The damn fools were blocking off the whole street with a carriage. Horses digging at the ground in impatience, several innocents involved, and lights going on in surrounding windows as they realised something was happening at this hour. Gideon was angry that they had considered that right this moment was a good time for this, but at the same time, Gideon knew that it had been a long time coming.
Gideon felt that he had been preparing for this confrontation his whole life. He hadn’t considered what he had done at his family’s house as a confrontation because that wasn’t what he had gone there for. He had been trying to just gather the last of his things while he still had his dignity.
He hadn’t been planning for anything that had happened to him to happen. He had spent so long letting the others do what they wanted because that was what he thought they were owed. Gideon just thought that was what he had to do as the youngest member of the Ducal house. How he, Gideon Ridgewood, upheld their honour.
He was wrong, and it took the man that he had belittled to show him that.
Gideon’s fist clenched tightly and he was surprised when Sam grabbed his wrist.
"Go check the carriage." Sam said quietly, not taking his brown gaze from his poorly disguised family members. Gideon blinked.
"What?" Gideon asked in return and Sam slid an annoyed look towards him.
"Did you really think that my Lord didn’t plan for something like this?" Sam asked quietly and Gideon blinked, before a warmth spread throughout his chest. No, of course not. Cass was a plotter and of course he knew ages ago that they had a mole. He would have planned for anything and everything.
That was what Cass did, and that was what Lord Blackburn had done as well. In a way, both of them were similar already. Gideon smiled slightly, glancing at his family for a second before he spun and turned back towards the carriage. He was quick in his movements, covering ground quickly. Sam hadn’t closed the door so it only took him a second to scan the interior.
It was right under his nose.
A sword.
Not his own, of course, but still it was a sword of good quality. Sturdy. Meant to be able to withstand holy power. It was such a small thing but showed that Cass knew him and saw him that Gideon felt his chest squeeze.
He really wanted to be at his side instead of having to deal with this nonsense, but here he was. He’d let this fester for too long, and now it was his problem. Should it have never been his problem in the first place? Maybe. It wasn’t his fault that his family didn’t like him or accept him, but it was his fault that he let them think they could push him around like this forever.
Cass was right. He needed to stand up for himself, and if he was having a hard time with that, he could view this in a better way.
Cass was fighting for his very existence, the least Gideon could do was help him while he was doing so. It would be a good thing for everyone if the Ridgewood’s learned that Cass, Edgar, Gideon, and all of Cass’ people were off limits. Gideon was almost surprised that they were doing this while Cass’ family was in town, but then again, they probably thought that Cass’ family wouldn’t know.
Fools.
Gideon grabbed the sword, spinning, and coming back to stop beside Sam. No doubt the stronger of his family could tell what Sam was and that explained the way that they were sneering at him. At least, he hoped that was the case. Otherwise, they were sneering at a civilian without reason.
That would...make sense for his family, tragically.
"What do you think you are doing here?" Gideon finally asked, his voice steady, his hand gripping the sword calmly. It was sheathed in a plain leather guard. Simple, unassuming, and clearly not the sword that he had been gifted by Cass before.
Gideon watched as his father scanned him, scanned the sword, and a look crossed his face. Relief.
"What do you mean? I am attempting to save my son from the temptation of demons." His father said and Gideon couldn’t stop the scoff that came out of him. Now? Now he was doing so? What about a few days ago when he was literally drugged? What about the time, the several times that his brothers had had issues with him and had beaten him within an inch of his life at balls and then helped him dress and forced him to go about normally? How many times had he hidden that from Edgar and the others?
Cass was the first one to smell that something was wrong and become so livid that Gideon had worried he was going to murder someone in the palace. He’d even been worried that the others would have overlooked it as well.
Even Lady Ava, the pacifist of the group, had willingly agreed to heal his sibling over and over until the point stuck. Case and point, he wasn’t even here right now. That kind of thing changed a man. If the rumours were true, and Gideon hoped they were, he’d taken a job away from the family a few days after that and Gideon hadn’t seen him at the house either.
There was also the simple fact that the demons in his life, the closest ones, had treated Gideon with respect, kindness and love while it was the humans in his life that had been cruel and unreasonable. Putting aside the fact that Gideon was a saint right now, how dare they say that to him after everything that they had done, said and perpetuated against Edgar and Cass all these years?
"Save me from the demons in my life? You do know that I’m a saint, right?" Gideon said loudly. He knew that his father had a pretty good idea of what had happened, but seeing the reaction from his brothers he could tell that he hadn’t shared that information. "Demons can corrupt priests, but they can’t corrupt saints." Gideon reminded him. He had no idea why he had to. After all, they were supposed to be the family that worked the closest with the Vespertines and the royal family.
That was on the first page of the book they forced him to read in childhood.
His father’s hand clenched, his anger apparent. He clearly hadn’t wanted that information out, but why should Gideon care about that? It wasn’t his job to cater to his father, even if a cold sweat broke out on his body as if to laugh at his defiance.
"You’re what? We already have a saint. Did something happen to her?" One of his middle brothers, one of the least egregious ones, asked. Gideon scoffed again.
"What do you mean did something happen to her? Of course something happened to her. We tried to sell her off to the highest bidder, away from the main temple, and that person also happened to be a demon. Of course the gods didn’t like that. You don’t get to try and sell their holy maiden without their permission and consent. Not only that, you caused great stress to the hero and the gods took that into consideration. They made me as a back up. A protector. Two saints means that we can carve out the rot easier and puts Lady Ava in less danger from those who are supposed to protect her." Gideon said firmly.
"The gods aren’t so petty." HIs father insisted and it was Sam who let out a laugh.
"I beg to differ." Sam muttered. "The gods are just as petty as the demon king, if not more so. Though, I will admit, they have nothing on the humans they created. No wonder they all fall into temptation." Sam wasn’t even really hiding that he was a demon, and Gideon was rather impressed with him for it.
He still looked human, still kept on the shell that protected him, but the aura...Gideon’s skin was crawling and he felt like he wanted to throw up.
No wonder Cass had always been sick around Lady Ava. This was disgusting.
"Sam, be nice. The gods at least didn’t ask to dig up sacred dead bodies." Gideon reminded him gently and Sam’s nostrils flared.
"Right. Sorry. I did forget that. The demons aren’t much fucking better then the humans, either." It was clear where Sam’s allegiance was. Cass. Cassian Blackburn. Sam didn’t give a fuck about anything or anyone else. Gideon almost smiled in the tense atmosphere.
"Glad we recognise that." Gideon said. His former family watched their interaction, confusion and anger on their faces.
"What do you think you are doing?" His father asked and Gideon stared at the man blankly.
"What am I doing? I am following the will of the gods, Father. Something that you told me I must do from a young age. Right now, that will is making sure that someone gets to the temple as soon as possible. If that means that I must face off with you, then I will." Gideon said plainly. "I thought that was clear after I had ordered Byron to run with Edgar." Gideon tilted his head to the side slightly. "Or are you getting old enough that you couldn’t hear that?" It was something Cass would have said and Gideon felt a small thrill run down his spine at the shock on their faces.
Sam snickered.
Gideon slowly withdrew his blade, staring at the steel warmly. Ah. It was perfectly balanced, unlike everything that he had been given in his father’s house. It had taken an act of betrayal to get to where he was, and Gideon swallowed thickly as he realised once more that he was a fool. If he’d only opened his eyes sooner, he could have spent his time reading in the library with Cass at his side. They could have cuddled together, trained together, lived together instead of living distantly.
One could only mourn the past for so long. GIdeon leveled his family with a serious gaze.
"Raise your swords, you cowards. We’ve waited long enough for this moment. Words don’t suit our kind. I have tried over and over to use them, but now we must toss that kind of civility behind. You’ve spoken enough with your fists, it’s about time that I use mine." Gideon stepped into a waiting stance, his eyes sharp, his back straight, and his mind clear.
They would not be getting away from him, not this time. They had a debt to pay, and Gideon would not come back empty-handed this time. He would lessen Cass’ burdens, and with Sam at his side, he knew that he could do it without it costing him anything.
"Sam, move away if the holy power gets too much." Gideon whispered to him quietly. "I do not wish to harm you in this." Sam glanced at Gideon, his eyes wide before something settled in his eyes. He hardened his jaw and let out a slow breath.
"My lord has eaten well enough, Sir Gideon, that I have more freedom then I normally would. I will be fine, but thank you for your concern." It was the warmest greeting that Gideon had received from the servant, and Gideon took it for what it was.
He was thankful for his concern and Gideon was glad that the man accepted him even that much. Gideon nodded, their words exchanged, and now it was time for him to beat some common, temple-driven sense into his family. For everyone’s sake.