Redemption

Chapter Four

Alistair's lips parted slightly in shock. The Aesin not only wasn't going to kill him, as was his full right; he was going to help him. He was going to help a Vitris reclaim his throne. There was no way that this could be real, this had to be some deranged fever-induced dream that he was suffering from. Surely he was still asleep, tossing and turning in those furs by the fire. But he was very much awake.

Niko glanced at Alistair again and sighed. He understood what Isa had said, and now that she seemed content, he was thinking quietly to himself. He went to sit down by the window. He was honor bound to keep his word and he had no idea how they were going to achieve this...dream like redemption. He'd assumed that other Aesin had to have escaped, their city wasn't the only one of their people but he'd heard that the Aesin had summarily been hunted down. He'd also assumed the only reason for his own survival was because of his father's tenacity and willingness to live in the middle of the frozen wastes of the northern tundra. But all those things...any logical Aesin could have done. Perhaps there were others, even further north than himself, living along the Icy coast, battling the harsh winds to survive. Aesin were fighters, they were more than willing to suffer minor discomforts to stay alive; it wasn't all that hard to fathom.

The more he thought about it, the more hopeful he became. What would it be like to see his own people after so many years? And then it hit him. His father had been their chieftain, in Vitris terms...that made him a type of king. Niko swallowed. Him? A King? That was...difficult to imagine.

Alistair saw the emotions traveling across Niko's face and while he felt compelled to try and console him, he also knew the last person he would want comfort from would be a Vitris. He couldn't blame him either, everyone had known that the slaughter was wrong...but Alistair had the unique guilt of not only knowing how wrong it had been but being the direct cause as well. If he'd never gotten sick from those mages...none of this would have happened. Niko would still have a father, a family...a clan.

Isa looked over at Alistair and knew he suffered as much as Niko. His guilt was near to crippling. While it was a good experience to humble him, he couldn't wallow in it forever. After all, he might have been the incentive to give the order, but he wasn't the man who had made him sick in the first place. The blame lied solely with Ferrin Stormbrew.

The men kneeling at the throne with heads bowed would not look up. Ferrin paced angrily, his footsteps ticking along the marble floor as he seethed. His power crackled around him and he looked over at the Queen, sitting there on her throne, head held high; she was a stubborn bitch, this one.

"I gave very clear orders." Ferrin snarled and looked at the men in supplication before him and made a disgusted sound, "And you tell me, your men have not returned? IT'S BEEN THREE DAYS!!!"

"My lord...your orders were very clear, but...Please sir, the prince is very skilled with magic. Our familiars have scouted the area and he's gone so far north that they can go no further. The did however...find four horses wandering around the mountain range near the northern pass...they were wearing royal guard saddles." The captain spoke softly, his head still bowed, eyes still glued to the floor.

Ferrin looked at him and scoffed, "Then they are dead. That child of a man might not be fit for a king, but he is a powerful mage. Send more after him."

"Forgive me, but our men are not equipped to handle the northern territories. Most of them will die of exposure before finding -."

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE?! Send them with furs, with blankets and provisions! Hire bounty hunters, I don't care what you must do, you will find Alistair and you will bring him to me, ALIVE. I have to be the one to kill him." Ferrin screamed at them, his chest heaving. This plan was supposed to work, damn it! It was supposed to be a simple snatch and grab! But now Alistair had fled.