Day Thirteen: Come with me, hurry

Characters/Pairings: Haley; Jake/Rose; Huntsman

Rating: T

Content warnings: death; restraints; kidnapping; blood

Don't forget that you can find me on tumblr: we - are - all - of - legend - now and that my ao3 account is wearealloflegendnow (even though I haven't posted there yet)!

~TLL~

Haley yanked on her chains but, again, they didn't move. She could feel the warmth of her blood flowing down her scales but she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't just sit in this cell and wait for the Huntsclan to come get her. Who knew what would happen to her then?

Haley let out a muffled scream as a masked figure dropped down in front of her.

"Shh, Haley. It's Rose. I'm here."

The tears didn't stop at Rose's hands went to the manacles on Haley's wrists and ankles. Haley was so relieved that Rose was here because that meant that she would be safe and everything would be okay. Rose's arms went around Haley to gently lower her to the ground and then Rose passed Haley a Huntsclan uniform. Silently, Haley put it on, hating that she looked like one of them.

When she was dressed, Rose grabbed Haley's hand. "Come with me, hurry."

Haley followed Rose step for step through the winding Huntsclan building, fighting with herself not to rush ahead. Haley was desperate to be away from here, to feel the fresh air on her face, to wake up in her own bed and realize that this had all been a bad dream.

Freedom, freedom, freedom, her whole body chanted. They had to be close; Rose's grip was tight on Haley's hand and they were moving faster now. Haley wore that she could a see a door up ahead. He celebrated a moment too soon because then Rose tripped, sprawling flat out on the ground. Haley recovered her balance, staying on her own two feet and looking up to see the Huntsman emerge from the shadows and plant on large boot on Rose's back. Before Haley could even think to run, the Huntsman reached out and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. She swung at him with her dragon claws until she felt the prick of a Huntstaff in her back.

Haley stopped struggling.

"Come on, ladies," the Huntsman said, "the American Dragon is on his way and we want to be polite. Let's go greet our guest."

(-.-)

Jake didn't know how he had gotten here, flapping feet from the edge of the Huntsclan's roof, staring at Rose and Haley, who were surrounded by armed, blood-thirsty Huntsclan members, who were holding their weapons to their heads, waiting for the Huntsman's orders. Haley was openly crying while Rose stared steadfastly at him, her expression almost resigned. Jake wanted to cry too but he held it in, trying to look stony and ferocious as he stared down the Huntsman.

"Let them go," Jake ordered.

"No," the Huntsman said.

Well, it had been worth a shot.

"What do you want?" Jake demanded.

"Oh goody," the Huntsman said, sounding alarmingly smug and satisfied. "I was hoping we'd get to this part sooner rather than later."

Jake waited for him to continue, trying to decide whether to look at Rose or Haley and fighting the urge to rush in. There were too many of the Huntsclan gathered and Rose and Haley's positions were too vulnerable. Jake wished that he'd had enough sense to bring Gramps with him but even if he had the chance to call for reinforcements, Jake could sense that it was far too late for that.

"I want for you to choose," the Huntsman explained.

"Choose?"

"You can have one of them, free and clear, and you'll be allowed to leave without any consequences. Well, no consequences except for the fact that I'll kill the other one, immediately, in front of you."

Jake nearly forgot to keep himself airborne. Haley's sobbing grew to a full-on wail and, still, Rose just stared at him. Jake drifted slightly closer to the roof's edge and the Huntsclan warriors raised their staffs to a kill position. Jake backed off, quickly realizing one wrong move and he could lose them both. Jake tried to take in the whole scene at once, struggling to find a way to make this all okay but he couldn't. He wasn't strong enough. He wasn't smart enough. He just wasn't enough.

"Why?"

"To teach you the lesson that we are stronger than you and that you will never not be vulnerable to us," the Huntsman said. "Now, choose."

But, how could he? The woman he loved or his little sister? The very act of choosing was going to kill him and Jake wondered if that would be sacrifice enough for the Huntsman to let them both go.

"Jake," Rose said, her voice so level that Jake was almost convinced of her calmness. "It's okay."

No.

If Jake didn't think of a way out for all three of them, nothing wa going to be okay ever again.

"Rose –"

"I love you," she said, "but Haley's just a little girl and we both love her."

"I love you," Jake replied, because those were the words that were supposed to make everything better.

"Rose, no," Haley cried.

"It's okay, Haley," Rose said. "I love you."

Haley bowed her head.

"I love you," Jake said again.

Jake wanted to reach out and take Rose into his arms, kiss her one more time, and look her in the eyes and feel all the things that they didn't have time to say. Instead, Jake was forced to look at her from a distance hoping she knew how loved she was. A tear slipped from Rose's eye and Jake knew it was over.

"Haley, come here," Jake said, not wanting to hurt Rose more by prolonging the moment.

For a moment, Jake didn't think they were going to let Haley go and then she was furiously flapping her way across the sky and into her arms, hitting him with a force that sent him reeling backwards. Jake clutched her close to his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Jake," Haley cried. "Rose –"

"Don't look," Jake said, keeping her head against his shoulder. "Don't look."

But Jake couldn't look away as Rose was forced to her knees. She didn't struggle; she just looked up to him. And then, she was dead and Jake's heart was forever broken.