(NOTE: Most of this chapter happens at the exact same time as the last chapter. Hopefully that should explain Jeonghan's strange appearance in the town of Moret!)

"Call out to the Light to save you in the darkest days. It will be the only hope." - The Prophecies of Light

Seungcheol woke to a shout of anger, muffled through the walls but close enough to pull him from his troubled sleep. Slipping out of bed, he moved out of his sleeping chambers, through the sitting room, and to the door that opened into the main hall. He only cracked it open a bit, having recognized his older brother's voice as he moved, and peeked out.

Siwon stood in the hallway a good twenty feet away, his face very nearly purple with rage. Two guardsmen in the colors of the Reaches stood cowering before him, both white in the face. "-and now he is gone! I should have both of your heads for this! You were specifically told to keep him here-" he cut off abruptly, very nearly choking on his own words as he forced himself to calm down.

"Go to the barracks. And stay there until I send for you. DO you undersaand me?"' he growled. Both soldiers saluted him quickly and raced away, desperate to be out of his sight. Seungcheol knew that if he were them, he would not wait on Siwon's punishment and would instead be on a horse and riding for some far away region.

That in mind, he ducked back inside of his room and shut the door softly before Siwon could see him. On second thought, he tripped the lock, a bit more relieved to have even such a flimsy protection from his brother's notorious temper. He didn't know what that had been about, but he was positive that whatever it was to make Siwon so angry, it was probably a good thing. 

He dressed quickly, once again in the colors of his father's house, but this time he added his worn leather cuirass over his tunic. He might get funny looks and certainly would gain some rude comments from Siwon, but he felt more comfortable in his father's house when he knew that a knife wouldn't slip so easily between his ribs.

He headed for Youngsaeng's quarters first, intent on finding out if the older man had had any luck with his search the previous night. If he had returned, anyway. That thought crossed his mind, but the door to Youngsaeng's chambers opened at the first knock and Seungcheol was ushered inside.

The Marcher Lord sat at a folding table, dressed in clothing similar to Seungcheol's, even down to the cuirass. Youngsaeng raised an eyebrow as he seemed to notice that as well, then shook his head and offered a seat to the younger man. "It seems we both want to avoid being stabbed in the back today," he said grimly. As soon as Seungcheol sat, Youngsaeng leaned forward, hands crossed in front of him. "I found Jeonghan last night, Seungcheol. But when I went to tell you, I was denied access to your chambers. Did you know that your father posted guards outside your door in the night?"

"I could guess as much," Seungcheol told him truthfully. "But that's to be expected. Tell me about Jeonghan. Is he alive?"

Youngsaeng nodded, with the briefest hint of a smile at the worried tone in the other man's voice. "Yes, he is alive. Or at least was, up until Siwon lost him."

The earlier fiasco came back to Seungcheol then, and he leaned back into his seat as he considered the angles. "I see. Siwon was holding Jeonghan? In the guest rooms though. Why wouldn't he put him in a cell in the dungeons?"

Youngsaeng gave Seungcheol a look that made the younger man feel stupid. "Tell me. If you had even an inkling that your brother might have something to do with Jeonghan's disappearance, where would be the first place you looked?"

"The dungeons."

"And where would be the very last place you would think to look for him?"

Seungcheol could see the man's point then. "In the guest rooms. But I would never have thought Siwon could be so cunning."

"Yes, well, don't underestimate your brother. He's a pompous, violent piece of horse dung, but he's clever when he wants to be." Youngsaeng sighed and ran a hand through his hair, before bringing it down to scrub at his face. "And my mother?" he asked, hope warring with tension in his voice.

Seungcheol smiled then, and reached out to pull Youngsaeng's hand away. "She is alive. My father had her displayed at dinner last night, likely hoping that you would be there so he could rub your face in it. But she is well. Just as fiery as ever and healthy."

Youngsaeng nodded gratefully at the news. "As for our friend. According to what I could learn, Siwon placed him in one of the guest rooms just to the right of me, three doors down from you, with guards inside watching his every move. I didn't hear anything throughout the entire night, but this morning there were shouts from next door, out the window. So I went and looked, and you won't believe it, Seungcheol," he gave a small, disbelieving laugh of his own as he shook his head, "Jeonghan flew away. Just, floated like he weighed nothing at all. I've seen my fair share of magic, Seungcheol, but I didn't know that Mages could fly."

"He's not a Mage," Seungcheol said