Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sword was like an extension of her hand. It moved as she willed it to, blocking and attacking with even force. Sword, duty, honour. It was the world she lived in and she was good at it.

An opening. Her opponent's guard fell for just a fraction of a second but it was more than enough. Sarah pounced, taking advantage of the opportunity. Within seconds she had the tip of the blade at his throat.

"You know I used to win these," he complained.

"Been a while though," Sarah replied grinning.

"Oh shut up," Casey grumbled, swatting the dull practice sword from his face. Sarah let up, moving her blade away and taking a step back.

Casey was quite a bit older than Sarah and had been her trainer since she’d arrived at the castle. He’d complained more than once that she hadn’t needed all that much training. These days they were usually sparring partners. At the start of his military career Casey had worked along the border. He'd seen more action in the field than half the other men put together and there wasn't a single soldier in Moria Castle that didn't respect him.

"You know I can best you with the broadsword," Casey reminded her, clearly taking Sarah's teasing too much to heart. "It's this stupid skinny thing I suck at."

"I think you mean to say rapier," Sarah corrected him.

"Whatever," Casey grumbled.

"So another round?" Sarah asked. "We could even switch weapons if you like."

Casey was right in that he always won with the heavier weapons, but Sarah had long ago decided not to take that personally. Though quite a strong fighter, Sarah was still only about half Casey's size and thus had far less body mass with which to lift a solid iron maze or metre long sword. She usually won with the lighter weapons which was good enough for her.

"I think I've had enough training for today," Casey replied.

"Do we have a mission?" Sarah asked, confused why Casey would cut practise short for any other reason.

"Personal errand," Casey replied. Then he added with an evil grin, "If you really want someone to train with, I'm sure Morgan wouldn't mind."

"Yeah right," Sarah rolled her eyes. "You know he's no good in a fight."

"Oh I know," Casey replied with a murderous look in his eyes. "But he does always seem keen to try."

"Just because he's dating your daughter now, doesn't mean you can beat him up during practice," Sarah reminded Casey, who she hoped didn't actually have plans to murder his daughter's new boyfriend.

Casey grumbled something that sounded generally affirmative before placing the dull training rapier in its place on the stand and turning to leave. "See you later."

Sarah wondered if she should in fact go find Morgan, even if it was rather pointless to train with him. Sarah just hated being idle. She knew that her presence here in Moria Castle was contingent on her being of use to the royal family and that meant improving her skill, no matter the cost. Sarah's father wouldn't be out of prison for many years yet, and her mother couldn't afford another mouth to feed. Sarah had nowhere else to go and nothing else to put her energy towards. Mastering her fighting skills had been, and would always be, her life. Nothing would ever change that. She was a soldier and a soldier followed orders.

Sarah decided to stay and practise with her sword for a while longer. Even without an opponent, she thought she could at least improve her footwork. She's been at it about an hour and was just thinking it was probably time to leave, when someone else entered the training arena.

"Nice foot work."

"Thanks," Sarah replied, relaxing her stance and turning to face the speaker.

"You improve more everyday," Beckman said, with a slight smile. General Diane Beckman was the leader of the king's army. Though she came across as rather cold, she was actually quite kind, in her own way.

"It is an honour to serve," Sarah said with a slight bow of her head.

"In Casey's last update, he spoke quite highly of you," Beckman continued. "He said you have shown merciless skill in battle and are ready for more responsibility."

"I am," Sarah replied at once.

"On that note, I have a mission for you," General Beckman continued. "There have been some rather distressing rumours lately. If they are to be believed, there may be a threat closing in on the prince."

"I'm sorry to hear that, your highness," Sarah replied politely, still not sure why she was being told this. Protecting the royal family directly was a privilege far above her rank. That job was usually carried out by a member of the royal guard or their captain. It would never fall to her.

"Your mission is to remain at the prince's side and protect him if such a threat were to appear," Beckman stated.

"I don't mean to be rude," Sarah said softly, nervous even bringing it up. "But why me? Surely, Larkin as a member of the royal guard would be more suited or if it's that important shouldn't Captain Shaw be called in."

"Normally you would be correct but in this case it seems you were requested," Beckman explained. "The prince wasn't super keen on his parent's bodyguard plan and only agreed to it if that bodyguard was you. I didn't ask for details."

Sarah merely nodded her head in acceptance of the assignment. It wasn't her place to question her orders after all. She'd already inquired enough. If this was what was required of her, then she'd do it to the best of her ability without complaint.

"You are to report to the prince immediately," Beckman ordered. "He can be found in the east tower. From this moment on, it is your job to protect him, at any cost. Understand?"

"I understand," Sarah echoed. She knew what any cost meant. If the cost was her life they would expect her to pay it to save the prince. That kind of risk was part of the job and what she'd signed on for. She just hadn't expected to be given such a great responsibility on her first solo assignment. Casey's report must have been favourable indeed.

"Off you go then," Beckman dismissed her. Sarah put away her training rapier and collected her real weapons before dashing from the training yard and heading east.

Sarah had to admit, she was rather nervous about meeting him. Though she'd seen them from a distance more than once during her years serving at Moria Castle, Sarah had never actually spoken with any of the royal family. She had no idea why the prince had requested her but she knew this one assignment could easily make or break her entire career. There would be zero margin for error in this case. Everything had to go perfectly.

The moment Sarah walked into the last room on the top floor of the east tower, she had a feeling 'going perfectly' was going to be much harder than she'd originally thought.

Prince Charles was sitting with his feet up on a table leaning back on his chair. He was balanced on just two chair legs and he hadn't even been watching the door. Did this guy want to die? Hadn't his parents told him there was a threat? A closer look revealed that he had something in his hands, but with his back to her, she couldn't tell what. He was making a very strange sound, as if repeating a word or syllable.

He suddenly noticed her and then to Sarah's great surprise promptly fell out of his chair and onto the floor. She really shouldn't have been surprised given the precarious way he'd been balanced on that chair but she couldn't help it. Prince Charles had to be the least prepared person she'd ever met.

"Ah, hi," Charles said.

"Hello," Sarah replied, trying to remain professional when all she wanted to do was laugh at the way he'd fallen off the chair. "General Beckmen sent me. I'm your new bodyguard."

"Right yes," he said, clearly a little embarrassed about the chair incident. "That's right."

"You requested me," Sarah continued.

"Mom didn't take no for an answer," the prince replied. "She's such a worrier."

"You are the future of the kingdom," Sarah reminded him.

"Yeah but it's not a very big kingdom, is it," Charles replied in a light, breezy kinda way. "And I have a sister. Besides, Dad could live till his grandkids take over and then the crown will skip right over me."

"Anything is possible," Sarah obliged him. "My only concern is for your safety."

"Ah yes, well I am perfectly safe so job done," Charles said. "Now take a load off. Sit down. I think I have another good leaning chair around here somewhere."

Sarah ignored him as he looked around for this 'leaning' chair. Instead, she busied herself with securing the room. Apart from the door she'd come out of, there was one window. It had a lock but it was weak. Even if they were on the top floor, she would still need to get the lock repaired. For that, she'd need a messenger. Sarah wasn't about to let this prince out of her sight, especially with his attitude. At this rate, she'd have to protect him from himself.

"So anywho," Charles continued as she moved around checking the rest of the room for weak points. "How was your day?"

"How was my day?" Sarah repeated, floored by his strange question. She was in fact so taken aback that she'd stopped her inspection all together to turn and stare at him.

"Yep, how was your day?" Charles repeated. "Was it bad? Did you have any fun? What did you have for breakfast?"

With a deep calming breath, Sarah looked him right in the eyes and spoke as unemotionally as she knew how. "Prince Charles, I am here to ensure your safety. There is no time for idle chatter."

"Call me Chuck," he said with an easy wave. "And there is always time for chatter."

Sarah had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at him. Taking yet another deep breath, she returned to her task. The floorboards were weak as well. If so determined, an assault could come from below, but even so the window was more likely. Anyone with a rope could likely climb the tower. To get through the door or the floor the attacker would have to make it through the entire castle which wasn't as likely, though still possible.

"How about an easier question then," Chuck continued, clearly unhindered by her concern for his safety. "What were you doing before coming here to protect me?"

"Training," Sarah replied.

"See that wasn't so hard," Chuck said. She could hear that he was grinning by just the tone of his voice. This guy was so not what she'd expected. Then again, she wasn't really sure what she'd expected.

"Let's try another one," Chuck continued unprompted. "What do you like to do on your days off?"

"Train," Sarah repeated.

"Ok-ay," Chuck said slowly. "What's your favourite food?"

"Free food," Sarah replied easily. She had to admit it was rather fun refusing to give him what he wanted.

"Your least favourite food?"

"I don't like olives," Sarah said, hoping one real answer would shut him up, but it had quite the opposite effect.

"Okay see there now, we are making progress!" Chuck exclaimed as if she'd offered him something valuable rather than pointless. "Why don't you like olives?"

Sarah shrugged. "They just don't taste good. Why do you care so much?"

It hadn't been a complicated question but for some reason it stumped him. Sarah turned to look at him. He was standing there with his mouth half open as stuck between words.

"Or maybe a better question is why you requested me as your bodyguard?" Sarah asked instead.

"I- um- well you see it's kind of a funny story, or maybe not funny per say, but definitely a good story. Yes, good story 'cause, well, mom said I had to have a guard you see and I thought, or rather I had this idea which seemed to make sense at the time, but now that I'm saying it out loud I realise it might not have been the best idea, but then again it could be. It's hard to know 'cause, well, you only just got here so…," Chuck rambled. He'd somehow managed to speak more just now than she had since entering the room and still he'd said nothing.

Sarah was saved from his rambling by the door bursting open. Instinctively she moved into a fighting stance and drew her blade, turning to face the door, all in one smooth motion.

When she saw who it was, she relaxed at once. King Orion, better known as Stephen to his family, had walked in with a guard on either side of him.

"Oh good you're already here," the king said to Sarah. Then he turned to his son. "Your mother sent me to speak with you. She said you aren't taking this threat seriously."

"That's because it doesn't make any sense," Chuck told his father. "Who would want to kidnap me? It's much more likely someone is after you and the message got all mixed up."

"The message was very clear, Charles," King Orion said firmly. "And you are to remain guarded twenty four seven until the threat has been neutralised."

"And I agreed to that," Chuck almost whined. "Sarah is here, but I want the rest of the royal guard with you, Ellie and mom."

The King shook his head. "You have always been stubborn," he said, but there was a kindness in his eyes. With a sigh, he walked closer and pulled his son into a hug.

He then turned to Sarah with a serious look in his eyes. "Keep him safe," the king said. "Please."

"I will do all in my power, sir," Sarah replied with a respectful nod of her head.

"That is all anyone can ask, I suppose," the king agreed.

"And you will call in the caption of the castle guard for yourself, right, Dad?" Chuck said in the most serious tone Sarah had yet heard from the man.

"Yes I will," Stephen agreed with an exasperated sigh. He then turned to leave. Before they had moved more than a foot closer to the door, Sarah spoke with one of the king's guards to ask for a messenger.

Once they were gone, Chuck sat down on his leaning chair, looking dejected. "Dad never focuses on anything but his family. I worry it will get him killed one day."

"And I worry your recklessness will get you killed," Sarah explained. Once again, Chuck didn't seem remotely concerned about this. In fact, the change in topic from his father's safety to his own seemed to lighten his mood.

"Reckless," Chuck laughed. "That's a word I've never heard associated with me before. Kinda fun actually. Makes me sound very impressive."

"Don't let it go to your head," Sarah told him.

"What did you order the messenger for anyway?" Chuck asked, changing the topic.

"Window lock needs to be repaired," Sarah explained. "The lock doesn't work, and I know you spend a lot of time here. so it should be secure."

"How do you know that?" Chuck asked.

Sarah just shrugged. "Everyone knows that," she said. "We have no clue why, but it's usually where your food is delivered which means it's where you are."

"Huh," Chuck replied. "I just never thought about it that way." He paused for a moment then looked at her with new interest. "You are quite observant, aren't you?"

"A soldier has to be," Sarah explained. "Knowledge is power. The difference between winning and losing a fight might be as simple as observing something small in your surroundings that your opponent missed."

"Well I for one feel very safe with you around," Chuck smiled at her.

"Thanks," Sarah laughed dryly. "But you don't think there is a threat, so that is hardly a compliment."

"Fair point," he agreed.

Sarah decided not to re-ask her earlier questions. He clearly didn't want to tell her and it didn't really matter anyway. The only thing that mattered was the job she'd been assigned. The only thing she needed to focus on was the prince's safety.

Now that Sarah had done all she could to secure the area, she stood guard at the door, patrolling around the room from time to time.

"So," Chuck began and Sarah prepared herself for more unnecessary personal questions. "Now that you're done with the job thing, maybe we can talk more?"

"The only way I'll ever be done 'with the job thing' is if you suddenly learn to become invulnerable and unkillable," Sarah explained.

She was surprised when Chuck laughed. Though the statement was technically true she had to acknowledge the humour in it, even if she wouldn't laugh about it. She was trying to be professional here and he was making it quite difficult.

"Just give Dad a few more years," he chuckled. "I'm sure he's working on something cool like that even as we speak."

It was no secret that the king liked to spend endless hours hidden away in his inventor's workshop. Every few years, one of those inventions tended to make its way into common use and, though they were always useful, they'd never been quite so extreme as invulnerability.

"I likely doubt an invention of that magnitude would take a mere few years," Sarah observed. She paused then added with a smile, "Besides, it would put me out of a job."

Chuck laughed, a genuine kind sort of laugh. Despite his strangeness, Sarah couldn't help but feel comfortable around Chuck. He had a way of setting one at ease; she suspected without really meaning to.

"True," Chuck said once his laugh died down enough for him to speak. "Probably, best father doesn't invent that one."

"Probably," Sarah agreed.

"Do you like your job?" Chuck asked her suddenly. Sarah was quite taken aback.

"I'm good at it," Sarah replied.

"But do you enjoy it?"

She didn't know how exactly to respond, until she finally settled on the truth. "I don't know. I guess I've never really thought about it before." She turned to face him, stuck with a sudden curiosity. "Why do you spend so much time in the east tower?"

Without speaking, Chuck walked over to the armoire on the other side of the room. Opening the two large doors, he turned to show her it's contents. The entire dresser was piled high with books in every colour and shape Sarah could imagine.

"Mom says I read too much," Chuck explained. "So I tell her I am bird watching and I come and sit by the window and read until the sunsets. Sometimes I bring a candle and tell her I'm stargazing."

Sarah couldn't hold back her smile. It was such an innocent secret.

"I even had to actually do some research on birds and constellations once, when she decided to take an interest," Chuck continued with a slight laugh. "I think Mom just worries I'll end up like Dad. A social recluse." His tone was light and cheery but Sarah could sense a more serious tone underneath.

Sarah was saved from answering by the arrival of the messenger she'd requested. She explained to him the security issues she'd discovered and he promised to contact the necessary trades people at once.

"And can you check the windows in the prince's bedroom as well," Sarah continued. "Just to be safe."

The messenger nodded to show he'd understood then left the room, closing the door behind him.

"So now what?" Chuck asked after a few moment's silence.

"Now I'm your shadow," Sarah explained. "Until the threat has passed."

"Got that," Chuck replied dismissively, though somehow still cheerfully. He seemed to often be cheery, Sarah observed. "I meant like what should we do now?"

"Based on past events, I suspect you have more irrelevant questions to ask me," Sarah observed.

"You aren't really a people person are you?" Chuck asked her with a casual smile. Sarah wasn't sure how to describe his tone of voice. There was humour in his voice, but also a hint of something else she couldn't identify.

"I'm great with people," Sarah answered, feeling only slightly insulted. "When the mission requires it."

"Not exactly a recipe for making friends," Chuck replied.

Sarah didn't reply, but instead turned to patrol around the room again. She'd never met anyone like Chuck before. Prince or not, the man seemed to be able to cut right to the heart of something without even realising he was doing it. Sarah didn't have any friends, or at least any real ones. Real friends weren't constantly competing with you like Carina or training you like Casey. Real friends just listened when you needed to talk and give you a hug when you couldn't. Sarah had witnessed such friendships before but she had no idea what it was like to be part of one.

Chuck seemed to understand at least a little that he'd said the wrong thing, because he was quiet for a while after that. He picked up a book and sat in the corner reading it until his dinner was delivered.

"Aren't you hungry?" Chuck asked her. Sarah was hungry but she couldn't exactly leave his side to get herself something from the kitchens. She just smiled at him and told him to eat his food.

"They should have brought you something too," Chuck said. "Here, why don't we share it?"

Sarah's first thought was that she couldn't possibly eat the prince's dinner. It was already way above her rank to merely be his guard, but to consume his food was going too far. Then her stomach growled loudly and Chuck refused to take no for an answer.

"Thank you," Sarah said as she accepted the other half of his sandwich.

"No problem," Chuck smiled. His expression softened as he added. "I'm really glad you're here, Sarah."

"Not sure why," Sarah chuckled. "It's not like you are taking this threat seriously."

"It's nice to have the company," Chuck explained.

Sarah couldn't help but smile. She thanked him again, then started eating. It was so delicious she had to work hard to stop herself from moaning. Clearly the kitchens had been holding out on her.

When someone came an hour later to collect the dishes, Chuck gave them specific instructions to bring two meals at every meal so long as Sarah was guarding him. It was the first time Sarah had seen him give an order or in any way act like a prince. Despite the derpy way this man usually acted, she could tell that he did have leadership skills. It was such a contradiction. Chuck was a contradiction and a fascinating one. Sarah found she was rather enjoying being stuck here with him, not that she was about to tell him that.

As the sun began to set, Chuck put his book down and lit a candle. Sarah lit a few more for security reasons, before returning to her guard post by the door, with a view of the window.

There was something peaceful about watching Chuck read. She could see his eyes move over the words and every minute or so, he turned the page. There was something very meditative, even relaxing, about the whole thing and Sarah began to feel her eyelids droop.

She jolted to attention. She was not allowed to sleep. Night time was the most likely time for an attack and she had to be vigilant.

Her sudden movement seemed to get Chuck's attention. He looked up from his book and at once set it aside.

"You need sleep," he told her. Sarah shook her head.

"Fine then, I need sleep and you are going to sleep too," Chuck told her firmly. Sarah accepted only the first part of his statement. She nodded, but didn't speak. She was worried her voice would give away her tiredness.

Chuck put his book back in the armoire then turned to face her.

"Lady's first," he said.

"Guards first," Sarah agreed. With her hand on the hilt of her sword, she moved forward with Chuck behind. Together they walked down the spiral staircase and into the main east hall.

This area was much more travelled than the tower. Even at this time of night, there were always people here. Chuck stopped someone in the hall and told them something, but Sarah didn't catch it despite being just a step behind the prince.

"What are you planning?" Sarah asked him, but he didn't reply. He just kept walking.

They were in the prince's bed chambers before Sarah learned what he was scheming. Two Castle staff came in just a few minutes after they arrived carrying a cot.

"Now you can sleep," Chuck told her.

But Sarah was shaking her head. "There should be a guard on duty while you sleep."

"There is," Chuck tried to tell her. "Two of them standing just outside the door."

"In the room Chuck," Sarah told him. "There has to be a guard in the room, then I'll sleep."

"But I never let father post guards in my room," Chuck reminded her.

"I know," she smiled. "I'm gonna sit on the cot. You should get some sleep."

Sarah went to sit on the cot. It was rather more comfortable than standing and so worried she'd pass out without meaning to. Once Chuck was asleep she'd go back to standing guard, probably by the window. It worried her.

"Oh all right," Chuck said suddenly with a deep sigh. "Guards inside it is."

"You don't have to do that Chuck," Sarah replied. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," Chuck told her. "You're exhausted." Without waiting for a reply, Chuck walked back to the big wooden doors that lead into the hall and spoke with the guards. Sarah could hear voices but she couldn't make out the exact words. When Chuck returned he'd informed her that the guards outside were doubled and Rex here would be their third wheel tonight.

"Now sleep," Chuck ordered Sarah. "Or I'll send for my sister to come and knock you out with that new anaesthesia she keeps going on about."

Sarah chuckled, but agreed. "Thank you," she told him gratefully.

She was still worried about the window and told Rex to stand guard beside it since there were guards on the door already. Rex agreed and Sarah laid down on her cot.

Before Chuck snuffled out the candles he changed behind the privacy wall in the corner, but Sarah planned to sleep in her gear, at full battle readiness. She left her thick leather coverings on. The only thing she removed was her sword belt, placing it beside the cot. She pulled one of her knives out of its sheath and placed that under her pillow before laying down.

"Sleep well, Sarah," Chuck told her as he put out the last candle. His genuine interest in her goodnight's sleep put a smile on Sarah's face even in the dark. She was glad he couldn't see her face as she drifted off.

A rattling noise woke her. At once Sarah was on her guard. She didn't make any sudden movements but slowly put her hand around the handle of her knife under the pillow. It was dark. Too dark to really see much. All the candles were out and there was barely a beam of moonlight coming into the room. Sarah looked to the window for the night guard, but she couldn't tell if he was still standing there or not. Slowly, so as not to make a sound, Sarah picked up and attached her belt. She was glad now that she'd slept in her boots.

Knife in hand, Sarah tiptoed through the darkness without making a sound. The noise was coming from the window. She reached up to investigate, knife at the ready. It could just be the old broken lock rattling in the breeze but it could also be almost anything else. Sarah had to be ready. She could hear the prince's steady breathing from across the room. She knew he was still in bed, so that meant no one had gotten in yet, if this was indeed an invasion. She knew she might be overreacting, but her inability to locate the night guard worried her.

Sarah reached the window and her heart stopped. A pair of eyes were staring at her through the now open window. In the light of a crescent moon Sarah couldn't make out more than the eyes and outline. Reacting out of her years of training, Sarah reached up to slam the window shut. The intruder must have had his fingers on the windowsill, because she felt the window connect with something and heard a startled cry of pain.

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Thanks for reading chapter one of my new Sarah/Chuck AU. What did you think of Chuck and Sarah's first meeting? I drew inspriation from the tv show first meeting with Chuck getting caught in a less than dignified way. Hope you enjoyed it. :)

I usually do sneak peeks to the next chapter at the end of my first chapter but that really wouldn't ruin this cliffhanger wouldn't it?

Chapter Text

Without missing a step, Sarah tried to lock the window, only to discover that like the other room, this lock was broken. She had no way to keep them out. She couldn't see well enough to attack with any accuracy. Where were the other guards?

She could feel someone, or something, pushing on the window, trying to open it. She knew this fight wasn't about strength but rather about size and her body mass wasn't enough to hold the window shut for long.

"Chuck!" Sarah yelled at the top of her voice. "Wake up!" The time for subtlety was over. If this was a sneak attack, the best thing Sarah could do was to make a lot of noise and ruin their advantage.

She heard some mumbles from the direction of his huge four poster bed. Did this guy sleep like the dead or what?

The window was still making a slight rattling noise as she tried to keep it shut. Whoever was on the other side was determined to push it open. Soon, she would have to cut her losses and abandon the window or be thrown to the ground.

"CHUCK!" Sarah yelled again, and this time she heard some promising squeaks.

"Sarah?" Chuck called out to her in a confused voice. He still sounded half asleep.

"When I say so, you gotta be ready to run," Sarah told him.

"Huh, what?" he asked, groggily.

"No time," Sarah said. "Are you ready, Chuck?"

"Ready," he mumbled. "No, I'm not ready. I'm not even wearing shoes."

If it wasn't her job to keep him alive, Sarah felt for sure that comment would have been worth killing him over.

Sarah could feel the attacker gaining ground. It was now or never. Clearly, warning Chuck wouldn't be worth it. Instead Sarah let go of the window, doing her best to throw the guy off while she ran as fast as she could to the sound of Chuck's voice.

In the dark, she tripped. It only took her seconds to realize what she'd tripped on. It was Rex. She didn't have time to stop and check if he was alive. Either way, he was out of the fight. Protecting Chuck had to be her first priority. Sarah got up as fast as she could, moving once again in the direction of Chuck's voice.

"Oh wow, Sarah, hi," Chuck said as she rammed into him. She didn't even bother to respond, instead she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him in the direction of the door, or at least where she remembered the door had been. She still couldn't see much in the dark.

Chuck made a ridiculous noise as she pulled him along. She shhh-ed him quite a few times, but it was no use. Even in this darkness, the enemy knew exactly where they were. Sarah knew what she had to do.

"Here's the door, Chuck," she told him, helping him feel it so he would know where to go. "I need you to run. Find the castle guards, alright?"

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me."

"What I don't-" Chuck began, but then they both heard the unmistakable sound of someone's feet hitting the floor with a thud. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't small and he'd made it through the window.

"Go. Run. Now," Sarah snapped.

"You don't even know how many of them there are," Chuck told her. He seemed to have caught on now, thank goodness.

"Doesn't matter. You have to leave," Sarah tried again.

"You can't fight what you can't see, Sarah!"

"I can give you time to escape," she replied frustrated. "That is, if you'd just go already!"

"Not gonna happen," Chuck said. She could hear in his voice that he meant every word. He wasn't going to leave.

Sarah wanted to scream at him and shake him senseless. Who did the idiot think he was? The bodyguard stayed to defend the fleeing prince. That was the way it went. His way would get them both killed, but he wasn't giving her any other choice.

Sarah pushed on the door, and at once knew something was wrong. Was it jammed? Or maybe just stuck. She pushed on it again, but it didn't budge an inch. Then she remembered something Shaw had told her about the royal bedchambers. Some extra security feature that was basically never used.

Feeling along the side, Sarah found the small release lever. She tried the door again, and it opened. Quickly, she pulled Chuck through it. The bright light from the hallway candles assaulted her eyes. Sarah blinked rapidly, waiting for her eyes to adapt.

In all the time she'd lived at the castle, never once had anyone mentioned a time when the sleeping chambers' emergency lock had been used. They locked the doors in such a way that they weren't able to be opened from the outside. A home intruder would have to break down the door to gain entry. There was no key and no way to release the mechanism without being inside the room. This might explain why the intruder had come in the window.

The bright lights dimmed as her pupils reduced in size and Sarah could see again. The hallway was empty. There wasn't a single person walking down the hallway. This was not good. Sarah turned back to the closed door they'd just come through. The two guards who'd been posted at the door were laying on the ground, slumped in a position that told Sarah they were caught unawares. Even so, they'd managed to activate the one way lock which had likely saved both her and Chuck's life.

At once, Sarah began feeling along the side edges of the door, near the hinges to find the secret lock. Even if it could be opened from the inside, it might take the intruder a moment to figure it out, which would be worth it. Sarah needed every second head start she could get.

"Why are you feeling up the door?" Chuck asked. "And where is everyone?"

"No time to explain, Chuck," Sarah said as her fingers slid over the slight indentation and she activated the lock. Sarah was just glad she'd been paying attention the day Shaw'd been talking about these locks.

She was beyond glad now that she hadn't sent Chuck into this hallway alone. This wasn't just one guy coming in the window. This had affected the entire castle. This was an invasion. From now on, she couldn't leave Chuck's side. The safety of the rest of the royal family was in question, but Sarah could do nothing about that. She hoped they were safe, but Chuck had to be her only concern.

She could hear their attacker moving around clumsily in the pitch black room behind her. Sarah guessed that sound was a table falling to the ground. He didn't know how to navigate in the dark and it was slowing him down. Between that and the door lock, Sarah felt sure they had a good chance of getting out of sight before he opened the door.

In a sudden burst of movement that almost comically startled Chuck, Sarah bolted, holding Chuck by the hand to make sure he followed.

"I don't like this," Chuck said. "I've gotten up in the middle of the night before, and this hallway is always full of people."

"I know," Sarah whispered back. "And keep your voice down."

First thing first. If they were going to escape the castle, Chuck needed shoes and something other than a sleeping shirt. Going back to his room was out of the question, but Sarah knew where the laundry was done. No one would look for the prince there. It was a plan, at least, and she couldn't think of a better one at the moment.

Chuck seemed to understand now that they needed to remain quiet. She slowed them down once they reached the corner. Sarah cautiously looked down the other hall to make sure it was empty before pulling Chuck along. They were at least not in view of Chuck's bedchamber door anymore which meant the intruder would have to guess which way they went if he wanted to follow them.

Sarah continued to move quickly down empty halls and cautiously checking around corners, before they darted down those as well.

It was almost a half hour before they ran into anyone. Sarah turned to look around a corner and saw two men. Definitely not castle guards. She pulled back around to hide behind the safety of the wall and put a finger over her lips to tell Chuck to be silent.

If she really focused, she could hear what they were saying.

"This is so boring. Why can't we just go up to the king's chambers. I've always wanted to punch royalty. Now that's a story to tell your grandkids!"

"You know our orders," a different voice replied. "We were to take out the guards, lock everyone in their rooms and then extract the prince. The other royals are not the target."

"I don't see why." The bored voice sounded quite cranky, while the other one had a level of frustration in it. Sarah could sense intelligence in only the frustrated voice.

"The boss doesn't want a political incident, or a huge bounty on his head when one of his men enjoys the princess," the frustrated voice all but growled. "He just needs the prince. The idea was to get in and out fast without anyone understanding what happened."

"Then, why are we still here?" the dim voice asked, with a bored whine.

"Because we didn't know about the hidden door lock," the frustrated man grumbled. "It will all be fine once the lieutenant and his team get in the window."

Sarah had heard enough. It was valuable intel, but they were also blocking her exit. There was nowhere to hide in the corridor. They'd definitely see her coming and raise the alarm. She knew she could take them both out, but she also knew it would cost her stealth. One yell and they could very well be surrounded.

"We need to find another way," Sarah whispered in Chuck's ear. "Do you know another route to the servants' kitchens?"

Chuck nodded. He'd heard what she'd heard. They both knew the rest of his family were safe, or as safe as anyone in the castle was right now. For whatever reason, they were only after Chuck.

Sarah stayed in the lead, even if Chuck was now the one pointing the way. Sarah wanted to make sure they checked around corners before they turned and didn't know enough about Chuck's stealth skills to know if he'd manage it.

They reached the servants' kitchens and laundry without any trouble. To her left, Sarah saw large barrels filled with water on the stone floor. A few had scrubbing boards resting on them, and yet more had a set of rollers to ring clothes out before they were hung to dry. In winter, Sarah knew the ceiling would be covered in hanging clothes all in a various state of dampness, but right now it was spring so those clothes were likely hanging outside waiting for the morning sun to dry them.

The wall directly in front of them had a small door over it where Sarah knew there was a hole and the remains of a fire. Last time she'd been here, there'd been bread baking in that wall oven. A large assortment of cooking pots and pans sat on shelves near the bread oven. The wood burning stove on the far right was also used to heat the iron. The ironing boards had lightly been put away before everyone had retired to sleep. Sarah hoped they were all safe in their beds.

"Find shoes and get dressed," Sarah instructed Chuck. "Something comfortable and warm. Think layers."

"It sounds like you have a plan," Chuck said as he selected a pair of shoes among the ones waiting to be cleaned.

"We need to get out of the castle and hide out," Sarah answered his implied question.

"What about my parents," Chuck argued. "My sister. We have to save them."

"You heard those guards," Sarah hissed back. "They are safe. You were right before, not to let me stay and fight alone in the dark, but this is different. We know what the enemy wants now."

"I can't just leave them behind."

"Yes, you can," Sarah stated firmly. "I promised the king I'd keep you safe and that is exactly what I plan to do." Chuck opened his mouth to argue more, but before he could Sarah continued, "Your family will all be safer with you away from here. The castle will likely be released once they realize you are missing."

He didn't speak, but Sarah could make out his face in the new morning light. The sun was just beginning to rise. Soon, they would lose the cover of darkness all together and their chance of escape. It was now or never. They were leaving, even if she had to knock Chuck out and carry him, though she wouldn't bet on their chances if that were the case.

"Alright," Chuck finally said, with a tone of surrender in it.

Getting to the servants' kitchens and laundry was one thing, but Sarah felt sure all the exits to the Castle itself would be highly guarded. Which exit would be the best to try? She'd have to take out any guards silently if they were to escape unnoticed. Somehow she doubted this would be possible, which meant it wouldn't be long until they were followed.

"Can you fight?" she asked Chuck.

"That depends," Chuck replied.

"I'll take that as a no," Sarah sighed. "Okay, so I think we should try and get out now, before the sun is fully risen and, fighter or no, you need a weapon."

Chuck looked around for a moment, then picked up a rather solid looking iron frying pan and turned to grin at her. She supposed that would do. This man was so strange.

Sarah managed to find a dry bag among the laundry. It was a bit dirty, but that hardly mattered. While Chuck got dressed, Sarah collected as much food as she could fit into the bag. A few loaves of bread, some hard cheese and dried meat. She also added another knife to her belt and two water skins to the bag. She filled only one of them halfway, so the weight wouldn't slow her down. As she was turning away, Sarah saw a tinderbox and put that in her bag as well, before returning to Chuck.

"I said layers," Sarah sighed, as she took in his clothes.

"This is two layers," Chuck argued.

"But will it keep you from freezing at night?"

"Fair point," Chuck said and selected another few layers. Sarah herself picked out and packed a sweater and a pair of warm socks into her bag.

"Pack a bag, too," she told Chuck. "All the food you can carry."

While he did that, Sarah went over the plan in her mind. Getting to the grounds wouldn't be so complicated. They could just leave through the servants door. Once outside, the wall that surrounded the grounds would prove far more challenging. She tried to think of which exits had bushes or any type of cover nearby, but it was a hard thing to recall. Any gate that left the grounds was likely to be heavily guarded to prevent their escape. They could scale the wall, but she wasn't totally sure if Chuck could keep up with her. She needed more information, but she wasn't likely to get any. It had been sheer luck they'd overheard those guards earlier. They weren't likely to get that lucky again.

"Okay, ready," Chuck said, snapping Sarah out of her thoughts. She turned to see him standing with a bag over his shoulder and a frying pan in his hand. His clothes looked warmer, too.

"Good," she said. "Now we have to roll the dice and pick an exit. Any ideas?"

"The route they'd least expect me to take would be the servants exit and then, once outside, maybe the north wall?"

"North wall it is," Sarah said. It was Chuck's life on the line after all. It seemed fitting that he be the one to roll the dice.

The door off the servants' workroom led into the gardens. This time of year, they were importing their vegetables, but Sarah knew, come fall they'd harvest and preserve for the winter. At the moment though, she was grateful that the raised garden beds provided some cover.

Sarah drew her sword. Chuck had his frying pan raised and together they moved slowly forward. Once they passed the cover the garden provided, Sarah saw them. Three figures in the distance around the gate. It explained why the castle had been so empty. Whoever this was had focused on blocking their escape, rather than preventing their moving around the castle. Every exit was likely guarded by at least three men. For all Sarah knew, this was the only gate guarded by just three men.

"So, here's the plan," Sarah whispered to Chuck. He listened to her explain quietly, just nodding every so often. "Think you can do that?"

"Oh yes," Chuck replied. "I think I could do more."

"Let's just start with this, okay?" Sarah sighed.

"I'm not quite as useless in a fight as you seem to think," Chuck said.

"Oh really?" Sarah inquired incredulously. Quick as a flash she knocked Chuck's feet out from under him and pointed her sword at his throat.

"It's complicated," Chuck said from his pinned position on the ground.

"Let's stick to my plan." Chuck nodded his agreement.

Together they moved across the open field and towards the gate, keeping low but knowing full well that if those guards turned their heads they were doomed.

When they reached the little decorative wall in front of the gate, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. She motioned to Chuck and got moving again. Alone, Sarah moved past the low wall and towards the large well groomed rose bush on the left side of the gate. Once she was in position, she waited for the signal, sword in one hand and her throwing knife in the other.

"Why, hello there!" Chuck's voice rang out. "I believe you are looking for me?"

She hadn't told him to say that exactly, but as far as signals go, she'd take it. Chuck was now standing right in front of the guards keeping all their attention. The guards were so stunned, it was a solid five seconds before they did anything. More than enough time for Sarah to throw her knife.

She hit the closest guard right between the eyes and he fell, dead before he hit the ground. The distraction had done its job. It was two on two now. All Chuck had to do was not die, while she took out her guy and all he had was a frying pan. Sarah had to hurry.

Leaping out from the bush with her sword raised, Sarah jabbed. Her target dodged, quickly recovering from his shock. He drew his sword, which was larger and heavier than hers, but that wasn't always an advantage. Sarah had the better agility and it took very little pressure to puncture human skin. Unlike her, this guard wasn't wearing armour, light or otherwise.

She leapt out of the way every time he swung his sword, waiting for an opening. She couldn't spare a glance to see how Chuck was doing. All she could do was hope that his frying pan was serving him well.

The guy was strong for sure, but like Casey, he sacrificed speed for strength. Unlike sparring with Casey, Sarah needed to win more than she needed to fight fair.

As she dodged another attack, Sarah got low on the ground and used her hand that wasn't holding her sword to grab a handful of dirt. As she rose up again to avoid a swing from the left, Sarah threw the dirt into her opponents eyes. In the split second that he cried out and used his free hand to rub his eyes, Sarah attacked.

She went for his thighs, slashing them both with the tip of her sword. The light flexible blade sliced deep into flesh, cutting muscles and blood poured from the gash. He cried out and crumpled to the ground. Sarah brought her blade back up and didn't hesitate to slice his throat next, before turning around on the spot to see how Chuck was fairing.

Chuck was alive, but that was all the praise she had for him. He was rather inexpertly blocking his opponents attacks by holding up the frying pan. Now that she was seeing this, Sarah could hardly believe she hadn't noticed the noise. Everytime the board sword and iron pan met, a loud bang echoed. Sarah wouldn't be surprised if it was enough to draw in more enemy fighters. She had to end this fast.

With all her opponent's attention fixed on Chuck, this fight would be far easier than her previous one. Moving in behind him, Sarah sliced the back of his legs, just below the knee. As he began to fall, Chuck hit him rather hard in the head with the frying pan.

"Ha!" Chuck exclaimed in triumph, as the guy went down.

"Shh," Sarah hushed him. "There could be more coming. We have to move."

"Right, sorry," Chuck mumbled.

Together, they left through the now unguarded gate and ran away from the castle and into the nearby woods as fast as their legs would carry them.

Chapter Text

Morgan was pretty sure he was dreaming. It was just that he'd never had a dream so loud before. Why were they yelling? The sound seemed to be taking over his dream, pulling him up and out like being dragged out of mud. Morgan could feel sleep slipping away as he became more aware of his surroundings.

Very suddenly, he was pulled from his groggy state by someone grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him without mercy. His eyes snapped open and Morgan's vision was full of John Casey.

"What, huh, why you here?" Morgan mumbled. Between the dream and the rude awakening, he wasn't feeling all that coherent.

"Chuck and Sarah are missing," Casey told him.

That sobered Morgan up right away. Chuck, also known as Prince Charles, was his best friend. It wasn't exactly common for royalty to get chummy with the regular folk, but Chuck wasn't your usual type of royalty either. Morgan had met the prince when they were both six years old. His mother had forgotten him at the market again. Morgan could remember being so scared, alone in a crowd of strangers, but then Chuck had appeared. He and his mother had helped Morgan that day, and all the days that followed, Morgan had received regular invitations to the castle to visit with the prince. Over the years, he'd ended up spending time with the other kids who lived in the castle, as well as the princess, Ellie, though she'd never been his biggest fan. Morgan had come to live here only recently, when the prince had found him a job in the castle.

"What do you mean missing?" Morgan asked with urgency.

"I mean they can't be found," Casey snapped. "What do you think missing means? There was an attack last night. We were all locked in our rooms or didn't you notice?"

"I, um," Morgan replied awkwardly. He didn't want to admit that he hadn't noticed.

"That's what I thought," Casey grumbled. "By the time I broke out of my room, every guard who hadn't been locked up was dead and the prince and his bodyguard were nowhere to be found."

"Does that mean they escaped together?"

"That's the hope," Casey replied. "Now get up and get dressed. The king wants you in the counsel room, now."

"Aye, sir!"

Casey just growled before turning away and exiting the room. Since Morgan had met and fallen in love with Alex, he'd learned quite a bit about her father. Most importantly that he was not a man to be crossed, but he'd also realized there was quite a bit more to John Casey than meets the eye. Despite his cranky exterior, Casey actually cared quite a bit more than he let on, especially about his daughter. In his youth, Casey had worked along the border. It wasn't until he'd returned to join the castle guard that he'd learned he had a daughter. Even so, he'd become very protective of her right away.

Morgan got up and got dressed as fast as he could before heading upstairs to the king's counsel room. It wasn't a place he often went. Chuck had to attend meetings on a regular basis, but it was rare that Morgan was asked to join. The only other time he'd attended a royal meeting was when the queen had wanted to ask him very specific questions about Chuck. Morgan did his best not to break, but in the end he'd told them where Chuck had run off too. Of course, that had been back when they were ridiculous teenagers and Chuck had merely been sneaking out of the castle because his parents had told him not to. Morgan had no idea why he was being asked to join this time. Surely, they needed the military adviser more than him.

Even with no idea why he was here, Morgan sat down at the oval table towards the end, trying to appear inconspicuous. The king and queen sat in their usual seat on opposite ends of the oval table while all the generals, captains and high ranking soldiers were seated along the sides. Morgan felt very out of place sitting next to the queen, but he wanted to help find Chuck, even if he didn't feel like he was qualified for the job.

"We've done a full sweep of the castle and grounds," General Beckmen reported. "No signs of the prince, but we did find two bodies that weren't our guards. One had a knife between the eyes and the other a slashed throat. Both were near the north wall gate. At the moment, our best case scenario is that they escaped through the north gate and are on the run."

"And what's the worst case scenario?" Queen Mary asked.

"That they put up a fight but were captured," Beckman replied. "But I feel like this is less likely."

"How come?" King Stephen inquired.

"Because Sarah holds no value as a ransom," Captain Shaw explained. "If indeed the goal was to capture and ransom off the prince, then taking his guard with him wouldn't make sense."

"You assume too much," the king declared. "We don't know that ransom was their goal."

"What other goal could they have?" Shaw stated as if his question didn't need an answer.

"I talked to the kitchens," the queen continued. "And there are clothes, bags, and food missing. To me, this means they escaped together with provisions. My husband and I have decided to plan the rescue attempts accordingly." She then turned and looked right at Morgan, who gulped.

"Where would Chuck go?" she asked Morgan. He could tell she meant the question seriously and answered in kind.

Morgan knew where his best friend's mind was always at these days. He knew what motivated Chuck and he knew exactly what Chuck's reaction to this situation would be.

"If I know Chuck, which I do," Morgan replied. "Then I can say with certainty that Chuck will go wherever Sarah takes him."

"That hardly helps," Shaw scoffed. "She's his guard. Of course he'll follow her. We need to know where to start searching."

"No, you see it's not that he'll follow her," Morgan explained. "It's that, prince or not, he won't be calling the shots. We don't need to know where Chuck would go, we need to know where Sarah would go. So the question now is, who knows Sarah the best."

There was silence for a moment. Despite her being part of the military for years, Sarah had only been assigned to the regiment posted at the castle a matter of months ago. She had no family here. Morgan wasn't even sure if she'd made any friends yet.

"Casey has been training her," General Beckman said after a long pause. "He's spoken very highly of her."

"And we all know impressing the colonel is no simple task," Captain Shaw added.

"Assemble a team," the king ordered. "Your best guards plus the colonel and Morgan."

"Morgan isn't in the military or even part of the royal guard," Shaw argued.

"He is going and that's final," Stephen commanded. "Like Casey he is a resource for information on this mission. He knows Chuck better than anyone, and you will need him. Every bit of information is essential in such a time sensitive situation."

Captain Shaw bowed his head, but it was very clear to everyone he hated doing it.

"Make no mistake, this is a rescue mission, but if you can bring in or kill the people behind the attack on my family you have authorization to do so," Queen Mary commanded. "You are going to operate under the assumption that Sarah and Chuck are alive and together but on the run. We need to find them before the enemy does. Speed is of the essence. You will leave as soon as you are able."

Once again Shaw nodded, this time with less clear displeasure

"Dismissed," Mary said and at once everyone seated at the table stood and left the room.

Morgan tried to follow suit, but he was stopped by the queen's hand on his shoulder.

"Stay," she told him and Morgan sat, feeling very much like a misbehaving child as he did so.

Once the table was clear, the king ordered every attendant, servant and guard out of the room. Now alone with his best friend's two royal parents, Morgan was about ready to hide under the table. The last time he'd been this nervous was when he'd found out who Alex's father was.

Speaking of Alex, Morgan really didn't think she would be happy about this, but it wasn't like he could refuse to follow the king's orders because his girlfriend might not like it.

"I know you know why they are after Chuck," Stephen's kind voice cut into the silence.

"What, no, why would I know?" Morgan replied lamely.

"Because my foolish son tells you everything," the queen spoke in a sharper tone than her husband. "I know you are loyal to him. I also know someone who isn't, has found out. You are going on this mission because no one else, save for me and his father, knows why Chuck was targeted. You heard Shaw. They think this is a ransom situation, but we both know our kingdom isn't large enough for a ransom to be worth this sophisticated of an attack."

"We don't know that for sure," Morgan said, trying and failing not to sound fake.

"Oh yes we do, and we know you know, so don't even pretend," Mary snapped. Morgan was about to give another lame denial, when the queen's glare cut through to his core.

"Chuck told me years ago," Morgan admitted.

"This attack was too sophisticated to not have inside help," the queen continued. "We can't risk telling everyone in the rescue party, which means it's up to you to tell them only what they need to know, if they need to know it."

"Ummm, what does that mean exactly?"

"What my wife is trying to say is there may come a moment when knowing this isn't a random kidnapping will make the difference between saving and losing our son," the king said in a calmer voice than his wife. "And if that time comes, it is down to you to notice it."

"Oh," Morgan said in a small voice. "So no pressure then."

"I need to know one more thing," Mary began. "Will Chuck tell Sarah?"

"I'd say there is a very good chance Chuck has already told Sarah," Morgan answered. "Unless he's worried about what she'd think or something, then it might take him a while, but if they got into a situation that called for drastic action, then he'd probably tell her sooner you know, cause Chuck-"

"A simple yes would have sufficed," the queen sighed. "We will just have to hope Sarah can be trusted."

"Oh, I think she can," Morgan commented.

"And why is that?" the queen inquired.

"Because Chuck believes she can."

Mary let out a long sign before telling Morgan he could go. Without wasting a second, Morgan got up off his chair and left the room with haste. Though he valued the trust they had just shown him, the whole atmosphere in there right now was intimidating. Morgan wanted to be elsewhere.

Less than an hour later, Morgan was assembled outside the north gate with Shaw, Casey and a half a dozen other guards he couldn't quite remember the name of. He'd barely even gotten a moment to say goodbye to Alex before being whisked off to join the mission.

The king was anxious, and rightly so. Despite their best efforts for speed, the rescue party didn't leave the castle grounds until almost midday. Both Chuck and his pursuers had a huge head start.

"The king worries too much," Shaw was saying as they travelled. "All he has to do is pay the ransom once it arrives."

"What makes you so sure this is a ransom?" John Casey asked.

Morgan knew that Chuck had never told Casey his secret, but he also wouldn't be surprised if the colonel knew something else was going on here.

"What else could it possibly be?" Shaw laughed.

It was fairly well known that the captain of the royal guards thought the prince to be, well, a little ridiculous. Morgan did understand that as far as princes go, Chuck was a bit unorthodox, but then again so were the rest of his family. Princess Ellie ran a free hospital in the lower town, despite her parents repeatedly telling her it was too dangerous. The king was always trying to invent something and the queen was the scariest of the lot. When she wasn't putting on the social graces, Morgan was pretty sure she could kill a man with her pinky.

"Until we know more, we can't speculate," Casey told Shaw.

It was very clear that Shaw hated being told this. The royal guards reported directly to Shaw and Shaw reported only to the king and queen. As part of the military, Casey reported to General Beckman who reported to the royal couple. Casey had seen more action, but Shaw probably thought he was of higher rank due to his not reporting to a middleman, or in this case, middle woman.

Morgan knew they wouldn't actually come to blows, but that didn't mean both men weren't thinking about it.

In silence, the party walked across the open space just past the wall and into the forest. They were following the noses of the two hunting dogs on leash at the front of the group. They soon turned off the path and then, about an hour later, found themselves stopped in their tracks.

"Looks like they crossed this river," Shaw was saying.

"No really? I hadn't guessed," Casey replied sarcastically.

"We'll have to try and pick up the scent again on the other side."

Both men looked up and down to see if there was a place to cross.

"Is it really a river, though," Morgan piped in. "I mean aren't rivers deeper?"

Everyone ignored him. Morgan wasn't surprised. They'd been walking up and down what Morgan would generously call a creek for only a few minutes when they were spotted.

Morgan had to guess the other group had only just arrived the same as them since they were also looking for a way across the creek without getting their shoes wet. The difference was that these men were definitely not royal guards. Like everyone else there, Morgan had to assume they were the ones after Chuck. Shaw ordered the attack and everyone charged forward.

Except for Morgan, who moved a little bit to the right. He could hear the clashing of swords and the screams of pain as he took cover behind a rock.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream behind him and Morgan turned on the spot to see the bad guy who'd been about to split him in half skewered through the chest on Casey's broadsword.

"Idiot," Casey mumbled under his breath as he turned back towards the fight. "Stay behind me."

Morgan didn't need telling twice. He picked up the dead man's sword, and realized it was too heavy so he picked up the bad guy's dagger and followed the colonel.

Three of the castle guards were on the ground bleeding. Morgan counted only two of the attackers lying near them. The remaining men were grinning like they'd already won, while their leader in the back yelled at them to press their advantage.

With only three guards left, plus Shaw and Casey, the bad guys outnumbered them worse now than before. Still, Morgan knew Casey and Shaw were no ordinary men. They counted as at least two each, and in Casey's case maybe three.

Morgan tried to stay behind Casey as the fighting continued. Easier said than done. Hands moved blades through the air so fast, it was all Morgan could do to keep himself from being sliced in half.

Another of the royal guards fell to the ground with a sword through his chest, but at the same time Casey and Shaw each took out one of the enemy, and they were in no way slowing down.

Morgan could almost make out the man in the back or at least he could see a mop of messy brown hair and hear the man's sinister voice.

"Give up," the leader was saying. "You are outnumbered."

Casey and Shaw responded by each killing another one of the attackers at the same time. Without hesitation they turned to take on the next.

It didn't take long for the outnumbered status to shift. Morgan saw the leader better, as the men in front of him reduced. If only he could get closer, maybe he could catch a glimpse of the leader's face.

Leaving the safety of Casey's side, Morgan darted forward in a mad rush to identify their leader before he ran off. Morgan knew somehow that the man behind this whole thing wasn't about to turn himself in just to save his last few men. No, he was going to leave them to die and use the time to escape.

Sure enough, when Morgan found their leader he had his back turned.

"Found you!" Morgan said in triumph. Slowly the man spun round and Morgan realised instantly that he was a dead man.

The only upside to his blunder was that he was now staring right at the other man's face. Morgan didn't recognize him, but he worked to commit the face to memory all the same.

"Don't think this means you've won, boy," the man said in a deep angry voice before turning and running in the opposite direction.

"So not dead, then," Morgan said with a smile. "Awesome."

He turned to see that Casey and Shaw had won their battle. Apart from them, only one of the other guards was uninjured. A few more were still alive, but unable to walk.

"And we have a prisoner," Shaw said with pride.

"I killed all mine," Casey growled.

"You won't hear me complaining," Morgan sided with Casey who just growled again.

"Come on," Shaw commanded. "We have to get the wounded back to the castle. Help me with these branches. We need to make a stretcher."

"But what about finding Chuck?" Morgan asked.

"Most likely those were the guys after Chuck," Shaw reminded him. "We need to report to the king and we have a prisoner to interrogate."

Morgan didn't know what to say to that. It made sense and, at the same time, Morgan felt like going back meant never finding Chuck. He wasn't sure if this was the moment Chuck's parents had told him about, but either way he had to go with his gut.

"If we turn back now we'll never catch up," Morgan argued against leaving. "I thought this was a rescue mission? Not a capture and interrogate mission. We aren't done until we find Chuck."

"Those men, whoever they were, killed our dogs," Shaw reminded him. "So unless you have a way to track Chuck without a canine we are headed back."

"I'm staying," Morgan stated firmly. He wasn't exactly sure how to track Chuck but he knew he had to try.

"We are running out of daylight," Shaw reminded them. "We should report back and find out what this one knows. There is also the wounded to think about."

"Why don't we interrogate him here?" Casey suggested. "And then the moron and I will keep looking together, while you go back with the wounded."

"You really think this is wise, Colonel?" Shaw asked. Despite their not seeing eye to eye much of the time, the captain did at least respect the colonel.

"It does make sense, given the circumstances," Casey continued. "This is a rescue mission and so far we have rescued no one."

"Alright then," Shaw agreed. "Let's see what this guy knows, then split up."

The interrogation was short lived. Threatening him accomplished nothing. Beating him up didn't get any information out of him. Shaw even offered to pay him for the information, but the man remained silent. If Morgan hadn't known better, he'd have thought the guy was missing his tongue.

The one good thing that came from the interrogation was that Shaw no longer believed this was a ransom.

"If the goal here was money he'd have taken my bribe," Shaw explained. "A prisoner who won't talk is no use to us. We should prioritise getting our own wounded home safe before nightfall. Taking the prisoner as well, will just slow us down."

"Agreed," Casey replied and, before Morgan could so much as ask what they planned to do with the prisoner, he was executed.

"Good luck," Shaw told the colonel with a slight nod.

"You as well," Casey replied.

And with that the captain, his remaining guard and the wounded, one of which was on a stretcher, turned to make their way back to the castle.

Casey turned to Morgan. "You better have a plan, kid," Casey said. "Because I just stuck my neck out for you."

"Plan right, yes plan," Morgan mumbled. "Well first of all I think we should take off our shoes."

Casey growled and Morgan explained that it was to get over the creek without having to walk in wet shoes for the rest of the day.

Chapter Text

Sarah knew it wouldn't be long until they were followed. She didn't let Chuck stop running until they reached the tree line. They had to slow to a walk when the terrain became rougher. Rocks and roots were everywhere and running wasn't worth a twisted ankle. Moss and dead leaves littered the ground as they moved more slowly through the trees.

After a few hours of careful hiking, Chuck started to complain. A few hours later, he was reduced to whining, but she kept him moving. Rather than going in a straight line, Sarah did her best to seek out natural barriers to move through that would make them harder to track. Going off the path hadn't bothered Chuck, but he'd baulked when she pointed to the river.

"River, really?" Chuck said, looking out over the river in question.

"Well what would you call it?" Sarah asked.

"Creek, maybe," Chuck said. Sarah had to admit he had a point. The water was too wide to simply step over but it was also shallow and slow moving. Sarah could see his point about it not being a river, she just didn't really care.

"It doesn't matter what you call it," Sarah said. "We are still crossing it."

"But we are gonna get soaked!" Chuck whined.

"There is enough daylight left to dry us off before nightfall," Sarah said. "No excuses."

"Why can't we go around or find a bridge or something?"

"That won't throw off our scent," Sarah answered. She was getting rather tired of his arguing.

"We don't know for sure that they have dogs," Chuck reminded her.

"We also don't know for sure that they don't have dogs," Sarah sighed. If he'd just moved instead of bickering about it, they'd be across already. "If you don't get moving, I'm going to push you across and you will get even wetter."

Chuck grumbled but he didn't argue anymore. Instead he started walking through the water. The creek came up to just above their ankles. Sarah followed him in and she had to admit the water was rather cold. She could also feel the slimy algae growing on the rocks. They had to be careful not to slip. They wouldn't get far injured.

"My stolen shoes are soaked through," Chuck stated as they reached the other side.

Sarah's boots were also wet but was she complaining, no. She had a feeling this was the roughest the prince had ever had it in his entire life. Sarah almost envied him, if his spoiled comments weren't so annoying.

"Technically, those shoes were the property of the king and you are the king's son," Sarah reminded him. "Therefore, not stolen."

"Tell that to whoever goes to collect their shoes tomorrow and finds them missing," Chuck shot back.

"Why don't we take a break and let our shoes dry in the sun," Sarah suggested, gesturing off to her right. There was a clearing there where the trees were far enough apart to let the sun shine through.

"We can even eat some of our rations," Sarah added to get him moving.

It worked. Chuck's face lit up at once. She'd insisted they be sparing with their rations. Sarah didn't know how long it would be until they could get more. It had been clear after their first meal break, that Chuck could not be trusted with the food. He had tried to eat it all, after working up an appetite running, hiking and generally moving more than the prince was used to all day. She reached into her bag and took out two small pieces of bread, handing one to Chuck which he ate at once.

"When we run out of our packed food we are going to have to hunt," Sarah reminded him when he asked for seconds. "Do you know how to hunt?"

"Why can't we just buy food?" Chuck asked.

"With what money?" Sarah countered. Chuck opened his mouth but Sarah cut him off. "We can't use your title and send the bill to the castle as it will very likely lead whoever is after you right to us. We didn't have time to collect any coins before we left. We were lucky to get away with what we have."

"How did you know what I was going to say?" Chuck asked, slightly impressed.

"What can I say," Sarah replied with a slight laugh. "You are predictable."

Chuck didn't say anything. He just sighed and laid down on the grass, closing his eyes.

"At least the sun is warm," Chuck said softly. The cover of the woods had protected them throughout the day, but Sarah did have to admit the sun felt wonderful. It was so warm against her skin, Sarah hadn't realized she'd been cold.

"And it should dry off our shoes in no time," Sarah agreed as she placed her shoes in the direct sunlight and told him to do the same. "You should rest now while you can. We'll have to move again before dark."

"Why can't we just stay here tonight?" Chuck asked, once his shoes were sitting in the sun with hers. The prince looked exhausted and he was now laying in the only patch of sun they'd seen since entering the woods. She couldn't blame him for not wanting to get up.

"Too easy to spot without the trees for cover," Sarah said. "And we should take advantage of the few hours of daylight left."

"Whatever you say," Chuck's voice was trailing off like he was about to fall asleep. Sarah decided to let him. She sat down on a rock and stood guard - or rather sat guard - as Chuck's breathing grew slow and even.

Sarah couldn't help watching him. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping and despite his slightly annoying nature, he'd proven more than once already that he had a good heart. She caught herself smiling as she watched him nod off.

Some men, like Shaw or Larkin, knew they were attractive. It created a slight arrogance to their personalities that showed up in small ways. Larkin especially. as the only unmarried one. tended to attract a fair bit of female attention, but Sarah had never been very interested in that kind of thing. For someone to be truly beautiful, there had to be something more to them. Something less tangible that made them better than they seemed. She'd turned down Larkin's offer to share a meal with him many times since coming to live in the Castle, and knew she likely would again, if they ever made it back.

Sarah shook her head to clear it before getting up to do a perimeter check. Why had watching Chuck sleep made her think of that? Sarah checked their shoes. The sun had turned the shoes from soaking wet to just mildly damp. Sarah decided this would have to do for now. They were burning daylight.

Gently, she woke Chuck, who jumped up with a startled noise then shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

"Time to go?" he asked, once he'd properly woken up. Sarah nodded her head.

They started moving again, but this time Chuck didn't complain. Sarah suspected he was starting to get too tired to bother. What little of the sun she could see through the trees was low in the sky. They had been walking since before it had risen. Sarah couldn't blame him for being tired. She was tired, too.

When Sarah stopped walking, Chuck didn't notice right away and walked right into her.

"We can camp here tonight, Chuck," Sarah said and the prince exclaimed in relief then promptly collapsed on the ground.

"What I wouldn't give for a pillow right now," Chuck whined.

"At least I made you wear layers," Sarah reminded him playfully.

"That you did," he agreed with a kind smile.

His smile faded and he sat up to look her in the eyes before speaking again.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Chuck apologised. "I know I've been whiny and horrible today. I promise I'm not usually such a jerk."

"I know," Sarah replied. "And thank you for admitting it, but the apology wasn't necessary. This is my job."

"It was necessary," Chuck disagreed firmly. "You deserve better."

Sarah wasn't really sure what to say so she didn't say anything. It didn't take Chuck long to fill the silence.

"And I don't want to make excuses, but at the same time I can't quite believe this is happening. Yesterday I was at home with my family. I thought my parents were just being paranoid about the extra security. Clearly, I couldn't have been more wrong, because now I'm on the run, hungry, tired and sore. I have no idea when, or if, I'll ever see my family again and we don't know who attacked the castle." He paused, taking a deep breath before adding, "The whole situation is just so overwhelming, at least to me. I'm sure this feels like a Tuesday to you."

"This isn't easy for me either," Sarah admitted. "I've never been a personal bodyguard before, never been given an assignment on my own before, let alone one this important."

"So, we are in agreement that today was less than ideal," Chuck replied with a laugh. Sarah couldn't help but laugh with him.

"Yes, Chuck," she smiled, feeling lighter than she had all day with just this one moment of humour.

After that she offered him more food from her bag and said they should get some rest.

"I don't suppose you'd let me try and start a fire?" Chuck asked.

"Maybe tomorrow," Sarah answered. "But not tonight. A fire will be too easy to spot and we don't know how far these people are willing to chase you."

"Kinda figured," Chuck sighed before laying back down on the ground. "Really makes me want that pillow again or even just a blanket."

Without the constant movement to keep her warm, Sarah was really starting to feel the cold night air in her bones. She laid down on the ground and curled her body up to try and conserve heat, but she knew she'd never get any sleep without at least a blanket. She moved to lean up against the trunk of a tree cause the wood was warmer than the ground but even that didn't stop her teeth from chattering.

"This is stupid," Chuck said. "You are going to freeze. Come over here and I'll keep you warm."

The whole situation just seemed more than a little awkward and yet she couldn't refuse. She was too cold. Social standing, personal space and etiquette didn't feel so important while her whole body was shaking.

Sarah settled in next to Chuck who put his arm around her. He was so warm and she snuggled in without even thinking about it, unable to resist his warmth. Both their shoes were still a bit damp from the creek, so they'd taken them off in an effort to keep warm. When Chuck tucked his warm toes in between her cold ones it felt so good. She could feel the warmth spreading through her body and after a few moments her teeth stopped chattering.

"Better?" Chuck asked. Sarah just nodded into his chest.

She fell asleep with her head on Chuck's chest, listening to the sounds of the forest mingled with his steady heartbeat.

When she woke, Sarah could smell something. It smelt good and she could hear crackling. She opened her eyes and, to her surprise, she saw Chuck sitting a few feet from her with his frying pan over some hot coals. The pan had some kind of meat in it that was the source of the amazing smell.

Sarah sat up, feeling like she might be dreaming.

"You packed raw meat?" Sarah said slowly in disbelief. She had to be awake, however. as the smell was making her realise just how ravenous she was.

"Nope. I hunted," Chuck explained. "For today's breakfast I offer you rabbit."

Sarah starred, blinking at him still expecting it all to vanish any second. He'd even skinned and deboned it. Sarah remembered learning how to do exactly that with her father as a girl. Before he'd gone to prison.

"You can hunt?" Sarah asked slowly.

"Later, first let's eat!"

Sarah was definitely confused, but she couldn't resist the smell. Moving forward she helped herself to the breakfast on offer, pairing it with half the last piece of bread in her bag. She gave Chuck the other half. They ate in silence until all the food was consumed.

"Thank you for breakfast, Chuck," Sarah said. "Now can you please explain to me how you suddenly know how to hunt?"

"What do you know about magic?" Chuck asked her.

Sarah shrugged. She had no idea what he was getting at here/ but answered honestly anyway. "Just what I've read. It's out there, but it's rare. I've certainly never met anyone with a magic ability. I've never even met someone who claimed to know someone who met someone with magic before. Some history books claim there was a time when every kingdom employed magic users by the hundreds, but that always sounded more like mythology than history to me."

She paused for a moment, putting two and two together. "Chuck, are you telling me you were born with magic?"

He nodded slightly. "It didn't really show up until I was a teenager, and my parents have insisted on keeping it a secret ever since. Something about danger. I never believed them until yesterday."

Just then Sarah realized how much he was trusting her by telling her this. She found herself oddly touched.

"Who else knows?" she asked.

"My parents and Morgan," Chuck answered. "And now you."

"And most likely whoever is hunting you," Sarah added.

"Oh yes, and that. though I will only take credit for telling you and Morgan," Chuck announced.

"How exactly does your magic work?" Sarah asked. She couldn't help but be wildly curious!

"I can temporarily borrow other people's skills," Chuck explained. "But it's not exactly fool proof, as you've seen. I still suck at stuff most of the time."

"What's the difference then?" Sarah asked. "Why could you borrow my hunting skills, but you couldn't fight those guys at the castle?"

"Because in order to borrow someone's skills, I have to touch them," Chuck explained. "Skin contact for at least five seconds, sometimes ten, and it takes concentration, which is a bit tricky when someone is actively trying to kill me."

"I can imagine," Sarah replied. In combat, seconds were a small eternity. She couldn't picture trying to hang on to an attacker's arm for ten seconds going well.

"Sometimes I can sneak it in, though," Chuck said. "An uncomfortably long hand shake usually works nicely."

Getting up, Sarah checked her boots and found them to be dry enough, so she put them on. Chuck followed her lead.

"I wanna see it in action," she said. "Here." She held out her hand. "Borrow my fighting skills and we can spar."

"I don't want to hurt you," Chuck told her.

Sarah just scoffed. "I bet you can't," she said. "Come on! It will be fun."

Reluctantly, Chuck took her hand. He didn't quite close his eyes, but they started fluttering slightly. Then, after about six seconds - Sarah counted in her head - he released her hand.

Sarah attacked him and Chuck dodged, rather expertly actually. Better than she'd seen him dodge before. She repositioned her feet to throw another punch and he dodged again.

"Chuck the idea of sparing is that we both attack," Sarah reminded him with a hint of laughter in her voice.

"And I said I don't want to hurt you," Chuck reminded her.

"You are only as skilled as me, right?" Sarah replied. "So that should make us evenly matched."

Chuck didn't answer. When she tried for another kick, she learned he still didn't seem to understand the concept of fighting back. After watching him dodge her every move for a solid five minutes, Sarah gave up.

"Honestly, I got better practice sparring with Morgan," Sarah complained.

Chuck did at least laugh at that. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just- It's not like I've ever practised with this magic. I only know how to use it in real situations, and I don't want to hurt you."

"How long does the skill last once you absorb it?" Sarah asked.

"Not that long," Chuck replied. "Usually for the length of time I use it. I've never actually timed it. Man, you sure are interested in this magic thing, aren't you?"

"Who wouldn't be?!" Sarah exclaimed. "That is a pretty cool power to have, Chuck."

"I guess so," Chuck shrugged. "I never really thought about it like that before. It's just kinda there."

"What I don't understand is how this could be useful to anyone but you," Sarah added. "Like why chase you down for it?"

"Dad has this theory," Chuck answered. "He thinks that if I can borrow skills, I might also be able to extract information. He thinks if I practised, or was as he said 'properly motivated' to learn, I could use this magic to absorb anything a person knows. He thinks someone would want me to get information out of prisoners."

"Oh yeah. I hadn't thought of that," Sarah said. "That makes sense. What a useful skill in war time or if a spy is captured or something like that."

"Which is probably why Dad told me not to tell anyone," Chuck added.

"So naturally you blabbed to your best friend and now your bodyguard," Sarah giggled at him.

"Naturally," Chuck said back with a laugh. Then he sobered and turned to look back the way they'd come. It was not possible to see the castle from here, but Sarah could easily guess that was where Chuck's thoughts were.

"I wonder what they are doing right now," Chuck said after a moment's pause. "Do you think mom and dad sent out search parties?"

"Oh, most definitely," Sarah replied kindly. "But as I don't know how to avoid one party hunting us while letting the other party tracking us know where we are, the plan is still to avoid both."

"Yeah, I get that," Chuck agreed. He seemed sad and Sarah didn't like how that made her feel. She moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be alright, Chuck."

"Thanks," Chuck smiled at her.

And then he was gazing into her eyes with such intensity Sarah almost forgot to breathe. For a moment they just stood there, staring into each other's eyes.

"Sarah," Chuck whispered softly. "I think it's time I answer your question."

"What question?" Sarah replied, still feeling slightly dazed by the uninterrupted eye contact.

"The one you asked when we first met," Chuck continued.

Sarah had to actually think about this. She blinked a few times and that seemed to help her focus, but not enough to recall what she'd said.

"Well I suppose you actually asked me two questions," Chuck added. "You didn't realise it then, but the answer to both is the same."

He was even closer to her now. She could feel his breath against her skin. Sarah had never felt like this before. She was so aware of him standing there in front of her.

"My reading tower has a great view of the military training yard," Chuck admitted.

Sarah couldn't tell if this was an answer to a question or just a statement. Chuck was so close. She heard the words, but she hadn't the capacity to truly process them at the moment. All she could think about was how close Chuck's lips were to hers. Just a fraction closer and-

Sarah's thought was cut off sharply by a new much less pleasant sensation. Something cold, metal and sharp was pressed against the skin of her neck.

She couldn't see behind her, but she had a pretty good idea what the sharp cold metal thing was. The look on Chuck's face alone would have been enough to tell her they were in real trouble.

"Sarah!" Chuck cried out, very visibly upset.

"Don't even think about it, Charles," a voice behind Sarah spoke. She had to assume he was the man with the knife to her throat. "One wrong move and she dies."

"What do you want?" Chuck asked. There was a hopeless desperation in his voice and Sarah hated to hear it, but more than that, she wished he'd been able to keep his cool. Showing how upset he was just made him easier to manipulate.

"I want you to tie her up," the man said. He threw something forward. Sarah turned only her eyes and was able to identify the object as two pieces of rope. "And then yourself."

Without a single word, Chuck did exactly what he was told. Sarah didn't understand. She wanted to yell at him to stop! Her life wasn't this important. He had to run, and run fast. Why was he just doing exactly what the attacker wanted? It was her job to protect him, not the other way around.

She tried to speak, but the blade was pressed so firmly against her throat even the small movement required for speech would have caused the knife to pierce her skin. She had never felt so helpless before in her entire life.

"Good," the guy with the knife said. "Now we are leaving."

He made Sarah move forward and she got the impression she'd be his prisoner so long as he wanted Chuck to do what he was told. This wasn't good. Then, Chuck stopped dead and faced the enemy down.

"I'll come willingly, but only if you let her go first," Chuck stated firmly. There was a new confidence to his voice and Sarah hoped maybe that meant he still had the skill he'd absorbed from her earlier. Maybe they could get out of this?

"No, she comes with us," the man replied. "I believe she will prove useful in preventing you from escaping."

"I won't try to escape," Chuck promised. "But she stays here."

"You know, I had planned to put the knife to your throat, but then I saw you earlier and knew this plan would work better," he said. "What I don't understand is why. She's just military and yet here you are at my mercy merely because her life is in danger." He paused almost thoughtfully as if pondering Chuck's offer. "Alright. Strangely enough, I believe you will keep your word. She can stay."

Sarah hoped this was part of Chuck's plan, but then she saw his face. He was determined, that was for sure, but somehow she knew it wasn't because he planned to escape. He was more resolved to the deal than anything. If they were going to escape, it was up to her.

As she was being tied to a tree, Sarah fought back. The blade was still there but not quite so close as before. She was able to kick with her legs and still avoid the knife's edge. Her outburst didn't get her free, but it did get her punched down against the ground. Sarah could feel where he'd hit her and knew she'd have a wicked bruise there by the end of the day.

"Stop!" Chuck's voice snapped. "You do that again and the deal is off."

The man just smiled in an evil kinda way. Sarah felt sure he'd enjoyed punching her. She tried to memorise his face. He had a beard flecked with grey and a messy mop of brown hair, but mostly it was the evil glint in his eye that she knew she'd never forget.

Chapter Text

Morgan was already regretting his moment of bravery. He was tired. He was hungry. His shoes were at least dry, but it turns out putting wet feet into dry shoes wasn't much better than walking through a creek with shoes on.

And worst of all, he couldn't sleep. Morgan knew he needed to get some sleep, or there would be hell to pay tomorrow. Casey would likely wake him at the crack of dawn to keep moving, but between the wet feet, cold ground and empty stomach, sleep was next to impossible.

The spooky forest noises didn't help either. Sometimes, he swore he could hear a twig cracking or leaves rustling, but it had to all be in his head, right?

Morgan rolled over and very abruptly noticed the sword that was most definitely not in his head. Before he had time to do more than yelp in surprise, there was a grunting sound of someone lifting something heavy, then the sword vanished from his view.

Sitting up, Morgan saw that it was Casey who had heaved the guy with the sword off Morgan and thrown him to the ground. Without giving the guy time to stand up, Casey plunged his sword through the aggressor's chest. Then, he turned sharply to face the attacker behind him.

It was over in seconds. Two bodies on the ground and blood spattered all over Casey's clothes.

"Thieves," Casey was saying, as he cleaned his blade on one of the bandit's sleeves. "Probably saw the royal symbol on our bags and thought we'd have something worth taking." He finished cleaning his sword, sheathed it, and then turned to Morgan and added, "Get up. It's almost dawn, anyway. Time to go."

Morgan wasn't about to argue. He got up, tied up his sleeping bag and packed up camp. Going into their rations, he divided the remaining bread between him and Casey.

"Is this all we have left?" Casey asked.

Morgan shook his head. "I think we should save the dried meat and cheese for lunch. Otherwise we won't eat again today."

Casey grumbled, but in the end agreed, and they started walking. They'd been travelling in silence for at least two hours, when Morgan noticed something he couldn't keep quiet about.

"I know I've seen that tree before," Morgan stated, pointing to the tree to his left. He knew he'd seen it before because he remembered the moss growing on it was shaped like a beard.

"Remember this was your idea," Casey grumbled. "If you didn't know where you were going you shouldn't have suggested staying behind." He sounded mad, really mad. Morgan knew a part of this aggression was hunger-based, but he couldn't help being mad back. Morgan was also hungry.

"You didn't have to come along," Morgan snapped.

"Oh, so you think you'd have survived out here all on your own, then?" Casey shot back.

Morgan had to admit the man had a point, but that raised another issue.

"That's another thing, since when has my safety been such a concern for you," Morgan replied. He'd lived in the castle for years, and never before had the colonel shown any interest in Morgan's well being.

"You're an idiot, you know that," Casey snapped.

"That hasn't stopped you from repeatedly saving my life, though, has it?" Morgan reminded him.

And just like that, Casey stopped walking. He turned to face Morgan with a slight growl and if Morgan didn't know better, he'd call that stare murderous.

"My daughter is in love with you," Casey growled. "Do you really think she'd forgive me if I let you die right in front of me?"

And just like that, Morgan understood why he was an idiot. "I guess I hadn't thought about it like that," he said.

Casey just growled and faced forward again. They walked in silence for a while. Morgan kept repeating the colonel's words in his mind over and over. It was kinda an interesting thing to be told your girlfriend loved you by her father before you'd heard it from her. Morgan had known he loved Alex for well over a month now, but he hadn't told her yet. He'd been worried she didn't feel the same way. It seems he'd been worried for nothing.

All he had to worry about now was keeping Alex happy, because if he ever hurt her, even by accident, Morgan fully expected to be found dead the next morning.

"I've definitely seen that tree before," Morgan said, breaking the silence. "I think we should go left this time."

The colonel didn't argue. He just turned and started walking left. They continued on in silence again. Morgan kept thinking of things to say, but each time stopped himself. He wasn't used to this kind of silence, but he also didn't want to annoy Casey any more than he already had. Just because he knew Casey wouldn't kill him, didn't mean it was safe to poke the hungry bear.

They'd been walking for a couple more hours, when they heard a muffled noise. Neither of them had to speak to know they were going to follow it. Casey broke into a run and before long they were turning a corner and saw the source of the sound. Morgan's heart sank like a rock.

There was Sarah, tied to a tree with a gag in her mouth.

While Morgan was still in shock, Casey rushed forward to untie Sarah. The moment he removed the gag, she started talking.

"What took you guys so long?" she snapped. Sarah had a huge bruise on one side of her face and she looked more than worse for wear, but she didn't seem to care. All she could do was talk about Chuck and the guy who'd taken him. Her words were coming too fast, and there was such a rage in her voice, it was getting harder and harder to understand her.

"Calm down," Casey stated firmly. His tone left no room for reproach. "And explain, one word at a time, Walker."

That seemed to do the trick. Sarah calmed down enough to become coherent. As Morgan listened to Sarah describe the events that had led to her being tied to the tree, he thought he sensed something familiar.

"Wait," he said. "Did you just say the guy who took Chuck had messy brown hair and a greying beard?" Sarah nodded. "Did he also have, like, an oval face with the kind of glare that makes you feel like he could kill a man with just his hatred?"

"Yeah," Sarah said, understanding written plainly on her face. "You've seen him."

"Seen, been terrified of and ran away from," Morgan replied before telling Sarah all about the fight they'd had near the creek.

"Coward," Sarah spat. "He ran off, sacrificing all his men to get away and then came up behind me with a knife. No honour at all!"

"Which makes him even more dangerous," Casey reminded them. Sarah agreed with a sober nod of her head.

"You should head back to the castle," Casey said. "You've done everything you can, and you are injured."

But Sarah was shaking her head even before Casey finished talking. "We have to go after Chuck!" she exclaimed.

"And we will," Casey replied, calmly. "But you need to head back. Someone needs to update General Beckman and send reinforcements."

"Can't Morgan do that?" Sarah asked.

"He can't travel alone," Casey reminded her.

"You said Shaw went back to report," Sarah reproached. "I'm sure the king or the general will send someone after us eventually. I'm coming with you."

Morgan could see the tightening of the colonel's jaw. He was her superior by rank and yet she would not follow orders. This did not improve the Colonels mood.

"You can court martial me after we find Chuck," Sarah told him. She was not backing down, which, as far as Morgan was concerned, was very brave of her given the glare Casey was currently sending her way.

"You can glare at me all you want," Sarah added. "I am helping you rescue the prince."

After one more murderous look, Casey seemed to give in. "Fine, have it your way," he said. "But I don't want to hear any complaining about how bad your injuries hurt. If you slow us down, even a little, you are out."

"Deal," Sarah said. Her reply was short and sharp. Morgan felt like it reflected her mood. The woman seemed wired for action, like a wildcat about to pounce.

Morgan couldn't help but wonder what had happened between Sarah and Chuck while they'd been on the run to make Sarah so dedicated to his rescue. As far as Morgan knew Sarah hadn't so much as met the prince until she'd been assigned to be his guard. Could this all just be dedication to her job? Morgan doubted it somehow.

"Now the question is how do we track Chuck?" Casey asked, to no one in particular.

"I can track him," Sarah stated and Casey didn't need telling twice.

"Seeing as this idiot has gotten us lost for the better part of the day, you are officially in the lead, Walker," Casey ordered her.

Sarah looked quite happy about this. Morgan heard her mutter under her breath 'and you wanted me to go back' but he was pretty sure the colonel hadn't heard it.

After that, they followed Sarah. Morgan didn't know how she was tracking Chuck and he didn't ask. Sometimes Sarah got down low to look at what Morgan had to imagine were broken branches or footprints. Then she'd stand up again and indicate a direction.

Morgan felt sure he needed to check if Sarah knew what he knew, but there didn't seem to be a good time to confirm this with Casey around.

When they made camp for the night, Casey went off in search of food. He and Morgan had eaten all the last of their cheese and bread at midday, and Sarah hadn't eaten anything.

"I won't be long," Casey said. He turned to Sarah and gave her strict instructions for her not to start a fire. "Unless I come back with something we can cook, it isn't worth the risk." And with that, he left.

Morgan waited until the Conolol was out of sight before turning to Sarah and asking his question.

"What happened between you and Chuck?" Morgan asked.

"You are going to have to be a little more specific," Sarah replied. Her tone wasn't all that friendly, but Morgan decided that was all the hunger talking and pushed on.

"Chuck, well, Chuck is different, but not a lot of people know how different," Morgan said. He was trying to imply without explaining. The last thing he wanted to do was tell her if she didn't know.

"You don't have to be so vague," Sarah answered. "Casey is gone and I know you already know. Chuck said he told you years ago."

"I was right, then!" Morgan exclaimed. "He did tell you about his superpower."

"His magic you mean," Sarah corrected.

"Isn't it awesome?"

"It's pretty impressive."

"What did he do to show you?"

"He borrowed my hunting skills and made me breakfast," Sarah replied.

"Breakfast in bed for his girl," Morgan said grinning. "That is so Chuck. I shouldn't even have needed to ask." He was laughing to himself, but then very suddenly he wasn't.

Sarah was right up in his face with one of her hands firmly gripping his clothing.

"What the hell do you mean by 'his girl'?" Sarah asked very intently. Morgan felt like the situation didn't require quite so much force.

"I mean- nothing," Morgan tried, but Sarah pinched him and he yelped. He hadn't meant to say what he'd said and explaining Chuck's feelings to Sarah felt very much like a breach of their friendship, but looking into Sarah's eyes, Morgan knew she wasn't exactly giving him the option of remaining silent.

"Chuck's talked about nothing but you for weeks now," Morgan explained in a hurry. "Ever since he first caught sight of you in the training yard from his reading tower window."

Sarah promptly let go of him. Morgan felt himself slump a little. "Was that drama really necessary?" he asked.

"You wouldn't have told me otherwise," Sarah stated blankly. Morgan didn't bother agreeing with her. Instead, he turned away to assess their supplies.

"No matter how many times you look at that bag, it isn't going to fill with food," Sarah snapped at him. Her empty tone had suddenly been replaced with anger.

"Do you have a better idea?" Morgan asked. "Or are you just going to keep yelling at me, and hope that feeds you?"

Sarah took a deep breath in and then slowly out before speaking again.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I spent most of the last day tied to a tree. I'm hungry, in pain and all together uncomfortable. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Apology accepted," Morgan told her. "Also, I think we should go look for some mushrooms or fruits or something. Even if Casey manages to kill something, if we don't find some roots or something, we'll be eating nothing but meat for dinner."

"Good idea," Sarah agreed.

The two of them set out to look for something edible without getting too far from camp. Luckily, Sarah knew quite a bit more about what plants were edible than Morgan did and steered him away from some rather brightly-coloured berries. By the time they made their way back to camp, they were each carrying a respectable amount of roots, small fruits, and even a couple edible mushrooms.

Casey arrived back at camp shortly after they had finished splitting all their spoils into three even piles. He'd managed to kill a small boar. The three of them ate well that night, and fell asleep around the embers of their cook fire.

Chapter Text

Chuck had learned quite a few things in the last few days. For instance, he now knew with perfect certainty that if you stare at the same brick wall for hours and hours, it in fact doesn't get even slightly more interesting. At one point, Chuck had gotten so desperate for a distraction that he'd tried to count all the bricks in his cell, but he'd lost track somewhere around two hundred and fifty bricks near the ceiling where the lighting was too poor to make out the edges.

No amount of brick counting could distract him. Whenever Chuck closed his eyes, all he could see was Sarah. The image of her tied to that tree and glaring at him seemed all but tattooed to the back of his eyelids. He felt so bad for leaving her like that, but it had kept her safe. He hoped she managed to get free and find her way home.

Seeing that blade against her neck had made Chuck feel like his heart stopped. Time stood still and the only thing Chuck could think about was saving Sarah from that knife. It was in that moment that he'd realized there wasn't anything he wouldn't do to keep her safe.

Which he suppose is what led him to being locked in a dungeon by some guy named Quinn. That was the other thing Chuck had learned since arriving here: bricks would always be dull and the man who'd put a knife to Sarah's throat had a name.

Quinn never came down to Chuck's cell. Chuck had only learned his captor's name by listening to the guards who brought his meals. For a while, they kept calling him just 'the boss' but eventually one of them slipped up and used his name. Quinn. It wasn't a very intimidating name, but he was definitely an intimidating guy. From the way the guards talked, Chuck felt sure this Quinn character scared them shitless. He had to wonder why the guards were even working for him. Then again, fear was a highly effective leadership tool, even if one Chuck had no experience with. Neither of his parents had ever used fear to lead before, and Chuck didn't plan on taking up the habit if he ever took over.

Chuck had to believe they were keeping him alive for a reason. He had no idea what that reason was, but surely if they wanted him dead, he'd be dead already. Quinn could have just killed him in the woods when Chuck turned himself in to save Sarah, and saved himself the trouble of transporting a prisoner. Chuck felt sure they needed him for something. The question was what. He couldn't help but hope that this was just about a ransom and he was just one large sum of money transfer away from freedom. He sensed, however, that something much bigger and much worse was going on here. Chuck had never felt so powerless in his life.

With a deep sigh, Chuck turned to look out the tiny window way up near the top of his cell. It let in just enough light so he could make out the objects around him, but it wasn't big enough to escape through even if he could find a way to get up that high. Chuck's only hope of escape was to steal some skills and make a break for it. The problem was that even when they delivered his food, every single guard had been very careful not to touch him for even a second. Some of them had even kept back five feet or more and pushed his food tray forward with a broom.

At first, Chuck thought it was just odd, but the more often it happened, the more Chuck came to believe that someone here knew what he could do and had ordered the guard to be wary of it. This, more than anything else, made Chuck sure that he was not being held for ransom.

As another day went by, Chuck watched the light from his window move across the room. A part of him wanted something to happen, but he knew if anything did happen it would probably be bad. The longer he was left here, the longer his parents would have to launch a rescue, assuming, that is, if they were still safe.

Not knowing which of his loved ones were okay and which needed his help was probably the worst part of his current situation. That and the total and complete isolation, mixed with boredom. Chuck was starting to recognize which bricks were which, by the small flaws and scratch marks on them. If he didn't get out of here soon, he felt sure he'd end up giving them names.

His morning meal had already been delivered and consumed. He knew he wouldn't get another one until nightfall so when the door of his cell suddenly opened, it jolted Chuck out of his stupor. He turned, wondering if they suddenly decided to add lunch to his day, but it wasn't just a generic guard with a tray. Oh no. This face Chuck knew he'd never forget.

"Quinn," Chuck said.

"I see you've learned my name," Quinn replied. "It's no matter. I have a job for you. If you do it, I'll let you go; if you fail…" The threat was implied, but that didn't make it any less threatening. In fact, Chuck felt pretty sure an actual end to that sentence would have significantly diminished the fear factor.

"What sort of job?" But Chuck had a pretty good idea. It had to be about his magic. He just couldn't understand how anything he could do was worth this. He had never considered his magic to be all that useful.

Quinn didn't answer, but instead gestured to someone Chuck couldn't see. Like all the interactions he'd had with the guards up till now, steps had been taken to remove the possibility of skin to skin contact. Both guards were wearing gloves up past their elbows and long sleeves to meet up with the gloves. Their pants tucked into their socks and even their faces were covered. Just their eyes were visible.

"I see you have noticed my precautions," Quinn stated as Chuck's eyes took in the guards attire. "I can't have you learning anything I don't want you to, now can I?"

"How do you know what I can do?" Chuck asked. There was no point pretending now. Quinn definitely knew. The guards before had been careful and worn gloves, but that was it. Before, it was possible Chuck had been making assumptions and gloves were part of the uniform here, but now there was no denying what this man knew.

"Let's just say a little bird told me," Quinn grinned at him. Chuck really hated the smirk on his face. More than anything he wanted to wipe that smirk off, preferably with a well landed punch to the face. Just as soon as he could magic his way into throwing one correctly.

"Can I get the name of this bird?" Chuck asked.

Quinn gave him a calm sober expression for just long enough to make Chuck think he was going to get an honest answer, before Quinn smirked again and added, "A sparrow."

Before Chuck could so much as complain, he was dragged forward by the two very well covered up guards. Chuck thought about trying to break through their armour but didn't think he'd get two seconds, let alone five, and with how worn out he was, he would probably need ten seconds on contact anyway.

So Chuck allowed himself to be led and followed without complaint. They walked him down a hall and around a corner, past both occupied and empty cells. Finally, they stopped in front of one of the cells that was occupied. Chuck couldn't quite make out the figure on the ground but he could tell there was someone there in the shadows.

Quinn ordered the cell door opened and the guards shoved Chuck inside where Chuck lost his footing and ended up face first on the ground. He heard the cell door close and lock behind him before he was able to turn around.

"Your task is to learn what he doesn't want me to know," Quinn said, from the other side of the locked cell door.

"My magic only works on skills or abilities," Chuck reminded Quinn only slightly desperately. "What exactly do you expect me to do?"

"I expect you to pull the information out of his mind against his will," Quinn explained.

"As I said I can only borrow skills," Chuck exclaimed, trying to make his point.

"If you can absorb a skill then it stands to reason you can absorb more," Quinn stated calmly. "Get to work. Alert a guard if you have anything of note to tell me." He turned to leave, but then stopped and looked at Chuck again before he added in a very threatening tone. "If you call me back here with nothing to show for it I will cut off fingers, both yours and his."

Quinn turned quickly, his cloak circling him and he walked briskly away, his guards following behind him. Leaving Chuck alone with the stranger he was supposed to magically interrogate.

For a moment, there was silence. Chuck's roommate didn't move an inch. Whoever was here was still laying on the ground near the opposite wall. Chuck couldn't help but wonder if the other person was sleeping.

Picking himself up off the ground, Chuck sat on the stone bench just behind him. To call it a bench was generous. It was more like a solid brick stone that extended from the wall, but it was the exact same solid chunk of rock Chuck had gotten used to over the last few days in his own cell. He knew how to sit on it in the least uncomfortable way, which really wasn't all that comfortable. Chuck wasn't even sure if a pillow could have made it all that much better. He never thought he'd miss sleeping on the ground in the woods, but he definitely did.

"Can you really do what he says you can do?"

The voice surprised him, pulling Chuck from his idle thoughts. It had come from the figure on the floor. Chuck turned his head to look. Whoever it was had not gotten up or raised their head. The speaking face was covered, hidden in shadow.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Chuck replied."My name's Chuck by the way."

"William," the man said. He was moving now, getting up off the floor and turning to face Chuck. The man's eyes were gaunt, he looked hollowed out, hopeless and broken, but despite all that, there was a fierce defiance in his eyes.

"What he wants I can't give," William said firmly. "So don't expect me to help you."

"This secret is really that important?" Chuck asked. "You'd risk your fingers?"

Slowly, William lifted his right hand. Once the light hit, Chuck let out a little gasp without meaning to. William's hand was missing three fingers already.

"For this secret I'd give my life," William said. "But I know that no matter how big a fuss I make, the guards are under strict orders not to kill me. I managed to provoke one, but once Quinn caught the guard beating me, he executed him on the spot." William tilted his head slightly as if surveying Chuck. "I don't suppose I could convince you to help me?"

This man had no hope of rescue, Chuck realised. He didn't believe there was any way to keep the information he held safe so long as he lived. Chuck couldn't help but guess what this man was fighting for. There was only one thing that could inspire such sacrifice.

"This is about someone you love, isn't it?" Chuck asked slowly. William merely nodded. He couldn't help thinking about how he and William had the same reasons for being here, even if they were in different ways. Chuck didn't think his life should be worth more than whoever it was William was protecting.

Moving forward slowly, Chuck whispered into William's ear, just in case the guards were listening.

"I won't try and take the information," Chuck promised. "But what can you tell me about this Quinn person?"

William pulled away so he could look at Chuck while he spoke. His voice was still quiet, but not as soft a whisper as Chuck had been using. Chuck took this to mean that William knew the guard didn't tend to listen in, or didn't care what the prisoners were discussing.

"Quinn likes to collect magic users," William explained. Chuck wasn't sure if William was taking his word or was just going along with it, and decided it didn't matter either way. Chuck had made up his mind. Hopefully they could just keep stalling until someone came to rescue him. Chuck made a mental note to make sure to get William out as well.

"And by collect you mean…"

"Enslave," William corrected. "Every person in these cells has some magical ability Quinn wants for his own use. Everyone except me that is."

"Surely there are some magical users who are too powerful to hold?" Chuck couldn't help asking.

"He tries to find them young," Quinn continued. "As young as four or five years old. He raises them to serve him and the ones that disobey end up here. When he needs their power, instead of using loyalty to get it, he uses fear."

"That's horrible." Chuck could hardly believe how evil this man was. To use children to gain power took horrible to a whole new level.

"Children in chains," William spat on the ground. "Death is too good for him."

"Agreed," Chuck replied.

Chuck was even more certain now that he shouldn't comply. If this man collected magic users, then his promise to set Chuck free was definitely a lie. If William was willing to die to protect the one he loved, who was Chuck to take that away from him. Chuck could easily surmise that the person William was protecting was a magic user of some kind. The last thing Chuck wanted to do was force anyone else to live in this hellish place.

For the first time in his life, Chuck was grateful for his parents over-protectiveness. He couldn't help but think what his life could have been like otherwise. If Quinn had learned of Chuck's power as a child, Chuck could have found himself raised by the evil man. The idea sent a shiver down Chuck's spine. An adult slave has the will to fight in a way a beaten child doesn't. He couldn't help but wonder how old the other prisoners here were. He hadn't really given it a thought until now. And how long had Quinn been collecting magic users?

Then Chuck thought about the history books he'd read describing magic users employed by the king. When had that ended and could it have been this Quinn's fault, or maybe someone like? Were his efforts the only reason everyone today thought magic was so rare?

Magic was supposed to be innate. Not something that could be stolen, borrowed or transferred, and yet somehow that was what this man had done. He'd turned magic into a slave trade, hiding it away from the world.

Chapter Text

Sarah's face still stung where the prince-napper had hit her. She could feel the bruise beginning to form underneath her skin and felt sure it would be a purple mess in a day or two. Her wrists hurt from where she'd been bound to the tree. The corners of her mouth were almost healed now from the gag that had been tied too tight for hours.

The physical pain was easy to ignore compared to the confusion she felt about her last moments with Chuck. The words he'd spoken right before she'd felt the knife against her throat were playing over and over in Sarah's mind. He'd said he was going to answer her questions and then he'd mentioned something about the military training yard and the view from his tower. Sarah had wished now that she'd paid more attention, but he'd been so close and her mind had been somehow both blank and whirling at the same time. Sarah felt sure if they hadn't been interrupted that Chuck had been about to kiss her! Which was insane enough on its own, but then he had to go and give himself up to protect her.

She was just a soldier, sworn to protect him, sworn to protect his family. Who was he to give himself up to save her!? By all rights she should be dead and he should be back home with his family where he belonged.

Instead she was trekking through unfamiliar terrain, trying her best to find and rescue Chuck, which was turning out to be quite a difficult task. She had hoped at the beginning that they'd find him quickly, but as the hours passed and the sun moved in the sky, her hope diminished. Whoever had him knew how to cover their tracks. Just when she thought she had the trail she'd lose it again. Yesterday afternoon, she'd realised they'd been following a false trail for hours. She'd been so mad at herself, she'd welcomed the bandit attack that evening as a way to vent her frustration.

Morgan never knew how to act when they were attacked, and Casey seemed to always jump to his rescue, leaving Sarah to fend for herself. This she could do easily but even so, it bothered her. Why had the tiny bearded man come anyway?

Sarah could hear Casey and Morgan following behind her as she led the way. Despite his many failures, Sarah had to give Morgan credit that he was keeping up with them. Sure he sometimes complained about his feet, but he was just saying what they were all thinking. Everyone was tired, hungry and so ready to be back home, but they had a mission and they weren't going to stop until they'd achieved it.

"See there!" Sarah said suddenly pointing. The turrets of a castle were just visible in the distance, their silhouette in sharp relief in the low evening light.

"Alright we rest here tonight then," Casey said. "Come up with a plan and tomorrow we either get our prince back or die trying." He then turned to Morgan. "You will wait here. If Sarah and I don't come back it will be up to you to get help."

Morgan looked greatly concerned by the prospect, but nodded his agreement. "Make sure you come back," he said.

"That's the plan," Casey agreed. "But plans don't always work out."

"Speaking of plans," Sarah began. "We need intel if we are going to get Chuck out."

"Agreed," Casey said.

"I can go," Sarah said. "Scout the area and be back before sunrise."

"No," Casey said. "You're injured. I'll go while you two rest and make camp."

Sarah felt a little put down, but she had to admit a part of her was relieved. She was bone tired. Making camp did seem like the easier of the two tasks. Morgan said he'd go forage for dinner. Sarah set out to find and kill a rabbit or something similar. They were to meet back here in a few hours. Casey set out in the direction of the castle hoping to reach it by nightfall and use the cover of darkness to scout the area.

Setting off in the exact opposite direction as Morgan, so his bumbling footfalls wouldn't scare away the game, Sarah kept her eyes peeled for movement in the under bush.

Sarah was so glad she thought to attach her sword belt to her hip before they fled the castle. Her knife was good enough to hunt, but when they went to rescue the prince she would want her own weapon. Using a borrowed one had never suited her. She needed to know the blade in her hand in order to trust in it.

A part of her was surprised Chuck's kidnapper had let her keep her sword. She supposed her thin rapier blade didn't look all that impressive. Maybe he'd missed it? Either way she was glad to have it. The weight on her hip was reassuring.

She pulled her wandering mind back to the task at hand while her eyes scoured the ground for signs of movement. She spotted a rabbit, but it ran so fast she gave up on it. Next there was some type of ground bird. It moved slower and seemed distracted by whatever it was eating. Sarah threw her knife and hit it. She collected her kill and headed back to camp.

When she got back to their meeting place, Morgan was already there. He had managed to find some roots and greens. Sarah sent him for firewood before she started work on cleaning her kill. Morgan returned before she had all the feathers plucked.

By the time Casey returned, dinner was a bird stew cooking over a small fire. Casey sat down around the fire and helped himself before speaking.

"So there are two guards covering the main door," Casey began. He picked up a stick and started drawing lines in the dirt to show what he meant. "But no guards around the outer wall."

"Only one entrance?" Sarah asked.

"I doubt that," Casey replied. "Even if it's just a sewer, there is almost always another way in."

"Did you find sewer access into the castle?" Sarah asked.

"No," Casey replied. "But there were a couple guards covering what looked like a hole in the ground about a quarter mile or so north of the castle."

"When you say hole in the ground you mean…" Morgan began, his question heavily implied.

"I mean two guards were standing around guarding some kind of entrance to an underground area. It was too dark for me to see what it was exactly. My guess is a trapped door. I think it's our way in."

"Or an ambush," Morgan offered.

"Always a possibility. I wasn't able to actually go down there to look. I'd have had to take out the guards which would've raised an alarm."

"So why do you think that's our way in?" Sarah asked.

"I overheard the guards talking," Casey explained. "It sounds like there are quite a few people being held somewhere nearby and it was their job to prevent escapes. Which sounds like-"

"Where are they holding Chuck," Sarah finished his thought for him. "So what's your plan? We take out the guards and just go in and hope for the best?"

"Kinda, yeah," Casey replied.

"Oh great plan," Sarah said sarcastically.

"Do you have a better one?" the Colonel snapped back.

Sarah didn't say anything. She didn't have a better plan but that didn't mean she liked his plan either.

"Did you find out anything else about the guy who took Chuck?" Morgan asked.

"The guards I heard just called him the boss," Casey replied.

"That isn't reassuring," Morgan commented.

"This is the only plan we've got, so either we try it or we head back now and give up saving Chuck," Casey summed up their situation.

"We can't give up!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Well then-" Casey began but Morgan cut him off.

"Going back isn't giving up," Morgan interrupted. "We would just be going back home to tell the King where Chuck is so he can mount a proper rescue party. Or don't you remember that when we left the castle there were a dozen of us? And we had tracking dogs."

"And whose fault is it we kept going huh?" Casey snapped. "If you hadn't been so determined to stay we'd have both gone back with Shaw."

"And I'd still be tied to a tree," Sarah sided with Morgan. If it was indeed Morgan who had kept Casey moving then she owed the little bearded man more than she'd realised.

"Before, going back meant giving up," Morgan said. "But now we know where Chuck is, we just need more manpower to get him out."

"He has a point," Casey said with a sign. "This was originally a find and rescue lost in the woods type mission, not infiltrating a castle."

Sarah took a deep breath. Yes, she hated Casey's plan and yes they only had two fighters on their team, but they had come this far and she would be damned if she went back now!

"I think we just need to improve on your plan slightly," Sarah began. "We need to focus on stealth. Maybe come up with some camouflage and wait till the cover of darkness. We take out the guards silently and go in. At the first sign of trouble, we head back and return to the King."

Casey was nodding as she spoke. When she was done he added. "It is also possible that this guy uses secrecy to keep his castle safe. This place wasn't easy to find."

"That would explain the lack of guards around the walls," Sarah said.

"Exactly," Casey agreed. "And it might be the same inside, minimal guards."

She couldn't help remembering when she and Chuck had been last sneaking around a castle. There had been few guards then as well. Maybe that was just how this guy operated?

"I don't know," Morgan added. "Something about this feels off to me."

"I say we try it," Casey put in his vote.

"Same," Sarah agreed.

"So I guess my vote for going back to get reinforcements doesn't really count here, huh?" Morgan sighed.

"You are staying with the camp anyway," the colonel reminded him.

"Yes, but if you are both captured, I doubt I'll make it home," Morgan stated. "Which means Chuck's location will stay a secret, and if we fail, there is no second chance."

"If we are right about this minimal guards thing it might just take one of us to get Chuck," Sarah offered. "But if we are wrong two fighters instead of one will still mean defeat."

"Oh I see what you are getting at," Casey said. "One of us goes and one of us returns with Morgan."

"Exactly!" Sarah exclaimed.

"I'll go," Both she and Casey said together.

They both looked at Morgan. "I refuse to be the deciding vote here," Morgan said firmly.

"Oh come on," Sarah argued. "It should be easy, just pick."

Morgan gave her a look like she was mad then pointed at Casey to begin explaining his point. "If you die, Alex will be heartbroken," Morgan stated. Sarah was about to open her mouth to add that makes her the easy choice when Morgan turned to point at her next, "but if you die, Chuck will be devastated. Either way, I lose." He let out a deep sigh. "I still think we should head back. This could easily be a trap. We need help. If this boss guy has gone to this much trouble to capture Chuck alive, then he clearly values the prince as his prisoner. We have time to mount a proper rescue."

"But-" Sarah began.

"No, the bearded one is right," Casey admitted, though very begrudgingly. "We head back to Moria at first light."

"We can't just give up!" Sarah exclaimed. She was furious. "We are so close."

"It isn't giving up," the colonel replied firmly. "It's the best strategic move. I can't believe it took Morgan to make me realise it, but here we are. It's the only logical option given the circumstances."

"I will choose to take that as a compliment," Morgan pitched in. Sarah ignored him.

She was looking at her allies, but all she saw was red. More than anything she wanted to punch something. She couldn't remember ever being more furious in her life. How dare they turn back now! How dare they abandon Chuck, but she could see it in Casey's eyes. His decision was final and disobeying meant a court martial. He was her commanding officer and this was more than a little joke about disobeying him. If she didn't follow him now, there would be real consequences.

And yet at that moment Sarah couldn't bring herself to care.

She nodded her agreement and everyone settled in to sleep until dawn. Sarah waited until she knew both men were fast asleep, before getting up gathering her weapons and sneaking away from camp.

The ground entrance was the key. It just had to be. She could sneak in and out without that many guards around and Chuck would be safe again in no time.

Taking out the two guards on the door was easy. She managed it silently, before turning to the door. It wasn't locked. Sarah opened it equally quietly and slowly moved inside.

For a moment she saw nothing but darkness, then her eyes adapted. So far so good. She was looking down a long corridor. Moving slowly so as not to make any noise, Sarah crept forward.

The seconds ticked by as she moved in total silence.

Suddenly the door behind her slammed shut and a dozen guards appeared as if from nowhere. Sarah barely had a second to react.

As she was trying and failing to fight her way back to the door and out of this place, Sarah realised why this place had been so easy to break into. It was like a fly trap, built to enter, but never to escape from.

Chapter Text

"Do you like books?" Chuck asked.

"No," his cellmate replied.

"What did you do for a living before being stuck in this hellscape?" Chuck tried another question, hoping for a longer answer.

"Farming," William replied.

"Do you like farming?" Chuck asked next.

This time he didn't even get a word in answer, merely a shrug.

"How did you get into farming?" Chuck asked.

"Father," William answered.

Chuck took a deep breath. This conversation was going nowhere fast. His plan to fill their empty time with chit chat was a total bust. Maybe he needed to think of better questions. Questions that couldn't be answered in a single word.

"Can you tell me a little bit about farming?" Chuck asked.

"If the sun is up you work," William answered. "If the sun is down you sleep."

"That's some riveting stuff," Chuck sighed. A whole sentence and yet somehow just as unhelpful as the single word answers.

Standing up Chuck stretched his sore limits. He was doing his best to ignore the pain in his joints from multiple nights sleeping on stone floors, but it seemed every night made them worse. The constant mild hunger that came with only being served two small meals a day, was his new normal. Chuck dreamed most nights of the meals they served back home. Just then the silence was broken but both their stomachs growling.

"Hungry too, huh?" Chuck asked.

"Yes."

"Do your joints ache from the floors?" Chuck asked.

"Yes," William answered.

He'd know the answers to those questions but somehow it felt good to hear the reply. Chuck thought about trying to strike up a conversation about food, but the idea made his mouth water. Best not to dwell on his hunger.

He started pacing back and forth in the cell again. Chuck wasn't sure why he couldn't just sit still like William. He felt antsy from being cooped up for so long. He stopped pacing and started walking around the walls of the room. Before long, he found himself inspecting the walls for weaknesses in the hopes of finding a way out. He'd tried in his old cell to no effect, but a new room meant a new search. Maybe some previous occupant of his cell had jimmied a brick loose or something.

"You are wasting your time," William said after Chuck had been at it for a few hours. At least he assumed it had been hours. The light from the window had moved and his stomach was even emptier.

"Ah yes, because being in a jail cell is such a good use of my time," Chuck replied sarcastically.

"Fair point," William admitted. "You are wasting your energy, then."

"I gotta do something besides stare at the wall," Chuck explained. "And someone wasn't feeling chatty so it's either this or I poke around in your head for information instead."

William gestured towards the wall. "By all means continue."

Chuck grinned as he turned back to the bricks. It felt somehow like he'd won an argument though he knew this was silly.

"Show me your secrets," Chuck instructed the wall. He tested every brick within reach, trying to wiggle it then moving onto the next one. After working on the fall wall for a while, Chuck thought maybe the opposite wall might be a better bet and shifted his focus.

"You know you might be going a little mad in here," William offered when Chuck had tested half the bricks that made up the opposite wall.

Chuck stopped. He stood up and turned to face William. "I just don't handle being bored well," Chuck confessed.

"Well you won't have to worry about that for much longer," William reminded him. "As soon as Quinn realizes you aren't doing what he wants, losing some fingers should keep your mind occupied for a while."

"Haha," Chuck replied sarcastically. "Or we could try and escape, you know. Might be a thought."

"I've tried it many times," William replied. "Long before my 'try to get the guards to kill me' plan, my escape plans were excellent."

"And you let me look for cracks in the brick!" Chuck explained.

"Yeah cause they all failed," William explained. "This place is like a honey trap. It's really easy to break into, but impossible to escape from."

"Nothing is impossible if you want it badly enough," Chuck disagreed with him.

"See you would think that 'cause you are a prince," Willam reminded him. "But people have limits."

Chuck wasn't sure how to reply. He knew William had a point, but he also wanted to find hope in this situation. The idea of dying in this cell did not appeal to him in the slightest. He wanted to see Sarah again. He wanted to see his family again. He wanted to see his books again. He wanted to sleep in his big soft princely bed again. He wanted to eat a decent meal again!

A loud noise made both Chuck and William turn to look. Someone was entering their cell. It was too early for their evening meal delivery which could only mean one thing; Quinn was coming back. Chuck swallowed hard, suddenly very scared of what the next few minutes would bring.

It wasn't until he saw her that he realised things were going to be so much worse than losing fingers. Her being here was quite possibly the worst thing that could have happened and yet somehow Chuck couldn't help but be happy to see her. He had missed her so terribly.

"Sarah!" he called out. The door to his cell was still locked, but Chuck could see everything through the bars. One of Quinn's hands was holding her hair so tightly Chuck could see the skin of her forehead pulling. With his other hand Quinn held a knife to her throat.

Despite the situation, Chuck couldn't help but notice that even in distress she was beyond beautiful. Chuck could feel his spirits lift at seeing her again, but at the same time terror overwhelmed him. He was terrified for her; terrified of what Quinn would do to her in the hopes of motivating him.

From the moment he saw her, Chuck couldn't shift his gaze away. He was less aware of the world around him as he took in the bruise on her face. There were dark circles around her wrist that looked like they were from restraints and her face was contorted into a grimace of pain as Quinn yanked harder on her hair.

"Stop it!" Chuck snapped. "You're hurting her."

"Ah excellent. Just as I suspected," Quinn smiled. "This couldn't have worked out better if I'd planned it. It seems I should have just taken her to begin with. Oh well."

"You would never have got me in this cell if you'd tried to take us both," Chuck said coolly. "It was two against one with plenty of opportunities to overpower you on the way."

"True," Quinn laughed. "Which is why, as I said, this couldn't have worked out better." Still holding Sarah by the hair he pulled his arm back before releasing her. Sarah was flung forward, thrown hard against the stone floor in front of Chuck's cell door. For a split second, Chuck had hope she'd get up and run away, but then he noticed the four guards standing behind Quinn with swords in their hands. He wanted to go to her, to comfort her but he was still trapped in the cell, only able to watch as they hurt her.

"This is how it's going to go," Quinn spoke to Chuck. "It's quite simple, really. For every five minutes that you aren't trying to get the information that I need, Sarah will suffer. Refuse and she dies."

Chuck turned to William slowly, tears falling from his eyes as he spoke. "I'm so sorry," he said.

"I understand," William replied solemnly. "But you have to understand that I won't make this easy for you."

"I understand," Chuck said with a nod. "I would never ask you to."

Chuck knew what he had to do. He needed skin contact, but William knew this as well, and was up and moving in an instant. Whenever Chuck got close, William moved away. For a guy who has been underfed and stuck in a stone box for who knows how long he was surprisingly agile.

Chuck's heart wasn't in the chase. He didn't want to even try and take William's secret from him. But then he heard Sarah scream. His first five minutes were up. In a flash, Chuck turned to see Quinn's guards kicking her while she lay on the ground.

"Stop!" Chuck called out. He tried to remind himself that if they actually killed Sarah they'd have no leverage to get him to do anything but it was hard. Kicks like that could break a rib and kill her, even if they didn't mean to.

He had to try harder to catch William, even if it was the last thing he wanted. Chuck moved to corner the other man, but as one person he couldn't quite manage it within the four walls of his cell.

With a quick shout, Quinn set one of his guards to help catch William and within no time at all William had his arms pinned behind his back by the guard.

Chuck approached slowly. Oh how he wished he wasn't here right now. Anywhere but here.

"I'm so sorry," Chuck said to his friend again before reaching forward and touching his right hand to the side of William's face.

The first thing he felt was the skills. William knew a great deal more than he let on about farming. Chuck could sense the abilities for plowing, sewing crops, tending to livestock and even some carpentry skills. If he ever needed to repair the wheel on a wagon, he knew where to go. There was also something else. A hobby. Chuck had to stop himself from smiling as he noticed William's skill for decorative carving. He could see hands holding a small blade scraping at the wood and knew that if he reached out he would be able to borrow that skill. But that wasn't why he was here. Carving a beautiful shape in soft wood was not what Quinn wanted.

He remembered when he'd touched Sarah and felt all her many talents. She knew how to fish and hike, but also when to shoot to make a clean kill with her bow and arrow. Her skills with the rapier sword had been the most prominent but he'd also noticed her training in many other types of weapons. A small knife she knew how to throw or slash with in equal measure. What he hadn't sensed in her abilities was a skilled hobby. He remembered looking, hoping to gain even a little insight into her interests, but everything he'd sensed in her had been the skills of a soldier.

Chuck could remember everyone he'd ever borrowed skills from, not that they were very high in number. Morgan had asked him once to 'try it on him' and they'd spent an enjoyable afternoon playing around with his magic.

Another cry from Sarah cut Chuck's thoughts off sharply. He turned to glare at Quinn. "I am doing what you ask, stop hurting her!"

"Hurry up then," Quinn snapped.

"I have never been able to look at memories before," Chuck reminded him. "I have no idea how much concentration this will take, and I can't concentrate if you are still hurting her!" By the end of his sentence Chuck was practically screaming. Every time Sarah cried out in pain it was like he could feel her pain in his own body. Those kicks against his ribs. It was impossible to focus like this.

"Unless you want notes on how to bring in a good harvest-" Chuck continued, but he was cut off.

"Fine," Quinn said. "But if I get so much as a hint that you aren't doing what I want…" The threat didn't need saying. Chuck knew he couldn't pretend.

He turned back to face William still pinned by the guard. Chuck returned his hand to the side of William's face and closed his eyes.

Memories, memories, how to get to the memories. He went back to the image of carving wood with hands as if they were his. Chuck tried to make the eyes look up from the task but everything around the skill was blurry. He tried something else. Chuck focused on the finished carving. The plain block of wood had been turned into a small horse by William's skilled hands. That was progress. Maybe he could link a memory to this skill. Who was the small horse for?

Chuck felt like he was darting around where he wasn't wanted. It was almost like William's mind was fighting against him, which he supposed was exactly the case. It felt so wrong to be poking around where he wasn't wanted, but Chuck didn't have much of a choice.

William must have made the toy horse for someone. Chuck tried to focus on that memory attached to the crafted item again. It was the only thing he could think of to push through from skills into memory. The only weak link.

Chuck tried to push through the fog. He can see the outline of a child, their arms reaching up to accept the toy horse. As the little carving is placed in the child's tiny hands suddenly the scene comes into focus.

The little girl is adorable with light brown hair, but there is something about her eyes that reminds him of William. In that moment, Chuck realises who this must be. He is looking at William's daughter. This is who he loves more than his own life and she is the one Chuck is going to doom to save Sarah.

And for a moment, Chuck considered not going any further. He didn't want to be the one who took this little girl's freedom away from her. He knew with perfect clarity what Sarah would do. Sarah would tell him to let her die in the service of others. She would never value her life over someone else's, let alone a childs. Before he'd even known who he was protecting, Chuck had decided his own life wasn't more important than William's secret. Logic, reason and respecting everyone's rights to choose their own fate all dictated that he stop, pull his hand away and refuse to continue.

But then he heard Sarah's whimper.

Instinctively Chuck turned his head. They weren't hurting her again, but Sarah was curled into a ball on the floor as if her insides caused her pain.

The simple truth was that Chuck couldn't watch her die. He didn't think he was capable of standing by while they hurt her, let alone letting them end her life. Logic and reason didn't matter here. Only her.

Turning back to William, Chuck focused on the little girl with all he had. Flashes of images went through his mind. They started blurry but soon cleared up.

A little girl playing in a field, an older woman, her mother, watching the dance.

The toy horse in her hand as she moved it up and down like it was running.

This isn't what Quinn wanted. Chuck suspected William was deliberately thinking about these images to play at Chuck's heart strings and distract him from finding the secret.

Chuck pushed the happy memories aside and tried to find sad ones. Next he saw the face of the little girl's mother again. She was crying and yelling at the same time. Chuck couldn't make out the exact words but there was a sense of dread within the conversation. Then suddenly, Chuck understood the words.

"She must go into hiding."

The details about how they decided where the little girl would hide must have been weaker memories, as the words became impossible to understand again.

Instead Chuck focused on the table. When William turned his gaze down, Chuck saw a map. He knew that map well, had seen it every day of his life for as long as he could remember. Copies of this map were on the walls he'd grown up looking at, each adorned with different illuminations. It was the map of his parent's kingdom. The only difference with his version was the small x in the top left hand corner.

And just like that, Chuck knew where the little girl was.

He removed his hand from William's face. Saying sorry again felt empty and hollow. Chuck couldn't do it. Instead he just let his body slump down to the ground in his misery.

"Well!" Quinn snapped. "Did you get it?"

"Bring me a map and something to write with," Chuck said flatly. Quinn instructed one of his guards to fetch it.

There was silence in the room as everyone waited for the guard to return. Chuck felt too horrible about what he'd done to say anything. The seconds ticked by and no one moved.

The sound of the guard's returning footsteps seemed as loud as the church bell in the silence. The items were held out to him between the bars. Chuck took the paper and marked it with the x he'd seen in William's memories.

"There," he said, handing it back to the guard. "She is there."

"Excellent!" Quinn said grinning as he took the map from his guard. "Throw her in the cell and lock them all up. I want round the clock shifts of no less than five guards. If this doesn't pan out, I will need them all here to interrogate."

And with that, Quinn turned and left the dungeon. A guard heaved Sarah to her feet while another opened the cell door. They dumped her unceremoniously into the cell. Chuck moved quickly to catch her and managed to prevent her head from hitting the stone at least. Within seconds the door to their cell closed with a very solid thud. Chuck heard the lock turn.

Sitting on the floor, Chuck gently cradled Sarah's head in his lap. She was barely conscious.

For a long time, no one spoke. Chuck started to gently stroke Sarah's hair and slowly she drifted off into a more easy sleep. He just watched her breathe, scared that she was more injured than she seemed. He needed her to be okay, but at the same time, he had no idea what he was going to say to her when she woke up.

Chapter Text

The first thing Sarah became aware of was the gentle touch of someone stroking her hair. It was such a calming feeling that it took her a moment to notice everything else. Though her head was nestled against something comfortable, her body was laying on cold hard stone. The ribs on her left side were acutely painful and her head was throbbing. Sarah tried to focus on the motion of her hair being stroked to distract herself from the pain. She felt sure she'd been dreaming at some point, but couldn't quite remember what she'd dreamed about.

Slowly, as the world started to come back into focus, she could hear footsteps going back and forth. There was also the sound of breathing nearby and a gentle rhythmic ticking like someone was gently tapping two hard surfaces against each other.

Sarah opened her eyes.

All she could see looking up was Prince Charles staring back at her. She couldn't understand the emotion in his eyes, but she did understand that it was him who'd been stroking her hair. Her head was even resting in his lap.

"Oh, thank goodness," Chuck said with a great exhale as if he'd been holding onto more air than necessary.

"Hi," Sarah said lamely. She still didn't feel quite functional. The last thing she remembered was being caught and kicked by the guards.

"You had me worried," Chuck told her. Sarah didn't know what to do with this information.

"What happened?" she asked instead.

"We are locked up in a dungeon," Chuck informed her.

"I can see that," Sarah replied. She could tell now where the noises she'd noticed earlier were coming from. Outside their cell door, a guard was pacing back and forth. There was also another prisoner in the cell with them. He was the one rhythmically tapping something against the stone.

Sarah tried to sit up, but Chuck gently put a hand on her shoulder to discourage her.

"I think your rib is broken," Chuck told her. "Lay back and rest."

Sarah was about to firmly state that she was fine and could definitely stand up on her own, but then a sharp pain in her side shut her up and she laid back down.

Chuck started stroking her hair again, and Sarah felt herself drift off to sleep.

When she woke not much had changed. The other man in the cell was sitting in a slightly different location and the pacing guard had sat down.

"I saved you some dinner," Chuck told her. "If you think you can sit up."

Sarah tested her body, moving it slightly. Everything was working. It was just the pain in her ribs that was the main problem. Slowly, gently, she sat up. Chuck's hand reached out to steady her. Once she was sitting up on her own okay, he offered her the food. Sarah ate the small bowl of vegetable stew with a hunger she hadn't even realized she'd had.

"Here," Chuck said, holding out a small piece of bread, too. Sarah was too hungry to argue with him. She accepted the bread and finished it off quickly.

"Feel better?" Chuck asked. Sarah nodded. The prince smiled at her.

The light in the room hadn't changed much. Sarah assumed she merely slept through dinner. The meal had helped more than she realized. Sarah's mind was clearing.

"What's the status of our situation?" she asked.

"Prison," Chuck answered.

"Yeah, I got that," she grumbled. "Are you saying we don't have any details about why we're in prison or what this guy wants or anything?"

"This boss guy, Quinn, is a magic thief," Chuck explained. "And he wanted me to steal information from William." Chuck gestured to the man in the cell with them.

"And you told him no, right?" Sarah asked, putting emphasis on the last word.

"I started with no," Chuck said defensively and Sarah just knew she was going to hate the rest of his answer.

"And you ended with…?"

Chuck clearly did not want to explain. He looked almost sheepishly at her, but didn't speak.

"He ended with searching my mind against my will for the secret location of my daughter," William explained, rather too calmly Sarah thought given the circumstances.

"He did what!"

"Quinn was going to kill you!" Chuck snapped back defensively.

"So what?"

"Oh I get it, you want to die, is that it?" Chuck said sarcastically.

"Of course not!" Sarah snapped. She sighed and added. "But I am just a soldier. It is my job to protect others, not be protected."

Chuck didn't seem to know how to reply. Sarah wasn't sure if getting mad at him for saving her was the right reaction, but it was definitely her honest reaction. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous his actions seemed.

Sarah stood up even if it hurt. She just couldn't yell at him from the ground again. It felt weak and Sarah hated feeling weak.

"For goodness sake it was my job to protect you from the moment we met, but instead you keep saving my life!"

Again Chuck just stared at her. It was probably the first time she'd ever seen him speechless.

"None of it makes sense!" Sarah continued her voice echoing off the stone walls. "You should be home safe with your family right now, and I should be dead. So answer me this, Chuck, why are we both here in this cell together?"

"I thought that was obvious," William spoke up quickly. Sarah turned her attention sharply to hear his answer. "The idiot prince is totally in love with you."

Sarah was sure she'd heard wrong. She was shaking her head as if it would help her to hear better.

"No, you're wrong," Sarah told William.

William laughed without humor. "Oh, so you're saying you have a better explanation for why he gave you his dinner?"

Sarah just stared at William who was looking all together too pleased with himself for her liking.

"Why wouldn't they have served three meals to three prisoners?" Sarah said, voicing her thoughts without really meaning them to be a question.

"The kitchens clearly were not informed of an additional prisoner to this cell," William answered her anyway. "I ate mine, but Chuck insisted you were injured and needed it more than him. We've barely been fed two tiny meals a day since he got here. I wouldn't have even shared that cold soup with my wife! I'm telling you, the prince has got it bad. I thought it was obvious."

Sarah just stood very still, processing the information as if in slow motion. It wasn't until she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder that she turned around to face the prince.

The expression on Chuck's face confirmed the truth of William's words before he even spoke. Chuck's eyes were soft, and affectionate. Never before in her life had she seen such affection directed at her before. Sarah could hardly take in his face before he began to speak.

"This isn't exactly how I wanted this moment to play out," Chuck said softly. "I did try to tell you before, but then Quinn put that knife to your throat and, well, I kinda panicked, and you know what happened next cause you were there and I um…"

Chuck fell silent. She waited for him to start talking again. It was so strange to her that he could be silent. He seemed more embarrassed now than awkward, and yet still he didn't say a word.

"I don't know what to say," Sarah finally broke the long silence when she couldn't take it anymore.

"You don't have to say anything," Chuck replied gently. "We should probably be focusing on the situation at hand, anyway."

"Yeah, we have a little girl to save," Sarah reminded him. "We need to get out of here."

"As I've been saying, that isn't possible," William reminded them. "So you might as well continue your lovers tryst. We aren't getting out of here anytime soon."

Sarah rounded on him, suddenly furious. "It's your daughter he doomed! How come you are so calm?"

William just shrugged. Sarah decided she didn't like him much.

"Maybe we aren't going to get out of here on our own," Sarah continued. "But Casey and Morgan were headed back to get reinforcements. When they arrive we should be able to help things along by-"

"Shhhh," William hushed her. "The guards have ears, you know. Keep your voice down!"

"Right, sorry," Sarah said. She sat back down. Getting up had taken a lot of energy. It had definitely been a bad idea.

Her eyes were starting to feel heavy again. There really wasn't anywhere comfortable to lay down, so Sarah decided to just not worry about where she collapsed.

Sarah woke up feeling not at all well-rested. Her head still throbbed slightly. She never thought she'd miss sleeping on the ground, but dirt was much softer than stone.

She'd had the strangest dream. The prince had told her he loved her. It was such a fantasy, such a silly thing for her mind to focus on when her body ached.

When Sarah opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the prince's face. Chuck was laying beside her, his eyes closed. He was laying rather close to her actually. Why would he do that?

And then as the fog of sleep lifted Sarah remembered. It hadn't been a dream.

Chuck loved her.

Even if the thought made no sense to her, it did somehow make sense of the situation. It explained all his behaviour. Why he'd asked for her to be his bodyguard. Why he'd repeatedly prioritized her life over his. She couldn't understand how he could ever come to value her so highly, but she couldn't ignore it either. There was just something about Chuck.

Without really thinking about it, Sarah reached out her hand to touch his face while he slept. Chuck wasn't attractive in the typical sense. He was a scholar, not a fighter and his musculature reflected that, but even so there was something beautiful in his face. Something wholesome and innocent. Something she wanted to protect with all her heart.

Chuck was still asleep when the morning meal came. It was just a plain bowl of grain mush, but at least there were three bowls.

Sarah ate hers, then wondered if she should wake Chuck so he could eat his breakfast while it was hot, or let him sleep.

"It seems the kitchen has caught up on current events," William said once he'd finished his bowl. "I honestly don't care what it tastes like, I just wish there was more of it."

Sarah didn't say anything. Placing Chuck's bowl off to the side, she laid down beside him again. Despite their situation it was so good to see him again.

"Hi." It was Chuck's voice.

Sarah opened her eyes. She hadn't realized she'd closed them.

"Oh, um, hi," Sarah said, sitting up too quickly. What was this? Was she nervous or maybe perhaps just startled that he'd woken up?

Sarah worked to calm herself and then turned to look at Chuck. He had that same affectionate look in his eyes again. Had he always looked at her this way? No, she'd have noticed if he had… right?

"I have your breakfast here," Sarah said, reaching over to pick up the bowl and present it to Chuck.

"Thanks," Chuck said, taking it. "Did you get something to eat?"

Sarah nodded. "The kitchen sent three."

"Oh good," Chuck smiled and then ate hungrily. Sarah couldn't help but remember that he hadn't had supper because of her.

It felt like she should say something. Should tell him how she felt, but Sarah's emotions were such a jumble she hardly knew how to put them into words. There was however one thing she could think of that might express everything without saying a word.

"These tiny portions wouldn't be so bad if we got lunch too," Chuck grumbled.

Sarah wasn't really listening to his words. She was looking at his face, his lips specifically. Was it a good idea? Would this one thing be able to explain everything she couldn't find the words to say?

Because Sarah knew if she looked at her actions since meeting Chuck, her feelings weren't that far off from his. She didn't have the words, but she knew she cared more than she should. More than she had any right too. Before his confession she'd never have allowed herself to acknowledge these feelings. She would have assumed, rightly so, that he was above her station and her job was merely to get him home safely. Never in her wildest dream could she have imagined that he could return such feelings.

Sarah wasn't a scholar. She wasn't good with words like Chuck. Action was the only way she knew how to communicate.

"Chuck," she said to make him turn and look at her.

"Yeah," he replied, smiling at her.

What was he thinking? Sarah couldn't decipher his expression. If he did love her, surely he wanted this. Surely he'd welcome it? She had every reason to think so, and yet she didn't move. She was just frozen, her gaze on his mouth.

"Are you okay?" Chuck asked her. Sarah managed to nod, still trying to come up with the resolve to show him what she couldn't articulate.

She let out a deep breath, then moved closer. There was a moment when she almost thought Chuck knew what she was about to do.

Then the moment was shattered.

A loud bang brought them all to attention. Chuck made a startled noise and jumped slightly. Sarah would never admit this, but she'd been so caught up in what she'd almost done that she hadn't been paying any attention to her surroundings.

Once she looked around, Sarah saw that it had been the door down the hall from their cell that had caused the noise. It had just been slammed open with extreme force. Sarah could hear booming footsteps coming down the hall and she just knew somehow it was Quinn.

Moving away from Chuck quickly, Sarah tried to get her bearings. The way the door had been slammed she could guess that Quinn was mad.

When he came into view, Sarah saw Quinn but her eyes didn't linger long. Instead she focused on the small child he was dragging behind him. Quinn's hand was holding tight to the long light brown hair of a little girl. Sarah could remember only too well how much it had hurt when he had held her in the exact same manager. The sight made her want to drive a knife through Quinn's skull.

She thought this must be William's daughter and turned to see how he was taking it. To her surprise his expression looked unchanged. Between that and Quinn's obvious fury, Sarah knew things weren't how they appeared.

"Useless!" Quinn yelled as he threw the little girl to the floor in front of their locked cell. The little girl did not get up. Sarah knew she must be beyond scared.

"You sent me after the wrong person!" Quinn accused Chuck.

"I told you I've never tried to use my magic to extract information before!" Chuck yelled back.

"Well you are going to learn fast," Quinn replied. With a quick snap of his fingers he commanded the dozen guards flanking him. Six of them entered their cell, while the others remained to guard their leader.

He clearly didn't see the little girl as a threat since she was all but forgotten, laying on the floor.

Before any of them could so much as blink, two guards were holding William's hands locked behind his back. Two more guards were holding Sarah down, while a third one had a knife to her throat. The last guard was covering Chuck from a distance, clearly aware of the no-touch rule, but making sure he didn't make a run for it.

"This time if you fail, she loses a finger," Quinn threatened. "And every other time you fail, another finger until she has nothing but stumps left."

"No, don't do it, Chuck!" Sarah called out to him. She knew it was pointless, but she had to try. The blade at her throat was cold and sharp. She could feel it just barely cutting her skin. She wanted to cry, but she didn't. Soldiers didn't cry.

Chuck turned to look at her, pain etched in every line of his face. "I have no choice," he said.

Slowly, as if against his will, Chuck moved towards William. Sarah watched helplessly as Chuck reached forward and put his hands against the skin of William's neck. Then Chuck closed his eyes.

The silence in the room was deafening. Sarah tried to fight against the arms holding her, but then the knife was pressed more firmly against her neck and she froze. She could feel a drop of blood dripping from the wound.

When Chuck pulled his hands away, William's face was white as a sheet, and she knew this time he hadn't managed to fool Chuck. This time, Chuck had the right information.

They brought Chuck a map and charcoal to write with. He made a mark on the map. As quickly as they had arrived, the guards left, locking the door behind them.

Quinn grinned at them through the bars. "Your love is your weakness," he told them while his guards were locking up the little girl in an adjacent cell. "If not for all your love, I would never have been able to get what I wanted." He pointed to the little girl. "Even this one's mother could not protect her with merely her love. You will all rot in here for as long as I see fit. Welcome to the rest of your life."

And laughing, he turned and walked away down the hall, his steps light and peppy now.

Chuck was immediately at Sarah's side fussing over the cut on her neck. "I'm fine!" Sarah snapped. She was angry at him, but also happy to be alive and have all her fingers. It was such a strange combination that she hardly knew how to act.

Seemingly satisfied that she was unharmed, the prince turned his attention to the little girl. She wasn't in their cell with them, but they could still talk to her through the bars.

"Are you alright?" Chuck asked her. The little girl nodded but didn't speak. "I know you, don't I? What's your name?"

"Amora," the little girl said in a small voice.

"Hi, Amora," Chuck said. "I'm Chuck. Did he hurt you?"

"Pulled my hair," the girl grumbled. "He's a bad man."

"Yes, he is," Chuck agreed. "I've seen you around the castle before. Do your parents work there?"

The little girl nodded. "Daddy is the captain of the guard." There was pride in her voice and a strength Sarah hadn't expected.

"Quinn mentioned your mother," Chuck continued. "Is she okay?"

"Mommy saved me," Amora said. "She told the bad man that I was a useful hostage."

"Your mother sounds like a smart woman," Sarah smiled at her.

Just then the little girl grinned. She held up the closed fist of her right hand. "They taught me to never miss an opportunity," Amora said and she opened her palm.

The small key looked large in such a tiny hand.

Chapter Text

When they woke to find Sarah missing, Casey spent the entire morning muttering about her court-martial, but by the time they packed up camp, he seemed more worried than mad.

Morgan didn't know Sarah well, but he could guess what had happened. There had been something defiant about her expression last night when she'd agreed to wait. If she'd returned with Chuck she could have said, 'I told you so,' but instead she's gone and they have no idea if she's still alive. Morgan hoped wherever she was, she was with Chuck and they were both safe.

It was definitely a good thing they never tried to attack the stronghold. Morgan felt sure now that if they had, Casey would have also been captured, or even killed, and then Morgan would likely have been slain by bandits on the way home.

Morgan missed Alex more than he cared to admit. Travelling with her father just made him think of her more, which made him miss her more.

The colonel was not up for conversation on their way back. It was a long and quiet trip. Morgan was dreaming of the castle kitchen's best pastries even while he was eating foraged tubers and berries. Sometimes Casey caught an animal, but usually they just ate what they could find.

"Cooking takes time," Casey would remind him whenever Morgan asked if he was going hunting. "And we need to get back as soon as possible. We keep moving. End of story."

Morgan knew he was right, but his stomach and feet were very much against the idea. He was so tired of eating while walking, so tired of moving generally. All that kept him going was knowing he'd see Alex soon, and hoping their information could save Chuck.

It felt like they'd been walking for years by the time Moria came into view. Morgan just wanted to collapse on something soft after eating something hot, but there would be time for that later.

Without so much as stopping for a sip of water, Casey got them an audience with the king and queen. It was evening when they finally arrived, and the royal couple were ousted from their beds.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," Casey began.

"Never mind that!" the queen snapped. "Did you find him?"

"We did," Casey began. "But he is being held prisoner in a stronghold. Sarah went to try to extract him, but she did not return. We thought it best to return with the stronghold's location so we can mount a proper rescue."

"I agree," King Stephen replied. "Do you have any thoughts on how best to plan the rescue? Would stealth be useful or should we just go for strength in numbers?"

"Numbers," Casey replied. "With Sarah either captured or killed, stealth really isn't an option anymore. Getting in won't be the problem, getting out will."

Morgan could sense they were going into full assault planning mode and felt like he really wasn't necessary. He was about to sneak away when the queen stopped him.

"So?" she asked.

"So… what?"

"So what did you learn?"

"Oh well, Chuck did definitely tell Sarah," Morgan confirmed.

"Did they take Chuck for his magic!?"

"Probably. We don't know," Morgan sighed. "We found Sarah tied to a tree. Then tracked Chuck to the stronghold."

The queen sighed. "Very well," she said. "You may go."

Morgan held back a gleeful squeal and turned to leave.

This late in the evening there were only two places Alex could be and Morgan had a feeling tucked into her bed wasn't the answer. Making a left turn, he continued down the corridor until he exited the main castle.

Just as he'd expected, there she was, all alone with a practice sword in her hand.

"You know your father doesn't want you following in his footsteps, right?" Morgan said by way of announcing his presence.

Alex froze for just a split second before turning around and running to him. Morgan wrapped his arms around her and let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Even as hungry and tired as he was, Morgan felt better.

"You're okay!" Alex exclaimed. Then she pulled out of the hug to look at him before she asked, "Is dad okay?"

"He's in a meeting, but yes he's fine," Morgan smiled at her.

When Alex was happy, her whole face lit up and made her even more beautiful than she already was. Reaching up gently, Morgan put a hand on the side of her face and leaned in to kiss her.

Now he was home.

"I love you," he said.

She didn't say anything, but just stared at him, clearly surprised by his sudden confession.

"There is something about almost dying that puts one's life into perspective," Morgan continued. "Oh, and your father may have let something slip." He leaned in and kissed her again. "But either way it's past time I told you."

Thinking the kiss was over, he started to move away, but Alex pulled him closer and deepened the kiss.

"I love you too," she whispered into his ear.

"I know," Morgan said with a grin. "You really think I'd have had the guts to say it first if I didn't already know!"

Her laugh was so light, so full of relief. It was one of the many things he loved about her. She didn't just put up with his strange awkwardness; she actually valued it and he valued her for all the little odd and wonderful things that made her who she was.

"You know it's a funny story," Morgan said as they walked hand in hand back to her home. "But I don't think I would have made it back without you."

"I wasn't even there!" Alex laughed.

"But if not for you, Casey wouldn't have been so invested in keeping me alive," Morgan explained.

"Well, I am just glad you both came back safe," she replied. "Did you find the prince?"

"Technically, yes," Morgan answered. "But the whole 'lost in the woods' thing kinda turned into a 'captured by the bad guys and locked in a dungeon' thing."

"Ah, so that's why dad's in a meeting," Alex understood immediately.

Morgan loved how smart, and witty she was. Also brave and kind. If he'd been the type of person with low self-esteem he would have assumed she was too good for him. A merchant's assistant wasn't exactly a career that came with high social status. Being friends with the prince somehow was his most prestigious title, but none of that mattered to her and so it didn't matter to him. Alex never seemed anything but happy in his company and Morgan knew exactly how she felt.

"Mom will be happy to see you," Alex said as they approached her dwelling. "Though I suspect mostly because it means dad made it home okay."

"Fair enough," Morgan chuckled. "Listen I wanted to come see you first, but we barely ate on our way back, so-"

"So you are walking me home then heading straight for the kitchens," Alex knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Well, yeah."

"I appreciate that I was your highest priority," Alex said with a smile. "Even if your stomach is empty. I bet you missed your bed."

"So much!" Morgan agreed. "Your dad doesn't really believe in rest when he is on a time-sensitive mission. We maybe got four hours sleep and then walked all day, eating nothing but greens, roots and shoots. He said hunting and cooking took too long."

Alex chuckled. "I'm surprised you came to find me at all."

They'd reached her home and on that note, Morgan kissed her on the cheek and added, "I'll see you tomorrow." She agreed and bid him farewell before disappearing behind her front door.

Morgan didn't waste any time. He made a sharp turn and headed for the kitchens. He'd been so excited to see Alex, he hadn't realized just how totally exhausted and hungry he was until he was alone again.

Bread with meat or maybe a sweet pastry. His mind was filled with nothing but food as he walked.

Arriving at the kitchens, Morgan helped himself to a few things and ate hungrily in the corner. He couldn't help but wonder what Chuck had been eating this whole time. Probably nothing fit for a prince.

Taking the last of his bread to go, Morgan made his way to his dwelling. The food had made him so sleepy that he felt kinda floaty, like he could fall asleep with his eyes open standing up. Morgan gave his head a shake. He was determined to make it to his own bed tonight.

The sound of a frantic voice caught his attention. Instinctively Morgan stopped moving to listen. It was a woman speaking, but the level of panic in her voice was such that Morgan couldn't make out the words.

"Slow down," another voice, male this time, spoke. Morgan had to assume this person was talking to the frantic woman. "Tell me what happened?"

"They were going to kill her!" the woman exclaimed. She didn't seem all that concerned about being loud. "We were visiting my sister like I told you, but then they came and they were looking for someone else. When they figured out they had the wrong girl they were going to- going to-" her voice broke. Morgan could hear her sobbing hysterically.

"What happened to her?" the male voice asked, urgently. Morgan thought the voice was familiar, but couldn't quite place it.

"I told them who you were, told them she'd be valuable as a hostage," the woman continued through her sobs. "It was all I could think of to stop them from cutting her down right in front of me!"

Sleepiness forgotten, Morgan focused all his attention on the voices around the corner. This felt important. He just had to figure out who they were and then he'd know how important.

"When did they take her?" the male voice asked. He wasn't crying like the woman but there was a pain in his voice now that made Morgan sure he was just as upset as her.

"A few hours ago maybe," the woman answered. "I didn't trust a message carrier so I came straight here to tell you. What are we going to do?"

"Go home and get some rest," he told her. "I will handle this."

"I can't go home!" she exclaimed. "I can't think. I can't do anything. I-"

"Your face," the man said, his voice cold with fury. "I assume they did that to you?"

"I was trying to defend the children," the woman answered. "But my face doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," the man snapped. "You need to take care of yourself and you know why."

The woman seemed to remember something. After that she didn't fight him on returning home.

"I'll arrange for an escort to get you home safely and remain with you," the man continued. "Stay there. I will send news when I have some."

Morgan had been lost in their conversation; he'd forgotten that its conclusion meant they were headed around the corner, where he was standing.

With only a split second to spare, Morgan managed to duck out of sight. When he heard footsteps moving past, he chanced a peek. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the man speaking, had heard his voice before. He had to know for sure.

The man's face was in shadow, but then he walked into the moonlight and Morgan had to hold back a gasp.

Whoever that conversation had been about the man speaking was the Captain of the Royal Guard: Daniel Shaw. The one in charge of Chuck's rescue had a hostage held against him. Sleep could wait. Morgan needed to find Casey!

Morgan waited until he was sure Shaw's footsteps were gone, before darting off in the opposite direction of his own bed.

Knowing Casey, he'd still be in the meeting with the royals. Morgan headed right back to where they were.

It seemed the meeting had broken up. As he arrived, he saw people leaving. Morgan spotted Casey and ran over.

"I need to talk to you!" Morgan said urgently.

"Is Alex alright?" Casey asked at once.

"Yeah, she's great," Morgan answered quickly. "This is something else."

Morgan could have told the King and Queen directly, but he really wasn't sure what he'd just seen and he had no proof except his word. Not even Casey could accuse the Captain of the Royal Guard of anything without proof, let alone Morgan!

Casey seemed to be waiting for Morgan to speak. "Not here," Morgan said and pulled the Colonel away so they wouldn't be overheard. He then recounted everything from the conversation he'd overheard.

"What do you think it means?" Morgan asked.

"It means this rescue mission just got a hell of a lot more complicated," Casey said. "Shaw's been put in charge of the entire operation. If he can't be trusted, we are gonna need to be vigilant."

"Yeah that makes sen- wait what do you mean we?" Morgan asked. He'd assumed he wouldn't be going on this next mission. Morgan wasn't even sure he'd been of any use the last time and this time it was a full on military attack. What use could he possibly be in that scenario?

"Conspiracies require more than one person," Casey explained. "We don't know who else to trust, which means it's up to the two of us to foil whatever Shaw plans to do."

"But what about the hostage?" Morgan asked.

"The prince has to come first," Casey replied.

Morgan knew Chuck wouldn't like that. He'd hate to think of his life being valued above another. Especially since the woman's words seemed to imply that this hostage was a child.

"Alright, I'll come," Morgan said. "If only to make sure we save the hostage too. Chuck will be mad if we don't."

Casey rolled his eyes. "My job is to return the prince home safely," he said. "Nothing more."

"Unless it was your daughter being held hostage," Morgan reminded him. "Then you'd probably betray king and country to save her."

"Shut up," Casey snapped by way of answer, but Morgan knew he was right because he felt the exact same way.

"We are leaving at first light," Casey told him. "Get some sleep, Morgan."

"That I can do," Morgan replied.

Once again coming down from the adrenaline, Morgan felt like he might just take a nap on the floor. But instead he turned and headed home.

Morgan was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Chapter Text

Chuck couldn't believe what he was looking at. It felt like his eyes were playing tricks on him as he stared at the key. He'd almost given up hope they'd ever be able to break out of here. Was it really real? He was even more surprised when Amora held it out to him.
"You hold onto it," Amora whispered. Chuck tried to say no, but she insisted. "The guards won't risk touching you, so it will be safetest with you."

Chuck couldn't exactly argue with that logic. He reached between the bars - just barely getting his wrist through at an angle - to grab the tiny key.

"I assume it has something to do with your magic," Amora continued. "I never knew you had magic before now. Daddy never told me."

"Your father doesn't know," Chuck said once the key was safely transferred. "No one does… at least, no one did."

Amora just shrugged. "It's okay. When daddy comes for me, he can rescue you guys, too."

"You've got a lot of faith in your father, don't you?" Chuck observed.

Amora was nodding, even before he finished speaking. "Daddy is the bravest, strongest and bestest ever!"

Even as he was talking to Amora through the bars, Chuck could sense Sarah behind him. Chuck was hyper aware of where she was in the cell with him. He couldn't turn it off, which was a problem in this very small prison cell.

Before they were interrupted, there had been a split second while Sarah had been looking at him so intensely. Chuck had gotten his hopes up that she'd been about to kiss him, but the more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that he'd imagined it. It's not like he hadn't fantasied about kissing her a thousand times before. It wasn't hard to believe that he'd made it all up in his head. After all, when she'd first found out how he felt, she hadn't responded the way he'd hoped. Chuck knew he should just accept that she didn't see him that way. She was his bodyguard; she saw him as part of her job. That was it.

Chuck knew he really shouldn't be thinking about this anymore. It was ridiculous to go over and over it in his head, but at the same time, in this tiny locked cell, it was impossible to try and control his thoughts. She was just so nearby all the time. A part of him wanted to pull her into his arms and see what happened, but the rest of him was way too nervous to try it.

Reaching into his pocket, Chuck warped his fingers around the tiny piece of metal that was their best hope of escape.

Maybe if they managed to escape from here, he'd have a chance to clear his head.

"I certainly hope you are right," Chuck replied. He didn't know Captain Shaw very well, but he had to assume the man was impressive. Chuck knew he was the youngest Captain of the Royal guard on record for a reason.

"After what they did to mommy," Amora continued. "Daddy is gonna be mad, and you don't want to cross him when he's mad."

"I believe you," Chuck told her. Amora seemed satisfied with that and moved away from the bars to go sit down on the bench in her cell.

He decided to move as well. He could sense Sarah was still behind him. Maybe if he moved forward he could give her some space.

"Chuck." Sarah's voice was soft but determined.

Even just her voice seemed to make his hair stand on end. He wasn't sure he would be able to handle being locked in the cell with her much longer if he had to keep his distance. It was agonizing. When she'd been unconscious he hadn't been able to resist resting her head in his lap, but now that she was awake and knew how he felt, it was like the very air was charged with electricity.

He felt a bolt of that electricity on his arm and knew she'd reached out to touch him. Chuck turned. Her arm fell back to her side as she looked at him. Chuck couldn't quite figure out why she was just staring at him like this. When he'd been worried earlier, she'd brushed off his concern, and he'd thought she was mad at him for going along with Quinn's demands, but she didn't seem mad now.

"I know you shouldn't have done it," Sarah began. "And I know there might be horrible consequences, but even so, I feel like I need to thank you."

"For what?" Chuck replied automatically. It wasn't until after he spoke that he realized how stupid a question it was.

"For saving my life, silly," Sarah said with a smile. She reached out again but with both her arms this time and Chuck's heart beat faster. He needed to back away, but all he managed to do was remain frozen in place.

"I thought you were mad about that," Chuck confessed.

"I was, or rather, I am," Sarah said with a smile. "But I'm also very glad to be alive."

"I'm glad you're alive, too," Chuck told her earnestly.

For a moment he just looked into her eyes. Sarah had such beautiful eyes. After so long looking at her from afar only able to imagine what her eyes looked like, he doubted he'd ever get sick of gazing at those blue-grey spheres. For a moment it was like the world fell away, leaving only Sarah.

"Stop staring at each other and start thinking!" It was William's voice.

Chuck blinked and the spell was broken. Had she really been staring back at him this whole time? He must have imagined it.

"My daughter's freedom is at stake here," William reminded him. "A freedom that was completely safe until you two showed up."

"Right, sorry," Chuck said, turning away to look at William. "We need a plan."

"We need more than a plan," William snapped. "We need backup." He turned to Sarah. "What you said earlier. Was that true?" Sarah nodded. "Then we need a plan in place for when that happens."

"We should also find out which door it opens," Chuck said in a whisper. "For all we know it's one of the other cells."

"Yes for sure," William agreed. "But when to try without being seen."
"I could track the guard shifts," Sarah offered. "See if there is a weak point."

William was nodding. "Yes, good. Okay. That's something, I guess."

Even as agitated as he was, William seemed to understand that was all they could really do right now. He went back to sitting in the corner. Chuck had a feeling that if William had more energy, he'd have been pacing around the room.

Chuck realized he'd never actually asked William how long he'd been stuck in his cell. He had the look of a man who'd lost quite a bit of weight in a short time. Chuck suspected he'd been here for months, at the very least.

In many ways, Chuck regretted his recent actions, but he also knew he'd do it all again to save Sarah. If they could just escape and rescue the girl, then everything would be fine.

Chuck knew Sarah was within arms reach. He always knew where she was in this tiny cell. He wondered if he'd be able to get any sleep with her here. Once he was tired enough, he supposed he'd crash in the end. Day and night hardly meant anything in the cell, anyway. There was just enough light from the tiny window way up out of reach to let them know if it was night or day, but that was about it. Outside the cell there were torches on the walls, but nothing within reach of the prisoners.

He turned in the direction that Sarah wasn't, intending to go sit on the really uncomfortable stone bench. To his surprise, Sarah sat beside him.

"I thought you were supposed to be monitoring guard shifts," Chuck said quickly.

"That can wait a minute," Sarah replied. "I- well before we were interrupted, there was something I wanted to, not say exactly but-"

Chuck couldn't help but smile. Usually he was the one who babbled.

"You can tell me anything, Sarah," Chuck said easily.

"I'm not great with words," Sarah continued. "But I need you to understand something."

Chuck nodded. He wasn't sure what he was agreeing to, but he felt sure of his answer all the same. This, after all, was Sarah, and if the last week had taught him anything, it was that there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for Sarah Walker.

Her hands gently pulled on his arms, until he turned to face her. He wasn't sure what was going on until she moved forward, pulling on his arms again until they were so close Chuck could feel her breath against his skin. Chuck realized what she was doing only a second before it happened.

Chuck's shock at her kiss lasted only an instant before joy overwhelmed him. It didn't matter that he was hungry, tired, sore and physically weaker than he'd ever felt before in his life. The adrenaline of the moment made him feel like he could fly.

His hands moved to her waist, he pulled her against him and deepened the kiss. She followed his lead, moving with him as if she wanted this, too. Her hands were on his back as he moved his up to cup her face.

Unwilling to release her completely, but desperate for air, Chuck pulled out of the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers and caught his breath.

It felt so amazing to touch her, to hold her. Chuck could hardly describe the overwhelming level of emotions he was feeling, and then suddenly, it was like those emotions doubled.

A wave of affection washed over him. There was also a powerful sense of protection - the need to keep something precious safe - but it didn't feel like it was coming from him. It took Chuck a moment to realize that these were Sarah's emotions he was sensing.

He felt almost dizzy. Overloaded with emotions, he pulled completely away so they weren't touching anymore. The extra feelings faded.

"Sorry, I just need a minute," he said, moving away to sit on the bench without touching her.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked. She remained seated, but respected his space. She looked worried, as if she thought she'd done something wrong.

"I've used my magic more in the last week than I have in my entire life," Chuck explained, with an ironic laugh. "And it seems to be getting stronger. I didn't mean to, but I think I just read your emotions for a minute there."

"Oh," Sarah gasped.

"It's never been able to read emotion before," Chuck continued. "Then again, I had never managed information until recently, either."

Chuck rested his head in his hand. He could feel the beginning of a headache coming on, possibly a migraine.

"Sorry," Sarah said.

"Please don't be sorry," he said and he meant it.

"Well, I am," she replied. "I feel like I hurt you."

Chuck looked up. He stared into her eyes. "You want to protect me," Chuck told her confidently. "But I felt more than just that. It wasn't as powerful, but it was there."

Having felt both emotions, Chuck could say with complete certainty that her feelings for him weren't as strong as his for her. She had romantic feelings towards him, and she was beyond flattered by his interest in her, but this was all very new to Sarah, and that was fine. Chuck didn't expect her to change her entire view point overnight. He was overjoyed merely with what they had right now. Just to know that his feelings were in any way returned was enough for today.

Looking into her eyes now, Chuck didn't need magic to know that she was still worried. He wanted to reassure her. Keeping their gaze locked he said, "You didn't hurt me. It just caught me off guard. As I said I've never felt someone else's emotions before."

But she still seemed nervous, so Chuck decided to follow her strategy of action, instead of words. He gently reached out and touched her face, before slowly bringing her closer and kissing her lightly on the lips. Her skin was so warm and wonderful. He felt like he could kiss her forever and still not get enough.

"See," he said, when the kiss ended. He pulled his face away to look at her, but kept his hand against her cheek to show her everything was alright.

She smiled at him, and he could see the anxiety had vanished from her expression.

"Is it okay if I lay my head in your lap?" Chuck asked. He was suddenly feeling so tired.

Sarah didn't reply in words, but instead moved her position so he could more easily sleep on her. After a moment, Chuck felt her gently stroking his hair. Her touch felt so good against his aching head, Chuck closed his eyes and drifted off.

As he woke, Chuck heard voices. It sounded like a whispered conversation happening right above him. He opened his eyes and for a moment didn't care what they were saying because she was still there. Sarah was looking forward but the moment he stirred she turned to look down at him. In her lap he'd had by far the most comfortable sleep since he'd fled from his home. It made him wonder how comfortable it would be to sleep beside her in an actual bed.

"You're awake," Sarah said. "How is your head?"

"Better," Chuck replied as he sat up. "What's going on?"

Sarah leaned closer to him and for a moment Chuck thought she was going to kiss him, but then she whispered. "We are working on the plan."

"Excellent," Chuck answered a bit too loudly. "I was just dreaming about my four poster bed." He sat up, stretching his neck and shoulders as he did so.

"Spoiled prince," Willam coughed from the other side of the room.

"Anyway, I've been keeping track of guard shifts," Sarah explained quietly.

"Great," Chuck said, but the look on Sarah's face killed his excitement. "What?"

"They overlap," Sarah replied.

"Oh great," Chuck said sarcastically.

"On the plus side, there seems to be a lull in their attention around meal time," Sarah said. "When the first shift is tired, but hasn't been replaced yet, they get served a meal and tend to slack off a bit with their patrols."

"Well, that's something, I guess," Chuck replied. "How long was I asleep?" He was more stiff than he'd expected.

"A while," Sarah said with a smile. "You seemed really tired, though."

"I was," Chuck replied. He decided to keep it to himself that her lap had been so cozy it had kept him sleeping even in this horrible place.

"So, I think we should do our test during one of those lulls," Sarah explained. Everyone agreed.

Chuck stayed awake as they waited for their opportunity. Despite the severity of the situation, Chuck couldn't help but be unbelievably happy. They hadn't really talked much, but it kinda felt like Sarah was with him now. That they were together. Rather than bring up the topic, and be proved wrong, Chuck decided to just enjoy his assumption.

His constant awareness of her wasn't a burden anymore, but rather lovely. He could casually touch her now. A hug or stroke of the cheek, and she didn't reject him. Sometimes, she closed her eyes as if savouring the feeling. Chuck's magic didn't act up again and he kissed her as often as William could handle. After violating his mind and endangering his daughter, Chuck felt like it was the least he could do for the man.

Chapter Text

Morgan's legs hadn't recovered from his first mission before he started out on his second. There was, however, one major improvement from their last mission. This time around, Morgan was riding a horse.

Telling Alex he was venturing out on yet another dangerous mission just days after his first one, had put a look on her face that Morgan never wanted to see again. Alex looked remarkably like her father when she was mad. Morgan had agreed with her that he shouldn't have to go, before explaining why he needed to. She reluctantly said she understood, and made him promise not to die just the same she'd when he'd left on the first mission.

By the time they'd been travelling for about half a day, Morgan figured out the downsides of travelling by horse.

"My legs feel better," Morgan commented. "But my butt feels worse."

"That about sums it up," Casey replied.

"Why didn't we get horses the first time we left?" Morgan asked. They were riding their horses side by side towards the back of the formation. Casey said it was easier to watch from the back and they were less likely to be overheard.

"Last time, we were on a short distance rescue mission, so we took hunting dogs to follow the trail," Casey explained. "This time, we know how far the fortress is."

"Ah, makes sense," Morgan replied. "But don't you think with this distance, a coach would have made everything more comfortable?"

"Too slow," Casey stated as if this explained everything.

Morgan wanted to argue that it would be way more comfortable, but he didn't bother. This mission wasn't about comfort and he was probably the only one who'd ever complain. Best to keep that to himself rather than be singled out. It was a bit unfair to compare himself to them. He was, after all, the only non-military person here. They'd all had training. The only training Morgan had received was from the merchant he worked for, and most of that training involved sorting inventory.

They continued in silence for a few more hours. It was silly, but he was getting more bored by the minute. Who knew super dangerous rescue missions were this dull, especially with a potential traitor in the mix. There was just nothing exciting about sitting on horseback staring at the horse's ass in front of you.

"I say we just confront him now and be done with it," Morgan suggested eagerly when the silence and boredom combination was too much.

They were still in the back of the group, mostly out of earshot of the others.

"We have to be sneaky about this," Casey reminded him in a whisper. "Everyone here is loyal to Shaw. A confrontation around them would be bad for us. We would look like the enemy, not him."

"So what's the plan then?"

"We wait and watch."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Morgan replied with a sigh. "Waiting is boring."

Casey laughed. "Boring is good," he said. "The problem will be when things get interesting."

The horses at the front started trotting, moving faster, and Morgan and Casey had to join in. Morgan hoped that by the time they were walking the horses again, it would be lunch. He was imagining actually stopping for lunch, but his hopes were in vain.

It was closer to dinner than lunch by the time they were forced to stop to give the horses water. Morgan got off his horse at once and collapsed on the ground, enjoying the feeling of his butt not being on a horse's back.

"Don't get too comfy," Casey grumbled. "We march on when the horses are ready."

Morgan groaned. An entire day on a horse with nothing to eat, but the dry food stuff they'd packed. Each member of the rescue party had a bag of food over one shoulder and a water flask over the other. The crackers, dry cheese, nuts and dried fruits in the bag were better than the grasses and roots he and Casey had eaten on their way back to the castle last time, but still Morgan craved a hot meal. All he could hope was that they planned to make a cook fire tonight after the sun set.

The light of the sun was almost completely gone by the time the Colonel had to give up and make camp. Morgan tentatively suggested a hunting party and a hot meal, but he was shot down. Everyone ate from their individual supplies and got some sleep.

The sun was just barely peeking out over the horizon, when Morgan was woken sharply by a hand on his shoulder shaking him. His eyes were closed but he could still sense the morning light through his eyelids. This meant being on a horse again.

"Huh, what, no," Morgan whined, still half asleep.

"Up. Now," Casey barked, as if each word were a separate order.

He tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but a strong push rolled him too far and he was startled awake as he hit a tree root protruding from the ground. Sitting up, he looked at Casey.

"Did you kick me?" Morgan asked, a bit surprised.

"No going back to sleep," Casey replied, but he was grinning. There was no doubt. He'd kicked him and he'd enjoyed it.

"I'm telling Alex," Morgan whined.

"Stupid daughter has wimpy taste in men," Casey grumbled. "Was it so much to ask that she fall for someone at least slightly reliable?"

Morgan decided to ignore that. Instead he got up and reluctantly started packing up his things.

In what felt like no time at all, Morgan was back on a horse. He was still so groggy, however, that he was sure today would be the day he'd end up falling asleep on his horse and wondered idly if he was allowed to strap himself to the saddle. Unfortunately, this plan failed as riding a horse was far too bumpy for sleep, no matter how tired you are.

The only relief that came with the day was after sunset. They made camp near a major river that meant they were half way to their destination. Everyone in the party refilled their flasks and there would be plenty of water for broth. The captain ordered hunting parties to go out and bring back fresh meat for a stew, while others got a fire going. Meat boiled in water barely counted as a stew. Morgan wished they'd packed some potatoes but he'd have settled for an onion.

He asked if he could go look for something edible in the woods to add to the soup, but Casey said he should stay close to camp. Morgan didn't ask if this was for his safety or for the conspiracy spying mission thing. He just laid down on the ground again and tried not to think about how much his body ached.

When the hot meal was ready, Morgan felt it was the best thing he'd ever eaten, despite knowing that not to be even slightly true. He was just so hungry. The hunting party had managed to bring back enough for everyone to eat their fill, and the entire camp seemed to sleep more soundly that night. Falling asleep was always easier with a stomach full of warm food, or at least Morgan thought so.

Morgan woke suddenly in absolute darkness. He would have screamed but a hand was over his mouth muffling the noise. For one whole second, he felt sure it was a bandit and he was gonna die, but then he heard the Colonel's whispered voice.

"Shut up, idiot." He was so quiet that Morgan would have missed it if he'd been even a few inches farther away. "Shaw's on the move."

Morgan couldn't match Casey's stealthy movements as he stood up, but he still managed to get up and leave camp without waking anyone else, which was good enough in his book. Morgan couldn't see much in the dark, so he settled for keeping the colonel in view as they slowly moved away from the others.

"Where do you think he's going?" Morgan asked in a whisper.

"Shhh," Casey shot back.

"Well, don't you think he'd be trying to sabotage the horses or something like that? Where is he going?"

"Shut up," Casey hissed back.

Morgan couldn't get any answers to his questions as it seemed he wasn't allowed to make even the smallest noise. So annoying. What the hell was he doing here, anyway? Conspiracies required more than one person, yeah right.

It was dark. He was cold and walking unreasonably slowly. The only thing he could see was Casey's back. Morgan just wanted to be home. He missed Alex. He missed Chuck. He missed his bed and he missed eating decent food. What the hell was he doing sneaking around on a road by a river in the middle of the night?

When Casey finally stopped, Morgan almost walked right into him.

"A little warming next time!" Morgan whispered.

Casey didn't say a word. He just grabbed Morgan's head and turned it to see. Morgan could just make out the silhouette in the moonlight. He knew it must be Shaw. He was standing in the center of a bridge that was their only path over the wide river. Without the bridge it would be a major delay to go around the river, but it wasn't a rope bridge. Shaw couldn't just cut a line and see the whole thing collapse.

Morgan wanted to laugh, but he knew Casey would have been mad if he did. Swords couldn't harm stone. Was Shaw stupid? No. Something else had to be going on. The desire to laugh died as quickly as it had arrived.

"He's holding something," Casey whispered so softly Morgan leaned closer automatically to try and hear.

Morgan didn't reply, instead he followed Casey and they tried to get closer without being detected.

Then suddenly Casey jumped forward, sword held up to threaten Shaw. Morgan didn't know what the colonel had noticed to make him act so suddenly after putting so much effect into stealth.

It wasn't until they were both standing on the bridge facing Shaw that Morgan realized what the Colonel must have seen.

Shaw was holding a small clay pot in one hand and a flint in the other. There was only one explanation for this. He was holding a bomb, but to carry that much explosive powder was to risk dying at any minute. Morgan had only read about these in books. That was how he knew that anyone willing to use such a weapon was just as likely to end up killing themselves with it than their enemies.

They'd known Shaw was desperate - what parent wouldn't be - but this was worse than Morgan had imagined. Where had he even gotten the powder? The king had made it illegal to keep within the castle walls. It was too volatile, too easy for your enemies to blow your stash as a prelude to invasion. Even a stray spark from a torch or a lightning strike would have the same effect. It just wasn't worth the risk, though Morgan knew some other nations were working to try and stabilize the substance, to make it into a more effective, reliable weapon, but he hadn't heard about anyone succeeding.

Casey's sword was held just inches from Shaw's throat, but somehow this didn't seem to bother Shaw. Morgan understood. All Shaw had to do was let go of the small clay pot and it would fall. The clay would break easily on the stone and the slight friction would cause a spark that would ignite the powder, destroying the bridge and killing all three of the people standing on it.

"You really don't want to do that," Morgan said, moving forward slowly, holding up both hands to show he was unarmed. Not that him holding a weapon would have been all that intimidating - his fighting skills being what they were - but still it seemed like the thing to do in this situation.

"I have no choice," Shaw replied in a cool and calculating voice. His eyes were narrow, and focused. He believed what he was saying, but there was more in his face. If Morgan wasn't much mistaken, Shaw was on the brink of tears.

"There is always a choice," Morgan stated firmly.

"If you don't surrender, I will strike you down," Casey stated with his sword still held near Shaw's throat.

"And then this bomb will fall and we will all die," Shaw reminded him casually, as if they were talking about the weather and not their mutual destruction.

"Also, um, Casey we are kinda standing on the bridge so if he drops it now, the rescue party will still be delayed over a week going around the river," Morgan reminded the colonel.

Casey hesitated for a second, clearly annoyed, then reluctantly lowered his sword. Morgan turned back to Shaw. He still looked determined. Neither the moment of casual exchange or Casey lowering his sword had changed his resolve.

"You can still make a different choice. You don't want to do this," Morgan said again.

"Of course, I don't!" Shaw snapped.

"So let's just all walk off this bridge and have a nice conversation about what we should do next?" Morgan suggested trying to sound bright and cheerful.

Shaw turned to look right into Morgan's eyes and for a moment no one moved. Morgan had no idea what to do about being stared at so intently. He blinked, but it didn't seem to help.

"This is a rescue mission, remember?" Morgan said when he couldn't take the silence. "If he hurts them, he loses his leverage against us. And I know Chuck would never allow his life to be valued over that of a child. If we hurry, we can save them all, but not if you destroy this bridge."

This seemed to soften Shaw, even if only slightly.

"You know," Shaw stated. "Why I'm- how my choice was taken away."

Morgan nodded. "They have your daughter," he said.

"How could you possibly know that!" Shaw exclaimed. Morgan could see his mask slipping, could see the pain in his face now.

"I overheard you talking to your wife before we left," Morgan admitted.

Then he continued quickly. "I may not know his name, but I know the guy we are dealing with is a selfish coward. I doubt he'll keep his word. Even if you do this, there are no guarantees about what he'll do next."

"Quinn," Shaw said, with intense hatred in his voice.

"Blackmail bad guy has a name," Morgan added drily. He couldn't help the dry humor. It was all that was holding him together.

"He signed the blackmail note," Shaw growled.

"So a theatrical, selfish coward, then," Morgan amended his previous statement. "That's a start. Now we just need to know how he planned to check that you were following orders. Easy, and we know where the strong hold is. This Quinn guy won't be expecting an attack right away if he thinks we've been delayed. Surprise will help. This rescue missions can still succeed!"

Morgan smiled at him, trying to defuse the situation calmly, despite his internal emotions being anything but calm.

There was a long pause. No one spoke or moved. They barely breathed. Morgan didn't have any more words of wisdom. It had either worked or it hadn't. All he could do now was wait and see what choice Shaw made. The seconds ticked by. The tension in the air was palpable. Morgan resisted the urge to break the silence with a bad joke. Now really wasn't the time. He just couldn't stand the charged atmosphere.

After what felt like a kind of eternity, Shaw moved. His hands specifically. Slowly, he put the flint in one of his pockets and pulled a thick woollen piece of fabric from another. He wrapped the clay pot carefully in the fabric, cushioning it in an effort to keep it from exploding. By the time the clay pot had been wrapped up, it was almost four times its original size.

Morgan knew they were safe when the colonel relaxed.

"Quinn told me I was to slow down the rescue party via a bird message," Shaw began, as if they were in the middle of a conversation. "He didn't tell me how. Destroying the bridge felt like the best way to do it without bloodshed. I have no idea how he intended to track my progress. It is entirely possible he sent someone to follow me."

Casey was nodding. "We will have to be on our guard for anyone following us," Casey said. "If that bomb doesn't kill us on the way, it will be very useful when we reach the stronghold, even if only as a diversion."

Shaw was nodding his agreement. The two men seemed to be on a similar wavelength now. Morgan knew it had something to do with them both being military fathers who would never admit they love their daughters more than their country.

Morgan ended up trailing behind them as they walked back to camp. He could hear the two officers talking strategy, but couldn't really make out details.

It wasn't quite dawn yet, but that didn't seem to mean Casey or Shaw were particularly eager to go back to sleep. Instead they woke everyone else and barked orders. The camp was packed away faster than usual and everyone was back on a horse trotting in the direction of the bridge.

Time was even more of the essence than before. They had hostages to rescue.

The rescue group trotted their horses over the bridge and continued the faster pace on the other side. It wasn't until the horses grew tired and slowed to a walk that Morgan and Casey had the opportunity to talk again.

Morgan incorrectly assumed the colonel wouldn't want to talk.

"You did good, kid," Casey said.

Morgan was sure he'd heard wrong. He turned to address Casey as he asked, "I thought I was a wimp?"

"Oh, you are," Casey said easily. "But that doesn't mean you're unreliable."

"Thanks, I guess," Morgan replied, unsure how else to respond.

"Don't fall behind," Casey barked and then sped up his horse so they wouldn't be able to talk more.

Morgan couldn't help but smile.

Chapter Text

It was strange to be so happy in a prison cell. Sarah wasn't sure when, or if, she'd ever felt like this before. Chuck didn't seem to realize what his gentle affection was doing to her heart. When Chuck touched her, he acted as if it were as natural as breathing.

The cell they were in wasn't very large. When they were awake, Chuck was rarely more than a foot away from her and, more often than not, touching her in some small way. He'd place his hand on her shoulder, or simply hold her hand. Sometimes, he wrapped his arm around her and they sat with one entire side of their bodies touching. It was as if he was trying to make up for pulling away from her the first time she'd kissed him.

Sarah could still remember the fear and pain of that rejection, but she could hardly keep worrying about it with the way Chuck acted now. She had a feeling he would have held her in his arms all day if it hadn't been for William's angry glances.

Nighttime was another story. Every night they slept close together, as close as they could get. It was so much warmer that way, but Sarah soon came to value his nearness for more than just physical warmth.

She may not understand his affection towards her, but knew she'd come to value it. So much so that a part of her feared leaving this cell. When they were home again, he wouldn't be able to be so close all the time. They might even go back to being a prince and a bodyguard. Sarah didn't like the sound of that anymore.

Bang! Bang!

The noise was so loud, so overwhelming, Sarah sat bolt upright. Chuck mere seconds behind her was sitting up, alert as well. There probably wasn't a single guard in the entire fortress that wasn't on high alert. Between one second and the next, the entire fortress had shifted from asleep to hypervigilant.

"I do believe that is our cue," Chuck said. "Though I have no idea what on earth they used to make such a ruckus."

"Sounds like a bomb to me," Sarah said, in a worried voice.

"Maddness," William said what she was thinking. "But no time to worry. This is gonna be our only chance."

They were already touching, but Sarah knew his power didn't work through clothing, so she held out her hand to Chuck. He kissed her hand and she giggled.

"No, silly," she said with a smile. "Borrow fighting skills, but don't be stupid. The goal is to get out alive, not defeat Quinn."

"Agreed," Chuck said before taking her hand in his.

Sarah couldn't feel anything but the touch of his skin. She wondered if the same could be said if he'd been probing the corners of her mind. When he'd first told her about his magic, he'd proved it by borrowing her hunting skills. She'd been asleep at the time, but still she knew she wouldn't have noticed then, either. She hadn't even felt it when he said he could feel her emotions during their kiss.

Chuck got up and put the key in the lock on their cell door. It opened easily. They'd tested this one already. The problem was that they hadn't been able to test Amora's door.

They could hear guards yelling that prisoners had escaped before they had the key in the second lock. Chuck tried to turn it. He tried again.

"It's no good," he said. "Looks like all the doors have different keys."

Sarah swore under her breath.

"It's okay," Amora told them brightly. "Daddy will save me."

"She says it's fine," William said. "Let's go!"

"You can go," Chuck told him coldly. William flinched against his tone.

"I have a daughter to save," William reminded them.

"And we will have better luck doing that if we all work together! Or do you forget who managed to get the key from the guard in the first place?" Chuck shot back.

William didn't argue after that, but he still looked anxious. Sarah saw him bouncing on the balls of his feet, desperate to run.

Pocketing the key, Chuck began looking for something heavy to bust the door open with. The bars were too close together. Sarah doubted anything wider than the child's arm would fit between them.

"The hinges look weak," Chuck said. "If I could just get something to remove the bolts."

The sounds of footsteps, yelling and the clash of metal was coming from down the hall. They would have company soon, but what kind of company. There was no way to know.

"Once you figure out this door we should do the same with the others," Amora said.

"Others?"

"The other kids here, too," Amora said. "When he was bringing me to the cell I saw them."

"How many?"

Amora shrugged. "At least four or five. I didn't get a good look. Some cells were maintained, but I couldn't see anyone in them."

"Probably hiding," Chuck replied with a sigh.

"We have to save them, too," Amora said brightly.

Sarah didn't want to abandon the child here, but the noise down the hall was getting closer and closer. Soon they'd have to choose between returning to their cell, fighting or running.

Sarah suspected pretending they hadn't escaped wouldn't work. And they were in no shape to fight, without weapons, half starved and exhausted as they were. That left running, but she had a feeling Chuck would never agree to abandon the girl.

Not making a decision in this situation would be rather like deciding to return to the cell, but even so, Sarah couldn't bring herself to try and convince Chuck to abandon Amora.

And so the fighting in the hall got closer.

Chuck was still trying to find a way to get into the cell without a key, when the door at the end of the hall burst open.

Sarah turned and at once recognized the uniform of the fortress guards. Even without a weapon, she refused to be useless. They may lose, but she wasn't going down without a fight.

Looking closer, she realized the enemy had their back to her. About three men in guard uniforms were clearly engaged in battle with whoever they were facing.

She expected them to turn any second and attack, but then suddenly all three of them collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Behind them stood only two men. Sarah recognized them at once, and so did Amora.

"Daddy!" the little girl yelled. "See, I told you he'd come."

Shaw rushed to his daughter. If Chuck hadn't moved aside, Sarah felt sure Shaw would have shoved him over to stand in front of the door. "Stand back," he told her. Then he turned and repeated the warning to everyone else.

Sarah had a bad feeling about this. She grabbed Chuck by the arm and pulled on him until they were well back from the cell door. She could see only Shaw's back but from the movement in his shoulders she guessed he was doing something very slowly with his hands.

Shaw jumped back from the door just as Sarah heard a tiny explosion. She turned away to shield her eyes and when she looked back the cell door had been blown clean off its hinges.

The little girl ran into her father's arms with a look of joy. Shaw returned her hug for a single moment, before twisting her in his arms until she was secure on his back.

"The exit is this way," Shaw said.

"But, daddy, what about the other children," Amora said.

For a whole second, this seemed to stop Shaw in his tracks, but then he replied. "I'm out of gunpowder and our diversion won't work for much longer. We have to go now if we have any hope of escape."

"But, daddy," the little girl protested.

He spun her in his arms again to gaze into her face. "I came to save you," he whispered with affection, touching his forehead to hers.

"I know, daddy," she smiled at him. "But who is coming for them?"

"No one," William's voice was cold as ice. "No one is coming for them. Some of them have been here longer than me. Some of them were raised here."

And just like that, Sarah wanted to kill something.

She turned to the other man who had entered with Shaw and held out her hand. "Do you have a spare weapon?" she asked.

Casey merely nodded before pulling a blade from his boot and handing it over. Next, Sarah picked up the three swords from the bodies on the floor and handed one to William and one to Chuck.

"Ready?" she asked Chuck as she took his hand.

Chuck closed his eyes for a second and then said. "Now I am."

She smiled. That was what she'd wanted. Even if he'd borrowed basic martial arts earlier, using that sword was an entirely different skill. William, she figured, would be better off with any weapon than defenseless. It was all she could do for him.

The adrenaline of the moment was doing a wonderful job of keeping her alert and battle ready. Sarah knew she had a broken rib and was weak from hunger and dehydration, but right now, that didn't matter. Right now she had a sword in her hands and a fortress to escape from.

Even if Chuck had her sword skills at the moment, Sarah couldn't help but keep an eye on him as they fought their way down the hall. She told herself that she was his bodyguard, and it was a perfectly normal thing to do, but that wasn't the only reason anymore.

She was grateful that she didn't have time to focus on these new strange feelings as she fought for her life. This sword wasn't the one she was used to, but Sarah could make up for that by wielding the dagger in her other hand. When one didn't have a shield, a small dagger was enough to stop another blade from making a fatal blow.

"This way!" Casey called out once they'd reached the end of the hall. So far, the resistance hadn't been that bad. Mostly just confused guards trying to stand their ground. Sarah knew they weren't loyal to Quinn so much as scared of him. Once these men realized that Sarah, Casey, Shaw and Chuck were scarier still, a few of them backed off. They probably planned to pretend they'd lost and hope Quinn didn't kill them for their cowardice. What they really ought to do is find a better employer, but then again Sarah didn't know how Quinn had control of his guards. Maybe he held them by more than coin and fear.

Sarah recognized where they were now. This was how she'd got in. This was where she'd fallen into Quinn's trap. This was also where the rest of Shaw and Casey's men happened to be.

Shaw's men didn't need an order to realize the prisoners had been rescued. They saw at once that the hostages were free. The fighting shifted smoothly from holding their ground to clearing a path.

Sarah was just pulling her sword out of one body before she found herself plunging it into the next. Many of the wounds she'd inflicted in the last few minutes would merely incapacitated a person, but she knew some might become fatal later. Infection or blood loss could be a slow killer.

Turning, she saw Chuck block a sword charge rather expertly. Sarah could even remember when she'd learned to do that. She couldn't help but smile. The prince was rather remarkable and for some strange reason, he wanted her.

"You go," Casey's voice was fast and close by. Sarah spun round and found herself face to face with the colonel. He indicated who he meant. Shaw still had his daughter clinging to him, though he seemed to have moved her to his front to protect her from the enemy's blades. William, Chuck and Sarah were also to go.

"What about you?" Sarah asked.

"I'll be right behind you," Casey growled.

She could tell by his voice that he wasn't about to leave until he had taken down at least a few more of these guys. It was a pity Quinn wasn't here. Sarah so wished she could have gotten a chance to plunge her blade into his heart.

Grabbing Chuck's hand, Sarah pulled him towards the exit. Chuck came willingly. Shaw was already out the door, carrying their most vulnerable passenger. She saw William dart through the door and then just seconds later she was pulling Chuck into the open air.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah couldn't help but smile. The air out here tasted like freedom. She turned, expecting to see Casey coming through the door next. The seconds ticked by. The royal guard came running out of the door, but Casey wasn't with them.

Sarah was starting to get nervous. She wondered if she should go back in.

"Not a chance," Chuck told her. He still had her hand in his, and he squeezed it now, as if telling her that under no circumstances was she allowed to go back through that door. How had he known that's what she'd been thinking?

But just when she'd been about to protest, suddenly Casey appeared.

"What the hell are you all standing around for!" he yelled. "Move move!"

Everyone turned and ran. Sarah wasn't even sure where she was running to. All she was aware of was her feet hitting the ground and Chuck's hand held in hers.

When Shaw turned them, Sarah knew at least someone knew where they were going. They kept moving - through trees and shrugs, across grass and dirt - until Sarah could see the making of a camp far in the distance.

"I would suggest we rest before heading out, but I don't know how long it will take for the hornet's nest we just kicked to get organized and come after us."

Shaw was nodding as Casey spoke.

"We leave immediately," Shaw agreed.

When they got closer to the camp, Casey and Shaw started yelling for them to pack up. Sarah heard a little yelp and could guess who might make such a sound. Chuck heard it, too.

"Why is Morgan here?" Chuck asked.

"Long story," Casey muttered. "I'll tell you later."

Casey and Shaw were too busy barking orders and getting people moving to notice Morgan as he came running out to them. Without so much as a word, Morgan threw himself at his best friend.

"You're alive!" Morgan called out gleefully.

"It's good to see you too, buddy," Chuck said, returning the hug.

Sarah let go of Chuck's hand and turned away, giving them a moment. Instead, she took in her surroundings. There were men pulling down tents and packing cooking tools into bags which were then attached to horses. But there was something else. Something wrong that she couldn't quite.. and then she realized.

There are too many horses, Sarah thought.

How many men had they lost today? The only reason such a huge rescue party had been possible was because of the prince. If the losses were this bad with the royal army… well it explained why no one had ever got out alive before now.

Sarah wasn't sure if she should help pack up. The adrenaline of the battle was fading now and she was suddenly so tired. She could feel the effects of her hunger on her energy and desperately wanted a bath.

"This is where we part ways." It was Wiliams voice. Sarah turned to face him, confused.

"Why?" she asked.

"I have to do what I can to find and protect my daughter," William explained.

"Absolutey not," Chuck stated firmly. Sarah wasn't sure when he'd finished his best friend's hug and rejoined them, or maybe he'd just heard William's plan and rushed over.

"Just because you are a prince it doesn't mean you can order me around," William yelled.

Chuck's voice didn't rise up to meet William's anger. The only note Sarah could find in it was concern. "You're half starved and without back up. How long do you think you'd last? You are no good to your daughter if you are dead."

"I have to do something!" William argued.

"It's my fault they know where she is," Chuck said, his voice calmer than she expected. "Therefore, it is my responsibility to save her. But we need to regroup and we need a plan."

"Do you mind if I ask?" Sarah began gently. "I mean if Quinn wants her, she must have magic. Do you know what it is that your daughter can do?"

She'd wanted to know this before, but had always been worried about asking outright when they'd been in the cell.

"I've only seen her use it once," William began, his voice low. "When her little brother almost died a few years ago. My wife and I- we saw her transfer energy to save him. I don't think she could use her own energy but I was standing beside her. She reached out and held my hand. I thought nothing of it until I felt the life force being pulled from me. If only we'd been alone at the time, it might have been alright, but we were in public and everyone saw my son open his eyes."

He seemed utterly lost in thought as he recounted the story.

"My little Sophie, she didn't know how serious the situation was," William continued in a far away voice. "She felt nothing but relief that her brother was alright. She laughed and helped him stand while everyone watched. She didn't understand that by saving him, she had doomed herself. The gossip spread quickly and before we knew it, we had to send her into hiding. My wife didn't even know where she was. Only I did. A fact that I was grateful for when Quinn realized I was the only hostage worth having, and left the rest of my family alone."

Sarah turned to Chuck. He looked even deeper in thought than William. It was as if he was trying to put puzzle pieces together.

"Quinn knew my borrowing ability magic could do far more than I did," Chuck said thoughtfully. "I bet you anything he knows her power can do more than heal."

"But what, then?" William asked.

"Transfers energy," Chuck muttered to himself as he paced back and forth. "I borrow and she transfe-" He gasped his head snapping up at once to look at them.

"What is it!?" Sarah asked, taken aback by the sudden fear in Chuck's eyes.

"He collects magic," Chuck said slowly. "Kidnaps them as young as he can, and raises them to obey him. The only thing that would give him more power would be to have the magic himself. I think Quinn believes that Sophie has the power to transfer magical abilities, even if she doesn't know it yet."

"Quinn's plan is to transfer all the powers of his captives to himself," Chuck continued. "And once he has no use for them, he will kill them all."

Chapter Text

Chuck POV (Pattern two words taken from a chapter, no nouns or pronouns allowed)
Chapter Title: Got You

“Quinn’s plan is to transfer all the powers of his captives to himself,” Chuck continued. “And once he has no use for them, he will kill them all.”

Everyone fell silent as they took in his words. Chuck could hardly believe it himself, but he also knew somehow that he was right. This had to be Quinn’s plan. It explained everything that had happened up to this point.

“It's worse than that,” Casey said. Chuck hadn’t realized the colonel had been listening. “Once Quinn transfers the magic, he'll be unstoppable. Depending what magic he gets a hold of, he could be one man powerful enough to take down governments.” He turned to William and asked, “do you know exactly what magic Quinn has in his possession to transfer?”

“Surely the goal here is to stop him from getting my daughter,” William argued.

“Yes of course, but it's a military issue if we fail. I have to plan for all possibilities.”

“I can't think that way,” William replied. “I have to believe we can save her.”

“If Chuck is right, then your daughter’s life isn't in danger. She's the one hostage he'd keep alive for the next time he finds magic he wants transferred. I think we proved today that prisoners can be rescued.”

“And have you ever been a prisoner of Quinn's?” William shot back with anger. “Do you know what it feels like to slowly starve alone in a cold dark cell every minute of every day? The weeks turn to months and time ceases to mean anything. The only relief from that hell was when a fresh hell arrived in the form of torture or interrogation. As an adult, I barely made it out with my sanity. What do you think would happen to a child?”

Casey’s cold military expression seemed to soften at Williams' words.

“There are fates worse than death,” William said.

“On this we can agree,” Casey replied, with a respectful nod.

Turning away from the conversation, Casey went back to barking orders. The camp was well and truly packed up now. They’d been so efficient that Chuck suspected that they’d begun packing before the rescue party had returned.

“Everyone on a horse!” Casey called out. “Any horses remaining are to be loaded up with supplies. Don’t add more weight to any horse with a rider. We have the extra, so let’s use them.”

Everything was happening so fast and before Chuck had time to do more than collect his thoughts, he was on a horse. Sarah was riding on his left side and William on his right. Morgan was on a horse as well, but Chuck couldn’t see him from his position. He knew that Shaw was at the front with his daughter sharing his horse, but Casey rode at the back. Chuck felt sure the Colonel was keeping his senses alert for an attack from behind.

In this formation, the three of them were right in the center, as if they were being protected, which Chuck supposed they were. He had to admit, he hadn’t felt this safe since Quinn had held a knife to Sarah’s throat.

They rode the horses hard, only stopping when the horses themselves needed breaks. All the riders were expected to last that long. It wasn’t until the night had well and truly fallen that Casey and Shaw allowed them to sleep. Chuck collapsed on the ground and was unconscious within seconds.

*****

Casey had everyone up before dawn and on the move again. As Chuck sat on his horse, feeling like he hadn’t slept at all, he couldn’t help but remember the nights he’d spent in the cell with Sarah cuddled up next to him. Since their escape, Chuck hadn’t had so much as a chance to speak to Sarah, let alone hold her. But he promised himself that he’d make up for that once they were home.

By evening, even Casey and Shaw had to relent. Everyone needed a hot meal and a rest. If they were being followed, their pursuers would be just as worn as they were, or else quite a ways behind them.

Chuck knew, as he got off his horse, that he should help with the hunting and making a cook fire, but he was so tired that he felt like he might fall asleep standing up. His eyes shut almost against his will and then suddenly he was jolted awake by the sensation of falling.

Then he stopped falling. Chuck could feel a warm arm wrapped around his shoulders and a strong presence against his side. Even with his eyes shut, Chuck knew it was Sarah. He could smell her, but more than that, he knew the feel of her.

“It’s okay. I got you,” she said.

“Sarah,” he whispered, with relief. He felt calm despite everything, like he hadn’t quite been comfortable when they’d been apart.

“It’s okay,” she told him as she gently lowered him to the ground. “You can sleep.”

He wanted to be with her, talk with her. He’d missed her riding alone these last two days. Sleep seemed like such a waste when she was there, but he couldn’t fight against his eyelids.

*****

The soft sound of her voice, along with the smell of boiled meat, pulled Chuck from his sleep. He opened his eyes and saw that Sarah was holding up a meal for him.

“Thanks,” he said, taking it and wasting no time finishing the whole thing. They’d had rations to eat on the road the last two days, but even so, it hadn’t felt much better than starving in the cell.

“Is there more?” Chuck asked moments later, when he’d finished his bowl.

“Lots more,” Sarah said with a smile. “I think Casey and Shaw were having a contest to see who could bring back the most game.”

Chuck couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, whatever gets us a hot meal will get no complaints from me.”

He stood up, intending to collect another helping. Turning back, he asked Sarah if she wanted more.

“I already had three bowls,” she admitted. “I let you sleep a bit more before waking you for dinner. You were so tired.”

Chuck didn’t know what to say to that, so he changed the topic. “Who won the contest?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” Sarah admitted. “Depends who you ask. Amora said it was her dad, but most of the men seemed to believe it was the colonel.” Chuck laughed lightly at this. Then he excused himself to go get another helping of dinner.

Three bowls later, Chuck was feeling sleepy again. He knew there was no point fighting against his drowsiness this time.

“Sarah,” he said. “Will you come lay next to me?”

She didn’t reply, but she did come and lay on the ground beside him. Without a thought, Chuck pulled her in closer and fell asleep.

*****

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was that Sarah was gone. A sudden spike of panic snapped his eyes open and had him standing up. Then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Sarah was standing a few feet away adjusting something on her horse's saddle.

“You’re awake,” she said. “Casey was talking about strapping you into the saddle. Everything is packed up. Time to ride. We’ll reach the castle by nightfall.”

One more day and he’d be back in his own bed again. Chuck could hardly believe it, but there was one thing he had to do first.

Walking right up to Sarah, he put his hand against her check and looked into her eyes for a moment to gauge her reaction. He saw nothing there but surprise and moved closer to kiss her. His free hand found her lower back and pressed her closer to him. Breaking the kiss, he buried his face in her long hair.

“What was that for?” Sarah’s voice was no more than a whisper.

Her question confused him, until he realized she must not have missed him quite as badly as he’d missed her these last two days. At least she hadn’t rejected him.

“I missed you,” Chuck replied. He took one last long breath, breathing in the scent of her, before moving away and turning to mount his horse.

By the time he was on the horse, Sarah was already in her saddle.

“One more day,” Chuck stated out loud to no one in particular.

A good night’s sleep and a hot meal had done wonders for morale. The soldiers were talking and even singing as they slowed the horses to a fast walk.

Casey and Shaw put a stop to singing fast, saying it was a security risk to make so much noise, but the men only listened for an hour or so. Everyone knew they were close to home now with no signs of being followed. It felt like the threat had passed.

*****

When the Moria Castle came into view, Chuck could feel the relief down to his toes. Home. He was home, with Sarah. Turning to his left, Chuck smiled at her.

If it wasn’t for the daunting task ahead of them, Chuck felt sure he would have been utterly happy in this moment.

As it was, both Shaw and Casey didn’t let up. Once past the castle walls they were all business, sending someone to inform the king and queen of their arrival and the success of their mission.

Chuck dismounted from his horse and stretched his legs. They were sore, but he could handle it. Looking around he spotted Sarah. If her legs hurt, she didn’t show it. She was unpacking the horses alongside all the other soldiers.

Without wasting a second, Chuck went towards her, but as he got closer, he hesitated. She looked so busy. For a moment, he just stood there watching her until she noticed him.

“Chuck,” Sarah said, as she took the last few steps to stand beside him. “Is everything alright?”

He wasn’t sure if his answer should be about her or about rescuing William’s daughter. He knew what his priority should be, but it was hard to think about anything else with her here. He couldn’t do anything for Sophie until he talked to his parents. They at least had a few moments didn’t they?

She said his name again and Chuck realized he must have been silent for too long.

“Same as ever,” Chuck said. “I just-” He was too tired for words. Moving forward he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against her shoulder. He just wanted to hold her for a while before the next crisis.

“People can see us,” Sarah whispered to him. This statement of fact meant nothing to him, but for some reason her tone seemed to suggest it was a problem for her.

Reluctantly, he pulled away so he could see her face.

“They could see us on the ride home too,” he reminded her. Hadn’t they spent just the other night curled up together under the stars. What was different now?

“But we are home now,” Sarah said.

Again Chuck wanted to dismiss such information. He wanted to laugh it off, but something in her face stopped him. Did being home change something for her? After all, the strongest emotion he’d gotten from her had been to protect him. Maybe she’d only kissed him to keep him calm and safe during their escape and imprisonment.

The idea hurt more than he’d thought possible.

But he wasn’t going to lose her to some silly miscommunication. If she didn’t want this, she’d have to say it to his face.

“I love you,” he said. He spoke with as much confidence as he could muster, looking right in those beautiful blue-grey eyes of hers. “But if you don’t want me, tell me now and I promise I won’t push you.”

The idea of walking away from her was painful, but Chuck knew he could keep the promise.

Of course, it would hurt more now than the first time he’d considered it because this time he understood exactly what he was losing. He knew how it felt to hold her in his arms.

From the first time he’d noticed her, Chuck understood the simple fact that he had the power to order her to be with him. The power to demand her acceptance of his affection. He was the prince and she was merely employed by his parents. Before he’d so much as spoken to her, Chuck had looked up her employment record in the archives. He knew she had no place to return to, nowhere to run from a pushy prince who demanded her attention.

But he also knew the only pain worse than losing her would be seeing a look of disgust and loathing in her eyes as he touched her. Nothing was worth that. Her happiness was too important to him to risk it.

She was still looking at him, her eyes giving nothing away. Then she moved forward reaching for him as if to kiss him, but Chuck gently wrapped his hands around her wrists to stop her.

“You don’t have to kiss me if you don’t want to,” he told her softly.

“I- I want to,” Sarah replied in a shaky, extremely unconvincing voice.

“As you said, we are home now,” he said, forcing a smile on his face. “You don’t have to-” He couldn’t bring himself to say ‘pretend to care’.

Instead, he lowered their hands and let go of her wrists. He felt sure if he’d hung on any longer he’d have been tempted to try and probe her mind to read her emotions. He’d only ever managed it once, and by accident, but that didn’t stop the idea from being appealing. He wished he could read her face better, but it was so blank. How did she do that? Chuck had never managed to keep a single one of his emotions off his face his entire life.

Slowly, reluctantly, as if he were leaving more behind than even he understood, Chuck turned away from her.

At least he had plenty to distract him. Best to save heartbreak for when he had the luxury of sulking in his room. Right now, he had to talk to his parents. The messenger Casey sent should have reached them by now. Chuck could probably find at least one of them in the conference room. Either that, or they were headed here to see him before planning their next move. If he had to guess, he’d say his father was on his way here, while his mother was waiting for them in the conference room with the military officers.

Chuck had walked only a few steps in the direction of the entrance to the castle, when he heard her speak.

“You’re an idiot!” she yelled.

Chuck had to admit he hadn’t expected that one. He turned around and what he saw took his breath away. Sarah was running towards him, visibly upset.

He couldn’t form a thought before she crashed into him. Her arms were wrapped around him while his arms just floated uselessly in the air. He was too stunned to move.

“Idiot!” she said again, but her voice broke. She had her face buried in his chest, but he felt sure she was crying.

As if they had no choice, Chuck’s arms gently moved to hold her. He leaned forward over her. She wasn’t much shorter than him, but just enough that he could tuck his head against her shoulder.

Chuck let go of the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and with it seemed to go all the pain he’d almost drowned in a moment ago.

She was holding him so tightly and Chuck could come up with no other reason for her to do so in this moment other than that she wanted to.

“I’m not good with words,” Sarah mumbled into his shirt. “I thought maybe- I mean, I was scared when we got home…”

Her words trailed off and Chuck held back a groan of frustration. He wanted to hear the end of that sentence. He wanted to know what the fearless Sarah could possibly be scared of.

Putting his hand under her chin, Chuck gently encouraged her to look at him. Sarah didn’t blush deeply, but still there was a slight pink to her cheeks as she locked eyes with him.

“I’ve seen you face death without hesitation,” Chuck whispered. “It’s hard to imagine anything scaring you.” He stroked her cheek with thumb and watched as her face softened and her eyes closed.

“This scares me,” Sarah whispered, as she put her hand over his where it rested against her face. “These feelings-” She stopped but it was obvious she wasn’t done. Chuck waited with baited breath as her eyes opened. “For you.”

Time seemed to stand still as they looked at each other. Chuck felt like he would never get tired of looking at her. Her eyes alone were enough for him to get lost in, but her lips were perfect too. One not so much more full than the other and so soft and warm.

“I’ve never felt so powerless before,” Sarah whispered.

“I know exactly how you feel,” Chuck told her. He leaned closer.

Sarah’s lips parted just slightly; her eyes were closing. Chuck brought his other hand to cup Sarah’s other cheek. Holding her face in both his hands he gently pressed his lips against hers. Her hands reached out, wrapping around his torso and pushed him closer to her, closing the gap between them. Chuck’s stomach did flips, as emotion overwhelmed him. Yet he was somehow calmer than he’d been moments ago. Even if she didn’t know how to say it, Chuck understood that she wasn’t just humoring him with her displays of affection. Maybe soon, she’d find a way to express herself in words. The idea excited him.

Their slow kiss was all that existed for him at the moment. The whole world fell away. Chuck didn’t register any other stimulus until a loud familiar voice broke his concentration.

“Well that explains the delay.”

The king’s voice startled Sarah more than him. She jumped slightly and pulled away. He couldn’t help but smile as he made a mental note to help desensitize Sarah to the royal couple’s authority. She couldn’t very well stand at his side, if she was intimidated by his parents.

“Hey, dad,” Chuck said with a huge grin on his face.

His father’s face was warm and welcoming. Without saying a word, Stephen pulled Chuck in for a hug. Chuck was aware that Sarah stepped aside to give them space, as he hugged his father with all his strength.

“Casey informed us of the situation,” Stephen said when the hug ended. “Your mother is in the conference room. She wants us there.”

“I figured,” Chuck laughed. His mother had never been the sentimental type. Always practical. Knowing he was alive would have been enough for her to get back to work.

He turned to Sarah. “Come with me?” he said it like a question but even so, it felt like an order so he added, “Please?”

“I should probably check in with General Beckman,” Sarah said, uncertainly.

Chuck couldn’t help but laugh. “And who does General Beckman report to?” he asked.

“Um, you,” she said, looking towards the king.

“Exactly, so don’t worry about it,” Chuck said brightly as he reached out to take her hand.

Slowly, but deliberately, Sarah took his hand and the three of them headed into the castle together.

Chapter Text

Sarah couldn't get her body to relax as she walked into the meeting. Not only did it feel like she wasn't supposed to be there, but she was very aware that the king had seen her kissing his son. Then, to top it off, all Casey had to do was tell them she'd disobeyed his direct order and gotten herself captured, and she'd be facing a court-martial.

For that matter, Shaw too was at the mercy of Casey's word. Even as a captain of the royal guard, he wasn't immune to such things. All it would take was for someone the queen trusted to back Casey up, and his word would be worth more than Shaw's. Sarah wondered who would back up Casey if he wanted to get her court-martialed.

Chuck seemed to sense her nerves and took her hand in his. It helped a little, but Sarah was too anxious about what the next few minutes would mean to allow herself to take comfort in his touch. Even a prince answered to the king.

"I call this meeting to attention," the king said firmly once they were all seated. "We will hear from all parties until we understand the situation in more detail, and then we will deliberate on what action needs to be taken."

Sarah sat and looked around the table. She recognized many higher-ups in the military, including general Beckman, but Morgan was also here. The ruling couple, their son's friend, the highest ranking among the military, and her all around one table. It was a rather strange occurrence, to say the least.

Shaw spoke first and to Sarah's surprise, didn't remove the blackmail from his tale. He explained in a calm voice how he'd decided to do anything to save his daughter until Casey and Morgan had talked him down.

No one said anything in response, and then Casey began his story.

When he reached the part when she was captured, Casey failed to mention that he'd ordered her not to try and rescue Chuck. Sarah could hardly believe it. Sure, he was her practice partner sometimes, but she didn't think she'd earned such loyalty from him.

A part of her wanted to confess. To just be done with it and face the consequence, but she stayed silent.

When Morgan recounted his story, he seemed to take more words to tell the same story than the other two had. Brevity was clearly beyond him, but even that story did come to an end.

And then everyone was looking at Sarah. She froze. Until this moment, she hadn't realized she'd be expected to talk in this meeting.

Chuck seemed to sense her apprehension. He spoke instead, explaining how he'd learned new things about his magic in the prison cell and met William.

When William was asked to give his perspective, it was very short. He summed up months in that prison with a single short sentence and moved quickly though the rest. Sarah could tell he was impatient for this meeting to make a decision. She knew that if they decided against action, William would set out on his own to save his daughter and very likely get himself killed.

"It is more than clear that we need to put an end to Quinn," the queen said when William was finished. "But I would like to hear from Sarah before we discuss it."

Sarah took a deep breath before speaking.

"We were doing well in the woods until Quinn snuck up on us," Sarah began. "He took me off guard and used a knife to my throat… um… to threaten Chuck." She wasn't sure how to tell them that Chuck had foolishly valued her life more than his own. "I was left tied to a tree until Casey and Morgan found me."

"Yes, I think I've heard just about everything there is to hear about what happened when Morgan was present," the queen said with a sigh. "What I am not clear on is how you ended up captured along with Chuck when you should have returned to the castle and been part of his rescue party."

"I- um," Sarah mumbled. "I thought I could save him alone, ma'am. I was wrong. And I shouldn't have done it."

Mary turned to Casey and asked what he'd thought of her plan.

"I advised her against it," Casey replied.

"That's not true," Sarah said, feeling suddenly braver than she had any right to be. "He ordered me not to go, but I disobeyed."

"I see," Mary said. "Well that does explain it then."

Was that it? Sarah felt like it couldn't be. Surely, there would be hell to pay later.

"I think everyone has a proper understanding of what happened," King Stephen said. "I agree with Mary that Quinn is simply too dangerous to be allowed to operate without opposition. The problem this counsel needs to solve is how to stop him."

"We have to save the children," Chuck said at once. "If we let Quinn use their power, he will be more dangerous than any one nation can handle. Our best chance is to stop him before he gains new powers."

"I agree we can't let him gain any more power," Mary said. "But saving the children is a risky way to approach it."

At once Chuck stood up. He seemed furious but before he could so much as speak, his mother held up her hand.

"Listen before you yell at me," she said. "You said some of them had been raised by Quinn. Who knows how long he's had to manipulate them. If he's all they know, then we can't be sure they even want to be saved. We have to be practical here."

"What about Sophie?" Chuck asked, but he still sounded mad.

"She is a different matter," Mary replied. "Not only is she more strategically important, but Sophie was also the most recent kidnapping and has a family to return to. Her rescue seems like the next logical step."

There was a murmur of agreement around the table.

"I would also like to add that recent events have made it plain that magic isn't as rare as we once believed. I've been thinking and I might have an explanation, though I can't prove it," Casey said.

"Let's hear it," King Stephen replied.

"If Quinn has been hunting and imprisoning magic users for the last decade and maybe he took over the role from someone before him… well, it could explain why we thought it was so rare. Those that aren't captured do everything they can to hide it."

"Definietly something to think about," the king agreed. "Something we can ask Quinn if we capture him. But I do want to be clear that his capture is not the priority. If anyone has the opportunity to kill him, they should take it."

"Agreed," Queen Mary seconded her husband's motion. "The more I hear, the more I believe him to be a coward who would exploit every advantage to save himself. Bringing him back alive would be risky."

Casey nodded his head. Sarah wasn't sure if the colonel had completely given up on interrogating Quinn. Sarah suspected that Casey believed death was too good for Quinn. Anyone who abused children deserved to be tortured first in his eyes. Sarah had to admit she agreed with him.

"Now all that is left to decide is who should go on this mission," King Stephen said. "I believe that the general should lead it." He looked to Beckman who nodded. Next, the king selected a few others in the military that Sarah wasn't familiar with.

"I'm coming, too," William stated firmly.

"I was going to suggest that," the queen said. "You are the only one your daughter will trust. If we are to rescue her, your presence will be essential."

"I won't miss a chance to finish off Quinn," Casey almost growled.

"Quinn's fortress is three days hard ride on horseback," the Queen began. "You have just made that journey twice without much more than a single night's sleep in the middle. Not to mention the fact that before that, you travelled there and back on foot with a mere day in between for rest," the Queen reminded him. "Are you sure you are up for it, Colonel?"

"Yes," he said. It seemed like no one wanted to argue with him, and Sarah couldn't blame them. Casey looked positively murderous. There was just one person willing to stand up to such an expression.

"The queen is, of course, right," Beckman said. "You have done more than enough already and you need rest."

"But I-"

"No buts," Beckman snapped. For a moment, they both just glared at each other. Sarah was reminded of the time she'd seen two bears sizing each other up before a fight.

"Having exhausted people with us will only slow us down," Beckman explained.

"William is way more tired than I am!" Casey reminded her. "And don't forget, he's spent the last few months starving in a prison cell."

Beckman seemed to take his rebuttal seriously. "Perhaps you are right," she said. "But he is required for this mission. A large group of military soldiers will look no different to a farmer's daughter than the men currently coming after her. If she runs from us the same as them, it will greatly impede our ability to rescue her. Her father's presence therefore is essential."

"I supposed that makes sense," Casey grumbled.

"You on the other hand are not the only Colonel in the military," Beckman snapped.

Casey looked around ready to murder the general, but Sarah knew better. He wasn't mad at her. He was mad at himself, because he hated to admit he was tired.

"I don't want to delay," William tried to interject, but he was overruled by his own exhaustion when he swayed slightly in his chair.

"One night's sleep is not a request," the queen continued. "It is an order."

For a moment, Sarah thought William would argue again, but then he bowed his head.

"I would be fine to leave tomorrow morning as well," Casey almost snarled.

With a sigh the queen said, "General Beckman can be the judge of that. Report to her in the morning for inspection."

Casey bowed his head as well.

All of a sudden, Chuck stood up. "I would like to join the mission," he said, but before he'd so much as taken to the air to speak again, his parents cut him off.

"No," they both said at once.

"But it's my fault Sophie's in danger," Chuck argued. "And I'm so much better with my magic now. I really think I can be useful."

"I don't care if you could single handedly win us a victory," the queen stated. "You still aren't going."

Chuck was getting angry. She felt for sure this time he'd yell, but then the king spoke.

"We just got you back," Stephen said, his voice warm and loving. "We can't lose you again, my son. I'm sorry, but you are staying here."

His father's concern seemed to defeat Chuck's stubborn anger. He slumped back down into his seat.

Without looking at her, Chuck's hand fumbled around under the table until it found hers. He intertwined their fingers and held on tight before he spoke again.

"I will stay behind," Chuck agreed. "Under one condition."

"Name it."

"Sarah stays, too," Chuck replied.

After a quick glance at each other the king and queen agreed to Chuck's condition.

"I would like to remain behind, as well," Shaw said. "Even if you have decided not to court-martial me for my actions, my job as royal guard is to protect the royal family, all of which are now within this castle. I also believe that Quinn could not have launched his first attack without inside help. If we have a spy within our walls, it is my job to flush them out."

"Very well then," Stephen agreed.

"The king and I will discuss the subject of disciplinary action for recent events when this crisis is resolved," Mary answered the question in his statement.

"More than fair," Shaw replied with a nod of his head. "Thank you."

"I am most definitely staying here," Morgan's cheerful voice broke the silence. "Also, can all the people who aren't going on another mission go to bed now?"

"Yes, Morgan," the queen said with an air of extreme tolerance. "You may go."

"Great," Morgan said before getting up out of his chair and exiting the room.

"I think we will take our leave, as well," Chuck said as he stood up from the table once more. Sarah tried to let go of his hand before anyone saw, but Chuck was holding on so tightly she didn't manage it.

Instead, she followed him out of the room and down the hall. Sarah didn't realize where they were going until she found herself outside his bedchamber.

"Do you remember the last time we were here?" he asked.

"You mean when we were attacked in the dead of night and forced to flee the castle?" Sarah replied.

"Okay, so maybe not like here in this room here," Chuck said. "But here in the castle. The east tower, I think it was. You said hello and I fell off my chair."

To her surprise, she laughed. Leave it to Chuck to find a way to help her relax in such a stressful situation. Looking at him now, it almost seemed like he was older than he'd been back then, or maybe he just looked weary.

"I'm so tired," Chuck said. "Will you lay down with me?"

Sarah nodded. It was like it had been before. The moment she laid down, Chuck reached out to pull her close. Within minutes he was asleep.

It was a strange feeling to be so insecure about tomorrow while feeling utterly safe at this moment in his arms. The paradox wasn't as relaxing as she'd expected. Sarah couldn't calm her thoughts enough to fall asleep.

A thousand questions filled her mind.

When this was over and his parents had a chance to focus on Chuck's sudden interest in a lowly soldier, what would the king and queen think? Would they tell Chuck to abandon her? Would she have to leave her job, or maybe the kingdom? It wasn't that large but even so, she wasn't sure she could make it to the border without a horse.

Or maybe it wasn't that bad. Maybe she could stay. Maybe she could be Chuck's mistress? The word didn't exactly make her feel great, but it did seem like the most likely future when she really thought about it. This way, they could be together, at least in some way. It was strange, but somehow she knew even without considering it, that she would agree if he asked her to be his mistress. Any version of a life with Chuck, Sarah could accept. What she feared most was being forced to leave him.

Chuck moved in his sleep, getting a little closer to her. She could hear his even breathing, and feel the warmth of his skin.

Slowly, as her own fatigue overcame her, Sarah drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Chuck didn't want to wake up. He could still feel Sarah laying in the bed beside him. Her head was snuggled into his shoulder. He could feel her even breathing and knew that she was still sleeping. He realized that this was the first time they'd slept together in an actual bed. Many times before on the prison floor or under a tree, but never in a bed. It felt a bit like a dream, but it was real.

Before they'd fallen asleep, he hadn't had the courage to ask her if she was mad about his demand in the conference meeting. The idea of her going off on a mission that she might very well not return from, while he waited here and did nothing, was too much to bear. Chuck thought for sure all that worrying would have driven him mad, so he chose for her. He knew he shouldn't have, but somehow he couldn't regret it.

When she'd been on missions before they'd technically met, Chuck had thought of her often, but it was different now. For one, Quinn was more dangerous than anything his kingdom had ever faced before, and for another, she wasn't just someone who had caught his eye anymore. It was a little unnerving how desperately he loved her. Chuck had never felt anything so totally beyond his control before. It was frightening but also exhilarating.

Opening his eyes, the first thing Chuck saw was Sarah's beautiful blonde hair. He couldn't see her face due to how it was tucked in against his chest, but that was alright. He could hear her breathing, feel her skin. Turning his face just slightly, Chuck kissed the top of her head before leaning back.

It seemed like he'd slept for a while. Chuck felt better rested than he'd been in weeks. He couldn't be sure without moving, but he suspected the way the light was coming in the windows meant it was late in the morning, despite their going to sleep before dinner last night. As though merely thinking about a skipped meal could make him hungry, Chuck's stomach chose that time to gurgle loudly.

For a tense moment, he thought maybe it was loud enough to wake her, but Sarah slept on peacefully.

Chuck's determination not to wake her, only lasted as long as he could hold still. Eventually, his limbs begged for movement. Slowly and deliberately Chuck moved a few inches and then another few, gently disentangling himself from her grip as he tried to get up without waking her. To his relief, he managed it.

Standing beside the bed he had a better view of her sleeping form. Sarah was laying mostly on her stomach, with one leg positioned higher than the other. Her face had accepted the pillow in exchange for Chuck's chest as he'd sneaked away. Her long blonde hair was rumpled like she'd been sleeping on her back earlier in the night, but now it lay out behind her head with only a small part of it tucked underneath.

She moved just slightly as if curling inward and Chuck realized that without him beside her, Sarah was cold. Collecting a thick blanket from the wardrobe on the other side of the room, Chuck laid it over her. Sarah's body relaxed as she warmed up and her steady breathing continued.

He knew he could stand here and stare at her all day, but Chuck really needed to stretch his legs.

Turning away from the bed, Chuck left the room, closing the door very quietly behind him. He hadn't been walking down the hallway more than a few minutes when he ran into a very welcome surprise. His elder sister was running down the hall towards him. Chuck felt himself smile even before she reached him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alive!" Ellie exclaimed.

"I'm happy to be alive, also," Chuck laughed, returning the hug.

"I wanted to see you sooner, but mom said I should let you sleep," Ellie mumbled into his shoulder. "You were asleep so long I thought for sure you were ill."

Chuck pulled out of the hug and smiled lovingly at his sister. "Not ill," he said. "Just tired. Very tired. I didn't realize how exhausting it was to gallop three days straight on a horse right after a week in prison until I did it."

"Okay, yes, well when you put it like that," Ellie replied. Then she added brightly. "Breakfast is long over, but I'm sure the kitchen would be happy to make you something."

Chuck was hungry, but he didn't want to go too far away from Sarah in case she woke up.

"I just don't want her to wake up alone," Chuck explained. "I'll probably have them bring something to my room later."

Ellie acknowledged his response and then she was staring at him in that way she did when she was trying to figure him out. Her eyes were narrow as she scrutinized his face.

"Just ask, El," Chuck said with a laugh. He managed to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"Mom said you came back with someone," Ellie began.

"Her name is Sarah," Chuck answered. "And technically, we left together."

Ellie did roll her eyes. "You know what I meant," she said. "You found someone you want to be with. Someone you love."

She hadn't meant it as a question, more a statement of fact, but he answered all the same. "Yes," he said.

"But isn't she-" Ellie began. Chuck opened his mouth to argue but before he could, Ellie cut off his interruption.

"Don't interrupt me," she said, but Chuck just laughed. He could tell she wasn't really annoyed. Even so, Chuck gave her leave to finish her sentence.

"She isn't nobility," Ellie finished.

"No. She's a soldier in the army," Chuck interrupted.

"You come from different worlds, then," Ellie said kindly. "This isn't going to be easy, Chuck."

"I know," he said. Then he added with a laugh. "Why do you think I don't want her to wake up all alone? We just got back. We haven't done anything yet but attend that meeting."

"Fair enough," his sister said with a smile.

"That's more than enough about my love life," Chuck said, keen to change the topic. "How is yours going?"

"It's not," she said with a sigh. "But my hospital is coming along."

"I thought you said there was someone," Chuck replied, trying to remember the conversation he'd had with his sister before, well before everything in his life had turned upside down. "A guy you met at last year's political ball."

"Oh, that guy," Ellie replied. "I don't think he was interested in me. He just wanted to talk about the hospital."

"That depends," Chuck began slowly. "How often does he come to see the hospital?"

Chuck knew he'd asked the right question when Ellie replied defensibly, "It's on his way."

"Ah, huh," Chuck said in a mocking tone.

"Oh, hush you," Ellie scoffed, but her tone remained affectionate. "We are both the first born. It's not a practical match, even if he is interested."

Chuck couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You want to talk to me about a practical match."

"Alright, fair point," Ellie sighed. "Still though, one of us would have to abdicate their inheritance, or else merge kingdoms that don't border each other."

"Don't look at me," Chuck said, laughing. "I'm not looking to be in charge."

"You'll be too busy," Ellie smiled. "With your soldier."

"That's the plan," Chuck replied, smiling back. It was wonderful to talk with Ellie again. Chuck reached out and hugged her one more time before telling her he wanted to check on Sarah.

"Oh, before you go," Ellie added. "Father wants a word."

"Then he can find me," Chuck replied easily before turning and walking back to his room.

Pushing open the door slowly so it didn't squeak, Chuck looked at his bed and was relieved to see that Sarah was still sleeping there.

Chuck pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down. There might come a day that he wouldn't enjoy watching her sleep like this, but right now, it felt like he could sit here and listen to her breath forever.

When she began to stir, Chuck gently said her name so she knew she wasn't alone.

"Hi, Chuck," Sarah mumbled into the pillow. When she opened her eyes and looked up, she asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

"We were asleep all night and half the morning," he replied. "I just woke up a few minutes before you."

He watched as Sarah sat up in bed. He'd expected her to look a little groggy after more than twelve hours of sleep, but there was a sense of alertness to her that surprised him. Chuck got off his chair and sat on the bed with her.

"Do you always wake up so alert?" Chuck asked. He'd noticed this before, but he'd assumed then that it had been the prison that had kept her on alert.

"Force of habit," Sarah answered. "Military training."

"Ah, I see," Chuck replied with a smile. "I thought maybe you were mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you?" Sarah asked. She sounded confused, which Chuck supposed was a good sign.

"It was selfish of me to keep you back from the mission," Chuck said. "You have every right to be mad at me for making that decision for you. I wish I could say that I'm sorry, but I'm not."

"Oh that," Sarah replied dismissively. "I didn't want to go anyway."

Chuck was more relieved than he expected. "Well, that's good," he said.

Studying her face, Chuck could tell she still had something weighing on her mind.

"What's bothering you, then?" Chuck asked, reaching forward to gently touch the side of her face.

Rather than reply, Sarah closed her eyes at his touch and placed her own hand over his. The small purposeful display of her affection made Chuck's heart ache for her.

Slowly moving forward, Chuck kissed her sweetly, his lips moving gently with hers. It was a warm comforting kiss. Slow and full of affection. They hadn't changed their clothes before they'd fallen asleep. Sarah was wearing the same worn out attire she'd had on in the prison cell, but it didn't matter.

What did seem to matter was how hungry he was and how badly he wanted a bath. He felt sure Sarah was feeling the same thing after what they'd just been through. Maybe she'd answer his question once she was feeling a bit more settled.

"Hungry?" he asked. Sarah nodded. Chuck stood up and walked towards the servant bell rope in the corner of the room.

"Do you want to eat here or downstairs?" he asked.

"I um-" Sarah said.

Chuck rang it and then turned to her. She still seemed like she was holding something back. Walking back to her, Chuck pulled her into his arms and asked again what was bothering her.

"What happens next?" she asked.

"Apart from eating something other than prison gruel for breakfast?" he laughed.

"Yes, apart from that," she replied but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

"Well, I was thinking we could take a bath," Chuck answered, with a grin.

"I'm being serious," she said, pulling out of the hug.

"So was I," Chuck replied. "I don't think I've ever been this filthy before."

She wasn't smiling anymore and her laugh had been too fleeting. Chuck could sense something was off and clearly she wasn't in a mood to be cheered up. Gently, he put his hand under her chin and encouraged her to look at him. "Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?"

"I don't want to think about it," Sarah whispered.

"If you don't tell me what you're so worried about, I can't fix it."

"You can't fix everything, Chuck."

"True," he admitted. "But I'd at least like the opportunity to try."

He kept silent after that, waiting to hear her answer. She just stood there looking up at him. He expected to hear words from her lips, but instead those same lips were suddenly crushed into his mouth. Sarah had grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her. Chuck couldn't help but respond to her touch. His arms encircled her. Her hands moved from the front of his shirt to behind his back, pressing them closer. Chuck couldn't help the moan that escaped him.

His mind was losing its ability to think the more fiercely she kissed him. Chuck's hands were following the curves of her hip, resting there a moment before moving again.

Somewhere in his head, Chuck registered a noise that probably needed his attention, but before he could make a decision, she parted his lips with her tongue and the thought completely left his head.

He shivered as her hands found their way under his shirt, and pressed against the skin of his back. Her hands were cold, but still the sensation felt like fire.

Then there was a noise loud enough to break his concentration. The doors to his bedroom were suddenly flung open. Chuck raised his hands back to Sarah's shoulders and turned reluctantly away from her to see who was standing by the open door.

"I did knock," Stephen said. That explained the sound he'd ignored earlier.

Chuck laughed. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Well I can see that," the king replied. "I was wondering if we could have a word."

Chuck nodded. Ellie had told him as much. "Yeah, okay," he said.

Then he turned back to Sarah, who was standing beside him. Leaning down, Chuck kissed her quickly once before saying, "I'll be right back."

Sarah nodded and Chuck walked towards the door. He wasn't surprised that father didn't want to talk in the hallway. Chuck followed the king into an empty room at the end of the hall.

Once the door closed behind them, Chuck waited for his father to speak first.

"Um I- well I suspect you know what this is about?" Chuck just nodded. "How serious is it?" the king asked.

"Very," Chuck replied.

"I see, well in that case, I just want to say my peice, and you can take it as you like." The king took a sharp breath in. Chuck knew interrupting wouldn't help. His father had never been much good at displays of emotion.

"If she chooses to stand at your side, her life will never be the same. Make sure she understands exactly what her life would look like with you. If you are going to marry for love, then make sure it is for the right kind of love. I can think of nothing more disheartening than marrying for love and then losing that love and living with a stranger for the rest of your days. A practical political match might even be preferable to such a fate. So, make sure you know the difference between infatuation and the kind of love that lasts. I will abide by your decision and trust your judgement on this."

"Thanks, dad," Chuck said, moving closer and pulling his father into a hug. He hadn't really been worried that his parents wouldn't approve, but even so, it was nice to hear the confirmation of it.

Stephen pulled out of the hug and said, "Yes, anyway, off with you now," in that voice he always used when he was overwhelmed with emotions he didn't have the words to express.

"I love you too, dad," Chuck said with a smile. He was about to leave when a question occurred to him. The way his father spoke, it was as if he understood the options in front of Chuck personally.

"Why did you marry mom?" Chuck asked.

The king let out a deep sigh. "Because I fell in love with her," he answered. "My father did everything he could to tear us apart." The king's smile widened as if recalling a happy memory. "But he realized too late how stubborn Mary can be." He paused for a moment then continued in a more serious tone. "Your mother gave up her entire life to stand at my side. She says she never regretted it, but sometimes I am not sure." Walking forward a few steps the king put his hand on Chuck's shoulders and looked right into his eyes. "Be sure."

Chuck nodded to show he'd understood before turning and leaving the room.

He walked back to Sarah, mulling over his father's words as he did so. When he entered his bedroom, Sarah was still standing there. She looked apprehensive again. Chuck went to her at once and put his arms around her, wanting to comfort her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Even if she didn't want to talk about it, Chuck couldn't just let her ignore something that was so obviously causing her distress.

"Nevermind that," Sarah replied urgently. "What did the king say?"

"Don't change the topic," Chuck replied. He didn't understand her fixation on what the king had said when something else was clearly bothering her.

"Did he say anything about you and me?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I promise it can wait," Chuck said with a smile. They'd just gotten back. He didn't want to burden her with a conversation about major life decisions and politics right now. Surely, that could wait till she was feeling more comfortable. It wasn't exactly romantic to ask someone to spend the rest of their life with you while you were covered in mud, grim, and sweat.

"Please tell me what's bothering you, Sarah?" Chuck begged. He reached out his hand to touch her face. He was starting to feel a little desperate and even helpless to understand her troubles.

Chapter Text

They'd been kissing when the king had walked in! Sarah had searched the monarch's face, but she hadn't found anything there that helped her understand how the king felt about his son kissing a soldier. It scared her.

Now, Chuck was looking at her for answers, and yet he was the one with the answer. There was just no way his conversation with the king had been so unimportant. Was he pretending it would all be fine, because it was worse than she thought?

And then she realized didn't want to hear what the king had said. Sarah didn't want to hear Chuck answer her question anymore. She didn't want to listen to the words that would separate them.

She just wanted him. A moment to last a lifetime wasn't enough, but if that was all she could have Sarah would take it.

Chuck opened his mouth to speak, but Sarah prevented his words by covering his mouth with her own.

It scared her how desperately she needed him. No matter what this moment cost her in the future, Sarah would take the consequences. If this moment had to last her a lifetime, then she wasn't going to waste a minute of it.

Chuck's arms moved to hold her. Sarah pulled Chuck closer to her and crushed their bodies together. Without breaking their kiss, Sarah's hand next got to work on unbuttoning Chuck's shirt.

"Sarah," he whispered in a rough voice.

She wanted more, so much more, but when her hands attempted to remove his pants, Chuck's hands gently stopped her.

"You are not okay," Chuck said softly. "We need to talk about why you aren't okay."

The concern in his eyes broke her. Tears were streaming down her face in seconds. She tried to bury her face in his shirt but it was half off. Instead her face was pressed against his bare chest, her tears touching his skin. Chuck put his arms around her and gently guided her until they were by the bed. Sitting down, he kept his arms wrapped around her shoulder, holding her so tightly. It was hard not to feel loved when he held her like that.

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked her. He sounded desperate now, almost in pain. Sarah knew she needed to find the courage to speak.

"How long am I to stay here?" Sarah asked in a small voice. She couldn't look at him and spoke instead to her knees.

"Well, that's really up to you," Chuck replied easily. "How long do you want to stay here, Sarah?"

His answer surprised her. Sarah looked up, needing to see his face.

"Why do you look so shocked," Chuck said with a laugh. "Did you think dad forbade me from being with you?" His tone was light, as if he found the concept ridiculous. Then suddenly, he sobered. Sarah knew he must have read the answer on her face.

"Oh god, Sarah," Chuck whispered. His arms embraced her again, even more fiercely than they had before. When he next spoke, Chuck gently put a hand on her face and looked right into her eyes.

"Dad just wanted to make sure you understood what it meant to choose a life at my side," Chuck said in a calm, certain voice. "You can't be a soldier in my family's army and my wife at the same time. Yesterday, I stopped you from going on one mission, but a life with me means never going on a mission again. It means attending political events and dealing with social stigma from neighbouring nations who'll judge you for being different from them. It would mean putting down your sword, giving up your vocation. Entering an entirely different world from the one you've known."

Sarah knew what each word meant on its own, but somehow when he said them in that particular order, they seemed impossible to her. Had he said the word wife? The concept had never so much as crossed her mind. To be his mistress was more than her status in life could possibly allow her. Did he know what he would be accepting into his family? Surely not.

"Even if your father does allow it, you can't make me your wife," Sarah said slowly.

"And why not?" Chuck asked, curiously. "Do you have an aversion to rings worn on your left hand that I don't know about?"

She ignored his joke. "The crown doesn't want to be associated with my family," she explained. "My father…"

"Is in prison," Chuck stated easily. She just blinked at him until he explained. "I looked up your employment record before we met. Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"That record doesn't include everything," Sarah continued, speaking to her hands. "I've always been good with a weapon. I tried selling my skills as a mercenary when I was barely more than a child, but it wasn't enough to feed my mother and sister, so I resorted to cons and trickery to make a living. But the threat of being caught made my mother so anxious that in the end, I left her all that I had and joined the military penniless. At least then she wouldn't worry so much and she'd have one less mouth to feed." Sarah took a shallow breath before reaching her conclusion. "I am just like my father. A liar and a con artist. The only reason I am free and my father isn't is because he went after too big a target and got caught. I am not wife material."

She braced herself to look up at him, expecting to see shock or even disgust on his face, but his expression hadn't changed at all. He was smiling at her.

"I didn't hear a no," Chuck said, grinning. "Just a lot of 'I'm not good enough' nonsense."

"I'm not," Sarah whispered. She didn't understand how he could still be smiling.

"A liar wouldn't have just told me everything she thought would drive me away," Chuck stated confidently. "Sarah, I am sure of what I want. I don't need you to explain to me why I'm wrong. What I'm asking you is what you want. I know you aren't ready now, but someday can you imagine it? Could you be happy being just my wife, Sarah?"

Sarah felt stripped of all the replies she'd had ready. Could this really be as simple as what she wanted? Surely, the world didn't work like that? But if there was even the slightest chance it did, could she really pass it up?

Sarah buried her face into his shoulder, pushing herself as close to him as she could get before whispering in his ear.

"Yes."

His arms wrapped around her, and held on tight. Gently, he separated them just enough to lock eyes with her. She registered the hand that touched her cheek before she felt his lips press against hers.

"Now how about that bath?" Chuck asked when the kiss ended. "And I'm thinking we will have our meal here. Everyone else has long since finished breakfast, anyway."

Sarah couldn't believe this relief was real. Were all her worries really so easily dismissed? Did all she have to do to keep him was give up being a soldier? It seemed too easy.

There was a knock at the door. This time Chuck opened it. Someone from the kitchens had come up. Chuck told her to bring two meals and prepare a bath. The woman bowed her head before leaving.

"Oh, and I think my sister would love to meet you," Chuck said. "But that can wait until after we're cleaned up and fed. Maybe we could join my family for dinner tonight? Unless you'd be more comfortable in a less formal setting? Tea perhaps?"

Sarah just stared at him. Was this really what he was worried about? Her being socially uncomfortable. Was that it?

He was looking at her intently again. Then he seemed to give up with a sigh. "I still can't tell if you're okay. I can never read your face well enough. Hopefully, I'll get better at it with a few years of practice."

The phrase 'a few years of practice' stuck in her mind. He'd said it so casually, as if the statement should have been obvious. Sarah couldn't find any words. She just looked at him, her mind surprisingly blank.

"I can have them bring some clothes for you," Chuck said. "Or if you want your clothes, they can be brought from-" He paused for a moment then laughed awkwardly. "It just occurred to me that I don't actually know where you live."

"I have a bed at the Barracks," Sarah explained.

"I suppose that makes sense," Chuck said, smiling at her. "Did you want to go back there?"

"Not particularly," Sarah replied. She was still staring at his face. It felt like her mind wasn't finished processing the information he'd given her.

With a sigh, Chuck moved closer and gently touched her shoulder. "You'll probably feel better after we clean up. Did you want privacy? I can get one of the female staff to help you and bring you something to change into."

An actual bath was not a luxury that Sarah was used to. Especially not one that required help. She'd heard of public bath houses, and even places with private rooms for bathing, but she'd never been to one. Since joining the military, she's always bathed in a river or lake with the other female soldiers. It sounded like Chuck was expecting to have a bath in this room, but that hardly made any sense.

"I don't need privacy if it's just you and me," Sarah said, answering the only part of the question in which she was confident of her answer.

He smiled at her with a sort of glint in his eye. "I can't promise to keep my hands to myself," he said.

"Good," she replied. He laughed lightly before leaning in and kissing her.

Their kiss was interrupted once more by a knock at the door, but this time Sarah didn't ignore it. Chuck clearly hadn't noticed the sound until after she'd broken off the kiss. The confused look on his face lasted only as long as it took for him to realize someone was at the door.

Two young men were carrying a rather large metal bath tub. They placed it in the middle of the room and then left. Behind them were three more people carrying large buckets of water. One by one they filled the tub. It wasn't until Sarah noticed the steam rising from the water that she realized the water was warm. Finally, one more person carried in towels and soap, placing them on a side table before bowing out of the room.

Sarah stared in wonder at what she'd just witnessed. Never in all her life had she experienced such luxury as the prince could call on with just the pull of a rope.

Slowly, she walked up to the side of the bath and tested the water with a finger. It was invitingly warm and smelled of lavender.

"The water's so lovely," Sarah said.

Chuck's arms wrapped around her from behind. He whispered in her ear. "Not as lovely as you."

Sarah rolled her eyes. Chuck couldn't see her face though, so it didn't really have the desired effect. True to his word, Chuck's hands began to wonder. First, he worked to untie the laces of her leather armour. It hadn't been enough to save her from the beatings she'd taken, but it had spared her the worst of it. Sarah tried not to, but she couldn't help flinching slightly as Chuck's gentle hands pressed on the worst of her bruises. The light shirt under her armour fell to the floor and she heard Chuck gasp as he saw her bear skin for the first time.

"Oh, Sarah," he said, with shock and pain in his voice.

"It's fine," she said quickly. "I've had worse."

Chuck groan sounded almost like he was the one suffering. "I don't want to hear that."

"I told you I wasn't wife material," Sarah said. "Soldiers get hit."

He didn't say anything else. Chuck's hands just continued his gentle removal of her clothes. She knew that her legs had been spared any injury from their kidnapping and imprisonment. The bruise Quinn had left on her face looked bad, but it didn't hurt anymore.

"You are the only one I want," Chuck whispered. She could feel his breath against the back of her neck, but she couldn't see his face as he spoke. "I have zero interest in conducting interviews for this 'wife material' you speak of."

She turned in his arms to look at him. Chuck was staring at her with so much affectionate in his eyes, like she'd never seen before.

"You're beautiful," Chuck said. "You know that, don't you?"

Sarah couldn't help but laugh. "I think there might be something wrong with your vision."

"Nope," Chuck replied. "It's working perfectly."

"Not possible," Sarah said with a smile. "You need to go to that new hospital and get them looked at."

"I've been Ellie's guinea pig often enough already," Chuck said with a laugh. "Trust me. My eyes are fine."

Sarah had to think about that for a moment. Everyone knew it was the princess who'd built the hospital. She remembered reading about the grand opening on posters around town when she'd first arrived in the capital. Sarah couldn't help but feel a disconnect between that common fact and the idea that they were talking about Chuck's sister.

"Your sister runs the hospital," Sarah said slowly, trying to form the connection in her mind.

"Yeah."

"She's the princess. Heir to the kingdom."

"That's Ellie," he replied.

Then Sarah remembered what he'd said just moments ago. "And she wants to meet me?"

"Correct," Chuck confirmed. "And my parents will be more hospitable in a casual dinner setting. They are always so serious when it's an official meeting."

For a moment, Sarah just mulled over her thoughts. When she finally spoke, she chose her words carefully.

"I think I am beginning to understand what you meant about entering an entirely new world," Sarah said. "The people you know as family have only ever been larger than life figureheads to me." She gestured behind her to the glorious bath waiting for them. "This water is warm. I've never had a bath in such fancy water before."

"The heat will help your aches," Chuck told her. "And lavender can be useful at dulling pain."

She couldn't help but smile. "Did you request the lavender for me?" she asked.

Chuck nodded. Then he held out her hand. Sarah took it and then stepped into the tub.

The warm water felt amazing on her skin. She wasn't sure she had the words to describe how good it felt. The heat was indeed having a soothing effect on her injuries. After taking a moment to bask in the feeling, Sarah turned and saw that Chuck was still standing outside the tub. His shirt was half off but otherwise, he was fully clothed. She really should have been paying more attention earlier. This was hardly fair.

"Well, aren't you coming in?" Sarah asked.

"If you want me to," Chuck replied. "But if you want that bath all to yourself, I wouldn't hold it against you."

"Get in here," Sarah ordered.

A huge smile spread across his face. Sarah expected him to get to work on removing his clothes, but instead he leaned in and kissed her. It was a quick flirty kiss, but still it made her tingle all over.

After removing his clothes, Chuck stepped into the water so quickly she hardly got a good look at him.

She wanted to whine and complain that this was unfair, since he'd stood there and stared at her for whole minutes, but before she'd so much as opened her mouth, Chuck's arms reached out to hold her.

All at once, she was resting against his chest. She wasn't sure if it was the warm water, or the smell of the lavender, or maybe simply the fact that Chuck was so close, but Sarah wasn't sure if she'd ever been this relaxed before in her life. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Do you want me to wash you?" Chuck asked. Sarah was too groggy for conversation now. All she managed was to mumble a positive reply.

He must have thought to put the soap near the edge of the tub, because a moment later, he had it in his hand and was gently washing her arms. He used the soap on her back and shoulders before gently rising off the soap with a small cup full of water poured over her skin.

It felt so wonderful, Sarah didn't have words to describe it, even to herself. She just closed her eyes and soaked in every gentle touch mixed with the warm soothing water.

When she was squeaky clean, a part of her just wanted to lay in his arms until the water was cold, but another part of her wanted more.

Turning in his arms, Sarah took the soap from his hands. "Your turn," she said. Chuck smiled and obeyed. She ran the soap over his skin, trying to remove all the dirt and grim from their rather adventurous last few weeks. She knew her hands weren't as soft as his. She had callouses from years of sword use and her skin was rough from dryness. Even so, he seemed to enjoy her touch. Chuck closed his eyes as she worked over his arms and shoulders.

Mimicking what they'd done for her, Chuck stood in the tub so she could lather up his legs and hips. Then he sat back in the water again, rinsing all the bubbles away.

She felt his gentle touch at the side of her face and turned to look into his eyes. He seemed to find what he was looking for there, and a second later Sarah felt his lips press against hers. It wasn't a deep passionate kiss, but a sweet one. Soft and romantic.

Then, he wrapped his arms around her and she turned in his lap to lean backwards against him. Sarah closed her eyes and tried to fully appreciate the feel of him near, his arms encircling her.

"The water isn't really warm anymore," Chuck commented after some time.

"I know," she said. "But I'm not sure I want to move yet."

"Not even for food?" Chuck asked. She couldn't see his face, but she could hear the smile in his voice. Sarah's stomach chose that time to gurgle loudly. "Right, that's decided, then. Time to get out."

Reluctantly, Sarah went along with the plan. Chuck handed her a large warm soft robe and she put it over her body. If she'd known about the robe, she wouldn't have been so against leaving the water.

They ate together wrapped in the soft white fabric of their bath robes. Between the bath and the food, Sarah was starting to get sleepy again. She laid down on the bed and Chuck came to lay beside her. Neither of them slept deeply, but they definitely dozed.

Someone came in a few hours later with fresh clothes for them to get dressed for dinner. Chuck helped Sarah put hers on. She'd never worn something so impractical before. The top part of the outfit laced up in the back and had so many more layers than her leather armour did. She couldn't help but wonder if this skirt could block a knife just as well as her old armour. It was that elaborate.

All that was left to do now was to walk down the stairs and sit at the same table as the king and queen to take supper. No problem. So why was she more nervous about this than when she'd tried to storm a castle?