So, I came up with several prompts for this fandom, and I decided to convert one into an actual story. This is my first time writing something for this fandom, so please (politely) let me know if there's something that I can improve.

A/N: This story is set after Season 1 of the anime and is canon divergent to Season 2.

Keith woke up with a groan as he cracked his eyes open, his head feeling fuzzy as his eyes tried to adjust to the partial darkness around him. Finally, his gaze focused, and he began to look around wherever he was. It appeared to be the inside of a warehouse, like the ones found on ports to store the goods brought in by ships. He could even hear sounds that indicated that he was near the ocean coming from outside. The warehouse's interior was partially illuminated by small oil lamps, though the light was enough to allow Keith to see that the warehouse was filled with crates and barrels stacked as high as the ceiling. Why was he here?

The last thing that Keith remembered was that he and Katarina were on a shopping trip in town and-

Katarina!

Keith attempted to jump to his feet but found himself unable to, and that's when he realized that his wrists and ankles were tied up, his arms bound behind his back; also, his magic felt unnaturally subdued. Frantically, he looked around and saw Katarina slumped nearby, unconscious and tied up similarly to him.

Relief flooded Keith's body as he saw that, besides being unconscious, his sister seemed unharmed.

"Sister!" he called quietly but urgently, trying to rouse her. "Wake up!"

"Hmm," Katarina groaned as she groggily woke up. "Keith, what's wrong? Huh? Where are we?" She asked, looking around in confusion, then noticed her bound wrists and ankles. "Why are we tied up?!"

Keith opened his mouth to reassure his sister or tell her to calm down when the sound of approaching footsteps made the siblings turn towards the sound.

A thuggish man stepped into the light cast by the nearest lamp; he was tall and muscular, his face scared and unshaven, and clothes that looked like they had seen better days. His rough face twisted into a cruel smirk at seeing the Duke's children awake.

"Well, look who has finally woken up. I hope that you are comfortable."

Keith glared, shifting his body so that it was between the thug and his sister.

Keith's glare didn't face the thug. In fact, he looked amused, judging by how his smirk widened. "I bet that you're wondering why you're here?"

"You are going to ransom us," Katarina said calmly, her earlier panic seeming to have vanished. She stared at the thug with a serious expression on her face, the slight furrowing of her brows combined with her slanted eyes making her blue gaze much more piercing. "That's usually the reason why people like us would be kidnapped."

One of the thug's eyebrows rose in dull interest. "Well, it seems that you are a bit smarter than what the rumors said, Lady Claes." He chuckled. "Yes, we want to demand a ransom from Duke Claes. However, you're wrong about one thing."

Katarina and Keith were confused, wondering what he meant.

"You see," he growled, looming over them with an almost hungry grin. "We're only ransoming one of you while keeping the other one for ourselves."

The siblings were horrified at what he said, and the thug's grin widened, pleased by the fear in their faces. He turned to leave, then looked back at them to give some last words.

"And as for how we'll decide who gets to go home, well…" he chuckles darkly. "That depends on which one of you your parents want back the most."

And with that said, the man walked away, leaving the horrified siblings alone once more.

Prince Gerald was concerned.

Katarina and Keith had gone out on a shopping trip to Magus Town earlier that day, but it was getting late, and the Claes siblings had not returned yet.

He was not the only one worried.

Alan paced around the room, unable to sit still while Maria tried to do her work but was just absently doodling on a piece of paper. Sophia sat next to Nicol, who had come over for a visit, the siblings trying to do some small talk to relieve the tension, unsuccessfully. Mary had already given into anxiety and was tapping her fingers nervously while staring at the door as if hoping that their missing friends (especially Katarina) would appear at any moment.

Gerald himself also tried to focus on his work, burying his growing unease by thinking rationally.

'They're fine, she's fine. They are only late cause Katarina got distracted by something she found interesting and dragged Keith along. I bet that they're already on their way back. She's fine. Keith is with her, and he can protect her.'

His thoughts were interrupted by loud and frantic knocking coming from the door. Startled, Gerald got up from his seat and walked over to open the door. The prince was surprised to see David Graham, the driver assigned to Katarina and Keith, standing there. That surprise turned into dread when he saw the frantic look on the man's face.

Still, he needed to remain composed, so he buried his fear and addressed the driver. "Mister Graham, what seems to be the problem?"

"Lord Keith and Lady Katarina are missing!"

And the buried fear returned with a vengeance.

That evening found Duke Luigi and Duchess Millidiana in the sitting room, relaxing after a long and exhausting day of work in running the Claes Duchy. A maid had brought them tea earlier, and they were now happily enjoying it as well as each other's company while talking about how their work/day was.

"So how are things with the textile holdings, dear?" inquired Luigi to his wife with a smile while sipping his tea.

"Things have been going well," Millidiana smiled back. "The new silk that we imported from the east has been an enormous success," she took a sip from her tea. "Clothing made out of it has been widely popular amongst the noble ladies, and even the Queen herself has ordered some dresses made out of it." Milli's smile widened at that.

"That's good to hear," said Luigi, happy for his wife. The Queen's endorsement held much weight, so receiving it guaranteed that their products would dominate the market.

They looked up when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," called the Duke, and the door opened to reveal their butler, Leonard - though Katarina liked to call him Sebastian, for some reason. "What is it, Leonard?"

"Master, Madam," greeted Leonard with a bow. "A letter arrived addressed to you and the Duchess." He then presented the letter to the Duke.

Luigi raised an eyebrow in confusion as he took the letter, wondering who could be writing to him at this hour. Curiosity turned to suspicion when he saw that the envelope didn't have a return address or any other hint of who had sent it. Cautiously, he opened the envelope and began reading the letter.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he read the contents, his face turning white as well.

"Luigi, what is it?" Millidiana asked frantically, startled by the terrified expression growing on her husband's face. Leonard also looked concerned at what had caused his master to look so frightened.

Swallowing thickly, Luigi looked at his wife. "Millie," he began, then hesitated for a second before steeling himself and saying. "Keith and Katarina have been kidnapped."

SHATTER!

Pieces of fine porcelain that was once a teacup scattered, and hot tea spilled on the carpet, but Millidiana paid them no heed as she stood up from her seat and stared at her husband in horror. "W-What?" she stuttered in a whisper.

Luigi swallowed again and nodded, handing the letter to her.

Millidiana snatched it from his hand, almost tearing it, and began to read frantically. Her eyes increasingly widened as they took in the horrible words written on that paper.

⁕

To Duke Luigi Claes,

We have taken your son and daughter.

You likely expect us to demand a hefty sum for their safe return, and you're somewhat correct.

You see, we only intend to return one of your children while keeping the other one for us to do as we please.

We will allow you and your wife to decide which one of your children you want to be returned to you as a show of kindness.

We'll wait a couple of days for you to decide before we contact you again.

⁕

Millidiana's hands trembled as her mind processed what she had just read. "T-They want us to c-choose- They want us to CHOOSE between them?!" the letter slipped from her nerveless finger, fluttering to the floor.

Luigi nodded with a serious look, then rushed to catch his wife when her knees gave out, gently lowering her back on the sofa and wrapping his arms around her.

"H-How could they think of asking us to do such a thing?" cried Millidiana as she buried her face into her husband's chest.

Luigi held his wife tightly, one hand gently brushing her hair to comfort her, and silently agreed with her. Whoever was that had taken Katarina and Keith had to be the worst of scum if they were expecting that Luigi and Milli would even consider choosing between their children.

Luigi considered himself an easygoing and somewhat goofy man (something that his daughter had inherited), and it was rare for him to get upset.

Unless his family was concerned.

These scumbags had taken both of his children, demanded that he choose between them, and caused his wife to cry in distress. Now, Luigi could feel the rage boiling within himself, ready to burn whoever had incurred his wrath.

"Leonard," he growled, eyes narrowed in rage. "Have a coach be prepared to take us to the Magic Ministry."

Leonard had been frozen in shock after hearing that the young master and miss had been kidnapped, but the Duke's order quickly made him snap into attention. "Yes, sir, I'll do it at once," he hurried out the door.

"Luigi?" sniffed Millidiana, lifting her head to look at him questioningly, her eyes red from crying.

The rage momentarily receded from Luigi's eyes as he looked down at his wife. "It'll be alright, Milli," he smiled reassuringly. "We'll get them back, both of them, I promise."

And whoever had dared to take them WILL pay!

A shout-out to my friend Cornerverse (look for them on Archive Of Our Own) for giving me advice and constructive criticism while a wrote this chapter.

So, I only write when I have time, inspiration, and motivation, so this story might take a while to update.