Chapter Text
Sei really had it with his department. Once again they didn't properly look through the different forms submitted by the knights and, once again, was it on him to pull another all nighter to rectify that. The words on the pages seemed to melt into each other as he rubbed his eyes, slapping his face a couple of times to wake himself up some more.
It was exhausting but it was his job, and he really liked his job even if it pushed him really far sometimes.
With a rather big sigh, he continued on with his endless pile of work. If he saw Nor tomorrow, he was genuinely going to kill him. And maybe his superior as well.
He looked down at the papers, decorated with a haphazard stamp.
He was absolutely going to kill his superior.
Hands were gliding over the abacus with practiced ease as numbers started rewriting themselves, the moon hanging high at the sky when everything finally got to a standstill. The forms were looked through and properly assessed so that they could be redone by the knight order tomorrow. Or, well, today now. Sei really needed to focus more on the time. When Aresh comes back from his newest expedition, he will certainly sense somehow that Sei hasn't been taking care of himself.
And while Sei really loves Aresh's protectiveness, it can get overbearing.
He was packing up the rest of his things while deciding that tomorrow, or rather today, he was going to do light work only for once. With that in mind, he exited his workplace and walked into the moonlit night, his thoughts taken over by getting back to the manor and into his cozy bed.
If it weren't for the strike on the back of his head knocking him unconscious, he might have even done right on the promise he made to himself, and to an extend, to Aresh.
(Unfortunately for him, he is in for at least a month of even more stupidity surrounding him than there already was in Romany. And paperwork, sooooo much paperwork.)
--
Aresh was finally on his way home.
It had been a long three days since he had seen his husband. He had been away on a reconnaissance mission to check out the tree for any lingering traces of miasma after the loitering had finally concluded two years ago. Everyone was still trying to find a way to send Yua and Seiichirou home, but both of them have already accepted the fact that they'll probably never be able to go home.
Aresh felt bad that he was happy about that. But that was a thought for another day because finally, he could go home into the arms of his beloved. The barrier would need to be somewhat strengthened again as well, though these days, Sei barely needs it outside of magicule heavy regions. With a pep in his step, Aresh reached the door of his manor, mouth already open to greet his loyal staff.
But he stopped in his tracks when he noticed that there was a commotion going on, Pavel and Malin frantically speaking with people of the Accounting and Sorcery Department. Meanwhile, Valtom was locked in a serious conversation with what seemed to be members of all Royal Order of Knights, both Radim and Orjef among them. Everyone seemed to be very stiff, grim expressions scattered around.
When he finally stepped up to them, the muttering and conversations came to a halt. Before Aresh could ask what the commotion was about, one single detail stood out to him.
"Where is Seiichirou."
Everyone looked at him but no one dared to say a word, locked in complete shock at the sudden appearance of the knight commander. Then, both Norbert and Valtom came forward, the former unusually serious. Valtom gave a bow while Norbert was already mid-sentence.
"Yesterday night, Sei didn't come home from work."
If set off all alarm bells in Aresh's mind. His eyes wandered from Norbert to Valtom, who already had a deeply pained expression painted all over his face.
"I apologize, Lord Aresh, we have failed you. Master Kondu is nowhere to be found in the entirety of the city walls. The only plausible explanation seems to be... An abduction."
At that moment, Aresh's entire world crashed down on him.
--
He was shaking slightly, vision blurring at the seams. His head was pounding with every movement and his mouth was dry.
Sei didn't know what had happened, all he could remember was leaving the castle walls before everything went black.
Slowly, the heaviness of his limbs let off and he decided to try and move them lightly. Which is when he noticed that he couldn't move an inch, no matter how hard he tried.
The shaking from around him reminded him of how he'd ride with Aresh on Diana. Only that Aresh could ride more smoothly, was more elegant in his execution. This was fast paced and hurried, holding no value in comfort, just in speed. He opened one of his eyes very slightly.
With that, everything fell into place.
He was leaning against someone clothed in a black coat, hood pulled over their head. Next to him, he could hear two more horses running through the night. His surroundings were only illuminated by the moonlight as they were carried away from the city walls.
'Abducted again... Is this a joke from the universe?'
Sei sighed quietly as he was sitting on horseback, hands and feet tied as he was just carried along. His eyes were closed again, pretending to still be unconscious as the cocky bastards who were his kidnappers prattered on about how they're gonna get a promotion for this.
"When his majesty finds out that we abducted Knight Commander Aresh Indolark, we will finally get a higher rank! We can easily ransom him for money to Romany!"
Sei almost did a double take.
Oh they are not going to be happy when they find out that he is just a lowly royal accountant. And while Sei wasn't happy that he was taken, he could at least be glad that they didn't get Aresh in the end.
Wait, did these people say 'ransom'? Why would they try to kidnap someone as dangerous as Aresh to ransom for money? Why not try for the prince or some other noble instead? Why ransom at all, this could potentially mean war between the kingdoms if not handled properly. There was something else going on here.
And Sei really wanted to find out, especially considering that this was keeping him from doing his work back home.
---
Sei was looking into the room, right at his kidnappers.
"It seems to me that none of you people know how to do an interrogation."
Sei shouldn't have said that, but from the questions they had asked him, he could only assume that the guards weren't the smartest people in the lands.
It has been two romanian hours since he they had arrived at the neighboring kingdom. Sei guessed that they had been on horseback for at least one day since he had woken up.
And now he was sitting there with what his captors said were magic blocking cuffs on his arms. Which wouldn't even do anything because he doesn't have magic, but they don't know that of course. The cell they put him in was at least outfitted with a bed and a window, which they had also already told him was blocked with a magic barrier so he wouldn't even dare to try and escape. They were really noisy.
And now he was sitting here, four guards and a really nervous looking noble, from what he guessed, standing in front of him. Asking him stupid questions. In his own humble opinion at least. And of course, the last point that solidified his opinion on this entire kingdom.
"Aresh Indolark, Knight Commander of the third Royal Order of Knights in Romany!"
They really thought they captured Aresh. They must be out of their minds. Of course he didn't tell them they were wrong, that would be illogical.
"Don't run your mouth in front of the crown prince and soon to be King, his majesty Prince Florian of Kaguron!"
Sei got slapped, feeling the barrier repel some of the force behind it. If he kept going on like that he wouldn't last long. He had to make a plan and that as quick as possible, otherwise he would most certainly die soon.
The prince seemed to look quite uncomfortable at the exchange, looking between his guard and Sei. If Sei didn't know any better, he would think that the prince didn't condone any of what was happening.
"Hilbert, it seems as if... the prisoner isn't in any condition to be interrogated right now. Please, let us delay these matters until tomorrow. You and the others need to rest."
He turned and locked eyes with Sei for a moment, Sei's own eyes widening at how young they looked. Then the prince turned his back to him.
"Cynthia, make sure that the prisoner is given food and water later. Otherwise, keep watch."
With that, the prince and his guards left and the interrogation concluded.
Sei was left alone in his cell again to collect his thoughts. The knight guarding him went back to her position and quiet fell over them.
'Crown Prince Florian ... And this is supposedly the Kingdom of Kaguron. From what I remember from the maps, Kaguron is located on the far west border of Romany.'
They would have to travel at least two days by horse, plan exactly when to catch him off guard in front of the palace walls, which would also take days to observe, and silently abduct him while no guards were there. While the knights were stupid in word, they were not stupid in actions.
Sei really wanted his pen now to write all of this information down. His pen which was still back at his desk in the accounting department, next to the pile of documents that was surely growing higher while he was gone. He started pacing his cell.
They were probably organizing a search and rescue party and if he knew any of them as well as he does, he knows that they will not look at any of the expenses. Oh, if he could just be there to organize the money for this! He was going to strangle Nor and Helmut if they didn't organize the forms properly! If his desk was piled with more paperwork than there should be in his absence he would.…
Tears were running down his face, staining his slightly bloody shirt. At that moment, all the adrenaline of the day was running out. He was in a completely foreign country, no people who knew him and of his condition and he had no idea how long it would take for anyone to notice that he was gone.
Sei sat down in a corner, pushing his knees to his chest while looking at the door to his cell.
He missed Aresh.
He missed Aresh so much.