Snoden made it his goal now: whenever First Warren was freed, he was going to get the two brothers therapy and a stable home.

Winslow had said his goodbyes, gave Snoden an ominous warning that if he even thought about hurting his brother he'd be dead within the day, and left to return to the palace. The doctor had given Whit the ointment and a roll of fresh bandages, telling him to apply it and change the bandages daily. Whit said that the causers were hiding out in the old warrens, something he and his brother had noticed when they were younger and Daggler hadn't asserted his control completely.

The woods were dark and Snoden really hated it there. He felt like someone was continually watching him. Which was extremely likely.

"So...what now?" Snoden said.

"We wait," Whit said simply, shrugging. "Black Band patrols happen every hour. The causers, as Win and I figured out, like to hit every third or second patrol to keep the Band on their toes."

"We just wait then."

"Yup," the prince said.

"Hey," Snoden said, after a short silence. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you get your…you know?"

Whit blinked.

"You don't need to answer," Snoden said hastily.

"No, it's fine," Whit said. He looked up at the sky. "I'm not really sure, to be honest. I think I was just mouthing off too much."

"So Daggler…"

"Tied me to a chair and put a knife to my face," Whit deadpanned. Snoden winced.

He honestly wasn't sure how they had failed Jupiter's children so much. Had they all really blindly accepted that the Jovesons had turned around and followed their father's murderer? Of course, the population of First Warren had other things to worry about, such as the safety of their own children, but Snoden still couldn't help but feel guilty when he looked at the young prince.

Snoden's ears perked up when he heard voices coming up the path. Whit and him ducked behind some trees, watching as a few Black Band members emerged. Snoden's stomach dropped when he recognized the leader of the group, Lieutenant Governor Daggler himself.

Whit's breath quickened.

"Find the prince," Daggler ordered in his raspy voice. "Kill anyone who you find with him."

"Even if-" started one member. "Do it, you fool, before I kill you!" Daggler roared. The member saluted swiftly, breaking off from the group and following his comrades. Daggler paused at the road and glanced around almost suspiciously.

Snoden's heart was pounding, and he felt like it was as loud as a raptor's wingbeats.

The cruel buck began walking forward, hand resting on his sword, watching the trees carefully.

Come on, come on, Snoden prayed as he waited for the causers to show up. What if they didn't? He and Whit were trapped, Daggler's lackeys searching the forest, and Daggler barely ten feet away from them.

"I know you're here."

Daggler's voice was sickly sweet, like saccharine poison. Whit's uncovered eye widened, and Snoden gently put a hand over his mouth to prevent the kid from screaming.

"Come out now, little prince, and I might not kill that vagrant who helped you," Daggler continued. There was a slithering sound as Daggler unsheathed his sword.

Whit glanced up at Snoden, panic alight in his eyes. Snoden shook his head. They needed to hold on for a little longer,

"Sir!"

Daggler whirled around to face a masked member of his gang. "Yes?" he snapped.

"The causers," the member said, trying to catch his breath. "They've attacked Lieutenant Evan. They're moving this way."

"Why didn't you stop them-"

"Well, if it isn't Daggler," said a voice as a group broke through the trees.

They were wearing masks reminiscent of the Black Band's, with uniforms almost identical to the Band's. The only thing that set them apart was the lack of red itself. There were at least five of them, the leader already wielding his drawn sword. Snoden relaxed, but only briefly-they still needed to defeat Daggler. More of Daggler's lackeys rejoined, all of them drawing their swords in turn.

"Get them," ordered Daggler, and then there was chaos.

Snoden attempted to drag Whit away from the danger, but Whit was transfixed on the flashing blades, eyes tracking their every movement in an almost eerie manner.

"Whit, you have to get out," hissed Snoden urgently. Whit jerked out of his reverie, just as a Black Band member saw them.

"There's the prince!" he shouted, causing Daggler to whirl around with an evil grin on his face.

"There you are," he said, locking eyes with Whit.

Snoden cursed under his breath. "Whit, run," he said firmly to Whit. "Don't question it, just run." He turned to face Daggler. "You aren't touching him."

"Am I?" Daggler spat, twirling his sword. "You made a grave mistake facing me."

"Maybe I did," Snoden said, dodging the murderer's first sword strike. He lunged forward, attempting to go for Daggler's wrist, a move he and Helmer had performed many a time when they were kids. Daggler seemed to see it coming and made a move to dodge the blow, punching Snoden harshly in the stomach. The leader of the causers saw what was happening and quickly ran over, leaving his comrades to fight the Black Band.

Daggler and Snoden disengaged, circling each other carefully.

"Leave him alone, Daggler, your fight is with me," the leader said calmly. Snoden doubted Daggler would even consider leaving Snoden alone.

"Fine then," Daggler said. "I'll enjoy gutting you, and all your friends, and then this peasant."

The leader shot Snoden a glance that clearly said get out. Snoden almost felt frozen to the spot, but he somehow managed to move out of the way of the fight, cautiously keeping his eyes on Daggler in case anything tricky happened.

And then...

A piercing pain shot through his chest. Someone shouted something incoherent-it was a Black Band member, eyes wide underneath the mask as he lowered his bow. Snoden glanced down and saw blood soaking through his shirt, like a crimson wave. He buckled slightly, dots spinning before his eyes, and he was suddenly aware of Daggler laughing, grating and oh-so-cruel.

"Let's go," Daggler said, his voice coming out slurred to Snoden's ears. "We'll find the prince later. He's bound to show up."

The band disengaged from their fight and reluctantly walked away, the remains of their bloodlust still on their faces. The one who had shot Snoden, the one who had sealed his fate, threw a somewhat guilty glance at Snoden before walking away with his comrades.

"Hey," the leader said. "Get a doctor!" he snapped to one of the causers.

"No," Snoden said, wincing. "I'm-I'm going to die."

"Not on my watch," the leader hissed, ripping off his mask. "Come on!" he barked to the confused soldiers behind him.

"No," Snoden repeated. "Look, the kid-the prince, Whit, you need to help him-"

"You're not thinking straight-" the leader began.

"Please," Snoden practically begged, "I promised I'd help him, you need to find him and keep him safe."

The leader closed his eyes briefly. "I understand," he said gravely. "We'll take the prince. Is there anything else?"

Snoden's mind was racing a mile a minute as he tried to figure out if Daggler had recognized him. "My family. Someone needs to tell them-and-" He spat out some blood, chest heaving in pain. "Don't put them in danger. Just watch them."

"What's your name?" the leader asked almost tenderly.

"Snoden."

"I'm Cap," the leader said, smiling grimly. "And I swear upon the Mended Wood I'll fulfill your wish."

The last thing Snoden saw before his heart stilled and his vision faded to black was the blue sky, framed by green leaves. It was almost peaceful.

why is my old writing so good yet so bad 😔

anyways should i post the epilogue to this? its not really necessary to the original story but it was fun to write anyways lol

hopefull i'll remember to put up my fics here more heh

hope you enjoyed!!