A/N: It's been a long time since I wrote anything for Mass Effect, though Mshenko is my absolute OTP! Anyway, this was written for the Mass Effect Big Bang 2015. Special thanks to my beta asylumfarm and my artist angmarluna! They are awesome. And of course 1000 thanks to Azzy for Bioticbooty for organizing this!
I'll just shut up and let you enjoy John and Kaidan. :-D

Uroboros

01. Prologue

"The king is dead." The words coming out of Councilor Robert Alenko's mouth sounded breathless and shallow. They carried the sense of shock that was reflected on the man's pale face.

Kaidan could not look away from his father as he tried to understand what he had just heard. "Father?" He asked gingerly, not daring to speak much louder. He had never seen his father like this, not once in his 15 years of life.

The door behind them opened with a creak, revealing the second Councilman who bore witness to the king's death. Udina looked just liked Kaidan's father, face ashen and eyes vacant. He padded Councilor Alenko on his shoulder and walked past them with the posture of a man that had just lost everything.

Kaidan blinked back at his father. The first Councilor to the king seemed very small at the moment. He stared at the ground before him, his hands shaking slightly at his sides. He sighed, blinking something out of his eyes. Kaidan did not believe that a man like his father was capable of crying and told himself quickly it probably was just the incense in the king's chambers.

"Kaidan..." the voice that called his name was broken. "Walk with me."

"Yes, Ser." Kaidan placed his gauntlet on the pommel of his sword and followed. His scale male rattled while he walked, and his armored boots thundered over the stone floor. His fingers closed more tightly around the brim of his helmet, bringing it to rest under the crook of his arm. He dared not speak, not knowing what he should say.

What could he say? How could he fathom the right words for the death of a monarch whose personal integrity had held together the entire Alliance of sovereign cities. What could he say to his father who had just lost a dear friend. What could Kaidan do?

Steven Hackett wasn't just their king. He was their combat commander, their pillar of strength. He had never only ordered the war and not fought in it himself. He had never just ruled. King Steven had lived with his people. He was beloved, respected and admired. He was a gentleman, a hero, a legend.

Suddenly, Kaidan felt a sting in his heart as he realized that it had been an honor. That his time with king Steven has passed. That he would never enter the throne-room, kneel down before his lord, and vow his loyalty again. That was over. From tomorrow on, someone else would occupy the place Kaidan always looked up to.

"I'm sorry, Father." He eventually said.

"His wound was severe," Robert Alenko replied with small voice. He stopped near a window overlooking Vancouver and sighed. Kaidan watched his father's hands land on the cold stone that stopped the trembling. "We knew he wouldn't make it."

"But the healers were optimistic."

"False hope. I knew he would die when they brought him home. I knew it... This damn war, it has claimed too much." Another deep sign initiated a deeper silence. Eventually, Councilor Alenko took in a breath of the night's air and turned to watch his son for the first time since an era came to this end. "We can mourn later. Right now, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, Father."

"Ride to the residential district,. Find Lady Hannah and bring her son to me."

"Lady Hannah, King Steven's former captain of guard? What does she have to do with this?"

"She wasn't just his bodyguard," Kaidan's father faltered, but explained. "She was his mistress, too."

"Oh..." Kaidan swallowed. How quickly shadows would descent on a man after his death. "I will inform her."

"Bring her son to me."

"Father, what's going on?"

"Not now, Kaidan. Go, quickly."

Kaidan hesitated for a moment but chose to say nothing. He only nodded and briskly walked down the stone hallways to the stables. As he rode through the night streets of Vancouver, the cold wind did nothing to calm his mind. How many catastrophes could one man endure in a single night? The war had just barely ended a week ago. Most of Vancouver's people were still mourning their own losses, counting on the king to give them stability. They had believed in King Steven's virtues. What would they say if they ever learned that living among them was King Steven's mistress, probably raising a boy that was his son?

As a young Knight, Kaidan had not had time to listen to rumors. As far as he knew, Lady Hannah was a widow. No one seemed to know much about her linage, only that she was a commoner before marrying her husband. Following her husband's death, she served King Steven many years as a captain of guard. Kaidan did not remember the circumstance in which she was released and allowed to return to her home here in the city. It was over ten years ago. Could it be...?

Thinking about it, Kaidan felt the need to hurry. He increased his speed, wanting to ask Lady Hannah personally as soon as possible. When he entered the residential district,he noticed the darkened lanterns hanging by the sides of the road. This was a place for the nobility, there should be lanterns everywhere and patrols making sure the night stayed quite.

Kaidan left out an irritated snort, not knowing which house belonged to the woman, and he dreaded the idea of knocking on every door in the middle of the night and asking for the king's former lover like a servant boy. Just as Kaidan thought fate gave him no choice, the sound of hooves alerted him to the presence of a rider.

Increased heartbeat accompanied him as the young knight rushed towards the origin on the sound. He arrived just in time to see a black silhouette against the bright night sky. The figure rode a horse too big for his slender form. Even from this distance, Kaidan could make out the outline of a large sword slung across the rider's back. Kaidan spurred his horse forward, but it only drove the person further away. Whoever was fleeing the district threw a quick glance back, his face hidden in the shadow of a large hood. The stranger only halted for a breath, before urging his mount anew and vanishing down the road.

Kaidan bristled, the sense of danger overcoming him. He followed down the cobblestone street, wondering where the man came from as something horrible met his eyes. In the light of a pale moon, the dead body of the servant looked cold. The gate-boy had been stabbed brutally, his intestines still lying on the threshold. He had the key for the kicked-down gate in one hand, while the crashed lantern rested close to his other. Following the trail from the crime, Kaidan gasped at the image of a red sky, illuminated by fire that spouted from the back of the house before him.

Kaidan could not say how, but he just knew that he had found Lady Hannah's dwelling. He jumped down from his horse and unsheathed his sword. His advance into the estate was met with more dead bodies. Servants and guards were cut down equally. When he approached the main house, Kaidan caught the sound of fighting. He could smell the fire in the air now and winced at the heat rising around him.

Raising his hand in the manner of a battle mage, Kaidan conjured the blue fire that infused his blade. He quickly cast a spell over himself, protecting him from the fire and smaller damage. He ran towards the source of the sounds without thinking about what might really be happening. The door before him was locked but gave little resistance when Kaidan kicked it. Surprised by his arrival, two men in leather armor without a crest or sigil he recognized turned towards him. He did not recognize their faces, but the blood stained swords in their hands roused his anger.

In the back of the room, Lady Hannah had just locked her own sword with that of a third man. She kicked him in the midsection, pressing him away from her. "Ser," she called out to Kaidan. "Help me! They're after my boy!"

"Step away from Lady Hannah!" Kaidan commanded with the full authority of a 15-year-old knight. "Now!"

"No witnesses!" The man attacking Lady Hannah hissed. "Kill the knight!"

The two men facing Kaidan entered their attack position. They encircled the outnumbered knight. Murmuring words he had barely learned a few months ago, Kaidan channeled magic into his own hand. The wave he sent towards them caught only one of two. The man screamed as Kaidan's magic shocked him; the other dived out of range. The young battle mage, still sharp from recent war readied his sword and charged. Metal met metal in midair, sending sparks flying. They exchanged slashes and cuts, assessing each other's strength. A flash of metal caught Kaidan's attention. He instinctively sidestepped as the tip of the short-sword scraped against his armor.

Kaidan chanted, sending a ball of lighting towards the attackers. The man screamed when it hit, his leather armor quickly blackened with scorch. The man sunk to his knees, trying to compose himself from the recent damage as the other threw a dagger at Kaidan. The knight simply stayed where he was. The small blade repelled from his enchanted armor as Kaidan grunted. He readied himself yet again and charged. Picking up speed as he pressed forward, Kaidan jumped, his sword raised high above him. The slash that came down on the assassin was more than leather armor could handle. With blood spreading, Kaidan's blade sunk deep into the man's shoulder, before splitting his chest. The attacker spat blood into Kaidan's face then fell backwards.

A movement in his peripheral sight caught his attention. Kaidan brought his arm up just fast enough to block the sword. He cried out, feeling as if his left warm had been broken. It didn't penetrate his gauntlets, but left a heavy dent in it. He bashed at the man's sword arm and twisted it, breaking the man's wrists in the attempt. As the man cried out, Kaidan's knee came up to meet his belly. There was no time for mercy Kaidan knew, so he balled his good hand into a fist and brought it down to the man's temple with all his strength. The stranger fell to the ground and stopped moving immediately.

Knowing that there was a third man in the room, Kaidan didn't relax. He found the man still engaged in spectacular sword fight with a woman old enough to be Kaidan's mother. Her graying hair had come down as sweat covered her still beautiful face. Kaidan noticed that her movements were more unfocused than just a moment ago while those of the third attacker were as fearsome of before. It almost appeared as if the man was only playing with the older woman.

Kaidan jumped to his feet and charged the man. He pushed him out of her path and crashed with him into the wall. The impact made the attacker lose hold of his weapon. Without hesitation, the attacker's hands came to close around Kaidan's wrist. He tried to pry them away, but Kaidan was too angry to give in. He might still be young, but he had been training since he was a child. He could not let a cutthroat like this stand in his way.

"Who sent you?" Kaidan barked. "Who are you?"

"Death before surrender!" The man hissed. He let go of Kaidan's arm and reached for the knife on Kaidan's belt. The young knight had just enough time to step out of the range when he instinctively released his lightning ball, which caught the man fully in the chest, throwing him backwards against the wall.

Kaidan watched with pity as the assassin sunk to the floor, a big burn whole in his chest and blood on the wall when his head had hit. He knew that the man was dead before he even checked for any breathing. He would have loved to know where they had come from.

"Who are you?" Lady Hannah asked him feebly. She looked down at a bloodied hand coming away from her midsection and sunk down next to him.

"Lady Hannah!" Kaidan quickly took her in his arm, helping her to lie down in a more comfortable position. "You're injured."

"I know, young knight," She whispered. "Where is Steven?"

"I'm so sorry, my lady," Kaidan removed his own helmet to place it next to her. He was already gathering a healing spell in his hands as Lady Hannah stopped him.

"What happened to Steven?" She asked again. This time, Kaidan could see the unshed tears in her eyes.

"The King is dead."

She closed her eyes as those tears escaped. Kaidan did not know what else to say, so he only pushed his glowing hand onto her belly. It was hard to see where the wound really was underneath her torn robes and bloodstained skin. He tried nonetheless.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Kaidan, Kaidan Alenko."

"Robert's son..." she trained off. "You're a good boy. You'll be a good man."

"Thank you, my lady." Kaidan only said. "Please, stay still."

She struggled for something she wore around her neck and underneath her cloak, but was too weak to do so. Her eyes said 'please', so Kaidan reached for her neck and pulled the golden locket out from underneath her garment. She took it, opened it and laid it back into Kaidan's palm, all without saying anything.

On the one side was the royal crest of the house Hackett, on the other was a hand-drawn picture of a young boy about ten years old. He would not look like anything special by any means if it were not for those blue eyes that seemed to glow with magic.

"Is this?"

"My boy..." She coughed. "Please Ser Kaidan... please... find him, keep him safe."

"I..."

"Please," she tried not to cry as tears rolled down. "He's just a boy. He's innocent." She sobbed, clearly knowing that she would not survive the night. "He's my son."

"Is he King Steven's son?"

"He's..." She coughed. This time she could not stop. In his desperation, Kaidan cast another healing spell over her, knowing it would not help her. As Kaidan struggled, so did Lady Hannah. She coughed up more blood; her chin was almost completely red. She obviously wanted to say something to Kaidan, but the blood in her throat stopped her words.

It lasted for minutes. The entire time, Kaidan tried everything he had learned to save her, but he was no healer. All he knew was how to keep a solider alive until the real healer arrived. Lady Hannah had not been a soldier for over a decade. She was a woman long past her prime, whose strength had been completely consumed by the defense of her son. She was dying in Kaidan's arms.

"Lady Hannah," Kaidan suppressed the tears burning in his eyes. "I promise. I'll find him."