Cormac jumped to the side as Leon ran his sword through the space where Cormac was just a moment ago. He twisted himself out of the way of another swing and slid under the grasp of the other hand. But a kick connected to his side, sending him crashing to the armchairs.

Carl tackled Leon in that moment. As they fell to the ground, Leon punched with his left hand, connecting with Carl's face. But Carl held strong. He managed to hold onto the hand with Leon's sword long enough, for Cormac to kick it out of his grasp. In that moment Leon got angry.

"Cower." his voice resonated throughout the room. Cormac felt the weight of the command settle on him. He felt the power of a family's head. The strength with which he tried to force Cormac to take a few steps back. And Cormac realized one thing, Leon's command was weak.

There was nothing absolute about it. Rather than the thunderous voice of a monarch, an undisputable show of will, it was a whimper, a plea for things to turn into Leon's favor. The man had been drunk, but he still fought without spirit.

Cormac found himself pitying the man that just confessed to his father's murder. The man that acted as a replacement, that taught Cormac many of the things he knew now. The kindness, the wisdom, the mercy.

Cormac accepted these words of his prior caretaker and took a few steps back.

Meanwhile Carl felt the power word wrap itself around his mind, but it was measly at best. A word thrown into the wind in a moment of weakness. His muscles still relaxed enough for Leon to twist himself out of his grasp, but Carl followed after him, without any hesitation.

Nery watched as the boys fought and was scared, she understood the implications of this fight, as well as she understood the uniquely twisted nature of Leon La Bor. Her father made sure to teach her about it. She feared what would happen and she was sure that this was not the plan. Leon was a man that spoke of honor, that tried to seem to embody it, but that ultimately betrayed only the very opposite traits. There was some trick, some underlying intention that she was not aware of and she looked for it with all her might.

Leon quickly got on his knees and swing with his fist again. Carl did not even attempt to dodge from the way of the swing, instead he accepted it on the chin, while throwing a similar punch on his own. Both of the fists hit, sending both man away from each-other. But Carl was not alone.

Cormac's leg flew in the air as Leon stumbled and it caught him on his ribs. The white mane whimpered at the hit after which he emptied his stomach, but Cormac did not stop. He threw punches in rapid succession, landing blows from both directions, effectively putting Leon on the defense.

The man was drunk and it showed, his footwork did him no good as he took step after step away from Cormac's onslaught. He tripped on pieces of furniture, creating opportunities for Cormac to punch through his defenses.

It was enough for Cormac to stop.

Leon fell on the ground as he tripped again. He leaned on the wall as the two boys stood above him. A few little streams of red liquid ran down the corners of his mouth. A mixture of blood and red wine.

Carl wanted to continue, but Cormac put out a hand to stop him.

"That will be enough. I…I still need a few answers."

It was obvious that Carl was ready to knock the man unconscious. Maybe he even looked forward to it. But he still nodded at Cormac's words. He stopped himself and calmly let his hands down.

"Why are you supposed to kill me."

Leon breathed with difficulty as he sat on the ground, whimpers and strained inhales all the answer Cormac got.

"Tell me. You acted as my father once, you should honor the memory of it."

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Leon did not avert his eyes from the ground, nor did he move in any way whatsoever. Now that he was sitting there, lying in a pool of bile, Cormac could not see the man he saw his whole life. The beacon of strength and chivalry, the man he always aspired to be like….now he revealed the sour and bitter truth.

Leon 'the white mane' La Bor was a broken man. A broken man given estates and power. A broken man given the illusion of control. A broken man, useful only as a puppet.

Cormac was sure of it now. Just for a moment, he thought that his misfortune was orchestrated by this man. A negging feeling that only strengthened after the revelation. But Leon was no mastermind, he really had no need for a mind at all. Just a piece on a chess board.

The heart of the scourge lies in the head of the beast. Indeed. He was only looking at the very fingertips of the scourge, at a tool of it. But a tool does not move on its own and this man had the information that Cormac needed so badly. He was just unwilling to part with it.

"Tell me." Cormac tried again. A part of him still saw the husk before him as what he pretended to be. He saw the discussions they had on the days where everything seemed wrong. He remembered the simple words of encouragement he was given, even if he failed over and over again. And yet…the man before him took arms the moment that Cormac learned to fly. He was no father of his, he never was. He feared him from the moment he took him to the estate. He feared him every day that Cormac trained. Who knows what else he might have been doing. Maybe Cormac's constitution wasn't a result of a genetic misfortune after all.

Cormac was resolute and he knew precisely what to do.

"Tell me." he ordered the lowly wreck before him. Leon's head darted forward quickly and his eyes widened in fear, as he felt himself speak involuntarily.

"I was ordered to capture you. To bring you to the queen, for the wicked deeds you were accused of. You are a threat in what our society tries to uphold."

"Why am I considered a threat?"

"For the power you wield, for the strength you possess. For the blood that runs through your veins." Leon started shaking on the ground. Fear overtaking him even despite the alcohol still in his system. He did not see his father in Cormac. No. He saw something altogether different now. A calculated anger, rather than wrath put on full view. But the stare in his eyes…it still reminded him of the eyes he saw in that moment.

"I did not want this. Please! Don't kill them! Melissa and the children did not know! Eamon still sees you as a brother! Really! He never believed what you have been announced as. Please!"

Cormac did not know how to react. Did Leon really think that he was about to murder them? People he knew all his life? His brother? His little sister? But when he looked into the man's eyes. He knew. He knew he really believed.

Suddenly Nery ran from behind them and grabbed both boys by their shoulders.

"We need to run. Quick!"

"What-" Cormac uttered, before Nery quickly ran before him and hefted one of Leon's hands. She opened his fist, revealing a shining green stone. "That's a guidestone! He sent a signal!"

Even if the man before him told him of his treachery. Even if he accepted the fact that all his time spent with his was a farce. Even if he knew that he was broken.

The betrayal still hurt him.

He sent a thought to Obscurno, commanding the bird to learn of the situation outside the walls.

"Let's go!" he shouted as he ran into the tunnel, followed by Carl.

Leon watched as the young ruler ran into the tunnel. But all he could see was the expression he had when he learned of Leon's trickery. The hurt, the betrayal. Leon felt ashamed, more than he felt before. He had a choice, he knew. And he made it for good reason. But regret still showed its ugly head.

But still he noticed. One person had not left yet.

He looked up into piercing yellow eyes. They were full of pity, gentle, kind. Those eyes were familiar, they had the strength and color of Erwin. He could spot his spawn anywhere. But they had something else. The kindness, the not so clear sorrow. He met the person they belonged to before.

"You can still choose again. It may not be over." She said, than she quickly turned around and darted off the tunnel in the painting.

Leon was left defeated and broken on the floor. Sitting in a pool of his own vomit. Ashamed of the situation of his own making. He was so far away from what he envisioned himself to be. Betraying the very person he spent his youth nurturing.

And yet…the girls words stayed with him. It was a hope at the end of a long rope, but it still stayed there.

He could yet do a right thing. He could yet make a choice.