Hush Little Baby, Don't Say a Word

[Enigmatic Immortal]

CLOSED

“Then, when Jensen thinks he has me, I twist his arm and he starts crying like this baby!” Zerith said, laughing as Stephanie and Jasmine smiled to the halberdier. Jensen on the other hand was flipping his companion off and eating a bread roll. The four continued to talk merrily as Zerith celebrated finishing his training regimen with Ta’gaz, the most brutal trainer of the Ixian Knights.

“I still thought I had him in the end,” Zerith said remembering his final test against Ta’gaz where he was close to tripping the man and invoking his strongest hold. But it all turned sour as the legendary fighter countered his attack and the rest was a blur of body flying and blood letting. Still, Jensen was rather proud of the halberdier. The two had become fast friends, spending their Saturday nights in the Citadel challenging ancient warriors long lost to time to test their skills and one up the other.

“We all do,” Stephanie said sourly. “He’s just got years of fighting over us. This guy practices with Seth Dahlios nowadays, for crying out loud!” Jasmine grinned as she leaned upon her husband, running one hand up is chest to cool off his growing irritation.

“Boogeyman Seth isn’t much a challenge,” Jensen said crassly. “He’s just got terror tactics and a loud mouth.” Stephanie looked to Jensen with a know it all smile and gently patted his head.

“Which is exactly why he beat your ass down, isn’t it?” Zerith and Jasmine broke into a fit of giggles as Jensen shook his head, kissing Stephanie. Lately the two haven’t had anytime to be together without their little one Azza, not to mention alone time with two babies in their dorm wing. Castle Ixian was far more comfortable than Sei’s tomb, but it was also a bit more loud than the immortal wished. When one baby cried, the other cried. Then Azza would poke her head in, and Stephanie would move to let the child into their bed, and Jensen would be left to the cold as both woman had a nasty habit of stealing the blanket.

But tonight was different. Jensen had asked Kyla to babysit and Zerith and Jasmine agreed to let the Mystic mother warden their infant child so that the couples could have a night to themselves. Azza promised to be a good girl and stay in her bed if Jensen promised her a sugary sweet snack the next day. Jensen quickly made the promise, as Stephanie had picked up a rather sexy outfit for the evening. He really wanted the evening to end, the more he thought about her outfit.

But the game had to be played. He had to woo the woman, dine her and make her appeased like some goddess of seduction. He had to whisper sweet nothings into her ear, hold her close as they danced, and breath ever to gently like the wind on the nape of her neck during those extra romantic songs. And also, he had to keep her happy and smiling, which meant he had to let her get her fun in.

It was well late into the night and the band was playing their final act for the evening, and Jensen lifted his girlfriend up from her seat and brought her back with him to the dance floor to leave the two wedding birds alone. He gracefully guided her to the dance floor, smiling brightly as her blue eyes looked to him with warmth. Her hair had been tied into one tight ponytail in the back, with two strands at the side of her face cupping in her beautiful features. The dress she wore was sleeveless and black, with wire thin heels that were strapped to her ankles by leather strands, exposing most of her flesh to him. She had painted each toenail and finger nail a deep rose red, and not a streak was left upon the coat. The slit in her dress ran almost all the way up to her hip, accentuating the curves of her body as it clung tightly to her torso snuggly lifting her breasts up and together, and perfectly showing off her rear.

Jensen had dressed for the occasion, wearing a nice white button up shirt with black pants and a noble belt, but as usual he washed his sleeveless trench coat and wore that instead of a suit jacket. He combed his hair into obeying so that the long locks didn’t encroach upon his face, and made sure every part of his body was squeaky clean and well groomed. For his efforts, Stephanie laughed at him. Long and hard.

When the dance picked up to a waltz the immortal took his lovers hand and began to dictate their movements, guiding her across the floor with gentlemanly grace not many could envision the rather crass Ixian Knight doing. Stephanie smiled warmly to him, letting her hair whip around her body like a trained whip, her eyes sparkling as they flashed against the moonlight. She looked beautiful and Jensen felt his heart melt to have her head softly lower, bit by bit, to his shoulder where she nuzzled her nose into his neck, kissing it softly before resting peacefully, letting the immortal guide them. He lowered his face to rest gently upon hers and gripped her hand tighter than before, as the two moved like one across the floor.

“The things you’ll go to just to seduce me,” Stephanie whispered.

“It’s working, isn’t it?” Jensen teased. Stephanie sighed lustfully.

“Yes,” she admitted. “You are quite charming when you are not acting like an asshole.” Jensen shrugged ever so lightly to her, kissing the tip of her ear and then gently biting it, before whispering again.

“But if I wasn’t such an ass?” The question lingered in the air as Stephanie stirred off his shoulder, looking into his eyes and conveying her love in silence. The look they shared was unmistakable in all that it was. She admitted everything she was was because of him, and Jensen did the same, owing everything he overcame to her as the two gazed into each other.

“I’d probably date Adolph then,” She whispered with a sly grin on her face. Jensen looked to her, felt the tension slip, the love waning, before he felt a new primal power overcome him. His body shuddered once in anticipation, and then he let out a riotous laugh, increasing the tempo of their shuffle to a full fledged dance of nothing but joy and mirth. The band, seeing them moving quicker, changed the tempo to match them as both laughed, swinging the other around.

In the world of the immortal, a soft ray of hope was created, and he laughed, enjoying the company he shared with the person he loved.

[Zerith]

“Look at the two of them. Don’t they look adorable?” Jasmine asked she tilted her head and gently laid it down on her husband’s shoulder. She deftly moved the hand that had run up his chest just a few minutes around his torso and wrapped his around his torso before squeezing tightly. A content sigh escaped her lips as she hugged the halberdier. “It’s nice to just go out and have a night to ourselves.”

Although his wife never noticed, Zerith grimaced as he was hugged tightly. Ta’gaz had given him a beating during the final test, and the warder was still rather sore as a result of it. Yet despite that, the prince was really enjoying the evening. He and the immortal were becoming friends really quickly, and because of that the two families were getting rather close. The young and energetic Azza would often ask to help the princess take care of Siela, assisting with tasks like changing diapers or handing the baby to the mother so the infant could be fed. Even Stephanie and Jasmine socialized regularly. Though both Jensen and Zerith suspected they were just talking about their men and giggling amongst themselves.

The halberdier merely shrugged at the question directed to him. “I suppose they’re a cute couple?” Jasmine merely laughed and kissed her husband’s cheek.

“Come on, doesn’t the way Jensen look at Stephanie remind of you anyone in particular?”

“Nope, can’t say it does.” Zerith shot back, grinning. A moment later he let out a small yelp of pain as his wife lightly punched his shoulder, right where a large bruise lay hidden beneath the dark blue dress shirt he wore. Shocked by the reaction, Jasmine quickly apologized profusely.

“You had the same look in your eyes that night at the masquerade ball. Even when I didn’t know it was you, your eyes looked at me in such I way that I felt I was just going to melt.” Her other hand brushed his cheek before she began playing with his hair as she continued. “I may not have told you this earlier, but even before I knew it was you behind the mask I thought you were very attractive.”

The warder laughed happily at the compliment as he recalled the night Jasmine was talking about. It was back when they were part of Grander’s Order, an organization not too different then the Ixian Knights. Of course, back then Jasmine was involved in a relationship with the Grander himself, Raelyse Salidan. Zerith on the other hand was just a member of the Cavalry Division and Jasmine’s personal warder. Even then he was love-struck by her, to the point that when he learned he was dancing with his mage he swore he felt his heart leap with joy. “I thought you were beautiful back then as well,” he reminded his wife. “But this dress you’re wearing now,” he added as his eyes looked up and down Jasmine’s figure. “This one makes you look incredible.”

“This?” the princess asked as she rose from her with a seductive grin. “This is just the dress I said I would buy and hang in our room until you finished Ta’gaz’s training regimen. You know, that little bit of extra incentive for you to stick with it?” It was a good thing he stuck with it, as now Jasmine looked absolutely stunning. She had worn her hair lose, though parts on either side of her head were braided and meet at the back before falling gracefully down the remaining length. Various beads were strung though it as well, reminding Zerith of how she wore her hair on their wedding day. The knee length dress she wore was light blue and resembled a halter top, accompanied by hells a little thicker than the ones Stephanie wore. A belt of some form was worn across her torso, just beneath her breasts. The fabric above that was covered with silver embroidery, and the deep V was larger than anything the halberdier had seen his wife wear before going so low that it seemed to touch the belt and reveal far more cleavage then Jasmine had ever shown before. The bottom half of the dress had two layers, the light one of the two seeming to be a little transparent and would flare out when the princess spun around.

The outfit certainly carried its own sense of power, and it seems like Jasmine could feel it and wield it like an expert. Laughing, she twirled around with her arms raised high above her as her dress flared out and her hair whipped around like a viper. When she finally stopped, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Zerith’s neck before her pressed her lips against his and kissed him deeply. She was aggressive, her tongue duelling with her warders until she finally pulled back and brought her lips to his ear. “If you think this is sexy, just wait until you see what I’m wearing underneath it,” she whispered lustfully before her teeth gently bit his earlobe.

As she rose to her full height, she grabbed her husband’s arm and pulled him to his feet as well. Like the immortal, Zerith had gotten dressed up as well. He chose a dark blue dress shirt, along with black pants with matching tie and a simple, yet fashionable belt. He even took it a small step further and wore a suit jacket. His hair was worn in a way that would show of his curly hair. He too was well groomed, but it wasn’t as much of a big deal since he developed of the habit of being like that after he became nobility. Even when he finally stood up, Jasmine tugged on his arm. “Where are you taking me?”

“To the dance floor, silly,” Jasmine answered. “I want to enjoy a dance or two with my husband and feel his arms around me as we glide across the floor like we’re just floating.”

“Well if you put it that way, I’m sure I we can convince the band to play an extra song or two.” With a quick tug, Zerith reclaimed ownership of his limb. Although it didn’t take long for him to wrap it around his mage’s waist so he could walk alongside her to join the other couple on the dance floor.

Ta’gaz had pushed Zerith far beyond his breaking point, and somehow the halberdier managed to meet the challenge and see it through to its end. So tonight he would have fun and celebrate with his friends and with the one woman who made him feel like he could make anything possible.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

The night was gentle with the breeze, the wind passing in small drafts. Stephanie wore Jensen’s jacket, the immortal walking behind her with his hands around her waist. The two whispered to each other as Zerith had lent his coat to Jasmine, the two lost in their own little world. Peace, happiness, and content filled both families hearts.

Jensen and Stephanie as of late had a violent rough patch, a split that nearly saw them off, but with Kyla’s guidance the immortal found his heart moving back in with Stephanie’s, and he was grateful to be with her again. The arguments they had, though explosive, were so far in the past that it meant little to the immortal now. All things considered in his life, Jensen was particularly happy.

When they approached Ixian Castle they found the patrols moving back and forth along the upper walls, several lights of the castle were on and a buzz of commotion filled the air. The couples, lost in their bliss, didn’t notice much of the soldiers forming ranks, and then marching off on set patrol patterns with a Chaplain leading them. They had been attacked by the Knight’s of Dawn as of late, and so this occurrence wasn’t really out of the blue for the families to encounter.

When they were walking up the castle steps of the courtyard into the main hold, they stopped to look at the stars in the sky, doing a pre-bedtime ritual of chit chat and whatnot before they went into their room and split ways to undoubtedly enjoy the evening with each other. Jensen, held Stephanie extra tight, her breath softly grazing his arms as she held him back. After a half hour of idle talking, they all sauntered up to their room.

Several steps on the padded rug echoed down the pathway of the castle halls, soldiers moving quickly. Jensen tilted his head in confusion, switching from holding Stephanie at the waist to merely holding her hand as Zerith and Jasmine’s faces turned to concern. It was the princess who spoke her thoughts first about what could be going on, but Jensen shook his head. Sei would have reached them with his telepathy if something important were going on.

They turned towards the spiral staircase, seeing Adolph quickly hustle his feet down the stairs, barking orders to check the library and send a team of investigators to the cave network. Jensen passed Zerith a confused glance, and the halberdier merely shrugged his shoulders, before they all began to move with a bit more brisk in their walk. Jensen felt the tangible feeling of fear on some soldier’s as they passed by, and when he stopped one to ask what was going on, the man said there was an intruder, and then ran off.

“I don’t think this would be a bad time to hurry home,” Jensen said, and Zerith nodded, Stephanie releasing his hand as she started to move quickly up the stairs. The group of warriors made it to the their floor, the familiar purple rug scuffed by several hurried feet. They noticed Ta’gaz standing at the end of the hall, his body blocking entry to their rooms which lay down the path he blocked. Now they ran, all as one with hurried steps, their minds contorting with questions as they reached the legendary trainer. He moved aside when he saw them, offered his condolences, and said no more, pointing down the hall.

They sprinted breaking ranks as Jensen and Stephanie took the lead, Zerith holding Jasmine’s hand tightly as they all let out panicked breaths. They saw several members of Talen’s team of information gatherers talking to Kyla’s investigation team, and the immortal pushed one out of his way forcefully into a wall as he ripped the door open.

Their room was filled with several people, Kyla Orlouge resting on the couch with blood coming down her head, Sei watching over like a hawk as Anita held her tightly to stop her from sobbing. When she saw the families her tears flowed down again as she started panicking, and four members of the Ixian Knight’s teams all doing some form of study. Stephanie immediately began to ask questions and Sei turned to her, lifting his arms to calm her down. Jensen brushed past them all as he ran down the halls towards his families dorms, sliding on the wood floor and ripping Azza’s door open. The girl was missing and his heart began to beat rapidly.

“AZZA!” Jensen shouted, rushing back into the room. Zerith and Jasmine both broke towards their dorms, and Stephanie, hearing her daughter’s name being shouted pushed Sei aside as she ran after Jensen. The immortal leapt deftly over the railing leading to the Dracosius’ hall room, keeping only one step behind them with Stephanie on his heels. When they got to the babies room of little Siela Jasmine broke down into tears, her body crumbling as Zerith grabbed her by her waist to support her. Jensen peered into the room, Stephanie crashing into him as they both held each other, finding Azza on the floor by the changing table with Tobias holding her head, a small knife in girl’s hand and blood on the floor.

“MY BABY!” Stephanie screeched, running into the room and taking Azza from Tobias. Jensen looked to Azza, his blood pulsing as he prayed to all the horsemen for his daughter’s safety, and when he noticed her chest rose and fell, the immortal let out a breath of relief.

Then he realized something and turned to the crib, noticing the window wide open, the wind that was once so gentle and serene now so ominous and baleful as the drapes fluttered over the open bed. Little Siela was missing in this room, and Jensen looked to see his friends in complete anguish.

[Jasmine]

Over the many weeks that Zerith trained with Ta’gaz, Jasmine had been supportive of her husband. She had felt every hit and kick he’d received courtesy of their bond, though not anywhere near close to the same degree at which her husband had felt it. The last several weeks had been rough on them both and she was looking forward to the date night with Zerith. The moment she’d seen the light blue dress she knew that was the one to hang up for Zerith’s continued inspiration and she wasn’t in the least bit disappointed by his initial reaction to seeing the dress on her.

The night had been most enjoyable. She had become good friends with Jensen and Stephanie since moving in to the Ixian Knight’s castle. She smiled fondly as she watched them, remembering times with Zerith early in their relationship. As the night wore on, the two couple had eventually decided it was time to go home. Jasmine smiled secretively as she carefully kept her thoughts about the lingerie she’d also purchased for tonight safely away from Zerith. She wanted him to be completely surprised. A quick trip to check in with Kyla and say good night was all that stood between the princess and her plans for rewarding her husband’s hard training.

The tension filling the castle as they walked through the front gates could have been cut with a knife. Jasmine exchanged a worried look with Zerith before they hurried up to their rooms. The castle was never this busy at this time of night and naturally, the parents were worried about their infant daughter.

Jasmine’s fears doubled when she saw that the entrance to their rooms was being guarded. That was definitely not normal. She noted the blood covering Kyla’s head and the many people in the common area. She heard Jensen bellowing for his daughter dimly. Her focus was on the rooms that were set aside for her and Zerith. The two of them rushed into their rooms, slamming Siela’s door open wide. Frantically, Jasmine’s blue eyes searched all over the room, noting the mess, Azza and Tobias on the floor, even the fact that the window was wide open. However, Siela’s bed was quite empty.

A wordless, heartbroken wail escaped the young mother’s lips as she collapsed in Zerith’s arms. He turned her as he caught her, wrapping his strong arms around her. Tears poured down Jasmine’s face as she mumbled incoherently about where her baby could be and who could have managed to take her.

“We’re ten floors up! How could they take her!?” she asked Zerith.

“Shh, I don’t know, but we’ll find out. We’ll get her back, I promise.”

Jasmine let out another wail and buried her face against Zerith’s chest as she tried to get back in control of herself.

[Zerith]

The halberdier began the play the role of a supportive husband immediately. Although didn’t visibly show it at first, hearing his wife’s cries upset him greatly. He was a prince, commander of a kingdom’s army and a prophesied savior of Radasanth. Yet at that currently moment in time he was absolutely powerless and felt unable to do anything. Somehow, someone had managed to sneak into a castle and take from the halberdier one of the few things in his life that he treasured most. Siela, his small daughter, had brought a newfound purpose to the warder’s life the moment he first learned he would face the challenge of parenthood. In return, the defenceless infant would have him as her guardian.

Except now as he stood in the crowded nursery, hugging his wife with one hand while the other lay gently on her head. Zerith stared at the empty crib with a blank expression, his emotions torn with such conflict he wasn’t sure what to feel. Eventually, one stood prominently over the others. The realization that the father had failed at his duty ignited flames that quickly developed into an inferno and it quickly consumed him. Anger took hold of the prince with its sharp claws, and it didn’t show any sign of releasing his grasp anytime soon.

Slowly removing Jasmine’s arms from either side of him, the halberdier silently guided her to a chair for her to sit on. There, kneeling before her, he gently brushed some of the ebony strands of hair that blocked her face before he softly cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. He stared at her for a moment, watching as tears rolled down her face and wreaked havoc on the make-up she had put on prior to their evening out. Her delicate hands bunched up into a pair of fists as she clutched into the material of her dress. “My baby!” she cried, “Where’s my baby!?”

“Try to calm down, Jasmine,” Stephanie spoke as she continued to cradle her daughter in her arms. “We’ll get to the bottom of this and find her. Right, Zerith?”

Angry, the warder’s mind didn’t even register the fact that his fellow knight was speaking up. Instead of answered, Zerith shot up in a instant, turned around and was storming out the door like a tidal wave about to crash upon the land. “GET ME LORD ORLOUGE! NOW!!” he roared as he threw his jacket onto the floor and furiously undid the buttons of his shirt. He had crossed the hallway in a heartbeat, and slammed open the door to his room with all the strength he could muster. The crash was so loud that a couple of the guards jumped as they stood around in the dorms the families shared.

The halberdier tore the shirt off him so quickly he had might as well just have ripped it off instead before it was thrown to the floor as well. Without thinking, he picked up the chair that stood between him and what he wanted and threw it across the room with effortlessly and paid no attention to the sound of his breaking as it hit the wall. His sapphire eyes were fixed on his goal, the familiar suit of armor that stood proudly on display next to his signature halberd. Both hand flew for the breastplate as fast as they good, and lifted from its place before he even had a proper grip on it. The constant sense of urgency drummed in Zerith’s brain, so the noble began the task of donning his armor as quickly as he could.

“SEI!! NOW!!” he yelled in a thunderous voice as he picked up another piece of the metal suit. He wanted answers, demanded an explanation and a name of the one who dared take his child away from him. The mute was just the only person the halberdier could think of that would be able to give him a little bit of what he wanted. The sooner Zerith would get a name, the better. As once he had that he believed that the stranger, whoever they were, had better start praying. As not even Draconus would be able to protect them from Zerith’s rage.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Jensen watched as the mute Mystic causally looked to the hallway where Zerith was screaming from, bellowing his name as the sound of wood shattering against a wall as he bellowed for Sei again. Jensen looked behind himself to see Stephanie holding Azza in her arms like a baby as she carried their daughter to their room, he held her for a moment as she looked back to Jensen with tearful eyes, passing the gap in the room as Sei placed one gentle hand on the mother’s shoulder and one on his daughter’s head.

“SEI!” Zerith screeched. The immortal looked to his lord as Sei sighed making his way forward, pointing to Jensen to follow. The knight nodded as he followed suit and the mute made sure he looked presentable stepping into Zerith’s room. The halbredier gave him a frenzied glare, before crossing the gap quickly lifting his arms up to Sei like he was about to attack him. Jensen dashed forwards, colliding his chest with the captain’s as Zerith gave him a violent snarl. “Not time for games, immortal!” He seethed.

“Calm the fuck down, Z,” Jensen said in warning.

“Calm DOWN?” He shouted in hysterics. “My daughter was just kidnapped! Do you think I can calm down after that!”

“Do it,” Jensen said not backing down. Zerith gave him an ominous look before he looked to Sei.

“How can you let this happen? How did this happen? You promised my family safety!” Zerith began to ramble and rave about Sei’s words, wheter alleged or true. The mute let him rant before he stepped forwards softly.

“I understand your feelings, but in order to move forwards I need more time to investigate-” Zerith lifted a finger to Sei accusingly.

“Not good enough! God only knows where my daughter is! I want action, now!” Jensen placed one hand on Zerith’s collar to try and calm his friend. It was hard to see his brother in arms so angry, so violent, and while the man had every right to be the situation called for calmer, cooler heads. If Zerith ran off the handle now it would only serve to help whoever was targeting him. It didn’t make watching like this anymore easier.

Zerith shrugged Jensen’s comfort away as he moved towards Sei again and Jensen physically pushed Zerith back.

“Calm the fuck-” Zerith’s fist flew right into Jensen’s mouth and the immortal staggered backwards. The halberdier shook his hand as he glared to the immortal. Jensen stood back up, looking deep into those animalistic eyes of his friend and challenged him with his stare. Zerith gave him a warning look back, showing the immortal that he would do whatever it took to get his daughter back. The two locked eyes for awhile before Jensen stepped forwards and grabbed Zerith by the arms holding him tightly.

The Halberdier attempted to push Jensen away, but the immortal fought his every attempt, keeping his arms locked around the man as they wrestled in front of Sei, Zerith shouting profanity as Jensen just held him and wouldn’t let go. The prince beat his fists against Jensen’s body, squealing and venting his frustrations. At last when the immortal managed to shift Zerith into a bear hug the man broke down, his words crumbling into sobbing tears of anguish and loss as the primal fury in his eyes faded into a father’s sorrow. Jensen felt his chest shudder against his as he softened the bear hold and turned it into a more supporting hug.

“I want my baby back,” He groaned as he sobbed deep into the immortal’s shoulder. Sei slowly stepped forwards, running one hand up and down the prince’s back in sympathy as he spoke only into Zerith’s mind. Zerith continued to cry as Jensen let the man get it all out of his system, knowing full well what he felt. Once he had watched Cassandra Remi use his own daughter against him, holding her at knife point. What he was going through was hell no sane person would ever want to put upon another soul.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “That was out of line to punch you,” He looked back to Jensen, and the immortal passed him a grin patting him on the arm bringing the man in for a tight hug.

“I’d be punching people too if Azza was kidnapped. Don’t worry Z, we’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise you I’ll help you find her,” Zerith nodded as he looked back to Sei.

“I’ll have everyone on watch tonight and send out all of my resources to find your daughter Zerith,” Sei insisted. “You just have to give me the time to do it,” Zerith nodded again, slowly as he looked out the window.

“But what if it’s not enough and time runs out?” Jensen felt his heart waver as he heard those words. There was absolutely so way he could promise Zerith his baby back. So he did what he could do in this moment, and just gave him another hug before letting the father turn back to the baby’s room and sighed, going to be with his wife so they could grieve.

“Sei,” Jensen said so only the mute could hear him. “I want this mission completed. I want Siela found.”

“So do I,” Sei said honestly standing next to Jensen and placing a hand on his shoulder. The immortal looked out to the moon and snarled before looking into the mute’s eyes.

“Use her,” Jensen said quickly. Sei gave him a quizzical look as Jensen gave him a confident stare. “Use her to bring his daughter back. I want those bastards who did this to suffer like he did.” Sei nodded once, slowly before looking into the baby’s room seeing Zerith and Jasmine hold each other for support.

[Jasmine]

Hearing the ruckus Zerith was making did nothing to soothe Jasmine’s tears. She didn’t hear Stephanie’s assurances that all would be well. She almost followed Zerith to join him in demanding answers of Sei. The castle was supposed to be safe. They were on the tenth floor for goodness sake! Jasmine just couldn’t fathom how someone could sneak into the castle and back out again carrying an infant with no one seeing anything. When Zerith returned, with no answer other than that they would do their best, Jasmine’s tears renewed as she buried her face against Zerith’s shoulder with his arms wrapped around her once again. Neither said anything more as they began the wait for news of Siela.

The hours that seemed like lifetimes stretched into days that seemed like eternities. Jasmine barely ate, no matter how much her friends tried to cajole her into eating. When she did eat, it was just enough to satisfy them. She had no appetite, not when she was worried about her baby. What could the enemy possibly be feeding her child? Siela was probably very hungry and scared. The little girl had never been away from either of her parents for more than a few hours. How must she be feeling now having been away from her parents or anyone else that she knew for so long?

The young mother fought hard to keep her tears and emotions in check. The last thing she wanted was to lash out at any of her friends or her husband. She knew that they were doing the best they could, and although it did not seem like enough, she had to keep reminding herself that they loved Siela too. It wasn’t just her and Zerith that were suffering right now.

She spent most of her time sitting in the rocking chair in Siela’s room, clutching one of Siela’s stuffed bears. She’d hear a baby’s cry and go to investigate, only to find that the cry had been Akiv, some other baby in the castle, or even her own imagination. Her eyes played tricks on her. She’d wake from a doze in the rocking chair, look over at the crib and for a moment, she’d swear she saw blankets wrapped around a baby. But Siela of course was not there. It was in these moments, these vivid reminders that her daughter was in fact missing, that this wasn’t an awful nightmare from which she would wake any minute, that Jasmine broke down and wept clutching Siela’s favorite teddy bear.

The princess barely slept. Sleep came and went in short dozes as exhaustion got the better of her. She couldn’t sleep, not when there might be news of Siela. She had to be ready at a moment’s notice to go rescue her baby. Instead, when she was not sitting in the rocking chair, she wandered around in a daze.

As much as she needed Zerith’s support, she avoided talking to him. In his own frustration and anger, he’d become volatile. He flew into tempers that endangered anyone around him and she didn’t want to accidentally set him off. They didn’t even sleep in the same bed right now, though that was in part because Jasmine wouldn’t go to bed. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking; he’d shut her out of his mind. He wouldn’t talk to her about anything and since she was afraid that saying anything would anger him, she kept to herself.

In his calmer, more rational moments, Zerith kept an anxious eye on his wife. Worried as he was about his daughter, Jasmine did not seem to be taking the little girl’s disappearance well at all. Of course, he didn’t expect her to, but he did wish she would eat and sleep more. Jasmine was wearing herself out, but as per normal, would not listen to anyone and just go to sleep. She’d taken to sleeping in her travel clothes and boots in the rocking chair. It had now been three days since Siela’s disappearance and tensions between him, Jasmine and everyone else was starting to get very high.

About midmorning on the third day, Jasmine woke from one her usual short dozes and seeing the empty crib once more brought a fresh wave of fear and sadness. She pushed her emotions back, keeping a firm grip on them and rose from the rocking chair. Shuffling in to the living room, she saw Zerith sitting at his desk. He was staring at several papers on his desk, apparently engrossed in paperwork of one kind or another. Her heart went out to the man she loved and she carefully approached him.

“Zerith?”

“What?”

His tone was flat and emotionless. It was a sure sign that he was not in one of his better moods. He didn’t want to talk to anyone, not even Jasmine, but she couldn’t stand not talking to him anymore.

“Zerith, I…I was just wondering…if maybe…”

“If what? Get to the point already, Jasmine.”

He didn’t look at her yet, and she could hear the angry tone lining his word, but she took a deep breath and continued anyway.

“I was just wondering, if maybe you’d heard anything?”

The halberdier’s grip tightened on the edge of his desk as a sigh escaped his lips. He tried to fight the irritation that crept up his spine and into his head. “No,” he replied bluntly. “and I would appreciate it if you stop asking me the same questions over and over again. I told you I would let you know of any news as soon as I heard something.”

She shuffled her feet awkwardly, staring at the floor, “I’m sorry…it’s just I don’t know what to do anymore..and I’m scared and I’m worried…”

“Yeah, and you’re not the only one. So once again, I would appreciate it if you stopped poking and prodding me so I can focus on solving the stupid problem,” he grumbled.

Her own irritation bubbled over at his tone. Crossing her arms under her breasts she looked over at him, “Right, just how are you gong to solve it if you don’t know anything?”

“I’m working on it!” Zerith snapped, the camel’s back snapping like a twig the instant his wife inadvertently made him feel like she was insulting his intelligence. “Which is more than you can say!” he continued as he rose from his chair and spun around to face her. “All I’ve seen you do is mope around in a daze for days. At least I’m the one trying to get OUR daughter back!”

“And just what would you have me do!?” she retorted. “Radasanth is HUGE! We don’t even know who took her or where to even start looking! If I had an inkling of an idea of where to go, I’d already be there! Not here, working on stupid paperwork!”

“You don’t HAVE an inkling though!” the prince roared. A pot of ink went flying off his desk and slmmed into the wall as his mind reacted to his anger. “Would you rather I just waltz out into the city and start lobbing off head of whomever I came across? It’d only be a matter of time before I found the right one!”

“NEITHER DO YOU!! You’re too busy burying yourself in work, work, and more work! Damn it Zerith, I can’t do this waiting thing alone anymore! Every single time I hear Akiv cry, I think it’s Siela. When I glance at her crib, I think I see her, only to be disappointed when I realize it’s just the blankets and my imagination. Zerith, I need you! And you’ve shut me out! You won’t let me in your thoughts. You won’t talk to me or anything. Damn it all, Zerith, I need my husband! I need you but… but all you seem to be able to see is your own pain! Wake up, Zerith! You’re not the only one scared and hurting here!” She paused for a moment, trying to calm herself down, she up at him pleadingly, “Please…I need you.. please…” Her voice trailed off as her tears and sobs took over. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as she stood there in front of him weeping.

“You need me, Siela needs me, the knights need me…I CAN”T BE EVERYWHERE AT ONCE!!!” the warder boomed, too caught up in his emotions for her tears to have a calming effect on him. Instead they only seemed to make him angrier as his chair flew across the room, hitting the same spot as the ink pot. “I have gotten all the generals doing everything they can do to help find Siela while all you’ve done is walk in circle and hug teddy bears. AND I’M NOT IN PAIN!!! NO, that’ll be whoever the hell took MY DAUGHTER and I’ll make them wish they were at Remi’s mercy!”

Jas only looked up at him for a moment as tears poured from eyes that were already red and puffy from the lack of sleep and repeated bouts of crying. “You aren’t even listening anymore…” she said softly, very hurt, and turned around. She paused at the door to the living space they shared with Kyla, Stephanie and Jensen, “I should have known better than to bother you…sorry.”

“Yeah, because I’m tired of doing nothing but listen to people make excuses for not finding Siela,” he shot back without hesitation. He bent and picked up the map of Radasanth he had been staring at earlier. It must have fallen off his desk in all the commotion. He walked over to the sofa and fell onto it in a heap, exhausted mentally and now physically. With the parchment in the middle of his lap, the noble looked down, staring at the floor before he finally spoke again, “I just…I just always used to tell Siela that nothing would harm her…and now I feel like I’ve broken that promise.”

She stayed where she was and did not turn around, “I know, but yelling at me for not doing anything where there’s nothing for me to do but wait doesn’t help. It makes it worse, because now I feel like I’ve somehow failed even more since I’m apparently not doing enough to please you. I’m not…I’m not strong enough to face this alone, but you aren’t giving me a choice. You’re too wrapped up in your own frustrations and misery and being a general. And right now it’s seeming like general is trumping husband. So, I won’t bother you anymore, General.” She looked at him over her shoulder, her blue eyes sad as she added softly, “All I wanted was for my husband to hold me and tell me that everything would be all right. That he would take care of everything. But I guess that’s too much to ask.” Without another word, she left their suite in search of Stephanie or Kyla, needing someone, anyone, to talk to.

On the couch, Zerith sighed and got to his feet. He collected the chair and the ink pot, setting them both back in their proper places, then picked up the loose papers and put them back. Taking the map of Radasanth he sat down on the couch once more and set the map on his lap as he stared at it with his head in his hands.

“But I am trying to take care of everything…”

[Zerith]

Back when Zerith was just a ten year old boy, he was bullied immensely. Of course back then he wasn’t the general, prince or even the warder he had become. Instead he was more of a runt, considerably smaller than the other boys around his age. The other kids knew this and exploited it, often taking things of Zerith’s and refusing to give them back until the young halberdier was on the brink of tears, only to then mock him and call him a crybaby. Other times they would whisper rumors about Zerith amongst themselves, and as more and more people were brought into the loop each person would give the boy a look that spoke more than anything they could have said. Back then they had made Zerith’s life miserable and made him feel like he was unable to do anything.

They essentially made him feel powerless

Now, years later and as a fully grown man, someone had once again made the prince feel the same way he did back then. With his infant daughter missing and no answers in sight, Zerith was forced to admit that he was once again powerless. If that wasn’t painful enough to deal with, he also had to live with emotional wreck Jasmine was quickly becoming. Without Siela, Jasmine’s behaviour was quickly going in a downward spiral. Neither one of them managed to get any sleep the first night, as every passing second felt like torture to the two parents. So many questions flew through their heads such as who would do such a thing and why. Was she scared? Was she crying? Was she even safe and unharmed?

Zerith was still awake when the sun began to rise the next morning, sitting at his desk with his head held in his hands as he prayed that Draconus was keeping his baby safe. It had been nearly an hour since he had last heard any sign that his wife was still awake. The princess had been sitting in the rocking chair in Siela’s nursery, clutching onto a stuffed bear as if her life depended on it while she cried. Yet now all he heard was silence, which caused the halberdier to wonder if everything was alright on the other side of the door that was left slightly ajar. Rising from his chair, the warder quickly crossed the distance of the room and gently knocked on the door while he opened it simultaneously. “Jasmine?” he whispered softly, “Are you still awake?”

His mage had finally fallen asleep, slouching slightly in the rocking chair as she still held into a small teddy bear. Her cheeks still carried a small tint of red, one of the few signs that showed she had probably been crying until sleep overcame her and she still wore the same dress she had worn on their date. Tiptoeing, Zerith approached her while trying to remain as quiet as he possibly could so he wouldn’t disturb her. He veered off course for just a moment, deciding to grab a spare blanket from a nearby closet before he finally was standing beside Jasmine. A heavy sigh escaped his lips before he carefully laid one hand down on the top of her head and bent over so he could place a soft kiss on her cheek. From there he fell down upon his knees in front of his wife and carefully draped the blanket over her. “I promise,” he spoke quietly as he carefully took one of the princess’ hands in both of his, “I’ll find a way to take care of everything.” As the halberdier was making his exit out of the nursery, he stopped briefly in order to pick up another one of Siela’s stuffed bears off the floor. Then while he stood staring at the pink toy, he couldn’t help but recall the familiar words he had sung to his daughter every night.

“Nothing’s going to harm you, not while I’m around...”

The bear was back on the floor in a instant as Zerith threw it downwards as hard as he could. Unable to deal with the pain he felt, he buried it underneath his anger instead.

***

“Um, Zerith, are you sure this is a good idea?” the immortal asked as the two comrade made their way through the castle to Ta’gaz’s Dojo. “I just mean that you probably had a long night, and I’m sure you would probably rather be looking for Siel-“

“The mute says he’s going to have everyone working on finding her,” the halberd interrupted. His eyes were constantly looking straight ahead of him; his face seemed to be in a permanent angry scowl. “He’s also ordered I do this with you, says I need something else to try and focus on for the sake of my mental health.”

“That has to be some of the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard,” Jensen replied as he tried to be the supportive friend the warder seemed to need at the moment. “This is your daughter we’re talking about, You should be leading the search to find her.”

“I know that!” Zerith snapped, his patience quickly running out. “I just want my daughter back, damnit! If Sei tells me that he’s going to get as many people as he can on it, then I don’t really have much else of a choice now, do I? So instead, I’m just going to have to sit here, plaster a fake smile on my face and act like everything is control!”

Just then Talen appeared from around the corner and was making his way toward the two men. The youngest of the general opened his eyes with surprise when he saw Zerith, apparently not expecting to see the halberdier when given the circumstances. The leader of the information stopped just in front of the two men and looked up at the two for a moment before his eyes fixed on the prince. “I heard about what happened,” he began nervously. “I just wanted to say I’m sor-“

As if he had developed the ability to move as fast as lightning, Zerith had Talen’s collar in his hands in a heartbeat and he screamed in anger. Twisting ninety degrees, the noble slammed the youth’s smaller form into the wall with such strength that the painting that hung beside them fell from where it hung. “I DON’T NEED YOUR CONDOLENCES!!” Zerith roared as his grip threatened to tighten around the boy’s neck. “What I need is for you to do you fucking job and FIND MY DAUGHTER!!” He pulled Talen away from the wall and slammed him back into it once more before he finally released his hold on the fellow general and stormed off down the hall. The outburst was very short, but more than enough to leave most people at a loss for words. Even Jensen was having a hard time figuring out what to say.

“I’m sorry Talen, he’s just really worried about Siela.” the immortal finally muttered before running off to make sure his friend didn’t get into any more trouble.

***

“I’m sorry Zerith, but it looks like there still aren’t any leads regarding Siela’s whereabouts,” Sei Orlouge said calmly. It had been the second day since the night the halberdier’s baby disappeared, and now he was demanding to hear if any progress had been made. The mute was sitting at his desk, apparently focused on whatever papers were laid out in front of him. “I will be sure to notify you immediately of any progress made.”

“Bullshit!” the warder snapped back in an instant. “Jasmine and I have had to endure two days of this torture, and you’re saying you still just as clueless as you were when Siela was first taken? This is unacceptable even for you, Sei.”

“We’re fighting a war here, Zerith. Did you honestly expect that our enemy wouldn’t try to attack you like they did to the other seven?” the telepath asked as he finally looked up at his one of his generals. The halberdier looked rough around the edges, especially after putting up with two nights of very little sleep and some major outburst of anger toward any he thought were slacking off in the search of Siela. He had even been reported to Sei for denying some soldiers the chance to eat in the dining hall until they reported to the warder with some progress about his daughter. If things didn’t change soon, it was only a matter of time until Zerith would meet the same disciplinary action Jensen had, and the mystic really wanted to avoid an outcome like that if possible. “It’s only a matter of time until we find something, until then you’re just going to have to wai-“

“NOT GOOD ENOUGH, ORLOUGE!!” the prince bellowed before he swept all of the telepath’s paper off the desk and onto the floor. He leaned over the desk, towering over his leader and glaring at the mystic angrily. “This isn’t Kyla we’re talking about here, Siela is just an infant and unable to take care of herself! She can’t just wait! She demands action, just as I demand it!”

“And what would you have me do? Have the knights turn Radasanth upside down so you can find her?” Sei countered as he took a deep breath and began to try to speak back to the prince as calmly and as professionally as he could. “I need time, Zerith. If you can give me that, then I promise I will get your daughter back for you.”

“You’re absolutely useless, do you know that?” the noble shot back. “I’m left here to try and care for my wife while her heart has been broken into pieces over this. Every night she cries herself to sleep, and there is nothing I can do to fix it! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel, Sei!? Yet all you do is ask me for more time? Do you want to know what I say that?” he questioned, pounding his fist into the desk as he answered his own question for emphasis. “Fuck that, Sei. You have one day.”

“Really, one day?” the leader of the Ixian Knights repeated, clearly not believing what he was being told. “Tell me, what happens after this one day then?”

“Then Jasmine and I go find Siela ourselves,” the warder answered, “and then go back to Moriah after we do. If you can’t help me with this one thing, then I don’t see why I should waste my time fulfilling this so called prophecy of yours. You have one day, Sei, before I take my family and leave.” With his ultimatum made clear, Zerith turned around and quickly made it way out of the room, but not before saying one final thing just before the door closed.

“Radasanth can burn for all I care after that.”

***

That last night before Zerith would have to stay true to his word was a particularly tough one on the halberdier. Although he didn’t mean to, his anger once again got the best of him and he had another fight with Jasmine. She cried, he yelled and in the end both of them probably said something hurtful things they never intended to. At that current moment and as he sat as his desk once again, trying to figure out where he went wrong, Zerith cried. Why couldn’t he just fix everything? Why didn’t he even have the power to find his baby? Jasmine was gone and only the Thaynes knew if she would come back. Hell, she was probably telling Stephanie all about the fight they had, which would then mean that soon Zerith would have Jensen knocking on his door and calling him an idiot alongside a string of curses. As sad as it was to admit, Zerith probably deserved such treatment.

Everything felt just so far away without Siela around, even his wife seemed to be miles away from him. In a way Zerith felt just like he used to when he was that small boy, powerless and completely alone. The only difference now way that he had at least experience a taste of a happy life before everything came crashing down around him, and as he sat staring at the map of Radasanth he realized he would give anything to be able to go be able to have his life go back to being that way. Back when it was just him, Jasmine and Siela in Moriah. Back when nothing threatened them and he really felt at peace with everything.

A knock at the door brought Zerith out of his daze, and as Jensen peered his head in slowly the warder turned around to face him while wiping the tears off his face. “Zerith?” the immortal called out seriously. "We gotta grab our stuff and go...”

“...we have news of Siela.”

[Enigmatic Immortal]

The news had finally been broken, the word at last given! Somebody at long last brought news about Zerith’s little girl and the immortal was bounding three steps at a time in step with the Halberdier as the two were excited to at long last find out where the man’s daughter went.

The white grey walls of Ixian Castle flanked them as the two hurriedly made their way to the set of towers where Sei’s office was located. They had passed several guards and other soldiers as they made their way, not stopping to greet a single other member of their army as they kept their thoughts to themselves.

It had been hell for the Jester to watch the mental destruction and pure tortured existence that his friends went through. To see them lose sleep, to watch Zerith’s temper loosen several times, to hear both of them crying at night in their rooms while he stepped out to do his own investigating. The knight had felt as useless as a bucket with a hole during these trying times, and he wanted to bring the family back together no matter what it took. And now, now it was starting to happen.

It was pretty late in the evening, before midnight and the changing of the guard, but Jensen felt wide awake despite having his training sessions with Ta’gaz and the Oracle of Wind. He was about to go to bed when he heard a soft knock on the front room door, and turning to answer it he found a small youth, a squire for the Ixian Knights, reporting that Sei had news on Zerith’s Seila, and to meet the man in his quarters post haste. He turned to see Stephanie urging Jensen to make haste, and off he went with the Halberdier.

“It’s all gonna work out, Z,” Jensen whispered to his companion, clasping him on the shoulder and squeezing his muscle twice patting him. Zerith took in a deep breath as they began to ascend Sei’s tower, nodding his head.

“It better,” Was the gruff reply Zerith gave.

“It will,” Jensen assured him. “Come on, we got news and if it was bad news, Sei would have come himself. So that’s gotta mean something, right?” The prince kept his thoughts to himself as the immortal sighed patting his friend on the back a few more times before dashing ahead and approaching Sei’s door. They were sculpted out of the heaviest wood found in the Concordian forest, and sculpted with masterwork fingers was the depiction of Sei and his nine generals leading his army outwards. Their was one man dressed in dark blue robes, a long chain draped to his side attached to the end of an ornate Maul, the head of the weapon crafted to resemble a heraldic cross, the shaft as thick as Jensen’s clenched fist. The staff of office of the Ixian Knight’s Chaplains, dubbed Crozius, belonged to one man, the spiritual leader of the army; Adolph Gretzel.

The man eyed Jensen and nodded lifting a hand of greeting and turning to open the doors to Sei’s sanctum. As Sei’s chief bodyguard he screened who was allowed and who had to wait, but already knowing from experience what Zerith’s temper could mean, he just let the Halberdier walk by as Jensen motioned for the warrior priest to follow him. The three men stood at attention in front of Sei’s desk, and the mute Mystic turned his swiveling chair around to see them all standing before him. Easily he lifte dhis hand to put them at ease, grabbing a small note paper and lifting it to Zerith. The prince snatched the paper in his hand and began reading frantically.

”It’s a ransom note. The perpetrators have sent that via messenger. I currently have detained the messenger until I can do my own interrogation, but I wanted to make sure you saw the note first. I hope this is enough for you not to leave Radnasath in ashes,” Sei said with a mild smile. Zerith looked up from the note, and then let out a long sigh, nodding his head.

“So you have an idea where this letter came from?” Zerith asked, eyes scanning the telepath as if he had the ability to read Sei’s mind. The mute shook his head.

“Not yet, but give me an hour and I’ll have a rescue team ready to go with all the information I need.” Zerith looked to Sei, then to the letter, before nodding his head and pocketing the note. Sei turned to Adolph. “I’ll have need of you and your warrior priests,” He said to the Chaplain. With a nod Adolph turned and headed out. Sei took in a deep breath as well before letting it out. “I’ll see you both an hour,” Sei smiled to Zerith, patting the man on the shoulder as he stepped by him. Zerith nodded to Sei, smiling as he beamed turning to head out. Sei excused himself as he let the two warriors out, and Jensen looked to Zerith with a watchful stare.

When they were out of earshot of Sei’s tower, the halberdier turned to the immortal, then looked around as they walked towards the training dojo, passing by the several rows of neatly trimmed bushes. Stopping at a bench, Zerith lowered himself and placed one foot on the bench seat, looking to the main gate.

“Hey, Z,” Jensen said after a moment of silence, looking at his friend. “You’re uh…well,” Jensen rubbed the back of his head as he felt rather awkward, but shook the feeling away. “What the hell is up with you?” The prince looked to Jensen with a cocksure smile, running a hand through his hair before smiling.

“Whatever do you mean?” Zerith asked with a grin. Now the immortal knew something was up and he sighed looking to the man’s eyes.

“All week you’ve been a wreck and beating the tar out of anyone who had said anything about your missing daughter. You exploded on Sei’s face not three days ago, and suddenly your acting calm and collected. So,” Jensen hesitated. “What’s the deal?”

The two looked to each other for a while before Zerith grinned wildly, leaning n so only his companion could hear him. “I’m not waiting another second for Sei to rally the men! I’m not going to sit around while I know where my daughter is! The man hates the Citadel, and he rarely ever bothers to go there personally,” Zerith said softly as he took out the note. He handed it to Jensen and the immortal knew exactly what the Halberdier was talking about. The paper was made out of a thick parchment, and the rough texture was all too familiar to the immortal. It was the same paper used to write out the details for an arena at the Citadel.

“So I played ball, pretended to be a good general for Sei, but really I was just appeasing the man so I could get him out of my hair. I’m going after my baby girl Jensen, and I want you to come with me! So grab your stuff and lets go!”

Jensen looked to Zerith, watching him excitedly kick off the bench and move towards the family homes, but Jensen grabbed the man by the shoulder. Zerith’s eyes shot daggers at the Jester, but Jensen didn’t back down. “Look, Z, you’re really pissed and not thinking clearly. We still don’t know the full story. Maybe we should just wait the hour,” Jensen insisted.

“What are you?” Zerith said hotly. “When did you become as spineless as Sei? You coward!” Jensen narrowed his gaze as he leaned into Zerith’s unflinching face.

“Don’t you ever fucking call me that again,” Jensen warned the man as he shoved him away. “What you’re doing is going to get you killed-”

“What I’m doing is saving my little girl! Thayne’s sake, Jensen! What if they had Azza? What would you do in my shoes if the situation was with your little girl instead of mine?” Zerith stepped back into Jensen’s face. “You ask me to sit around and watch other people do something about my missing daughter? I’m done watching, I’m done waiting, and I have the means to do something about my missing daughter! Now are you in or out, cause frankly I don’t have anymore time to waste on you!”

The two looked at each other for several seconds before Jensen sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “Fuck’s sake, Zertih, fine! I’ll go, but only because you were going to go with our without me anyway and somebody’s gotta watch your back.”

“Good, then let’s run back to the dorm and grand our gear,” Zerith said clasping a brotherly hand on Jensen’s arm. Jensen nodded to the man as they turned to run.

“What are you going to do about Jasmine?” The immortal asked. Zerith remained silent as they blitzed through the foliage of the castle, shortcutting through the grass and the dining hall towards their room. When they began to climb the stairs Zerith replied, but his tone was dark and barely above a whisper.

“You leave her to me…”

[Jasmine]

Jasmine had spent quite some time talking and crying with Stephanie, but as the evening drew to a close she eventually returned to the rooms she shared with Zerith. She slipped quietly through the main door, barely making a noise. She didn’t want to disturb Zerith again. She moved quickly through the living room and went into Siela’s room. Her fingers trailed over the smooth, white finish of the wooden crib as fresh tears brimmed her eyes.

Where can she possibly be that the Knights haven’t found her yet?

She stopped at the window, holding back the curtains with one hand as she gazed out over the city of Radasanth. Somewhere out there, her baby girl was crying for her mother and Jasmine didn’t have the slightest clue where to look for the infant. Eventually, she took a seat in the rocking chair, once again picking up Siela’s favorite teddy bear and holding it close to her face. To the young mother, the bear smelled of her daughter, even after three days and was a small comfort. A few minutes later, Jasmine dozed lightly, overcome once again by her physical and emotional exhaustion.

Sometime later, Jas woke. She stretched as she yawned and got to her feet. Just as she started to open the door, she heard Jensen’s voice speaking to Zerith. Her heart leapt with joy as she heard her friend utter the words she’d been longing to hear. Siela had been found. She waited a few moments longer for Zerith and Jensen to leave then slipped out and went to their bedroom.

Finally! Zerith will find out where she’s being held. While he does that, I’ll get my things together and be ready to go when he comes to make sure he has everything.

She hummed happily to herself as she checked her weapons. She put a fresh edge to her daggers and slipped them into her boots. Just as she picked up her sword to be sure its blade was clean and sharp she heard the bedroom door open.

“Zerith? I heard the news, I’m just about ready.”

She turned, already steeling herself for the argument she knew was coming about her going and stopped. A tall, muscular man in the uniform of a Knight stood before her. He grinned as he openly looked her up and down lustfully. At his side she could see a gun. She had never actually been close to a gun, neither had she seen what a gun could do, but she had heard the stories. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she shifted her grip on her sword to be holding it properly. She didn’t recognize the man and she could think of no reason for any Knight to walk into a general’s apartment uninvited or announced.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

He said nothing, but chuckled evilly as he came closer. Jasmine raised her sword and backed away. There wasn’t a whole lot of space to maneuver in and she knew that if he drew that gun, there was no she could move fast enough. He took several more steps forward and Jasmine dive rolled across the bed to the other side. But the stranger was faster than she realized. In a moment, he had crossed back around the bed and grabbed her by the arms as she came to the corner of the bed.

“Now, now, you may as well relax,” he told her gruffly, squeezing her wrists until she was forced to drop her sword. “That’s better- OW!” His grip loosened momentarily as Jasmine kicked him hard in the shins, but she still couldn’t get away.

“LET GO!! Let go!!”

In a few quick movements, he spun her around, pinning her to the door with one hand clamped over her mouth. The other held the gun up to her chin.

“Be quiet and I won’t have to hurt you…” he growled menacingly.

Jasmine’s eyes went wide as she felt the cold metal against the soft underside of her chin. On the other side of the door she heard Zerith and Jensen come in. Terrified, all she could do was stand there and wait. She closed her eyes and prayed that Zerith would realize something was wrong and get the door open.

Zerith had seen Jasmine come in earlier and now with the bond aiding him he knew she was in their room. He could feel her terror, but when he tried the door handle and found it locked, thought she must be scared of him. Given how his temper had been flaring lately, he wasn’t surprised. Sighing, he leaned his forehead against the door and spoke through it.

“Jasmine? I’m sorry…I haven’t really been there these past few days, but I’m going to fix everything now. I’ll be back soon and I’ll have Siela with me. I love you.”

She felt him move away and then on out of the room. It was not until the outer door clicked shut that the stranger finally relaxed a little. He took a firm grip on her arm and opened the door, “Now, you’re going to come along quietly or I can kill you now.”

Wincing at his grip, Jasmine nodded and they started through the castle. Throughout the whole trip she longed to dash away and get help, but remembered the gun and the fact that she couldn’t outrun a bullet. Sooner than she realized they came to the tunnels of Sei’s Tomb. Her kidnapper pushed her forward and they slipped into the tunnels. Between his disguise and the knowledge that she was a general’s wife, no one stopped them. Jasmine was too scared to think much of it.

Once in the tunnels, her kidnapper hurried her along down one tunnel then another. In a short time, she was quite lost. They could have been under the Coronian Forest for all she could tell. Then the path starting to rise and then they were out in the city. A few yards away was the entrance to the Citadel. It was toward this building that she was taken.

The Citadel? Oh, Zerith, where are you? Do you even know to come here?

Down the halls of the Citadel she hurried to keep up with the strange man, lest he wind up simply dragging her. Finally, as they reached their destination, she heard the plaintive, angry cries of a baby and quickened her steps as her heart rose in her throat. The door opened as she and her kidnapper drew close. Just inside, she saw someone holding her baby, she paid no attention to the appearance of the man holding her child but dashed forward, her arms held out.

“Siela! Give her to me, please! I can get her to be quiet! Please!!”

Her voice cracked as she pleaded for her baby and at first the man only looked at her scornfully. After a few more moments of Siela’s screams, doubled now upon seeing her mother, he handed the child over to Jasmine. Tears of relief filled Jasmine’s eyes as she cradled her baby close to her chest.

“Shhhh, Mommy’s here now…shhhh…it’s okay Sweetheart…” speaking soothingly, Jasmine moved over to a nearby wall, facing away from the men so she could feed her daughter. She ignored the men behind her, certain that Zerith would now be on his way here. If he did not already know to come to the Citadel, their bond would guide him as certainly as anything else.

[Zerith]

Although the trip to the Citadel was probably the fastest one Zerith had ever taken in his life, it still felt like a painful eternity. Any parent who was unable to see their child for a prolonged period of time would have understood. Even though it had already been a few days since Siela was taken, every agonizing minute without his baby made the warder restless. His anger was still lashing its scorpion tail around in his mind, to the point where he was imagining what he would do to the people that took her with great detail. Needless to say, those ideas made Cassandra Remi’s hobbies look like a mere slap on the wrist.

He kicked the sides of his black stallion as hard as he could, demanding that the beast somehow go beyond its natural limitations and gallop faster. Yet Exarion remained unfazed by the abuse, The Fallien breed merely kept is fast pace and refused to lose its lead over the immortal and the horse the knight was riding on. Together the two sets of hooves continued to clatter upon the streets of Radasanth as the riders pressed on, forcing laboured breaths from their mounts as they pushed to get to their destination as soon as possible. While only the Thayne’s could have known how much time Zerith and Jensen had, the two were fairly sure they didn’t have much to begin with.

The two knights reached the Citadel shortly afterwards. Its black walls seemed to meld into the night sky and the building itself just emanated an ominous feeling of dread. The stone steps that lead the way up to the massive front doors were taken two to three steps at a time by the two men. As Zerith took the lead with Jensen only half a stride behind him, the prince was sprinting with halberd in hand up the stairs and toward the like an Olympic runner. Yet as soon as he reached the top step he skidded to a sudden stop when his something in his mind screamed at him.

“Zerith!!”

“Y’edda’s saggy tits!” Jensen cried as he was suddenly forced to weave to the side in order to stop from crashing into the halberdier’s back. “What the hell, Z!! Now’s not the fucking time to stand and stare around like a tourist!”

“She’s here,” Zerith answered, still in disbelief. “She’s here.”

“Of course Siela’s here, dumbass! It’s why we came here in the first place!” was the immortal’s response, pushing away the thought of slapping his friend in the back of the head for being an idiot.

“I’m talking about Jasmine, Jensen!” the prince spat back, turning to finally look at his comrade. “The bond doesn’t lie, Jasmine’s here too.” As if things weren’t complicated enough for the halberdier, suddenly he found himself staring down the reality that it wasn’t just his daughter in possible danger, but now his wife too. He was right, the bond he shared with his princess never lied. Now he could feel her emotions, the fear and uncertainty as to what was happening. She was scared, probably even terrified. Yet now she must have been able to feel her husband’s approach, his anger as obvious as a flash of lightning. Still, Jasmine’s presence only made Zerith feel like he needed to put an end to the whole ordeal even faster.

He needed to deviate from the plan slightly.

“Change of plans, Jensen,” the noble spoke coldly as he approached the door that lead into the Citadel. “Pull Jasmine and Siela out as quickly as possible.”

“No, really? I thought we would wait another hour or two,” the immortal retorted, his tone full of sarcasm. He quickly became serious afterwards, “What if we run into any opposition.”

“Kill ‘em,” Zerith answered instantaneously. “If anyone stands in the way, we’ll just cut them down and keep moving.”

“Whoa now, Z. Don’t you think that’s a little harsh? Wouldn’t it just be easier to go all ninja on this situation?” Jensen interjected as he stepped in front of the warder and raised his arms like he was about try and hold the prince at bay. “I mean think about it. We could probably get to Jasmine and Siela without anyone knowing until the last sec-“

“We don’t have time to think about crap like that, Jensen!” Zerith yelled. “I said we’re killing anyone who gets in the way and not wasting any more time. As one of the Nine, that’s an order!!”

“An order? You’re seriously gonna try to pull rank with me?” The immortal’s expression quickly turned cold and rigid and for the first time since they met, Jensen looked at Zerith as if he were some male version of the Gisela Reaper. “You’re crazy, Zerith. I’ve stuck with you this far simply because I thought you were just a parent who was upset because of what happened. As a father to Azza, I can sympathize with that. Though now all I see is a severely pissed off, crazy prince who wants to go and get himself killed. So by all mean, go for it, but I’m out.” After he finished, Jensen forcefully pushed Zerith out of his way before he started to head back down the way they came.

“You’re out?” the repeated, puzzled by what he thought his friend just said.

“Yeah, I’m out. I’m doing things my way.” He explained as he kept furthering the distance between the two of them. “At least that way there’s a chance somebody might come out of this shit alive.”

Feeling as if his last real friend just deserted him, Zerith clenched his teeth together while tightening his grip on Amenzanil and fought the urge to turn around and try to actually hurt Jensen for turning his back when the warder actually needed him. “Fine...” the prince grumbled before yelling back to his friend, “I don’t need you anyways! I don’t need any of the others either since you’d all just slow me down anyways! Well so much for you're 'promise' to help me find Siela, eh? Do you even remember when you said that? I doubt it, because you're a shitty friend!!”

“I’ll show them,” Zerith thought to himself as he spun on his heel and stormed into the Citadel. “By using the bond I’ll be able to find Jasmine and Siela faster than anyone else can...”

“...then I’ll fix everything.”

[Requiem of Insanity]

"They split up," The voice of a gruff, combat experienced man filtered the room. There was an edge to it, something his companion could feel rather than tell. This edge was brittle, cold and merciless; a killer's edge. He knew that tone very well.

Jebbediah Remi had, after all, killed a few people.

The woman was a mess of person. She was dressed to kill, to do harm, but she had no killers voice. Her face had clear lines of sleepless nights, the only makeup she wore was the stains of her own tears. Yes, despair and torment littered her face in equal measures and Jebb felt a particular pride in knowing he orchestrated it all.

It was a plan that was difficult to pull off, but nothing out of Jebb's reach. Ten story castle towers were notorious for being hard to scale. However, the difficulty was not so hard as one would think. Well, not if you started scaling the tower from the ninth floor.

He moved into the castle using the cloak of night, being sure to move as silently as a mouse. When he approached the window he scaled to the window where he climbed in and found the baby. With one hand he reached towards the crib, but his flesh felt a sharp pain as a tiny knife drew blood. He looked at a hideous marooned eyed girl, her white hair hiding all but the intrusions of her horns. With a backhand that nearly snapped the girl's neck he saw back to his task, gripping the baby and pulling out a shoulder sash. He put the screaming child in, slammed the grappling hook into the crook of the window, and repelled down quickly. The child's cries were aggravating, as it drew several unwanted eyes to him. He had to sprint like the devil himself was chasing him, but he reached the secret underground tunnel entrance and was able to get himself lost to avoid pursuers. The baby still cried, but he cared not. Victory was at hand. Andy Rorton gave Jebb a disgusted look as he approached with the child in hand, but then again, Andy never did like Jebb.

So it was phase two, the easiest of the plan, to sit for a week and laugh. Jebb had lovingly cared for the baby, feeding it and changing it, playing with it, but the child always knew that Jebb was a bad man. It could feel his darker spirit, and it feared him. Andy never once cared for the kid, pondering loudly if they should just kill if. That led to the first physical altercation between the two. Jebb had hit Andy knocking him flat. There was no simple honor in the act; Jebb just did not want to ruin a perfectly good torture device against the Dracosius'.

Phase three, the all critical phase, was about luring Zerith into the Citadel, where he would learn just what in his life meant the most to him. Andy had wanted to challenge Zerith head on, but Jebb had his orders. Torture the man, break him, and make sure the Ixian Knights name would forever be associated with damnation. This was the only way it would work. The last piece of the puzzle was bringing in Jasmine, and now that she was here the last element to the plan was needed.

"They split up," Andy muttered again in an attempt to get Jebb to listen. "That Jackass clown Jensen Ambrose is prowling the Citadel now. My spies lost track of him about five minutes ago."

"You sound like you are worried about him." Jebb muttered back. "The legend killer afraid of someone who can't die?" Jebb followed his words with a dry chuckle, like dead leaves being ground to dust. Andy flinched away, turning to the woman and her baby.

"I wonder when the toy general will show up?" Andy said walking towards the table with a smug look. Jebb laughed again. The legend killer always did seem to change topics when he did not like the way a conversation went. He indulged the boy as Jebb looked over his little torture room.

It was only made possible thanks to the Citadel magicks, a three hundred yard obstacle course designed to punish every physical aspect of the human body. Chambers that you had to crawl through where each surface was littered with knives, a hallway that you had to push through the blades in order to pass, and other hellish nightmares. Each part of the chambers ended with two doors. A picture of a baby adorned the left, a picture of a woman adorned the right. Zerith would have to pick which door to go through, thinking each choice would bring him closer to either his wife, or his baby. At predetermined intervals the cries of his child would echo throughout the rooms, and other times the screaming wails of his precious wife. Then the finale, the greatest achievement, would be his damning final task.

In a clear walled room Zerith would stand before two doors like before. This time he would see both Jebb and Andy. Jebb would have the baby, Andy would hold Jasmine at gunpoint. One final choice. Who did Zerith love more? His wife, or his baby?

"He's arrived," Andy said suddenly looking to the red light that flashed. Jebb smiled as he turned to Jasmine, his hulking form moving gently forwards. Jasmine clutched her baby and bared her teeth, prepared to sacrifice everything to protect the little one.

"You remind me of someone," Jebb said off handedly. "A woman, about your age twenty four or so years ago. She was stunning in her beautiful glow. Much like you," Jebb chuckled in a raspy fashion. "She clutched her child just like you do," Jebb motioned his hand to Jasmine, smiling in a disgusting fashion. "Do you know her fate?"

"I can only guess," Jasmine retorted in a throaty, challenging way.

"I killed her," Jebb said, his smile turning into a dark glare of spite. "I showed her the weakness of her soul, and I butchered her in frog of her little girl." Jasmine's face scowled in disgust. *"If you don't want me to do the same to you, you'll be a good loving mother and spare your child the sight of you screaming while your blood covers her face!" Jebb nearly shouted as he approached Jasmine, leaning forwards.

There was a long pause as the woman thought about his words and threat. With much pain she slowly lifted her child forwards. "If you so much as harm a hair on her..." Jebb cut her off turning away from her.

"That's up to your husband." Jebb looked to the child, cradling the infant in his arms as he spoke in a gravely voice.

"Hush little baby....."