::Matters More Than Heart::

Disclaimer: HAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! Wait. You're telling me I'm not in the Land of Pink Laughing Idiots?

A/N: Dale's not going to be very happy in this chapter, as most people would have guessed.

*

Daleria wrenched her arm out of Glamoren's arm the minute he laxed his grasp, which was after he had got some sentries to lock and bolt it. He look she shot him was enough to murder, and her paw strayed close to sabre out of reflex. Glamoren looked very, very upset. He looked down to his paw, which held Rapieratce's rapier. The look of the blade was enough to make his stomach drop a few feet down. Daleria was beyond the point of screaming at him, her own emotions were boiling overtime, and the look on her face was enough to make almost anybeast take a step back. Glamoren resisted the urge to do so. Slowly, he knelt down, still looking up at Daleria, and laid Rapieratce's blade on the ground, the sheath making a slight scratching sound on the stone floor, stood up slowly, took a deep breath, then backed off and went up to report, nearly running. Daleria looked down at the blade, the entire leather sheath that looked as if it had been used for nearly forever yet somehow maintained it's mint condition status, the usual thing that she saw the moment Rapieratce appeared every day, bit back her emotions, then snatched it up without second thought and bounded up after him.

*

Rapieratce groaned in pain as he felt somebeast grab him by his scruff and drag him back. Feverishly hoping that Daleria had got clear of the danger, he stoned his face and prepared himself for the worse that could happen. Which, in his opinion, could be very bad indeed. Praying he would get out of the affair, he closed up all other emotions. Seppak the Black's face appeared in his line of sight, sneering. The fox's malicious eyes scanned his face as if ransacking for a memory, then smiled in an extremely unsettling way that made the fur on Rapieratce's neck rise, but he kept his thinking straight and refused to talk, keeping his face completely blank. The fox spoke.

'Well. Isn't this the captain that I saw the last time this happened? Close friend of Daleria's aren't you? You shall be useful. Let's see how much you can take, or maybe how much Daleria can take seeing you in trouble. I doubt she would take very long, unless she is as cold hearted as I hear her to be.'

Rapieratce sent him a cold glare that made his eyes turn nearly a light shade of emerald.

*

Daleria did not even bother to knock on the door. It was not that see needed to in the first place, seeing that it was thrown open and the badger lady could be seen to be in council with Remora and Longrunn. Glamoren was not there yet. Daleria had overtaken him by far on the way up, and now she was standing in the doorway, motionless, and just looking at the badger lady. Consellariel looked up, and a wave of relief seemed to pass over her, but that was soon replaced when she saw what was in the captain's paw. Talking as if in doubt or unsure, she spoke tentatively.

'Captain. I see you have returned safely, thank heavens for that. What it that in your paw, though?'

Daleria lifted the sheath weakly. Longrunn's face hardened, and Remora paled. Consellariel looked unbelieving. The captain refused to speak. The atmosphere stayed that way for a moment as the three in front of her tried to grasp the situation while Daleria bit back her emotions. The silence lasted for a few more minutes before anybeast made a movement. Hoarsely, the badger managed to return to her senses and said,

'Rapieratce? Glamoren?'

Daleria mentioned behind her shoulder by tilting her head, motioning towards to the running Glamoren who had appeared up the stair well, but did not speak. Her face was hard, as if she was putting up some kind of block. Glamoren came in. The badger lady, knowing that she would not be getting much more out of the captain, asked instead the major. Glamoren pointed weakly out the forge window. Everybeast moved to see. Daleria paled even more when she looked out. Rapieratce, arrow still in his shoulder, was being interrogated by Seppak, and it did not look as if it was going well when Seppak threw him to one of his captains and got him bound. Glamoren swore under his breath. Consellariel finally spoke.

'Major, get all officers up here right now. This is an emergency.'

*

Rapieratce knew that he was in serious trouble. For some reason, Seppak had refused to let him remove the arrow, and now it was hurting madly, especially since he was forced to turn his arm around to be bound, and the joint had moved resulting in an immense bout of paint in his left shoulder. It was not going to paralyse by any means, since it had pierced only flesh and nor any major part, but it still hurt like there was going to be no tomorrow, which Rapieratce was only too aware that might be the case. Intensely hoping the end would come fast if it did, he bit his lip against the pain and willed himself to hold out as the pain spread all over, excruciating, and blood trickled all the way down straight towards his paw. His tunic was beyond ripped now, but at least he did not have his rapier on him. He did not want his most prized possession anywhere near the foxes unless it was going to do some beheading, and was going to keep it that way if he had a choice. The colonel was forced into a small clearing between the foxes, where the five hostages were. Tehora paled visibly at the sight, as did all the others. Rapieratce smiled weakly up at them from his position on the ground, unable to move due to his shoulder..

'You chapesses all right?'

*

Daleria stood there trembling in her seat. Right then she did not want to comprehend what was happening, and she was in a very blank state of mind. Her brian was refusing to accept what was going on. It was not happening.

No... Not him, not now. It can't be happening. It's just a bad nightmare.

Wake up Dale... You can't keep on thinking that. You can't help him doing this...

No... Not... Why... Again... The same thing... Loosing another friend... No... Not again... Not again... Not again... Not again...

Consellariel looked over to her in concern.

'Daleria?'

The captain shook herself awake with a startle. Blinking in weird manner, she look up.

'Sorry marm. It's just...'

'Never mind, Daleria. Right now, all I can say is we can't let you out of the mountain. Not for the colonel, and not for the others. It's far too risky.'

Daleria snapped back into reality.

'What? Exactly why not, marm?'

'Daleria, if I let you anywhere out there, they are going kill you, the others and Rapieratce. If I don't they have to keep them alive, no matter what, or they would be left with nothing. Do you understand?'

Daleria flared up completely, abruptly standing up and pushing her chair away.

'You can't just leave them there, marm!'

Consellariel remained even.

'You have to understand captain. It is the only way.'

'There is always an other way!'

'Not in this case, Daleria, please, try to understand that.'

Daleria sent Consellariel a look of absolute hate. She snarled out her sentence, but was unable to find an appropriate enough phrase to curse with.

'You... Heartless. Absolutely heartless...'

The captain threw Rapieratce's blade onto the table, scattering paper everywhere and shocking the already stunned array of officers, stalked out of the forge and down to her rooms. They could hear the door slam from the forge itself. Consellariel looked at a lost, looking from the blade up to the empty forge corridor. Daleria was not going to be very emotionally stable. And this time, there was no Rapieratce to help her.

*

Daleria lay on her bed in a dazed state, her heart torn completely in two once again and confusion, hate, spite and anger, along with doubt, emotion and hopelessness settled on her like a ocean pressurizing on the sea bed. She was wandering on some other world, where just the road matters, walking, running, walking moving, moving, forward, so simple, going onwards, nothing else, no complications, no deaths of friends, no Seppak, no world, no Daleria, no Clandestine, no Consellariel, just the road that of which she walked. Tears were trailing down her face, but she just lay there staring up at the ceiling, her mind not working at all, just concentrating on that wonderful depressing emotion that would make the world go away and everything else irrelevant. Just the depression... Just the world... Just the raw emotion. Nothing else existed anymore. She did not even hear Longrunn ramming heatedly and shouting to be let in behind her locked door. She was not there. Daleria was not there anymore.

*

A few hours later, at sunrise.

*

'Daleria! DALERIA! Let me in! Right now!'

Daleria had not stopped staring at the ceiling, but somehow, a part of her sanity had returned enough to know that Longrunn was back. She answered in a partially non existent state.

'What is it?'

'Dale? Seppak's out in the open. Rapieratce's with him.'

That was all she needed to hear. Daleria snapped out of her trance, threw the door open and ran down the main stairwell, Longrunn trailing after her. She found Consellariel, Glamoren and Remora at a window in the main chamber. Seppak was not far off. He was near enough so as that they could hear perfectly well what he was saying. He smiled when he saw Daleria appear at the window.

'So the ever elusive captain makes an appearance! Long time, Daleria!'

The captain let out a strangled cry of anger, nearly lurching forward had it not been for Glamoren and Remora holding her back. Seppak only smiled wider.

'Why don't you come out now? You could save him here.'

Seppak mentioned over to Rapieratce, who was standing there, face blank, arrow still in shoulder. Daleria faltered.

'I'm warning you, Daleria, if you don't come out right now...'

Daleria tried to lurch forward again. Glamoren and Remora had to use all their strength to keep the berserk captain under a state of control.

'No? I warned you.'

Seppak suddenly moved forward and ripped the arrow out of the standing Rapieratce's shoulder without warning. Rapieratce, caught off guard, fell, blood running anew from the wound, which had healed slightly overnight, which had just been ripped open again. He let out a slight cry of pain, his green eyes could be seen glazing over as he fought for a desperate control over himself. The pain was like a living creature, working it's way through him, killing him slowly. Seppak kicked him in the ribs. Rapieratce let out a strangled cry, his paws still bound behind him, which only added to the pain as he writhed around trying to loosen them and fight back the destruction that was being wrecked upon him. Daleria tried to get away once again. Seppak only laughed, only kicking Rapieratce harder. The colonel shuddered, his eyes completely glazed over in an eerie transparent white that mixed with his green, which looked incredibly alarming. The fox laughed again, and saw that the colonel was close to the point of passing out. He lifted a small pail.

'See this? Sea water. T'would keep him awake, I reckon.'

The minute the water crashed down on the colonel, Rapieratce jerked back into painful consciousness, beyond the point of verbal exclamations, writhing on the blood soaked sand in agony. Daleria wanted badly to tear her eyes away from the disturbing scene, but something glued her eyes to the picture. Seppak grinned.

'You like this? I have five more waiting.'

Seppak knelt down and talked to the stricken colonel.

'Now, do you think she would give in?'

Rapieratce raised his head even through his pain in outright defiance. Weakly regaining his ability to speak, he coughed out some blood before he was able to talk.

'Dale? You think so? I don't. Never.'

Rapieratce smiled up at Seppak. The fox growled, kicked him harder, and caused Rapieratce to cough out even more blood, breaking three ribs and bringing him another step closer to oblivion. The sea water, however, caused him to be unable to slip into unconsciousness, but in a way it was good. At least he would not be able to get knocked out for a prolonged period of which he might not wake up from for a long time. Dragging Rapieratce upright, he placed his sword at the colonel's neck. Snarling at Daleria, he nicked the top of his chin.

'I'm letting this one live. Do not expect the others to be so fortunate. Oh. And one more thing. The water, I might add, was slightly poisoned with Corrin Flower. Unless this one has a will more incredible than I would give credit, I doubt he will live to see the next dawn.'

The fox dumped the half alive colonel onto the sand and turned away just as Remora, Glamoren and Daleria rushed out. The captain stalled, looking at the battered colonel. Rapieratce was still conscious. He looked up at the shell shocked captain and by some unknown and inane reason, managed to smile.

'Hey Dale. I'm still alive. And I think I'll be hanging around a bit longer.'

Daleria looked down at him as he was brought away by Remora and Glamoren.

'Die on me, 'Atce, and I guarantee things won't end up pleasant.'