The situation was dire.

Cage knew he shouldn't have let Kat take her clothes off, because the moment she did, he was lost. There was nothing he wanted more in the world than to make love to her then because she was finally his Kat again. Not the Ice Queen of Endir.

She moved like Kat, moaned like Kat, looked at him with love and desire, just like she used to aboard the Jolly Marauder before her powers switched from fire to ice and everything went to the depths of hells. And with the shift in her, he managed to feel like himself again, too. The man he'd been before Wolfbane had murdered Ferdinand before his very eyes.

But now, as he watched the woman sleeping in his arms, he had no idea who he was holding.

There was a flaw in the fairies' plan. Once he'd been thrown into the dungeon of his own castle, the magic negating properties of iron started chipping at his core. He'd resented it, cursed that he couldn't use his powers, until he realized that the effect went beyond silencing his ability to conjure lightning.

He raised his fist and sent a tendril of purple lightning around his forearm, just to make sure that he could now summon his magic again. He could, because he was away from the dungeon. Iron only worked when in close proximity to its magical target.

And yet... His heart was filled with warmth and love for her. For his Kat. Which meant only one thing.

The iron had either destroyed or temporarily disabled the alleged protection Cecille had cast on him. The hole in his chest was gone, and he felt fully in control of himself. What scared him was that it maybe wouldn't last. And he sure as hell couldn't afford to have iron upon him at all times and inhibit the rest of his magic.

Kat moaned and shifted next to him, tightening her arm around his chest. Out of reflex, he trailed his fingers on her skin towards her shoulder. It only made her cuddle up closer and his newly whole heart broke.

His love for her was no longer just a memory, but running through his veins like wildfire. If only there was a way to know for sure if she was back to being herself as well. Whatever Lucille had done to her was a lot more drastic than Cecille's poor attempt at a shield against his feelings, so he assumed it would be harder to break.

Could he afford to wait for her to wake up? But what if she did and those icy eyes stared at him? He imagined the magic twisted enough to have her accuse him of rape and there was no way in hell he was sticking around for that.

Which meant that he had to do something he would have never dreamed of doing to Kat. Get up and leave.

Pulling himself out from under her felt like tearing his skin off his bones, but he still did it. She continued to sleep, her face set in blissful oblivion. Even if it killed him to do this to his Kat, he couldn't risk waking up to the ice queen. Not when his entire kingdom was at stake. He dreaded to think what Edmund was facing right now, forced to choose between his brother and the kingdom.

As he put his clothes on, he mapped out the best way to get out of the castle. It wouldn't be easy, since he assumed that it was crawling with Endirian soldiers, but being stuck inside that building for so long had its perks. All he had to do was get to the lower floor undetected. There had been no guards there when Kat had pulled him out of the dungeon. Maybe he'd get lucky again.

Once he'd pulled on his boots, he stood and took in his surroundings. Had she picked this room again on purpose? Did she remember?

Something drew his attention to the vanity table. Resting on top of it were two items he hadn't seen in a very long time. The iron dagger he'd given her for protection and one of the notebooks with the golden covers they'd once used to communicate.

Without giving it too much thought, he grabbed both items. The dagger fit in the empty scabbard tied to his leg, but he had no place to conveniently stash the notebook. He wasn't sure exactly why he wanted to take it, since it was hers. After a few seconds of consideration, he placed it back on the table, tore a page out of it and left a note.

Then, he strode the door and took hold of the handle. Even if he knew it would tear him apart, he threw Kat one last glance. Whatever happened next, he wanted to remember her like this.

Careful to ensure the door made no sound, he slipped out into the dark hallway and shut it behind him. It made the tiniest click, definitely not enough to wake her.

"What, so you whored out to her now?"

Cage jumped so violently, he almost rammed his head against the door which would've been a tragedy.

"Oh, for the sake of all that is holy," he hissed, turning to face Jinx.

She leaned her back against the opposite wall, arms crossed over her chest, positively glaring at him.

"You didn't have to scare me like that."

"What the hell were you even doing in there?" She pushed herself off the wall.

"You know, I could ask you the same thing."

"I didn't take you as the type to sacrifice your integrity for an easy escape."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." He saw no point arguing that Kat might be back, at least temporarily, because Jinx was a questionable presence herself. He was still unsure whether he was caught or saved.

For a few moments, they just stared each other down until she finally lowered her eyes.

"I didn't abandon you." Her voice was meek. "I just..."

He raised his eyebrows. "Did what you thought was best for your country?"

"Yes. Which is why it shouldn't bother me that you're doing the same."

"Is this what's best for your country?" He waved his hand to indicate the castle as a whole.

Jinx didn't bother to acknowledge his barb. "Even if I left Endir years ago, I still grew up here, in abject poverty. With laws and traditions that humiliated its subjects. I always hoped it could get better. And after having to spend time with Kat, I thought I could help. Keep her accountable for what she was doing. She really has changed things, you know. A lot of abusive policies and discrimination."

"Just not as far as Iride is concerned," Cage deadpanned.

"Endir doesn't revolve around Iride, Cage," she said, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Then should I head straight for the dungeon?"

"No." Jinx sighed. "Kat could be what Endir needs to finally be a place worth living. But the real her, not the one possessed by Lucille."

This got his attention. "So she's truly possessed?" Had he just had sex with Lucille? The thought made him want to throw up, even if he hadn't eaten anything in a very long time. But it was impossible. It had been Kat. Her eyes, her skin, the way she moved.

"I would say heavily influenced. At least until whatever happened on the battlefield happened." Jinx bit her lower lip. "I was trying to bring her back to the forefront. Make her realize that she's being controlled."

That was actually a decent idea, but it had failed. Cage glanced over his shoulder. Or had it? Maybe this has been a result of Jinx's careful remarks and her influence.

"It didn't work," she said, as if him glancing over his shoulder meant he was checking for the result. "After what happened on the battlefield, I think it's fairly obvious."

"Did she use magic before that?"

She hesitated. "I don't think so, but I can't say for sure. I was not around her for most of the battle. Was Jazz..."

"I was nowhere near Jazz, so I don't know. But I'm confident he got out alright. It's hard to surprise him with anything." Time ticked by and his gaze moved past her and towards the window. It was still dark outside, but he couldn't tell for how much longer.

"Is he..." Her words trailed off before she could finish and Cage was glad, because he could safely ignore her. "You need to get out of here," she said. "The terms of Lucille's treaty are unreasonable. As long as you're captured, they can force Iride's hand."

"You know I wouldn't sign, no matter what she does." He narrowed her eyes. Was she switching sides again?

She let out a long breath. "That's true. I believe you wouldn't succumb to torture."

"But I'd rather avoid it. Do you know where my weapons are?"

"Follow me."

Even if it was his own castle, he did. Surprisingly enough, she led him across the landing and towards his old room. It was blissfully empty, and he found his weapons as well as his armor there.

"She ordered that no one step on the higher floors," Jinx said as if sensing his confusion.

"That's good, I guess."

"Leave your armor."

"I wasn't planning on taking it anyway." It would be too heavy and noisy, and since he had no more interdiction to use his magic, he didn't think he'd need it anyway. He just had to be very careful.

Something else caught his eye. The other golden notebook rested on his desk. It had been so long, he couldn't really remember where he'd left it. It was a stroke of luck it would be here and not in his study. He walked over and picked it up.

"We have no time for you to go down memory lane," Jinx hissed.

"I'm not." He stuck it in his vest, then picked up the nearest cloak. He'd always favored dark colors and it was now coming in handy.

She took him in and shook her head as if the sight was disappointing. "Just how am I going to hide you? You're the size of a mountain."

"You don't need to hide me. This is my castle. I know all the secret exits."

She perked up at the news and Cage led her out of his chambers, down the corridor, and towards the grand staircase. He wasn't sure how many of these passageways Kat had discovered while cleaning his castle, but he hoped she wouldn't remember them given the memory issues. And even if she did, maybe she wouldn't have had the foresight to place guards at the exits.

Once again, his heart seemed to convulse. It was so much harder to trick someone he was madly in love with, and yet, he wouldn't go back to being magically constrained for anything in the world.

"We need to get downstairs undetected," he whispered. "Afterwards, I know a short way into the castle grounds."

"We're going to need horses," Jinx said.

"I don't think we can get that lucky. We'll probably have to jump the fence."

"I don't like this."

He didn't like it much either, but at least the army was close by. He doubted that they'd retreated all the way to Valona, so they were probably just outside of Darkwood.

"Go downstairs and check for guards."

"Oh, right, thanks. I couldn't have figured that out myself." She rolled her eyes and crept down the stairs.

Cage crouched next to the banister. It was incredibly dark, and for one wild moment he wondered if Endirians had night vision. But since Jinx hissed his name, he guessed that they were simply not there. This felt like a huge oversight. Why would there be no guards? Was Kat that certain that he wouldn't escape? Though if she'd left him in the dungeon like she was supposed to, he definitely wouldn't be out here.

In through the kitchen and out through a narrow passage that tied the pantry to the water reservoir, it took the two of them a little over twenty minutes to be out into the grounds. The situation out there was very different. Endirian soldiers patrolled along the walls and they seemed to have taken over the stables and made it into some sort of garrison. It took a lot of self control not to try and rescue the poor horses.

"We don't have time for that," Jinx mumbled as if reading his mind. "Hope you have a secret exit out of the grounds, too."

"I usually just jumped the fence."

She analyzed the outer wall which was ten feet tall and topped by sharp spikes, and turned to glare at him. "You're joking."

"Nope. Let me show you."

They waited in the shadows of the armory for the patrol to move out of the way. Cage could hear noises from inside the building, and his heart clenched at the thought of Endirian soldiers manhandling his weapons collection. Even if he technically lived in Valona now, this castle had been his home for so long, it was hard to let go.

Muttering curses, as soon as the coast was clear, he climbed on the roof of the armory and used the extra height to grab onto the edge of the wall. In this particular section, a few of the spikes were missing, so there was room for purchase. He hoisted himself on top of the wall and let himself drop on the other side.

The moment his boots hit the snow, he realized his mistake.

"Hey, who goes there?" an Endirian guard called out.

Cage reached out his hand and used his magic to draw the guard near. The man's light eyes widened when he saw the king of Iride, but before he could open his mouth, Cage's fingers wrapped around his neck and squeezed hard enough to trap in any potential words. With a swift punch to the gut, the man fell unconscious.

"Great job, your Majesty," Jinx hissed. She was still on top of the fence, but jumped next to him, landing without a sound.

"Maybe if you shared the security plans with me..."

"They never trusted me, you know." She sounded subdued now. "Only Kat did."

"Kat?"

"Yes. While spending time with her, I could tell there were times when she was more like herself. Just like there were times when she seemed to be a completely different person."

"Like when she froze our army?"

Jinx just nodded and hugged herself, as if the memory bought her as much anguish as it did him.

"So what is this now? Turning sides again? You're aware that they will mark you a traitor."

"I already am one. " Her gaze was filled with regret. "I just wish I had more sense than to betray you."

"I can't say I took it as betrayal, especially since you turned out to be useful. Jazz on the other hand..."

Jinx didn't comment and he almost felt bad for pointing it out, but she needed to brace herself. Seeing him again wouldn't be easy.

"We should move," she said.

In silence, the two of them walked away from the wall, keeping to the darkest shadows of the trees. In the distance, wolves howled, and out of reflex, he strained his hearing for the cry of the Cusith. Not before long, the buildings of Darkwood came into view. They kept to the safety of the trees, surveying the guards. From the distance, Cage couldn't tell if any townsfolk were out and about, even if it was before the crack of dawn. A part of him was curious to see if his subjects had accepted Endirian rule or were silently rioting. As if guessing his thoughts, Jinx nudged him and the two of them continued.

"There will be guards stationed on the new border," she whispered.

"They've been here for a day. They don't know these woods as well as I do."

His secret path through the trees brought him closer to Kat's house than he would have liked, but it was the safest way to skirt around town. Between the bare branches, he could spot the faded blue walls. The last time he'd been there, it had been winter as well.

It had nearly been a year. How had his life changed so much so fast? A year ago today, he was still cursed, doing his best not to murder anyone else. His bones broke, he grew fangs, and yet, everything was so much simpler.

Now he was the king of the remaining half of Iride, running like a thief in the night.

The sounds of movement slithered through the trees. Cage halted and stuck his back against a thick trunk. Jinx crouched next to him, a frown on her face.

"Who goes there?"

The voice was familiar and despised. The good news was they were Iridian. The bad news? It was Donnie of Royce, the fumbling idiot. It was best to leave him out of this.

"We see you behind that tree," came another voice, this one unfamiliar.

"They don't see shit," Jinx muttered between her teeth.

"We're not going to hurt you." Another familiar voice, this one potent enough to both terrify and calm him down.

Keleigh. Why was she with that incompetent doofus? It was the curiosity as well as his desire to protect Joey's former flame that had him stepping out, hands raised.

"What are you doing?" Jinx whisper-yelled.

"Keleigh, what are you doing with them?"

The group of around ten townsfolk gawped at him like fish out of water. Keleigh was the first one to snap out of the shock.

"Cage. You... You got out?"

"You didn't answer my question."

A torch caught flame and sent traitorous shadows among the trees. The man who'd lit it raised it above his head with a trembling hand to get a better look.

"Your Majesty? We thought you were dead."

"Are you sure it's him?" Donnie asked, his voice filled with suspicion. "Maybe this is a magical trick meant to lower our defenses."

"Good thinking, you simpleton, but no, it's me. I am obviously not dead." And Cage couldn't believe times had changed enough for dimwitted suppositions like that to carry any weight. "Now would someone please answer my question?"

"We're out hunting Endirians," one of the men said, puffing up his chest.

Cage fought the urge to ask him why he wasn't in the army, since he seemed the appropriate age, if he wanted to hunt Endirians. "Haven't they set out a defensive perimeter?"

"Well, yes," the same man said, seeming confused about the relevance of the question.

Ugh, he had to make this slow and obvious. "Because if they have, then the soldiers will be there."

"It's not about that." Keleigh shook her head, and at that moment, despite the fact that she was the smallest there, it became apparent that she was the leader. "Some of the soldiers have taken to less than honorable activities. We're just weeding them out."

Why wasn't he surprised? Apparently Kat was as good at keeping her army in check as he was. Not at all.

"That sounds like a good reason to hunt people. I'd gladly help you, but I need to get back to the army."

"They're no longer here," she said, shaking her head.

"What do you mean they're not here?" Jinx decided it was time to join the party.

The moment they saw her, the townsfolk pointed their weapons at her.

"Endirian," one of the men hissed.

"She's with me, actually." Cage sidestep to cover Jinx at least partially.

She didn't seem to care about the minor detail of being threatened. "Where is the army?"

Everyone looked at him, and when he nodded, one of the men said, "They went back to Valona. It's been... Mayhem. Folks are scared. Even soldiers are scared. No one wants to die frozen."

Cage fought the impulse to groan. He could understand that. He could also understand Harikss' strategy to let his men step away from the frontline and give them some peace and quiet, unless it was outright betrayal. It was just horribly inconvenient. Unless...

He could get to Valona covert. His appearance out of thin air would improve morale and then leaving these people to the mercy of the Endirian army wouldn't be so cruel. This way, he'd also make sure that Harkiss hadn't just abandoned the kingdom and was looking to overthrow Edmund. He could work with this just like he'd learned to work with anything during his miserable life.

"I will be heading to Valona. Please don't tell anyone that you've seen me."

"Why not?" one of the men asked, sounding outraged.

"Because I want to surprise everyone. Trust me." He glanced at Keleigh. "I have a plan."

For a few moments, they just stared at each other. This was a test, because Keleigh never trusted him. But this time, she gave a curt nod.

"Let's go, folks. Nothing to see here." And they all turned around and headed back towards town.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jinx asked. "It will be very hard to get to Valona unnoticed."

"Trust me, I know how to get to Valone without drawing attention. I've been doing it my whole life. And it's about time we put our beloved general to the test."

"We'll need horses for that," she pointed out. "Or it would take us weeks to get there."

"I thought you might say that." Even if she'd just left, Keleigh reappeared holding the reins to two chestnut stallions. "You need to get there fast," she said. "Morale is crumbling. It's the reason we're out hunting in the first place."

"Thanks so much, Keleigh." He mounted the horse and tested the reins. It appeared to be a very good mount. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

She shook her head. "My place is here. You go do your thing. And if there's any chance to save Kat..."

"Don't worry. I'll take it. Thank you for your help."

"And tell Joey to stop being pouty," she added with a small smile.

Cage grinned back, and he waved at her before he and Jinx disappeared into the night.

⚜⚜⚜

Cage has escaped! And he's off to see what General Harkiss is up to. Fortunately, there might be no betrayal. But with Jazz gone and Edmund all alone...

I'm sure Kat will really like waking up to an empty bed. And that Jinx and Jazz will have a very fluffy reunion. Oh, wait...

Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying the story!