The thick and cold tears of Nytena waked Arion up, he didn't know where he was. But that was not something he was worried about. Kiara, that bastard that called him her brother, put the both of them into a deep slumber. Taking them to the Gods knows where. His hands were tight together on his back, the rope was already cutting into his flesh. He was only able to move his head, which was not easy either. The cart was not moving, but Kiara lay next to him. Still sound a sleep, but her clothes. She was wearing something that didn't fit her, where was the outfit she was wearing when the set out?

"Ahh, you are awake." the heavy voice of her uncle said. Again, Arion turned his head to look at him. "We are taking the both of you towards the compound." That was Kiara's childhood home. A burning hatred was burning inside him, how could they do this to their own flesh and blood? How could they bring her back towards a place she where she suffered on a daily basis. "Do not look at me like that, Lordling."

"How else am I supposed to look at you?" he said through gritted teeth. "Once again her family, her own bloody family, took something from her. Not only the clothes she has being wearing, but also her freedom. Do you know how many times I have held her when she was begging her father to stop, inside her dreams? Do you know how many times I notice her blaming herself for something that went wrong, either by someone during training, a wheel breaking during gathering firewood? How many times she holds in her emotions?" Her uncle looked away in shame, good.

"I have her clothes inside my saddle back, I was afraid my brother will take them from her. This way I can give them back, when all of this madness is over." he said. Great that he has something planned for after all of this, but that doesn't explain why they are dragging her back in the first place. And he was sure that he once again would be left to pick up the pieces if she breaks, not that he would mind that. He loved her so much that he was willing to do that much. But he shouldn't have to do that, she doesn't have to break, or start all over with her healing process. "Benjamin is desperate, his father hit him for the first time earlier today. Now that drunken mad man is holding Emma, Benjamin's lover, hostage. He is beside himself, thinking about what his own father might do to her."

"So he is trading his own sister, to free her." Arion said. He closed his eyes, would he have done the same thing if it was Kiara. Would he have traded someone else's comfort to keep her safe? No, he would trade himself in. He would suffer every pain that comes his way, if it meant that she would be free.

"Kiara is the first female who was born with the gift, my own father believed that Kiara's magic could be the key to close the rifts forever. But that would be the end of The Core of Protection, the end to my brother's iron grip on the community. Something he fears. That is why he has beaten Kiara, that is why he treated her in the way that he did. That was why he left her for dead, hoping that Godva would take her and end the source of all his fears." Alright, that explained why the father hated her so much, but that doesn't explain why no one else did something to help her. Or why they bring her back to the man that was acting out of fear. "We all have families, and we all do regrettable things to keep the ones we love safe. I have two daughters, a wife who I love very much. I have tried to get them out of the compound so many times, and I failed many times. My brother and the ones loyal to him are now keeping a close eye on them." Arion didn't feel sorry for the man, not one bit. Made this fact him a bad person, he didn't care. All he was able to think about was Kiara.

"Uncle, we are home," Benjamin said from a place he was not able to see him. "Stay with the Lordling, I do not want him to bring Emma in danger." He didn't want him to bring someone in danger? That is rich, coming out the mouth of a man who was offering up his own sister. The rattling sound of a metal gate reached his ears, first it was going up, and after they entered some kind of tunnel it went back down. He was not able to see much, from the position he was in. But he wiggled himself closer towards Kiara, who started to wake up because of all the noise.

"Wait, no, do not tell me," she whispered. He wanted to huge her, telling that everything would be alright. But he didn't want to lie to her, so he didn't. And hugging her became a bit difficult too, so all he did was being close to her. The cart stopped, and he suppressed the urge to look around.

"Ahh, there is my brave son. Did you get the useless girl and her lover?" a man he couldn't see said, but Kiara's reaction told him all he needed to know. It was her father. There was no reply to his question, but before he knew, Kiara was dragged out of the cart. Her scream of pure horror would hunt him for the rest of his days. A laughter erupted from somewhere. "What is this you stupid girl. Is this how you greet your own father?" Arion heard the slap, and he could do nothing about it. "Ahh, I see that you brought a friend with you, get him out of the wagon, brother. He needs to see this." This time it was his turn, only he was handled with a bit more care. Now with his two feet firm on the ground, he was able to look around. The compound was a huge castle, with thick stone walls surrounding the houses that were build within. They were standing on the courtyard, which was wide and didn't show any form of green. Kiara was hold by a man with strawberry blond hair and green eyes, behind him stood two women. One with brown hair and green eyes, and the other with golden blond hair and gray eyes. The blond woman looked so much like Kiara, same mouth, noise. But her eyes were colder than Uhra's season. "Welcome to my humble home, Lordling." The man said with a sneer. Thick tears of Nytena started to fall down upon the courtyard and everyone that stood there. But that didn't seem to matter to Kiara's father, he looked at his own flesh in blood, like a predator looked at his prey. He raised his hand and slapped her across the face, Arion took a step forward, trying to rush towards her aid. He had promised her that he would protect her, but some grabbed him. Holding him away from Kiara, and her father, who was beating her. Kiara screamed out in pain when her father hit her in the stomach, Arion screamed with her. Fighting against the one holding him, and against the ropes that were cutting in his flesh. His face was covered with not only tears of Nytena, but also some of his own. "I will not allow my daughter to be the end of us, not to be the end of our divine duty." Her father hit her against her head with a balded fist, and Kiara dropped towards the ground. And for a reason unknown to him, he was free. Free from the hands that were holding him back, free from the rope that was cutting in his flesh. He didn't care to ask why, and to be honest he didn't care either. He rushed towards Kiara, took her in his arms.

"I am so sorry, I am so, so, sorry. I was not able to protect you from this." he whispered softly. Her whole face was covered with blood, her lip was cracked, her eyes swollen, her noise was cracked. Nytena's tears started to wash away some of it, making it a bloody mess upon the ground.

"Take the both of them towards the dungeon. The Lordling can provide some fresh blood, before we sent him back to his father." Kiara's father said. Fresh blood? What was that supposed to mean? He didn't care, all he wanted to do was to hold Kiara. And pray to which ever God or Goddess that wanted to listen, that she would forgive him his weakness.

**********

The dungeon was dark, and damp, there was a small window that did it's best to bring some light in the darkness. The dungeon was divided in three separate rooms, he could think his lucky star that Kiara, and he were dumped into the same cell. She was laying upon a straw sack, her wounds were already healing. But that was not a source of any comfort, they were locked up, and her father was able to get to her if he was in the mood. The heavy door opened up, the hinges protesting violently. A light and a woman with brown hair, green eyes stepped inside. In her hands, she had a lantern and a bowl.

"Put your hands through the bars, Lordling." she said. She placed the bowl on the ground, it was some kind of ointment. But that was all he was able to see in the dim light and from Kiara's bedside. Which was on the other side of the cell.

"And who are you?" he asked. At this point, he didn't trust anyone inside this place. The woman looked up, she was the same one that stood inside the courtyard, next to Kiara's mother.

"Emma, Lordling. My name is Emma Olesen, I am Benjamin's lover. And one of the main reasons why the two of you are here." she said, was that a sense of shame in her eyes. Good, because when Kiara's father was beating her into a bloody pulp nobody, literally nobody, did something to stop him.

"And why should I trust you?" which was a stupid question, and he knew it. But still he wanted to ask it any ways.

"You can't," Emma said with a shrug. "But if we do not threat your wounds, they might fester." Arion looked at the deep cuts around his wrists. He needed his hands if he wanted to protect Kiara. So against his better judgement, he stood up and went over to Emma. "Ouch," she said, when she saw the cuts. "Does that not hurt?" he shook his head, and his gaze went over to his shoulder.

"Not able to do anything hurt more, than any injury," he said softly. Emma gave him a soft smile, when she applied the ointment to his wounds.

"You love her," it was not a question but a statement. He nodded and smiled. "When I was young, I wished that someone would love me that much. That their own pain didn't matter, as long I suffered. But what Benjamin and I have can't be called love. I was shoved into his room, right before he got back form a Rift. But he promised me that I would be the only one that would share his bed. And he has stayed true to that promise." She sigehd. "But I do not know how to feel about the things he has done in my name. Giving up his own sister, all to keep me safe." The ointment stung a little, but he didn't care. "You know there is only one way to keep her safe."

"Emma," that was Benjamin's voice. But she didn't flinch or back down.

"He has a right to know, Benjamin. Your father is willing to kill Kiara, to keep his power over the Core of Protection. He is even willing to let women rape this Lordling to add new blood." Emma looked him straight in the eyes. "He will kill Kiara, once you have done your duty and are back where you came from. And there is only one way to stop that from happening."

"By killing him," Arion geussed, and Emma nodded.

"The Beskyttelseskerne follow the strongest warrior, at this point everyone believes that to be Anton. Only I believe he no longer is the strongest, I believe that Kiara earns that title. But he has beating her down, over and over again. Making her believe that she is weak and worth nothing, so she will never challenge him. But you have beaten Kiara in a fair duel." Emma said.

"Barely," Arion added, and Emma just shrugged.

"Doesn't matter, and it will not mattter if you kill Anton before he sets his plans in motion." She said, now Benjamin entered the room.

"That is treason, Emma. I have brought Kiara here to keep you safe, and now you are willing to put yourself back in there." Benjamin snapepd at her and she nodded.

"I do because I want our child to grow up, free of all of this. Free to life its own life, free to make its own decisions. And with your father clinging to power, that would never happen. So yes, I am willing to commit treason to reach that goal." Emma said and Arion nodded. Only she wouldn't be the one putting her life on the line here, he was. But he was willing to do that, for Kiara. For her he was willign to do everything.