I hope I'm doing an okay job with this, guys! As I said I'm doing my best to stay constant. Had to bypass a few chapters and random pointless storylines so we could keep the action moving for a little longer. If you think it's moving way to fast lemme know and I'll try to slow it down a little. Just be warned – there will be more characters introduced. I hope you're good at remembering names.

By the way… if you take a look at the chapter names, they're all songs by a single artist. Look at the title of the fanfic. That's right – every single chapter is written with a certain song by City of the Fallen. I would suggest taking a look at them all, I adore the music, it's absolutely beautiful.

Vreagon, Mor, and Mnem held their swords up, watching the treeline for movement. "…I don't see anything." Mnem started, shaking his head and relaxing slightly. Mor followed, and Vreagon did the same, looking back at the little hut behind them. Inside the tent they could hear the muffled sobs of their distressed friend. As Vreagon sighed and rubbed his neck Mor attempted to change the subject into something happier – the attempt was a miss. Mnem watched the hut with wounded eyes, wishing more than anything that what had just happened hadn't.

They had been fighting for nearly fifteen minutes. Ari had argued with her brother and Renel, clearly at a loss as to how to deal with the stress and the fear.

Ari opened her mouth to speak further but Mnem placed his hand over her lips, shaking his head. "That's enough squabbling, both of you. Ari, I know how you feel. I feel the same way." He whirled the girl around, forcing her to look up at him. She fought for a moment before grunting, avoiding all eye contact. "but we have to save Alistair. And I don't know about you, but I will go to The End all over again if I have to." He bit, and only once his words left his lips did he realize his mistake.

"How dare you question my job as mother!?" she shouted, her palm striking the ravenette's cheek. Mnem jolted but said nothing, only closed his eyes. Vreagon rushed forward, as did his brother, to restrain her – Jett only looked on in surprise.

Vreagon snarled, finally tearing Ari away from Mnem – Mor pulled the black haired man away, though Mnem made no moves to resist. Ari, however, fought against Vreagon's hold, her eyes watering as she made a grab at her lover. "Who took care of him when things got tough? Who spent her nights alone while you were curled up in that damned cave without telling a soul where you were? And who was it that raised him to be who he is now-"

Mnem looked up slowly, gray eyes shifting in anger. "You think I don't care, Ari? You think I wanted this? I took those books because I wanted to be sure there was no more left in this world for us to fight. I wanted to be certain that, when the time came, he could be prepared to take on the unknown instead of cower in the fucking shadows!"

"A lot of good that did you! While your ass was unconscious in a cave the rest of us had to fight the Dragon!"

Silence. Mnem's expression contorted into one of disbelief before he looked down, tugging his arms away from Mor. The swordsman winced and watched the man as he stared Ari in the face. The girl refused to give in, though her eyes betrayed her guilt. Mnem came in close, forcing Ari to shrink back into Vreagon. The blond behind her narrowed his eyes, one hand falling to his hip where his sword hung.

"I did that to save you. If I hadn't you'd be long dead."

"What, like the rest of my family?"

That seemed to be the final straw – Mnem turned on his heel and walked out of the small room, into the blistering afternoon. Ari's entire body gave out and she fell against Vreagon, feeling the man clutch her tighter as he pulled her to a chair. As soon as she was seated, she looked up at her friends.

"I…I want to be alone."

"Ari-"

"Please."

Vreagon nodded and looked back at his brother. Mor nodded and took Mnem's mother by the shoulder, smiling weakly at her as she blinked in confusion. They departed, leaving her in complete silence. Renel, too, disappeared… but Jett did not.

Inside the tent, Ari held her hands over her eyes.

"…Ari." Jett murmured, his longer legs carrying him to his little sister. The brunette looked up, her eyes misted as her bottom lip trembled. "…I won't tell anyone."

He held out his hand. She stared at it in silence, her eyes trailing up his to his wrist where the robe pulled up slightly. She could barely see the bracelet, and-

"Jett! Big brother Jett!"

The man turned quickly and blinked, watching his youngest sister run to him. He laughed and waited, watching her little legs propel her to him. "Yes, Ari?" Jett asked, tilting his head as he set his hand on her head.

The girl giggled and held up a small bracelet, made of straw and bits of crushed petals. The subtle scent of roses wafted to him and he chuckled, tilting his head. "What's this?"

Ari laughed, holding her arms out further, offering the accessory to him. Jett blinked and took it with gentle hands, watching her expression. "I made it for you! So even if you're out hunting and I'm here at home cooking, you'll always remember who's waiting for you!"

Jett felt his eyes water and he smiled, bringing her into his arms. "…I don't think I'll ever forget that, Ari…"-

-Her eyes burned. The tears fell as she pushed the sleeve further up Jett's arm. "You…you kept that silly thing?"

Jett shrugged, smiling weakly.

"…I wanted to remember who I was fighting for."

The girl wailed, the emotional dam finally cracking. Her face collided with the man's chest, her arms wrapped around his waist. Jett's own arms rested over her shoulders, and he slouched in order to set his head upon hers. "…it's okay. Everything's going to be alright. We'll find him, we'll get him back."

The girl sniffled and hiccupped, her trembling body pressing up to snuggle the older man's chest. Jett chuckled and removed her hands from him and leaned down to her level, squatting in front of her. "You understand?"

The girl nodded. She took his hand and fingered the aged straw around the man's wrist gingerly, chuckling. Small bits came apart under her touch but she didn't mind them too much – she shook them off and stood, wobbling. "…Let's go. Alistair needs me."

Jett grinned. "That's the girl I knew. Let's go, we have a journey ahead of us – and I don't have a clear map."