Sage slept well once he ended up falling asleep...he was warm and comfortable and didn't wish anything else to happen. It had been a good night. Or, rather....morning. he supposed it was after midnight they had come back. He slept for a while, only waking up when there was some sort of commotion down by the gates of the castle...shouting and banging for whatever reason. He didn't know what was going on, but the commotion was enough to get him up and out of the bed to throw his clothes on so he could figure out what was going on. It couldn't be the rebellion, unless they miraculously gained a couple thousand people over night...so what was it?

Anya ended up letting out a slight groan of protest when she felt Sages arms slip from around her, kind of curling up into a tight ball after a while. It wasn't exactly cold, but it wasn't warm, either so she had kind of just cuddled back up to herself. After a little while, she forced herself awake, hugging the duvet to herself and sitting up. She hadn't been sure when Sage left, so ended up just kind of looking around the room until she spotted her balcony doors wide open. "No good morning?" She called through in a slightly teasing tone, though she was a little curious as to what was going on... just not curious enough to drag herself out of bed.

Sage figured Anya wanted to stay in bed...that was fine, of it was something bad she was back in the castle, while this commotion was all at the gate. He slipped out of the castle and sprinted into the trees near the gate so he could look and see what was going on. More and more people had gathered around the gate by then, the watch the guards and queen argue with a group of people on the other side of the gate. Sage frowned, pressing closer. It wasn't the rebellion...they weren't physically fighting, just arguing. Loudly. He didn't get it, at least until he saw his father at the head of the pack and he felt the blood drain from his face. Well, this wasn't good. He had to put a hand on a tree next to him to steady himself, closing his eyes momentarily as his heart sped up and his brain swirled, thoughts running through his head about a gazillion miles an hour. He tried to take deep breaths, to listen to what was going on, but it proved to be much more difficult than he imagined.

Anya waited for a few moments for a reply, but when she got none she gave a slight groan, rolling her eyes before flopping back and curling up under the blankets. She was of course curious as to what was going on... why there was so much shouting and screaming, but every now and then there were a few outlaws or outlaws who'd come kicking and screaming about, trying their absolute hardest to get in the castle. Of course, it never worked, and they just ended up getting either beaten or shot, and it ended there. Anya ended up slipping back to sleep when she was awoken again by the loud noises outside... the yelling was getting louder, and she was finding it difficult to keep herself in a slumber. She eventually got up again and wrapped herself up in the blankets before wandering out to the balcony, trying to see what was going on and if it was something she should really be worried about. She could see a hoard of people arguing with her mother, a few guards at her side, and keeping people away. She guessed Sage had gone to investigate... but she couldn't see him anywhere. She could pretty much hear word for word from where she was, so just peered towards the gate, watching for whatever was going on.

Sage eventually took a deep breath and somehow figured out how to calm himself down enough to listen to the conversation. The queen was arguing with his father now....we'll, his father was threatening the kingdom and for some reason the queen hadn't like...stabbed him or something. Sage frowned and shook his head slightly, Wondering what his father was doing and why he was here. At least, until his father mentioned his name. So he wanted sage to come back....no doubt because without sage making money getting his drink was more difficult. Sage snorted softly at that....no way was he going back. He turned to leave and almost ran into a man, who grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the trees, towards the group outside the gate, which was open for some reason. Well, that wasn't what he'd planned. He should have stayed in bed with Anya. But no, his curiosity had to come for a visit. He dug his heels into the ground and yanked his arm out of the man's hand, but his father grabbed him then, enough to make him wince slightly. He wasn't going to pull away from his father....that would only make things worse. He barely comprehended his father telling him that if he didn't come with, they'd storm the castle, but Anya was there, and so was Luther. He understood enough to just nod mutely and go along with things. If he didn't things would get messy. Well, things would get messy anyway, for him at least, but he could protect Anya at least. His father nodded and started walking away, dragging sage with him. Sage was just trying to calm his breath down and get a hold of his emotions...which wasn't working so we'll. He wasn't afraid of dying, which seemed highly likely, but he was afraid of what his father might do. The moment they got out of eye sight of the people at the gate, his father turned on him furiously, hitting him across the face hard enough to knock him down and tie his hands behind his back. Before sage knew what was going on, he was bound and his father was pinning him down, the knife in his hand recarving the brand under his collar bone, hissing "you've forgotten your place, you stinking rat." Sage didn't respond ...no matter what he did his father would react violently. He was sober for once, but that just made him smart as well as violent.

Anya watched for a little while, the arguing getting ever so slightly quieter before she watched one of the guards wander away from the group. She got a little bit of a better look toward the ringleader when he moved, who looked... oddly like Sage, obviously a lot older, and a fair bit more worn down, and if she was being honest, rather... homely looking, frankly a bit disfigured, ugly. From what she could see, it looked like the man she'd seen for just a moment when she had first met Lizzie. It couldn't be his father, could it? What the hell was he doing here? Well, whatever it was, it couldn't be good. She sat still for a moment, trying to hear what was going on when she heard Sage's name being mentioned. She didn't quite hear the context, but she didn't waste a moment fleeing back to her room to chuck some clothes on and practically sprinting down the halls. She got a little distance before running square into Luther, who had a hot drink and didn't look overly excited for, well, life. He kind of just stared at the girl for a moment as she stumbled back before groaning. "What are you doing?" He asked flatly before seeing the slight panic in her eyes. He sighed before cocking his head. "I'm going to regret this, but what's up," he hummed with a slightly curious hint to his voice. Anya just frowned before walking a few steps past him and grabbing his wrist so that he didn't have a choice whether or not he wanted to come with her. "Whatever's going on down there - I think it might be to do with Sage. I saw his father, and I can't let anything happen to him, Luther." She'd feel awful if anything happened and she hadn't at least tried to help. Luther didn't waste a moment trying to stop, just kind of marching along behind her. His head hurt, and her quick words weren't making it any better, but he could tell he was worried... and if she wanted him there, then he would be. The girl dragged him down the stairs and out towards the gate... the crowd had started to separate, and her mother was walking back in... though guards were still lining up the gate, slightly more than usual. Anya paused the woman before letting go of Luther's wrist. "Mother, what was that about?" The girl hummed gently, trying to mask any panic... if Sage had seen his father, she was of course worried about what he'd be thinking... she wanted to make sure he was fine. "It was nothing, don't you worry yourself," the woman noted before wandering off, not letting the girl get another word about it. Anya looked to Luther, who was standing just behind her in an almost defensive way. Neither of them looked convinced... so the girl kind of walked/jogged back towards the gates, trying to look through, to see if there was anything at all she needed to worry about when she heard the guards laughing, mentioning how glad they were that they wouldn't have to see the boy again. Anya's gaze shot straight through one of them, a fit of very clear anger firing through them. She marched towards one of them, shoving one of them back against the wall and slipping out the little knife Sage had given her before hovering it not far from his face. "Anya-" she heard Luthers' voice from behind her, trying to get her to calm down... but there was no way that was happening. "What the hell happened?" She hissed out, holding the knife a little closer to the man when she got no reply. "Tell me or I swear to god you won't last the night." She wasn't sure where that came from... but she didn't care. From what she could put together, Sage was gone... she didn't know where, or why, but she needed to find him... she needed him. The guard stayed silent for another moment, a hint of amusement in his eyes before realizing she wasn't just kidding, that she was going to hurt him if he didn't say anything. "There was... a deal if they got the boy, then they'd put this whole... rebellion business to bed," the man almost stammered out, a sigh of relief coming over him when she let go of him. "Where did he go?" Anya asked a hint of urgency in her voice. The guy just shook his head, biting his lip slightly. "I'm... I'm not sure. Into the village, maybe." He shrugged. Anya turned to Luther, who had the same look of worry on his face. They kind of had a none verbal conversation before Luther nodded slowly, knowing exactly what the girl was thinking. "I promised no one would hurt him anymore," The girl noted simply as she gazed up at him. He sighed before turning towards the woodland and towards the tunnel, "come on, let's go find him," he grumbled, knowing that he'd be forced to help her out weather he liked it or not.

Sages father continued to yell, though sage wasn't really listening, he was just watching the knife flicker back and forth in the air. His chest was bleeding, heavy enough to stain the snow underneath him a bright red. Eventually, his father got up and started pacing, still yelling, and close enough to keep sage there. He thought of running, but he was in a daze, and his father would most likely catch him anyway. Besides, to attempt that, he'd have to untie has hands so he could balance enough to run, and that was proving to be difficult...the ropes were tight enough to cut skin, and the more he worked at untying the knots the more they dug into him and tore his skin up. This might take a while.... probably longer than he had. But his father was going to hurt him more if he stayed, so whatever the consequences were for running if he got free couldn't be any worse. He wondered if he could make the guy mad enough to just kill him....ending things that way would hurt much less than whatever else the man had planned for him, that was for sure. His suspicions were only confirmed when his father pulled the belt from around his waist. It was a crude thing, made out of leather and thin enough to hurt....he knew that from experience. It wasn't as bad as the flogging he'd gotten from some guards a few years back...those scars had stayed. But it was close, and while the scars from the belt weren't very visible, they were still there...he knew they were there, even if everyone else didn't. He felt his breath catch in his throat and he practically cowered against the tree...a trait almost unknown to him. He was brave, reckless even, until it came to his father. Then all he could do was sit there and try to quench the terror that welled up inside him. The first hit left a thin cut on his cheek. It stung badly, though it was almost forgotten when more hits landed on his torso over and over again. He curled up in a type of ball, trying to protect himself as much as possible, though it didn't really help all that much.

Anya and Luther pretty much stormed through the tunnel, as fast as they could until they were out on the other side of the forest. Anya was slowly starting to realize just what she'd do for this boy... hell, she'd just held a knife to someone just to find out what'd happened to him. She know she'd be in trouble for sneaking out of the castle, especially with the threat of a rebellion, but she wasn't overly concerned about that... only about Sage. If his father had gotten a hold of him, she could only imagine what would happen to him. She knew he was scared shitless of him, even from that short encounter she'd had when the two of them were present, and with good reason too. The first time he'd stayed in the castle was pure because of what his father had done to him, and if she was being completely honest, she was terrified of the man too. And what if they came into contact with him? She had Luther at her side, but if Sage couldn't ward the man off, then what were the chances that he could? Anya knew well enough that she'd be no help if anything was physical, either, but she was so... angry. At her mother, mainly. How could she let him go? How could she send him off with someone she didn't even know without so much as talking to him? Did he even get a choice? She doubted it... he didn't even come and say goodbye... or good morning, for that matter. If Sage's father so much a laid a finger on the boy, you could trust that all hell would break loose. She had promised the boy she'd look after him, protect him from the people in the castle, from anyone who hurt him the best she could... and she meant it. If this man was anything like Sage, then he'd be smart, along with quick on his feet... Luther was none of those things, but if he could overpower the man for just a moment, she could have him sit on him until she'd managed to find Sage. She'd have him come back with her, and then she would go scream at her mother for hours. The two made their way towards the slums, where they turned down all the streets, frantically searching for the boy. She wasn't sure what would happen when they found him, but they'd have to think fast... she wasn't going to leave him out here with his father for long.

Sage wriggled around slightly, though not enough to really do anything. He stayed curled up in his little ball until he eventually just...went numb. No, not numb...more like he couldn't hurt anymore than he already did. He wasn't going to get out of this situation, there was no way to, at least not then. And he couldn't think enough to form a plan to run or fight. No, fighting was out of the question.. he wasn't going to fight his father....just there sight of the guy brought back memories...flashbacks even...of things that fogged his mind and made his body freeze. He was cold too....his father had tossed his shirt to the side, and sage was laying in the snow. Of course, he was used to the cold, but his bare skin against the cold, wet snow was more than what he was used to. He wasn't even sure how much he was bleeding, but it was enough to stain the snow....maybe if he let himself uncurl a bit he'd get hit somewhere more fatal ...maybe he could bleed out before something else happened, something worse. He could hear the crack of his father's belt on his body, though he barely felt it anymore. He could feel his eyes closing....he was so tired, and he didn't really want to fight anymore. He'd always had half a mind to just accept he'd be killed by his father. He'd hoped the man wouldn't be the one to take his life, but he supposed he didn't have much of a choice now. Though, he didn't think his father would kill him....he was the money maker. He might almost kill him....but he sober, and his brain was about him. Well, he was sober enough he could use his brain and wasn't stumbling around. And that's what worried sage....if Anya woke up and came after him, she could be hurt, most likely killed. Luther too ...he'd probably tag along, the sweet old lug, and they could both get hurt as a result.

Anya and Luther wandered around for a while, Anya being pretty much ready to see a mangled figure of Sage around every turn... but his dad wouldn't kill him... he wouldn't give him that peace. He needed him, to make money so he could live off his drinks. Sage made the money that gave him his house, his food, clothes, and everything... if he wasn't working, then his father wasn't getting his money. She had already briefed Luther on Sage's dad... how frankly dangerous he was, and how easy it'd be for Luther himself to get hurt, but Luther seemed keen to look after Sage, just the way Anya was... though, Anya seemed a little more determined to find him. The boy was starting to notice just how much Sage meant to the girl but wasn't going to question it. They'd already been so much together, so he supposed it was normal for her to be so attached to someone who she'd been through so much with. Especially since it was Anya. She got attached to people rather easily anyway, but she seemed quite willing to give her life for this boy, running around the slums like a madman. But Luther was willing to do all he could for this girl, and if that meant helping her find Sage, he was all up for it. He paused for a moment as Anya disappeared from his sight, looking around before he spotted her heading down a thin alleyway. He had no idea where she was going, or why she had made the sudden turn, but he followed her... he'd follow her anywhere she took him. Soon, the spine-chilling sound of a belt cracking through the air started to come into earshot. So maybe that was why she had made the sudden turn. She always had been a little more observant than he had. She had probably levitated towards the sounds in hope of finding Sage... well, she certainly hoped he wasn't at the end of the cracks, but what her heart hoped wasn't what her brain knew. Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew he'd be at the end of them, even if her heart wished it wasn't the case. As they edged closer, she started slowing down, her heart racing in her chest as she came towards a corner where she stopped in her tracks, knowing what she'd see if she peaked over the edge. She took a slight breath before carefully looking around the corner, and just as she suspected, there he was... curled up tightly in the snow, shirtless with blood seeping from, well everywhere. The snow beneath him had turned dark red, melting a little from the head he gave it. Anya's head whipped around again, her hand covering her mouth as she held back a slight squeak. Her eyes quickly filled with water and a couple of tears rolled down her cheeks as she felt her breath hitch, trying to keep herself quiet. Luther stared at her for a moment before ducking to her level a bit more, carefully wiping her cheeks with his thumb. If they were going to do anything about this, he couldn't have her panicking. "Look... what do you want me to do," he questioned, giving a slight nod to the girl. If he could do anything to help, he would... though, the reply he got was not one he expected from the sweet girl. "I want you to take this knife," she whispered so that the man around the corner couldn't hear, though her words were pretty much drowned out by the loud cracking of the belt. She handed him the little knife, which had already seen a lot more action than it'd seen in a long time, "And you're going to go out there and sneak up on him from behind. If you have a knife to his throat, I doubt he's going to try anything... I'm going to try and get ahold of Sage while you do that. When we're gone, you're going to let him go and run, fast, straight back to the castle. If he gets you, then you're dead. If he so much as moves while you've got him, you kill him. Do you understand?" The girl practically hissed at him. If Luther was being totally honest, he'd never seen her so... angry. It almost looked like she was out for blood herself. But he nodded quietly, knowing full well there was a chance that he could get hurt himself. But it was what Anya wanted... so he carefully took the knife and wandered out, silently wandering up behind the man before doing just as Anya had instructed. This was going to go one of two ways... either well, and they had managed to grab Sage, or all three of them would end up in a pretty shitty situation.