"How is he? Is he okay? Did he ask if I was okay? He saved me, you know. He doesn't scare me anymore. They tried to make me fear him, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Not like those other men… they wanted… they were bad men…" the little girl shuddered and went quiet.

"He, ah, he has woken up now, but he hasn't said much," Charlie answered carefully as she knelt in front of Catlyn. She did not know how to tell the girl that the man who had saved her was unlikely to ask after her. He did not seem to care about anything. Though he had saved her… maybe the girl and her constant chattering would be good for him. As long as she knew that Catlyn would be safe.

"How would you like to see him? I need to see how he is again, you could come along if you would like?"

"Oh, yes please, Charlie!"

"But you have to be careful around him, Catlyn, he is a little… unstable. I do not know if… You have to promise me you wont go up to him unless I—"

"He wont hurt me, Charlie!"

"Just promise me."

"Okay… but he wont hurt me, you'll see. He'll be happy to see me I bet!"

Charlie just shook her head resignedly at the girl's enthusiasm, and hoped she was doing the right thing. He had shown no interest in anything after his initial anger that morning, and she did not think a girl he had known for such a short time would have left any impression on his broken soul.

Arriving at his door, she carefully knocked before pushing it open. Valen had told her not to visit him unescorted, but she was not going to adhere to his protective requests or else she'd not get anything done.

Vardene was standing, staring out the room's window. She vaguely wondered why this unpredictable man had stayed put when Catlyn ran towards him before she could stop her.

"Catlyn!"

Vardene spun around. At first confused, his eyes quickly chilled to anger, his body becoming taught with violence. And still Catlyn ran to him.

"No! Catlyn!" Charlie took a step forward, drawing on her Opal strength to shield the helpless child who ran obliviously into danger. But Vardene felt her descend, and snarling, he thrust his hand in her direction, sending out his own Jewel's strength to slam her against the wall and hold her still.

Catlyn stopped then.

"Vardene?"

"What did she do to you?"

"N-nothing."

Charlie watched helpless as his cold dark eyes bore into the child in front of him.

"You were running."

"I, I wanted to s-see you."

Vardene continued to stare at Catlyn, but his hard gaze was starting to change, starting to soften, starting to look ashamed. But then the ice-cold mask was back. Charlie gasped as the strength that held her was released.

"What do you want now, you disgusting little slut?"

She gasped again as he addressed his cutting words to her. She watched dumbly as he stalked towards her.

"If you ever harm this child I will come for you. I don't know what you and your people are playing at, taking the Ring off me and healing me, but I will not be played. I've had enough. You harm Catlyn, and you'll find yourself a twisted shell of what you once were, spreading your legs for any drunk just to gain a crust of bread. Come after me, and you'll wish you had chosen the child. Now, leave, slut."

Charlie started shaking. He looked so crazed, his cold stare boring into her, hating her, wanting her dead. Through her fear she became aware of Catlyn, by now softly crying.

"Cat—" she started.

"Leave!"

But she could not go, could not leave a child she barely knew near a man she was beginning to understand but nevertheless fear.

He seemed to become aware of Catlyn then. She watched as he turned toward the child before slowly backing away, brows knitted together, his once savage face now looking wild and broken.

"No… no…"

Charlie watched as the Warlord Prince turned on his heel and ran.

***

Vardene ran unseeing, not knowing where the corridors he followed lured him.

He had made her fear him. Catlyn. The girl he had saved. The girl who had, for some reason of her own, decided to fear others more than she did him.

But now she feared him.

All he had had left, all he had found to hold onto, was falling apart. Faster, he had to go faster. He had to escape her, escape the pain she had made him feel.

He ran on swift legs, his muscles burning, his breath coming in short gasps. The child had somehow got to him, had somehow crawled into a heart he had thought long ago filled only with hate and distrust. But he had been wrong. And now he had to run.

***

Valen grinned.

*Think he'll win this time?*

*Hell no. Hell's fire, he's just a pup.*

Valen and Jared watched with interest as a young Warlord squared off against his more experienced teacher, who also happened to be Dena Nehele's Master of the Guard. Valen grinned again. Yes, the boy had a way to go yet.

*He has a lot to learn.*

Jared winced as the youth went down.

"You're getting better all the time, boyo," Valen cheerfully praised as he helped the pupil to his feet.

"But not quick enough. I can't put Markal down," he looked at the grizzled, though muscular, Master of the Guard, "so I certainly wont be able to floor you."

"Not for a while yet I imagine," Valen chuckled as he swiped Ravenar's legs out from under him with a fighting stick.

"What the…?"

Valen followed the older Warlord's gaze.

"Who in the Darkness is that?" Jared growled.

Valen cursed under his breath and started sprinting towards the Warlord Prince who was causing all the commotion. He felt shields go up around the women nearest Vardene, and growled. Hell's fire, what the bloody hell had that pissy little Warlord Prince done?! He slammed a barrier around Vardene as he drew closer, knowing all the while that the man's darker strength could splinter the psychic barricade he had him enclosed in.

Valen snarled as he threw himself at the man before him, aiming to catch him off guard before he could pitch his Sapphire Jewel against his own Opal strength. He brought the practice stick he still held down hard against Vardene's side causing him to stumble. He didn't wait for him to recover and with an Opal shield around his fist, slugged the toppling man in front of him hard in the stomach.

Anger fuelled him as he thought of the women who had shielded themselves against this rogue Warlord Prince who must have threatened them. The bastard had no self-control, and a dark jewelled Warlord Prince with nothing to control his violent nature was a danger to everyone around him. He'd have to keep Charlie away from him after this.

Vardene's expression barely registered to Valen as he fought against the untrained Warlord Prince. Perhaps if it had, he would have stopped. Perhaps if he had seen the defeat so clearly etched on the man's face, perhaps if he had noticed the way he did not use his psychic or physical strength to fight back, he might have relented.

Perhaps.

But he didn't see, and so his last well aimed blow sent the beaten man below him into oblivion.