Why?
This is my fanfic. I do not own Daine... (that sounded etchi) and I do not own any other of Tamora Pierce-sama's characters, but I do own mine.
Steal them and the wolves of the Dutch house will eat you.
Domo!
The red haired man slashed claws across the well-formed girl. She did not flinch, not as the claws scratched down her cheek, not when the blood dripped, not when the wounds healed, instantly. She only glanced to the sobbing figure who lay on the ground, face buried in long thin hands.
"Tir!" the standing girl shouted, barrelling down on the man. She threw him to the ground easily, despite his weight, and pointed menacingly in his face. "Lyna-sama's crying and you dare attack *me*?" She snarled as he tried to stand, smashing her foot across his cheekbones. A satisfying crack alerted her that she had broken his jaw. As he fingered his chin, feeling it heal, he glared at her.
"I am fine, really," the sobbing figure said, standing. Slanted eyes glinted silver blue, and full red lips smiled weakly. "Come. We will find him."
"Lyna-sama," the man said, cracking his jaw as he did the same to his fingers. "We should wait. Ryn left with the child, and now he is missing. We should wait for him to return-"
"Ryn is not returning," the figure replied. Long black hair that gleamed silver in the moonlight swept into the figure's round, perfectly symetrical face. The figure ran one pale finger down a long straight nose. "Ryn was to stay with him if he found him. That is why I instructed Ryn to take the child with him. It will calm him to see his son."
Tir and the girl, Rit, glanced at each other. "Are you alright?" Rit asked, approaching the figure.
Cold eyes assaulted the girl, who stepped back, surprised and afraid. "I am fine. Come. We will go to him."
"You know where he is?"
"Of course. I am not his soulmate for nothing." The figure tossed the straight hair out of the cold eyes, and broke through the trees, stiffly. Tir and Rit exchanged glances again, then followed quickly.
O.o
Once Ryn had calmed Jystyn enough, the two sat in silence, watching the year-and-half child bump along on the floor. Whenever the baby boy would fall, he would stand quickly, and run to his winged father, who picked him up. Jystyn caressed the tiny useless wings on his son's back, looking at Ryn.
"He resembles you greatly," Ryn whispered.
Jystyn did not respond, instead brushing his fingers through the baby's whispy golden hair. Four streaks of copper tainted the perfect gold. "His eyes resembles his mother's."
Ryn looked away. "Do you miss her?" he whispered after a moment.
The father closed his young eyes. "She is dead. We were never married. It was one night, and..." his eyes opened, taking in the now-sleeping baby. "Mystryk is her gift to me. I owe her much."
"She was beautiful."
"She was not my soul. Lyna-sama is my soul."
Ryn was silent. He stood, going to the window. "They're out in the forest."
"You mentioned that."
"They're worried for you." He turned, watching Jystyn carefully. The boy's eyes were lowered, his back hunched, the wings tense. Ryn continued, "We came together. But you... You were not with us. We thought you dead, or worse."
"Worse?"
Ryn sighed, returning to his chair. "You remember the spell you cast to bring us here. This place was random, completely. We thought, since you were separated from us, perhaps you had..."
"Gone to another world?" Jystyn laughed. "How my friends have such little faith in me..."
"Lyna-sama never believed it for a moment. Lyna-sama always knew you were alive. Always."
"That is why Lyna-sama is my soul."
"Tir and Rit were also worried. Rit wanted to come with me-"
"But she did not. Is it because you two are together?"
Ryn sighed. "We thought it would not be wise. Besides, a man with a child would be more trusted than a couple with a child."
"How so?"
"It only takes one to care for one Mystryk's age."
Jystyn laughed, fully and loudly. "Ah, my friend, you obviously do not remember well..." His eyes saddened again, he glanced at the child in his lap.
"Are you tired?"
Jystyn nodded without speaking. Ryn took the child from him, leading him to the bed. As the boy lay down, on his side, wings extended and leaning, Ryn placed the child in the father's arms. Together, they slept.
O.o
The three walked, through the forest, easily, their woodland training in use. The leader was the figure, black hair streaming behind, slight form darting between trees and under low branches. The others, both stronger and heavier than the first, had a harder time navigating the pathless forest.
"There," the leader said, pointing to the castle, some distance away.
"How will we approach?" Rit asked, in a whisper.
"How else? Magick..." The figure gestured slightly, and a bubble of grey light surrounded them. "We will spend the rest of the night here. In the morning, we shall call either the griffons or the eaters-"
"The Eaters? Is that wise?"
"They owe Jystyn a favor. They will not refuse me."
The other two were silent as the leader curled up, already asleep.