Virgil sighed as he waited outside Markus's study. His grandfather wanted a word with him. The prince had a feeling this was due to him skipping Ira's class again, but one could never be sure when every single thing you do is questioned and could get you yelled at. Quintin was standing a few feet away, watching Virgil like a hawk. The guard hadn't appreciated Virgil's latest disappearing act (one he had done without Logan this time) and didn't seem all too ready to let Virgil give the trick another go.

He walked across the hall to the other wall to take a look out the window. From here he had a decent enough view of some of the soldiers and guards going about their training. Logan had now been roped into this as well. Something had seemed to trigger Tafe to get upset about how Logan couldn't use a sword, or an ax, or a mace, or literally any weapon other than his magic. So, now the poor wizard was forced to endure several hours of 'training' to get him caught up to where Virgil was.

Neither of Virgil or Logan thought this would be possible considering just how long Virgil had been training compared to Logan and just how bad Logan was at... whatever he was doing. Virgil watched his friend get shoved to the ground by the end of another's wooden sword and get up tiredly before being forced to start again.

"You got it, Logan!" A voice shouted from afar and above, no doubt Roman too had been spying on the other wizards training from the small window in his prison. Virgil was honestly surprised Tafe had let the soldiers train there, to be honest, or maybe it was to deter them or something like that.

"Yeah!" Remus's voice came, that was a little more surprising. "Kick his ass!" Virgil couldn't help but smile slightly, he swore he could hear Patton telling Remus off for swearing, "-No wait not literally!" Remus shouted.

He laughed again as he watched Logan panic slightly as the guard who had been working with him yelled at him and pointed up at where the prison tower was before pointing somewhere else. Logan seemed to groan as he dropped his sword and started to run laps around the castle, Franklin following. But neither Virgil nor the princes in the tower above missed the teasing remark he signed to the Light Realm princes (Roman in particular) who had gotten him in trouble.

"Virgil," Markus's voice said from behind him, Virgil frowned again. He hadn't even noticed the study door opening, and he turned to face his grandfather who gestured for him to enter the room.

He did as he was told, falling back into one of the chairs sitting in front of the dark wooden desk. He glanced around the room, he hadn't been in here to much yet. Whenever his grandfather wanted to 'catch up' he usually had to sit with him in one of the lounges or go on a walk with him or something. (Another sign that this would not be a 'light-hearted' conversation).

The office was decently sized, several bookcases lined the walls, the shelves of which were filled with books so old they seemed to be rotting and trinkets that Virgil personally found stupid. A few paintings had been hung up as well, again, they were either stupid or old or both. The desk had a stack of papers sitting on it neatly, which Markus was now putting away just as neatly into one of his desk drawers. So that's where Janus got his neat freakiness from (because heaven knows he didn't get it from their father or mother) maybe that's something to keep to himself, Janus probably wouldn't appreciate Virgil telling him about all the traits he'd gained from their kidnapper/grandfather.

However, the item that caught his eye the best was how his sword hung above the window. He sat up straight and at the edge of his seat at the sight of it, and stared at it for a moment. "What's wrong with you?" Markus asked with an almost amused smile. Virgil pointed to his sword, "Oh, do you like it there? I wanted it in the throne room, but Kieran threw a fit, so here it is."

Virgil growled as he forced himself to lean back in his seat. So his grandfather wasn't even going to use the sword? He was just going to use it as a stupid decoration? If only Dad could see this, he'd be so mad. Virgil's dad hated using real swords as decoration, he thought it was stupid and Virgil was inclined to agree. The king had carried that sword everywhere and had used it on more the one occasion, it protected him to his dying breath. And now, his stupid grandpa was treating it like some novelty toy.

That was his sword. Virgil's sword. Dee gave it to him. And his grandpa just took it from him.

'What do you want?' Virgil signed.

Markus raised an eyebrow before nodding and opened his desk drawer, taking out a pen and several sheets of paper before placing them in front of Virgil, "I can't understand you when you do that. And I'm not bringing in a translator again, you either speak or you write. Neatly, please."

Virgil rolled his eyes as he picked up the pen and propped his head up on his elbow, 'What do you want?' Virgil wrote down, showing the paper to his grandfather who nodded his approval.

"You've been skipping out on your lessons with Ira," Markus said with a frown, "I'm well aware that boys your age play hooky quite often, your father and uncle did it, and so did I once upon a time, but your lessons with Ira are important and mandatory."

'I'm not going to learn dark magic.'

"You'll do whatever Ira, Kieran, or I tell you to do Virgil. And if Ira's curriculum involves the dark arts then that is what you will be learning, is that understood?"

'No. It's not,' Virgil wrote quickly, almost viciously, 'Logan is self-taught with his magic. And he's been he's the best teacher I've ever had, why do we have to learn from Ira?'

"Because I said so."

'Only idiots with an inferiority complex use their title as a reason to get someone to do something. Not to mention it's toxic and stupid.'

Markus scowled and glared at the paper, grabbing it out of Virgil's hands and crumpling it into a ball, "Your father taught you that, didn't he?"

Virgil nodded with an almost triumphant smile, 'He always said that if you can't give real reason for something, then you shouldn't make others do it. He wanted us to back up our 'orders' and arguments with logic and reasoning.'

Markus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, it was like raising his firstborn all over again. He did not miss his sons' teenage years and yet here Virgil was going off with the same arguments and everything, "Because I made a deal with Ira to make sure she doesn't kill you, and part of that deal was you attending her classes and learning black magic. Now you will be attending her classes or you will lose the privilege to see your brother and those other Light Realm brats locked up in that tower. Understood?"

'Shouldn't a deal involving my life have considered my opinion?'

"Virgil I don't have time for this." Markus sighed tiredly, "You missed your classes and now your behind. Now, Ira has been wanting to arrange private sessions with you since you arrived but I didn't think it would be necessary until later on in your course work so I refused. But that isn't an option any longer, so now you will meet with Ira three times a week alone to continue your lessons and make up for anything you missed. If you attempt to skip out on these sessions the consequences will be much more severe than losing visiting privileges. Is that clear?" Virgil sat and wrote nothing for a moment as he simply just glared at his grandfather who glared back with the same ferocity "I said, is that clear?"

'Yes Sir,' Virgil finally and stubbornly wrote down and nodded.

Markus nodded in return and moved on, "Good, now the next thing I wanted to talk to you about was regarding the general. He mentioned to me possibly having you train with some of his soldiers and himself-"

The sound of pen scratching harshly against paper before the white sheet suddenly being shoved into his face stopped him, 'No.' The word was clear and very large, taking up a majority of the paper. Markus rolled his eyes and moved the sheet out of his way.

"Wait for me to finish, please? Thank you." Markus continued, "Kieran mentioned how you seemed quite upset that you no longer are training with your regular tools. So, he and I have come to an agreement you will be permitted to train with a real sword, and spar with him or his soldiers as long as you follow his instructions while with him and consider helping teach his nephew, Logan, the way of the sword."

'Virgil paused to consider this, training with a real sword again? Not one of those stupid toy ones? Not to mention getting actual, real, professional training for the first time since this whole thing began over a month ago? And all it took was spending another couple hours a day with Logan's deranged uncle? Which he already did every day now anyway? 'Can I keep the sword?'

"The sword stays on the training grounds," Markus told directly and flatly, leaving no room for arguments.

'I want my father's sword back.'

Markus turned to glance at the sword hanging on the wall, "You can have the sword back again after we have taken over the Light Realm, and Ira, Tafe, and I have established ourselves as the new monarchies."

Virgil paused again, thinking for a minute. It wasn't like they were going to be here that long anyway. Virgil was sure that by now Roman's parents and his uncle must already be finalizing a plan and readying to march an army out here to rescue them all. 'If Tafe considers changing which sword Logan is learning to use, and he stops making the stupid comments on my signing then I'll train with him and his stupid army of mindless drones.'

Markus snorted with amusement, "I'll pass on the message, though I'm sure the two of you are smart and civil enough to work out whatever deals and kinks to this." Markus stood from now, "The last thing I wanted to talk to you about was your father's funeral."

Virgil's head shot upward and his eyes widened in surprise, "F-funeral?" he whispered quietly.

Markus looked back to him, slightly surprised and almost sad, "Yes, funeral. Virgil, you do know by now that your father is-" Vigil nodded his head and the look in his eyes told his grandfather he desperately did not want that sentence finished. Markus nodded again, "I want a funeral for him, well, more of a memorial. When everything is finally set and done he'll be buried in the royal graveyard like the rest of the kings and queens this kingdom has seen were. But until then, there will be a memorial."

'Why do you want a funeral? I thought you hated him.'

Markus shook his head, "I don't hate him. Yes, we disagreed plenty. Yes, I blame him and Hollis for taking me off the throne and excommunicating me from my very own kingdom but I do not hate him. He's my son, and while I wish he hadn't been killed there is nothing I can do about it." Markus paused, then mumbled under his breath, "Nothing I'm willing to do anyways," and continued, "I loved him, I didn't want him dead. And the man who killed him will rot in a cell for the rest of his soon-to-be short life. I'm having a memorial and I'd like your help planning it

'Janus and Remus should be there.'

"Janus can come if he behaves, Prince Remus will stay in the tower with the rest of them."

'Dad meant a lot to Remus. And Remus meant a lot to Dad.'

"Having two prisoners out of the tower at once is dangerous and stupid Virgil. It isn't happening."

'Remus really cared about Dad, he says dads a better father figure than his own dad."

"Virgil, stop it, enough is enough." Markus growled.

"Re-remus is-"

"I said enough!" Markus yelled, slamming both his fists down on the table causing a glass on the desk to fall and shatter and the sword hanging on the wall to come off it's hook and hit the ground with a loud clang. Virgil flinched and whimpered, bringing his hands up to his face to protect himself. Markus's features softened and he sighed tiredly before turning away from his grandson and bending to pick up the sword, "You can go now. Be on time to diner tonight, we don't have room for your tardiness."

Virgil watched his grandfather for a moment before standing up. He hesitated at the door before moving back towards the desk and writing something else down, then handing the paper to his grandfather who took it with a small glare directed at Virgil.

'I'll go to Ira's classes. All of them, even the one on one lessons.'

Markus raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Without complaint?"

Virgil nodded.

"The whole lesson?"

Virgil nodded.

"And you'll participate and do as she says?"

Virgil hesitated, nodded.

Markus sighed again, "Remus can come, I'll talk to Kieran about security."

Virgil smiled brightly before he jumped at his grandfather and wrapped his arms around him. There were three steps to this hug. The first where Virgil was unaware of what he had just done. The second is where both grandson and grandfather realized what happend. And the third where Virgil pulled away to slow and Markus was returning the hug until finally Virgil yanked himself away and stumbled back a step or two.

Markus seemed slightly hurt, but did nothing to stop him, he only smiled faintly and turned back to the sword he had dropped during the hug. "Enjoy the rest of your day Virgil. Remember, Logan and you can't be late to dinner tonight."

Virgil hesitated before nodding and leaving the room in a hurry. He and Quintin walked back to his room, Quintin waiting outside the door and Virgil flopping onto the bed as soon as he entered.

It's alright. He was fine. Sure, he knew had to spend several more hours a day with two people who had tried to kill him. but he had agreed to it, and he wasn't going to be here much longer anyway. As long as he was smart, as long as they were all smart, and as long as they were careful.

They would get through this.