Lasting Decisions [Lion]

[CalamityMei]

She let him finish, she thought it wise to do so, and even though her hands were clenched at her sides and she could feel herself shaking from his anger, they both needed this, they both needed to shout and get everything out.

"Well...Well I don't even need you!" She could have cursed at herself for her petty reply and even more petty solution. She stormed out of the room, stomping a few doors down and around a corner before resting heavily against the wall. She exhaled then, closing her eyes as her thoughts tormented her and her heart felt heavy.

She was a woman, as vulnerable as the next, she had little to none combat skill, she was of noble blood, heck she was a target waiting to be ransacked. Her anger was fueled by the fact she knew he was right, and her stubborness made her deny that, she would be lying if she said she hadn't wanted to slap him in that moment but then she'd only be as bad as her father.

She looked up at the ceiling, tears threatening to sting her eyes as she refused to be weak. Blinking hard she stayed there for a few moments more, biding her time until she felt herself relax.

[Lion]

He was fuming too, though perhaps more out of irritation that she left in the middle of an argument than because he knew he was right and she still didn't give a damn.  Christer got up and ruffled his pillow and tried to lay back down again, but something itched at him from the pit of his gut.

He got up again and moved toward the door, opening it and walking out towards Rose.  "What are you gonna do?  Stand out here all night?" he asked, as gently as he could, crossing his arms over his chest.  "We should at least get some sleep."

[CalamityMei]

His voice made her tense again and at his mild concern she couldn't help but feel all the more sorry. Despite that she didn't say a word, but only moved past him, back into the bedroom and onto the bed. She never bothered to undress, she tucked herself in and shut her eyes, willing sleep to consume her and give her blissful dreams of a new life, one full of idealistic love.

-

It was still early dawn when the first signs of light broke through, the sound of birds chirping nearby a wonderful awakening. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and then the argument from the night before struck her. Rose glanced over at Christer's sleeping form, and she noticed how extremely vulnerable he looked in that moment. If it weren't for him, she'd probably be dead, in short she knew he was right about everything, their predicament was laughable and they both were inexperienced with the lands.

Sliding from the bed, she made for the door. With renewed vigor she looked down at her engagement ring, all the merchants would be setting up now and if she was lucky she could catch one before crowds of people started forming. Heading downstairs back to the bar area, all chairs absent she stepped outside, the warmth welcoming. But it was then she made her mistake, out of nowhere she was grabbed her hair pulled into a fierce grip and her body pulled into another like a rag doll. She went to scream but a hand came to her mouth to muffle her cries.

"Damn Dewitt girl!" The man had a deep, gargled voice, his strong grip on her suffocating. She writhed and kicked, but the armor he was wearing made him practically bulletproof to her futile fumbling. Other men came out from the corner of where the Inn is, she counted four, maybe five, she didn't know how many more were hiding. She felt herself slowly losing any hope, she couldn't call for Christer, she couldn't scream for someone to aid her, she would be taken back, dragged back.

She had nothing to lose from trying though. She bit down hard on the mans fingers encircling her mouth and he let go with a yelp. With the few precious seconds she had gained from being free to speak, she could only call out one word. "CHRISTER!" The scream was piercing and full of desperation, before she was enveloped once again, this time by a gag.

[Lion]

He thought he was having a bad dream.  He twisted and turned from his 'bed' on the floor and wondered how dogs did it  all the time.  He heard a loud noise, something of a distance screech followed by a slam and he jumped awake.  Christer sat up, cracking his stiff neck and back and saw that the room was empty.  He almost assumed that Rose had done it yet again, abandoned him in the early morn, but he was confident she wouldn't do so a second time.  Even if she was fuming mad.

"Maybe she went for tea or something," he said, shrugging.  Then fell back asleep.

[CalamityMei]

With desperation she writhed in the guards grip, squirming and fumbling, trying everything to be released, but he was stronger than her, is grip hardening, almost becoming painful. "Stop moving!" He dragged her from the spot, one of the other guards coming to help secure the Lady of house Dewitt.

She whimpered out as she took one last glance at the Inn they had been staying in, her eyes welling up as tears stung her eyes. Ahead was a carriage, to which she assumed she'd be going into to be taken back to her father.

[Lion]

Christer woke up a few minutes later, unable to get comfortable and got up at last, stretching, then dressed.  Rose still wasn't back yet.  He was surprised.  Whatever she was doing, couldn't possibly have taken that long. 

So he went down stairs and tried asking the old man at the front, but he waved him off.  Recalling the incident from last night, Christer couldn't blame him for wanting nothing to do with him.  He went out the door and saw the men at last, struggling with Rose, throwing her into a carriage.

"Rose!  ROSE!" he found himself shouting, forgetting her alias and running after it as it began to pull away.  Panic set in.  There was no way he was going to be able to catch it in time.  A thousand different things rushed through his mind at once and he ran as hard as he could.  He needed a horse, a carriage.  Something, anything!

[CalamityMei]

All hope was lost to her now, her heart dropped and the mixture of emotions all came at once, anger, frustration, sadness....fear. The carriage started moving as the horses whip sent a chilling crack through the air, the mode of transport creaking with every bump. Her thoughts were a muddled mess and she just hoped, prayed that someone out there was looking down on her, wanting nothing more than to help her.

As if on cue, she heard her name being called, the voice one she recognised immediately. She went up to the locked window of the carriage, banging on the frame, attempting to shout which was muffled by the gag. She continued to smash onto the frame, with a force she didn't even think she had, her shoulder ached with every impact, but she persisted. The men shouted at her to stop, but she was stubborn, and it wasn't until the door gave way that they jumped off their horses and ran after her as she scrambled to her feet and ran.

She found herself fumbling and tripping but somehow staying afoot that was until something grabbed her from behind once again, wrenching her from her freedom. "Damn girl you just won't give up! I will not come back empty handed!" The guards voice held a heavy leaded tone to it, one that drove fear into the very rebels that threatened her fathers existance. But she just writhed in his grip, if she were to go back, she would fight to the very end.

[Lion]

"You let her go!" Christer howled in fury.  He remembered very little of what he did.  He recalled the flash of steel,  The smashing of his blade againt the hand of the man who grabbed Rose and his scream that followed.  Christer had been hit, his head spinning in blind adrenaline as he saw a second man coming after him.

His body moved without conscious thought.  He swung, parried, blocked and slashed here and there.  The guard retreated, staggering back when the fight couldn't be won.  Or perhaps it was to grab the others to tend to his bleeding comrade.  Christer neither knew nore cared.

He grabbed Rose by the arm, he remembered the force by which he yanked it and pulled her along with him.  It was best to vacate the seen as quick as possible before the others caught up with them.  Christer grabbed one one of the horses that got away and threw Rose atop the saddle, flopping her over like she was a sack of potatoes before hopping on and taking the reigns in hand and smashing his heels into the horse's sides.

[CalamityMei]

Everything had moved in motions and Rose was the centre part of it, all she could recall was the agonizing screams of one of the guards or maybe it was two, her mind was foggy and as quickly as it had gone for Christer it had gone equally blinding for Rose. Her shoulder and arm hurt from brute force and being tugged along, but now atop of the horse, racing to God knows where at what felt like a million miles per hour she just wanted to rest, to have a moment to collect herself and grab the thoughts that were left from that moment.

She dared not to question Christer's incentive back there, after all those guards were going to bring her back, he knew this, but he had chosen to let her escape with him at her back. She was confused, bewilderred and terrified of what was to happen next. She wondered what was going through Christer's head, did he realise that he had severed a mans hand and that he too, was injured? As they galloped on and the horse strained with the weight of two, she couldn't help but turn her head against the wind, looking back at Christer.

"You're hurt, we need to stop." For what felt like seconds had now turned into minutes, and with every heartbeat, Rose grew wearier of what was to come.

[Lion]

He didn't know what he was thinking.  But it all happened too fast.  It was passed and he'd think of the consequences later.  "Huh?" he turned to Rose and blinked at her, unaware of the blood running down the side of his head until he reached upaand touched it.  "Oh!"

He paused just long enough to touch it again and suddenly felt faint at the sight of his own blood.  "Oh God.  I think I'm going to pass out."

[CalamityMei]

Oh excellent. Lucky for him she was adept at riding a horse, so if worse did come to worse she'd happily take them to wherever it is they were going. But right now they needed to stop, needed to take a minute and so that Christer could gather himself and so that Rose could tend to his wound.

They had no coin on them, so an inn was out of the question, her mind scattered as she tried to think of something.

[Lion]

Thankfully it wasn't a great deal of blood, but the sight of it was making him nauseated.  "Patch it," he said, breathing heavily.  "Patch it up.  Please."

[CalamityMei]

They had stopped the horse now, and Rose quickly fumbled with tearing a piece of her shirt off to use as a gauze. She was worried the men were racing after them, still trying to capture her and Christer too. She folded the fabric to make it thicker before applying it on the wound gently, stemming the bleeding.

"I don't have anything to hold it there unfortunately." Apart from her hand of course, being half turned on a horse was slightly awkward, but she could manage and as she held the fabric there she couldn't help but mention a "thank you."

[Lion]

"I'll hold it...blargh.  You get the reins."  Christer felt faint and tried to hold the cloth to his skull for as long as possible.

[CalamityMei]

She scowled at him slightly before turning back and grabbing the reins, with a crack the horse was sent cantering following the path to what she assumed was another part of town. They needed to find a merchant and fast, so that they could have more coin and were able to find a place to stay when the night came.

[Lion]

Christer groaned.  The horse was moving nauseatingly fast and making sharp turns here and there.  Suddenly he tapped her on the shoulder and slipped off the horse when they entered an alleyway and he ducked against a wall.  He hurled, loudly, spilling out what little he had to eat that morning and wiped his mouth with the rag.

Christer frowned, looking up at her and paling further.  "Sorry," he muttered.  "We, ugh...should find a place to lay low for a while.  I just... ugh don't know where."

[CalamityMei]

She came to his side, her race wrought with worry as his face was ghostly pale. She nodded in agreement but that was it, she thought of their options which were few and far. "Perhaps we should seek out a merchant, or I could just go?" On second thought maybe that wasn't such a good idea, the guards seeking them were probably on the chase and they needed somewhere to hide and quick.

Thankfully, they were near a market and hopefully finding a merchant wouldn't be too tricky.

[Lion]

"Hrmmm," Christer said, catching his breath.  He tried not to breathe directly toward her, for courtesy's sake.  "Perhaps...Perhaps it's best to just leave here.  If we stay...they'll find us for sure.  We have a horse now.  We have water it looks like, and whatever else are in these saddlebags." 

He stood and sighed then looked on to the market, then to her ring.  "Maybe...maybe if we're quick about it," he said then looked into her eyes.  "Okay...we'll do it.  Take the horse along.  At the first scent of trouble I say we run for it yes?"

[CalamityMei]

And here she thought Christer was the big bad brute that patrolled the Dewitt walls for as long as she could remember, and now he was get nauseated from the sight of his own blood. Of course the motion from the horse contributed too, but even so, Rose found herself in a predicament where she was now taking control.

"Right, feel free to stay with the horse, a merchant shouldn't be far." She gazed at the bustling crowds, people selling all sorts of goods.

"And I promise to come back this time." She slipped off the ring, pocketing it into her trouser pocket before taking off towards the market area.

[Lion]

"No, no.  We-" he coughed hard "-shouldn't be separated."  But it was too late.  She was already gone when the words wheezed out of him and Christer looked up to the horse now in their possession.  He was a chestnut gelding, with a white cross-like patch on his forehead and the horse chuffed at the knight's speculation.

"I'm sorry, we took you.  I hope you find it in your equine heart to forgive us," Christer said.  "And the flop of a bodyguard I turned out to be.  Don't tell my father, whatever you do.  He wouldn't think very highly of me to know I puked over a little blood."

The horse chuffed again and wiggled his nose against his head.  "I know, I know.  I've got to keep an eye out.  Okay, you look that way, and I'll looked the other way," he said, as he turned his eyes to the growing crowd, in case those men came back.

But as the morning waned on, more and more people would fill the market, and Christer found it difficult to keep track of who was who.  "Please, hurry, Rose," he murmured half to himself and half to the horse.  "Please!"