Chapter 33 Prize

My parents love me. They have always protected and cared for me no matter who attacked me. – Prince Eater #34

When Alec dropped to his knees beside his husband, Jon muttered to him in shock, “She saved my life. I thought she had gone out with you or Erienne, but she was sleeping on Erienne’s cot. Seán screamed when the first intruder came through the door, and she came flying from behind the curtain. She sank her teeth into one of the men wrestling with Seán. The attacker booted Fia, bowling her over. She scrambled back onto her feet and leaped at the intruder who was trying to sink his knife into me. He let go of me long enough for me to hit the second one with my cane. I tried to get to Seán, but I was attacked again. Alannah darted through the chaos to the top of the stairs, and began screeching at the top of her lungs.”

“That’s why we came running,” Craig commented. “Personally, I think the baby and Fia together saved Jon’s life. Possibly Seán’s too. If she hadn’t screamed, they may have continued to fight with him here. Seán isn’t the type to surrender.”

“When I realized that one of the men was kneeling on Fia, I threw myself at him,” Jon continued. “My weight was enough to free her, but when he raised his knife again, Fia heaved herself between us. I think she was trying to get to the man’s throat. The knife is still in her heart. I…I didn’t have the courage to remove it.”

Jon leaned against Alec who wrapped his arms around his husband and rocked gently without speaking.

Craig and Padraig had risen to their feet when Alec entered, and as Jon fell silent, Padraig added, “Callen alerted the Watch and we moved like lightning to get here.”

“Grace and I saw them dragging Seán toward the roof,” Liam spoke up sadly. “We had just gotten to the top of the stairs when the door flew open. Grace launched herself into the knees of one of the abductors, knocking him down, so I tried to wrestle the others off Seán. The man struggling with Grace tried to toss her down the stairs, so I ran to help her.” The youth took a steadying breath and admitted, “I couldn’t save them both.”

“You made the right choice,” Craig Docherty reassured him. “It was a difficult situation. Your sister was in danger of being killed. She’s fine because of your actions, and there is still hope for Seán.”

Padraig kicked the dead intruder viciously and added, “This one won’t be trying to kidnap anyone else.”

“The thing is,” Craig spoke up. “We have no idea where to start looking for Seán.”

“Hilltown,” Alec stated, his voice drained. “They took him for the Ritual.”

Jon moaned softly.

“Padraig, you need to talk with Annie and Tom,” Alec continued. “We need to find out if they were fooled, too. She is working for the Most Revered. I saw her with the Commander of the Magi Soldiers when I was on my way home from shopping. They looked as if they were lovers, and he promised her that the Most Revered would pay her the bounty for both Jon and Seán.”

“You haven’t heard,” Padraig said as he shuffled his feet and looked at the floor. “Magi Soldiers executed her. People nearby came to her defense and beat the two soldiers to death, but they were too late to save her. I was on my way here because of Seán when a watcher caught up with me to let me know.”

“Figgict,” Jon muttered. He threw himself on the floor again with his face buried in his arms. “Figgict.”

“You didn’t know, Jon,” Alec comforted. He brushed one hand through Jon’s hair. “None of us knew.”

“But I…I….” his voice trailed off.

“I know,” Alec responded. “I’ve known for a while.”

“Yet…you…you,” Jon stammered, raising his head to look at his husband. Jon dropped his head back down, his shoulders trembled and his sobs grew more intense.

“Hush,” Alec said kindly as he rubbed Jon’s back. “Hush. We’ll be okay. We’ll work it out. Right now, we’ve got to see Fia honored with a proper burial and figure out how we are going to rescue Seán. That’s our priority.”

“I’ll send a runner to Annie and Tom, and then have him get replacements for Jon’s medication,” Padraig announced. He stuck his head out the door to give instructions to the Armed Watch in the hallway, and then added, “Gather all of the Armed Watch and send them to the pub downstairs immediately.”

“I’ll clear the pub so that we can hold a meeting there,” Craig added.

“Callen can finish up here,” Kenzie chimed in. “I’ll get some food cooked and tap a fresh keg for those who attend.”

“Grace and I will watch the baby,” Liam volunteered.

Padraig and Craig thumped the attacker’s body down the four flights of stairs while Rory conducted Fia respectfully to the back garden. While Callen stayed behind to continue cleaning, Kenzie held her apron folded so that it covered the broken dishes and pieces of shattered glass so she could take them to the bins outside. Alec followed behind them with one arm supporting Jon. Halfway down he paused to allow the others to move well ahead of them and then whispered softly “Jon. Dear Jon, please. You’re crying so hard. You’ll hurt the wound on your face. Please, Jon.”

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“I didn’t deserve Fia. She shouldn’t have done that,” Jon muttered. “And I shouldn’t have, shouldn’t have…you know.”

“I know,” Alec said, trying to reassure him.

“I shouldn’t have. I knew I shouldn’t have. I didn’t mean to. I was…I was asleep, and I thought it was you. I woke up and it wasn’t. We…again…but…I mean, but none of that matters because…because I hurt you.”

“Yes, you did,” Alec responded gently. He encouraged Jon to sit down on a step and then sat next to him, before continuing, “Jon, this past onslaught of time has been horrible. Mistakes were bound to happen. The path you’ve had to walk has been much harder than mine. You are a prince, and everything you knew or believed in has been torn away. You’ve lost your health, your family, home, loved ones, prestige, financial security…”

“You. I’ve lost you.”

Alec wrapped Jon in an embrace and said softly, “Put your head against my shoulder and rest. I’ll hold you safely. You’re sore. You’re tired. You’re grieving. You haven’t lost me. I love you more today than I did yesterday, and tomorrow I will love you more than that. You’re safe.”

Jon leaned against Alec until his tears subsided, and then Alec helped him the rest of the way downstairs and to where Rory had nearly prepared the grave. Alec finished the last of the digging, and together the two lowered Fia gently to her final rest. Kenzie appeared from the kitchen and by unspoken agreement was the one to eulogize Fia’s noble sacrifice and say a short prayer for the wolfhound. Jon stood silently by the grave for several minutes and then put his arm over Alec’s shoulder to walk back to their room. Alec strolled beside him until Jon nodded, and then Alec lifted his husband and took him to their small home.

When they made it to the top of the stairs, Alec carried Jon into the room rather than putting him on his feet in the hall as he would normally do. Callen was gone and he had taken all the cleaning supplies with him. The curtain sectioning off Erienne’s small area was gone, and her clothes were folded neatly on her cot. All the beds were made with fresh linens, the cushions on the chairs were in place, and the small window was opened to let air circulate. Even Jon’s cane had been washed and polished. Alec had no idea how the youth could have gotten all of that done in the short time they were downstairs unless Liam and Grace had helped him.

Grace and Alannah were asleep on Alec’s cot while Liam sat next to them in the uncomfortable wooden chair, the strain of the ordeal lining his youthful face. Alec strode across the room, and as soon as he set Jon gently on his bed, Jon rolled so that his face was against the wall. As he did so, Catrin Evans and Morgan appeared in the open doorway.

When Alec looked toward her, she said softly, “I heard about what’s happened, so I came right away. Healer Callahan is delivering a baby – a rough delivery. Do you need him urgently?”

Jon shook his head without turning toward them, so Alec said, “No, thank you for thinking of that. Jon seems to be only bruised.”

Catrin smiled comfortingly and continued, “Padraig says not to worry about your students. It’s too late to send word to them so he will work with them himself. I know you’ll go after Seán, so I’ll care for the baby while you’re gone. She can’t go with you, and she knows me and Morgan already. She’ll be safe with us, and my other children can help look after her. She won’t be alone, and she won’t be neglected. I know it isn’t an easy choice to make, but when it comes down to it, what else can you do? Seán needs you. SnakeIn stands by you and Jon.”

When Alec nodded in agreement, she walked over to Liam and said as she took the baby into her arms, “You bring your sister, Liam. Morgan will bring along some of the baby’s things, and let your mother know that you are resting safely at my place.”

“Our mother doesn’t care where we are,” Liam responded automatically. “She never has. She only comes around long enough to be mean to Grace and then she leaves again.”

“Well, Morgan and I care. And so do Jon and Alec,” Catrin replied. “Right now, Jon and Alec need privacy to talk and work out what they want to do next. It isn’t because they don’t care about you. They do.”

“We do,” Jon muttered toward the wall.

“Jon and I consider you part of our family,” Alec added. He rose and walked over to Liam. “We appreciate that you’re here for us.”

Liam shrugged but rose obediently and lifted Grace from the bed. The mother of the student adjusted Alannah in her arms and tiptoed out the door. Liam followed, but paused long enough to say, “I’m going with the two of you and fighting for Seán.”

After a moment, Alec closed the door, and then stretched out on the bed next to Jon, wrapped his arms around him so that Jon was resting against him, and quietly held him.

TARA CITADEL

“You are a hard-won prize, my dear prince. Two operatives and the commander of my soldiers, and that’s just from today,” the Most Revered said as she walked in a slow circle around Seán, inspecting him. Turning her head toward one of the Magi Soldiers she ordered, “Get him some better clothes. He’s a prince, not a guttersnipe.”

“I don’t want your clothes,” Seán interjected, straightening his shoulders and standing taller.

“You would rather face your fate naked, Chosen?” she sneered.

“My fate isn’t yours to determine,” Seán disagreed. “I already abdicated, legally and completely. I have a closet full of clothes provided by my father, the Holy King, but know that I would indeed walk naked rather than be anything that you want me to be. I am proud to wear what I have on.”

“You’re proud of those rags?”

“Alec worked hard to give me these clothes; worked out of love and respect, compassion and honor. All things you know nothing about, Least Revered.”

She strolled over to an ornate desk, opened the top drawer, and retrieved all three copies of Seán’s Declaration of Abdication. She held them up so that he could see them, and then held them against a candle flame until all that remained were ashes. Wiping her hands, she said, “As pathetic as Erienne was, she did prove to be valuable in the end.” She laughed. “Least Revered. Prince Reginald called me that, too. It’s still funny, especially considering who had the last laugh.”

“Reggie and Ethan will have the last laugh,” Seán responded calmly. “Through me. Eventually, you will realize that. Maybe not until your final breath, but you will realize it. Reggie had only two young brothers who didn’t understand how evil you are until it was too late. I have an army.”

“What army? Jon Holdingfree, as he calls himself now? He isn’t coming; he can’t walk. Alec Holdingfree? He can’t see past Jon. That silly girl, Erienne? She’s dead.”

“They’ll be here.”

“That’s good. That’s good. As young as you are, you already have the self-confidence to be king,” the Most Revered assessed. She canted her head and studied the young prince for several, long moments, and then abruptly spun to the soldiers ringing the perimeter of the room. “I said, get him some decent clothes.”

©2022 Vera S. Scott