He was fed some gruel in the morning. Bland, but filling considering it was all he had had to eat in a few days. By some miracle none of his limbs were broken, but he still had some lacerations and he guessed a broken rib or two.

More time passed and Guts found himself being manhandled from his cell down the impressive halls of Griffith's palace. He was restrained as well, but the guards seemed scared of him all the same. Everyone seemed scared of him.

It was nice to be able to move around and see more than the walls and bars of his cell, but it still hurt to walk. And his stupid brand hurt as well. By another miracle the seal was still holding, Guts didn't even want to imagine what it would be like without it.

Finally they reached some ornate double doors. They opened to reveal a long table, with Griffith at the head of it. Guts immediately lunged forward, but was held back almost easily in his weakened state.

"Ah, Guts, glad you could finally join us." Griffith said. His aura, even through the pain it caused him, was incredible. It made Guts want to follow him again, to only remember the time when they were allies- friends even, to- AH!

A pulse of pain racked Guts as he was dragged closer to the King of Falconia. The hate started to block all of those other feelings, gnawing on him, on the chains. Remember what he did to you- to the ones you loved. Remember and hate. It howled and struggled and made Guts want to do the same.

But he was with people now. He didn't have is sword or armor, or even his arm. Guts was completely unprepared to attack, and while that had never stopped him before, he was finding it harder to throw his life away like that, something seemed to be holding him back. He had to survive.

So he told the beast to wait. And for once it did, like it could sense the amount of blood it could gorge on in the future. Guts glared the deadliest of glares, oh if looks could kill.

"Sir Guts." The princess of Midland, now he supposed the Queen of Falconia, greet him. She looked older, changed.

"Hello Mr. Swordsman." Sonia said. Guts could spy Mule among the guards.

A few other people sat around the table, he didn't recognize most of them, except-

A woman, with long brown hair and wise eyes. She looked incredibly familiar, and her expression differed from the fear in the others. As it was, all eyes were on him and his horrid appearance.

"Guts is an old friend." Griffith explained to the company, "I owe a great deal to him, in fact, all I have achieved you could a credit to him."

What was that bastard playing at? How much did these people know? And why hadn't Griffith just killed him yet!?

"Those of you who didn't know me in my mercenary days should know he was my Raider's Captain, in fact, he is the one who killed General Boscogn during the battle of Doldrey." There were a few numbers of recognition, either at the battle or himself. "He left to find himself, and I found myself out of the King's favor. He and some others rescued me, after which I did a very bad thing to him. That's why he's like this now, it's all my fault." Well that was one way of saying it.

There wasn't so much as a murmur this time. Addressing Guts directly, Griffith asked, "Do you have anything to add?"

Guts' throat felt sticky, the screams of rage stuck there, along with what might've been sobs. How could he be so casual? With the deaths of his comrades- the defiling of Casca- It filled Guts with a feeling he couldn't express in words, but he tried. Because maybe he could get these people disillusioned, however unlikely that was.

"That lake of blood." Guts finally said, "You people said it was the sign of the coming darkness. It was. It was also the Band of the Hawk, what was left of them after that F*cker sacrificed them to those apostles you are all so cozy with." There was so much more he wanted to say, but it was too painful. It started to open a door that just shouldn't open. "When I put a Dragon Slayer sized hole through you, you'll regret not killing me when you had the chance."

Quiet flowed over the room once he finished talking. Nobody seemed especially phased by what he had said. Griffith smiled good naturedly and gestured, "Well, let's start our first course now that all of the guests are here."

And so the first course started, no one even batting an eye at Guts' words, save the woman who seemed familiar. Dinner was uneventful from that point onward, Guts too full of rage, pain, and hunger to think properly, so he ate all that was put in front of him.

He couldn't taste any of it.

His brand was causing problems for him, certainly, but what about Griffith, it's must've made life harder for him too. Why hadn't he been killed yet? And sure Guts was, well, 'thankful' was a bit of a stretch, but he'd had a few more chances than most would've assumed.

Guts let the guards lead him back to his cell when the dinner was done. He had spent the whole event staring down the table at Griffith. He didn't know what he was trying to do, maybe trying to will the monster to die. It didn't work.

So now he was back to his cell, actually full for once, but hungry for something else entirely. Hungry for the same thing that had drove him all these years.

He had a visitor at some point in the night, the familiar woman with the long hair. She would've woken him up had he been able to sleep. As it was, nightmares had been plaguing him every sleeping moment.

"Guts? That is you, isn't it?" She asked, carrying a lantern.

"Yeah."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "It's me, Luca. I took care of Elain- Casca for a while."

So he did know her. Guts nodded.

"You're probably wondering how I came to be sitting at the table of the king, and no, I'm not a mistress for once. I'm the governor of one of the districts," She could tell he didn't really care, "But I didn't come to talk politics. I- I was wondering where Casca is. You seemed so adamant about never leaving her, so now that you're alone… Is she in the city somewhere? I could-"

"She's dead."

"She's-" Luca choked up a bit. "How- when?"

"I- I-" Guts didn't know how to put it to words. It was a memory that he had shut away.

"No." Luca changed her mind, "You don't need to tell me. I'm sorry." She had a pained expression on her face, but it morphed to one of confliction. "Is everything said at dinner true?"

"Yes."

"So he's the reason you're as you are, is he also that reason-"

"He's the reason she was like that." Guts said, "He raped her."

"He- He raped her? But he- I couldn't see him-" the color drained from her face. "No. I could. I can tell from the way Queen Charlotte is now. He's truly a monster, isn't he."

Guts didn't need to respond.

"I don't think I can align myself with someone like that. Guts, do you have any plans."

"Plans?"

"To usurp the King?"

Guts was about to tell her to just go away, that he didn't need her pity, but the he remembered.

"Sort of. I need you to put a glyph somewhere in the city."

"A glyph, somewhere in the city? Why?"

"Just, just do it. I was going to, but then I got, uh- preoccupied. I'm not quite sure what it will do when the circle is finished, but I do know it will help destroy the war demons."

"In that case." Luca said, "Leave it to me. Where and what do I need to do."

Guts explained the glyph's shape and where it needed to go.

"This probably goes without saying, but you have to keep this a secret."

"Of course." She smiled, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I never pictured you as a wizard."

"I'm not, I just, I have to finish these glyphs."

"Well, I suppose the less I know the better if it's top secret." Luca looked him in the eye, "Guts, just know… I'm glad to see you again."

"Thank you." He said, quietly, "For taking care of Casca, and for doing this for me."

She winked, "I'm only being decent. Well, I probably should be on my way. Good luck." Luca was almost out the door when she stopped and looked back, "And, I'm sorry for your loss."

She left and the room was dark once more. Guts closed his eye and let the nightmares take over.