Having been lost in her tears and sorrow, Bethia did not even fathom where she was being taken or who she was being taken away by. Only when a door shut her inside some kind of chamber with monstrous equipment she had never seen before, did she snap out of her daze. Especially when a voice she faintly remembered spoke to her.

"Have you ever been tortured before, hm?" Derric or whatever his name was, said to her, leaning down to her and brushing her cheek. "I am assuming not, going by your fair skin. Tell me, how was Cage with you? Rough? Or did he go gently on his fair maiden?"

Repulsed by his touch, Beth shivered and closed her eyes. She could not stop shaking. She was about to die, but not before getting abused and tortured by the two men in the room with her. One of them being this Derric guy Caydrick used to know. He had had his eye on her ever since her bedchamber. Bethia did not want to think what his kind of torture involved.

"Hm. Perhaps he did not bed you at all," Derric suggested, trailing his hand down her arm to her skirts. "It would be so like Cage to not take a woman when he had the chance, but rather value her innocence. What he has yet to understand the man, is that women have but one purpose in this world, and the only way they can fulfill it is by opening their legs up to a man."

Disgusted, Beth took a step away from him, but did not get far. He grabbed her arm and kept her in place. Too scared to even speak, Bethia froze up instead. A lump the size of her foot had formed in her throat and was blocking her usage of her voice.

"Since you are about to die," Derric continued, undisturbed, "You no longer have a purpose, therefore, regardless of you getting impregnated with my child, you are still sentenced to die. In other words, I can fuck you without concerning myself of the possibility of offspring."

"No!" Bethia cried, her stomach flipping. She tasted bile on her tongue. "Do not touch me!" When she tried wiggling out of his arms, he just clenched her harder.

"I am giving you a choice," He hissed in her ear. "You can either choose to open your legs for me or you can get tied down to one of these machines. Do you even know what they can do? That one right there," He pointed to a ghastly machine while whispering in her ear, making her tremble, "That one pulls your limbs off by slowly dislocating your arms and legs from their sockets, ripping them off your--"

"S-stop," Beth cried silently. Bottom lip shaking and her body shivering, she tried controlling her heartbeat. "P-please... s-s-stop."

"You choose the other option then, hm?" Derric wanted to know with a evil smirk. "Good choice. Take off your dress then. Shift too. I like my women naked, especially if they are virgins."

He began suckling on her ear, making Bethia sob. Her limbs were frozen, she did not choose the second option. Yet she did not want the first one either. Want kind of choice was this? It was one she couldn't make.

"P-p-please..."

"Oh for God sake, woman," He barked, his patience snapping. He grabbed her skirts and begun tearing at them, wrenching them apart. "Curse it, you are dead anyway. What does it matter that I give you a choice, in a few moments it will not matter anyway."

Crying, Bethia fought to push him off, her limbs finally doing her bidding. However, it was all in vain as the second guard who had remained still this whole time finally snapped into action as well by grabbing her arms, holding her still so his friend could deal with her garbs. Trembling to her bone, all Bethia could do was cry and plead God to have mercy on her as she heard her fabric tear.

The locked door burst wide open, getting smashed off its hinges, causing all of their eyes to snap to the commotion to see what had happened. Flying through the door came a large man who then collided with one of the horrible machines and stayed there unconsciously. Perhaps he was even dead.

Blinking as the harsh light from the hallway hit the dark torture chamber, a large shadow stepped in through the door. As all of their eyes adjusted and made out the shape of the warrior, they all gasped and dropped their jaws.

- None other than Caydrick stood in the door.

A moment passed where they all just stared at the impossible, but then Caydrick charged for Derric who hand his hands on Beth. Derric snapped into action, reaching for his weapon, but Caydrick collided with him before he had a chance to draw it, pushing him up against one of the machines, holding him by his throat. Caydrick looked murderous.

The other guard, the one that had been holding Bethia, jumped to Derric's assist and wrapped his arms around Caydrick's neck from behind, yanking him back. Nearly suffocating, Caydrick placed a foot on Derric, then kicked off, doing a complete loop in the air, making the guy holding his throat tip over backwards, nearly breaking his back as Caydrick throttled him into the ground. Grabbing his head before he had a chance to recuperate, Caydrick twisted it around in a harsh movement that elicited a loud crack from the guard's neck. After that, he did not move.

Bethia gasped loudly; Caydrick had just killed him.

But killing a man did not seem to faze him even the slightest bit. In fact he did not hesitate even for a second as he went back to Derric, jumping him again. Derric, who, after being kicked by Caydrick had been gathering his strength, caught Caydrick by his throat as Caydrick did him. They begun punching at each other, growling and grunting like animals as they fought out their war.

Bethia could not look. Crimping into a corner, she held her hands in front of her eyes as she continued to hear the grunts and brutal noises of fists meeting and the cracking bones - until one specific sound pierced the silence, a sound that sounded not unlike a blade thrusting through a body.

Horrified, Beth let out a squeak as she opened her eyes to see who got stabbed. She prayed it was not Caydrick but knew that with his disadvantage of being blind, it was most likely him.

But as Beth laid eyes on the two men who still stood upright, the first one to drop was Derric. He fell to his knees, clutching the blade that had pierced his abdomen, now leaking out blood. He started coughing and began spitting out blood as well, the sight making Beth's stomach turn again. Fighting her gag reflex, she had to turn away as he felt to the floor, gurgling, dying.

"Bethia..." She then heard Caydrick's gentle voice say. He sounded out of breath, but relieved. "Bethia, are you alright?"

Still shaking from top to toe, Bethia slowly turned around to look at Caydrick and found him coming up to her. His fists were blooded and his knuckles were scuffed, he had a swelling to his cheekbone, but no other injuries - of course besides his recent burn marking and whipping.

"Bethia," He said again, striding up to her in three steps. Not waiting for her permission, he wrapped his large arms around her and clutched her to his body, making her feel how he was shaking as well, though she suspected it was not from fright, but from relief. He held her so tightly, pressing his cheek against the top of her head.

Bethia fell apart. She cried and let him comfort her as the adrenalin seeped from her body, not unlike the tears that leaked from her eyes. Caydrick kept holding her, pecking small kisses to the top of her hair, humming soothing sounds.

Finally, Bethia's brain started functioning again, leaving her with so many questions. "How... how did you... escape?"

He pulled back slightly and to her surprise fished a hair pin from his breeches, having stuffed it down at the hem. "I fished it out of your hair just before you got dragged away. As the guards led me back to the Snake's dungeon, I picked my cuffs and escaped."

"But... how?" Was all Beth could breathe.

Caydrick's lips twitched in a little smile. "I am good at what I do. The guards did not see it coming and besides... I learned earlier that I have a--"

"Caydrick, watch out, behind you!" Beth screeched as the dark man she remembered as the one Caydrick had called Eore, stepped through the door of the torture chamber, holding a blade. He looked terrifying, making Bethia's body shake anew.

"No, do not be scared," Caydrick then surprisingly said, feeling her body beginning to tremble as he turned towards Eore. "He is on our side."

"He... what?" Bethia did not understand again. He had threatened him with his knife how did he -

"There is no time to waste," Eore barked, clenching his jaw. "More guards are coming. If you are going to kill the Queen, we need to get moving."

"No, we need to make a stop first," Caydrick said, his voice changing from sweet to harsh. Commanding. "The Queen has a stash somewhere here, a place she keeps all the potions and tinctures Aifenhard provided her with. I want the antidote."

"Goddamn it, K, we do not have time for that," Eore growled. "You can fix your eyes later, we need to find the Queen and--"

"I am not killing the Queen until I can look her in the eyes and watch as the light disappears from hers," Caydrick somberly growled. "I have lived with darkness for three years, I want to see when the darkness descends on her forever."

Eore gritted his teeth. "Fine. Where is this stash, then?"

Caydrick shook his head. "I do not know, but I can find it. With this," He pointed to his nose. "I can smell my way to the chemicals."

Bethia blinked surprised. "You can?"

He nodded. "Aye. But I need someone to be my eyes. If I am to focus all my energy on my sense of smell, I cannot focus on my surroundings as well."

"I will walk in front and keep the path cleared," Eore stated, drawing his saber from his belt. He looked at Caydrick, then at Bethia. "Your woman can guide you the way you want to go."

Caydrick turned his face in Bethia's direction and raised a careful brow. "Can you do that, Bethia?"

She gulped, but nodded. She would do anything for him; she owed him her life. "Yes."

"Then let us go," Eore snapped, clearly growing impatient. "Guards are on their way."

Caydrick held his bloodied hand out and Bethia took it. Nodding at her, Bethia then followed Eore as he stepped into the hall and begun stalking down it, weapons ready. Bethia could not for the life of her understand why this man who in her eyes had seemed to hate Caydrick wanted to help him, but Caydrick seemed confident that he was good. And she trusted Caydrick.

He was following her, almost getting dragged by her as she pulled Caydrick along by his hand while he sniffed the air, a concentrated frown on his face. He turned his head to the right as they passed a corridor and sniffed, then paused. "This way."

That is how they went along. Guards showed up every now and then, and both Caydrick and Eore fought hard. They shredded them all down, slit their throats and gutted their stomachs. Bethia had to turn away each time.

Finally, though, they made it to a corridor that only had one door at the end of it. Caydrick sniffed the air loudly, then nodded. "It is in there. It has to be."

Eore smashed the door open, breaking the lock and then they all stepped inside. The chamber was filled with shelves of jars, glasses and bottles, all of which had some sort of colored substance inside of them.

"Which one is it?" Bethia asked, worrying her lip.

Caydrick shook his head. "I do not know. Are there labels on them?"

With this many bottles and jars, of course there were labels on to avoid confusion. Beth stepped up to one of them and read that this one cured a rash. "They are labeled."

"That is good, now we need just search for the right one," Caydrick said, life coming into his voice. Perhaps because he felt that his days as blind were nearly over.

"We may not have time for that," Eore said. He was glancing down the hall they came from, and as Bethia did too, she saw guards coming in dozens.

"Barricade the door!" Caydrick commanded. Eore and Caydrick shut the door and began pulling heavy things in front of the door, a chest and a table. Soon, the banging begun.

"Bethia, you have got to find the right one," Caydrick grunted as him and Eore fought to keep the door closed. The smashing on the other sound got louder.

"I do not know what to look for!" Bethia stressed, beginning to turn and twist the bottles to read the many labels.

"Look for something that mentions eyes!"

Panicked, Bethia kept searching as the thump, thump, thump on the door grew louder and more persistent. The wooden door begun protesting, making her heart beat out of control.

"Come on, come on," She begged as she went through all the bottles. This was impossible. There had to be hundreds, she would not be able to go through them all before it was too late.

"We cannot hold them much longer, Caydrick," Eore said to him. "We must fight them!"

Caydrick shook his head. "There are at least a dozen men out there. I cannot help you fight them without my sight."

"Here!" Bethia screamed as she laid eyes on a bottle that wrote 'treatment of the eyes', "I think found it, it says it treats the eyes!"

"Does it say what it treats the eyes for?" Caydrick grunted. Both men were sweating from their efforts.

Bethia frantically searched, but it did not say. "N-no. I do not know if it is the right one."

"Screw it," Caydrick said. "Let us try it. What harm can it do, I am already blind, bring it here, please."

Scared, Bethia rushed up to him and held out the bottle. But as if he could see her gesture, he shook his head.

"No. You will have to do it. And you will have to do it quick," He said. "The moment I let go of the door, Eore will not be able to hold them out. We have to be quick, do you understand?"

Bethia nodded, forgetting he could not see. But again, it was as if he still saw her gesture and he nodded back.

"Good. Here we go, then."

He let go and Bethia pulled the cork from the bottle. Caydrick leaned down on his knees in front of her as the door began to crack behind them. With shaking hands, Bethia ripped a piece of her torn dress off, poured some of the liquid content in the bottle onto the cloth and then pressed it to Caydrick's eyes. She squeezed, making the tincture drip into his eyes.

Caydrick screamed, immediately squeezed his eyes shut and cursed as the tincture burned his eyes. Screaming as well, Bethia dropped the bottle and took a step back as Caydrick begun clutching his eyes, shaking in pain. "Oh God, Caydrick! I am so sorry, I am sorry!"

"No," He croaked, shaking his head. "I think... I think it is... God, I think it is working."

Gasping, Bethia only managed to open her mouth before the door finally cracked and guards poured in. Eore roared and begun fighting them, just as Caydrick got up, grabbing a dagger Eore had provided him with. He pushed Bethia behind him and shielded her as he begun fighting the guards.

This time, Bethia had to look. Caydrick finally had his eyes open, but they still did not focus right. Yet, it was as if his eyes were trying to - they were red and bloodshot, but it was as if the green orbs could sense movements now. He cut down the guards with precision, aimed better than he did before.

A large cry sounded and it made Bethia's blood freeze. Her eyes flipped to Eore and she now saw a blade having been trust through his stomach, sticking out on the other side. She screamed.

Caydrick slit the last guard's throat and then threw his dagger at the guard who had stabbed Eore. The guard did not see it coming and fell to the ground. As did Eore.

Caydrick rushed up to him and crouched down next to him, blinking furiously as his eyes tried to adjust. "Eore."

Eore coughed up some blood, letting it leak out of the corners of his mouth. "Slave..."

Caydrick pressed his lips tightly together. "Why did you save me?"

Eore coughed again and looked up at him, narrowed his eyes. "You always were a goddamn good slave. But," His eyes softened, just as his body eased up. "You were a better man."

As he took his last breath and his eyes closed, Caydrick blinked shocked and stood up. Bethia was already crying, but as Caydrick then lifted his hands, turned and flipped them, focusing on them as he did, she stopped.

Was he...?

Caydrick turned to her with wide eyes and looked straight at her.

- He was seeing.

"Oh God," He whispered, his mouth going lax. He blinked as if he could not fathom it either. "Oh God, oh God, sweet Bethia."

"C-Caydrick," She whispered back, eyes as wide as his.

Caydrick did not waste a moment. In the blink of his seeing eyes, he was standing in front of her, cupping her face. He pressed his lips to hers, trembling as he did. Bethia responded immediately, clutching on to his neck as he coated his lips over hers, kissing her so hungrily, yet so tenderly.

As Beth opened her eyes, she realized he had never closed his. Throughout the whole kiss, he looked down at her, his eyes welling up with tears. He did not even blink them away, as if he was scared that if he did, he would lose his sight again. Lose the sight of her.

"Sweet Bethia," He finally whispered as he allowed an inch of space between their lips. He brushed his thumb over her cheek and it made her realize she was crying too. "Beautiful Bethia."

"You see me," Bethia cried back, smiling so happily up at him. "You can see."

"Yes. And what I see is you."

Sobbing, Bethia pressed her face to his chest and cried, feeling how he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. However, their hug was short-lived when Caydrick suddenly jerked, whipping his head around.

Bethia looked up at him, frightened. It was just him and her now, and she could not fight. "W-what is it?"

"I heard her," Caydrick growled and gritted his teeth. "My sight may be back, but my senses are still sharp. I have to find her Bethia. I will not be at ease before I have killed her."

Bethia shook when she heard him talk like that. She did not like him killing, not one bit, but she also did not want that retched woman to breathe for another second. What Derric had almost done to her, the Queen had been doing to Caydrick for years.

- She had to die.

"Then let us go find her and kill her."

Caydrick looked down at her, surprise written everywhere on his face. His emerald eyes sparkled, so full of life. Bethia could not fathom how his eyes could be real.

"Come," He then said and took her hand, braiding his fingers with hers. "I know where she is."

Beth followed Caydrick down endless halls. He knew shortcuts and detours that she had to assume he had memorized from when he was a slave, working here. All of these things from his past benefitted him now, as the guards who were searching for him did not know these detours and secret ways. As to where Caydrick were leading them, she had no idea.

Not until they came to a wooden door, the same she had been dragged out of when Caydrick got tied down; The Queen's chamber.

About five guards stood guard outside and all drew their weapons when they laid eyes on Caydrick. They begun marching up to him.

"Go hide," Caydrick ordered Bethia as he readied his own weapon, the saber Eore had been fighting with. "Stay out of the way, I will handle this."