Author's note: Thank you all for the reviews and followers. I'm overwhelmed on how popular the story is. Also, a massive thank you to my beta Hanashi o suru!

It's been three hours since Mana left to go sell the music box and Allen decided to continue reading his book. It was a wonderful story, containing far-off places, magic spells, and a twist that even after reading this book several times before, still left him in complete surprise! It was a wonderful feeling, and he smiled with glee as silver eyes continued to read through every word and every line.

He was so into the story, he failed to hear someone knocking on his door. It wasn't until the knocking became overbearing, where Allen groaned in displeasure, and promptly closed his book, placing it on his kitchen table. Who on earth would visit him? "Stop trying to knock the darned door down, I'm coming!"

The banging ceased after that, and the head of white hair could only sigh. Once he got to the peephole, he could only grimace at who he was seeing out his door. It was none other than Tyki Mikk. "Gods above, what does he want this time?"

As much as he wanted to tell the man to 'bugger off', he knew all too well that Mana would be displeased with him if he did. He was brought up to be a polite young man, regardless of who stopped by…

( * Flashback * )

"Allen, it's not polite that you closed the door on that villager." Mana had chastised a then seven-year-old Allen Walker.

"He was saying all those bad things about you and of me. So of course, I'll close the door on him". Argued Allen with a pout. He'd seen that guy before, the one that wasn't afraid to voice his opinions of him and his father. It annoyed him, and he doubted he'd of gotten another chance like the one he had got that day.

Mana chuckled and said, "Even if you like or dislike them it's best to open the door and let them inside to find out what they want." The child's father gently told him. "You may be surprised with what they might say."

( * Present Time * )

When the memory ceased, the young man groaned, cursing his obedience to appease his only parent. With the recollection fresh in his mind, Allen opened the door — although reluctantly — only to have Tyki invite himself in, and further make himself comfortable in the kitchen. He didn't even get the chance to ask what he wanted.

Before he could ask, however, Allen took notice of feet on top of the table…just barely missing his prized book. Where a proper guest's feet should actually be, were a pair of muddy boots. Looking down Allen realized that there was in fact a trail from his door to the place Tyki was making himself at home. That no good fucking shit ball! I just mopped these floors!

"Allen your house is lovely, but there's not much room for three". Complained Tyki, startling Allen from his reveries.

"It's big enough for me and my adoptive father, Tyki." Said a very angry Allen "What's the real reason why you're here?"

"Why am I here?" The hunter mused, before grinning seductively to the younger male, "Well, the obvious is, I want you to be my bride, and for you to have my children. Of course, I am not taking 'no' for an answer." Said Tyki

This time, Allen bristled in agitation. "Did my words from this morning not get to your thick skull?" He seethed, glaring right at the other man, "I will marry the one who sees more of my so-called 'beauty' and I will marry for love not lust. Get out of my house and never ever return unless you want to see my hand pulling out your teeth!"

He did feel sorry for going against his father's teachings, but god dammit, Tyki Mikk kept pressing all the wrong buttons. "I see no difference between the two. Both end up with the same result in the end."

Same result…?! "You sick, and disgusting son of a bastardous bitch!" Screw pretending to be nice! This man wasn't worth it in the long run! Not even in the short run, dammit! "GET OUT!" He grabbed the intruder by the scruff of his shirt, and somehow managed to throw his unwanted guest out of his home. The filthy boots followed suit, and Allen felt a prideful one of them landed right in that disgusting asshole's face. "Don't even think of coming back here you twisted fucked up wanker!"

The door slammed shut, a lock setting in place. Tyki dumbly looked at the home he was thrown out of.

But he was far from discouraged. If anything, it only made his game more interesting. Wiping the mud from his face, Tyki pulled on his boots, and started back to the village. The grin on his face was sinister, as he began to silently cackle to himself. He'll make a perfect wife and he willbe mine.

) * (

A few minutes pass, before Allen dared a glance out of the front door. His ever-persistent suiter was nowhere in sight. Sighing in relief, he let himself out, and headed towards the back, where a wooded area stood proud and tall for hundreds of years. It was here he had friends whom weren't judgmental of him, or his father. Granted, they were forest creatures, but Allen always loved the wildlife far more than those he shared his home in the village with.

A familiar critter hopped to Allen, greeting the boy with a little twitch of his pink nose, Long ears were standing up right, the face almost acting as though it already figured something was wrong. The dark-furred rabbit was Allen's pet that Mana didn't exactly know about.

"Hello, Neah." He greeted. "You seem quite chipper, I'm sorry I hadn't visited in a few days."

Neah the rabbit huffed hopping just a little closer to the boy, before climbing into his lap when Allen finally did sit down.

"I never can hide anything troubling from you, can I?"

The rabbit looked up to him. There was always something about this rabbit that Allen couldn't help but spill details of his day. Good? Bad? It never mattered. He felt he could always confide in his fine fluff-ball companion. He began to absently pet the rabbit lying on him, and sighed.

"He's done it again." The boy finally admitted. "Trying to get me to marry him."

Neah made a soft squeak, looking to the doe-eyed boy. A silent gesture to continue.

"I'll never be Tyki's wife!" He growled, "Not even in that man's dreams will I be bound to such a vile, cruel, uncivilized…"

A soft chattering sound interrupted Allen's rant, and the silver-eyed male sighed, taking a breath to calm himself enough to actually continue telling his small tale to the rabbit.

"I'm a male…granted, I'm one that was cursed with some sort of unnatural ability to bear children someday…but I don't want the role of…wife." Maybe it was because of Tyki Mikk, but using the term 'wife' to him felt degrading. "I'll make sure of it. Neah, I want more than to be in this town where people always talk about me or Mana…I wish he was here but I'm sure his music box sold well in the market." He chuckled lightly, before looking down to the rabbit, "You know? You're name comes from my uncle, Neah…Mana always talked about him."

Neah perked up, curiously looking at the boy. However, before Allen could continue his train of thought, a loud, panicked drawn-out neigh was heard. Almost out of nowhere Timcanpy came out through a patch of large bushes, the normally calm horse was frantic.

"Tim!" He'd forgotten the poor rabbit on his lap, as the boy stood, Neah had tumbled over, confused for a brief moment. Meanwhile, Allen tried to calm down the family horse, "Hey, hey now, shh, shh…where's father?"

Timcanpy shook his head, stomping his front two feet.

"Did something happen? Tim, you have to take me to him!" Allen pleaded, "We need to find Mana! Please, can you take me to where you last saw him?"

The bay was hesitant, looking back from whence he'd come from.

"Please, Timcanpy! We can't just leave him out there!"

Disliking the idea of having to back through that forest, Timcanpy huffed, otherwise whickering in agreement.

If not for the annoyed chattering, Allen wouldn't have remembered about Neah still be there. He smiled apologetically, "I'll be back soon and then we'll play, okay?"

Neah didn't seem too amused by these turns of events, and ended up following the younger back to the house where he lived.

Allen had guided Tim back home where the horse could get a moment's rest before heading out again. Grabbing a bag, he packed what he was sure he may need, and proceeded to search for his cloak in the closet. He found it five minutes later, and was confused when he saw the door opened. He could've sworn he closed it…? Shaking his head, he donned his cloak, grabbed his satchel, and hurried back outside, closing and locking the door behind him.

As soon as Allen was done he mounted Tim, and they rode like the wind through the forest.

) * (

"Is…this the right place?" Allen asked, as curious eyes looked about the woods. The trees were tall and dense, and there was a vast array of vegetation at the base of each of the trees, making it hard to see much of a path anymore. The eeriest part was just how quiet their surroundings were. Not even a bird's wings could be heard. "All I'm seeing are trees, trees, and more trees…"

The horse huffed, though didn't stop his trot. Tim did remember where they were when he had lost track of Mana.

"I think I see something ahead!" Allen cried, quickly dismounting the horse, and rushing to something he saw in a bush. As he took it out from where it ended up hidden, his eyes only widened at the object in his hands. "This…this was the box Mana was going to bring to the market…but where's Mana?" The wind blew cold, catching both horse and rider off guard. It was the middle of spring, there shouldn't been such a cold chill…

He was brought out of his reveries when Tim began to whinny, gaining the silver-eyed boy's attention. A mass of snow had hit them, and Allen held up his arms to protect himself from the onslaught of frigid air. When the rough winds finally subsided, Allen peeked from behind his arms, and gasped. "A-A castle? That…that wasn't there before, was it, Timcanpy?"

Tim shook his head.

"That's…what I thought…" Perhaps…just perhaps…he would find his father somewhere at least on that castle's grounds.

Right?

- ( * ) -

He had left behind Tim at the stables he found nearby. At least he wouldn't freeze to death out there. At the moment, Allen stood before the largest of doors he'd never seen before in his whole life. They were arched so high, but it soon became apparent that the doors themselves were acutally much shorter, allowing humans to actually enter. He felt a little silly not realizing such a detail, but nonetheless, everything was so new for him. His hand hadn't touched the handle before the doors swung outwards, efficiently startling the young male. There…wasn't anyone there.

Allen gulped, as he looked all around the grand foyer. If the doors were opened, then it was okay to enter…right?

Ignoring the warning bells, Allen stepped foot into the castle, and frankly, calling this foyer grand was anything if not an understatement. Before him stood the widest of staircases he'd ever seen, the top splitting at the landing, one set of stairs heading one way, and the other mirrored it. A door was between them, with a decorative trim that blew out into an overelaborate design. Words couldn't exactly describe it.

Above was an ornate chandelier, with candles glimmering with their light, it took Allen a moment to realize that each candle was incased in a glass that was frosted at the tip of each flame-shaped toper. Crystals hung between each candle stick, making the interior glitter. Those were only some of what his eyes could take in.

Paintings lined the wall, and a simple coatrack stood by the door. He didn't think there would've been much point in hanging his cloak, as he didn't plan to stay for long. He only wanted to find Mana, and get out of there.

"Mana?" He called out, throwing caution to the wind. "Mana! Where are you? Are you in here?"

Unknown to the boy, he was being followed. "Reever, do you suppose he could be the one we're waiting for?" A candelabra queried. Three candles were lit atop his two arm-like holders, while the third was melted almost resembling a beret. There was hope in his voice, as he hopped as quietly as he could as to not alert their new visitor. "Perhaps he'll break our curse!"

"Don't get too excited Komui." Reever was a small wind-up clock, it was strange to him personally, as he never really associated himself with being timely to begin with...actually, now that he thought of it, why was Komui even a candelabra? He sighed, deciding to ponder this another time.

"We're all tired of being like this." Komui silently argued back. "Lord knows he is too."

"Not my fault he's not a people person." Reever grumbled.

An echo call of 'Father' met their figurative ears, and instantly Reever knew what his long-time friend was going to attempt.

"…no, no Komui, we're not—Komui?" The eccentric candle holder was already gone. "God damn it."

) * (

If anything, Allen Walker was ever infamous for, it was his uncanny ability to get lost. Not this time. He wouldn't let his lousy directional sense get the better of him this time. Allen searched all the rooms, feeling his hope being slowly stifled with each door that didn't have Mana behind it.

He had to be here. This place was the last place Tim had seen his father, right? A noise caught his attention, and Allen quickly turned to see who made the sound. He was met with no one. "Hello? Hello, I'm here to find my father!" He called out, following where he heard the noise. Another soft clunk alerted the young male, and he quickly followed it, "Where is he? Where's Mana? Can you show me where he is?"

There was a set of stairs when he finally caught up to where he should've seen another living being. Were they shy? They must've been farther ahead of then he thought. Allen swallowed a lump in his throat, as he eyed the staircase before him. They somehow…didn't appear to be as…friendly looking as the rest of the areas he came across. But he had to find his father!

Steeling his resolve, he began his descent until he saw what looked like the dungeons. They were cold, damp, and something honestly smelled of moldy bread around there. However, just abrely able to be seen in the dimming candlelight, was where Allen had finally found his missing father.

"Mana!" He exclaimed, and ran straight to him kneeling, and clasping their hands through the bars. His eyes widened in fear at how cold the touch was. "Oh, gods, Mana you're so cold and pale what happened?" Asked Allen

"Allen? Allen! My sweet boy, you have to get out of here! Please, go back to the village, forget about me!"

"Why would I do such a thing?" Allen argued, shaking his head. "I'm not going to leave you here to die!"

Mana was about to scold his son for being foolish, but a booming voice had interrupted him before another word could so much as be uttered. "He's my prisoner. This foolish man tried to pick one of my white roses and the sentence is to remain in the castle forever."

"Th-that's not an excuse to imprison someone!"

"He should've thought of that before he stole. Who the hell are you? Are you here to steal from me too?"

"No!" Allen defiantly said. Where was this voice even coming from? It sounded relatively close, but these dungeons were so freaking dark! "Roses always grow back! If anyone is responsible for the loss of one of your precious roses, then it should be me!"

"Allen! I've lived my life, I'm old, you're young, you needn't do this!"

"Yes, I do." Allen sternly told his father. "Where are you? Take me in place of my father!" He stood from where he had been kneeled, one hand clutching the charm of his choker, and unsure of where he was supposed to look. Yes, he was very scared, tears were threatening to fall, but he didn't want to show it. "I was the one who asked for the rose in the first place!"

Allen found a candle stick, and thrusted it forward, he expected many things, but the face of a monster wasn't one of those things. Allen dropped the candle the floor, both his hands hiding his gasp. The beast didn't appear to be fazed by the reaction. "You will take your father's place?"

Words seemed to fail him, as he nodded. "I-I will." With the light still shining, from the floor, a hind paw made itself known. As the beast revealed himself in full, Allen felt the sinking dread in the pit of his stomach.

The…beast, clearly stood a good five heads taller than Allen. Dark raven fur was seen all visible surfaces where skin would've otherwise had been on a human. His eyes, a deep cobalt blue, were cold, sharp…it was like they could see anything and everything, even through the front Allen was currently putting up. Arched horns mirrored each other where a normal hairline would've been, and sharp teeth were clearly visible from the lion-like snout that made up the human-ish face with the monstrous snarl he was currently bearing. He was standing on hind legs, and Allen didn't doubt for a moment that should he be on all fours, he could easily outrun any creature known to man.

He could just barely make out a tail that lazily dragged behind him…the beast was part lion, part wolf, and part something else the younger couldn't quite place.

"If you really will take his place, then I want your word." The monster's raspy deep voice was demanding. Allen's heart was racing, sweat was beading on his temple. He was scared. But Mana needed help…he needed to be taken care of…Bookman was well-versed in medicine, he knew that much. It was the only reason he could afford to keep his library opened.

"I-If I give you my word…" Allen breathed, "Th-then I want you to make sure my father gets the help he needs right now."

"Deal." The beast then opened the cell's door, and Mana rushed out to hug his son for what he assumed was the last time.

"Allen, never give up…keep walking and I will save you soon." He quietly promised.

"I-I'll be okay, Mana." Allen whimpered. "I-I'm your son a-after all, a-aren't I?" He couldn't stop the tears even if he tried.

As soon as Mana let go, the beast grasped Mana from the scruff of his shirt, dragging him away. "Allen!"

"Mana! Mana!" Allen cried out, only for the door to slam behind them. Allen openly sobbed then, as he could only watch as his only living family was taken away from him.

Mana…I love you…I'm sorry…

Author's note #2: if you all have any questions please review or contact me on my twitter username which is RoseRozu1.