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The Ties that Bind	By : Lady_Kae Category: +M through R > Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Views: 2280 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters used from the game Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. All characters and game related material, plus any lyrics, save for original content is property of their respective owners and no money is being made from this

Chapter List
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A/N: 9/1/13- Sorry about the massive edit on this chapter ^^; I didn't even realize that I had the wrong file up when I posted it. Complete version is now up! Enjoy ^^
Book I: Link

Chapter 1: Into the Evestan Wilds

A Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Fanfiction

Thunder cracked and boomed above them as lightning flashed menacingly, sparsely lighting the dim forest as the two companions trudged forward through the rain. They had been mostly silent for the last three days, neither wishing to speak a word to break the tentative truce that they had formed thus far. They had yet to get into a fight as Amara initially feared, although it was refreshing to not be constantly bickering with the other man.
Amara shook her head and turned to Gascon. “ There should be a cave nearby!” she shouted over the downpour. The cacophony around them was deafening.
Gascon nodded. “ Let’s hurry then! We’ll both catch a death of a chill if we don’t get out of these wet clothes!” he replied.
Amara nodded and the two hastened their movements and she couldn’t hold back the sigh of relief when they found the cave she had been referring to. It was early in the afternoon yet, which would give them time to dry out their sleeping gear. They were more than likely going to be stuck here for the night, as the storm certainly showed no signs of stopping yet.
Gascon pulled a rope from his pack and he strung it across the front of the cave as there was a little slope leading outward that would allow the water to drain instead of collecting in the cave with them.
Amara was looking about, hoping to find something to start a fire with, and she shook her head. “ I’m going to head out a little ways to see if I can find some branches that we can dry out and use for a fire.” she said, squeezing between him and the mouth of the cave in an effort to exit. She quickly and nimbly disappeared into the branches and out of sight.
“ Be careful!” Gascon called to her back. He shook his head even as he felt his heart constrict a bit. It certainly had been a lonely couple of days despite having Amara in his company. He called forward his bone baron in an effort to give him someone to talk to and the familiar looked about. “ No, I don’t need anything from you yet, Sarge. I just need someone to talk to is all...You remember Amara don’t you?”
The bone baron’s attention suddenly perked at the mention of the evestan princess and he nodded emphatically.
“ Well, needless to say that our fathers have forced both of us out into the wilds with no one to rely on but one another. It’s been a very quiet, and lonely three days, as Amara won’t speak to me any more than necessary...It’s my fault she’s like this though, is it really any surprise?”
Sarge looked at his master expectantly and the man figured that he needed to cast nature’s tongue. Damn right it’s your fault. I’ve been with you since you tamed me nearly ten years ago. I’ve watched the two of you grow up, including all the fighting and bickering you two always did. The problem you’ve always had is that you don’t just think of Amara as a friend, or even a rival Gascon....Sarge began.
“ And what the hell is that supposed to mean, Sarge?” Gascon snapped. He was in the midst of hanging up their bedrolls and blankets first. They needed to dry out before anything else.
You’ve always....Sarge began, smirking as Gascon was suddenly lurched forward as if pulled by his right hand. It looked like they were finally going to learn about that little spell Vigo had placed on them.
“ The hell?!” Gascon cried out, attempting to hold himself in place even as something tried pulling him out into the rain again.
Amara was struggling as well and noticed that her left arm seemed as if it were tied to something behind her. She had an armful of wood as it was and wasn’t in the mood to press her luck. Without warning, she lurched backwards as if pulled and Amara went falling to the mud.
Gascon heard Amara’s enraged scream echo over the rain and he blanched fearfully. He had just pulled himself backwards towards the driest end of the cave. “ Why do I get the feeling I’m going to get hit for what happened to her?” he deadpanned, his face falling just a bit.
Sarge chuckled. I think I’m going to make myself scarce for this...he said, jumping back into Gascon’s creature cage.
“ I swear if I ever get my hands on him, I am going to....” Amara seethed as she walked back into the cave, her hair plastered to her head and almost completely covered head to toe in mud despite the downpour. “ That no good, rotten, dirty, cheap, wand wielding bastard son of a gasket spewing sprog-cog!”
Gascon couldn’t help but chuckle as Amara muttered in her ire. “ Is it safe to assume I’m safe from your wrath?” he asked her tentatively, though his eyes were glittering with mirth. He could only guess she was referring to his father in such a sense.
“ This is your father’s doing!” Amara threw her left hand up and pointed to it as she spun wildly towards Gascon even as she confirmed his suspicions. “ That spell he cast on us three days ago?! It was a link spell! I can only get so far away from you until we’re forced back into each other’s company again! I was pretty much forced back to the cave as the spell...retracted upon itself is the only term I can think of.” Amara seethed. She began digging into her bag for a clean set of clothing and she looked up at Gascon. “ I need to bathe.” she deadpanned, blushing as she did so.
Gascon blushed as well. “ Do you have anything I can tie around my eyes?” he growled out. He had the perfect quip sitting on the edge of his tongue, but he curbed it. He wasn’t in the mood to get into a brawl in such tight quarters with Amara here and now. Maybe later on when the weather wasn’t as bad and he had more places he could duck into Gascon would chance a bit of good natured teasing.
Amara pulled a scarf that she would tie her long brown locks up with from her bag and walked over to Gascon. “ Sit down. I’ll tie it around you myself if you don’t mind too terribly.” she said warily.
Gascon shot her a glare. “ As if I’d want to chance a peek at your wares.” he spat despite himself.
Amara bristled at this. “ You know, I may not be as lovely as some of the debutants in Hamelin, but you don’t have to keep telling me I’m ugly Gascon.” she snapped, hitting him across the back of the head hard enough to make him see stars. She threw the scarf back towards her bag and stomped back out into the rain even as she tried to stem the tears that were already coursing down her cheeks. She’d just sit out there so that she didn’t have to put up with his presence. To hell if she got sick because of it.
Gascon realized his mistake all too late and he groaned as he rubbed the back of his head gingerly. He would apologize for that after Amara cooled down. Not only that, Gascon needed to let her know that is not how he had meant that. She had to know she was beautiful and that she held many women their age in awe and jealousy of her natural gifts, right?
When Amara didn’t return after an hour, Gascon’s brow furrowed. He had long since changed into a dry set of clothing and with a little bit of help from his wisp, Willow, he had a roaring fire going on in the cave and their bedrolls and blankets were finally dried thanks to Willow’s gentle flames drying them directly. He had even folded Amara’s blanket and placed it near the fire to keep it toasty for her for when she decided to make her appearance.
Gascon shook his head and pulled on his cloak. He would just have to dry out again. I just need to find out what direction she went in. he thought, looking about. He looked down to his right hand and smirked a bit. “ Show me.” he intoned.
Sure enough, a golden flicker appeared around his wrist and went up to above the cave. Maybe Amara was perched on top.
The sight that met his eyes was nearly enough to clench the very life out of his heart when Gascon finally happened upon Amara.
A trapper snapper was shielding her from the rain as she sobbed brokenly against an embursa’s neck. Well, there’s Rosie. At least Amara was kept a bit warm there. he thought though his throat was tight, and Gascon’s eyes softened a bit. “ Amara?”
“ Go away. I don’t care if you have everything ship shape down there, I refuse to spend another moment alone with you.” Amara snapped despondently, her blue eyes bright and red rimmed from crying as hard as she had.
“ Amara, this isn’t the time to be so damn stubborn about this. Please, come back down and get yourself warmed through before you catch pneumonia or something.” Gascon breathed exasperatedly. He would carry her down if he had to. He took a few tentative steps towards her and a little explosion from the pulse spell stopped him dead in his tracks. “ Amara, really now.”
“ You stay the hell away from me Gascon. I have no qualms in fighting you, the last fifteen or so years should tell you that. I will not tolerate you or your very presence any more than I have to. If that means sleeping out in the rain, then so be it.” Amara hissed. She stood up a moment as she put her wand back in it’s holster. Gascon’s eyes looked just a tad murderous and she had a feeling that fight she had been worried about a few days ago was finally coming. Well, all the better for her then. Amara was more than up for a round or two.
Gascon’s eyes leveled cooly on Amara. He was going to get her down there by any means necessary. If she wanted to tango, then by all means he was more than happy to oblige her. Besides, they hadn’t gotten into a proper scrap in a couple of years. They were overdue in Gascon’s estimation.
Amara discarded her cloak and no sooner than had it hit the ground she darted in, ducking Gascon’s grab and her fist flying strongly across his jaw. Gascon ducked the next punch as he moved to grab either of Amara’s arms, and the prince’s eyes went wide in surprise when the woman suddenly swept his feet out from under him. Gascon caught her foot as Amara brought it down to knock him out and he rolled her to the ground, forcing his weight on top of her.
Amara screamed in her ire as her fist flew straight up, busting Gascon’s nose in the process. She kicked him off of her not a moment later and she watched him expectantly. Oh yes, she was more than ready to go a round or two.
“ You do realize I haven’t thrown a single punch yet.” Gascon said, smirking. He reached up to the clasp on his cloak and allowed it to fall to the forest floor. “ In fact Amara, you’ve only landed two punches in all that time.”
Amara’s eyes went a little wide a first. While she was no slouch when it came to swordplay or hand to hand, Gascon was honestly better than she was. She kept her defenses up, her blue eyes following the man before her in the dim light and without warning Gascon darted in this time. Amara spun neatly to avoid the knee that was on a crash course for her abdomen, and she dropped to the ground to sweep Gascon’s feet out from under him again using that momentum. Gascon jumped however and he smirked a bit as their eyes met briefly. Amara was suddenly forced to crawl away as quickly as she could backwards as Gascon began kicking towards her and she rolled out of the way of an ax kick that would have more than likely rendered her unconscious. Amara quickly jumped back to her feet and Gascon followed her as she tried to put some distance between them. Using a tree as a springboard to get the height she needed, Amara’s boot met Gascon’s neck even as the man tried to duck.
Gascon growled a bit under his breath and locked both his arms around Amara’s leg. He spun them both and Amara gave a short scream as her back hit the tree she had just jumped off of. Gascon grunted again as her free foot embedded itself into his gut in an effort to get him to release her and Gascon’s eyes narrowed a bit as he slammed her back into the tree again. Ever since the first time they had gotten into a fist fight and Gascon had gotten his ass beat rather soundly by his father for hitting a woman; that had been when he was thirteen, he never rose a hand to Amara. He would never hit her with his hands or a fist again if he could help it.
Amara crumpled a bit as she groaned in pain, and she hit the wet ground hard as Gascon let her fall away. “ Get back here and fight me properly dammit!” she seethed. She was going to force him if she had to.
“ And run the risk of my father finding out that I hit you again? I think not Amara. I learned my lesson the first time.” Gascon said bitterly. He could feel his nose throbbing where Amara had punched him. He was almost certain she had broken it.
Amara jumped from her position and launched another attack on Gascon. She smirked as his eyes went wide at the unexpected maneuver and she tackled him down to the ground. They tussled for a moment as both of them fought for dominance and Gascon eyes narrowed as Amara punched him across the jaw again. Damn it all! He was growing tired of not being able to fight back!
“ Fight back dammit! I won’t let up until you do, you bastard!” Amara seethed. Her fists settled on his ribs this time, and she grunted as she broke a knuckle on them. As much as she hated fighting period, it was very cathartic to be able to let loose on Gascon like this. Who knew, maybe after this they would settle down a bit towards one another.
Gascon finally kicked Amara off of him, and he groaned as he held his bruised ribs. When the hell had she gotten so strong? His vision was starting to go red now as Amara rushed back in faster than lightning, and he grabbed both her wrists before she could hit him again. Amara jumped and brought her knees to her chest, planting both feet on Gascon’s torso and then pushing herself away as hard as she could.
They both slid a bit on the wet ground and panted a bit. Gascon’s ribs were certainly hurting him by this point.
To hell with this. We’re both adults here and she’s not letting up. I can’t just keep getting kicked around like I have been! It’s nothing short of a blow to my pride. Gascon thought. “ You want this Amara?! I hope you’re ready then!” he bellowed as they both charged one another.
Amara had a bit of a feral smile on her face as she ducked to the right and her closed fist flew into Gascon’s ribs again. Gascon spun to dodge, his foot coming up and knocking Amara to the right. Amara flipped before she could hit the ground and she launched back to her adversary, her eyes narrowed and determined more than ever to beat him.
The two fought in earnest now as they both let loose in a torrent of rage and emotion, both allowing their fists to do the talking for them. Amara doubled over as his fist sank into her gut, knocking the wind from her lungs. Damn him for that cheap shot! She sputtered as she tried to get back up and found herself unable to do so. She could barely breathe at the moment.
“ Rosie, if you would please. Your mistress will get very sick if we don’t get her in front of the fire soon.” Gascon said as he panted heavily, looking at the embursa with a serious gleam in his eyes.
The embursa’s baleful green eyes; which had watched the entire fight sorrowfully, looked down at their mistress and back to the other man. A slight nod soon followed and Rosie nudged Amara over her back. It worked out that he had incapacitated Amara in such a manner. Now she wouldn’t be able to fend Rosie off.
“ Don’t tell me you’re siding with him.” Amara spat breathlessly even as she quickly cast the spell that would allow her to communicate with Rosie, looking down at her most trusted and coveted familiar with betrayal in her eyes.
Rosie looked over her shoulder to Amara and Gascon was sure Amara had cast Nature’s Tongue when the princess groaned in acquiesce.
“ Fine. But only because you promised to stay out and run interference.” Amara replied grouchily, though she was beyond exhausted at this point. However, she could feel a peace settling over her that hadn’t been there three days ago when they had set off.
Gascon didn’t wait for them as he went back down into their shelter for the evening and sat against his bedroll once he hung his cloak over the rope he had strung up earlier. He winced as his ribs throbbed again and Rosie finally entered with Amara in tow. They both looked haggard as all hell now, soaked to the bone, muddy and bloodied up. Well, Gascon more than Amara at least. That only left one question for Gascon though. How the hell was he going to apologize for this one?
Amara slid off Rosie’s back as the embursa entered the cave and she limped over to where Gascon was laying down. “ You need to get out of those soon…” she said softly, referring to his wet, dirty clothing.
“ You’re one to talk, Amara.” Gascon growled out, more out of pain than anything else.
Amara shook her head. She knew she had done a number on the prince and he certainly looked it this time despite the fact that he had won the altercation. The skin around his eyes was already starting to bruise where Amara had broken his nose and one side of his jaw was swollen. He was holding tight to his chest however, which meant that was what was bothering him the most. Amara drew her wand out and Gascon glared at her a bit. “ You’re in no position to heal yourself, Gascon. You’re in too much pain and would lose your focus too quickly. Otherwise I would leave you to your own devices.” Amara chuckled. She made for a grim sight herself. Gascon’s sharp knuckles had opened a cut just below her left eye, the skin surrounding it already bruising and swollen to the max, and her lip was bloodied. He had tried to refrain from hitting her in the face after all. She had another laceration that she had sustained when she had hit the ground at some point running across her forehead and it had bled profusely. She looked like a reanimated corpse.
“ Fine. I’m tempted to let you take over in that department anyways. You’re better than I am without a shadow of a doubt.” Gascon said softly. He sighed a bit as the pressure in his chest lessened and he smirked up at Amara. “ I owe you for working on my ribs, you do realize that don’t you?”
“ I’ll manage, I’m sure. Besides, you’ll get me back in some way or another.” Amara then started working on the facial injuries she had given him. The sooner she finished healing both of them the sooner she could change.
“ Thank you.” Gascon said, the pressure in his sinuses relieving to nothingness now as Amara healed his broken nose. “ I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so...ruthless before.”
“ You got on my bad side, what were you expecting?” Amara said, walking slowly over to Rosie now. Amara was silent as she used Rosie as a shield to change behind and she sighed a little in relief as she healed her own wounds. They weren’t nearly as bad as Gascon’s had been. She could hear Gascon getting changed himself as Amara replaced her wraps over her breasts. This was one thing she hated about being female. She exited from behind Rosie as she pulled on her fresh shirt and she looked up as she saw Gascon’s naked back to her. His pants were hanging loosely off of his hips, and she blushed a bit. She could barely see the swell of his toned...Amara shook her head and walked to where her blanket was folded by the fire. She did not need to see that!
Amara found her eyes still watching Gascon as she wrapped the toasty blanket around herself. His body was lithe, and he had some scars on his sides. “ How did you get your scars there, Gascon? The ones on your left side I mean.”
Gascon chuckled. “ Those? They’re from a fight I got into with a forest guardian I had the misfortune of crossing. Gladiataur I believe his name was.” Gascon replied. He had actually been with Alicia’s son Oliver on that particular adventure. He pulled on his shirt and he groaned in dismay as he held up his belt. It was still wet.
“ Hand it here.” Amara said, smirking. “ Rosie, if you would please.”
Rosie controlled her powers of the flame to gently dry out the leather strap and she nodded as she looked back to Amara. Amara handed it back to Gascon who nodded in their direction as a way of thanks, that had saved him from having to constantly pull his pants up for the rest of the night. Rosie settled onto the cave floor and Amara leaned into her, relishing in the contact she had with the fire element creature. Rosie leaned her head in closer to Amara and nosed her affectionately and Amara’s eyes went wide as a massive paw suddenly pulled her down and to the right. Got you! she called out mirthfully, her laughter coming out as a low rumble as she wrestled with her mistress. She could still be such a cub sometimes.
“ ROSIE! This is not play time!” she half scolded, one eye shut as Rosie gently mouthed her forearm. She couldn’t keep herself from laughing as the familiar drew her tight into her embrace and Amara gave her a loving scratch behind the ears.
Gascon watched the exchange between the familiar and it’s mistress with a smile on his face and he couldn’t keep his laughter in as Rosie wrestled about with Amara. “ No wonder you’re as strong as you are. You’re constantly fending Rosie off.” he gasped mirthfully as Rosie caught Amara in a rather tight bearhug.
“ A little help if you don’t mind!” Amara groaned out. “ Rosie, come on now! Let go!”
Not until you say it, Amara. the embursa replied, her green eyes sparkling in her amusement.
“ Not a chance!” There was no chance in hell she was saying 'Familiars rule, humans drool' in front of Gascon. She would not put herself through such mortification. Hell, Amara was already mortified at being caught redhanded as it were. What would the rest of the court say if they knew she still played like a child with her familiars? That she treated them more like family than a tool of magic? She'd never hear the end of it from her uncle for starters. Amara couldn't help herself though. Rosie was her longest, and most trusted friend and familiar, and she didn't have to be someone she wasn't to her familiars. They would see through it anyways.
Gascon was still laughing uproariously as Amara struggled against her familiar and he wiped a few tears from his eyes. This was much too good to miss and was definitely better than the scrap the two of them had gotten into. It was as if Amara felt she could be open with her familiars instead of people. His face sobered a bit at this. Again the guilt that he was the cause of her distrust in people came to the fore. “ Rosie. I need to talk to Amara a moment. Would you mind settling down please?”
Amara looked at her embursa bewildered as she calmly did as Gascon requested. When the hell had he gotten as good as he had with the creatures?
“ Amara, about earlier...” Gascon began. He took a deep steadying breath and looked her in the eye from across the cave. “ I’m sorry things got out of hand, but I never meant to imply that I think you’re ugly. I swear to you, I meant I wasn’t in the mood for getting hit for trying to sneak a peek.” His eyes, Amara noticed, looked pained as he spoke to her.
Amara thought this over a moment. She had automatically assumed that he was calling her ugly, instead of thinking of the bigger picture. It seemed as if both of them needed to put the past behind them. That was going to be nothing short of difficult on Amara’s part. “ I’m sorry I overreacted...I just assumed that you were trying to make a jibe at me because of our past.” Amara replied softly.
The two fell silent and Amara pulled their food out for them so that they could eat. The few hours that passed were spent in an amicable quiet that neither wanted to disturb. Amara fell fast asleep against Rosie, the familiar’s warmth soothing as it traveled through her.
Gascon looked down at Amara in her serenity and smiled a little. Rosie looked up at him balefully and Gascon shrugged slightly. “ I’ll keep watch for now Rosie, get some rest with Amara.” he said placatingly.

Amara felt a hand at her shoulder trying to rouse her and she snuggled deeper against Rosie, attempting to keep herself from waking any further. “ Go ‘way...” she mumbled in her sleep, trying to shove off the hand that was shaking her.
“ Amara. It’s your turn to keep watch. I’ve let you sleep for the last ten hours now, so you could at least return the favor.” Gascon said mirthfully. He was just as hard to wake as she was it seemed.
Amara bolted upright at this. “ You seriously let me sleep that long?” It was pitch black outside the cave they were holed up in and the rain showed no signs of stopping yet.
“ You dozed just after five or so. I’m pretty sure it’s just after three in the morning now.” Gascon said, yawning a bit. He hadn’t been able to sleep anyways due to the rain. He’d be alright when Amara roused him in the morning, provided there was coffee ready.
Amara nodded and looked over to the entrance of the cave. “ I’ll wake you when the storm passes.” Amara said softly, leaning in close to Rosie. The embursa was still fast asleep and Amara wanted to keep it that way. Rosie was a grouch if she didn’t get what she thought was enough sleep. She watched as Gascon settled onto his bedroll and he put his back to her and the fire. Even though she was the one keeping watch for them now, he was still putting himself between her and any danger that could accost them from the mouth of the cave.
“ Good night, Amara.” he said softly over his shoulder.
“ Good night.” she replied, standing and stretching a bit. She grabbed a bit of the firewood that was sitting off to the side and added it to what was already ablaze. She wanted this cave kept as toasty as possible.

Amara leaned down beside Gascon to wake him the next morning. It was just after ten, and the storm had finally come to an end. She had breakfast and coffee waiting for him and she rolled her eyes as Gascon turned over onto his stomach in an effort to close himself away from her. “ Come on now, Gascon, I’ve got your breakfast ready and you need to eat!” she chided.
“ Bugger off.” he said, his voice muffled by his pillow.
Amara smirked. Maybe she was going about this all wrong. Besides, it would be worth the laugh if it worked out the way she wanted in the end. She waited for Gascon to roll back over onto his side and Amara grabbed the end of his bedroll and swept it out from under him to roll Gascon towards the mouth of the cave.
“ Whoa!” Gascon shouted, his eyes going wide in his sudden wakefulness. He turned his bleary gaze over to Amara who was holding out a coffee cup to him. “ That was a dirty trick. At least I didn’t try that sort of thing with you.”
“ How else am I supposed to wake you? It’s not like I can just crawl into your bedroll with you and...” Amara began, though both had the grace to blush at what she had insinuated.
Gascon chuckled a bit. This was the most open she had been with her words in years. “ I must admit, it’s refreshing to hear what is actually on your mind as opposed to how you close yourself off at the palace. You really shouldn’t mince your words, Amara. All it does is build up painfully until you burst.”
Amara sighed as Gascon chided her. She knew he was right, but on the same note, she wanted to put her best foot forward. “ Do you know how hard it is to be a female heir? I’ve been trying to meet everyone’s expectations...” she began.
“ The only expectations you should live to are those that you set for yourself, Amara. Don’t give a damn about what everyone else thinks. You are without a shadow of a doubt one of the most talented women I’ve had the pleasure of knowing all these years...” Gascon interrupted, only to realize that Amara was looking at him as if he had grown a second head.
“ You haven’t been truthful with me, have you, Gascon?” Amara began, eyeing him warily now.
“ What do you mean by that?”
“ You told our fathers that we can barely stand to be in one another’s presence. While that does hold true for me, what about you? You certainly haven’t been acting as if you wish to be rid of my company.” Amara’s cerulean orbs were locked onto Gascon’s tawny ones from across the cave and Gascon swallowed a bit hard.
“ I know when to be civil, Amara. We only have each other to rely on out here.” Gascon replied, skirting around the issue rather nicely.
Amara didn’t look all that convinced but didn’t press the issue either. “ I think once we’re in a place that’s a bit safer, you and I need to have a heart to heart.” Amara said, her tone not broking any opposition.
Gascon shook his head. That would mean telling her that he had only been an ass to her because he honestly didn’t know how to convey to Amara what he really wanted to.
Amara wasn’t certain she was ready to hear what he had to say either. Well, they had at least a month before they reached the nearest settlement. They were right in the thick of the Giant’s Nest right now and the Bright Briar was a ways off to the east. The only downside was that there was a cliff they had to scale before they could even think of getting to the elven dwelling.

Gascon was scouting their surrounding area a bit to be on the safe side while Amara cooked their supper, and he felt the spell pull him back toward her as he reached the limit he could get away from her. At least two weeks had passed since that night in the cave and moving through the woe begotten forest was like pulling teeth. Slow going and extremely arduous. Gascon grimaced a bit as he was forced to head back to camp, knowing he would have rather been able to investigate just a bit further. He wasn’t sure, and had never seen them, but he thought he spotted the telltale signs of a giant nearby. Worse yet, there could be more than just one.
Amara looked as if she were on edge as Swaine returned to camp. She had felt the spell’s pull as well. “ Everything alright?” she asked.
“ I wanted to check a few other things, but I was unable to. I don’t like sitting out in the open like this Amara. Are you certain there are no caves or warrens nearby?”
Amara shook her head even as she brought up a magical map. “ Show me.” She commanded and the map zoomed in on their location. “ By the look of things, the closest form of shelter is still about five miles away here...” Amara pointed to what appeared to be a series of caves to the northeast. “ That bodes well for us because we need to go this route here.” Her finger trailed along what was the only safe path down the cliffside to the east.
Gascon’s eyes narrowed as he looked behind him. “ Amara...Douse the fire, get everything together, now....” he commanded. “ We’re not alone. I want you to get as far away from me as you can. I’ll cover you...”
Amara shook her head. “ I’m not leaving you. Your father would never forgive me if anything happened to you. You’re the he...”
“ No, I’m not Amara. Only a sage can take the throne of Hamelin. While I’m capable of using magic, I can’t wield it with the same accuracy and finesse that my brother and father can. Marcassin will take the throne of Hamelin.” Gascon explained quickly. “ Your father would have my head if any harm were to befall you Amara. Please...I’m begging you. Run!”
Amara’s eyes flashed a bit even as she shoved the last of their things in her travel pack. “ Don’t you dare die on me.” she hissed before she took off into the brush.
Gascon gave her a three minute head start and took off in the same direction she did, and was forced to duck as a giant stone club leveled the trees he had just ducked into. A thirty foot tall giant was giving chase to him now and Gascon took aim in an effort to shoot it’s eyes.
Amara felt herself come to a complete halt as the spell forced her to stop running and she felt some slack give as Gascon began moving again. She could hear the displeased roar of the giant chasing Gascon in the distance and took off as fast as she could towards the east. She just had to be careful of that cliff.
The sound of trees snapping to her left broke Amara from her thoughts and she screamed as she was forced to dodge footfall of two giants that were clashing against one another.

Gascon heard Amara’s scream and his brown eyes went wide as he ran as fast as he could, weaving through the trees with a nimbleness that the giant tailing him couldn’t match. He lurched forward and panicked, Amara had to have run into a spot of bad luck on her own nearby.

Amara was desperately dodging being stepped on and went still the moment she was spotted. Fear was welling up from within her as the cliffside loomed before her and she looked to the wood behind her. Where the hell was Gascon?! She should have never left his side. Amara dove to the left as she was reached for and quickly drew her wand, casting veil on herself in attempt to hide her movements. Something she should have thought of sooner in hindsight, but for right now, she would be able to get out of their way.
Gascon burst through the tree line just as Amara’s spell ended and he looked up in dismay as the giant that had been tailing him burst through behind him. He ran for Amara’s side even as she was spotted by the other two once again.
“ GASCON! DUCK!” Amara bellowed, her wand alight as she began weaving a spell of evestan make.
Gascon did as he was told and a gigantic hammer suddenly swept through the battlefield, knocking the feet out from under all three giants and they tumbled towards the side of the cliff together in a tangle of limbs. His brown eyes went wide as Amara tried to get out of the way and she disappeared with them over the edge. “ NO! AMARA!” Gascon screamed. Thinking quickly, he summoned Sarge and his steam-man; Tiny, out. “ Tiny, hold on to me as tight as you can! Sarge, get over to the cliff and be prepared to help Amara up. Hurry!”
Tiny wrapped both banded metal arms around Gascon’s midsection and not a moment too soon as they were drug forward.
Amara screamed as she began free falling, her eyes filling to the brim with tears. This couldn’t be it! It just couldn’t be! Her scream was cut short as her left arm shot upwards as if she were suspended by an invisible rope and pain flared through her as her shoulder was dislocated from the force of the fall. Her tears seemed never ending as she hung there limply.
“ Amara! Can you hear me?!” came Gascon’s voice.
“ Yes!” she called back up weakly. “ I can’t pull myself up! My shoulder is injured from my arm being jerked about by the link!”
Gascon swore and he concentrated on the link as if it were a rope and that rope was getting shorter and shorter. He willed it to manifest before him and Gascon smirked a bit as a golden cord glimmered to life around his right hand. Like he had told Amara years ago, hard work and perseverence would pay off. “ Just hold tight Amara! I’ll have you up in a jiff!” he promised, his heels digging into the ground as he struggled to pull her up.
Amara reached up with her right hand as Sarge’s claw came into range and the bone baron helped roll her onto the solid ground. Amara clutched her shoulder in agony and she fought to concentrate. She needed to heal the wound.
Gascon skidded to a halt on his knees beside her as Amara doubled over, her eyes screwed shut in pain. “ Easy...” he whispered. “ Do you want it set back first?”
Amara nodded silently and braced herself as Gascon lifted her limp arm and shoved the ball back into it’s socket. She screamed in agony again even as she sobbed brokenly and with blurred vision she cast a healing spell on herself. Relief flooded through her and Amara felt Gascon wrap his arms around her. She clutched him rather tightly herself as she released the fear and uncertainty she had felt, her tears seemingly unending as she tried to bury her face into his chest..
“ I’ve got you...Don’t worry...” he whispered soothingly, his fingers running through her long brown locks. “ I’ve got you Amara...”
Amara pushed away a moment and looked up at him with tear filled eyes. Her fist flew across his jaw; but not as strongly as it could have, and she shook her head in disbelief. “ From now on we don’t split up, period! That could have been disastrous, Gascon! I could have died just then if not for the spell your father put on us!” she bellowed, chastising him soundly. “ I’m not some dainty little blossom in need of protecting! I can more than certainly give as good as I receive. Got it?!”
Not even caring about the punch she had just landed, Gascon pulled Amara back into his embrace to reassure himself that she was still there. “ I can’t promise that I won’t do whatever I can to protect you, Amara. That’s not how my father raised me.” he whispered as he clutched her as tight as he could to him. He would have never forgiven himself if Amara had died. Not without settling the issue of their stormy past first.
Amara was blushing as Gascon held her as if he never wanted to let her go. “ Gascon, we need to keep moving...” she whispered, her eyes looking down at the ground as if the pebbles to her right were the most interesting thing in the world.
Finally Gascon loosened his hold on her and they got to their feet. “ I think we may be alright to rest here for a few minutes to eat our supper at least. Then we can find that cave you pointed out on the map.”

Amara was watching over Gascon as he slept rather fitfully, and her heart clenched a bit as he whimpered in his sleep. What could be distressing him so in his dreams? It was all she could do to keep herself from jumping as Gascon bolted straight up on his bedroll and looked around wildly, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. Amara watched him relax a smidgen as his frightened cinnamon orbs fell on her and Gascon leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he held his head in both hands.
“ Are you alright?” Amara asked him gently, her hand settling on his shoulder in an effort to sooth him. She couldn’t bring herself to dredge up their animosity, not when he looked so vulnerable.
Gascon swallowed a bit hard even as he nodded. That nightmare had left him nothing short of winded. He looked over his shoulder to Amara and his eyes raked over her of their own accord. When the hell had she changed into a dress? “ I’ll be fine, Amara.” he replied softly, his hand coming up to pat the one on his shoulder.
Amara took a tentative seat beside him and Gascon felt her lean into him for a bit of heat. The fire had gone down considerably and they needed to get more wood.
“ Gascon...Be honest with me...” Amara began, her eyes cast down towards the ground. “ I want to know how you feel about me...”
Gascon wrapped an arm around her as he pulled Amara in a bit closer to him and with his other hand, he turned her chin up to face him. “ I don’t know if you honestly want me to tell you that, Amara.” he whispered, his tawny orbs sweeping her face for a moment. She looked so vulnerable right there, her lips perfectly parted as she gazed up at him and Gascon cursed himself even as he closed the distance between them. His lips slid over Amara’s and his hand traveled from her chin to the back of her head as he pulled her in to deepen the kiss. “ I love you, Amara...” he breathed against her lips.
Amara reacted like a fan to flame and her arms wound around his neck tightly as their tongues began dueling passionately. “ Don’t wake up...” she whimpered against his lips.
Gascon looked down at her confused. “ What do you mean?”
“ Don’t wake up...” was all she repeated as everything started going dark around them.

Gascon bolted up in his bedroll and looked over to Amara as she ran a brush through her light brown locks. Damn it, he had been dreaming of her...Of Amara! By the ancients, Gascon knew he held a small physical attraction for her; though he knew that was a lie as he found her absolutely entrancing, but that was as far as it went. Right? That fire he had felt so long ago was flooding his veins again. He knew in that exact moment that he needed to leave now before Gascon did something that he would regret in the long run.
“ Are you alright?” Amara called over to him, looking at him curiously as Gascon got to his feet.
“ I’m fine. I’m going to go get a little bit more wood, alright?” Gascon said, his chest heaving a bit in his panic. In all honesty, he needed to get away from Amara for a couple of minutes to relieve himself of the insane longing that had settled over him for her. Once he had thrown on his cloak, Gascon disappeared into the night.
Amara nodded and went back to running the brush through her tangled locks. Once she was done with that, she was going to rebraid it. Hell, she was tempted to cut it while they were stuck hoofing it. It would be a damn sight easier to care for, that much would be for certain.
After fifteen minutes Amara began to wonder what was taking Gascon so long. If he was only gathering wood, he should have been back already. She got up from her spot near the back end of the cave they were occupying that night and walked out into the wilderness to find him. “ Show me.” she intoned.

Amara heard Gascon before she saw him and was thankful she came to a stop when she did. His breathing was labored, but not painfully so and without warning, his wanton groan reached her ears. She didn’t want to hear him fantasizing about some debutante in Hamelin. She was just about to turn back again when what she heard next made her stop dead in her tracks.
“ Amara...By the heavens, Amara....”
Amara turned a resounding shade of red as she listened to Gascon as he encroached his breaking point, and he groaned gutturally as he came with Amara’s name on his lips again. Not needing any other reason to stay now, Amara beat a hasty retreat back to the cave. She didn’t want Gascon finding out that she had listened in on him like that. Hell, she only hoped that she would be able to keep herself calm once he returned. That had been...Oh by the ancients! She couldn’t have actually enjoyed hearing her name falling from his lips breathlessly in the throes of pleasure, could she? The way his eyes would have possibly looked...What the hell was she thinking?! No! There was no way in hell that Amara had enjoyed that.
Still blushing to her toes, Amara was having trouble coming to grips that yes, she had.
Gascon panted a bit as he recovered, feeling a bit guilty for what he had just done and he shook his head. He was a flesh and blood man after all and Amara; exasperating as she could be, was nothing short of desirable to him. The problem he was faced with now was that she was becoming so much more to him than just a physical attraction. Hell he could deal with a physical attraction, but an emotional one? That was more than Gascon could handle at this point.
Gascon was starting to lose his heart to Amara and it terrified him.
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The Ties that Bind