Hello everyone, and boy what a week it's been! I hope you're all enjoying BfA as much as I have been, and are looking forward to that Azshara Warbringer short (can you just release it now Blizzard? Please?). Before we dive in, review responses first. Shadowwolf1997; thanks for the feedback and remember, Zandalar Forever! And Hornofdesolation; I would recommend reading my short analysis 'The Remnant Chronicles', it has a few hints for the future. Now, on with the show!

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Chapter 10- Tying Loose Ends

Darkness.

That was all Weiss saw for what seemed like hours. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious, or what had happened before then. All she could remember was the pain that had been inflicted upon her mind and soul. She could still feel the fires burning in her brain, and the sadistic laughter of her tormentor in the back of her mind. Eventually though, the laughter subsided, and the pain began to numb and she felt nothing.

It was then that she could feel the strength return to her body, and slowly but surely her lids began to flutter open. Her vision was blurred at first, but as her vision cleared, she realised that she was not in her chambers, and the bed she was laid on was stiff and uncomfortable. There was little light in the room, save for a few bedside lamps illuminating a few areas. She tried to rise, but felt a sudden sense of nausea overcome her and force her down again.

"Weiss? Are you all right?" a voice called in from her bedside. A voice she recognised. She turned, and was shocked to see the last person she expected.

"Whitley?" Weiss murmured quietly, not entirely believing what she was seeing.

"I'm so glad you're awake, sister." Whitley replied, letting out a relieved sigh as he held a tea-cup in his hand. He lent forward and placed the cup at her lips, the liquid within passing through her mouth and down her throat. Whatever it was tasted bitter, and nearly sent her flying forward in a coughing fit as it burned her throat.

"Wha-what was that?" Weiss asked, gagging slightly in an attempt to clear her throat.

"Just a tonic to make you feel better, that's all." Whitley answered, taking the cup away and placing it on the table.

"Where are we?" Weiss asked, looking around the room. It was hard to tell where she was for it was too dark to see, but it almost seemed familiar to her.

"In Winter's old room." Whitley answered solemnly, and it was then that Weiss finally recognised it. "I didn't know where else to go, I knew they'd be watching both our rooms-"

"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked, clearly confused. As she stared at Whitley for an answer, she noticed something in his eyes. He was afraid. "Who's watching?"

"Prestor, and her men! She tricked me into doing things!" Whitley answered in a hushed tone, his voice wavering slightly. "I should have known there was something dark about her, but I was overcome with...I don't know! It was like she was magnifying my worst traits and-"

"What do you mean she tricked you?" Weiss pressed, grabbing her brother's wrist. She could feel his pulse in quickening and she could see his eyes widen with panic.

"She made me do things, things that I regret." Whitley nearly sobbed, water starting to trickle down his eyes. "That woman...she's pure evil. I don't know how, but she was the one who caused your outburst and made me the Heir. I thought I could control her maybe, but I was wrong. And I think...I think..."

"Think what?" Weiss asked, fearing she already knew the answer. At first her brother couldn't even look at her, but eventually he lifted his head up, pure fear in his gaze.

"I think she killed Winter." Whitley finally answered.

Weiss stayed silent as the news sank in. She released her grip on Whitley's wrist and let her hand go limp. She'd always felt something was wrong with her that night, when she had been effectively disinherited. She had felt like an invasive presence was in her mind, controlling her emotions. Had those emotions been real? Of course, but she knew when to let those emotions show. And now this new accusation? She needed to know more.

"How do you know?" Weiss quietly asked, Whitley looking at her in surprise.

"It was something she said, how if I told Father about what she'd been doing, I would end up like her..." Whitley stammered, his face in his hands as he began to shake his head in regret. "This is all my fault, if I'd been strong like the two of you I-"

"Can still make this right." Weiss interrupted. Whitley looked up from his hands and simply stared at Weiss, waiting a response. "Look, I know we both don't get along with one another, but we're the only two who know the truth about Prestor and what she's done. And more importantly who she works for."

"We do?" Whitley asked in confusion, tilting his head slightly to match the tone of his voice.

"Well, I do, but you also know a great deal about what she's been doing this entire time." Weiss replied, to which Whitley nodded his head slightly in agreement to the statement. "We have to get this information to someone who can act on it."

"General Ironwood?" Whitley suggested, though Weiss shook her head.

"No, he's not in Atlas at the moment last I heard. Besides, he would demand more proof when all we have is our word." Weiss responded, causing Whitley to sulk slightly. "But I know someone who can help us."

"Who?" Whitley asked, to which Weiss looked around before answering.

"I can't tell you, not yet at least." Weiss told him, to which Whitley seemed to grow more nervous. "What time is it?"

"Time?" Whitley asked, to which he looked at his wrist watch, leaning forward to get a better look at it in the dark room. "It's about 11:30 in the morning."

"Good," Weiss said, to which she slowly began to get up, Whitley standing up in order to help her should she require aid. "In an hours time, meet me in my room. We're leaving."

"Leaving?!" Whitley nearly shouted before restraining his voice.

"Like you said, Prestor is watching our every move. It's no longer safe here." Weiss stated matter of factly, to which Whitley reluctantly nodded his head in agreement. "Gather whatever you need, and meet me in my room in an hours time. That's where someone who can help us will meet up with us and we can leave this place behind."

"Is there no other way?" Whitley asked, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "Do we really have to leave the manor?"

"I'm afraid so." Weiss replied. In truth, she wasn't as afraid as Whitley clearly was. In fact, she was relieved that finally she would be free of the confines of the manor. She would certainly miss certain aspects of living here, but she missed her freedom more.

"All right then." Whitley finally said, nodding his head in affirmation. "I'll meet you then."

He then began to turn and leave, before freezing at the door, turning around to face Weiss, a forlorn look on his face.

"I'm sorry I've been a terrible brother to you Weiss." Whitley said, an apologetic look in his eyes. "I hope that in the coming weeks I can make it up to you."

"I hope so too." Weiss replied, nodding her head slightly.

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Lady Prestor kept her hood up as she walked through the high street, the soft breeze sending her cape billowing behind her. Neither of her guards were with her today, they had a...special assignment. She shifted her gaze to look around her, the only features not concealed being her eyes, the rest covered by the hood she wore. When she was confident no one was looking, she turned the corner down a dark alleyway, the only source of light being the sun up above.

The noise of the city began to quieten, until there was nothing. No noise whatsoever. Then there was a soft rustling coming from above, almost as if a weight was being shifted. A smile began to creep up on her face as she pulled the fabric away from her mouth, turning around to see a figure kneeling before her, garbed in black leather and cloth, an Elementium mask covering their face.

"What is thy bidding, my mistress?" the Twilight Assassin asked, his voice smooth as silk.

"I have a job for you and your brethren." Prestor announced, the Assassin not even shifting in the slightest. "You will find and isolate the target, and then execute them, quietly."

"Name the victim, and I shall obey." the Assassin replied, no emotion in his tone. Without saying anything, Prestor removed a key from the folds of her cloak and held it before the Assassin. They looked up and took the key from her hand, standing up as they inspected the key. It was then that the Assassin finally showed some emotion, as his eyes went wide in realisation. "A Schnee?"

"Weiss Schnee to be specific." Prestor clarified, the Assassin quickly saluting Prestor with respect.

"Do not worry, mistress. She'll be nothing but a cold corpse by the end of the day." the Assassin promised.

"Not yet," Prestor said, causing the Assassin to look at her oddly. "You will wait until tomorrow morning just before dawn. Then you will enter the manor using the secret passageway, which the key shall open for you. You will make your way to the holding room where you will escort the target to an isolated area out of the city limits and THEN execute her."

"As you command, mistress." the Assassin said, bowing before the Lady Prestor. It was then the Assassin stepped back and melted away into the shadows.

Prestor smiled again as she pulled the fabric over her mouth and nose again and re-entered the buzz of the city. The final steps of the plan had been set. Now all that remained was for the execution.

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"Are you sure that's everything, Miss Schnee?" Klein asked as he placed a bundle of food into a backpack before handing over the item to the person in question.

"Yes Klein, that's all." Weiss responded politely, taking the bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

Out of all the servants in the manor, she trusted Klein the most. She had told him about her plan to leave with Whitley, and that they would need some food and other supplies for the days ahead. In truth, she hadn't really thought the plan through in its entirety, but she decided that was a problem for later.

"I won't lie, I don't think this plan of yours is a good one." Klein openly stated, a frown marring his face. "But I won't stop you if it's what you truly want."

"It is." Weiss admitted, to which she stepped forward and hugged the small butler, who returned the gesture. "Thank you Klein, for everything."

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Schnee." Klein replied, before stepping back. "Now, off with you. And send Master Whitley my regards."

Weiss nodded before leaving the room and started to make her way to her quarters, she wasn't even a third of the way across when a familiar looking figure stepped out in front of her.

"And where do you think you're going?" one of Prestor's guards asked, to which Weiss tentatively took a step back.

"None of your business I'm afraid." Weiss bravely said, to which the guard simply sneered at her.

"Well how about I make it my business." the guard replied, to which he took a menacing step forward. Weiss immediately went to draw Myrtenaster, only to realise she'd left the blade in her room when she had gone to grab some bags.

"I'm sorry, but I REALLY have to go now..." Weiss said as she tried to circle around the guard, only to fail as the guard stayed in front of her.

Realising it was now or never, she quickly sprinted forward, only for the guard to grab her and push her back, staggering her slightly. She tried again, though the guard quickly caught her and held her tightly in his grip. She began to kick at him, though her blows bounced harmlessly off his armour. It was then that he drew his head back and head-butted her, releasing his grip as he did so and sending Weiss spiralling back slightly.

That...hadn't hurt as much as she expected. Her brow was maybe grazed slightly, and her head hurt a bit, but aside from that she seemed to be okay. She lunged herself forward, and began to strike out at the guard in any way she could. Arms, legs, hands and feet were all weapons she used against her opponent, though it was about as useful as using a rubber hammer to hit a nail. Her knuckles soon began to grow raw from punching the wall of steel that the guard seemed to be, and that was when she noticed something very peculiar.

Whichever one of Prestor's guards they were, they were really bad at fighting!

Whilst Weiss was giving as best as she could in her current state all things considered, her opponent was being terrible. The most serious damage he had done was the head-butt at the start, and even that was weak. Everything after that had left a few red marks that would probably disappear given time.

And then it hit her. The guard wasn't trying to kill her, or even hurt her too much. He was simply trying to buy time. But for what?

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Whitley quickly hurried through the corridors, ignoring everything around him. He had packed everything he would need for whatever Weiss was planning for the two of them. All that was left to do was to meet his sister in her room. He eventually made it to Weiss' chambers, sighing in relief at the sight of the door. He went to knock on it, but the second his knuckle rapped against the wood, it opened slightly.

The door was open.

The thought unnerved him slightly, but regardless he stepped through, the door swinging wide open as he stepped through. He stepped through into the room, looking for any sign of his sister. There was none, save for her sword which was resting on her bed. It was then he heard the door suddenly close behind him, followed quickly by a loud click as the lock slid into place. He turned around slowly and froze in terror, dropping his bag in the process.

Standing in front of the door was one of Prestor's guards, his back towards him as he checked the lock on the door. And then he turned to face the young Heir, what sounded like a vicious snarl reverberating from his lips as he began to crack his knuckles.

"No one is here to save you now, little human..." the guard stated threateningly as he began to prowl towards Whitley with murderous intent.

Whitley at first didn't move, couldn't move. By the time he willed his body to move a limb, it was too late, the guard was upon him. With both precision and speed he began to hammer the young Heir, punching and kicking him. Every blow against him sent spikes of pain through him as the guards armoured knuckles tore through the fabric of his clothing, causing blood to drip from the fresh wounds. Then, he began to throw him into the furniture, breaking tables and splintering bedposts with little to no effort, until at last he was thrown onto the white marble floor, a pool of red forming beneath him.

With what little strength remained in his body, he began to crawl towards the door, his pitiful moans crying out for respite. He then felt a hand grip his ankle and pull him away, causing hi to gurgle out in protest as the figure then picked him up by the throat and held him there. And it was then that Whitley noticed what the guard was holding in his hand, and the realisation struck him.

It was Weiss' sword.

And then, without even a word of protest, he impaled the young Schnee upon the blade, Whitley gurgling and vomiting blood as he felt the blade get twisted inside him. And then he fell limp, his body giving up as his eyes rolled over, his head lolling forward. The guard began to sniff the young Schnee, before letting out a distasteful growl. He released his grip on both Whitley and the blade, the latter still impaled in his gut. And then he simply turned to leave, leaving the door closed but unlocked.

Now it was time to initiate the second half of the plan.

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Weiss knew she couldn't waste any more time fighting Prestor's thug. She didn't know what the man was stalling for, but it couldn't be good whatever it was. She just needed to get past him somehow. As the guard shoved her back again, Weiss readied herself. She feigned a move to the right as she charged forward, and the guard moved to intercept. Then she began to move to the left, and as before, the guard followed. At the last second, just as the man reached out to grab her, she leapt to the right and spun around him, kicking him in the back as she did so, sending him to his knees in the process.

Rather than stay to see if he was down, she simply turned to run. Whitley would be waiting for her now, and there was the high chance that they would both be in danger. So she continued to run, even when her body yelled for her to stop. She even didn't bother to see if Prestor's bodyguard was running after her. She only stopped when she saw the door to her room, panting heavily as she made to open the door.

"Whitley," Weiss began as she opened the door, quickly turning to close the door behind her. "Please tell me you're ready to-"

Weiss froze at the sight before her. Her room was in a mess, furniture splintered and broken. And blood, blood was everywhere, the majority pooled beneath a cold corpse impaled on the floor.

"Whitley!" Weiss shouted as she dropped her bag and hurried towards the still body of her brother, his eyes gazing up lifelessly towards the ceiling. With little effort she pulled Myrtenaster out of his stomach, the thin blade drenched in blood, which was now beginning to stain her hands and clothing. She pressed a finger against his neck, and felt nothing. No pulse. He was dead.

"What have you done..."

Weiss froze in fear at the quietness of the new voice, turning rapidly to see her Father, Jacques, along with both of Prestor's guards. It was suddenly beginning to make sense. Why the one that attacked her had acted so weakly, almost as if stalling her. And why there had only been one in the first place. They had wanted to make it look like her and Whitley had been fighting, and now here she was, covered in light bruising and holding a sword covered in her brothers blood, who was dead at her feet. She had been set up.

"Father." Weiss weakly said, standing up as she could see her Father's rage increase. "I can explain."

"You can explain it to a judge, daughter!" Jacques spat back, Weiss flinching at the venomous tone of his voice. "You two, seize her!"

"With pleasure." the two men hissed in unison, drawing their blades as they encroached on the young Heiress.

She looked for an exit, for anything. But there was none.

Prestor had beaten her, and now she would suffer the consequences for losing.

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And done, what a chapter that was hey? Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your review. Next update should be September 1st.

Raging Archon out.