Blaise's eyes felt heavy and crusted at the corners. It took great effort to finally open his eyes but the bright light in the room made him groan in pain and quickly close them again.

"Blaise? Are you awake?" A familiar voice asked nervously from his right side near his head.

Blaise tried to open his mouth to speak but coughed instead, the inside of his mouth and throat felt like he had tried to swallow cotton balls. Strong hands helped Blaise sit up and brought a cold glass of water to his lips to slowly drink. Blaise tried to open his eyes again and found the light more bearable.

"Take it easy my love. You are still healing." Haylan murmured making sure Blaise didn't drink too fast and accidentally choke himself.

"You saved me." Blaise managed to rasp out.

"I wasn't going to let that woman keep you, my love. My only regret was that I didn't get there sooner to keep you from being hurt." Haylan's voice was heavily tinged with guilt and Blaise wouldn't let Haylan take that burden on himself.

"You did save me, Haylan. And I'm sorry you had to see me hurt like that. But I'm here now, and we can focus on moving forward together," Blaise said, reaching out to take Haylan's hand.

Haylan squeezed Blaise's hand tightly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "I love you, Blaise. More than anything in this world. I don't know what I would do without you."

Blaise smiled weakly, feeling a warmth spread through his chest at Haylan's words. Despite everything that had happened, he knew that he had Haylan by his side, and that was all he needed.

"I love you too, Haylan. And I'm not going anywhere," Blaise said, settling back into the pillows and closing his eyes.

Haylan stayed by Blaise's side, watching over him as he slept. He knew that there were still many challenges to come, but with Blaise by his side, he felt like he could face anything. He would do whatever it took to protect Blaise, even if it meant facing the darkness within himself. Because in the end, there was nothing more important than the love that they shared.

When Blaise woke next, he was looking less pallid. Narcissa and Goldvein had done good work in healing everything that had been done to Blaise over the short time he had been taken. It would still take time for the last of his tremors to abate but they were significantly better. Narcissa had recognized the curse that had cut Blaise open and had been able to heal the cuts quickly before replenishing Blaise's blood levels.

Blaise had automatically reached for Haylan's hand when he woke up. Haylan gave him a small smile, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on the back of Blaise's hand. They sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company. Blaise was grateful to be alive, and even more grateful to have Haylan by his side.

"How are you feeling?" Haylan asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

"Sore, but I'll live," Blaise replied, wincing slightly as he shifted to get more comfortable. "What happened after Joanna took me?"

Haylan's face darkened as he recalled the events of the last few hours. He recounted everything to Blaise - the duel, Joanna's death, and his own struggle with the Black Madness. Blaise listened intently, his expression shifting from concern to relief to anger and back again.

"The Black Madness had never presented in you before though did it?" Blaise asked in confused concern.

Haylan sighed heavily, looking exhausted and worn down from stress. "We have some theories that my healer is trying to confirm currently. However, based on some evidence that Bella found while searching for Joanna's accomplices we have strong reason to believe whatever it was I was injected with when you were taken from me was created to enter my bloodstream and activate any latent or recessive genes in my blood. To include the gene that we believe holds the 'curse' for the Black Madness."

"I don't understand much of what you said, but it does not sound good. Is it reversible?" Blaise questioned, clenching his hand tighter around Haylan's.

"Basically whatever I was given activated the Black Madness and maybe other potentially harmful issues within my body, mind, or magic. Goldvein does not believe it will be reversible and it may take years to fully know what the drug I was given is doing to me in the long run. But that is a worry for another day." Haylan plastered on the fakest smile Blaise had ever seen in an attempt to reassure his beloved.

"After this mess with Spain is finished we will be having a longer conversation on the repercussions of this drug." Blaise insisted.

"Of course my love, anything you want." Haylan's face softened and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Blaise's forehead. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Blaise replied, feeling warmth spreading through him at the words.

They stayed like that for a while, holding each other's hands and reveling in the comfort of each other's presence. Eventually, though, Haylan had to leave to attend to his duties as Emperor and check in on the reports from Sirius and Bella to see if they found Joanna's accomplices yet.

Blaise watched him go, feeling a twinge of sadness in his chest. But he knew that Haylan would always be there for him, no matter what. And that thought was enough to fill him with hope for the future. Together, they would overcome anything that came their way.

They were good.

But not good enough.

Thankfully Joanna's incompetence was coming in handy after her death. She had left lots of evidence inside the old palace and in an attempt at peace negotiations with Haylan the now widowed King of Spain gave them all the information he had on Joanna's whereabouts.

Sirius was finally putting his old Auror skills to work as he linked cryptic notes to known magical signatures that were nearly impossible to erase from missives, and he personally knew all of the magical signatures.

"This is everyone?" Haylan asked looking down at the list of names Sirius had presented to him.

"Everyone I can confirm without a doubt, but once we get our hands on them we can use veritiserum to make sure there was no one else aiding their attack," Sirius reported confidently.

Haylan scanned over the list again, somehow unsurprised at the names there.

Emmeline Vance

Sturgis Podmore

Hestia Jones

Arabella Figg

Hermione Granger

Remus Lupin

"I want them caught and brought to me alive. I don't care how you accomplish it or who you enlist to help. I want them in my dungeon to question as soon as possible." Haylan ordered.

"Yes, My Emperor. We will see it done." Sirius spoke in a more serious tone than he was used to hearing from his Godfather, but he knew that these people had once been his brothers and sisters in arms and the betrayal hurt.

"Keep me updated on your progress. I am meeting with King Fernando to discuss Spain's surrender to my rule and what they shall do to appease me in light of what their Queen has done." Haylan smirked cruelly, taking his leave of the castle. He knew just the thing he would do to properly assure that Spain and any other countries with ambitions of not following his rule would be permanently deterred from anything but loyalty to the Caliban name.

The ICW Peace Relations Team had set up a wizarding tent in a wide-open clearing far from any populated town surrounded by thick trees in the Andorra mountains. Snow had to be cleared from the area they set up in, but the snow surrounding them was nearly blinding in the mid-day sunlight. Wards were set up to prevent the injury of anyone inside the wards for the duration of the peace negotiations. Not that anyone from the ICW was stupid enough to believe the wards would do anything against Emperor Caliban if the Emperor felt truly like causing destruction as he had threatened only three days prior. But maybe if the others couldn't hurt Emperor Caliban first then he won't feel the need to attack anyone in return. That was the hope anyway.

The King of Spain arrived first with a small delegation of advisors and no guards as requested. Everyone got to keep their wands mostly because they knew Haylan didn't need to use his wand to cast any magic so it would only leave the others vulnerable to attack without a way to defend themselves. The Spanish delegation entered the tent quickly and took their seats at the table along the left side of what looked to be a makeshift meeting room.

The ICW Peace Relations Team of five wizards and witches were sitting at the center table facing the entrance of the tent so they could play referee if necessary.

The tent was filled with the sounds of quiet talking as everyone prepared for the meeting. But that noise was quickly silenced when they felt Emperor Caliban arrive, before the Emperor even entered the tent they could feel the anger and hostility from Caliban's magic spreading across the clearing and filling the tent. Everyone's anxiety spiked when Caliban stepped into the tent, looking regal in all black dueling robes, his red hair pulled back in an intricate braid stood out in stark comparison.

At first, they thought maybe Emperor Caliban had come alone but after a moment of Caliban scanning the tent with narrowed eyes, another man joined Haylan. The man didn't have a fraction of the intimidation factor that Emperor Caliban did, but he still looked very well put together and had an air of political charisma about him.

When the two men sat at the table along the right side of the tent it became easier to place who the Emperor's companion was. Caliban's betrothed had not been seen in public outside of the one interview they had done so it was surprising to see him here to join the peace talks.

"Shall we begin?" One of the wizards from the Peace Relations Team said as he stood up, looking at both the Spanish delegation and Caliban. As both sides murmured their agreements the wizard activated the wards and sat back down. Everything would now be up to the two groups as the Peace Relations Team would only step in if things got too heated or out of control.

"King Fernando." Haylan started, his voice was neutral but his magic pulsating in agitation. "Were you aware of your wife's actions?"

The King of Spain shifted nervously in his seat, glancing at his advisors before answering. "I was not aware of her plans to attack your betrothed, Emperor Caliban. I was as shocked as everyone else when the news broke."

Haylan raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? You expect me to believe that you had no knowledge of your wife's actions? You, who have been trying to undermine my rule and position as Emperor since the beginning?"

The Spanish King bristled at the accusation, but he knew better than to deny it. "I admit that I have had reservations about your leadership, Emperor Caliban. But I had no part in my wife's attack on your lover."

Haylan leaned forward, his eyes boring into the King of Spain's. "And what do you propose as recompense for your wife's actions? I assure you, a simple apology will not suffice."

The Spanish King looked uneasy, knowing that he was at the mercy of the powerful Emperor before him. "I am willing to offer whatever it takes to make things right, Emperor Caliban. Gold, jewels, land...whatever you desire."

Haylan smirked, enjoying the feeling of power and control over his enemy. "I want something more than material possessions, King Fernando. I want your fealty to the Caliban name and Empire and in return, I won't sink your country into the sea."

"You wouldn't dare!" One of the advisors from the Spanish delegation shouted.

"I wouldn't tempt my husband. He has been eager to be rid of your country for the entirety of our courtship." Blaise drawled in an amused tone, catching the Spanish delegation off guard with his words.

"Husband?" King Fernando said surprised, this was news to them.

"Yes. My Husband. My Soulmate. My Soul Bonded for only twelve hours before your wife sent her accomplices to break into my private home to kidnap and hold him hostage in hopes of blackmailing me into compliance." Haylan hissed out, his magic building in his anger. King Fernando blanched at this new information. "Shall I demonstrate for you the repercussions of angering me? Of treason to the Caliban name? Because I promise you will wish all I had done was destroy your insignificant land."

Unfortunately for King Fernando, there were still supporters of his late wife among his advisors.

"The wizarding world would turn against you! They would see your true face and know you were not worthy to carry the Caliban name!" Another advisor confidently declared.

Blaise shook his head knowing this was what Haylan had hoped the idiots would do. Haylan had been eagerly waiting for an excuse to scare the ever-living shit out of everyone.

Haylan grinned and the ground began to tremble. As a skeletal arm popped out of the ground in the center of the tent Haylan spoke in a cheerfully evil tone. "So be it."