Page 58 of The Ballad of a Bard

W est threw Cobalt behind him, backing them up until they almost bumped into the wall. Cobalt cowered and he couldn’t blame the child as Altivar entered his apartment once more with ten men in tow. The Prince stopped dead in his tracks, eyes narrowing as if everything he had planned had gone awry.

He took immense pleasure in that.

“I see roommates have been assigned.” He didn’t look away from Cobalt and West only pushed him even further behind him, using most of his body mass to hide him. “Even without my permission.”

“You were separating him from his friends and family. Pardon me if I wanted him to feel safe in this tense situation.” West drawled sarcastically. “He stays with me if you want my complete cooperation.”

“Fine. I’ll need it for this next part.”

He snapped his fingers twice and sentries came forward, another round of rifling through his things. “I just cleaned up from your last search. Mind telling me what you’re looking for and perhaps I can help you before you destroy any more of my things? I assure you that Crimson isn’t hiding in here if she escaped your confines.” He didn’t move from his spot along the back of his room as they searched through his dresser, ignoring most of his items and instead searching for anything that seemed to belong to her.

He also didn’t dare to hope that she had escaped.

“Where are Red Lyric’s fighting leathers?” Altivar interrogated as an arrow of apprehension flew through his chest and sank low in his soul. “I already have her blades but I require the rest of her recognizable attire.”

“Why do you need those?” West dared to ask, refusing to hand them over.

“Her boots, her trousers, those gloves and the grey cowl, alongside the jacket and the hood that covered her identity.” He ignored his question, peering around the corner and into his office. “I assume she had them here since I saw her wearing the jacket when she was in the Silver Gate a bit ago.”

“Found them.” A male called from the closet and held up a brown bag filled to the brim with Crimson’s attire.

Altivar forgot about him and walked over to it, taking it and ransacking through it. He pulled out the boots, checking to make sure they both were in there and then found the belt that held her daggers at her side. He nodded in approval at the scarlet pants and the two-toned leather jacket with the laces. Even the cowl and the ribbon that held up her bangs were in there.

“Good. Load it into the cart and prepare it for prisoner transport.” He handed it back to him and the man bowed before heading out of the room.

West stepped forward. “Where are you taking her? ”

He clicked his tongue. “Come Westley, I thought you were smarter than this. Use that immortal brain of yours and connect the pieces. Put it all together and then if you still need to ask, ask away.”

The other guards left the chamber, strolling out the door and leaving it open for the male to follow when he was done. Two remained at either side of the exit, as they always did other than to switch out which left a ten minute pause between watches. Damien and Thalias hadn’t been back yet, and he assumed that they wouldn’t be now that Altivar knew Cobalt was with him.

But the Prince didn’t make any move to remove the boy, which gave him hope.

Even if it might have been a foolish thing.

“Why are you dredging Red Lyric back up?” West crossed his arms over his chest, widening his stance. He didn’t pick up his captain jacket with the three stars on each shoulder part, nor did he put on the cloak that went alongside it either. He didn’t even want to look at the decorative piece of clothing that Muse had teasingly designed, then made him wear with the silver-bell laugh of hers.

Sometimes he swore he still heard it.

“Would you like the chance to say goodbye to her?” Altivar switched up the topics of conversation and threw him off his well-cultivated guard. “It’s now or never, Captain.”

West considered whatever game this was. He tried to find the loophole, the plot that the man was trying to spin. “Why?”

“Why, what?” He scoffed in disdain. “Why am I sending her to her grave? Or why am I letting you see her?”

“Both.” The Saint shrugged. “Either.”

“Consider it an act of my delightful kindness for one of the last Saints. I don’t care. I’m offering you a chance before there are none left. Take it or don’t, it doesn’t change anything for me.”

“Then we both go.” He pointed to Cobalt behind him. “Let him see his sister as well.”

Altivar bent down, his long braid swishing over his shoulder and draping down his svelte chest. “ I need a bargaining chip if I’m to get you back into this room without any problems and he seems to be the perfect thing to do that with.”

“I’m not going to see her again?” Cobalt’s voice broke at the end of his sentence as he stepped out from behind West. “I won’t get to see Red?” He swung to face West, lip trembling. “Gold?”

A tender name that the small child had given him in their short span together, one blossomed from the colour of his skin and undoubtedly his Saint title. One that touched the very edges of his heart and one he wore like a badge of honour.

West gritted his teeth. “Let him see her instead of me.” His own requirements could be sacrificed.

He couldn’t let himself love her. Couldn’t allow that weakness, especially now when Altivar was sending her to her death. Within her own, he would shortly follow if he gave in to the temptation. And then no one would be left to look after her brother. Cobalt would be utterly alone in a harsh world that would eat him alive.

To not see her again, it would hurt worse than any pain imaginable but he’d do it for Cobalt’s sake.

“Fine.” Altivar said, bored. “Bring the boy.”

“No!” Cobalt screamed.

It pierced a delicate part of him and he stepped back protectively to cover him once more.

“I won’t go without West!” He gripped his legs, and yelled at the Prince, blue eyes bright with determination and a twinge of fear. But he didn’t let that overcome him and West was proud of the boy. “You can’t take me anywhere! ”

Fighting, just like his sister.

Altivar pinched either side of his nose, sighing deeply. “Very well. Bring the guard dog too. But you’re both returning to this room otherwise I’ll kill her there on the spot.”

Rook and Satori entered on either side of Altivar, firm in their faces and unrecognisable in stature. He didn’t acknowledge either of them as he turned and knelt before Cobalt, offering his arms out.

“Come on, Blue. I’ll take you down and we can see your sister, alright? I need you to trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” West urged him on, and Cobalt slowly allowed himself to be picked up. He wasn’t light for a child, but he wasn’t the heaviest thing that he’d ever carried before.

His small legs wrapped about his waist as he lowered his black head of hair into the crook of West’s neck, arms coming around his neck to hang on. West gripped him around his waist, lacing them at his back as he stood and faced the three people at the front of the apartment.

“Well?” He lifted both eyebrows. “What are we waiting for?”

Altivar left first, followed by Satori on his sandal heels with a fat-headed spear in her arm. He locked his sight on the shaved side of her head, following the intricate swirls she’d carved into the short strands of red. He could make out the owl tattoo that flew over her neck, wings spread wide as the creature of wisdom graced her tanned skin. Rook fell into place beside him, a solemn expression to be found as West looked over his shoulder, past Cobalt.

“I’m sorry.” The guard muttered so that only they could hear. “I didn’t know what to do, who to follow.”

He licked the top row of his teeth, adjusting the boy to a higher position in order to keep him from slipping down his body. “It’s been a confusing week, for all of us. ”

He felt Cobalt lift his head, staring at Rook.

“How did you get that scar?” He inquired with a timid resonance. Sleep laced his high-pitched tenor, sleep that the poor child hadn’t gotten thanks to the illnesses that cursed him. He’d given into a horrible sweat last night. One that had West submerging him in the shower with nothing but cold water until he cooled off, wiping him utterly dry before helping him into one of his nightshirts.

It was all the boy wore now but it was long enough that it nearly fell to his knees.

“I competed in the Pits before Grimm took over. I walked away when the last fight I entered almost killed me. This is the result of almost losing.” He responded without any tone of irritation.

Patience was required with children, and some of the folk didn’t have it. But there was a glimmer of respect for Rook, even with his current allegiance, for how he treated Cobalt. Not as a prisoner, not as an enemy but merely a curious child.

Cobalt didn’t say anything for a solid minute but he kept his chin lifted. Then he said, “My sister would have beaten you.”

West couldn’t help the quiet laugh that tumbled out of his chest. “Yes, she would have.”

“It’s very possible.” Rook agreed, and he knew it was nothing more than the male agreeing for the sake of not upsetting the boy. He was a skilled fighter, there was no doubt about that since West had seen him in the right and personally gone up against him in all manner of training exercises.

But Crimson would have used her enchanting powers and had him on his back in a matter of minutes and five moves.

Altivar halted before the entrance to the castle as they descended down the massive staircase. He motioned for it to be opened and as the two fat doors groaned, sunlight pouring in from the courtyard, West blinked it all in. The Prince strode out first, then Satori as he followed and Rook trailed behind them.

Little fingers tensed on his grey tunic as Cobalt buried his face away from the blinding light but West didn’t let go of him as they walked outside. He took in his surroundings, noticing the handful of sentires posted alongside them and the slotted cart ahead of them. The horses tied to the front and the chains that dragged down, attached to the wooden bars meant for transporting a prisoner to another destination. He saw the familiar sack with her leathers already loaded inside, whipping around to see if he could locate the cerise head of hair anywhere.

His heart stuttered and shocks revolted through him as he found it, as she walked towards him.

West wasn’t sure if he imagined it or if it was because of the week apart, but she was more gorgeous than before. Even with the muck plastered to her face, her hair, her form, she held herself up high and that was a beautiful will that she bore.

He exhaled as his knees threatened to buckle.

“Crimson!” Cobalt wriggled free from his hold like a worm in the muddy earth as he spotted his sister, jumped the last few inches down and raced for her before West could grab him and stop him.

Altivar spun in their direction, eyes wide as he watched the boy run for her, as she ran for him with a sob of relief. She swept him into her arms, falling to the ground as her knees cracked. He wept in return, shaking her back and forth with the little strength he could muster.

West raised his hands up as Satori swung her spear around to point at him, causing him to freeze as one of Altivar’s prisoners was out of his control. He didn’t try to fight, allowing Crimson to have this moment before anything or anyone could ruin it. He remained as still as stone, not even his onyx boots scuffing along the cobblestone street.

Crimson pulled away from her brother, patting down his hair and searching him for any sign of distress. She didn’t find any and he watched a shudder of reassurance trip through her. Cobalt whispered something illegible to her as she pressed a kiss to his forehead and then she looked at him at last.

And his heart fell before he could catch it.