Chapter 2

Rogue blinked towards his older brother, "higher" king of the castle, who was frantically pacing back and forth struggling with how many plans were coming to his head. The raven haired king took a deep breath as he took a seat in one of the chairs a crossed from Sting. The dragon-king's mind raced back to the time that his father had explained to him the reasons why he didn't want Sting and Artemis together, the bricks of realization slamming down on him. Was Artemis's class the reason she had been taken from him?

No, that wouldn't make sense because they had also taken Peyton as well. He clenched his hands fists turning white and sure his teeth would break. "Sting would stop that before you punch something and break it." Rogue mumbled staring at the map on the ceiling.

"How are you so calm? You just lost Rio!" Sting shouted jumping up from his chair.

"I'm worried Sting alright, she's my little girl! I'm the one who's keeping a level head like I've always had two out of the two of us!" Sting flinched back slightly at this retort. It wasn't normal for Rogue to snap so easily like that. He was supposed to be the calm and collected one between the two. Holding in a frustrated sigh he looked towards the library door along with Rogue watching it sputter open. Celestine emerged, she made sure the door quietly shut behind her before she turned and walked her way over to the small circle of three chairs and a small coffee table on the left side of the library. Instead of heading for the third of the two unaccompanied chairs she headed towards Rogue sitting on his lap. Sting sat and looked away from both of them, his head resting in the palm of his hand. He didn't want to see any of the affection either of them were giving to each other to comfort their significant half. It would only hurt to look because he couldn't do such actions at the moment with his wife being taken.

"Did either of you see any of their faces?" Celestine asked breaking the unusual silence drifting between them.

"I couldn't see them; it was too dark." Rogue sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. Sting didn't answer as his eyes appearing dull and lifeless. Celestine had parted her lips to ask him a question but then decided against it. Growling Sting stood up from his chair, his eyes flicking over to Rogue and Celestine for only a few seconds but that was enough to set him off again. The sight of those two holding hands and Celestine gently comforting him with her hand. Turning away he left them to the small sitting area as he made his way to the window, small streaks of rain designing the glass as dark clouds circled in the night sky above now. He pressed his hand to the window and looked up. Thunder could faintly be heard as well but so far no lightning had struck down yet. A frown setting the blonde's lips, Sting couldn't help but to at least hope that nothing happened to that carriage until it got to its destination. From there the eldest king was going to find Artemis and Peyton, wherever they had been taken to.

"Artemis . . . . Peyton, daddy's coming, just keep mommy safe for now." Sting whispered to himself. Those were the proceedings of the early morning where three members of royalty did the best to get their rescue back together again. Celestine slipped in and out of the room two or three times without the others noticing, coming back once without Riku, and then staying silent as she sat on the arm of the chair near Rogue the rest of the time. She stood up slipping out of the room once again as the two kings begun talking. "Do you think it's okay to let her go like that?" Sting asked glancing towards Rogue whom shrugged.

"She's my wife. If she runs into problem we'll handle it." Rogue said picking up a cup as an excuse to turn away.

"What are you not telling me?" Sting asked he didn't have time for this, not now, no secrets. There was a silence as the two waited for any news to occur to them as a guard walked in causing Sting's eyes to flick towards his reflection in the window as he waited for the guard to begin yelling about how he finally discovered the secret base along with the other search parties that were going out hunting in the city. The guard turned to Rogue and began whispering in his ear where Rogue's leg twitched. The one that twitched when something; that look that he gave when he wanted to jump up and run out of the room.

"What was that?" Sting growled looking towards his brother who didn't reply instead fleeing the room. The man ran out faster than the shadow-teleportation ability that he was working on. Sting stood up feeling his face form a confused fashion. What was this night?

In the hallway Rogue was holding his wife, Celestine. "I-I-I'm o-okay" She stuttered as her shaking hands were gripping tightly onto Rogue's shirt who was shaking his head at her.

"You can't say that you're okay like that." Rogue sighed as Celestine shook her head obviously trying to deny whatever Rogue was telling her about.

"I said I'm okay...I was just tired." Rogue's hand grasped the woman's.

"You can't even hold onto my shirt that grip your using with my shirt is slipping steadily."

"What's going on?"

Red eyes flashed towards him, "it's none of your business Sting." The younger king growled moving the elder out of his way as he headed back to his own room. The shadow king scooped up his wife beginning to edge towards their room.

"Tell me!" Sting said reaching out to grab his brother's arm barely missing as Rogue turned his eyes were glowing a fierce red as he whipped himself back to Sting.

"Don't dare touch her." Rogue growled his hair flowing up from the magic circulating around him. Sting felt his feet retreat unsure if they wanted to completely retreat or emerge into an instinctive defensive position.

Rogue definitely wasn't himself. "Rogue, what's going on? Calm down." Sting attempted his voice sounding feeble and weak as the confusion within the castle arose higher.

"Is she sick?...Was she using her magic? What happened?" Sting asked waiting for the answer that someone was in the hallway having returned to finish the job.

Celestine's voice stuttered as she pulled on Rogue's shirt repeatedly as if she didn't have his attention to begin with. "What is it darling?" He smiled softly towards her waiting for what she was going to say.

"Is that King Melticana?" Her voice questioned eyes becoming squinty as she stared at Sting causing Rogue to suppress a faint smile.

"No. No dear that's Sting he's standing there."

"Are he and Artemis going to get married soon?" Celestine asked staring at Rogue who sighed.

"They were making plans." He whispered as she nodded again.

"Rogue, we need to talk. About a lot of things." Sting attempted reaching towards them again as Rogue gave him his shoulder.

"How did it get this way? Why she was still on the ground when I came out here?"

"I instructed everyone in the castle not to touch her if she's lying on the floor. If someone without magic touches her she might kill them without meaning too." Rogue growled.

Sting's nose twitched, "what is that supposed to mean? You look perfectly fine, how am I supposed to believe that?"

"Totomaru found her once, lying in the hall just like this."

"Shouldn't I have known if anything had happened to him?"

"You did, but he told you it was an accident with his magic." More silence passed through the halls as the brother's stared at each other. "I've got to get her to our room." Rogue said his voice suddenly coming out as if he was panting, sweat appearing on his brow.

Sting found his eyes wander up towards Rogue, his "little brother" as he had been for the longest of times, struggling to even stand as he fought off Celestine's deadly uncontrollable absorption magic.

A door slid open as a small child came out holding onto a little stuffed dragon by one of its front paws, a present from Totomaru that Riku simply could not let go of, as he walked into the hallways. Rogue cursed turning to go the other way as Sting put a hand on his shoulder.

"They don't know?"

"No one knows exactly what's going on. Just don't let him see us."

A shriek came from the child, "Mommy? Mommy?" Riku shouted running up towards Rogue who mentally cursed wishing his only son would head back to bed quietly. "What happened, what happened to mommy? Did the bad guys come back?" Riku whispered his voice shaking as he stared up towards them as Rogue shook his head.

"Nothing's happened-"

The child looked at him betrayal echoing off the lone twin's face, "don't lie to me! The villagers told me! They told Rio!" He was screeching "they say it's our fault that mom is always sick!" Riku had tears on the edges of his eyes as he looked up towards the two older males watching him. The child was quietly observing them tears on the traces of his eyelids as a whisper of realization hit the air, "where's Rio?" Suddenly Riku was in the middle of a full blown on panic as he searched for his twin sister causing the elder king to take in a breath. He needed to calm the third child before he ran off and went missing.

"Who told you such nonsense?" Sting asked leaning down towards his nephew.

"The people from the villages that Mommy visits sometimes. They're always looking at us funny. So, Rio got mad when one of them went to say something mean to Mommy and asked what their problem was." Riku stuttered, sobbed, and hiccupped as he feebly demanded an explanation from the older family members. "And they told us-*hicup*-that they didn't want demon-eyed children within their village." Riku said as Rogue pulled unconscious Celestine closer.

"-Is this our curse demon-eyes?" Riku asked with tears forming on the rims of his eyelids.