A/N: I was going to try to do these in order, but then I realized that that was no fun. So, skip ahead!

56. Loyalty

"No sign of him here, Sir," the soldier told the knight sadly.

Horace bit his lip and tried to restrain his panic. "Very well." He said, his voice nearly cracking, "Move on, and keep searching."

It was nearly dark as the search party fanned out through the forest, but Horace didn't have any intentions of giving up the search, not while he was still alive. That's my son out there, he gripped Kimiko's reins tighter. So help me, if he's not already dead when I find him, I'll kill him myself. "Move on, deeper into the forest."

"Sir?"

"We keep searching."

"But sir, it's nearly dark out…"

"I said, move on."

The soldier gulped back his reluctance. "Yes, sir."

Horace sighed and gritted his teeth. Liam had left without so much as a word earlier that morning, taking his dog Lance with him. He hadn't meant any harm by it, but the boy was constantly forgetting to tell anyone when he left the castle and where he was going. Horace had always been annoyed by this habit, and tried to get his son to ask permission before wandering off, but at eight years old and insatiably curious about everything, Liam hardly ever remembered what his father said for more than five seconds at a time.

No one had realized that he was gone until nearly dinner time. Everyone at the castle had been busy with preparations for the upcoming yuletide celebration, and no one had noticed that young Liam was missing until late in the evening. After many questions, it came out that a young stable hand had seen Liam leave towards the forest earlier that day. Immediately, Horace had known that something had gone wrong. Liam knew better than to stay out at night, especially in winter, and by the time his absence was realized, it was dusk.

Now, Horace wished he'd assigned a personal escort to follow the boy around, if only he could have avoided this. It was dark, cold, and the Araluan forests were crawling with all sorts of predators. Horace did his best not to dwell on all the horrible things that could have happened to his son.

"Horace, we'll need torches soon." Gilan rode up next to him.

"Yes… Fine…" Horace said absently, scanning the treeline carefully.

"We'll find him, Horace." The ranger assured him.

The knight sighed. He sure hoped so.

It was a while later when Gilan's head shot up suddenly.

"What is it?" Horace cast him a curious look.

"Shhh," the ranger held out a hand. He was probably the only man in the entire group with enough nerve to shush Horace, but the knight hardly noticed. "Do you hear that?" Gilan asked. Horace strained his hearing.

"No… But, wait. Is that…" The noise grew louder, and the two only had time to share a look of sudden recognition before the noise came bounding over the hillside in the form of a huge, shaggy dog.

"Lance!" Horace said. Lance spotted the group and continued to bark at them, his front paws spaced wide apart, his tail whipping back and forth excitedly. "Come here, Lance."

Normally obedient, the dog continued to bark at his master. He looked behind himself and then back at Horace and the search party. He barked, then lunged backwards again, only to return to look down at the group. He continued barking.

"He wants us to follow him," Gilan guessed.

"Liam." Horace dismounted Kimiko and ran up the hillside. Gilan followed. Now that his master finally understood, Lance rushed down the other side of the hill, barking all the way. Horace could hardly see a thing in the dim light, but Gilan came in with a torch, and the scene was slowly brought into light.

"Liam!" Horace rushed forward toward the small body that lie curled on the ground. He was covered in blood. His eyes were closed. Heart racing, Horace put a hand to his son's bloodied face. "Liam?"

It took a few seconds, but two eyelids fluttered open to reveal tired green eyes. "Daddy?"

"Oh, thank God," Horace brought the boy into a hug, but Liam screamed. It was only then that Horace noticed that one of Liam's legs was sitting off at an odd angle, already swollen and purple where the bone had broken. "I'm sorry, Liam, I'm so sorry," He soothed, setting the boy back down. "What happened? Why are you covered in blood?" Horace smudged at the dried blood on the boy's forehead, trying to find the wound.

"I fell," he pointed towards a rock, one he'd been climbing on earlier, "and couldn't get back up. I tried, but it hurts." He sniffled and rubbed at his nose, which was bright red in the cold. "The blood is from the wolf."

"What?" Horace was suddenly alarmed. "Wolf? What wolf?"

"That one," Liam pointed shakily towards a tree a few yards away. At the tree's base lay a heap of bloody grey animal, its fur stirring softly in the wind. "It tried to attack us. Lance attacked it instead."

Horace didn't know what to say. He looked back over to the massive grey dog that stood panting by Gilan's side, and now realized that his wiry fur was covered in patches of dark blood – wolf blood. It seem to be concentrated around his long jaws. "And… And how'd it get on you?" He finally asked.

"Lance was lying beside me all this time. He was keeping me warm. He only left to fight the wolf, and to find you." As his son spoke, Horace looked to Gilan, who looked just as amazed as he did. "He would stand over me and growl whenever anything came near, daddy. I've never seen Lance growl before, have you?" Horace could only shake his head. "It's scary," Liam continued, "unless it's protecting you. Then it's a sort of good growling."

"Yeah," Horace said eventually, "yeah, I bet it is. Now come on, we need to get that leg in a splint. Gilan, you have your medic kit?"

"Of course, here," Gilan produced the medical supplies and laid them down on the ground.

"You do it," Horace told him. "You've more medical knowledge than I, and God only knows your hands will be steadier about now," Horace sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I'm glad you're safe," he told Liam. "So help me, don't you ever do that again, Liam. Your mother is in practical hysterics by now."

"I'm sorry, daddy." Liam looked up at his father, and Horace knew from that one look, covered in blood and grime and sweat and a red, frozen nose, that Liam truly was sorry. He'd learned his lesson the hard way.

Horace sighed. "You're safe, and that's all that matters." He held his son steady as Gilan set the bone rather painfully and bound it in a split. Ever adept to people, Gilan knew exactly what to say to keep Liam laughing even as he finished wrapping his leg. As he did so, Horace turned away to pet Lance affectionately.

"Good boy, Lance, good boy. You saved my son, you wonderful thing. If only you knew how much you've done for me." Lance just smiled his doggy smile and licked Horace's hand. He knew exactly what he'd done – and that's why he'd done it.

"You are a brilliant dog, and you are getting a huge steak when we get home." Horace glanced over the patches of fur that were covered in blood, and realized that not all of them were stains from the wolf – some were wounds. He frowned. "And a good cleaning, too."

After Gilan was done, Horace went over to Liam and checked him for any other injuries.

"Daddy?" Liam asked after a minute, tiredly.

"What is it, Liam?"

"Can we go home now?"

Horace broke into a smile, and was a little surprised to find a single tear of relief running down his face. "Yes, Liam, we can go home." Careful of the boy's leg, Horace picked up his son and carried him back to Kimiko.

"And daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Can Lance sleep in my room tonight?"

Horace looked over at the huge animal that was following them quietly. That wonderful, loyal dog who had defended and protected and cared for his son. Horace nodded.

"Yes, Lance can most definitely sleep in your room tonight." He looked back at the dog.

"Good boy, Lance."

As most dogs do, Lance followed them without comment, without gloating, without taunting or demanding. He merely jogged after his master's steed as they trotted back to the castle, content in the knowledge that his pup was safe.

84. Nap

Cassandra sighed and rubbed her temples. As royalty, she should have been used to long, boring diplomatic meetings by now. Unfortunately, nothing could quite prepare her for listening to a Gallican diplomat droll on in that nasally accent for two hours concerning the desire of the Gallican monarchy for the Araluan royalty to come to visit. It was Cassandra's job to convince them that they did not have any desire to visit their neighbors across the sea, and she had to do it all diplomatically so as not to start an unintentional war. Usually, it would have been primarily her father who had to deal with such matters, but with the King sick in bed, unable to finish any sentence without coughing or sneezing, the duty was left to his daughter.

"Oh, my head," she mumbled to herself, trying to keep that boorish Gallican accent from branding itself into her mind.

There were three things that she wanted in that moment. Firstly, she wanted a nice cup of tea and a comfy sofa. Secondly, she wanted a great big hug from her husband. Thirdly, she wanted to see her sons peacefully, quietly asleep. She sighed and wondered if she'd get any of her wishes. She paused her thinking to consider the odds. She'd been gone all day, it was raining outside, so the boys couldn't have played much outside that day, Horace was alone in their quarters with their sons, and last time she'd checked, their supply of tea was frightfully low. She sighed resignedly. Well, at least she knew there would be a comfy sofa.

She passed several guards and nobles on her way to the royal suites, but didn't stop to talk. When she arrived at her destination, she was slightly shocked when she opened the door without being met by any sort of sound. No talking, no playing, not even the rattling and shuffling of the boys' various toys. The loose chain around Lance's neck jingled slightly as he looked up, and his tail thumped against the floor when she stooped to pet him, but otherwise, there wasn't any noise at all in the royal apartments.

"Horace?" She called experimentally. No answer. She peeked into both Liam's and Benjamin's bedrooms, then into the one she shared with Horace, but all were empty. No one was in the kitchen, and Horace wasn't in his study. Horace had told her earlier that day that he hadn't had any plans on going anywhere that day, but she supposed he must have, if he wasn't here.

Then, she rounded the corner into their living room and found the three of them at the same time. They were fast asleep.

Despite her aching head and disgruntled nerves, Cassandra couldn't help but to smile. Horace was snoring softly, draped haphazardly across a plush longue chair. Liam and Ben were both curled up against either sides of their father's chest, their small size making Horace look like a giant. One of Horace's hands dangled down near the floor, and beneath it was an open book that had fallen from his grasp. Cassandra knelt down and picked it up. She smiled. It was one of the boys' favorite stories.

Now that she looked around, she could see other evidences of activity – there were various toys strewn about the room, including a half decimated stack of blocks that had probably been a magnificent castle at one time. Also, it appeared as though Horace had moved the coffee table to one side of the room, which could only mean that there had been a light-hearted wrestling match earlier that day. She wondered how many of the times Horace had let them win. Knowing him, probably every time. She shook her head and looked back over at three sleepyheads on the chair.

"My boys," she said, and kissed them all on their foreheads. "Love you."

To her surprise, just as she was leaning back, Horace's eyes fluttered open. After a brief moment of confusion, he said, "Cassie, you're back," he smiled.

She smiled back. "Mmhmm. I have to tell you, you three are quiet adorable."

Horace looked down at their sons and smiled. "Well, they are, at any rate. But this isn't a bed. Help me get them moved to their rooms."

Careful not to wake him, Cassandra picked up Benjamin, the smaller of the two boys, and carried him back to his bed. Once Horace had set Liam down, he shut the door softly behind him as he left and went back into the living room where Cassadra had gone. She smiled at him, and he went over to wrap her in a huge hug. She hugged him happily back, smiling and breathing in that familiar smell of Horace's clothes that had come to mean 'home' in her mind. A thought struck her.

"Do we have any tea?" She asked against his chest. He laughed.

"What?"

"Tea, you know, leaves and boiling water. Do we have any?"

"Yes. Actually, I just got some earlier today."

She hugged him tighter and hummed happily into his collar. "I knew there was a reason I married you."

"Why the sudden craving?"

"While I was on my way here, I decided that all I really wanted was a hug from you, to see the boys fast asleep, and get a nice cup of tea and a comfy sofa."

Horace smiled down at her. "Well, in that case, you go sit down on that comfy sofa right over there," he kissed her lightly, "and I'll go make us both some tea."

She smiled and thanked him and sunk gratefully into the couch that sat against one wall of their living room. Horace came back into the room after a moment.

"The water's on to boil. How did the meeting go today?" He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him.

"Utterly boring. I'd forgotten how annoying Gallican accents can be. And the man just wouldn't shut up."

Horace laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm assuming you made it clear that we're not packing up and heading to Gallica any time soon?"

"Yes, though they didn't seem too happy about it. Thankfully, the head ambassador is a father to five children. When I told him that I had two boys under the age of seven, he was more sympathetic to my view of the situation. After all, one doesn't simply pack up a three year old and drag him across the world."

"Indeed, and thank heaven for it, because I honestly didn't want to Gallica anyway."

"Horace! It's a fine country,"

"What? Yes, it may be fine, but it's not exactly where I'd want to spend the spring. I like it here."

"Oh, have it your way. I can't say that I disagree, though. What did you and the boys do while I was gone?"

"Well, Ben spent a good portion of the morning throwing a tantrum over not getting to go outside, but he stopped crying nearly as suddenly as he started – you know Ben," Horace shrugged.

"Mmm. Theatrical as always."

"Yes. Anyway, eventually he calmed down, and we spent the rest of the day messing about." He gestured widely to the various toys by way of explanation. "Liam wanted to visit your father, but I told him that I didn't want him sick, too, so he wrote him a card instead."

"What? Oh, that's so sweet of him!"

Horace nodded with a chuckle. "Sweet, yes. Though I'll be surprised if Duncan can actually read the boy's handwriting."

Cassandra shook her head. "You know he won't care – he loves his grandsons."

"I know." Horace said. A whistling interrupted them. "Oh, that'll be the tea," He sprung up and went into another room to hush the kettle. When he returned, he had two steaming mugs of tea. Cassandra took hers gratefully and inhaled the rich aroma.

"Did you get all that you wanted?" Horace asked her. She smiled at him.

"And more. Although now I've thought that a nap is a wonderful idea." She sipped at her tea.

He smiled at her. "Oh, I'm sure that can be arranged." He hugged her close with the arm that wasn't holding a cup of tea. "You go to sleep, I'll make sure the boys don't wake you if they wake up before you."

"What about you? You'll be the only one awake, you know."

"Oh, I'll be fine. After all, I already had a nap today."

Later, after they had both finished their tea, Cassandra collapsed onto their bed and sighed contentedly into the soft pillows. As Horace passed by, he pulled the door shut. He thought she was already asleep, but before he left the doorway, she called,

"Horace?"

He cracked the door back open. "Yes?"

"Love you."

He smiled. "You too. Sleep well, Cassie."

She let her eyes flutter closed. She was sure she would.

A/N: Okay, so I'm not happy with either of these, and as for the second one, don't even ask me what it's about. It's structureless, plotless, meaningless fluff that just popped into my head, and it doesn't even relate to the prompt. UGH!

The first one is actually a short little story that I thought up quite a while ago. I have a whole post-RA head canon up inside my noggin, and when I made up the dog Lance, it was almost a joke, but lately he's been popping up more and more in his own stories. He's mainly Liam's dog. I might have to write more with him in the future, and explain how the Araluan Royals came into possession of him.