Heir of the Forgotten

~Arrogant Fae~

There's something to be known about arrogant Fae; they never think.

If arrogant fae would imagine possibilities outside the box, this would have been prevented. Alas, Dorian considered nothing but a standard assassin who wouldn't act in such a crowd. The male did not consider how perfectly laid out the path to track this assassin had been. Dorian had not considered that the assassin would have studied them. There were several carefully planted clues that got ignored along the way. This was a game, and they were the chess pieces moved on the board.

Dorian rushed through the crowd. He shoved and tripped others, trying to chase after the call of his name. He'd lost sight of her quicker than expected.

His heart fell to the bottom of his stomach. Every step he took felt like he was walking on a thin sheet of ice. If he stepped too hard, everything they had been building would crumble.

Dorian has always aided innocent lives while remaining focused on the objective. Yet, right now, he's only thinking about Selene. He's not thinking about the fire or about catching the assassin. He's focused on finding Selene.

He's worried about the wonderful maiden who looked like a gift from the gods.

If he'd just been more aware of their surroundings...

It had taken him no time to find himself trapped within her eyes. Yet he'd lost sight of her in a blink.

He hates how fast his eyes scan every inch of space he can see. He hates how his heart races against his chest.

Finding the assassin should be his top priority. Failure would not be tolerated. Despite that, he rushes through the crowd, searching for her. Unable to hear her any longer, he clenches his hands into fists. He ought to observe the fire situation. He ought to reduce the time spent rushing after her.

No matter how silent it grew, and how the crowd slowly faded and trickled away, he kept searching. His voice grew hoarse by the second. Every call of her name etched into his throat. He did what he could, but nothing helped. There was no response. He called down alleys and through the streets.

As the sky darkened, he still kept his search going. He asked everybody he saw if they'd seen her. He received no answers besides a shake of the head or a mistrusted snarl.

He made his way up the street, then walked back down towards the flames. Even though he knew it was hopeless, he kept calling out for her.

~

Vincent was in a panic for hours. His only friend and the girl were missing. He knew they were out, but Dorian said they would return by the time he'd wrapped things up. Yet, here Vincent was, finished and ready to talk, and surrounded by nothing.

It's a damn good thing he went to help with the massive fire. It's a good thing that he was there to see Dorian dragging closer to the scene.

He'd never seen him like this. In all their years spent side by side, Dorian has always been the stable one. Not once did his mannerisms degrade into a display of weakness.

Vincent had never seen Dorian so... un-captainy. The golden-haired male was always dressed impressively well. Yet, here he was, almost unrecognizable. Those ocean eyes were pools of a brewing storm. His tied-back hair was no longer tied by a ribbon; it lay in a mess of strands by his shoulders. Blood stained his uniform and dripped down his arm, the open wounds still trickling down. Worst of all, his lips parted instead of being set in that straight, unapproachable line.

Though, the most concerning part about his appearance wasn't him. There was somebody missing.

Vincent's chest sank as he stopped mid-sentence, talking to a ginger female. She was a witness, but he couldn't care less about the fire right now. His only friend looked like hell. He rushed towards Dorian just in time to catch the captain from falling to his knees. "Dor?" No response... "Dorian, are you hurt?" Vincent's voice rose an octave and he helped Dorian hobble to sit on one of many blankets laid out.

"I lost her." Dorian's words were haunting. They were so soft that human ears might not have been able to hear him. Vincent may have struggled to hear his whisper, but he could hear every word fluctuate. The words were like shattering glass, chipping and breaking further with every syllable.

Of course, Vincent had already figured out that detail considering the raven-haired girl was nowhere to be seen. Still, it's different hearing it from Dorian. "When, how?" She'd probably already be dead. If that was his goal, she's dead. If their assassin wanted her dead, she'd be dead. These thoughts stay locked inside his brain not to be spoken. He doesn't want to crush Dorian any more than he already is.

"I don't know. I had a tight grip on her hand. People pushed and arrows shot at me, separating us. I couldn't find her." Dorian spat the words out as if saying them made everything real. It's as if he believed he'd wake up and Selene would be okay.

Vincent's hands turned to fists as he cursed. He stared at the buildings singed by flames. "Give me a second." He sighed and headed towards the fae he'd been talking to.

The female did not give the prince an opportunity to ask questions. "Where is she?" Cherry hissed through her fangs.

Vincent tilted his head. Of course, it made sense if Selenetta was connected to their assassin by being one of them. She would have old connections here, forgotten connections but connections none-the-less. "Probably dead. You keep insisting that this wasn't an accident. If you elaborate, I'll get through this and you can head home." He doesn't need to care about the fae in front of him. This tavern is a front for the reason this city became what it is. It's the only good thing to come of this; they can finally uproot this damned operation. Tracing it to the roots won't be difficult.

Cherry's eyes narrowed further as she kicked at his leg. "You lot are all idiots. She's alive. That monster won't kill her. If you can't put two and two together, then you should have tossed in the towel ages ago. You knew coming here was a danger, and yet you brought her here."

Vincent hissed as he took a step back. Vile female. He hates women who kick in heels.

"You really think she's alive?" Dorian's voice carried from where he was sitting. Being fae makes it easy to hear secretive conversations.

Vincent curses lightly to himself as he taps his foot.

Cherry stands up. She doesn't need looking after. Her fae blood will take care of any damages done. "I truly hate royalty. You're so blind to the world. You've seen what he's done, seen the lengths he's gone to. He's made it clear he's been following you every step of the way. He could have taken her out if he'd wanted to." She scoffs, shaking her head.

That's the thing about their assassin. If he'd wanted somebody dead, they would be. He would have had things planned to kill her. They wouldn't have mattered.

"Or instead of being idiots, perhaps you are not as trusted by Seli as you thought." Cherry shrugs, seemingly uncaring. "Though, I doubt that. She likely thought he meant to kill her. She never believed anybody when she was warned about that man. Alexander thinks of her as an object to own. Most humans think that about us. He acts on that impulse, unlike most humans. To him, she's the trophy piece."

"Then we search for her... we find her before she's too far to find." Vincent glances back to Dorian. He's worried about Selene, but... not in the way Dorian is.

It's the first time he's truly noticing how much that female means to Dorian. They started out at each others throats in a way but... Dorian's eyes are too dull for it to be about the mission anymore. There's this off-set in his posture too. Something shifts in Vincent'sstomach chest, like a key fitting perfectly into a lock and opening something that was never meant to open. He swallows thickly as something begins to sink in his stomach. Is this what regret is like? Does he feel bad for not paying attention to his friends obvious infatuation? Does he feel regret for trying to take her from him?

"Fuck, this is going to suck..." He sighs, shaking his head.