Missing in Action

Galliard walked down the hall slowly, his body mending itself back together. He had been waiting for his arm to grow back for nearly a half-minute now. His stomach was almost completely healed, so he no longer had to try and hold his intestines inside of his body with his one good arm as he waited. The prince's training was becoming more and more intense as the preparations for war neared completion and he knew he had his brother to thank.

His magic had improved by leaps and bounds and he felt pride for that at the very least. Even though his fighting was slowly improving, he was nowhere near the master his brother was, but he finally stood equal to others his age. In fact, for the first time since they had started training Galliard had been able to knock Tara on her arse. The feeling of accomplishment, when her face morphed into shock as she found his blade in her throat was...amazing.

The sound of someone's boots slapping the stone of the corridor as they rushed through distracted him from his thoughts. One of the mortals, he mused, no blessed would make such a racket just moving around. Regan's scent reached him, minutes before she did, and he turned around as the girl skidded to a stop behind him waving.

"There you are, how..." She happily began before her eyes widened in horror at seeing his still regenerating hand. "By holy Xrion, what in the name of the gods happened to you?"

"It is nothing," He shrugged, laughing it off as the rest of his arm finally stitched itself back together. "I just finished my training, you should have seen me a few minutes ago." He rolled his shoulder back and forth to show her the arm was fine.

"Are you sure...it looked pretty painful?" She questioned, concern plain on her face as she stared at his arm.

"Look, I am perfectly fine," He reassured her by stretching his arms wide as if to embrace her, she fought the urge to run her hands up and down the young lord's toned arms so she could see for herself. "You must remember I am blessed, wounds like this are not fatal for me."

She did not say anything as her eyes looked at the rapidly closing wound on his stomach. Galliard did what she had silently been wishing, gently taking her hand in his, he rested it on his abs just as it closed completely. The rabbit girl watched silently as the skin fused together, not even leaving a scar.

She could feel the hard muscle beneath her hands and swallowed the lump growing in the back of her throat. Regan yanked her hand back as if scorched by his touch, her face turning a deep red at all the sinful thoughts that were crossing her mind.

"See everything is alright," He spoke softly, not noticing the internal struggle that the girl was having inside of her. "What was it that you wanted to say?"

"I was just going to ask about your day..." She mumbled, still looking at the same spot before shaking her head and looking away.

"Forget my day," He waved the question away, far more interested in what she had been doing, he was responsible for her after all. "Today was your third day of work and training, how did that go?"

"It was exciting," She answered the princeling, perking up once more. "This fighting gives me such a rush, I wish to get better so that I can stand next to you."

Galliard stared at her with a raised brow at the phrasing. A smile threatened to spread on his face, as the corner of his lips twitched.

"I...I mean fight next to you," She hurried to correct herself, embarrassed at the slip of her tongue. "In the upcoming war..."

"You need not worry your head about such things, you will be safe here with your people and mine that are to be left behind," He said, nodding at her to follow him as he began towards the castle's keep. "You owe me nothing, so you do not need to put your life at risk to repay me, I saved you because I wished to."

"Nonsense," She argued back, pouting at his refusal. "I owe you more than I can ever repay!"

"Just stay alive and your debt will be paid." Galliard sighed, he stopped and turned towards her, resting his hand on her shoulder. He knew just from the look on her face alone that she planned on defying him.

"Little Prince." Someone called from down the hall.

Galliard dropped his hand, turning in the direction the voice came from. Hezra, Herras twin sister, walked down the hallway with a purpose. She was wearing her typical black armor, her cloak heavy on her shoulders and on her face was the ceremonial mask of greed. The smell of blood coming off her let him know that she must have just finished a mission. Galliard smiled brightly at his old friend, but he felt Regan slightly cower away at the unfamiliar woman.

"Hezra!" He exclaimed excitedly. "How good it is to see you after so long."

"I apologize, my lord, but now is not the time for pleasantries." She spoke with a hurried voice, worry evident in her stance. "I can not locate my sister, and she is not answering any of my messages."

"The last I had heard of Herra was when you both accompanied my sister, " His eyebrows drew together in thought before he shrugged, unsure of the matter. "Since she was not allowed on the mission my sister is partaking in, I had just assumed she had journeyed with you."

Herra was very particular with whom she spent her time, growing up abused and being forced into the life of an assassin; she trusted few. Other than Hezra, Gabrialla was the only other person she chose to be around, if not ordered to. It was indeed worrisome that she could not be found when she had not been ordered out on any missions. To his knowledge, in any case, he had become far more aware of such things, as his brother had begun to inform him of them personally. Not to mention the fact that she was not answering any of her sister's mental messages, which was strange in itself. He quickly decided; it was better to be sure this was not what the twin feared it was.

"Let me discuss it with my brother; he might have sent her on a secret mission." He turned towards Regan who had silently been watching the whole exchange and bowed his head. "I have to go, I will search for you after."

He teleported before she could utter another word and appeared in front of his brother's room. Galliard knocked on the door with vigor, sensing that he was on the other side.

"Go away." Wrath snapped at him through his mind.

"It's important." He sent back just as sharply.

He heard his brother's sigh echo through his head before the door swung open. There he stood, tall with unkempt hair and fastly healing claw marks all over, even through his mask that he had lazily thrown on Galliard could feel the aggravated glare directed at him.

"What!" Wrath's brother barked at him, clearly displeased.

"Herra has gone missing, brother." Wrath said nothing to this, so Galliard continued speaking. "We must search for her immediately, she could be in grave danger."

"This..." He let out an annoyed sound, half sighing and half groaning. "This can not possibly be what you have come to disturb me for."

"It is Herra, brother," He pressed with a strain to his voice. "She is family..."

"She is an annoyance, nothing more." Wrath grumbled to himself, cursing her very existence. "If she had found herself in jeopardy she could easily get herself out of it."

"How can you possibly be this heartless?" The younger son of Wrath accused, incredulous."She loves Gabriella and Gabriella loves her; our sister would be devastated if she were to be found dead somewhere."

"Then she can find herself a suitable mate to bring into our clan." He snorted to himself at the thought. "If that is all, I have things I must get back to."

"Wrath my love" The door was pulled open a little more to reveal Syrin dressed in a purple gown. "This is your sister's one true love you are talking about, surely as lord, you must do something."

"We are in the middle of preparing for a war." Was his curt response, Wrath sighed, before explaining further as he sensed her displeasure with the way the lord spoke to her. "I will not waste resources by sending my people out to look for a girl that is probably walking around moping over a decision that she did not agree with."

"Brother!" Galliard started, determined to change his mind.

"This is the end of the discussion." His eldest sibling cut him off before he could continue and before he could say anything else the door was slammed in his face.

Galliard felt the rage in him start to build up, he could not believe that his brother would do something like this. He knew his brother could be insensitive at times and that he and the twins did not have the best relationship but Galliard assumed that he would at least search for her for Gabriella's sake and if not for Herza. It did not make sense that he would allow his sister's retainer and admittedly one of the best assassins of the Clan of Greed to go unaccounted for.

He paused at that last thought, replaying it in his mind, before slowly drawing his hand down his face. A disappointed laugh burst from his lips as the obvious finally hit him. Wrath already knew where she was, he just did not want to reveal it openly. Not with the invisible sentinels guarding every hall and listening to every word. Or perhaps, she truly was missing and he had already sent someone to locate her. Either way, someone as paranoid as his brother would not allow an assassin of all things to go missing. Not without either having ordered it or following up on it. He grumbled as he heard his brother snort in his mind at his realisation, having felt his emotions. But then that raised the question, where was she now?