't know if he would attempt anything in front of so many others."

"He wouldn't, if'e's so damned concerned with keeping th'blame on th'tribals."

Adrien raised a hand - the one that bore Motina's mark - and placed it on Ajani's shoulder before giving it a tight squeeze. "Y'can still stay back if you're scared of it. I'll make sure nothing happens t'you, aye? Like y'did for me, here. I promise it. Y'just have t'be brave."

Uncertainty showed in his face, however. Blakestown was big and sprawling, and he didn't manage it. The Vanduo tribe was smaller, and Ajani was able to keep him safe simply by being in authority.

"Don't think he'd recognize y'. Not with y'scars covered. Our people look all different types, but I'd be lying if I said they weren't mostly white with fair features, like y'are."

She lifted her right hand, to cover the back of his, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"It's alright." she said quietly, heaving a sigh. "I trust you, Adrien. You were brave enough to come with me here." She looked up to the horse, stepping up to its side, and arranging her footing so she could mount and hook her knee over the horn of the small saddle.

Then she held a hand down to him.

"C'mon then," she said, grinning as a nearly impeccable lower-class colonial accent slipped through. "D'yeh need me t'get down there and give yeh a boost?"

With a sudden grin, Adrien imitated the same lower-class accent, to which he hadn't fully bore beforehand. "I think I can'andle m'own if it comes down t'it, wee lady. I don't need help mountin' an'apless horse like this." He slapped his own hand into Aja's, and mounted it behind her. "But I'm not opposed t'ye steerin' th'thing."

"I sound like Xander." He mused, to himself. "Th'guards'll let you in. If you see Radimus, or I warn you of'm, then hide. No questions asked, hm? He was at the meeting, and in all honesty, my father's rage is five-fold that of the cloaked man. If he weren't... my father, I couldn't imagine'im any less dangerous."

For a moment, he hesitated.

"We're off, then?"

"Better hold on," she warned him, reaching back to take his hand so she could rest it at her waist.

"Best mind yer hat if yeh got one. I know how to run these poor beasts." With that, she took a firm hold of the reins, leaned forward to whisper something into the animals ear, and then drove her heels into the flank. With a sharp whinny, the large animal reared, before tearing off into the woods in a thunder of hoofbeats.


--

He was leaning against the side of Adrien's house, his eyes on the ground. With his hands shoved roughly into his pockets, Xander sighed audibly, wondering to himself just how long it would take before he came to accept that, perhaps, Adrien wasn't coming back.

By now, the town was well aware of his absence, that he'd gone to hunt and hadn't come back. Days had gone by. Elleanore was distraught, Radimus was furious, and Xander had turned into this awful brooding mess than he didn't even begin to recognize.

He was about to amble off when he heard a pair of snow-laden footsteps coming his way. Turning to the side, he saw that Elleanore was coming his way, her cheeks rosey, eyes shining, hands clasped in front of her in the way he knew her mother had taught her to be.

She came up to his side, and without warning, folded herself against his chest and began to cry.

Xander froze, his teeth grit as he put an arm around her shoulders to draw her in. Her pain tore through him, echoing his own, and he found himself holding her for the same level of comfort that she desired. Without thinking, he bent to kiss the top of her head, and in that same moment, she tilted her head up to look into his eyes.

He supposed he could have called it an accident, when their lips gently brushed, but then, quite suddenly, her arms were around his neck, and his hand was knotted up in her hair, and they weren't just innocently pretending anymore.

It had been far too long.

"Dree's gunna kill me," he mumbled against her mouth, swearing under his breath when she suddenly pulled away. Her whole expression reflected a horror he didn't want to see, a desire that he did, and he found himself wanting to hold her so badly that it very nearly physically hurt.

"He didn't know," she replied, brushing at her eyes and putting a few feet of space between them. "How could he? How could any of us know that this was what would end up happening?"

The fact that Adrien had been arranged to marry Elleanore, a girl Xander had loved since elementary years, was a god-given wound that the man bore on his heart. The fact that she had returned the feelings? Was like salt, and lemon juice, mashed in with a dirty hand...ten times over.

Xander swore again.

"Should probably go before I do something indecent to you." he told her honestly, and the look in his eye was something feral, and passionate.

Right up until the point he thought he heard footsteps. His eyes widened visibly, and he shooed the girl away.

"Ellie, leave!"

"No, Elleanore. Stay." Had come the voice of Radimus, whose face bore a scowl. "I would like to ask both of you a few questions, and the fact that you're here, together, only helps in the process, does it not?" He continued, and approached the two children. The man resisted grabbing a hold of Xander's collar, and tearing him away from the girl. The feeling was passed through a snarl, though Radimus' expression seemed to lighten upon laying eyes on Ellie.

"I've been speaking with the guards." He said. "I imagine your father wouldn't be happy to hear you've been trying to go beyond the walls."

Radimus turned his gaze to Xander. "Your father wouldn't give a bloody shit, but that's not my point. What were you two doing, gallavanting beyond our borders?"

"Thanks for the reminder, suh." Xander said with a small salute. Ellie was standing off to one side, glancing between the two with a nervous expression on her face. Radimus frightened her, truth be told, even if he was Adrien's father. Adrien was nothing like him.

And thinking of Adrien made her sick to her stomach for more than one reason.

"Please, sir," she began. "We were looking for Adrien. We thought, maybe...he was close by? Neither of us could stand just sitting around doing nothing."

"And we found those bodies." Xander said, ignoring Ellie's flinch. "So's not like it was all for nuthin. We beat our way back just as soon as we tripped over the stiffs."

He spread his arms out to either side. "No harm done, mate, and I'm curious as to why its any of yer business in the first place."

Radimus approached Xander, perhaps making the distance between them uncomfortably close. His hands were folded behind his back, but oh, how did he want to grab the boy by the neck and shake him. "It is my business, because if you are fraternizing with the savages and know the location of my son, somehow, then you are to tell it to me."

"Additionally," He said, glancing between Elleanore and Xander. "If you know information that could lead to my son's whereabouts, you are to tell it to me. You may not like me, but I can guarantee that the safety of my son and your friend depends on the information that I know you have been keeping from me. Your petty quarrel with how I go about my ways shan't have a deciding factor in this matter. My son is my business, why you think it is yours befuddles and astounds me."

His eyes laid back on Xander.

"Do I make myself clear?" He continued, his words laced with poison.

"Fraternizing?!" Xander laughed loudly at that. "I'd sooner fraternize with one o'them tribals as I would one of the horses."

Ellie's face turned a rather bright shade of pink.

Xander planted his hands on his hips, leaning even closer to Radimus and nearly daring him to get him around the neck. "Listen to me. If I had any idea of where Adrien would be, I'd be riskin' my neck goin' out teh find him. As it stands, he's disappeared, and I haven't the faintest idea of where he might be."

Ellie was focussed elsewhere, her eyes squinting a moment as she stared towards a space between a few of the buildings.

"Oh my goodness!" she suddenly exclaimed, bursting forth in a flurry of skirts and snow.

"It's Adrien!"

Xander stared after her for a moment, before turning to glance at Radimus. His grin turned smug.

"After you, then."

"You're the type of swine who'd fraternize with a horse, you marmy bastard of a child." Radimus harshly whispered. "Do not act so smug about the disappearence of my son. He is your friend as well. If we weren't in the company of a lady, I'd grab you by the -"

Radimus' reprimand had been interrupted by the shrieking of Elleanore. He turned to the direction in which she ran, and his clenched jaw only seemed to clench tighter. Rather than joyously accepting his son into his arms, as a concerned father would, his hands curled into balls at all the possible implications that raced through his mind. He grabbed Xander's collar and harshly pushed him aside, before sternly walking toward his son.

But Adrien did not appear uninjured. He bore a walking cane, which he had gotten from Patsy. The boy's eyes flitted to Radimus', and his brow twitched. He had not the same apologetic stare toward his father as he had beforehand. Only anger. When his eyes fell on Elleanore and Xander, however, they softened.

"What have you been doing?!" Radimus demanded, before any of the two kids could approach the boy. He took him by the hem of his shoulder, and gripped it so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Have you any idea how worried you've made the townspeople?! And you're with cane. Did you trip in the woods? You could've very well crawled back in the amount of time you had kept us waiting."

"I was injured. I couldn't move, Rad-"

"Father! I am your god damned father!" He screamed.

"And NOW that everyone's all happy to be together again," Xander said loudly, watching as Elleanore made her way cautiously forward. Her eyes were for Adrien, only, but she wouldn't approach him while Radimus had him by the shoulders.

Townspeople were coming out of their homes, people exclaiming to one another as they began to gather in a wide circle. Xander glanced around, hoping Radimus might behave himself now that they had a larger audience.

"Y'had us goin there for a lil' bit, Dree." Xander said, his brow knitting for a moment. "Say we go somewhere together and talk about it?"

"Say we go somewhere and talk about it." Adrien agreed. "And I'll meet my father when he can behave properly, yeah?" The boy continued, looking to Radimus in near-disgust. Something had changed about him. It was evident. The same subservient respect he'd had for his father beforehand had dissipated into thin air.

Radimus took a step back, displaying a scowl on that ever-angry face. "Is it so wrong that I had been worried about my son?" He asked, his eyes turning to the faces which seemed to come out of their homes to observe. "Is it so wrong?" He asked, again. His grip released on Adrien's shoulder, and he took a step backwards. His face turned stony.

"Then you are dismissed. God forbid a man have passion about his own offspring. Since you have dismissed my worry about you, you can only expect emotionless reprimand from me now, Adrien Rune." He continued, in spite. With a hand, he waved the children off. He, himself, dispersed.

"Well, if I weren't in for it before, I'm in for it now." Adrien said, a slight hint of fear to his brow. "I'm sorry, Sandy, Ellie. I'dn't meant to worry."

"Don't worry about him. He's had his knickers in a twist since the moment he woke up this mornin'." Xander reached for Adrien's shoulder, dragging him forward into a tight embrace.

"Should kill yeh m'self. Worry didn' even begin t'cover it."

When he let go, Ellie took her turn, ignoring the proprieties she'd been taught and eagerly embracing Adrien.

"Shall we?" Xander asked, looking vaguely uncomfortable, but only for a moment. He held out a hand to lead the way, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the town and off to somewhere secret. "Where's a private place around here?" he suddenly asked.

"I think I know." Ellie said with a quiet nod. "Follow me then."

And she began to lead the way.

Elleanore, admittedly, had spent most of the morning looking for Aja. The idea of losing the poor tribal girl in the midst of her townspeople was not something she liked to think about, especially when everyone was so hot-headed over the issue. In light of Gerald's recent murder...whoever may be the cause of that, it had stirred everyone up, putting all on edge. The town was not a peaceful place like it had once been. Something was poisoning it from the inside, turning it into a destructive, angry place to be.

But Aja had done a good job of hiding herself amongst the people. Ellie didn't see her once. So, she decided to make her way off to the tailor's shop, with the intent of getting a few bolts of cloth so she could sew something together for her father for the Winter Solstice.

Not too long after, she came out of the store carrying a couple of things in her arms. She was going to head back home, to sort through her purchases and hopefully wait for Aja to return. On the way, she was meandering her way down the road, her eyesight partially obscured as she shifted her grip on the packages.

She thumped rather solidly into a man's chest.

"Hey now," he said, taking her by the shoulders before snatching a few things off the top of her pile. Ellie glanced up into a dusky pair of blue eyes, his face wreathed in rose gold curls. She blushed at her mishap, and averted her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said, grimacing slightly. "I didn't mean...sorry about that."

"Not at all!" he said, rather cheerfully. "Here, mind if I help you walk your things home?"

She thought about refusing, but the idea of running into someone else mortified her, so she was forced to agree.

Adrien had strolled down the street, leisurely as ever. He'd woken up rather early, a contrast to his usual schedule. He was eager to get things done, however, and eager to see what was of Blakestown after his absence. An absence that everyone seemed to perpetuate felt like forever.

He was on his way to the print shop, that day. It was early, and the newspapers hadn't been picked up. To busy himself, he'd bring one for his father, himself, Xander, and Xander's family. It was an occurrence that happened every week, for possibly years.

His eyes were turned upward, and as always, they met the features of the people around him. If they'd met his own, he'd smile, and nod.

The shopping district was a rather small center, with a fountain in the middle that shut off by nighttime. Then, however, it whirred with life, spouting a clear and elegant stream from a cherub's mouth, only to meet the bottom. That was not of concern, then, however. The very same print shop Adrien had visited was across from the fabric shop Elleanore had.

The glint of red-golden curls caught his eye, from the day beforehand. The same figure, to whom it belonged to eluded him. Perhaps, perhaps it was a family friend. But the same man had been helping Ellie with her fabric.

Something wound in Adrien's chest, inexplicably so. He quickly stepped to the fountain, to observe the events that transpired between his fiancée and the red-golden haired man.

And then, almost like in a dream, the man looked back over his shoulder, meeting Adrien's eyes firmly, and without hesitation. He smiled then, a dark look to his eyes as he gave him a brief salute, before looking back to Elleanore and gently guiding her forward by the elbow.

--

Adrien slammed the door behind him, and dropped the papers that belonged to his household at the door.

"I don't know how to deal with an unruly child. Spare the rod, spoil the child. They say, they say. What do I do with you, Adrien Rune? Tell me. My fatherly passion for you has been dismissed by petty quips, after days upon days of wretching abscence. I thought you were dead, and you could not show me the least bit of compassion or empathy when I'd set my eyes on you again, a dead child walking. Have I done something to deserve this treatment? Have I wronged you in some way, other than providing a roof over your head? Other than providing you with food, and a place to sleep? What have I done, Adrien?!" Radimus violently quipped.

He had folded up his book, then. It had taken a day before these words could collide and interact in his head. His actions were violent, even though he'd harmed none. They were quick and jagged. His hands slammed into the arms of the chair he'd been sitting in, before pulling himself up.

Adrien stopped in his tracks. He was on his way to his room, an already worried expression on his face. His eyes fell to the floor, and no doubt did they seethe in the anger and resentment of Radimus' lies.

"Stop acting like you care that I was gone." The boy said.

"I have a responsibility!" Radimus hissed. "Have I not been appeasing it th'last... What, twenty years? And you're still in my house. I still support you, even as an adult. But you, you're still nothing but a boy." A snarl came to the man's face.

"And how much'ave you lied? In the last twenty years, Radimus. How much'ave you bloody well lied? D'ye expect me that y'only lied when y'took th'stage, with Ormond, and dictated what y'knew was wrong? What you knew would not only cause war, but destroy peace between us and th'tribals? 'Ave y'lied about me? 'Ave y'lied to me? Gods, n'y'can't even fathom what being a father is like, can y'? It's just all business with y', isn't it? Believe it or not, putting a roof over my god damned head doesn't make you a father!"

Adrien's speech had come like a poisoned knife to Radimus. For the first time in a long time, he had felt attacked, rather than being the attacker. He reeled back, and his features showed a certain disgust that rattled throughout his entire body.

"How did you know about that, Adrien?" He asked, his breaths becoming short. Radimus approached the boy then, though he'd kept his distance. "Do not get yourself involved in the business of people higher than you. That isn't a suggestion, child, it's a warning."

An uncomfortable lapse of silence came between the two. The man's hands gradually balled into fists, and a wave of understanding washed over him. Adrien kept his silence, and his fists were balled. His eyes concentrated on the woven, red rug beneath him. When Radimus jabbed a finger into his chest, he flinched.

"You've been communicating with the savages, haven't you?"

"No." Adrien said. "They aren't savages. They're people, Radimus -"

"I am your father."

"Father. They're people. Humans. Just like us."

"They're humans who've traded their human qualities to the devil. They communicate with only lies and treachery, and their witchcraft comes from palpable evil. Do you think that is human, Adrien?" Radimus asked. His finger was still implanted into the center of Adrien's chest.

"Yet you've lied th'same way."

"I lied to protect our people! There is no peace from communicating with savages, and if I find that you've been fraternizing with them, Adrien..." Radimus stopped. "Do not get yourself involved with the business of adults. You will sorely regret it, child. You are not only endangering us, but Blakestown in it's entirety. It's unfathomable how you could do so with such ease, and play into their lies. How am I to trust that you won't do the same next time you go into the woods to hunt? Is that where you were? At one of their ... hovels?"

"No." Adrien replied. His eyes, which formerly rested on the ground, were fixated on Radimus' shoes.

"You're lying. Never were you a good liar. You will show me where it is."

"I will not." Adrien said, his eyes suddenly coming up to meet Radimus'.

"You keep behaving this way, child, and you're going to lose everything of a blessing that's come to you. You will lose this house. You will lose my trust. You will lose the opportunity to write those shitty letters to your mother. You will lose your pretty little wife, perhaps, to a marmy streetchild!" He retorted, a slight smirk coming to his face. It was as if Adrien's discontent were a comfort to him, then. "And if you do not give up these ways, I will see to it myself that it happens. Am I making myself clear enough to you, son?"

Son.

The word was laced with enough hatred to turn Adrien's cheek.

"You are forbidden from going beyond Blakestowns' walls. I will see to it that every guard in the city knows. Consider it a blessing, because if I were to reveal that you were fraternizing with the tribals, then much worse would come of you, and not by my own hand."

"And how am I to hunt? T'bring food t'our tables, father?" Adrien rebuttaled, an incredulous expression upon his face.

"I will see to it that there is food upon our tables like I saw to it there was a roof above your head for twenty years, and a bed for you to sleep. It is a disappointing, wretched shame that I have to do so, but you've forced my hand like no other man. Consider it help from me, you disgraceful swine."

"Help? You're helping me? From forbidding me beyond th'walls? I'm an adult, Radimus."

"You are a threat to Blakestown's safety. If I find you betraying my trust that you will stay within city limits, I will have you thrown in our jails. My influence over this town is far greater than you know, and the slop there is far less forgiving than what I will supply for you, and the beds stone. Fit for a criminal."

"You'll not."

The palm of Radimus' hand met cleanly along the side of Adrien's face. Barely controlled anger emanated from the man's body. When the boy reeled, and held his cheek, Radimus had only gotten close. His then-red palm laced around Adrien's collar, and jerked the boy forward.

"You act as if you're deaf. If you don't follow my orders, you will find yourself lame."

He released Adrien's shirt. Adrien staggered backward, a hand still rubbing over the jaw which had been sorely reddened. For a moment, he didn't know what to think. Quickly, his palm placed against Radimus' chest and pushed, which had sent the man a few steps backwards.

Then, the boy climbed the stairs, and retired to his room.

Aja hadn't really had a chance the first night to really stop and ponder the stones that the colonists had placed in the ground. She stood there now, reading the epitaphs, the names and dates of dozens of people who had lost their lives to age or wilderness or illness. Still wearing the same dress that she had come to town in, she quietly kneeled amongst the stones, feeling a little bit strange. Why were they marked? Was it for the purpose of being allowed to visit a loved one after they had passed?

She'd seen some come to lay flowers at the graves. That concept Aja found to be the most curious of them all. They tore flowers from the ground, and laid them on top of the dead so that they, too, could die.

Why not give them something living?

With a soft sigh, Aja lay her hands against the ground at the base of one of the graves, the grave of Elleanore's mother. Though the ground was cold and hard, Aja spread her fingertips across the dirt, digging them in, closing her eyes as she paused to feel the pulsation of the earth beneath her palms.

A never-ending flow.

She could feel herself reaching deep, her consciousness lingering, connecting with the power that flowed through all things. Like dipping her hands into the current of a powerful river, she felt it ripple across her hands, flowing into her, through her, her spirit united as a part of that endless power.

With a soft sigh, she called it forth, and at the base of the gravestone, small vines began to poke out of the ground, steadily reaching, gently carressing the rough edges of the epitaph. They laced together at the top, forming a wreath around the headstone as the leaves unfolded, magestic blooms of impeccable white roses bursting forth, their faces turned eagerly towards the sun.

The crunch of snow beneath boots came clear across the graveyard. Adrien was not one to sneak about, and certainly not behind the form f the one he'd brought to the village himself. By his face, he was discontent, but if Aja had turned to look at him, he'd bear a smile. A smile and a wince, for the bruise on his face had caused him a bit of pain.

When he'd arrived at the grave, without hesitation, he knelt into the snow. He beheld the white roses that bloomed from the unforgiving headstone, and he knew that they weren't brought upon by hand. They were far too alive.

"Doesn't seem like witchery t'me."

There were tears in her eyes.

"Why do they lay flowers to die on the graves?" she asked, gazing towards the roses. "I don't understand."

Then, in an act that might have seemed odd to Adrien, she laid down over the grave, the scarf coming undone as her hair spilled over her shoulders. Her eyes closed as she seemed to listen.

"This place... it's so sombre. Death is another phase of life. And that life, however spent, should always be celebrated... not grieved over for having been lost."

"Grieving happens here. That's not th'only thing that happens here, though. We lay flowers t'die in th'graves because we don't think of th'flowers dying, we think about how pretty they are when they're picked. We take roses out of th'ground, n'give'm to eachother, too. They'll die, but I s'pose we like t'focus on the beauty of when they're living."

When Aja laid down, he dropped his other knee, and sat with his legs under him. The girl was strange. He was used to it.

"We all have ways of dealing with th'loss. Some people like t'remind themselves they still love th'person by crying over it."

She picked up her head, resting her chin on top of her hands as she gazed at the flowers. "I hope Ellie likes them." she said quietly. "She comes here nearly every day. I know she misses her mother."

A sigh. Gently, she pushed herself back to her knees. She seemed to pause for a moment, thinking on something that caused her brow to furrow rather intently.

"Do you love her, Adrien?"

"She'll love'm. She puts petals here, but I'm sure y'know that. Maybe it won't be necessary, but..."

They're her mother's petals.

Ajani's question hadn't evoked much of a response in Adrien. He pulled backward, and rested his head on his fists, and his elbows on his knees. For a long while, he stared into the white rose petals of the flowers on the gravestone. He reached forward, and his fingers grasped a petal. It was almost as if he were to pull it off, before his hand fell, as well as his head.

"She's my fiancée."

"Nanuk's my intended." Aja replied, tilting her head to one side. "By most accounts, a good choice for a husband." She looked away from him.

"I don't love him, though. I doubt that I ever will." How could she, after everything that had happened?

Adrien nodded, seemingly in understanding.

"Y'can't... Change your intended?" He asked.

"No one's come along." she said, then, under her breath, added, "Not until recently."

Shaking her head, she stood, holding her hand out to him so she could help him to his feet. When he put his hand in hers, she helped pull him up, not letting go, and standing somewhat close as she looked up into his eyes.

"Could you? If you wanted to?"

Adrien looked away from Ajani's eyes. They set upon the bland graves of others, some who bore vibrant petals at their bases, and some who bore decaying ones, whose blackness sunk into the snow.

"If I wanted to. I could."

Her smile came then, soft and gentle.

"Good. So long as you have that freedom."

A pair of eyes watched from a distance, holding tightly to the fabric of her cloak as she observed the closeness of the pair standing at the top of the hill. She was frowning, her brow knit, and before they had a chance to see her, Elleanore turned and quickly walked away.

She felt a welling sense of insecurity bubble in her chest, an anxiety that she couldn't place. Conflicting emotions tormented her, ones of guilt, ones of anger, and ones of feeling legitimately injured by Adrien's obvious intimacy with the tribal girl.

What on earth had happened out in the woods? What was so special about Aja? Was she not good enough?

Ellie looked down at herself, frustrated beyond belief, and immediately made her way towards the stables. Xander was there, brushing down a horse, but he looked up the minute Ellie walked in. He was surprised to find her in the state that she was in.

"'Ey, lass. Yeh look a bit...downtrodden."

"I think!" Ellie suddenly exclaimed. "I think he likes that girl, Xander. Aja. I think he actually prefers her!"

Xander blinked. He never did understand women.

"Now, Ellie..."

"I saw them just now! Standing alone, close together like a pair of lovers mi-"

She'd been cut off by Xander walking close, and pulling her into his arms. He soothed her by running his fingers through her hair, twining them up into her ringlets.

"Dree's a good lad." he told her quietly, knowing that Xander could never amount to the kind of man that Adrien was going to be. "M'sure his intentions were honorable."

That didn't seem to make Ellie feel better. "What about ours?"

Xander stiffened. He refused to meet her eyes.

"Tha's different."

"Is it? Is what we're doing honorable only because we loved each other before all of this happened? Being here with you... can I really count it as something innocent?" She was looking at him, her breath warm on his neck. He couldn't look down. If he did, it'd be the end of him.

"Xander, look at me."

"It'd be a mistake, lass."

But then she grabbed his chin, forcing him to turn to look at her, and pressed her mouth to his. It was all over after that.

"I need a horse, and I imagine you'll hand it to me rather quickly. A group of civilians have someone injured in the woods and -"

Radimus looked up from his dark leather boots, to the couple, whose lips interchanged. A twitch at the corner of his mouth signified his response. In his gut, his muscles pulled tightly, and the hands that bore papers inside them curled into fists.

"I thought kindly of you, Elleanore. I cannot begin to describe how disgusted I am."

The girl nearly threw herself away from Xander, who looked equally as flustered and even a little annoyed.

"Yeh don't need teh be talkin to her," Xander said defensively, putting himself between Radimus and Elleanore. "Whole thing's my fault aneway."

"Because you like destroying everything that I've built, yes? It's just as much her fault as yours, Roan. I cannot, for the life of me, fathom why a girl such as herself would lower herself to a street rat such as yourself. Perhaps I've thought wrong about her."

Radimus gestured past Xander's shoulder.

"Horse."

"Y'got two hands. Get it yerself." Xander said, his tone dripping with disdain. Without another word, he began to stalk past Radimus, intending to bypass him to leave the stable.

"Then don't expect the pay I give you to put food on the table for that pitiful household of yours."

Xander's fist came flying out of nowhere, connecting solidly with Radimus' jaw with the full intent of sending him sprawling.

He shook out his knuckle, grimacing a little as his nose wrinkled.

"Yer a right, slimy git, Radimus. Its a wonder Adrien's of the same blood as you. He's twice the man you'll ever be."

Ellie simply looked on in horror, her back against the wall of the stable.

Radimus reeled, his feet scrambled to catch themselves, but they did. When his face turned back, ever slowly, and with passionate seething rage toward the situation, Xander would have seen the bruised jaw he'd given the man. He spat out a bloody hock, and a tooth included.

"You couldn't be more wrong, but now I see you're twice the bloody scoundrel. I'll lame you for laying a hand on me, you fucking swine."

The man, with full intent to pin him against the wooden support behind the boy, rushed Xander. One hand was aimed for his gut, and the other for his neck.

"Stop it!" Ellie shrieked. "Stop it both of you!"

Xander attempted a kick for the side of Radimus' head, intending to send the man sprawling sideways.

By the time Xander had kicked Radimus, Adrien had rushed to the stable. He'd only intended to help tend the horses, but the cries of his fiancée had sent him running. And he came upon an inevitable scene. The calm that Ajani had put him in suddenly laced with anxiety, and he came to the two of them, pulling Radimus away.

"Get off, both of you. Stop it! What's this about!?"

Radimus had again been assaulted, and he held the side of his head. By then, he'd regained his posture. A callous grin swept across his face, and blood lined his teeth.

"You're going to love to know, Adrien. How about we discuss it back at home?" The man offered, his gaze pointedly on Xander.

Ellie turned and rushed from the stables, going out the back way while Xander stared back at Radimus.

"We'll see if you can tell the truth for once, Radimus." he growled before he, too, turned and walked away.

Adrien came into his house again. His hand was clasped firmly over his nose. By then, the bleeding had mostly stopped, but the pain still remained. The embarrassment warded him away from Patsy, who'd surely ask prying questions. The last person he had to deal with was Radimus, who, as ever, had sat in the living room under lamplight. His eyes were in a book, but they turned up to meet the disheveled figure of his own son.

"What have you done?" Radimus asked.

"The wedding is offh." Adrien nasally replied, a hint of newfound apathy in telling the news to Radimus.

"I suppose that is karma. It's such a shame, though, I imagined it would help tie the higher and lower class bonds a bit, wouldn't it? And you'll have trouble finding another on your own." Radimus replied.

Adrien had no energy to fight with the man. He supposed that, perhaps it was karma. Still, Radimus' words slid like glossed paper, and hardly seemed to garner the same response as the biting words had beforehand. What seemed to stop Adrien released itself, and he crawled up the stairs to his room, an obvious fatigue overtaking him.

The blood loss hadn't helped.

He'd shut the windows of the room, whose cracks bore a bitter cold to the air he'd intended to sleep in. Surely, though, sleep would be hard to come by. So he collapsed on the bed, a hand still clasped over his face.

Just as he'd begin to settle down, however, a shadow was cast across his floor, from the moonlight being obstructed by a rather familiar figure. She was dressed in slacks and a duster, her hair hanging in loose tendrils all around her shoulders. She wasn't so much crouched as she was reclined in the sill, one leg dangling lazily over the edge. She reached out to tap the window.

"Adrien," she said, low enough so as not to be heard, but loud enough for him to hear.

Adrien groaned. The calling of his name had only brought upon weariness. At first, he hadn't stirred, assuming the devilish pranks of a distraught mind had been cast upon him. When the tapping hadn't ceased, however, he sat up, and looked to the figure in the window. At first, it excited a jolt of surprise out of him, before he'd realized who it was that sat upon his sill.

Breath escaped him. Quickly, he grabbed a wooden chair and lodged it under the door knob, before hitching his hand under the window and pulling it open.

"Why are you hereh? M'dad is downstairsh. He'll shoot you if he sees you."

The girl was undoubtedly allowed passageway into the house, though, as the window was wide.

"I was worried about you." she replied, climbing inside the room and quietly sitting down on the floor. No need to risk making the floorboards creak and groan. She decided not to mention the fact that he'd ignored her. "You seemed upset, I just wanted to check to make sure you were doing okay."

She was also having trouble finding sleep, but she didn't mention that for obvious reasons.

Adrien let his hand slack from his face to his side. His nose was swollen, bearing shades of red and purple. The nasally sound he bore would become of no surprise, then. "Peachy."

"Th'only people I talhk to now hate me, n'I cancelled m'weddingh. And... I think if I go t'sleep, I might choke t'death." He collapsed on the floor beside her, his back to the bed. It seemed he was less concerned with making noise than she.

She pulled her knees up, eyeing him curiously. She had no idea what had transpired, and if she had, there was the possibility that she wouldn't know how to react to it. So she waited a moment, watching him, and then she reached to grasp his hand, squeezing his fingers for a moment.

"What...happened? May I ask?"

Adrien looked to their hands. He frowned, and gently withdrew his own. He crossed both his arms against his chest, and leaned forward into his legs, so only his eyes peaked beyond his knees.

"M'fiancée kissed m'friend. M'friend also said m'fiancée never loved me anyway. I hit him, n'he hit me a bit harder. Maybe I was overreacting, but..."

He shook his head and looked toward the ground.

"End result's th'same. Ellie doesn't love me, whether she was making kiss facesh withf Xander or not. That much's evident, n'my father's right, as far as predicting m'love life goes. N'I thought I could help bring unity t'our people, but I'm just some 20-some bloke with a broken nose fighting over ivory-studded ladies."

Aja didn't seem bothered by his withdrawal. In fact, she didn't pay it much mind anyway. Looking towards his eyes, she traced the lines of his face, emitting a soft sigh.

"The situation's unusual for me, but I don't know that you were wrong for feeling the way you did." she told him, her eyes now looking to the ground.

"I know it isn't easy to hear, but, in truth, it's almost good that you know now...instead of when its too late."

"I s'pose I can't be mad at'er. Or Xander. I s'pose I just feel like I'm the butt of some cruel joke they'dn't gaven a ratsh ass t'tell me abouth. Gods, if I knew, I wouldn't've..."

His hands gripped the top of his head, and he dug his eyes into the tops of his knees.

"Ajani, I can't even achieve keeping a spouseh, let alone helping us, th'colonists n'your people, t'get alongh. Maybe this entire thing should just be forgotten. Nothing's going t'come of'it."

"Now you just sound like an idiot." Aja glowered, her eyes boring into the side of his head. "I refuse to believe that my father's death was for nothing. Listen, I know this is difficult for you, but you can't just...give up on everything because one part of your life doesn't go as you expect it."

The glower turned to a soft frown.

"If I'd done that..." she shrugged, glancing away. "It wouldn't have ended well."

"Thanks for th'words of encouragement." Adrien chimed, sarcastically.

"You're not seeing th'big picture, Ajani. Radimus disallowed me from even venturing outside th'walls. Th'man doesn't even pretend t'like me anymore. Half th'townspeople think I mingle with 'savages', n'the other half're too busy easting caviar n'fine wine t'care. M'marriage is gone, and th'lady I love is threatened because I was stupid enough to go out into th'woods and -"

He stopped.

"I don't see any progress, is all. All I see're th'side effects."

"What is the alternative?" she shot back. "With giving up? Your people will continue to hate mine. Contentions will grow, and who is to say that the man who threatened Ellie might not threaten you? What if your father, as passionate as he is, leads a march?"

Her frown deepened. "And if my people were to respond? Bloodshed. The resistance we meet now is only an encouragement that what we are doing is right, and not without struggle."

Adrien responded with silence, for a long while.

"I'm nothing but a man, Ajani. All it takes is a bullet. Or an arrow."

"Which is why we should do all we can to make a change." she replied quietly.

"At the risk of -"

BANG. BANG. BANG.

"What're you doing in there, Adrien? Perhaps it would be better to see Patsy before you attempt to fall asleep. As much disdain I bear for you right now, I can't say having my son die in his slumber would be anything but counterintuitive." Came the voice of Radimus, from beyond the door.

The door handle rattled, and with a push forward, the man had found he couldn't enter the room.

"Come now. You've barred the door?"

Adrien looked to Ajani, almost in panic.

But she was gone, the window open, and the barest flash of the edge of her cloak disappearing with a 'snap' as she ascended the roof.

After he'd seen that Aja left, Adrien went to remove the chair from his door. It was only to be seized by the arm, and herded downstairs.

"Put your coat on. I'd like to drop you off so I can retire as well." came Radimus' voice.

The morning dawned, oddly frigid. Ajani had awoken out of an uneasy rest, her eyes staring at the ceiling as she sat up from the mattress and moved to rub at her eyes.

She froze, suddenly finding herself staring at Cavis, who was standing in the doorway watching her intently. She was thankful she'd fallen asleep in her clothes. Both of them regarded each other, the tension in the room mounting until Cavis finally opened his mouth to speak.

"You're from the tribes."

Aja's face paled significantly. Dizzy and suddenly frightened, she gently eased the blanket off of herself, putting her feet on the floor as she continued to stare. "How did..."

"The news is all over town." he told her, making no move to get closer. His eyes were gentle, but concerned and intent. "About how a girl's sneaked in. You need to get out of here, young lady. I don't know that you're safe anymore."

Aja struggled to think. She had no weapons, nothing at all, just a knowledge of the inside of the town. They'd never let her out, not if people were talking about her. They'd be immediately suspicious. Cavis stepped closer, and she flinchingly stepped back. The man froze.

"They're saying Adrien brought you here."

It hit her like a blow to the chest, as realization began to dawn. "He's in danger... "

"Not yet. But if you go running to him, he most certainly will be, but not nearly as much trouble as you will be." Cavis paused, glancing towards the window before looking back to her. Aja continued to watch him, hesitant.

"You're not going to turn me in?"

The man let that hang in the air for a moment before he slowly shook his head.

"I saw what you did for my wife's grave, young lady. It was incredibly meaningful to the both of us." He held out a hand to her. "Let me get you something else you can wear so you won't be as recognizable, and then we'll work on getting you out of here and back home in one piece, okay?"

She nodded, letting him lead her back to his own room, where he handed off a pair of slacks, a dress shirt, a hat and a cloak.

--

She had to fight to keep herself from running like mad to Adrien's home. It was even worse when she got there, because she didn't know if Radimus was inside. If that was the case, she was dead for sure. But as she came upon the home, she did some quiet investigation, listening around for any signs of him being there.

When the coast was clear, Aja ran in the front door, closing and locking it behind her.

"Adrien!" she called, her voice laced with panic.

Radimus hadn't been inside. Adrien had. He'd been vacantly rubbing his forefinger over the bandaging of his nose, and pacing back and forth. He'd heard the news as well, and the vacant, accusing stares from those he passed on the streets had forewarned him. They whispered and gossiped, and he had been the blunt of it all.

The entire town.

His thoughts traversed his mind and mingled. The tense air that lingered among the colonists, his friends, and himself, had risen to it's boiling point, and absolutely no good could come of that. The train of miserable thought had been interrupted by Ajani.

Adrien jumped at her presence, his eyes stricken with fear. He shook his head. "No, you can't be here." He said. "Radimus may be home any moment, and if he does, y'just hide like y'ran out my window, aye? What's coming over y'?" He asked.

"They're looking for me." She was breathless with fear. "I can't leave. They have guards posted everywhere and I feel like everyone's on the lookout, and when I heard that they knew you brought me here, I was concerned. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

In Cavis' oversized clothing, she looked incredibly small.

"Now I don't know what to do."

He seemed to reciprocate the same sense of panic as she did, when the news was relayed to him. He shook his head, and stared at the floor. He'd bitten down on his thumb so hard it nearly drew blood. For a few moments, he stared, in vacant consideration of what should be done.

"There are places y'can hide t'wait it out." He said, suddenly looking up to her. "It won't take more than a night, then... Agh..."

He held his head. He couldn't leave town with her. The guards wouldn't allow it.

"You'll need someone t'help you out on horseback, or you'll need t'get over th'wall."

"The way I can get over the wall takes too long, and it'll attract to much at--" Her eyes widened as she suddenly turned to the doorway. In a sudden burst, she raced for the stairs, disappearing around the turn just as the doorway opened.

"Just who I'd been looking for." Came the voice of the man who'd come through the doorway. "You come here, you marmy little -"

Radimus paced to Adrien, and violently snatched him by the collar. His dry hands yanked the boy forward, to look into Radimus' eyes. "You brought a tribal into our city? It's the very last straw, Adrien Rune. I'm certainly done dealing with your complete and utter bullshit regarding those tribal savages. You're fortunate that I haven't broken your legs yet, and yet, you defy everything, everything that I say. What has that gotten you?"

Aja watched from upstairs, her eyes wide, hand clapped over her mouth as she stared. Radimus scared her. The way he was treating Adrien was awful. She was as tense as a drawn bowstring, clearly unsure of how things were going to turn out.

Adrien's hands grabbed onto the cuffs of Radimus' sleeves, though he hadn't gone any further than that. "It was someone else." He lied.

Radimus shook him again, before gritting his teeth and replying venemously. "And you accuse me of lying?! You didn't heed my warnings, and so I'll do something with you. You'll be outcasted, if the fall down the cellar doesn't crack your dense skull open."

Suddenly, Radimus' hands jerked forward, and he piled his knee into the boy's gut. He moved away from Adrien, to open the cellar door. Adrien had no strength to move past that, and soon, he'd been taken by the collar and shoved into the dank, stony wine cellar. The door slammed, and from beyond it, it locked with chain. He'd caught on to the railing, however, and had soon regained enough of his consciousness to lash back and slam at the door.

"Radimus! Let me out of here, you bastard!" He screamed, clutching his stomach.

"I'm going to give a speech to calm the townspeople down." Radimus' voice came, from beyond the door. It sounded unnaturally business-like, though his face contorted with disgust and anger. "Tell them what happened, in full detail. I imagine that your escapades will cease past then."

It took a moment for Radimus to withdraw from the door, but he had, soon enough. His footsteps echoed against the wooden flooring as he'd exited, and the door slammed behind him.

She waited for a few minutes, until she was absolutely certain that Radimus had left the vicinity, then she all but flew down the stairs, racing for the door and bursting out of it before running around to the back of the house. The cellar door was chained firmly, and she gripped at it in an attempt to break it loose.

"Adrien!" she said loudly, trying not to draw too much attention. She slammed her fist on the door. "Adrien are you okay?!"

"I'm fine. Caught m'self." Adrien weakly said. His breaths were audible through the wooden door, and they certainly were labored. "Y'need t'leave. Er... Hide. I was going t'hide y'down here, but y'need t'find somewhere else." He breathed.

"Wait it out, 'til no one's looking for y', then come find me again."

"I'm not leaving you in here." she replied quickly. "Not with what's going on. Help me break the door." She began to tug again, gritting her teeth as she braced her foot.

"Come on!"

"No, Ajani. You need to leave. Hide! I'll get th'door open, alright? Staying in my house is not a good idea!"

He'd stopped his banging by then, in fear of drawing attention to the house. Attention was what Ajani didn't need, nor he. He continued.

"The neighbour always leaves their cellar unlocked. Y'can access it behind their house; it's two doors that y'just pull open. Go in, bar th'door, n'hide!"

She was about to respond, her lips parting with the start of a sentence, but then someone roughly shoved her forward, so that she landed hard on the cellar doors, emitting a short cry of pain. The man who stood over her now was wearing that dark smile, his red-gold curls hanging around his brow.

"You're the little bitch trying to ruin everything for us." he said with a small laugh. Aja scrambled, trying to get to her feet, but the man lunged, seizing her by the calves and dragging her closer, before he backhanded her so hard that it made her head spin.

"Thought about giving you to the colonists," he said, grasping her neck and choking off her soft moan of pain. Blood had begun to seep from her nose.

"But I think you and I are going to have a little fun before I drag your body back to them to tear apart."

Adrien stepped back, his foot missing the stair below him. When he'd caught himself, he pressed his ear to the door to hear who'd come behind her. Upon his heinous, familiar words, Adrien beat violently against the door.

"You creepy bastard! Get off of her! I'll break down this door and kill you clean!" He screamed, so loud that his voice had cracked. He stepped down, and slammed into the door with a shoulder. A twinge of pain shot through his body, but at the very least, the door had emitted a dangerous creak.

There was nothing here, no one that could help. The man still had her by the throat, furious tears burning at the corners of her eyes as she heard Adrien screaming. She kicked out at the other man, catching him in the stomach before turning and giving the door another tug.

"No, please," she murmured under her breath as the door held fast. When the man grabbed her from behind again, he pulled her roughly from the cellar door, barely giving her a chance to cry out Adrien's name before he clapped a hand over her mouth and roughly dragged her towards the stables.

"Ajani!" Adrien cried. Furious tears rimmed his eyes. He stepped down again, before slamming himself into the door. It happened once, twice, then thrice before the wood paneling of the door bore veiny cracks. It was not without consequence. Adrien's shoulder had given a slick crunch when it'd hit the third time, and moved out of socket. He cried out in pain, before regaining a semblance of conscientiousness of the situation.

With a few more slams of his hand, the door had split in two, and haphazardly broken off it's hinges. The boy thrusted himself out and tumbled to the floor, clutching his shoulder and breathing shallow breaths. It took a moment to regain himself, but he'd crawled to his feet again, and made for Ajani's voice.

He had thrown her to the ground, pulling a cattle whip from a peg on the wall and bringing it down hard against her back. She went rigid, groaning in pain as she dug her nails into the dirt. A second time, it came down on her side. She hissed in a breath, struggling to get to her feet, but then the whip snapped out, the man's smile just as sharp as it wrapped around her neck. He jerked her closer, synching it tight and holding her there, ignoring the pain as she dug her nails into his hand.

Now, they had fallen silent in the moment Adrien had burst out of the cellar, making it difficult for him to immediately locate them. Even still, she struggled as best she could, feeling her consciousness slipping from her, her grip becoming less firm. The man was smiling the whole time, touching the scars on her face tenderly.

"That's right. Die."

Adrien had come out of the house, only for his feet to take him in the direction that Ajani's voice had come from. He ran to the only place he'd known to; the stables. He rounded the corner, only to see the cloaked form of the assassin over Ajani's. He treaded carefully, then, and grabbed the skinning knife that laid against the wooden support of the stable.

Then he treaded quickly, to the back of the cloaked man, and grabbed him by the collar. In fear of pulling Ajani with him, he laid the knife against the man's throat, though his hand sorely shook. "Let her go." He demanded, voice quivering as he'd done so. "I'll cut your throat. Let her go!" He yelled.

There was a dark, resonating chuckle.

"Alright." the man replied. His hands released the girl, and the whip that was wrapped around her throat. She collapsed in a heap, lying deathly still. She wasn't breathing.

Quick as the whip he was wielding, the man drove his elbow into Adrien's abdomen, spinning towards his arm and knocking the knife right out of his hand.

He put himself between the two, and he was smiling.

"You made a mistake bringing her here." he said darkly.

Adrien stumbled backward, and landed on his side. For a moment, he clutched his abdomen and cringed in pain, before looking past the cloaked man to see Ajani's still body. He'd attempted to cry her name, but breath escaped him.

His heart thudded against his chest, and he scrambled at his feet to nearly toss himself at the man, intent on getting him to move. His dark words mattered not, as the blood that thudded against Adrien's skin bore a loud enough tune to drown him out.

The man was ready to meet him half-way, but he suddenly staggered, eyes glazing as he stumbled forward and collapsed. A horse-shoe clattered to the ground beside him.

Beyond them, Xander stood, eyes wide and his face pale.

"Fuck," he hissed, moving forward and skidding to his knees at Aja's side. He unwound the coil from her neck, rolling her onto her back, only to find that she still wasn't breathing.

"Dree," he said, his voice laced with worry.

Adrien had met the collapsing man, and violently shoved him to the ground. He collapsed to his knees again, still clutching his shoulder, and looked to Ajani. His face was stricken by grief and terror. After a few seconds of silence, he brushed the hair from her face, and his lips met hers in resuscitation.

He'd given her a breath. Then another. Another still, before he'd withdrawn, and looked for any sign of motion in the girl's face.

A moment passed, seconds that felt like hours, and then her hands clenched, eyes flying wide as she suddenly gasped for breath. She made a sound, a gasp cut off by a choked sob, immediately lashing out at the closest thing to her, which, coincidentally, was Adrien.

"N-no.." she murmured, obviously disoriented.

Adrien caught her by a wrist, though gently, and attempted to keep it from hitting him. Her arms were weak, however, and his grasp served no purpose other than reassurance. "Ajani." He breathed, relief washing over his face. "Ajani, it's Adrien. You're safe, hear? Breathe."

For the first time in a few days, Adrien locked eyes with Xander. They were apologetic, but his nod had surely thanked the other boy.

"Need y'to take'er out'a town, Xander."

A tear slipped, followed quickly by a second as she lay there, all but gasping for breath, her free hand coming up to gently lay against the raw skin of her neck.

"Where is he?" she asked, mistakenly slipping into her own, native tongue. Xander's brow furrowed in confusion.

Adrien unsurely looked to Xander, before he looked to Ajani and bore her native tongue as well.

"Gone. He's gone. You're safe. My friend is going t'take you out of town." He said. Then, he looked to the horses, who'd kept quiet in their stables. "Xander. Please. If I'd a last favor t'ask of you, it'd be this." He said, in his own native tongue.

Xander stared between the two of them, finally coming to when Adrien directed his question towards him.

"Don't even need t'ask, mate." he said. Aja was too weak to walk. He was going to have to put her on the horse himself.

"Wait, Adrien," she grasped his hand, her grip firm, but not nearly what it could have been. "You, what about..." She met his eyes, more tears slipping through what composure she had left.

When will I see you again?

"I'll be fine, Aja. We'll see eachother again when we're s'posed to. Y'need t'heal." Adrien said.

He gritted his teeth. Once his heart began to slow down, the seering pain that'd shot through his body earlier came back in tides. He stood up to brace himself against the wood support, and released Aja's grasp to clutch his hand to his shoulder. He nodded to Xander.

"If she can't tell y'where t'go, follow th'big white cat."

Xander nodded, standing a moment and making his way over to Adrien. With a sigh, he threw his arms around his friend, pausing a moment before quickly popping his shoulder back into place.

"Thank me later," he muttered, pulling away quick, and bending to scoop Aja into his arms.

A crack had resounded throughout the stables, and Adrien doubled forward, cursing under his breath. The shoulder that he clutched had been righted by Xander, though, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at his friend's dismissiveness toward him.

"Get back t'town safe." Adrien said, and his eyes flitted to the cloaked body on the floor. "But shove off now, aye?"

Xander nodded, giving him a small smile before sweeping Aja up into his arms and carrying her towards one of the horses. One had already been saddled, or had remained that way due to his own lack of viligence, and that was the one they mounted together. He easily set her up front, before climbing on behind her, and he gave Adrien one last look before easing the horse out of the stables and kicking it into a canter.

Aja barely had time to say goodbye before they were gone, and her voice was so raw that she didn't think Adrien would hear her anyway.

Adrien nodded toward Aja and Xander, and raised a hand in goodbye.

After a long lapse of time and rest, he began to regain his senses. His arm ached, but it felt better. Better than it had before. In the seering pain beforehand, it seemed that the boy had forgotten about the cloaked figure. The one that dangerously stirred near him, perhaps ready to wake again. The one whose face laid in the dirt.

His face.

His face.

The thought struck Adrien like a dagger, and with a surprising quickness, he staggered to the cloaked man's body. He hovered above it, then violently grasped his arm and turned the body over. Adrien grabbed a hold of the dark cowl that shaded his face, then pulled it back.

Golden red ringlets glinted against the moonlight.

For the first time in weeks, Blakestown was celebrating.

It was a modest celebration, of course, considering the majority of the people were still lying abed, recovering from illness and exhausted from the healing process. But that was just it. They were healing, and at an incredible rate, too. When word of the tribals' success got out, people came to town hall to request that the women in white come visit their homes, to heal their children and their loved ones. Slowly but surely, the women traveled from house to house, spending a few hours in each, and educating the families on how to continue taking care of the sick while they recovered.

Those who were well had started a bonfire in the town square, and tables had been set up for the distribution of food. Children from Tribe Vanduo and the colonist children were tumbling together in the snow, playfully tossing bits of it back and forth, and racing between the houses. One Vanduo woman, and another colonist were watching over them all, amiably talking to one another. People were mingling peacefully, and there was a pleasant air hovering over the gathering.

Ajani did her best not to stumble as she emerged from the last house that day. She saw the fire, smelled the food, but oddly enough, didn't feel hunger. Not yet. Perhaps later. She made her way back to the town hall at a measured pace, intending to ask Patsy where more of the sick lay.

After Adrien had tended to some of the sick on his own, he'd come to his house. Radimus was still sick in bed, grumbling and complaining about this or other. How the tribals shouldn't be there. That it was a ploy. Most of the village seemed to disagree, then, and when the boy told his father of the celebrations, he was met with a quick scoff. In the very back of his mind, Adrien hadn't wanted Radimus to heal. He much preferred the man idle.

But it was a horrible thought. Radimus was still his father. After he'd resolved himself from the busy work of helping the villagers and the healers, he had come to help his own father. Though it would assumably be the first thing the boy should've done, Radimus denied his help, and worked against him. He requested a specific healer. The first times he had, Adrien dismissed him, and ignored the weak attempts to stop his work. Finally, when his father had raised his voice and dumped his bucket, Adrien seemed to comply.

So he made way for the town hall. He hadn't mingled with those he'd wanted to in days. Everyone was busy in one way or another, or sick in bed. He waited with Patsy for the arrival of Ajani, though the jolly nurse seemed to be ignorant of his presence, there. It wasn't she who he'd wanted to speak with.

Her entrance was quiet, eyes downcast as she focussed on not tripping over her own feet. When she came into the warmth of the hall, she lifted her eyes to the opposite end, one hand coming up to idly rub at her temple as she crossed the room to meet the pair.

Dark circles were under her eyes, but she managed a smile for them.

"There are more," she noted, glancing from Adrien to Patsy. "Where?"

Before Patsy could get a word in, Adrien started. He uncrossed his arms, and bore a worried frown for the girl. "M'father - Radimus - won't let me treat him, Ajani. He's asking for you. If you'd like, I could just put the old man out and treat him whether he likes it or not, but so far, he's spat out the medicine and discarded the rags. He's acting senile."

He drew a breath in, and spoke again. "You look like hell, though. I think it best you sleep. I'll get him t'comply. Now that I think about it... Nevermind, Ajani."

She held up a hand. "I'm alright, really. We need to get your father well." She stepped around them, not caring to glance back, before picking up a satchel of fresh supplies.

She turned back, taking Adrien by the hand, and leading him out of the hall.

"After this, then, Ajani. Y'need rest." He insisted. "You're wonderful for doing this - you are - but like you said, we're all human. Last thing we need is for you t'pass out doing something, isn't it?"

They both carried themselves to Adrien's house. It was unkempt. Radimus had neglected to take care of it the moment the altercations with the tribals started. With his recent illness, it had only gotten worse. When Adrien had put a hand on the door to open way for the two of them, it conjured dust.

It opened them up to the living room, where Radimus lay on the couch. He insisted not to move - he hadn't the lamplight for reading in his own room. Even then, he refused to make it up the stairs. When the pair of healers entered, though, a slight smirk came to his face.

"Pleasure to see this one again. I just wanted to know if it was true; if you even dared come into our city after what happened. But it's good to know you're winning the favors of our people."

"You have to be quiet if you want to be treated. Talking only makes you sicker, father."

"Probably the swine that introduced Velvet fever to Blakestown in the first place. You think it a coincidence that it swept over us after she'd left? They carry different diseases than us."

Very faintly, Ajani flushed.

"I can see where you get your charm, Adrien." she said, the smallest hint of a smile curving the corner of her mouth. Releasing his hand, she walked over to Radimus' bedside, hovering over him a moment before reaching to lay a hand on his forearm. Hot, with the lightest hint of a tremor.

"What I have will break the fever." she told him, her expression calm. "If you don't let me do what I need to do, you will die, Radimus Rune."

"I know I will. But this won't gain me favor of your people, miz Ajani. The townspeople can laugh and celebrate all they'd like to. I know that you're swine, and they will as well, in time."

Adrien moved to stand behind the couch. By then, Radimus' ramblings were meager and ineffective. "Quiet, father." He said, to which the man returned a grumble.

"Well, I suppose I have to continue on my promise. I'll let you treat me."

Aja took a deep breath, taking up her position at the man's side. With the herbs sitting in a pile in her lap, she took her hands, resting one on his shoulder, and the other over his heart. Inclining her head, she closed her eyes and began to softly murmur.

Radimus' breathing began to slow as he relaxed. It wasn't long before she pulled her hands back, and began to mix the paste.

"He looks no different than the last time I saw him." she said quietly, glancing to Radimus' face. She was referring to the Treaty day. Her brow knit.

"Then, I didn't think I'd ever be able to come to this place with a lack of murderous intent. Motina softened my heart, and I'm glad she did." She glanced to Adrien, then back to the sick man on the bed.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you, that first day we met."

"I don't think murdering my father would help our relations any." Adrien added, though his tone wasn't at all serious. "I've considered it a few times."

By then, Radimus had closed his eyes. Wearily, he opened them, and pointedly aimed them to the figure above. "Your incompetance is no fault of my own." he murmured. "How is the other man? Not... the bigger tribal man. He's very dead. We all know that. The one I shot..." He started to trail. "Didn't look too good. I wonder if he died. I suppose my aim wasn't well enough."

Adrien's eyes flitted up to Ajani's, and his brow furrowed apologetically.

"Junea fights as well as any warrior." Aja said softly, continuing to mix the paste. "He holds no ill will, either."

Presenting the drink to Radimus, she encouraged him to drink. "It will clean the illness from you." she explained. Her voice seemed softer than before.

"That one man found me, the other day. Hard as I try, I haven't been able to rest." She admitted, squeezing her eyes shut a moment.

"He's a competant man." Radimus added.

At that point, Adrien recoiled. His hands released the couch, and his expression contorted into disgust. The boy looked between Ajani and his father. "You know him?" He questioned.

Radimus did nothing but murmur. His eyes struggled to stay open. Like a zombie, he'd done whatever he was guided to, and drank the mixture Ajani had presented to him. Afterwards, he smiled. "That's a shame. That he didn't die. I aimed for the wrong person."

"Radimus. You know him?"

Ajani was quiet, unable to trust herself to speak. She knew that Radimus had lied, but she didn't know that he knew the assassin they spoke with.

Her heart hammered in her chest, a light flush coloring her cheeks. That, and Radimus' obvious threat bothered her.

"He's asleep." she said softly.

Adrien withdrew from the couch and backed to the wall. His demeanor had changed. He hadn't taken his father seriously, then. He was just a mumbling, senile man who'd seen too much. His hands rubbed his face, and he looked to Ajani.

"We'll... Can you send someone on one of our ships?" He asked, taking himself away from the thought of the assassin. "To my mother."

Her brow knit. "Your mother? Why?"

She was on her feet now, unsteadily, but standing nonetheless. "I mean, of course..."

She swayed, teetering dangerously before she gripped a nearby chair.

"Goodness..."

The boy came from the wall, and gripped Ajani's shoulders.

"Ajani. Y'need to sleep, before you start resting whether you like it or not. Xander's in my bedroom, but you can sleep in Radimus'. You've got bags under your eyes bigger than dinner plates."

He drew in a breath, before his shoulders seemed to relax. It was a gesture made, if only to reassure her. "I'll make sure no one comes in. Gets t'you. You won't have anything to worry about. The other ladies can take care of the sick, and if you'd like, you can get back to it. In the morning."

She looked unsure, her eyes reflecting an obvious discomfort at the thought.

"You dont have to do that." she replied, but she made no effort to resist him.

"'Course I don't have to." Adrien said. He'd taken her by the hand, and led her to Radimus' bedroom. It was quaint, to say the least, but the pictures that hung on the wall work a stark contrast. It was kempt, except for the dust that clinged to the furniture and corners of the walls. There was one bed, nothing much more.

"I'll sit out there, with Radimus. Any noise, and I'll come running, hear?"

She put a hand to the side of her face, quietly studying the room he'd shown her. A light shiver ran down her spine, and it was difficult to say whether or not it was from discomfort, or the cold. But, she knew from the way Adrien was looking at her now that he wasn't going to back down no matter what she said, or how convincingly she said it.

So, she gave him a small nod, licking at her lower lip before entering the room. She didn't bother to close the door, simply walked to the bed and sat down on the edge. Her shoulders slumped forward.

"I must seem foolish." she murmured. "To be behaving this way. It's a wonder I can take care of your people when I hardly know how to take care of myself."

She rubbed at her eyes.

"Anyone would be the same." Adrien said. "He's in th'town. I'm not going t'tell you otherwise. But he won't be in this house. Promise y'that. Know my promises don't mean much, after the first time, but I promise I won't let anything happen t'you again."

He stood in the doorway.

"Going to be able to sleep, you think?"

"No way to tell." she replied, looking towards the window. She seemed hesitant to lie down. Her eyes closed tiredly, before she turned to look at Adrien.

"Tell me about your mother?" she asked. There was an uncertainty to her tone, as if she wasn't sure Adrien would be eager to talk about it, or humor her at the very least.

Adrien smiled.

"She's got Velvet. Same thing in the town. I can't say I wasn't a little bit ... It sounds bad, but I s'pose I got a little hopeful, when Velvet came up in the town, and we'd found a cure for it. You guys."

He moved from the doorway and sat on the bed next to her. "I was hoping that we could send someone t'help her. Velvet's the only reason she wasn't able t'come over with us. They didn't want her spreading the disease t'the new colonies."

The hopeful smirk that lit up his face extended to his eyes, wrinkling them. "She still writes me letters. Could show one t'you, if you want. It was a long time ago that we'd left without her, though. Back when I was a baby."

Her smile was soft. "Yes, please."

She thought about getting up to follow him, but knew that it would only end in her looking ridiculous, stumbling around from how tired she was. "Whenever I asked Papa about my mother, he told me that Motina had adopted me very early on. He said it made me special."

She smiled fondly. "He would have liked you, Adrien. I wish you could have met him."

"Me too, Ajani." Adrien said. He placed a hand over hers, if only for a quick moment. "Maybe, once m'mum is treated, you'll be able to meet her. If they let'er overseas."

Then, he stood up. The boy made his way through the doorway, almost in a jog, and passed the resting Radimus to go upstairs. Quietly, he slipped into his own room, which bore the resting figure of Xander. On his desk laid a pile of papers, to which Adrien sifted through. He pulled one of the letters off the top file, and quietly slipped out of the room again.

When he rejoined Ajani, he was smiling down at the letter in his hands.

"Do y'... Want me to read it? Do you want to read it? S'one of my favorites."

She looked almost embarrassed.

"I can try to read it. I haven't tried to do that yet with your language. I'm not sure how much Motina's allowed me to understand."

She gently took the paper from his hands, holding it between her fingers, and decided ultimately to read it aloud.

"My son," she began. "With each breath I take, I think of you. I wonder at how you grow, each and every day, into the man I know I can be proud of. I wonder, my precious Adrien, if you think of me as well. In those moments, my wish is that you see me in health, awaiting my chance to cross those vast oceans to rejoin my family. Do not think of my illness. Do not dwell on hopelessness. Cling to the magic that allows children to believe in their dreams. Never let that go.

"Forgive me for not being there, to watch as you take your first steps, or to marvel with you as you learn about the new world you now call home. Know that I am with you, no matter the distance, and that I am proud of who you are becoming.

"I love you."

A tear plopped against the worn page, and Aja, with a start, sat up straighter, and handed it back to Adrien quickly. "I'm so sorry." she murmured, hastily wiping at her eyes.

"That was beautiful."

Adrien's eyes fell to his hands as Ajani read the letter. Only when he looked up, and she was done, did he realize that she was crying. Still, a smile lit up his face. For once, it wasn't due to a tragedy, or a death. He took the letter back, and delicately folded it in half, before shaking his head. "It's seen some use. Don't think a little water'll hurt it none."

He laughed, for a moment.

"Lovely lady. From what I remember, n'what she tells me. Can't think of why she married a man like Radimus. Maybe leaving'er is what made him so bitter. If I were older when it happened, sure as hell would've made me a little bitter. I s'pose that's what keeps me from whacking him over the head with one'a those books he reads."

Two dimples grew on his face, and the corners of his mouth turned downward a little. "Miss'er, I do. But I think... Sending over one of your healers, and fixing her, I'd be able t'see her again. You would too."

"I would go myself." she told him, and there was the hint of a promise there. "If it wasn't for my responsibilities here. I can ask, of course, to see if someone might be willing to go."

She frowned, then, rather suddenly too.

"But I don't know that Mateja is safe for your mother. Or anyone. Not right now."

Adrien's frown deepened. He pressed a palm to his eye and tilted his head upwards, before looking to Aja and speaking again.

"Maybe she won't come back, then. 'D just like t'know she's safe and healthy."

He took a breath in, and stood up. Then, he moved to the doorway, and looked back to the girl. "I should let y'sleep. Don't need t'keep you up with this silly thing," The letter had been lifted up, then dropped. "Can't imagine how tired you are. Tell you, though. If you hadn't come here... I don't know what we would've done. Can't thank you enough. We can't thank you enough. Sleep well on that, not about th'bad things."

She tentatively pulled up her legs, smiling tiredly in return to his praise, and modestly waved him off. "It's nothing." And her smile grew.

"But I knew Motina would provide a way, somehow. Perhaps it is the illness that will bring us all together." She could hope.

Glancing towards the pillow, she cautiously lowered herself flat, her figure curling as she relaxed, still gazing towards the window. She seemed to be whispering something under her breath.

The words of the letter.

Then, unaware of Adrien, her eyes drifted closed, and her breathing slowed. Quietly, the boy exited the room, and delicately shut the door behind him.

It seemed that she was finally able to fall asleep.