To Forgive and Forget

Pixal awakened with the sun the next morning, refreshed and prepared to start another day of intense boringness. We'll probably run down a thousand rabbit trails before we find Kaytake, she thought. If we find him at all.

She got up and smoothed her dress- which she had slept in, of course; she hadn't brought any other clothes with her, and she shared a room with two men. She wasn't about to dress down, even though she had been the last to sleep and the first to rise.

Why were they even chasing Kaytake? It was an expensive venture, what with the food and board that Jay had been paying for out of pocket.

She looked across the room at Kyle's empty bed as she pulled on her woolen socks. He's gone to get the antidote for Grayren, then. He'll be back in a few hours, if he took a horse.

Then she let her gaze wander to Jay's bed as she slipped on one boot, then the other. Ha. Cole said Kyle was supposed to take Vara and Jay back with him. So why is Jay still here?

Jay's blankets sagged over the side of the bed to the floor, exposing most of his sleeping body. A corner of the sheet still managed to cling to his foot. He wore only pants, which looked as dark with sweat as his skin was pale and slick. One bare foot stuck out of his trousers. The other half of his garment looked deflated, as it contained only half a leg.

He rolled over with a sudden jerk, and the corner fluttered to the floor.

Chuckling softly to herself, she went to his side and lifted the blanket back onto his shivering body.

With a loud, voluminous gasp, Jay shot upright and wrestled the sheets away. Chest heaving, he stared up at Pixal with wide eyes as though she were a predator.

Like anything would want to eat him, anyway. There wasn't a scrap of meat on his bones.

"Calm down, stupid," Pixal whispered, picking up the blanket again. "Go back to sleep, we don't have to leave until Kyle gets back."

"Kyle...he's..." Jay panted. He looked at the empty four-posted bed beside his own and moaned, dragging a hand across his sweaty face. "Ow...my stomach hurts."

"You hungry?" Pixal asked.

Jay shook his head and reached shakily for his shirt, which hung from the post on his left side. "No. I..." He wheezed a few more times, then continued. "I feel like I ate too much last night. I...ugh..." He hugged his stomach, shirt gripped in his fist.

"That little meal?" Pixal shook her head. "You know, the way I see it, the stomach is like a muscle. The more you use it, the tougher it becomes, and the more it can hold." She poked the side of his head, then grimaced and wiped her wet hand on his blanket. "You don't use your stomach enough."

"Yeah. Thank you for that bit of advice." Jay smiled dryly, then pulled his shirt over his head. "What are you doing up? The sun's only just starting to rise."

"I agreed to help Grayren prepare breakfast," Pixal said. "You know, he has over sixty individuals eating their meals here on an average day. It's a wonder he's been able to keep up with it alone."

"Yeah. Especially when you consider the emotional stress he's under." Jay pointed under the bed. "Uh...do you mind..."

Pixal bent down and grabbed his prosthetic from the floor. "I've never seen one that looks like this," she said. "Part wood, part metal. It's almost personable."

Jay snatched it from her, blushing. "Yeah. Cyrus made it out of some kind of really light wood. Because...you know. I'm too light to drag around a fake leg with eight pounds of steel in it like most normal people."

"I see." Pixal watched as he untangled the mess of buckles and straps, then began to wrap them around his knee and lower thigh.

"My boots," Jay said as he finished. "Where did Kyle put them?"

"Next to the fire," Pixal said. "Hold on."

"Ah- n-no, Pixal, that's fine, don't bother. I can-"

"Shut up." Pixal retrieved them, and Jay sighed. She watched as he pulled them on, being extra careful while going over his fake leg. The boots went up to his knees, and his pants were tucked in after that. It was impossible to tell that he had a prosthetic when he wore his clothes like this, unless you knew what you were looking for.

Jay got his cane and stood, favoring his right leg. He didn't seem to be limping as badly as he had last night. He went to the windowsill, grabbed his Blade- Pixal assumed it had been left there to recharge as he slept- and attached it to his belt.

"Good morning to you too, stupid Blade," he muttered as he turned to face Pixal again. "So. To the kitchen?"

"You don't have to," Pixal said. "Grayren and I can manage on our own."

"But he's my friend," Jay said. "I'm not gonna sit here while he works his sanity away downstairs."

Pixal sighed, then thumped the back of his head. "Come on, then."

Jay yelped as his head was thrown forward. He teetered, then caught himself with his cane.

"Sorry," Pixal said, steadying him with a hand on his shoulder. "I should have thought that through."

Jay took a deep breath and smiled. "No, it's fine. It'd be unfair of me to ask you to stop hitting things." He plucked the key from the table and stuck it in the door's keyhole. "...Oh. Already unlocked. Right." Jay put the key in his pocket. "Kyle couldn't have locked the door from the outside without a key, and we have the only one."

They entered the dark hallway, and Pixal grabbed his shoulder again. "Wait. I want to see if Kyle actually took Vara."

"Why? Are you worried?" Jay asked.

"Of course not! I just think that if Vara has an illness, it would be best for her to be in quarantine in Cyrus' hideout. So that she can't get everyone else sick."

"So you are worried."

"Worried that all these Western woman are gonna start another plague? Yes, I suppose! Why are you looking at me all smug like you've won an argument?"

Jay averted his gaze, sniggering softly. "No reason."

Pixal grabbed his hair. "Spill it."

"Ouch! I'm serious, Pix! There's no reason. I was just laughing."

"Yeah, well stop. Laughing will hurt your stomach more." She released him and twisted the door handle to Kai and Cole's room, but it didn't give. Then she knocked, but there was no sound inside. "They're asleep, I guess. Whatever. Let's go."

Jay was already on the stairs. He descended carefully, one hand on the wall and the other on his cane.

Pixal followed. She was impressed by his appearance- if she hadn't seen him put the prosthetic on, she wouldn't have guessed that he had anything more than a sprained ankle. Why am I thinking about this so much?

The ground floor looked empty. But a fresh, steady fire crackled on the hearth across the room, indicating that someone had to be around.

Dishes crashed to Pixal's left. She heard Grayren mutter something from the kitchen area, and she gestured for Jay to follow her.

"Grayren," she called out as they entered the open kitchen. "Hey. I'm here."

Grayren looked up from his stack of tin plates that were scattered across the floor. "Oh, good morning, my lady," he said, nodding his head respectfully. "Ah...sorry about the mess."

Pixal knelt to help him stack the plates. "What should we do first?"

"The bread, thank you," Grayren said. "It's where you left it last night." He looked more composed than he had the night before, though it was evident he hadn't slept much- his eyes were dark and distressed. He must have been taking care of Jess all night.

"What about me?" Jay asked. "I can help too."

Grayren glanced at the cane. "Can you use a knife?"

"Why not?" Jay propped his cane against the wall and used the counter to get himself over to where Grayren was now standing.

"What happened?" Grayren asked, nodding to the leg as he put the plates in the washtub.

"Nothing serious, don't worry. It'll heal. What am I doing?"

"Ah...potatoes," Grayren said. "If you could dice those for the egg hash, please."

Jay picked up the knife and selected a tuber from the crate. Pixal went to the icebox and grabbed a few of the wrapped dough packages she had prepared last night. She unwrapped one, scattered flour on the counter, and began to knead the cold dough.

"This is a lot of potatoes," Jay said.

"Well, they're not all for breakfast," Grayren said. He was scooping tea leaves into a kettle of steaming water. "About two-thirds will be used for dinner- I'm doing baked potatoes.

Jay whistled a long note. "You washed these potatoes yesterday, then? Sounds like there's a lot of planning involved in this line of work."

"It's no different than yours, Jay," Grayren said as he stirred a pan of sausage and rice. "Except instead of budgeting funds and counting crates of veggies, you're saving the world."

Pixal heard Jay snort faintly.

"Hey, Grayren," she said. "Did you see Kyle leave this morning?"

"Kyle?" Grayren paused. "You mean that blond, smiling one?"

"Yeah."

Grayren nodded, resuming his stirring. The sweet, smoky scent of seasoned pork filled the kitchen. "He left not an hour ago with that sick girl. You remember, the uh...one who slept next to the fire over there last time."

Jay nodded, smiling. "How could I forget? Cole was pretty agitated when he thought she'd gone missing."

"Nearly scared the life out of me," Grayren laughed, scooping out two bowls of his rice mixture and putting them on a tray with the tea. "Milady, if you don't mind..."

Pixal sighed, abandoning her bread. "What room?"

Grayren put the tray in her hands. "Thank you. They're down the hall on the north side, last door. They arrived about fifteen minutes ago, wanted this prepared as fast as I could."

"Fine. I'll be right back." Pixal left with the tray, weaving around the empty, shadowy tables per Grayren's instructions. Tray balanced in one hand, she took a decorated lantern from the wall and used it to guide her path down the narrow hall- it wasn't very long, but the sun was still too slight to reach into the windowless corridor.

All was silent, except for the muted talk from the kitchen and a child's sleepy wail. From a room above her, probably. Just barely discernible.

Finally, she reached the final door. She paused, putting her ear to the wood, and heard soft murmurs inside. So they were awake. She set down the lantern and knocked twice.

In only a few seconds the door was flung open. "Oh, thank you," the man said. His voice was rough and tired. "I'll pay you for your trouble-" He stopped when he saw Pixal's face. "You!"

Pixal blinked and took a step back. The man before her was barely recognizable, with his disheveled graying brown hair and bronzed skin wrinkled with prolonged exhaustion.

"You!" she nearly screamed. "Kaytake, you...you Una-cursed fool! What are you doing here?"

Kaytake opened the door fully and looked into the empty hallway, as if checking for more surprise visitors. "Come, quickly," he said. "Get inside, I'll explain everything best as I can. Are you alone? Can I trust you not to turn me in?"

"No, and yes," Pixal said, stepping into the room- which was uncomfortably warm, courtesy of the blazing fire in the hearth. Rhe air smelled faintly of bile. "Kai, Cole, and Jay are here as well."

Kaytake looked relieved. "So Kai was rescued, then. Is he awake?"

"Probably not. It's still early."

"Oh. Can full stories wait until he's here, then? At breakfast, perhaps, in an hour. At the table nearest the entrance to this hall."

Pixal cast him a suspicious glare. "How do I know you won't take your group of men and run while I've got my back turned?"

Kaytake laughed humorlessly. "I can't run far," he said. "Not fast, either. See, over here." He nodded to one of the two beds against the wall.

Pixal followed his gaze and gasped. "Malian?" The former general lay on his side under the thick sheets, skin colorless.

"Una-cursed fool," Kaytake said. "He did a bang-up job of hiding it during the trial and attempted execution. But I figured it out once we reached Sheshin, and...well, now we're on our way to the only man who can heal him."

Malian had the plague. That explained the foul smell; he'd been vomiting blood into the basin beside the bed.

"So that's why we had so much trouble finding you," Pixal said as she set down her tray and approached the bed. "You went north to throw everyone off your trail, then doubled around and went to Sheshin. Then you realized Malian was ill, so you left your men at the Sheshin keep and back North- using all the back roads, I'm sure."

"Yes," Kaytake said. He exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. "I have no idea where Cyrus is, though. I was hoping to find someone who knew. But if anyone actually does know, they aren't telling me."

"You're allies," Pixal said. "How do you not know where he's hiding?"

"Long story. Look, do you have any idea where he might be?"

Pixal looked at Malian again. He seemed cognizant, but not enough to regard her with anything other than feverish disinterest. I want to help him. But I promised Jay I wouldn't tell.

"I might be able to tell you a thing or two," Pixal said. "Come to breakfast, like you said. I'll let Jay decide if you're trustworthy."

This seemed good enough for Kaytake. "Thank you," he said. "But please understand, I am in a hurry. I left Driniah at the keep."

"Unprotected?"

"By the forsaken forests, no! She has my men guarding her. That's why I'm alone. But I fear they won't hold long against Guards. Not without Malian and I there to lead them. And I heard the King mention something about sending a replacement for Malian the other day..."

"How much does Driniah know?" Pixal asked. "About your plans, that is."

"Nothing. I kept her in the dark so she'd be safe."

Pixal has a few choice words about that statement, but she kept them to herself. He looked like he had enough to worry about without her cynicism.

"I've got work to do," Pixal said, backing toward the door. "Be at breakfast, for Kai's sake as well as Malian's."

It was amazing how much things had changed in the hour since Pixal stormed into the kitchen, announcing that she'd found Kaytake. The sun had crested the tall mountains to the east, making the snow glitter outside the inn's windows. At least two dozen of the tables were filled with people. Some sat alone- mostly men; traders and travelers with rugged faces. Others were families with children who wiggled in their chairs as parents tried to encourage egg hash into their mouths.

Cole didn't try to pretend he was hungry. He stared off into space, elbow propped on the table, chin in his palm.

Pixal ate like a lady- picking up her knife and fork, cutting her food into bite-sized pieces, then setting down her utensils and touching her mouth with the napkin. Jay didn't think she was doing it on purpose; years of habit could be hard to break.

Tell me about it, Jay thought. He pushed his food around the plate with his fork, hoping he didn't look as bored as he was.

"When did you say he'd be here?" Kai asked, drumming his fingers on the tabletop.

"Right now," a voice said behind Jay. "Sorry about the wait. Malian insisted on coming with me."

Jay turned and regarded the aging nobleman and his cloaked companion. "Lord Kaytake," he said. "Have a seat."

Kaytake and Malian sat.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet. This means a lot to me." Kaytake looked at Kai. "I've...wanted to clear some stuff up for a while now."

"Yeah. Me too," Kai said sourly. "Why'd you set Malian up for the fall if you were just going to rescue him? Why are you acting so different now?"

Kaytake folded his hands on the table, looking away with a grimace as if he'd been stung.

"You weren't in on the plan?" Malian asked in a soft, hoarse voice. "I thought you were, Kai. When you came in and started...talking in my head, I assumed that you were part of the rescue mission."

"No, I had no idea that-" Kai paused. "There was a plan, Malian?"

"Of course. What did you expect?" Malian looked amused. "Did you really think that Kay would frame me?"

"Well..." Kai frowned.

"I explained the situation to Malian," Kaytake said, leaning forward and whispering. "How I'd accidentally poisoned Garmadon instead of Lord Julien, and how I was suspected."

Jay wondered if this was the first Pixal had heard of this plan against her father. If it was, she was taking it rather well.

"We came up with a plan," Malian said, then coughed into his sleeve. "Kay would turn me in. I would refuse to confess, which would drag out the case 'till the middle of Vori's moon- ample time for Cyrus to send men. I would be rescued at the last second: the man on the platform with me was one of Cyrus' Nindroids, who would jump from the scaffolding-"

"That was at least thirty feet high!" Kai said.

"Not too high for a Nindroid," Pixal said. "Continue, Malian."

Malian was busy coughing again, so Kaytake finished for him. "The Nindroid- her name is Aysha- grabbed Malian and leaped down into a convenient snowbank behind the platform. From there, well, Pixal can tell you the rest."

It was as though their table was in a vacuum. Nothing else existed. The chatter around them, muted. The sunlight beaming through the windows, dimmed. They were in their own little world: an emotional storm that no one outside their sphere could sense.

Cole was still staring off into the distance. Jay turned, trying to see what had captured his attention. Had he even heard Kaytake's explanation?

Jay squinted at Cole's glazed eyes, then looked across the room again. As far as he could tell, Cole was watching a family in the middle of the room. Three children of varying ages sat in chairs. A fourth, only a few months old, slept cradled in the father's arm as the mother spoon-fed a toddler. They seemed exceptionally happy. The father laughed at something his curly-haired daughter had said, and the mother pursed her lips in disapproval, though she was probably just trying to hide a smile of her own.

It only took a moment to figure out why Cole was watching them so intently.

I never really knew Hagar, Jay thought. She must have been amazing. Not anyone can capture a heart like Cole's.

"Okay," Kai said, sipping his water glass, "you've explained that little tidbit. But there's a few more questions to be raised."

"What are those?" Kaytake asked.

"You left Mother alone," Kai said. "Sure, you probably didn't let her know what was going on, so she can't tell the Guards about your plans. But does Garmadon know that? He's not against torturing prisoners if he thinks they might be hiding information."

"You left here there?" Malian asked. "I thought the plan was to keep her hidden with a few of my men."

"Stupid," Kai said. "And I have one more bone to pick."

"What's that?" Kaytake looked nervous. And for a good reason.

"Why are you talking to me?" Kai said. "Why are you in the same room as me? Why are you acting so good when on the inside, you're rotten and wicked?" He slammed his cup down and stood, tipping his chair over. This caused a few patrons to turn their heads, but Kai didn't seem to care.

"Why did you do this to me?" he shouted, red-faced, palms flat on the table. "Do you have any idea how I feel? I already feel guilty about what happened to my sister. Then you had to go and have another kid, pretend that I never existed. Don't feed me your stinking pile of sh-"

Cole reached out and grabbed Kai's wrist. "Sit, Kai. That's enough. Let him explain."

So he was paying attention, then.

Stiff with suppressed rage, Kai righted his chair and sat.

Kaytake and Malian exchanged pained glances.

"I thought we went over this already, son," Kaytake said. "In my study, the day after your return. I was acting, because I can't trust the men that Garmadon is giving me to replace Malian's squadron. I love you, and nothing you can do will change that. You're my son. The disowning...it was all part of the act, because I would lose Garmadon's trust if he found out that I'd been so lenient with a 'wayward' son."

Kaytake looked down at his folded hands, then back at his son. "I'm so, so sorry, Kai. I'd thought that you understood what was going on. If I'd known how you felt..." He swallowed. "Can you forgive me?"

Kai's jaw tightened again, and he balled his hands into fists.

Pixal set down her fork and reached for her napkin, eyes on Kai. She seemed only mildly curious about what was going on. Cole was again staring hollowly at that family.

Malian coughed into his sleeve again, then moaned. His forehead was speckled with sweat.

"No," Kai hissed.

Kaytake blinked. "Pardon?"

"No!" Kai stood a second time, this time more controlled. "You're a liar, Kaytake. Whether or not I'm the one being lied to, I don't know. But who goes and attempts to poison Lord Julien? Who risks the life and dignity of their best friend to save their own skin? Who shames their son in public and forces them to live like I am now? Besai was dying! Don't you have a heart?"

Kaytake looked small and terrified in the shadow of Kai's wrath.

Suddenly, Jay felt angry too. Kai was hurting. Kai had been duped. Kaytake deserved to die.

Get a grip! Stormstrider said. Can't you feel that? Kai's using his Blade's powers to irritate everyone in this room!

On purpose? Jay asked. With some difficulty, he pulled himself out of the trance. He could still feel the hate, though, pricking at his subconscious.

Probably not, Stormstrider replied. It's like when you first started using me. You had no clue you were flying, but you were. Kai's just having difficulty keeping his emotions out of his Blade's reach.

Kai trembled, face contorted and flushed. The emotion pricking Jay's brain changed to confusion and desperation. "Who has the heart to send his son away after burying his only daughter? Is your love of politics really that strong?"

Kaytake looked down, eyes closed. He did not make any argument to defend himself.

Tell him what you will about Cyrus' fortress, Jay, Kai said to the Western nobleman with his powers. You can probably trust him to keep it a secret, as long as it's to his advantage.

What about you, Kai? You can forgive-

"I'm walking the rest of the way," Kai said, lifting his cloak hood over his head. "See you later." He stormed out of the White Rose, slamming the heavy door behind him.

The rage resonating from Kai's Blade faded, leaving every person- every family at every table- silent.