Ian's eyes widened. What the hell...? "...shit, I guess we DID kidnap the Prince." he murmured, "...let's get him unfrozen."

What was he doing...? he thought.

"Already cast the counterspell, kiddo. It takes time to restart time, you see." Ezel husked, folding the cloak aside. He was wondering over the same question as Ian, hoping he already guessed the answer. "You are avenged a small measure. Babus will never forgive himself for certain, now."

"Probably not." he replied. Sighing, he regarded Mewt with a look of curiosity. "...what the heck were you thinking...?"

"We'll find out soon enough." the cardmaker glanced back to the Prince, to the wide brown eyes that were paralyzed, but not dimmed. "Stillness cannot stop the other senses."

"...He probably heard all that." Ian winced.

The Nu Mou nodded. "You weren't whispering, my boy. And I somehow doubt Babus was."

Mewt gasped sharply then, long legs nearly buckling to the floor as they suddenly regained control.

Ian reached out, gripping his shoulder tightly, "Hey, easy there... ...you all right, Mewt?"

The boy flushed deeply and stumbled from the touch, waiting for the fury to come. "...are...are you...?"

"For the most part." Ian rubbed his chest slowly, "What the heck are you doing here, Prince?"

The younger boy studied his boots in silence a moment, still waiting. "...I-I'm so sorry." The only words that he could think of, and they sounded so lame, even to himself.

"...sorry?" Ian blinked. What did that kid have to be sorry for? ...well, plenty... but what, to him? Babus was to blame. Mewt had actually SAVED him... "For what? That wasn't your fault."

"Yes...it was. If I hadn't... ...please don't blame Babus!" he blurted, finally meeting Ian's eyes desperately. "He did it because I made him scared!"

Ian sighed. Great. Ezel, now Mewt. Both pleading for Babus' life. How could they be so blind to what had happened? Ian had done little more than look at Mewt cross-eyed and nearly died for it. Then nearly died again when Babus assumed that Ian had kidnapped the Prince.

What is it about this Babus...? he thought, That no one cares about what has happened...? He was silent for a few moment, then thought again, What good is it...? ...to be angry...?

"... ... ...very well." he uttered quietly, "... ...despite the injuries I bore thanks to him... ...I'll let him off."

Ezel shook his head. "Ian is from a place where wounds are less easily managed, my Prince." he measured the boy carefully with a shrewd, steady gaze. "But you already know that, don't you...?"

"Ezel..." Ian said quietly.

Mewt gulped and clenched his fists as if to squeeze the trembling away, trying to imitate the bravery Babus always had. But he couldn't make the words come.

"...Speaking of which..." Ian interceded, "...I have to apologize to you, too, Mewt. ...I'm sorry I threatened you... and I'm sorry I accused you of bringing me here."

Mewt closed his eyes. "Did you... ...were you in my school?"

Ian shook his head, "...no... I wish I had been, though."

"No...you don't." he looked back to Ian. "B-but...I really didn't bring you here. How...?"

Ezel chuckled softly. "I'm a troublemaker as always, Highness. If anything, the apologies are mine."

"'twas this lunkhead." Ian nodded back to Ezel, "...Apparently, each world has a Grimoire. You just have Earth's."

"Ezel..." Mewt turned away, unable to face the old Nu Mou.

Ian glanced between the two and blinked.

The cardmaker shook his head. "We cannot change the past, Lord Prince. But sometimes we can repair it."

"We can try." Ian chimed in, "...We've come THIS far..."

Mewt's face twisted with pain. "Marche."

"...Yes." Ian sighed, "...we still have to deal with him."

Tara's ears did a strange roll to match her eyes as they rolled to the low ceiling. "The Palace has been saying the same thing for a while now."

"But, it would be a start." Ian stood up slowly, rubbing his chin, "...we've got to come up with SOMEthing. Marche can't keep snipping the World Threads unchecked."

The Prince's eyes took to studying the floor once more. "Babus will leave you alone. I promise. ...I tried to find you before he did. ...but he found me first."

"What were you doing?" Ian asked.

"...trying to hide. Not too well." he smiled tremulously.

"What were you doing out of the Palace anyway?" Ian quipped, "There are many monsters and drunk Bangaa about."

"...I had to find you...a-after..."

"...you came to find me?" Ian blinked, looking to him, "... ...I... ...thank you."

"I'm the one that got you hurt." the Prince replied flatly.

"No, you didn't." Ian shook his head, "...it was left to me and Babus."

"Babus...h-he would do anything for me."

"That's what he's sworn to do." Ian shrugged, "And he has."

Mewt bit his lip hard, shivering.

"Sorry." Ian sighed softly, "... ...what would you like to do?"

"I...I want to fix everything. Everything I still can."

"All right, that's a start." Ian grinned, "Our plan was to first get you and Marche to play nice together... then try and get a hold of these rebelling clans."

He blinked to Ezel. "...you...never left us, did you..."

The old Nu Mou smiled faintly, reaching out a hand to pat Mewt's.

"...heh... I, uh... I never knew that Ezel was ever in the courts." Ian commented.

"Oh, you've got surprises yet, kiddo." Ezel grinned.

"Huh?"

He looked to Mewt instead. "Not sure simply going back to Babus here in town would be wise, my Prince."

"... ... ...He's been arrested." Ian shifted a bit, biting his lip.

Ezel chuckled. "So I gathered. I can nearly hear him clear from Sphrom."

"...He's going to be mightily pissed..."

"Going to?" Ezel laughed. "Kiddo, I'm fairly sure he's reached that point already."

"Even worse, now." he frowned, "I'm the harasser-terrorist-kidnapper-child molester (don't think it never entered his mind) that currently has the Prince and, by this point, he knows I haven't been sent to Sphrom."

Mewt hugged himself. "Babus..."

"...We've got to come up with a plan, and we have to move quickly." Ian folded his arms, "If you told him where this place was when you were together, Ezel, then I'm sure he'll suspect..."

"Told him? I never did, my boy. I'd never risk him being branded a traitor to the throne."

"Even so... I think it would be safe to move out." Ian licked his lips, "My clan is still in Siena Gorge... well... some of it." he sighed, "Marlette and Pallanza were sent to Sphrom by Cadoan's judge. All that's left is Darios and Crozet."

"Maybe..." Mewt began, trying to meet Ian's eyes, "Maybe we can fix all of this at once."

He glanced to Mewt, "How so?"

"You kidnapped me, right? So make demands."

Ezels eyebrows disappeared beneath his hatbrim.

"... ...demands, huh?" Ian grinned, "I'm really starting to like this."