Part 7 - Not What It Seems

The council members and Prince's sat around the diamond like round table. No one uttering a single word, the forgotten room so quiet a pin could be heard dropping. At least until the King's loyal assistant came barging through the door, his dark eyes fuming with rage, rage that only intensified upon seeing nothing was happening. Marcus whom was supposed to be leading the investigation, sat at the head of the table, as if waiting for something or someone else to arrive, Brandon on the other hand eyed each of the princes, particularly Alexander, whom seemed pleased one of his brothers had made a terrible decision and was going through the trial for it. Where as Wyatt, stood at the curved stone window, looking to the small village where the seven women were. Almost as if he was watching for something, a sign of the new era coming.

The princes were no better. Alexander sat there smirking at Finnick, as if to say he would gladly take control of the rustic kingdom. Daryl calmly sat with his booted feet on the diamond table, as if to purposely obstruct Alexander's view of their little brother. Valentine seemed content on fiddling with a piece of rope he'd brought with him, constantly tying knots, where as Lucian looked to Finnick, almost as if he understood his brother's actions, knowing deep down he would have done the same thing. Alden and Credence appeared concerned, never before had there been a trial for any wrong doings a prince or indeed the born princess had done. The whole thing made them uneasy, although neither would outright admit that.

Finnick on the other hand, seemed more concerned about the gut feeling plaguing him since parting from Echo. The feeling something terrible was about to happen, although he couldn't put his finger on what. He'd been parted from Echo before, since marking her. Particularly after the incident he was now on trial for, he'd scared her to the point the midnight haired woman had avoided him. In response the Prince of War had sent Balor to her, as a protector and a friend should she need one, although Morgana had done a good job at filling the position.

"I thought this was supposed to be a trial" yelled Ethan, looking around the forgotten tower room, his dark eyes, if possible seeming more vicious than before. "Where's the investigation, the punishment, the restraints?" demanded the king's loyal assistant. His attention on Finnick when the words of punishment and restraints left his dry, cracked lips, as if he'd hoped to see the seventh prince in chains rather than nonchalantly flopped in one of the chairs. "He killed my boy, my only son, why isn't he being punished" demanded Ethan, as he swiped a hand through his dusky blonde hair, wishing only for justice while simultaneously ignoring what his only son had likely done to earn such retribution. Ignoring the long and often tumultuous history between Finnick and Joaquin.

Without warning Finnick stood, anger blazing in his sea blue eyes, yet none the less he seemed confused by the sudden action, as if something else had been momentarily in control. Marcus seemed a little concerned by it, where as Wyatt had simply strolled over to the seventh prince, placing a calming hand on his shoulder, as if sensing what was causing the sudden erratic behavior. Something all those with a connection to magic had sensed over the recent months. Something was different now, the connection most had to magic didn't seem to be fading, but getting stronger.

"He attacked her" whispered Finnick, showing a far more vulnerable side to himself, something he barely showed to anyone, let alone those whom were acting as his judge, jury and executioners. The room had fallen in to silence once more, as Finnick squeezed his eyes shut, recalling the pain he'd felt from the bound he shared with Echo, remembering how scared she'd been, the fear she'd felt. He could remember Avi, seemingly losing control too, as if the wolf had sensed something off. "I had to make sure no one would do that to her again" commented the seventh prince, neither regret nor remorse ringing in his voice, only sorrow for what his princess had been put through.

Flashback

The ride to the edge of Arathorn Forest had been a quiet one, just the two of them. Finnick had helped Echo from the black mare, being sure to gently place her on her feet. The seventh prince had wanted to show her a hidden spot within the forest, a spot few only AJ and Balor about it. A place he often went to, to think when everything seemed to get too much. The walk through the forest had been peaceful at first, a friendly conversation between them, she'd asked questions about the bound and marking, he'd done his best to answer her questions with his limited knowledge. Avi strolled in front of them, as if pleased to finally be back amiss the thick foliage of the forest.

What had started out as normal walk, had quickly took a turn for the worst, when a loud explosion could be heard, shortly followed by the mangled screams of several people, the stench of burning flesh and the overwhelming smell of wood and oil burning. Echo had quickly turned in the direction of the commotion, quickly picking up the front of her royal purple dress and making her way over. Finnick had followed, worry etched on his features, even more so when the smell of blood soon invaded his nostrils.

"My prince" spoke one of them men, surprised he was there so quickly, it being obvious neither of the workers had realized he'd be walking through the forest with Echo. "Princess, perhaps this isn't the place for you" kindly added the worrisome vampire, it being clear he wished only to protect Echo from the mangled scene before them. Finnick had recognized the man as Alec, the owner of the tavern he often hid in. Alec always known to offer a listening ear and a helping hand to anyone who needed it.

"What happened?" asked Finnick, keeping an eye on Echo, as she left his side. The midnight haired princess, pulling up the sleeves of her dress as she grabbed hold of medical supplies as she walked passed with intention. Instead of being squeamish as most expected, the young princess seemed determined to help, starting with the youngest member of the group. The Prince of Wrath soon turned his attention back to Alec, noticing the tavern owner seemed just as taken with the princess, as everyone else was. As beautiful as she was, it was also clear she wasn't going to be like any other before her.

"The machine Prince Alden created. It malfunctioned, something got stuck in it. It all happened so quickly" responded Alec, not speaking on his concerns the machine had been tampered with. He knew Prince Alden wouldn't send any equipment anywhere unless he was 100% sure it wouldn't malfunction. "Joaquin, was the last one to use it before it malfunction" explained the kind faced vampire, worrying in his voice. It was no secret Joaquin had a one sided rivalry of sorts with the youngest prince, often believing himself to be more worthy of the title than Finnick, and thrust aimed to prove he was not only better at everything, but to take everything Finnick had.

Realization soon hit Finnick, his attention turning back to where Echo had been moments before, only see the raven haired woman gone. Although those there were now bandaged up. The Prince of Wrath couldn't explain why he suddenly felt terrified, yet none the less he followed the trial he knew she'd taken, sending Avi ahead of him. Balor and AJ following along behind seemingly appearing out of nowhere, as if they too had noticed something was amiss and sorted to correct it. The two quickly splitting off when the path forked in three directions, as if they'd made a plan before following the trail.

"Echo" called Finnick, his voice raised, concern flooding through it. Then it hit him, a sharp pain through his wrist, like someone had dropped a bolder on it. Another similar pain through the elbow and shoulder on the same side, the same twisting pain and burning sensation. The same cracking and contorting. The seventh prince soon closed his eyes, putting his thoughts on the missing princess, praying the bound would help him find her. Only when he did he heard Joaquin's voice, saying she was his, an image of the high ranking vampire accompanying the voice. Echo was fighting back against him. Through her eyes he could see the surroundings, the thick forest trees that never seemed to end, she could be anywhere, but then Finnick seen the glowing river, he knew where she was.

"Balor, AJ. Shadow Crossing" yelled Finnick, as Avi darted passed him, a dangerous growl escaping the large dire wolf, a warning to anyone to stay out of his way. The instinct to protect the princess and kill if he must.

At Shadow Crossing, Joaquin looked at Echo, as if she was nothing more than a toy for him to play with, no respect or any acknowledgement she was human or a living creature. He'd tricked her into going with him, using the excuse there was someone deeper in the forest in dire need of help. Once her guard down, he'd quickly wrapped his arms around her, placing a hand over her mouth to spot her screaming for help. The king's assistant's son knew Finnick would come, he wanted the prince to. If only so he could finally prove he was the dominate one of the two. The midnight haired princess on the other hand, made it more difficult. Determined she wasn't going to be a porn in his games, she took every chance given, to attempt a get away. The last attempt resulted in Joaquin roughly grabbing her right arm and twisting, ignoring as she cried out in pain, instead pinning her against the thick trunk of the closet three, a threatening demeanor about him.

"Listen up Princess. You try and get away from me again and I wont hesitate to kill you" warned Joaquin, his dark hair falling in his face, although it did little to hide the feral look in his eyes, or hide the fangs protruding from his gums. It was clear he wanted to cause pain. Despite the threat it was clear the silver eyed woman wasn't going to back down, made even clearer when she swiftly kneeing him in the groin, quickly grabbing a thick tree branches with her good arm and slamming it against the side of his head, before taking off in a run again. Almost lost, scared and alone, the midnight haired princess realized it was far better than staying with the feral vampire. Far better than giving into his twisted games and desires.

Echo's fear began to rise again, when she heard the taunts from behind her, the rustling of leaves and snapping of branches as Joaquin followed her, stalking her as if it was all just a game to him. Now more than ever she was convinced his endgame was to kill her. So she kept up the pace, never once looking behind her, for fear of what she'd see. Joaquin's laugh instead come in front of her, shortly before something hit her in the head, causing her to fall and her vision to go blurry. She could feel the blood begin to slither down her face. Yet still she stood as best she could, fought away the dizziness and ran again, this time to the left. Although she didn't get far before she tripped over the roots of a tree, roots that appeared to come out of nowhere.

Joaquin soon come into view again, a smile that could only be described as wicked and cruel appearing on his lips, mixing with victory over his apparent win. He'd been about to say something when deep growls could be heard from behind the princess, Joaquin's dark eyes quickly finding the snowy white dire wolf approaching, which only meant the prince wasn't far behind and his time was quickly running out. So with a quick glance around him, Joaquin launched at Echo again, only to cry out in agonizing pain seconds later when he felt teeth clamp down and tear into his neck. Avi had gotten to him first. Echo shuffled backwards flinching at the sound of flesh being ripped in such a vicious way, as the blood splattered against the dry ground beneath her. Although she soon felt another pair of hands reach out for her, about to yell out again, she was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Its just me, calm down" come the voice Finnick, as he pulled her to her feet again, gently wrapping her in his arms as he whistled for Avi to stop. AJ and Balor pulling Joaquin to his feet seconds later. Although Finnick's attention was on Echo, her's was clearly on her attacker. The Prince of Wrath assessing her injuries, noticing several joints out of place. Quickly registering that being the cause of the pain he'd felt earlier on. "Forgive me" whispered the seventh prince, as he pushed her shoulder back into place, twisting her elbow and wrist back as well, noticing when she didn't react, instead it appeared as if the shock of the situation had finally caught up with her. Finnick's attention soon turned to Joaquin, the feral vampire merely laughing, as if the whole thing had been nothing more than a game to him.

Finnick on the other hand didn't see the amusement in what happened, nor did he intend on letting it go, regardless of whom Joaquin was. Balor let go of Joaquin, taking Finnick's place at Echo's side, gently ushering her down a trail leading back to the open fields of Erised, quietly whispering to her, her injuries would heal soon. A benefit of the bound shared with Finnick. Finnick and AJ all but dragged a struggling Joaquin down the trail behind the pair, the feral vampire making comments regarding Echo and what he'd had planned for her. Ensure she would hear them, despite Balor's best attempt to distract her and Finnick's best attempts to silence the other high ranking vampire.

By the time the group reached the forest edge, Finnick's patients had run out. With one last comment from Joaquin about how he'd take Echo the next chance he got, Finnick viciously drove his balled fist through the gaping and slowly healing wound on the left side of Joaquin's neck, the wound caused when Avi mauled him. Joaquin gurgled gasps and pure horror etched on his frozen features, blood poured from both the wound and the feral vampires open mouth, his dark eyes rolling to the back of his head. The Prince of Wrath only ending the suffering, upon being brought back to the present by Echo's screams of terrified horror, she'd turned and ran, Balor following her. As Finnick ended Joaquin's suffering with a single decapitating blow from his silver bladed sword.

End of Flashback

Marcus had stood from his seat, aware the investigation he was charged with, wasn't all that it seemed. He motioned for Ethan to take a seat, taking notice when the King's assistant reluctantly did so. As if he feared something he wished to hide, had finally come to light. Brandon stood at the same time, moving behind Alexander, the first prince, as if expecting him to have a sudden throw a temper tantrum and attempt to escape. Where as Wyatt remained behind Finnick, whom had now taken his seat again, although in a much more princely manor.

"There was an investigation Ethan" calmly informed Marcus, his voice deep and soothing to those whom heard, but also with an unnerving tone to it. His voice commanding the attention of the others cooped up in the room with him. Almost instantly Ethan seemed pleased with it, once again turning his attention to Finnick, although this time victorious, as if he'd won something. "Finnick, however wasn't the under the spotlight, neither were AJ or Balor. You Ethan, Joaquin and Prince Alexander were. All of which have been found guilty by the council and King Kane" finished Marcus, seeing relief wash on Finnick's features, while also hearing gasps from others in the room. Alexander's smugness on the other hand, had been wiped clear from his features, instead horror took over, as he didn't bare think about what was uncovered.

"Joaquin's execution at the hands of Finnick was justified. He broke every law in place to protect the princesses when he went after Echo. Likewise AJ and Balor did nothing wrong when coming to Echo's aid and helping Finnick" started Brandon, knowing if the truth had come to light sooner, then death would have been Joaquin's fate anyway. "As for you Ethan, at the ruling of King Kane, you are hereby banished from the vampire kingdoms, should you return you will forfeit your life. You committed treason when you didn't stop your son challenging a prince, helped him tamper with equipment and covered his previous crimes against mundane, vampire, shade and morcarian" elaborated the black and white face painted man, bestowing the punishment given by King Kane. Ethan on the other hand appeared shell shocked, as if he'd finally realized the sway he believed he had over the king, wasn't as strong as he originally believed.

"As for your Prince Alexander. Your cruel behavior hasn't gone unnoticed, neither has your teaching in Heiress" smoothly spoke Wyatt, his eyes with the normal far away look to them, yet his smile one that could bring calmness, to those scared of the uncertain night. "Princess Mira shall be removed from your kingdom and returned to the High Palace, to learn what you neglected and continue her training. Your power and authority as Prince will diminished and all control of Heiress shall be temporarily given to Morgana, until the council sees you have learnt and changed your ways for the better" finished Wyatt, speaking of the judgement given and what would happen to Alexander. Although he had encouraged the attack on Echo, he wasn't directly involved in it.

Alexander was about to protest until he seen Finnick's angered expression, the parchment in hand clearly describing details none of the council members had spoke aloud. Instead of the normal smugness and confidence Alexander normally portrayed, the eldest prince instead found himself with uncertainty. Mira would be taken from him as punishment for what he tried to do to help her, in her journey to become queen. He would lose his kingdom to his abomination of a little sister, and he couldn't protest as his father had been the one to sign off on and likely think of the punishment.

"Go near Echo again Alexander or step foot in Erised, I wont hesitate to tear you apart" seethed Finnick, before leaving the room, wishing only to return to Echo's side, the pull he felt a far stronger instinct than almost anything else he felt. Credence and Daryl quickly following Finnick, jogging to catch up, even more so when they and several others realized just how powerful the bound was, it being clear there was something else connecting the Prince of Wrath to his princess.