"Brother," Lord Ridgewood started, and Cass was a little surprised by the desperation that was already in his tone. The pleading. It was almost as bad as what Lord Ridgewood had been like at his door, on his steps, just a-god, had it only been a few days ago? That was an alarming realisation.
It felt like months had passed in only a few days.
"I tried to tell you before that this wasn’t going to end the way that you wanted it to." Lord Ridgewood said, and Cass tried not to react to that. What? What the hell did that mean? "I warned you. I told you to listen to me, but you were too stubborn. You and Father are so stuck in the beliefs of the old ways, of the elders, that you couldn’t see the forest for the trees." Lord Ridgewood hesitated, before he glanced at Edgar, and quickly darted his gaze away. "I...I won’t deny it and say that I wasn’t just as bad as you. I believed in my duty, and I can’t say that my mind has fully changed on that." Cass didn’t think this was just for his brother at this point.
When Cass looked over at Edgar and the others, since he didn’t need to go out of his way to look at Lucian. The man seemed to be just generally unimpressed with Lord Ridgewood. Cass found that Edgar had this...complicated look on his face. A mix of anger, frustration, and...affection. A twisted kind, but it was there.
Fiona’s expression wasn’t much different.
Cass had a feeling her affection was of a different kind, but then again...maybe not. There were different kinds of love out there. At least, that was what they taught him in school. Cass had only really experienced one type, and that one had been enough for him.
Lady Ava? She still looked ready to pounce. She was clearly holding herself back in some capacity. Whether it was because of Fiona, or because of the gods, Cass wasn’t sure. He had a feeling he would find out though, since Lady Ava had a hard time restraining herself when it came to her more powerful emotions.
"You aren’t obligated, Gideon." Fiona said softly and Lord Ridgewood glanced at her, before he gave her a bitter smile.
"I appreciate you saying that, but I disagree. I was, am, obligated. It’s a promise that my family made not just to the gods, but to...to the great red dragon and the king themselves." Lord Ridgewood let out a harsh laugh as Lucian shifted next to him. Lord Ridgewood gave him a look that held a hint of amusement to it. "Had I known, all this time that the red dragon from legend was so close by, I feel I would have taken a different path." Lord Ridgewood said. It was Edgar who spoke up next.
"No you wouldn’t. You’re too damn stubborn." It was said softly, in a way that felt intimate even if the two were two people apart. Cass felt a little awkward that he was in between them, but thank goodness for Lucian. The man scoffed, loudly, and rolled his eyes.
"Well, I don’t fucking remember anyone as annoying as you asking anything of me when I created this fucking place. Honestly, I should just eat the royal family and start fucking anew. If it’s causing everyone this much fucking problems, especially Cass. And Fiona. She’ll be spared, of course." Lucian said with a nod, as if he was being magnanimous. Fiona burst into laughter.
"Lucian, we’ve already told you, both Cass and I, that you aren’t allowed to eat anyone. You’re attempting to be human for us, right?" Fiona asked and Lucian growled.
"You humans are so damn frustrating. Why can’t we just eat the people who cause us problems? A few sharp teeth and snapped jaws in warning would go a long fucking way in this world." Lucian snarled.
Cass was glad that even in this situation, the man was unphased. He didn’t give two flying fucks about the fact that Lord Ridgewood was somehow honour-bound to an agreement an ancestor made to the red dragon. The man was more pissed about how all of this was affecting him now.
Lord Ridgewood, who had been rather anxious, serious, and solemn, chuckled. He glanced between the hero party, taking in all of their expressions. He especially lingered on Lucian and Edgar.
"I must say, given all that I’ve gone through recently, I am in agreement with Lucian this time." Edgar said quietly, and that was a shocking declaration. He turned his attention back to his brother. "I am in disagreement with killing my brother. For several reasons. The main one being I don’t want to cause the group any more harm than I already have. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that you had lashed out at him in some regard because of me. I would hate that. I’ve already...caused enough problems." Lord Ridgewood said quietly, before he sighed. "Beyond that, you...you’re an idiot." He told his brother.
He straightened his shoulders, as if he was gaining some kind of strength. Where it came from, Cass didn’t know. He wasn’t giving him any, and he wondered how he would have gotten anything internally. The man was a beaten, broken puppy. He didn’t even know who his owners were.
"You knew what I wanted to do." Lord Ridgewood started. "You knew, and when I went forward with the plan that you and Father came up with, and then it blew up in my face spectacularly, not only did you decide to throw me out of the family, you decided that you were going to be mad at me for something you told me to do. I did everything the family asked of me, and yet you came here, beat me up when I refused to raise a hand against you, and then called Cassian, a man who you have no idea, no right to speak to, a woman in man’s clothing. You are lucky he’s only held you against a wall." Lord Ridgewood went through several emotions as he spoke.
It was clear to Cass, and probably the others, that he was getting some things off of his chest. It was, also, really interesting to hear more about why Lord Ridgewood had done what he had. He wasn’t alone in his actions and beliefs.
It was the Ridgewood family who had decided Lord Ridgewood’s fate. Honestly, that made sense, especially given all that Cass knew about them. They were regimented, serious. It would be strange if Lord Ridgewood had acted against them by marrying Fiona. The fact that he was also sent to prove that Cass was...not human? Strange, but also expected. Especially given the fact that they were holy knights, and protectors of the royal family.
Cass took a step forward, glaring up at the idiot who didn’t know how to keep his hands and mouth to himself.
"I can’t believe you did this to Fiona." Cass said softly, and that startled everyone. Everyone looked at him, but Cass, as a reader of Fiona’s story, could feel the anger welling up inside of him.
The more that he knew the girl, the more that he understood that she was a bit of a push over. But she was a push over when it came to making others happy. She was brash, aggressive, but also had a big heart for others. When reading the story originally from Fiona’s perspective, everything was tinted with pink coloured glasses. She wanted to love everyone, see the good in everyone.
Including Lord Blackburn.
She had never wanted to marry the four guys. Had never wanted to take that next step, but the fucking big wigs couldn’t condone girls and guys living together without it being sexual and had probably forced her into these marriages. The men had convinced themselves that they were in love with her out of some kind of duty. There might have been deeper feelings involved, but again, there were different types of love in the world.
This fucker was a part of that coercion, and the misery that Fiona had put herself through, and in a run around kind of way, the reason why Lord Blackburn had died in the original story. These fuckers had backed everyone into a corner, into the little fucking boxes just to appease some fucked up version of the truth that they had convinced themselves was right. Cass was so fucking angry, and he couldn’t say that part of it was a future that he was refusing to let happen again.
So, Fiona.
Cass glanced around, noticing that one of the chair legs was cracked off, and making a thoughtful noise in his throat, he moved. He reached down, grabbing the leg in his hand. It wasn’t too long, probably about the length of his forearm. Jagged on one end, and rounded on the other.
Cass could feel everyone’s gaze on him, could sense the worry in some, but he refused to look at them. He instead, weighed the chair leg in his hand, glanced up at the brother, and felt his lips curl up.
"Lady Ava, are you opposed to healing him?" Cass asked casually, and he swore he heard her growl.
"I am." She said slowly, and Cass gave a chuckle.
"Oh. Well. I guess that’s bad news for him. You see, I’m not as weak as I normally am since I’ve been able to get some nutrients. I have a lot of allergies and restrictions on my body right now, so right now is the only time I could attempt to do this." Cass said, and Edgar shuffled nearby.
"Uh, Cass, maybe don’t consi-"
"Shh. Don’t listen to him. We’ll support you." Lucian cut Edgar off, shooing him away to make more room for Cass to come forward. Towards Lord Ridgewood’s brother.
The man had fear in his eyes, and Cass heard Fiona open her mouth to say something but someone muffled her. Cass had a feeling it might have been Lady Ava, given how angry she was.
"Do you want me to hold his legs so he doesn’t move?" Lord Ridgewood asked, and Cass turned his attention towards the man. He looked meek. Cass blinked.
"I could hit you." Cass warned, and Lord Ridgewood’s lips twitched slightly.
"That’s alright. I would have earned it." Lord Ridgewood said softly, and Cass just sighed. He gestured for him to move towards his brother.
"Alright. Let’s make sure he doesn’t move. I haven’t swung a bat in a while." Cass said.