The room echoed with the shrill clang of a hammer striking metal. Though a normal person would have winced from the sharpness of the noise, Gabriel had grown accustomed to piercing sounds. He had worked with metal and loud sounds since he was fifteen, when he started helping his father, who was the previous blacksmith of Ariel. Gabriel's father was the only family he remembered, and unfortunately he had passed away some time ago. The sword Gabriel was repairing was the one his father had crafted for him, even though Gabriel had only been seven when it was given to him. 

Gabriel hadn't picked up the sword in far too long. It had been stored in a back room, with many other weapons, for several years. Though Gabriel had been taught swordsmanship when he was young, he hadn't touched a sword since he started working under his father. 

If his father was still around, Gabriel would have explained that he was repairing the sword from a mishap during a training exercise. His father had been a stern, rough man - still kind and loving, but in his own gruff and sarcastic way. He wouldn't have liked to find out that Gabriel had bent the sword by accidentally dropping tons of other weapons on top of it.

Thankfully, it now looked as good as new. Gabriel leaned back and pushed his safety goggles to the top of his head, placing his gloved hand on his hip. As he laid the hammer on the table to his right, he tilted his head down at his work, smirking at himself. It looked as if nothing had ever happened to it, and Gabriel hoped to keep it that way. 

Nodding in satisfaction at his handiwork, Gabriel stepped back and pulled the thick, protective gloves off his hands. He would have to wait until the metal cooled back down, even though he had no intentions of touching the blade. That had been his first mistake as a young teenager and new blacksmith - he'd picked up a weapon when it wasn't cool enough and somehow managed to burn his palm. His father had tended the raw burn, but all the while he was laughing.

Gabriel couldn't even remember how he did it, but he didn't plan on doing it again. 

Sighing, Gabriel wiped his hands on the pants of his overalls, turning around and glancing around the room. There were still several things to be crafted, including some of the projects he simply wanted to work on. When Gabriel wasn't busy, he usually found something to make out of boredom, and curiosity of what he could do. 

Just as he leaned down to pick up a large slab of metal, there was a sudden knock at the closed door. Startled, Gabriel shot up again, nearly causing his goggles to fly off his head. No one but the king and queen came to his workroom, and that was only because he was their friend. He'd known Ruby since they were both young children, even though he was six years younger than her. When Marcus had married Ruby, he'd immediately become fast friends with Gabriel too. 

"One second," Gabriel called, turning back to the tables and rows of metal and weapons. Although he knew he had grease and soot smudged on his face, he'd stopped caring several years ago how dirty he looked. 

Sliding his gloves back onto his hands, Gabriel spun toward the sword and picked it up carefully. When he hurried toward the back storage room, it hissed through the air with a satisfying swish, a sound that Gabriel had grown used to because of his sword training. 

After he had placed the sword back where it had rested for years, he rushed back into the main room and began picking up tools that were strewn across the tables and floor. While Gabriel was working, he didn't care what he did with the tools that he used. As long as the ones he needed were within reach, it didn't matter where the others were. Sometimes he would knock them to the floor and corners of the room, and then forget that they were there. 

"The door is open," Gabriel said over his shoulder as he threw several tools into a box in the corner of the room. "Just come in." It was clean enough, but whenever the king or queen was around, Gabriel almost felt complied to be busy with something.

The door opened, and Gabriel turned around in the act of taking off his gloves. He expected to see Ruby or Marcus - or both of them - standing in the doorway, with their friend Falte behind them. 

Though Marcus and Ruby were both present, Gabriel was not expecting to see a girl with them. 

The woman was tall, a few inches taller than Gabriel and several inches taller than Ruby, with mahogany hair and big, brown eyes. Her skin was tan and freckled, her cheeks rosy and round. She was slightly chubby, but this didn't hide the fact that she was obviously a strong young woman. Her brown hair was twined in a thick braid that ran down her left shoulder, and she was wearing a worn-out shirt and dark pants that were tucked into practical boots. When her eyes found Gabriel, she tilted her head with a curious and polite smile. 

Gabriel immediately knew that something was up, and not just the fact that this woman was obviously new around here. The moment Gabriel saw her, something in his stomach twisted like a bent piece of metal. What was that about?

"Oh," Gabriel made himself say in a curious tone, raising his eyebrows up at the newcomer. He dipped his head shortly at the king and queen, knowing that he wasn't required to bow or do anything fancy. "Your Majesties. I didn't know you would have a guest. If I did, I probably would have cleaned up a bit more."

He gestured briefly around the room, which was still quite untidy, as he tugged his other glove off and laid it on the nearest table.

Ruby and Marcus chuckled slightly, but before either of them could speak, the young woman spoke kindly.

"No, no," she said with a smile, waving her hands a bit. "It's all right. I don't mind." Her voice was smooth, not too high-pitched and not too low. Gabriel could tell just by the sound of her voice that she was sweet woman. 

"I don't think anyone in Ariel does, Gabriel," Marcus said with a short laugh. "For one, hardly anyone but you comes in here. For another, it's a blacksmith's workshop. I don't know what people would expect."

Gabriel shrugged with a small smirk. "I guess you're right. Still, I don't want anyone walking in and spraining their ankles on littered tools." He leaned down and picked up a wrench that was near his foot, one that he must have missed in his hurry. 

Ruby smiled at him, her green eyes friendly and calm, as usual. "Sorry for the sudden intrusion," she said formally and apologetically. 

"Eh, it's no problem," Gabriel said over his shoulder as he laid the wrench in a toolbox. "Is there something you needed? Also, who's the new girl?" 

Gabriel was often told that he was incredibly blunt, and sometimes it could be seen as rude or flippant; but he didn't really care. The only times he needed to keep it subtle was when the royalty was around, but they were used to it by now. Their previous blacksmith had been the same way - somewhat worse, actually. 

"She's actually what we're going to discuss," said Marcus, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning on the nearest table. He was comfortable enough around Gabriel to let down his "formal masquerade". 

"Oh?" Gabriel said, arching an eyebrow at the woman, whose smile hadn't left. 

"She just moved here," Ruby explained with a soft smile in the young brunette's direction, "and she's looking for a job. She proved that she's hardworking and strong, which led me to suggest a job as the blacksmith's assistant. You already seem like you require a helping hand," she added with a light chuckle, gesturing to the unfinished slabs of armor lined up on the wall. 

Gabriel laughed nervously, then tilted his head up at the woman. "You think you could handle working here?" he asked, hoping it didn't sound rude or anything. Someone had offered to work for him before, and though the young boy had had spirit, he hadn't been careful or patient enough. 

Thankfully, the girl nodded with a confident grin. "If you need help, I'm pretty sure I'm plenty capable of assisting you. Besides, I like crafting things. It gives me something to do."

Gabriel felt a smile work its way onto his face. "So you feel the same way, then," he said curiously. "Why don't you try helping for out for today, and we'll see how it goes?" 

The girl beamed wider and nodded again. "Sounds good. I'm Rachel, by the way." 

Rachel, Gabriel thought to himself, unconsciously making sure to remember that name even if she didn't end up working for him. 

"Gabriel," he said in return. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rachel."

~

The dream slowly faded away as Gabriel gradually woke, wearily opening his eyes and rolling onto his back. For a reason unbeknownst to him, the first time he'd met Rachel had been a reoccurring dream for almost two months now. Every other night, he would dream that he met her all over again, or he would dream of their growing friendship before they shared their feelings for each other. Gabriel figured that he just missed his girlfriend, who he hadn't seen in an unbearable five months. 

He had no idea where she had been taken, but he wanted to break out of his cell and find out, just to see her again. Just to hold her hand again, just to touch her face again. That was how badly he missed her. If he could just get one minute with her, he would be satisfied. 

But of course, he could barely see out of his own cell. When he had been taken away from the only people he had ever known, the only friends he'd had, the Darks had thrown him mercilessly into a solitary cell. He was used to being by himself - he'd had to live alone for five years after his father had passed away when he was twenty-seven. 

It was the fact that he was chained securely to the wall that he hated. He could barely move four feet away from the back wall, and when he went as far as he could, he had to either be facing backward or have his arms pulled painfully behind him. 

On top of that, there was nothing for him to tinker with. Even when he wasn't working on weapons, armor, or tools, Gabriel would usually have something in his pocket that he could simply toy around with. His hands usually had to be moving, or he would get restless and annoyed. 

So for five months, he had been tired, irritated, and hungry - and he was pretty sure there was no escaping his horrible predicament. 

Gabriel sat up and sighed, his chains scraping across the floor from his movement. He still hadn't broken the habit of reaching up to touch his head - sometimes he'd fall asleep with his safety goggles on without realizing they were still there - and he frowned ruefully as he began to lift his hand. 

Sighing again, Gabriel let his hand drop to his lap, but he jerked it back up again when the metal chain struck his leg painfully. Groaning in annoyance, Gabriel gently twisted the clamp around so the part that connect to the chain didn't press against him. No matter how carefully he twisted the clamp, it always rubbed his wrists raw in fiery pain. 

Harsh, sudden coughing from a few cells down made Gabriel's stomach twist. Though he was alone in his cell, he was near to one of his friends - but not close enough to see him. The two of them could only call back and forth to each other helplessly, but there wasn't much to talk about. 

Except for the fact that Aaron was growing worse, especially because he didn't have access to his medication and he was being treated poorly. 

When Aaron's coughing fit slowly died away, Gabriel leaned forward as far as he could without hurting himself so that his voice would carry across the hall. "Aaron? Are you all right?" 

There was a long, concerning pause before Aaron responded, but eventually he spoke. "As all right as I can be," was his gruff, scratchy answer. His rumbling voice was weak and cracked from all the jarring coughing, and Gabriel didn't doubt that the former king was sick. He just hoped that he was wrong.

"Do you know what time it is?" Gabriel asked, trying to make conversation while actually wondering what time of day it was. 

"Sometime in the afternoon," Aaron replied shortly. 

"Have you been given any food yet?" asked Gabriel, allowing some of his concern to slip through his voice. Even though the food wasn't very enjoyable, it was essential. 

"No." 

Gabriel frowned in annoyance, though he knew Aaron couldn't see him. He sighed and leaned back again, knowing that the tired, reclusive king wouldn't try to find things to converse about. Aaron preferred silence, and Gabriel made sure to respect that. 

But what if, one morning, Gabriel woke up and the former king was too silent?

~

I didn't really know what to do with this chapter, I'll be honest

I was just trying to keep the first few chapters in the same perspective as they were in United

And Gabriel was next, so

But I got somewhere!

I gave y'all a memory, and the introduction of Rachel!

Yes, it was TOTALLY love at first sight. It was not a gradual thing. 

DUH.

BUT GUYS

THE ANGST IN THIS BOOK IS KILLING ME, AND I'M THE AUTHOR-

Anyways, thanks for reading!!

P3ac3!!!~~~