Alaric's POV

Watching your best friend spiral down into a depression among happy people who surround you is the saddest thing I've ever seen. I've seen Blair be many things Happy, excited, mischievous, angry, anxious, but in the last week I've lost count of how many times I've seen Blair go crazy and not in the fun way, I've stood by as she shouts and screams throwing things around in an angry fit of rage as her face twists in a tormented agony shouting to 'make it stop' and 'shut up' or 'you're not real'. I'd seen her flip from that delusional state full of anger to a crying wreck on the floor, I'd hold her shuddering body and hug her as if wrapping her up in my arms could protect her for he hurt and loss she feels. I'd watch her sleep walk trashing our home and the surrounding countryside.

My sister was hurting and there was nothing I could do about it, I couldn't help her, how am I meant to be a king to a whole country when I can't even help my best friends suffering?

She barely spoke, and when she did it was only to me or Emilia. Her voice was barely there a reedy whisper with a horse hiss at the end of each sentence, her eyes had a look of haunted brokenness around them, and the green was positively vibrant in contrast to the violent purple bruise like bags under her eyes. Her face seemed empty, devoid of her familiar laughing smile, or mischievous glare, it wasn't even this bad when Amara died. She'd lost her appetite, almost anything she ate would come straight back up, her stomach was in knots. She blames herself I can see that much it's survivors guilt, she barely sleeps, she just lies there and when she does sleep its fitful, full of jarring movements not the stealthy grace she's always possessed, she wakes up shivering and crying, occasionally with a scream.

When Amara died it was different we had Nik around to help her through, Amara wasn't the love of Blair's life. I can't imagine how it would be if god forbid anything should happen to Lacy. When Amara died it was awful but Blair came back from it, but now I don't know if she ever will, she's nothing but a barely there husk now. I hated what this was doing to her, Blair feels everything so deeply, but sometimes things go so deep they can't ever heal.

Blair's POV

You failed, you're pathetic you didn't save me and you didn't save Niklaus. It's all your fault, you're terrible at what you do. You think you're so big? You're not. You're a waste of air, a waste of 2 human lives sacrificing themselves, for what some loser who isn't even strong enough to get out of her bed without breaking down.

"Get out of my head." I mumble, curling up into an even tighter ball, I don't want to hear this anymore it's been on a loop for hours, days, weeks, constantly not even stopping when I'm asleep at least when I'm awake it can't show me the flames. The voice comes up with a new way for Nik to have died each time. It's favourite is an explosion like Amara's. Each time I watch the flames engulf Nik's body whilst I stand there not able to move unable to help, glued in place, paralysed. I hated this. I hated the uncertainty of what had happened to him. I hated why this voice was sticking to me, bringing out my deepest fears dragging them from the corners of my mind to the centre as a key focus.

I'd tried fighting the voice screaming at it to stop, begging, crying throwing things, burying my head under a pillow. Nothing helped, it kept telling me to run, and I refused to do what it told me. I had to keep reassuring myself there was nothing I could've done to help Amara or Nik. Right? I mean for one I'd been dragged out a building unconscious and for the other I'd been on a satellite. The Logic and reasoning from the Red side of me did nothing to affect the relentless voice.

My head hurt, the pressure was ponding. I had no idea what was going on around me people came and went from the palace frequently usually friends or teammates. Most were there purely to check in on me, I stayed silent the whole time I stayed blank, unfeeling.

Maybe I should relent to the voice maybe I should run. No. I can't run, I do not want to run if I don't know what happened to Nik, I need to find out before I leave. Before I start working my own leads I need to see the file, get all the information, then I search, I will bring Nik back. Dead or alive. He would be home either way. We promised each other this. We'll always have home.

Meaning I'd need Nik's mission information and the only people who had access to that were falcon's in the mission room, mission partners and mission handlers. Obviously the royals had access if they wanted it but I'm not dragging them into this, it's my mission, my vow, it's not theirs.

Getting into a secure headquarters filled with some of the most dangerous people in the world was going to be a challenge. Especially since I was still technically barred from missions. There would be questions everyone knew what had happened, I hadn't exactly been losing my mind quietly. I broke a lot of people and property all over the country over the last few days apparently. I wasn't aware of it, but I had.

I knew I'd have to be quick, blending into the scenery. I'd also have to steal Forton's access card to access the file, as soon as he realized it was missing he'd raise an alarm and send the country into lockdown, the chaos would make my escape easier. But it could also potentially hold it up, if someone saw me breaking into the building, it was safe to say I'd be caught and then I'd never get the file.

At go at the end of the day when people started to leave if they were day shifts and when the night shifts had just arrived. Yes for a short time there would be double the falcons on site, but there would also be more chaos and the sign out queue would be huge and barge as people would want to get home, badges get misplaced by trainees all the time causing delays.

I needed to see the full file not just the cut down version anyone can access I need specifics if I'm going to track Nik. Specifics like the country and the apartment and the task.

I suited up in mission gear, and put on stealth mode, meaning I became for the most part practically invisible, so long as I moved slowly letting the chameleon function adjust and providing no one hit me I'd be golden. Metaphorically speaking, I mean there was still the matter of getting everything sorted, packing a bag with essentials and money, reading the file, figuring out where to start, I wanted to save my speed for the journey.

Getting Forton's hard shouldn't be all that hard, he get off before everyone else because he starts at 4 and finishes at 2, right about now he'd be sleeping. Only for 2 hours it's his pre-dinner nap his wife wakes him up at 5:30 then calls him to eat at 6. I could steal his card and be done before he even wakes up. Note the could in that sentence because his wife cleans the house whilst he sleeps and she's a god damn ninja, silent as the night.

I can do this. I think whilst sitting in a tree outside the Forton's house.

Yeah, and I'm queen of the pixies. Mind bitch tells me. Yay she's back, after all what would any mission be without mind bitch. (Note the sarcasm).

Upstairs was clear at least for the moment the key would be in his jacket pocket, his jacket was in the coat hook in his office. I picked the lock on the door with ease you would think a general would have better security in his own home. Of course his wife is a security system of a different kind, she's crazy but funny, I've met her at the annual Independence Day picnic she gave me food.

So to you that means she's your best friend, god you're a naïve piece of crap.

Go to hell mind bitch.

We're both already there.

I can't fault your logic mind bitch.

I riffle through the jacket pockets looking for the key card, until my finger's brush the thin metallic cuboid. I can feel the engraved name marring the otherwise perfectly smooth surface. Not testing my luck I get out quickly, thankfully unseen, I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull that off again.

Slows never been my forte, so this the chameleon function on my belt isn't the best tool to use, but it's the best I've got so I've gotta go with it. It takes half a second to change, it's slow and to trained eyes like Falcons' that's all they need to spot something be off for them to get suspicious.

I crept through the corridors narrowly avoiding people one hit would ruin everything.

I was in the mission control room now finding the file was going to be hard there must be a million files in here for all active missions. And by active I mean ones from the last six months that haven't been deactivated. Seeing as Nik's missing in action the mission wouldn't have been deactivated missions only get deactivation status if they know for sure the agent is dead, meaning they have a body or a lot of proof it's their remains. We don't have a body for Nik. We need one or this will be one of the few unresolved cases.

Those cases haunt the Falcon's forever, because until the remains are found the names don't go on the wall of remembrance.

I riffled through the filing cabinets quickly, looking for N. . My fingers flew over the thick paperwork filled files, come on, come on, where are you? One file should not be this hard to find, if I'm ever on probation again remind me to let my OCD take over and let me organize this room.

Got it! Yes!

I got to get out of here.

I up into the mountains far from where anyone would see me. I wanted to read the file in private.

I wanted to know the secrets it had in store for me without anyone else finding out.

I needed to get to Austanburg in northern Europe, it's a small country shared with Luxembourg it's almost as small as Adornovica. I need a lot of money to live there, especially if I might be there for a while looking for Nik. To be honest anywhere I went I would need money.

I ran across the border of Adornovica speeding up north. I felt dizzy about halfway, I needed to stop and eat I hadn't eaten in a while. I ate at a buffet in Cannes before venturing further north then veering slightly east. I was in Austanburg by nightfall, I'd got a hotel room and set up an evidence and link board, putting up picture, connecting lines and places Nik had been known to visit whilst undercover here, setting up my laptop on a table in a corner of the room I figured I'd probably be hacking into various government databases in this investigation, I'd get him back though, I knew it.

Alaric's POV

Blair had been pretty silent all afternoon, so I'd done some work then went to check on her only to find her gone. Crap…. What the hell am I meant to do? Oh god the Falcons are going to kill me, I just lost an unstable baddass, who has the know how to destroy several countries. Oh God the Falcon's are going to kill me. Why did I volunteer for Blair watching? Oh yeah, to get out of wedding planning, honestly I couldn't care less about the differences between eggshell and ivory and whether we should include them as the wedding colours.

How do I lose a whole person? Oh God Lacy's going to yell at me. Emilia's going to lock me in her little cave system, I have to find her before she does anything stupid.

How do I find a Blair who doesn't want to be found?

I could set a food trap. Nah too obvious and likely to attract animals that aren't Blair. I could tell Blair's team so that they can do it before anyone finds out then I won't be shouted at too badly, besides it's not like they haven't lost Blair before. There's been 8 times Blair's done hr disappearing thing that I'm aware of. Normally I wouldn't worry, she's Blair but in her current state of mind I think even my dad would have a panic.

Or I could do tracking spell, it's pretty advanced magic more than I've learned before but I know my mother put it in our lesson plans for some point in the next few weeks.

So the spell will be in my current spell book, magicas esse decet prospere. I flick through the pages turning through until I find the spell I need. Damn it I need components. What do I need? a map, a candle, a clear crystal, blood of a royal (I've got that in spades) a bowl of water and an object of the person you are trying to find. Great where the hell am I going to get a map, could I use my phone, who even owns a map anymore? Dang! It's in Latin. Okay let's see what it says recite he following incantation (insert the object or being you are searching for) locant, after dipping the blood of a royal into water along with the crystal, the crystal should change colour then hover the crystal over the map to locate the object or being you are trying to locate with complete the steps whilst reciting the incantation through each step. I did the spell one through using the map on my phone, didn't work now I've got to find a map, I can't get that from the ingredients cupboard in our potions kitchen. Don't even ask about that it's a long story and I don't want to get into it right now. I could check the library or use the globe on my dad's desk, of course that would require going in his office and then I'd have to explain what I was doing and it would just be more trouble than necessary. I sprinted to the library tearing books off the shelves the librarian would kill me later but apparently she'll have to get in line. No maps in any book I looked in where else is there a map? The nursery! Of course why didn't I think of that before it's a giant ass wall map, how do you forget something like that all I's massive and multi coloured, the countries have their flags painted on it as a memorisation thing we'd had to do as kids as part of our royal duties. I chant as I hold the crystal in my hand, is wings like a pendulum for a few moments then flies out of my hands like a bullet into the wall, sticking there, ouch that's going to leave a mark and give me punishment duty. Oh well I 'll worry about that later, I need to find Blair and get her back before I have a team of angry falcon's and a fiancée on my ass. Austanburg? What the hell is she doing there? And how the hell did she get there? Oh yeah she has super speed now I forgot about that. I needed to get to Austanburg and fast Blair hasn't slept in days and she may endanger herself and others whilst she's on this whatever trip. All I needed was a car some money and to leave a vaguely intelligent note coming up with a valid excuse for Blair and my sudden disappearance. Right uh, I think as I write on some paper, Wanted to distract Blair, thought a change of scenery would help went to Paris for a few days. I'd call Lacy when I reach Austanburg, tell her what's gone on she can't kick my ass for losing a person when I'm 1000 km away. That seems plausible. Now how the hell am I going to get a car? We don't have very many of those in Adornovica, okay so if I ride a bike to Cannes then buy a cheap car there, I won't be tracked by the bike, I was going to get Blair back home on my own bringing in the cavalry might do more harm than good. After an extremely long almost 10 hour drive, I was in Austanburg, I needed to check all the local hotels giving them a description of Blair, that's how they did it in crime films so I'm assuming it's the same principal. I must've been to twenty of the fifty hotels there happen to be in the small country of Austanburg so far no ones seen Blair another thirty hotels then I'm crashing for the night. Even if I haven't found her then I could continue looking at short term rental and anywhere else.

I sorry to admit that I may have crashed at the 45th hotel I was finding it impossible to keep my eyes open and my legs from cramping from all the walking I'd done today. I'd gone through 45 out of 50 hotels and no Blair, I'd check the last 5 tomorrow and all the short term rentals in the area, I'd find her.

I texted Lacy briefly before I fell asleep, I told her I was fine, that I was chasing Blair across Europe and that I loved her and please don't kill me and asking her keep my secret.

She sent me a text back saying that she loved me but I should've taken her with me, because it would've been less conspicuous and then she went on a rant about seeing as we are going to be married we really should've discussed this but yes she will keep my secret providing I talk to her daily. I love my girl.

I'd been asleep for a few hours when I'd heard a banging on my door, I woke up and shook of the sleep groggily, the banging continued except now it was the window, then it was my walls. Then CRASH! The window of my room burst open at the same time as the door, the wall on the opposite side of the room form me exploded and men clad in black charged into the room holding torches, and they were all focused on me. Holy crap! I thought it was only Blair who got into situations like this I thought as one got close, I flipped him over my back with a basic judo throw, throwing him into the non-exploded wall. This was going to be expensive to replace. I punched another in the face and ducked as two swung at me so they'd collide with each other not me. These were ninja's who were bad at being ninja's. I evaded two others and jumped out of the broken window I was only about three stories up, I could make it.

"1 minute and 33 seconds. A new record." Says a woman holding a stopwatch, I look at her with a puzzled expression.

"What, a new record means you get a free stay at the hotel."

"I'm sorry what?" I ask putting on an American accent with my English.

"What did you expect from a hotel called Ninja stay? A peaceful night's sleep?"

"Yes, it's a hotel and I want to sleep."

"Yes well we can't always get what we want, can we?" she says raising a well-shaped coffee brown eyebrow.

"You people are insane."

"I'm just as sane as you are. So I'm sorry to do this."

"Do what?" I ask

"This." she lunges forward and attacks me before I can even blink, oh crap, I think I actually am in trouble, where the hell is my distress beacon, I think before her elbow connects with my temple knocking me out.

Hey guys dodges rotten fruit being thrown, sorry I haven't updated I was Ill and then I had to do all my exams without being told about them before hand. Anyway good news and bad news, good news this chapter is 3465 words long, bad news is you may have to wait for the next chapter for a while because I'm going to have my tonsils out and it's going to be painful according to my consultant, I'll see if I can update later this week. I hope you guys liked seeing Alaric's POV. As per the usual, review, favourite, follow, point out any mistakes that I've made.