A noble tantrum

[Goldie]

ooc: hahaha, and just how long the pauses were between posts xP

ic:

Gods above, what was she suppose to do?  Her tears were working, but Garon was persistent upon going to the damn inn that Crono suggested.  And after telling him of her "fears" he still wanted to go?

Damn!

So much for spineless...she had nothing else to use to convince him, no other bribe, and if she continued to press not going back she would betray something, she was sure of it.  Garon may be a love-struck bumbling fool in her eyes, but she was sure if she pressed without good reason then he would figure that something was awry and then go and allay his fears to Crono who certainly was not a fool.

Too bad.  It made things much more problematic.  The Gods knew that she hated troubling things, especially when she was hiding such a huge secret.

How was she going to keep it all from them?  Surely they would soon question why the guards knew her, and why they had so easily attacked the men surrounding her.  She couldn't very well say, 'Oh, those guards thought you were kidnapping me and killed my father!  But really, I set it up to look like that so they wouldn't find out it was me!'  That would probably get her killed.

That is, if they believed it.

Crono would.

Garon?  She wasn't so sure.  Probably not.  She was sure that she had already reached Goddess status in his eyes and could do no wrong.  Or at least could do nothing blatantly wrong, for sure she didn't know what she was doing in the first place!  Just a beautiful woman without a brain, and eyes full of tears.

Ha!

What little these men knew.

"The inn?" she sniffed, "Oh Garon!"  She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, "Oh Garon, even though the peril of the guards is there you are still willing to go back!  You are so brave!  I can't imagine going through this journey if I did not have your bravery to inspire me!"  As if taking heart, Nomarie stood and brushed the leaves from her newly purchased traveling attire.  She knew that a little dirt would make her guise more believable, but she still couldn't help the slight crinkle in her nose as her noble fingers touched the despicable specks that had collected on her knees.  This travel business was not on her list of things she would ever repeat.  She was a noblewoman, a lady of class, and mingling with the dirt and common folk was below her.

Gods!  Look what her father had forced her to become!  After all, it was his fault of course.  If he hadn't been about to name Mathios, the bastard, as his heir, none of this would have happened.  She would not have been forced to protect their family name, run away, and frame two innocent men for kidnapping and murder.

All in all, not a bad plan though.

"Just protect me, please?" She murmured, batting her eyelashes delicately at Garon.  "I chose to come with you and I don't want to go with the guards...they don't understand...."

With that, she waited for him to take her arm and lead her through the city to the inn that Crono decided they would use for the night.  She just hoped that he wasn't as dimwitted as this fool, and would pick a low-key place where they wouldn't be recognized.

[Anonymous]

OOC: Ya. I also just noticed that the giant pauses in posts are mainly my fault. I'm a posting snail. ;.;

IC:
Damn did Garon wish Nomarie would warn him before she flung herself at him! That was the second time that she had almost knocked him over but he did get a kiss out of it. Perhaps things weren't so bad after all. He had a few fleeting second thoughts about how good of an idea that inn would be when she mentioned the guards again, but when she called him brave and went on about it, Garon knew that he couldn't back out of it.

Garon got up a little after Nomarie did and made a quick bow to her request.
"Of course I'll protect you." He replied, taking her arm and leading her in the direction of the inn.

Even though the inn wasn't that far out of the city, the two travelers hadn't made it that far out to begin with so it was still a fair trek. Garon, uncomfortable with the prolonged silence, kept trying to strike up some conversation. Unfortunately it didn't work too well, especially since he wasn't much of a talker himself. Eventually, he fell silent and decided to keep the peace until they reached the inn.

Of course, just because he chose to keep quiet didn't mean his surrounds held the same. Crickets chirped in the grass, owls gave an occasional hoot, the moon disappeared and reappeared from behind clouds. It was all very cliché but Garon didn't pay it any mind, he was too busy letting his mind wander.

The sound of a harp broke brought his mind back to where he was. As his eyes refocused, an inn came into view. As the duo approached the inn door, a rather large man stepped into the darkness.

"I take it you two are acquaintances of Crono's?" The man asked and continued without waiting for an answer. "Ya you are. I can tell from his description of you two. Come around back, I'll let you in through there." The man vanished inside.

"Well, I guess we should go around back." Garon said to his companion. The innkeeper was waiting for them when they got to the back of the inn.
"It took you two long enough to show up here tonight. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have ta stay up all night. Follow me." He lead them up a set of narrow stairs to the first floor. "I can only spare one room for the night." He opened the second door from the stairs.

"I hope you two are comfortable around each other."


OOC: >.< That was much more winding and blah than I wanted it to be but I really wanted to put in a few things. D: Please forgive me.

[Goldie]

Nomarie had to suppress her triumphant grin as Garon acted accordingly to her facade.  Men were so easy to manipulate.  And she supposed that it would be better to try and stay close to Crono.  As incorrigible and infuriating as the man was, she had more faith in his ability to protect her than she did in the baffoon Garon.  Anyone who seemed to be able to ignore her charms had something that no other man had had yet.  As much as she hated the man for it, she respected his ability to keep a level head.

Ultimately, it just meant she would have to try harder.  Perhaps her womanly charms would not work, but that meant that she would just have to use her intellect to get her further.  After all, whether or not he trusted her was not the issue.  She was paying him good coin and he would follow her until it came the time for her to play her roll of innocent captive amidst two, horrible, murderous thieves.

As the two meandered their way through the city, Nomarie could tell that Garon was trying to strike up some sort of conversation but letting his words die on his tongue.  She didn't mind.  After all, she didn't really want to talk to the man unless she absolutely had to, so she let the silence drag out.  If anything, he could interpret her lack of speech as a frightened quiet as she kept pace with him.  She didn't know how long she would have to keep up her facade, but she hoped that it didn't take them forever to complete the quest.  She was already exhausted of having to play Garon....He was so typical...so easy to read and manipulate.  She wanted a challenge.  Something that would force her to think through her actions and fill her head with thoughts of what to do next.  At least then she wouldn't be able to think of anything else....she could then ignore the visions of blood spilling from her father's chest that kept flashing themselves in her mind.

Upon reaching the inn, she cringed inwardly at the thought that she had replaced her beautiful gown for the breeches and tunic she was now sporting.  Of course, it had been her idea to be less conspicuous, but it made her first impressions less noble and more traveler.  She would simply have to carry her head higher and trust that her aura told the peasants that she was higher than them.  Maybe it was better to blend in, but she couldn't erase years of snobbery from her system.  At least she had managed to purchase the most high-end travel clothes.  The leather was soft and perfect, a deep chocolate brown with fashionable embroidery along the seams.  Although she thought that it was a gigantic leap down from the hand spun silk gowns, anyone on the streets could easily see that she had a lot of money and was, undoubtably, noble.

She snickered softly when the inn keeper informed them that there was only one bed.  That certainly wasn't something that she was looking forward to.  Ugh...did this guy think that he was going to get some sort of show tonight?  Threesome with the beautiful noble!?  HAH!  He'd have to think again!  She would make the two men sleep on the floor.  Or even simply kick them out of the room.  She had a little more class than sleeping with men like them.

She followed the inn keeper and Garon into the inn and up to their room where they were left to settle in.  There wasn't much to do, it wasn't as if she had brought anything along with her, and the only thing that she was carrying in her small pack that she had purchased with her clothes was her old gown that she had traded down.  She hadn't even thought about food, and now her stomach rumbled lightly.

"When will Crono be back?" she wondered allowed, sitting down on the bed in order to assert her own territory.  There was a set of chairs against the wall along with a small table that she would let Garon and Crono use.

ooc: I'm sorry that took so long! >_<  I had the hardest time with this post.....

[Anonymous]

Garon barely kept a smile from his face when the innkeeper said there was only one room. He wouldn't take near advantage as some other, less reputable, men might but he couldn't help feeling that luck was looking favorably on him. Garon set his small bag on the table. His stomach, taking cues from Nomarie's, reminded him that he hadn't had anything to eat since lunch.

"Crono? I'm not sure. He said he should be back in a few days but with him? Who knows." Garon answered, shrugging. "Since there is only one bed, you up for sharing?" He said, giving his best smile. "And while you're thinking on that, I'm going to go see what the innkeeper has in the way of food." The man added, slipping out the door. He headed down the back stairs and into the kitchen. He got into the kitchen in time to see that the mistress of the inn was just finishing up cleaning for the night. Thinking that he was too late for food, he turned to go, but stopped when the innkeeper's wife started talking.

"You arrived too late for the dinner I prepared earlier but I did round up some food for you and your companion." She said, pointing at a tray with some bread, cheese, and a little meat on it. Garon took the tray and thanked the woman before turning to head back to where Nomarie was waiting.

Garon pushed the door to the room open with his back. "We got here too late for the real dinner but the innkeeper's wife put some food together for us." He placed the food tray on the table, taking some bread and cheese for himself. "Help yourself." He said while sitting down in a chair. He took a bite of the food. "So how about it?"

Crono took a sip of his drink. He had been listening to this noble's guard for the past quarter of an hour now, his resolve hardening by the minute. The target was here and he would be in the city in the next day or two. It would be a very simple matter to just finish the job here. Judging by what his drunk friend was saying, he was one of a troop of eight men. His informant, well into his drink, let slip that all but two were still awake and sober, including the lord.

Crono sighed inwardly. While it would have been so very simple to just end it here, Nomarie would probably try to eat his head off if she didn't get a chance to kill do the deed herself. He barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Nobles always thought that they could do the dirty work when it came down to it.

His unintentional informant protested when Crono got up to go. Crono smiled his apology and made an excuse about an early morning. The guard's protests shriveled up when Crono offered the rest of his drink to the guard. Crono payed his tab and headed out the door to make his way to the forest. He was not looking forward to the flight back to the inn his charges were waiting at and he would have to fly fast to get there with enough time to rest and plan.

When he got to the forest, Crono hunted around for a spot that he felt was safe enough to lift off from. He never did like people knowing about his wings unless it was needed. Eventually he found a spot that was comfortable with. He took his cloak off and lifted himself into the air, determined to make it back to Garon and Nomarie by dawn.

[Goldie]

Nomarie could do nothing but stare blankly at Garon as he suggested that they share the bed. For the first time in this entire ordeal she was at a loss for words. What man in his right mind would think that she would share the same bed? As far as she was concerned he was nothing more than a dispensable servant who would soon learn what it meant to cross her. What possessed him to think....

Ugh!

And him no less! If it had been anyone else...anyone else in the world...but this blubbering bozo actually believed that he stood a chance? True, she had been practically throwing herself at him, but was he that dense?

Or perhaps she was just that good?

Either way, the results were worse than she could possibly imagine. It was embarrassing to envision herself sleeping next to that man. Her, a high ranking noble.

Are you really that high and mighty? a voice whispered in the back of her mind, If you were above everyone else, you would be above the law as well? Yet here you are running away...  Shut up, she thought silently, trying to push away the voice that was invading her mind.

You can't silence what you know is true. You already have your kin's blood on your hands, are you really willing to add more to that list? Have you sunk so low?

"Shut up" she murmured, pressing her palms to her ears, thankful that Garon had left moments ago in the search of food. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Exhaustion was the only logical explanation. She had not slept the night before after...after...that thing happened...and now it was getting into the later hours of the night...She had been awake too long and was not starting to hallucinate. The best option would be to fall asleep right now before Garon returned. Then, in the morning, she would be composed once again and be able to move forward with her plans. Yes...that was the best option....

With a shudder she curled into a tight ball on the bed, not even wasting time to get under the covers, and was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

What Nomarie hadn't counted on were the dreams....

Sunlight streamed through the open window of the Illaudino mansion. Nomarie walked haughtily through the halls, head held high, a brilliant copper gown draped elegantly across her slender form. The servants bowed to their mistress as she glided across the floor, taking a few moments to spin in place while laughing merrily at her fate. She was the mistress of this household, her dreams had come true and her father had granted her succession.

"My Lady, the Master begs your presence if you would have him" a timid servant muttered, bowing so low that his nose nearly touched the ground. "He is waiting in the drawing room."

Her father, still referred to as the Master, how quaint. She thought giddily as she made her way down a flight of stairs, still laughing to herself for her good fortune. Upon reaching the elegantly carved oak doors of the drawing room, she pushed them open and entered the lavishly decorated interior. Her father's chair was turned away from his daughter and only his voice drifted towards her.

"Come, my daughter. Come to me."

Nomarie froze, the metallic smell of blood wafting across her nose. She turned to leave and found the door closed tightly behind her, locked from the outside. No matter how hard she pulled, the door would not open and panic began to set in. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pushed and pulled with all of her strength, but to no avail. She could not leave this room...Oh Gods she couldn't leave!

"Why are you trying to run, daughter?" His voice was closer, muffled footsteps sounding from behind. "Why are you running from a creation of your own making?" The steps became louder as they left the plush carpet and began clicking on the stone floor. Nomarie sobbed and began banging on the door, shouting for anyone...Anyone! Oh Gods, someone should be outside! Someone should be able to hear her pleas! She needed to get out!

Hands grabbed her from behind and turned her forcefully around to face the blood-stained figure of her father.

A blood curdling scream escaped from her lips as she stared into his sightless eyes, blood seeping from the numerous slashes across his body. She screamed again and again as he came closer, embracing her in his dead, decaying hands.

Before she knew it, she was awake. Her screams had been transferred from dream to reality. She thrashed about on the bed, eyes staring blindly at the phantom before her. Time didn't exist in her half-dream state and she could no more tell if it was night or early morning as she sobbed, rolling off of the bed to land in a heap on the floor. Her hands were covered in blood...oh Gods...in blood...

She needed to get it off of her!

Without thinking, she grabbed the first thing she could and began raking it across her palms, paying no attention to the pain or the scratches she began inflicting on herself.

"No...no no no no...get it off, oh Gods!" She cried, not even aware what she held in her hands or who was around her.

ooc: Soo...I had some fun with this xD hope it's ok! I was assuming that Crono'd be back by the time she "wakes up" but that's entire up to you! Nomarie doesn't exactly know what's going on around her so a lot of the details you can add in ^_^

[Anonymous]

Garon noticed that Nomarie was asleep immediately after he asked his question. Well this was a problem. There was certainly space for him to sleep next to her on the bed but she hadn't exactly agreed to it. If she were to wake up and find him there he might get a very rude awakening and it could squander any chance he might have had to get closer to her. Then again, she had been acting very friendly towards him. What to do?

After staring at Nomarie blankly for a few minutes, him thinking over what to do, Garon finally decided to take a chair to sleep in. It probably took him an hour before he finally drifted off into a not-so-restful sleep while laying his arms on the table, Garon's head resting on his arms. His dreams were dark and foreboding, though he would not be able to recall any of them later.

Nomarie's screaming jerked Garon from sleep straight to wide awake in a heartbeat. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with her and stared at her for a second before she fell to the floor. The thump she made snapped him to out of his amazement and he jumped to her side. The bang of the door opening whipped Garon's head around to see Crono standing in the doorway.

Crono scowled as he took in the scene. The innkeeper was trying to look over his shoulder to find out what all the commotion was. Ugh. Things just wouldn't stop with these two. He was tired, slightly hungry, and was in no mood to put up with the nightmares of a spoiled child. Garon moved out of Crono's way so as not to make him even angrier. He did look pissed.

Crono ripped the object she was scraping across her hands, without really registering what it was, and tossed it in Garon's general direction right before smacking her in the face. It might have been harder than what might have been required but hey, he wasn't in the best of moods. "Wake up." He said fairly harshly. "There's no time for this." Crono nodded towards the innkeeper to let him know everything was under control.

Once the door was closed, Crono brought them up to speed with his estimate of how long before the lord would get to the inn. "We should head a few hours away from town and set up an ambush on the road." Garon was looking at Crono with a clearly confused look but the mercenary stalled any questions from the other man with a look. It wasn't a particularly pleasant one either. "Get your things. We're leaving." Crono hoped the girl was still too sleepy or shocked to put up much of an argument right now. He really wasn't in the mood to put up with her. Crono really hoped she was both.

[Goldie]

His slap felt as if she had been punched rather than tapped to snap her out of the living nightmare. Her eyes faded in and out of focus for a few seconds before they landed on Crono's less-than-happy scowl. The tears from her nightmare were still damp on her cheeks and where his hand had made contact with her face stung terribly. Where normally she would have been disgusted and vexed that he had dared strike her, she merely stared up at him blankly for a few seconds, free hand pressed against her reddening cheek where his hand had contacted.

It took her a few more seconds to process exactly what Crono had said. Being in no mood to argue, she merely nodded, gazing at her left hand where blood still glistened on her palm. They weren't deep scratches....

Standing, she walked over to her pack silently and pulled out her old dress. At first it appeared as if she might be thinking about donning it instead of her less conspicuous breeches and tunic she had purchased the night before, but when she pulled out the small knife she had packed and pierced the fabric it became clear that she had other intentions. She cut a strip from her gown, perhaps too out of it to really realize what she was doing, before walking over to Crono, eyes downcast.

"Please?" she whispered, holding out the fabric alongside with her damaged hand. She would need it to be wrapped up and wouldn't be able to do it herself. The nightmare was still fresh in her mind, images of her dead, bloody father flashing before her eyes. It had done a number on her. It was almost as if guilt was finally setting in....she was finally beginning to understand a little about the repercussions of her actions....

Perhaps it would disappear after she no longer remembered the dream quite as well, but at the moment she seemed almost...demure....meek....a stark contrast to her usual calculating self. Her guard was down and it was obvious to anyone with the slightest observation skills. Which meant that Garon probably wouldn't notice at all.

Was this really what she wanted?

And now...now....Crono was back...were they going to find him? Find her betrothed? Would this be it for him....? Could she really go through with another murder for her own advancement?

"Where are we going?" she asked after a few minutes silence, voice no longer commanding, but small and hesitant. Part of it also was a fear of Crono himself. No one in her entire life had ever raised a hand against her. His strike against her made her realize that she didn't call the shots. He could overpower her in a second...she would be helpless....with that one action she lost all control. It was in his hands, not hers.

[Anonymous]

This was definitely something he hadn't expected. Crono was caught a little off guard by her quietness and was confused more when she pulled out her dress. He very much doubted that Illaudino would be changing in front of them. He was just about to say as much when she cut a strip off it and came over to him. This was...interesting. If she continued to act like this, it would definitely make her easier to handle though she would be useless for anything practical. He would just have to see how this went.

"Fine." Crono sighed in a slightly exaggerated manner. "Keep your hand still." He warned as he took the cloth. He glanced at her face to make sure she would stay still before getting to work wrapping her hand. Crono did try not to be too rough with it. He didn't want her to be complaining about it later. Once he was sure it was tight enough, Crono took a seat in a chair. "We should probably head down the road, a ways from this inn. There we can set up an ambush for when your soon-to-be-ex-fiancee. Garon, you'll be in charge of keeping Illaudino from harm." His smile held too many teeth. "Wouldn't want our employer dying before payday, eh?" Garon nodded his assent. He obviously either didn't like or just didn't get the joke. Ah well.

Crono wished that he could sleep but he had more pressing concerns at the moment. This would be their only shot to take out this guy. If they couldn't make the attempt, their target would probably be alerted once he went to retrieve the woman he was promised and she wasn't there. Things would be much more difficult then. He could stave off sleep for a few mores hours. "Come on." He said getting up. "Let's head out."

((>.< Fail post. Can't...think...right...now. >.<))

[Goldie]

ooc: >_< We need something exciting to happen in this thread! It's a whole lot of blah now! lol. Feel free to move large distances, maybe jump to where they've found the finace or something....I guess we should probably discuss what's going to go on from here? Are they going to get caught? Arrested?

ic:

Nomarie stood still as Crono bandaged her hand, wincing slightly as he pulled it tight. Had she been in a better state of mind, she would have noticed that his hands were much gentler than his voice connoted. Given, she probably would have been freaking out that she had destroyed a perfectly good dress as well...maybe....

The events in the past 24 hours were weighing heavily on her mind and she wasn't sure she would ever be the same noblewoman she was before her father's blood stained her hands. Even now the image of her father's mutilated, blood-soaked body filled her head, emphasized by the nightmare that was just beginning to fade from her mind. It stood there, taunting her, reminding her of what she had done, of what she was planning on doing.

Could she go through with it? What would happen once they ran into her betrothed? What would happen if her bastard of a brother was there with him?

Gods...how many people would she have to kill to keep her household?

She blinked away some unbidden tears that stung the edges of her eyes. She hadn't actually, legitimately cried in years. Sure, she had forced her eyes to water in order to get what she wanted....but she had always been in control. Now...her life just seemed to be spiraling out of her control, turning her into someone she didn't recognize...no...

Into someone she didn't want to recognize. She didn't want to look in the mirror and see the monster she was becoming. She wasn't even sure she wanted to be an Illaudino anymore. Life would be so much easier if she could just exist without worry, without care, without anyone who knew her and could judge her and...she just wanted to leave, to go away, to make all of it just disappear. For the first time in her life she wanted to be normal. Not noble....she wanted to be a normal Serenian and not someone who prided herself in her second generation fey lineage. Her mother had been fey, it's what gave her black hair the green shimmer, her eyes the deep beautiful emerald color...

And today she hated it.

"Thank you, Crono." She murmured, half listening to his orders, not even complaining that Garon would be her guardian. "You'll get paid." She muttered again, shouldering her bag and waiting to follow him out, "I won't forget to do that, you don't have to worry." Where before, her assurances had been fake, perfectly rehearsed, it was obvious that her façade had been complete dropped and here stood and unsure, confused....lost.

[Anonymous]

Nomarie was only furthering Crono's resolve that she would be useless in the hours ahead. He looked at her for a second or two before moving over towards Garon. "Something isn't right here." The mercenary said in a voice that would be hard to hear beyond a few feet. "See what you can find out today." The other man nodded. He, too, had grown quiet since Crono had arrived. Something had happened in the hours they had been alone. Crono didn't like how this situation was turning out.

Garon was still in a slight state of shock. Had this been what the whole venture was about? Murder? Could he really be a part of this? Did he really have a choice anymore? Though the end result would let Garon have a chance at ending with Nomarie, Garon really wasn't sure if he wanted to stick around. He visualized what Crono would do if he tried leaving with what he knew. It wasn't pretty. Garon submitted to his fate and followed Crono when he left.

At the bottom of the stairs, Crono told Garon and Nomarie to wait while he went to talk to the innkeeper. The two - friends? - exchanged words before Crono handed over some money, presumably rent for the night. The innkeeper reached under the bar and took out a staff, which he gave to Crono along with a few words and a serious look. Crono nodded and made his way to the door, motioning the other two to follow. Nomarie seemed much to out of it for her to catch the motion, so Garon took a hold of her hand. "Come on." He said in a gentle voice. "Time to go." He lead Nomarie out of the inn, following Crono.

They followed the road farther away from Arca for about an hour, the gravity of the upcoming fight keeping Garon silent. Crono was deep in thought, making and discarding various attack plans. He knew that the success of what would happen fell squarely on his shoulders. Now that he had his staff, Crono had a way to concentrate and amplify his magic. Eight verses one was not a fight that the mercenary was looking forward to but he had little choice.

When they arrived at what Crono thought would be the best spot they'd get, he signaled a halt. "Garon. Take Illaudino into those bushes and stay put." He pointed off to the side of the road where some very thick, human height brush stubbornly clung to life in the shade of a few trees. Garon nodded and pulled Nomarie off the side of the road. Crono went off to the other side of the road where some trees were thickly grouped. The only thing to do now was wait.

It was a few hours before the sounds of horses brought Garon out of his dozing. The sounds of horse's hooves got closer until they seemed to be right in front of Garon. This was his last chance to try and stop what was about to happen. He braced himself to leap out and warn them when he glanced down at Nomarie. In his moment of hesitation, heat rolled over him from the other side of the wall of brush.

Crono's first attack came from the trees. A fireball had engulfed the three guards leading the carriage and their horses before they had a chance to react. The mercenary launched himself out of the trees, leaving his coat where he had been hiding. Three down, five to go. Taking advantage of the soldier's confusion, Crono dropped down and planted his feet into the chest of another guard, transferring his momentum and knocking the guard off his horse, where he didn't move.

Halfway done. He heard the unsheathing of a sword and climbed back into the air. Crono cursed when two of the remaining guards pointed loaded bows straight at him. Dropping faster than they could react, Crono glided swiftly along the ground towards the first archer, hitting him across the chest his staff and landing on the other side of the horse. When Crono looked up at the other archer, he was greeted with the sight of Garon struggling to unhorse the guard.

Garon really didn't know what he was doing, trying to protect Crono. It was self-preservation. Yes, that was it. If they stopped Crono, they would search the surrounding area for people involved with the attacker. Garon managed to pull the guard to the ground and took a quick look to see how his accomplice was doing. Crono was distracting the other two guards by staying near the ground and keeping the horses frightened. That was good, it let him concentrate on his own fight. Garon looked back at his opponent to see a sword heading straight for his chest.

Garon felt a thud against his chest. He looked down and saw the hilt of a sword. That shouldn't be there. He followed the hilt to a hand to an arm and eventually was looking into the helmeted face of the guard. A pair of unfriendly eyes stared back into his.

A pressure against him.
A sliding sensation through him.
Falling backwards.

Garon looked up at the cloudless sky, wondering how he had ended up on the ground. Memories crawled around his mind. Yes, he could have prevented this. A dull pain spread through his chest as his heart struggled to pump blood through broken veins. His vision started to fade as darkness filled his sight. His mind struggled to form thoughts. He struggled to make his body get up, to move, to do something but he couldn't move. A thought ran through his mind.  Death. He was dying. One last thing ran through his mind.

Well. Shit.

A tendril of fire lanced through the second guard's chest as Crono shifted his attention to check on Garon. The mercenary got a ball of fire off right as the guard leveled his bow at the winged man. Eight down. He landed next to Garon. Crono had a slight regret about the man's death. He hadn't known what he had gotten himself into and ended up dead because of it. Keeping an eye on the carriage to make sure the noble didn't try to run, Crono knelt down next to Garon and closed his eyes. I am sorry for leading you to death. The mercenary silently apologized. May your soul rest in peace.

Crono moved to the carriage door and threw it open. Inside was a man of middling age cowering in a corner. Crono realized that he must have been a sight. His adrenaline had wore off, so the pains of various bruises, cuts, and slashes that he hadn't even realized he received started clamoring for his attention. "Get out." Both the mercenary's eyes and voice were made of ice. The noble scrambled out of the carriage and fell onto the ground on his hands and knees. "Stay there." Though it looked like the command was unnecessary as the noble was shaking far too much to go anywhere. The mercenary went over to the brush where he had told Garon and Nomarie to hide and pulled the bushes aside a little, though not enough to see through clearly. "Nomarie. I've left the noble alive so you can say whatever parting words you may wish." Crono pulled back to the road to keep an eye on the noble.

((o.o I think I got slightly carried away. x3))

[Goldie]

Silence.

Even when Garon spoke to her, her eyes were dead and her words mute upon her tongue. Where once she had been so sure about all of this...so determined to get what she wanted...could this be the price? Did she really have the resolve to complete it? Each time she looked down at her hands she saw the flash of a blade and felt the warm red life blood of her father oozing across her fingers. It was all she could do to keep horrified shudders from consuming her.

What did you expect? that pesky voice of reason asked with contempt. That this would all be easy? That killing someone; No. Killing you're father would be easy? You're a fool, Nomarie. A spoiled fool.

It seemed odd that it look murder to open the woman's eyes to the world around her. She was old enough that she should have known...but stupid. Goddess she was stupid, so stupid. A curse must be following her now that she had committed patricide. And in the heat of the moment...in the heat of a moment she knew would happen -marriage- it was not so shocking. Yet, she had forced to believe herself invincible. The great Nomarie with her shimmering green hair and petite figure that screamed of her fey heritage, how could she fail? Would not the forest simply consume her and all would be set to rights? Would not her mother's people come out and protect her?

Her mother's people....she had been one hundred percent fey. Natural causes they had called her sudden death; tragic they repeated over and over...but...could she have actually died?

Goddess it was a chain of events that Nomarie had continued them. A chain of murderous events and she had not seen it before.

Too late, she looked up to speak, to call off the whole operation, but a large fireball stilled the words in her lips. She did not know how long her party had been waiting in the bushes, she barely recognized Garon's hand touching her lightly and protectively, and only now she looked to see that Crono had begun his attack. The soldiers were calling, the first few in a fiery rage that consumed them until their screams were cut off by death. Garon's hand disappeared and she was all alone...hidden on the side of the road as carnage ensued. Swords flashed, blood spilled, it was all a jumbled mess that her brain wanted nothing more than to forget. Lives were being ripped apart and, she slowly began to realize, she could feel each time a life was destroyed. The guards she did not know and their sparks faded with barely more than a whisper in the back of her mind, but Garon...

The sword sliced through him and she felt the same gut-wrenching horror she had felt with the death of her father. She may have been too stupid to realize what it was then, but now she could not ignore her mother's blood that flowed through her veins. Fey...fairy...they were all connected to the world in a way humans could not fathom and her...here Nomarie was feeling, sensing the life being drained from these men. The stronger the bond she had with them, the stronger the feeling.

Garon fell to the ground and her emerald eyes widened in shock. Before she even realized what she was doing, the noble woman was on her feet tears falling unbidden from her wide, bright, fearful eyes.

This is wrong. A chorus of voices seemed to whisper from the trees around her Oh, daughter, what have you begun?

Indeed...what had she started?

"Nomarie?" a voice interrupted her silent mourning in a low hiss, and a rough hand gripped her arm pulling her away from the side of the road and the horrible, bloody mess that littered it. A curse reached her ears as she was roughly pulled back into the trees. She had not will to fight him, and had no idea who he was until he turned her to face him. His own dark hair was falling from the thong that held it in place at the nape of his neck, blue eyes glowering from beneath dark lashes. He stood over a head taller than her and lacked the delicate inheritance of her half-fey blood, but there was no mistaking the similarities between both him and herself.

"M...M...Mathios?" she breathed, eyes fever bright. Not long ago she had known how to control her tears and still remain breathtakingly beautiful, now her face was crumpled in horror, fear, and sorrow and for once she did not care how she looked.

He cursed again, "Nomarie....what the hell...what are you doing here?"

"I...I..." she couldn't find the words. Surely he had heard? Surely he realized that their father was dead and his sister disappeared? Surely he could recognize the strangeness of the whole events that she would disappear, their father murdered, but none of the waiting staff seemed to know anything? This was it, the end of the road, he would have no more love for her than she for him and the executioners axe would fall deadly and quick.

"It's ok." he soothed her, "Just stay back here and stay quiet."

"W..what?" she sniffed, unceremoniously rubbing her hand across her nose to still the flow.

"I could tell that something was amiss. We're not so far from the city. Guards are on their way and that murdering scoundrel will be caught."

Nomarie did not know whether to laugh or to cry at this revelation. Mathios had given her an out...Crono would be caught...he would be taken away for murder and she would return home with her half-brother and resume her life once more without even having to explain really anything. A few nights ago and she would not have been able to plan it any better. Now, however, it made her heart feel cold in her chest to think that Crono, a man of his word (if not a little unconventional when it came to promises) would burn for her grievances, her misguidance.

Daughter, Oh Nomarie. The chorus of voices from the trees whispered in her ears once more. Their words were sorrow itself and she could not ignore the painful terror they placed in her heart for even considering leaving Crono. These were her crimes, her mistakes...he should not be punished for them. But...how could she possibly get out of her brother's hold?

Goddess, she might have done it had it not been for those pesky voices from the forest, might have left him....

She was about to ask Mathios a question, but his hand covered her mouth and stilled it on her tongue, head shaking vigorously. The guards had obviously arrived and now they waited for the sounds of struggled and capture.

[Anonymous]

Well she sure as hell was taking her time getting out here. It was time they didn't have, either. Patrols weren't uncommon this close to the city and one could be by any time now. For all he knew, somebody had heard the commotion from what had happened and had run off to fetch a group of soldiers.

...

Where the hell was she?! This noble certainly wasn't going anywhere. He'd been babbling for the past minute or so to try to buy some time and perhaps even his life. He wouldn't try anything against the mercenary, either. Not many people had the guts to threaten a man who had just wiped out the protection detail.

Crono turned with a silent curse and headed back towards where Nomarie was hiding. "Dammit, girl! If you don't get out here-" Whatever he had been about to say was cut off as an arrow flew in front of his face. He cursed aloud this time as he followed the path of where the arrow came from to see a squad of soldiers a little ways away, riding hard towards him. He spared a second to admire the archer's skill with a bow. Getting that close to your target from as far away as he was and while riding a horse as well.

Damn that was some skill.

Crono hurriedly pulled the noble out of his carriage and held him squarely between the oncoming horses and himself. He didn't have to wait long before the soldiers reined in about fifty feet in front of him. The mercenary raised his free hand up to the side of the noble's neck. Electricity crackled along the hand, showing that it's owner was on the edge of releasing a spell that would drop his hostage in a heartbeat.

The squad leader recognized this and motioned the archer to lower his bow before moving his horse a few feet forward. "There is no need for this situation to come to deadly means." The mounted man said. "If you come with us peacefully, we promise not to hurt you."

"Oh. I believe that you won't hurt me." Crono retorted. "But you'll throw me in a cell for the rest of my life or cut it short for threatening this noble." The mercenary tightened his grip to indicate who he meant, if there was a doubt.

"It's true, you face the hangman's noose." The other man said, with a hint of regret in his voice. "Though you already knew that before you came here." The look of confusion on Crono's face prompted the speaker to elaborate. "Breaking and entering, murdering the head of a noble house, and kidnapping, if not also murdering, his daughter, as well as the death of two City guards and the death of these men here." He gestured to the dead men. "Playing innocent with me will get you nowhere." It sounded like a sentence said out of habit.

The look of confusion stayed on Crono's face a moment more before everything clicked into place. The hay on Nomarie's dress when she exited the manor; how she had been acting when they left the city; the two guard's reactions when they were spotted; it all made sense now. Not that he had found out in time to do anything.

That bitch!

He was definitely mad. No, he was well past mad and deep into furious. He struggled to keep his emotions off his face. Revenge would come after he pulled his ass out of this fire he had landed in. If he pulled his ass out. He was tired. A sleepless night coupled with the strain of eliminating all of the guards around the target had taken a large toll on him.

Crono ran through his options as the guard prattled on about what he should do. Not that there was much he could do. The only reason they hadn't rushed him was because they wanted the noble alive. He couldn't stop them from following if he tried running with the bastard and he'd pass out from exhaustion eventually. He would wake up in time to be hanged.

Flying was out of the question. He wasn't sure if he had the strength to get himself away from here, never mind with a hostage. That archer that had almost taken his head off earlier wouldn't let him get far anyway.

He couldn't run. He couldn't fight. He couldn't hide. He was trapped like a rat.

That bitch.

He sighed and pushed the nobleman away. The soldier stopped mid-sentence to let the mercenary speak. "Well. I can't do a damn thing. I surrender. I'd try to convince you of my innocence, that I was nothing more than a mere pawn in all this but I doubt you'd believe me. Hmm?" The soldier's smile was one of pity. "I thought not."

One of the other guards was motioned forward to apprehend Crono, a pair of arrows trained at the fugitive's heart in case he did anything threatening. The mercenary just stood there and waited. In his mind, he swore on everything he held dear and to any Gods that would listen that he would, somehow, get revenge for this.

If not for him, then for the man that had been needlessly lead to his doom.

He looked down to Garon's corpse and made a silent apology for bringing him here. His death had been for nothing. The guard who had been sent over to Crono paused when he saw the criminal's eyes. They frightened him.

Crono stared was staring at the body when pain blossomed in his head. He briefly saw lights before all went dark.

[Goldie]

"My Lord, you found her!" one of Mathios's retainers exclaimed as brother and sister emerged from the woods. The guards were arranging the murdered men in a row and crossing their limp arms over their chests in a semblance of peace. They were a fair way from Adela, where these men had come, so returning them to their families was out of the question. Nomarie knew this, but it didn't keep her from shuddering when one of Mathios's guards stepped forward and sent a fire racing across the dead bodies with a snap of his fingers. One snap was all it took to sprinkle the bodies with small sparks that looked like stars which then exploded into a fire hot enough to consume each of them.

They were efficient.

Not surprising, of course, they had been trained for combat and knew how to dispose of both evidence and unhappy memories for other travelers who might stumble across this scene in the morning. By the time the sun hit the tree tops there would be no sign of struggle minus some overturned soil and a few scorch marks on the trees from Crono's own attacks.

"Yes, they were keeping her on the side of the road. I was lucky to stumble across her before the scoundrel could use her against us. Simeon, could you take her please? Make sure she gets something to eat and drink." And like a coin, she was passed off to someone else without so much as a blink.

"Mathios..." she started, wanting to ask a question but unsure how to phrase it without sounding guilty.

"It's alright, Mari." he cooed, using a nickname that she hadn't heard since she had been ten years old. "You're safe now."

And that put an end to any questions she might have.

"Simeon." she tried instead, once they were out of earshot of her brother and walking towards the young mans own horse. He was well built, with hair the color of fresh wheat and eyes a striking violet that would have made her jealous only a week ago. He looked younger than her, possibly only 16 which might have been part of the reason Mathios had chosen him. In the past, Nomarie had turned her nose up at anyone younger than she.

"Simeon, what will they do with him? The...the mercenary." she stuttered, hoping that she sounded shaken rather than horribly, horribly guilty. Her stomach was clenched in knots and her fingers pulled at the hem of her tunic.

The young man looked over at her with pity in his eyes.

"Mathios plans on putting him in the dungeon underneath your late father's estate." he informed her, "He doesn't want the palace guard, nor the king involved in this....in fact, he's planning on sentencing him himself as well as executing the punishment."

It made her heart race in her chest, realizing just how blood-thirsty her brother was. Or perhaps he was simply angry at the murder of his father? Perhaps this was all revenge driven? Would that mean....?

The rest of the evening flew by without consequence. The unconscious Crono had been slung mercilessly across her brother's horse; hands and feet bound in iron to keep any magic he might use at bay. She thought that she saw crimson in his hair from where he had been struck, but never got to examine him more closely to see if it had been a trick of the light or real. Either way, she knew that his fate would not be good....she knew that her brother would ignore the guard's promise that he would not be harmed....Goddess Mathios would probably torture him just for the fun of it.

What had she done?

Soon enough they were pulling into the estates Nomarie had left what felt like a lifetime ago, and she was deposited into her maids flinching arms and prepared for bed. A silk nightdress had been slipped over her head after bath oils and soap had penetrated the layer of dust and dirt that had settled on her body during their flight. All the while, she did not speak but found herself locked in her own thoughts, running through any possibilities that might still be left to her....

Finally, wrenching herself from her maid's fingers as they finished plaiting her green-black hair, Nomarie hurried down the long corridors towards her father's study where Mathios would surely be. Hammering on the door, she waited for a reply to enter, when a young serving boy opened the thick wooden door a crack, just large enough for him to see the visitor.

"I'm sorry My Lady, but Lord Mathios does not wish to be disturbed."

The words had barely started leaving his lips when she forced her way through him, motioning that he should leave and close the door behind him as he went. The poor lad didn't know who to obey, but decided it would be better not to be present when the two siblings began their discussion.

"Mathios." she tried to put as much authority in her voice as possible. Inside her guts were in ribbons. The room had been cleaned of any sign that her father had been murdered here, but she could still see the rivers of his life blood on the floor, the knife that she had used falling to the ground with a shuddering clang as it splattered blood over the stones. Mathios now sat in a tall backed chair, his right hand twirling around a stray piece of his hair as he sat in thought. He looked so much like their father....the dark hair, the sturdy build....No one would question his birthright with his strong jawline and piercing blue eyes that stared out from under her father's stern brow.

"Nomarie. You should be resting." he sounded haggard.

"I need to speak with you."

Silence followed her words and she stopped in front of the desk, hiding her shaking hands behind her back as she waited through the awkward pause. The silence roared in her ears and she returned his steady gaze; green fey eyes meeting icy blue.

"You have nothing you need to speak of." he said finally, his voice much more firm than she had anticipated. "Go back to bed sister."

"No."

He sighed and rubbed his hand across his eyes before standing and walking over to the very spot where she had killed their father. He stood there, staring at the floor as if to summon the spector of what he had seen when entering this house a few days ago, only to find his father murdered and sister missing. He stayed there for what seemed like hours before pacing over to the bookshelf and removing a locked wooden box. It was quite plain except for the iron lock that wound intricately across the front. This had obviously been made to keep people out. Any Serenian would have cringed away from the iron and left it alone.

"When I came here, and found our father murdered in cold blood..." he began, slipping a glove onto his right hand before pulling out an iron key that would open the box, "I thought that I would do anything to bring his killer to justice."

The key went into the lock and turned with a sharp click. He opened it, but she could not see its contents from where she stood.

"Everyone seemed convinced that this murderer had been intent on taking you away. Abusing you, for word of your unwavering pure fey heritage had surely brought trouble. But...when I found this, it gave me pause." he pulled out a dagger from the box. Jewels were inlaid on the silver hilt, but something dark dulled the shine of both the blade and the intricate details. Nomarie knew the blade well, down to the very inscription on its sharpened edge, For the pure. It had been her mother's. Such finely wrought metals could not have been made by anyone other than the pure fey. Even the dark spots on the hilt and edge were familiar to her. Far too familiar.

"When I found this...sitting by our father, stained by his blood....All I could think was Great Goddess she knows."

She knows?  Her heart was hammering in her chest, she felt the blood drain from her face, but she was confused by his words. He knew it had been her, that much was clear but...why?

"Why?" she asked softly, frozen in place.

"Why?" he asked, raising his eyes from the blade, "Why did I not turn you in the moment I knew it was you? Why am I so intent on framing this man for your crime? Because I would have done the same thing if my father had killed my mother."

Her stomach plummeted to the ground. Of everything that could have come out of his lips, this had not been what she had expected.

"Yes, I knew." he informed her softly, mistaking her shock for something other than what it truly was. "When my mother brought me to our father, your mother stood her ground. She threatened to leave and take you with her...to turn her people against him. A few days later she died. I was a young lad at the time, I did not completely understand what had happened, but my mother explained it to me...explained that you must not find out. But, looking at our father lying in his own blood with this blade by his corpse, I knew."

"You knew?" she whispered, unable to breathe.

A wry smile lit his lips and he chuckled without mirth, "It also was fairly obvious that a trained killer would not have stabbed his victim over fifteen times."

"Then...then...why even punish Crono? Why take it out on him?"

Mathios put the blade back into the case and closed the lock again. Once safely stashed, he leaned over the desk and darkness clouded his eyes. There was malice there....

"Because it's fun." he said simply.

"Where is he?" she asked, mouth dry while beads of sweat had been forming on her brow. This was a game much greater than she could have imagined. His last words held more knowledge in them than their surface intent. He found these games for people's lives fun. He was challenging her to fight him, challenging her to a deadly game that would, ultimately, lead in her disgrace and even death. If she brought this to light, there would be no question of her guilt. He knew that in a fight they would believe Nomarie, the true daughter of the household, before the late master's bastard son. He would lose that battle. But now....he was hoping she would have a conscience. Mathios was hoping that she would turn herself in to save the innocent.

Could she do that?

"I'm sure you'll find him." was all he said before strolling out of the room, humming a jaunty tune under his breath.

Goddess...what could she do?


(ooc: I know there's not much you can reply directly to....but feel free to use Mathios, he's an NPC and you can have him do stuff if you'd like! I'll have Nomarie start looking for you or something after your post! unless you'd like me to add more, I can certainly do that! Let me know!!!)

[Anonymous]

He woke up with a groan. His head hurt. Other areas of his body, now knowing he was awake, started complaining about their aches and pains as well. Memory filtered back to him. The battle. His bodily aches made sense now. Garon's death. Regretable but there were more important things to worry about at the moment. Betrayal and capture. He had been knocked out. That explained why his head hurt. He'd deal with Illaudino when and if he got out of this.

Now that he had everything straight, it was time to take a peak around. He opened one eye just the slightest bit but saw no change in lighting. He opened it more and more until both eyes were open and staring into blackness. Ok, try to think. He had been captured which meant he was probably in a cell. There were usually torches outside the cells, though, so the guards didn't have to worry about lanterns when they checked on the prisoners.

Unless he was in deeper than he thought.

Need to deal with things one at a time. He tried to move, to get up, but was greeted with bonds. His hands, ankles, neck, and waist had some sort of metal bar secured over them to prevent movement. Damned inconvenient. Nothing else to do but wait, I guess.

Now that Crono was more awake, he could feel wood against his back and cloth on his face, over his eyes. So he wasn't in a lightless area, he had just been blindfolded. It made him feel slightly better knowing his escape wouldn't take as long. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his mind. Letting his thoughts race around would do nothing to help him get out of this situation.

Ok. So what do I know? He was restrained, probably in a cell. That didn't pose him much of a problem. Probably the thing he liked the most about Serendipity was that most people thought iron would effect him in the same way it did them. The only problem for him would be to get free without harming himself.

As he thought up and discarded ideas, he could hear a sound approaching him. If he didn't know better, the mercenary could have sworn that somebody was humming. The humming kept getting louder, though, until it sounded like it was directly off to his right. He heard a jingle of keys and the sound of a cell door opening before the humming came up next to him and went silent.

Then the pain started.

((That reads a bit scattered to me but I think it fits. xD If it looks too confusing, just yell at me to straighten it out. :3))

[Goldie]

That night, for the first time in her entire life, Nomarie worried about something other than herself. Worried about something that actually mattered. A coldness seemed to penetrate her skin until it was bone deep and she could not untangle the horrible, terrible knots in her stomach. The world had become something that she could no longer recognize. It was evil, it was full of hatred and darkness and....and....

It was her fault.

If she hadn't used that blade, if she hadn't felt it slide into flesh like cutting through warm butter, if she hadn't....if she hadn't....

Goddess it was her fault.

Her clenched fist pressed against her lips and she felt herself biting the knuckle on her index finger as she paced back and forth. The light silk nightdress that had been pulled over her head swished softly against her knees, bare shoulders shuddering from worry and fear. She had sent her servant away, not wanting to have someone look in on her at the moment. Nomarie did not want to sleep, she couldn't sleep without getting harassed by dreams and nightmares....sleep would only show images of her guilt and she could not handle that, not yet. Not until she could honestly say she had tried her best to put things right.

It's my fault she thought bitterly, unattractive worry lines forming on her brow. Her heart raced and she felt as if someone had force fed her acid, the way her stomach churned and bubbled. What could she do? The only gift she had was acting an innocent, spoiled fool to get what she wanted....Mathios would see through it, his guards would be warned...

Or....no....

"I have to find him." she murmured softly to herself before slipping soft leather boots on her bare feet. She would stay in her silk night dress to keep from making much noise. If she was able to find him, and that was a big if, she would work out the rest of the details then. Right now, the only choice was to find him, get him out, and run.

If he'd even trust her for an instant.

Goddess she was a fool.

With a soft sob she sat heavily onto the edge of her bed and buried her head in her hands.

"This is useless....I can't do this..." whispered Nomarie, defeated. But she had to. Even if she failed at least she could say she had tried...right? Wasn't that what decent people did? She had heard something about it in old story books or something...

Standing, she quietly exited her room and closed the door behind her. The young guard had told her that Mathios would take Crono to the cells underneath the estate. She herself had never actually been down there, but knew where the stairs were and hopefully could figure it all out from there. That is...as long as she didn't run into her brother or someone else who decided she shouldn't be there....or realized what she was trying to do....

She had to stop thinking like that....best to just focus her energy on thinking positively rather than going over just how easily this could all go wrong.

The stairs. In all her worrying, she had made her way to the stairs that lead to the basement without even realizing it. What was even more amazing was the fact that she hadn't run into anyone. Sure, it was late and the moon was high in the night sky, but luck must be on her side. Now all she needed to do was go down the stairs and face whatever guard happened to be there. Hopefully it wasn't her brother....

With a steadying breath, she began the decent and ran her plan through her head over and over as she continued downward into the darkness. Only the slight flicker of a few torches that lit the passage and sent ominous shadows against the dank stone walls. The darkness seemed to grow on the stones like moss, and with it the smell of decay and death. The whole place reeked of it. The metallic smell of blood filled her nostrils and left an abhorrent taste in her mouth. She was descending into hell, that was the only explanation, and she needed to still her fearful heart against it. That was the only way.

The air was as dead as those people who were left in the cells to rot....as dead as she hoped Crono was not.

The stairway ended and Nomarie found herself standing before a bolted door, a man dozing in a chair by it jolting awake with her appearance. He seemed afraid at first, worried about being caught sleeping on the job, but soon he realized who stood before him and his shoulders seemed to slump in a relieved sigh.

"M'lady." he murmured, standing.

"I wish to see the prisoner." she informed him, putting as much authority in her voice as she possibly could.

The guard's mouth opened and closed for a few seconds before he stuttered, "That, I can't rightly let you in. Him being a hostile prisoner an--"

"Let me repeat myself." her eyes shot daggers at him and she took a step forward. "I was taken from my home, faced certain death, and you are standing between me and the man who caused it all. You dare to tell me I cannot look this man in the eye and make his life as miserable as he nearly made mine?" the guard almost argued but Nomarie did not let him speak, "You cannot possibly understand what I'm feeling." her voice was low and ominous, "Nor can you possibly understand exactly what will happen to you if you deny my request. I can destroy your whole family, your hope for any future within this city. I have power that you cannot even imagine and unless you let me in through door, then leave us for a few moments I will personally make sure that you will wake up with your manhood shoved down your throat."

He gulped, her words obviously having their desired effect.

"If you are at all competent, he will be restrained and much weakened. I will be fine on my own. Although I cannot say the same for him." a wicked grin pulled at her lips and she hoped that she looked has insane as Mathios did before torturing his victims. She only hoped that he saw the same vengeance in her as he did her brother.

"A...alright....but not too long. I'll give you ten minutes--"

"Not long enough. Not nearly long enough to inflict the pain that man deserves. In fact, I will come fetch you once I am finished."

He did not have the balls to argue and quickly handed over the keys into her nimble fingers before dashing up the stairs. If he had left a moment later, he would have witnessed the lady's resolve crumble as she sank to her knees and wrapped her hands around her chest to keep from falling to pieces. Her arms shook and fear seemed to encompass every part of her being. It took some time before she was able still her flowing nose and dash the tears from her cheeks. After that, with trembling hands, she went to the door and turned the key and, with a loud clank, the lock clicked open.

On the other side was another hall even more dank than the stairway down to the dungeons. As the door itself opened, she gagged as the smell of bile and human waste plummeted her senses. Bile rose in her throat and she held her hand over her nose to keep the worst of the smell from destroying her.

Four doors stood in the hall, and all but one were opened. The closed she assumed belonged to Crono and made her way there. If she was lucky at all, he would be alrighty...at least mentally if not physically. It had taken her awhile to get here and in that time she was sure that her brother had done his work. She did not know what he would look like, and she also know that in the darkness she wouldn't be able to tell, nor to help him.

Not that it mattered at this point. The hardest part would be convincing Crono that she had not meant for this....at least....she had decided against it and had no chance to put it to rights....

This was useless.

"Crono?" she murmured, turning the key to his cell, "Crono are you there? Crono, I'm sorry....I didn't mean....I....the guard is gone, I can remove your chains and....are you alright?"

[Anonymous]

Crono was far from alright. Mathios had been brutal. Gashes and cuts littered his body. There was a fairly large pool of blood around where he was held, evidence of how much blood he lost. There were holes in his wings. Although this hadn't caused much physical damage, it would prevent him from flying for a number of weeks while the feathers grew back. It had caused mental damage though. The mercenary was very protective of his wings; preferring people not even see them.

The smell of blood lingered in the air. His clothes, what tattered rags remained, were saturated with it. In his - rage? jubilation? - Mathios had nearly killed the man. Crono was weak, vulnerable, and unconscious. The pain and torment had been too much for his mind to handle and had shut down hoping to escape the pain, for a while at least. Crono knew his tormentor would be back. Right before he pasted out, the mercenary had heard his torturer lament the fact that his subject was slipping away, promising more to come.

Crono had been tortured before. It was an unfortunate part of his line of work. Sometimes your side didn't win; Sometimes you were captured. When that happened, you had information dragged out of you. He had learned to keep silent until the point that he deemed he wasn't getting paid for. At that point, Crono would tell all.

This was different. His torturer hadn't asked him anything, hadn't demanded information. He hadn't stayed silent long, either. He had let it all be known as soon as his pride would let him. Crono didn't have any loyalty to Nomarie, she had probably not thought he would live this long. His torturer laughed through the man's confessions.

That was the worst of it.

As far as he could tell, Crono wasn't being tortured for any gains. He was being tortured because the torturer enjoyed doing it and that made every lash more painful, every injury hurt more. If there was no reason for it to stop, it wouldn't. Not until he was killed. When the mercenary realized this, his mind shied away from it, shied away from the pain, the agony. He had passed out but not before he heard the promise of more to come.

Such was his state. He was limp against his restraints. Bloody and broken, the longest piece of cloth on him was the blindfold.

The noise of the cell door woke him slightly, fear clutching his chest. Had his tormentor returned already? No. That voice, it was familiar, it awoke other emotions. Anger, hatred, betrayal. He could almost call to mind who it belonged to.

Nomarie.

Had she come to delight in his pain? He wouldn't doubt it. She had been the cause of his state and she was here claiming that she could remove his chains. Well she probably could but he'd be damned if he didn't think it was a trick. He tried to struggle against his bonds but he barely moved an inch and even that shot pain through him. Damn did it hurt to move.

A grunt escaped him. There was nothing he could do. He was at her mercy.

[Goldie]

"Oh Goddess and all ancestors..." Nomarie's hand flew to her nose as she tried to lessen the metallic stench of blood that was 100 times worse as she opened the cell door. Mingled with the pungency of human defecation, she was not sure if she could continue towards where Crono lay. Somehow, she found her strength and stumbled forward.

She slipped on the blood that pooled around Crono's still form, the sharp squeak of her booted feet echoing through the dank cell. Only the slick, moldy stone wall kept her from falling and left a film on her fingers that she did not even want to think about. Instead, she raised the torch she had grabbed outside before her and illuminated the still form before her.

The sight that ensued brought broken sobs to her throat. He was beaten and bloody, and the liquid she had slipped upon had come from him...his very own life was leaking out onto the flagstones, seeping into the cracks....

Killing him.

Mathios had done a number on him and Nomarie didn't know if she wanted to scream, or run from the cell with a dagger and slide it through his heart. Anger welled inside of her, but the biggest feeling was...

Guilt.

Goddess, the guilt hurt. Her stomach tore itself into pieces within her abdomen and her knees shook as if she had run a marathon.

"Crono....Goddess, Crono I'm so sorry...." she choked, kneeling in the filth that surrounded him to turn the lock on his chains. He had tried to move, possibly to fight against her, but he was far too weak to do anything. In fact, Nomarie wasn't sure if he would be able to walk, nor, if that were the case, would she be able to carry him. Goddess, all of those stairs...she had never lifted anything greater than a vase to throw in her time....could she carry a man?

The chains fell with a loud clank against the stone floor, and her hands immediately went to the blindfold, wishing fervently that she had brought some sort of a blanket to cover him. She was sorely unprepared.

"Crono, I'm going to try to move you. There's no other way, it's going to hurt, but please...I can't do this without you. I can't carry you the whole way. Please, please try to walk as best you can."

Stooping, she looped one limp arm around her shoulders as she had seen done with injured soldiers, and hoisted him to his feet, grunting with the effort it took. He was heavy and her shoulders ached, but it was the least thing she could do.

"Mother, help me." she murmured, "Ancestors of the woods, help me through this...." she did not know if anyone would answer, if any of her ancestors would deem her worth to help, what with her past selfishness, but she prayed that someone would look out for them and get this man to safety. Even if it cost her own life, she would pay the price. He was innocent, he needed to be saved, and even if she admitted to her crimes, Mathios would have him killed. Crono was a mercenary, a menace to society, and the powerful nobleman couldn't let such a dangerous man go. Not that Mathios would have wanted to anyways.

With Crono looped over her shoulders, she started the painfully slow journey through the dungeons and up the stairs, one slow step at a time. Her legs burned, her neck ached, but she pressed on all the while murmuring soft encouragements to her battered burden. If he lost consciousness, all would be lost. She could not drag him for fear of killing him, and carrying him was beyond her strength.

"Almost there, Crono, "she cooed breathlessly, "Just a few more steps. You can do it. Please don't give up."

Nomarie wondered if this journey was worse than the torture for him. Each movement they made was sure to be unbearably painful, jarring every wound her sick, sick brother had inflicted. He might not trust her, but she hoped that he at least wanted to get out of the dungeon enough not to fight her...Goddess if he fought, even struggled a tiny bit, she would drop him.

Daughter a voice whispered as they finally reached the top of the steps, Daughter of the forest, where are you going?

She stopped, fearful of the voice, but more afraid of the ghostly figure that wavered before her eyes. The mist held the figure of a woman clad in a long, flowing gown, but her face was hidden, obscured by the darkness.

"I...I'm taking him from this place..." she murmured, "Please, help me carry him."

This is your burden, daughter. the misty figure murmured, This is your path, your penance, though that has just begun.

"I can't do it alone." she sobbed, clinging to Crono's form to keep him from sliding onto the floor.

Take the eastward passages, one ethereal finger pointed in that direction as she spoke, Behind the eldest tapestry rests a passage. Take it. Follow the brightest star to the forest, then shall you both be safe.

Before Nomarie could ask any further questions, a draft flowed through the halls and dispersed the strange, talking mist. Perhaps it was just a hallucination, but the noble woman had nothing else to go by, and turned towards the passageway, slowly making their way towards the tapestry, the passage that lay beyond, and the forest that would provide sanctuary.

The journey was dreadfully slow, far slower than she wished, but somehow she managed to drag Crono's limp form through the passage and out into the dark, moonless night that shrouded everything in darkness. Somehow, she located the brightest star and made her way, painfully, towards the edges of the trees until they passed beneath the yearning bows and the life of man disappeared behind them.

With a soft grunt, she shifted Crono in her hold and gently lowered him onto a soft patch of lichen underneath a large, ancient oak. She, herself, collapsed between those ancient roots, pressing her fingers to Crono's neck to feel for a pulse, before falling into her own exhausted slumber, all the while silent figures emerged from the trees and floated towards the two still figures, sweeping them both onto carriers of some sort, and guiding them away, deeper into the forest.

(ooc: Ok....so....I realize that this is a lot of stuff happening, lol...and if you want me to change anything let me know! I wasn't sure how coherent Crono would be, and if you'd really have anything really to post, or if he'd have the strength to struggle or what not.... my idea was that, since Nomarie is a half-blooded elf, they came to her aide and are going to heal Crono and all that jazz....soooo, you can do all that! But, yeah! That's my idea...so.....if you want me to change it I will xD)

[Anonymous]

((OOC: S'all good. ;D))

He listened as she approached. Normally, he would have loved that she had a very clear example of what toying what other people's lives for your own gain would bring. However, he was against this specific example. The mercenary couldn't open his eyes, as there was too much blood in the way and having blood in ones eyes wasn't a very pleasant experience, so he couldn't watch what she was doing.

It seemed like the bitch would stand there crying for forever before she finally got around to unlocking his chains. Oh how he would have loved to take the time to smack her around a bit to let her know just how pissed he was at her. It wouldn't have been very constructive but it would have made him feel a little better at least. He would just have to wait.

A thought broke through the pain as she was lowering him off his holding device: It could be a trap. She could be forcing him to move towards another cell, one better suited for torture but he discarded the thought. He didn't really think she would stoop that low and he didn't have much choice either. It was either take a chance with her or stay here and know that he would be tortured again.

Not a very tough decision but damn did it hurt.

His battle to get out was two-fronted. Not only did he have to focus and will himself just to put one foot in front of the other, make himself to continue the shuffling gait he was reduced to, but he also had to fight to stay conscious through the whole thing. He had to rely on his 'rescuer' to guide him through the passageways to freedom.

How he got up those stairs, he'll never know. Though each step couldn't have been a foot higher than the one before it, each step was almost too much for him. If Nomarie hadn't been pulling him, he probably wouldn't have gotten past the bottom step. The time it took to get past each stair step seemed like an eternity for him as he gathered the required strength to move and the required will to endure the pain that he knew would come. He wasn't really one for divine beliefs but he was silently praying to anybody or anything that would listen to end his journey.

He was grateful for the rest that the top of the stairs but felt his heart lurk briefly as he listened to his steadying post talk to somebody. Obviously it was somebody the girl trusted as she wasn't freaking out and had even asked for help. He almost lurched towards the way she was talking when it was made clear that whoever it was wasn't going to help. Couldn't they see the state he was in?! He needed all the help he could get!

Patience. A soft, slow voice counseled, Your journey is only halfway done but you will both be stronger from it, in the end. Easy for it to say. It wasn't bleeding from every external part imaginable. There was nothing he could do, however. He was much too weak to form any conscious thought and he had other concerns.

Nomarie was moving again.

He went back to shuffling along, concentrating on not passing out and keeping erect and moving. If he had thought the journey out of the dungeon took an eternity, the rest of the journey was even worse. He wasn't sure stayed conscious the whole time or not but eventually, eventually, he found himself being lowered down onto something soft.

Two fingers were briefly at his throat before he could feel nothing but the softness underneath him. It felt good to lay on a soft surface. Now that he could rest, Crono let his thoughts drift while waiting for sleep. He probably wouldn't be able to bring himself to lay on a hard surface for quite sometime, which could present some problems. His thoughts drifted around, not really focusing on anything when he felt something press against the side of his body.

At first it was painful, as his wounds still didn't like to be touched but eventually, as the initial sharp pain faded, a feeling of softness replaced it. Softness and warmth. It felt good to him but anything soft would be greeted as such. He was content on staying like this for quite some time but fate would not grant him peace.

Not long after the Soft Warmth had joined him, it was taken away. He mentally protested at the loss before he felt that he was being pulled through the air. The mercenary never truly realized how much he relied on his sight until now but it was a passing thought. When he was once again lowered into something, mercifully, soft he found that the Soft Warmth was back.

A thought briefly took him that he should know what was next to him but he was fast asleep before it could register.

[Goldie]

ooc: >_> I fail....I'm sorry I've left you waiting so long! March! Holy crap....

ic:

Dreams swirled in a misty haze through Nomarie's thoughts and she couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep. Soft whispers reassured her, but she couldn't tell if they were made up. Ultimately, her exhausted and troubled mind refused to make sense of her surroundings. She knew that they were in the forest....the woods...She had been lead here with Crono and hadn't really questioned it.

The fey, her ancestors, her kin, were tricky creatures and one could never tell for sure if they were truly helping or just leading you astray. Nomarie didn't have much experience with her fey kin since her mother had died when she was a little girl, but something about the night's events made her feel safe and warm. She wasn't afraid. Not now at least. Not sleeping soundly on a bed of moss with tendrils of magic sweeping over her, sending her deeper into her dreams; healing dreams.

With a jolt, her eyes shot open and adjusted to the dim forest light. Sunbeams gleamed through the forest canopy and painted the ground with a mosaic of light. Blinking, she dashed the sleep from her eyes and pushed herself into a sitting position. Instantly, she recognized that she had been moved while she slept. Her traveling clothes had been removed and replaced with an ivory, loose-fitting dress that was fitted just below the bust and then fell in light drapes to her bare feet. Even her hair had been loosed from its plait and fell in dark ribbons across her shoulders.

"What....?" she murmured, looking around hoping to see something that would give away where she was or who had helped her.

Wait.

"Crono?" She looked around, frantic that he would not be here. How long had she been asleep? How far away had she been carried? Had they left him behind? Had all of this been for naught?

Panicking, Nomarie pushed herself shakily to her feet.

"Crono!" she called, hoping that he was nearby. Hoping that he wasn't dead. Oh ancestors  let him not be dead!

[Anonymous]

"Keep your voice down." Crono groan from a nearby tree. "I've got a bad enough headache as it is." He lay on his back, wings to his sides, and a hand over his eyes. Bandages covered most of his torso and peeked out from the hole in his pants and he still hurt. The ache had been a constant reminder of how exactly he'd gotten there. He really didn't know what he thought about Nomarie right now and didn't want to deal with her.

A low voice called out from across the clearing. "You're still recovering, so your head will hurt for a while yet." Crono moved his hand slightly to look at the owner's voice. "I appreciate what you've done for me but the taste of this medicine alone would make anybody's head hurt." The elf gave the man a patient smile as well as a cup before turning to Nomarie. "At least your friend is awake." The mercenary didn't respond as the elf moved to the girl.

"My name is Silas. Your companion has been rather tight lipped about what's happened." The mercenary snorted before downing what was in the cup he was given. "Maybe you'd like to enlighten me?" He asked with a smile.