Isaac was up an hour before he had to report to Sally's door. After a few morning prayers and a quick shower, he got dressed and walked to the holding cells. He opened the door, seeing they put in two cells overnight. One to replace the cell that was melted down, and another to hold the new prisoner, Edward.
"I hope you realize what you cost me! Now, I'm going to be tried for treason!" Edward shouted, catching sight of Isaac.
"You took an oath to serve the Kingdom. You broke the oath when you decided to help them. You are a traitor!" Isaac responded.
Edward strided to his bars, grabbing them in anger!
"I serve the Order, not the King! My oath to the Order is upheld with honor! Traitor to you, perhaps, but not to the Order!" Edward argued.
After a few tense moments, Edward quickly let go of the bars, feeling the palms of his hands slightly burned.
"Do not make me repeat what I did to William!" Isaac said, his eyes practically radiating fire.
"That's enough, Isaac." King Nigel said, walking into the holding cells.
Isaac quickly stood at attention, recognizing his presence.
"I do not need another cell to be melted down. Of course, you are not incorrect. Edward has betrayed my trust. And I will see to it you never see life outside of bars." King Nigel said.
"You are not the judge! I know about the judicial due process! You have no sway in the ruling!" Edward responded.
"You better pray that they don't have Isaac be a witness. Isaac, you may leave now. I believe I'll be able to handle myself here." King Nigel said, rooting himself in front of the holding cells.
"Yes, sir." Isaac said, heading for the door.
"Your day of reckoning shall come Demon-spawn!" William shouted, before the sound of a cane splitting the air ended with an audible thud.
"OOOWWW!" William exclaimed, fading as Isaac walked down the hallway.
Isaac could only laugh to himself, knowing that King Nigel was willing to discipline the hit squad in the place of a guard. As he made his way upstairs, he could feel his ribs weren't as tender as before. Perhaps there was something to the medication he was prescribed. Almost as if they were completely mended. Soon, he made his way to her door. He checked the clock on the wall, seeing he was about a half hour early.
"Just as promised." Isaac said to himself.
Isaac turned around, his back facing her door. After several minutes, the door opened, causing Isaac to turn around. Sally walked out, smiling as soon as she saw Isaac.
"Hey!" She said, hugging Isaac.
"Good morning." He said, hugging her back.
"So, ready to get some breakfast?" She asked.
"Not today. It is Sunday. I fast until sunset. But no reason you cannot get something yourself." Isaac said.
"Wait, is that why I never see you eat until dinner on Sundays? I always thought you had a big breakfast before working." Sally asked.
"It is part of my religion. Sunday is the fasting day. My father and I would go about our day, hunting and fishing. My mother would work the forge, making equipment to trade. By sunset, my mother and father would prepare a big dinner for ourselves. I do not know how, but I would end up eating more than the both of them." Isaac explained, getting lost in memory.
"Isaac?" Sally asked.
"Yeah?" Isaac asked, snapping back into focus.
"You're hugging me a little too tightly." Sally answered.
"Oh, sorry!" Isaac replied, letting go.
"It's alright. Come on, before the others wake up. They'll eat all the good stuff before we get down there!" Sally said, grabbing Isaac's hand and running to the Dining Room.
They got there quickly, Sally having a look of hunger in her eyes. She quickly opened the doors to the Dining Room, but she was exasperated when she saw that the others were already there, already having dug into breakfast.
"I can never get a break." Sally observed.
"Shall I wake you early tomorrow?" Isaac asked.
"Tomorrow's Christmas! We'll all be up earlier than usual! That's when we open gifts!" Sally explained.
"How early?" Isaac asked.
"Around 4 or 5 in the morning." Sally answered.
"I guess that is early." Isaac responded, walking with Sally.
"That's not early for you?" Sally asked.
"I once stayed awake for three days straight to maintain our fires to survive a blizzard. And I only had slept for four hours before doing so." Isaac answered.
"Wow." Sally mouthed, surprised.
Sally soon got herself breakfast, digging in. Thankfully, what she was looking forward to with breakfast wasn't all eaten. As everyone was eating, Dante walked into the Dining Room, looking a bit nervous. He shuffled to Isaac, looking around.
"Isaac, I have a bit of troubling news!" He whispered.
"What is it?" Isaac asked.
"I just found out one of the Order is here. He's in the holding cells, but I don't know how he got here!" Dante answered.
"I threw him in there last night. King Nigel knows about it." Isaac explained.
"Wait, really? Oh, that's a relief! I thought he got himself imprisoned on purpose to get himself close to the others to rally them to escape!" Dante said.
Suddenly, Isaac's eyes widened. He quickly looked at Dante, making sure he heard him right. Dante caught on this, seeing the surprise in his eyes. Quickly, they ran out of the Dining Room and downstairs, running as fast as they could to the holding cells. They quickly burst in, seeing that Joan's cell was compromised. She was nowhere to be seen!
"William! Where did she go?!" Isaac demanded.
The Overlander laughed, his shoulders bouncing.
"Like I would tell you! For all I know, she could be on her way to the Order to any of our strongholds. Once they know you and the traitor are working together, they will stop at nothing until the both of you lie dead!" He said.
"She couldn't have gone far. Isaac, you track her down! I'll stay here and keep an eye on things!" Dante said, grabbing his sword from his belt.
Isaac nodded, beginning to study the cell. Isaac could see that the cell lock was broken from the inside. A small piece of metal, sharpened to a point, would've been able to break the mechanism if it were already compromised.
"She made a shiv to break the locking mechanism. Must've had a piece of metal on her that a guard missed." Isaac said.
"Not missed! I was in charge, Isaac! I made sure she had the means to escape!" Edward admitted.
"Be quiet!" William shouted.
"Oh, what's it matter now? They already know I've been helping you all. If I'm getting the rod for it, I'll make sure they know who was in charge!" Edward said.
"Where's she headed for?" Isaac asked.
"Ha! Why would I tell you that? Her escape revolves on being undetectable!" Edward said.
"Which means… she hasn't left the castle yet." Isaac realized.
"Why would she stay here?" Dante asked.
"She can't. She needs to be able to escape without detection. If she can't do that without suspicion, then she will need to stay hidden in the castle until the opportunity presents itself." Isaac explained.
Isaac walked to the phone in the holding cell, picking it up from its receiver. Isaac hit the button that would connect him with whoever was in charge. After a few moments, the line came alive.
"This is the Garrison, Officer Horace." He answered.
"Listen, this is Ranger Abaddon! We have an escaped prisoner! Female, human, long, brown hair. Goes by Joan. 5' 6". She's still in the castle! Have every guard on all means of exits! The doors, windows, maintenance hatches! Everywhere!" Isaac informed.
"Yes, sir! I'll call in extra guards! We'll make sure she doesn't escape!" Horace said, hanging up.
Isaac hung up the phone, seeing the look on Edward's face. He was smiling.
"It will not be as easy as that, Isaac. She's been trained since birth to remain undetectable. You will not know it, but sometime today, she will kill you when you least expect it." Edward said.
Not wishing to give him the satisfaction of a response, Isaac left. He ran back upstairs, rushing into the Dining Room. Everyone was finishing up eating.
"Everyone, we need to leave now!" Isaac shouted.
"Isaac, what's wrong?" Sonic asked.
"We need to leave! The Holding Cells were compromised! Joan escaped!" Isaac revealed.
"What?! Alright, everyone, grab your coats and get moving!" Sally exclaimed, running to Isaac.
Everyone moved with haste to the Main Door. Extra guards poured in, armed. As everyone left, Isaac maintained control, ensuring everyone was accounted for. As they were walking out of the door, Isaac noticed that someone was missing.
"Hey, where is Cream?" Isaac asked.
"She was next to me the whole time! Oh my, is she still somewhere inside?!" Vanilla asked, concerned.
"I'll look for her. Dante, guard Sally. If I know the Order, she won't leave if there's a chance she can kill me." Isaac said.
"Got it!" Dante said, equipping his weapon.
"Isaac, be careful!" Sally warned.
"I will! Sally… I love you." Isaac said.
"I…" She began to say, before being pulled away by Dante.
"Come on! We can't risk her being near the exit!" Dante said, pulling her away from the door.
The guards quickly closed it, securing it. The doors thudded from the outside.
"Door's been secured from the outside! Do we have guards on every window?" The main guard asked, speaking into a radio.
"Yes, sir! Just got positions confirmed! King Nigel is secured in the War Room!" A voice responded.
"Excellent! Maintain positions until the threat has been neutralized!" The main guard ordered.
"Wait, neutralized?" Isaac asked.
"Joan is a threat to the security of everyone in this castle! Most likely, she will not live to see Christmas." The main guard explained.
Isaac felt his heart grow heavy at hearing such news. He promised that he himself would not kill again, but now… he may have to prevent her death.
"I need to find someone unaccounted for in the Princess's company. She may be in danger." Isaac explained.
"I'll have guards maintain patrols throughout the hold. We will find her." He said.
"I need to head to my quarters to grab something. I will find her!" Isaac said.
The main guard motioned for Isaac to proceed. As Isaac ran to his quarters, Isaac could hear the guard speak into his radio.
"Everyone, be advised: Ranger Abaddon is going to the lower levels. Do not leave your positions." He ordered.
As Isaac ran downstairs to his quarters, Isaac could feel as if his heart were ready to leap through his chest. Isaac couldn't quite remember when he had felt like this before. But he knew it meant nothing good. Isaac opened his door, seeing it as he had left it. Isaac ran to his bed, pulling out his travelling pack. Reaching into the very bottom of it, he pulled out a wooden box, locked. Taking out a key from his boots, he unlocked the box, opening it.
"I promised myself I would never use this ever again." Isaac said, taking out its contents.
It was full of parts, parts that would assemble into a weapon. Isaac quickly put them back together, having worked on this before. After locking in the last part, Isaac held it up, feeling sick to his stomach.
"Elohim… please have mercy upon me for what I may do." Isaac said, grabbing a small pouch from inside the box.
Isaac ran out of his room, slamming the door. He began running around the castle, keeping eye and ear out for Cream and/or Joan. After ten minutes, Isaac began slowing down, catching something. A door was slightly ajar, leading into the kitchen. Isaac crept towards it, hearing voices. Isaac slowly opened it more, seeing Joan eating from the food carts. Isaac couldn't see, but he could tell Joan wasn't alone.
"Are you sure you don't any of this?" Joan asked someone, mouth full.
"No thank you, Ms. Joan. I'm full." A voice answered, Isaac recognizing it to be Cream's.
"Well, alright. But I still need your help. I need to get out of here to go back home. But the others can't see me!" Joan explained.
"Why not, Ms. Joan?" Cream asked.
"They won't let me leave. I need to go home. You see, I have a daughter, just like you." Joan explained.
"Really?" Cream asked.
"Yeah! But I'm not there. I want my daughter to be surprised, seeing me on Christmas morning. But for that to happen, I need to leave." Joan explained further.
Isaac slowly opened the door further, ensuring it would be silent. Joan wasn't facing the door, unaware of Isaac. Isaac procured the weapon behind his back, keeping it concealed.
"If you turn around, Joan, I won't be responsible for my actions." Isaac warned.
Joan froze, a state of surprise and shock. She didn't plan on being found so soon.
"Mr. Isaac! This is my friend, Ms. Joan! She wants to go home to see her daughter! Can she leave?" Cream asked.
Isaac could only stare at Joan, who didn't dare to turn around.
"I will talk to her about it. Your mother is waiting outside. Go through the Main Door." Isaac instructed.
"Okay. Goodbye, Ms. Joan." Cream said, going out the door.
"Goodbye, Cream." Joan said, sounding upset.
As soon as Cream left, Isaac took the weapon from behind his back, revealing it to be a flintlock pistol. He aimed it towards Joan, keeping his finger off the trigger.
"Turn around… slowly." Isaac ordered.
Joan did so, making sure to not make sudden movements. She saw sight of the flintlock, knowing Isaac meant business.
"I guess you came looking for the girl. I didn't have any intention of harming her, I swear." Joan said.
"I will not question that. But your attempts to deceive her to escape is deplorable." Isaac said.
"I will tell you this, Isaac… I wasn't lying. I do have a daughter. The Order doesn't know about her. She's everything to me!" Joan said.
"Really? I thought the Order had complete control on everything in your lives?" Isaac asked, skeptical.
"Usually, yes. But my daughter… I was on a mission in the United Federation. Just had to do a bit of recon. I met a nice guy, we… hooked up. Next thing I know, I'm pregnant. Had to give excuses for a year! I couldn't say anything to the Order since she was illegitimate. Born out of wedlock." Joan explained.
"The Order would have killed her?" Isaac asked.
"No, of course not. But they would've forced me to give her up! And when I gave birth to her… I just couldn't imagine my life without her!" Joan said, getting teary-eyed.
"Where is she now?" Isaac asked.
"The United Federation. She lives with her father. Isaac… every night, Sally tries to tell us that you're not this demon we've been led to believe. And I believe her! I just had to keep the others thinking I didn't change. She always speaks about how you protect her, how you raised your own sister when the Order killed your parents. I thought William was going to snap!" Joan explained.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Isaac asked.
"Because I don't want to leave to inform the Order! I want to leave to be with my daughter! To marry the father of my child! I want to abandon the Order! Like Dante!" Joan ranted.
Isaac couldn't tell if she was serious! Was she telling the truth? Did she truly have a daughter in the United Federation?
"How do I know if you're telling the truth?" Isaac asked.
After a few moments, Isaac noticed Joan's right hand was slowly going towards her right pant pocket. Isaac noticed something in her pocket, a small, cylindrical object. Isaac slowly moved his finger onto the trigger.
Outside of the Castle:
Sally and the others waited outside, snow gently falling. As the others waited, a group of guards waited outside of the Main Door, waiting for the signal to file in.
"How long is this going to take?" Sonic asked.
"It'll take as long as it has to! We can't take risks if it means one of us could get killed!" Sally explained.
Suddenly, the door was disbarred, allowing it to open slightly. Cream ran out of the door, running towards the group.
"Cream!" Vanilla exclaimed, quickly scooping up her daughter.
"Mom, I found her!" Cream exclaimed.
"Found who?" She asked.
"Ms. Joan! She wants to leave to see her daughter!" Cream explained.
Sally was surprised to see Cream found so quickly. But she wasn't surprised to hear Joan had said something like that. Most likely, an attempt to get herself out of the castle.
"Cream… she lied to you." Sally explained, trying to be as gentle as possible.
"No, she didn't! I trust her! She just wants to leave for Christmas!" Cream explained.
"Well, after Isaac finds her, she can explain everything, okay?" Blaze asked, keeping things calm.
Cream nodded, staying in her mother's arms.
Ten minutes passed, still waiting. Sonic was getting impatient, but he stayed, Amy clasped around his arm. Suddenly, a loud 'pop' was heard from within the castle walls! Sally didn't know what that was, but she knew it wasn't something good. After about twenty minutes, the doors were disbarred and opened, allowing people to enter the castle. Sally and the others filed in, expecting to see Isaac. He wasn't there to greet them. The Main Guard got off the radio, shaking his head.
"George, where's Isaac?" Sally asked.
George sighed, frustrated.
"He's in the kitchen but keep the young ones away. They shouldn't see what happened." George warned.
"Dante, follow me. We're going to grab Isaac." Sally said.
"Right behind you." Dante said, keeping a grip on his weapon.
They walked to the hallway leading to the kitchen, seeing the door to the kitchen slightly open. As they neared, they heard someone softly crying. Sally got closer, slowly opening the door. She saw Isaac crouched down, face in his hands. A blood-stained photograph in-between his fingers. A body bag was on the floor, next to a small pool of blood.
"I'm sorry, Joan! I'm s-so sorry J-Joan!" Isaac softly cried; his voice muffled in his hands.
Sally saw the flintlock next to his feet, knowing it was used recently. Sally slowly approached Isaac, setting her hand on his shoulder. Isaac flinched, not knowing she was here. Seeing her there, Isaac slowly got up, wiping tears from his eyes. Not hesitating, Sally quickly embraced him, crying tears of her own.
"I k-killed her! I killed h-her, Sally!" Isaac cried, holding onto her tightly.
"It's okay, Isaac! You d-don't have to cry!" Sally said, crying.
"She was telling the truth! Her daughter… doesn't have a mother anymore!" Isaac said, crying harder.
Sally couldn't imagine Isaac's pain. He not only broke his promise… but he orphaned a child. Isaac couldn't stop crying! Sally knew she had to stay with him, at least until he could calm down. Dante left, shedding tears of his own. He knew this was something he couldn't help with. After a few minutes, Isaac calmed down, enough to be able to talk coherently.
"My father's gun… I didn't want to use it, but I thought she was going to kill me!" Isaac confessed.
"Isaac, you didn't know! She tried to kill you a few days ago! What else could you have believed?" Sally said, attempting to comfort him.
"I… I thought… she was reaching for a knife in her pocket. When she grabbed it, I just… flinched. I didn't mean to pull the trigger!" Isaac explained.
"You reacted on your instincts. You couldn't have known!" Sally said.
"Sally… I killed someone who was unarmed. Unarmed! She was grabbing a rolled-up picture of her daughter! I killed her… over a picture." Isaac clarified.
Slowly but surely, Sally walked Isaac out of the kitchen, where the guards were able to collect the body bag and move it out of the area. The guards also collected Isaac's gun, putting it into a clear bag. One of the guards stopped in front of Isaac, holding it.
"We'll return this to you after we get the forensics on it." The guard said.
Isaac shook his head, upset.
"Keep it! I never want to see it ever again!" Isaac exclaimed, swiftly walking away from Sally and the guard.
Sally followed Isaac, going down the stairs and into the hallway leading to his room. Isaac slowed down, reaching the door to the holding cells, looking at the door with uncertainty. He reached for the doorknob, but quickly retracted his arm, ashamed. Isaac went to the door leading to his quarters, opening it. He walked in, shutting the door behind himself. Sally ran to the door, trying to open the door. But Isaac had already locked it.
"Isaac, please! I can't help you if you shut me out like this!" Sally said, trying to get through to him.
"Leave me alone! I want to be alone!" Isaac yelled through the door, despondent.
"Please, Isaac! I want to help you!" Sally begged.
There was no answer at the door, only silence greeted Sally. She sighed, feeling helpless. She turned around to walk away, but she saw her father standing there, watching the entire thing.
"Isaac has a good heart, Sally. But even good hearts break from time to time." Nigel explained.
"Dad, I… I love him! And I can't just stand idly by and watch him tear himself apart!" Sally responded, looking back at his door.
King Nigel nodded, producing a key. He handed it to Sally, trusting her with it.
"Then help him." Nigel said, before walking away.
Sally put the key into the lock, turning it. The door unlocked, opening. Sally pushed it open, peering in. Isaac's pack was in the front of the bed, right where he had left it. But Isaac wasn't on his bed. Sally walked in, closing the door behind her. She walked past his bed, looking into the bathroom. It was empty, no one to be seen. As she kept looking around, she heard something under the bed, she looked under, seeing Isaac. He was curled up, softly crying to himself. Sally knew that Isaac wasn't in a good place right now, and she wasn't going to let him suffer alone. She crawled underneath the bed as well, wrapping her arms around him. Isaac stopped crying when he noticed she was here with him.
"You should leave. Your father would not want you to be in here." Isaac said, his voice almost a whisper.
"He knows. Isaac, he respects you greatly! And he may not seem like it, but him seeing you like this breaks his heart." Sally explained.
Isaac turned around, facing Sally.
"He said all that?" Isaac asked.
"Well, it was implied. Listen, Isaac. I don't have all the answers. I can't just tell you that everything will be alright. I can't say that you aren't responsible for anything. But I can tell you that you're not like other people. Most guards would've killed her and not feel much remorse. They would probably say 'I feared for my life. I shouldn't be responsible for defending my own life.' But you, Isaac… you don't make excuses. You don't disregard other's lives. You treat life as sacred! You… have mercy. And that is why I want to be with you!" Sally explained, holding Isaac tighter.
"Sally, I… I don't know how to move on. How do I live with myself, knowing I killed an innocent woman?" Isaac asked.
"One day at a time. That's all you can do, Isaac." Sally said, bringing Isaac closer.
Isaac finally returned the embrace, feeling as if he was going to fall apart.
"Isaac, I know you are my protector, but remember, I'm going to protect you! If you need to cry, you can cry! If you need to talk to someone, talk to me! I will never leave your side! Not as long as I can help it!" Sally said, slowly closing her eyes.
Feeling himself calm down, Isaac slowly closed his eyes, falling into the embrace.
"Sally… will Elohim ever forgive me?" Isaac asked.
Sally opened her eyes, looking into his. The windows to his soul was one that was crying out for forgiveness.
"You have been tortured by the Order. For the longest time, you were with no home, no friends, no place. Isaac… I do not know Elohim well, but if he is what you have praised Him to be, I do not doubt He understands your pain." Sally said.
Isaac held Sally as close as he could, feeling the coveted shred of comfort he had been searching for. It was not long until they both fell asleep, still in each other's embrace.