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Part 2 of the Sword AU that I posted. I originally asked @shamingcows which order she wanted the three of these in, and she picked this way, so they’re just a bit out of order. That being said, this one takes place a good few years after the last one.

Sorey waded through the water, leaning one shoulder against the wall as he went. It was getting harder to move through the underground passages, which could only mean trouble if they couldn’t get the tunnels to drain. With the rain it was bad enough that all the roads and certain low lying areas of Pendrago were starting to flood, they couldn’t risk the losing the entire city to the rising waters.

Mikleo had dug up some old plans when the trouble had first started, and had said that there were levers that could be pulled to drain the water. Sorey wasn’t sure how accurate they were now, especially when he and the Regent had already stumbled into problems finding their way this far.

There were parts of the underground tunnels that had been closed off or reformed to make the streets and houses above more stable. There had been other parts that had just fallen down, parts that Sorey had memorized to bring up at the next council meeting.

If the underground tunnels were this bad because of the rain, then they would need to rethink how to deal with them before they could become more dangerous.

Sorey shook his head and waded forward through the rising water. At least walking on level ground was slightly easier than trying to climb up steps.

He scanned the flat area, grinning when he saw one of the levers. Sorey picked up the pace, ignoring the way the Regent called for him. It would take more than one lever to drain the tunnels, and they were quickly running out of time. Sorey wanted to get as many taken care of to save Mikleo the work out in the streets. No matter how powerful he was, Mikleo was only one seraphim. And it was his job as emperor to support him.

Sorey grabbed onto the lever, holding onto it for balance against the pull of the water. There was definitely a small current, which meant that the water was flowing out, albeit slowly. He swayed in place, getting his feet back under him.

He glanced back over his shoulder at the Regent before starting to lean against the lever. It was hard to get it to move, Sorey sure that it was a combination of old mechanisms and the water that had practically covered the entire thing. The only thing for him to grasp was the top of the lever, and that was hardly enough.

Sorey shifted his grip, shoving against the lever again before shaking his head. “I can’t get it to budge. I’m going to need a-”

He grunted as something hit him hard on the back of the head.

And then he knew nothing.

Mikleo paced in the small space between the window and the council table, his attention jumping between the rain that was pattering against the windowpane and the map. Every once and a while he would look up at where Sergei’s lieutenant was sorting through the reports that were being rushed in by breathless pages before the children ran out again to get the next batch.

And still there was no sign of Sorey.

Mikleo swayed into the table, catching himself against it. He heard the lieutenant gasp, but he ignored the man, focusing on the feeling of the water pattering down on the city. It was his element and the only thing keeping him sane at the moment.

Mikleo reached up to rake a hand through his hair, catching his fingers in the tangles. What he wanted to do was call a stop to the rain, but he couldn’t go that far. It had been the first thing he had suggested and the council had turned him down. The farmers needed the rain after the long summer drought that they had suffered. If they wanted to make it through the next year, they would need the harvest.

But he needed Sorey back by his side just as badly. It was getting bad.

He looked up as the lieutenant made a sound, glancing hopefully back at the man.

The lieutenant gave him an apologetic look before inclining his torso slightly. “I’m sorry, your majesty. There’s still nothing, just a report that the old tunnels under the city are overflowing into the streets.”

Mikleo narrowed his eyes. Sorey had volunteered to go out and try to stop that from happening. Mikleo would understand if Sorey could only open a few of the drains before the water had gotten too high, but for sections to be flooding the city meant no water was moving at all. Which meant things were worse than they thought.

He cursed under his breath before stepping up to the map of the city. “Where-”

He jerked his head up as the doors to the room were shoved open. Two more pages darted in just ahead of the Regent. The two children dropped off their reports before rushing out of the room. The Regent watched them go, shaking his head as soon as they were clear. “Useful little things, aren’t they?” When he didn’t get a response, the man flopped down in the nearest chair. “How is Pendrago? Not sinking I hope.”

Mikleo shot the Regent an annoyed look before he went back to staring at the map. He’d have to figure out the places where the city was low lying enough for the streets to get swamped with the water from the old passages beneath the city. And maybe he’d meet Sorey along the way. The only reason Sorey wouldn’t have come back with the Regent was if he had gone to try and evacuate the people.

He traced his fingers over the map, trying to remember all the places where the underground tunnels had a route onto the surface. The lieutenant seemed to figure out what he was trying to do, because he leaned over to start pointing out particular places. Mikleo nodded as they were pointed out, committing them to memory. It would give him something to do other than worry endlessly.

“Get a squadron out to bring the people to higher ground, either in the city or out of it. I’m going to try and get the water moving. If you see or hear from Sorey, send the word on where I’ve gone and what you need his help with next.”

Mikleo pushed away from the table, intending to rush out and start work. He couldn’t bear to be kept in the palace for much longer.

He made it halfway across the room before he heard a chair screech across the floor followed by the sound of the map and the paper weights hitting the floor. Mikleo turned, staring at the Regent as the man straightened up. His gaze darted to the floor to where most of the weights were carelessly scattered.

Mikleo dragged his gaze back up to meet the Regent’s, watching the man twitch back in fear. The Regent cowered back against the table as Mikleo stalked forward. “Why did you do that?”

“Because it’s obvious. He isn’t coming back. He took one look at his first big disaster and thought better of it.” The Regent shrugged, the motion shaky and quick to turn into a flinch. When Mikleo didn’t say anything, the man made a motion with his arm. “You said it yourself, he wouldn’t want to be emperor. He must have just stuck around for you and left when he got tired.”

“No. Not Sorey.”

“How would you know that? You know nothing about him!”

The Regent shrugged and made a move like he was going to just wave him off, but seemed to rethink the motion. The man curled his arms back towards his body, looking around before shrugging. “No, I don’t. And, if you remember correctly, I was the one who was against him from the start. We are here to keep the people of Rolance safe, and choosing Sorey did none of that. It was a selfish act, just like every other emperor that you have chosen for this country and over the heads of men who deserve the position more!

“My family has served you for generations, for centuries, and never once have they been chosen. We’ve always been better than whoever you pick up from the streets, always. But all of loyalty has never been rewarded. I just got tossed to the side as soon as the next pretty boy came along.”

Mikleo grabbed onto the front of the Regent’s shirt and shoved him back up against the wall. The Regent grunted and scrambled at Mikleo’s hand for a moment before going limp. Mikleo narrowed his eyes at the smirk on the man’s face before pushing the man away.

He didn’t have time for the Regent, he had the people of Pendrago to look after and Sorey to find.

Mikleo shot the Regent one last look of disgust, watching as the man rubbed at his throat. He tensed when the Regent looked up at him, unnerved by the self assured grin that crossed the man’s face. “You’re going to run out of time to look for him. The emperor can’t hold his breath forever.”

“How...” Mikleo jerked to a stop when he understood what the Regent was saying, and it made his blood run cold. He stared down at the smiling man before turning on his heel and walking quickly away. “Lock him up until I come back. No one is to release him on pain of my anger.”

He didn’t wait around long enough to hear the lieutenant reply, he didn’t need to. The man would take care of things. And he had something more important to worry about.

Mikleo broke into a run as soon as he was out of the room, not caring about the odd looks that he got as he tore through the halls. If there were places in Pendrago that were flooding, then that meant that the underground tunnels had flooded completely. That didn’t leave him much time.

He sprinted out into the courtyard, seeing a few of the soldiers turn to look at him. A few called out, but he was already moving past them. He was focused on a small statue to the side of the shrinechurch and the grate that he could see in the ground.

Mikleo dropped to his knees as soon as he was by the grate, his fingers already working at the lock before he grew impatient. He forced ice into it and shattered it apart, not caring about the bits of shrapnel that fell on him.

He shoved the grate away, about to drop into the waters beneath when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Mikleo turned to look at the Platinum Knight standing close, cutting the man off with a shake of his head. “Get everyone back. I’m going after the emperor.”

The knight’s eyes widened before he gave a sharp nod. “I’ll send for a doctor.”

Mikleo didn’t bother to acknowledge the knight, instead letting go of the edge and dropping into the water.

He felt the shock of cold water for a moment, but that was easily pushed to the back of his mind. It was more important to reach out into the water and try to find something that was blocking it, something that wasn’t walls or stairs.

‘Find him. Find my Sorey.’

The water responded slowly, Mikleo searching through the ripples and currents. He had to be thorough, but it was hard to be patient with the constant knowledge that he was running out of time. He bit his lip, reaching out with everything that he had to try and rush the process along.

When he found it, he almost skipped over it in his haste. It was an obstruction that wasn’t a wall or a set of stairs, it was too small for that.

Mikleo’s heart skipped a beat as he reached out to pull it back towards him. ‘Bring him to me.’

The water responded to him easily, Mikleo feeling the currents in the underground tunnels shifting and moving. He urged them to greater speeds, watching their precious burden as they carried it closer.

He reached out to the curl of water as it came close, wrapping his arms tightly around the body that it had brought to him. He cradled Sorey close, easily shifting his concentration to work the water upwards and out. He felt the water strain against his commands before it finally moved, rushing out of every exit. Mikleo felt some of it forced up through the other grates throughout Pendrago, but his attention was already moving away from the water and to the body in his arms.

He knelt on the ground, rolling Sorey carefully to the side as he reached in to seek out the water in the human’s lungs. Mikleo winced at it came easily at his call, horrified by the amount that he easily coaxed out. It was too much, which meant that he had been too late. He didn’t know how long Sorey had been in the tunnels with the water rising and what point he had lost consciousness.

He didn’t even know if he was holding a dead body in his arms.

Mikleo choked back a sob, holding on for a little while longer until he couldn’t feel any water left in Sorey’s lungs.

He quickly turned Sorey over his arms, his fingers fumbling as they sought out the pulse in Sorey’s neck. For an eternity, he felt nothing.

Then he found it, the faint pulse of Sorey’s heart.

Mikleo sobbed and leaned forward to press his face into Sorey’s hair. He rocked the two of them back and forth, trying to gather Sorey closer to him. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Sorey coughed, Mikleo lifting his head slightly to see if the human was waking up. But Sorey didn’t move, the cough rattling worriedly. Mikleo shivered and shifted so he could take off his coat one arm at a time. He lifted Sorey from his lap awkwardly with one hand so he could tuck the coat under Sorey. He wasn’t sure how much it would help, but it had to be better than nothing. Mikleo tucked his jacket more securely around Sorey, frowning when Sorey coughed again.

He waited until the rattle was gone before scooping Sorey into his arms and standing up. Mikleo threw a look over his shoulder, glancing at the ladder that led up to the grate. He couldn’t imagine climbing up there with Sorey, and he didn’t want to let go of Sorey.

Mikleo ducked his head, pressing his face into Sorey’s hair. He breathed Sorey in for a moment before lifting his head again. There was another way out of the tunnels, one that led into the shrinechurch. It would be faster and it meant that he could keep a hold on Sorey.

He nodded to himself and set out at a brisk walk, pushing himself as fast as he could go.

In the silence of the old tunnels, there wasn’t much to distract him from the sound of Sorey’s pained breaths. They echoed strangely in the close tunnels, Mikleo hating every time there was a pause. He was never sure if he would just be left with silence and he feared that above all things.

He wasn’t ready for that. He’d only had a few years and that wasn’t enough. It didn’t matter that whatever time he had was never enough, at least he had time to prepare himself. At least he could see it coming and fall back into the usual reassurances that he told himself as an emperor or an empress lay dying.

Sorey hadn’t gotten the chance to live a long and fulfilling life. The only things he had managed to do was find his way to Pendrago and then stumble into the trap that Mikleo’s oath was.

Mikleo stumbled down a flight of stairs, adjusting his hold on Sorey. He gritted his teeth and looked up the passage. He saw a flicker of light, Mikleo perking up at the sight. It meant he was close. It meant that he still might save Sorey.

He tightened his hold on Sorey, practically running up the last flight of stairs when he saw a squad of knights rushing around the corner with torches.

He wasn’t sure what they saw on his face, but the knights immediately formed up around him, Mikleo hearing one of them shouting orders. Mikleo wasn’t sure what the orders were, he was beyond hearing them. All he knew was that there was a solid wall of armed guards around Sorey, all of whom would be the first line of defense in case any one else decided that Sorey had to be taken care of.

The thought made him clutch Sorey closer to him.

No one else was going to touch Sorey. The human would make it through this ordeal.

He had to.

Mikleo leaned the side of his head against the window, staring down into the courtyard. The entirety of the Pendrago guard was assembled there, all of them waiting in their careful parade lines. The assembly formed a straight route from the doors of the palace to the gates that led out of the royal quarter. And all of them were looking towards the palace doors.

He was in the wrong place to see who they were leading out, but he didn’t need to. There was only one person that the entire guard would gather to see.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes as he saw the Regent being led away from the palace in chains. He was too far away to see anything and, with the window closed, there was no way to hear anything either. Then again, Mikleo didn’t care. He’d heard enough the one time he’d been called from the room to testify against the Regent. The man had spewed enough venom at him in that one afternoon, Mikleo didn’t need to hear anything else.

The Regent was shoved towards the cart waiting for him. The man seemed to be struggling, but it wasn’t enough to deter the two knights from lifting him bodily and throwing him into the cart. The two knights shut and locked the back gate before stepping away, giving the cart room.

It was a good thing that they did, because all hell broke loose in the courtyard. The careful avenue was still maintained, but the soldiers had started throwing mud and rotten fruit at the man in the cart. Mikleo followed the arc of what looked like a rock before turning away from the scene. The whole thing was out of his hands and stopping it would just make everything worse. The whole city had heard what the Regent had done and Mikleo had gotten reports that all of Pendrago had turned against the Regent. He was sure that the news of what the Regent had done to the emperor would spread over all of Rolance, and he wouldn’t be surprised if they reacted the same.

Mikleo turned to press his forehead against the glass, closing his eyes as he tried to block out the rough sound of Sorey’s breaths. It didn’t work for long, Mikleo turning to look back at where the doctor was sitting by the bed.

He watched as the woman listened to Sorey’s chest for a moment before sitting up. The doctor nodded, Mikleo not quite sure how to take it until the doctor turned back to look at him.

The woman bowed before leaning over to pack up her kit. “Things are progressing well. His fever is going down and his breathing is starting to sound better. He should be waking up soon.”

Mikleo sighed and leaned back against the window. It wasn’t the same as hearing it from Sorey himself, but it was something better than the worried looks that the doctor had given him while she had been working the first day. Progressing well was far better than all the guesses that she had made before and the phrase “Only time would tell.” He’d heard that enough in his long lifetime to associate it with the worst.

“Your majesty?”

Mikleo pushed away from the window, giving her a weary nod. “Thank you.”

“It’s my honor to be trusted so much.” She stood up, turning her head to look at Sorey with a smile. “They’re praying for his recovery in the shrinechurch. It’s been around the clock since the news got out. The people love him dearly. It’s good to see such devotion.”

Mikleo nodded, keeping his mouth shut. It didn’t matter that there had been other emperors and empresses who had inspired the same devotion. It was still amazing whenever it happened.

He crossed the room to the chair that the doctor had vacated, barely paying attention as she bowed and left. Mikleo didn’t look up when the guard opened and shut the door, he only had eyes for Sorey.

Mikleo sunk down into the chair, running a hand through his hair. He sighed, slumping forward for a moment before shaking his head. He could keep going for a little while longer and he didn’t want to run the risk of missing anything. It was one thing to hear that Sorey was recovering, but it was another thing to see it. And he needed that desperately.

He scooted his chair closer to the bed, picking up Sorey’s hand where it rested on the covers. He kissed Sorey’s knuckles before resting his forehead against Sorey’s hand. “Please, wake up soon.”

Mikleo woke up to fingers stroking weakly over the side of his face. He blinked sluggishly, staring at the patterned covers before sitting up abruptly. “Sorey!”

He got a smile from Sorey, the human reaching up for him before letting his hand drop back to the covers. “Hey.”

Mikleo stared at him for a moment before clambering into the bed. He heard Sorey make a confused sound, the noise quickly turning into a cough.

Mikleo flinched at the noise, quick to curl himself around Sorey. He rested his head on Sorey’s chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart and straining to hear any kind of rattle in his lungs. He doubted that it would disappear so easily, but he couldn’t be too careful. More importantly, it meant that he was close to Sorey, close enough that Sorey could run a shaking hand down his back.

“Mikleo?”

“Don’t do that ever again.”

“What-”

“You owe me.” Mikleo turned his fingers into Sorey’s shirt. “You owe me at least sixty more years. Understand?”

Sorey was silent long enough for Mikleo to be worried. He went to move his head, stopping when he felt Sorey’s hand settle on the back of it. Mikleo allowed himself to be pulled back into position, closing his eyes as he clutched at Sorey.

“I must have scared you pretty bad, didn’t I?”

Mikleo didn’t answer, but that seemed to be enough for Sorey. He heard Sorey sigh, flinching at the wheeze he heard.

“I’m sorry, Mikleo.” Sorey’s fingers started to stroke through his hair. “I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“But-”

Mikleo shook his head. “I’m not ready. I need the time to...It hasn’t been enough...”

“Oh Mikleo.” He felt a soft tug on his hair, a request to look up, but Mikleo couldn’t bring himself to. He didn’t want to, not when he’d have to face too much. He wasn’t ready for Sorey to die, but he wasn’t ready to face Sorey knowing yet either.

He felt Sorey shift, Mikleo clutching at Sorey as the human moved so he could hold him as well. He pressed his face against Sorey’s shoulder, feeling himself shake as Sorey stroked a hand down his back.

“How long have you done this?”

“Don’t know.”

“Beloved...” Sorey trailed off for a moment before nuzzling his face into Mikleo’s hair. “I’ll give you those sixty years, and many more. You can have as many as you need.”

Mikleo nodded, not letting up his tight grip on Sorey. The acknowledgement helped, but it wouldn’t do anything to ease the pain later on. Seraphim were long lived creatures, and humans were a brief flash of light in their lives. And Mikleo intended to hold onto this light as long as he was allowed.

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