"Father!" Caleb smiled, as Aketon rushed to hug his son, but shrugged Julian's arm away, hoping to escape when a tight grip pulled him back. It was Aldarn, who's hug was tight and strong, and Caleb knew that Aldarn would have worried. "Efcharistoúme.. Efcharistoúme."

Aldarn breathed teary thank yous into his ear, and Caleb gracefully accepted the hug, though his entire chest felt numb. The sarcasm in Will's voice had cut through him, and he felt his eyes stinging for all the wrong reasons, as Aldarn kissed his head for saving his father.. "Mon Aldarn.."

"Caleb." The wobbly grin on Aldarn's face was something that Caleb had seen every day for years, and yet Caleb felt his throat closing in; trapping his deflating soul, exactly as Will had left it, so that he could only force a smile to his own lips and pray he looked sincere.

It must've been good enough, because Aldarn positively beamed and Caleb found himself realizing exactly what he could say to make Aldarn happier still, as he let his smile become wry, and leaned in to speak into only the boys ear. "I got two kisses this week."

And the boy jolted back, to stare at Caleb in an awe-filled disbelief that even Caleb himself had to laugh at the boy's childish grin. 15year old Aldarn was amidst a war, and yet on Earth Caleb had met more mature 12year olds.."Will did that? Twice?"

...

Prince Phobos Escanor, had watched Will Vandom go. He had, indeed, found his Guards at the gate, and he had chuckled at their piled up, living bodies. It had been beautiful, all night, and Prince Phobos had smiled as he helped each guard up, and escorted them inside. None of them knew the castle - not better than the few rooms they were allowed in, and he'd told them of his promise to the red haired girl. And then Prince Phobos taken them to a door and told each and ever one, that the could go. Leave. Or that they could enter the room that Lord Cedric had only seen.. And now Prince Phobos shut the door, behind the greedy men, and smiled at the screams as the murmurers tore into them; as they peeled off each guard's leathery skin, so that they were in the fiercest agony when these murmurers finally began to eat them - their thick bodies sliced into shards with vines and thorns.. And they would feel it. Most of it. Because Prince Phobos had made a promise. He had given his word and he'd even given them the choice to leave.. But his murmurers needed to be fed, and there were no miners' corpses anymore.. And besides..

There is a difference between killing.. And letting die.

...

"You look like a drenched rat.. And I'm guessing you didn't allow Gaea close enough to you to do that.." Drake watched Caleb's body sink further into the depression between the wall and the floor. He'd been in the meeting room. He'd been hiding.

Drake pulled out a chair, and straddled it as Caleb sighed and wiped eyes that looked less tired than sad. And Drake had wondered, if it might be Julian. Because Caleb might've ,ade the mistake; he might've thought it'd be different this time. But Julian was the same man, and Aketon had already said.. Caleb looked like he was going to leave them all; Caleb had looked furious; Caleb had been strained between his old ways and the ones he'd developed and mistaken as Will's.. And Aketon had said that Will hadn't been happy. So maybe it wasn't Julian.. Maybe it was what Julian had brought. "It's Cornelia, Drake. You should use her proper name.."

"Oh yes, vevaíos.. Just because you can remember it now.." The air stayed flat around Caleb, and Drake supposed that it must be Will, if nothing was funny. "Where is your lover if she kissed you then?"

Drake breathed a laugh, but Caleb's face fell at that. There was no denial of Will. No hatred of words like 'lover'. Only a sting in Caleb's green eyes and a quivering tension in the jaw could answer Drake.. And Drake found himself looking at an entirely new person. He bet he could kill Caleb now before the boy even knew what had happened, and that should never be allowed to happen..

"Oh.. Caleb.."

"She doesn't want me." Drake frowned as Caleb pushed his thumbs and fingers and palms against eyes that didn't have tears.. But then emerald found Drake again, and Drake didn't even want to look. Because Caleb had never been sad before.. Not really. Not as far as Drake had seen. It had always been angry, not sad. "I asked her t.. She doesn't want me after all."

"You were fighting.. Today.." Aketon hadn't wanted to bring it up, because Caleb had scared men before, with the tone he'd used with Will. And Aketon had admitted fear that Caleb would hit her.. She'd made him let the guards in.. She'd made him save the prisoners.. It seemed like something he'd usually do without needing asked nowadays, but Julian had been there.. And everything changed now that Julian was here. Even the stubbornness had returned to Caleb's eyes, despite the regret that lay beneath. At least he was listening. "And I should very well know that the theory goes, that you have to seduce a woman, before you take her to bed."

"Don't you da-"

Caleb had retorted before he thought, and Drake couldn't stop the feeling of relief that Caleb was to be himself again.. He didn't much like this broken attitude, and it was well enough, that the boy had realized that he liked the punchy redhead.. It was a shame though, because Drake could get that.. There was something quite impressively flamboyant about the little girl who seemed by no means a child. "Go and tell her. If she kissed you, tell her you liked it. If she didn't.. Tell her you'd like her to. Will wont like you to beat around the bush."

"Oh.." And Drake grinned at Caleb's now thoughtful expression; wincing when the boy got up and punched him on the way past.. Whether it was for kissing his woman or suggesting that Caleb seduce her.. Drake did not know..

Efcharistoúme.. Efcharistoúme. - Thank you.. Thank you.

Vevaíos - Of course