Realistic or Modern Bitter Winter | Private

[LONELYRAIN]

Spoiler: Plot (for reference)

Tasian is the lapdog for the royal kingdom currently ruling majority of the continent. As such, he has gained a notorious reputation for being extremly cold and cruel to those who are enemies to the king. YC is a rebel, more specifically a former princess whom was set on usurping the king to restore her people's rightful claim to freedom and rebuild the land they had lost, however YC had gotten captured and sent to a mining camp where Tasian and YC cross paths, as Tasian is under orders to personally escort YC back to the kingdom.

With how unfeeling Tasian seems to be, YC and Tasian would not get along with each other through the journey back, resulting in multitude of dangerous situations where they are forced to rely on one other to survive. Gradually, a bond of trust would settle between them as Tasian would begin to slowly show the more human side of him than he usually dares to, resulting in friendship between the two as well as a spark of a forbidden romantic interest in one another.

However as the plot continues on, complications would occur with the reveal of what the king had in mind with YC with demanding the union of YC and the king's son, as the king would want complete control over YC's rebelling people, which would split Tasian between his growing feelings for YC and his duty to the crown. The plot will continue from there (feel free to add on if you'd wish).

Tasian Brannon Whitaker​

The kingdom of Yeldware, once small and nestled into the heart of the mountainous regions had expanded rapidly in the turn of the last decade. Like a beast, it burned, destroyed and crushed any and all resistance in its path, assimilating people into its swelling ranks; and now has taken majority if not all of the continent of Erista. Any rebellion that had tried many a time to fight against the might of Yeldware's armies had quickly succombed to the sheer might of their many trained soldiers and the brutality and heartlessness of their conquests. It was not unknown to the public of the cruelty that occurred often toward the people whom were conquered, and many had quietly sat aside in more recent years than attempt to raise a single voice in complaint; for they knew as sure as the sun shone in the sky, death would follow just as assuredly if one dares to speak against the royal family of Yeldware or the king's cruel methods.

The center of this fear was settled around the king's loyal Guard Captain; Tasian Brannon Whitaker. Tasian was a relentless and brutal man, one whom was undoubtably loyal to the royal family and more so the king. His origins had been shrouded in secrecy; one that he remained tightlipped about, the only indication of such a past being the scar that marrs his handsome and perhaps seraphic face. However, one knew that if Tasian was nearby, his cruelty upon others at the single command of the royal family no matter who they may be will be swift and excruciating. Seeing just his slender figure alone is enough to drive fear in the masses of people that may see him pass by in daily commutes. Such is the norm for Tasian, for fear to look in his direction and nervousness to be whispered behind his back.

Today however, Tasian had been sent on a particular request, one that was... unusual. He was to converse with and personally drag a notorious prisoner from one of the many mining operations and bring them to the king. No details were spared on the reason why, however he was informed on the fact that the criminal was dangerous, as they had started many revolts in other towns and had been brutalized to the brink of death many times on end by the overseers whom looked over her progress. Also that the prisoner was indeed a woman.

Even as he rode upon his chestnut-furred stallion, another horse in tow for the long ride back to Yeldware, he could feel the heavy and glazed over stares of prisoners as they had paused in hacking away at solid stone and slab; he could see various emotions in all of them: anger, frustration and more prominent than anything was fear. His chilling eyes looked over the people thay he passed, dismissing them as his heart only hardened within his chest. He refused to allow himself to feel even a single sliver of pity for the people who struggled about them; no matter how thin or beaten they appeared. If they rebelled against the glory of Yeldware, they deserved to be suffering like they were. Truly, Tasian's heart had blackened and became hard and cold over the years, and human compassion he may have had was completely and utterly gone, and even as he heard the sharp crack of a whip and a piercing scream that followed, Tasian did not turn his head to acknowledge it or stop the action. The only thought that ran through his mind was, The overseers are at least doing their jobs properly.

The reek of human waste as well as the smell of the deceased reached his nose soon, causing the guard captain's face to twitch slightly in the only sign of disgust as he stopped at the edge of a massive pit. His eyes looked on unflinchingly at the deceased bodies laying within the ditch, some already further ahead in rotting than others, while he did see some prisoners beginning to shovel loose dirt over the dead. His cold eyes scanned the people, finally settling on a pitiful form that was shoveling away at the dirt, chilling blue looking over the scrawny frame with little interest.

He had heard of the princess of the Ohra people, a woman foolish enough to raise a rebellion against the king's army. They were crushed almost immediately, though even now Tasian had to admit her people were a thorn in the side even with their population scattered into the wind. Their faith and hope all rested upon this pitiful woman, stripped of all birthright, dignity, and reeking of sweat and rot, now shoveling at the dirt to toss behind her. However, her eyes burned bright which almost interested him for once. They were bright and angry, a hot and passionate spirit that hadn't died out despite the circumstances she may be in. A stubborn pain in the ass.

Tasian already dreaded of having to even think of putting up with this woman all the way back to the safety of the kingdom, but orders were orders. Sliding off of the back of the chestnut stallion, his boots hit the rocky floor beneath, sending a bit of fine dust flying. He made his way toward the slope, a pair of shackles laying heavy within the burlack sack he had swinging from his waist with each swift step. Eventually, upon reaching within hearing distance, he spoke, his voice as usual being unfeeling and robotic, "Under orders of King William Edwin Durward III, you are to be escorted to the castle effective immediately. Any actions to resist will result in severe punishment." The words flowed through him out of habit, expression gazing upon the young woman with little if any interest. It was almost as if he were gazing at her like some insignificant maggot, not at all like the more important person she certainly used to be.

 

[catatonic]

Throughout the years, Rila had been a serious and competent leader among the rebel forces. She was the last of the true royal bloodline of the land and had vowed to take her throne back from the usurper, but her efforts had been in vain. While her people, spread far and wide, were looking to her faithfully for guidance and support, they did little to offer their own support to her cause. There weren't many of them to begin with, and numbers only dwindled as blood and fear ran through the streets. The white haired woman had successfully started rebellions in various villages but all were shot down pretty quickly. Public executions of the rebels was commonplace at this point. And she herself was imprisoned as punishment.

She had lost count of how many dead that haunted her sleep and how many more would come when she finally escaped the prison she was held in. She wouldn't admit she was fighting a losing war. The new king and his army was massive and outnumbered her people 10 to 1 in every way possible. While she had some trained soldiers, most of her masses were common folk who took up arms for her in hopes they'd rid themselves of the evil that plagued their lands. Unfortunately, they met with death all too soon at the hands of the army that controlled her lands. And there was nothing she could do about it.

For now though, she shoveled dirt onto the deceased prisoners and grunted with effort. Her long white hair was braided back in a simple way and tied with a piece of string to stay out her face and her red eyes were ablaze with anger. So many good people being imprisoned for speaking out against the new king was baffling. She remembered days of peace and joy throughout the kingdom and yet the new king liked the sounds of screams and bloodshed his army's brought forth. There was nothing the woman could do in her current position to help anyone. She was shackled and chained and beaten daily. But it didn't break the spirit she carried.

Upon hearing the horse nearing and then the voice of the rider, she turned her red gaze onto him in silence. In response, she only looked at the white haired man in distaste. But she put down the shovel in her hands and made a motion to the chain on her ankle, like she could get out of it merely because he commanded it. She couldn't. She'd be whipped for even trying. "If you want me to come with you then you need to speak to the overseer about undoing my chains." Her voice was just as cold as his, laced with venom and ice.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

Tasian's eyes slid to the woman motioning to the steel chain attached to her ankle, his eyes sliding from the chain to the connecting ones that kept her tethered to the other line of prisoners who now had paused to look at the man, some showing fear but others showing a spark of rage. Distaste had caused the man's eyebrows to furrow, a disgusting taste settling upon his tongue as he gazed at the unworthy pests daring to gaze with hostility at him. The man felt his fingers beginning to itch, desiring nothing more than to beat the foolish men and women alike that had some sort of audacity to gaze upon him in such a way. Weren't the overseers supposed to break their spirits? Or was it because... ah, of course it would be. His attention turned back to the princess again, the controlled facial muscles of his own face not giving away the irritation settling in his gut as he turned on his heel, striding away from the woman. He didn't have time for this.

His steps took him across the way, seeing a balding, plump man with a whip firmly coiled at his side, the beady eyes within the man's skull seeming quite filled with some sort of satisfaction as he was barking orders to the trembling people moving about before him. Tasian was quite familiar with the man, as he had a duty to fulfill to break these people, but so far it seemed like it was rather lacking. "Swain." His voice caused the other man to stiffen, turning to look in disbelief at Tasian, only to splutter, the grating sound of his voice making the guard captain's already foul mood worsen, "C-Captain Whitaker! I-I wasn't informed that you were coming, is there something wrong? Anything you need assistance with?" The saliva spraying from the man's lips had made Tasian's expression tighten. How dirty indeed.

"I need that woman," He pointed toward where the woman in question, though questions were beginning to spring to his mind just why he needed to take her in particular from this hellhole. Clearly, her spirit hadn't been broken enough yet, and despite being informed that she was considered dangerous, he didn't have a single clue why. "The king orders it to be delivered to him, give me the keys so I can take it away." Yes, as far as he was concerned the woman didn't even have the pleasure of being referred to as a person, he wouldn't even consider it. The quicker he could take her away, the quicker he could get back to the kingdom and not be burdened with an escort mission that he still had no clue why he must perform it, but his role wasn't to question the king. Whatever the king desired, he would fulfill it to the best of his abilities without question.

Swain's sweaty face seemed to pale as he said hesitantly, "T-the king...?" Tasian's expression tightened further, causing the other man to hurriedly pat himself down, his fingers trying to reach for the keys as he finally produced them, "H-here! Is that all you need?" Tasian's cold eyes slid to the sweat covered keys that had been dropped within his hand, disgust coiling in his gut as he turned on his heel, "That will be all." Taking a few steps away, he paused as he looked over his shoulder, "Though, expect a report to be made. These prisoners haven't been properly broken. I was expecting better from you, Swain." With that being spoken, Tasian had crossed back to the foul-smelling pit, the keys jingling within his hand as he approached the white-haired woman, eyeing her with unmasked disgust.

The smell lingering to her was no fault of her own, but he couldn't permit her to have an audience with the king in her current state, nor did she seem to be too healthy either... well, perhaps he could try to get her in better condition prior to whatever the king wanted her for. Crouching down, he roughly grabbed hold of her leg in which the chain was attached, his grip becoming as firm as iron as the man inserted the key into the lock and turned, a familiar click reaching his ears as the steel had loosened and fell away into the foul dirt as he then rose to his full height, keeping the keys closer to himself so that she wouldn't attempt anything foolish as he then grabbed hold of her arms and clamped the heavy steel of cuffs on her hands, not allowing her to take any chances to make a run for it or try to free any of her fellows.

Grasping her by the back of her tattered clothes, he began to drag her toward where his stallion was waiting, moving toward the horse tethered behind his chestnut steed, and with rough movements had pushed her upward within the saddle, reaching once more to the side of the saddle where he withdrew more chains, tying the heavy metal to that of the shackles and securely tethering it to the back of his saddle, just to make sure that she wouldn't attempt to jump off horseback. It simply would result in her being dragged behind the horses if she even tried, one that Tasian almost would like to see happen if only he wasn't so short on time at the moment.

Stepping back, he didn't acknowledge her further, and instead climbed back atop of his stallion, now aware of the growing crowd of prisoners now watching them. That was curious, normally the prisoners were too broken to even acknowledge human presence or the absence of one. But their eyes, he didn't like what he saw. They still had life in them, rage from what he could determine from the many faces turned in his direction and more than anything they were defiant. That alone made a risk for the king's rule, one that he needed to prevent. Spurring his stallion into a light canter, the guard captain's expression remained locked in one that was emotionless as he guided the steed through the crowd that seemed to be stopping and watching as he passed, their gazes all the same from what he could see.

Of course, soon came the shouts of the overseers and the cracks of whips, the sound of screams coming once more to the tense air, and the scattering of footfall as the prisoners were forced to disperse by the men whom were supposed to keep production steady, no doubt Swain trying to make up for his blunder with Tasian's implied threat. It seemed this wouldn't be an issue Tasian had to attend to... At least not yet.

 

[catatonic]

The woman only watched as the scene unfolded and when returned she grunted in his grasp, shifting her weight to balance herself. She dropped her foot when released and looked up at the male with anger in her eyes. She was shackled again by the hands this time and dragged away with no protest. She could feel the anger from the crowd but nobody offered help. They only watched from where they stood with picks and shovels in hand.

She didn't protest when she knew that it was a fruitless endeavor. As she was pushed onto the horse and chained to the saddle, she only kept her gaze ahead of herself and held her head high. The men and women imprisoned would not see her off in a pity. They would boil with anger and rage. She would give them this relief for as long as she could. At least she could do that. The white haired woman licked her lips as the white haired man mounted his stallion and lead them away, her red eyes focused on his broad back.

She was seething behind that calm attitude. But there was nothing she could do. She was taken from one chain and placed in another. And she knew for now that she could not fight back from the position she was in. She did not ask why the king wanted her. The question would come when the time was right. For now she remained quiet as they left the camp, knowing it would be a long journey before they reached the city and the palace.

The screams still echoed in her ears even as they left the compound. But she did nothing ever still. Her bones ached with the heavy shackles and her stomach growled in hunger and yet she did not request nourishment. He looked at her as a thing, not a person, so why would he feed her? He wouldn't. So she didn't ask. She would rather waste away and die on the trip to the city than ask this brute of a man to give her the basic things to sustain her on the trip. She cared not for seeing the king, was disgusted by her escort, and filled with anger and blood lust. Yet still, the white haired ex-princess head her head high and defiant despite the circumstances she found herself in.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

The woman's silence behind him, although certainly unexpected was more of a relief for Tasian. The man had no time to deal with angry jabs and sarcastic retorts, for daring to insult him would be by extension an insult to the royal family, and that was something he would not tolerate. However, what did slightly annoy him was the holes the woman was burning into his back which finally caused the guard captain to slightly turn his head to look at her, seeing that she was stubbornly holding her head up high with dignity had made the man's lips twitch in the beginnings of a frown. Who did this prisoner think she was? Of course, she wasn't necessarily doing anything in particular wrong, however it was her attitude that was rubbing him the wrong way. His eyebrows furrowed as he turned his head away, deciding quite quickly that it wasn't worth his time as the doors to the mining compound slowly had creaked open, the grating sounds of rusty hinges echoing in the man's eyes as the outside world was revealed.

It was a beautiful sight outside of the camp that screamed of despair, boasting of brilliant green grass and distant mountains, and due to it still being relatively early in the day the blue skies seemed even more so vibrant than before. And yet, if one would peer very closely to the mountains, north of the camp in the distance, one could see the kingdom of Yeldware. The pristine white walls of the kingdom seemed ever glistening within the light of the sun, and yet such a kingdom thrived on the back breaking work of the people they enslaved within the scattered mining camps.

Nudging his horse northward to their destination, the path ahead seemed to be clear and quiet, nothing eventful occurring as he once more allowed silence to flow between the two. From his stiff posture, to the occasional way he turned his head to observe their surroundings, the man was truly robotic. There was no personality within him, no quirks from what the eye could see. Though, his behavior could be easily explained. As of late, Yeldware did have its fair share of enemies, all of which had formed small bands of rebellion against the crown. So, if he were to come across any rebels, he was to execute them on sight as to not allow the situation to get any worse than it already was. Travellers did commonly get attacked on their way to Yeldware and most didn't survive the encounter. So, that added more risk to this escort mission he had to complete.

After what would be perhaps an hour of riding in uncomfortable silence, the man finally had slowed his stallion to a halt, settling the horse within the shelter of thick trees. This would be one of many forests that they would have to go through, although luckily enough this one was rather small compared to the others and provided some sort of break from the long trek they had to carry out. Slipping from the back of the chestnut stallion, he grasped the reigns of the horse and tethered it to a nearby lower branch, guiding the horse tethered to his own a bit closer in the cover of the thick trees. It was then that he made his way to one of the many supply bags hanging from his horse's saddle and secured a cloth, an odd choice as he so far hadn't spoken a single word.

Moving back toward the horse with the woman still chained to the saddle, he untied the chain within the matter of a few moments only to roughly grab hold of her and pull her from her saddle. With that, the man began to drag her into the dense forest and for what would perhaps be a few moments of the rough treatment, the sound of flowing water could be heard. Soon, a small stream was visible, one he had taken note of on his way to retrieve the princess. It was here that he tightly held her wrist and unlocked the chains bound to her, taking care not to let go due to knowing fully well that she'll try to flee, he instead secured the heavy irons to her feet, and promptly dropped the piece of cloth in her hands, finally speaking a simple order of, "Clean yourself. Don't think of running away either, I'd see to it that you'll never make use of your legs again if you even so much as take a step to escape." Cold as expected, but Tasian was giving her the opportunity to wash away all of the dirt and grime that had collected itself on her skin. Of course, he had no interest of watching her, after all she was an insect to his eyes and a mere criminal at that, so the man had moved away a few paces, grasping hold of the iron chains that connected to the shackles on her feet and promptly stood with his back to her, set on completely looking away from her. This was the most privacy he could give her within reason. He couldn't trust that she wouldn't bolt at the quickest opportunity.

 

[catatonic]

When the man turned to look at her, she let her eyes move to his face. She noted the scar that ran across his otherwise handsome features, and still behind those red eyes was the burn of anger. She huffed when he turned away again with the signs of a frown beginning to grow on his lips. Not much of a conversationalist is he? She thought to herself as they left the camp, the sounds of the birds waking up for the day filling her ears while the rising sun cast a warm light upon them.

She was silent throughout the trip, just looking at his back as his head moved from side to side. Must be bandits. It'd be my luck they'd attack us. And their downfall. I doubt he'd let a single one touch me, since I'm to be presented to the king. She scowled to herself at the thought of the king wanting her for whatever reason. The smell of the pine around them was a welcome change to the death and feces and body odor she had come accustom to in the labor camp.

As he slowed his horse, question flashed behind those red eyes but nothing was verbalized. She let him unchain her, not that she had a choice, and followed to her best ability after he pulled her from the stead she was mounted atop. It was a bit of a struggle to stay upright as they walked, her feet snagging tree roots and only having his hand on her arm was her saving grace. The sounds of the stream trickling filled her eyes before she laid eyes upon it. When he unchained her hands, she rubbed her sore wrists and looked down as he shackled her ankles instead. There would be no chance of escape from this man. He seemed to know she was dangerous, or at least a flight risk. So she sighed as she looked at the cloth in her hands and listened quietly to his words.

Only when he turned his back did she move to actually clean herself. She shed the simple shirt she wore to reveal a dragon tattoo on her back, crouching to dip the cloth in the water before running it over her arms in turns to remove the dirt and grime that covered her skin. She was thankful he at least turned away from him, but part of her hadn't cared if he had thought to stay facing her. She was thin, thinner than normal, with her ribs sticking out here and there and scars littering her upper arms and collar bone areas. The white haired woman used the rag to wash her face, gingerly running the cloth over her breasts and stomach in attempt to clean herself before moving to her legs, shivering slightly as the wind licked at her wet skin. After a few minutes, she dressed again, and gave a tug of the chain to signal that she was done. Not once did she utter a word to the white haired jailer of hers.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

As Tasian faced away from her, the only sound he was greeted by in response was the sound of shifting clothes over skin and the eventual splashing of the stream's waters as the prisoner had begun to clean herself. However, as his gaze settled upward toward the sun's light beginning to stream in through the canopy overhead, he was beginning to grow impatient. This impatience was reflected in the light thumping of his foot, annoyance twisting his expression as the thought of they were wasting precious time doing this had rang through his mind. The impatience was flaring into irritation as he was almost tempted to turn on his heel and inflict some sort of physical pain on the woman to get her to hurry up, but he would refrain from resulting to such violent impulses, as he didn't need to inflict anymore injuries upon her body than necessary. Appearance was everything to King William, and if she were to come to the throne room beaten beyond recognition, Tasian would find himself on the receiving end of the king's displeasure.

Yes, he knew King William was sheltered, ever since Tasian was a young boy he viewed the king's actions and his reactions to the people he controlled. In all, the man was either ignorant of the pain he cast upon people at random, or he were perhaps as vain as he was cruel. If he were to bring the princess in such a disheveled state, even smelling of the dead the king would find offense in such a presentation. It was annoying, but Tasian would bend to the will of the king no matter how unreasonable he got majority of the time. This escort mission however was already proving to be a massive headache as his mind was going over the checklist that he had to fulfill before arriving in the gleaming palace of Yeldware, this seemed to be more trouble than it was worth.

The tugging of the chain had finally drew the man's attention as he turned to look at the red-eyed woman who had remained quite silent. Part of him had expected her to spit some form of insult, or perhaps act out in some sort of rebellious action by now... but thankfully enough she had remained quite calm and reasonable enough. The icy blue of his gaze had settled upon the rather ill-fitting excuse for rags that hung far too loosely on her thin form, his eyes narrowing slightly in displeasure as he was thinking now to the king and how the man would react if she were to arrive in such disgusting rags. In all honesty, it just would result in more of a fuss than necessary with the king throwing a tantrum, and considering Tasian could still smell a lingering scent of dead clinging to the prisoner's clothes, they would have to be discarded at the soonest opportunity and traded out for something better. On that note, he would also have to fatten her up a little, to at least appear healthy enough the more his eyes were taking note of how underfed she was. This is annoying.

The little moment of silence between the two didn't seem be interrupted, as he had approached the woman then, transferring her shackles back to her wrists securely before beginning to once more drag her after him toward where the horses were waiting. Upon getting back to the horses however, he searched through his saddlebags once more before securing what he had been looking for. He had an acceptable amount of food supplies which he could restock on once they reached the nearest village, although such a trip would take around a day's travel to reach the village. It was rather simple, a loaf of bread which he ripped a portion off and promptly pressed the piece of bread in the woman's shackled hands. He cared not if she dropped it, he would not give her another for the duration of the trip until they would stop, "Eat." Quite odd indeed why he was going through this much trouble, any other solider perhaps wouldn't even spare her a single morsel of their own food supply and yet here he was giving her some of his food. His expression didn't show any pity or any other emotion for that matter which made this action in itself quite strange.

 

[catatonic]

The woman had watched him quietly with red eyes on his hands as he shackled her wrists once more. When he grabbed her by the scruff and began dragging her away again, she followed without complaint. There was no reason to complain when she couldn't do anything to get out of the chains on her. What did amaze her was the offer of the piece of bread he gave her when they returned to the horses. She looked at it in silence as she listened to him before she slowly began to eat it. She stopped only when he pushed her onto the stead that was her mount and sighed to herself when he shackled her again.

"I think I'll be needing a new outfit," She commented sometime later throughout their journey. They had been riding for at least a half hour and she held onto the rest of the bread. She had only eaten half of it, having been confused as to why he shared his food with the woman. She hadn't expected it. Any other solider would only care to take her to the king, not to feed her. She had figured that he would only do his job and not care for her well being while on their trip. "I doubt the king would like me in such a condition." She finished, red eyes calm and stomach full.

She had been given the bare minimum in the labor camp, just enough to say that she was fed without gaining any weight or muscle. She was severely malnurished and would need more than a piece of bread to put fat on her bones. Aside from requesting clothes, she said nothing else to the white haired man, eyes straying from his back to survey their surroundings. So far it had been a calm and quiet trip but the longer they traveled the more she felt a sickening feeling pit her stomach. Like someone was following them, but of course she didn't voice this. Instead, she stroked the the mane of the black stallion she was on top as she turned her red hues back on the back of the man leading her.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

As Tasian had once more sought to the task of actually beginning to cover as much ground as they could manage for one day, as he coaxed his stallion into a brisk trot through the forest, making sure that his steed did not slow, he could feel a prickle of unease run up his spine. It was a minor feeling, something that he ignored at first as his attention was brought to the comment of the woman behind him, causing the man to grunt in response, his fingers in reflex clenching around the reigns within his hands, tight enough that his knuckles had turned white from the pressure. "I'm well aware." That was the only acknowledgement she would get from him, he knew quite well that her current clothes were unacceptable to even so much as step in the same room as the king. He'd be chastised without end from the immature man if he even dared to present her in such an inadequate manner.

It seemed however, as time was passing by that the man was growing more tense. The trip as it was had been calm and uneventful, but that just didn't seem quite right even if Tasian had a rather uneventful trip to the mining compound before. Their current location was still within territory that was not actively controlled by Yeldware. Occasionally the king's soldiers did pass through this forest on the way to the mining camp, but it was still dangerous to produce much if any noise, and truly the guard captain didn't want to draw attention to themselves, thus his mostly silent demeanor - though that could be blamed upon him not very much liking the woman behind him either. The man's eyes shifted toward the forest surrounding them, the sound of bird song suddenly coming to a halt. A feeling of apprehension had settled upon his body, running up his spine and causing his stomach to twist. Something wasn't right, and it was clear that they needed to move quickly.

With the dying light of the afternoon sun streaming through the dense trees above, perhaps they had a few more hours if even that of sunlight left. Once night fell, visibility would be difficult and if anyone were to attack, it would fall to Tasian to protect both of them which the captain wanted to avoid fights if necessary. The man once more spurred his stallion forward, though now his eyes turned to anything that moved whether it was the fall of a leaf or the rustling of the wind in the trees, anything and everything could be a threat.

Soon, his apprehension would prove to be correct to have. An hour passed and with it, the forest was growing dark, and with it the path ahead was becoming less and less distinguishable. I need to secure a shelter. Just as he was about to once more stop his stallion from moving forward, a sudden flash of movement had caught his eye and with it from the shadows of the trees the tip of an arrow was soon set flying free, the arrow finding its mark in Tasian's shoulder causing pain to immediately flare up as a result. A multitude of figures had peeled themselves away from the dark, though all were cloaked and from the weapons they carried appearing nothing more than tools farmers would typically use, to rather crudely made bows it was clear that this was one of the rebellious groups against Yeldware.. or perhaps a band of bandits. Either way, this wasn't beneficial.

The pain throbbing in his shoulder would be ignored by the man as his hand had gripped the sword nestled securely near his stallion's side, only for another bow to be notched, pointing it at the man as he stiffened in response, jaw clenching as one of the cloaked figures moved closer to him, pointing the blade of a rusted sickle tinged with the reddened color of dried blood among the russet hues of rust as the man hissed, "No sudden movements, otherwise that arrow will go through your skull!" The threat nearly made Tasian's expression twist to irritation as his eyes slid back over to the one bandit still aiming the crude bow at him, but judging alone from the strain of holding the bow tight making the bandit's arms tremble, in turn making Tasian release a heavy exhale in response. He truly didn't have time for this, especially when it seemed like untrained farmers... if they even were untrained farmers. If not that, then perhaps rebellious peasants?

 

[catatonic]

The woman hadn't replied when he acknowledged her about her outfit, only silent as the trip carried on. She watched their surrounding with a narrowed gaze while that feeling of dread only seemed to grow stronger. She could tell her felt it too as he seemed to be on guard as their trip continued. Her white hair was still pulled in a braid behind her back and strands fell loosely in her face as the wind blew by them. Her fingers remained in the mane of the stallion beneath her. She noted he was a beautiful beast and only briefly wondered what it would be like to ride the creature not shackled to it but freely. She knew she wasn't going to get such a pleasure.

As the hours passed and they trekked on further, her red gaze was trained on the man's back once more. That uneasy feeling did not go away. And when he spurred the horses faster, she knew he wanted to find somewhere to make camp. But such a luxury wouldn't be made as the sight of an arrow flying by them lodged itself into a nearby tree. Her gaze followed where the arrow had come from and when the man before her was struck in the shoulder, she tugged ever so slightly at her chains like she could get out. She was in a horrible position for an attack. Chained and unable to help herself. She was subject to whatever their attackers wanted and there was nothing she could do about it.

Frowning as their attackers presented themselves, she watched the white haired man as he went for his sword only to be commanded not to move. There was a bowman with his weapon pointed straight at the man's head. She would be lucky if they decided to kill him, having that as a means of some freedom, but doomed at the same time as she could be taken prisoner by the men that surrounded them. Her red gaze surveyed the men as they crowded the pair, noting that the men seemed like simple farmers upon first look. "I don't suppose you're the type to treat a lady fairly." She commented to the men as her red gaze looked over each and every one of them. The bowman seemed to be straining under the pull of his bow and seemed to wish for a relief of putting it aside. Perhaps she could talk their way out of a scuffle. Surely she could do that much.

"Why do you attack us? We're merely a simple escort and prisoner. There are no valuables here." She continued, voice light and airy as to not cause more of problem. "Surely there is nothing here of value to you." While she wanted them to unchain her from her stead, she figured the captain that escorted her was better company than the frail attackers of theirs. And one thing she wondered was how they had managed to track them throughout their trip. When had they started following them exactly? Waiting to prey upon the two like a lion to gazelle.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

The leader of the group had pointed the rusted sickle at Tasian in response to the woman's question, "Nothing valuable? As if we're that foolish to believe such rubbish! Not with that bastard!" He pointed the sickle closer to Tasian, anger in the cloaked figures eyes, "The king's lapdog wouldn't be coming out in the middle of nowhere for no reason! So you," His eyes turned to the woman who had spoken, "You're clearly valuable too!" Tasian exhaled sharply in annoyance then, now his attention had turned once more on the struggling man pointing the bow at him; the trembling being more obvious than before. Clearly he wasn't going to be able to hold it much longer.

His jaw clenched, teeth grinding together as a vein was beginning to spring to life upon his forehead, his mood turning foul as at the farmer's ridiculous reasoning, the sensation of throbbing pain within his fresh shoulder wound aiding his anger. Very well, if these fools wouldn't stand aside, then he would make sure they would suffer for their insolence. The icy blue of his eyes shifted toward the farmer who was spouting more insults against the royal family, his rusted sickle now being held a bit loosely within his hand, clearly thinking that he held the upper hand now against the two due to Tasian's inaction so far.

"That devil of a king needs to pay for how horrid he's-" Before the cloaked man could finish the sentence, a startled sound left his lips as Tasian's hand darted forward, grasping hold of the rusted sickle and turning it upon the man in a deft movement, the rusted blade slitting a jagged, rough cut against the startled man's neck just as the loud twang of the bow had rang out in the sudden confusion, the arrow having missed its mark and instead had hit the tree directly behind Tasian as the man had suddenly spurred his horse as the peasants were dissolving quickly into a disorganized mess, flailing arms and dropped weapons suddenly littering the pathway accompanied by startled cries as the man didn't hesitate to urge his chestnut steed to trample any fool that dared remain in his way, his eyes blazing with the rage that was now guiding his one-sided slaughter as bodies were falling to the forest grounds.

It didn't take long however, a few of the peasants having fled far before Tasian could reach them, but for now the man was breathing uneven as he dropped the sickle to the ground, attempting to suppress the curses that were threatening to spill past his lips. This was an unnecessary detor, now realizing that he had charged a bit off the path, he grunted as he urged his horse in the opposite direction to the center pathway, not bothering to steer his horse away from any trampled bodies upon the forest floor.

 

[catatonic]

Her face twisted in an expression of distaste as the cloaked man referred to her as the valuable treasure in need of taking. She meagerly held up the chained hands on hers and frowned as the man continued his speech. He didn't speak for much longer though, as she watched as Tasian had used the man's very sickle as his means of death. And more death followed as she was pulled with the white haired man, red eyes watching as the fools began to fall lifeless to the ground. No words were sparred and nothing she could say would stop the bloodshed. They had brought it upon themselves trying to attack such a dangerous man to begin with.

When he re-centered their horses and found their way back to the correct path, her nose crinkled at the sight of the dead. She had seen much death, had dealt it with her own hands, but this was a mindless slaughter and she only prayed that the gods would be merciful to the poor souls that found their way to them. She said nothing to her jailer as he began their trek once more, eyes on his back with a slight rage to them. She couldn't be in another position to fall victim to whomever came by with only him as her protection. He was a ruthless man and could turn on her in an instant and there was nothing she could do in her shackles.

As their trip continued, she kept an eye out as precaution but there was no uneasy feeling in her gut. All seemed quiet as night began to fall and a slight chill fell over her bones as the wind blew briskly. They needed to find a place for camp but she didn't voice this. The man was already angry and she needn't stir it up more in pointing out something obvious. A sigh left her lips as she looked at her shackled hands, wishing she weren't in chains. She wouldn't get the luxury of being unchained though, Tasian was too smart for that. She would be more help in another scrap if he did unchain her, but she wouldn't be blessed with such an act. He viewed her as dangerous and wouldn't fancy the thought of her being unchained and free to fight. Why? Because she would fight tooth and nail to get away from him, and he knew that. So instead her fingers laced themselves in the stallion's mane once more as the horses continued their trek, her red gaze on the back of the man escorting her.

She could tend to his wound, but she saw no use in offering such assistance. He didn't like nor trust her. And there was no reason he should. She was an enemy to his king. Rila was well known, but often forgotten about among the common folk, but her escort was notorious among the people. His reputation for being ruthless and cold hearted was known far and wide. As the last of the original royal family, Rila Stone, also known as The Ruby Dragon, was the true heir to the throne that the man's king sat upon. She had every right and dignity stripped away the day he killed her family and stole her throne all those years ago. Now instead of peace and mercy, blood and fear ran rampant and the man escorting her was at the pillar of it all. He was the highest ranking man in the false king's army, and Rila was merely a fly on the wall trying to crawl back into the grace she lost. And fighting the man escorting her wouldn't do her any good. He could kill or maim her at a whim and feel no remorse for doing so. So the white haired woman just sighed as their journey continued.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

The sickening sound of flesh popping and bones breaking underneath horse's hooves normally would be like music to Tasian's ears, it would usually mean a job well done, a successful mission drawing to a close and commendations raining down upon his head. However, the death of his enemies were doing little to improve Tasian's mood; although he was grateful that they had fallen quickly quickly were none too skilled, they still were very much annoyances and had injured him. The arrowhead in question was still lodged stubbornly in the man's shoulder, his blood not showing much upon the crimson of his uniform, but the pain was very much there.

Shifting the reigns to his unburdened side, Tasian guided his stallion down the thickening forest pathway, though with the skies beginning to be stained orange, there was little time for them to continue for that day. Sleep would have to come, and the man had an injury now to tend to. Not only that, but he was growing tired of feeling the woman's eyes burning holes into his back, all too aware of the hatred within those accursed crimson eyes of hers. The thought of her looking at him made him sick.

Shifting his weight in his saddle, his eyes began to restlessly scan the undergrowth for any signs of cover, though it seemed the two would be in luck, for a rocky outcropping could be seen in the midst of the dense forestry, it wasn't anything much to look at, nor did it seem like a deep cave or anything of the sort, but it would be better than nothing and would serve their purposes for now.

"We're going to rest." The sentence was spoken monotone and uninterested, lacking pain or discomfort. Robotic, controlled, cold and logical. This was merely normal behavior for the captain though, as the man was always used to being in control, despite the situation having thrown him for quite a loop so far. The stinging of his injury had settled into an angry aching as he had turned the horses in the direction of the rocky crevice, only slipping from his saddle when the opportunity to do so had presented itself and the man had landed upon his feet, his other arm remaining limp at his side as to not agitate the injury he had gained further.

Silently, he would then approach his prisoner, the icy blues of his eyes meeting her crimson as he grabbed hold of her cuffed hands in one and had painfully moved his other arm to begin to unbind her from the chains connecting the cuffs to the saddle horn, only to drag her once more from the back of the stallion and promptly deposited her underneath the protection of the rocky cave, his stern expression unwavering as he looked her over in all too obvious distain, but a warning glare as well. Even if he was injured, if she even thought of making a run for it, he would make sure she would regret it.

It was only then after making his silent warning, Tasian had once more left her side and began rummaging through the horse's saddlebags only to produce some bread, then rummaged through yet another though it seemed like a soldier's provision for a blanket of some sort. Not particularly comfortable, but comfortable enough to be able to assist braving the chilly nights that would come. Wordlessly, he approached once more, extending the bread to her, "Eat," He paused as he glanced to to blanket he was holding as well, only to toss it at her as well, "Use this too."

Stepping away from the young woman, the guard captain had finally allowed himself to rest, his back leaning against the cave wall as in the fading light of the sun, a thin sheen of sweat was upon his face as his fingers were moving to the arrow lodged in his shoulder, his hands tightening around the shaft, only to rip the arrow with a soft popping sound as his flesh relinquished its hold on the arrowhead. A faint sound of pain managed to finally slip past his lips as fresh blood flowed from the injury, wetting his uniform further around the shoulder with the salty tang of his blood.

 

[catatonic]

Though the sounds of hooves crushing bone was familiar to the young woman, it saddened her heart to hear such things. She remembered the peace that her father had helped create. Rila was only happy that the killing of the men hadn't taken long. She heaved a deep breath as she looked to the sky, red eyes watching the sky as it tinted oranges and reds above their heads. She loved looking at the sunsets, she was thankful she lived another day.

The sound of rustling clothing pulled the young woman from her fond thoughts of her brother. Her red gaze shifted from the beautiful sight to the man before her, and she noticed her had switched positions. Probably hurting with that arrow in his shoulder. She thought to herself as they continued on their way, her gaze leaving him to survey their surroundings. He seemed to have found a nice spot beneath the rock outcropping. She would not question why he chose to make their camp where he did. It wasn't like she had any opinion on it in his eyes.

At his words, she merely hummed to herself in response. At least he didn't sound like he was in too much pain. She wondered to herself how long before the pain bothered him too much though. The white haired man had yet to show any feeling towards the arrow in his shoulder. She watched as he approached her, letting him unchain her, and amused by his stiffness. Her red gaze did not leave his icy blue, that defiant and hot fire burning in her eyes ever still. As he pulled her from the stallion, and pushed her into the rock side, Rila didn't say a word. At his look, she merely raised her hands to show the shackles on her wrists, as if she were stupid enough to fight the man.

Her eyes followed him as he walked away to the horses for a few moments before returning, presenting her with another piece of bread and a blanket in one hand. She took the bread without a word and watched as he turned away and paused. When he threw the blanket at her, she blocked it with her hands so it hadn't hit her in the face. The white haired woman let it fall in her lap, still offering the man no words. She merely watched as he walked away from her and leaned against the cave wall, and watched still as he removed the arrow from his shoulder. "If you have the supplies," She started after a moment or two of silence between them, the bread nestled between her fingers. "I can tend to your wound. Infection can be a horrid thing."

 

[LONELYRAIN]

A callous hand pressed tight against the open injury, jaw clenching and twitching as he struggled to not allow himself to show much more of the pain from crossing his features. However, the sound of the woman's voice had made the man turn his gaze toward her, a tightening of his eyebrows to form a deep crease upon his forehead would follow as she had offered to tend to his wound. The first thought of "what was she thinking" had come to his mind, bewilderment settling in the guard captain's chest as he was trying to think of any rational rhyme or reason to her seemingly kind offer. Eventually, the man's head turned away, uninterested once more as he slowly stood. His mind had finally settled on the offer being irrational, and that of a trap.

Even if she were cuffed, even if she was weakened from hunger, he wouldn't put himself at her mercy for even the fraction of a second. "Just eat." His firm response was detached as he stepped away from the woman, approaching the horse once more to try and shift through the bags, eventually settling on thick cloth, albeit the cloth wouldn't be the most comfortable; instead being rather irritating to the skin by the rough texture, it would do for now. His steps would then be retraced back to his spot, stiff and proper movements until he finally had collapsed upon the rock flooring, his hands beginning to come up to undo the buttons of the crimson uniform, though there was plate armor settled underneath, just in case for situations that may risk him be skewered through his torso, the man truthfully didn't care if her eyes would be focused upon him or not, settling on taking the rough cloth as he ripped a piece away and turned his head to examine the arrow wound, his lips pursing in distaste and annoyance.

Although the injury itself was a clean puncture, the yellow beginning to swell within the crimson wasn't a good sign. A heavy sigh left his lips as his bloodied hand braced itself against the wound, part of his mind wondering where in the world mere farmers of all people had even so much as come across the substance that was producing such a negative reaction? It wasn't as if Tasian was feeling particularly ill, due to the man having tried to take as many precautions as possible, this including ingesting volatile substances to build resistance. However, even if he was resistant to most poisons, this one in particular was unfamiliar, new to Yeldware's lands. His mind was settling on remembering this, slowly beginning to think over his options as his fingers tentatively squeezed, the yellow substance flowing from the wound until there was only the darkness of his blood that remained. Tingles of pain flared from the injury, causing a bit of sweat to settle upon his stoic features as he took in a breath and exhaled, and despite his composure from where his hand rested that was currently tending to the wound, it was trembling a sign of pain that he couldn't fully suppress despite desiring strongly to do so.

With resignation, Tasian's eyes turned back to the prisoner, then back to the cloth he was now holding onto with his other hand of which had clenched so tight into the cloth that the knuckles had turned white. Forcing his grip to slacken, his jaw clenched as he truly seemed like he'd just encountered something foul before he spoke, "...Help me wrap it up." Reluctance dripped in every syllable, but right now the man couldn't do it well himself, evident enough in the severe shaking of his hands, though this could just be a result of the pain, it could be some effect of the poison that had managed to get into his system.

 

[catatonic]

Rila had been watching him closely, much like she had when he first picked her up, but now it was more intently. She wanted to help him, because if he got hurt even more or an infection he would be useless in protecting her. She was no fool to think those peasants had not come up with some kind of poison. She had come up with a few herself, ones the Yeldware kingdom hadn't thought of yet, back before she had been captured and thrown into the mining camp. She watched him, red eyes still burning but somewhat softer than before, as he looked at him. She offered no other words as he turned away and after a few moments stood and walked away from his seat.

She wondered how bad the wound was, since she could see his hand shaking from where she remained seated. The white haired woman knew well how bad arrow wounds hurt, and if she was right about him being poisoned she could only imagine how bad it felt for the man. She lifted the bread to her lips and took a bite as she watched him, finding his slender form appealing to the eye for what she could see. Not that she would voice such a thing, it had been but a fleeting thought.

Her red gaze lifted to his as she swallowed, listening to his words quietly. She didn't move at first, just watched him, but after a moment she nestled the bread on top the blanket and made her way towards him. Wordlessly, she took the cloth from him and began to dab at the wound, checking to see how deep it went, and left his side to search his saddlebags. After a few minutes, she returned with a coil of white bandages and another cloth to cover the wound, eyeing his physique as she dropped to her knees beside him again. "Sit forward and lift your arm just a bit." She ordered him, waiting till he had done so to cover the wound with the fresh cloth and begin wrapping his shoulder with the white bandage, no other words leaving her lips and eyes watching what she did with a silent determination behind them.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

Tasian's eyes remained upon the woman as she in turned watched him. It was a tension that had settled, the silence doing little to improve his mood as she served to not be willing enough to move to assist him. A click of his tongue would be his response then as icy eyes finally broke the connection, trying his best to stop the shaking of his trembling hands as the digits disobeyed and served to continue to twitch and tremble at every slight inclination of him moving his arm. This is absurd. Venomous was the thought that filtered through his mind as the rough cloth he still had within his grip was becoming more so uncomfortable for him to be holding onto as a numbness seeped into his fingertjps.

The captain could do little to ease his discomfort, his breaths quivering within his chest as he could feel the prisoner's gaze still on him, that would normally receive quite the angry glare if she hadn't moved. The sound of her footsteps had made the man's expression freeze in disbelief she had approached, the rough cloth being taken from his fingers and soon transfered to his open wound which received quite the stiffening of his facial features as the roughness of texture was serving to irritate the wound a bit further, but he would not complain.

It wouldn't be long until she would leave his side and once more rummage about in the saddlebags, only to continue her treatment which left his mind spiraling in question after question, but the man would do as he was told as she ordered him, causing his eyebrows to furrow as he glared at her from the corner of his eye. Not that he was too happy about this, he certainly wasn't... but it was certainly better than letting his injury become infected. The reassurance within his mind had caused him to relax again as he took in a shallow breath, trying to keep his breaths even as the numb feeling in his fingers were slowly beginning to encase his hands. It was gradual at least, and certainly not the worse effect.

Eyes once more turned to observe the woman and the determination in her eyes, even for a task as small as this... She's dangerous. Stubborn, or perhaps the determined streak within her was what told him enough on how she was stubborn enough to survive until this point. In his mind, she was becoming increasingly a threat which in response, Tasian's hand had moved, his hand clasping around her own although his grip was weak due to the numbness within the icy fingers, "Enough." He would stop her, she had done well enough to cover the injury, and he wouldn't permit her to come too close or comfortable with him.

 

[catatonic]

Rila had been watching her for the better part of the day, including when he got injured in the first place. She breathed deeply through her nose as she wrapped his arm, keeping her gaze on his shoulder as she did. She could tell by his movements that he had to be numb in his hands, her eyes were trained to see such things after all. She was a maker of medicines and poisons, she could see the affects they had on a person even if she didn't see the poison itself.

She worked without a word, tying the bandage when she was done wrapping it. When his fingers encased her wrist and he spoke, she turned her crimson gaze onto his handsome face in question. She stared at him for a moment or two in silence, a little shocked his grip wasn't any tighter but thinking it had to be because of the pain he was feeling. "You need to rest." She finally said, pulling herself from his grasp.

She watched him a moment or two longer as she stayed by his side, wanted to do more to help, but she sighed and pulled her gaze from his blue one and retreated back to where she had been across the way from him. He was no fool to think her not to be dangerous, he was no fool in not wanting to trust her. She knew though that a certain amount of trust would have to be shared while they were on their trip back to the city and palace. "I will check the wound again in the morning." She told him from where she sat, the blanket across her legs and bread in her hands again. "Sleep." She finished, taking a bite of the bread. She herself wouldn't sleep for a while, having beed used to staying up in the night to avoid night terrors.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

The stare the two had shared was one that Tasian was not breaking, distrust as clear as day within the icy blues as her gaze had finally left his own, and through his numb, weak fingers; his hold would slacken and slip, leaving him gazing in displeasure at the lack of feeling within his fingertips. Perhaps the poison had been meant to be more lethal? Or was it simply to be a mild annoyance? Regardless, he wasn't too concerned, merely inconvenienced by the new obstacle he would have to endure until it left his system. Nonetheless, her words of sense, words of concern on his behalf had made him stare in icy distrust at her once again.

Her lingering at his side did her no favors in his eyes, instead serving to make his skin crawl as the urge to slip his hand to his weapon to dispatch her quickly was becoming a sensation that he felt all too willing to act on... that was until she retreated, earning her an annoyed grunt from the man in response to her actions so far. Although, he knew enough that she had been acting relatively docile the whole way until this point, it still made him uneasy. The king wanted this woman for a reason, but all the information was withheld until Tasian would return; a fault of the king being rather eccentric and unreasonable at times.

More confusion served to soar in his chest again as his jaw clenched and eyebrows furrowed, just what the hell was she planning? As if he would allow himself to fall asleep with the likes of her staying awake; watching over him. No, he'd much rather take his chances with putting his life in the hands of a rabid bear than her, did she think him a fool? "No." The response was short and to the point, firm as he turned his head to the horses nearby, "You should be more concerned about improving your condition prior to me escorting you to the king." Logical and sound, not quite angry yet as she had not pushed hin to that point yet, but he sure seemed a bit annoyed from the annoyed twitch of his eyebrows and the clenching of his jaw.

No, he'll stay awake. There was no telling if she would take the opportunity to escape, she had already access to the saddlebags, and if he was unconscious or even by chance slipped into a deeper sleep, there was an all too high chance that by the time he awoken, she would be gone and he would have failed his duty. Sleep was something he could skip, it wasn't as if he'd not done it before, nor would he be able to anyways with having her in his presence. She was too much of an anomaly to let his guard down with.

 

[catatonic]

"Suit yourself." Rila merely shrugged at his denial of sleep from where she sat watching him. She turned her crimson gaze away after a moment or two, looking to the starry sky instead. She counted the stars in those long moments of silence between them, seemingly uncaring to the distrust in his icy blue gaze or his words for that matter. It didn't matter one way or another if he slept, she knew better than to try and escape. Even if he did sleep, which she doubted in that moment.

The white haired woman took a bite from the bread again, allowing and forcing herself to eat. She sighed to herself, watching the dark sky for a moment longer before pulling her gaze to look at the shackles on her wrists. It had been many months since the last time she had been a free woman, she only saw more shackles in her future. Or death. And at this point she welcomed death, had played at his door many nights in the past couple years in her efforts to take back her throne. She had wondered in that moment why the King wanted her, but she didn't ask Tasian as to why he had come for her. She knew she wouldn't get an explanation as to why, even if he knew why.

She looked back at him after a moment, chewing on another piece of the bread, admiring the fine physique of his. He is a handsome man, at least. Cold hearted, but nice to look at. She thought to herself, feeling a stirring inside her at the thought of him, but she tried her hardest to not let it show. He didn't trust nor like her, not that she could blame him. "I'll need more than empty calories to bring myself back to a better state of being." She remarked as she looked at him, knowing to herself that the bread wasn't substantial enough to put any weight on her bones.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

No comment came from the man in his cold silence, shifting his position so that he could have a better view of their surroundings, primarily the forestry that surrounded the little rocky outcropping that was serving as their camp. However, as he was settled in the matters of serving as a guard for the moment, he couldn't help but feel the woman's eyes upon him again. An expression of distaste was quick to follow as he glared at her from the corner of his eye. Why was she looking at him so? Tasian could not read the expression upon her face, nor could he even begin to pry any secrets from the ruby eyes that stared at him persistently.

If only he could prevent her from looking at him, it served to make his skin crawl. A question nearly flew from his lips then, what did she want? Surely she wanted something; not that he was obligated to fulfill any request if he found it unnecessary or foolish. Dismissive was his eyes then as he once more settled upon scanning the silent and still forest, void of any movement or sound. Slowly, his tense muscles were beginning to relax, only for the damnable woman's voice to pierce the silence and prompted his eyes to turn toward her again, irritation as plain as day in his gaze, "Do you think that I'm not aware?" Was the biting question that served to respond to her statement.

The man stood then, his steps carrying him back to the horse as he once more retrieved his sheathed sword, settling down in his spot again as numb fingers fumbled with sliding the sword from its scabbard, "Our first destination is going to be a small town; though we didn't cover enough ground today to make the trip short. If we're lucky, we'll reach there around noon, perhaps earlier." The gleam of his swords blade reached him as it slid from the scabbard, the feeling of metal within his calloused hands being a comfort to the man, something that reassured that he had something to defend himself with... just in case. Numb fingers ran carefully against the sword's blade, unable to feel the little scratches that were faded upon the cruel edge, it having seen its fair share of battles. Perhaps such scratches would be permanently gone if he took it to a blacksmith to properly tend to the weapon... but Tasian preferred doing it on his own.

icy eyes scanned the blade for any sign of further wear and tear before he carefully would slide the blade back in its sheath with a firm click, "Murlayfield is our first destination." A small, insignificant town still within rural territory of Yeldware's proud kingdom, filled with farmers and common folk, people that led quiet lives away from the hustle and bustle of Yeldware. It was somewhere he would rarely stop if only to refill on supplies, though such supplies were always sold very much cheaper than the kingdom. Saving coin on buying clothing and food for this woman would be preferred, though a passing thought of hoping to be compensated for all this trouble had filtered through his mind.

 

[catatonic]

Her lips twitched in a smirk when he glared at her again, like she wanted him to look at her. In the state she currently found herself in, Rila knew she wasn't the most desirable woman to look at. She was bone thin and the rags she wore did little to compliment her pale skin, white hair or red eyes. But she did like the color of his blue gaze, it made her want to question him about many things, especially the scar that ran across his face. Where did he get it and when? She knew it had to have been an awful fight to have nearly lost his eye in and it made her curious. Her curiosity also went to what he looked like without any clothes on, a thought that made a dull ache form between her legs, though she did little to try and appease the urge she was feeling. It wasn't like she was in any mood to pleasure herself staring at him, and when he spoke it pulled her from her naughty little thoughts.

She listened as she finished off the bread, saying nothing for a long few moments after he finished speaking so she could finish the food in her mouth. And even when she saw done, she didn't say anything at first, just thought about the little village he said they'd be stopping at first. "If you'd allow it." She started, breaking their silence. "We could get some herb so I can properly tend to your shoulder. We wouldn't want it to get infected and if what I'm seeing is correct, you've been poisoned. I'm certain I can concoct some form of remedy, I can't very well see my escort with numb fingers for the next few days if we end up in another scrap." She didn't think he would allow her to leave his side for much longer than it would take to relieve herself as in having to use the bathroom, and so far she hadn't made any attempt to move from her seat since she had returned to it.

She watched as he left his seat and returned with his sheathed sword in hand, eyeing the metal blade curiously as he unsheathed it. Probably feels more calm with it than without. She thought to herself, wondering how heavy the blade would be in her own fingers. It was a fleeting thought, but one she wished would happen. She was a rather skilled swords woman as she was with a bow and arrow or with her medicines and poisons. She had made sure she could take care of herself, as her loyal guards were either long dead or hidden away in some mining camp. "You look rather handsome." She decided to admit, knowing he wouldn't care one way or the other if she did admit such things. "I bet many a woman swoon when they see you. I bet the brothels in the city speak many naughty things about you." She teased, trying to lighten the heavy mood. Rila was always a jokester when the moment felt right and the tension in the air between them was far too heavy for her liking.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

More silence would follow if only for a brief moment in time, before she once more started speaking as it caused Tasian to roll his eyes, an action he normally would not take due to the appearance he had to fulfill. Cold and expressionless, controlled and careful, but this... this was annoying. Perhaps he was sooner expecting for her to be silent the whole time, a bit unnerving as it had been before but at least he could grow to be used to the lack of communication between them. It certainly helped him solidify her in his mind as nothing more than odd cargo, but now it seemed like the prisoner was becoming more talkative.

His hands clenched tighter around the scabbard in response, knuckles beginning to turn white underneath the pressure as he stared stubbornly ahead, ignoring the pale shade of a woman across from him, nothing more than skin and bones. "That would be an unnecessary expense. The poison will leave my system eventually." Blunt, and yet confident in this fact. Yes, it was annoying, but it will leave his system, it must. There were far more deadly poisons he had willingly ingested for his devotion to the crown, in order to push his body to its limit and then some.

Then came the rather unsettling remark from her.

The world didn't seem to catch up fast enough to the turn of his head, icy eyes staring holes into the woman of skin and bones as she had spoken, "What-" Confusion, he was very much confused. Where the hell did that come from? Alarm bells rang with clarity in his head as his expression twitched between shock and disgust, eventually settling on being disturbed. He found it disturbing that this was the turn in their conversation, upon a topic that he very much refused to cross, nor felt comfortable with especially considering this woman, this stranger was a prisoner. The compliment was very much not accepted.

Tasian's expression finally fully settled on visible disgust then, turning his head away as his fingers trembled around the sword within his hands. How he wished that he could perhaps slit her throat and be done with it, explain that it had been an accident to the king and- no. The king would not believe such lies, not with how efficient he had been through his career, nor his reputation of being an ever loyal lapdog to the royal family. He slowly released a breath he'd been holding as he spoke dryly, "I wouldn't know. Such things are a waste of my time."

The truth was both shocking and all the same wasn't. Nothing gave Tasian a sense of fulfillment aside from doing his duty; so anything uninvolved to further such means would be immediately tossed aside. Live, breathe, fight, and if needed to die for Yeldware and its people. Personal matters, or unnecessary emotions such as lust or love had long been cut out of the man. He had discarded his heart if only to become far stronger.

"Now, are you going to keep spouting nonsense, or do I need to cut your tongue out?" The threat hung in the air between them, the cold edge to his face being enough to show that he wasn't going to be dancing to her tune anytime soon. In fact, it seemed like the suspicion in his eyes was more so evident now than before with her comments. What was she planning? Was she trying to make him let his guard down? These thoughts only strengthened his distrust of her, prompting him in unconscious movement to hold the sheathed sword closer to his own body, almost in preparation to draw it as if he truly was serious about his threat.

 

[catatonic]

Rila had been pleased that her comment caused him confusion, even more pleased by the fact it had been an easy feat to accomplish. She would grow to enjoy teasing him, knowing he wouldn't know how to react now. She listened when he spoke about the poison leaving his system, knowing to herself it would take a few days before it would eventually leave his system. If he had allowed it, she could have seen that it left his system sooner, but alas he denied her the request so she wouldn't press the matter again.

When he said that he took no interest in women or brothels, she raised an eyebrow. That was certainly not what she expected, but the more she studied him the more it made sense. "I'm certain some woman could tickle your fancy." She continued her teasing of him, grinning to herself. Her smile was warm, despite the situation she found herself in. Rila was a kind hearted woman at the core of herself, and only made herself hard and rough because it was how her life had turned. She made herself into the dangerous woman he was so right to be wary of, but that didn't mean she didn't try and regress back to her kinder roots. Hence the compliment and how she wanted to help rid him of the poison in his system, even if he was her enemy. He was her only form of protection, the way she saw it he couldn't preform at his best if he was sluggish from the poison.

She sighed at his threat, deciding not to say anything else in response as she watched him pull his scabbard closer to him. So much for pleasant conversation. She thought to herself as she settled her head back against the stone wall behind her, pulling her gaze away from him to close her eyes. Maybe she would try and get some sleep, albeit it'd be small sleep as she would wake from her night terrors. At least she didn't scream from it anymore, not that she thought she'd get a moment of comfort from the hard man across the way. She groaned to herself at the ache between her legs, shifting slightly to try and ease the pressure before she settled back as peacefully as she could to allow sleep to overtake her.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

Another harsh glare would be her reward at her unnecessary follow up comment. That was impossible, the thought wasn't one that was a necessary one to linger in his mind. It took up much needed concentration when he should be focusing on remaining on guard. The grinning woman didn't make him feel any form of confidence either, shifting himself further away from her as the skin around his eyes tightened in a harsh squint, a scowl returning in full. She was an anomaly, strange; and he didn't much care for whatever she was up to, even if she had the best intentions, Tasian would not allow himself to see it that way.

She wasn't someone he could trust, in fact he'd sooner expect for her to put a knife in his back than to willingly aid him. This all could be a ploy to lead him to his death, and to try to escape on her own later... that is if he let down his guard.

His threat seemed to ground some normalcy back into the air between them, making relief flow through the man as his grip slackened around the scabbard in his hands, watching her movements with care as she had reclined against the stone wall behind her. Right, she was sleeping. That was good, at the very least her unpredictability would be nullified for the duration and he could actually focus on what he was meant to do, make sure that there were no other threats while they would be stopped for the night. With one last suspicious glance, the man had settled himself so that he was half facing away from her, yet keeping her in sight of his peripherals just in case she was to make any sudden movement that would bring cause for alarm.

However, it seemed like the tension within his body would gradually relax as the man had slumped against the stone wall away from her, staying as still as possible as he listened to the sounds of the forest around them. From the distant sound of crickets, to the slight brush of a night breeze that rustled the trees overhead, everything was indeed normal and peaceful. A heavy sigh left the man's lips as a calloused hand came to impatiently brush some of his hair out of his face, the pale locks having been in a disarray due to his all too bloody rampage earlier. Long lashes drooped as his mind was settling upon the kingdom, and the knights that he'd taken painstaking hours to train to become sufficient guards. Were they slacking off in his absence around now? And what of the royal family, were they alright while he wasn't there?

Numb fingers gripped the scabbard again anxiously as he shook his head. That shouldn't be his priority right now, worrying about things that were not in his reach. If anything had happened, he would be informed as soon as possible. It wasn't as if he was expected to do absolutely everything, he was only one man after all.