"I'll be honest with you, I hate liars. It's why I despise most nobles and don't always get along with family. I'm talented at it myself, but I'd sooner stick a rusty dagger between my legs and go horse riding than lie," Payne snorts. "Basically I'm glad you're not lying to me. Otherwise we'd have to divorce."
He says that last bit with a cheekey grin.
"Yeah, I know. I'll get started right away, dear," he laughs.
He goes back the other way and enters his own room, changing into simple common clothes before sneaking out to the carriages.
He starts with the heaviest trunk, hefting it with no visible effort on his part.
He hauls it up to the room and kicks on the door to let Lillian know he was there.
If only he knew Lyanna was the biggest liar kf then all. Her name wasn't even Lillian. And that was just the start of a long list of lies. But he would never find out until it was too late and she had escaped the palace. "Ah, but you cannot be granted divorce without my permission wife." She matched his grin.
She bowed her head as a simple goodbye and walked into the bedroom. She lost her breath for a moment. It had been more extravagant than she had anticipated. Then again, she did live in a home with dozens of assassins. Almost anything was better than that.
The four poster bed was made out of carved wood. There were engravings on it and painted in gold. The sheets on the bed were silkier than anything she had ever touched. There was a large window pane that looked down into the courtyard. There was a small sitting area to the right and a desk to the left of the room. And don't even get her started on the fixtures.
She was startled when there was a knock on her door. Had she really been standing there that long admiring her room? She opened it to reveal the prince. She pulled the door wide to let him in.
"Such a good wife," she crooned with a grin.
Payne rolls his eyes and retorts in kind.
"Says who? I'm clearly the more beautiful one here," he teases.
When Lillian opens the door and says that, Payne grins back at her from around the trunk.
"Oh hush. Least you can do is tell me where I should put the bloody things. I may be strong, but it feels like you put the entire library, bookshelves, room and books, into this one trunk," he snorts.
Lyanna laughed quietly, the blush staining her cheeks. It was genuine this time. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
"That's probably the books then," she murmured. She had brought a few more than necessary. A lot more than necessary, actually.
She pointed towards the desk. "You can place it over there. I promise the others are not so heavy as this. This was the only one with books." And it had been so heavy even she hadn't been able to lift it on the carriage. Another person had to help.
"At least you're able to carry it yourself. It took three people to get that on the carriage. I'm surprised the horses fared as well as they did with such weight."
Payne looks bemused.
"I'm worth an entire coach of horses myself, you know," he replies, setting the trunk down on the desk in question.
He brushes his hands off on his rough canvas pants and takes a deep breath.
Two servants haul in a trunk and Payne watches.
He shrugs at Lillian after a moment.
"Tell them where it goes," he says casually, heading back down to the carriages.
He grabs two trunks - clothes and other things from their weight - and hauls them up to the room.
Lyanna directed the staff as they brought in more of her things. After this tour, she would likely spend the rest of her day unpacking and organizing her things. And coming up with a plan. One that would likely involve the prince that was here with her.
She thanked them each and pressed a few coins I to their hands for the help. She thought about changing into a new dress. This one smelled of carriage. But she decided against it. The prince would be there any minute and she didn't want to hold him up.
"Thank you," she said as Payne arrived with more of her things. "I'll sort it all out later. For now, I am very eager for our tour."
Among other things. She wanted to track the guards and their movements. And see if she could spot anything that was being hidden.
Payne grins, setting down the trunks.
From somewhere, we don't ask where, it's plot convenient, Payne pulls out a bundle of clothes.
"Put those on. They'll be better for where we're going than what you're wearing right now," he smiles.
Upon further inspection, they'd be similar to the rough spun but durable clothes Payne was currently wearing. A pair of beechwood colored pants, durable cowhide boots, a simple light blue belted tunic.
(Bahaha XD)
Lyanna looked at the clothes he was offering her and held back making a face. One of the things she had been excited for about coming to the palace was that she could finally wear all of her nice and extensive clothing. She could look like a lady. And yet the prince here was asking her to put on clothes she would wear on a job.
With a sigh, she took them from Payne and walked silently to the bathroom where it took her no time at all to change. The pants were a little too tight, hugging her every curve and sticking to her thighs. And the shirt was a little too big on her. She didn't know where he got these nor did she want to.
She slipped her feet in the boots and walked back into the bedroom. "Alright, I'm ready to go."
"You don't have to wear them too terribly long. We just don't want your nice clothes to be ruined," Payne grins.
He walks over to the window and glances over at Lillian, dropping a wink before disappearing out of it.
Lyanna slowly grinned at him. "I don't mind getting a little dirty, wife. But I appreciate you looking out for my clothes."
She watched as he strode to the window, winked at her, and then dropped out of it. She gasped in surprised, blinking. Well, she hadn't expected that. But, she welcomed the adventure and challenge all the same.
She didn't hesitate to follow him out the window. If he was leading then to death, at least she would have the satisfaction of knowing he was dead first. She swung her legs over the window sill and dropped.
"Well, I'm sure the maids would mind," Payne laughs.
Payne was balancing casually on a ledge that stuck out about half a foot out from the wall. Payne's head was a good foot beneath the window sill.
He catches Lillian by the waist and grins.
"I got you, sweetheart," he says, letting her go once she was situated.
He starts sidling along the ledge, heading left for about 20 feet before he comes across a corner. He glances up and then back at Lillian.
"Watch very carefully," he says.
He then turns so his back is facing towards the wall, then lets himself fall backwards. A section of the wall flips, and Payne disappears.
Lyanna did not need him to grab her. Not by a long shot. But she also knew she was supposed to be posing as a Lady. And a Lady should not have such balance like that. Like an assassin. So instead she smiled up at him.
"Thank you," she said, taking a step back once she was securely on the ledge.
She followed him along the ledge, watching him with an arched eyebrow at his words. Her eyes widened as he disappeared.
Well, she had made it this far. No turning back now. She turned and let herself fall.
Payne nods.
"You're welcome," he replies.
As Lillian falls, she'd wonder just where exactly in the castle she was. Of course, that train of thought would only last about half a second before she topples into Payne's arms.
"Nice of you to drop by." he quips, setting her down.
The area they were currently in was very dusty, clearly an older room near the bottom of the castle, though how that was possible nobody would know. After all, they had just been on the second story of the castle.
(I swear I'm gonna be on more. I've just got three jobs right now and I'm a little burnt out)
Lyanna had no idea what she had just gotten herself into and why she was doing this. Maybe it was her sense of adventure that he was calling to and that's why she did this no questions asked. Because it certainly wasn't because of a prince she didn't know or trust.
She felt herself land jn bis arms and waited until he set her down. She could have landed just fine kn her feet but again, she's a supposed to be a lady and not as coordinated. At least not on some little adventure like this.
She took a step back from and looked around the area they were in. "If we can't leave the way we just came, don't tell me I jumped out of a window just for there to be stairs that leave out of this place."
(It's fine, I'm juggling all my projects as well- I do find it difficult to come up with stuff at times, so no worries.)
Payne laughs, pointing at the faintly visible wall.
About a half foot up from the ground, the stone pattern changes, in roughly the shape of a door. He pushes on it, and it opens to reveal a short corridor leading to the proper wall around the castle.
"We can get out through here," he says.
The door closes.
"Now, let's get going," he grins, gesturing at a crudely hewn corridor directly opposite the hidden door. He starts walking.
Lyanna blinked at the wall. "So you're telling me that we could've just taken that way in the first place?"
She shook her head with a slight roll of her eyes. But the smile on her face told a different story. Her skin was still slightly flushed from the thrill of getting there. She quite liked going in that way.
She had to take longer steps to catch up to him and looped her arm in his when she did. "So what exactly is down here? Or are you going to make me wait until we arrive?"
She had a feeling it was going to be the latter. This was why she didn't like surprises.
"Technically, yes. If we wanted to raw attention to ourselves, that is. After all, where would the prince be sneaking off to with a woman, and one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting at that?" Payne asks simply. "Besides, the place we're going is made that much better when you've worked up a slight sweat."
"You'll see, of course," he laughs, nudging Lillian playfully. He was glad for the darkness, actually, as he had flushed at the unexpected contact.
Their footsteps echo in the confines of the rough tunnel.
The sound of water dripping starts to echo up from further in the tunnel after about a quarter of a mile of walking, and then a few minutes after that, they enter a large cavern.
What lay inside was nothing short of astounding.
A giant, clear pool of water, as far as the eye could see. The rock turns to sand, and gives slightly under Payne's feet.
"Welcome to the Mirror," he says softly.
Lyanna supposed he was right on my she was excellent at sneaking around without getting caught. Though she supposed with his sheer size that just about anyone would notice him. It likely made it hard for him to sneak around looking like that.
"If you wanted to work up a slight sweat, all you had to do was ask. I could get you sweating in no time." She winked at him, clearly teasing. Apparently, she hadn't left behind her vulgar sense of humor.
She quieted as she heard the sound of dripping water. Her walk hastened, excited ti see where he was taking her. Unless he was bringing her down here to kill her. Which woukd be the perfect time to. No one knew where they were or that they were even together. No one would even suspect the prince.
Only she was a lot harder to kill than that. And she would be the one to walk away from that fight.
She stopped short as the tunnel turned into a large cavern. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but it certainly hadn't been this. It was a beautiful. She didn't have words. She only stared with her lips slightly parted and her eyes filled with awe.
(Lyanna, you'll find that this man is much quicker than he looks. . . and much less stupid, as well.)
Payne snickers at the vulgarity.
"You'll find I have quite a bit of stamina, dear. It takes a lot to get me sweaty," he replies without thinking.
He glances over at Lillian's astounded expression and laughs softly.
"Close your mouth. You're drooling," he teases.
He looks across the water once more.
"I found this place years ago, trying to escape from my guards who were being very. . . persistent. Stubborn old codgers, the lot of them, but they were the best at what they did. The water is. . ." he says, before trailing off. He shakes his head and smiles softly.
"Nevermind. The point is, this place is beautiful. I come down here when the world gets a little noisy or chaotic and I just need some peace," he chuckles.
(She's thinks she's better than everyone ;)
Lyanna gave him a sly smile, looking him up and down. "We'll put that to the test one of these days, wife."
But looking at the pool, the water, wiped all traces of playfulness. She was mesmerized by it. She barely registered what he said, her mouth shutting. But she didn't look at him. She looked at the water.
"It's beautiful," she barely managed to say. She walked into the cavern, noticing the shift as the ground turned to sand.
She walked to the water's edge and knelt, dipping her fingers into the water. "I'm surprised you're showing me this. I'd hate to ruin a pace that is entirely yours." She shook her head.
"Where does the water come from?" She couldn't determine how it had gotten here, beneath the palace.
(We'll get that sorted out soon enough, trust me.)
Payne chuckles and sighs.
"It is, yes. You'll never find anywhere quite like this. It is unique," he agrees.
He watches Lillian as she walks across the sand, her stride unbothered by the change in terrain.
"If I didn't want you here, I wouldn't have showed this place to you," he says simply.
Payne shrugs. The water barely shudders when Lillian touches it. It was warm, but not overy warm. Like a lake in the late afternoon, just as the sky turns a little orange.
"I've searched the entire lake. I couldn't find any way for it to get here."
As he speaks, he picks up a shard of black rock and tosses it at Lillian.
(So sorry this took so long. I've had a bunch of stuff going on at home and I really haven't had the time to respond.)
Lyanna supposed that was true. He didn't have to show her this place. They had known each other for what? Maybe twenty, thirty minutes? But he trusted her enough to bring her here.
This might very well be the perfect place to train and just get away from the palace when she needed to.
Strange though, that there wasn't a known place that the water was coming from. Perhaps it might be magic, except that wasn't possible. Not since magic had disappeared all those years ago. It shouldn't be possible.
As she turned her head to him, she caught a flash of black in her vision and knew that soemthung was being hurdled at her. She moved out if the way on instinct, just barely missing being hit.
"What the fuck?"
(It's alright. I've just started proper school and haven't had any time for anything.)
Payne chuckles.
"A rock. Didn't you see? Or you at least have good instincts," he replies teasingly.
He tilts his head consideringly at Lillian.
"I want to ask you something. You have a dagger, hidden of course. Know how to use it?" he asks casually.
The gleam in his eyes was. . . disturbingly sharp. Almost as if he were challenging Lillian.
