Dangerous loyalty『Tartaglia x MR』

LXI

Sᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ!!

The entire army was dispatched on Diluc's order, his first order was to find any possible side route or entrance to get into the mines without disturbing the already fragile lay line.
While this chaos happened around the area Tartaglia was still in shock...He could only stare at the rocks blocking the way.
"Tartaglia?"Kunikazushi softly calls out but yields no response from the battle-crazed ginger. He was worried beyond belief for the male, though they argued and fought a lot he still cared and valued Tartaglia the most in the Haram. You'd never hear Kuni admit that part but it showed.

Suddenly Capitano rushes over, grabs the ginger by the shoulder, and turns him from the rocks.
"GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!!"As he yells this, Capitano drives his right fist into Childes' face, knocking him down.
"Are you going to stand there in shock all day or are you going to help find the true heart of Snezhnaya!? For someone as obsessed with the prince as you are you surely froze in the face of losing him! Get your shit together."

"Capitano-"

"He's right Scaramouch. Sorry, I blanked like that. What do we need to do?"Kuni and many others smile, glad to have the male back in his right mind.
"I'll return control to you, Tartaglia."

"No, it's your time to shine in this Haram Diluc. Let's save him under your command."It was a rare moment that Tartaglia and Diluc compromised and quickly they got to work.

Meanwhile, M/n travels further into the mines until he stumbles upon a massive open area full of crystal and jade native to Snezhnaya.
"Whoa...this is beautiful. Huh? Is that a bird's nest?"M/n questions aloud with a voice full of confusion. Why would a giant nest be here? He gets a closer look only to realize that it hasn't been touched in a very long time.
"Could this be..."

❝How did you get this far child?❞M/n nearly screamed from the sudden vocalization from behind. He was prepared to explain how and why he was here and ask for help when he took notice of a leaking Layline deposit.
❝I-I got lost...❞M/n turns to face the sounds to see a tall familiar woman and a child version of the original M/n.
"So is this how M/n met Heidi?"

❝Were you abandoned, young one?❞Heidi softly drops down in front of the child, she smiles in such a motherly way that makes M/n feel special.
❝Never, my father loves me this much!❞The small M/n happily spreads his arms out to show the strange woman. He talks in detail about all the things he and his father did together but when Heidi asked about the boy's mother...His sweet smile drops faster than an ice stick. He fiddles with his clothes while staring at his snow boots.
❝I....I think my mother hates me...She doesn't visit me, won't join father and me for meals and whenever I do see her, she would never acknowledge me. I've seen other children with their mothers...They seem to love their children.❞Both M/n and Heidi looked at the youngster with sorrow. Though M/n knew the Tsaritsa held no love for anyone it was still heartbreaking to hear from the then seven-year-old boy.

Wordlessly, Heidi picks the boy up and takes him to her nest, and begins to tell him stories to distract him. Eventually, the small boy fell asleep, happy to be in the grace of a motherly figure for the first time. She kept still as he slept against her and sighed.
❝How could a woman be so cruel to such a sweet soul as this one?❞As she ponders, a voice could be heard, the voice of a man to be exact. Worried, she tucks the boy closer to her being and glares at the entrance as the man stumbles in. His face was riddled with worry and fear but when he sees the sleeping child in the arms of the mysterious woman his fears take control.
❝Archons, please tell me that he isn't-❞

❝The child is alive just sleeping...Who are you?❞

❝I'm King Líf, the father of that child in your arms. We got separated due to a blizzard, I've been looking for him this entire time. Thank you for taking care of him.❞Líf takes a step forward but Heidi takes one back, clutching the sleeping boy, as to keep him away from the worried father.