Finneas’s grip grew tighter on the man’s wrists, but he held still, just keeping himself pressed down, not allowing more than the smallest bit of motion below him. He didn’t say anything. If Maron wanted him to stay quiet, he would, but he could practically feel the veins in his forehead bulging.

A thundering sound behind him told Finneas that Joel had been retrieved, coming on horseback to get there faster. He swallowed, further pressing his weight onto the wrists he held pinned. Glaring down at the man beneath him was uncomfortable. His blue eyes were too wide and there were far too many teeth showing from the way he glowered, thin lips stretched taut over them. Finneas did his best to focus on anything else. The way the snow had soaked through his gloves, making his fingers feel like ice; the sound of shouting behind him and loud footsteps; anything that wasn’t that look in his eyes.

“A revolution is coming,” the man said, voice low, quietly enough that only he could hear. “Make sure you know what side you’re on.” It wasn’t that Finneas had never heard comments about revolution. The rioting in Henderson had a source, after all. But the way this man spoke, with venom on his tongue, it made him feel sick.

“Your Highness, are you alright?” Joel’s voice pierced through everything, and Finneas swore he felt his heart begin to beat again. It was as though everything had stopped for a moment, and then it was in motion again, too fast, rapid in order to make up for whatever time had been spent frozen. Joel pulled Finneas’s shoulders back, a guard hurrying forward with handcuffs.

“You did well, my boy. His Highness is safe. Are you alright?”

Finneas nodded. “We were walking and he came out of nowhere. Altrusia… also caught us off guard.” He did his best to speak quietly, watching as guards moved frantically around them. The situation was handled as if it was perfectly routine. They’d all been trained for this. It was just a matter of executing everything they’d been taught. Finneas turned, eyes landing on Maron. The man stood, hands clasped in front of him, thanking the guards for their hard work as each passed him, muttering assurances that he was fine. “If there had been more…”

“If there had been more, you’d have made the right decisions in the moment. Don’t worry about that.” Joel’s hand held into Finneas’s shoulder tightly, steadying him. “Take His Highness back to his room. Cancel anything he has going this afternoon. I don’t care about whatever optics, say it’s under my orders. We’re doing a perimeter search for others and dealing with this.”

Finneas nodded. “Do you want my help?”

“Help me by taking care of His Highness. And yourself.”

Finneas’s eyes still locked onto Maron, watching as Altrusia moved toward him. The man kept a polite smile, but his gaze flicked toward Finneas and his hand moved from his pocket, subtly extending his first two fingers. “Right. Thank you for handling this.” He stepped forward, placing himself at Maron’s side. As he approached, Altrusia took a step back.

“As I was saying, my Prince, it is an honor to have saved you.” There was no other voice Finneas could have described as greasy, but the man somehow managed it. Altrusia raised himself from his bowed position, and as his eyes landed on Finneas, his entire face dropped. A barely contained scowl crossed his lips, and his brow narrowed.

“Your Highness,” Finneas said. “You should rest.” It was, in part, an excuse to walk away from Altrusia, but it was also true. The man might not have been hurt, but someone had tried and that was enough to leave Finneas feeling as though he was going to begin shaking uncontrollably at any moment, so it could only be worse for the actual target.

“You should!” Altrusia said. “I’ll escort you. I need to return to the palace as well.” He offered his arm, the look clearing from his face. “I can’t help but notice that the man who attacked you was a magician. Are you sure you’ll be comfortable in the company of–”

Maron linked his arm around Finneas’s. Unlike earlier, he rested some amount of weight on him for balance. “I’m fine. Finneas will take care of me.” He paused for a moment, as though he was bracing himself for his own words. “You’re free to walk with us if you’d like.”

Altrusia blinked, his eyes cold. “Perhaps I ought to return with the Guard. After all, they’ll need my assistance. Thank you for your time, my Prince. I’m glad that you’re safe.” He didn’t wait for any sort of dismissal before turning on his heels, following the small group that had begun to exit down the path. A handful of guards still remained, but Finneas allowed himself a deep sigh. Maybe it wasn’t the most proper, but no one would fault him for it. To dislike Damon Altrusia was to be human.

With the man sufficiently out of sight, Finneas began walking, Maron following. It was a quiet walk. Maron didn’t speak, just leaning on his arm for balance, focusing on walking forward. They weren’t quite out of earshot of the guards who flittered about, and if he had anything to say, it wasn’t for their ears.

Finneas’s stomach was queasy. As they followed the path, the same one that had seemed so peaceful only half an hour ago, every muscle in his body tensed. The cold was more apparent now than it had been before. Every slight gust of wind tore at his face like claws, his eyes stinging. The wetness that had seeped through his gloves made his fingers ache.

He never used to get cold like this as a kid. Winter was always easy enough to deal with when he had full access to his powers. Even now, he usually ran warm, but with control, he’d never faced the frigid air so uncomfortably. He was used to it now, the feeling of cold gnawing at his bones, but as the pair moved through the trees, his mind was fixed on the thought. If he had access to his powers, he wouldn’t be this cold. Maron wouldn’t shiver on his arm.

If he could access it, he wouldn’t have thought twice about what to do if there was more than one assailant. He wouldn’t have had the mind to hesitate. Maron would have been safe. All Finneas wanted, all he needed, was for Maron to be safe.

Author's Note!

Thanks for reading! It's been an exciting interim for Flame!! We were on trending a couple times, which was awesome! Thank you all very much for your support! If you'd like to see some extra content, I'm over on Twitter, Tumblr, and Patreon!