She looked down at him, her smile was gone and daggers of ice coming from her silver stare. "My employer is offering me something you could never." Her voice was low and determined, a murderous gleam in her eyes. "Revenge."
She nudged him forward with her foot, her head turning to look inside the room. "Go down the rope, unless you want another pretty little cut to match the one on your hand."
Abraxas swallowed. "Revenge? On… who?" Him, or someone else? Maybe if it wasn't him, he could offer her revenge too. Double revenge! Wait, was that even a thing? It didn't matter. If this girl was as ruthless as she acted, she would have no qualms with torturing him into doing as she said. She didn't care about his double revenge; she already knew what she wanted and wouldn't be swayed.
He peeked down over the edge again. Was it just him, or did it seem a lot higher than usual? Could a fall from this height kill him? Or would it just break bones? Regardless, he didn't want to find out. "I don't know if I can," he mumbled quietly. Truth be told, he really didn't. He had never climbed a rope in his entire life— never had a need to. He didn't know if he had the upper body strength to do it. "What if I fall?"
"Doesn't matter," She answered the question with a snarl. "My employer will let me kill him as soon as I bring you in."
When the prince admitted that he couldn't climb the rope, the assassin felt near her breaking point. He was so infuriatingly toddler-like. Clueless and whiny. She worried for his kingdom if he was to rule. She never liked any monarchs, she never had, but this one… this one was made her blood boil. With a heavy sigh and an eye roll, the assassin pulled up the rope and tied it firmly around the prince's torso, just under the armpits. She double checked the knot at the small of his back, ensuring that it wouldn't come undone.
"Just do me a favor," She whispered into his ear, her words having an edge as sharp as her knives. "And don't scream." Without warning, the assassin picked up the feather-light prince and threw him over the railing.
Despite what the prince was thinking, she wasn't stupid. When she climbed the rope in the first place, it dangled about a yard off the ground. Now, with the rope used to tie him up, the prince should be hanging about four feet off the grass.
(Kay is done with Abraxas and they are about 12 minutes into their journey)
((I know and I love it XD I am so amused. But to fair I would probably be done with him already too. He's such a spaz))
"No, wait—" Abraxas shook his head. "I'm not so sure—"
Well, whatever Abraxas was not so sure about, we can only speculate, because his objection was interrupted when the woman shoved him over the edge. He didn't scream; he shrieked— but it was cut off abruptly as the air was forced out of him by the jolt at the end of rope, so hopefully nobody heard it.
He couldn't breathe. The rope— it was too tight. His lungs were crushed beyond repair. He dangled helplessly above the ground, kicking his legs as he struggled to suck in a breath. This was it; he was suffocating.
No, wait. He finally managed to gulp down some air. False alarm. He was not suffocating; the wind had just been knocked out of him by the fall. He took a few seconds to compose himself and try to catch his breath, his heart beating erratically. He wanted down, but he couldn't bring himself to try to untie the knot just yet— and his hands were probably too shaky for that, anyway.
The mercenary smirked at the prince's shriek. It was quiet enough to not be heard by anyone nearby, but just loud enough for her to hear. She untied the knot from her end, letting the prince fall flat onto his face. A small snicker escaped her lips as the prince let out a while. She slung her bow over her shoulder and hopped from the balcony. The feeling of free-falling was something she could never get over. With no ground at her feet and only the air around her, she always felt weightless and free.
She landed in a crouching position a few inches away from the monarch's face. With a growl she gripped the monarchs hair, bringing his face off the ground. "Get up," she snarled.
(It is so satisfying to watch Abraxas being handled roughly.)
"Ack!" The Prince yelped as she yanked him up. "Not the hair—" Why must she be so rough with him? Wasn't it stressful enough to be kidnapped? Apparently not.
He slowly stood to his feet, certain that he would have bruises tomorrow. As awful as that was, it paled in comparison to all of the other things he could imagine happening to him within the near future. This woman certainly wasn't gentle with him, and he could assume she would only get rougher once they were away from the palace. Then there would be no chance for him to call for guards or for help; she could do whatever she wanted, and he would have no way to stop her, no leverage. He swallowed at the thought, a shiver of fear running down his spine.
And the employer— God only knew who they were or what they wanted with him. He had to think of a way out of this, and fast— or else he was doomed.
That was the problem, though. There was no way out of this.
"My family—" He said shakily, trying to muster up (or, more accurately, feign) courage. This would be his last chance; once they were away from the palace, there would be no hope. Even if he escaped from her… if they were far, he'd never find his way home. He'd never survive by himself. This was the only opportunity. If he couldn't convince her to let him go now, then he might as well ask her to dig his grave instead. "They'll find you and have your head for this."
(Kay's not afraid to be rough XD)
She laughed. "I'm already wanted in dozens of kingdoms, what's one more?" She grabbed the back of his shirt, roughly pulling the prince to his feet. She pushed his back, making him stagger forward. "And trust me, the kingdom's better off in different hands than yours."
The mercenary looked over her shoulder, eyes wide and alert. Her fingers instinctively went to the quiver on her back. After being on the job for the past twelve years - killing, kidnapping, stealing and any other crime you could think of - she had developed a sixth sense. It wasn't much, just a faint chill going down her spine, but that small chill had saved her more times than she could count. And here she was going to add one more time to the counter.
She nocked an arrow and within a second had shot a wandering guard in the neck, the silver projectile finding the smallest gap between their iron helmet and breastplate. The guard crumpled to the ground with a pained cry. The assassin cringed at the noise, the fallen guard drawing the attention of his comrades standing atop the stone walls. She cursed a word no woman, or man for that matter, should ever know.
"Hey!" One of them shouted, pointing a finger at the mercenary and monarch.
This was it— Abraxas' single chance to escape. The guards had spotted her, which meant they would undoubtedly be after her. A great number of them would come to rescue their not-so beloved Prince. His kidnapper would be distracted. He would have an opening for escape.
His heart skipped a few beats. She would shoot him if he ran, wouldn't she? But if he didn't try, then… then he would surely be doomed. The guards might be able to save him if he could put enough distance between himself and this crazy woman. Maybe— maybe—
He certainly didn't have the courage for these kinds of situations, and the fear inside of him stirred him to flee like a startled rabbit the second he was sure that more guards had noticed and were now averting their attention to the pair. He bolted to the side, hoping to get around the corner of the palace and out of his kidnapper's line of sight.
The problem with running?
Abraxas had never been an athletic fellow, and he wasn't that fast. Not to mention, he was still a bit sore from that fall. Wimp.
He prayed to any deity who would listen that he wouldn't get shot dead.
((I like Kay. 10/10))
She growled, sprinting after the prince.
"GET HER!" Voices shouted from the wall and from the nearby gardens with other cries like: "DON'T LET HER GET AWAY!", "IS THAT THE PRINCE?" and "SHE'S ARMED AND DANGEROUS!"
This wasn't anything the mercenary hadn't experienced before, but she needed her target alive for her reward. She needed her revenge and her employer was the only one who could give it to her. She nocked an arrow, keeping the prince in sight. She fired a warning shot mere millimeters from his ear, the whizzing projectile making his hair fly up.
The assassin sped up and reached forward, the prince's shirt brushed her fingers and- she let out a pained cry as something took hold of her cape and yanked her back. She fell to the ground, grabbing a knife from her leg sheath and cutting her cloak at the neck. She somersaulted away from the guard, throwing the knife behind her. She heard the guard cry in pain and collapse to the ground, but she didn't look back, no she had a prince to catch.
The mercenary sprinted as fast as she could to the monarch. Everything around her seemed a blur, extravagant gardens morphing into blurry shades of green. Her mind tuned out everything except for her footsteps and racing heart. Her hunter's eyes were locked on her prey in front of her. She lept, locking her arms around the prince's torso and taking him down with her. She placed a knee on the small of his back, keeping the royal pinned to the grass. She pulled another dagger from her belt. This blade was wavy, made of solid iron and a sturdy leather handle. She pressed the point to the back of the monarchs head as guards filed in, surrounding them from all sides.
The kidnapper growled like an animal, staring down each of the soldiers with a crazed stare.
(I like Kay too XD hopefully she'll change Abraxas for the better or worse considering that she's a criminal kidnapping a snotty prince)
Abraxas let out a strangled cry that ended in nothing but a pathetic "Oomph!" as he hit the ground, her weight forcing the air from his lungs for the second time that night. From his position on the ground, he didn't have a good view of what was going on, but he did know one thing: this woman was more than capable of annihilating him right then and there. At this proximity, the guards would not be able to protect him.
Tears flooded his eyes, blurring his vision. He tried to twist and wriggle beneath her, but she had him pinned. "Don't kill me—" he pleaded, though he had yet to catch his breath so it came out as little more than a pitiful wheeze. He sucked in a breath and repeated it, this time with more volume. "Please— Please don't kill me!"
(This is true. But even if he becomes worse in some ways, maybe he'll at least be less… spazzy and self-absorbed. Idk. I guess just have to wait and see if she can do anything with this brat.)
"Kayria Willow, it's about time you've been caught you disgusting, slimey orphan." A proper voice addressed the assassin. She whipped her head around to come face-to-face with a highly decorated soldier.
Kay said nothing in return, only staring down the guard. She ignored the prince's petty and pathetic cries. Her chest heaved with her heavy breathing and her eyes widened as she took in her odds. Twenty against one… She muttered internally. Not good.
"If you come peacefully and leave our dear Abraxas alone, then maybe we'll be kinder in your death penalty." The officer offered a hand to Kay, a fake smile plastered across his face.
"If you come any nearer your dear Abraxas will die," She snarled, softly dragging the blade down the back of Abraxas's skull and letting it rest on his neck. "And don't test me. I don't fool around when it comes to this. Just ask Queen Isla of Hallwen… oh, wait-" A devilish smile crossed Kay's face. "You can't."
The officer's smile swiftly fell into a grimace. "So it was you who assassinated poor Isla… you low-life scum." A took a step forward, Kay drew blood from the prince's neck and the guards went still. "Now, now, Kayria. No need to be hasty. We could come to an agreement, hmm? Now just let Abraxas go, and we'll discuss your punishment."
Kay glared at the men surrounding her. She counted at least eleven with crossbows aimed at her heart and seven with spears and shields ready.
You really screwed up, Kay.
Abraxas' heart sped up, as did his breathing— the latter of which made it even more difficult for him to get the right amount of oxygen into his lungs. He let out another cry and several more desperate pleas for his life when she drew blood from him, but nobody seemed to respond. The tears that had flooded his eyes finally made their way down his face, but considering that it was fairly dark outside and he was on the ground, it was unlikely that anyone else noticed. As unflattering of a situation as this was, his main concern at the moment was preserving his own hide. He was too young to die.
His fate was in the air, and he didn't know what to expect. Would she give in and let him free so that the guards would go easy on her, or would she plunge her weapon into him just for spite? It was a toss-up, and he didn't like the risks.
Kay huffed, blowing a dark piece of hair out of her face. She went through her options. If she gave up, let the guards take her away, her best case scenario was if the guards chose to wait until morning for her death, and maybe, just maybe she could figure out a way to escape and recapture Abraxas. But that was unlikely. The palace would put their heir under fierce protection, not wanting another fiasco. If she chose to assassinate Abraxas right there and then, what good would that do her? The guards would kill her on the scene and she would never get her revenge that she so desperately needed. If she tried to run she could probably get away, but she would lose her oppertunitity to bring the prince into her employer, losing her reward and damaging her reputation. And if she chose to fight- well… Kay was good, but she wasn't that good.
Kay had four options. Surrender, kill, run, or fight. None of them were ideal and all of them seemed to end up in her losing.
She weighed her options, not moving from her position on top of the monarch and the wild look on her face never fading. The pros and cons of each option tilted like a scale in her mind.
And then she decided.
With the biggest gamble she would ever make in her life, Kay threw the knife to the side. She raised her hands and slowly released her hold on Abraxas. "You win," She spat as the guards ripped her arms behind her back and shackled them with iron cuffs.
Abraxas sucked in a surprised breath and scrambled forward, desperate to put as much distance between himself and this psychopath as possible. One of the few guards who were not preoccupied with the mercenary tugged the Prince to his feet, dusting the grass and dirt off of his clothes; a secondary guard rushed over to try to assess the man-child's injuries.
"My lord—" The guard sounded concerned. "Are you alright?"
"No— No—" Abraxas shook his head, his breaths and heartbeat still erratic. "I don't know."
He had half-expected her to kill him, but here he stood— the valiant survivor of a failed kidnapping attempt. Perhaps this would be the next story spreading throughout the kingdom tomorrow, the account of how Prince Abraxas, with the help of his trusty guards, managed to escape the clutches of a dangerous mercenary who broke into his room during the night. Of course, unnecessary details— such as the fact that the Prince was on the verge of bawling his eyes out like a terrified child and probably came close to wetting himself at one point— would be omitted.
But still, though— he could not be calm. He had almost been kidnapped. Almost been killed. His entire body trembled a bit, still shaky from the intensity of the situation. Had he ever been under such stress in his entire life? Not that he could recall.
He hoped to never go through anything like that again.
Fortunately, though, he would not have to. The guards would see to it that this pleb was locked away, and soon she would executed. Until then, Abraxas would be protected. No one would allow anything bad to happen to him.
Right?
Kay wanted to lash against the guards, wanted to plunge the hidden dagger on the back of her belt into an unsuspecting guard's abdomen. All of her instincts told her to fight, to run away, but that would be suicide. One of the guards leading her away twisted her arm a particularly uncomfortable way and Kay grit her teeth to prevent from crying out in pain.
"So this is how the great Kayria Willow goes down? Surrender?" The decorated officer hissed in the assassin's ear. He wagged a finger in front of her face, and Kay snapped at it, her teeth coming down on his glove. "My, my," The guard sneered as he ripped his hand away, cradling the attacked finger. "That seems a little unnecessary."
The officer waved his hand and the guards took the mercenary away. She passed the prince in the process, giving him a look that said,
I'll be back.
Abraxas' heart stopped for a moment, but he swallowed and tried to compose himself to the best of his ability. Success was questionable, considering how much he still trembled and shook like a chihuahua.
"Let's get you inside, Your Majesty," one of the guards offered.
"Yes—" The Prince— and several of the guards who had chosen to stay close— made their way back into the palace. "Double— no, triple the amount of my personal guards. I cannot be left unattended, because I won't be safe until this woman has been sentenced and executed properly," he said as they walked. His voice still quavered a little from the ordeal, but he was beginning to get a grip on his composure.
"As you wish, my lord, but she is now in custody. There is no way she will be able to reach you or harm you now," explained a guard. "You have no need to worry."
"I'm not worried; I'm merely asking for there to be extra precautions. What would this kingdom do if something were to happen to the heir?" Abraxas swallowed. "I am the future. I must be protected." He glanced down at the cut on his finger. "Speaking of which, I'm injured; I need medical attention. And, someone— bring me some decent clothing so that I can get out of these."
Abraxas made it back to his room, and his requests were granted. Surely, now, he would be safe, yes? The mercenary-kidnapper… she would be locked up. Guards would remain at Abraxas' side. She could never get him this way. Right?
He drew in a breath, then exhaled.
Right.
He was perfectly safe.
And that woman would have to pay for what she had done.
(slight timeskip, like a few minutes)
"Oof!" Kay cried as she landed heavily on her arm. She quickly righted herself, moving from on her side to a sitting position. The guards closed the door, the loud THUMP echoing throughout the empty dungeon. The shackles were still clasped tightly around her wrists, making her slowly lose feeling in her fingers. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, the feeling of paranoia never leaving her.
The dungeon felt suffocating. Terrible, horrible memories from her childhood resurfaced, all of them merging together and going away all at once. Kay couldn't grasp a single one, once a memory finally became clear, it would disappear back into the raging river of her past. She could faintly hear her mother's sobbing, could barely feel the sharp blades on her back, could almost see the face of the man who took everything from her… but just like the rest of the memories, they dispersed before she could clearly experience them.
Kay wanted to break down, but she had a plan to finish. She had a snobby prince to kidnap.
Kay removed a short knife from the back of her belt that the guards so foolishly decided to leave with her. She plunged the blade into the lock on her wrists, twisting it left and right to pick the mechanisms inside. She sighed in relief as the shackles fell away, catching them before they could noisily clatter to the cobblestone floor.
The shadows coming off the walls informed the mercenary that there were three guards defending her cell. Now those were odds that Kay liked. She carefully padded forward, taking the short knife and soundlessly picking the lock on the iron door. One soft click later, and Kay was devilishly smiling. She kicked the door open, knocking one guard out cold as it swung open. The other two barely had time to recover from the shock before Kay had attacked.
Three bodies later and a bow and quiver retrieved, Kay was heading up the stone stairs into the castle.
During this time, Abraxas was dressed in clothes that were much more comely for a Prince, and a swarm of servants and guards attended to his every need. His "injuries" (which he may or may not have greatly exaggerated) were treated immediately. He recounted the tale to them all, perhaps fudging some of the details to his liking, but making it clear that this was no laughing matter and that he was slightly traumatized.
He was now back where he wanted to be, sitting in his bed, tucked beneath expensive blankets while his servants mended to him. The King had been alerted of the ordeal and had visited his son momentarily, but once it was determined that there was no need to make a huge fuss of the situation further (as the Prince was fine and the culprit locked away), everyone aside from the guards and servants appointed over Abraxas left the room.
Abraxas calmed himself by discussing the kidnapper's execution plan with a nearby guard. His nerves were far too on edge for sleep, no matter how much he reassured himself that she was locked away, but he found comfort in knowing she would no longer exist come tomorrow night.
But… still. The fact that she came so close still left him unsettled.
Castles had always unnerved Kay. The sheer mass and emptiness of the rooms made her feel small and the hundreds of portraits lining the stone walls gave her the feeling of constantly being watched. Paranoia always lurked somewhere in her brain, usually faint and easy to ignore, but as she trekked through the silent halls, the paranoia was the only thing she could feel. Every other step she was looking over her shoulder, an arrow nocked in her bow at all times.
As she neared the Prince's section of the castle, Kay heard voices. She halted, her breathing momentarily stopping. Kay hugged the wall, inching closer and closer. As she anticipated, guards and servants were bustling in and out of Abraxas's quarters.
The assassin hid in the shadows, silently stalking towards his room. She waited for the next maid to exit. She was tall, fairly lean with a pale complexion and dark hair. Perfect. Kay followed her until she was out of earshot and alone. With one quick move, Kay chopped her neck and the maid fell to the ground unconscious. The assassin stole her bonnet and dress, slipping the garments over her own clothes and tying the cloth around her head. Kay slipped her bow underneath the huge skirt, making sure it was secure in her belt, and walked back towards the Prince's room, a wicked smirk on her face.
Ope— I disappeared cuz I was going through a rough time, but do you wanna try to continue this? I'm sorry I died :')
Don't worry my guy, you're good!! :DD And YES we can continue this if you want!
I'd love to! I'll get around to responding ASAP. And thank you so much for being understanding. X'D It's been a rough couple months, lemme tell ya.
Dont worry my guy! I understand rough months so take all the time you need.
Abraxas was still comforting himself with the plans of his attacker's execution, fantasizing about which robe would be most appropriate to wear to the event. The bright red one, to symbolize the blood being shed by the enemy? Or purple, to symbolize his own superiority and royalty? Perhaps blue would be a good choice as well, just because it was such a popular color.
(I forgot how much I missed this RP oml. Sorry my reply is so short btw; I'm in a hurry and also Abraxas is being a boring twat rn because he thinks his life is chill but OHOHOH brother it's not gonna stay chill you little punk.)
(aaaaaaaa I'm glad we can continue it! :D)
Kay maneuvered through guards and servants, assuming the perfect role of a mousy handmaid that definitely wasn't hiding at least nine weapons underneath her giant skirt. She got to his door, slightly ducking her head and allowing the bonnet to shade her face. Before she could step foot into the Prince's quarters, two guards crossed their spears in front of the opening.
"Odelia, what is your business?" One of the guards husked.
"The Prince asked for some fresh towels," Kay stated in what she hoped was Odelia's voice. She held up the small tray with lush towels as proof. Under the bonnet, Kay scowled. The textiles and tray in her hands was more than her family made in a year when she was younger. The materials imported from the finest kingdoms across the globe, only meant to be used by royals and nobles.
"I didn't hear him-"
"Well, he asked!" Kay snapped, growing impatient. "You don't want a traumatized Prince throwing a hissy fit over his towels, do you?"
And with that, the guards let her into a room filled with even more of the soldiers.