Hi... Yes, well first off let me start by saying thank you to those who had kept pushing me to write some more. It's been hectic since I've started college again and I'm so tired and drained most of the time. Now I'm starting to get into the groove of things and can really focus on writing when I know I have time. Thank you so much for being patient and for all the love and support. I'm so sorry I'm a horrible author though!

Anyway, Enjoy!

"So we just need the bread now," Lukas murmured looking at the basket of things already in his hands. He shivered underneath his coat and pushed his scarf up closer to to his nose that was already a bright red. When he glanced up he could see the lingering gray clouds and wondered if it was going to snow that day, if it was he didn't want to be caught in the middle of it. "We should probably get some extra fire wood," he added.

"Mhm," Mathias said looking at Lukas who seemed to have been underneath a thousand layers of clothing. He found it amusing for since this was nothing compared to the winter's in the north. "You really that cold?" Lukas shot him a look as they arrived to the door of the bakery and Mathias held the door open for him.

The warm air and the sweet smell of bread hit their noses and Lukas glanced at the fresh bread already displayed. "I think two loaves will do, what do you think?" he turned to Mathias who was staring outside the large window. "Mathias," he called out his name and then frowned when he didn't respond. He walked over towards him but that's when he looked outside the window. A large crowd beginning to gather just outside and in the very center of it they could see Oleo. He was shivering with soaked and tattered and stained clothing, his face smudged with dirt and his eyes wide as he shouted something inaudible at the crowd. He waved his hands around a brown bag tied to his waist and stained red. Both Mathias and Lukas exchanged looks before Lukas headed for the door.

"Lukas we shouldn't bother," Mathias said tugging at the sleeve of his arm.

"He looks insane," Lukas replied pulling away. "I don't really care about him, but something must have happened." He then headed outside the door and back into the cold as he heard Mathias follow closely behind him.

"Please! Please listen to me!" Oleo shouted as he looked amongst the crowd. "That-That beast! He is coming for us all!" Oleo's voice broke and the closer Lukas got he realized the stains on his shirt appeared to be dry blood. Large bags were underneath his eyes as if he hadn't slept for some time."He is coming for all of us!"

"Who is?" A woman asked looking at Oleo but holding her child away from him at the same time.

"The Duke! The Duke is coming for us all!"

Mathias raised an eyebrow and looked at Lukas who seemed slightly annoyed. "He must have lost his mine," Mathias muttered.

"Must have," Lukas added. He watched as everyone was just muttering to themselves, they all knew the Duke had incredible powers and he was a beast indeed. Although he was sure only him and Tino had seen the Duke in his beast-like form. Or what he thought was his beast-like form.

"He tried to attack me! In my own home!" He suddenly picked up the bag from his waist and undid the strings pulling out a mauled head. Screams filled the air and Lukas took a step back quickly running into Mathias.

"What the hell?!" Lukas snapped looking at Mathias as he gripped his sleeve. Mathias was just as confused, and he looked between Lukas and the head. He had no words and certainly didn't understand what was going on.

"This. This is what that beast has done! This is what he will do to all of us!" Oleo shouted shoving the barely recognizable head toward the crowd. "This...this man was a servant...he tried to protect me…" Oleo's voice broke as he looked at the head. His hands running over the already rotting flesh in an unsettling way. His hands slowly becoming full of blood and his lips were shaking. "He did what he could."

"Berwald would never do that without reason," Mathias muttered.

Lukas didn't want to ask what that meant seeing the crowd begin to become riled up. He feared that if they stayed there longer Mathias could be in trouble. "We should get going," Lukas barely whispered turning away from a deranged Oleo and tried to tug on Mathias' sleeve.

"Berwald doesn't like to get violent, for a lot of reasons. This just doesn't make sense, Oleo must have provoked him." Mathias was clearly becoming upset as well.

"Mathias let's just go, we shouldn't get into it."

"He is tarnishing his name," Mathias growled lowly already glaring at Oleo who kept rambling on to the crowd.

"It isn't worth it," Lukas said glancing around. He knew people knew who Mathias was, now he noticed the stares they were getting. "Mathias, please, let's go."

Mathias glanced down at Lukas then back toward Oleo, hesitating, but he eventually nodded and turned away. He took Lukas' hand hoping to lead the two of them out of the crowd as he too began to notice the glances they were getting.

"He promised to start with Tino!"

Lukas stood still as the words hung in the air and he could hear the crowd began to quiet down. He slowly turned around and realized Oleo was looking right at him, the crowd following his gaze. "Ignore him Lukas," Mathias whispered.

"Why would he ever say that?" Lukas responded although he felt Mathias tugging on his hand. "We know well enough the Duke would never harm a hair on Tino's head."

"Because he wants me to pay," Oleo replied. "He wants me to pay for apparently disrespecting him!" He turned toward the crowd raising his arms as he said this, and then turned back to Lukas. "All I did, was ask him his reason for marrying Tino. He got upset, Lukas. Upset with me."

"You're crazy," Lukas whispered as Oleo now walked over to him, the crowd slowly opening up. EIther because he was still carrying the head, or because he seemed absolutely mad, Lukas couldn't tell. "You know as well as I do the Duke would never do that to Tino. You're just a jealous lust-enraged child who didn't get his way." Lukas stood his ground just as Oleo was only a foot away, a small smile creeping up on his face that made his stomach knot up. He felt a lump in his throat. If it weren't for Mathias holding one of his hand's he was sure they would be shaking just as hard.

"If that's what you think. I'm sorry," Oleo said in almost a whispering tone and walked close enough for them to just be inches apart. "I'm sorry that you're going to have to lose your cousin."

Next thing Mathias knew Lukas was nearly jumping on top of Oleo, his hands around his neck and tackling him to the ground. "Lukas! Lukas stop!" he shouted.

"Take it back!" Lukas shouted just as he felt Mathias' hands go around his shoulders and pull him off of the Lord who seemed a bit dazed.

Oleo touched his throat for a second and coughed a bit watching Lukas struggled against Mathias. "You see!" Oleo could barely shout as he moved himself away from Lukas. "Th-There with the Duke! They're trying to hurt me too!"

"You're the insane one!" Lukas shouted and kept trying to struggle out of Mathias' grip.

"Lukas, Lukas!" Mathias hissed forcing Lukas to turn around and look at him. "Stop it! This is exactly what he's looking for!" he looked back at Oleo, but his mind was racing for them to find a way out. He quickly turned gripping Lukas' hand tightly and headed for a way out of the crowd, but the gap from earlier had closed as people were getting closer to them.

"We must take them now!" Oleo shouted pointing at both Lukas and Mathias. "They will warn the Duke and we will have no time to prepare ourselves!" He then picked up the head off the ground now covered in cold dirt, "Do you want this to be our fate?! Do you want this to be what we end up like?!"

Mathias shook his head looking all around them as people were starting to box them in. "Don't touch me!" Lukas shouted as a man tried to grip his arm.

"Don't touch him!" Mathias shouted pushing the man off of Lukas and glaring at the crowd.

"Are you really going to fight us?" Oleo shouted at him as Mathias was breathing quickly, the side of his ribs burning and he pulled Lukas as close as he could to him.

"Mathias we can't get out of this," Lukas said looking at the large crowd closing in on them. No matter where he looked. There wasn't an opening.

"It's no use," Oleo whispered to himself as he bumped the severed head against his hip lightly.

Tino's eyes slowly opened as he looked around the large room still in darkness with the curtains drawn closed. His body still hurt a little bit, but he feels a large warmth on his back that he sank back into. His eyes closed again wanting to drift back off to sleep reaching down slightly to pull the covers over him once more. His hand ran into something else and for a moment he followed the shape that draped over his waist before slowly opening his eyes and glancing down. He saw it was an arm and his eyes slowly followed up to see that Berwald's face was closer than he expected.

Well now he was completely awake as he quickly turned away and put his hand over his mouth. He could feel the heat of his face all the way to the tips of his ears and he bit the inside of his cheek. He told himself to relax, this was completely normal. They were married afterall, so why did his stomach have all sorts of knots and twists and butterflies fluttering everywhere. Of course, this was the first time they even laid in the same bed before. He couldn't really remember the events of last night other than falling back asleep and sharing a small kiss.

He laid there a few more moments before the twisting sensation in his stomach returned, this time it felt more like a cramp than anything else. He frowned and wondered if it was because he didn't eat last night. He sighed out not wanting to get out of bed, but his hunger hit him like a train. He pursed his lips together as he slowly shifted to move out of bed trying not to alarm Berwald. He pushed himself up slightly nearly sitting up when he felt himself being pulled back down and lying nearly flat gasped quickly feeling Berwald's arms wrap around his waist pulling him close to the others chest. "I didn't mean to wake you up," Tino said quickly not sure if he startled the other awake or if he had just woken up.

"Mm...it's fine," Berwald muttered barely hearing Tino's words as he moved his face closer to the other. His face brushing slightly against the blonde hair that smelled vaguely of wet dirt and flowers. He relaxed moments later and opened his eyes a bit looking down at Tino. However he was met with a soft blur of colors that became more focused as he could make out the small details of Tino's face. The blonde hair covering the pillow beside him and partly covering Tino's face was surrounded by soft hues of pink and orange. He stared for a few moments as the colors just lazily floated by, his lips opened slightly in wonder. The colors were so close as if he could touch them and then he glanced down to see Tino looking at him, his face flushed as he also realized how close he had gotten to him. "'M sorry," he said quickly turning over slightly to look for his glasses, but to move away as well.

Tino watched him and then glanced away noticing the spot where Berwald's arm was now felt a little cold. He pulled the blanket up a bit and turned back toward Berwald who managed to find his glasses and slip them on. "Did...you sleep well?" Tino muttered not really sure what to say at this point as Berwald was leaning on his arm slightly looking at him.

Berwald could see Tino clearly now, the colors still soft but now more refined. Tino's soft complexion in the dimly lit room was something he could have stared at all day. "Yes, it was...nice." Tino nodded and played with the edge of the blanket for a moment as Berwald watched, "How do you feel? Your arm?" he asked looking over at it.

"I don't feel anything," Tino replied now examining his arm. There didn't seem to be any sign of anything being there until he looked closer. He could see a small faint scar from where the knife had first entered and he gently ran his fingers over it. It didn't hurt thankfully, but he looked back at Berwald who had a solemn expression on his face again. "I'm fine, really," Tino said quickly setting his arm down and turning slightly onto his side. "You don't have to worry."

Berwald didn't move for a second watching as Tino extended his hand towards his. "You still look tired, are you sure you slept okay?" he heard him say. If Berwald was going to be honest, he would have told Tino he nearly didn't sleep at all last night. He had been up thinking over and over about what had happened. How he could have stopped it. Were there signs that he missed? What did he do wrong? The thoughts had kept him up nearly all night pacing back and forth, until he realized the hour that it was. It wasn't until he laid beside Tino that he felt at ease.

"I slept fine," Berwald replied and took TIno's hand into his looking over the pale knuckles that were slightly red. He ran his thumb over them casually enjoying how soft Tino's skin was. He turned slightly to look at Tino who had been watching him, and he leaned over kissing his cheek.

Tino wasn't really expecting it to say the least, now that his face had just calmed down it felt like it was burning once more. He bit the inside of his lip and turned his head slightly to see Berwald just an inch apart from his face. His lips opened slightly as if to say something, but no words escaped. The two of them watched one another for a few moments, Tino could swear he could feel his heart beating against his chest. Berwald slowly moving closer until he closed his eyes feeling their lips press together. They were still, sharing in the small innocent kiss with both of them gripping one another's hands a little tighter, both a little scared.

Of course at the worse possible moment a small noise interrupted the both of them. Tino pulled away slightly keeping his eyes closed and he shook his head. He couldn't believe his stomach decided to rumble at a time like this. Berwald was taken back and looked at Tino before he chuckled slightly, that was one way to ruin the mood. "Let me go and get you some breakfast," he murmured.

Tino looked up watching Berwald chuckle, the way his eyes crinkled a bit and his lips curved upwards. He wondered why Berwald seemed so serious all the time when he looked just as handsome when he was smiling. Even if it was ever so slightly. He nodded quietly watching Berwald now get out of bed and dress himself slightly. He simply pulled the covers up to his nose watching quietly and feeling embarrassed for ruining the moment. But he was also taken by surprise at how incredibly handsome the Berwald was when he was simply just smiling. He heard the door close from the room and he buried his face into the pillow.

Berwald makes his way downstairs running his hand along the railing, maybe it was him just him but things seemed to be a lot brighter in the usually dull mansion. Servants moved around saying their good mornings as he passed through and he nodded at them. The windows were opened and light streamed in that warmed up each room he passed until he got to the dining room. He saw his mother sitting at the table staring out the window as she had a small teacup in her hands.

She turned when she heard the doors opened and she smiled at him, "Good morning Berwald, how is Tino doing?"

"Fine, he's still in bed. I'm going to get him some breakfast to be taken up there." Lovisa nods and sets her teacup down on the small gingerly painted saucer on the table. She motions for him to sit down. Berwald raised an eyebrow, but does as his mother wants pulling the chair in front of her and taking a seat.

"I'm sure you're fully aware that Tino posses powerful clear magic, yes?" Lovisa began resting her hands on her lap and looking over Berwald carefully, as if trying to study his face for the first time.

"I'm aware," he responded after sitting back in his seat. He had assumed it since he found out Tino grew the moon roses, however when his mother said 'powerful' he didn't know how to take it. He set his arms on the table letting his fingers trace the light fabric that covered it and grazed his teeth over the front of his lip. He watches her as she doesn't say anything and his muscles begin to tense up. It was tradition in their family to marry others with the same kind of magic, or even common magic, but nothing as extreme as clear magic. He glanced down at the table clenching his jaw, his foot now bouncing in one place. "I'm not divorcing him," he said looking straight at Lovisa, his foot still as the words echoed in the dining room.

"Divorce?" she repeated blinking a few times and furrowed her eyebrows. "Who said anything about divorce?"

Berwald sat there glancing around for a few moments, "This...isn't what this is about, is it?"

"Heavens no," Lovisa said and smiled a bit chuckling. "I understand what you're afraid of, but I'm going to tell you to divorce him." Her eyes wandered to the cup of tea that laid still in it's cup. "I realize how harsh I must have come off at first. I only wanted the best for you, Berwald. As a mother… you never expect anyone to be good enough for your children. Even now I still worry that nobody will be good enough for my children. You're my son and nothing is ever going to change that." She looked back up meeting his gaze and leaned forward reaching her arm out on the table. "But I can see how much you care for him, and how happy he makes you. I don't want to take away from that."

Berwald watches her before he sighs out in relief shaking his head a little, feeling a small smile from earlier grace his face. "It...means a lot," he said softly. Lovisa thought she had misheard but she pulled her arm back and nodded.

She looked back out the window and pressed her lips into a firm line, "I understand how much you care for him. Both your father and I are very happy," she paused. Berwald looked up at her and she sighed out closing her eyes. "We're just worried. People are going to begin to talk, Berwald. Surely you know this better than anyone. Your wife...isn't marked."

Berwald looked away quickly at the mentioning of it and down at the table once again. "I don't think I can do that to him."

"I understand, your father was reluctant to do it to me as well," she said opening her eyes and looking at Berwald. "We just want you to be safe, and if you ever have children we want our grandchildren to be safe. You know what happened to your cousin Mathias…" her voice became more hushed and she took in a deep breath. "We don't want you or our grandchildren to be put in harm's way."

Berwald felt a lump in his throat begin to form as he shifted in his seat to look outside. Clouds covered the sun a little and the dining room had become darker. "I understand your concern…"

"Please don't feel pressured," Lovisa said quickly cutting him off. "We don't mean any disrespect and we will always love you no matter," she said placing her hands over her chest. "No matter your decision, we simply wish to see your growing family safe."

Berwald didn't reply glancing at his mother before the door opened and he watched as Elizabeta walked in. She was out of breath and her outfit crinkled a bit as she stared between the two. She quickly bowed her head, "D-Duke Oxsternia, please excuse my sudden entrance!"

"Everything alright?" Berwald asked sitting up in his chair and furrowing his eyebrows.

Elizabeta raised her head and shook her head. "Ludwig came by and told me there was trouble in the village."

"What kind of trouble?" Lovisa asked her head turned a bit to the side looking at Berwald as he stood out of his seat.

"Oleo has appeared," Elizabeta replied hesitantly. "He's convinced the town that the Duke is coming after everyone…"

"What else?" Berwald as Elizabeta kept exchanging her glance between the ground and Berwald.

"They have...they have Tino's family taken hostage… His request is that you take Tino back to town and return him."

"Really?" Lovisa asked and picked up her teacup. "Is that it?" Elizabeta glanced over at her in confusion then at Berwald who had turned to his mother. She put the teacup to her lips and glanced up at Berwald. "Do you really think his tiny threat is anything to be afraid of? All you need to do is show up and crush him. Simple as that." Berwald stood there quietly just as his father entered the room looking over at him. "This is child's play for you, Berwald," Lovisa added.

"Agreed," Erik murmured as he walked passed Elizabeta and stared between Lovisa and him.

"I can't risk Tino's family getting hurt," Berwald said clenching his jaw.

"Then we don't tell Tino. You and Rasmus go in quickly and swiftly to take care of the threat."

"I can't lie to Tino." He pushed his chair in and paused gripping the top of the chair, the wood creaking underneath his grip. "I can't lose the trust of the town, especially the trust of Tino's father."

Lovisa and Erik exchanged glances before watching Berwald walk out of the dining room.

Lukas can feel his back began to cramp after sitting in one position for too long. He shifts a little and hears someone else shifting as well. "Mathias?" he called out as he looked around. There was hardly any light other than a small light that was on a nearby desk illuminating the small room he was in. He looked around realizing he wasn't just in a room, but in a jail cell.

"Lukas?" Mathias called out as he too sat up and quickly felt around to feel cold stone beneath him.

"Why are we in jail?" Lukas called out pressing his face against the bars and looking around trying to catch a glimpse of Mathias.

"I don't know," Mathias muttered and stood up in the cell pressing on the bars. Of course he knew they weren't going to budge, but it was worth a shot.

That's when a door opens illuminating the entire room, and Lukas realized there were multiple cells. "Get your hands off of me!" he heard and instantly recognized the voice.

"Uncle Taisto?" he called out and looked over seeing Taisto being pulled along by two men. Following after him were Elo holding his brother Emil in his arms. "Wh-what are you doing?! Leave them alone!" Lukas shouted as he tried shaking the bars.

"My, you certainly are a loud mouth aren't you?" Lukas turned to see Oleo walking over nonchalantly to the cell he was in.

"Oleo leave them out of this! They have nothing to do with this at all!" Lukas watched as Oleo walked right up to him, just inches away from the bar. A tightening feeling overran his chest and he quickly took a step back. His hands still on the bars, but a familiar pain flashed over his neck.

Oleo smiled watching him cower away, "I'm afraid that is where you're wrong." He sighed out and ran his finger along the bar and then looked at it seeing all the dust that had collected on it. He squished it between his fingers before looking back at Lukas. "You see, they might go off and warn the Duke. And I can't have that happening."

"They can't warn the Duke," Mathias said now leaning against the bars looking at Oleo. "Why would any enter the black forest without magic? Obviously they don't have any, so they can't."

Oleo glances over at Mathias and nods quietly, "I suppose you're right, but just as extra precaution."

"You're sick," Lukas muttered glaring at Oleo.

Oleo chuckled and shrugged, "Some would say, others would just say I'm creative." He turns slightly away looking at the cell where Emil was cowering into Elo. "Good thing for you all is that you'll all get your lovely Tino back."

"What are you talking about?" Lukas muttered trying to grab Oleo's attention. He didn't want him getting any closer to them and stepped closer to the bars. "What the hell do you want with Tino?"

"The same as all of you, I simply want him back home," he hummed and glanced back at Lukas.

"The Duke will never do anything like that," Lukas whispered. "He would never put Tino in harm's way."

"Of course," Oleo said walking slowly over toward the other cell. Lukas gripped the bars of his own cell and clenched his jaw. "However, Tino would do anything for his family, would he not?"

"I said leave them out of this!" Lukas shouted shaking the cell bars. "They have nothing to do with this and you know it!" Emil whined and buried his face in Elo's chest and his tiny hands gripping the fabric of his shirt. Elo glared at Oleo as he walked over idly toward their cell.

"Emil, was it?" Oleo asked.

Elo quickly tightened his grip around Emil, "What do you want?"

"Such manners, certainly don't want that young impressionable child to imitate that, do you?" His fingers glided over the bars murmuring something nobody could hear. In seconds it was as if Emil had been violently ripped away from Elo and his small body was held up against the bars.

The screams that echoed within the cells sent shivers down Lukas' spine and down to his bones. "I SAID LEAVE HIM ALONE DAMMIT!" Lukas could feel the ball of pain in his chest as Oleo glanced over his shoulder at him.

Elo quickly stood up but Oleo held up his other hand turning back to him. He didn't move, but instead watched as Oleo leaned down until he was about eye level with Emil and he reached his hand through the bars gently stroking Emil's hair. Emil tried to pull away, but his body seemed frozen in place. "D-daddy.." he sobbed.

"Shh...shh…" Oleo hummed placing his hand over Emil's lips. "You know, you can't always get what you want in life. Especially by crying," he murmured. Emil squeezed his eyes shut trying to shake his head away. Oleo chuckled, "That's why you work for what you want. No matter the cost."

"Please…" Elo choked out as Oleo didn't bother looking at him and continued to run his fingers through Emil's hair. Taisto stood beside him, having one hand on his arm as if to stop him from making any sudden moves. "Please...j-just don't hurt him. Please."

"OLEO DAMMIT I SAID STOP IT!" Lukas was screaming to the top of his lungs, violently shaking the cell bars as hard as he could. Hot tears ran down his face and his knees kept buckling underneath him.

"One day, you'll understand," Oleo whispered and leaned through the bars gently placing a kiss on Emil's forehead. He stood up and Emil quickly stepped back, no longer feeling like he was being glued in place. He ran towards Elo and Taisto, with Elo scooping him up and Taisto standing between them and Oleo who had a pleased smile on his face.

Lukas fell to his knees shaking and pressing his forehead against the bars. He could hear Oleo followed by the other two men all walking out without another word. He forced himself to look up, the muffled crying of Emil bouncing off the walls were deafening to him. "I-It'll be okay," he barely whispered looking through the darkness. "We'll be fine."

Mathias was leaning against the wall, his eyes staring at the stone on the ground. He was helpless, he was useless. There was nothing he could have done, and he could feel his tears rolling down his cheeks as he ran his hands through his hair tugging at it with a loud heavy sigh.

"You...you can't contact the Duke by chance?" he heard in the dark and turned to glance at Taisto who stood in a small crack of light. His eyes looked red, and nearly sunken in. Large bags underneath them were visible, his eyes pleading for something. Something to give them hope.

"I..I would need my magic, but when I faked my death Berwald sealed it away…" he whispered and looked down. "I'm sorry."

The large door opened again and the same two men from earlier walked in, this time without Oleo. They didn't say a word to anybody as they walked right over to Mathias' cell and opened it up.

Immediately Mathias stood up backing up against the wall and looking at the two men. "What?"

"Oleo would like to see you," one of them muttered. Mathias hesitated and glanced between the two men, he was sure he didn't have a choice. They walked closer to him, but he didn't put up a fight as they gripped both arms and began to lead him out.

"W-where are you taking him?" Lukas asked quickly.

"I'll be fine," Mathias said as they kept shoving him towards the door.

The door slammed moments later and Lukas felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Oleo, are you sure this is wise?" Bisok asked as he stood against the large French doors, hat in hand.

"What? Are you against me too now?" Oleo snapped as he looked up at his father. He had been pacing back and forth in the large room. Papers were everywhere, furniture turned upside down, a curtain ripped in half. "You going to turn me in?"

"Of course not," Bisok replied and clenched his jaw. He glanced away, "Are you sure, this is what you want?"

"I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't," Oleo growled before shoving books that laid a mess on a table. "Why can't you just let me do this?! I know what I'm doing!" his back was turned to his father but he was now huffing gripping the edge of the desk.

Bisok watched for a few moments, taking in every detail of the man in front of him. His clothes still torn, his hair a mess, and the look on his face when he turned around. "I understand," Bisok murmured placing his hat back on his head. This man, was no longer his son. He headed out the door closing it.

Oleo stood there leaning back against the desk and taking in a deep breath, he brushed his fingers through his hair fixing his torn up shirt. The door opened a few moments later, and Mathias was dragged in by the two men as they forced him to his knees. "Alright, alright I get the message," Mathias muttered glancing back at the two men before looking forward to see Oleo.

"Mathias Køhler-Oxenstierna," he whispered.

Mathias was still before his eyes slowly turned into a deadly glare. "How the…"

"You don't really think we're that stupid, do you?" Oleo smiled. He sat back on the desk completely, letting his legs swing a little. "I can do some research of my own, Mathias. I know who you are, I know what you've done. I know the last five years of your life...and from I remember, you're supposed to be dead. Right?"

"What the hell do you want?"

"You're going to help me."

"Like hell I am!" Mathias snapped and winced when one of the men applied more pressure to his shoulders.

Oleo waved his hand and the two men let go of him before he dismissed them and they walked out of the room. "I think you misunderstand the situation at hand, Mathias. You don't have a choice. I mean, how do you feel about never seeing Lukas again?"

"He has nothing to do with me" Mathias muttered now standing up, but didn't take another step toward Oleo.

"Don't take me for a fool!" Oleo snapped slamming his hand down on the desk. "I know very well, everybody in this damn town know about the two of you!" Mathias stood there, his body tense as he watched Oleo close his eyes for a moment and reposition himself on the desk. "Of course, if you think I won't hesitate to kill him then you clearly don't understand what's going on here."

There was a thick silence in the air before Mathias stared at the ground. "What do you want from me?"

"I'm going to unlock your magic, of course I realize a Duke is the one who sealed it away. But with the help of my father it shouldn't be too hard. Once that is done you're going to help me drain all the magic from Tino."

Mathias wasn't surprised at the mention that Tino had magic, how else would have he grown those moon roses? "You do realize magic grows along with the person, yes?" Mathias asked.

"Of course I do, and Tino has been unknowingly cultivating his magic for all these years. Do you realize how powerful he is?" Oleo clasped his hands together like an excited child.

"Magic is infused with the soul, to drain him of all his magic would be to kill him. It would rip his soul apart." Mathias replied furrowing his eyebrows. "If you want him alive I don't understand why you would do that to him."

"Yes well, there has to be some sort of sacrifice to all of this," Oleo said motioning his hand in a circle. "My plan was never to really keep him alive anyhow, only to drain him of his magic."

Mathias slowly understood what was going on stared at him in disbelief. "I want to remind you Mathias, what is on the line here." His hands clenched into fists and he prayed that Berwald would think of something.

A bit emotional I would say. I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review on what you do and don't like! It really does keep me going you guys, thanks so much!