Ingrid smashed her fist against a guard's chin.
The man fell down the stairs.
She glanced at Icarus, who was doing backflips around the Commander of the guards. The man was no drunkard. He was not going to fall to some child.
Ingrid tried to go to her husband. For all that they hadn't exchanged vows, the promise was there! She didn't want for him to die! Even if her little operation was going to be discovered!
But just as she made a step towards Icarus, he winked at her.
She nodded. Trusting in him.
0000
Icarus assessed his opponent.
Commander Hugo was no slouch. Sure, he couldn't catch him yet, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to.
Icarus did another backflip. He didn't have a plan.
Just doing some bull fighting with the Commander being the bull.
Something he had done while he still had his slave rune.
So successfully, he had gotten rid of it. The King himself had gotten rid of it. Given him enough gold and a map for him to make his way to these lands.
The lands where the rest of the Dulo clan had sought refuge.
Icarus jumped once more. It wasn't enough.
The Commander's sword left a nasty gash on his left leg.
As the horselord fell on the ground, he rolled away from another strike.
"I am no bull, you Dulo bastard!" The Commander knew who Icarus was. Knew his secret. Something he had not wanted to say before Basila.
He had been testing her, in truth. He knew that there was no retaking those lands.
But Basila needed to see that her 1,000 dresses were burned.
Icarus didn't want for people to die because of that.
No! This country could become a safe haven. As soon as the slave runes became a thing of the past!
"Commander Hugo!" Unlike with lady Mei, Icarus didn't have to force himself to utter the tittle. The man was strong. And he could think on his feet.
Icarus didn't blame him for being a part of the guards. People had to eat.
The horselord understood that better than most.
"This is the last time you trespass in here," the Commander roared, as he charged Icarus, who was still lying on the ground.
The Commander's thundering steps came closer and closer.
Icarus didn't move from his spot. His leg was bleeding. Ingrid was yelling his name.
Man, his wife had so little faith in him…it was sad.
As soon as the Commander managed to close the distance between them, Icarus kicked the man's legs from under him. Using both of his legs.
Icarus screamed.
The Commander fell on the ground. More guards were coming.
Icarus had to think fast!
"Basila!" he yelled because he didn't hear from the girl. "Basila, I need your help!"
If they managed to tie up the Commander in rope from his own clothes, then they could use him as a hostage!
For a second, Icarus feared the worst. And then…
"Coming!" Basila yelled. Which was followed by the sound of a frying pan hitting a helmet. Something fell heavily on the ground, and Icarus could guess it was a guard.
He had no time to marvel at Basila, though! The Commander was twitching on the ground! Regaining consciousness!
"Basila, ropes!" Icarus yelled, already using his mana to unravel the man's gambeson.
"Hey!" The Commander yelled, but the elven lady was already wrapping him up in a cocoon of his own armor.
"What are we going to do with him?" Basila asked, as she regarded the two guards, who were looking at their commander with wide eyes.
"He is our hostage!" Icarus took Basila's hidden knife and pressed it to Commander Hugo's throat.
"You don't have the guts!" The man roared, as he pressed his throat against the blade. "I know who you are, Icarus Dulo! You are just a bastard! That's why your parents survived! No one wanted for them to rule them! Those two were…"
Icarus saw red.
It was still the truth.
That didn't mean that he wanted to hear it!
He hit the man over the head with the knife's handle.
Commander Hugo chuckled.
"What are you going to do, boy? Make a goblet out of my skull? Drink my blood? You are a savage, and the blood elves are no better!" Commander Hugo looked straight at Basila.
Icarus could see as her fingers stopped directing her mana.
As she froze.
"Don't listen to him," Icarus whispered to her gently.
For all that he didn't like the blood elves, for they had done much evil in the world, both when they ruled the known world and when they ended up ruling only a part of their empire, what the Commander was saying wasn't the truth!
No one deserved to be driven from their home!
No one deserved for their history to be torn down, to be turned into fine dust!
Not he, not Basila, not Ingrid!
"Well," Icarus felt strange. He had felt like this only once before.
As the King of the country where his family had sought refuge when they were exiled after their marriage, had offered him his niece and a lordship.
He had just smiled and shook his head back then. Wanting to find his clan.
But now, as he stared into Basila's wide brown eyes, he knew that if he wanted to save his family, he couldn't ignore his power.
He took a deep breath; looked at the window.
The sun was rising. Coloring the skies red, orange, purple.
Primal colors, royal colors.
"I'll drink from your skull at my wedding!" Icarus yelled.
Flying towards the sun, even if he didn't know it.
Doomed to be burned. Doomed to fall.
But as he cut off the Commander's head with a kitchen knife, his aura was finally unlocked.
For a second, his eyes shone. And then, he felt calm.
Calm, cold, calculating.
He breathed in and out.
That wasn't him. He was Icarus. His was the sunny road. Even if it was full of shadows.
He looked at Ingrid. He didn't see his sunshine.
He saw a strong warrior. A worthy wife. The mother of his children.
"Icarus!" Basila yelled.
Icarus smiled.
Well, he did have an entire clan to restore…