Author's Note

*Last we knew, Kaladin had just assassinated Danak's father, and Samson has run off to hunt down Sebastian. *

Sebastian's POV

The slightly distorted image of a white Vann-Hest ripples in the puddle that I lean over, causing me to sneer. Maybe I'll be able to take care of its rider if I wait for them to catch up to me. The angle shifts to allow me to glimps a better picture of the dark Prince who sits astride the beast, straining to keep a strong hand over the animal beneath him. It would be easy... he is far too distracted by the Vann Hest, who is always moving, dancing, looking for a chance to overtake his master. Containing so much power is much harder than the Princess of Nordic makes it appear to be. My face drops, however, when the picture changes to show four others that accompany the man, one of which is a familiar brute with a great, ginger colored beard. Claudius- I should have guessed that Aizen would send his best to join in the manhunt. If both Samson and Claudius are together, I stand no chance of fighting them on my own. Not without a good strategy. 

I let out a small sigh of relief as I scan the remaining companions in the group. There is only the Captain of the Prince's Guard, who dwarfs his mount, making it appear to be the pony of some child, and a smaller, less threatening looking boy beside him, who sits tall and elegantly in his saddle. All members of the party are armed and canter ceaselessly through the trails, on their way towards me, the fox of their hunt. They've brought a hound with them, which could stand to be troublesome for me. I observe the tall, grey dog that lopes just in front of Samson's white beast, so intently sniffing every scent that she can that she becomes oblivious to the predator who fights to take a bite of her. She raises her snout to the wind every few beats to stay on my trail, having long since caught my scent. The white hairs on her muzzle suggest that she is a seasoned tracker who will not be easy to shake. 

It doesn't look like that blue-eyed Guardsmen of the Princess is in their company, a good thing for me. He unsettled me from the very beginning, giving off such a dangerous, intense presence as he watched my every move. Luke, or so he called himself, was the reason that I was never able to get as close to the Princess as Aizen wanted me to. The tall, dark man always seemed to be just behind her like a shadow, daring me to try something. Even when he was off-duty he watched me, following to make sure that I stayed out of trouble and out of Lyra's personal affairs. He never once spoke or moved to hurt me, but he had no need to. If I tried anything with the Princess, he would slay me where I stood. He made certain that this fact was common knowledge with just the malicious glint in his eyes. I stood half a chance before he joined the Guard, especially since I worked so tirelessly to have her Captain and two other Guardsmen taken out of the equation. Certain men in certain cities will do anything for a sack containing a certain amount of gold coins, and kidnapping three grown men was no exception, even if those men belonged to the Crown.

Lucan knew about me somehow. He knew that my intentions went far beyond the job that King Aizen had paid me to do. He was aware, without a doubt, that I was only truly loyal to my first employer, The King of Whales. The benefits and privileges that he offered me were a much greater splendor than what the Princess' father did. Besides, whereas I did find some interest in spying on Lady Lyra to see why so many people wish her dead, I took a better liking to the job that The King of Whales had wanted me to do, which was far more exciting than shadowing a child. Finding out how big a threat she was and killing her if it was appropriate seemed like more fun to me. That drastic action would have been more than suitable, I witnessed within a few day of being in her company. I would have taken her life and been done with it if it wasn't for that silent guardian of hers. 

I could sense the knowledge that he had, not only about me, but about every person that was ever in the same room as Princess Lyra. He seemed to know something about everyone that no one else did. He knew who's intentions were bad towards her and who was dangerous to her welfare. He has to be an assassin with the skills that he possesses, though he apparently wasn't against Lyra's well-being, because she is still breathing air. Instead, he is protecting her. Though Danak was the exception to his tight rein- Luke expected the Princess to be able to defend herself against his assault, but she hadn't. I witnessed her capability in the training room early on, and that was only part of what made the dainty, yet amazingly strong, woman a threat to the King of Whales. If I had been able to assassinate her, I would have done two  greatly pleasing deeds for the King of Whales; I would have rid him of a pesky danger, as well as ruined the happiness of his son. I care nothing of those affairs, however, other than how much gold would be rewarded.

Still, that demon of a man kept her safe from far more things than the Princess knows about, and I can't help but wonder how such a girl had been able to earn the favor of a man such as Luke. However Lyra did it, she is now under the assassin's protection and it is infuriating.  Underneath his thumb, it was nearly impossible to get the job of Danak done, but luckily, Luke had been with the Princess the whole time that the incident took place, so he couldn't have stopped me then. Frankly, I am surprised that he isn't the one to come after me now.

I make a noise at the back of my throat and stand, waving a hand over the puddle, causing the images to disappear. I've seen all that will be of use to me. I stride for my stolen mount and think about what I should do about this encounter with the Prince and his group. Samson will be upon me within the hour if I stay still. Do I continue to move?  The King may not be pleased if I slay his son, though he may not be bothered by it at all. In his eyes, I would likely be doing him a favor by ridding him of the heir that wishes to overthrow him. I smile with satisfaction  as I take up my horse's reins, the decision made. If I can surprise the group, I have a chance at taking the Prince down, and if I can manage that, there will undoubtedly be much favor bestowed upon me by the King of Whales.

With this in mind and a mischievous smile on my lips, I lead my pilfered horse across a creek that flows lazily through the woods, making sure to leave an obvious trail for the Prince to follow.  Come and find me, boy I think as I kick the leaves on the ground and step on every stick I can find.

-

Prince Samson's POV

I told Lyra that I would make it back to her. That I would settle this soon so that she wouldn't have to worry anymore. But when an arrow comes flying out from the treeline, I think that I may have to break that promise to her. Luckily, Thomas' inhuman reflexes  come in handy, not for the first time since he has been in my service, and he knocks the airborne weapon away with the blade of his sword, throwing it off-balance. He had casually rode up beside me only moments before to voice a concern of his, alerting me to the tense feeling he had begun to get in his gut. Now, Thomas may not be the most intellectual person that I know, but I have yet to see his instincts lead us astray. I thank the Heavens for that now.

Claudius, who is ever quick to catch on to the situation returns fire with his pre-strung bow. Unable to clearly see his target, however, he misses the first shot and is bright enough to ceasefire until he has an actual visual. While the assailant is occupied, Titus wastes no time in dismounting from his steed and making haste, disappears into the foliage around us, hopefully quicker than our attacker's eyes can follow while distracted by the rest of the motion that occurs. I just barely take note of the gray hound as she tears off behind him, perhaps seeking his calm companionship in the chaos. 

Dazarias stands in a half-rear, porcelain ears pressed flat against his neck as he strains to chase the dog. I yank the metal in his mouth hard against his tongue and his ears disappear into his thick mane as he claws once at the air, prepared to fight the restraint and looking for a chance to throw me. I take one handful of the pale hair to keep my seat, eyes still trained on the commotion. By the amount of shots that were fired, I think it is safe to say that there is only one assailant, and it is probable that this person could be Sebastian. If it is, we are in luck, because we needn't chase him any farther than this.

Dazarias backs a pace and a half before landing on the ground again, snorting with rage. He screams an angry argument into my mind, but I beat his noise back until he is quieted with another rebellious tug on the bit. "Show yourself!" I call into the trees, listening to the silent reply. Whoever the attacker is, they do not plan on making themselves known. 

A noise similar to a stick being broken sounds in the woods behind us, causing Dazarias to flick an ear back towards it. Is that Titus? Or possibly his mount, who, once abandoned, had run with a buck back the way we had come? I turn to look, but see nothing but the shadows gaping back. The sun has begun to fall, steadily throwing deep purples and blues every which way. Suddenly everything looks like a phantom and every forest noise is as unsettling as a scream. Titus, make haste, I pray.

As if in response, the sharp yelp of a dog in pain shatters the stillness of the evening. Not a moment later, the call of a startled man follows and a gray splotch streaks out of the trees to our right. Amelia, the hunting hound that I borrowed from Aizen, doesn't stop for us as she rushes past, crying, with an arrow sticking out of her rump. I have no way of helping her as Dazarias lunges, other than to yank his head to my foot to stop his advance, just saving the tip of her long tail from being bitten off. I have to kick him in the face to keep my toes from being torn off, feeling awful as I drive a heel into his side. He leaps into an choppy trot and I turn him in tight circles in attempts to gain control over him. His alabaster ears are pinned and he makes the worst gurgling sounding growl deep within his throat. I will be lucky if he does not attempt to kill me the next time he has even a hint of a chance. 

There is another yell from within the trees and something else shoots out from the shadows, this time much smaller and accompanied by a hissing sort of whistle, the sort that you hear right before a connection. I only realize what the object is far too late for a proper reaction.

Without Thomas near enough to prevent it, an arrow tears through my shirt and pierces my shoulder, nearly knocking me from Dazarias' back. As soon as I slacken the grip on the reins, he tosses his head, snatches the iron bit between his teeth and lunges forward, bucking and kicking until I become dislodged from my seat and I am certain that I am going to be torn apart by my own Vann-Hest. 

I land on the ground with a thump hard enough to rattle my teeth, biting my tongue in the process and coming dangerously close to cracking my skull against an uncomfortably near tree trunk. I taste blood as I stare up at Dazarias. He pounds ahead several beats, and I think for a moment that he may just keep going. But before long, he skirts around a tree and charges straight back towards me, murder glinting in his black eyes. He is a complete predator and looks like the devil himself, ears pinned and mouth open in a horrible grin, showing off the rows of razor sharp teeth. His nostrils flair open so wide that I can see the red inside of them and he lets out a terrifying death scream. I'm going to die, I think, with bone-chilling certainty. I couldn't move if I tried. I am never going to see Lyra again.

But then I am hauled to my feet by my armpits and swung around until I am out of reach of the fuming Vann-Hest. By the time I am finally able to realize what had happened, I am clutching my arm and watching with wide eyes as Thomas narrowly avoids being trampled to death by sharp hooves and tumbles out of reach of snatching jaws. I watch numbly as Dazarias tears off through the forest, tail snapping, in the direction of the bleeding deer hound. Apparently she makes an easier meal for him, and a much more interesting one. They enjoy prey that runs from them, especially the ones who are also terrified and bleeding.

 My heart is pounding so hard in my chest that it is physically painful and the only thing that I can hear is my blood like drums in my ears as Dazarias dissapears into the night. I swallow, forgetting that my mouth is bleeding until I choke on the thickness of my own saliva. Thomas kneels next to me, placing a hand on my good shoulder as he judges the severity of my wounds. Apparently not finding anything life-threatening, he stops and lowers his head. "My Prince, please forgive me," He says, voice gruff and eyes lowered. "I allowed you to be placed in the path of danger." 

It isn't until I look down that I realize the arrow had grazed me deeply, but not stuck into my skin. I shake my head slowly, because I now realize just how much pain I am in, and spit the blood from my mouth."Thomas," I say slowly, tongue burning sharply with the movement of words in my mouth. "You have saved my life. There is nothing to apologize for." I grunt and push myself to my feet, using Thomas' shoulder as and aid and feeling very grateful to be alive. I know how much worse my situation could have been if my Captain wasn't here with me. "Thank you," I breathe, to Thomas and to God. Once I am able to re-foucus in on the surroundings, I realize that everything around us is very quiet and it deeply unsettles me. 

Where have Titus and Claudius gone? What happened in the last few moments to make it go so still? 

"Oi!" A voice calls to get our attention, shattering the stillness. There is the crashing of someone walking through the trees towards us, and Thomas moves to stand between me and the noise. "Did someone lose a couple of idiots?" 

Through the fading sun, a shock of red hair come into view, much too deep a color to belong to Claudius. I do spot his bulky frame shortly after, though, supporting another, limping figure with his arm. 

I recognize the confident lope of the red-headed woman, and match the gruff accent to the permanently scowling  face. It is the female mercenary that Lyra was with when I found her. She is the one who had shot two men in the throat without blinking. She is someone to keep a wary eye on, for certain, even if Lyra did trust her.  

I raise my good arm a bit to lightly touch Thomas' shoulder. "It's alright, I know her." I assure him, though he only grunts without moving far from my side. Clearly, he doesn't trust her, or the goofy looking boy who grins beside her. 

The two are obviously related and judging by the way the red haired woman lets him get as close to her as he is without snapping her teeth at him, that they must be relatively close. If these two from the group of mercenaries are here, then is Jeddeadiah around, as well? I remember Luke talking to him heatedly before sending him away, but I didn't know what happened after that. Perhaps he is out here with his friends. 

"What are the two of you doing here? Where is the assailant?" I question as they come within speaking distance. I don't think I have the energy to yell at the moment, and even speaking softly is painful. 

The woman plays absently with a knife in one hand, while the other rests on the shaft of a bow and arrow. "Sebastian the Snake? Eh, I killed him," She says casually, shrugging a shoulder and glancing back at Titus, who was the figure being supported by Claudius. Apparently when things got chaotic, he decided to take off towards Titus in attempts to aid him. 

The female mercenary pauses her knife tossing to point the end of it at Titus before continuing. "This idiot belong to you? I found him toyin' with the Snake. He shoulda just killed him quick, instead of messin' around. Wouldn't have twisted his ankle if he was paying attention."

I stare at her a moment, then look behind her at Titus. He looks ashamed and doesn't meet my gaze, pushing off of Claudius and refusing any further help from him. He awkwardly clears his throat. "My Prince, forgive me."

I spit blood and grip my shoulder tightly. "There is nothing to forgive," I speak slowly due to the pain of my tongue. "Are you alright?" 

Titus looks up then, amazement dawning on his face. "You are the one who is wounded, yet you ask me if I am hurt? If not for my mistake, you would not be in such pain. Are you alright?" 

Thomas grunts and tears off the hem of his shirt, then waits patently for me to notice him and to give permission for him to have my arm. I give it to him, unable to mask the pain it causes me when he pulls the cloth tightly. "Forgive me." He mutters, apologizing for the agony. 

"Of course I am," I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment. "Thank you for saving my man." I add, meeting the gaze of the lady mercenary. 

She raises her brow and spits. "We were on our way back to Nordic. I wasn't going to stop for him- It was Jed who insisted on it."

Now I raise an eyebrow, looking around for the familiar face. "Where is he, then?" 

The woman doesn't respond, just nods her head behind me to direct my attention. I turn and look. Coming slowly through the trees is a horse and a rider who is struggling to hold a white beast by a rope. As they get closer, I recognize the blob on the back of the horse as Jed, bravely and cautiously leading an unhappy Dazarias with red stains on his face. It looks like he found Amelia, after all. 

He is too busy with keeping an eye on my Vann-Hest to meet my gaze, so I go to him. Dazarias is still angry, though lulled slightly by the fresh of taste blood and the feeling of a full belly. I feel sick as I press my mind into his, beating down any feelings of rebellion he may feel. He lets them go easily enough, and I take his reins from Jed, eyes never leaving Dazarias. I do not trust him at all after today, after he tried to kill me. 

"Thank you." I say, voice soft. I need to spit again, so I turn my head to do so away from Dazarias. I do not want to rile him up any more than he already is. 

"I didn't do it for you." Jed says, finally feeling secure enough to turn his eyes from Dazarias momentarily. His voice is firm as he levels me with his gaze as Hamais shifts his weight beneath him. "I did it for Titus." But as I look back at him, I see what he doesn't add onto his sentance. It shimmers in his eyes like the harsh glint of broken glass.

And for Lyra.

-

A/N

Guys,

I love you. It's probably hard to tell, between the standstill of updates and the mediocre, unedited chapter I've just thrown at you like a cream pie at a clown, but it's true.

Maybe it's been so long because I lost motivation, even with you poor Nuggets tossing cherry bombs of update requests at me until I couldn't take the guilt... So, I decided to destract myself from writing with my new job, Yuri!!! On Ice (An absolutely FANTASTIC anime series that I highly reccomend watching), learning Russian and stuffing my face with Bananas Foster Brioche French Toast to the point of impressing my waitress with how much my tiny 120 pound self can pack away. (She was proud.) Memes and Tumblr are so distracting.  And so are character ideas for books that I'll never write. Oh, and Thanks Giving is tomorrow! Excitement. On the brightside, my dogs love me more than ever! They're such good puppers.

But anyway, I did it. I'm not proud of the gross sloppiness or the embarrassing amount of time it took for me to spit this absolute atrocity out, but I did it. I can honestly say though, that, for the moment, at least, I have zero percent motivation to go through this chapter to revise and edit it before posting. I'm really sorry, because it feels like I'm totally disrespecting you guys. I've made you wait this long, then all I have to offer you is this slop. I swear it, I really do love you Nuggets... I'm just so very lazy. I will definitley get to fixing this whole gosh darn book someday.

Oh! I just remembered that I would tell you guys what happened with college, yeah? Well, I'm no longer enrolled in any school, and am working now, instead. I'm not sure if I'm going to try continuing next year or not... I know, I know. I really, really should. And I probably will. Don't be like Senpai. Go to school and make good marks! Get degrees so you can be qualified to get good jobs and make a good income! You can do it! Aspire to be so much more than me, because you most certainly can be and likely already are! Go, you, awesome Nuggets, go! I'm rooting for you. :)

Anywho, I adore you guys. Look at you, sweet Nugget, still reading this! Thank you for caring about me and what I have to say in the Author's Notes! *Hugs*. You're my favorite Nugget... Just don't tell the others.
Hopefully I won't be so dormant this time between updates. Love y'all. Ask questions, add your commentary, eat some pie and be thankful! I'll get back to any directly asked questions soon... hopefully. If I don't (or you just feel like it), shoot me a message and I'll be bound to notice it! (Prooobably within a few days.)

Senpai loves her Nuggets. Keep living the Nug life and be good, gracious creatures!

XOXO, my Precious darlings,

-A.