Courtney opened the door for Stacey, inside was a cramped up tiny room, a small cot in one corner, a nightstand in the other, and very little standing room.

Courtney said, “Sorry, this is all the room we have, the holidays are coming around an-.”

“It’s fine.” Stacey interrupted.

“Oh,” Courtney said, she stood in the doorway for a bit, then spoke again, “do you think Will is ok? I mean, he just went to meet the king,” she was talking faster now, “and no one, I mean no one sees the king anymore, not since his son went missing. What was his name? Uh, Jared?”

“Will is stronger then he looks.” Stacey assured Courtney, “He will be fine.”

Courtney stood there a little longer, then awkwardly shut the door.

When Stacey was alone, he took his shield off and hung it on the wall, then unsheathing his sword he wiped it until it shone then sheathed it again. Soon, night came, and he fell asleep

`````````````````````````

Whispers.

That is what Stacey woke up to.

He jumped out of his bed, he shivered and threw his jacket on, choosing not to put his day garments on just yet, and opened the door and slithered down the hall, where he ran into a dark figure.

It was Lord Helmer.

“Hello son, heard you were friends with Will,” Helmer said, his voice echoing, Stacey whipped around and then looked warily back at Helmer.

“Yessir, I-” Stacey stopped, then narrowed his eyes. “I were there.”

“What.”

“I was there when you were talking with Will, I protected him. Of course, I am his friend.”

“Y-yes.” Helmer faltered, “Come with me.”

Stacey seemed to blink, and then he was there, he was in a cold and damp dungeon.

He heard the sound of an iron door bang shut, the little light that was in here was gone.

“H-Helmer?!” Stacey yelled.

A voice answered, but it wasn’t Helmer.

Like a cold stream, the voice said, “Child,” Stacey whirled around where was the voice? There. In a closed dungeon door, long heavy chains latched to a shriveled old buck, Stacey crept forward, “child you are lost, losing, let you be found.”

“What?”

A hand reached forward from the shadows and touched Stacey’s forehead, the contact was simple, but like a wave of water, it knocked Stacey backward.

Then, the visions came.

A baby crying.

Brothers embracing.

Callum and Will engulfed in flames.

Broken bones.

And an egg, an egg of a great hawk, a talon reached out, and smashed it.

Stacey cried out in pain, tears streamed down his face, who would hurt a child? An egg? The iced voice hissed in his ear.

“The egg. Find her.”

“At what cost?” Stacey choked out.

“Everything.”

```````

Despite the cold, Stacey woke up sweating, he got out of bed and dressed, then wearily went downstairs.

Was that all just a bad dream?

Once down, he went about trying to find Pepper, it was important.

He found her with Hence outside, he took her aside and asked his question.

She looked surprised, “No, not that I know of.” She said awkwardly.

“C’mon!” Stacey pushed, “You have to know something.”

She sighed, “Alright, you want to know if Morbin had any children? He had a daughter, but the rumor is, is that King Smalls destroyed her.”

Stacey clenched his fist and murmured, “The villain.”

“Hmm?” Pepper asked.

“N-nothing.”

ok...this chapter was rough. Harsh and Short