Not even the birds offered their songs as soundtrack to their sombre parade.

Whereas before they had been aware of what would meet them on reaching their destination, it had given them at least some certainty. This time, the group were in the dark, even if they were on their way home.

It left them in terror, even if it was well masked for the sake of their dignity in front of the people who yesterday had been their enemy. Anyone with half a brain could have caught it on the air, they were petrified.

Yet they continued, in spite of every bubbling emotion, capable of being sliced with a knife.

Again bound by the wrists, and this time grateful for it. Knowing full well had they not been there, he wasn't sure if he would have been able to keep himself from killing far too many people.

There has been enough death, Charlie thought. As though convincing himself to think of anything else, other then the burning around his wrists. It allowed him to hold it together enough, for the time being at least.

Fortunately though, this time he wouldn't have to make the journey on foot. Awarded a horse for everything he had done in the past few days. Every step made him ache, but the pain was less then it would have been on foot.

Robert in front of him, a guide for the horse and something for him to cling onto without the use of his hands. The jolts the journey sent through him, made him certain that every step taken would send him to the merciless ground.

Evie and Briar rode on either side of the pair, in an equally sober silence. Their eyes focused only on the woods in front of them and little else. As though they were certain every shadow would contain a new danger.

Danger had now been redefined, and Charlie was to be the poster child.

Charlie's eyes, by now growing lead like from exhaustion. He had half dozed off by the time that the horse beneath him suddenly stopped and he grunted. Slamming into Robert inadvertently, drawing a groan from the pair of them.

Jerked rudely from his nap, Charlie sat up with a growl. Looking around with a snarl he forgot about the bindings around his wrists. By the time he had realised what had happened, Charlie had half shifted and leapt to the ground.

They were home.

Landing with a thump, he didn't look anywhere but the great castle doors.

Barely noticing Robert dismounting behind him, he had eyes only for the window he knew lead to the hospital wing. He wasn't sure what he had expected to see, but there was nothing of note for him to see.

The more selfish part of him would have killed to find somewhere warm to lay his head and sleep for the rest of the week. There's a better chance of a blue moon rising, Charlie thought through drooping eyes.

Under the very silver moon, they made their way into the castle.

Everything was chaos on entrance into the palace, what felt like hundreds of people were buzzing around like bees in a hive. A number were chasing through the crowd, trying to find those most injured and in need of medicine, others were like excited children desperate to find out what was going on.

Managing to escape from the chaos, he had almost begun to set off in the direction of the hospital wing. When he saw a pair of people doing the same thing, but a few steps ahead of him. He paused, a growl drawing from his throat when he saw who it was.

King James, followed closely by Anthony.

And apparently he wasn't the only one who had noticed.

Robert was his shadow before Charlie had fully been able to process what he had seen.

From the look on his brother's face, not only did he know what was going on, he didn't like it.

"He's an idiot if he thinks it's going to work," Charlie caught the words muttered under Robert's breath only just. Glancing over at him through narrowed eyes, Charlie shuddered as he fought back the shift.

If he lost it, it would almost definitely kill Arthur in the process.

Not stopping to answer Charlie's unasked question, Robert was gone in the space of a second. Across the hall and up the stairs, leaving Charlie to follow in his wake. Charlie charged after him, pushing through the crowds and into the corridor up to the hospital wing.

By the time Charlie had caught up to Robert, he found his brother half pinning the witch against a wall.

Seemingly nonchalant by everything that had happened, the King stood to the side, arms crossed and eyes lit with something that was almost amused.

As Charlie reached the top of the stairs, he only just caught the end of what his father had said.

"Like it or not, I'm going to let him do this. It can be with or without your approval, I don't care."

Looking from his brother, to his father to the witch. Charlie didn't know how to phrase his questions, instead he waited to let the conversation play out. Part of him wanted to move ahead, to find Arthur and protect him from whatever was coming.

He never had the chance.

"By now I'd have thought that you would have learned to not play with the dark arts."

Whilst Robert didn't come clean and say it out loud, Charlie could guess who that was directed at. Subtlety had never been one of his brother's stronger points, and it was more obvious than ever in that moment.

Anyone else would have taken this as a low blow, but the King couldn't seem to care less.

At least not on the outside. Charlie could see the glint of something darker in his father's eyes.

But as soon as it was there, it was gone like a strike of lightning.

Yet the power that it had held in that second, resonated even after it was gone.

"This may be your brother's last chance at walking again," Anthony spoke at last. In a tone which took Charlie by surprise, it had not been the words that he had expected from a man Briar had described as a sadist. "It's worth a try."

It didn't instil Charlie with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Very much the opposite, as a growl rippled from the young wolf. A snarl echoing from his throat as he said, "You have to be kidding me." He said, fists clenched by his sides. Almost shaking from the fury.

Robert swore vehemently in turn, this was apparently his way of showing agreement.

The look Charlie received from the King was poisonous enough to kill an elephant.

"I will do everything I can to make sure he can walk again, I don't care about your little morals."

Bile settled at the back of his throat when he heard this, and he froze in his place as it hit him like a brick wall. He failed to fix me, Charlie thought in astonishment, he'll do anything he can to fix Art.

For the first time in a long time, Charlie almost pitied his father.

Almost.

One moment of shining light could do little to outshine every bit of darkness he had witnessed.

"I know all too well what little importance you place on morality."

He half expected the King to punch him, but he didn't, only turning to the witch and gestured.

Looking back at his sons, a look of distaste in his eyes. "Come see your brother." It was a demand, not an offer. But it wasn't one that Charlie was about to turn down, and he and Robert followed the King.

The hospital wing of the palace stank. It wasn't necessarily an unpleasant smell, but one which from experience and memory, Charlie couldn't help but connote with pain and fear. It made him want to cower into the shadows and hide away from the place.

But he forced himself upright and continued through the now bustling place.

From the lack of footsteps behind him, Charlie guessed that the King and the witch had decided not to follow. He knew better then to assume that they had decided to allow the two brothers a private moment with Arthur.

Charlie could guess that they had reasons of their own, but he didn't stop to think about it.

Right now all he could think about was finding Arthur.

He could smell his brother before he spotted him.

A small creature against a vast white bed, he looked not a great deal better then he had when Charlie had last seen him. The only difference now being, was the smile which seemed to almost fall off his face when he spotted his two brothers and King.

Violet was already beside her brother, settled on a discarded book she used as a chair. She regarded her brother and father with a flick of an eyebrow, but didn't as much as glance over at Charlie.

After everything their little family had been through, it was almost impossible to blame anyone.

It did little to stop him from taking it just a little personally. He hadn't expected a heroes return, but his sister must have been aware what he had done by now. A small part of him had hoped some recognition from his older sister.

For now at least, he would get none.

"Good to see you two managed to survive without me around to save your tails." Arthur's grin took over his entire face. To the point where it was almost impossible to see anything else unless you concentrated.

Charlie had long mastered the art of looking past facades to see what was going on beneath.

He could all but smell the pain which was emanating from the young man. The whites to his knuckles and the weight loss from his shoulders and face. Arthur looked tired in spite of the smile.

But Charlie admired him a little for holding himself together. It seemed to run in the family.

"We came close a couple of times," Robert admitted with a good natured smile. As though everything that had happened mere moments before hadn't happened, the anger dissipated into nothing. Replaced with something much kinder, as though in spite of itself.

"Dammit," he said not losing the smile once. "I knew you could have done with my help, I tried to convince them to let me go, but they refused. Something about a liability?" Arthur's tone not dropping once from the amusement.

"Nonsense," Robert answered. Though the darkness to his eyes flickered for a moment, as though the older man was fighting back a tear in that moment. The frustration was palpable from the young wolf. Despite his attempts to hold himself together.

Charlie reached out and brushed his hand against his eldest brother's shoulder, a small gesture, but an appreciated one. Robert grunted in response to it, but otherwise didn't acknowledge what his brother had done.

Now the smile at last fell from the face of Arthur.

From the way his gaze wandered to the space behind Charlie, he could guess he had spotted the King and Anthony. His eyes narrowed, even from his bed Arthur could spot the signs of a witch as easily as anyone.

Looking up at Charlie and Arthur before the pair could reach them. He said in a low tone of voice. "Please tell me Violet's playing some horrendous joke," he said gesturing back to the young woman nearby. "He's not actually planning on doing this, right?"

"And you thought I was the mad one," was all Charlie said. The only thing he could think to say.

It was more than enough to convey what the true answer to it was.

The young man swore quietly just as the King and the witch reached his bedside.

"Father," Arthur said in a calm tone. His fingers gripping onto the covers which swaddled him.

The King only nodded, before gesturing to the man to his side. "This is Anthony." He said calmly.

"The man who thinks he can fix me." Arthur was straight to the point, and didn't care in that moment about manners.

Even Anthony in that moment didn't seem entirely certain about his ability to do this.

"Yes," was the King's firm response. As though he believed it to be a certainty and nothing short of a definite. "He will be helping to get you better, and work with the other doctors and nurses to fix... this."

The King may have missed Arthur rolling his eyes, but Charlie didn't. And he almost laughed.

He would have done had it not been for the guilt fighting its way to the back of his throat.

"Great," the sarcasm all but rolled off Charlie's tongue. But the King either didn't notice, or ignored it. His mind too focused on the prospect of getting his son better, and cared about little else.

With that, the King was gone from the ward and back down the stairs to the main hall of the palace. Charlie watched him go in silence for a moment, until his father was gone from sight and then returned his attention to his brothers and the witch.

"Do you really think that this is possible?" Three variations of this question sounded as soon as the King was gone. One from Charlie, and one from each of his brothers. It was said with different levels of hope, but each carried the tone of disbelief.

His thoughts very much contaminated by everything which he had been told by Briar. But he listened anyway, all of his brother's hopes laid on this man. And he was willing, for the time being at least, to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The moment he faltered or proved otherwise, little was going to stop Charlie from ripping his head from his shoulders.

"I don't know," his words were honest, if not a tainted with concern. "But I will try my hardest."