Chapter XIII: Slayer

"So how exactly does this 'Slayer of Hearts' work?" Cain asked against the door frame of his and DG's bedroom.

He cleaned his own skin of all the blood and Azkadellia summoned clean clothes for him and put them on his body with him barely noticing. Azkadellia and Lavender changed DG out of the bloody gown she had on and cleaned what they could off of her skin. Raw had gone to the medic wing to bring back what supplies he could with Jeb's help. Glitch was still thumbing through the book trying to find more information on the blade and where it was made and what they could do now.

"No one really understands how it works," Azkadellia sighed and looked at Cain, "It is meant to trap a certain person in a type of limbo. Once they are effectively trapped and other loved ones believe that they are dead, the other party would stab themselves, thus trapping them both in limbo. When the second stabbed party finds the first on the other side- in that limbo- they are joined forever, they hearts bond and they come back to life. One can't leave the side of the other unless they choose to die. When the blade is used and both members are on the limbo side of death, the blade turns ice cold until one or both are brought back. And if the person that is to be stabbed first has any magic abilities, said magic abilities are cut away with every cut that the blade makes into the skin."

"Which explains why DG couldn't use her powers," Cain looked at the ceiling.

"And why did the witch want this?" Glitch asked and glared at the dagger.

"It was a way to injure a good portion of the opposition that was resisting her," Azkadellia explained and wiped the last of the blood from DG's face, "And when brought back, they had no choice but to serve her. Or die. Either way, she would win."

"But that would mean that she would have to stab herself to use it effectively," Cain observed.

"Not necessarily," Azkadellia shook her head, "She had planned to use her generals. That way there was no chance of someone usurping her power when she found all those she trapped."

"If DG is trapped and he is searching for her, how much time do we have? And more importantly, how do we get her un-trapped and back to the land of the living without him catching her?" Cain asked with his arms crossed. Azkadellia knew that he was just trying to cover up for the urge to hold her sister. Since she was brought home Azkadellia and Lavender hasn't let anyone else come near DG, much less hold her.

"That's the problem, isn't it?" she asked back at him, "I think you're the solution."

"How's that?" Cain uncrossed his arms and stepped forward. Ever eager to help when it concerned DG and he was tired of standing around doing nothing.

"In the telling of the blade, it stated that true love was power. You and DG have that true love and I think that you are the one to bring her back," Azkadellia put a finger to her chin in thought, "The only problem is I don't know how you use that love to get her back to her body. I don't know if it's through magic or just talking to her."

"So we're at a dead end and that gives Soren a chance to get to her," Cain frowned and threw his hat off to the side of the room. He picked up the locket from under his shirt and opened it to look at his and DG's picture inside.

Glitch looked up from his reading and caught Cain looking in the locket. He smirked and tried his shot at lightening the mood in the room, "When did Tin Men start wearing jewelry?"

"Shut it before I put a zipper on it," Cain said and didn't look away from the locket. Glitch kept his smirk on his face, but obeyed Cain's wishes and turned back to his reading. Cain looked into DG's picture and into her eyes, willing the same smile from the picture to appear on her real face. He had to blink as he suddenly thought he saw the lips move on her picture. He looked again and caught the lips move once more. They were moving. He tried to make out what they were saying and could only catch one word, repeated over and over.

'Emerald.'

"I doubt that Soren will find her," Lavender said tiredly, dragging Cain out of what he thought was a delusion and stood up from the bed, "Many of the Gale line have a place reserved for them on the road beyond- or so it is said. If DG is anywhere near there in this 'limbo', then she would be protected by our ancestors."

Cain rubbed his face with his hand to get over what ever he saw in the locket and Lavender walked to him. She put a light hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry too much, Mister Cain. You will find a way to wake her. I am sure of it."

"Are you retiring for the night, mother?" Azkadellia asked.

"Yes," she tried to hide a heavy sigh and looked at DG.

"If you want, you may use my bed for now," Azkadellia smiled, "If anything happens than I shall come and get you. It is only the across the hall."

Lavender smiled and leaned over DG to kiss Azkadellia on the forehead, "Thank you, 'Dellia."

"You're welcome," she smiled.

Lavender leaned over DG and kissed her on the forehead as well, "Come back to us soon, my angel."

As she leaned back the emerald slipped from one of her gown pockets and onto DG's chest where the wound sat. The emerald began to glow and pulse in bright light. Cain hurried to the side of the bed and watched it carefully. If there really was a message for him inside the locket he was going to keep close tabs on the crystal now sitting on DG's chest. As the emerald began to glow brighter the tattoo on DG's chest glowed along with it.

"What's it doing?" Cain asked and started to reach for the emerald. Glitch was about to knock his hand away when the light grew brighter as Cain's hand came nearer. Then when Cain brought his hand away from the emerald the light dimmed.

"Cain, try it again," Glitch said intrigued.

Cain nodded and put his hand over the emerald and the wound on DG's chest. The light grew brighter and through the rays of the light the small group around DG could see the stab wound start to close up on itself. Cain took his eyes away from the sight to check on DG's face, but still saw no response.

"What's happening?" Glitch tried to read through the book and watch the miracle at the same time.

"I do believe that we have found our avenue for you to reach her, Cain," Azkadellia could have squealed with joy, "That's why the emerald was glowing earlier. DG was trying to tell us something."

'Telling us all something,' Cain thought to himself and glanced at the locket that was hanging from his neck and then back to concentrate on the wound, 'That's my girl. Come on back home.'

He felt the heat from the light and tried to force it back into DG's body. The light read his actions and curled in the air before flowing into DG's body and into her veins. The light wound through her as if it was her blood reentering her veins. The color began to come back to DG's face slowly.

"That's it, Cain," Azkadellia smiled and Glitch held his wife's hand tightly. He dropped the book to the floor a moment prior and had forgotten it there.

Soon the wound stitched itself up as the light faded from both the tattoo and the emerald. The wound was soon no more and nothing marred DG's skin. All at once DG's lungs kicked in and took a much needed deep breath of fresh air. Cain smiled and laughed in relief.

"That's it, sweetheart," Cain nodded and cupped the side of her face with his hand. He stoked her cheek with his thumb and kept tab on her breathing rhythm, "Breath in deep, DG."

Both Raw and Jeb took the opportunity to come through the doors with medical supplies in hand. Cain turned to his son with a large smile.

"She's breathing," he said and laughed a little more. Raw ran to the side of the bed as Azkadellia moved off to the side to let him have a good look at DG. Cain kept his hand in one of DG's as Lavender sat near the end of the bed.

Raw put one of his hands on DG's forehead and another over where the wound was. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the task at hand and if there were any other injures still present in her chest or mind. He grunted a few times and then nodded. He leaned back and set to work to put together a small potion for her.

"DG weak," Raw picked out a few herbs and began to break them into the bowl he had, "Will take time to come back to DG. But DG come back. DG too strong and stubborn not to."

"Careful that's my future wife, you're talking about, furball," Cain warned him.

"Thank Ozma," Glitch smiled and hugged Azkadellia around her shoulders. Lavender took the emerald from the bed and put it back in her gown pocket. It had done its job and helped to save the princess and the kingdom once again.

"I do believe this has been an eventful night," Lavender smiled again and kissed DG's forehead before she turned to the door.

"My bed is still open, mother," Azkadellia offered.

"Your majesty, a word please," Glitch said quickly and pulled the queen off to the side before she could leave. Cain watched them for a moment. Lavender nodded a few times and then said something back to Glitch. He came back over to Azkadellia and pushed her gently toward Lavender, "Speaking of bed you should head off to as well. You, my dear have our child to tend to and fretting over your sister will not help. You two head to bed. I'm going to do some more research before I hit the hay."

"Where will you sleep when you do go to sleep?"

"I will find a bed. We are not at a loss of them here," Glitch smiled and kissed his wife goodnight.

"Goodnight, Wyatt," Lavender put a hand back on Cain's shoulder, "Thank you, so much."

"There is nothing else I could have done, your majesty," he nodded at her, "I had to bring her home."

Azkadellia rounded the end of the bed and gave Cain one of the biggest hugs she had ever given anyone, "Thank you for bringing her back, Cain. I don't know what we would have done without you or without her."

"You're welcome, Az," he whispered and patted her on the back with the hand that he wasn't holding on to DG with.

Both Lavender and Azkadellia left quickly to the next room over for rest. Glitch stood from his chair with the book in his hands.

"I'm going to the library to see if I can't find anything else on the Slayer of Hearts. From what I've read so far, DG may be the only one to get out of limbo this way," Glitch shifted on his feet, "I just want to make sure that this isn't going to come back and haunt us later. And I would love to learn if Lord Soren would be stuck forever in limbo."

"Good plan," Cain nodded, but stopped him briefly, "What did you tell the queen?"

"That there was still a bit of Aniline out there somewhere. Gladra won't make the same mistakes as her brother. She knows better," Glitch smiled and patted Cain on the back as he left for the library, "Get some sleep."

"Dad?" Jeb asked from over by the medical supplies, "Anything I can do?"

"Go tell that fiancée of yours to stop worrying," Cain smirked at his son, "She's probably heard about DG coming in to the palace dead and if that's true I'm surprised I haven't heard her searching up and down the halls for us. Go spend some time with her and give her some information. I'll come and talk with you two tomorrow. Tell you two how she's doing and all."

"Yes, sir," Jeb nodded with a gentle smile.

Raw still fiddled with the different herbs and caught Cain out of the corner of his vision watching him.

"Cain have question?" Raw asked and sat in a small chair to mix the remedy he was concocting.

"Are you going to try and shove some of that stuff down DG's throat?" Cain raised an eyebrow, "Because I know what it tastes like and I doubt she would appreciate it as the first thing she eats at home."

"Will help strengthen heart and lugs," Raw nodded, "Help her wake up. Help her come back to Cain."

"I hate it when you talk me into it," Cain turned back to DG as he heard Raw laugh to himself. He watched the color on her cheeks return to normal and her breathing becoming more rhythmic. She was really sleeping this time. He shut his eyes in relief and never noticed how tired he really was. First he was numb and didn't want or need sleep. But now the adrenaline had died down and he was feeling every ache and pain.

"Cain tired. Need sleep," Raw said in sharp tone to tell the Tin Man he wanted it done not thought over.

"I'm not leaving her again," Cain fought with his eyelids.

Raw rolled his eyes and walked over to Cain's side of the bed. He hooked his hands under Cain's arms and lifted him halfway onto the bed, "Didn't tell Cain to leave DG. Lead her home. Stay with her, but sleep."

"All right, furball. All right," Cain nodded and was thankful that Azkadellia summoned him some clean clothes while she and Lavender were washing DG of her own blood. The last thing he needed was to sleep in blood. He had before and he didn't want a repeat experience.

He settled down along side DG and tried not to disturb her. As soon as he found a position he could deal with he felt DG's fingers on her left hand intertwine with the fingers of his left hand which was right beside hers. He pulled their hands together to let her know he was there and buried his nose in her hair. He closed his eyes and fell to sleep with the scent of Papay fruit surrounding his senses.

The next morning Cain woke up to the sound of movement in the room. He cracked an eye open to find Azkadellia making herself comfortable in the plush chair next to the bed. She smiled sheepishly and waved at him.

"Good morning," she whispered and grabbed a hold of DG's hand. Their linked magic shown brighter than the night before and Azkadellia beamed with happiness.

"How is your mother?" Cain asked from the other side of DG's head.

"She's okay, better than normal, actually," Azkadellia nodded, "She checked on DG this morning. I'm surprised she didn't wake you up."

"Any news about Galdra?"

"Not much," she shook her head, "We are going to help her as much as we can. She's only fifteen. She deserves a bit better than what she must have had with a brother like Soren."

"How's your husband?"

"He fell asleep in the library and is now comfortably lying in bed. Raw found him this morning snoring away in a pile of books," Azkadellia smiled and giggled a little to herself, "He hasn't done that since he was studying all the laws to become mother's advisor."

Cain smirked and looked down at DG's face. She had moved very little in the night. Something he wasn't entirely used to. She had a thing about rolling every once in a while during the night, but she stayed still all through the night. The only thing she moved was her head. It was tilted toward him and placed directly on his shoulder.

"She looks better today," Azkadellia noticed, "Raw told me to try and share some magic with her. Might bring her to faster."

"Anything that can help is much appreciated," Cain nodded and pushed himself next to DG to keep her warmer. She still felt cold to him, but after having all your blood drained out, he would think that he would have gotten a bit cold too.

"I saw Jeb earlier in the halls, he says that he looks forward to hearing how DG is doing later," Azkadellia tried to keep the conversation moving, "I'm guessing you told him that you were going to see him later?"

"Yeah, I told him I'd drop by his room."

"Are you hungry?" Azkadellia blurted out of no where. Cain knew that she was probably having one of her pregnancy cravings and nodded to her even though he really wasn't that hungry at all.

"I feel that some fruit and sweet morning bread would hit the right spot," Azkadellia nodded to herself and stood up, gently placing DG's hand back down on the bed, "I'll bring some back up to you in just a little while."

"Sounds great, Az."

Azkadellia immediately made a beeline for the kitchens and Cain couldn't help but to think back to when Adora was pregnant with Jeb. He would have to take off to find a vendor that sold her favorite deserts at all hours of the night. It was a nightmare. Then again when DG has her cravings she may want an 'other side' dish, and then Ozma help him in that situation. He isn't running through a tornado in the middle of the night just to get her a slice of- what did she call it? Pizza?

He placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed through the material as if he could picture the lump that would form. She would be carrying their child. The perfect combination of him and her… oh the days and nights of fun they were going to have with that kid. With her talent of finding trouble and his quick thinking to get back out of it the kid will have an equal balance. He rubbed his hand over her stomach again and could almost feel the lump. He had to hand it to himself- he didn't think he had that great of an imagination.

"Mmmm…" DG mumbled in her sleep and turned on her side and then immediately curled up next to him.

"DG?" he asked and rubbed up and down her arm. He felt his heart leap into his throat and prayed hard that it wasn't a dream.

"I don't wanna get up, Cain," she mumbled again into his shirt, "Let's sleep in past sunrise for once. I'll explain to Toto why you were late for etiquette."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. That was his DG all right.

"DG, sweetheart," Cain pulled away only slightly to look down at her. It looked like she refused to open her eyes and he kissed them both before she reluctantly opened them, "Hey there, my princess. You don't know how glad I am to see you awake."

"I have an idea," she smiled up at him, "I'm glad you got my locket message. Thanks for leading me back to the land of the living."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he leaned down to kiss her until Azkadellia screamed in happiness from the door way.

"DG's awake!" she ran into the room, nearly throwing breakfast items to the small side desk. She jumped on the bed, effectively throwing Cain off. DG laughed as her sister hugged her tightly. Next was Lavender followed by the rest of the gang. Cain waited patiently as they all took their turns. He even smirked as Raw made DG take another gulp of his remedies. She tried to keep a smile on her face, but it faltered a few times.

As everyone tried to throw questions at her, she put a hand up, "As much as I love you all, all I want right now is snuggle up to my fiancé and get some more sleep. I don't think I'm completely over it yet."

Cain walked back to the bed and got comfortable. Azkadellia and Glitch shooed everyone out and bid the couple a good rest.