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(the day after the escape)
His mind was still reeling from the information he had received from Elize earlier that day. He was relieved, but he also couldn’t quite decide what it meant for him. He wanted to help his friend, but he had no idea where Fenros was or how he had escaped, for that matter. He had spent some time cleaning himself off from his training and was just finishing putting his shirt back on. He looked around the guard barracks, seeing nothing but the usual crowd of vanguards milling about. He knew he should go talk to Ayla.

He walked outside and turned down the path towards the castle. He had brought his sword with him, sheathed and hanging from his belt. He didn’t intend to need it but it was always better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Besides, the sight of him walking around the castle with his sword by his side was nothing new. He had accompanied Fenros there many times, sometimes to help guard him or others and other times for meetings.

He walked through the halls of the castle towards Ayla’s room. He hadn’t seen her since the day of Fenros’s arrest. At least this time he was bringing her good news. He tried his best to appear casual as he passed by servants and ladies in waiting. He paused at the end of the hall and glanced around before making his way to her door. He lifted his fist in a quiet knock on her door.

Ayla was a wreck. Her appearance and her room were a disaster. She had been crying and in a rage since she casually heard the news of her brother’s execution. After verifying the information with the king’s closest guardsman she blacked out. When she woke up she was in her room and one of El’s other girls was with her. When Ayla woke up she screamed at the girl until she left her room and didn’t return.

Ayla had heard both the good and the bad about her brother since the arrest. Some thought it was a good thing and instantly believed him guilty of treason. Others looked to gain something from his death. All she could think about was that her brother was gone and she didn’t get to say goodbye. 

Ayla vaguely heard a knock at her door. She sat up slowly and didn’t bother to check her appearance at all. She opened the door to find Ryker there. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were swollen from crying and her dress was wrinkled like she had been in it for a month. [color=f6989d]“Come in Ryker.”[/color] She closed the door behind him and what he would have seen  was that all of her furniture was turned over and her clothes were all over the room and her belongings were all over the place, some broken some just a mess.

[color=f6989d]“You are too late. I know he is dead.”[/color] She was out of tears and she was certain that her body couldn’t make anymore.

Ryker was taken aback by her appearance, but he kept a stoic expression. He didn’t want her to feel any worse than she clearly already did. As he entered her room, he couldn’t help but look around at the mess she had created. He grimaced slightly, feeling somehow partially responsible for all of this. He looked at her with pity, but did his best to sound comforting.

[color=slategray]”Ayla, I’m sorry. You must be taking this very hard.”[/color] He glanced around once again, making sure the door was closed all the way. [color=slategray]”But Fenros isn’t dead.”[/color]

He paused a moment to let the news sink in. [color=slategray]”I don’t know the details but I have it on good authority that he escaped. I imagine the King is spreading the rumor that he is dead to cover it up.”[/color]

Ayla looked at him like he was a ghost. [color=f6989d]“What? The guard’s told me he was executed. They said that they did it. I know you don’t want to believe it but….you must.”[/color] 

Ryker stared at her. Poor thing. She was so distraught she couldn’t believe him. But he also realized how he sounded. He wasn’t used to giving good news. He stepped closer to her and placed his hands lightly on her arms. [color=slategray]”Listen to me, Ayla. It’s true. He’s alive.”[/color]

He looked into her eyes intently, trying to convey that he was telling the truth. [color=slategray]”I know you’ve worked with the king for years and you want to believe him but...he’s lying. I can’t say why, but he had reason to hate Fenros. He wanted to be rid of him. So he had him arrested under false pretenses and told everyone he was executed.”[/color] He sincerely hoped that his news was true. He had no reason to distrust Elize or her news. He knew she was close to the Princess who he had recently learned was the object of Fenros’s affection. But more than anything at this moment, he wanted to make Ayla’s pain go away.

Ayla blinked hard and looked deeper into his eyes. Ryker said that Fenros was alive. [color=f6989d]“How do you know that he is alive?”[/color] She asked because she was worried that he was misinformed and she couldn’t go through this again if she believed him only to find it was wrong information. [color=f6989d]“Who told you that he is ok? Where is he?”[/color] Her voice was cracking and she was afraid to believe him.

[color=slategray]”I don’t know,”[/color] he replied, shaking his head lightly. [color=slategray]”I know it’s not much, but I’m inclined to believe it. I...shouldn’t tell you who told me. It’s risky that I’m even telling you this. But I think they’re trustworthy.”[/color] He managed a smile at her and squeezed her arms lightly.

[color=f6989d]“I trust you. I don’t believe you would lie to me Ryker.”[/color] She wasn’t sure where it came from but her relief made her cry happy tears. [color=f6989d]“Just when I thought I couldn’t cry anymore.”[/color] She chuckled and grabbed a handkerchief and saw her reflection in the mirror and jumped. [color=f6989d]“Oh no! You shouldn’t see me like this. I’m atrocious!” [/color]

She cleaned her face up and started brushing her hair. Ayla was distinctly aware of Ryker’s appearance. As usual he was gorgeous and had a casual air of cluelessness about it. [color=f6989d]“I’m so sorry I look like this but I truly believed that...basically that everything I knew was wrong. I guess I didn’t realize the impact that my brother has on my life. Can I see him soon? Please Ryker.”[/color]

Ryker smiled at her as she tried to clean herself up. [color=slategray]”Don’t worry about it, you look fine,”[/color] he said, trying to be reassuring. [color=slategray]”I wish I could take you to him, but I don’t know where he is. I only know he’s alive. I don’t know what to do now but I want to find him. I have no clue where he went, though…”[/color]

Ayla drew a blank. [color=f6989d]“He would have had to have help to get out of the cells.”[/color] She brushed her hair absentmindedly as she tried to figure out how he got out.[color=f6989d] “If one of the vanguard helped him then-...no. He and Ritza are pretty close, maybe she- no I saw her today and she was the same as usual. I don’t know who could have helped him Ryker. I’m just glad that they did.” [/color]She sat down and pulled him onto the couch with her. Feeling good for the first time in the last 18 hours she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Ryker was about to pick up a chair that was knocked over when Ayla drew him onto the couch with her. He let himself fall back into it with her and did his best to relax. He was so used to life as a vanguard that he found himself still feeling slightly uncomfortable in close proximity to women. That is to say, he didn’t dislike it, he just didn’t know how to react half the time.

He sat in silence for a while, staring off into the distance. He honestly had not thought through what to do next. There had to be something. Maybe he should talk to Ritza? If she would even talk to him. He knew the two of them were close so she might have some information he didn’t have. But, then again, he also knew she would have been rather sore with him since professing his love for Eleanor. He furrowed his eyebrows thinking. Ritza was his only viable option right now. That or Elize. But she seemed so flighty when he talked to her. She must have known this was dangerous information and he would hate to put her or anyone else in more danger. He had taken on the role of traitor/spy himself, knowing full well the potential consequences for his actions. He would do anything he could to avoid having those consequences spill over to others.

He finally turned his head and looked at Ayla resting on his shoulder. At least she seemed more peaceful now. [color=slategray]”I don’t know what to do from here,”[/color] he started, his voice lower and calmer now that she had relaxed some. [color=slategray]”I think I will talk to Ritza. Chances are, she doesn’t know anything. But she might know something I don’t. And it doesn’t hurt to try.”[/color]

[color=f6989d]“Ryker? Promise me that you will not go looking far away without me? I want to see him. I want to go with you if you find any clues that lead you far off.”[/color] She looked up at him with her head still on his shoulder. She started to yawn a little bit. [color=f6989d]“I just couldn’t bear to lose you.”[/color] Ayla snuggled into his side feeling safe for the first time since she found out about her brother’s supposed demise. She pulled his arm around her and closed her eyes.

[color=slategray]”I’ll try,”[/color] he sighed. [color=slategray]”But I don’t know...it will be dangerous going after him. I know he’s your brother, but if you leave here with me, they could brand you as a traitor as well.”[/color] He didn’t want to get her hopes up too much. He had absolutely no idea where Fenros could be, let alone who helped him escape. Anyone willing to go against the crown’s wishes was most likely dangerous in one way or another.

[color=f6989d]“El hasn’t been needing me much. I’m certain I could get away. If my brother is a traitor then I am to  in their eyes. I don’t believe he would do anything to make himself a traitor to the crown. If you leave without me I won’t feel safe here. People are already looking at me oddly because I won’t let them talk bad about Fenros around me. They are starting to think I’m a traitor too. I defended him to the king and he threw a goblet at me. It’s only a matter of time Ryker. Promise me ok?”[/color]

Ryker nodded his head. [color=slategray]”Alright. I’ll do what I can. You should probably avoid the king for a while, though.”[/color] He let out a loud sigh. It felt like he was releasing all the stress and backed up anger he had been holding in since Fenros’s arrest.

Ayla smiled and wrapped her arm around his chest and pulled herself to him. She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. Then she blushed and leaned back into his side. [color=f6989d]“I know Fenros would care if I died but...would you Ryker?”[/color] Ayla had come to the conclusion that rules of etiquette were not for every situation so she was going to be blunt in case she never got to see him again. For all she knew the crazy king might order her own death that very day.  Guilty by association seemed right up his alley.

Ryker felt his face grow warm as she kissed him. It was the second time she had kissed him but this one didn’t seem to just be for luck. [color=slategray]”Of course I would care,”[/color] he replied. [color=slategray]”If it were up to me, none of this would be happening. I know I’m only another pawn to the King but I’m going to try and do everything I can to make sure no one else is wrongfully killed.”[/color] He spoke with determination in his voice. His own life wasn’t as important to him as the lives of the many innocents that were suffering under King Willum.

Seeing his blush at her kiss she smiled and asked him, [color=f6989d]“Is there anything that I can do to help you? I haven’t seen Eleanor since yesterday but I could try and see if she knows anything that might help.” [/color]

Ayla wanted to make sure she wasn’t making him uncomfortable. [color=f6989d]“I hope I’m not being too forward. It’s just that I’ve watched you and Fenros grow up. He thinks so much of you and….so do I”[/color] Ayla blushed. [color=f6989d]“I care a lot about you.”[/color] She sat up and put her brush down on the tabe nearest her. Ayla hope that one day he might return the feelings that she’d had for him for the last several years.

[color=slategray]”No, I wouldn’t ask you to do anything,”[/color] he replied with a slight smile. [color=slategray]”Asking around could get you in trouble. I’ll figure things out on my own. Don’t worry about it.”[/color] He hoped she didn’t take it the wrong way. He only wanted her to stay safe and he knew she was already on thin ice. If anything bad were to happen, he wasn’t sure how well she would take it.

[color=slategray]”I...I appreciate it,”[/color] he stuttered. He wasn’t quite accustomed to touchy-feely conversations. [color=slategray]”I spend most of my days fighting with men, so you’ll forgive me if I’m a little rusty.”[/color]

Ayla blushed, [color=f6989d]“I just wanted to tell you in case one of us ...didn’t make it. There is something in my soul that tells me that things are changing and there are going to be a lot of losses.”[/color] She couldn’t help but look up at her room. 

[color=f6989d]“I have a mind to go back home to my parent’s estate but I’m afraid to miss out on the news that I could hear at the castle. So I have decided to stay. I’ll help you in any way possible. I need to see my brother and know that he is safe. I’ll not run from my fears no matter how dangerous it becomes.”[/color]

Ryker nodded and got to his feet. [color=slategray]”If things get too rough, you can always go back to your parents. I will make sure to get any information I find to you about Fenros. I appreciate your help but I should get going. I need to find Ritza to see what she knows. And I shouldn’t stay here too long. It might look suspicious.”[/color]

Ayla stood and nodded. [color=f6989d]“I’m scared if I went home something would befall my parents and that I can not live with. I’ll not trust anyone other than you. Please remember, if you go, I go too. I can’t be here alone. Be safe.”[/color] She hugged him and watched him open the door and slip out.