Disclaimer: I do not own the song "Simon" by Lifehouse.
Cavan pretended to be asleep when Kalina came down and sat in her chair. She had a angry look in her eye and had a sling on which probably accounted for her foul mood. Then, her face changed from hard as nails to vulnerable as she sighed and placed her face in her hand, elbow on her knee. Opening his eyes, he carefully made no sound as he sat up and stared at her. She remained still for several minutes before he realized that she had fallen asleep, her head balancing precariously on her hand. He cleared his throat and in one swift movement she was on her feet, weapon in hand, ready for a fight.
"If it was a child just passing by, you would have frightened them," he said casually, trying to hide a smile.
"One can't be too careful nowadays," she replied.
He couldn't resist asking, "Is that why you fell asleep?"
"I did no such thing!" she said hotly, slightly flushing, then, "What's that?" There was a guitar leaning against the wall. "That wasn't here before."
The Labyrinth appeared and Kalina scowled. "Greetings Warrior…Cavan." Kalina didn't reply, instead she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms as best as she could with a sling on one arm. "I see that they are treating you well Cavan," continued the Labyrinth after giving Kalina a strange look, "You are comfortable?" Cavan nodded and the Labyrinth turned her attention to Kalina. "Why don't you sing for us, it always does my heart good to hear your voice."
"These are not times to be idly singing," replied Kalina, "training has taken top priority."
"Kalina, I would highly suggest you sing a song for us." The Labyrinth held out the guitar to her, "Sing us a sad song."
Kalina snatched the guitar and started to strum, tuning the guitar to perfection before she started to play.
"Catch your breath, hit the wall.
Scream out loud as you start to crawl
Back in your cage, the only place
Where they will leave you alone.
Cause the weak will seek the weaker till they've broken them
Could you get it back again? Would it be the same?
Fulfillment to their lack of strength at your expense
Left you with no defense, they tore it down.
And I have felt the same as you, I've felt the same as you, I've felt the same."
As Kalina sang, Cavan could feel his heart breaking. He didn't know if she knew that she had that effect on people and immediately wished that the Labyrinth had asked for a happier song.
"Kalina…you're singing."
Everyone looked up to see Behome and Natasha standing there. Kalina stood and leaned the guitar against the wall. "That is enough for today," she said before she left.
The Labyrinth had disappeared, and Cavan tried not to scowl at Natasha as she took the seat and another appeared for Behome.
"Was she really singing?" Behome asked, "She hasn't sung for so long."
"It was alright," Natasha said before Cavan could reply, "it wasn't the best I've heard though, humans have such bland voices."
Cavan could tell that Natasha was lying because Kalina had one of the best voices in the Underground. Natasha on the other hand…
"I came to let you know that Jareth will see you in a week to properly announce that you will be released from your cell."
Natasha started to giggle, "I want to be there to see the look on Kalina's face. To think that the one she worked so hard to keep behind bars will be released on good behavior!"
"Natasha, not now," whispered Behome sternly.
"Actually, I would like to be alone, if you don't mind," said Cavan. As they left, Cavan turned and pretended to gather writing supplies. When he was alone, the Labyrinth reappeared. "I wish Natasha would leave," he said, "she is nothing but a poison."
The Labyrinth raised an elegant hand and made a sweeping motion. "Natasha was promised to your brother, so she is here. My question is whether you can repress your feelings for Kalina…it will only cause trouble if you made it obvious how you feel."
"Repress my feelings? Are you seriously asking me to do so?"
"Do you honestly think that Kalina would accept your feelings? Did you think about how Behome would react to his brother loving the same woman he does?"
Cavan scowled. Kalina would be his not to torture but to love and cherish. He was sure that she could learn to love him. "Things will turn out the way they are meant to," he said only to realize that the Labyrinth had disappeared yet again.
Meanwhile, Xavier was gazing at a mirror, watching Kalina's past fights. Andros paced behind him. "Well?" he asked.
Xavier smirked, "Her fighting skills are well matched to mine. Though the Underground himself trained her, I'm confident that I'll beat her. She is half-human after all."
"Yes she is," Andros replied then started to chuckle to himself, "you'll have to show her that the Underground is no place for half-breeds such as herself. That includes those brats of Jareth's"
Xavier frowned. "You said nothing of the children. My fight is with the woman." He was uncomfortable with the fact that children might be brought into the equation. Villain he may be, he still had his morals. In his heart there was a tiny shard of uncertainty about the battle to come. Were they really in the right? Killing children was not his way. Mentally shaking his head, he continued to watch Kalina's fight moves. He didn't want to admit that she had a certain grace that could easily beat him. She seemed to treat every move like a dance step. Andros had stopped behind him to watch as Kalina executed a particularly difficult move. "The way she moves is an art, it is too bad that she has to die," Andros said. Xavier didn't say anything, he chose to remain quiet to that comment.
Jareth summoned Kalina to his study later that night. Behome was with him, discussing the room arrangements for the many kings and queens who would be arriving with their Warriors. When Kalina arrived, her head seemed to snap back as if someone slapped her.
"You called?"
Jareth nodded and motioned for her to sit. She remained standing and he sighed inwardly. "I have a favor to ask you."
The only response was a slight inclination of her head. "I need you to-"
He was interrupted by a goblin bursting through the door. "Kalina! The prison is on fire! Cavan is still inside!"
Kalina was gone before the goblin could finish his message. When Jareth arrived at the prison, the fire was raging out of control and Kalina's silhouette was running inside.
Kalina sprinted down the steps narrowly missing the falling ceiling, trapping her downstairs. Her magic would only work for so long against the out of control blaze.
"Cavan! Can you hear me?!"
Hearing a choked response, Kalina pushed her magic into the locks, opening and dismantling the protective magic she set on them. Running into the cell, she knelt at Cavan's side. His face was smudged with ash and she could tell that he had inhaled a lot of smoke.
"Hold on," she said as she looked up to the window. The fire was getting closer and she knew she didn't have a lot of time. Taking one of his arms, she put it over her shoulder and lifted him up. "You're heavier then you look," she muttered.
His other arm snaked around the front of her waist. "Watch it," she hissed.
"You're stronger than you look," he replied. Kalina scowled despite the situation they were in. The sling wasn't making matters easier and it still wouldn't remove itself. The fire was licking its way into the cell, grabbing at any flammable material that was near it. Using magic to keep the flames back she looked up at the window to weigh her options. She could have Cavan switch sides so that he was holding on to the side with the sling while she held on to the ledge to undo the magic on the bars…or…she could trust Cavan to hold her as she did her job. Cursing as she made her decision she used some magic to make Cavan a little more awake. "I'm going to need you to help me," she said, "I'll jump up to the window. I need you to grab the ledge and pull me up so that I can undo the magic on the bars. After I take care of that, you'll go through and I'll follow. Do you got that?"
Cavan nodded and Kalina gathered her energy to make her jump. She would have to keep in mind that she was jumping for two people. Taking a deep breath, she leapt up and was relieved that Cavan held up to his end of the plan. He lifted her up so that she could use her slinged arm to hold on to the ledge painfully. He shifted his arm so that it went behind her back and under her arm lending her more than enough support. Concentrating she took off the magic from the bars and with a sweeping motion of her hand the bars became undone. The smoke was starting to envelop them and she motioned for Cavan to get out first. As he climbed out, she tried to hold on with her one good arm. She tried to use her feet to climb up the wall to give her more leverage but she slipped instead, her grip releasing from the ledge. There was an explosion behind her and something knocked her unconscious just as she felt someone grab her hand.
