AN: This took way longer to write than I thought! several reasons why (including sickness and other things), but it is here now! and it became way longer than I first intended so there's that… Gods have I wanted to post this chapter for a long time! Hope you enjoy:)

Plans in motion

"How do I look?" Tino repeats hesitantly after not receiving a reply for several seconds and he begins fidgeting with a lose thread on his borrowed tunic, fraying the edges even further.

Berwald does not seem capable of forming proper words at the moment, so Matthias takes mercy on him by replying. "It looks very convincing," he says evenly, and it is true. Tino looks every part like a common farmer and if Matthias did not know him, he would easily mistake him as such. They can only hope that the soldiers continue being as arrogant and assuming as they have been so far, believing that nobody will ever attempt walking past them with false identity. He does have the best chance out of the three of them to succeed as the only one that does not appear to have his face on a wanted poster. The guards will have no reason to suspect him.

Tino smiles then, but it is a fragile thing. "Guess we'll know for sure tomorrow morning or in a few days when I have to make my way back inside," he says lightly, but his optimism sounds forced. "That is when we will truly put this disguise to the test."

"I guess that is something to worry about tomorrow then," Matthias says weakly and realizes he just helped make Berwald's earlier statement stand stronger. They desperately need some proper rest and should all take advantage what might be the last chance in a days. "There is no use in worrying about that now," he continues with a grimace as he digs himself deeper in a ditch of his own making. "You will go out with all the other farmers and it will be fine, it is a good plan." He rubs at his temples, the stabbing pain of a few minutes ago still making itself known.

"Are you going to take your own advice there, Matt?" Berwald asks dryly. He is standing with his arms crossed and with a severe glower crossing his forehead.

Matthias sighs, knowing that he has lost any attempt at a discussion. "Yeah, I will," he says.

The activity in the rest of the shop is winding down as well. They are not the only ones running on fumes by now. Several people have left already, wanting to be home safe before it gets too late and the guards will give them trouble should they be caught on the streets. Leah is looking tired as she moves between the remaining citizens still eagerly discussing different plans amongst themselves, but she hides her yawns and does not push any of them to leave before they want to. Matthias does not think it will be long however before she decides it is time to call it a night for the rest of them either, so he might as well get some rest.

Tino looks a little confused looking between the two of them. "It would seem you had a conversation without me," he says. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine," Matthias replies as he attempts to draw up a smile and he hopes it looks comforting rather than pained. "I got a headache all of a sudden," he admits. There is no use in lying, Berwald will expose him if he tries anyways and Tino will certainly be on his side of that argument. "I probably just need some sleep," he says. It is better if he plays down the actual severity of the pain unless he want the other two to involve Leah, and that though is just terrifying all on its own. He has no idea how to explain what is certainly a magically induced headache from reading somebody else's memories and emotions and explain how that came to happen in the first place.

"Why don't you just head up then?" Tino asks mildly. "Berwald and I can help Leah finish things up down here, it does not loke like any of them will keep going for much longer anyways." He gives Matthias a weak smile and squeezes his arm comfortingly. "You are the only one that did not get any proper sleep last night staying guard and all, I'd say you've earned it now."

Knowing he is defeated, Matthias gives them a nod. "Yeah, I'll go. Tell Leah and the others goodnight from me."

He gives the maps on the table one last look, but Tino takes notice and pushes him towards the back of the shop instead with a mischievous grin playing around his lips, suddenly looking younger than any of them has in weeks. "You can look at those tomorrow," he says brightly. "Now go sleep before we have to make you."

Matthias almost laughs as he grabs a lit cantle from one of the benches as he makes his way towards the stairs with Tino dogging his heels every step of the way. He has already looked over the maps at least three times and memorized all of the important locations, things like the district gates and the known guard positions. There is nothing more he can learn from watching the maps all night, but it still feels strange to leave them behind, but then Tino pulls the curtain closed behind him and leaving him alone in a darkened staircase, well and truly dismissed.

Their tiny little bedroom on the second floor is dark as well, and the candle does very little to light up the room and the furniture within. He still draws the curtains firmly closed, not even bothering to check if there is a rat nested on the opposite roof. He is pretty sure there has to be at least one present nearby; they have after all made a point of watching them ever since they entered the city and the past few days, they seem to take joy in doing so openly, making sure that the rebels know their every move is under watch. Matthias is relieved to know that at least nobody will be able to watch them sleep through the window now with the curtains in the way, but the rats have surely seen the large number of commoners enter and leave the shop well past closing time.

He sets the candle down on the bedside table and takes a seat on the edge of the bed with a sight. His head feels heavy on his shoulders, but still too unsettled too fall asleep just yet. He can just barely hear the murmur of voices from downstairs and Vilje's soft breathing.

"Hi Vilje," he says quietly, uncomfortable with how the quiet allows his thoughts to wander.

She does not respond, which is not surprising, and remains just as still as the last time he tried talking to her. The swelling on her throat does not look quite as severe as the evening before and her breathing does not sound quite as strained, but the color of the bruises has turned more vivid, changing from dark blue and red to take on the more greenish and yellow hues of healing.

Just looking at her injuries is enough to make him feel a stab of guild and it blends together with the residual one he can still feel over the bond with Lukas, draining him of energy and he sighs heavily, sinking further down in the mattress.

He takes her hand gently into his own, brushing his thumb over her knuckles absentmindedly. Vilje probably wont ever know he is even doing this, but he finds the gesture comforting and keeps going. "I wish you would wake up soon," he says. "Gods, I am so sorry this happened to you. There is a part of me think I should have never gone out that night. I should have stayed inside where it was safe. But if I had, then we would never have gotten the keys to get to the inner districts. We have gotten so far since then, I wish you could see it. You would have made a great fake guard." He chuckles to himself, remembering the woman they met on the wall earlier in the day, how she was just as full of fire as Vilje, clever and fearless. Vilje might not be able to respond, but it is nice pretending that she is part of the conversation.

Matthias sighs again and strokes Vilje's hand one last time before he tucks the blankets carefully around her. "Sleep well," he says and brushes away a few stray strands of hair from her face.

He drops to the ground fishes out his backpack from underneath the bed where Leah hid them from the soldiers. He also grabs Berwald's and Tino's so they will not have to crawl underneath the bed themselves when they finally give up on planning and decide to go to bed as well. He does not have any bedding to speak of anymore, but he rolls up a few of his clothes for a pillow by the furthest wall and out of the way. He changes into a simple sleepshirt and then he blows out the candle and curls up underneath his cloak in preparation to sleep.

His mind is still chaotic, with the mix of emotions still flaring up through the bond as Lukas still seems unsettled, but he must have been more tired than he thought, because it only takes a few minutes of him blinking out in the darkness before his eyes go heavy. He almost wants to cry with the relief of feeling his mind go blank and calm as sleep finally overcomes him.

The relief does not last for long.

There is darkness all around him still, but then the hears voices somewhere in the distance.

He cannot make out what they are saying at all. The voices too soft for him to distinguish the words and Matthias turns around on the spot to locate the source, but see nothing but black. There only sounds to be only two of them to begin with, but more tones soon join and the volume increases. They begin yelling, then screaming and the number of voices increases even further until Matthias feels he is surrounded.

He wants to cover his ears, but his arms will not obey, and the screaming only growls louder until that is all he can hear, and it all sounds like it is coming from inside his own head and echoing. They are screams of rage, desperation, fury and pain and it is overwhelming. He wants to curl up in a ball or flee, but he cannot move. He is locked in place in the darkness with nowhere to run.

Then the voices cut off all at once, the darkness fades away like he is opening his eyes slowly, and Matthias finds himself surrounded by death instead.

He is standing on an endless field, but there are no crops, only corpses. Men, women, young and old. All of them killed in different ways and in various states of decay. He feels a strange calm then, one he is not familiar with. He looks down at his hands and realizes they are smaller than what he is used to seeing, and he feels like there is power surging in his veins.

Matthias feels like he is only a passenger, seeing things through the eyes of somebody else. The body he possesses begins moving forward, weaving between the corpses and looking at the hundreds of empty eyes staring back at him as he passes. At the back of his mind he knows this is not really happening, that it is only a dream, but it does nothing to make him feel calmer.

Figures approaches him from all sides, surrounding him and then they stop when they are only a few meters away. They are all dressed plainly and none of them have any distinguishing features, like they are nothing but pieces in a game. They have no value or importance, what they look like does not matter.

"Kill!" he hears a voice say out of nowhere, commanding and firm.

He does not spin around to try and locate the speaker, he already know he will not find him. The voice sounds familiar and Matthias feels even more uncomfortable in his borrowed skin. He knows he is expected to follow the order just given, but he does not want to. He is already surrounded by corpses, creating more serves no purpose. These figures are no threat, they are just standing there, waiting, making no move to defend themselves.

"No, I will not," he hears himself say in a voice that is not his own, but achingly familiar. It is deeper, more quiet and spoken evenly. The words sound steady, but Matthias feels uneasy and even a little scared. He knows that is not the right thing to say and immediately he feels pain surge through his body in response. It feels like brands being burned into his skin, beginning on his chest, spreading up his neck and down his arms, but he does not scream.

"Kill!" the voice repeats louder, and this time he cannot ignore it. His body moves without his control, stepping forward.

Matthias can do nothing to stop himself. He can only watch as his hands moves up in front of him, one sword in each hand all of a sudden, testing the balance of the blades he was certainly not holding earlier. Where they came from does not matter anyways. He has an order he is expected to follow through with. He must kill, and he will do so.

He launches for closest of the figures which is still not moving to defend itself in any way. He swipes down his sword, killing them instantly in a spray of blood before the body collapses.

Then he turns to the next, spinning fluidly and lancing out with the second blade, just as easily.

"Kill," the voice echoes, and he runs obediently at the next target.

He keeps moving for the next figure, then another, and several more as they appear, striking and stabbing as he moves across the field in a deadly dance. He feels blood spray across his skin, but it does nothing to stop him, all his opponents need to die first. They are not people anymore, only targets for him to eliminate.

The ground around him is turning black with blood that is slowly soaking into the soil. There does not seem to be an end to it; every strike he makes creates more. The ground grows saturated and blood begins flowing around his legs instead in tiny streams, and still he keeps attacking. Blood is dripping from the sky now as rain as well, clinging to his hair and clothes, and the air tastes of iron.

Then one figure steps out from the crowd, taking up a position a little bit ahead of the others and waiting patiently.

It should just be another target for him to eliminate, but Matthias feels hesitant all of a sudden.

For some reason, this one is different from the others and he lowers his weapons. The pause lets him take notice of the blood all over him, and the feeling makes his skin itch. He wants to wash it off, hide the evidence of his latest actions, especially before this one figure, as it makes him full of shame, but his orders does not allow him to leave.

He steps up the figure, and Matthias sees his own face through the eyes of his borrowed form. His steps faulters and there is a part of him that wants to flee, terrified of what might happen, but the burning pain on his skin return and stronger than before. It blinds out his thoughts and his mind turns blank and calm once more. His breath comes out even, and his hands are steady as he waits for a command.

Matthias watches himself step even closer within reach of the swords and do nothing but hold his arms open in a gesture of surrender, looking perfectly relaxed. It is strange to look at his own face from an outside perspective and feel how this person he is living through feels in response. He sees himself smile gently and takes notice of the faintest trace of wrinkles forming at the corner of his eyes that makes his heart swoop. Just the tiny smile seem to brighten his entire reality, soothing the pain that is burning across his skin until he cannot notice it. The rain eases up and there is a glimmer of sunlight peering through the dense cover of dark clouds. It feels like he is staring at last shred of hope that makes him feel alive for the first time in decades.

His fingers shake around the handles of his swords, wanting to drop them to the ground and never pick them up again. This is the one thing he cannot bear to destroy, it will be the end of him.

Then the voice returns, louder and firmer than before. Kill!" it says, and his skin reignites with blazing agony as he fights against the orders, his entire body straining against the command.

"KILL!" the voice roars and it echoes across the field, making the ground rumble.

There is no choice anymore. His mind is stolen from him. The sun stops shining and all the colors disappear as his world narrows down to one simple thing, following his orders. Nothing else matters but the commands from his master, he will obey as is his only purpose.

"KILL!"

With both the blades pointing forward, he attacks.

Matthias screams.

He screams and he screams; or at least he is attempting to, but there is a strong hand clamped firmly over his mouth and muting his cry of anguish. He scratches at his chest where he is sure he just saw twin blades imbed themselves through his skin in a need to tear them out, but there but there is something holding him back from doing that, and he struggles harder.

There is a voice talking but he cannot make out the words for a very long time. His mind is a whirlwind of spiraling panic and confusion.

"You're safe," a voice says. It sounds like Berwald, dark and calming. "You're at Leah's shop, with me, Tino and Leah. Nobody is going to hurt you, but you need to stop screaming." It is like he can hear the words, he understands them, but the meaning does not seem to register, and he keeps fighting against the hold. There is a heavy weight on his legs as well, he cannot move, he is trapped and he cannot breathe. There is a slap cross his face, a sharp sting and he finally tears his eyes open, finding himself face to face with Tino.

"That's right," he hears. "Look at me, it's Tino. We're your friends."

Matthias stops fighting, suddenly exhausted as his mind finally accepts that it was all just a dream.

His cheeks burn in embarrassment as the situation feels all too familiar. His friends must be sick off holding him down as he screams himself awake after a nightmare, oblivious to their surroundings.

He gives Tino a pleading look and Tino does move in return, giving Berwald a small nod over Matthias' shoulder. The hand over his mouth draws away and he desperately sucks in a few mouthfuls of fresh air.

"Gods, I'm so sorry." He babbles and he realizes his voice is hoarse and thick. He must have had time to scream for a while before somebody managed to silence him and he realizes he could have drawn attention right to their safe haven if the wrong neighbor decided to call for a guard. He scratches at his arm, the left one with the markings. It burns underneath his tunic, not strongly, but more like he shoved his hand into a cluster of burning nettles. The connection with Lukas suspiciously quiet following his sudden wakeup.

"What is wrong with your arm?" Berwald asks, suddenly beside him and Matthias drops his arms down on instinct only making all too obvious that he is lying.

"No," he says, probably too quickly if he judges Berwald's reaction correctly. He pulls down his sleeves further, feeling exposed. "I must have hit the wall or something thrashing around," he mumbles as a weak excuse.

Berwald is kind enough to leave him be for now, but Matthias suspects he will bring this entire affair up at a later point where to two of them can speak one to one without an audience. Matthias knows he only means well, but he is still not eager to talk it out and he is quickly running out of lies to cover up the real reasons for his strange behavior.

"He is awake then," he hears a voice from the door, recognizing Leah. "Good. You calmed him down as well." She adds quickly with a relieved sigh as she enters the room. She is holding a steaming mug cradled in his hands as she carefully makes her way over. "I brought the tea. Thank Gods there was still some heat left in the oven or it would have taken me ages."

"Tea?" Matthias asks, truly confused now, not understanding what tea can have to do with the situation.

"You would not remember," Leah says surprisingly gentle as she crouches down beside him. "I gave this tea for your friends to give to you once before, it will grant you a dreamless sleep." She offers him the cup and he wrinkles his nose once the smell reaches him.

"Are you sure?" he ask, still refusing to accept the cup, not really wanting to taste whatever brew is causing the stench strong enough to make his eyes water. "I'm really sorry I woke you all, but I'm fine. I can just keep watch for the rest of the night. I don't need more sleep, I already got a few hours."

Tino is the one to snort loudly in disbelief, not willing to pretend that everything is alright. He pulls open the curtains just enough to let Matthias see the pitch-black of outside, before he closes it again. "It is the middle of the night and you need whatever sleep you can get," he says firmly and crosses his arms over his chest. There are dark circles under his eyes, speaking of his own lack of sleep and Matthias can already feel his resolve wavering. Tino looks stressed, probably worried half to death.

"The guys are right," Leah pitches in. "Not sleeping is only going to make your nightmares worse later, trust me, I have seen my fair share of patients with trouble sleeping." She sighs quietly. "Please just take the tea, it works fast, do not think about it any further."

He hesitantly takes the cup from Leah's hands, still grimacing at the smell. Berwald and Tino are watching him carefully, obviously wanting him to drink the contents so Matthias drains the mug in three large mouthfuls before he can think about it too much. He shudders violently as the taste registers on his tongue, and he wonders how it could possibly taste worse than it smelled. If this truly helps him sleep peacefully then it should be worth it, he hopes. His friends look exhausted and this is a simple request and they deserve the rest. He can do this for them even though his mind is screaming at him to run out and find Lukas which would be a very bad idea.

It only takes a minutes or two before he feels drowsy. Leah did certainly not lie about the tea working fast. She takes the cup away from him, and gives his shoulder a friendly pat before she disappears out the door. Berwald takes a hold of his shoulder and pushes him gently back down on the makeshift bead and tucks the cloak around him. He appears to be saying something, but Matthias can no longer register the words as reality fades to black once more.

The rest of his night he sleeps undisturbed, his mind blissfully empty and brand quiet on his arm.

He wakes from other voices in the room. Berwald and Tino are speaking softly to each other, trying to keep quiet as to not wake him he would guess. It feels like he is intruding on a private conversation, and he refuses to listen in on their conversation. He yawns noisily to let them know he is awake but it turns into a groan of pain as a monstrous headache makes itself known the moment he opens his eyes and has to shut them again immediately.

The other two quiet down, much like he suspected and there is movement as they move around. Matthias attempts to open his eyes again, slower this time and his eyes adjust to the gentle light of the room. The curtains are still drawn, but they are shear enough that he can notice just the faintest glow through the fabric, signaling sunrise is on the way. The main source of light is a lit candle on the bedside table.

Mathias lingers on the floor just a little while longer. He attempts to search his find for the connection, but he only meets a icy wall, tight and under control. He does not dare prod further, he assumes it must be a defense mechanism from Lukas's side and decides to leave well enough alone for once.

He does not like the feeling of being shut out, but he needs to trust that it is for the best that the connection is not free and open between them. His sudden headache last evening and the following nightmare were almost crippling. He does not know if he can stand another onslaught like that.

"How are you feeling?" Tino asks gently and appears in Matthias' field of vision.

"Like I was run over by a few horses and about a dozen more carts right after," Matthias murmurs as a reply, then grimaces at the foul taste that lingers on his tongue and smacks his lips in displeasure. "What was in that tea?" he asks. "It tastes like utter shit."

Tino looks guilty then which is strange, they were only trying to help him after all. "It is a tea that helps you sleep without dreams; we did not tell you of it the first time we gave it to you after Vilje got hurt. We thought we dealt with the issue, but apparently not."

That certainly explains why Tino looks guilty, keeping it a secretly that they practically drugged him to sleep after the disaster with Vilje ad did not tell him about it afterwards.

"Your nightmares are really getting out of hand, Matt," Tino continues quietly. "You have no idea how terrifying it is to see you like that and it is getting harder to wake you up. I thought it might be a one-time occurrence that time you almost froze to death, and it made sense you didn't want to sleep after, well, you know." He gestures towards Vilje on the bed. "But this is becoming a serious problem."

Luckily for Matthias, Berwald buys him a minute or so when he appears with a glass of water that Matthias greedily gulps down. "I have a lot on my mind lately," he says weakly.

"Leah still has a stash of herbs for that tea," Tino says quickly, "but it won't last us for longer than a few more nights at best. They are apparently illegal and hard to come by, but after last night she offered us whatever she has left."

Matthias makes a grimace, hating to be the cause of trouble yet again. "It should not be a problem for much longer," he says, and he feels much like a petulant child in that moment. "In a few more days this will all come to an end, one way or another. I think that should put a stop to my nightmares" He is certainly not going to even attempt an explanation for why his nightmares are this bad. All of them have seen enough to give them nightmares for a few lifetimes at the very least, but he suddenly finds himself seeing things that does not belong from only his own memories. The bloody hands that occupied his dreams last night were Lukas', he is sure of it. The guilt he felt was not his own, the people dead were those Lukas had been forced to kill on the king's orders.

Berwald does not look happy with his response, judging by the stern line of annoyance between his brows, but he does not voice his disapproval.

Tino scratches nervously at his hair, uncomfortable with the silence, and Matthias realizes it looks darker than the day before. When Tino notices Matthias looking he stops. "Leah helped dye it darker with some plant colors," he says weakly in explanation. "She said it will make me blend in better with the other farmers and I'm not going to be the one arguing with her."

"Good choice," Matthias replies, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, all too happy to change the subject. "I don't think you would have won an argument against her either had you tried."

Matthias takes in the rest of Tino's clothes, he is dressed in the borrowed farming clothes, a little different from the ones he showed off the night before. Mostly it is layer upon layer of thinner wool to keep warm, worn thin over the knees and elbows and patched multiple times to last just a few more seasons. He has a thick, coarse cloak in dark fabric and a hood large enough to conceal his face should he pull it up. He really does look like any common farmer, but Matthias also knows that Tino should have hidden at least a few knives on his person and the carefully written maps tucked deep into a concealed pocket that one of the tailors helped him sow into one of the shirts.

"We will have to go soon," Tino continues hesitantly. "Berwald is going to follow me to the commoner district and I'll join the other farmers there. We are head out on the fields together where I should be able to just sneak off and make my way to the forest when nobody's looking. Are you coming too?" his words are flowing quickly now, betraying his anxiety. "We have discussed how suspicious it looks with only one guard walking alone."

"Just give me two minutes," Matthias replies as he heaves himself out of the makeshift bed. He feels utterly disgusting, covered in dried sweat and wishes he had the time for a quick wash, but two minutes is not enough time for that kind of luxury. His guard tunic is no better than his sleepshirt, also stiff with sweat after the times they have rushed from district to district and he grimaces as he pulls it over his head for another long day. He runs a hand through his hair in an attempt to make it look a little more presentable, but suspect it has little to no effect. Another hand through his beard reminds him how little time they have had too keep up with appearances.

When he is done fastening the straps of his armor, with some help from Tino, Berwald is already standing by the doorway with two spears at the ready and offering one up for Matthias.

"Guess it is time then," Tino says. There is a small smile at the corner of his lips, but Matthias wonders how much of it is him just putting on a brave face to make them feel more at ease.

They head down the stairs and find Leah waiting on the shop floor. She has dark circles underneath her eyes and Matthias feels a stab of guilt, suspecting it might be partially his fault for waking her up in the middle of a night that already cut short with their planning. She does however smile when she sees Tino and walks towards him with open arms, and to their surprise, she enfolds him in a hug.

"The very best of luck to you, Tino," she says warmly.

Tino's face lights up a little as they part. "Thank you," he says. "I guess, I'll see you in a few days if everything goes according to plan."

"Do not say, if," Leah says firmly. "We will meet again; I am sure of it." She takes a step back so they have a free path for the door. "Be safe out there, all of you."

Berwald makes a hum of acknowledgement, Mathias gives her a nod and then they leave.

Tino walks a little distance ahead of them, but never strays out of their line of sight just so it will not seem like he knows the guards on his trail. They have studied the maps provided by the citizens and they know the fastest way out of the city and move through the streets with relative confidence.

It is only a few minutes before they reach the first district gate. Berwald and Matthias stays back and watches as Tino walks up to the guards. He exchange a few words with one of them, and the guards steps away, letting him through without even looking at his paperwork.

Matthias and Berwald follow after him a minute or so later and gives a nod to the guards by the gate. They barely bother giving them a glance after he takes notice of their uniforms and lets them through without a word.

Tino is waiting for them on the other side, pretending to look at a stall until he notices them. He has his hood pulled up and walks parallel to them down the streets, just a few meters away. "That went well," he says quietly, just barely audible as he keeps his gaze forward. "It seems the outer gate might be the only challenge on the way out."

They keep moving, Tino picks up speed to again to keep the two of them at a distance.

This is the fist time they have walked the streets of the marked district and not just seen it from above or from the outside and Matthias wished he had a little more time to just look around. It is almost too quickly that they reach the next wall and they do not even have the time to be nervous about the checkpoint before Tino has made his way through that one as well and they can follow with a simple nod to the guards on duty.

Tino is beginning to look a little more hesitant now where he is walking ahead of them, throwing glances down the various streets as if he is searching for something or someone. It only takes a few minutes before a man that looks much like a farmer approaches him, and Tino looks a lot calmer after exchanging a few words with him. The man then gestures to a small group of people further down an alley, also looking like farmers and Tino appears to reply animatedly to whatever he is saying. He then turns around quickly until he finds Matthias and Berwald in the crowd, giving them a small nod to signal he has met the right people.

He joins the group of raggedly dressed people and they move down a road that should take them to the main gate if Matthias remembers the maps correctly.

"Guess this is as far as we go," Matthias whispers quietly, noticing how Berwald is clenching his fists and grinding his teeth as Tino's back disappears around a corner. Other commoners are moving past them on the street, giving them nervous glances and choosing to walk in a wide arc to avoid them and Matthias cannot blame them.

Berwald curses quietly and remains frozen on the spot, staring after where the farmers disappeared around a corner.

Matthias gives his arm a friendly squeeze, he knows it is hard for Berwald to let Tino go off on his own. "Why don't we see him off from the wall? Might just make it up there before the farmers reach the gate. He will be far safer than both of us once he is out of the city, and with the lack of patrols out there, he won't have a single problem sneaking off to the forest unseen."

Berwald does not reply, but he does begin walking for the wall where they search for the hidden guard doors.

They have become better at recognizing the symbols that point the way for the guards and it does not take them long to find what they are looking for. There are discrete markings and writing that commoners would not notice, but now that they have searched for doors so many times, it is almost second nature to them, to interpret them.

Well atop the wall, they head for the main gate and find a spot that gives them a pretty good view of the bridge leading out of the city. It is the same bridge where the Rat King forced Matthias to watch the citizens of Mud Town beg for scraps of food from the ditch dug around the city and he shudders at the memory and his heart bleeds for those unfortunate people down there just barely scraping by and clinging to life.

The main gate has a larger line of people waiting to get through and the guards appear to take the time to look over each citizens documents before letting them pass and the group of farmers have not yet gone through.

Matthias holds his breath as he notices Tino's figure among the farmers waiting in line and handing over his borrowed papers. He holds his gaze to the ground, demurely, much like all the others, none of them eager to look the guards in the eyes and risk trouble. The seconds are slow and tense, but then the guards let him through and Tino is on the outside.

They watch him walk down the bridge. Matthias can barely notice how he flinches at the sight of the beggars below, but thankfully, one of the other farmers is quick to grab him by the arm and pull him along the road, leading them away from the city. Only then does Matthias breathe easy again and eventually he blends in with the other farmers heading out on the fields for a day of work.

He turns towards Berwald and makes an attempt at a smile. "Guess it is our turn now," he says. "Do you have any preference where to go first, we have quite a few things to work on.?"

Berwald ponders the question carefully, still staring out over the wall. He appears calmer than before, like a massive weigh has dropped off his shoulders. Matthias assumes that must be because that particular weight is safely out of the city and now Berwald has the ability to focus whole-heartedly at the mission with one less thing to worry about.

"I think we might need to split up," he says eventually. "I have to get a closer look at the gate between the main square and the guard district, but I don't know how much time that will take me, and we need to find the storages for the black powder. The sooner we do that the better as we need to find a way to smuggle it out of the guard district. Splitting up would be more efficient."

Matthias hesitates. "We only have one key though," he says. "That would mean you can only rely on your uniform to cross districts and alone that might seem suspicious."

"I'll be fine without it." Berwald returns a flat stare. "We have to trust each other to our tasks."

It feels a little bit like a stab aimed at Matthias' secrets and dodgy explanations at times, making it clear he is not happy with Matthias' answers this morning. "I trust you with my life," he says and he makes a gesture for them to begin walking along the wall towards the main square. "You're my best friend and that is why it is so hard to leave you alone, surrounded by soldiers and no easy way out while I take the key."

Berwald sighs, but they begin walking towards the castle. "Just meet me back here before dark and we'll head back together then. I'll stay in the area."

They go quiet, and become increasingly uneasy as they take the path atop the wall leading around the main square to the area Berwald wants to investigate. The training has already started and they can hear the yelling from the instructors long before they reach even reach the square. They try their best to ignore the sounds from below as they walk past, the younger children crying and the clatter of weapons from below and the occasional cry of pain.

They split up in silence, and Matthias feels apprehensive as he turns his back on Berwald and heads down one of the stairs leading to the guard district.

He wanders through the guard district to look for buildings that might be storages either for armor or black powder, not entirely sure how to do it without checking every single building which will take far too long. Then he remembers when one guard told him it was good luck the storage was placed nowhere near the barracks or they would have lost many more men in the explosion they set off what seems like a lifetime ago.

He changes up his tactic then, taking a careful note of all the buildings he knows are barracks by the number of people moving to and from those building and noting down buildings he does not know the purpose off that could be anything. He decides to check out a few of those furthest from the main traffic of soldiers when he has done a walk through the entire district and marked up a few important positions.

He works diligently for several hours and then he gets a sudden nagging feeling that there is something else, more important that he should be doing when he is here. He feels a draw towards the castle and looks up to where it stands imposingly at the top of its hill, mocking him quietly with its presence.

Matthias pauses his steps and tucks into a narrower street where he is out of sight so he can think in peace, leaning back against a wall. He recognizes the feeling all to well, and he does not know what to think of it. Usually, the impulse to do something that does not fit into his usual plans, can all be connected to Lukas, but when he turns his focus on the bond, it remains quiet. It does not make any sense and is quite terrifying.

Lukas is clearly loosing control and becoming a bigger danger with each passing day. It seems he cannot control his magic properly if the sudden intense burst of transference between them when Lukas has a steel control over the connection otherwise is anything to go by. But the nightmare makes it very clear to Matthias that Lukas does not want to hurt anyone, not anymore and Matthias least of all. Thinking too much about what he saw in that dream makes his head spin and his heart jump uncomfortably in his chest. He has avoided thinking about it most of the day and does not think it will be smart to begin now.

The castle does looks very tempting and his fingers itch to react and do something at least. The last time he was there, he did not have the time to look around for very long, and there might be some useful material there, like the foxglove that could be vital in keeping Lukas at bay should they need it. None of the three rebels have had the time to make new pouches of ash yet with everything going on and if Lukas loses control that will most likely be their only advantage in a confrontation. He dreads that specific scenario most of all.

Matthias curses quietly to himself and knocks the back of his head against the wall a few times in frustration. Left alone for a few hours and he is already considering deviating from the original plan based on a gut feeling alone, one that might be a trap if the king has somehow found out about the connection between him and Lukas.

Absentmindedly, he scratches at his left arm. He cannot sense Lukas' presence in the city like he sometimes has before. Heading to the castle is a risky move, but it might be worth it. Throwing a glance around, there are very few guards moving about, most of them probably busy keeping the citizens under control elsewhere.

He makes up his mind in an instant and he no longer cares that it is broad daylight. He has taken the path once before. He marches through the district towards the hill, his determined steps appearing to be enough to dissuade other guards from approaching him. His instinct tells him to move and not question the circumstances, so he barely casts a glance at the guards around the hill and then he begins climbing.

It seems the Gods are watching him as nobody appears to notice him and raise the alarm.

He heaves for breath as he reaches the door at the top and fumbles through his clothes for the key. He cannot believe his luck. Once he is through, he leans against a wall, staring at the stone roofing. This is crazy, he has no idea what he is looking for or where to find it, but following his instinct have served him well before.

The hallway inside is just as dark as the last time he went through here and he only vaguely which way he went before. Going towards the prison does not seem like the brightest idea, the room designed for torture is not one he want to see again, but then he begins thinking.

The only person in those cells were Lukas, and he was in a special cell of iron, a metal that makes magical creatures weak. It is obvious that that particular prison and torture chamber is meant for people or creatures of importance. Some of the tools might be designed to deal with somebody with certain weaknesses, maybe herbs and ashes, he does not know. It might be worth taking a second look now that he is not as pressed for time as the last time.

The torture chamber smells just as disgusting as the first time he entered it, not surprising. Unlike the first time when he passed through as quickly as he could, he takes the time to search through a few of the cupboards. He regrets it almost as soon as he begins. The contents only serves to disturb him, the only thing he finds useful enough to tuck away is a few shackles made out of iron, hanging from one of the walls and he leaves everything else alone, not wanting to touch any of it.

He just know needs to search further and makes his way further in where the cells are. The iron cage is empty as expected, he should have felt Lukas had he been here and he would never have spent so much time in the previous room out of fear of being discovered.

He shivers as he walks past the cell. There appears to be blood on the floor, painted in strange symbols and spattered randomly across the floor. He does not dare to think of might what have happened in there. This was a horrible idea, he thinks, but he is going to finish what he started and forces himself to keep going.

He ends up in another room. There are a few more shelves in here, most of them are empty.

There is a table and a few chairs tucked into a corner and out of the way. On the table is a worn deck of cards, a cup used for dice and an empty bottle of moonshine. Apparently it is break room for the interrogators or the guards supposed to keep an eye on the prisoners. Matthias thinks to himself that they must be a special kind of disturbed human being to be capable of enjoying a few games of cards or dice when they have people trapped in the cells or being tortured in the next door room, but sadly he is not surprised either after the number of guards they have talked to.

He exits the room and head further down the hallway, happy to leave it behind like a bad memory.

It is beginning to feel claustrophobic being so far away from the only exit he knows of, but there is no choice. The castle is dark and quiet down here, not a single sound of a footstep anywhere and it makes him daring enough to continue until he finally stumbles over what he think he has been looking for the entire time down a narrow corridor.

In front of him is a large, heavy door made of wood, reinforced with thick bands of metal and a heavy lock. He tries pushing on it carefully after listening against it and hearing nothing, but it will not budge no matter how much force he uses. He pulls out his bronze key, but this apparently is the one lock it will not work on.

He curses quietly and is about to turn around and search for another way in when he hears a voice that sends shivers down his back and makes him freeze on the spot.

"Well, well, well." The voice is as cold and slimy as the person it belongs to and dripping with cruelty. "Interesting place you find yourself in, boy." There is a quiet and cruel laugh. "Oh, do we need to have a little conversation about this."

Matthias turns around ever so slowly, and right there in the hallway, blocking the way stands the Rat King himself, surrounded by a few of his men and with a wicked grin splitting his face as he stares at Matthias in triumph.