Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to

Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving

me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,

but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this

story to make it more interesting.

I also don't own anything related to Naruto if you see me throw a little of that, too.

Chapter Twenty-One

He didn't want to, but he had to come back to the palace in the Badlands. He needed to invent something. If he was successful, the trip would prove to be more than worth it.

It was.

It'd taken him a week to gather all the materials. Some were harder to collect than others. The map of the entire Mushroom World was easy; he'd looked in the library and got that. As was a leather backing to fortify the map. He'd found an old journal, tore the pages out of it, and glued the map against it so that it closed like a book. Then came the tricky part; his father's DNA. That was the main reason he came back to the old king's palace in the first place and he had a hunch about where he could find some of that: from the king's bed he'd plucked a few strands of hair. Hunting for that amidst a sea of silk sheets and pillows had been a nightmare. And the last thing he needed was magic. This was why it took him so long, for he had to pour in his magic in increments over the course of a few days to sufficiently store up enough within the journal-map to ensure that it would work properly. But now he was finished and all that was left to do was to test it out.

This should work, Iggy reasoned, though this was a creation totally his own, the manifestation of his own ingenuity and magical understanding.

He looked at the closed leather book and ran his hand over the cover, alabaster clashing with inky black. He stood in the study of the fallen king with his magic cloak draped over the large wooden desk and his long-sleeved white shirt rolled up above the wrists. His lime-colored hair brushed his cheeks as he bent his head over his invention.

"What is it, Igg?" A young voice chirped.

Iggy's vibrant green eyes found his brother's and they softened fondly. The boy was sitting comfortable in a giant stuffed chair in the corner of the office with his hands resting on the furniture's arms.

"It's a map," Iggy said softly.

"What's it do?" Lemmy then asked.

Iggy told him, "Come and see."

His little brother then climbed down from the armchair and hurried eagerly over towards the lanky adolescent. He gripped the edge of the desk and stood on his toes and peered at the seemingly normal slim book.

"Hold onto me." Iggy instructed.

Lemmy buried his hand in his brother's pants pocket. Iggy then opened the book and the smell of ancient parchment wafted upwards. He'd magically restored the map so as to be able to read it more clearly and could see a red dot on the paper's ivory surface. The dot represented his father. Iggy squinted at it and saw that he'd never heard of the area it was located in. He tapped the dot twice and the map began rearranging itself. A new map appeared, this one being of the dot's specific location. Wherever his father was, it was mountainous, as the thirteen-year-old could see.

Now for the second part of my invention.

Iggy picked up his cloak and hung it over the crook of his elbow, then glanced down to see that his brother was still holding onto him. Having confirmed this, he held his finger over the red dot. As he'd programmed it to do, the journal transported them to the dot's, or his father's, current location. But it was only a relative estimate, so Iggy wasn't surprised to see he'd landed at the base of the craggy grey mountains with his sire nowhere in sight.

So far so good, he thought.

He reached for his brother's hand and started scaling the mountains. Into every cave he encountered he popped his head in but most of them were empty. One of them was home to a sleeping bear, much to Lemmy's amusement. After a while, the young child grew bored and after even more time he begged his older brother to carry him. Iggy obliged and traveled the rest of the way up with his little sibling on his back. Hours passed before they finally happened upon a redhead, but it wasn't the one they were looking for.

"Junior!"

Said boy was in the middle of the most interesting cave the other two boys had seen all day. There were piles of trinkets and knick-knacks in one corner, just useless-looking things all thrown together, and in another there was a crate of fruits and vegetables and bread and cheese. Towards the front there was a large pallet of fine silk sheets and pillows. There was a smaller pallet across from it, and in the middle of the two was a five-year-old standing upside down on his hands. He blinked and couldn't make sense of who he was seeing at first, but when his name was called he righted himself and grinned broadly.

"Lemmy!" He cried out in glee.

He sat with his legs in a 'w' and his hands on either side of him with his face still red from the blood rushing to it moments ago. He enjoyed that dizzy, light-headed sensation he got from being upside-down. It was his way of staving off the boredom of being in the cave alone. But now he felt giddy at seeing his old friend out the blue. Lemmy came over and the redhead rose and they hugged.

Iggy stepped into the cave and looked around and deduced that the boy was, in fact, alone. He felt a bit disappointed at that. He went over to where Junior and Lemmy were catching up and crouched to their height. He gazed at the jade-eyed child.

"Junior," He spoke gently, "Where is ou-your father?"

I don't want to break the news to him just yet, Iggy thought after correcting himself.

Junior blinked and said, "Um, he went with a very nice lady."

"Do you know where they are now?" Iggy inquired.

Junior shook his head and said, "They didn't even much tell me where they was 'bout to go, they just left."

"When was that?" The adolescent asked.

Two small shoulders jumped up in a shrug.

"I can't remember." Junior answered simply.

Iggy frowned a little, not really upset with the child but immensely irritated at the way the situation turned out. He then decided to change his perspective to a more positive one.

"At least I know my invention works, and well." He muttered to himself, standing up.

Now what to do from here? I suppose I could wait here until the king...my father…he returns.

And for a while, that's what he did. He sat cross-leg on the cave floor and closed his eyes and waited. He occasionally opened them to watch the two boys as they talked and played.

They get along so well, Iggy observed. I wonder if it's because they're children or because they're brothers?

The topic was being discussed between the two over a rousing game of 'roll the golden apple', the item being one of the various pretty but useless things piled up in the cave.

"So my daddy is your daddy, too?" Junior asked with his brows scrunched together.

Lemmy rolled him the weighty apple and nodded.

"How come he never even told me?" Junior then asked.

Lemmy shrugged and caught the apple where it stopped halfway between the two. Junior wasn't very good at this game.

"I don't remember him," Lemmy reasoned, "So maybe he doesn't remember me or my brothers, either."

Junior rolled his thumb around the apple's stem once it'd been rolled back to him and then brightened.

"So since you are my brother, that means you'll stay with me?" He asked eagerly.

Lemmy looked around. He didn't quite fancy the idea of staying in a cave, even if there were plenty of neat toys to play with. He liked spending time with Iggy, going different places. But he also liked being with Junior.

He suggested, "Why don't you come with us? We can go anywhere we want and have fun and stuff."

"What about my Daddy?" Junior then asked. "I think he would be sad if he was all by his own self here and I was gone."

"You can bring him with us!" Lemmy proposed.

Junior smiled and rolled the apple back towards Lemmy. Then something occurred to him.

"My Daddy told me I can't leave and go nowhere." He remembered. "He told me to stay in this place or else."

"Or else what?" Lemmy frowned.

"I don't know." Junior replied, "But if I go with you my Daddy will probably be um very mad at me and yell at me."

After several hours of this, Iggy ran out of patience and positions to put his body into so as not to get a cramp from sitting still too long. He stood and stretched. The two little boys had during that time eaten from the crate of food and were now taking a nap. Iggy went over to rouse his brother.

"We're leaving." He announced quietly.

Lemmy nodded tiredly and stood, yawning.

I don't want this to have been a blank trip, Iggy frowned, so he raised a hand and summoned a piece of paper and a pencil from where he recalled them to be at the bunker he used to live in. He plucked them from where they hovered in mid-air and wrote a note against the cave wall. He contemplated how to address his sire, then decided against addressing him at all.

I stopped by and you weren't here. I need to speak with you. It's very important. I'll be back later.

–Ignatius Koopa—

At least now he'll be expecting me, Iggy reasoned as he laid the note on the pillow of the larger pallet. For good measure, he turned and shook Junior's shoulder.

"When your father comes back, make sure he sees that note, okay?"

Junior nodded and went back to sleep. Lemmy waved to him as he and his brother joined hands and vanished a moment later.

Once Roy was fresh out the shower and had his injuries tended to, he had a clearer head. But with his sobriety came the daunting pressure of fully realizing everything that went on that night.

Yes, he tracked down one of Eriana's demons.

Yes, he beat the tar out of that scumbag.

No, he had no idea if MJ and Ariadne got back to the palace safely.

Yes, he may have killed someone. Maybe. He wasn't sure about that, it wasn't like he stopped to check the man's vitals before high-tailing it out of there.

Roy winced.

If I did kill him, it's no less than he deserved, his mind told him, or at least part of it did. The angry, vindictive part that was satisfied with the possibility of there being one less monster in the world. But the other part of his mind was unsure of his actions and wondered if killing that slaver made him a monster, too. He was conflicted.

Into the mirror he stared, blinking at his reflection, before drying his body off and getting dressed in a casual white shirt and pants. He stepped out into the bedroom and saw Eriana sitting rigidly on the edge of the bed. Every little noise made her flinch and when she heard Roy emerge from the bathroom her eyes darted over towards him. She looked as if the smallest little thing would send her over the edge. Roy frowned and came over to her. She hadn't changed clothes. It'd only been about an hour since they got back. She still hadn't stopped trembling.

"Eri," He spoke softly, rubbing her arms soothingly. "Are you alright?"

The girl swallowed and began to nod, then her face crumbled and tears came and she shook her head. Roy rubbed a thumb over her cheek, swiping away the moisture there, and opened his mouth to console her. But he faltered.

What am I supposed to say, yo? I can't even say anything to make myself feel better. I mean, I might have killed somebody…

It felt like a load of lead dropped into the pit of his stomach. He let his hands slide down to his sides and stood slowly, his mind in turmoil. He sat down on the bed beside Eriana and flopped onto his back, trying to drown out the sound of the girl's soft sobs. He supposed he should go and see if his brother and Ariadne were back but he just felt numb at the moment. And incredibly weak, like all the life had been sucked out of his body. His exhaustion from the fight was catching up with him. He was starting to feel like a zombie, all empty inside. The longer he laid there, staring up at the ceiling, the more distant his mind became. It was so quiet in the room and his eyelids were starting to shut and his breathing slowed.

"We shouldn't have gone out tonight."

His eyes dragged lazily over towards her. He could only see her back, so tense and straight, and the back of her curly head. She faced him a second later and he noticed she'd stopped crying. Her face was wet, though.

"What do you think will happen?" She asked him, her voice thick and hoarse.

He shrugged his shoulders and blinked so long he almost fell asleep. But his eyes did open and he saw how blank and dead Eriana's dark eyes seemed when she said something very quietly.

"I have a feeling things are only going to get worse."

He didn't doubt that.

"Did you find anything?"

"I don't know yet."

I sure didn't, and I'd been reading forever. Well, skimming that is. I'd skimmed through four books by now and none of them could I understand, much less glean any useful information from. I glanced from the ink-on-print pages to my girlfriend.

Fiancee, I corrected myself, though unfortunately not much has changed since I made that awkward proposal. At first things were good. We spent the whole day yesterday doing nothing but enjoying each other's company.

Yeah, that's one way to put it, I smirked.

But now it was morning again and she'd dragged me down from our new room—or the tower as I'd dubbed it—to the library.

I was the one who said I wanted to come with her, I remembered. That was before I knew how mind-numbing this was gonna' be. I didn't know the first thing about mermaids. The fact that they really existed was still new to me. So it was no wonder I couldn't make sense of these books. Most of the ones I'd read—skimmed—were written in a tone that presumed the reader already had a working understanding of the exotic creatures. I wasn't going to be much help here.

I pushed my stack of books aside and crossed my arms over the smooth wooden table. There were about a dozen tables in the spacious room and I was surprised with how much it looked like a public library. Shelves of books that reached the ceiling lined the walls and formed a series of half-circles beyond the tables. The ceiling was also made up of windows that cast light from the sun above over everything around us. I didn't feel like going and picking out more books, I much preferred to just lay my head on my arms and watch Daisy.

She didn't notice me at first, she was much too engrossed in her work. A heavy red tome was open on the table and its pages reminded me of those of old storybooks; there were big, illustrated letters for the first words of each paragraph and pictures of mermaids and aquatic life drawn throughout the margins. In one of her hands there was the closest thing to a pencil I'd seen in Chai: a black, charcoal-like stick with white wrapping to, I assumed, keep one's fingers from getting smudged. She was periodically underlining or circling things with it.

"Hm." She murmured, doing that now.

I saw her brows knit together as she dragged the tip of the pencil around a long set of words. They added to her expression of intense concentration, what with her narrowed light eyes. She turned a page and twirled the pencil between her index and middle fingers absently as she started reading more and I looked down at her clothes. Like me she wore a t-shirt but instead of sweats she had on jeans and she sat on one leg, tapping the other against the stone floor. Her red flat shoes were off and I admired her feet. Her toes were painted red and she had a silver charm around her left ankle.

"When did you get that?"

Daisy made a sound of inquiry and I repeated myself, pointing to the object in question. She glanced down at her foot and smiled fondly.

"I got it months ago, when Alicia and I went to the mall." She told me, looking thoughtful.

I called to mind the image of her curly-haired, brown-skinned friend and wondered how the girl was doing. Daisy seemed to be pondering the same, for she returned to her book much more reluctantly now. I went back to staring at her but her attention on reading had waned and it was only a matter of time before she called me out on it. She cast frequent glances between me and the pages before rolling her eyes in amusement.

"Why are you looking at me?" She asked, not unkindly.

I shrugged and said, "It's better than reading those books."

Better than most things, actually.

"Luigi," She started, "I thought you were helping me study."

"I don't think those books were any good." I told her, shooting the stack near my head a look.

She grinned and said, "Oh, it's the books' fault? Maybe you just weren't paying enough attention to them because you were too busy gawking at me."

"My, don't we think highly of ourselves?" I remarked dryly, though that was totally the truth.

Daisy laughed and shut her book. She shifted in her seat so that she was on her knees, then she pushed her hair back behind her shoulders and pressed her fingers to her scar. I sat up when I felt the one on my own chest start to burn.

"I figured something out." Daisy told me, moving her hands onto the table. "It's just conjecture, but it kinda' makes sense."

"Alright," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Let's hear it."

She explained, "From what I gathered, having actually read through some books like a certain someone was supposed to be doing, too, I believe our injuries have…connected us."

"What do you mean?" I responded, intrigued.

"It's obvious on the one hand," Daisy said. "We already know that when you touch yours, mine starts burning and vice-versa. But I think the magic from the shell that was originally supposed to act as a connection between the mermaids and me is now at work tying the two of us together."

"That's cool." I said, "So how long will the magic last?"

Daisy shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. Maybe until the scars heal? Maybe forever? I told you this was just a theory of mine. It's not like this has ever happened before."

"I understand." I replied. "I guess that's that then."

I stood when Daisy nodded and stretched my arms over my head. But with the realization that our time researching was done came the fear that she would go back to being busy again. My fears were confirmed when she next spoke.

"I have to meet with the Council later on."

"How much later?"

Daisy bit her lip and looked sheepish when she told me, "A half hour."

"That's like, now." I frowned.

Here we go again.

Daisy rose from her chair and, barefoot, came over to where I stood. She put her hands on my shoulders and stood on her toes and kissed my cheek.

"Please don't be mad." She spoke softly.

I said, "I'm not mad, I just thought we'd have more time together than this."

"I know." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I can only blow them off for so long."

"It's alright, I don't blame you." I said.

She then laid her head near my chest. Her arms wrapped round me and I held her waist and kissed the top of her head. How could I be mad at her? She was only doing what she had to do. But this was sucking so much, not being able to get her alone for more than a few hours at a time. If I'd known it'd be like this, I would have treasured our time in Brooklyn more; at least every day was our own then.

"Ow!"

Daisy stepped back and shut her eyes tightly and rubbed her fingers against her temples. I frowned worriedly and rubbed them for her. She opened her eyes and held her hands over mine and blinked rapidly.

"What was that about?"

"I don't know," She replied slowly. "I just felt a sort of-"

"Daisy!" I shouted when the girl started to drop.

I'd seen her eyes roll back and knew what was coming and was thus able to catch her before she fell. I hefted her body into my arms with her knees bent over my forearm and my other arm behind her back. I shook her a little but she remained unconscious.

"Daisy?" I spoke near her ear.

She was out.

I made a direct trip to the medic wing and encountered one of the doctors who treated me during my training days with General Zair. The woman looked highly alarmed at the sight of her princess draped helplessly in my arms.

Yeah, well that makes two of us

"What happened, Master Luigi?"

I said, "I don't even know, we were in the library and she just dropped."

"Just dropped?" The doctor echoed. "Did she exhibit any signs of pain or discomfort beforehand?"

I set Daisy down on the lone bed in this doctor's office and spread her legs and arms out comfortably atop the white linen sheets. I remembered what happened seconds before Daisy fell and described it to the woman, who gazed at the princess critically.

"I see." She said, then faced me. "I'll take it from here. Thank you for escorting her."

"But-"

"Please." The doctor said, politely shooing me out with some words about privacy and me being in the way and such.

"I'll alert you as soon as she gets up." The woman promised.

I nodded and left but knew I'd be back in no more than ten minutes to see if Daisy was any better. I wanted to stay but I trusted the doctor would take care of her. The woman had certainly done a good job with me when I'd come crawling in after Zair's grueling sessions.

"ROYROYROY!"

Not that it was the first time he'd woken up to shouts like that, but this time he jackknifed out of bed so hard it hurt. After what'd happened hours ago it was no surprise his rest had been fitful. It'd been a long, terrible night.

"What…"

Eriana was beside him and it was her who'd covered them both in one of the many blankets before she curved herself into his side. Now she leaned her weight on where her palms splayed over the boy's chest and blinked at the door. Her curls were all over her head and fell into her eyes so she sat back on her heels and pushed her hair out of her face. Her posture relaxed when she saw who it was who'd so forcefully entered.

"Roy!" The blue-haired boy shouted. "Wake up!"

"I'm up!" Roy snarled, rolling from under Eriana and getting to his feet.

He rubbed his eyes with a scowl and sauntered over to his brother. The twelve-year-old swallowed and took a cautious step away from his towering elder sibling, bouncing on the balls of his feet nervously. Roy's body ached and his head hurt and he looked partly as disheveled as he felt; his clothes were wrinkled and his hair was tangled and sticking up and his expression was tired and drawn.

"Um, what happened to you?" Larry asked. "You don't look so good."

Roy absently leaned his weight on one hand on his brother's head and yawned.

Well it's morning, He thought. Let's see if the smoke's cleared.

"Hey!" Larry cried, shoving his brother's hand away.

Roy stared down at him and asked, "What's up with you, yo? Why'd you come bangin' on my door?"

"I can't find MJ." Larry replied, tugging at the sides of his pants while he spoke.

"What?" Roy frowned, then muttered to himself, "He should've been back by now."

"Where did he go?" Larry asked, but was ignored as the older boy stared off, thinking hard.

In the room Eriana slid off the bed and rubbed at one of her knees. The both of them were skinned and the fabric of her tight burgundy pants were ripped in those spots. It was a wonder she hadn't caught a cold last night after losing her jacket because even though her clingy shirt was long-sleeved, it hung off her shoulders and ended high above her waist. She wiped her hands against her hips anxiously and came to stand behind Roy.

"Do you think something happened to him?" She whispered fearfully.

Roy looked at her a long time. He swept a few of her curls out of her eyes and let his hand curve down her cheek before answering.

"I don't know." He said. "But I gotta' find out."

Eriana rubbed the place on her face he'd touched and blinked, letting him go a few paces on his own before following. Larry kept the pace with the two older youth and tried to butt in between them.

"Hey!" He piped, "Hey Roy, what's going on? Is something wrong? Did something bad happen to MJ?"

Roy stopped in the middle of the hall his room was on and saw his retainer, clad in another of those stuffy white suits, coming his way. Roy strained a fake smile and waved him away and, thankfully, the man just winked at him and Eriana and gave him a bow before turning and walking in the other direction. Roy glanced at his brother, holding his shoulder.

"Larry, go to the dining hall." He instructed. "Go get you something to eat, yo. Everything is fine."

Hopefully, he added in thought.

"But I don't know where that is!" Larry cried plaintively at his brother's back.

Roy said over his shoulder, "Just go where you smell food!"

I don't need him complicating the situation, Roy thought, then looked down at Eriana.

"You hungry, Eri? Maybe you should-"

"I'm staying with you." The girl interjected resolutely.

This was a moment where Roy remembered she was a year older than him, for she spoke with authority and with no intention of entertaining any arguments on the matter. He let it be and kept walking around the palace, asking others if they'd seen his lanky, black-haired brother. Some gave him questioning looks and some shot him looks of pity but no one could tell him where MJ was.

"Oomph!"

"My bad, Ariadne." Roy apologized after almost knocking the girl over.

He'd grabbed her hand in time and yanked her back upright, a little too roughly by the blonde's telling wince of pain. She rubbed her arm and rotated it around in its socket while appraising the other two. She looked upset and her wispy hair was in disarray, just hanging around her head like a frizzy halo. Her clothes were also the same white blouse and pants she'd worn last night but there was blood on the front of them, not to mention the girl's lip was bleeding.

"What happened to you?" Roy cried in alarm.

Ariadne opened her mouth to speak but then blushed wildly when two of Roy's fingers pressed against her injured bottom lip. He channeled a precise amount of his magic to the area and the wound was no more. Roy gazed at her, expecting an immediate answer and seemed worried when it didn't come.

Eriana shook her head a little and thought, Jeez, Rex, give her a minute to gain her bearings.

She could sympathize with the blonde in that respect; the young man was charming even when he wasn't trying to be and it sometimes knocked a person off-kilter for a moment.

Ariadne blinked a few times, embarrassed, and started wringing her hands. She shared a look with Eriana and they sort of nodded their heads at each other in greeting before the king's niece spoke.

"This isn't my blood, it's your brother's." She explained to Roy. "We were running back, you see, and we fell. Er, I tripped over the rubble from the, ah, explosion."

"What explosion?" Roy frowned. "Is MJ okay?"

"Not exactly." Ariadne replied uneasily, looking down.

Roy lifted her chin and asked, "Where is he?"

"Down at the Justice Hall." She answered, glancing away.

He frowned again and muttered, "Why would he be at the Justice Hall?"

Eriana put two and two together and a troubled expression clouded her face at the same time that a mournful one filled Ariadne's features.

"They arrested him, Rex." She spoke gravely. "I found out this morning."

"What do you mean, he wasn't with you?" Roy blurted, not believing his ears.

Ariadne shook her head, messing up her hair even more, and said, "He brought me to the palace, but he went back out to look for you."

That is not good, Roy thought forebodingly.

He brushed past the two girls and made for the nearest exit, which happened to be the same gardens they'd snuck out of last night. The girls didn't hesitate before sharing a glance and hurrying behind him. The three reached the Justice Hall in record time but were stopped by two guards.

"No one's permitted to enter at this time." One of them stated.

The other one said nastily, "So scram, kids."

"Get out of my way," Roy demanded. "My brother's in there!"

"So's my uncle."

"I have to see him, there's been a mistake!" Roy yelled. "He ain't supposed to be in there!"

The second guard rolled his eyes and the two stood stalwart. Roy balled his fists and narrowed his green eyes in aggravation. He glanced sharply to the left when Eriana touched his bicep.

"Rex," she spoke in warning, afraid of what he might do.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and removed it from his arm, then started striding towards the guards.

"I told you I need to see my brother." He said in an even voice.

They shared a look and gazed warily at the incoming teenager. But Roy didn't spare them a glance as he kept walking past them, right through the closed doors of the archaic building as if he were a ghost.

"What the!"

"How did he?"

The large doors swung open from the inside and knocked the two guards in the head and they slumped over, unconscious. Roy gestured at Ariadne and Eriana, who looked as if they didn't know what to make of the undoubtedly talented but reckless young man.

"Come on!" He told them.

Another, unsure look was passed between the females before they bounded up the large white steps, hurried past the giant columns along the building's outside, stepped between the fallen guards, and ducked inside under Roy's outstretched arm. The three stood alone in a waiting room of sorts, as there was no one to occupy the stone benches on the right side and no one behind the counter on the left. Roy saw a door straight ahead and headed for it with the girls in tow. He had to come down a hall to the left but soon heard voices coming from a door on the right. He didn't knock, he just went right in. Inside there was the King and three other men standing around a thin metal table, but that wasn't where Roy's eyes were instantly drawn: sitting on one side of the table with his hands bound in front of him was his brother.

"MJ!"

The younger male's dark eyes rose and he just looked all types of confused as he recognized his older brother. He shifted in his seat and was about to speak when one of the men gripped the back of his chair.

"Son, unless you're about to give a confession, I wouldn't open my mouth." The tall, white-haired man advised.

He was old but of able body and bore a resemblance to the two younger men in the room, who looked completely identical with their closely-shorn black hair and unnatural red eyes. They seemed singularly focused on the tawny-skinned girl in Roy's company.

Roy didn't notice as he moved towards his brother but the king held up a hand to stop him.

"What's going on?" Roy asked, "Why you got my brother all tied up like that?"

"He's a criminal." The King explained, then added uncertainly, "Or so these two tell me."

One of the younger men was standing on the king's right and the other on his left in twin positions of crossed arms and tilted heads. The one on the left had not stopped staring at Eriana and just happened to catch her frightened eyes. He smirked faintly and winked at her and she shrunk behind Roy. Ariadne, ever perceptive, grabbed the girl's hand and glanced her face searchingly.

Eriana leaned over behind Roy's back and whispered, "They're slavers."

"Both of them?"

"Yes."

"And they know you?"

"I was very popular at the 'Academy'." Eriana admitted with great shame.

The Carrow twins. She remembered them with no amount of fondness, for they both had an affinity for cruelty and gained pleasure where in afflicting pain on others. She didn't even want to look at them. She laced her fingers through Ariadne's and the other girl stepped closer to her.

If they're slavers, why are they in uniform? Ariadne wondered upon linking the two men's clothes with those of the scary man they'd encountered last night. She was beginning to think there was a conspiracy here revolving around Arid City's law enforcement unit.

Everyone else in the room was focused on Roy. He was making another attempt at reaching his brother. This time one of the twins blocked his path. He looked down challengingly at Roy, quirking a slim brow over intensely crimson eyes. Roy narrowed his own into slants and contemplated punching the Carrow in the face.

"Rex, why don't you sit down?" The King suggested, but it took Eriana pulling him by the hand to get him to do that.

She and Ariadne stood on either side of him. She had one hand joined with Ariadne's and the other resting on Roy's shoulder. He sat up in the stiff metal chair with his arms crossed and his legs open. His brother's eyes he met and his own hardened when the oldest man in the room came and sat on the edge of the sturdy table. MJ faced the man to his right, a disgruntled look stretching the star-shaped scar on his face.

"Who are you?" Roy asked.

He smiled in an unfriendly way and said, "The head of Arid Kingdom's Law Enforcement Agency. You must be…Rex." He spoke the boy's nickname with a veiled sneer.

"So you're the one who did this to my brother?" Roy asked in a low voice.

I can tell he don't like me, he observed, but that's alright. I don't like him either, especially after today.

"If you're referring to his arrest, my sons took care of that." The old man nodded towards the twins in turn.

Roy shot another bitter glare over at the Carrow twin who'd blocked his path and the red-eyed man smirked.

"My brother's innocent." Roy clipped. "Let him go."

"Now just a minute, Rex," The king intervened, "We should leave that up to them to decide, right Anthony?"

The old man in the sharp black clothes nodded at the king and dipped his head down towards MJ. He got a defiant glower in return from the seventeen year old.

"We caught this young man in the company of an injured royal." One of the Carrow twins drawled, looking at Ariadne.

"I told you, I fell!" Ariadne declared.

Her uncle shot her a strong look to quiet her and the Carrow twin ignored her. She was, after all, a female and her word carried no weight among men, not in Arid Kingdom.

The Carrow twin near the king came over to MJ and his father and squatted so that he was eye-level with the boy. MJ clenched his jaw.

"Now if you were innocent," The man began, "Why did you run? Why didn't you just explain yourself?"

"I had to go see if my brother was okay." MJ claimed, glancing at Roy.

The Carrow who'd blocked Roy's path came and squatted on the other side of MJ, making the teenager glance to the left at him.

"If that was the case," this one spoke, "then why was your dear brother nowhere in sight when we found you at the scene of the crime?"

Scene of the crime? Roy began to sweat and saw that his brother was in a like predicament as he glanced between the red-eyed twins.

"What crime?" Roy asked, and the Carrows both looked at him.

One of them looked beyond Roy's head and the pink-haired youth grimaced at the feel of Eriana's nails digging into his skin as she tensed behind him. The Carrow on the right smirked at her again.

"Murder." The other Carrow announced, standing. "Though your brother's been suspected of others as well: destruction of property, arson, assault of the king's niece-"

"He didn't-"

"Quiet, 'Adne." The king cut in before his niece could finish.

Roy heard the list and only one thing stood out to him, the first thing that is. He zoned out for a second because it'd been confirmed. He'd killed someone. Him.

I…it happened so fast, he blinked.

"The evidence is overwhelming, really." Anthony Carrow spoke from where he leaned on the wall behind MJ.

"No it's not," Roy snapped back into the moment. He said firmly, "MJ didn't do those things. I did."

The King's eyes widened and the Carrows both rolled their eyes and their father scoffed.

"Rex," The King spoke in disbelief. "You…you can't be serious!"

"He's lying," Anthony Carrow assured the royal. "It's not the first time I've seen it happen. Big brother trying to cover for his little sibling-"

"I ain't covering for nobody." Roy spoke more passionately, "I am the one who…who killed that bastard."

One of the Carrows, the one who favored Eriana, cut his eyes sharply over to Roy when he said that and his face erupted in anger. But he controlled his features and rolled his tongue in his cheek and stood like his brother.

"It's not like MJ could even do those things anyway." Roy further stated, and the head of the LEA pushed off the wall with a deep frown.

"Oh, but I disagree." He said, motioning for his son on the left to take over.

The twin nodded and said, "When we found your brother at the scene of the crime, he ran. We pursued. He punched his fist in the ground and damn near caused an earthquake."

"That's the same kind of destruction we saw in other places not too far from the crime, not to mention the fire." The other twin spoke.

His brother added sardonically, "And anyone can start a fire."

But this wasn't about the fire. The Carrow who'd said that was the same who'd glared at Roy when he admitted to killing the other slaver. His dislike for the boy was overt at this point.

Roy just curled his lip at him and said, "I'm telling you it was me. I was the one who snuck out and I accidentally set some fires, I guess, I mean I don't remember that part. But I was the one who killed that son of a bitch-"

"Enough!" The King boomed, looking highly disturbed. Not as loudly he said, "That is enough." He looked at Rex as one would a dangerous animal and shakily offered his hand, "Would you come and speak with me? In private, that is?"

"I ain't going nowhere until you let my brother go." Roy denied, lifting his chin and casting another glance at the Carrow on the right.

The King sighed and gave Anthony Carrow an exasperated look. The head of the LEA's face soured but the king looked pointedly at MJ and the old man nodded, albeit begrudgingly.

"Untie him, Nicky."

Hn. Nicky. What a name for a wimp, Roy smirked as he watched the Carrow who'd been glaring at him hold that glare while he unbound MJ's hands. MJ rubbed his chafed wrists and stood, but the Carrow twin gripped his collar and slammed him back down again. Roy stood and the girls moved to the side as his chair was knocked backwards with the force of the motion.

"Nicky." Anthony Carrow spoke in warning.

Nicky Carrow said nastily, "Just one thing, father. I don't quite get it." He moved his hand from MJ's collar to the stain of blood over the boy's side, near his ribs. Nicky dug his thumb into the open wound there and MJ cried out loudly.

"Stop it!" Roy yelled, about to jump across the table and strangle the Carrow.

"Nicky!" His father barked, and the twin released MJ.

Yeah, he definitely hates me, Roy thought, but I'm not gonna' let him hurt my brother. One more hand on him and I swear I'm decking him in the throat.

MJ rubbed his side and fresh blood seeped through his clothes, onto his fingers. He glowered at Nicky Carrow and panted shallowly. Roy was standing, shaking with anger and just waiting for something to cue him to attack.

Nicky Carrow smirked and rubbed MJ's blood between his fingers, saying, "See, your brother is covered in blood, like he'd just come from a fight or something. And you," He pointed his stained index finger at Roy and a malicious glint shone in his eyes. "You don't have so much as a scratch on you."

The other twin jumped in with, "Yes, how can that be? If you fought and killed a man, no, a trained law enforcement agent, how are you unharmed?"

"I healed myself, dumbass!" Roy spat.

"How convenient." Nicky Carrow spoke flatly.

Defensively Roy shouted, "It was me, I'm not lying!" His eyes suddenly alighted and he said, "Eri was there! Ask her!"

Eriana's breath hitched when everyone looked at her. She'd let go of Ariadne's hand to avoid getting hit by Roy's chair and now stood off to the left of the boy, alone and out in the open. She wanted to disappear and silently cursed the impulsive young man for throwing the spotlight on her.

Nicky Carrow gave her a cursory once-over, but he masked that lean, hungry look in his red eyes with passivity and turned to Roy.

"Why would I ask her?" He spoke dully. "She'll only lie for you. She is your whore, after all."

Roy really did leap across the table now and he was the fastest person in the room so no one could stop him from busting his knuckles against Nicky Carrow's nose. Blood gushed from the man's face and the King dragged Roy away from the twin by the back of his shirt, looking horrified and disconcerted. Nicky picked himself up off the floor, cupping his nose and spitting out blood. His father shoved him towards the door and told him to leave and go take care of that. Nicky's eyes were on fire when he glared vehemently at Roy on his way out. The door slammed behind him and the King released Roy's shirt and Roy healed his bleeding knuckles, flexing them once all the pain was gone.

The other Carrow twin looked oddly subdued and the head of the LEA appeared to be pissed off, though it wasn't clear with who. Ariadne had her arm around Eriana's shoulder and wondered why the darker girl was shaking. It was sweltering in the tiny room, especially after Roy's little eruption.

So that must mean she's scared, Ariadne surmised, though I don't know why. Anyone who comes against her, Rex takes care of. Shouldn't that make her feel better?

Anthony Carrow broke the silence with, "I believe him, Reginald. A temper like that, it's no surprise Jack is dead. Do you want me to take him down for further questioning?"

The King said nothing of being addressed so informally. Instead he sent a lingering glance at Roy and seemed to consider saying yes, but in the end he shook his head and rubbed his forehead, his eyes shut.

"No, Anthony." He refused. "I'll deal with him myself."

This didn't please the old Carrow but he nodded stoically and jerked his head at his son. The other twin folded his arms and fell into step behind his father and the two left the room. Roy went over to MJ but the King stopped him mid-step with a hand on his arm.

"Rex, I." He struggled. He looked to be holding on to a single shred of hope when his twinkling eyes roved over the young man's face in want of a sole sign of subterfuge or anything that would counter the accusations laid against the youth. Roy didn't even try to help him find it. It wasn't there. He was guilty.

"I see." The king spoke quietly.

He went over to his niece and dragged his hands down the sides of her head, down to her shoulders.

"Are you alright, 'Adne?" He asked.

She nodded and her uncle kissed her forehead, then turned and faced Roy. He looked down for a second and then regarded the boy as one would a stranger.

"In light of all this, I'm afraid…" The king said with difficulty, "I may have to reconsider your betrothal to my niece."

Roy had a feeling he should probably have been at least a little upset at the news, but he honestly didn't care. It wasn't as if he wanted to marry the girl in the first place.

No offense to her, of course, He thought when he saw the stricken look on the blonde's face.

"Why would you-"

"Go, 'Adne." The King dismissed her.

She glanced at Roy but had to do what her uncle said. She and Eriana glanced at each other before she made her exit. Eriana then came over by Roy, who was near his brother now. MJ stood and Roy put his hand over his wound and MJ jolted, but soon calmed when he felt his brother's energy mend the tears in his skin.

"Thanks." He breathed out in relief, and Roy knew he wasn't just talking about the wound.

Roy shrugged and said softly, "Well I couldn't leave my favorite brother out on the rack, now could I? Besides, this was my fault-"

"Rex?"

Roy turned to the King and now he did feel a bit of emotion at the disappointment that oozed from the royal's face, features, and aura. It reminded him of the way Ludwig used to look at him. He hated it.

"I'd like to talk to you." The King stated.

"Now?" Roy asked.

"No," The king sighed. "Go and tend to your brother, make sure he gets in the palace safely. But meet me in my study once you're done and please come alone."

Eriana tensed.

Roy escorted the both of them from the Justice Hall to the palace and naturally MJ had a lot of questions. Partly because of his talkative nature, and partly because he'd just gotten arrested for Roy and felt that his brother owed him some answers.

"Whoa," He exclaimed, stopping at the steps of the palace. "So you really did kill a guy?"

"Yes, that's what I said, ain't it?" Roy snapped.

MJ replied, "I know but I thought you were lying to get me out of there."

Roy wished that was the case. He glanced up at the bright, sunny sky and drove his fingers through his hair irritably. He didn't know what would happen now. He thought that getting revenge on the one who hurt Eriana would make things easier, better, but the opposite was happening. Everything was just getting more complicated.

And she still looks a mess, he noted when he glanced at her. She wasn't shaking but her eyes were darting to and fro, every time someone brushed by her while they were walking back to the castle. He couldn't understand where he'd gone wrong.

Killing that slaver, maybe, He sighed. That didn't solve anything. But it's not like I meant to do that. Not that I'm sorry, either way. It's just…feels like I did it for nothing.

"Try and lay low." He told his brother.

MJ huffed and said, "After last night? You don't have to tell me twice. I won't be leaving my room. Except to eat, that is. And also use the bathroom, of course. And if something were to happen, like my room got flooded or set on fire or-"

"Alright, already, Big Mouth." Roy frowned. "Just go."

"Aren't you coming, too?" MJ asked.

"In a minute." Roy responded distractedly, "Just go ahead."

Eriana stayed with him but he didn't really mind her presence. He looked down at her and held his palm against her cheek. She calmed down for the first time today and leaned into his hand. He felt sick to his stomach.

I just wanted to help you but you were right; I only made shit worse.

A/N: Thanks for reading, and thanks for the reviews :) I heard from some folks I hadn't had the pleasure of hearing from in a while so that was awesome [looking at you Bang Rowdyruff and akirathedelicious, lol] and as usual, I appreciate the people who continuously review [Walkazo, jwill, MLBat, more]

There's probably some mistakes. I was tired and I don't have time to proof these chapters. Sorry if it's inconvenient but hopefully the story distracts you from my grammar/spelling hiccups?

I'm almost done with the next chapter [and i'm not lying this time, hehe...ugh, I don't lie, I just never get around to making good on the dates, but this time I will! Just watch!]

What do you guys think will happen next? How do you think the dark king is gonna' go down? Who do you think is gonna' die? Heh, just kidding. What is wrong with my brain right now? Let me stop rambling.

Until next time!

~DymondGold~