The trip through the gates hadn't been fun, but the ride in the coach … now that had been a nightmare. The members of the first circle had been told not to get close to Jaenelle. That order had been enforced by the High Lord only mere seconds after seeing the cold feral way Daemon had focused on him. The fact that his son, his mirror wasn't exactly being coy about whom he thought was a rival and who he didn't just made matters worse. And that had only been the beginning….

Daemon had shielded the small private room that he had tucked Jaenelle into, with enough protection webs and shields that nothing was going to get through it… well nothing unless it wore a jewel darker then black anyways. The only good thing that had happened had been the Lady had asked Daemon to sit with her. Whether or not it had been so she could scold him for being so overly protective or to keep him away from everyone else … that was yet to be seen. Either way no one was about to say anything. And with Lucivar driving the coach and the High Lord sitting uneasily in the back with the rest of them only confirmed that silence was preferred.

The coach landed softly on the new bed of snow that was covering the official landing web. Lucivar had been the first one to be seen and the first to give the warning to the guard who was there to meet them. "Don't say anything unless it is properly worded." That had been all that had been said before the door opened to battle ready warlord princes.

Lucivar looked at his father with puzzlement. His eyes asking," Now what?"

A light tap on his inner barriers and in a deep rumbling growl Saetan only said, * He's sight shielded.*

"Damn." What else could he say to that? Well he didn't expect his brother to play fair. Oh no why would anyone think that the Sadist would be fair about anything. But was it so much to hope for that he would at least let those who were about to be killed see him first?

Jaenelle came slowly out of the coach before her furry companions exited the coach. Slowly she came to stand next to Lucivar and linked her arms through his. In a soft grumble she said, "When we get home I'm going to dent his head."

"Do you really have to wait that long?" he asked in a hopeful yet playful brotherly way.

Her eyes flickered then in a deep midnight voice she said, "I have other matters to deal with at the moment."

Something had brought out the more feral side of Witch. In only that brief moment … something had… he followed her gaze. In a distance he saw the witch scurrying into a building. Her house perhaps. It didn't much matter now. The Lady had passed judgment and the Sadist was itching to kill – slaughter- something and there were no rules about murder. Why couldn't they just let him deal with whatever this was to start with?

Oh right because his scars had been scarped at the worse possible moment, that's why.

Any other time he would have dealt with it the way he had so many times in the past… with hot rage and his fist. Only this time his dear brother had other things on his mind as did his queen.

Gray came slowly down the street with Ranon at his side. No less than fifty paces away from them he stooped. His head tilted to the side just a bit before his eyes went searching for what wasn't seen. Very respectfully he closed the distances between them.

After a moment more Jared Blade said, "Lady you should not be out in such cold weather. Perhaps we should see if the Ladies have the fire going yet?"

Before stomping off she sputtered, "Males!" Then Jaenelle made her way back from the direction that Gray had come.

"Should we should show her were to go?" Ranon asked carefully.

"Nope."Lucivar started to say more but was stopped by something being thrown from the building that he had seen the witch go into. He hadn't seen a door open or heard as anything had been broke but was sure something had thrown what now appeared to be a human looking body out of it.

Shaking his head he only said, "We should go make sure Sadi keeps his word to our queen."

Not that they were going to get to close to Daemon or that house and they sure the hell weren't going to help the object that was laying so still in the snow despite the fact that she didn't seem hurt in the least bit. No they just wasn't to see if they could talk to him enough for him to remember that Witch wasn't the Law here or that he had promised not to kill unless Witch told him he could.

Slowly Daemon opened the door. The sleeves of his jacket and shirt had been rolled up. His golden eyes were glazed in sharp ice and his smile looked the most malevolent that Lucivar froze a good few feet away. Dancing with the sadist he would do if need be. Steeping onto a battlefield where he wasn't welcome or needed… well he was no fool and he did want to be tucked in with his wife later today.

Slowly Daemon's eyes focused on Lucivar. In a deep swan song coo he said, "I don't think the Lady would mind if I handle this one. Do you prince?"

Suppressing a shutter and knowing better then to argue, at least too much he slowly said, "I do think the Queens would like to speak to her first."

Lucivar stood his ground despite the nagging feeling that he should take a few steps back. Despite the feeling that his brother – no right now only a fool would consider the Sadist a brother - was beyond feral. Still looking into the icy glazed eyes and wishing more than ever that Daemon had not came here he started again, "Something else prinking your temper?"

The limp female body rose till it was fully upright and just an arm's length away from Daemon. So easy would it be for him to reach out and use nothing but his bare hands and… his lips curled into the smallest of smiles. "Do you not remember her dear brother? I do and if she lived these past three years I do think we need to spend a few weeks hunting."

"Daemon I don't…" his eyes narrowed. Daemon knew her. Not just knew her but… faint memories. Eyrien hunting camps. That woman there. He couldn't remember why but she was there. The last ball both he and Daemon had been at together, the one where Daemon had killed that bitch queen. She had been there then. With a irritated growl he asked, "Who is she bastard?"

"One of Dorothea's pets I believe. Not of any rank to play with anyone herself but enough of a bitch she should have been… well I do suppose she wasn't corrupt enough to deserve death but too much of her mind is still whole."

"Namesake enough." Saetan now understood what this was. Daemon was feral and he as the darker jeweled warlord prince was calling another into the battle. And the darkness only knew what would happen if the two of them … well no that wasn't true he knew what would happen… Terreille would be torn apart and the streets would run red till their tempers were slated, or till their jewels were all but drained. Again he said, "Enough. You wife did say she wanted to see the witch."

His eyes locked on his father for too long. Because it was his father and because no one was saying he couldn't kill the witch he beat back enough of his temper to turn away from cold feral rage. "Of course the lady will see her –"

Not liking the way that had been said he put a tone of parental disapproval into his voice, "Namesake."

"- In about nine month."

As a father he understood Daemon's need to protect his wife while she was with child. As a warlord prince he expected it. Even so with this number of the first circle here plus that of Cassidy's court … one witch; one un-jeweled witch shouldn't be a threat. Before he could ask why Lucivar asked for him.

The answer was her hand being raised. The hand that should have five narrow delicate fingers was held out. The ring finger missing. Quietly Daemon said, "She knows enough of the craft to be a danger."

All the memories. All those nagging feelings of the times he could remember of this witch all now made sense. A black widow. She might not had been properly trained, in fact she probably didn't have any kind of formal training save that of whatever spell of web she used to make a male fear breaking the chains, but a black widow none the less. "If you don't mind Prince I would like to tuck her in some place till our queen is feeling more up to speaking to her."

Something twinkled in Daemon's eyes. "Of course. Since I can't dispose of her now I don't see why she shouldn't be tucked in somewhere for the moment."

Saetan looked from one son to the other. A game. It had to be one of their games one that they had played too many times in the past. And one he didn't want to know about now. Unfortunately he already did so he had to ask, "And where are you going to tuck her into?"

"As the Stewart and spent so many years being completely oblivious of certain things do you really want to know about this?" Lucivar asked in all but too knowing voice.

"Not really if it can be helped, however the queen will demand to know."

Daemon's fingers crept along his father's shoulders, " A few hours of shopping and she'll forget about the bitch."

"And she'll be alive…"

"Our queen only said that I couldn't kill her. She failed to mention what her first escort could do. Now come I do think there is a witchling that hasn't ate enough for the time of day"

On a black spear thread he asked, * you two planned this?*

*No. But if we had then the queen would have gave orders for her first escort or armed escorts not to kill her. This way Lucivar get to take out his frustrations and our queen doesn't have to find something to punish him for disobeying her order to speak to the bitch, regardless if she really wanted to speak to her or not.*

*and scaring the court?*

*gave me a reason to fuss for the duration of the ride here.*