i have you now my pretty

Petra's mission was going pretty smoothly so far. She was on a boat with an unconscious Henri, whose arms and legs were tied in case the drugs wore off. They were headed to the shore, where Petra would take Henri to an old abandoned building in the Forest of Linius that her group occasionally made use of.

Using her eilemaiden, Petra was able to speed across the ocean in the small wooden boat. They would be reaching shore soon. She was kind of hoping Henri would wake up, so that he could face her for real.

Henrik's eyes slowly opened. He was groggy, he felt extremely ill, his muscles felt like pudding and his head was pounding.

He tried to figure out his surroundings. He was in a boat, and he could feel and hear the waves crashing around them. The sun was beating on him. He looked around him a little more -- and there she was.

Petra.

"Why..." he muttered, coughing. "Why are you doing this?"

Petra watched Henri stir, a small and slightly cruel smile playing on her lips. "Because," she replied, drawing the word out a little bit, "you deserve it, Henri."

She wasn't the only one Henri and Nils had left behind. Other kids they had grown up and worked with and befriended had been there too, and they had all been punished when the brothers escaped. None more than Petra, but she realized now that she, too, had deserved that for her role in the escape.

She could see the shoreline in the distance. Almost there.

Henrik took a deep breath, trying to assess the situation. Where was she taking him? Who all would be there? Was this some sort of sick revenge that she was doing on her own, or was she working for the people who had taken them? What had they told her, or done to her and others after Henrik and Nils escaped? How many years did she face the brutality of their kidnappers?

These were thoughts he usually blocked out of his mind. It was a matter of survival for him, a sense of worth for his brother. They couldn't have saved everyone...could they?

Could they?

Petra watched Henri try to make sense of the situation. It pleased her to see him so hurt and confused, because that was exactly how she had felt when he and Nils and left her behind. It was finally, finally, after four long, excruciating years, her chance to get even. To put him through the same kind of hell he had put her through.

"How long do you think it will be before Nils comes looking for you?" she asked Henri tauntingly, just as they arrived at the shore. She was taking him to a place both brothers were familiar with, with the hopes that Nils would show up on his own so she could kill two birds with one stone.

There was no way she and Tasia would be able to drag both Henri and his daemon through the woods, so she once again used her eilemaiden to create a trail of water to drag the boat along. It was tough, but nothing she couldn't handle. The abandoned building wasn't too deep into the woods, anyways.

Henrik winced at the thought of his brother searching him. Both he and Petra knew very well that he would do his best to find Henrik and save him -- and they both knew he didn't stand much of a chance.

Henrik tried to think of a way to escape, but he knew there was no way he could get past Petra. She was smart and strong. She knew all the tricks, she'd even just played him because she knew exactly how to act to keep Henrik's trust.

He should have known she wouldn't be so thankful to see him. He had left her behind. Whether he had to or not wouldn't be something she would understand. That was her life.

Once they got inside the building, Petra dropped Henrik unceremoniously on the floor and pushed the heavy doors shut. She imagined that if Nils did manage to find them, which she was counting on, it would take quite some time. Therefore she didn't have anyone else from the group planning to come until at least the next day.

"Maybe when he does get here I'll just kill him," she said thoughtfully, turning to face Henri. She didn't mean it, she wanted them both alive, but she wanted to get a reaction out of him. "He was always pretty weak, I don't think he'll be much use to the organization alive."

Henrik fell with a thud, his face against the dirty wood floor. He tried to look around, which was harder than he would have liked since he was tied up, but it didn't take much to recognize what abandoned building they were in.

Flashbacks forced themselves before Henrik's eyes as he saw innocent men, women, children and their daemons slaughtered, abused, assaulted. He felt the ragged, soaked clothes hanging off his body and the hands around his throat, his arms, his legs, fists in his gut. He felt out of control.

And then Petra mentioned Nils.

"Don't you dare!" he yelled, turning onto his back to look up at her. "I'll fucking kill you if you touch him!"

Of course he had no idea how he would do this, but the anger that filled him convinced him that he'd find a way. They had escaped the group, after all -- could Petra say the same?

Petra laughed. "Those are some strong words coming from a man tied up on the floor," she said, kneeling down next to him.

"How would you kill me?" she asked softly, wondering if he could actually go through with it. They had been close friends once, after all. More than friends, even, until he showed how much he really cared by disappearing without her. "I'll tell you how I'll kill him. I think I'll use poison. Make it nice and drawn out so that you can watch every minute of his life slipping away."

Henrik looked her right in the eyes, fury building within him. He didn't want to imagine Petra doing what she said, but it was too realistic for him to dismiss. This was a real threat. And while Henrik and Nils had spent years running from their enemies and preparing for the worst, they were in some real shit now.

And Henrik wasn't sure they'd survive.

"I'd do whatever I'd have to in order to make sure you could never hurt anyone again," he said, his voice deep and his eyes piercing. "I'd die to make sure my brother was safe. I will do anything to stand in your way."

Petra stared right back into his eyes coldly. "You've always been so protective of him," she finally said, after a long silence. "It's too bad that protectiveness never applied to anyone else."

She stood up and walked away from him, surveying the building they were in. "When you two escaped they blamed me, you know," she told him, keeping her voice emotionless. "They left me in here for a while. No food or heat or anything, just the occasional beating."

She looked at the door. For the two weeks she had been locked in this room, she had always had the delusional hope that anytime those doors opened, it would be Henrik coming to take her with them. Of course it never was, it was only ever just another person there to punish her. Just the memories made her want to make him suffer like she had.

Henrik's eyebrows raised as she spoke. His anger faded as he realized her true motive. She wasn't blindly listening to orders, she hadn't faked being happy to see him as a mere ploy to get him here.

She was playing with him. She was trying to make him hurt, because of what she had gone through -- explicitly because of him.

He had thought for a brief moment earlier that this was some sort of sick revenge she was putting him through, but he hadn't realized how deep this went for her. While Henrik always understood that Nils was the only blood he had left and they had to stick together, Henrik was all Petra had. He had helped bring light and love back into her life, something he could latch onto with Nils but something she didn't have with anyone else.

Henrik looked to the floor, ashamed and regretful.

"I had to save my brother, Petra," he said softly. "It was too risky to bring you along. We would have died."

He looked up to her. "At least if I left you there, you'd have a chance to survive. I didn't think they'd punish you for something you didn't know about. I'm sorry."

Now it was Petra's turn to become furious. "Don't lie to me!" she snapped, lashing out and driving her booted heel into Henri's stomach with enough force to knock the wind out of him. She glared down at him, trying to force her emotions back under control. "Don't try to justify yourself to me. You knew exactly who you were leaving me with and what they would do. And if you could drag your fucking useless brother with you you could have taken me too."

She wondered if Henri really believed what he was saying to her, or if they were just lies he used to comfort himself whenever he started to feel guilty. Or maybe he was just faking his guilt, trying to get her guard down.

Henrik groaned in pain as Petra's foot jabbed into his stomach. Especially after the physical trauma his body had been through just a few days ago, his insides felt like they were giving in.

"You can be as angry with me as you need to," he said through the pain, "but I did what I did because I knew it was true. We're all still alive, aren't we?"

He coughed, feeling like his body was caving in.

"Maybe that's no thanks to me," he breathed, "but it certainly didn't have anything to do with Nils. So do what you want with me, but please don't hurt him."

"Us being alive now isn't proof that we'd all be dead if things had gone differently," Petra said disdainfully. What an idiotic way to look at things. This had to be a lie Henri told himself to feel better, she decided. Nonetheless she eased up and stepped back from him.

Henrik wrote:"Maybe that's no thanks to me," he breathed, "but it certainly didn't have anything to do with Nils. So do what you want with me, but please don't hurt him."

"That might be true," she said, her voice back to its usual cool tone. She always knew that escaping must have been Henri's idea. He was always the leader and Nils the follower. "But our boss wants both of you, dead or alive. I'd prefer alive myself, but I'll kill either of you if I have to."

Aside from her personal vendetta, she had practical reasons to carry out this mission as well. If she failed, it would not go over well with the organisation. They would think she had failed on purpose, due to old, lingering feelings. She internally shuddered at the thought.

Henrik breathed in heavily as she lifted her foot. There was no point in trying to talk his way out of this. He deserved everything he was getting. He shouldn't have left her alive. Maybe dying while trying to escape would have been better. At least they would have died with hope. Petra wouldn't have had to deal with everything that she did. And he and Nils -- and most likely Paisley -- wouldn't be in this situation.

Maybe his decision was wrong.

After a long day at sea, Paisley and Nils had finally made it to Amelia's mainland. The forest of Linius, to be precise. They hid the crudely made boat that had held up surprisingly well in case they needed it to escape. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case, but you could never be too sure.

Nils description of his past had Paisley nervous and on edge. As they discussed a plan, they both realized the best tactic would probably be to split up. Nils would give himself up, acting as a distraction and scoping out whoever was on the inside. Paisley would listen closely, easing herself up to the shack that was located in the thick of the woods. When opportunity arose, she would strike, hopefully opening up an escape or wiping out whoever was on the inside.

"Are you ready?" she asked Nils quietly, each of them positioned behind a tree. She couldn't imagine the fear that Nils was experiencing, and it had been his decision to give himself up. No matter what he thought of himself, he was brave.

After a long day at sea, Paisley and Nils had finally made it to Amelia's mainland. The forest of Linius, to be precise. They hid the crudely made boat that had held up surprisingly well in case they needed it to escape. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case, but you could never be too sure.

Nils description of his past had Paisley nervous and on edge. As they discussed a plan, they both realized the best tactic would probably be to split up. Nils would give himself up, acting as a distraction and scoping out whoever was on the inside. Paisley would listen closely, easing herself up to the shack that was located in the thick of the woods. When opportunity arose, she would strike, hopefully opening up an escape or wiping out whoever was on the inside.

"Are you ready?" she asked Nils quietly, each of them positioned behind a tree. She couldn't imagine the fear that Nils was experiencing, and it had been his decision to give himself up. No matter what he thought of himself, he was brave.

"Yeah," Nils whispered with a nod. He was terrified, but he had no other options but to walk into that building and give himself up. The only other thing he could do would be to abandon his brother, and that was not an option. He slowly walked out and approached the building, his hands shaking as they reached for the door.

He opened the door and stepped inside and was greeted by the disturbingly familiar sight of his brother tied up on the floor. "Henri!" Relief flooded over him that Henri was alive and in one piece, which kept him from fully realizing how wrong it was that no one else was around.

He started forward but stopped dead when he felt something sharp and cold on the back of his neck. An even colder voice behind him said, "Don't yell. Or move." It was Petra's voice. Since he couldn't turn around, he just looked at Henri in shock and confusion. What was going on?!

Petra heard someone approaching outside and looked up in surprise. Was it Nils? Could he possibly have gotten here that fast? How? Or was it someone from her group, coming to check up on her? Or a random, unlucky bystander? Thinking quickly, she frantically dug through her bag of supplies and found a roll of ducktape, ripped some off and slapped it over Henrik's mouth. She then grabbed a bottle of water and ran to a corner of the room, hiding behind some empty crates.

When the door opened she was happy to see that it was, in fact, Nils. Once he was fully inside, she snuck up behind him and formed her water into a blade of ice, holding it to the back of his neck. "Don't yell. Or move," she told him. She saw him go rigid. Good. She nudged him forward.

"How did you get here so quickly?" she demanded in a low voice.

Everything was happening so fast, Henrik could barely keep up. Before he even knew what was happening, duct tape was being slapped onto his mouth and Nils was walking in the door.

He wanted to yell, but he knew it wouldn't help at all. He knew Paisley was probably hiding somewhere, since he had gotten here so fast. He hoped that she wasn't.

What had he gotten them into?

Paisley and Chevron waited outside, listening for any sounds of struggle. There was no screaming. Paisley wondered what Nils had found. Was Henri there?

She waited a few moments outside the small building, her back against the outside wall. In her pockets were many types of seeds, which she would use if necessary. She also had the entire forest around them at her beck and call, which made her feel more secure. Hopefully whoever was waiting inside wasn't also Nadar, or things would be a little more difficult.

Before they'd left the island, Paisley had packed a few cuts of vine in her bag. As she waited, the vines slithered out of her bag and down the length of her arm, curling around them and under her shirt. They rested around her akin, waiting to be used if needed. Besides that, her satchel held medicinal plants for Henri. Something told Paisley those would be important too.

She took a breath. Gritting her teeth, Paisley opened the door as quietly as possible, stepping inside quickly. She was a little taken aback, instantly, when she saw a woman who fit the description of Petra, standing behind Nils and holding a blade of ice to his back. Ughdarras, she noted.

"Petra?" she asked cautiously. Shed been wary at Nils' mention of the friend, but hadn't been quite prepared to see her ready to stab Nils. Was this a set up? Or was Petra being forced to do something she didn't want to do?

Her vines lay at the ready, but Paisley didn't want to act too hastily and put anyone in danger.

Petra's eyes widened with shock when she heard a woman's voice behind her. She grabbed Nils around his shoulders and spun them both around to face her, holding her icicle against his neck. "Who are you?" she asked. Then she thought better of it. "No, actually don't tell me. Just get out of here before you get mixed up in something you'll regret."

This must be Paisley, the woman Henrik had mentioned all the way back on Nadar. Why was she helping them? They must not have told her who they really were. Petra couldn't fault her for that, so she'd let her go quietly as long as she didn't try anything.

Paisley's eyes flicked around the room, settling gently on Henri before flicking back to Petra. Her heart clenched at the sight of the older brother, bound and gagged on the floor. He had new wounds on his body. Had these been inflicted by Petra? His friend?

"Petra..." she continued, ignoring the warning and keeping her voice soft. "We came to help you."

It, of course, didn't look like she needed much help at the moment. But hadn't Nils told her that they'd been forced into doing awful things before, as well? What if this was something similar? She probably should have struck now, attacked before she let Petra get a good enough look at her to devise a plan, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not if she was like Henri and Nils.

"Please, let me help you."

Petra was starting to get irritated with Paisley's patronizing words. "This doesn't have anything to do with you," she said through clenched teeth. "You have no idea what you're doing. Or who you're helping."

She wondered what exactly the brothers had told her. There was no way they told her the truth, at least not the whole truth, or she wouldn't be here helping them right now. "Did they tell you who they really are? What they've done?" She tightened her grip on Nils. "They're criminals, you know."