A.N.: Wow, been ages... I'll have to apologize for the lateness. School has taken a majority of my time and I can barely finish everything before eleven at night. Okay, okay, not much of an excuse. Hmm, let's leave it at procrastinations then.

With that set, Onward

Wolf, Alex noticed, seemed to be on edge and wanted to get it done as soon as possible. Brushing the desperate onrush of citizens away in his haste, though, from Alex's perspective, the prince seemed to be fighting a losing battle against a flood. Reaching out, Alex grabbed Wolf by his upper arm, wincing as his grip nearly slipped when a man bluntly pushed past him.

Wolf, sensing his grip, turned back in question and irritation, "What?"

"You can't fight against the current," Alex said, pulling the reluctant prince toward the side and out of the flood. He pushed Wolf against the wall of the empty housing just as the prince decided to angrily fight back.

"Are you proposing that we just wait here?" Wolf snapped, pulling his arm out of his grip bluntly.

Alex pointed up, "We go on the roof."

"What are you, a ninja?" Wolf glanced at him.

Shrugging at the prince's skepticism, Alex rotated his shoulders and flexed his arms. He took a few steps back and leapt, grabbing hold of the edge and swinging himself up with ease. Ian had been persistent in his agility and flexibility training ever since he was young.

Crouching on the edge and making sure that the roof was clear, Alex peered down at Wolf, "If you'd like to go against the crowd, take your pick."

Alex knew that he would have no other choice but to follow the prince if the man really did choose it. However, he knew that the prince wasn't stubborn in light of a crisis. No matter how unintelligent the prince was. With a reluctant grunt, Wolf leapt up and due to having a higher height advantage, he easily grabbed onto the edge and pulled himself up with minimum help from Alex in an attempt to preserve his dignity.

A proud man, Alex noted absently as they scaled the roof. The houses were closely packed and it made their leaps between buildings easier than they had expected. The whole island was alive with energy and horror and Alex couldn't tear his sense of hearing away from the screaming and rushing crowd.

Every step they took screamed trap. It was a trap, a trap to get them into the castle. Scorpia knew that they would be desperate to infiltrate the palace during this so-called Purge. Once this Purge was over, the city would be a lot less busy for them to hide and the castle would go into lockdown again. Now was their best chance. And Scorpia had planned it perfectly.

"Up ahead," Wolf said as they leapt over an especially large alley to land in a roll on the opposite roof, "Top floor?"

"Get in, burn everything, get out," Alex shook his head with a frown, "If you can, try to keep some plans and if you can burn the whole place down. It'll be more convenient."

"What if they have backup plans?" Wolf questioned as they dropped quietly onto the central square where no one was in sight.

"Of course they might, but it would take them time and energy to pick out scraps of other information. Capture anyone who's in the castle," Alex said as they slowed down to a walk, "Tie them up or something. Allow no communication, like messengers or birds, out. Cut off all escape and then burn the place down."

"Along with them?" Wolf asked in slight surprise.

"Kill who you need to and leave the rest alive for questioning," Alex eyed Wolf coldly.

One mistake would be the end of them, especially in the very heart of Scorpia's nest.

They crept quietly through the gate. It was wide-opened as if welcoming and Alex knew that was the exact message. Giving the prince a quick peripheral glance, Alex decided to not tell the man that it was a clear trap just yet. Hopefully, the prince would exercise due caution.

The reception area was empty but the candles and lights were lit and there was no one in sight. Alex felt the hair on the back of his neck stood up in apprehension and paranoia. Quiet. Too quiet.

A sudden jerk in his peripheral vision warned him a moment prior to the sharp object. Barely catching it in time, Alex unsheathed his dagger and brought it just behind Wolf's back to catch the blade from an assailant.

Wolf leapt away in alarm, his sword out in a flash and his body tense as their attacker dropped onto the floor when Alex pushed him back with a slash.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" The man straightened, "The infamous heir and the prince of SAS."

"'Infamous heir'?" Wolf questioned as they circled.

"Oh, so you haven't heard?" The man asked almost gleefully, "The bodyguard you knew as Rider is actually the infam-"

Alex leapt forward, catching the man in a deadly pincer grip as he brought the two daggers in a pincer before the man's neck and kicked the surprised assailant in the stomach, pushing the man back a few feet before crashing into the fresh-oak table.

"Tie him up," Alex ordered as he dusted his hand and sheathed his daggers, "And gag him."

Wolf was quick to act, ignoring the fact that he had just been commanded by his bodyguard. The prince knew that now was not the time to talk and question. In a few quick successful jabs, the eldest prince rendered the man into a dreamless sleep.

"What was he talking about?" Wolf grunted as Alex began moving again.

Apparently, he had overestimated the prince's time organization.

"Nothing much," Alex shrugged as his eyes scanned their surroundings, taking in every twists and turn and every crack in the castle.

The spiral staircase took them to the second floor with Wolf ahead and Alex following behind, "Oh yeah?"

"Some childhood grudge probably," Alex muttered as they proceeded upstairs, their footsteps masked by the red carpet.

"And how did you happen to have a childhood with Scorpia?" Wolf was skeptical as he turned to ask him.

Alex sensed rather than saw the arrow whizzing toward Wolf's head as he lunged forward and brought the man onto the stairs, his hands cushioning their fall to prevent any chance of concussion. The arrow whispered past where Wolf's head was momentarily ago.

"That was close," Wolf grunted as he straightened and Alex followed suit.

"Mind your surroundings, Wolf," Alex said with a frown, "Thought you are your father's best soldier."

"You distracted me."

Alex rolled his eyes as he unsheathed his dagger and jumped up, slicing the incoming arrow in a flash, "Really?"

Wolf was quick to react as a third arrow flashed toward them. Alex had to admit that he was amazed by the man's stealth as he accurately cut the deadly object in half and watched it drop onto the floor soundlessly.

Alex was turning before it even landed on the floor, his eyes securing on their attacker. He was a floor above and his bow was already arched and ready for his third shot. It was aimed at him.

Alex smiled slightly as he leapt onto the railing of the stair and latched onto the railing above before pulling himself up, thrusting the dagger straight toward the man's head hilt first. Caught unaware, the man was knocked back unconscious and Wolf reached out, grabbing his dagger in quick movements, "Why didn't you kill him?"

"I don't kill people," Alex frowned as he landed lightly back on the staircase.

"Then why did you ask me to kill who we have to?" Wolf demanded as he strode quickly forward to catch up with him.

"It's for your safety," Alex said as they rounded the corner of the staircase and bent down to check on the unconscious man, "If you are hurt because of my measly order, your father will have my head."

"Always self-centric," Wolf grunted as he brought out the ropes to tie and gag the man.

"Self-preservation," Alex corrected the prince without glancing, "Let's go. A few-"

He didn't finish his sentence before he felt Wolf pushing him down on the ground, rolling as they contacted just as a sword, a goddamn sword, embedded itself next to their head, "Now we're even?"

Alex spared once glance at Wolf then back at the owner of the sword who had just landed before them, a second sword already unsheathed and a smirk on his face, "You take care of him. I'll go on."

The assailant didn't waste a moment to leap forward and Wolf's comment was nearly drowned out in the clash, "What? Rider!"

Knowing Yassen, or Ash, they were probably somewhere in the castle, watching their every move. Or at least he prayed. If Wolf did run into any trouble, they'd take care of it no problem. He had to get up there before Wolf did. He had to find out more without risking his identity to the prince.

"Hey, you are my bodyguard!" Wolf yelled in irritation as he repelled the on-slaughter of attacks, the sound of metal against metal rang across the open room and bounced back by the walls of the inner corridors, "Get back here!"

"Meet you on the top floor!" Alex called.

He would be gone for just a moment. A quick sweep of the top floor and then he would go find Wolf.

"Yassen, Ash, please be there," He prayed as he rushed upstairs without a second glance. Wolf's rather-indignified yell echoing behind him, "Get back here!"

The rest of his trip was rather smooth, to Alex's apprehension. They knew he was here, obviously, but the quietness and the un-obstacle way was unnerving nonetheless. One simply couldn't expect to invade a castle without any counter-forces.

Just as he rounded the fourth floor, the large wall scroll caught his attention. Welcome, Rider.

Of course, they had to be dramatic.

His dagger was unsheathed when he arrived on the seventh floor. A wooden door barred his entrance to the rest of the floor and he punched it open effortlessly. It gave away like century-old planks and crumpled onto the ground. The sound was loud and it echoed. Marble floor. He didn't expect this.

They weren't deaf, they would definitely hear it.

The corridor behind the door was brightly lit with candles and lanterns onto side but other than that, it was empty and seemingly endless. His boots made soft clicks on the marble floor much to his irritation. Masking it would take too much effort, besides they already knew he was here. Better if he got out of there as fast as possible.

His wishes were interrupted as suddenly a gust of wind—wind? -blew past him, and the flame lights flickered before withering away like dry thin clay. There must be a window or some sort of exit ahead to allow the wind in. The absence of light did not reassure him one bit as he proceeded faster, wanting to get this done with as soon as possible.

The corridor slowly grew darker as he distanced away from the opening and he found himself running straight into the wall. Backing up a little and his posture tensed, he gently felt the rough barricade. It was a solid wall, a painting or something perhaps judging by the rough pastel-like texture. There were no frames and it would seem as if someone had deliberately painted on the wall.

A door perhaps?

Alex reached out again and fell for a handlebar. It should be on the left edge, a knob or something protruding.

Nothing.

Right edge? Nothing

Center wheel? Not that either.

Alex frowned as he felt the painting gently. Did he hit a dead end?

Of course not. When he had first entered, the corridor was brightly lit and he had thought that the corridor was never-ending. The painting was in the way and the painting must have been depicting an endless hallway.

An illusion, trick for the eye.

But the question was how to open it.

Think, Alex, think.

The attacker was on the ground, his hands tied behind his back and an ugly mark trailing down the side of his face. It was still bleeding sluggishly and James felt no urge to apologize.

James turned and was about to chase after Rider who had gone barely a minute ago when the man called out, "Don't you want to learn more about your bodyguard?"

James halted and glanced at the man out of his peripheral vision, "And what do you wish for in return?"

"Oh, nothing," The man laughed, making a gurgling sound from his split lips, "Just trying to be nice and warn you before things get nasty."

"I'm all ears."

"You shouldn't trust him," The man smiled.

"And I should trust you?" James snorted in skepticism. While he didn't trust Rider wholeheartedly, he did, however, trust Rider to a certain degree that qualified the bodyguard as 'trustworthy'.

"Of course not," The man shook his head, "Just some friendly advice. You know nothing about him yet he seems to know everything about you. Doesn't that make him suspicious?"

"I seem to know nothing about you yet you know everything about me, I'd say that that makes you rather suspicious," James retorted sharply.

"Point taken," The man didn't give up, "But have you ever wonder why your bodyguard knows—"

James grunted in interruption, "Of course I have. Since the first day and even know, but that is rather none of your business."

He was about to turn when something hard, the hilt of a sword, was pushed into his back. James hadn't heard the second man coming up to him. Damn.

"Ah, you're here," The man on the ground said in mild surprise that James had no doubt was faked, "Great timing. Get him tied up an-" The man's voice sounded almost strained.

James was unprepared when a knife flickered out from behind him and struck the man in the throat. The sharp point of the knife slit the man's throat precisely and he was dead within a moment. James turned sharply in alarm. An ally? He was stopped by the hilt again before he could fully take in the man's face.

"You have thirty seconds to tell me where Rider is," Out of his strained peripheral vision, he noticed the newcomer's dark brown eyes were narrowed and sharp beneath his black curly hair. His postures were tense and James couldn't help but notice the rather sharp point of the man's dagger before his exposed neck. He didn't dare to move.

"Who are you?" James demanded. Enemy of Rider? Rather familiar.

"Twenty-five seconds."

"Who are you?" The prince knew better than to betray Rider, especially in the current situation. One mistake, they would all die. Giving out Rider would probably mean the death of his bodyguard and then he himself would be left rather naked and defenseless in this space where he had no knowledge of.

"Eighteen."

"If you're going to kill him, I-"

"He knows me," The man cut him off, "as ASH. And you might as well."

Ash? Hadn't he heard that name before? "Rider went on ahead."

Ash grunted in displeasure, "If you've been faster."

"If only you introduced yourself a little prior in advance," James grunted as the man pulled his dagger back, "You're on our side?"

Ash shot him a disbelieving glance, "No."

James's hand strayed toward his sword, "Then…"

"I'm on Rider's side," Ash glanced at him, his tone low.

"There is no difference."

"I'll fight for Rider, but not for you."

James faltered and Ash turned as he proceeded up the stairs in quick leaps, "Where did Rider go?"

"I don't know," James said as he followed, noticing absently the blood stains on the carpet floor. It was a shade darker than the red carpet itself.

"I took out all the guards," Ash had been observing him, "against my orders. Where did Rider go?"

"I don't know," James glared.

Ash didn't push anymore and instead, the man's eyes narrowed even further, "Rider specifically asked for me to be here on this floor. Why would he go on ahead?"

Why indeed.

Something clicked inside James's mind and Rider's actions started to make a little more sense. His bodyguard abandoning his duty because there was something more important here. He went on ahead to find it before James could.

A secret then, something he didn't want others to see.

Rider mentioned to meet him on the top floor. He could have taken a detour midway to do something else, but Rider knew the assailant wouldn't cause him more than a short moment. So probably not a detour.

A secret on the top floor. Top floor where all the documents were presumably stored.

A secret within the file compartments.

A secret file. But about what? What was Rider trying so hard to conceal that was within this castle? Something Rider tried to conceal…

Everything, James snorted mentally. Rider tried to conceal almost everything about him. Fine, some reoccurring concealments then.

His name.

Something that was within this castle… Scorpia agents. Operatives. Information. Files.

A file about Rider? James frowned. Why would Scorpia have a file on Rider? Of course, there seemed to be some rather old grudge, or relationship of some sort, between Rider and Scorpia. They knew each other and well by the looks of it. But why would Rider want to get his own file, presuming that his induction was correct?

Maybe not his file?

"A file about Rider," James muttered.

"What?" Ash turned sharply.

"Was Rider looking for something?"

"I don't know."

Clearly a lie.

AN: I know, I probably should be doing my chapter review reply comment thing, but I'm running short on time. Oops.

Umm, I'm currently accepting one-shot prompts for AR in case I have random time to think. So you can always PM me with your prompt (no slash, no romance please)

Anyway, cheerios!

P.S. I've been thinking for a while. My grammar checks always correct 'Leapt' to 'Leaped'. It's both grammatically correct (though leapt is more so). So which ways do you guys prefer using?