Unfortunately, it would seem Haryek's political power ended at the dinner table.

 No amount of enticing got the pair into the dungeons of Ziduri, and they would pay dearly for the attempt.

Fear of being discovered drove the two back to their room as rumors began circulating in the hive mind that was the intricate workings of the elven guard. It only took meer hours for suspicions to unfold, privileged lives lead for idle tounges that wagged carelessly in the enchantment of good gossip.

Segregated to a large shared suite so they could get some separation from the rest of the castle, Haryek instructed Loan to busy himself, for it wouldn't be long before word got to the Lordship himself. 

When the knock on the door sounded like the final bell to the last call, neither was surprised. "Are you curious tonight?" Lord Taryek asked, stepping into the room as Haryek opened the door. His eyes traveled casually, checking the order of the room. 

"Father, you flatter me. I was merely trying to get a peek at your lycan collection. I didn't know how many you could keep of your own." Haryek remarks, maintaining a level of offense that only progeny could hold to their parents. "The Prince did not believe me, you see."

Taryek drags his finger over the dresser's edge, inspecting the residue. "Flattery is not my way; you have been snooping, and it's insulting that you find me so foolish as not to realize your true intentions." His eyes shift to find Loan, who does his best not to look annoyed at the Lordship's presence. "Are you looking for your lost lover?."

With a staggered inhale, Loan racks his mind for an answer I might give that wouldn't startle the Lordship into even more suspicion.

"No. I had no idea-" 

Swinging his arm, Taryek strikes an aged mug off the dresser, slinging it to the ground with a loud crash. "Do not lie to me." He snaps. The marble skin cracks with age lines as the wild look of an impatient man settles squarely on Loan. "Fantasy is the guise in which you show up on my doorstep. There has been very little progress in the alliance, yet you see it fit to explore my realm."

The elf prince strides over to stand beside the Solomonari. "What if I told you it was ill intentions that spurred on this search?" The elf prince kisses Loan on top of the head as the redhead eyes him, warning him of the web he is weaving. "We are together; bragging about it to the beast seemed only fitting, considering he failed in his attempt at domination." 

With a sound of disgust, Taryek turns away while pinching the bridge of his nose. "No son of mine will be queer. Honestly, Haryek, your lineage is wasted on the caverns where you sew your seed. We have progressed so far beyond that of flesh and.. fluids. Vile as it all is, the fact that you insist on lying with men of other species is disgraceful."  

"Please, father... you know how I feel about your slurs. You know how vocal I can get when I've been drinking; persuade me with your blessing to keep my mouth shut when I entertain at our business endeavors." Haryek squeezes Loan.

 Homosexuality was a sin in most religions, a crime in most countries, and punishable by death in a sad number of societies. Having a son who favored men was not something Taryek was proud of, let alone willing to accept. The elves prided themselves on their purity; they would be the least tolerant of one insistent on exploring the same sex. 

"It would please you to use your status against me, Haryek. Why am I not surprised? Lapping up the scraps of another man like a street cat, foul of you indeed." 

The Elf Prince bows his head, accepting the insult as a compliment, amusement dancing in his eyes. "How do you think I make all my deals that you so kindly reap the benefits of?"

"A whore of a son, you're lucky your silver tongue makes you too valuable to replace. Our wine sales have greatly diminished since your absence." Taryek shakes his head, disgusted. "This alliance can happen without your intrusion, and I don't want to hear another word about it. I'll have none of it; compose yourself in the presence of your Lord, Haryek." 

"Father." Haryek nods once more. 

The conversation seemed to have effectively tossed the Elf Lord off their trail, for he seemed more interested in leaving than gaining more knowledge. 

"Be at the courtyard in the morning. Tomorrow, you will see what capital punishment looks like, a punishment you could easily claim for an offense like this. This is a new world, gentlemen. It's time to grow the hell up." With that, he shoves his cape out of his way and storms out, promptly slamming the door.

"He's horrible." Loan whispers. 

"I'll spare you my back story; it got him off our trail." The biggest and tallest of his brothers, Haryek had actual conquest for the crown, but it was difficult for him to align with the Elven ways. Where his brothers studied scripture and sought to gain wives, power, and progeny, Haryek sought a different path. 

Life was eternal for most elves; if the cards were dealt favorably, living a life without a speck of color seemed to be a fate worse than death.

 Gaining the favor of their trade partners and learning the court's inner workings, he became nearly as powerful as his father. His charismatic ways were difficult to compare to the chilling nature of his brothers, who could hardly even hold a conversation lest it was about their kingdom or harem. 

Where most won by the sword, Haryek perfected the craft of battling with the mind and manipulation.

Haryek was a friend to their allies and their people, while favor was something Taryek had always struggled to accomplish. Despite efforts to unseat him, the court would have none of their favorite representatives sullied.

"I have some connections on the inside; we will have to be more freeform in our decisions tomorrow." 

Together, they devise a plan to form a distraction so that Loan can pull water off the surrounding air and douse the wood, preventing it from being lit. It was the only hope of a quiet stay, giving the army time to move.

 The challenges of such a feat are not lost on Loan. "It will be tricky considering I'll have to conjure in the open."

"Not if you only use water around the wood," Haryek suggests. 

Loan thinks this over, making a face. "I'll have to be quite close to going unnoticed," he murmurs. "Pulling water to that spot will take a lot of focus; you realize you're asking quite a lot." 

"We are saving a lycan warlord; I thought you were fully aware that this wouldn't be easy.." Haryek sighs, beginning to remove the braided crown. "Then he will owe me a life debt and will stop trying to put me in jail." 

"Doubt it. Alpha hates you." Loan smirks.  

Haryek approaches, gingerly taking Loan's cheek in his hand. "Well, maybe you can convince him?" He teases. "Nicolas." 

Loan dramatically rolls his eyes. "Not likely on that front either. I have no interest in being with a dictator." He slips out of Haryek's grasp; that statement covers more than just Alpha. The elf follows and wraps his arms around him from behind. 

"I'm not a dictator... I know what I want; is that truly so bad?" The redhead opens his mouth to protest, but loud, hurried footsteps break the conversation. "What the hell?" Haryek mumbles, rushing to open the door. "It's the guard, they're mobilizing." 

"You don't think?"

Haryek looks at him unsurely. " There's only one way to find out." They both race down the hallway, following the guard. "What's going on?" Haryek demands.

 One elf soldier pauses and points back down the hallway. "Get back, M'lord; the lycans are storming the gates." 

Haryek falls back and turns his attention to Loan. "We have to get a better vantage point.." He keeps his voice low, and they head back into the castle's depths, climbing a set of marble stairs as guards race past them.

 The castle is ominous at night, the pale stone reflecting the moonlight through the massive windows. They travel through periods of pitch black and flooding light. 

"This way." He leads Loan to the only vantage point that doesn't put them directly in the line of fire, a secluded balcony off the Lordship's study. 

"Where is everyone?" Haryek whispers, harsh in his shock.

Lycans storm the front gates in meager numbers, met with an onslaught of arrows, forcing them back. The massive stone gates that guard Ziduri are hard to scale, and arrows arch through the air with deadly precision and volume.

 "This doesn't make any sense," Loan murmurs. "There is not a single rebellion soldier with them. "

"Maybe this is all that's left." Haryek rests his hands on the railing, sagging with defeat. 

"Every last rebellion soldier is dead?" Loan challenges in disbelief. "I think that's highly unlikely." 

"Then what?"

"Assholes will be assholes. I bet these fuckers are faster than the rest..." 

Haryek raises an eyebrow. "Surely not."

Loan presses his lips together, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "This is the most idiotic breed known to man. They are glory hounds, these are probably the ones who don't care if they die, there are only lycans." 

The lycan group is forced back from the line towards the thin strip of trees surrounding the city. Return fire seems to be fleeting, and the lycans don't dare turn to their weaker human forms. Pinned down on the tree line, they trip over bodies that litter the space in between. For the entirety of the night, the pair watched the attempted conquering of the Ziduri walls. 

Only to watch the lycans fail time and time again. It was what Alpha had feared; lycan soldiers could not scale these walls unscathed. 

As the sun begins to rise on the slaughter of a failed attempt, the pillars for the execution are rolled out, causing Haryek's eyes to widen.

"Oh shit. They're not stopping!!" He shoves the doors back open with Loan hot on his heels as they race down the stairs. The sound of the ceremonial drums blocks out all else as it echoes through the hallways in a roar of victory.  Shoving through people, Haryek fights desperately to get to the front. 

Taryek's voice rings proudly as the drums lower to a hum. "Today is the day we stand against treason!" 

"What are we going to do? We aren't in position!" Loan hisses, rubbing his eyes, exhausted from watching the sorry excuse for a battle for most of the night. 

"Today is the day we show them they are not like us!" Taryek thunders.

"We have to do something. We can't just let him die." Haryek responds sharply.

"Today is the day we separate the men from the dogs! They want to stop us; they may have blocked our friends, burned our city, and killed our brothers, but they will not stop this alliance! They will not stop justice from being upheld!" 

The crowd claps in approval as Taryek draws his sword, pointing the blade at the sun.

"Haryek get up there!!" Loan pleads as the Elf Prince breaks away, frantically trying to get to his father.

"We will no longer live in fear of our way of life being jeopardized by ungrateful servants. We will no longer live in fear of this pathetic excuse for an uprising. We are the masters; we hold the control, and let this be an example for them! They do not frighten us! We will still burn this cause to the ground, starting with their leader!" 

The crowd claps as the gray-haired lycan is dragged towards the podium. His feet and wrists are chained, and a wooden collar around his neck connects him to poles that keep him at a safe distance from his handlers. He stumbles from fatigue, squinting in the sun and his matted-down hair.

The crowd boos, thundering obscenities. 

"Beast!" 
"Animal!!"
"Mutt!"

Behind him, they drag the aggressive female; only her wrists are chained as she fights against the restraints.

 "Today is a small payment for the suffering this lycan has caused us." 

They drag Verando up the steps. He trips and falls onto the wooden stage. They take the opportunity to remove his collar, hoisting him up onto the pillar. Only in a pair of undershorts, his marred body was available for all to see.

 Binding him facing the other post, his arms stretch above his head to secure to a ring at the top. 

The female is placed on the opposite pole in the same manner. Tears stream down her face as she screams at the crowd. "This is ridiculous! We are living beings, you fucking pricks!" She screeches, fighting against the restraints and letting out a defeated sob as the shackles bite painfully into her skin. She sags, craning her neck back, resting the crown of her head on the pole. 

"It's alright, Kitten." Verando tries to reassure her with a heavy sigh. "Don't waste your words on these sorry souls."

"For the crimes of treason against the Elvish nation, this court finds you, Verando Xaiver Mercer, guilty. For the crime of conspiracy against his Lordship, this court finds you, Verando Xaiver Mercer, guilty. For the crime of attempted murder on his Lordship, this court finds you, Verando Xaiver Mercer, guilty. You shall be burned at the post for these crimes until death." 

The crowd claps in approval as Haryek appears beside his father, clutching his arm to yank him to his side."Father, stop this. We are at war." He says shortly, keeping his voice low.

"Restrain him," Taryek roars, shoving the Prince firmly into a chair as the guard rests rough hands on his shoulders. "Do you find me a fool? We will decide what to do with you when the ceremony is over, but for now, sit down and watch your ally pay for his crimes. Pray, Haryek, that you do not meet the same fate." 

There is no mercy in the eyes of the Lordship as his eyes lock with deadly accuracy on the pair of damned lycans. "For the crimes of allying with an enemy of the Elvish nation, this court finds you, Marisol Mercer, guilty. You shall be burned at the post for these crimes until death." 

The crowd claps once more, and Marisol looks toward her gray-haired companion. "I love you, Randy." She sobs. 

"Just look at me, yeah? Nothing else. Keep your eyes on me," he tells her gently, meeting her misty gaze. "I'm going to get us out of this." It's a final lie; there would be no escaping this time.