Kings of War

Eli Shaw sighed and kicked the door shut behind her. Jason ran through the apartment with his airplane making zooming noises as he ran. Eli couldn't help but smile. Her beautiful baby. She was all his too. There were times that she felt bad for leaving Shaun and taking Jason away, but then she would have a dream of that night and she couldn't feel sorry anymore. She had tried at first even considering going back. She just hadn't been able to do it though. It had been impossible. Instead she tore the hairband from her hair and tossed her bag onto small, dingy couch that occupied the living room. It wasn't a glamorous place, but it was something and she really couldn't complain. She had lived in worse after all. She hated to though. "Jason! Don't get any treats," she called as she saw her son run into the kitchen still playing with his airplane. Eli knew he wasn't listening. She chuckled shaking her head.

It was probably risky moving back to Westhall, but it seemed like the safest place too. Xander and Shaun might have been bastards, but they kept order. As long as you respected them, you were okay. Respect meant obeying their laws. Something that most people had refused to do in the old days. They had learned quickly though and now Westhall was probably one of the safest places at least in the country even with the two Kings penchant for violence. Eli pulled off her jacket and tossed it onto the couch with her bag before walking to the kitchen and leaning against the door to watch Jason try to reach up to the fourth shelf in the pantry. She chuckled softly and shook her head. "Honestly baby, you're not big enough just yet. And don't even say you wanna be. I like you just as little as you are!" Eli declared scooping up her son in her arms and giving his belly a raspberry. Jason crumpled into a fit of giggles.

A knock came at the door disturbing their glee. "Chaste!" It was the old woman next door. Eli felt bad not giving people her name, but she didn't want Shaun finding her ever. She refused to go back there. Not now, not ever. It would be over her dead body. And she wasn't about to give up her baby to that place. It was too dangerous. And she wasn't going to lose her son.

"Stay here baby," Eli set Jason down and grabbed him a cookie before walking back to the living room and opening the door to smile at the older woman. Her smile faltered and failed as her eyes shifted to see who was behind the woman. Her heartbeat skipped and time seemed to slow. This couldn't be happening. She supposed that she should have known it would happen eventually, she had just hoped she would have more time.

The man leading them, the one she was terrified of, smiled at her indulgently. "So it really is you Elisha. Shaun wants you and Jason to come home."

Eli clenched her jaw and stood stock still, her hand gripping the door. "You can tell Shaun that he can go to hell," she growled flinging the door to slam it shut. It didn't work though since the Knight grabbed the door. She wasn't paying attention to that though. Eli had run the other direction and was fleeing towards the kitchen. On some level, she knew that she wasn't going to be able to get away. That didn't mean she wasn't going to try her hardest. Jason was watching her in shock and confusion when arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. "Get off me!" she screamed. One of the other knights pushed into the kitchen and around Eli and her captor. Jason's lip had began wavering. She knew he was scared and that she should calm herself so that she didn't scare him more, but it was hard when the fear was consuming her.

Jason sniffed once, twice before throwing his head back and screaming, tears running down his face as he ran towards Eli. The second Knight scooped the little boy in one arm holding him tight. Mother and son alike squirmed, kicking, and screaming as the two knights dragged them from the apartment. "Shut up, shut up," The First Knight, her living nightmare, growled shaking Eli.

"Let go!" Eli twisted and ended up looking over the Knight's shoulder to see the second man cuff Jason over the back of the head. "You bastard! You fucking bastard! I'll see you dead!" she swore.

"Shut up you fucking wench," the First Knight ordered as they walked over to what she knew was one of the castle's cars. The trunk sat open and Eli found herself shoved inside, with Jason pushed into her arms. He was whimpering softly and Eli held him tightly, wrapping her body around her protectively.

"It's gonna be okay baby," she promised. She didn't know if she could believe that, but she would tell her baby anything to make him feel better. And when they got to the castle, first she was going to make sure Shaun knew how his son had been treated, then she was going to kill him.