forum Opposite Sides Of History// 0/0 // Closed

Started September 12, 2020 by @gracehustle

tune

Romulus carried the body of the rebel woman away. Behind him, he heard the building blow up, and the force of the explosion knocked him forward onto his knees. He was careful to make sure his prisoner didn't get hurt, even as his own knees smarted from the force of hitting the ground.

He brought her to one of the many outposts. Places that were hidden from the queen, so that people like him could work to find the princess in peace, without being stopped or found out by her officials. He left her in a cell, and went back to his men.

They were swarming around, looking for the rebels still, and didn't seem to notice his disappearance. With a smirk, he called them to order, and made them look elsewhere. And as they did the work, grumbling, he thought about what he would ask that rebel woman.

Atria didn't wake up for who knew all long, and when she did, she knew she was somewhere quite far from where she was supposed to be.

She groaned as she opened her eyes, a throbbing pain coming from her head. It was safe to assume it came from whatever that stupid guard had hit her with. The guard. Her eyes widened at the realization that she had been caught. Cursing under her breath, she forced herself to sit up, blinking as she took in where she was.

"Oh you're so very dumb, Atria," She hissed to herself. Clearly, this was a cell. And she was inside, not dead. That had to count for something, it meant she had survived the blast, and that the rest of the plan could be set in motion without her. With however long she had been out, the rest of the plan could've been through and done with already.

Sighing, she pulled herself to her feet. Now was not the time to think over what was going on with the rest of the plan. Right now, she needed to find a way out of here before she was joined again by the guard.

Finally, as the sun started to set, Romulus called a halt. These idiots had found nothing of value, and he wondered again what he had done to deserve leading them. They were worse than trash, little boys who thought war and death was all fun and games. They were prissy little nobles, and he had actually heard one of them complaining about a sliver.

It was ridiculous.

"Get back to the barracks, you fools," he told them, eyes like ice. "And tomorrow morning, I want you all up before the sun rises, running laps." There was a murmur of complaints, and he added sharply, "And whoever doesn't comply will be cleaning the toilets for a month."

There was immediate movement, and the soldiers all rushed to comply. With a sigh, Romulus watched them for a moment. As one of higher status in both nobility and the army, he had his own quarters. He desperately wanted to go to the place and sleep, maybe take a bath or something, but he had other work to do.

He made sure his men were listening to him, and then went to the outpost where he had locked the rebel woman. He was let in immediately, and when he went down to the cells, he was surprised that she was still there. Although, the guard that had been watching her cell was knocked out.

He leaned against the wall. "You're still alive?" He asked, as a way of greeting.

Atria was going to go mad if she was stuck in this cell any longer she decided. Within the first long hour, she had almost managed to get out. But not quite. She had managed to pick the lock, and had almost been out before she was caught by two more guards. With her escape plan ruined, one of the guards had stayed behind to watch her, and she had been on her best behavior.

Until several minutes ago that was.

She had gotten quite sick of the sneers from the guard, deciding if she couldn't get out, then she was going to at least be left alone. That had been simple enough to deal with. Leaving the guard leaning against the cell door, out cold from her hands alone.

Atria had used the remaining time of peace to plan, sitting against one of the walls with her head leaned back and eyes closed. She looked calm on the exterior, her lips barely moving in what seemed like a prayer to whatever higher beings she believed in. In that moment, she didn't look much like a rebel, just like a scrawny girl with too much pride.

"And very sadly, you still seem to be alive as well," She grumbled back when footsteps could be heard outside her cell, "Maybe it was foolish to think I could die in peace."

Slowly, her eyes opened as she glared at the guard from earlier. Yep. Still alive looking, and even more disappointingly, not even injured. Dammit. The idea of having him just kill her now floated into her mind. Though that would mean she would never get her sweet revenge for the new cuts in her jacket. Dying wasn't an option just yet.

"Here to apologize and let me go?" Atria asked, a too-sweet tone in her voice, "Awww, I'll thank you in advance."

"It was foolish," Romulus agreed. "I tend to be careful with my own life, when I'm out." The wall against his back was rough, and parts of it dug into his back. It hurt, but he ignored it. It was nothing compared to some of the injuries he had gotten before.

He smiled at her, but there was no joy in it, no amusement. It was a cold, mocking smile. "Well, I hate to break it to you that I can't apologize. I was born unable to do so, which sadly affects my relationships with others." He surveyed her with cold eyes. "You know you could have avoided the whole imprisonment if you cooperated."

"Even more than your general disgustingness?" She questioned in a taunting tone, "I didn't know revolting guards like yourself even had relationships with others."

Atria pasted on a copy of his smile, cleaning out under her fingernails as she continued. "You know, I did think you were a little bit smarter as well. Not that I'm surprised. Dogs like you aren't usually taught much. Cooperation would've led me to this situation. I just chose the faster path."

She didn't look up as she closed her eyes again, leaning her head back against the wall. Even if every once of her hated the brick wall of a man outside of her cell, he was quite fun to piss off. She could make quite a fun game out of getting under his skin. Maybe then she could speed up the process of inevitable death as well. There was no way she was getting out of here alive after all.

"Not necessarily," Romulus responded with an indifferent shrug. "Although, with all of the trouble you've been causing, you wouldn't have found any of the right men, who actually keep their promises when it suits them. Figures, with the original work you've been doing lately, to the Queen's troops." The word original was hissed through his teeth, as if it was something that tasted disgusting.

He watched her with his cold eyes. He knew that it was a far hope that she would listen to him, or agree to work with him, and frankly, he didn't care. But if he could get as many clues from her as he could, maybe the stupid quest from the queen would finally be over, and he could do something more important, like protecting the borders.

She mockingly bowed from her spot on the floor, a dangerous grin appearing, "I'm glad you're a fan of my work, I try my hardest to ruin the lives of people loyal to the queen."

Atria could feel the tension growing between them, between his annoyance, and her own growing hatred of the brick of a man before her. But instead of hating the tension, she was ready to embrace it. It was a welcomed feeling, different than the faint worry that had started to become a companion to her.

"Now that we both got our little rant, I think it's time for me to take my leave," She continued, standing up. Brushing off her hands on her dirty pants, she looked to him with a mocking smile, "I want nothing to do with you or what you inevitably ask me to do, you have nothing to hold over me as a prize to make me help either."

"Well, I could kill you," Romulus said casually, as if discussing the weather. As a rebel, the threat most likely didn't hold any sway over her, but he was ready to do it. He really was. He had gotten probably as much information from her as he was ever going to get, which was to say none.

He watched her for a moment, face expressionless. She probably didn't know his real aim, but then there was no reason for her to know. It didn't have anything to do with her, and even if he told the rebel, she would most likely turn around and stab him in the back, telling on him to the very authorities she was fighting.

After all, the enemy of an enemy is a friend.

"I don't doubt you would," She replied carelessly, waving her hand as if to swat him away, "That threat is nothing new. Think up something original if you want to threaten me."

Atria leaned against the wall she had been previously sitting against, carefully watching the guard with nothing more on her face than boredom. It was strange to be talking to a guard, even if the talking was mostly mocking each other. Especially since it was the only guard she had talked to yet.

"Now, if you're done waving around empty promises, I want to know why you're here?" She questioned, taking control of the situation with a new, smug but small grin, "I take it, you have something you want out of me? As no other guard has spoken to me, and I was thrown in here without so much as cuffs or a proper, smart guard?"

"The queen doesn't have any proper guards," Romulus muttered, perhaps a bit more bitterly than was technically allowed, but he didn't care. He knew this prison in and out, and there were no holes for other guards to listen to. It was a backwater place, out of the way of everyone else, and where he usually did his less-than-legal dealings.

"I want exactly what I asked before," he said. He knew, from the look in the rebel woman's eyes, that he was fighting a losing battle, but it was better to go down fighting than to live a coward. "I want your help finding the princess. I know that you have information on it, and I want it." He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I want help getting her out of the country."

There. It was out there. And this woman probably wouldn't care a lick.

Atria's grin grew as he spoke, a triumphant look now in her eyes. Whether what he was saying was true or not, she was getting somewhere. She had leverage now. Leverage that could be used to get away if she was able to get out of the cell.

"You assume I have information about the princess?" She started, clearly mocking him, "What does she mean to you? Does the nameless guard have eyes for the lost heir? Want to kidnap her for yourself? Since I know all too damn well you don't want to get her away from the country."

There was a new, amused, clever tone to her words, and the subtle shift in attitude was clear too. She didn't believe him for a moment, and yet, she was almost curious what excuses he would bring in now. In no world would she give him any leads on the princess, but that didn't mean she couldn't use his gullibleness as power to get out of here. If she could convince him that she would 'help' him, she could get out of the cell, run to the nearest guards, turn him in for treason, and be on her merry way before anyone knew what was going on. Back to the rebellion.