I nearly frown at the thought that has hit me.

Children will always be political tools, both as 'hostages' and as marriage partners.

There is hardly something more valuable to someone than their child. At least, it is supposed to be that way.

If my suspicions are right... then... this is a tremendous crime...

I was hoping to just watch the scene quietly and have a moment of calm... so why was I now faced with this sort of situation?

"W-why are you here?" Soleil's voice was panicked.

I raise an eyebrow and pull away from my own thoughts.

"I suppose, as added value, or because I witnessed the kidnapping?" I offered up as suggestions.

The pale Soleil looked faint.

"The future queen has been kidnapped as well... I..."

Ah... his mind went blank...

He give a firm nod and then looks to Claire.

"When they check on us I will make a distraction. You must get Lily out of here."

Ara?

Claire's eyes fill with worry and momentary pain... and then she nods determinedly...

The sacrifice she was so against a moment ago was accepted in an instant...

...

..

.

Both of you... stop... of all the people in this room, the two of you needs to get out of here the most. One is hurt and neither can use magic. I may currently be Alstair's fiancé but-

"I understand. I will protect her," our beloved Heroine declares bravely... I am not sure whether or not my presence boosted or ruined the event.

I give an inner sigh.

Either way, a guard was supposed to check up on us quite soon. According to the novel, Soleil charges at the guy and knocks him over. Just barely getting them time enough to run away, after stealing the keys to the handcuffs.

With the handcuffs off Claire heals Soleil, and everything ends happily with them returning to the academy.

Now, you may have wondered why I haven't healed him even though I can use magic... but as long as he isn't in danger of dying I'll need to keep the secret that I can use healing magic. Healing magic is 'Augustus's' thing, and something I've been forbidden from using.

This way Claire also proves herself in a risky situation... though the Claire in this one is... visibly less... shaken than the one in the book.

—-*—-

The door clicks open, and as in the story the reckless and injured Soleil charges at the guard... but the guard lowers his stance like a sumo wrestler and catches the weakened Soleil easily and swings him down to the side, practically throwing Soleil on the ground, and then pins him down...

We should have run now... but we can't...

The guard brought backup.

Two extra guys staring us down for a moment.

I don't think Claire has noticed, but the sight of what just happened makes me glance around the room. The one Soleil tackled was ready for it, so they may have been listening outside the window... it was a lot of effort to make over two ladies and an injured young man.

"He's feisty, as expected. I was certain we'd knocked him about enough to prevent him from moving."

The words that slipped from the lips of the guy now on top of Soleil were unexpected. Soleil wasn't known for bravery or stubbornness.

The focus of the other two then turn to Claire.

"Claire Talwen. Our king wants to talk with you," he speaks calm and collected.

Claire herself grips her skirt for a moment and presses her lips together as she hears the grunts of pain from Soleil...

"Just me?"

She stares back at them defiantly.

"Just you," one of our kidnappers confirm.

"...What about the other two?"

She glares momentarily at the back of the guy holding Soleil down in the dirty and sandy ground.

"We will leave them here with the door left open. They can return any time."

...

Claire fell, hook line and sinker for their offer. Her life for ours, is what she thought. It was reasonable to think so, but this would not do. Claire belongs here.

I step out in front of Claire and then up towards them. I am taller than Claire, but I suppose, still quite small and girly in comparison to them.

Both of them just glare at me like they're preparing for a scolding... of course I don't intend to scold them.

Without warning I reach for the collar of the left guy and with a swing of my body brings my back foot between his as I pull and grasp his arm as well.

I send him flying over my hip, head first.

Meanwhile the other guy is brandishing a dagger, only to be interrupted by Claire tackling him as recklessly as Soleil did, even letting out a small kiai of her own to mimic the one I let out without thinking...

The situation in changing in moments, and the guy on top of Soleil instantly realizes that I am probably the biggest threat, and let's go of Soleil to pull out a knife and charge at me, only to nearly stumble as Soleil grasps at his heel...

And in that instant I grasp a knife from the guy I tossed, and pierce Soleil's target in the throat without hesitance. Knives are not my strong suit at all, but people are quite easy to hit when they have been knocked down, especially face down like this.

I waste no time in taking Claire's guy by the head, when a burning singe of pain goes through my back... but if we want to live then I have no choice but to grit my teeth and fight through it.

I force Claire's guy's head down into the ground.

"Claire!"

I don't care what she does as long as she just makes sure that he doesn't move.

"I know!" She screams back and... she pulls off her ribbon and puts it around his throat with her knee against the back of his neck...

...

Who taught her that?! Gil!

Another singe of pain goes through me, but relieves with the sound of a weak roar from Soleil that charges the other guy and tries to choke him out.

I can't be both places at once, so I let Claire take care of the guy she is choking out, and turn to the guy Soleil is trying to pin. I stab the enemy's wrist to the ground and pin the arm down with my weight as I try to force the knife from his hand.

This guy is harder to deal with, or so I thought. He was face up after all.

With a 'kyah', I realize that Claire's target is getting up on all fours. You have got to be kidding me!

I grab the knife and stab it into the hand of the guy below me, this time just cutting the muscles in the hand. Without a thumb he won't be holding the knife.

I hand it to Soleil and hope things don't go south as I crawl to Claire and pull her target's leg back with enough force to make both of them fall over to the slowly reddening dirt.

I jump in for the kill and force the knife into his chest, prepared for yet another knife in my back...

But it doesn't come...

Claire is gripping his armed hand tightly, and though losing she is putting up enough force to keep him from stabbing me.

I remove the knife, and flinch at the feeling of fresh warm blood splatting up onto my face and body. He will bleed out now, but as a just in case I move in for the throat this time. I can't waste the moment Claire bought me...

By the time I pull back a stand of my hair drips from the red liquid. I prefer a sword any day.

I turn around toward Soleil and find him panting on the ground next to the corpse of the other guy.

Claire is checking my back in a panic, but as I brush her off she rushes to Soleil...

The keys were not on the guard...

They were hidden nearby in a satchel instead which had been hidden behind some boxes... I can't help but to think that they hid them on purpose...

We grabbed what weapons we could and made our way back towards the inner city... perhaps the blood soaked appearance I had scared off the thieves and lowlife... because we got to leave relatively undisturbed...

By the time we found the Celeste troops, all I could think about was Soleil's family situation, and a bath... drying blood on your skin is a horrible feeling... the itchy feeling seems to stick...

I noticed Claire's glances of admiration... but I was not in the mood to deal with it...

If I hadn't stepped in, they would have left us to the bandits and had us killed... but why would they kidnap Soleil and then discard him without reason?