"Y-Yes ma'am!" Instinctually, Cedric immediately assumed the position of parade rest out of instinct, being within the presence of such an influential woman - Cedric mistakened her to an officer. Instead of recovering after realizing what he had done, he remained in position. He didn't know the proper way to address the this Korellei woman, Faring's mother. He simply hoped that parade rest would be universal.

"Hm, a soldier. That's good. Where is she?"

"Just behind me, ma'am."

The woman peered to the side, giving a scrutinizing look to Faring as she stood straight in her blue lingerie that covered from her bust down to the middle of her thighs.

"Mother..."

She gazed upon Cedric's form once more. "At ease, call me Lady Franchaise (Fran-Se) Ser Cedric." Her wording was confusing, but at least it was in low Korellei so he could understand her. "Dismissed." Thoroughly confused but somewhat feeling complimented, Cedric returned to a regular stance. He stared at Faring dumbfounded, who just shrugged in response.

"Faring, if you were taking this slave as your heir-giver, you should have mentioned so."

Faring flushed, "Oh, no - that's not what is going on... Mother. We had... A rough night."

"I am aware, not of the specific details - but enough to know that House Rax now knows far more than they should. Your tact is lacking, Faring."

"Of course mother, I apologize." Faring curtseyed.

She straightened up, ready to engage her mother in conversation. "I was not aware that you had arrived already."

"As you wouldn't, we expedited our route. Ser Cedric, would you please pour me some of your wine?"

Dumbfounded, Cedric gave a pleading look to Faring - who simply nodded in the direction of the wine that rest in their ice bucket while a fake smile. Not sure what else to do, he simply followed his military etiquette ingrained into him since basic, she seemed to respect it. "Yes, ma'am." Trying not to think of his current clothing predicament, he followed the order to the letter. Acquire wine, search for cork popper, pop cork, pour in an elegant stemmed glass. Thankfully, all of the tools were easy to find - and whatever technology was blended with the seemingly organic ice kept the wine cold. He wasn't sure how to go about it, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't at least try. He cupped the wine glass in his palm, and like pouring an oriental tea he lifted and tilted the wine bottle in one fell swoop - the wine bottle being rested back on the kitchen counter after a single pour. Cedric was proud of his performance, he only ever did such fancy moves with drink when he was by himself in his barracks as a form of entertainment.

"Faring, I do not need to remind you that your choice of dress at this time is not befitting of a noble lady."

"We slept in late mother, your arrival was not expected at this time. I have no intention of dressing up when in the absence of visitors."

"Hm, I suppose not. You've learned so much and yet so little."

"I do believe I've learned what is necessary to function in society, mother."

"I disagree."

The tension in the air could be cut with but the slightest pressure of a dull knife, and cutting it indeed was Cedric's intent.

"Your wine is ready, ma'am."

Lady Franchaise stared daggers into his hazel eyes.

"Did I tell you to inform me when you had finished pouring?"

"No, ma'am..." No longer was Cedric trying to please this woman, but rather contest her. He KNEW she was important, he KNEW not to talk up to her, but he just couldn't control his slowly rising anger, last night taught him a very valuable lesson in being passive, he would no longer let himself be underestimated and taken advantage of - never again.

"However..."

She cocked a brow, Faring gave him an incredulous look of 'What do you think you're doing.'

Cedric thought for a moment... he was already done for, to be sold off like a spent toy. Fuck it.

"Actually, ma'am'." His last word dripped with venom.

"Choose your next words very carefully, Ser Cedric."

This scared Cedric, maybe he was indeed flying too close to the sun. But he was already committed, they were going to sell him off anyways - so what was the point in being passive about it? It's not like he'll be seeing them much longer anyways. What would they do, lock him up until the exchange? They might as well, it'd be safer for the entire house in the long run anyways.

"We both know this is a formality, Faring has given so much to me in such a short time - before she even truly talked to me. She believed in me, she taught me your language, she was always supportive and understanding even when I didn't deserve it. What happened last night... She was upset, sure, but she was angry - then sad, for my well-being. Empathetic and intelligent, your daughter doesn't need to be treated like some random noble..."

Cedric was on a roll, and was not about to stop.

"She and I... Well we became friends, and because of MY fuck-up she's about to loose her only friend she's had since... What was it, primary education? Sometimes... Sometimes Lady Franchaise you just need somebody to give a damn about you, and when that person goes away forever it just... It hurts..." Tears welled in his eyes, embarrassing but fuck it - he was going to be gone soon anyways. He thought of nothing more strongly than his friendship with Tern while he talked - it was his strongest argument, a very personal and impactful one at that.

"A bold statement."

"I speak from experience ma'am, I know I'm embarrassing myself but I'll be gone soon anyways, so... Someone might as well say something - I need to atone."

"You sound as if you've broken a fundamental law, Ser Cedric."

"I might as well have..."

"Falling for the seductions of a specialist is nothing to be ashamed of, Ser Cedric."

Cedric cocked his head, "You know? Already?.."

"Yes, every single detail."

Cedric plopped onto a kitchen stool, defeated.

"Though."

She started, eliciting a a curious response from Cedric and Faring together.

"If you're willing to say such a bold thing to me about my own daughter, perhaps we will revise our decision."

Cedric thought for a moment, "Faring said something that stuck very strongly with me a few days ago, she said 'I'll fight for you' - so It's only proper I fight for her, too."

"I see."

No matter his efforts, he couldn't decipher anything that Lady Franchaise was feeling or thinking. Truely, his skill in identifying and predicting others was horrifically lacking compared to two experts, a most humbling experience for him. He's been read like a book twice now, predicted easily - and he had absolutely nothing to fight back with.

"Faring." She turned to her daughter.

"Mother?" Faring asked quizzically

"What value do you find in this Primate? What do you see in him that's so strong, so important, that'd you'd put the well-being of the house, our entire family, on his staying within our care?"

"I, well. He's important to me."

"That's not good enough."

"I'm an Ancient."

"Cedric!" Faring couldn't believe his bravado.

"Pardon?"

"I'm an Ancient, Lady Franchaise. The magitech factories responsible for making everything? The ones that don't work... I can make them work."

Lady Franchaise peered at him, as if staring into the deepest parts of his soul.

"So if you don't want me, that's fine. But I also know that now you know that particular piece of information, you can't afford to let one of the five have me either."

"It didn't occur to you that I already knew?"

"Whether you did or didn't, doesn't matter. Either that changed your mind or it didn't."

"Indeed. I am afraid however Ser Cedric, that we may not have a choice."

"House Von Strauss..."

"A good political sense, I can see why you care about this Primate so much, Faring."

"I don't care about him because he's smart mother, I care about him because he's my friend."

"Not more than that?"

Cedric and Faring exchanged glances.

"No..." Faring replied.

"I suppose it has been barely a month, hasn't it? I see. Well, this discussion was rather... Pointless."

"What?" Cedric was indignant, "After all that you just think it's pointless?!"

"You assume I'd put the House above all else, and not consider my daughter's wishes, is that correct Ser Cedric?"

"I..." Defeated yet again. He was so riled up in his own emotions, he completely failed to consider that Faring was still lady Franchaise's daughter. In his ignorance, he had completely dismissed his typically intuitive, and intelligent philosophy he had cultivated his entire life.

"Fuck it, can I speak frankly Lady Franchaise?"

She simply nodded.

"I... I'm smarter than this, I know I am. This isn't how I normally act, I let myself be taken advantage of and thought I needed to be more direct, but in doing so I've failed yet again to realize the bigger picture. I know you don't know me well, but the least I can do is be downright honest if nothing else. That's probably a mistake too, given your clear political expertise - I'm like putty in front of you... I'd much rather admit defeat than pretend I know better." Cedric crossed the kitchen into the open living room and plopped onto the couch next to Faring. His entire self had been obliterated in just two days, so he just wanted to give up and relax now.

"Rather pathetic, I think."

"Mother!"

Lady Franchaise secured her wine from the counter, and swiftly made her way to the living room - sitting in a chair across from the couch and crossing her legs. She gingerly took a sip of from the glass. Her gaze fell upon Cedric once more, her piercing eyes leaving him stripped bare.

"However."

He looked up to meet her eyes. She was stone-faced, yet somehow... Honored?

"You have potential Ser Cedric, my daughter has shared much about you."

He tilted his head, Faring silently stepped in to join them, siding by Cedric on the couch.

"I understand you have been going through great turmoil these past couple days, no?"

"You could say that."

"My daughter informed me that you figured out our entire motive for making the deal public the moment she mentioned it, is this true?"

"Yes, it is."

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

She took another sip of her wine, savoring the taste.

"In that case, I want you to explain something for me."

He cocked his head yet again.

"Why do you think House Rax tripled their price?"

"I'd say that's obvious ma'am, I revealed far too much information last night for nothing more than... Momentary pleasure."

"Indeed, and why do you think we accepted that price?"

He mused for a moment... Was it not obvious? It should be, but it was clear she seemed insulted when he concluded that they didn't care about Faring's thoughts. He simply imagined her parents as non-empathetic nobles, but Faring was still their child - and this child of theirs, who had asked for nothing so strongly before - was now fighting an uphill battle to stop him from falling out of her grasp. A surprise to them, it had to be. But WHAT could possibly be an ulterior motive to raise the price? Given the current events... Wait, wait a minute.

"No fucking way..."

"Language."

"Sorry Faring."

Her mother seemed pleased, confusing her.

"You... You WANTED them to raise the price, How else could you know about what happened last night? Tressa, no - Countess Essla - is a double agent?!"

"Is she?" She sipped her wine, unmoving.

Stern, Cedric replied - "She has to be. There's no way you could have planted a bug in that specific apartment, just in the SPECIFIC case that I'd wind up there. You PLANNED this, you wanted this to happen. You wanted Countess Essla to think she extracted valuable information, and based on what Faring told you - you concluded that I'd fail to resist a specialist with such seductive charms, because of my personality. If it didn't work, then you'd find an alternative way to make it happen. One million credits is enough to turn heads - but three million? For a slave? Now every single other house is going to be desperate to get their hands on me, because obviously I'm stupid valuable. You accepted the three million, because you know that with such high stakes the other houses would offer way more, they'd put more than just credits on the line to get me. Alliances, services, free imports or exports... You KNOW that the other houses simply wouldn't just let that deal through without offering significantly more in return."

Lady Franchaise smiled widely through her wine, "Excellent intuition, Ser Cedric."

"I'm not done." He replied plainly.

"is that so?"

"Lady Franchaise." Cedric had returned to his normal mental state - carefully thinking, carefully planning, considering every possibility. "You are right, you do have your daughter's best interests at heart, you really do. But not mine."

Her eyes narrowed. Faring, scared and confused could only implore Lady Franchaise "Mother?.."

"So you've figured it out... It seems I've finally underestimated someone else."

"Mother, Cedric, what are you two talking about?"

"Indeed Cedric, what ARE we talking about exactly?"

He leaned back into the couch, the gravitas of his fate was now all too clear. "Faring, your parents are still selling me off, but their goal isn't selling me to House Rax for profit. Hell, even the other houses scrounging for a piece of the pie is just a farce to feed the interest of the real target - House Von Strauss."

Faring appeared stunned, and could only manage one word. "Mother?.."

"Your slave, daughter, is everything you've described him to be."

"He's not just a slave!"

"I'm afraid I am, Faring."

"WHAT are you talking about? I get the gist, but..."

"You know just as well as I do Faring, you're really smart."

"Mother, please. House Von Strauss? My ONLY friend and you want to sell him off to the empire?"

"It's more than that, Faring." Cedric sighed.

Lady Franchaise perked up, "It seems, daughter. That your slave is exceptionally more adept at the political climate than I gave him credit for."

"Yeah, well - that's probably one of the few things I'm good at."

"Cedric?" Faring looked at him pleadingly,

"Faring... Your parents care about you, they do - but they're also looking at the bigger picture. With me here, they hold all the cards. Von Strauss already knows I'm an ancient, just like Lady Franchaise knows. Before I even told her. If House Kilik can solidify a deal with Von Strauss at my expense, they'll be part of the council overnight. Crème of the crop... In doing so, they guarantee your political future too and with that, the future of the next generation of House Kilik - In just three generations, they'll become one of the most influential houses in the entire Empire. All it took was popping me out of the ice... I should've just died."

Faring grasped tightly onto his arm, trying to make contact with his body. "Cedric... Mom, you can't... I..."

"This is for the best, honey. Cedric knows it too."

"Faring..." Cedric gingerly held her paw.

"But I..."

"Faring, this is just how things go. I'm a bargaining chip, that's that. If I was in her position, I'd probably do the same thing. There's just too much to gain for giving up so little. Economically, politically... It's the obvious choice."

"Cedric I... Love you... you can't both just decide to take that away. What about my opinion, my thoughts?"

This was what appeared to cut through Lady Franchaise's stern exterior. Empathy could not hide itself from her eyes any longer.

Cedric clutched her paw tighter. "Faring, I think... That you think... That you think you do, but you don't."

Faring began growing hysteric, and her eyes... Began to change color?

"I do Cedric, I do love you! Mom, please don't take him away from me!"

Lady Franchaise's eyes grew wide, and she sprung into action. "Cedric! Hold her tight! NOW!"

The urgency in the Lady's voice caught Cedric brutally off guard, he did as he was instructed. "Faring! Calm down!"

"No, I won't let them seperate us!" She clung tightly onto Cedrics wide physique, and he held her tight. "We're right here okay? We're together."

Cedric turned to Lady Franchaise's direction, she was sprinting to their position, in but a few seconds she produced a vial and a laser syringe from the tiny black leather purse that Cedric had not really noticed. As quickly as she pulled it out, she stuck Faring with it. Staring back at Faring, he noticed that her pupils were turning into a heart shape, and changing into a a deep red color. She stared intently at Cedric, and slumped over. He gingerly set her aside on the couch, and sprung up - quickly stepping away - his hands secured firmly to either sides of his head.

"What... The FUCK just happened? What the fuck was that?!" He splayed his right arm wide in Faring's direction. "Franchaise, lady, whatever - what did you do? What happened?"

"Ser Cedric, please calm yourself."

"No! I won't! One minute we're talking about selling me off to Von Strauss, and then... And then Faring's eyes just change fucking shape and she goes crazy over me?"

"She never should have said she loved you... Goddess damn it all..."

Franchaise's language stunned Cedric off guard, she was a prim and proper lady - through and through. Yet, she had gone from coy guesser to a concerned mother.

"Cedric, I need you to do me a favor. Take this syringe."

She thrust it in his hand.

"I love you Cedric."

"What?"

An awkward moment of silence was laid out between the two, with no changes.

"Thank the goddess. Obviously, I didn't mean that. But, just in case."

"What the FUCK is going on?"

"Ser Cedric, I need you to sit down and listen - I will explain what I know. I just... Didn't think my daughter..."

She slumped onto the couch, caressing Faring's hair. All proper etiquette had been cast aside, replaced by concern for a sick child. Cedric did as he was told, and now sat in the chair across from the couch, instead of the other way around. He looked towards Lady Franchaise, then to Faring, then back again.

"Lady Franchaise?.."

"Call me Fran, Cedric. Our previous relationship... No longer applies."

"Okay, Fran. What... Just happened?"

A long sigh erupted from her lips, the air filled heavy with concern and uncertainty, as though an eldritch presence had sucked up all of the atmosphere. The shadow of the event loomed, locking the two in a disastrous situation. Fran continued to caress Faring's fur.

"If there was any doubt you are an ancient of the past, it has been cast aside now."

"I'm sorry?"

"Cedric, Korellei... Have a sickness. A sickness, that until now it seems, was thought to be eradicated. Then again, without any Ancients - well, I guess there was no way to allow it to surface again."

"Genetic engineering?.."

"Hm?"

Cedric shook his head, "Just thinking. So, Miss Fran - er, Fran. What's this... Sickness? What happened to Faring? Why did you try to... Trigger it, on me."

"Admittedly, out of hysteria, I acted too rashly."

"Well, you're fine. So, what gives?"

"Even in our age of magitech, our history is in shambles. But, there was... A phage, in the past, created by the ancients to keep us in line. It's commonly believed that this phage caused the downfall of the Ancient's empire."

"So, like a bioengineered disease?"

"In a way, if we were the disease."

"I don't understand."

"Korellei, in the past, relied on a link of sorts. Again, the history is incomplete. However, Korellei historians believed that the Ancients created some sort of... Psychological dependence, between Ancients and Korellei. When a Korellei bonded with an Ancient, it was a life-bond. The death of a Korellei would do nothing, but should an Ancient die while bonded to a Korellei - they'd lose their mind. Without this bond, Korellei were unable to live independently. It was a form of vicious slavery. We believed it had been eradicated until now, but it seems my daughter is one still affected. All it took was just a little phrase..."

"Holy shit..." He slumped against the chair, downtrodden. How the fuck was he supposed to process this new information?

"I gotta ask, who just has a sedative in their purse?"

"I do, I am the head of House Kilik. Assassins and ner-do-wells lurk around every corner. I keep it for self defense."

"Makes sense. Miss Fran, because of this... Phage, what's going to happen to Faring?"

Tears began to surface on the Korellei's muzzle, her age becoming all to apparent.

"Well, Cedric. There's only one solution."

"Miss Fran?"

"Euthanasia..."

Cedric shot up from his chair, knocking it over with a crash.

"What the fuck?! No! There has to be a solution, can't I just reject her or something?!"

"I'm afraid not. She is now entirely psychologically dependent on you. She no longer has any freedom."

Cedric screamed, and marched to the island in the kitchen. It was sturdy, he could pound into it to release his anger without repercussion. With another scream; "FUCK!" He slammed his fists into the island with a crash, and to his surprise - an explosion. The Island shattered to pieces under his force, muscles bulging with blood. Wood, marbling, and detritus from the fruit bowl soared across the room - covering the entirety of the penthouse in shatters of miscellaneous material. Cedric stared dumbfounded at his balled fists, shuttering - he opened them and gave them a look over - not a even a bruise. An enormous cavern formed from explosive force now adorned the location of the kitchen island, with nothing more than splintered wood meta-material and a single half of a shelf surviving. Cedric's voice shook violently.

"Did... Did... D-Did I just do that?"

He looked back to Lady Franchaise, shock shown on her eyes - she was frozen still.

"Lady Franchaise?.."

He looked her over, a large shard of wood meta-material stuck out of her furred leg.

"Oh god, oh fuck."

She appeared to still be breathing, simply in shock. When Korellei were injured, they didn't fix themselves. She was going to bleed out. There was nothing he could do, at least not until he contacted someone. he stormed into the loft, taking extreme care not to destroy anything. Aha! The phone. He picked it up, barely clutching it. There it was, the number to the front desk. He rapidly punched in the numbers, the keys were large and mechanical - easing his typing.

"Are you harmed, sir? Authorities are on their way."

It was the butler.

"No, no but... There was an explosion in the kitchen, or well, a kinetic - whatever, Lady Franchaise has been critically injured, and Faring she..."

"Sir?"

"Lady Faring... Has the phage..."

"The phage?" The butler's composure failed him.

"Remain in your position sir, Authorities will arrive at the penthouse shortly. Please remove the affectees from the penthouse window, and standby."

"Yeah, yeah - too easy." with a click, the line went dead. He dropped the phone and sprinted down the loft stairs, trying his damndest not to stomp too hard. Lady Franchaise and Faring had not moved, in fact Faring was still sound asleep from the sedative. Cautiously, he heaved the pair on either shoulder and far away from the penthouse window, to the nearest area behind the couch they were on previously - the door to the bottom floor bathroom was closed, and secured. He laid down Faring on the left, and Lady Franchaise on the right. She was grabbing Cedric tightly with a clawed paw as he sat her down. He inspected the impalement. Blood poured from the wound, at his rate - she wasn't going to survive. Korellei didn't clot, but maybe he could at least secure the impalement.

"Stand still Miss Fran, I'll be right back."

"Cedric..." She rasped.

"Shut the fuck up, and wait!"

One again, he rushed upstairs and ripped the top sheet off the bed and then returned to his original position. Using his newfound strength, he ripped the sheet into mostly even pieces - one particular piece he was satisfied with, and began to quickly and deliberately secure the impalement. He tried to staunch the blood flow on the side, but it just wouldn't stop flowing. A weak paw grabbed Cedric's arm, he stared into Lady Franchaise's eyes, his own orbs wide in terror.

"Cedric..." She rasped again. Her breathing began to slow.

"Miss Fran, fuck... I..." He began to bawl, what else was he supposed to do?

"Ser Cedric..." She rasped once again - this time, he paid stout attention.

"I guess, it's finally my time... My daughter, don't let her suffer from the phage. Please..."

"Lady Franchaise! No no no... Fuck, FUCK! I secured the impalement, authorities are on their way. They will fix you! I know Korellei are suseptible to injuries but - Lady Franchaise?" No response.

"Hey, yo. You awake?" Nothing - she stared straight forward. Looking down, Cedric looked down - she wasn't breathing. Should he do CPR? Yes! That'll keep her going!

"Come on, god... Please..." He laid her on her back, and interlocked a set of cupped hands above her heart. If Korellei had any anatomy similar to humans, then CPR would keep the vital blood flowing where it needed to go. He began his first compression, and heard a sickening CRACK!

"What..." Blood began to flow from her mouth. If she had any shot at living, it was gone now - he applied too much force, and most likely shattered every single bone in the relative area. She was most certainly dead now, if not before.

It is highly recommended to listen to Focus by Brown Bird for the rest of the chapter starting here, it is available on YT and Spotify.

"Fuck... God, WHY. WHY AM I THE ONE ALWAYS FUCKING UP?" He didn't want to fuck up anymore, he couldn't. There was a request he could still fulfill - free Faring from the Phage. He looked at her unconscious form, she was sleeping so peacefully. He splayed her out, back to the floor. Sirens were sounding in the background. He looked at her rhythmic breathing. All he could do was stare. She was beautiful, for a Korellei. Young, too. Yet, he had single-handedly destroyed her entire life, and murdered her mother. He sat on his knees, tears uncontrollably streaming down his face. He hic'd and sputtered. He couldn't stop. His mask clogged with mucus, he considered removing the mask and dying a peaceful death. Maybe he should, after what he had done. As her mother said, there was only one solution. If he didn't do it, she would be tortured her entire life - free will ripped to shreds in the never-ending pursuit of his pleasure. That wasn't living at all, she had SO much ahead of her and it was just... Gone now. All because she confessed her feelings to him. Why did this exist? Why was he still alive? Why HIM? The sirens grew closer now. God, she was still a virgin too - never enjoyed the embrace of a loving man, or woman. He reluctantly wrapped his large hands around her delicate neck - tears continued to flow down his cheeks. "Faring..."

He couldn't squeeze, he just couldn't. He couldn't even see straight. He gingerly bent down and closed his eyes, placing a delicate kiss on her lips - "I love you too... Faring... Thank you, for everything. I love you..." CRACK!

It was done, he snapped what he assumed was her spinal cord, and instant death. He stretched his arms far to his sides, palms facing upward - rain pelted the window of the penthouse, he hadn't even noticed the darkness of the clouds. Cedric splayed his head high to the ceiling - screaming his rage and pain into the ceiling, eyes still closed and and tears streaming from his face. Just as he did so, the penthouse window shattered, heralding the arrival of the authorities. Wind and rain bellowed into the main floor of the penthouse, the lights shattered and flickered off. It was night already? The brightness of the authority headlights and emergency lights cloaked Cedric as he ripped off his mask and continued to scream.

"Step away! Hands in the air! Do not resist!"

Callouts from armored authorities signaled their disembarkment of their vehicles. Cedric didn't care, they could do what they want. He fell to his hands, then crumpled to his arms. He screamed in sorrow, blanketing the air with a tragic melancholy - a melody of tragedy and loss serenaded the ears of the authorities, piercing them with fear. Cedric felt several sharp stings in his side, but he didn't care - they didn't affect him.

"Taslinks aren't working! Switch to lethal!"

More sharp stings, again with little to no effect.

"LETHALS AREN'T WORKING, RESTRAIN! RESTRAIN! DAMN IT!"

Cedric didn't move, he simply bawled. No control, no restraint. He fell to his side, his melancholic serenade continuing to fill the air as he curled up into the fetal position, his cries of pain and loss bellowed through a grotesque cry. He felt a slight sting in his right arm.

"Need more sedative!" Prick.

"Another!" Prick

"Another?!" This went on for a bit, until he finally fell asleep.