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Regan's eyes widened at the sight. It was Iris, holding a bat in her hand, her expression a mix of determination and fear.

She couldn't make sense of it. Had Iris escaped the dungeon? But how? Sirius's dungeons were highly secured. And how did Iris make it till there without getting caught? She had expected to see her in a worse state too, knowing how the punishments worked. But she was glad Iris looked fine.

"Iris! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed, her voice a mixture of relief and confusion.

Iris's eyes widened in surprise as she saw Regan standing there, her expression mirroring the same confusion and relief. "Cornelia!" she said and ran over to Regan, dropping the bat as she embraced her friend tightly. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Regan hugged Iris back just as fiercely, feeling a surge of relief flood through her at the sight of her friend. "I thought the same about you," she admitted, her voice trembling with emotion.

Regan pulled back slightly, her eyes searching Iris's face, "How did you escape? Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine. As for escaping....general Igor helped me. And I've been running and hiding for hours and now this stupid maid was going to rat me out," Iris explained, her voice shaking slightly.

Regan's eyebrows furrowed, "General Igor? Who's that?"

"It's-its the general from the south."

Regan's eyes widened at Iris's response. General from the South? But he was their enemy, he had tried to kill them and he shot Raven. He worked for Sirius. How could've he helped her?

"Iris, what are you saying?" she asked incrediously, "he wanted to kill us all! He's Sirius's general!"

Iris bit her lip, her expression restless. "I know, I know. But it's a long story. I'll tell you later, after we get the hell out of here!" she urged and took Regan's hand, dragging her out of the laundry room, leaving the maid unconscious.

Regan was bewildered but quickly stopped in her tracks, "Iris, wait! We can't just escape like this, the castle is full of guards and I don't want you to get caught again."

"But we have to escape," Iris retorted, her voice barely above a whisper. "There's no time to waste, Cornelia. Come!"

"You don't know the way!" Regan snapped, "you don't want to drag us to wolf's den, do you? Now follow me."

Regan led Iris to an opposite direction, so that they'd be as far as possible from Sirius's quarters. But the fact that it was day wasn't helping. The hallways weren't dark and Regan's heart was pounding crazily. She didn't know if she wanted to escape, but she had to get Iris out of here. But then she remembered, what about the others?

"What about the others?"

"They've already escaped," Iris replied, "all in due to general Igor's help."

"And why you're still here then?"

"Because I...I got caught in some trouble and I ended up here."

"And they left you behind?" Regan asked, her tone already accusing.

"No, they didn't know," Iris replied quickly. "Now, let's not waste time. Where will we go?"

Regan didn't know where they'd go. It was daytime and it was scary to wander around like that. She thought once to hide Iris in her room and wait until night fell, but that'd take time. So the last opinion was the garden.

"Garden."

Iris nodded and followed Regan to the way. Regan didn't really remember where it was, she just knew it was on the first floor and remember the patterns of the doors. They cautiously made it to the first floor, the whole time holding their breath. As they reached the bottom, a guard appeared from nowhere and Iris hid behind the stairs. The guard saw Regan but didn't say anything to her and continued to do his job.

After that, the girls began their mission once more. The hallways were tricky and deceiving, sometimes leading to dead ends. Regan's mind was swirling with worry. Sirius wasn't the only one that lived there, there lived the witches and if one of them saw them, the girls were doomed. She prayed they wouldn't appear.

"So where's the garden?" Iris whispered.

"It should be around here," Regan replied.

However, as they rounded a corner, their hearts skipped a beat. There was Vesper, talking to a maid in a low voice.

"I want this done as soon as possible!" she hissed, "Do you understand?! That time, I want no problems."

"Y-yes, my lady. I made sure of it. I sent the servant and we followed your instructions. B-but what if h-he finds out? He's g-going to kill us all," the maid stuttered.

"I don't give a fuck. If you collect yourself and stop acting suspiciously, no one is going to find out. Now, let's just wait until the scarface dies and we get rid of her once and forever."

Regan's heart skipped a beat. Was she talking about her? About poisoning her? But she had no time to think about it now. Iris was here, and they were in a mission of escaping.

But she hated Vesper with every fiber of her being.

Iris dragged her by the sleeve and pulled them behind a column as Vesper turned to the other side. 

"Is that his lover?" she asked, her eyes wide. "She's going to kill someone?!"

Regan's face twisted into a scowl, not fathoming how Iris had the nerve to talk about that matter when they were in the position of getting caught. She didn't answer at all, but dragged Iris to another turn. 

Finally, that turn wasn't a dead end for them. At the end of the hallway lay the doors to the garden. Regan hoped they were the same doors to the garden she had been before.

"Oh God," Iris whispered. "Are these the right doors?"

"I hope so," Regan whispered to herself.

When the reached the doors, Regan pushed them open slowly, letting the sunlight creep inside the hallway. It revealed the garden she was as fond as she was infuriated of. Iris marveled at the sight, but they had no time for that.

The guards were everywhere and they couldn't just pass the garden and make it to the gate.

"Damnit, now what?" Iris muttered.

"Maybe I distract them," Regan suggested, "and you can go forward, wait for me hidden somewhere near the gate. Or just somewhere with no guards."

"And how will you find me?" Iris retorted, "This place is like a maze."

Yes, it was indeed a maze. A maze of toxic red roses, red roses that made Regan's mind spin with hatred for Sirius and for his roses.

"Just wait near the end. I'll find you."

Iris watched her for a moment and then reluctantly nodded. Regan stepped forward, her mind racing with a plan. The garden was quiet, with the guards staying on the sides, their expression rigid. She didn't know how to distract them. If she did some fire trick, it'd probably attract attention and if Sirius found out of that, he'd know Regan was involved.

But she didn't have any better choice. Even if he found out, she wasn't going to reveal anything about Iris.

So, Regan hid behind a column and called a spark of flame on her hands. She aimed to throw it far at some shrubs, where it'd surely create diversion.

She didn't expect the flames to reach the bushes, but it didn't matter. As the spark flew through the air, it landed on the sleeve of a guard's uniform. Screams echoed through the garden as the guard flailed his arms, his shouts drawing the attention of the other guards.

Regan took the opportunity to tell Iris to move forward and Iris sprinted deep in the garden, losing from Regan's sight. Regan made sure that the guards weren't paying attention but then one of them yelled.

"We have an intruder! She's hiding somewhere in the garden!"

Regan felt her heart race as she ducked behind a large shrub, her breath coming out in ragged gasps. She couldn't see Iris at all, but hoped she'd make it to the gate.

The guards had their weapons drawn, scouring the garden for any sign of an intruder. The sun beat down on Regan as she tried to remain still, hidden behind the shrub. She could hear the guards shouting to each other, their voices growing more frantic with every passing moment.

"Hey, kitten," a voice whispered in her ear, making Regan jump. She turned her head, seeing that it was the bastard named Sirius.

Great.

"What were you doing?" Sirius asked, his husky voice tinged with amusement, "Striking guards?"

"Yes," Regan snapped, her heart still racing from the close call. She couldn't believe he was here. But if she made it clear that there wasn't an intruder, maybe Iris would have it easier to escape.

"And why did you do that?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. His voice was low and calm, but there was an undercurrent of danger to it.

"Because they....they weren't letting me walk around," Regan said, trying to sound convincing. But she couldn't look at his eyes, because he was closer than she liked and she was embarrased.

"And why would you walk around?" Sirius asked, curiosity getting the better of him. "You've never liked my garden. Or....have you?"

Regan stood up, trying to get as far away from Sirius as she could, but there was nowhere to go. The shrubs were close together, and the guards were still searching for Iris. She had to stall, buy time for Iris to escape.

"No, I don't like it. But I needed air, you know, to breathe," Regan said through gritted teeth. She was trying to keep her composure, but Sirius was standing so close to her, his presence unsettling.

Sirius tilted his head, studying her for a moment. But then, he called out to the guards, telling them there was no intruder, and they could return to their posts. The guards looked confused, but then obeyed, returning to their positions.

Regan felt a wave of relief wash over her. At last now they wouldn't search relentlessly for Iris. But she wanted to escape too. She couldn't bear Sirius anymore, she wanted to get as far as possible from him.

So, she tried to go past him but he grabbed her arm, holding her in place, "Where do you think you're going, little kitten?" he asked, his voice low and husky. Regan struggled against his grip, but it was no use.

"I'm not a little kitten," she hissed, trying to pull her arm free from his grip. "And I'm going inside."

He didn't release her at all, and started to lead her deeper in the garden. Regan glanced around, searching for any trace of Iris, but she was nowhere. Now with him there, Regan wasn't going to have it easy to escape.

But then, she thought something. What if she manipulated him? But he was cunning and smart as a fox. But what if he bought her act?

He led her over to a secluded part of the garden, where there was a small wooden table set with food and drinks. The birds chirped on their melodic sound and the roses were less dense. 

Regan realized she was hungry, but she couldn't bring herself to accept she was on his mercy. And she couldn't bring herself either to manipulate him. But maybe she could stay silent and then ask him to....to....she didn't know what. She had to find Iris first.

Sirius eyed her suspiciously as she sat down on the chair. He hadn't expected her to comply so easily, but he wasn't going to believe she had suddenly become cooperative. He knew her too well for that.

He sat down opposite her, his gaze never leaving hers. Regan tried to maintain a calm facade, but her mind was racing with fear and frustration. She was warily glancing around, trying not to be noticed by Sirius. But he of course was noticing it.

"Now eat," Sirius said, gesturing to the food on the table. Regan forced herself not to argue and started to eat. She was hungry, but she didn't want to make it seem like she was enjoying his food. 

He stared at her weirdly as if trying to figure out what she was thinking. Regan kept her gaze fixed on her plate, not daring to meet his eyes. She felt his scrutiny like a weight on her shoulders, suffocating her.

So then he tried not to stare at her that much, at least try not make her more uncomfortable with his hawk-like gaze.

Just as she thought she'd calm down a little, she felt something hug her feet and she jumped from her chair, letting out a startled cry. It was just a small creature, one that made her immediately remember her pet, Ruby, who she had kept times ago. She felt a pang of longing. It looked like Ruby's breed, but the appearance was different.

Sirius laughed at her reaction, his eyes shining with amusement as he watched her. "It's just my little friend," he said, his laughter subsiding into a smirk and he reached down to stroke the odd creature. "No need to be afraid."

Regan's heart pounded in her chest and then she sat back on the chair, feeling like a fool for reacting like that, "What are these?" she asked, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

"It's a half breed," Sirius said casually, his eyes still on the creature. "A rabbit and a dragon. Their breed is called 'lolicorn'. They live around the garden and they're harmless."

Regan's mind raced with confusion, "You keep animals as pets?"

"Just this one," he answered, "I call him Zebo." He held out his hand and the creature jumped into his lap, looking at Regan with curiosity.

"Zebo? He's not a dog," Regan quipped, trying to keep the conversation light despite the tension in the air. However she still couldn't shake Ruby out of her mind.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked as he noticed her sudden shift.

"I've kept a pet like that before," Regan answered, not looking at him, "I called her Ruby, but when I tried to escape, she left and I didn't find her again.

"You think I didn't know?" Sirius's voice was softer, with a hint of sadness in it. "I knew you had a pet in your room. You kept it hidden quite well."

Regan's eyes snapped to his

, surprised. "How did you know?"

Sirius chuckled, his eyes lingering on her, "You're my enemy, I've watched you, my dear. So, tell me. What were you really doing out here?"