He opened his eyes to find himself in a large red canopied bed. He struggled to get up and felt an immense pain in his left hand. Worriedly he brought his hand up to check for his missing fingers. Luckily they were still there but the places he’d felt them cut away felt as if they were on fire. He looked around the room for anyone else.

Finding no one he relaxed slightly and began to walk around to inspect the room. There were end tables on both sides of the bed. Both had large vases of flowers. The left side of the wall had large windows and red drapes embroidered with gold trim. On the opposite side of the room was the door and halfway into the room was a large rug that covered most of the cold stone floor.

It had the same crest as Emma’s sword but had a red field of blood behind it. As he was looking around the door opened and a maid slowly back in. As she did so Dominit walked towards the drapes and hid behind them. The maid slowly made her way towards the bed carrying another vase of flowers. When she was within a few feet of the bed she realized it was no longer occupied. She dropped the large vase and sprinted to the door yelling “He’s gone someone alert their highnesses and the princess.”

As she ran out he poked his head out of the drapes and slowly crept to the door. Outside of the door two guards were each one running in a different direction. Dominit waited a moment before slowly slinking out of the door and began creeping back towards the room he’d first fallen asleep in hoping his gear was still stashed there.

He had a few close calls as maids and guards were running franticly up and down the halls. Luckily he had been practicing his abilities so no one noticed him. After making it safely back he went in and looked around not finding his weapons or armor.

He decided to try and transport himself to where ever his things were being held. Most likely it was all being held in an armoury which they’d be guarding in case he’d try to get it and escape which is exactly what he was going to attempt to do. Taking a moment to gather himself he walked straight into a wall. He became a part of the darkness and came out of another wall halfway through the castle.

“And make sure if you see him you only detain him. If I hear he’s been injured I will punish those responsible do you understand me?” It was Cassy’s voice. Dominit wanted to talk to her but couldn’t trust anyone in the castle after what had happened. He’d have to hope she’d be fine after he left. But couldn’t be sure with the blood oath.

He searched through the room he’d transported to and it appeared to be the treasury. It only took a few minutes to find and don his equipment. After making sure he had everything that he’d had on him when he was captured he decided to leave a message for Cassy. Taking gold coins he began to place them on the ground to spell out “See ya later Cassy”.

After he was done he walked back to the wall and was about to phase through his shadow again when he stopped. “Should I head back to the small room or Cassy’s room? People are less likely to look somewhere they’ve already checked before.” Not knowing if his room had already been searched he walked into the shadow and appeared back in Cassy’s room tangled in the drapes.

“We’re so sorry sweetheart please if we had known you were bound to him we would have never done what we did.” He heard her mother. “Fuck I’m too tired to phase again I’ll just have to wait until they leave.” “You would have both known if you’d simply come and seen me first instead of torturing him.” “Oh wow she seems pretty pissed.” Then he heard the king “Please little one calm down we’ll find him and clear up this whole mess.”

“Oh please dad if you were tortured by a king and a queen after saving a princess would you stick around to talk it out?” He sighed “No I suppose I wouldn’t” Dominit then heard the door open with Emma running in shouting “Princess he made it to the treasury.” Cassy perked up “So they caught him?” she asked hopefully. Emma didn’t respond right away. “Unfortunately no. He somehow snuck past the guards stationed there made his way inside and took his items. He also left a message for you princess.”

“What did it say?” “It said see you later Cassy.” He heard something slam down on the ground “What does that mean? He is bound to our daughter if he leaves what’s going to happen to our daughter?” The king sounded angry. “What should we have expected darling we treated him so horribly all because of a misunderstanding. He even tried to tell us we just wouldn’t listen.” The queen began to choke up and Dominit couldn’t take it anymore so he walked out of the drapes.

“Ok no need to be sad I haven’t gone too far.” When he stepped out he saw Emma was in the middle of the room with Cassy a few feet in front of her. Her father was a foot away from the bed and her mother was sitting on the bed with a tear running down her face. Cassy seeing Dominit ran at him and tackled him with a hug.

“I’m so so so sorry about what happened to you. Please don’t be too angry with my parents they were only trying to help me.” She tried to give him a puppy dog look to try and smooth things over between him and her parents but Dominit wasn’t going to have it.

He slowly pushed her off of him “No can do. You see there is nothing I hate more than helping someone only to be stabbed in the back or hand” he raises his left hand for emphasis she looked sad when he let them know he was going to hold a grudge for the way he’d been treated. The king came forward angrily and shouted “If you had just told us you were bound to our daughter we never who have hurt you like that. If two people do the bond together they share emotions. Why would we hurt you only to cause our own daughter pain?”

“What are you talking about I don’t know how to do the bond and didn’t Cassy say something about it being mutated in the forest Emma? The king froze at hearing this new information. Emma cautiously stepped forward. “Ye... yes she did sir” and she bowed to him. Everyone looked towards Cassandra to explain. “Um what had happened was well.”

She than began to tell her parents how she’d been captured and then later saved by him only by performing the blood oath to counter act the collar. How since she did the spell from a state of desperation and he a place of power over her it had changed from a mutual or lovers bond as some called it to one of a slave bond.

The king hearing that his only daughter was now enslaved to some man they knew nothing about went into a rage and tried to take it out on Dominit. Only to be stopped by his daughter, Emma, and his Wife. Taking a moment to calm himself he tried to negotiate a release with Dominit as most oaths could be undo given a few sacrifices be made. Not sacrifices as in you had to kill people but what he’s suggested sounded even worse than what they’d down to him in the cell.

It required both parties to want to break the oath and then one would person would be used as a conduit for the magic to be released. Akin to the collar when Cassy had collapsed only instead of exhaustion they would receive excruciating pain for an unknown period of time never ending until the spell had run its course.

The king not willing to sacrifice his daughter had chosen to strongly suggest Dominit take on this responsibility since it was apparently his fault in the first place it was done. As this “negation” continued Dominit became furious as this bastard had the gull to insist he be the one to bear such a burden.

Cassy seeing this tried to soothe both men before they came to blows. Unfortunately she was already too late. Her father threw a punch Dominit was hoping would give him a reason to beat It was much stronger than he anticipated however and went flying back breaking the window behind him.

Cassy and her mother tried to step in between them but the king pushed both of them to the side. “You will do as I say boy. I will not have my daughter be bound to you when I was discussing a marriage between my kingdom and the Dwarves.” Cassy gasped “Father you said you’d done away with such plans.”

“I had stopped but the recent rumors of the other nations making them a similar offer to gain more resources than current trade agreements allow.” Dominit chuckled at him wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth stepped forward to brawl with this behemoth of a man.

“Wait no please don’t kill him.” Emma begged to which the king laughed as well. “Don’t worry if he dies then Cassandra will be bound for life and we can’t have that.” Emma looked a little scared when she said “I… I wasn’t taking to you your highness.” This shocked everyone in the room for a moment.

As soon as the king looked away in disbelief to Emma Dominit struck. He kicked his right foot into the kings left knee forcing him to yell out in pain as he buckled to the floor. Dominit took his left knee and drove it straight into his face knocking the king’s head and body to the floor and making his eyes water.

He then followed up by grabbing the king’s right arm flipping him onto his stomach and bending it backwards with his foot holding the upper arm down. Everyone heard a loud snap and a low loud scream emanate from his kingly lips. Deciding to finish this bout Dominit proceeded to slam the king’s head into the floor until he was knocked unconscious.

This took place in less than a minute as Dominit had unceremoniously attacked while he was distracted and broken a few of his appendages viscously before finally silencing his yells of pain. He sat on the kings back and drew one of his daggers holding it to the back of the king’s throat threateningly. Cassandra’s mother shouted for him to stop. He looked up at the shocked women and smiled coldly.

“Give me one good reason to let him live.” Emma fell to her knees and begged him to forgive the king. Cassy was in a daze and just stared at him. Her mother started to cry. “Please no don’t kill him. I’ll give you anything you want really anything name it and it’s yours.”

He stayed on top of him and looked over a Cassandra. “Hey Cassy what do you think is the proper price for a kings head?” She seemed to wake up upon hearing his voice. “Please no don’t kill him I know what he did to you was horrible but he didn’t kill you.” Dominit shook his head slightly “I asked you what a king’s head was worth Cassy come on think hard.”

She racked her brain to try and figure out what was her father worth to him. “A fortune at the very least. We could provide for you for the rest of your life if you spared him. Dominit looked sad that was the best she could come up with and got off her father. He began to walk toward her.

“Really you could provide for me. I’m guessing you would need me to stay in this city to do such a thing. But what’s stopping your father from coming after my head once he’s up and walking again?” The girls thought for a moment “His word and honor. You would have his word and ours that we will not pursue you for what’s happened here.”

After Cassandra’s mother said this he looked toward Emma. “Do you remember those bandits in the woods about a month ago? How what they were going to do to you? Luckily for you I happened to pass by saving your life. Do you remember what you were going to do after I left the leader alive for you?”

She nodded slowly. “Good. You see she was going to let him live because her honor dictated she was above killing someone who could no longer fight back. As for me I killed him after I saw she was going to let him survive. Why in the gods name would you let a potential threat live?” They all shook their heads not understanding the question fully.

“You don’t that’s the point. As someone who has the princess of this country bound to him and beat the king to a pulp do you think he’d allow his honor to leave me alone?” They began to look away from him. “I thought not.” He sheathed his dagger and then began to walk towards the door.

“Cassy how about you show me the way out as thanks for letting your father live.” She numbly nodded and followed him out taking the lead. Emma looked towards the queen and whispered “I tried to warn you. He’s not some nobody you want to have against you. He snuck into the royal treasury unnoticed and then made his way back here.

If he was a serious threat or hired to assassinate royalty there would be very little to stop him. My opinion your highness I would suggest trying to re-building a bridge between him and our kingdom. After how much pain you put him through however we may be burnt for good.” Cassy had just taken Dominit out the front of the palace and he was beginning to leave when they heard shouts behind them.

“Guards do not let him leave!” Dominit spun and whipped his daggers out to prepare for a fight. A group of ten guards surrounded him and leveled their spears at his chest. The queen walked out of the palace towards him and passed through the ring of guards. She then bowed in front of everyone present to him. “I am truly sorry for everything we have put you through"

"I am also thankful to you for saving my daughter. I was given a bit of council by Emma as you left and will heed her words. I would like to make reparations for everything that has happened to you while being our guest. As well as make an alliance with you.”

Still holding his daggers out “What do you mean alliance and what could you have that would make up for being treated as I have?” She finished her bow and explained that the skills he’d shown would be perfect for him to make a career out of assassinations. His grudge against their kingdom would also give him an extra reason to want to take contracts against the people of Blazen. He assured her the people of would be quite safe from him. The royal family however would be a different story if enough money was provided.

The guards prepared to attack after hearing his open hostility to their queen when she held up her hand “I understand but please give us a second chance.” He may have acted rash but after he was punched he just wanted to show his highness what it felt like to be beaten when words may have worked better. So he shrugged showing he’d be open to the idea. After all there is nothing worse than having an entire kingdom hunting you if it only stayed confined to one and didn't spread.

“Oh thank you so much. As for the reparations I can’t think of anything that you could want. As you were inside of the royal treasury and only retrieved your personal items showing you have little to no interest in gold. The only thing I can think of is to give you my daughter. As she can’t leave your side either I believe that this would kill two birds with one stone as they say.”

Cassandra looked at her for a moment and then back to Dominit almost hopeful. “I have no need of your daughter as that would just give his royal highness another reason to come after me.” Cassandra’s head slumped downward “I believe it would give me a good reason to stay his hand when it comes to you. As well as free my daughter from the fate of a political marriage. She has wanted to avoid that since she was a child.”

Cassandra looked back to her mother with a small smile showing what she had said was true. “Please consider this an act of trust so that we may earn yours one day.” Dominit seemed to be thinking about it before he nodded. It was true Cassy might die should he be too far away that would defeat the whole purpose of saving her and he didn’t know much about the world. Not to mention having a royal princess would help people take him seriously. But then there would be those who would try to steal her from her. Either nobles looking to get a quick rise to fame.

"Urgh so many pro's and con's to go through. It would be slightly lonely while looking for my family" he looked back to the queen. "Ok I’ll take her with me. Can you answer one question before I go?" She nodded "I know that the heroes have been summoned recently. Where are they currently and where are they going to stay there for the foreseeable future?"

She nodded and said yes they would be in Ilada for two years in fact the only reason that she and her husband didn't have them in tow was because they told them they'd train together. She now had to work at getting the masters of her land to travel to the city of heroes to train them. Dominit thanked her for the information and beckoned for Cassandra to come with him. As he turned around a guard came running towards the queen giving her a two small packs. Cassandra hugged her mother and walked to Dominit's side. They left the palace to begin their journey towards Ilada.