Gus Kinney: Hello we are close to the end people so lets just see where it goes from here this is chapter 7 and i call it The Tower

"It's way too early for this." I stretched again and yawned, but Lucas paid me no mind and continued across the entry hall.

"If you had it your way we wouldn't leave until after noon."

"What's wrong with that?"

Lucas glanced back at me, exasperated and not amused. "You're awfully cheeky for someone claiming its too early to be up."

I rested my hand on top of my head and beamed. "It's never too early to be cheeky." The sun had barely risen before Lucas had dragged me out of bed. If I had known he was going to wake me at the crack of dawn I would have went to bed a lot earlier.

When he pushed open the door I blinked a few times in the sudden brightness and waited for my eyes to adjust. Lucas slipped outside in my moments hesitation and by the time I had rejoined him he was already halfway to the unused stables. Would it kill him to slow down a little? His eagerness to be gone was obvious, but I still hadn't resolved any conflicting feelings about being so quick to leave. It seemed kind of late to be deciding all of this now. Sebastian was probably already prepared for me to be gone. Who knew if he was even there now. Whatever he had gone to take care of the other day seemed to have put him in a bad mood, and maybe it wasn't completely resolved. "It feels like I've been here for years."

I rolled my eyes and rested against the wall nearby. I felt the exact opposite. It had been painfully obvious this trip was. If anything it felt for more like a weekend trip to the country. Except I was supposed to be living here now. I didn't really know what I wanted, but I was pretty sure this wasn't it. If Sebastian hadn't been so quick to get rid of me maybe I wouldn't have agreed in the first place. "Where the hell did my horse go?"

Without really thinking I blurted out, "Maybe Sebastian fed it to you last night."

Lucas came barreling out of the somewhat dilapidated structure and shook my by my shoulders. "My mom's going to kill me if I don't bring him back! We have to find him!"

His shrill voice made my ears ring and I had to push him back a few few feet. "Calm down, something like that doesn't just disappear. I'm sure we'll find it. If not I will give you mother enough money to buy three more horses just like him."

Lucas didn't seem convinced, but I had enough confidence for the both of us. We turned to find Pyros making his way across the courtyard with Lucas' grey horse and a larger black one. Lucas visibly relaxed as he half-jogged over to him. I followed at a much slower pace, still not that eager to get on the road. "I heard you two were looking for these." Pyros looked at me and smiled before adding, "This one is yours. Sebastian said it was a going away present."

Lucas stroked his horses nose and was cooing too it, pretending it had just wandered off instead of being moved. The horse Sebastian was trying to give me looked down at me and snorted, stamping a hoof. He was obviously less than impressed but it didn't matter to me. If the horse didn't want to bring me home it wasn't my problem. It was my father's. "Don't worry, I'll be back reaping havoc on you three again in no time." I took the reins and half-jokingly added, "He's not going to start breathing fire is he?"

Pyros' earnest laughter filled hte courtyard and I had to take a step back to retain my balance when he clasped me on the shoulder. "Of course not, you wouldn't be able to handle something like that."

I pretended not to notice Lucas' look of horror and forced out a small smiled, "right, of course not."

Lucas walked his horse away a couple feet before struggling into its saddle and set off at a somewhat brisk walk. "I'll be seeing you, I guess."

Pyros nodded and lowered his gaze to the ground, his sudden good mood evaporated. "Don't be a stranger." He can't really be that sad about me going can he? I've only been here a few days.

I climbed into the horse's saddle and guided it forward. Although it felt the need to assert who was in charge because it pranced a few circles around Pyros before slowly following after Lucas. Once I was sure Pyros was out of earshot I firmly stated, "You're just like your master. I ought to give you back when I return." It snorted and bobbed its head in response, seeming to like the idea. This is going to be a long day.

Pyros hesitant poked his head into the front sitting room and informed me that Adrian had left. Although I had a nice vantage point from where I was, he must have had something to say. "So I saw." Early morning light was just beginning to creep through the windows, but it wasn't enough to have much effect. I didn't think I'd ever see Adrian up and about this early, let alone expect him to leave. But I supposed his friend was at fault for that. He seemed to have more sense than Adrian did.

I would have liked to been able to see Adrian off myself, but I figured it best to leave things as they were for the time being. I needed a couple days to straighten everything out. By time he got back I'm sure we could be on the same page. Or at least, I could coax him into believing we were. After yesterday I would have thought he could have figure out just what I had been planning to do with him but I suppose that wasn't the case. Adrian may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but when it came down to it, he could make it seem like he knew what he was talking about even if he didn't. I don't think he himself understood half the things that came out of his mouth until a few hours later. He may have been a handful at times, but at the end of the day it was worth it. "How long do you think he'll be gone."

I continued to stare out at the empty courtyard. "It depends on how long it takes for his brother to die."

I glanced back at Pyros to gauge his reaction. His orange eyes widened and he seemed to grow more agitated by the news than I had anticipated. I returned my gaze to the outside world and studied his reflection in the glass. That obnoxious reaper could be good some some things. It didn't get much to get him to tell me Adrian's brother was on the to die list. However getting rid of him was the hard part. He'd keep popping up whenever it convinced him and then I would be stuck with him until he had to go reap a soul or William dragged him back to dispatch.

Pyros took a step hesitant step into the empty room and bit his bottom lip. "You mean his brother is actually going to die?"

"Yes, it would appear so. Unless he's magically going to come up with something that will be worthy of going down in the history books for the next century in the next few days." His brow furrowed and I reassured him, or tried to. "He'll be gone a month, maybe two at most. It depends on if he can tolerate staying for the funeral or not. Maybe less if that fool of a king is going to redirect all the attention to something else."

Pyros nodded again but remained where he was. He doesn't know how to be subtle does he? I sighed softly and let the curtain fall into place before turning. "What is is this time?"

"What if he doesn't come back at all?"

"Then I'll have to drag him back here by force. There is a reason I marked him. If he happens to wander, or be shipped off somewhere, Adrian will end up very disappointed. Or perhaps relieved depending on the circumstances."

"Then why'd you even bother letting him go in the first place?" He shook his head and turned to leave, adding mostly to himself, "I don't understand why you do anything you do." Neither do I, but I suppose thats half the fun.

We pass under the gates to the capitol well after nightfall. My legs and lower back were a bit sore from riding all day, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't deal with when I got home. Lucas stopped and started turning his horse. "I'm going to go bring the horse back. I'll see you around I guess."

"Yeah, but Lucas." I paused and watched him trot back towards the country. Everything felt so wrong. The streets were practically empty, and there hadn't been any guards by the gates, or anywhere else it seemed. The streets were never this empty or still this early. It couldn't be much past nine. This whole thing is so frustrating. I had half a mind to deem the castle vacated and go spend the night at Lucas' house. Then I could go back and pretend this never happened. I struggled to navigate the dark streets, and eventually slide off the saddle and led it through the winding pathways. There wasn't a speck of light coming from any of the buildings I passed. What did everybody just up and die?

If there had been some sort of outbreak the gates would have been closed and my father wouldn't have dragged me back would he? I mean, I caught this thing and I wasn't even here. I was fine in a couple days. The horse whinnied and started trying to pull me backwards. "Oh will you stop. I'll send you back to whatever shadow dimension you came from!"

It reared up and I dropped the reins and jumped to the side. If I was going to die it sure as hell wasn't going to be because Sebastian's 'present' decided to trample me. A choking sound escaped me as I was dragged to the ground by the collar of my shirt. "Looks like the prince is back."

Not these guys again. Three of my typical victims stood over me and sized me up. "How many times to I have to break your nose before you get the message?"

I grabbed his leg as he went to kick me and sprung to my feet once more, subsequently knocking him onto the ground. One of his friends tried grabbing me from behind, but I sidestepped them and backed away so they were all in front of me. The leader was helped off the ground as I tucked my tail into my shirt. The last thing I needed was one of them deciding to pull on it. Then I really would be in trouble. "I wouldn't be talking if I crossed over to the dark side."

"Last time I checked, I was still human." They pulled out relatively small knives and charged. Crouching slightly, I jumped out of the way and grabbed the dominant arm of the closest guy. I felt something shift out of place as I dug my fingers into the joint of his wrist and wrenched his arm backwards. He swore under his breath and I dragged it down with mine as I dodged someone swinging for my head. The leaded fell to the ground with me, and I grabbed his knife as it clattered to the ground. I took a few deep breaths and sat myself behind him while holding the crude blade to his throat. "Lose a fight or lose a leader, take your pick."

The glanced at each other silently and I gave them a little incentive by pressing harder. A thin line of blood trickled down his neck. "Oh no. My hand slipped."

"What are you idiots doing? We'll get him next time."

"No you won't."

He laughed softly and pressed himself against my chest for more room. "If we don't someone else will. There's quite a big bounty on your head."

"Good luck with that one." More blood trickled down his neck as I pressed harder again and the other two decided tonight wasn't the night to be associated with a murder.

"Fine." They slowly backed away with their hands raised and I released their leader, keeping the knife.

"Run along now, your mothers must be worried sick." One of them threw a decent sized rock at me and it bounced off my shoulder and to the ground. I winced slightly and rubbed the point of impact. "You missed!" I started to pull back the collar of my shirt for a better look, but remembered how dark it was and stopped.

"What are you looking at?" The horse snorted and stamped its pawed the ground a few times before prancing off ahead of me. "Oh so you magically know the way."

I climbed on as it kept walking and sighed. A bounty on my head was the least of my problems. Someone had tried kidnapping me before, this wasn't anything new. Plenty of people would like to see my head on a spike. I couldn't say I blamed them. I was far from being a saint. Maybe they were expecting Sebastian to have been killed by now. "You're more of a pain than Sebastian, at least he told me where he was taking me. Unless you talk."

The horse shook its head and I nodded to myself. "Of course not, talking animals would be way too easy." The lights from the castle windows nearly blinded me and I blinked to adjust as the horse pranced into the main courtyard. I slid to the ground and handed the stable boy the reigns, although he seemed shocked to see me standing there. "Prince Adrian, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for my brother."

His eyes widened in fright and he took a step back from me. The dark brown orbs darted around the courtyard and he jumped at every little sound. "I'm so happy you're back!" He shook his head ever so slightly and dropped his voice to something that could barely be considered a whisper. "Leave while you still can. Your father's gone mental. Whatever you had back there is a lot better than what's about to come."

He tried pressing the reigns back into my hand but a guard showed up out of nowhere and he quickly took them back. "What do you think you're doing?"

The small boy jumped and almost fell to the ground in his haste to turn around. "I am going to take the Prince's horse to the stable."

I moved in front of him and added, "If you have a problem with him doing his job then you can take it up with me. I'm in charge of these things in case you haven't forgotten. I ram that sword through your chest while you sleep if you lay a hand on him."

"Your highness such kindness is not necessary, I am very disposable." He bowed and quickly shuffled off to the stabled before the guard had a chance to do anything else.

"I didn't know any scum of the earth could protect the king."

His eyes narrowed from beneath his helmet and I smiled coyly, silently challenging to do something. I was the only remaining heir in good health. If so much as a scratch was put on me I had grounds to fight him. "Run along freak. You don't want to keep your parents waiting."

I made a mental note to check on the stable boy tomorrow and slowly crossed the courtyard. Could everybody had cleared out that fast? Just how bad was he? Most of the people residing here were trading merchants who came and went year round, and those who ran whore houses were probably drowning in money as well. It wouldn't have been that hard for them to buy passage somewhere. But everybody else? Where could they have gone so fast? I never remembered a time where the streets were so empty. Maybe I should just leave tomorrow. I can see my brother, and if he really is on his way out maybe I should go. I couldn't see him like that. He wouldn't notice if I was gone anyway. One of my father's hidden away bastards could take the throne for all I cared, I didn't want it.

I shoved the castle door open and stepped into the brightly lit foyer. I squinted through the harsh lighting and stumbled up the stairs. I wasn't going to go hunting for my father. He was the one who wanted me here, he could come find me.

The cheerfully lit halls were devoid of any movement or life. This is getting out of hand, where the hell is everyone? I turned down one of the halls and snuck into my brother's room. In contrast to the hallway, there wasn't much light in here, but it was enough with the curtains left open. My brother blinked awake and weakly sat up. "I told you a hundred times I'm fine. I can't get any sleep if you keep poking me."

I flopped down beside him and smirked, "Too bad. I'm not so easy to get rid of."

I wormed my way under the blankets as my brother turned to face me. "You actually came."

"Why wouldn't I? Aren't I always looking for excuses to go wandering alone." I turned on my side studying him. He was really pale, and reminded me more of a skeleton than my brother. He had never been like this before. Everytime I saw him he was so lively and energetic. Now it seemed like picking up anything heavier than a spoon would drain him of what little energy he had.

"I didn't think you'd bother. I thought, maybe you'd actually be happy there."

"I was happy here. Well not here specifically but the area outside here."

His weak smile never faded and he reached out to rub one of my ears. I didn't push him away, but settled for crinkling my nose in distaste. "I always like your ears. They suit you." I sighed softly and didn't say anything. Him and Sebastian were the only ones. They were a pain. If they liked them so much they could have them. "Just like a cat."

"If you don't be careful I might bite you like one."

"You couldn't."

I rolled my eyes and studied the white sheets. For someone in his condition he's awfully chipper. I guess he's always like that. Never quick to raise his voice or make judgements, compliant, mindful of others. He really is everything I'm not. I always told Lucas to give me a good smack if I ever started acting like my brother, I guess that was why.

My brother broke out in a coughing fit which lasted for several minutes before he cleared his throat and smiled again. "I remember when you were little and you refused to sleep alone, so you'd always creep in here and sleep with me." He took my hand into his larger, colder one and closed his eyes.

"And then the maids would scramble around trying to find me before mom found out."

"Then you'd come wandering out mad that everybody had woken you up."

"Yeah." I sighed softly and closed my eyes. Even now I didn't like being woken up. I could sleep all day if you let me.

"How is it there?" I opened my eyes to be met with Matt's cloudy brown ones. "I mean, what they said isn't true right?"

"Of course not. He likes cats so I guess thats good."

He weakly squeezed my hand and nodded. "Good. I need to know my brother's going to be taken care of when I'm gone."

"Don't say that! You're going to be fine!"

"I'm not so sure… not this time."

"Too bad, you're coming to my wedding. If I going through the trouble of going through this someone I tolerate has to see it."

He patted my head and shushed me. "Sleep now." Within moments his breathing slowed and he was asleep again, leaving me to watch his small form. He seems to be the only one prepared for his demise. I suppose he didn't have much choice. Maybe he hadn't been able to come up with a reason to not come to terms with it.

I didn't feel like moving to go roam the halls again, so, for once, I followed by brothers advice and closed my eyes again.

Draco slid on the counted next to me but didn't say anything. Milo sat on the floor in front of him and peered up at the cabinets longingly. "Don't even think about it. You got yourself locked in there last time." He meowed and prepared to jump onto the counter, but Draco closed the cabinet back the rest of the way. "Behave."

"You're still going through with this then?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Unlike Pyros, Draco was much more to the point. It was easier to get to the bottom of what he was planning.

"Because you haven't thought this through. He's magic. Even if he doesn't know how to use it, it's still there. If you turn him it'll become obvious and he won't be able to control it. What if he can't even take human form?"

"Your personal feelings are clouding your judgement. I've been at this far longer than you have and ever will." His eyes turned yellow and I noticed his fangs protruding ever so slightly from his mouth. If anyone was to be lecturing me about being in control he had no right to talk. Although he was progressing a lot better than Pyros. His powers in general were a lot less destructive if misused. What was he going to do? Turn into a snake and bit me? Or perhaps misdirect his Basilisk through a wall? A hole was a lot easier to repair than structural damage and put out a fire.

"He didn't even want to be brought here in the first place. Let alone you laying claims to his soul without his consent and now you're going to turn him into a demon? This is pushing boundaries even for you."

Must he always try to serve as the voice of reason? Him pointing out my potentially flawed thinking did nothing in getting me to want to change my mind. "We didn't make a contract, so there's nothing in the wrong. If he wanted it gone so badly, he could have asked me too."

"Something tells me you wouldn't have."

I didn't respond and brought the contents of the pot to a low simmer. Draco was right about that, but I would have at least had the decency to move it someplace Adrian couldn't have seen it. I was simply laying claims to what was mine. This wouldn't be the first time another of my kind had tried stealing a soul out from under my nose. I wasn't willing to risk it. Once was one time too many, and I wasn't about to lose something with this much potential. "Adrian doesn't even know what he wants. If he somehow manages to figure out what I'm planning on doing with him before I do it and asks me to stop I can briefly consider following his wishes."

Draco's shot nails dug into the edge of the wooden counter and his snake hissed softly, picking up on the tension sparking between us. The outline of his jaw became more prominent and I could barely make out his fangs peeking out from under his upper lip. His desire to be involved with this was going to prove to be more trouble than I had originally thought. Although he was more perceptive than I liked to give him credit for most of the time. Having his serpents constantly lurking in the shadows did nothing to help me either. "Do you really think his soul can handle it?"

I didn't respond. As much as I would have liked to have told him yes just to get him to leave, there was no real way to tell. A lot of deciding factors went into magic like this. Asking whether or not his soul could handle it was as vague and useless as a question could get. "It depends on-

"I am not asking you for some logical answer. I am asking you, at first glance, would you think Adrian's soul would be strong enough to handle something like this. As frail and shrouded in anger as it was when you first saw him."

I sighed softly and turned to face him, folding my arms over my chest. "What would you like me to say, yes? It's not as simple as that."

He pulled his hood back and glared at me, his bright green eyes taking on a yellow tint. "Then explain. Seeing as how your lack of communication skills are something Adrian dislikes about you. this can be good practice."

Venom seeped into his tone but I didn't take any of his empty displays as a threat. I let my eyes return to their natural color. It wasn't really for the sake of intimidation, Draco was much too strong willed for that, but it was more to show who was actually in control here. He was shifting because his emotions were getting the best of him. The tension between us would only get worse and if some sort of agreement couldn't be reached, who knows what would happen in the next few days. "A lot of things determine what happen when a soul goes through something like this. As of right now, I give him a 30 percent chance of survival." A low hiss escaped him, but he did nothing else to interrupt or provoke me. "Now if he manages to grow up and come to terms with what's going on and perhaps think a little I can firmly say his chances go up to 90%."

"And you honestly think something like that is just going to magically happen overnight?" I grabbed Mio off the counter before he had chance to 'investigate' what I was brewing and dropped the cover over the pot for good measure. He let out a plaintive mew and squirmed around a bit before settling with his front paws on my shoulder. "I think that if you leave him alone for long enough, Adrian becomes capable of extraordinary things."

Draco's eyes quickly returned to their normal color and he pulled his hood up again as footsteps duly echoed off the corridor outside. He slid of the counter and turned his back on me, "For his sake, I hope you're right."

Pyros opened the door and poked his head in, smiling cheerfully. The previous melancholy he was in seemed to have faded completely. How does he manage to switch back and forth so efficiently? "I was wondering where you guys had wandered off to. Are you done fighting?"

Draco shrugged and slipped past him, leaving me to be the spokesperson for the both of us. In all honesty, the real answer lied within the outcome of Adrian's transformation. For Pyros' sake I smiled and nodded. "Yes, we managed to get everything sorted out."

I started awake when I was forcibly dragged out of my bed and jolted upright, knocking foreheads with one of the maids. She hissed in pain and another on scolded, "What do you think you're doing here? You're going to get yourself sick and your brother needs his rest."

I rolled my eyes and waited for my vision to clear, "I already had it, I doubt I'm going to catch it again so soon."

My brother shifted in his sleep, at least I thought he was still sleeping. Only he sat up and groggily asked me where I was going while rubbing one of his eyes. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing."

"Your brother is just going to stir up trouble. You need rest and he needs to leave." I climbed back onto the bed and paid the flustered women no mind. My brother pulled me into his lap and ran his fingers through my hair when I closed my eyes again. "I'm tired of sleeping, besides he's not going to hurt anybody."

I started purring for extra effect. I didn't quite know what time it was, but I was still exhausted so it meant too early for me. There wasn't even enough sunlight to adequately light the room. I started awake again the when the door burst open, but kept my eyes closed. "Did you find him yet?"

I recognized the voice as belonging to the guard from last night, and shifted uncomfortably. Out of all the guards in this asshole just had to be the one to be sent to look for me. My brother shifted underneath me and started coughing again. All the maids starting hovering, adjusting pillows and making sure my brother had enough water. Sebastian was nothing compared to this. I had a fever and he made sure I had water and extra blankets. All this unnecessary pillow fluffing and asking if I was okay would probably make me feel worse. No wonder he's looks like hell. He keeps getting prodded awake every two hours.

I latched onto the nearest thing I could when someone started dragging me out of bed, but the sheets just went with me. My brother looked like he was about to start crying as the guard threw me over his shoulder. "I don't want to be all alone in here. Put him down."

I was crudely dropped onto the floor in the hallway and the guard stared down at me. "Your brother can come back when you're feeling better."

"Just five more minutes." Wanting to keep my brother happy, they cleared the room out and let me have a bit more time with my brother.

"Sorry about all that."

I shrugged and settled myself on the bed next to him. It wasn't like they didn't have reason to distrust me, but even I had the decency to behave when the situation demanded it. My brother took my hands in his suddenly and pulled me closer to him. "Adrian, I need you to listen to me." He dropped his voice to a low whisper and paused, waiting for some sign that I was listening. Matt didn't continue until I nodded slightly. What's gotten into him all of the sudden? "No matter what happens next, I don't want you to be stuck here and have to do something you don't want to do. Run away if that's what it will take, but you can't stay here."

"What are you talking about? Just what happened?" Matt had never been one to tell me to just abandon my responsibilities. He seemed to be the only one in my family who hadn't given up on me yet. For him to tell be something like this, something big must have been brewing, only I had no idea what. Maybe we're going to war again.

He shook his head and gazed at me intently. "Promise me." It felt like he was just looking past me, like I wasn't even there in the first place. It seemed like my brother wasn't really seeing me at all and was looking at a younger version of himself. I had no idea my brother had been unhappy here. He always seemed so cheerful and I couldn't really remember a time he wasn't smiling. Something like this was completely out of character for him. Maybe his fever was high enough to make him hallucinate. "Please Adrian! For me?"

The desperation in his voice chilled me and I couldn't do anything but say yes. "Okay, yes, I'll go."

"I mean it. Go, right now. Say you'll go talk to father and just leave. I don't want to see you again. I can go happy if I know you're going to be okay."

I tried masking my sudden sadness with anger, and pulled away, "I get it, you don't have to keep telling me."

A small smile crept across his face as I stood and he fell back onto the pillows. "Good. If not I might have to come back and haunt you."

"Oooo, what are you going to do? Move the cats into my room?"

He laughed weakly and closed his eyes as the door cracked open once again, "don't tempt me." I slipped out before anybody could try to grab hold of me again and made it seem like I was heading further into the castle. Whatever my brother didn't want me to know about, it seemed like I was better off staying in the dark. It would obviously have to do with why this place looked like it was about to be wiped off the map. I didn't want to stick around long enough to find out. What was the point in coming if my brother was just going to send me away? I might as well have just stayed. Hell I would have if it didn't feel like Sebastian was throwing me out. I didn't think it was possible to cling to someone and try to throw them away at the same time. Did he really enjoy playing with me that much? Was this all just a game to him? I found myself rubbing his mark and bitterly thought, maybe I should go some place else. I'll sell his horse and buy myself passage over seas.

I cut through several servant hallways and started across the courtyard when my father came at me from the opposite direction. "Adrain! I'm so happy you're here! I knew you'd come see your brother in his time of need."

A frustrated sigh escaped me and I slowly turned to face him. Every damn time! I could sneak out perfectly fine at night when there were more guards, but for some inconceivable reason I couldn't sneak out in daylight when nobody was around. "Such a nice horse that man gave to you. I wouldn't expect anything less."

"What do you want? I want apples and I'll only eat them from this one nice lady."

My father draped his arm over my shoulder and steered me back inside. I cringed as his sudden display and tried freeing myself to no avail. I never liked when he tried to get all touchy-feely. It meant he was about to make me mad and become offended when I did so. Dealing with it was exhausting. "Nonsense, the ones we have are good enough. And we have something to discuss in private."

"I'm busy, and Sebastian needs his horse back. We're going on a trip."

"Don't worry about that. It'll get back soon enough." No lie I could come up with could get me out of this. I didn't know what my father was getting at, but I was starting to get nervous. Normally I could read him like a book, he was too obvious and always dropped hints at what he was thinking. Now it was like I was trying to break into a stronghold, he was guarded and whatever was inside was something crucial. I wish I had stayed there…

My father didn't start talking again until we were almost to his study. By then I had worked myself up and I had no idea why. My father always did this, it wasn't anything new, so why was I getting so freaked out. "Now then. The time has come for you to begin your new life."

I glared at him, unimpressed with his new, cheery outlook on my life. "Isn't that what I was doing last week?"

"Nonsense, that was just a business arrangement. We're onto something much more important here."

"Much more important than my marriage?" If my father was getting at what I thought he was getting at, I was about to drop some misleading information myself. Two could play at this game and I was obviously the more experienced player.

"This does involve your impending nuptials, meaning I've found you a much more suitable partner, namely a princess from Osmium."

I rolled my eyes. It was a fairly large mining kingdom, named after its most common export but there was nothing there to see. I've been there twice and have done and saw literally everything. "You're joking."

"I'm not."

I folded my arms over my chest and stepped closer to his large desk. "You can't just sell me off again! First you give me to a demon and now you're shipping me off to the boonies? Make up your damn mind old man! And you know what, you can't because we're already married!"

"Something like that can easily be fixed. It's not official, and you can't prove it. You don't even have a ring."

"I have something more binding." I pulled back the collar on my shirt to show him the mark on my neck and added, "He owns me body and soul. And I don't even like women!" My father's face turned bright red from rage and a smug smirk worked its way onto my face. Whatever hole I had just dug myself into, I was fully prepared to be buried in it.

"Wesley, put my son in the tower until he's ready to be more cooperative."

The door burst open and I was forcibly dragged out kicking and screaming. As I was being dragged down the hallway, I figured I'd get it all out of my system, now. "You're just angry because I'm your wife's bastard and you have to pretend I'm legitimate! It's your own fault for wanting another son!"

My fathers guard dragged me into the corner of the wall and continued dragging my by the collar of my shirt until we reached the stairs. where I was forced to walk the distance to solitary confinement. I made the process difficult, pausing for long periods and eventually it got to the point where I was constantly being prodded into proceeding forward.

I was shoved into the circular room and the door was bolted shut behind me. Damn him. I'll get him back for this.

The door creaking open was nothing more than a background noise. I didn't even bother turning around as a metal plate fell to the floor. "Still not eating?"

I twitched one of my ears as response and returned to staring at the bricks that made up the wall. "It's been three days, you can't keep this up forever. Someone's gonna cram it down your throat or you're going to die."

A slight tail twitch this time. Words were too much of a reward for him. He wanted to get a reaction out of me, and I wasn't going to give him one. My brother was dead and I was being shipped off again. I didn't even know if Sebastian would bother coming to get me. Why would he? He sent me here in the first place so why even bother? There was no point to any of this.

"Sulking isn't going to get you anywhere. You're going to cave eventually." The door creaked shut again and the bolt was slid home, leaving me alone in my patch of sunlight. I didn't realize it had been so long, but even then, I couldn't summon the strength to move. I felt numb, and my limbs felt like they were made out of lead. Whatever spark I used to have had been snuffed out. I couldn't see a point to doing anything. I already knew what I'd be stuck doing the rest of my life, and I had no say. Nothing but monotonous days dealing with petty problems and speaking with someone I didn't want to be around.

Worst part of all was I actually started missing Sebastian. I mean, who the hell starts missing someone who does nothing but frustrate them? I couldn't think of anything nice to say about him, but at the same time it felt like he was the only person who could drag me out of this. He always did. Whatever it was, he always dragged up the most childish impulses in me. I wanted to act out just to get his attention and then we could argue some more. I'd get frustrated and walk off yes, but then we'd be right back to square one. Although presently I supposed I was at less than square one. I didn't know what was even possibly but here I sat. Lucas was wrong when he said I was locked away in a tower the other day, because this is more confining than being there could ever be.

I want to go back, I can't stand this. I might as well be a child. At least then I wouldn't understand what was going on. My father didn't want me around while everyone was trying to throw him off his throne. He might have been afraid I would help them. After this I was rather tempted too. Just once more I want to see him. Even if it's as I being thrown on that damned boat. Why? Why couldn't you have just told me to stay.

I forced myself into a sitting position and quickly dried my face on my sleeve. Crying wasn't about to get me anywhere. And crying over someone as stupid as Sebastian was even worse. Damn you Sebastian, I hope you pop out of the void so I have an excuse to yell at you.

A shadow fell over me suddenly and I glanced outside, figuring there'd be a could or something. Sebastian bent over me and smiled, his eyes flashing that bright pink color again, "you called, Adrian?"

Gus Kinney: man with all the stuff thats going on i think Adrian will have to make a choice until next time peace