Chapter 10

"Oi, Mathew!" A voice came from behind him, causing the young man to turn.

"Yes?" The young mercenary replied, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. He looked up at the other man, a man named Jonas if he wasn't mistaken.

"Get off ya lazy arse and come over here!" The man yelled back with a laugh.

The younger man sighed and stood up, walking over to the other man. "Yeah?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Listen kid, we're one man short for the night and Alexander will have our heads on a spit if we don't cover all the halls in the damn place. So, we were wondering if you'd actually care to join us and do something for once."

Matthew's eyebrows rose at that. He had never actually been asked to join them before. "Yeah, sure. I suppose I don't have much of a choice in the matter though, huh?"

"Nope." The older man laughed and tossed the other a gun. "Just try to keep up will you."

XXX

The odd pair snuck through the halls, peeking around every corner and ducking into empty room if they even so much as though they heard a noise. The castle itself seemed to be getting restless- now that the word that a prisoner had escaped had travelled around a bit it seemed that everyone was rising to the occasion of the possibly capture (and praise along with that capture) of the escapee. It was going to be hard getting out of the castle alive and unharmed. Nothing was being helped by the sudden arrival of some sort of disease. Lily's mind swam constantly and sometimes when she was in a dark corner for too long she would feel that a million little bugs were crawling around her feet and she would get stand there and whimper until Patronus would drag her to a torch until she calmed down, stroking her hair and mumbling incoherently.

It was progress though, and in a place like this- any progress was good progress.

The sound of vomiting filled the musty air of the castle as Lily stood in the corner of a hallway, throwing up the last contents of her stomach. Her protector stood beside her as she vomited, watching quietly. There was nothing he could do about it. Which didn't add to how good he felt about himself right now. He was doing good just leading her through the castle, but being able to actually help her if this happened- or worse, well he didn't know if he would actually be able to help her. It was something he didn't want to think about, the prospect of getting caught in a place where you're worst nightmares were only the beginning of what could happen to you.

What do you do if you are caught in Hell?

Do you keep running?

Or do you just accept that that is the end?

He didn't know. He didn't want to know. It was hard enough just watching her have to suffer like this, without the help of an outside force. Patronus didn't really want to have to watch her suffer even more due to an outside one. With one last retching sound Lily stood up and wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand. She looked pitiful. So thin, and pale, and just so… frail. A whimper left him and he stepped closer to her, brushing her arm with his good hand. She only smiled soft up at him, leaning against his arm. He made a gurgle sound and hugged her, pulling her small body up against his larger one.

I'll get you out of here. I promise, Lily. He thought to himself as he held her. He took her shoulders, making sure to be careful with his clawed hand and pushed her back slightly. She needs to eat. Was the first thought that went through his head when he saw her face. Which she did. Not the disgusting gray slop which was usually fed to the prisoners, but real food. Real, solid food.

And he knew exactly where to get it.

The kitchen.

Where a Brute was posted at all times.

He simply smiled down at her again, and after she returned his smile he crouched down. Lily watched him and he wrote in the dirt covered floor of the hallway.

"Food?" She mumbled, obviously tired and in pain. "Yes, I think I would like that… Do you know where we could get some?"

After another pause he nodded, standing up. "Great." She said, grabbing his good hand and clinging close to him, as if she would fall without him (truth be told she probably would). "Let's go."

He gurgled again and slowly started to lead her towards where the kitchen would be. Although he tried to keep a good face to Lily inside he was panicking. He didn't know if he would be able to convince the guard there that he needed food for whatever lie he would cook up. Would he have to abandon the kitchen without the food, not being able to provide for Lily and probably bringing suspicion on himself in the process? Would he have to fight the guard? Kill him? What if the guard wasn't the one who was dead at the end of the fight?

What was he doing?

That question had plagued him since he started doing this- but all he would have to do was look down and see Lily smiling back up to him and he would remember.

He was doing this for the love of another.

Something that none of them no longer understood.

XXX

"Papa? Why do people say that the grass is greener on the other side of the hill Papa?"

"Because people do not appreciate what they have Mathew. Everyone wants what they do not have, and sometimes they let a good thing get away from them because of it."

"… Is that what happened to Mama, Papa? Did you look for the greener grass?"

"…"

"I… I did Mathew. I did."

"But- but why?"

"Because I didn't realize what I had."

"Oh."

"…"

"Mathew?"

"Yes?"

"When you find something good- and you will know it when you do- never let it go. Ever. Even if the grass looks greener somewhere else. It never is."

"… Ok Papa."

I am so sorry people. I let time get ahead of me with this and with school and all that it wasn't easy getting back into this. But I swear on my H.P. Lovecraft that I will try to start posting for this on a somewhat regular basis.

Also if you like listening to music while you read and even if you aren't- I would recommend listening to 'Majora's Mask Last Day Extended Edition' on YouTube or whatever (even though I don't own any of it obviously). It pretty much matches the mood I was trying to set for this and it's what I listened to while writing it.

Please review, tell me what you like, don't like, think would make it better, so on and so forth. If you have anything to say just PM me or leave it in a review. I will see all of you next time. Oh- And I would like to thank everyone who stuck with this. You guys are awesome. See ya!