Hi everyone!

Here's a nice long chapter for you all, LOL! Don't forget to vote and comment to let me know what you think! <3

Love, Luckycharms <3

---

She wanted to keep doing what she thought was right. She wanted to do the right thing and she wanted to feel strong. So after thinking deeply about it for quite some time, she finally decided that she would go ahead and help Vetori. She wasn't going to betray her people.

She wasn't going to allow those strangers... these bullies... to be right.

Besides, all Vetori wanted was for her to let his family know that he was alright. That was it. No other details... nothing else.

She could do that. It was the right thing to do. She didn't need to tell them anything else. All she would have to do is go to wherever he wanted her to go, tell them he's alright, and then leave. She didn't have to say who she was and where she worked or anything of the sort. Could that really be that bad?

No. It couldn't be.

When Vetori walked into her little room the next day, she looked at him with a serious expression, only relaxing a little when Luana shut the door behind her. She watched through the glass until she saw Luana's back and then she looked back at Vetori, who pulled out his seat and sat down. "Good morning, Thea," the man said to her.

Thea smiled before leaning forward. "I'll help you," she said. "But I won't do anything aside from telling your family that I know you're alive and well."

"Well?" He smiled. "I don't know if I'd say I'm well."

"You know what I mean," Thea kept her face serious, trying to make sure he understood how serious this was. "I'm taking a risk for you... because I want to help you."

"Alright," he said. "I'm satisfied with that."

"Tell me where I need to go."

"When are you going?"

"I'm not sure," she said. "I may need to see if I can get a day off."

"Alright," he said. "I will tell you what you need to know."

Vetori's family was in Danyo, a major province just East of Gaila. It was quite some distance from Abureth, but even farther from Acteon City. There was, thankfully, a train that went from the Capital to Danyo, but that train ride would be a total of nine hours, eight if she was lucky, which meant that if she planned to head out on Saturday, she would most likely need to take the Monday off to be safe.

It wasn't just the eight to nine hour train ride to Danyo she had to consider though, because once off the train, she would need to get to his specific hometown by bus, which was another few hours. She'd then probably have to spend the Saturday night there, seeing as most buses that went between small towns didn't run past sunset. Finally, she'd have to head back to the Capital on Sunday morning, but again, seeing as the buses only ran at certain times between small towns, there'd be no certainty as to when she'd arrive back at the Danyo station.

Which meant at the earliest, she may arrive back in the Capital very late on Sunday night, or some time on Monday morning, and she'd probably be way too exhausted from traveling to work that day.

It was going to be quite the trip.

A trip she'd have to make to do this.

The first step, she knew, was to get the Monday off. She knew if she came to work absolutely exhausted, the General would be concerned, and she didn't want to lie to his face. So after all of her meetings that day, Thea made her way to the General's office to talk to him. Of all the steps, she hoped that this would be the easiest, expecting the General to not ask too many questions, just like usual. However, when she made it to his office, she was surprised when Mrs. Railer informed her that he was not in.

"General Killian had a lunch meeting with the Secretary of Defense and then decided to finish his work off at his home for the rest of the day," she said, making Thea hesitate at the thought of how unusual that was. Was he maybe not feeling well? "The General specifically asked me to tell you all to come see him at his apartment if they need anything," Mrs. Railer continued. "If it's urgent, don't hesitate to stop by, but if it's not, you can let me know? I'll be going down there soon myself."

Thea thought for a moment before smiling at Mrs. Railer. "It's alright... I'll go meet with Milo first and then go see the General myself."

And that's exactly what she did.

After meeting with Milo and reviewing all of her new information for a couple hours, avoiding of course, any information that Vetori had given her, she put on her coat and made her way out of Achlis. The walk to the General's apartment was not long, but the air was getting chilly as it was officially fall and winter was on its way, so Thea couldn't pretend that she didn't feel a slight bit of frustration for having to walk outside.

Of course, part of her felt guilty for feeling that way.

The General was always working incredibly hard... spending some time at home was probably something he really needed.

But then she felt guilty for feeling guilty.

Though she didn't want to think at all about Railand and what he had said to her, his words and reminder of the General's history did continue to ring in her head for the last little while, constantly reminding her that the man had betrayed her people... or at least, that's what everyone said. Whatever the case, she felt that she was meant to dislike him.

She felt like she had to dislike him... or at the very least, not trust him.

But any time she tried to think that way, she was reminded quickly that he personally had never given her a reason to dislike him. He had been nothing but good to her since she arrived. It would certainly be completely unfair for her to dislike him, whatever his history was.

Though... was that alright?

Could she really just ignore someone's past and like them for who they were at that moment in time? Wasn't someone's past supposed to be a really good indicator of what their current character would be like? Or was she really just overthinking everything... maybe she really was being unfair. She wouldn't want anyone to assume what her current character was like by using her own past as a reference. She had changed so much... she wasn't the same person she was even last year.

Plus, what if maybe that past of his that she was using as a means of judging him wasn't really what she even thought it to be? He had told her during their first trip to the prison that 'things are often not as they seem,' and what if he was really just referring to himself?

She had already been wrong about him a few times, like how she thought he was frightening, or how she thought he was spoiled and rich. She didn't even know that he was not the previous Secretary of Defenses actual son. She really knew nothing about him and has been wrong over and over again... who was to say that she was wrong about her current concerns too?

She sighed loudly, not really caring which passersby heard.

As she stepped through the doors of the General's luxury apartment, she tried to remind herself that she had to make her own decisions for herself. She couldn't let others do that for her... and especially not random strangers who once idolized a man like Adrien. No, especially not people like that.

Thea walked through the beautifully carpeted hallways and took the lift up to the eleventh floor, a rush of nervousness filling her despite her attempts to talk herself down during the whole walk there.

She was doing this.

She was really doing this.

When she left the lift and walked down the hall towards the General's door, she took a deep breath, only to be startled by Mrs. Railer, who she nearly bumped into when she turned a corner. "Oh, Thea!"

Thea had a hand over her chest. "You scared me!"

Mrs. Railer chuckled, touching Thea's shoulder gently. "I told the General you may be coming. Go right in, the door is open."

As always, the General's always open door seemed to surprise her once again. "Got it."

"Sorry love, I'm in a bit of a rush, I will see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Thea smiled. "Have a good evening," she said before continuing towards the General's home.

When she made it there, she wasn't really sure what to do. Mrs. Railer had told her to walk right in, but she felt the need to knock gently before opening his door anyways. When she entered the foyer, she took off her shoes and cautiously made her way towards the living room. Not sure if he was alone or not, and not sure if it was appropriate to call for him, she decided to see if she could spot him first.

She expected him to be in the living room, though she figured a little too late that he may have had an office somewhere in this large apartment and immediately regretted not asking Mrs. Railer for clarification first.

However, to her luck, he was in fact in the living room, standing with his arms crossed, looking out of his massive floor to ceiling length windows. She was going to approach him right then and there, she really was, but when he suddenly turned around, she found herself freezing near the entrance of the living room.

He looked immensely stressed, his brows knotted and his shoulders tense, and for the first time since she had met him, he looked... somewhat a mess. He was wearing simple brown trousers and a loose white shirt that was, though tucked in relatively neatly into his trousers, messily rolled up to just below his elbows, with the top few buttons unbuttoned. His hair was a mess too, looking to be combed over to one side with his fingers rather than his usual slicked back look. He also had an unlit cigarette sitting lazily at his lips and whatever it was that she thought of the filthy habit of smoking, she had learned from Luana and Milo that smoking was his way of relaxing and calming his nerves and at the moment, it seemed like he needed that.

He certainly looked... off.

Enough so to make Thea hesitate because he was always rather good at looking calm in front of her. Was this what he was like when he thought no one was there? Was now not a good time to go talk to him? To ask him for a day off when they didn't have much time to spare?

However, despite the thought that she should leave, she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat at the sight of him.

Luana's taunting infiltrated her mind, but despite that, she couldn't stop the thought that he was incredibly handsome. He looked even more handsome like this... when he was a bit of a mess... when he looked more like a regular person.

Thea groaned internally at the thought of what Luana would say to her.

So you're interested in rich, brooding older men who have issues, huh? She heard the girl say in her head. And you think my taste is weird?

Of course, that thought itself made her cheeks warm.

She wasn't interested in the General that way.

Of course she wasn't.

But that didn't make the man any less handsome.

She frowned deeply to herself. She was only moments ago trying to tell herself that she should dislike him. How could she now have thoughts like this? Trying to get a hold of herself, she shook her head, wanting to push the thoughts away.

He didn't notice her when he turned and Thea watched as he grabbed a lighter off of the closed lid of his grand piano. After lighting his cigarette, he placed the lighter back down on the lid, next to an ashtray, before pulling the cigarette away from his lips and letting the smoke escape from between his lips.

She watched as he paced for a few seconds, thinking that now would be the best time to step forward and get his attention, but she paused again when she saw his eyes fall on the piano.

Placing the cigarette back at his lips and smoking it with one hand, he used his free left hand to play a few chords rather quietly. The sound was clean and crisp and each group of notes seemed to sound perfect together.

She thought back to when he said that he played 'sometimes'... figuring now that that wasn't true. She could tell just by how smoothly he played those simple chords that he was certainly good. Not someone who played 'sometimes.'

However, as she thought of that, she saw him pause before resting the cigarette at the corner of his mouth to free his hand and sitting down on the piano bench, his back towards her. Seconds later, he began to play a little melody, almost immediately making Thea's eyes widen.

Thea didn't know the song, but it was slow and pretty, all the notes high and delicate sounding, reminding her of stars sparkling in the clear sky on a cool night. Yes, he was certainly good, looking as if, at least from where she was standing, he was simply and lazily dropping his fingers onto random keys and producing the prettiest of tunes in the process.

The song was short, lasting for about a minute before it slowed down and came to an end and he pulled his fingers away. His shoulders lowered as he stared at the keyboard for a moment before he let out a puff of smoke and placed the cigarette in the ashtray, smoke still rising from the burning tip.

Then, he placed his fingers on the keyboard and began playing again.

Thea realized at that moment that the song wasn't finished. Whatever he played before was simply the beginning of a longer song because now he played the same melody at a lower pitch, with stronger, deeper notes, creating a beautiful song that filled the room they were in. Amazed by his talent, she watched as he played louder while the song progressed and somehow, it overwhelmed her, the feeling of the notes resonating deep within her bones, giving her goosebumps and making her heart race.

He was remarkable.

She was gawking, watching with parted lips as the melody became more dramatic, his hands dancing gracefully over the keys of the piano that he said he only played 'sometimes.'

His body swayed gently with the music too, and sometimes she could see his reflection in the black piano, showing that his eyes were closed the whole time.

Though as he played, it did seem like he was holding back, some of his movements a little stiff as if he was not allowing himself to become too absorbed by his own song. Even when the song reached its climax, his hands jumping up from different parts of his keyboard as the song sped up and increased in volume, he only allowed himself to bend forward just slightly, his head turning a little to one side, as if to allow himself to hear the incredible loud sound a little better.

It was captivating, watching him play this absolutely beautiful song but also watching him hold back.

How would it sound if he wasn't holding back? Why was he even holding back?

Her heart was racing.

When the song slowed down and became softer, she realized it was coming to an end and almost instantly, she felt her heart sink. She wanted to hear more. She wanted him to keep playing.

Unable to fathom the thought that a man like him could play so elegantly, she realized that she was once again wrong about him. Or at least, it was another thing she didn't know about him. There was so much to this General of hers that she didn't know... and maybe there was so much she would never ever know about him.

How could she simply judge him by what others said about him.

He was right.

She would have to judge him herself from what she learned on her own.

"He's good, isn't he?"

Thea gasped and jumped, turning around and seeing Captain Brayne bending forward so that he could whisper what he just said in her ear.

The sound of her gasp however, was heard by the General, causing the song of his to come to an abrupt stop as Thea grabbed Julian's arm and pulled him towards the front door.

"Julian?" She heard the General say as they reached the door. "Is that you?"

Thea shut the door as softly as she could before turning to Captain Brayne with a glare on her face. "You scared me!" She hissed.

"And you were spying on our General," he responded, seeming quite amused.

"I wasn't... I wasn't spying! I just walked in on him playing."

Captain Brayne's amused expression remained. "I don't blame you for getting lost in it though, he's good. The song he was playing, that's actually my favourite of his songs," he said. "It's remarkable because it changes with his mood."

"What?" Thea asked.

"Anytime you hear it, it's slightly different, and how it sounds usually depends on his mood."

She was even more amazed now, and more than ever, she wanted to hear more. How would he change the song? How else could it sound? It was already absolutely perfect and what was this version saying about his mood?

The Captain smiled. "Our General is full of surprises, you know?"

Clearly.

"But I must go, I've got an appointment with him."

"Don't tell him I'm here," she said, quickly, looking embarrassed and feeling like she had witnessed something she should not have witnessed. "Or that... I heard."

Captain Brayne smiled before nodding. "Whatever you like... did you need to see him though?"

"I'll come in a couple minutes."

He nodded once more, still looking utterly amused, an expression she wasn't used to seeing on his face. "I'll see you inside then."

After Julian left her alone, she leaned against the wall and sighed, her heart pounding loudly. Staring at the wall opposite to her, she slowly slid down and hugged her legs, resting her face in her arms as she waited for some time to pass. Her cheeks were burning and she was embarrassed, but the image of the General playing the piano was now on a constant repeat in her mind.

He was... certainly not who she expected him to be.

Niall was taking a deep drag of his cigarette while sitting on the piano bench when Julian walked into the living room of his apartment. "Were you in here just now? I thought I heard someone," he asked as he stood and let out a long, smokey breath of air before putting out what was left of the cigarette in the ashtray.

"Yes, Sir, that was me," he said. "Sorry, I left for a moment because I realized I dropped my pen on the way here. Your playing was magnificent, as usual."

Niall turned, walking over towards his home office as he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to get it to sit on his head as neatly as possible. "Thank you," he said. "Now let's get the paperwork over with, shall we?"

When Thea walked into his office nearly a half an hour later, Niall was surprised, at least until he remembered that Mrs. Railer had mentioned that she would come. Thankfully, her timing was rather perfect, seeing as he was just finishing up with the paperwork that he had to sign for Julian, so once Julian left, he turned to Thea. "I'm glad you came," he said. "I actually had something to talk to you about."

She looked rather fidgety and nervous the whole time she was there, choosing to stand at a side. For what reason she was acting like this, he wasn't sure, but when he said what he said, she looked to become a little more nervous.

"It's nothing serious," he said, trying to make sure he didn't worry her. "So how about we discuss what you came here for first."

She hesitated. "No, that can wait, it's not that important."

He tilted his head to a side before nodding. "Alright then," Niall started. "I don't mean to put any pressure on you, but I've decided to take you with me to the next meeting with the higher ups of Achlis."

Her brows rose.

"And that includes... the President."

Now she gawked. "W-what?"

"I know this is sudden, and I apologize for that. Originally this meeting was supposed to be in five weeks," he continued. "They decided, however, to move it up to three weeks, and I only found out today."

He had been stressing out about the date change from the moment Mrs. Railer informed him of it, knowing damn well that it was Riviers doing and his intention was to ruin Naill's plan. Of course, there was nothing that could be done, seeing as the President himself had preferred the closer date.

They'd have to deal with it.

"But why me? What use would I be?"

"The primary topic of discussion at this meeting is meant to be the fate of Rue," he said, noting the worry that suddenly enveloped her expressions. "And my hope is that having you there will help prove to them that they need to give us more time."

"But... I'm an Elorian... why would those men..."

"That's exactly why we think having you there would help... because you're Elorian," he clarified. "Who else would Rue be willing to speak to if not another Elorian?"

"So why do I need to be there?" She asked. "Like, physically be there?"

"Because I've already spent way too long trying to push his execution date back and they've certainly grown tired of my excuses," he said as he leaned back in his seat. "Our expectation is that having you, as well as your updates, would be an interesting enough chance to grab their attention. Besides, my understanding is that you've developed some form of rapport with Rue. I can see it from what you tell me, and I want them to see it too. Specifically the President himself. If you can convince him, no one can oppose his decision."

She seemed baffled by this. "Me? Convincing the President? Do you really think that'd work?"

"It's worth a try," Niall said.

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then I'll have to find another way."

Thea nodded slowly.

He could tell that the idea was unpleasant to her, but she didn't seem completely opposed to it. "Well? Do you think you'd be willing to join me?"

She fidgeted with her fingers for a moment, thinking, before she looked up at him. "If it means helping Rue... if it means helping my people then yes, I'll do it. I'll try my best."

Niall nodded. "Good," he said. "Thank you."

After a moment, she looked up at him. "When would this be happening?"

"Not this coming Monday, but the Monday after that," Niall said as he opened up his journal. He then used his finger to point at the date. "October eighth," he sighed. "It was supposed to be closer to November originally... I thought I had more time but Rivier... he's persistent."

When he didn't continue, Thea spoke up. "Is that why you've been looking so worried this whole time?"

The General let out a humored huff. "Is it that obvious?" He asked as he squeezed the bridge of his nose with the thumb and finger of one hand.

"Very," Thea answered. "It's none of my business, really, but you look exhausted."

The General seemed surprised by her words. "Honestly, I thought I was doing a good job hiding it."

Now she chuckled. "No," she said. "It's very obvious."

Niall leaned back in his seat and looked at her with a smile, amused but also deciding not to hide that he was tired. She seemed to know he was, so why hide it? "Have a seat, Thea," he said, "you needed something, didn't you."

She hesitated before a smile grew on her face. "That's the first time you called me Thea while we were not 'off the record.'"

Now he hesitated as he looked away from her face for a moment, oddly embarrassed. "Is it?" he asked, a little surprised that she would have noticed such a thing.

She laughed a little before taking the seat that Julian had previously occupied. "I... came because... I know things are busy... but I was hoping to ask for a day off," she said. "This coming Monday actually... I'll miss a day of interviews but I'll make up for it by going on a different day since there are two days in the week that I don't interview the men anyways."

"Is everything okay?" Niall asked. It certainly wasn't unusual for people to ask him for time off, but she seemed to look nervous again.

"Yes, everything is fine," she said. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Well I don't mind you taking a day off," he looked down at his journal again, grabbing a pen. "Monday..." he jotted it down. "And what day do you plan on switching your interviews to? I'll have to coordinate with the prison so they know when you'll be there."

"Thursday," she said. "I usually don't go on Thursdays."

He made a note of that. "Alright. Then that's approved," he looked up at her. "Is that it?"

She was smiling, suddenly looking relieved. "Yes, that was all," she said, standing. "I won't keep you any longer."

Though he was curious as to why she seemed to need this day off, he knew it also wasn't really his place to ask what she wanted to do with her personal time. Nevertheless, he gave her a kind smile. "If you need anything, Thea... know that you can ask."

"I know," she said, lowering her head in a sort of thankful bow. "Thank you."

And with that, she left.

Thea felt a sense of relief as she reentered Achlis, glad that things were working out. She also felt a lightness in her heart as she thought back to the General's brilliant piano playing and the fact that he called her by her nickname instead of the usual 'Miss. Rhaanan.'

And, of course, she could not forget the fact that he seemed to trust her enough to bring her with him in front of the President of the Aiverian State.

Though this specific thought heightened her nerves, the solemn, frightening portrait of the President which she could never escape as it was all over Achlis, filling her mind, she knew she had to be positive. She was going to be meeting the President. The head of the State.

The man in charge of everything.

She was about to be given the opportunity to convince him to protect the life of an Elorian... an Elorian prisoner of war at that... a Crow... a man who they considered the lowest of the low.

If she could succeed at doing that, that would be a major step... it could change so much.

And... Rue would live.

She gulped back her nerves as she reminded herself of how important Rue was to whatever plans the General had to maintain peace. He trusted her enough to put something of such importance in her hands.

The heavy feeling of guilt suddenly welled up inside her.

He trusted her.

But she was about to break that trust.

She was about to do something behind his back. Something she knew he wouldn't want her to do. And then, for the millionth time that week, she began to reevaluate her decisions. She only had a couple days left before she had to leave. She hadn't even bought her train ticket yet.

She didn't have to do this.

Maybe...

She looked up, realizing something.

Why couldn't she just ask the General?

She could tell him what Vetori wanted. She could tell him that she wanted more than anything to tell his family that he was okay. She could ask for his help. He had told her so many times already that she could rely on him... that she could ask him for help.

She felt relief rise in her... even as she thought more deeply about it and knew deep down that he would probably say that that was not something he could do for her.

But still... would it be worth a shot to try, at least? And at least this way, she wouldn't be lying about anything.

"What are you doing? Wandering around or working?"

Almost instantly, all relief she felt vanished at the sound of Railands voice.

She was still in the main lobby of Achlis, so it wasn't entirely surprising that he spotted her here. However, there were a lot of people around this area, so unlike when he spotted her in the halls near her office, she could keep her head down and pretend she didn't hear him.

Of course, it seemed like Thea never learned that ignoring these people never worked. Before she could get away, he was in front of her, grinning down at her. "Well, which is it?" he asked. "Wandering around downtown or working?"

"I'm working," she responded, walking around him and not feeling the need to explain herself to a man who was still a stranger to her, whatever he knew about her.

"I just saw you walk through those doors, you liar," he seemed amused. "It's well past lunch... you're not coming back from lunch."

"I went to see the General." She said it because she hoped it would make him back off, seeing as people often feared the General, however it seemed she was completely wrong to assume that.

Instead of backing off, he snorted. "The General? What, you two hang out outside of work?"

"He takes meetings in his home." Why am I responding to him? Ignore him!

He hesitated. "Now that's quite odd," he responded. "And very unprofessional."

Thea tried to quickly slip into a lift that had a couple other people in it. She assumed he wouldn't follow her in, seeing as it was crowded, but he did. Frustrated and annoyed, she pressed on the button that indicated her floor and stayed quiet as Railand began talking to the others in the lift. When her floor came, she slipped out quickly again while Railand was in the middle of a sentence with someone, and though she assumed he would leave her be, he cut himself off and followed her too.

She wanted to groan out loud, but she didn't.

"What's the rush, Thea?"

"I have work to do."

"Work that you've put off because you're out galavanting with the General?" He asked. "Old habits die hard right? You always go after the big guys. First Adrian and now the General? You aim high."

Thea stopped and turned around, her annoyance beginning to seep out as the words coming out of his mouth began to be too much for her to tolerate. "Why won't you leave me alone?" She hissed. "I literally don't know you and what you want. Just because you've heard of me doesn't mean you can come up and make such statements."

Railand raised a brow before looking down at her with his usual demeaning smirk. "I know you don't mean that. We were friends!"

"No, we were not. And I do. I mean it," she said, a rush of confidence filling in her. She was someone who was going to speak to the President! Why should she fear him? "Stop pretending we're friends–"

He grabbed her arm and pushed her hard against the wall, cutting her off mid sentence and making the little confidence she had vanish in an instant as she gasped in shock at the unexpected aggression. "What are you doing?!" She snapped.

"Don't talk to me like that, Thea," he said as he brought his face close to hers. His voice was slow and calm and mocking as he seemed entirely amused by what he was doing.

And as her mind spun in shock and fear, all Thea could think of was that despite the amount of time which had passed... nothing had changed.

Adrien was somehow still haunting her.

Everything he did to her back then was following her even here.

Why else would a stranger grab her like this? Why else would these strangers look at her the way this man was looking at her now? Why else would this be happening to her? Suddenly she felt hopeless... like nothing she could ever do could wash away the stench and imprint that Adrian had made on her life.

It was hopeless.

Fear and frustration rising within her, her stomach turning as she felt sick, she turned her head and looked away. "Let me go." She said, trying to be firm.

"C'mon Thea, what's the point of this? You're pretending you're different from who you were back then, but you keep proving you're not. I mean come on, why else would you go to the home of the General? You're still the same Muddy Crow you were back then, even if you're going after a half-breed."

"You're insane."

"The only difference is your hair," he said, ignoring her. "Remember? Your haircut?"

She suddenly felt light headed as the blood began to drain out of her face and into her limbs, her subconscious and her body trying to redirect it to more useful tasks like willing her into pushing the man and getting away.

But somehow, she was still frozen.

Even when he used his free hand to run his fingers through her hair, she was frozen. Though despite the fact that she was like this, not breathing at all, she was screaming in her mind, her thoughts racing in confusion and fear and panic as she tried to convince herself to get away from him.

"It looked better short you know... it suits you... makes you look a little less Elorian."

She felt violated, and the moment his finger brushed against her ear... the ear that was still scarred from the scissors that had cut it all that time ago... she felt sick to her stomach. She promised herself that she wouldn't let herself feel that way again, yet here she was, frozen. Pitiful.

She was pathetic.

She closed her eyes, trying to control her emotions and her thoughts, and the thought of her brother suddenly flashed through her mind.

Theus.

Theus, who dropped everything and took the last train to the Capital all the way from Abureth to be with her as she cried, her shredded hair making her look and feel like a monster, her ear cut and bleeding, her skin scraped and bruised.

It was her brother who had cleaned her up. He had cleaned the wounds and the blood, treated the scrapes and the bruises... and the hair... he had fixed up the hair.

He did all of that for her without saying anything. He just warmed her. She was cold and broken and he had warmed her up with his presence.

It took a long time, but it was him.

It must have been hard for him, she knew now.

Knowing who he was now... knowing that who he was now couldn't have come from nowhere, he must have been enraged. He must have been masking an unimaginable amount of rage as he looked after her for those few days, knowing that letting it out wouldn't have helped her. He put her needs over his anger.

He was a different man then... and though she missed that man, she refused to go back to that time. She refused to put her brother through that again because if she was hurt, she knew he wouldn't be able to control it this time around. He wasn't that man anymore.

She couldn't put him through that.

And she refused to put herself through that.

So after taking a deep breath, she pushed Railand.

She pushed him, hard, and stepped away from him, getting herself away from the wall.

Railand, who wasn't entirely phased by the push despite it putting distance between the two, smiled. "You agree with me, don't you?"

Thea couldn't speak, her throat was dry, but she looked at the man with a ferocious glare. She wasn't going to let this man think he could do this to her... she wasn't going to let him think he could be like Adrien.

"You should shorten..." his voice faded away as his eyes drifted to something behind her.

Almost instantly, she thought it was her brother, seeing as his face was fresh in her mind. But within moments, she figured that that was impossible. Theus couldn't be in Achlis.

So then she thought of the General.

The last time the other man, Phyl, hesitated like that, it was when the General came out of his office. So she turned around quickly, praying that it was him. Praying that the General would scare this man away.

But she saw someone else.

All the way at the end of the hallway was a man who seemed to have been walking straight, but stopped at the sight of them. He looked at them, his head turned in their direction, a frown on his face.

From where she was standing she could barely see his face, but he still looked oddly familiar though Thea could not recognize the handsome man... she knew for sure that she didn't know anyone with relatively long black hair that was tied into a knot at the back of their head and a very well shaped beard.

And... he was Elorian.

She felt a sense of relief as she turned back to Railand. Even though she had no idea who that man was, she suddenly felt like she was no longer alone anymore.

Railand kept his eyes on the man before they fell back down to Thea. "That one's just like you... you know. Like you and your General," he said, his voice dropping very low. "A traitor to his own people."

Thea simply continued to frown.

"Or maybe... he's worse," he continued before he leaned closer to Thea. "They say that one used to be a Crow... I guess that means he is worse than what you are... at least you didn't tell your people you'll fight for them and then you turn your back on them to fight for the enemy."

She blinked.

What?

Railand stepped away from her, his eyes still on the man who stood quite some distance away from them. Clearly, whoever this man was, it made Railand know to keep away. "See you later, Thea." She watched him leave, surprised that the sight of this man would make him pretend to saunter away despite having his tail between his legs.

When she turned around however to really see who the Elorian man was, her brows rose.

The man was gone.

Milo worried a little when he realized Thea was late. He looked up at her empty desk and frowned. They weren't supposed to meet or anything like that, but he had expected her to be back by now and she wasn't.

He couldn't really help but worry a little, even considering going to look for her, especially after what he had seen with Railand a few days ago. It was easy to tell... for whatever reason, Railand terrified this girl. He also didn't fail to notice that of all the times they would walk around the halls together, there were many times where men, and sometimes women, would look at her and whisper.

Like they all knew something he didn't.

Plus, there was what Thea had told Milo before... about how Railand knew someone who tormented her in her past... and was now trying to do the same.

Milo didn't know what Thea was talking about, he didn't know what happened in her past, but gossip traveled fast in Achlis and he wouldn't be surprised if Railand had spread the word of whatever it was he knew about Thea... and though Milo himself refused to believe those stupid rumours, they would certainly explain the stares.

And he wouldn't put that past Railand at all. Railand was, after all, a total asshole. Though being a relative nobody in Achlis who only got his job because he had a powerful uncle, the man loved watching people squirm... it made him feel powerful. Milo knew that better than most people seeing as Railand had, in the past, tried his nonsense on Milo too.

However, no matter how skinny and lanky and weak looking Milo was, he had taken enough punches as a child for the colour of his eyes, so he was now someone who wasn't afraid of that. Teasing and threats of violence didn't scare Milo anymore. Really, all it did was remind him how childish and stupid his harrassers were.

They were pathetic.

Not him.

Now he wondered, however, if Thea knew that too.

Whatever the case, he took a few breaths and then forced himself to relax. They were in Achlis, not a highschool, and they were working. What was the worst that could happen?

He'd give her a few more minutes.

Looking back down at the article he was reading, he tried to focus but he really couldn't, his mind drifting to Thea once more.

Milo had grown quite fond of Thea despite the fact that he hadn't expected to end up liking her. When the General had initially suggested that Milo work with her in his office, he remembered being opposed to the idea. Of course, he never said it out loud and agreed to whatever it was the General suggested... but deep down, he was a little annoyed.

He had read her work and thought her to be quite smart, but naive... like someone who had never seen what living around the conflict was really like. Plus, he liked the solitude that came with his work. He liked working alone.

He didn't want someone there to slow him down.

But Thea didn't slow him down.

In fact, she helped him a lot. She asked the right questions, her constant curiosity always pushing him to look at things differently and she was always mesmerized with his work, causing him to feel motivated.

She was a pleasant presence.

She was warm and caring too, always thinking about him when she went to grab a coffee or pick up the mail, making sure she grabbed him a coffee too and picked up his mail as well.

Somehow, this girl he wasn't entirely excited about became a good friend within a matter of months. The warmth she brought with her was always welcoming, and as Milo smiled to himself, considering the the General had somehow managed to pick another person who fit so perfectly into their team, Thea walked in.

"Thea," Milo smiled at her, but when his eyes fell on her face he hesitated.

Though she gave him a quick smile, her skin was pale.

And her presence didn't feel warm.

She felt cold. So cold that her demeanor sent a shiver through him.

She proceeded to walk right past him and towards her desk, sitting down and opening up her notebook without a word. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," she responded, her voice barely there and he knew instantly that something was wrong. Milo felt his heart sink.

Something was definitely wrong.