A/N - Well here's the third chapter! I tried to get it up as fast as i could. I'm having problems with my computer, but anyways, here it is!!!
Chapter 3
"C'mon," Ace commented after a few seconds after they watched their grandfather leave. "lets go see how the little ones are doing, then go to the hut"
"Yeah," murmured his cousin Sebastien, who immediately turned and led the way up the grand staircase, he turned left at the top and continued down the hallway to the nursery. Ace was surprised that he knew his way around, for they had only been at Wessex a few days. When the boys reached the room they silently opened the door and peeked in. None of the younger boys were to be seen. Ace had thought that they would go somewhere else as soon as the adults left, he guessed they were in the secret compartment behind the picture of their grandmother and grandfather in the dining room, listening to everything that was said.
Sitting in the corner of the room brushing a dolls head and singing softly to herself was Leopold. She was six or so, and looked like an angel. Her hair was soft blonde with her hazel eyes. Ace opened the door wider and the four walked in as Leopold lifted her head to stare at them.
"Hello Leopold," Ace murmured walking over to where she sat and squatting down by her.
"Do you know where my parents are?" she whispered quietly staring at him through her big eyes.
Ace looked at his cousins who stood by the door, wondering what he was suppose to say. Hadn't the adults explained the situation to Leopold? Or did they think that shipping her off to one of her relatives would make her forget her parents? Something was wrong here, but Ace wasn't going to be the one to break his cousin's heart.
"They're gone, aren't they?" Leopold said answering her own question.
"What?" Ace asked staring at her in shock.
"I'm not as stupid as everyone thinks I am, and I do get what's going on. I heard the adults talking about it, I saw them being buried, you don't have to pretend." she replied staring at the her doll and continuing to brush her hair.
Ace saw a figure move out of the corner of his eye. His cousins here all standing by the door, so who else was in the room.
"Look out!" Xavier called running forward and leaping over Leopold to go into a struggle as he tried to pry the dagger from the man's hand. Ace grabbed his cousin and hoisted her up onto his hip, running from the two, as Sebastien and Philip ran forward to help Xavier. Ace dumped Leopold behind the bed and turned to watch what was going on. Xavier and the man had knocked over a lamp, and scattered most of the toys around the room until the man took his free hand and punched Xavier in the face. As Xavier clutched his nose the man plunged the dagger into his side. Sebastien screamed as he watched his brother fall to the floor, as some blood spilled from his mouth. Philip jumped on the man's back, and started to throttle him as Sebastien grabbed his arms and kicked him repeatedly. The man grabbed Philip by the arms and tossed him over his head, he fell into Sebastien and the two stumbled back. Sebastien hit his head on the side of the bead post and fell to the floor unconscious. Philip struggled to his feet, but the man came forward and hit him over the head, chuckling as he fell next to the other boys. Ace was the only one left. He saw Leopold crawling on her hands and knees towards the bedroom door, and he quickly ran towards the man, who was tired by now.
Ace grabbed the man by the throat and kneed him in the stomach several times, before the man wrapped his arms around Ace's waist and hoisted him in the air, before throwing him on the ground and knocking the air out of him. He stepped over Ace as he groaned on the floor and proceeded towards Leopold who had escaped out the door. Ace grabbed the man by the leg and he fell to the floor as well. The man quickly rolled onto this back, but Ace was already upon him, and with a few punches in the face, the man's head fell on the floor unconscious.
Ace took some deep breaths before vomiting on the floor beside the man, just as the door burst open and his father stood there with his uncles surrounding him.
"What the hell happened?" His father declared staring at the unconscious boys around the room.
"Another assas--" Ace was able to get out before being struck. The man had rolled over and stabbed him in the leg with a hidden dagger. The man lived no further than that, as Ace's knees buckled his father ran forward and put his sword through the man's head. Ace turned white as he looked at the face of the dead man beside him, before again vomiting and then passing out.
*~*~*~*~*
Ace woke up two days later. His head pounded and his leg felt sore. Remembering the events of the previous night, he sat up quickly and looked around. He was in one of the many spare rooms at his dead uncles mansion. Staring out the large window and saw a fresh blanket of snow had fallen, almost covering the tips of the gravestones. Pulling the blankets off of him, Ace flipped his good leg over the bed, and followed more slowly with his bad, he pulled on a pair of breeches, and a shirt which he didn't bother buttoning. Limping towards the door, he pulled it open and stared down the hall, confused of where he was. Glancing back into the bedroom he looked at where the sun was, and guessed it was a little after dawn, so he had to be in the West Wing, since his window faced away from the rising sun. Leaving his room he walked down the hall, totally lost as to which hall he should be taking.
He wandered around for about twenty minutes, before he spotted his older brothers, Keon and Eryk coming down the hall in deep conversation.
"Hey dorks, going to help a wounded boy find his way to the dining hall?" Ace called ripping his brothers from their conversation. The two glanced up at their brother and started laughing.
"You idiot!" Keon called walking forward and glancing at Ace. "Your suppose to stay in your room."
"Have you seen that room?" Ace replied laughing before frowning "How's Xavier?"
Eryk and Keon exchanged glances as the smiles disappeared from their faces.
"Not good," Eryk replied clearing his throat and looking at his shoes.
"Will he live?" Ace asked swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat
"We're not sure," Keon said "Why don't you go ask him,"
"What?" Ace replied lost
"Yeah, he's down in the dining hall right now, it's the first time he's been able to get out of bed."
"Shit!" Ace replied smiling as he realized his brothers had been joking "Don't scare me like that!"
"We're sorry little bro," Keon said laughing, he grabbed Ace's head and ruffled his hair before releasing him.
"It's just so easy!" Eryk added.
"And the assassin?" Ace asked
"Dead," Eryk replied "Just like the other."
"C'mon," Keon said leading the way down the hallway. Twenty minutes later the three of them arrived in the dining hall. Around them, the adults (all dressed in black) sat eating breakfast, as the children trickled in one by one. Xavier sat at the far right table with Sebastien and Philip. He didn't appear to be eating anything, but he was laughing at Sebastien and Philip's jokes which was a good sign.
"Ace!" someone called. Every head in the room turned and stared at the three boys as Ace's mother came running towards him. She swept him into a hug which started to cut off his oxygen flow.
"Mum," Keon said trying to get her to let go "Mum, your chocking him."
She didn't seem to listen because she only squeezed harder.
"Mum if you don't stop know your going to kill him!" Eryk said pulling on one of his mother's arm while Keon pulled on the other. In the end their father had to come over and help the boys pry her arms off of Ace, in order to let him breath.
"Gosh Mum," Ace said rubbing his stomach "Lighten up a little bit"
"I'm so sorry dear!" his mother replied "I'm just so happy your alright! And how does your leg feel? Does it hurt at all?"
"It's fine mum," Ace said sliding away from her and slowly making his way over to Xavier. Once he reached where they were, he sat beside Sebastien and started loading his plate with the food laid out in front of them.
"Hell of a night, wasn't it" Sebastien murmured so low that only Ace could hear him.
"Of course," Ace replied
"Just glad X is alright,"
"Agreed" Ace replied before talking louder "How you feeling Xavier?"
"You know what Dale looked like after he was thrown from his horse during that jousting competition," Xavier replied referring to Philip's nineteen year old brother. Dale's horse had thrown a shoe while jousting and slipped, falling backwards onto this rider. The boys winced as they remembered what Dale had looked like after some men were able to pull the horse off him. A pile of armor. Luckily he had recovered, but still had a bad limp in his left leg which had been crushed. "That's what I feel like."
"Well at least Leopold is safe." Sebastien said pointing in her direction with his fork. Ace looked at his cousin who sat between two of his aunts. Her hands were in her lap and tears were streaming down her face as she refused to eat.
"What's the matter with her?" Ace asked
"Still shaken up over the last attack." Philip replied stuffing a piece of cooked potato in his mouth.
"She's refused to eat anything for the past three days," Xavier commented
"Only bread and water," Sebastien corrected his twin brother.
"And she refuses to talk to anybody." Philip continued.
"What?" Ace said stopping the piece of toast that he was about to take a bite of.
"Well, yeah," Sebastien said "She hasn't spoken a word since the incident."
"Maybe you'll have better luck with her." Philip said
"We've all tried talking to her. She won't listen to any of us." Xavier said taking a sip of ale.
"What was the decision?" Ace asked "About where she is to live?"
"Well, they decided to let her live with everyone who would take her," Sebastien replied
"Which is everyone but aunt Delilah." Xavier added
"So every two years they decided she would switch homes, until she's married off." Philip continued taking a rather large gulp of ale
"Hasn't anyone told you that's bad for you?" Sebastien asked his brother and cousin.
"All the time!" Xavier said taking another sip of his
"Wait," Ace interrupted confused "They're going to ship her around from house to house, for the rest of her life until she gets married?!?"
"Every two years," Philip corrected him
"I bet she never gets married," Sebastien said "Who's getting in on it. C'mon don't be shy."
"That's ridiculous!" Ace said shocked
"What is?"
"They can't ship her around from houses like she was cargo or something! She'll never get a husband!" Ace said
"Oh that, I thought you were talking about the bet," Sebastien replied relieved
"That as well but…"
"Look Ace," Xavier interrupted "She doesn't need to get to know the man she will eventually marry. The mother's will do that for her. All she has to do is marry the poor fellow and go live with him."
"But that's insane!" Ace replied
"Not as insane as what the mothers are doing!" Sebastien commented
"Yes, they're already lining up potential husbands." Philip said "Seems that since she's the only niece, they've decided that everyone must like the man before he will get to marry Leopold."
"Poor girl," Sebastien muttered.
Ace stared at his cousins in shock. He couldn't believe what they had said. Leopold wasn't eating or talking. And they're betting on whether she gets married or not! Everyone has gone insane while he's been out! Ace pushed his chair away from the table and started walking over to where Leopold sat. She looked up and saw him coming, as did the aunts around her.
"Leopold," he said softly when he reached her "can I speak to you a moment?"
"You'd be a lucky one if you can get her to talk." his aunt Lucia muttered putting butter on a slice of bread.
Leopold didn't listen to her aunt as she got up from the table and followed her cousin out of the dining hall.
"What's wrong?" Ace asked once they were in the hall. She didn't reply and stared at the ground. "Talk to me."
"I'm scared." she whispered so softly that Ace could barely hear her.
"What is there to be scared of?" Ace asked taking a hold of her small hands in his fairly large ones.
"Of dying." she replied as tears started to form in her eyes. "They want me dead, don't they."
"Who does?" Ace asked
"The man that attacked mother and father, and the other man who attacked you four." she replied as tears started falling down her face.
"Those men are gone now." Ace told her
"But more will come. I know it" she replied trying to pull out of his grasp. Ace held her hands harder and pulled her into a hug.
"I won't let anything happen to you Leopold." he whispered into her hair.
"Promise," she said hiccupping
"I promise." Ace replied
Chapter 3
"C'mon," Ace commented after a few seconds after they watched their grandfather leave. "lets go see how the little ones are doing, then go to the hut"
"Yeah," murmured his cousin Sebastien, who immediately turned and led the way up the grand staircase, he turned left at the top and continued down the hallway to the nursery. Ace was surprised that he knew his way around, for they had only been at Wessex a few days. When the boys reached the room they silently opened the door and peeked in. None of the younger boys were to be seen. Ace had thought that they would go somewhere else as soon as the adults left, he guessed they were in the secret compartment behind the picture of their grandmother and grandfather in the dining room, listening to everything that was said.
Sitting in the corner of the room brushing a dolls head and singing softly to herself was Leopold. She was six or so, and looked like an angel. Her hair was soft blonde with her hazel eyes. Ace opened the door wider and the four walked in as Leopold lifted her head to stare at them.
"Hello Leopold," Ace murmured walking over to where she sat and squatting down by her.
"Do you know where my parents are?" she whispered quietly staring at him through her big eyes.
Ace looked at his cousins who stood by the door, wondering what he was suppose to say. Hadn't the adults explained the situation to Leopold? Or did they think that shipping her off to one of her relatives would make her forget her parents? Something was wrong here, but Ace wasn't going to be the one to break his cousin's heart.
"They're gone, aren't they?" Leopold said answering her own question.
"What?" Ace asked staring at her in shock.
"I'm not as stupid as everyone thinks I am, and I do get what's going on. I heard the adults talking about it, I saw them being buried, you don't have to pretend." she replied staring at the her doll and continuing to brush her hair.
Ace saw a figure move out of the corner of his eye. His cousins here all standing by the door, so who else was in the room.
"Look out!" Xavier called running forward and leaping over Leopold to go into a struggle as he tried to pry the dagger from the man's hand. Ace grabbed his cousin and hoisted her up onto his hip, running from the two, as Sebastien and Philip ran forward to help Xavier. Ace dumped Leopold behind the bed and turned to watch what was going on. Xavier and the man had knocked over a lamp, and scattered most of the toys around the room until the man took his free hand and punched Xavier in the face. As Xavier clutched his nose the man plunged the dagger into his side. Sebastien screamed as he watched his brother fall to the floor, as some blood spilled from his mouth. Philip jumped on the man's back, and started to throttle him as Sebastien grabbed his arms and kicked him repeatedly. The man grabbed Philip by the arms and tossed him over his head, he fell into Sebastien and the two stumbled back. Sebastien hit his head on the side of the bead post and fell to the floor unconscious. Philip struggled to his feet, but the man came forward and hit him over the head, chuckling as he fell next to the other boys. Ace was the only one left. He saw Leopold crawling on her hands and knees towards the bedroom door, and he quickly ran towards the man, who was tired by now.
Ace grabbed the man by the throat and kneed him in the stomach several times, before the man wrapped his arms around Ace's waist and hoisted him in the air, before throwing him on the ground and knocking the air out of him. He stepped over Ace as he groaned on the floor and proceeded towards Leopold who had escaped out the door. Ace grabbed the man by the leg and he fell to the floor as well. The man quickly rolled onto this back, but Ace was already upon him, and with a few punches in the face, the man's head fell on the floor unconscious.
Ace took some deep breaths before vomiting on the floor beside the man, just as the door burst open and his father stood there with his uncles surrounding him.
"What the hell happened?" His father declared staring at the unconscious boys around the room.
"Another assas--" Ace was able to get out before being struck. The man had rolled over and stabbed him in the leg with a hidden dagger. The man lived no further than that, as Ace's knees buckled his father ran forward and put his sword through the man's head. Ace turned white as he looked at the face of the dead man beside him, before again vomiting and then passing out.
*~*~*~*~*
Ace woke up two days later. His head pounded and his leg felt sore. Remembering the events of the previous night, he sat up quickly and looked around. He was in one of the many spare rooms at his dead uncles mansion. Staring out the large window and saw a fresh blanket of snow had fallen, almost covering the tips of the gravestones. Pulling the blankets off of him, Ace flipped his good leg over the bed, and followed more slowly with his bad, he pulled on a pair of breeches, and a shirt which he didn't bother buttoning. Limping towards the door, he pulled it open and stared down the hall, confused of where he was. Glancing back into the bedroom he looked at where the sun was, and guessed it was a little after dawn, so he had to be in the West Wing, since his window faced away from the rising sun. Leaving his room he walked down the hall, totally lost as to which hall he should be taking.
He wandered around for about twenty minutes, before he spotted his older brothers, Keon and Eryk coming down the hall in deep conversation.
"Hey dorks, going to help a wounded boy find his way to the dining hall?" Ace called ripping his brothers from their conversation. The two glanced up at their brother and started laughing.
"You idiot!" Keon called walking forward and glancing at Ace. "Your suppose to stay in your room."
"Have you seen that room?" Ace replied laughing before frowning "How's Xavier?"
Eryk and Keon exchanged glances as the smiles disappeared from their faces.
"Not good," Eryk replied clearing his throat and looking at his shoes.
"Will he live?" Ace asked swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat
"We're not sure," Keon said "Why don't you go ask him,"
"What?" Ace replied lost
"Yeah, he's down in the dining hall right now, it's the first time he's been able to get out of bed."
"Shit!" Ace replied smiling as he realized his brothers had been joking "Don't scare me like that!"
"We're sorry little bro," Keon said laughing, he grabbed Ace's head and ruffled his hair before releasing him.
"It's just so easy!" Eryk added.
"And the assassin?" Ace asked
"Dead," Eryk replied "Just like the other."
"C'mon," Keon said leading the way down the hallway. Twenty minutes later the three of them arrived in the dining hall. Around them, the adults (all dressed in black) sat eating breakfast, as the children trickled in one by one. Xavier sat at the far right table with Sebastien and Philip. He didn't appear to be eating anything, but he was laughing at Sebastien and Philip's jokes which was a good sign.
"Ace!" someone called. Every head in the room turned and stared at the three boys as Ace's mother came running towards him. She swept him into a hug which started to cut off his oxygen flow.
"Mum," Keon said trying to get her to let go "Mum, your chocking him."
She didn't seem to listen because she only squeezed harder.
"Mum if you don't stop know your going to kill him!" Eryk said pulling on one of his mother's arm while Keon pulled on the other. In the end their father had to come over and help the boys pry her arms off of Ace, in order to let him breath.
"Gosh Mum," Ace said rubbing his stomach "Lighten up a little bit"
"I'm so sorry dear!" his mother replied "I'm just so happy your alright! And how does your leg feel? Does it hurt at all?"
"It's fine mum," Ace said sliding away from her and slowly making his way over to Xavier. Once he reached where they were, he sat beside Sebastien and started loading his plate with the food laid out in front of them.
"Hell of a night, wasn't it" Sebastien murmured so low that only Ace could hear him.
"Of course," Ace replied
"Just glad X is alright,"
"Agreed" Ace replied before talking louder "How you feeling Xavier?"
"You know what Dale looked like after he was thrown from his horse during that jousting competition," Xavier replied referring to Philip's nineteen year old brother. Dale's horse had thrown a shoe while jousting and slipped, falling backwards onto this rider. The boys winced as they remembered what Dale had looked like after some men were able to pull the horse off him. A pile of armor. Luckily he had recovered, but still had a bad limp in his left leg which had been crushed. "That's what I feel like."
"Well at least Leopold is safe." Sebastien said pointing in her direction with his fork. Ace looked at his cousin who sat between two of his aunts. Her hands were in her lap and tears were streaming down her face as she refused to eat.
"What's the matter with her?" Ace asked
"Still shaken up over the last attack." Philip replied stuffing a piece of cooked potato in his mouth.
"She's refused to eat anything for the past three days," Xavier commented
"Only bread and water," Sebastien corrected his twin brother.
"And she refuses to talk to anybody." Philip continued.
"What?" Ace said stopping the piece of toast that he was about to take a bite of.
"Well, yeah," Sebastien said "She hasn't spoken a word since the incident."
"Maybe you'll have better luck with her." Philip said
"We've all tried talking to her. She won't listen to any of us." Xavier said taking a sip of ale.
"What was the decision?" Ace asked "About where she is to live?"
"Well, they decided to let her live with everyone who would take her," Sebastien replied
"Which is everyone but aunt Delilah." Xavier added
"So every two years they decided she would switch homes, until she's married off." Philip continued taking a rather large gulp of ale
"Hasn't anyone told you that's bad for you?" Sebastien asked his brother and cousin.
"All the time!" Xavier said taking another sip of his
"Wait," Ace interrupted confused "They're going to ship her around from house to house, for the rest of her life until she gets married?!?"
"Every two years," Philip corrected him
"I bet she never gets married," Sebastien said "Who's getting in on it. C'mon don't be shy."
"That's ridiculous!" Ace said shocked
"What is?"
"They can't ship her around from houses like she was cargo or something! She'll never get a husband!" Ace said
"Oh that, I thought you were talking about the bet," Sebastien replied relieved
"That as well but…"
"Look Ace," Xavier interrupted "She doesn't need to get to know the man she will eventually marry. The mother's will do that for her. All she has to do is marry the poor fellow and go live with him."
"But that's insane!" Ace replied
"Not as insane as what the mothers are doing!" Sebastien commented
"Yes, they're already lining up potential husbands." Philip said "Seems that since she's the only niece, they've decided that everyone must like the man before he will get to marry Leopold."
"Poor girl," Sebastien muttered.
Ace stared at his cousins in shock. He couldn't believe what they had said. Leopold wasn't eating or talking. And they're betting on whether she gets married or not! Everyone has gone insane while he's been out! Ace pushed his chair away from the table and started walking over to where Leopold sat. She looked up and saw him coming, as did the aunts around her.
"Leopold," he said softly when he reached her "can I speak to you a moment?"
"You'd be a lucky one if you can get her to talk." his aunt Lucia muttered putting butter on a slice of bread.
Leopold didn't listen to her aunt as she got up from the table and followed her cousin out of the dining hall.
"What's wrong?" Ace asked once they were in the hall. She didn't reply and stared at the ground. "Talk to me."
"I'm scared." she whispered so softly that Ace could barely hear her.
"What is there to be scared of?" Ace asked taking a hold of her small hands in his fairly large ones.
"Of dying." she replied as tears started to form in her eyes. "They want me dead, don't they."
"Who does?" Ace asked
"The man that attacked mother and father, and the other man who attacked you four." she replied as tears started falling down her face.
"Those men are gone now." Ace told her
"But more will come. I know it" she replied trying to pull out of his grasp. Ace held her hands harder and pulled her into a hug.
"I won't let anything happen to you Leopold." he whispered into her hair.
"Promise," she said hiccupping
"I promise." Ace replied