It had been tense around the castle lately. Ira had yet to collect all the necessary ingredients for her potion. Not that it would matter, either way, his grandfather and her argument about Virgil continuing classes with her had ended with Ira threatening to not make the potion at all until Virgil was in her class again and Markus claiming to have won even though he hadn't and it was technically just lose-lose situation for everyone. Virgil had pretty much isolated himself except when going to meals, attending Tafe's training, or visiting those in the cells. Other than that he spent his time hiding out in nooks and crannies of the castle, reading books, drawing, or simply studying the magic he could on his own.

Logan still seemed a bit 'upset' about the events that had transpired a few days ago but had put them aside to try and get Virgil to tell him what was going on. And whenever they went to visit the others they'd say things like "Hey Ann, you know you can trust me right? No matter what?" and "What's with the gloves, Virge? All you need now is a hat and a cape and you'll look just like your brother." Janus had become the worst of them all, almost to the point where Virgil had become anxious to be around him. Their suspicion had gotten so bad that when Roman had tried to 'playfully' take his glove it has sent Virgil into a panic attack and Quintin had to rush him out of the room before his magic caused anyone to get hurt.

Quintin knew about the corruption. Which was more than Tafe knew. Both Markus and Ira (though in two separate instances) had pulled Virgil aside and made him swear that no matter what he wouldn't let Tafe find out what happened or what was wrong. In Virgil's opinion, this was a completely logical choice, and so he didn't. He didn't answer Tafe's questions about his sudden change in attitude. He steered clear of the comments and actions that were bait to use to get him into trouble. He avoided conversations that went beyond the matters of his or Logan's training. And he never did anything to let Tafe know the truth.

Of course, the General's suspicions probably weren't helped by Virgil's sudden lack of chaos starters. The prince no longer pulled any pranks on the soldiers sweeping the castle. He didn't run away and hide from Quintin. He no longer stole baked goodies from the kitchen to sneak upstairs (though Logan still did). He was on time, and sometimes even early, to everything. He followed pretty much every command he was given (not all of them but most of them). And he was always on his best behavior. It was as if he had become a completely different person to everyone.

And the only one who was happy about this was Markus.

Of course, Virgil absolutely hated this. And it absolutely showed. It showed as he would rigidly force himself to arrive late and leave early for visits with his friends. When he'd stare at Logan as if his eyes were communication enough. When he suddenly fell to complete mutism again, his brief lapse of a few words a day suddenly broken and sending him back into that beautiful comforting silence he had found himself beginning to forget but now missed and welcomed back with open arms.

Quintin, bless the man soul because even if he was working for the bad guys Virgil had begun to realize he wasn't a bad man, had done his best to keep Virgil's spirits up. The man had pretty much become Virgil's sole companion and even then, this was his job, he wasn't there by choice. The man would point at the pastry tray when they walked past the kitchen for a snack, exaggerating and putting emphasis on just how good the treats smelled. Or calling out a certain guard or soldier who could really use a kick in the pants and deserved a good old classic prank. He'd tell Virgil that both his and Logan's schedules were, relatively, clear that day and it'd be a good day to hang out with him and Franklin again, but Virgil would just wave him off. He had once even hinted to how much Janus, Remus, Roman, and Patton must miss him now that he isn't visiting as long anymore, and how it probably wouldn't hurt to go over for an extra visit. He even promised to keep any rule-breaking between the two of them, 'prince Virgil' The man had, his Scottish accent as obvious as ever, 'What your grandpa doesn't know, won't hurt him.'

But no, Virgil had just shaken his head and gone back to doing what he was doing, leaving the conversation there and not looking back at the guard until an hour later when the man had sighed and announced that it was about time for dinner and Virgil should get himself cleaned up.

Virgil sighed now as he retired to his room for the night, Quintin wishing him a good night as he closed the door behind him. He began to get ready for bed, grabbing night clothes and putting his dirty clothes in the hamper. He had just thrown his dirty shirt in the direction of the clothes bin and was about to put his new one on when a pair of arms suddenly grabbed him from behind and pull Virgil to their chest. The prince tried to scream but before a single sound could escape a hand pressed over his mouth.

Virgil struggled in his assailant's grasp, ignoring the person's whispers for him to calm down before he finally managed to get himself into a position where he was able to free himself before suddenly sending the man to the ground with a heavy thud. Virgil grabbed at the nearest weapon he could, candelabra, and held it at the ready as the hooded figure shook himself out with a groan.

"What the hell babe!?" the figure said in a familiar hushed whisper tone as he rubbed at his head.

Virgil dropped the candelabra in surprise, mouthing the name of his boyfriend as he stared at the figure before a sharp knock at the door had both boys jumping slightly, "Virgil?" Quintin asked from the other side, "is everything okay?"

"Shit!" Remy whispered as Virgil rushed to knock the yes pattern.

"Can I come in please?" the man asked.

Four knocks. The equivalent to F off.

There was a pause for a moment before Quintin spoke again "Virgil, open this door." It was a demand this time. A new rule had been set in place since the other day, Virgil was no longer allowed to refuse to allow anyone into his room, if Virgil didn't let Quintin in, he'd come in anyway.

Virgil knocked for him to wait a minute before signing for Remy to get into the closet. His boyfriend obeyed, rushing into the wardrobe. Virgil waited to make sure he was hidden before opening his door, 'What?'

"Is everything okay? I heard something fall." Quintin asked

'My shirt fell'

"It sounded a lot heavier than a shirt."

'I was in it' Virgil replied

"You're not wearing a shirt, your highness," Quintin said as he pointed to Virgil's bare chest. The prince looked down at himself before silently cursing.

Goddamn it Remy! You should know better than to sneak up on me! He thought as Quintin pushed past him and stepped into the room for examination. Virgil watched stiffly as the guard searched under his bed and desk. Quintin was thorough in his investigation of the room, going as far as to open the windows and make sure no one was hanging from the ledge, and even inspecting the bathroom cabinets. But when Quintin reached for the wardrobe handle, Virgil damn near had a panic attack right there. He tried to jump in front of Quintin, 'There's nothing in there. I'm tired. I need to shower. Go away'

Quintin eyed him and the wardrobe behind him warily before slowly putting his hand on the hilt of his sword, "Please step out of the way Virgil," he said before gently pushing Virgil onto the door. Virgil stood with bated breath as Quintin tried to pull the doors open, only for them to not budge. Quintin pulled again, a little bit more force this time, but they still refused to open.

Quintin glanced back at him 'It gets stuck sometimes.' Virgil signed nervously, hoping the guard would abandon the endeavor. But he didn't. Instead, Virgil forced himself to hold back a scream as Quintin suddenly pulled his sword out of its sheath and slammed it in the gap between the doors. This time when Quintin tried to open the doors they did. Virgil was ready, he told himself, he was expecting his boyfriend's body to tumble out of the wardrobe, a dark stain seeping from his shirt and dark skin turning paler than it should be.

It didn't happen.

Instead, the two found the wardrobe empty of any sort of bodies and instead full of regular wardrobe things. Clothes, jackets, bedding, etc... Quintin turned back to him and Vigil rushed to hide the surprised terror look on his face that had yet to slip away 'I told you,' Virgil signed, 'There's nothing in here. I just fell while taking off my shirt, lost my balance. Can you go now?'

Quintin nodded eventually, "I'm sorry for doubting you Virgil, I should know better than that. You've more than earned our trust." And with that, Quintin left the room, leaving Virgil seemingly alone. A minute or two later and Remy slowly and quietly lowered himself from the roof, coffee-colored wings folding away into his back.

Virgil took Remy's hand, dragging his boyfriend into the en suite bathroom before turning on all the faucets and hoping the running water would cover up any sound. As soon as that was done Virgil couldn't help but throw himself into his boyfriend, hugging him tightly and very tempted to break down into tears, he didn't though. Both young boys breathed a sigh of relief as they stood there for a moment, Remy pressing small light kisses to the top of Virgil's head and the prince rubbing at Remy's back. Finally, the two pulled away, settling down at the edge of the tub.

'How did you know it wasn't safe to hide there?' Virgil asked.

Remy seemed to take the hint about having to be quiet, as he resorted to signing as well, 'I didn't.' He shrugged 'Took me forever to crawl out of the closet the first time though, I wasn't gonna shove myself back in.'

Virgil allowed himself to laugh lightly, 'I was so worried when he took out his sword.'

'I know,' Remy told him with a small smile, 'I saw, I wanted to punch him for making you so scared. You shouldn't have to go through that.'

'You're here though! We were worried you didn't get our message, you took so long.'

Remy nodded, 'We needed to be sure that there were no more traitors within the kingdoms walls. Your uncle and Re's parents aren't trusting anybody farther than they can throw them. I've become Hollis's right-hand man. Can you believe it? That guy hates me! And now we're having secret little meetings like middle school girls'

'He doesn't hate you. Just like he doesn't hate Remus. You two just make him nervous.'

Remy only hummed in response as he smiled at Virgil. The prince looked uninjured for the most part, but Remy hadn't missed how difficult it was for Virgil to get Remy off of him, injuries from Tafe's little torture session still had Virgil sore and hesitant to rely too much on certain parts of his body. Now, despite Remy being nearly half a foot taller than Virgil and being much broader, Virgil had always been the one in the relationship who knew how to fight best.

Virgil was a prince, not only that but he was the second-born prince. Dark Realm tradition had the first to the throne learning how to rule, second learning how to fight, third studying religion, and so on and so forth until all the bases were covered. And so, Virgil learned to fight rather than lead. Meanwhile, Remy was the oldest of nine children and the son of two successful immigrant merchants. Remy hadn't had time to learn to fight growing up. He was learning about fairy magic and how to run a business and learning how to change diapers and customer service and yada yada yada.

What he knew was taught to him by Virgil and Remus who took it upon themselves to teach Remy and his sister (the second oldest in the family) how to defend themselves and their family after their shop was robbed a few years ago while the two were alone in the store. Over a long period of time, Remy had finally managed to become just as skilled and trained as one of the castle squires who were In the middle of their training. Meaning Virgil really should have had no trouble pealing him off of him, which was why Remy wasn't worried about his so-called 'attack'. But Virgil had struggled, and that worried the older boy.

The castle bell tower rung and Remy silently counted the strikes before sighing at the end and standing up. "Get your things together babe. We're running late and we still need to break that no good boyfriend-kissing-nerd out of his room before we head out."

'Logan?'

Remy nodded his formation "Come on, or your uncle will have my head."

Virgil nodded, rushing to turn off the water before hurrying back into the room to grab the bag and put on another shirt as well as a warm coat. Anything that could have been used to hurt someone had been confiscated, but Remy didn't seem to worried as he handed Virgil a pouch of his homemade sleep powder. 'Let me go first alright?' Virgil signed to Remy, who nodded and hid behind the door as Virgil opened it to find Quintin and Franklin making quiet conversation just a few paces away.

"Everything okay Prince Virgil?" Quintin asked from where he stood.

Virgil nodded, taking a couple of steps out of the room and reaching into his bag where he had hidden the powder Remy had given him, and tossed a good handful of it in the faces of the guards. Brief surprise flashed over their faces, and Franklin tried to move away, but before anything else could be done, they fell to the floor in a deep slumber. Virgil glanced up and down the hall just to be safe before returning to Remy so he would know its safe.

"Great job Anx, you get Logan all set. I'm gonna hide the bodies in your room. The longer we can keep the attention off of us, the better."

Virgil nodded, took Franklin's sword from him, and once again moved across the hall, knocking on Logan's door repeatedly and with urgency until Logan finally opened it with an annoyed and tired look on his face. The older boy was already in his nightclothes, glasses crooked as they sat on his nose, and hair messy from sleep. "Virgil? It's nearly midnight. What is it?"

'We need to go,' Virgil signed as he pushed his way into the room.

"Go?" Logan asked with confusion as he stared at the other prince. Virgil only nodded as he grabbed clothes for Logan to change into and shoved them into the boy's arms. Logan looked down at the pile, "Did my Uncle need something?"

"Wow," Remy said as he closed the bedroom door, "That General Dude really has you wrapped around his finger, doesn't he?"

Logan stared at Remy with surprise, "...Are Roman's parents here as well?"

Remy nodded, "King is handling things outside, Queen is leading a group to the lower dungeons. Who knew that Light Realm Queen was such a Badass, offered to find my family personally."

Logan nodded before rushing behind a dressing screen to change, "And the princes and Patton?"

"Hollis is going up there, we figured it'd be best since all of them trust and know him. Better than just sending some random guard."

Logan came out of the room just as Virgil had finished shoving the things he could recognize into the pack Logan had brought. Logan looked into it before adding a few more important items and nodding to show he was ready.

"This way," Remy announced as he made his way down the darkened hall. Their steps were slow and careful, Virgil reached for his boyfriend's hand and Remy gladly accepted it as they reached the corner, "Now we just wait for the signal."

"What's the signal?" Logan asked.

"Any moment now..." Remy muttered instead of answering, and true to his words, just a few moments later the loud clang of the bell tower ringing repeatedly sounded loudly once again. Remy nodded, as if pleased, and gently pulled at Virgil's hands, "This way! Hurry! We have twenty minutes to get to the rendezvous."

"Rendevouz?" Logan repeated.

"Quarter mile north of the castle, little less. That's where Hollis is gonna meet us with the others. From there, we wait until it's safe. And after everything is settled, we go home." Remy told them, he spoke quickly and urgently, Virgil hadn't often seen his boyfriend so serious. Even when they first met Remus, and the boy had a knife sticking out of him, Remy did not act in such a way. "Anybody with a mint green or raspberry red band on their left arm is on our side, the rest are enemies."

Virgil squinted slightly before his eyes widened with realization as Remy took them down a familiar hallway. The prince stopped in his tracks and Remy was yanked backward at the sudden stop. Virgil looked around that hall as the other two boys eyed him warily, "Vee? What's wrong?"

'My grandfather's study and bedroom are down this hall'

Remy looked surprised, "Virgil, your grandpa's dead."

"No," Logan said, "He's alive. Virgil's family faked Markus's death and banned him from the kingdom after he became too much of a danger to keep around. He's back."

"Ah," Remy nodded, "So he's the ringleader of this circus? That makes sense, we were wondering about that." Sounds of yelling just outside the window and a few floors below gathered their attention, "We need to go, Virge, we'll deal with your lunatic grandpa later, but right now, your safety matters more."

'He has my sword'

"We can get it later," Remy promised, "When they clear the castle you and I can come up here ourselves and get it." Remy pulled at Virgil's hand gently. "But we really need to go, you're not safe here."

"And who are you to determine my grandson's safety?" A strong voice came from behind making Remy jump and curse. Behind them, at the very end of the hall, were four or five dark and obscured figures lurking just outside the light of the torch. Markus stood at the front, Virgil's sword in his hand as he stared Remy down.

Remy's hand flew to his belt where he carried a knife and a butt load of family-made magic products. "I'm Remington Somnum, the only bitch with the honor of dating the greatest guy in the world."

"Maybe now isn't the best time to be flirting," Logan whispered.

"There are months of flirting to catch up on nerd, besides I'm not exactly trying to get on his good side. Nows as a good as time as any to flirt with my little Coffee Bean."

"Virgil," Markus started, "You and Logan need to get over here now."

Virgil shook his head as he took a step in front of Remy and Logan, forming another barrier between them and their potential attackers.

His grandfather sighed, "Your...boyfriend," Markus growled the word, "Will stay safe, he can even stay here if you want him to. But you need to stand down Virgil, you don't even have your sword."

"You took his sword!" Logan said.

"And you kidnapped my siblings! And my mom! And not even the annoying siblings, you took the good ones!"

Markus ignored them, "Virgil, last chance. Please, I don't want to have these men hurt you."

Again, Virgil shook his head, and with a sigh, Markus signaled for the men to attack.