It was dark when the party had finally settled into their accommodations as amicably as they could. That was the same time that Lord Natsuo's aid came to retrieve Katsuki and Shoto from their plans of sleep to respond to the beckoning of their warden in this prison they called guestrooms. For those they left behind in the rooms it was nerve wracking to watch them leave, but it was worse to be the one who had to convince the young Lord of their validity, especially when Shoto knew it was a lie.

Katsuki had briefly discussed escape plans with Nana and Shoto after he'd returned with Izuku and everyone had taken the time to settle down and let the earlier tension dissipate. But there was going to be very little that they could do if Natsuo chose not to believe them and to stop them instead. He had a Keep full of men at his disposal and an army at his doorstep with a strong Synod cohort in his backyard. There was only so much preparation they could do to fight that.

Both of them remained the pinnacle of unaffected as they followed the aid back into the war chambers, despite the internal dialogue not matching the facade. Katsuki had that aggressive look that told of his confidence and inability to be pushed down and Shoto had the regal eye of a proud Synod Mage about him. No one could have guessed how their heads swirled with so much anxiety.

Within the chambers they found the Lord Commander, unchanged from how they had left him, still in the heavy white trimmed cloak, befitting the colder climate here, and still with the perturbed expression of a man with too much responsibility on his plate.

Lord Natsuo stood away from the mapped table and Commander Tensei was at his side, speaking softly. But there was another addition to their judges this time and Shoto clammed up down to his toes when he saw the Synod robes and crest of a Headmaster on his proud shoulders. A dirty blond head of hair sat over a youthful face and his mouth twisted in a smug grin while his dark eyes told that the look was normal for him. The fact that he stood half a head shorter than the other two men did nothing to diminish him and Shoto couldn't help feel that he too would be challenged to face him.

Katsuki threw Shoto a wide glance, but didn't comment on it as he crossed arms at the Lord Commander and sucked his teeth at him, playing confidence and petulance over all else.

"Captain, Master," Lord Natsuo acknowledged their entrance, cutting off Tensei from his whispering.

"You wanted to speak with us?" Shoto kept looking at the Mage, but spoke to the Lord.

"I wanted to discuss what we talked about before with the addition of Headmaster Kiego Takami," Natsuo explained, gracefully moving towards them, commanding the very room with a look and a motion.

Shoto fought the urge to step back as he moved closer to them. The Headmaster stayed the same distance, more than satisfied to eye them from there.

"Who? That kid over there?" Katsuki threw a jerking motion at Keigo, "Some Headmaster, he doesn't look tough enough to fight a chicken."

Shoto's lip twitched and he glared at Katsuki for that, knowing better than to judge a Mage by their appearance or age. The last thing they needed was a conflict on their hands, but Katsuki was always ready to make some, no matter the day or time.

"The Dawnfelden Captain, I'm guessing," Headmaster Keigo raised an eyebrow to Tensei to confirm his guess and the Commander nodded.

"I would ask you to show some respect to the Headmaster," Natsuo's brow creased, then softened with a roll of his eyes, "But I'm not one to show him any myself so I won't bother."

He threw a glare back at the Headmaster, who hit him with a grin and Shoto frowned surprise at the unexpected expression from a Synod Mage of such standing; from a Mage whose name was known before many would even consider him a man.

"It's always nice to know lack of respect is mutual," Keigo eyed him, amused, "Ah, you keep me young with your banter, little lord."

"I'm older than you," Natsuo frowned.

"Years don't always make a man," Keigo shrugged.

Shoto found himself stuck with a disbelieving frown on the Headmaster, surprised by the back and forth; hardly considering that it was not much better than how he spoke to Katsuki.

The Captain seemed oddly at ease with it, though, the smallest hint of a grin in the corner of his mouth. "Nice to see that some things are the same everywhere you go," Katsuki huffed air through his nose.

"I take it you have some of your own frustrations with the Mages in Dawnfell," Natsuo's stance shifted to something almost casual, less of a threatening glare hanging over Katsuki than before.

Shoto expected to once again be the butt of Katsuki's venting, but it didn't come, if anything he was being ignored.

"I'll stand by the Griffin Cohort 'til my dying breath as the best out there," Katsuki said, "But the amount of times I wanted to rip the ears off Mirko's head are as high as the time I wanted to shake her hand."

"She's as good as they say?" Keigo raised an eyebrow at the Captain.

"Better. You don't make it in Dawnfell by being anything but the best."

"Our standards are the same in Tarlson, Captain," Commander Tensei added, "Dawnfell is not the only place in Gaetha where strength is valued above all else."

"Tarlson's strength is famed," Katsuki shrugged, unimpressed, "Famed as second to Dawnfell."

Tensei's feathers were a bit ruffled at the comment, but he kept his cool.

"You believe our pride is false, don't you, Captain Katsuki?" Natsuo tilted his head, "That we aren't equal to you because we wash the mud off of our boots and keep civil homes. We have borders to protect the same as you; we have Cantica to the West and the Capitol to the North."

"Petty conflicts in comparison," Katsuki sucked his teeth again.

Natsuo was unaffected, but not prepared to budge on his set idea of his own prowess.

"And therein lies your only claim to superiority," he opened a palm towards Katsuki, "That tou sit at the border of No Man's Land. Because you are the first to fight the Demon onslaught you are somehow said to be stronger, that is the truly unfair comparison, because you have an opportunity we do not. We would be no less effective if we bordered Demon's Rise."

Red crept up Katsuki's neck and Shoto wondered if he would be cleaning up a bloody mess in moments, but the glare turned to a smug smile, ruby eyes unstoppable against immovable grays.

"So you say and yet we, Dawnfeldens as we are, walked into your home and handled your Demon problem before you could even arrive at the battle. Blame location all you want, you're right that it's what makes Dawnfell what it is, but the location doesn't make us heard more, it makes us what we are." The bantering tone dropped to something severe and serious, "You can't know what it is to protect your Lordship from something like that, to know that if you fail, it's your people who will be the first to taste blood and the first to fall under the total genocide that follows the ether. You can fear for your people when under attack by man or elf or whatever else this world can throw at you, but there is no fear like knowing the types of horrors the Archdemon brings with it."

The Lord was silent, watchfully listening to Katsuki's small rant and how the angry vicious act slipped for a genuine, pained admittance of something even Shoto hadn't fully considered. Dawnfell fought with the severity it did because it had to just to survive. While Lordships like Tarlson sat a few thousand miles away from the fronts, a nation of people, military, mages, and civilians all had made lives and homes not thirty miles from the most gruesome and horrifying threat known to their mortal world. Dawnfell stood tallest because they were fighting in a desperation that Tarlson could never truly understand.

This could easily have spurred another argument or even a civil discussion about the problems each Lordship uniquely faced, but both Shoto and Keigo had equal impatience to get on with the actual point of the meeting. Shoto was far more concerned with knowing whether or not the Lord was going to release them in the morning than which Lordship had the bigger claim to power.

"While this is a wonderful conversation for a bunch of politically minded, fat gutted, poets to sit around and debate endlessly in a never ending circle, I don't recall this being why I was called here," Keigo rolled his eyes at the two men staring each other down.

Natsuo continued to match stares with Katsuki a moment longer without response before putting out a hand towards Shoto. The Mage watched the hand then felt his gut clench when he looked up to Natsuo's face.

"Your orders," Natsuo demanded, clarifying his request.

In a scrambled search of his robes, Shoto pulled out the folded papers and placed them back into Natsuo's hand with a slight tremble. Natsuo seemed to notice it, or at least notice the way he kept glancing at the other mage. He stared at him with an increasingly quizzical eye. Then he abruptly turned away and handed the paper to Headmaster Keigo.

The Headmaster gave the page a once-over and then stared hard at the bottom assessing the signature and then nodded with an impressed look over his face.

"Master Sochi, huh?" he folded it up.

"The orders are real?" Natsuo asked as he took the page back.

"I've seen too many orders from Master Sochi Tanen to mistake his signature," Keigo nodded, "I get new Mages every few months with papers to this exact effect. It's real. I don't suggest you continue holding up an assignment from the Center Magesterium, Lord."

Shoto and Katsuki looked to each other with total relief, but only let it last a split second before they were themselves again.

"Great, now that you confirmed what we already fucking told you, let us get out of here," Katsuki demanded.

Commander Tensei tilted his head at Lord Natsuo with a raised eyebrow while he scowled down at the folded page and hesitated to acknowledge the Captain. His expression was thoughtful and did nothing to comfort them.

"You will be free to leave in the morning as we agreed before," He slapped the orders to Shoto's chest as he walked past him.

Katsuki spun on him. "Didn't the damn mage tell you you shouldn't delay a Synod assignment?"

Natsuo stopped at the door and angled a vicious look back at Katsuki, but then left it more pointedly on Keigo and Shoto

"The day a Mage tells me how to run my own Keep is the day I lose my damn mind," he bit, "The Synod will have my support, but you will do as I have already ordered."

Before Natsuo could even open the door to leave on that sour note or be stopped by further complaint of his guests, it burst open in front of him to reveal his aid who rushed in breathless.

"Lord, you must come immediately," the aid said, "Your father requests your presence in the Grand Hall."

"What's going on?" Natsuo scowled over the man.

The aid looked over the others present and shook his head, "I wasn't told other than that someone has arrived to speak with you and your father."

"Fine, tell him I'll be there," Natsuo shooed him away and then turned a slight head bow towards the others, "Excuse me, I'm required elsewhere. Tensei, Headmaster, see that our guests are taken care of until the morning."

"Of course," Tensei bowed after him.

Keigo gave a dismissive wave of his hand as Natsuo took his leave and swung the door shut behind him.

Shoto found himself continuing to stare after him, mixed up in confusion. It was just so hard to describe or pin the young Lord down. Apprehension sat constantly in his gut just thinking about him; there was no way of predicting him or how he would respond to anything.

It seemed Katsuki had the same, scoffing annoyance and looked back to the Commander.

"Must be a real joy following being his Second," Katsuki's nose crinkled.

Shoto expected a harsh response from Tensei, expecting a very defensive bark of support towards his Lord Commander as Katsuki would often do with Lord Kan, even after they had a disagreement, but Tensei watched after the closed door with a frown and then a shake of his head.

"He is human; we all are," Tensei said, "His effectiveness as a leader is not diminished by a loud bark or a painful bite. You should know that better than anyone. I have seen your armies train in Dawnfell, a brutal hand sometimes works best."

Katsuki crossed his arms at the Commander. "It's not the aggression, of course I like that. It's the part where he's suddenly acting civil and then he's quiet and then-"

"The Lord Commander is perfectly fine," the defensiveness they had expected suddenly popped up in Tensei's voice, "Do not continue this insinuation."

Shoto pulled his eyes away from the door to meet an equally unconvinced look from Katsuki. The response felt suspicious, far too defensive to be anything but a cover for some unsaid truth.

"And what am I insinuating?" Katsuki shot back, showing teeth.

Tensei's hands turned to fists, but Keigo smirked.

"You're saying he's insane," the mage filled in the gap, "And you'd be right about that."

"Bite your tongue, Keigo," Tensei spat, "You are not immune to the Todoroki wrath because you are Synod, if anything you should fear them more than the rest of us."

Keigo laughed. "Come now, Enji loves me."

"You bother him at ungodly hours and annoy him to the point of wanting to kill you daily," Tensei clarified, "I've heard him mutter to himself daily how he would rather cut off his ears than listen to you another day."

"And yet his ears remain and here I am, still alive to infuriate him tomorrow," Keigo smirked, "That's the difference between you and I, Commander; charm. You'd be missing your ears were you to try him as I do."

Shoto couldn't quite care about this divergence in conversation and he was discovering more and more that he didn't care for the Headmaster himself either, he wasn't Synod enough in any sense and while that felt hypocritical given the entire situation he had put himself in, he couldn't help be grated by it… by everyone in Tarlson really. Even the Commander, with his sensibility and calm could not comfort him if he tried. He still answered to the man that made his skin crawl when he stood too close.

"And what do you say to such a claim, Headmaster?" Shoto chimed up to veer back to the answers he actually wanted, "You are not so defensive of the Lord as the Commander is."

Tensei gave Keigo a look that could have killed a weaker man, but the Mage met it with a clicked tongue and crossed arms.

"Well I wouldn't call him entirely sane, myself, but he comes by it honestly so I have no ill will towards him for it," Keigo kept looking Tensei right in the eye as he said it and the Commander's hand went to his sword.

Shoto pulled back a little, but Katsuki took closer interest in the previously level headed man turning to threats and a blatant anger towards one who was technically on his own side.

"You've said more than enough, Headmaster," Tensei bit the air, "Take your leave now or I will make you."

The grin spreading across Keigo's face was demeaning as was the tsking sound he made. "Ah, Commander, I'd love nothing more than to test you, but I do have a Seat to run and Cohorts to lead, so I will take your generous offer to leave. The Lord has already taken up too much of my valuable time on this."

Tensei straightened and dropped his hand, jerking his head towards the door. Keigo offered a small head bow and moved towards Shoto and Katsuki, pausing to give a respectful nod to them as well.

"Captain," Keigo nodded at Katsuki and then turned a grin to Shoto, "If you have time before you leave, Master Shoto, I would be very interested in talking further with you. I heard about what happened in Landsleave and at Demon's Rise and I'm intrigued."

Shoto stiffened under his stare, those eyes sweeping up and down the younger Mage. There was something conniving behind the friendly smile and Shoto was instantly wary of a Synod Mage wanting to know more about those two particular events, so riddled with Fallen Magic.

"We don't have the time," Shoto responded in a harsh tone, still put off by the casual and seemingly manipulative nature of this lauded Synod Master.

"A shame," Keigo shrugged, "You and I represent a new era of the Synod, of the young having power and influence rather than just old worn out Mages. It would be beneficial for us to form a friendship, especially after what I've heard about you. Whenever you conclude your assignment, make some time to speak with me. You won't regret the detour."

Despite knowing he would never do so and perhaps would never be able to, Shoto nodded agreement, if for no other reason than to make the Headmaster let him be. And it seemed to satisfy him enough to take his leave, but just as he passed Shoto's side, he grabbed him by the shoulder and whispered close to his ear, obvious to the other eyes watching and almost pointed with the way Tensei glared at him for it.

"Make him tell you about the young Lord," Keigo said, "You may understand Tarlson a bit better if you do."

And with that he was gone and a heady tension took his place between two men left hanging in their questions with the man who seemed loath to answer them.

Tensei cursed aloud and moved the few steps over to lean into the war table, crossing his arms at the floor.

"I'm going back to the rooms," Katsuki hissed, his anger surface level, "This meeting was a waste of time."

"Calm yourself, Captain," Shoto demanded, hoping not to start a new conflict when one had just ended.

"It's not a waste if you consider the benefit of having Tarlson's support," Tensei flicked his wrist at them, "It is not the Lord's first inclination to align with you or anyone like you, but the Todorokis are not so foolish as to cross the Synod. Lord Natsuo simply wanted to confirm that you were who you said you were before allowing you to walk free in his Lordship. In these times of corruption and war, you can understand I'm sure."

"What the hell else would we be?" Katsuki was exasperated, "You knew who I was before you brought me here.

Tensei let one of his eyebrows drift up at the Captain as he should have known better than to have asked the question. "Respect and trust are not always complimentary sentiments. Even if it's hidden under jealous words and insults, there is respect between Tarlson and Dawnfell, but that cannot be mistaken for affection or a questionless trust. Even the presence of the acclaimed Conqueror of the South is not an endorsement in and of itself. Traitors and Fallen Mages can hide among us unseen and guise themselves cleverly. We hold particular caution towards Mages in Tarlson for that exact reason."

Offense pricked Shoto's neck, both for the accuracy and the insinuation. His palms tightened with a clammy sweat. "What gives Tarlson the right to be so untrusting of Mages?" Shoto bit, "The issue of the Fallen is the Synod's and no one elses."

"It is everyone's business to be wary and there is not always a Synod trained Master on hand to dispatch a necromancer at any given moment," Tensei said sharply and then sighed, letting his head drop into a shake and a sigh, "I do not mean to be harsh, but there is an unpleasant history with Mages in Tarlson."

"I thought everyone had a bad history with Mages," Katsuki rolled his eyes, "The whole, holier-than-thou thing gets old fast."

It was hard to contain himself from arguing with the Captain about that, to make the point that a claim like that was unfounded since Mages as a species were in fact far less holy than others and thus required more acts of holiness to recompense for it. But it wasn't the time to debate an opinion that the Captain wouldn't likely change and Katsuki seemed more than ready to turn anything into an uncouth argument at the drop of a hat right now.

There wasn't such bare annoyance from Tensei while Katsuki did whatever he could to antagonize simply everyone in the room. But the Commander's shoulders were still sloping forward and his eyes remained in burdened slits on the floor.

"Were that the case, Captain, we wouldn't keep twice the number of Mages as any other Keep within our walls," his brow tightened intensely, "I'm sure Master Shoto could fill you in as to why."

Shoto darted glances between them and shook his head, wide eyed while Katsuki searched out an answer in his face. "I have no idea what you mean."

Tensei seemed surprised, but shrugged. "I assumed Mages spread gossip through their circles as other courts do. It's true then that you truly do never speak of a disavowed Mage or of your own roots?"

"The disavowed are only spoken of in necessity," Shoto blinked surprised at Tensei's assumption, "We don't gossip. We may tell a cautionary tale of a Fallen mage to warn of what becomes of them or give needed information to one another, but that is all. But are you saying that Tarlson is so overcautious because a Synod Mage here was disavowed?"

Tensei hesitated to answer and Katsuki slipped in first.

"What does a Mage have to do to get disavowed? Forget to brush off his boots before walking inside?"

Shoto gave him a glare that said he knew he was only just trying to get a rise out of him, especially because they both knew it was a possible ending to Shoto's own adventure with the Captain and Nana.

"Many things can cause the Synod to reject a Mage, but all of them are drastic," Shoto explained, "It is equivalent to banishment, except that there is a complete denial of the personhood of such a man and vowed silence on the tongues of his fellow Mages. It can be punishment for murder, betraying the Synod, or-"

"Fallen Magic," Tensei finished and Shoto clinched down to his toes.

"Fallen Magic," Shoto repeated with a nod and frowned at the thought, "How did it happen?"

"I thought you weren't supposed to speak of the disavowed," Tensei huffed air out of his nose and pushed away from the war table, taking a slow pace of the room.

"It is not so much a rule as a guideline," Shoto shrugged one shoulder, "It's meant as a way to show disrespect to a person's memory. That being said, information is important and I wish to know what has made you all so wary of the Synod."

The Commander shook his head up at the ceiling, before spinning back on them.

"To be fair, I'm shocked neither of you know already," he said, "The Synod may not gossip but every noble in the land does. The 'mystery' of what became of the Lord's son is the worst kept secret in Gaetha." He considered a moment then gave a passive nod, "But I suppose it was before either of your time."

"The Lord's son?" Katsuki jerked up an eyebrow, "So, Lord Natsuo?"

"No, the eldest son," Tensei shook his head, "Touy- well, the firstborn, heir of Tarlson."

"There was no mention of a second Todoroki son when we studied the ruling families at the Magesterium," Shoto looked for confirmation from Katsuki, but he just shrugged.

"Well, then the Synod must be quite thorough in their disavowing," Tensei nodded, impressed.

"I don't care about the politics of other Lordships," Katsuki added, "All I need to know is who is in charge and who I'm answering to wherever I am."

"Well then what happened to the eldest?" Shoto narrowed his eyes at the Commander, "Was he killed by the disavowed Mage?"

Tensei grit his teeth and glanced at the door, a nervous action around a topic that made him visibly uncomfortable. "He was the disavowed Mage, Master Shoto."

White noise rushed Shoto's ears as the Commander's words settled in his ears and ever so slightly broke his entire perception of the world.

"That makes no sense," Shoto tried to correct him, "A Mage, definitionally, does not have a family to associate itself with."

"Except for the Renegade Mages, the Bog Mages, Mages from the elf tribes…" Katsuki started listing.

"You speak of heathens and those too selfish and foolish to see what keeping a Mage from the Synod will do," Shoto snapped, "The Commander is speaking of the son of a Lord. A Lord would not be so idiotic as to keep a Mage from the Synod."

Tensei actually laughed, it was mirthless and cold and sent a chill up Shoto's spine.

"You have spent too long in the Magesteriums to still think the world is so practical and straightforward," Tensei tsked, "A Lord, more than anyone, would be the first to hesitate loosing hands on a child Mage. And a firstborn male heir? It was absolutely foolish in its own right and we can all see clearly that it was an outright mistake, but I was no more than a child myself and even my own father took Lord Enji's side in hiding the boy and his power from the Synod. My family took a degree of blame and accepted punishment for those actions just as the Todorokis did. They were all taught well never to hide a child from the Synod again..."

Shoto couldn't help the wad of rage in his chest. A Lord of all people should know better than to withhold a Mage from the Synod.

"I can guess what happened," Shoto hissed, "The boy had no proper direction and his powers turned to evil."

"They thought-"

"They always think that they can teach a Mage themselves to handle their power," Shoto's hands were tight fists, "But it's never enough, they don't teach temperance… that's why they Fall. No one thinks to teach them to be satisfied with the power they have. An untrained Mage will always want more!"

Tensei frowned hard at Shoto and his mouth was tight, before his face dropped.

"Be that as it may," he said quietly, "his intentions were good when he found Fallen Magic."

Shoto bit his cheek. His own intentions and those of Nana were considered good in their pursuit of Fallen Magic, but it did not make his approach to Tensei's defense any less harsh. Most Fallen Mages did not have the moral compass that had been ingrained in him nor the intention to face consequences for what had been done.

"It always seems that way," Shoto countered, "The Fallen are a twisted sort. There's something selfish underlying most of those intentions."

Katsuki eyed Shoto with a dark glare and it felt like that same day he had first seen him use Blood Magic all over again. There was harsh judgment in those red eyes and it stung terribly.

The Commander, though, was not to be shamed for these old crimes; he was resolute and paced the room heftily.

"He was a boy," Tensei argued, "A boy who loved his mother and feared for her. He did what he thought he had to and without a real Mage guiding him he simply turned the wrong way."

"Feared for her from what?" Katsuki looked around as though the answer were in the air, "If she was in danger Lord Enji should have protected her himself."

"She couldn't be protected from internal dangers," the Commander stared down the Captain, "She birthed the twins some five years after her first son and the three of them were raised with me and my brother like siblings. I understood what he felt when miscarriage followed stillbirth again and again and the once strong woman started to rip at the seams. Rei loved nothing more in the world than her children and every person in the Keep started to fear every time we would see the hope in her eyes of announcing another pregnancy. They always ended the same."

Katsuki didn't have a comment on that, but there was a tiny ache in Shoto's chest; sympathy towards this woman he had never met for an experience he could never have. But the way it hurt Tensei just to recall it was clear. Rei must have been much like a mother to him as well. He was talking about the Todorokis, but he was also talking about his family.

"What did he do…?" Shoto's brow was furrowed and eyes stuck to the floor, "What could he possibly have done?"

"What he thought he had to do…"

Tensei's softly spoken response was cut short by a rapping on the door and the immediate entry of the Lord's aid following it. He was tousled like all he had done the last hour was run place to place. He let his mouth gape open at the Commander stuck, about to speak, and looking over the others in the room with hesitance.

"Go ahead, they can be trusted," Tensei gave a dismissive wave and tilted his head at the aid.

"Commander, your brother has returned," the aid gasped, "He- he comes accompanied by the Gaethan Heir… the princess."

All thoughts about Tensei's tale were dashed in the light of this sudden news. Even Katsuki, who had been so ready to get himself back to his room, gave the announcement his full interest.

"What?" Tensei shook his head, "Why? What happened in the Capitol?"

"I do not know, Commander," the aid was out of breath, "But please come swiftly. Lord Enji requests your presence in the Great hall."

Tensei threw a glance back at the Captain and the Mage and frowned. "Please return to your room."

Before Shoto could readily agree to step out of the way, Katsuki broke him off, and moved quickly after Tensei.

"I know how things work in a Keep, Commander," he said, "It's a public audience if it takes place in the hall and unless the Lord orders otherwise, you can't stop us from being present."

"Captain, I don't think-"

"Mage," Katsuki snapped at Shoto, "Shove it. This isn't a meager Tarlson dispute. The fucking heir to the throne is here and I'm going to fucking hear why."

Tensei cursed under his breath, but didn't argue, likely knowing that he couldn't stop them now that they were considered guests instead of prisoners. The two military leaders fell in step behind the aid, but Shoto hesitated, simply confused at the sudden drastic turn this discussion had taken.

Still hung up on what Tensei had said of the eldest Todoroki he blinked around himself in a daze, struggling to just get past the growing discomfort of even speaking about Fallen Magic under these circumstances. But Katsuki was right, it was no small thing for the only heir to the Gaethan throne to be present in the Tarlson Keep and it would be foolish not to at least go to the hall to listen.

Shoto took off after them, a curse fresh and sharp on his breath.

"You're going to be fine sleeping by yourself?"

Eijiro gave an encouraging smile,patting the sides of the provided pillow then sitting back on the feathered mattress.

"We prefer sleeping together, we aren't going to die to be away from each other," Eijiro explained, "I'm more worried about her being away from us. If she's found out we won't be able to protect her as easily."

"From what I've seen she's fairly capable of protecting herself," Izuku shrugged, "And if we hear something across the hall we can be there quickly. But we'll have nothing to worry about if she keeps her mouth."

Eijiro laid back on the bed and frowned as he spread out and tried to fill the entire thing with himself. "She really hates that."

"I've noticed," he sighed into his own seat facing Eijiro across the small space between their beds, "I hope she doesn't take it too badly. I don't want her to be upset with me."

"She's not," The dragon shook his head, "She's just upset at all of this, I think. She's way more angry with me right now…"

Izuku's brow knotted together.

"It's been so hectic since we arrived back in Landsleave, but I never asked, why did you follow us? I thought you were going to look after Ochako's parents."

"They aren't the ones in danger," A severe pout overtook his face, "The demons are gone and there's a whole army helping. Usually the village could use my help rebuilding, but I can't be in my true form while the army is there. My place is with Ochako, protecting her and her watching out for me. That's how it's always been."

"You make a fair point, but you can't be a dragon here either, so there's still a limit to what you can do," Izuku pushed up to pace lightly, "Are you sure there you can maintain that form indefinitely?"

"Of course," Eijiro waved it off, "It's a magical act to look like this and takes a magical act to undo it. It's not holding with a continually active spell. The spell is done and this is just how I am until I change it."

"And this whole mission that Shoto is taking on...what do think about that?"

"I grew up on a farm, Izuku," Eijiro pushed up and crossed his legs, "I don't know all the little details about war and Summonings outside of what Ochako has told me and I'm pretty sure that's just common knowledge. I know I trust you and I think I trust Shoto too. If you believe what he's doing is right then I'm with you, we both are.."

"No," Izuku's hand cut the air, "When we're released you and Ochako are going home or back to Blackmoss."

"But-"

"No, buts," Izuku hated being so sharp, but the very idea of Eijiro trying to get himself and Ochako involved shook Izuku to the core, "It's not safe. You need to go home. Shoto and his friends won't stop you. They know you wouldn't tell the authorities or the Synod; you'd be risking being found out yourselves. They're way more concerned about me. And I need to help Shoto… I have to find a way to stop this from happening."

His chest felt like bricks as he became too interested in the floor at his feet.

"You think there's another way?"

Izuku chewed his cheek. "I have to hope there is. I have to try."

Before he could pick his head back up he heard quick shuffling and then his entire torso was being crushed in inhumanly strong arms knocking the wind out of him. He gasped and startled, but eased once the hug gave a little.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You seem sad," Eijiro kept holding on, shrugging, "Is this helping?"

"A little actually," Izuku's tone was bewildered, "It doesn't really fix anything, but…"

But the contact was still so refreshing and fulfilling that he couldn't help the rush of warmth overwhelming his Synod sensibilities and his prominent fears.

"Thanks, Eijiro," he sighed, "Even if this whole situation is terrible...I'm really glad I get extra time with you and Ochako. Even if it's just another day."

"Me too," he nodded onto his shoulder, "I've been hiding from Synod Mages and soldiers and hunters my whole life and now I've met two really great Synod Mages and even a nice soldier."

Izuku frowned and tried to give him a side glare despite the hug and angle.

"You can't possibly mean the Captain?"

Eijiro pulled free of the embrace and the immense weight on Izuku's chest seemed to go with him. His scepticism remained though. The boy pinched the sides of his shirt and shrugged.

"He gave me something to wear," Eijiro explained, "He didn't have to do that. It was very nice."

"He's threatened to kill us," Izuku's arms went up, "Nice people don't threaten to rip your head off your shoulders."

"Well, I think you're both making sense."

The two spun towards the door and found a head of blond hair sneakily slipping in with a wry grin on his elfish face. It was the Solstice elf, Denki.

"He's a major dick," Denki sauntered in and went to the pack by his bed while he spoke, "But he's got his soft spots. Mina's keeps saying she's determined to find them."

"Where did you come from?" Izuku blinked.

Denki jammed a thumb at the door and continued to rummage. "Of course, at first she wouldn't go within ten feet of him, what with him almost brutally killing her and all, but she's someone who respects strength so the longer we're with him the more I'm worried she might try to leave me for him actually."

A small pouch came into his hand while he laughed out loud and dropped it onto the floor. It unrolled in a small clatter as fine tools were revealed in secured rows. The elf tapped his lip thoughtfully at them.

Izuku was an absolute mess of questions, but Eijiro moved over to him before he could and crouched to see the tools.

"What are you doing?"

A suspicious grin turned up at Eijiro and then went back to the tools as he selected a few.

"Going to steal something."

"What?" Izuku was taken aback.

"Isn't that a crime?" Eijiro frowned.

"Yep," Denki rolled the case back up, "Want to help?"

"Why would we do that?" Izuku gaped.

"Lack of trust mainly," Denki stood up, "To have an edge on our captors. Shoto is convincing and Katsuki's… sort of professional, but I don't know if they'll actually convince the Tarlson Lord to let us go so I'd like some leverage, wouldn't you agree?"

"I thought we were guests?" Eijiro tilted his head at Denki.

"We're as much guests as a caged bird is free," the elf laughed.

"He has a point," Izuku was loath to admit, "There's no guarantee they will be able to convince them… But I don't like the idea of stealing either."

"Even if what we're stealing is a Blood Mage's staff?"

Izuku and Eijiro both went silent and traded looks.

"A Blood Mage staff?" Izuku repeated.

"So the guys in the mess tell me," Denki smuggly gave his nails a once over, "They say it's fully tainted and no one has touched it in almost twenty years. It's obviously valued by the Todorokis, so either we can barter with it or...well we have two Blood Mages who could put it to good use I'm sure."

A shiver went up Izuku's spine hearing Shoto referred to as a Blood Mage.

"That sounds dangerous," Eijiro shifted energetically and darted glances at Izuku to gauge what he was thinking about all this, "But...valuable?"

Izuku pursed his lips in uncertainty, but Denki's patience had run out.

"The guard pattern is right for me to do this if I go now," Denki looked at the shifting lights under the door, "In or out?"

"We're going," Izuku half choked.

Eijiro went wide eyed at him, but smiled, as surprised as Izuku was that he'd said yes. Denki winked at them and jerked his head towards the door for them to go.

Izuku was sure he was making a mistake, but his impulse had gotten him this far, so maybe something valuable would come from this.

Sneaking through the guard's quarters unseen seemed like an impossible task until he was following the deft, limber steps of a rather skeevy elf. They took every step with care, but Denki didn't have to, his delicate footfalls never making a sound, which made sense why he was able to slip in earlier without either of them noticing.

With no great lack of luck and the precision of the elf they made it to the end of the West wing and left the guard quarters behind them. They took up a casual pace now that they were out, hiding in plain sight. Most who wandered this part of the Keep were servants and nobles who wouldn't know them as long as they acted as though they belonged.

It did come as a surprise when they made their way deep into the North wing and passed what seemed to be the living quarters of the reigning family. Their stealth came back into play as there were posted guards here and Izuku's heart pounded in his chest with every inch forward that they moved.

"Just ahead," Denki nodded at the door at the end of the hall they were about to turn down.

They all stopped full when they saw the guards posted before it and noticed that there was no way to sneak around them. They would have to go through them and Izuku was beginning to rethink leaving his room altogether.

"What do we do?" Eijiro asked.

"Wait." Denki tapped his lip and then pointed to the open array of windows along the hallway leading to the door.

As he did a wisping flutter of fabric fell into view from the just outside of the window. It caught the guard's attention the same as theirs. They were instantly alert and Denki held a hand for the others not to move an inch.

They came to the window cautiously, swords drawn and ready to use.

Denki was poised to move, but he signalled Izuku and Eijiro to stay where they were.

As the guard started to lean out of the window something moved in the one next to it very delicately and a steaming bottle was placed on the windowsill. The smoke grew with every passing second and a good gust of wind whipped it into the room.

They both noticed it too late, losing their balance and leg strength after a few mere seconds.

Denki took a large inhale and pulled the swath of fabric that wrapped around his neck over his face. He was on the guards in a moment and suddenly a pink skinned body was with him, darting in through the window as each caught a guard and carefully lowered them to the ground without any undo sound.

The other figure snatched the bottle and corked it quickly before pocketing it and Denki rushed back over to them, dropping his mask.

"Let's go," he waved for them to follow.

"Wait, what did you do to them?" Izuku looked between the two fallen guards and the elf.

"Just knocked them out, we aren't assassins," Denki shrugged and jabbed a finger towards the other cloaked figure, "You can't top Moondance concoctions, though."

The mask and hood dropped on the other figure, revealing it to be Mina, the Moondancer, which was hardly surprising. There was no one else here that's skin shone that color.

"Wow, you're amazing," Eijiro gasped at them.

"Tell me something I don't know," Denki jerked his head towards the door and led them past the unconscious guards.

Mina was already assessing the lock. Her hand went up to Denki as she eyed it by torchlight and he dropped the tools he grabbed from the pack into it.

"This lock is no joke," she slid the tools at opposing angles into the lock and began to move and twist them slowly, "So rude. It's as if they don't want us to see what interesting things they have."

Denki chuckled and gestured for the other two to stick close.

"Do you do this sort of thing a lot?" Eijiro watched Mina over Izuku's shoulder.

"As often as we need," Denki whispered, "It's good to be versatile in our line of work."

"And what line of work is that?" Izuku narrowed scepticism at him.

The two elves gave short, breathy laughs as a reply and looked back to the lock, passing over answering the question.

"Got it!" Mina cheered quietly as a click sounded from the door and it suddenly pushed loose.

Denki snatched a torch from the wall as they opened it up, giving low illumination throughout the room from the torch he carried. Mina went to the multiple windows on the circular room and pulled open the curtains to allow the strong moonlight through.

The whole place was eerie and not like the sort of vault Izuku expected. He and Eijiro spread out in opposite directions in the circular structure of the room after closing the door behind them, but Izuku refrained from going far or touching anything.

"What is this place?" Eijiro voiced the question on Izuku's heart.

There were items that seemed valuable or important within but it was laid out like a normal bedroom, and it had the amenities to match. There was even a bed at the opposite end and a stuffed cloth animal setting against it like a child had slept in it a month ago.

Izuku felt inclined to check it out more than the valuables around and bruschetta finger of the face of the child's toy, coming back with a thick layer of dust.

"What sort of vault is this neglected?" Izuku frowned, having to pass over the far more curious question of the bed and toy.

"It's not technically a vault from what I can tell," Denki shrugged, "Just a creepy locked up room that's never touched. We may be the first people to have stepped in here in years."

Mina sneezed and rubbed her nose. "No shit."

There was a visible shiver from Eijiro and a tight expression overcoming his face the more he perused the room. "Do you feel that?" he sucked in a breath like he was tasting the air.

"Feel what?" Denki was beginning to very delicately rummage and sift through the abundance of items, making still a surprising lack of sound.

"Ether," he said softly, "It feels like the dust. Settled and untouched, stagnant."

"You sound like Shoto," Mina raised an eyebrow as she continued to disturb the dust and search and sneeze.

Try as he might, Izuku felt nothing of what Eijiro said, which wouldn't have seemed strange before, knowing that he was a dragon and had a different sense of the world than the rest of them, but so say that Shoto had been experiencing some of the same senses as Eijiro put Izuku in a confused position. If Shoto could sense the things Eijiro could, shouldn't Izuku as well?

"Is there magic here?" Izuku took a turn, looking around for some spell waiting to trap them or kill them.

"Not active magic," Eijiro moved to the table in the center of the room and brushed off a glass covering, revealing a crystal bird inside of it, "It's like how your staffs are. I feel it in Ochako's room and sometimes in the Bog Mages homes. When a place is exposed to magic long enough it starts seeping in."

Everyone looked up from what they were doing to stare at Eijiro.

"I know enchanted items like staffs give off something like that, but I didn't know unenchanted items could be affected," Izuku tilted his head at him.

"No one seems to realize that," Eijiro shrugged, staring at the bird with interest, "I've never met a Mage that can sense it."

"Aren't you supposed to be a Mage yourself?" Mina wrinkled an eyebrow at him, "According to Shoto and what he told the Tarlsons anyway."

Initially Izuku flinched, but then eased, realizing it was not as scary for Shoto's party to know more about them now that there was some established trust. These elves seemed skeevy, but not the sort to act maliciously. He wouldn't stop Eijiro from saying what he wanted to say.

"Of course not," Eijiro laughed.

"Then what's with the magic sense?" Denki pushed, pausing his search.

Eijiro matched looks with Izuku, but he only shrugged, leaving it up to Eijiro to decide what he wanted to tell them or not. That seemed to confuse him more, but then he popped a smile and looked back to the elves.

"I'm not really human actually," he rubbed his neck, "My species is sort of connected closer than others to the ether."

The elves looked to each other and spoke without words.

"So what are you then?" Denki turned the torchlight towards him to see him better, "Definitely not an elf."

Eijiro hesitated, but Izuku helped him out of the tight spot he didn't want to dive deeper into.

"I thought we were here to steal something," Izuku rubbed his hands, "We should hurry so that we can be gone before the guards wake up."

"Fine, fine," Denki waved it off, "But we'll be coming back to this later."

"If your magic sense is so good, though, can you sense where the staff is?" Mina chimed up with intrigue.

Eijiro's lip popped out in thought and he moved to the outskirts of the room where the items cluttered heavily.

"Maybe. You said it was for a Blood Mage, right?"

"Yes."

With red eyes focussed intently on the edge of the room, he started walking around the circle, eyes on the dust covered items, swords, statues, vases, toys, old brittle cloaks and the like. He didn't go slowly either, just swept through quickly until he came to a full stop and cocked his head.

"Here."

"Izuku," Denki jerked his head at the spot, "Grab it."

"Why me?" Izuku was taken aback.

"It'll look pretty suspicious if any of us are carrying a staff around," Denki opened his hands, "You're our delivery system."

Izuku's stare turned hard on the elf.

"You had me come along just to carry the staff back?"

"Why else would I tell you to come?" Denki snorted.

"Then why did you bring Eijiro?" Izuku couldn't help being a touch offended, "You didn't know he had any magic sense before we left."

"He seemed nice," was Denki's answer.

"I just wanted something pretty to look at," Mina admitted, dropping her elbow on Denki's shoulder with a smirk.

Eijiro gave them a smile, unaffected by Mina's comment, "Thank you."

"Turns out you were both useful, though, so we'll keep you in mind for the next robbery," Denki laughed, "Now grab the staff so we can go."

"You can leave me out of any future ventures, thank you," Izuku muttered sheepishly, a bit embarrassed that he didn't realize his own purpose to the elves.

Even still he moved to where Eijiro stood and followed where he pointed. He batted away cobwebs and shifted over a coat rack to reveal a dust covered staff. Izuku grabbed it and pulled it into the torchlight.

The feeling hit instantly. There was a small sense of what Eijiro had described in most staffs, but nothing Izuku had ever been able to point to. It wasn't usually noticeable outside of a tiny vibration that could barely be registered as such, but this was stronger and darker. He'd never held the staff of a Fallen Mage before, but it had the sort of feeling he would have expected. Heavy, blackened.

Using the inside of his robe, he wiped it down to discard most of the dust and reveal a dark smooth wood. Denki got close with the torch and they all gathered to get a better look. It was a beautiful staff, the type a Master might use, but it lacked Synod runes or Synod perfectionism. Still a magnificent weapon if not for the stained spots that discolored the wood in splotches.

Denki noticed too and touched the spots with a raised eyebrow.

"Looks a little messed up."

"It's a Blood Mage's staff, isn't it?" Eijiro pursed his mouth.

Izuku grimaced and his fingers became clammy against the wood. He looked at the stains in disgust, but Mina was leaning in close to assess it, unafraid of a staff tainted by Blood Magic.

"It's impressive," she marveled, "The craftsmanship would put our staff-makers to shame. I wonder where the Mage got a staff like this."

"A good question for another time," Izuku swallowed his aversion and held it like he would have his own, "I'm not looking to get caught in the middle of a crime by Tarlson soldiers today."

"Fair," Denki shrugged and directed everyone back through the door.

As they passed back through Mina turned to relock the door, but before she could Izuku stepped back into the doorway and created a small glyph in his free hand, making sure not to engage the magic of the staff. It was a very small, easily messed up spell, but he sent a pulse of vibration through the air to shudder the dust back into a settled state, masking the places they had brushed it away, leaving no sign that someone had come and gone.

"Very smooth," Mina complimented with a nod to the room.

She carefully inserted those tools again and began to relatch the lock into place. Denki got Eijiro's help and drug the two still unconscious guards to either side of the door and even propped them up to a sitting position against the wall, leaving them with no sign that anything had happened besides them falling asleep at their post.

While the three men set to take the same path back, Mina went to the window and climbed up on it.

"Where are you going?" Eijiro stopped and asked.

"Back to my room," she smiled, "I stand out a lot here, outside is safer."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Eijiro moved over to the windowsill and peaked out. He didn't seem quite scared himself, he had flown much high after all, but he turned up an eyebrow with concern to the far more fragile creature climbing out.

"What would be the fun if it wasn't dangerous?"

She flashed teeth at the boy and then swiftly and deftly grabbed the ledge above and propelled herself up onto it, disappearing from sight.

"Don't worry about her," Denki waved towards their exit, pulling Eijiro slowly away from his intrigued observation, "She's no stranger to scaling precarious heights."

They went quiet while snuck back out of the North wing, but once they had escaped it, they returned to the same casual pace as before. Izuku was absolutely struggling not to shake with every step they took; he hated being the one to carry the accursed staff. To any random passerby it would not stand out as anything peculiar, just a mage holding a staff, there was nothing to worry about, but he worried all the same.

Once they were in the safety of the scarce public eye, Izuku picked up his question where they had left off, hoping more to distract himself than really learn anything. "Where did she learn those things?"

"She's a Moondancer," he spoke in a hushed voice, as though it should explain everything.

And it did explain some, but the Magesterium's tomes on Moondancers were not very extensive and if anything baren. He knew they were heathens, thought so by humans and elves alike, but there was little he knew about their culture besides being reclusive. There was a reason she garnered a lot of interest from the people here in Tarlson. Most people in Gaetha didn't expect to ever meet a Moondance elf. Elves in general weren't all that common here, so it made Mina even more of a rarity.

"It's because they live in the mountains, right?" Eijiro chimed in.

"Yeah," Denki concurred, "They don't have all the structure that we have in Solen and here in Gaetha. Their homes could be caves or a thatch of wood or a stone villa cut into a mountain, you really never know."

"You've seen their home?" Eijiro gasped, "I thought they didn't let others into their homeland."

"Wait, how do you know so much about elves?" Izuku interrupted, assuming until then that Eijiro was mostly ignorant about outside cultures.

"The Bog Mages live near the Elven lands," Eijiro explained, "They learn a lot."

"So you're from the Bog Mage village," Denki nodded, tapping his lip as he tried to piece Eijiro together in their slow paced walk through the Keep.

"I'm not from there, but I spent a lot of time there growing up," Eijiro shrugged, "Did you really see where the Moondance elves live, though?"

Denki chuckled and paused as a pair of servants passed them by.

"I have been there yes," Denki admitted, "But I wasn't there for long. You're right, they don't allow outsiders in. I got kicked out pretty quickly and I got Mina kicked out for being the one to let in."

He rubbed the front of his neck with grit teeth. "Almost lost more than my pride that day."

"She was rejected by her own people?" Eijiro's eyes widened.

"For the next hundred years, yes," Denki shrugged, "That's not that big of a deal, I'm banished for two hundred so she can go home much sooner than I can."

"You were both banished?" Izuku tilted his head at the elf speaking so casually of his plight.

"We earned it, don't worry," Denki waved a hand through the air, "I tried bringing her back to Solen and my father nearly rang my neck then and there. Then there was the incident with the tree, but that's not important… Basically the two of us are just trying to entertain ourselves while we wait out our sentences."

"And all this you're doing with Shoto and the Captain?"

"Passing the time, mostly," Denki opened his hands, "But I do miss my family, so it's nice to be around Nana at least. She's scary, but I'd do anything for her."

"She's your aunt, right?" Izuku clarified.

"Is that what you call it here?" Denki raised an eyebrow at the Mage, "We don't really label those things, we just call each other family."

"She doesn't look like an elf," Eijiro observed and Izuku then recalled that he wasn't there for Shoto's brief explanation of his new friends.

"She isn't," Denki explained, "She came to Solen to train in nature magic when she was young and she became very close with my father, the chieftain, and his brother Toran. Apparently she was very close to Toran. They married after a few short years then they went back to Gaetha… I guess disappointing my father runs in the family.."

Denki was suddenly somber and the other two looked to each other in surprise, not expecting anything near seriousness from the chipper elf.

"What happened?"

"The last thing we had heard from Toran was a letter saying that they were in Dawnfell and that the Shimuras were a nice family," he went on, "Then about twenty years later I ended up here and ran into her while we were robbing her camp. Came this close to killing me," he barely spread his fingers and smiled, "But she recognized me and we ended up helping them instead. She told me about Toran and their son, how they were killed years ago. The irony was that the last few years all I've heard my father talk about was how he wanted to see him again and make up for what happened between them. Looks like we all missed our opportunity to make things right a long time ago."

"Wow, that's so sad," Eijiro pouted his mouth downward, "No wonder you cared about Nana so much. She's all you have left of him."

Denki smiled at the boy and patted his shoulder. "Even if he wasn't dead, she's still family. We take that seriously in Solen."

"Has that made you biased, then, or do you actually believe what she's doing is right?"

"I'm biased, of course, but I also think she's right," Denki said, "We don't condone what you call Fallen Magic in Solen either, but this threat is real and what has to be done is important. I'm proud to be a part of it."

"So, boredom, loyalty, love, and pride," Eijiro listed them all out on his fingers, "That's a lot of reasons to be involved."

"Really outweighs the reasons not to," Denki grinned.

The entryway to the West wing was in sight and Izuku was moments from suggesting that they keep a lid on any further conversation until they reached their room when the jumble and noise came into notice. All three of them had the same inclination to stop and see what was going on. A slieu of guards and a scattering of nobles were all moving in the same direction with a certain amount of urgency in their steps.

The three looked between each other, but none had an answer.

One young servant girl, rushing by, was caught by her arm as Denki physically grabbed her attention.

"What's going on?" he searched her anxious eyes, "Where's everyone going?"

"To the Grand Hall," she sputtered, "The whole Keep is abuzz about it."

"About what?" Denki squeezed her arm.

"Commander Tenya has returned," she met each eye, "And he was accompanied by the Yagi Princess."

"Try to keep your head here, Tarlson breeds ruthless nobles and you bring only bad news."

Momo's hand tightened at her side and she gave Tenya a resolute nod.

The hundreds of times she'd spoken to Lords, Dukes, Ladies, and Governors were not preparation for the gut gripping terror that came when approaching the Grand Hall of Tarlson's already intimidating Keep to ask for the cooperation and understanding of a man known best for being brash and prideful. But she was the daughter of the king, the heir to the throne, the truest authority here and Lord Enji was in the precarious situation of his own daughter being little better than a hostage in the hands of the slighted king.

She shouldn't have feared approaching the double doors or trembled at the soldiers Tenya had commanded to their sides hanging so close; they were to protect her, not to frighten her, but it felt as though she was walking casually into the belly of an untamable beast.

When the doors opened Momo choked. Even in the dead of night, nobles rushed from their chambers and soldiers from their posts to witness the approach of royalty. And well they should; it had been many years since the Yagi family had graced Tarlson with its presence and she could feel every one of those years weighing in full judgment from the score of eyes. It was to be expected to have an audience such as this for such an occasion, but this was far more ears that she had anticipated to hear what she needed to say to the Lord.

Tenya led the march up the long hall, earning it's name of "Grand" by size alone. She kept her shoulders up and squared with the lifted chin of a proud noble despite her attire still that of a servant. It was obvious her appearance had created a stir among them, but there could be no question of her identity either way.

They stopped before a raised platform with a single, grandiose seat, occupied by the largest man Momo had ever seen. He was a pillar of muscle, topped with hair like flames, and intense blue eyes that were severely cutting on their own even without the brutal scars across his face and down his hands. The Lord was a man who had seen war, had stood in the fray and withstood its blows without a flinch; she immediately understood why he was so feared.

Beside the Lord stood a younger man with a similar face, but not nearly as large or as battleworn; there were scars and a certain hardened look in his eye, but it didn't have the years of Lord Enji's. Other than that he looked strangely like Fuyumi, but without the speckled flecks of red in the white of his hair or the gentle delicacy of her nature. There was no doubt to Momo that he was Fuyumi's brother, the one Momo's father had refused to marry her to; Lord Commander Natsuo.

Tenya stepped aside to introduce the Princess to the Lord and the gathered people and Momo suddenly understood why Fuyumi had seemed so uncomfortable when she had first arrived in the Capitol. There was nothing pleasant about standing before the judging eyes of nobles or the feeling of being displayed when she was looking for a private audience.

"Lord Enji, I present Princess Momo Yagi, First and Last daughter of King Toshinori, Heir to the Gaethan throne."

Momo stepped forward at her introduction and confidently gave a small curtsey without dipping her head at all, meeting his heated gaze head on. A show of respect, but never admitting the man to be above her.

"Welcome," the younger Lord, Natsuo, gave her an unaffected nod, "We are honored by your presence in Tarlson."

Enji lifted his chin and turned his eyes from the Princess to Commander Tenya without even acknowledging her, which both offended and relieved her at once that his eyes were no longer lingering on her.

"Why have you returned Commander?" Lord Enji's voice boomed and shook what little stability was left in Momo, "You were tasked to stay by my daughter's side and yet you are here and she is not."

Tenya's head dropped, body stiffening as he bowed the upper half of his body forward.

"I take full responsibility for abandoning my post, My Lord," he said confidently, "But we have come with an urgent warning or an impending threat and of accusations to the honor of the Todoroki name. I left only at the request of her Highness to guide her here safely and with even further behest from Lady Fuyumi herself."

"Your orders do not come from Fuyumi, but me," Enji glared, "You are bound to my word alone when I have given you an assignment, Commander!"

Teny's face was reddened and there was some panic rising in his shoulders. Rage crept up Momo's throat at the sight.

"And your order means nothing in the Capitol, Lord Enji," Momo barked with more confidence than she actually had, "No one else could be trusted."

"He is not your soldier, Highness," Enji turned those eyes back to her and she quaked up her legs, "What is the power of a Lord if he cannot command his own people?"

"What is the power of the throne if it cannot usurp that command when the need arises?" Momo shot back as quickly as his sentence ended, "You govern your own lands, not the Capitol and not Gaetha, Lord. You waste valuable time bantering the quandary of a man serving his future queen rightfully while a true threat lingers.

"What threat is that?" Lord Natsuo's head dipped to the side, eying Momo with an uncomfortable emptiness.

Tenya turned his eyes up at Momo, stuck in his bow until they were finished debating his right and wrong and nodded for her to speak.

Speech was momentarily forgotten and a wife pause filled the space as Momo realized she would have to speak on what had happened those three nights ago. Her hands felt clammy and every bit of fabric on her body seemed to hug wrong, but she knew better than to fidget or to stay silent too long.

"There was an attempted murder three nights ago," Momo struggled to keep her voice clear, "The attempt was on my very own life and the act was from a Mage… A Mage from Tarlson, from your very Keep."

A muttered gasp overtook the crowd and Enji leaned forward in his seat now, brows knitted together.

"When he was captured he stated that you had sent him, that my attempted assassination was by your order," Momo continued to the ever rising outrage of the nobles and the tighter confusion of the younger Lord, "Commander Tenya identified him and confirmed that was who he said he was, but that you would never lower yourself to such a demeaning and dishonorable act. I believe him, Lord Enji and I do not believe for a moment that a proud warrior such as yourself would stoop to the conniving and disgusting act of murder in the night."

Momo locked her knees to keep from scurrying back when Enji shot to his feet.

"And the King?" The suspicion in his voice told Momo that he was already ahead of what she had told him so far.

She and Tenya both paled and the Commander looked even less inclined to move with his stiff position.

"The king…" Momo began and hesitated, knowing it foolish to do so, but finding it hard not to gauge the faces around her while she spoke, "My father did not believe Commander Tenya nor Lady Fuyumi's attempts to defend you. He is enraged, Lord Enji, it has blinded his sense. It is love and passion that drives him, but he will not hear reason from me or anyone else! You must speak with him, reason with him before blood is spilled over this misunderstanding."

Another quiet gap filled the room as this news settled into each shocked face. Enji's was perhaps the most stricken and twisted and so unlike the proud, unaffected expression that had greeted her approach. But it turned quickly to a bitter anger and the Lord bared his teeth around his words when he spoke next.

"Toshinori intends to attack me?"

"No!" Momo rushed to say and then stuttered, "I mean, yes, but it is not-"

"Does the king ride to Tarlson to fight me or not, Your Highness?" The way he said her title felt threatening.

"He could not be dissuaded," Tenya explained, "He seeks immediate vengeance. He and his armies left before us, My Lord, we nearly expected to approach an ongoing fight when we arrived."

"There has been no sighting of any army," Lord Natsuo frowned, thoughtfully, "They would be approaching through the Pass, that's the most direct path for a marching army." He became suddenly alert, urgency overtaking thoughtfulness, "The Pass Outpost has been silent these last days. If they attacked with stealth and disable our means of communication first, they could have already taken a foothold in Tarlson without us knowing it."

"Natsuo, make preparations for battle," Enji's response was swift, "I want your men ready to ride to the Pass within the hour.."

"My Lord!" Momo barked loud enough to get the much larger man's attention, "I beg of you, do not ride to meet my father in battle! Let us parle with him together and dismiss this horrible business before it begins. We need only speak reasonably with him..."

Enji's only acknowledgement that she had spoken was a glaring glance, before continuing to pass his orders to the Lord Commander who was even then directing his lieutenant to prepare the troops.

Rage boiled up in Momo's chest as she stomped a severe pace towards the Lord, the act of a fearless woman, but the reality merely desperation. "Do not ignore me!" she shouted, "I am your future queen and you will show me due respect when I speak to you."

The room went ice cold as a hushed murmur passed over the gathered nobles. Even Tenya gave her a fearful look as Enji turned slowly back to her. But before the Lord could offer rebuttal they were disrupted by the echoing entrance of a proud headed military Commander hurrying into the room. Tenya straightened when he saw him and stepped forward to meet the man halfway and grip his arm.

They had nearly the same face, differentiated by not much more than age and they embraced very quickly in familiarity. As soon as the short greeting broke the new arrival gave almost startled attention towards the Princess as if just realizing that he had passed over acknowledging the future queen herself to embrace his fellow Tarlson Commander.

"Tenya why have you returned?" the Commander asked, but Natsuo was quick and harsh in cutting them off.

"Commanders, this is not the time for reunion. We must make ready for battle immediately, the King marches on us and we must ride to protect the Pass."

Confusion and then tangible nothing swept across the new Commander's face in a manner of seconds, followed by an address to Momo directly. "Is this true, your highness?"

Momo tore her gaze away from the intensity that Enji commanded to give a curt defense. "Yes, but there is no call for you to engage in battle with him. This can be resolved if you would only listen to me and go with me to speak with him..."

"And Lady Fuyumi, what has become of her?" the Commander asked quite loudly, hushing over the audience and diverting Momo's request yet again.

Enji's eyes narrowed on the princess. "Yes, your highness, what has become of the daughter I left in your family's care?"

"My Lord, Princess Momo has vouched again and again for her safety," Tenya offered, "The King will do nothing to harm her."

"You are not at her side, how can you know that, Commander?" Natsuo tilted his head with crossed arms at Tenya, "How can you actually assure her safety when you stand here, miles away?"

It was the same attack as before and with its return, the shameful look he had sported before returned in haste. His head dropped once more and his cheeks flushed, internally agonizing over the already difficult decision to abandon his duty and bring Momo here. And Momo's face came to the same shade, but in rage.

"May my own life be forfeit if I have lied about her safety!" Momo shouted, cheeks inflamed, "He knows her to be safe because he trusts me as you should! I am here as much to protect her as anything! You have made her a part of my family, but I can only do so much against the wrath of my father if you do not meet him on neutral ground and prove you have not slighted him!"

Enji threw out a hand and scoffed, "Spoken like a child. The offense it takes to make a King ride to war on his own Lords is not something that can be brushed away with a few pretty words. If he has attacked our outpost then the time for talking is over. He brings his army to fight without so much as verifying these claims and you expect me to believe he was not looking for an excuse to do this? I don't doubt your intentions, Highness, but the King looks for a fight and we will damn well give it to him."

A lead feeling dropped from her chest to her toes at the booming words and Momo choked on any attempt at an argument, cut off by Enji putting his back to her once again.

"Tensei go with Natsuo and gather your men for a battle, you will ride to the Pass Outpost and defend against whatever lies there," Enji scowled, "Tenya you will remain here to watch after the Princess as you have already been doing-"

"I will not sit idly by while you speak of harming the King so openly!" she practically screamed when her voice finally got out. She stomped forcefully forward, getting closer to Enji than his guards were comfortable with. Hands took her arms and grounded her immovable as she shouted with deepest offense, "Unhand me!"

"My Lord, please listen to Princess Momo," Tenya tried to reason with him urgently, "If there is a chance to settle this peaceably, should we not at least-"

The entire tense, uncomfortable, hectic situation came to a screeching halt with the crashing echo of the chamber doors throwing inward. Harsh words fell silent as all eyes tracked up the hall to its wide flung double doors and a new sense of confusion went through the audience.

A muck covered pair of soldiers accompanied by Keep Guards were escorted inside and all the nobles stepped back at the sight, obviously disgusted and fearing for the mud to stain their nice clothes. But Momo didn't shirk away and the guards that had held her back before, didn't stop her from getting ever closer.

One was a Tarlson Lieutenant, soiled by the mud covered road, but the other, who the Lieutenant practically held on his feet every step, was no soldier of Tarlson, but a King's Guard, battered and mucked with more than just the mud of the road. Everyone recognized the bit of clean armor that could be seen, but Momo knew the face and the Guards didn't stop her from pulling free to step closer to the Corporal she knew to be one of the King's Flagbearers.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Lord barked at the interruption.

"My Lord," the Lieutenant reported, breathless, "This man rushed into our camp and collapsed from his horse from many wounds and demanded to be brought to you immediately."

"Who is this?" Enji opened a hand at them, the clarity of the situation hard to see under the layers of mud.

The Corporal's head lifted weakly and he blinked against mud, seeing first the Princess standing but a few feet away.

"You-your highness," he sputtered and then coughed viciously, gripping his arm around his gut with a groan, "It is a comfort to see your face."

His name came to her once he spoke and her heart squeezed hard in her chest. This man was a friend of Togata, someone he had guided through the last few years, who he had brought up from a fearful recruit to an honorable and bold soldier.

She turned to the Lord on behalf of the Corporal and spoke clearly, despite the wad in her throat, "This is Genry, Corporal in the King's Guard, he was with my father when they left the castle…"

Momo turned back stricken eyes to his mud covered face and saw his head drop and legs shudder under him, already coming to fearful conclusions in her own mind as to what would bring him here.

"My Lord," The Lieutenant's voice was filled with desperation, "He came from the Pass…"

"The King has attacked our Outpost and sends a messenger to rub it in my face?" Enji's voice was like a crack of thunder.

The Lieutenant was taken aback and gaped at the Corporal. "Is this true?"

Corporal Genry took a breath to speak and started coughing and groaning instead, his feet giving out and his knees hitting the floor. The shock and horror and confusion left Momo spinning back and forth looking for a way to explain or lessen the hostile environment that was steadily getting more out of her hands.

Luckily, she was spared making excuses and explanations by the complete brashness of a military clad man pushing through the crowd as if he alone commanded the room. He was out of place and reeled Momo into further confusion to recognize the uniform as a Dawnfelden Captain's armor. There was great offense at his lack of decorum, but no one stopped him either, though the man that followed him from the crowd seemed more than displeased with him; a man who stood out so oddly from his Synod Master Robes to his two toned hair that, had the Captain not been so distracting, she may have been lost in a confused stare on him for a good minute. The sentiment was not hers alone. She didn't miss the elongated stare of Lord Enji turning sour of the Mage's face before the focus returned pointedly to the Captain's uncouth behavior.

"Captain, what are you-" Natsuo tried to snap at him, but the man went right up to the Corporal Genry, slumping beside the Lieutenant, and dropped to a crouch.

"That's not what happened," The Dawnfelden Captain corrected, helping the Lieutenant prop the man up as he unbuckled his chestplate and lifted his shirt to reveal the wounds clearly. They bled profusely and went across his sternum like claws while other marks appeared to be burns and others were simply inexplicable.

Momo gagged and turned her face away.

"Captain Katsuki, you have not been granted audience in this court, let alone-" Natsuo tried again, but the Captain was louder than him and cut him off as though their ranks were reversed.

"These wounds weren't made by Tarlson soldiers. This is Ether magic and undead work."

The panic in the room heightened and Momo's disgust was immediately replaced by a horrified curiosity. All eyes now turned to the gruesome wounds.

"Are you certain of this?" Enji looked the Captain over.

The Captain very viciously pointed to his uniform and looked at the Lord as though he were an idiot. "No, I wear this uniform for fun. Trust a damn Dawnfelden to know a demon attack… My Lord."

Natsuo looked ready to explode, but Enji looked legitimately disturbed for the first time since Momo had met him. Commander Tensei seemed the most ready to believe and moved to inspect the wounds himself, Genry barely holding onto consciousness. He touched the wounds and his brow twisted in horror before he looked to the Mage that had followed the Captain.

"Master Shoto?"

The Mage suddenly had everyone's attention and the shift in his stance said it was the last thing he wanted, but he answered quickly and clearly, "He's correct. This was not done by man."

Genry went entirely limp and Katsuki barely caught his collapsing body. Tensei shouted through the hall for a healer to be brought immediately while Katsuki and the Lieutenant lowered Genry to the floor.

Enji looked to Natsuo and frowned, but the younger Lord was starched.

"As much as it pains me to say, I trust what they are saying," Natsuo vouched, "They have fought at Demon's Rise."

Genry was not entirely unconscious yet and Katsuki threw up a hand to silence them when the Corporal's eyes rolled back open. In the panic of the moment, Momo rushed to his side and dropped beside him, terrified about what any of this meant and desperate to hear what Genry would say.

"Genry!" she said his name, "My father, what of him? Please, what has become of the King and his army?"

The Captain kneeling on the other side of the fallen man stared at the princess and, though she looked only to the man barely clinging to life, she could feel how intent his stare was, how his harsh thoughts seemed to permeate the air without being spoken.

Genry choked, a pained tear cutting the dirt on his face as he coughed a spurt of blood into his hand.

"Do not push him, he needs to save his strength," Tenya said as he and Tensei stood together over them, every worry known to man on his face.

"He's going to die," The Captain turned his red gaze to the two Commanders, "There's no need to save strength."

Tenya scowled harshly as the man continued to cough and cry out. "You cannot say-"

Tensei's hand went to Tenya's shoulder and quieted his argument, then nodded to the Captain.

Momo was in a fit of panicked tears. "Genry, please hold on. Please tell me what has happened!"

Genry's eyes began to roll back and his hand slid from his mouth like it had simply lost the strength to stay there, but Captain Katsuki grabbed him by the shirtfront and shook him back to the present where he sputtered in pain again.

"Your King gave you a mission, soldier!" The Captain demanded, "Don't fucking croak before you finished it!"

Momo gaped in horror at the actions of the Captain towards a man with so little life left in him, but somehow the Captain's words surged energy into his expression and Genry grit his teeth through the pain and tears to speak.

"We expected to meet the Tarlson army...not… not… We were unprepared and the King… the Commander… Everyone. They fight for their lives at the Pass… Demons...Undead… and a powerful Mage...Please, Captain...The King needs aid!"

Katsuki turned up a demanding stare to Tensei and Tenya and both looked immediately to their Lords for direction. Momo followed suit, her prideful demands gone, now filled with only a fear stricken plea.

"My Lord," she sobbed, "I beg of you… Please, help your King! Do not let him fall to the Ether!"

The room fell to the longest, crispest silence Momo had ever felt. Enji was visibly affected, but there was no telling in what way that was. It took a few mere moments, but the shock dissipated and suddenly Enji and Natsuo were both filled with an intensity Momo had rarely seen among men of noble birth.

"Hurry to gather your men!" Enji demanded, "No Demon will do my work for me. Commander Tensei, go with him now and ride swiftly. I will follow in daylight." A sweeping gesture went over the hall following those words with a demanding bellow that sent the nobles scrambling. "The rest of you leave! This audience is over!"

Commander Tensei and Natsuo bowed and moved to leave as the Corporal was set back to the ground more gently than Momo might have expected from the harsh Captain. As he seemed to follow them, though the Captain had his attention on Momo, the intensity of his stare was enough to make royalty feel overpowered.

"He's your guard, Your Highness," Katsuki whispered as he started to rise, "See that his death is comfortable. It's the least you can do."

Momo's tearful expression turned confused on him and then sympathetic to the Corporal who had slipped from consciousness again.

"I must go with them!" she cried out, shaking her head to what Katsuki had said, "My father is in danger I must-"

"I called you foolish before and I was correct!" Enji bellowed and the Commanders hesitated, "There is no place for a young girl on the battlefield, no matter what royal blood flows through her… not against a foe such as this. Tenya," he barked, "My order stands. Continue to look after the Princess and keep her from harm."

There was no chance to keep that particular argument going with the Captain moving around between where Enji stood and the Princess knelt.

"We're going with the Lord Commander," Katsuki demanded as the Mage who had accompanied him stepped forward as well.

The Lord gave the slightest hesitance at the approach of the Mage, his stare bitter, but he didn't get distracted for more than a few seconds. "Then go, Dawnfelden, be ready to ride at the Lord Commander's order."

A nod came from both the Mage and the Captain and then both offered a brief bow to the distracted Princess before rushing after Natsuo and Tensei.

"Lord Enji, I cannot-"

"Silence," Enji snapped at Momo, "I will have the healers see to the Corporal, but I will not abide the idiotic demands of a child in my own home. You will not leave this Keep until I say so."

The healer and his aids had come while Enji spoke and gathered around Genry as Tenya helped Momo back to her feet.

"Am I your prisoner then?" Momo choked.

Enji narrowed his eyes at the emotionally distraught girl. "No more than my daughter is your father's prisoner."

The next heartbeat came too slowly and the room didn't seem to exist for another solid beat. She had no chance for rebuttal as Enji had already moved on and ordered Tenya to take Momo away and go with the healers.

She could only shiver at the guidance of Tenya's hand on her arm.

Fuyumi was not their prisoner… she wasn't. But by every written definition she was. So that meant Momo was too. She could not demand to leave, could not rush to her father when he was in need. Enji would not hear her. Her words fell on deaf ears just like they always did. The harshest reality that burned like an iron in her chest was simply that her royal blood and even her right to the throne had not given her a voice. She should have all the power in Gaetha and for the last few days she had been nothing but powerless.

Her father was in mortal danger and the Capitol still believed Enji had tried to have her killed and she had done nothing to change that… For all her effort, these stubborn old men remained stubborn and an entirely new danger had swept in to make the squabble over who had tried to kill her seem so small.

"Tenya, you have to help me," she sobbed quietly as he pulled her along, "You have to get me out of here."

"No," he shook his head, "Lord Enji is correct. You are in danger outside of these walls. My brother and Lord Natsuo are the best at what they do. They will help the King."

A whimper slipped past her lip, a sound of desperation and fear, of so much that she cared about being so far from her ability to affect.

"And the Captain is right," Tenya added in a pained whisper, "You must see to Genry. He gave his life to bring this news to us. You must honor him, stay by his side for as long as you can."

She blinked tearily at the healers ahead of them who carried his limp body and she could only think of Togata, how his heart would be broken to see a life he had so influenced come to such an end. With that thought alone she stopped resisting and even sped ahead of Tenya to follow them, to stay with him to the last or until she could wriggle free from Lord Enji; until she could go to her father herself.

The Captain was right. She owed Genry this much at least.