Standing on the doorstep, all five people stomp their feet to stay warm, blowing warm air into their cupped hands.
"So, where shall we go now?" John asks.
It seems Alexander and Thomas have the same idea at the exact same moment.
"I think I know." They say in unison. "Let's get Lafayette."
X
Half an hour later, the group has added Lafayette to its ranks, bundled warmly and warmed from the inside by cups of hot chocolate.
Lafayette is almost bursting with excitement. The others have not yet told him where they are going, but seeing as they returned Aaron Burr to his family earlier that day and that they made a special return to City Hall for him specifically...he has a pretty good idea of where they are going.
X
"Here we are." Thomas and Alexander say in unison.
Both turn to each other with jaded expressions. Hopefully this habit of speaking in unison will not be permanent or common, for that matter.
Luckily, they do not need to ponder for long as Lafayette suddenly chimes in.
"Oui! C'est fantastique!" He exclaims, running toward the building before him.
"Never has anyone been more elated to enter a prison." John remarks wryly.
This remark earns him amused twists of lips from the other three adults present.
Continuing at casual walking paces, the four others walk behind Lafayette toward the prison tower.
X
When they get inside, Lafayette is already at Princess Adrienne's cell. He has collapsed onto the floor to hold her hand as she is chained to a block inside the room.
When she sees Thomas, she stiffens in a similar fashion to the way Thomas reacted when he was slapped by Theodosia Sr.
Alexander is left puzzling whether this is because Princess Adrienne suffered abuse at Thomas's hands or someone else's.
Given that she is a princess and therefore unlikely to have been shoved around by random guests, it looks more likely to be Thomas - but of course Alexander cannot confirm such an account by any measure.
Alexander chances a glance at Thomas, who does not look even remotely guilty. Given his new change in behavior, Alexander concedes that it likely was not Thomas. Even though Thomas can hide his emotions incredibly well, there is no chance that he can hide such a sense of guilt if there is cause for it.
Alexander turns back to Lafayette and Adrienne, who are trying their best to kiss through the bars, which is an absolutely fruitless task.
The guard holding the keys turns to him, not Thomas, - Alexander notes this again - and Alexander nods in agreement.
The guard positions the keys into the lock and within seconds Adrienne is in Lafayette's arms.
Alexander leaves them to their reunion of hugging and kissing, turning his attention instead to the many others also locked up.
None of them look particularly threatening, but appearances can be deceiving, so Alexander asks.
"What are all these people in here for?" He waves his hand in a vague gesture at all the others in their cells.
"Disloyalty to the mayor. Or suspicion of the same." The guard looks distastefully at Thomas as he speaks these words, and Thomas blushes deeply in embarrassment.
Alexander also looks pointedly at Thomas, but doesn't give him any verbal recognition, wanting to avoid further shame to the best of his ability. Thomas has suffered enough.
"Let them out." Alexander announces.
"Are you certain, sir?" The guard asks.
"Yes. Do it. Unlock all the cells." Alexander commands.
The guard nods to another guard who is standing nearby. "Alert and inform the others."
"Yes, sir." The other guard acknowledges before setting off down the hall.
By now, many of the prisoners are on their knees in relief.
Once they are released, each and every one comes over to speak with Alexander. They express their appreciation for his actions, and Alexander takes note that none of them - most old and wizened - do not seem to blame Thomas, look distastefully at him, or say a word against him.
Most simply pat Thomas's arm kindly before walking out the doors into the sunlight outside. Alexander sees many of them on their knees once again, likely in shock at the strange occurrence.
Thomas looks at each one gratefully and thanks them as they leave.
Having seen them leave satisfactorily, Alexander turns back to Lafayette and Adrienne, who are clearly enjoying their reunion.
The personality of the Dark One seems to have completely disappeared from him.
John places his hand on Alexander's forearm, and James does the same to Thomas. It is just an overall very sweet moment.
Smiling, Philip waves a hand to direct the adults out the door to leave Lafayette and Adrienne to it.
A/N: Thank you for reading! One chapter left. Reviews are appreciated!
-HamiltonAsparagus