Author's Note: Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up! Hopefully it won't take as long for the next one!

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Chapter Twelve: The Bathroom Floor

'Move!'

'Quickly! This way!'

A door slammed back, rattling on its hinges. Running footsteps pounded down a nearby corridor. Raised voices and cries echoed around the study walls.

'What's happening?'

DG looked round in panic for Cain. He'd been called away from the study a few minutes before.

There was more confusion, more running people and even more shouting.

The group of people pushed past them into a nearby room. Of the four guards two were carrying a prone figure. DG realised with an icy jolt that room was Jeb's.

'Where's the Princess?' The shout came from inside and it came from Wyatt Cain.

'I'm here!' DG pushed past the four guard men all of whom were looking grim and holding swords.

'Your sister? Where is she?' DG froze, Az? Why did Cain want Az?
'Where is she?' Cain's tone cut through her thoughts and she turned.

'Azkadellia!' The older princess pushed through the crowd of people.

'I'm here.'

'Raw?' called the Tin Man.

'Here. I feel pain...' The viewer moved towards the prone figure now on the bed.

'Azkadellia...' Cain looked at her for a moment and then moved so that they were only a few inches apart. His voice was low and he spoke fast. 'I need you to help my son. I know the head case and that damn tutor have been working on your healing skills...'

Taking a breath he said in an oddly formal tone: 'The duty of his care is yours.'

'What? No!' Azkadellia stared shocked into his icy blue stare.

'The duty of his care is yours.' Cain repeated in a steady voice. Azkadellia looked from father to horizontal son and back again.

'The duty of his care is mine.' She said and extended a hand to the Tin Man. He shook it and turned away.

'You and You.' Cain was addressing two of the guards. The two who had carried Jeb in. 'You served with my son?'

'Yes sir. We worked with him in the resistance.' One said gravely.

'Will you come?' He asked simply. They exchanged a glance and nodded.

'It would be an honour, General.'

'Then go.' They nodded and left quickly pushing past DG as respectfully as possible. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't think of anything to say.

'Ambrose?' Cain seldom referred to Glitch as anything other than 'the head case' so that and his tone made Glitch's head jerk up. The two men shared a look.

'I'm ready.' The advisor started towards the door but then he turned and touched Azkadellia's arm gently. She leaned into him and whispered something in his ear. He flushed slightly and half smiled. As he turned to go again, Cain caught his shoulder.

'Thank you, my friend.' It was a whisper from the Tin Man, but Glitch heard and nodded. As he headed for the door he passed DG and squeezed her hand.

'What's going on?' She said looking after Glitch and then to Cain.

The Tin Man didn't respond. Instead he spoke in a whisper to the two remaining guards who saluted and left after the others. He turned to the bed and spoke gently to Azkadellia and Raw.

'Please... my son...'

'Still hope. You are needed... Go.' Raw said and then turned back to his patient. Wyatt Cain nodded and turned away.

'Cain!' DG said, loudly. 'What's happening?' He finally looked at her and his steadiness disappeared. He seemed to shake and his breath came in shuddering gasps.

DG went to him: 'Are you okay? What can I do?'

He smiled very faintly at her.

'Jeb found three men in school, they weren't learners... There was a fight. They stabbed him and ran. Princess, they're Longcoats.' In a lower tone... Much more privately he finished. 'I have to go after them.'

To DG he looked so much older than she could ever remember.

'You have to?' DG said, shaking her head. She stretched up on tip toes to put her hand on his cheek.

'Yes, kiddo I do.' He leaned into her hand and closed his eyes for a few seconds. Then he straightened up, moved away from wall he'd been leaning on and her hand.

'I'll come with you.'

'No. Princess stay here, stay safe. I need you safe. These people are dangerous.'

'But-' Cain cut her off by pressing his lips gently against hers. He pulled away before DG could respond.

'Stay safe, DG please.' He adjusted his fedora nodded to her and like the others, left.

Left alone Jeb's living quarters DG suddenly felt dizzy, her heart was thundering in her ears and her breath wouldn't come. There were tears on her face and she realised she was sobbing.

(#)

Azkadellia came to her with a cool cloth and cup of water after she had thrown up.

'Sorry.' DG said taking both.

'It's the smell of the blood... I think its worse that I have gotten used to it.' Az said gently as she sat down in the little bathroom.

'How is he?'

'Still unconscious... the bleeding has stopped and his temperature is normal. But the knives- well one of them punctured a lung. It's still critical. I set up a breathing spell for now.' Azkadellia looked pale and tired. There were splashed of blood on her dress and her arms were pink from scrubbing.

'Will he make it?' DG couldn't believe she was asking that question. Seeing Jeb in his bed struggling with the Turning Malady had been awful but to have him back in it was too much. There was a leaden lump in the pit of her stomach.

'I don't know.'

'It's not fair.' DG whispered... 'Jeb, the sickness, his parents... now this!' There were tears on her face again and Azkadellia moved quickly pulling DG into her shoulder, rocking her like a child.

'It's not your fault Deeg...'

'I'm so out of my depth Az...'

'No you're not. We're just getting the level of things. Cain will bring those Longcoats back no matter what. They'll know what's going on and we can FIX this.' Azkadellia wiped the tears from her little sister's face as she spoke. It was the voice DG remembered from her infancy, the calm capable voice she trusted beyond almost anything else.

'What did he say to you?' DG pulled herself together a little and leaned back from her sister's embrace. But she gripped her hands instead.

'It...' Azkadellia tried to explain forming sentences into 'other side-ees' 'It's a tradition... Duty of Care. It means the responsibility for someone when they cannot have responsibility for themselves. Like a child or someone unconscious.'

'And Cain-'

'Usually it goes to the spouse, child or parent. But there is traditional wording for, transferring the responsibility.'

'Woah.' DG said quietly. 'He really trusts you...'

'Oh! I'm sure it was me just because I have healing experience...' Azkadellia said hurriedly.

'I'm not jealous!' The younger princess said quickly. 'You're exactly the right person. I'm just wondering why he needs someone else to look after Jeb...'

'He'll be okay DG.'

'He better be...' DG fought back the tears which threatened to come again and gave her sister a tight watery smile.

'Are you and he?' Az framed the question as carefully as she could. Now didn't feel quite like the time.

'I don't know. We kissed... At the Anniversary Ball.'

'At last!' The two sisters looked at one another the sudden panic and tension from the last few weeks came to a head. They began to giggle and they were soon gasping for breath.

DG said gently, 'Glitch will be okay. Cain will make sure of it.'

'He better be...' Az tried to copy the younger Princess's accent and they both laughed gently.

'I can help you set up a speaking spell with him tonight, if you'd like?' DG offered.

'Thanks for the offer baby sister but you can't.'

'I can try! I need to do something!' DG felt her hands become fists in frustration.

'I'm not saying you're not capable DG. But you won't be here... you're going after them. Going after Cain.'

'I am?' DG stared at Az who was now standing and shaking out her dress.

'Course you are. You just haven't had time to think about it yet. Think about DG- are you going to stay here and do the political thing?'

'What should I be doing?' DG asked very quietly.

'Staying in the Palace. Making notes. Doing public announcements.' Azkadellia bit her lip to stop from smiling.

'I suck at all those things.'

'You do. Meeting actual people... Running away... Getting into and out of trouble... Saving Wyatt Cain's ass...'

'Those I can do.' DG grinned. 'Not a brilliant Princess am I?'

'I think those are probably the most important qualities for being a Princess in the O.Z, right now.' Azkadellia returned the grin pulling DG up.

'I'm not running away again.' DG said suddenly reaching out for her sister's hand.

'I know. If you do I'll kill you.' They exchanged a look. 'Go. Cain won't send you back when you get there.'

'Are you sure? He chained me up and literally carried me back the last time.'

'That, for him, was easier than saying 'I need you around.' He'll be pleased.'

'Really?'

'Well... he might hide it well.'

DG laughed ruefully. 'Yeah.'

'Get going Deeg. The quicker you go the quicker you'll find them.'

'Finding them!' DG's expression clouded over. Tracking a group that Wyatt Cain in it was no easy task. 'I hadn't thought that far...'

'I heard the guards say the escapees headed out towards the Northern Brick Route- fastest way away from Central City. But here:' reaching into her dress pocket Azkadellia handed DG a small mirror. 'You remember the spell to find lost objects?'

'Yeah but...'

'I slipped my bracelet into Ambrose's jacket pocket.' DG grinned again and hugged Az.

'Thank you!'

'Get gone DG!'

DG hurried away. Az was right, the faster she got away the more chance she had of catching up with Cain and the others.

(#)

It took her a few minutes to change into the jeans she'd slipped over in... The blue top she'd worn had long ago been considered only suitable for rags. DG had fought hard with the maids and finally had resorted to hiding it. She pulled it on.

Unfortunately the rest of her clothes were well, princess-y. Picking plain-ish blouses for now she rammed some other clothes into her pack, which had been in a trunk since her return from the shack... She pushed her feet into riding boots and hurried out of her rooms.

Moving quickly she managed to get to Cain's rooms without being noticed. There she collected a week or so worth of field rations, a length of rope and a knife from one the many trunks. She knew the Tin Man kept a set of fully stocked and ready to go packs which he would have taken with him. That meant the rest of the supplies weren't being used. DG winced when she realised the last time she'd taken Cain's supplies had been in preparation for her 'escape.'

Finishing packing DG stood up and a thought hit her. She opened a drawer in the dresser and found several neatly washed and folded shirts. Removing some of the more uncomfortable blouses, she replaced, smiling, them with Cain's shirts.

Filling some water containers and heading down to the stables took no time at all.

The gaurds Wyatt Cain had told to guard DG's horse were suddenly called away urgently by the Princess Azkadellia... DG in her hiding place grinned.

After a few stern yet regal conversations with the stable warden and gate guards and she was out of the city.

Riding hard she made it to the Old Road before dark.