Episode 3

Their eyes met and Titen watched the life fade from Tibora's eyes. She had been correct. Felicias's mother had no intention of letting her son live without her. He stayed rooted behind the same pillar from earlier in the day. Refusing to break eye contact until Tibora's life was gone in full. He had known her a short time, but she had proven to be the kind of person Titen had been taught to value. She had seen his plight and taken it from him.

There is a boy by the name of Tibeden in the servants barracks. If for some strange reason I do not return - will you find someone to care for him? She had asked him. Titen thought the woman was being melodramatic. He'd never considered that she was the solution to his very serious problem.

"We must inform the Prince Heir immediately." A maid adjusted her skirts and skitted out of the suite. Suddenly the weight of time fell on Titen. He needed to locate the boy.

Keeping his head down, Titen faded into the shadows of the commotion. When he had made eye contact with Tibora as she lay bleeding out peace had fallen over her eyes. He knew what he must do. Sliding into one of the servant's passages, Titen passed around Evermore's chambers.

"Don't move her body! The Prince Heir will want to see all of this." Solotero's booming voice filled the dark passage and a silent anger took hold of Titen like the demon it was. There was no conceivable reason to leave the bodies of Galora and Tibora for Evermore's fresh gaze other than to punish the Prince Heir worse - to twist him as his father was.

Picking up his pace, Titen dodged maids whisking away to their duties around the palace. He reached the guards entrance and left the passage.

"You!"

Titen stopped prepared to defend himself somehow.

"Were you able to find who you needed?"

"The message was delivered with surety. Thank you for your assistance." Titen nodded his head the way he used to with his pupils. The guard, a boy no older than twenty years of age, nodded quickly, accepting the praise.

The fields around the palace were bustling with activity in preparation for the evening's festivities. Titen did his best to appear inconspicuous. When he reached the servants barracks he stopped in front of one the guards.

"What you want?" The guard growled. He was much older than the officers guarding the back castle entrance, yet he was still younger than Titen.

"My master requires a stable boy, I am here for him."

"You know which one?"

"Yes. He is plain, almost ugly." Titen cringed internally. He knew the truth of Tibora's appearance, but something about describing her that way made him feel as if he were disrespecting her newly deceased self.

"Skinny, like a rat - eh?" The officer nudged his partner who then disappeared into the barracks. The second officer emerged with a thin boy about Felicias's age - possibly younger, Titen couldn't tell. It had been so long since he'd been around Common children, he had forgotten their aging process.

"Tibeden?" Titen waited and the boy nodded. "Come, your mother has found you work." Titen expected the child to protest or demand evidence - instead Tibeden's eyes lit up and he straightened his posture.

"Yes...sir." He took extra effort to speak properly and lifted his chin proudly. "I...am..ready to worken- work!" Tibenden adjusted his tattered clothing. He was no wider than Titen's thigh.

"Follow."

Tibeden stayed on Titen's heel as the left the castle grounds. He lead Tibeden right out of the neighborhood known as King's Shadow and into the shopping district. A commotion behind them had Titen yanking Tibeden behind a stall. He slipped several coins into the stall keepers hand and waited.

"You!" An imperial soldier pulled the shop keeper by their neck. "Have you seen a man traveling with a young boy?"

"Uhm..." The shopkeeper cleared his throat. "That is a very vague description. Do you have any other details?"

"They're Commoners."

"I will keep an eye out." The shopkeeper promised.

"Send word to the palace post haste." The imperial soldier released the shopkeeper and disappeared within the crowd.

"We will be sending in an order for goods on the morrow." Titen promised, pulling Tibenden closer to him.

"A substantial order?" The shopkeeper rubbed his bruising throat.

"Ay." Grabbing Tibeden by the scruff of his shirt, Titen pulled him into an alleyway and continued to make his way towards his Master's house.

"Sir..." Tibeden tugged on Titen's sleeve. "Is... are... the imperial soldiers... is they..." The boy struggled with propriety.

"Are they looking for us?" Titen spared him the grammatical struggle. Tibeden nodded solemnly.

"Ay. They are." The sound of heavy footsteps had Titen shoving Tibeden behind a waste basket. "Stay there. Stay silent." The boy covered his mouth with both hands.

Three imperial soldiers marched down the alleyway in a triangle formation. The leader spotted Titen and quickened his pace.

"Pardon, My Lord." The imperial soldier bowed. Cringing internally, Titen swallowed. The imperial soldiers - notorious for their cruelty - had mistaken him for an imperial citizen.

"I am no Lord... I am but a servant to my master." Titen bowed deeply, his forehead a breath away from gravel.

"What servant dresses so finely?" One of the soldiers planted his foot on Titen's back. Inhaling deeply, Titen tried his best not to react negatively. He thought of Tibeden and Felicias, two children whose well being rested on his shoulders, much like the soldier's heel. "Remove your coat." Titen tried to stand to comply, but the soldier placed more weight on his foot. "I said remove your coat."

"Looks as if this servant doesn't know his place, Yid." One of the other soldiers spoke up. "Mayhap we should teach him."

Before Titen could react, Tibeden squeaked drawing their attention.

"You think that's the boy they're searching for?" The third soldier advanced on Tibeden.

Twisting the upper half of his body, Titen grabbed the foot from his back and pulled. The soldier flipped and landed on his hands and unrestrained knee.

"I'm afraid I am on a time constraint and my master will not appreciate my tardiness." Drawing his left leg up at an angle Titen, brought it down on the soldier's groin. He heard a loud pop, a sure indication that he had dislocated the leg he still held.

"You piece of filth!" The third soldier spit in Titen's face, his own turning purple with rage. He reached for his sword and unsheathed it. As he prepared to swing, the second soldier unsheathed his own sword. Both soldiers brought their swords down on Titen at different angles.

Dropping the foot he was holding Titen twisted, barely missing both blades. He lost his balance for a moment before striking out with both arms to hit each of his attackers. The soldiers stepped back to regain their footing and Titen sighed. He was nowhere as effective as he used to be. Making a mental note to train more, he prepared himself for another attack.

. "This is not an encounter I would recommend. Be gone: I must return to my master." Titen held his pose, his abs burning from their lack of use. His calves pulled tight with strain.

"You will suffer and I will watch." The third soldier lifted Yid off the ground and the three imperialists left the alleyway.

"Tibeden?"

"Apologies, Sir." Tibeden was weeping. "I was'n't silent."

"Dry your eyes, Tibeden, we must hurry to my master's home."

"Sir -" Tibeden wove his fingers together, his face twisting with pain. "My mother - she will not be commin'en fur me?"

"No." Titen held his breath as he waited for the boy to breakdown.

"Ever again?" Tibeden lift his head, looking Titen Moore in the eyes for the first time. Tibora's own reflected in them.

"No."

Tibeden's hands shook as he was suddenly unsure of where to put them. Settling on clasping them together, he squeezed them until they were white. Titen reached out to comfort the boy, but Tibeden pulled back. Squaring his shoulders back, Tibeden lifted his chin and adjusted his stance. "I understand."

For a split second The Commons rushed upon Titen in a wave threatening to drown him. His own mother passing him to another servant, who was busy caking black ink into Titen's hair.

"Be strong. Do you understand?" She reached out to hold his face between her hands. "Be a Moore." She kissed his nose before disappearing into the woods leading to the Sunlands. Her bright red hair swallowed by the darkness.

"Hurry." Titen pulled Tibeden so that they could continue on their way home.

***

Evermore adjusted his robes out of boredom as each family was presented to him and The Emperor. He had not wanted to leave Silver alone, but The Lady Empress had insisted he attend the festivities. He had instructed the guards to keep all outsiders away from his room. They had yet to fail him.

So far nothing about the presentation of families stood out to Evermore. Each family stood in a row presenting their surviving children. Each child seemed to be around the age of Kuvial. A shard of grief pierced Evermore. The Prince looked up at the decorated ceiling to mask any expression fighting to expose him.

The scene painted was of two men clashing swords. One was obviously one of Evermore's ancestors. The warrior was dressed in heavy armour, his black hair escaping his helmet; grey eyes determined and focused. His mouth was set in a grim line, pulled tight at his cheeks. Surprised at the detail in the mural, Evermore traced the chipped blade to the thin sword it held at bay. The enemy wore brown leather armour, his red hair loose around his shoulders. His green eyes shone brightly and his mouth filled with unheard laughter.

All his life, Evermore had only ever glanced at the mural, assuming it was a snapshot of some battle his ancestor Vslag had fought in. Instead it was a still shot of a friendly spar. The mural had been painted when the castle had been built. The longer Evermore stared at the offender, the more he saw Titen Moore's face.

"Highness?" The Lady Empress called to him, her tone mocking. Her dark brown hair had been twisted to resemble a bouquet of flowers. She had opted out of her usual veil, something that Evermore debated on questioning.

"Lady Empress," Evermore nodded his head in acknowledgment and turned his eyes back to the crowd. He scanned it, searching for Titen. Evermore would gamble his life that it was his teacher in the survivor's portrait. There was no way he had been mistaken. He could never forget the face of the man who had practically raised him.

Evermore examined each butler closely and found them all to be malnourished and slightly unkempt in one way or another. Titen would never allow that.

Once, there had been an assassin in the castle, just before sunrise. A maid had managed to ring a bell that connected to all the rooms in the palace to alert everyone before the assassin had murdered her. Evermore remembered everyone running around, half dressed, trying to protect the royal family. Titen had appeared from the shadows, fully dressed, not a single hair out of place. He'd fought off the assassins and single handedly killed their leader without breaking a sweat. Evermore had been younger than the deceased Kuvial at the time. Titen had become a god-like figure to him.

"My Prince, if your mind continues to wander our citizens may suspect you of madness." The Lady Empress whispered loudly. The crowd shifted uncomfortably as wagging tongues repeated her whisper like a tide of personal destruction.

"I seem to be distracted by failure." Evermore retorted, resting his chin on a closed fist. He trained his eyes on the surviving court children.

"Failure?" His stepmother accepted the bait and smiled cruelly. "Whose failure?"

"The children of the court." It wasn't until the words left his mouth that Evermore found them to be true. He was angry. At his very core, he felt an anger so potent in his own grief that he could not act on it. The survivor's of Takturn shuffled nervously. Except one.

"Any children in particular? Perhaps, our young cousin." The Lady Empress gestured to the only child not quaking under Evermore's appraisal.

"Cousin?" Standing behind the boy was Evermore's cousin Captain Murinach Rotan, grandson of the previous emperor. Next to Murinach stood his step-sister, the vapid Leetha. There was no way Evermore missed the scandal her pregnancy would have caused. No. The boy was not her son. He could see it in the way her finger dug into the child's shoulder.

Something about the trio bothered Evermore. It wasn't the inappropriate lack of distance between Murinach and his step-sister. Nor was it the underlying violence Leetha held for the boy under her hand. Evermore couldn't place his finger on it.

The boy had to be Murinach's son. His hair was imperial black, his eyes the imperial grey. His skin was flawless and his jawline was sharp and even. His mouth was a thin bloodless line, curved down where lips met cheek. His eyes though, were calm, the skin around them smooth, unmarred in a sort of calm acceptance - acceptance of what..?

Evermore made eye contact with the child. The boy's eye widened for a moment before returning to an expression of resolution. Murinach's son shifted so that he stood closer to his father and Evermore saw that the boy's hair was darker than his cousin's.

"Impossible." The word escaped Evermore's mouth before he could process his own thoughts.

"What, my love?" The Lady Empress puffed her chest, pleased about something. "What is impossible."

Before Evermore could form an answer he noticed one of his personal maids hovering just out of the crowd's sight. The girl's face was splotchy and she was sweating. He had assigned her to care for Silver while he was away.

"What is impossible?" The Lady Empress persisted, her voice rising.

Ignoring his step-mother, Evermore motioned for his maid to approach him. The girl hesitated before scurrying up the steps to his throne. She swallowed several times as she kneeled in front of the prince.

"What is it?" Evermore tried to listen as the maids lips moved, but no sound escaped them. Tears began falling from her eyes and she shook violently. Dread fell over Evermore, but he shook it off. Sliding off of his throne chair ,Evermore leaned close to the maid.

"....dead.... I dunno how... I dunno why... she's dead. The miss Galora..."

"Galora?"

"His highness's companion." The maid clarified.

"Silver is dead." Evermore clarified, his heart rate rising, cold encompassing his body. The maid appeared confused for a moment before nodding her head. "No. What of my guards?"

"I ... dunno... I was... she requested a glass of water..."

Evermore's pulse pounded in his ears as panic filled him. Striking the maid, Evermore ignored her body tumbling down the steps and rushed out of the receiving room.

"EVERMORE!" The Lady Empress shouted after him, but he would deal with her later. The doors shut behind him, but it wasn't enough. He'd been careful, his guards had never failed him before.

He wasn't moving fast enough. Breaking decorum Evermore ran to his suites, ignoring the gasps of the elite as he made his way. The Prince Heir had to stop, a crowd blocked his path to his own bedchamber.

"Move!" He ordered nearly out of breath, the weight of his robes slowing him down. "MOVE! I SAID MOVE!" The castle workers parted and he rushed forth. Before he could kneel next to his beloved Silver, Solotero stepped out.

"Your Highness." Solotero bowed dramatically, blocking Evermore's view. "It would appear that a terrible tragedy has occurred." The Sunla suppressed a grin and licked his lips. "An act of jealousy, perhaps?"

"Move." Evermore commanded. He had no patience for Solotero's games. His father's right hand smiled dangerously and moved aside as if presenting a gift.

Evermore's heart jumped into his throat and gripped him. The upper half of Silver's naked body lay on his bed, blood staining the white sheets. Her eyes were open in shock, one hand gripping her throat, the other grazing the floor. At her feet lay another woman, dressed as a Lady's Maid. A shard of porcelain protruded from her breast. Her expression was peaceful, as if she had come to some sort of hallelujah.

"What happened?"

"You guards heard a shout and came to investigate." Solotero placed a hand on Evermore's back and the prince moved away. "The Lady's maid killed herself before they could stop her. Such utter failure."

"How did she get in here?"

"They assumed you sent her." Solotero's smile widened. "I've had them taken into custody. They will be punished for their incompetence." His father's assistant clapped his hands. "Clear this mess and dispose of the bodies."

"No!" Evermore rushed to Silver's side. "No. This isn't finished."

"Pardon?"

"Wherever this one is from - they will pay reparations for producing a traitor to the crown."

"You want them to suffer for treason?" The Sunla raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"I want them to suffer." Evermore lifted Silver into his arms, her blood covering his silken robes. "As I am."

"I was informed that the woman had a son."

"Bring him to me."

"As you wish." Solotero faded out of the room radiating satisfaction.

The Prince Heir held his companion close, cradling her dead body, holding her cold hand to his cheek. "We will kill them all."