After the Escape

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Dimaethor immediately shook his head as Henley told him that they would run should one of the soldiers find them. "Not without Jasille!" he said firmly, shaking his head. Even as he said this, he was trembling some. Battle scared him terribly, and he didn't want to leave Jasille to die by himself.

Jasille, meanwhile, was keeping the other knight at bay, slipping beneath his sword and barely dodging many of his attacks. Spotting the sword coming for his neck, he ducked and stepped close to the human, putting his foot in his instep and catching his ankle, making him fall.

Then, Jasille placed his foot on the human's chest, and growled, "Tell your petty human god what trash you are, scum." Without thinking, he plunged the tip of his sword into the human's neck, killing him instantly.
 
Henley emerged from the tent. He had never seen anything like this or felt so afraid and helpless. He went to check the man Thea had shot and quietly affirmed, "he's dead."

A bit of a distance from the camp, Thea was a mess. Splattered in blood, her top torn half off, her face red from the slap, she had her hands holding the wound that certainly pierced his heart. He was alive, his face grimaced in pain and astonishment, he would not live much longer. Thea sobbed, trying in vain to stop his hemorrhaging heart. "i'm sorry...I'm so sorry!" She cried over and over.
 
Jasille cleaned his sword off in the grass before he sheathed it and walked to Thea. He knelt down next to her, putting a comforting arm around her. "My lady...he's going to die. There is nothing we can do for him. He...he would have tried to hurt you, and all of us..."

He closed his eyes, knowing that the first kill was the hardest. "My lady, I'm sorry..."
 
She shrugged Jasille's arm off of her and continued to hold on to the man's chest. Through the tears she looked up at Jasille, "Get Henley! Please!" but as the words escaped her mouth, the man's eyes flew open wide and he took in one last laborious breath and the tenseness in his body left him. His eyes grew dull, staring ahead and the spurt of blood that had matched his heart beat stopped. Thea held her breath. No sound escaped her as she waited and silently begged for him to start breathing again. Moments passed and nothing happened, she knew it was over, he was dead.

She leaned back, sitting on her feet tucked under her. Her arms, covered in his blood hung by her sides and she stared at him. She did not cry, just stared at what she had done.

At that time, Henley was furiously packing their camp up and the king was calling for Jasille.
 
Jasille, seeing how bad Thea was, took off his shirt and used it to wipe off some of the blood. "Did he injure you?" However, before she could answer, he heard Dimaethor calling for him. Walking to him, he said, "Pack your things, Your Majesty...we'll be leaving soon.

"But we haven't even had breakfast yet!" Dimaethor protested, pouting.

"I know, Your Majesty. But we don't have a choice...three men died here. This ground is soaked with their blood...evil spirits will gather here..."

Dimaethor nodded before stating, "Alright...hug me."

Jasille let out a soft sigh before complying, embracing his king for a brief moment.
 
Henley saw Jasille tending to the king and had seen Thea by the other dead man. He did not want to go to her, it was selfish of him and he knew that, but she had been the most optimistic, innocent person he'd ever known. No matter what, that girl was forever gone and he was not ready to face this. Not to mention, what could he offer? He'd never taken someone's life. He avoided Jasille and the king, he avoided Thea and concentrated on breaking down the camp. Once done, he turned to Jasille, beckoning him out of the tent and then broke that one down too. It was not long before everything was ready to go.
"We need to leave, quickly. Those men do not deserve a burial. If we ride hard, we may still make that inn by evening." Henley turned toward the tree line and called to Thea, "Come on, Thea! Let's go, now!"
When she did not make a move, he stomped over to where she was. He knelt down by her, pulling her torn shirt together and then grabbing her by the upper arms, "He's dead. He deserved it. It's time to grow up, you knew this would happen, you knew the risks. Let's go!" he stood, jerking her up with him and walking with her toward the horses. She went with him, she did not fight it. She mounted her horse and as they all moved out, she followed along with them silently.
Henley rode up beside Jasille on his horse, "I had to get her moving, no good was going to come from staring at a corpse."
 
Jasille watched impassively as Henley forced Thea to continue moving. Meanwhile, Dimaethor found a patch of wildflowers nearby, and picked three, placing one each on the body of the three dead men. Jasille smiled sadly at the sight, thinking, His Majesty is too kind for this world. Raking his fingers through his hair, he sighed and helped him mount his horse before doing the same with his own.

Soon, they were off, and Henley was riding up beside him while Dimaethor continued forward. As Henley justified his reasoning for being so hard on Thea, he simply nodded, and answered softly, "I understand...she is too kind a girl to have to kill this young..."
 
There was little talk between the four of them as the rode along the path. Dimaethor occasionally asked Jasille a question or showed some difficulty in riding so hard after being so sick. Henley felt shame and grief over everything that had happened to all of them. He knew when they settled tonight, he needed to tend to Jasille's wound, he should have already done it. There was nothing he could offer Thea to help heal what happened, not Dimaethor either. Both too young and innocent in a world that liked to hurt those like that.

A stroke of luck finally happened. They either rode harder than they thought or they misjudged their distance. The sun had not even begun to slink low in the sky and they saw a small farm. Past that, another and another until the farms gave way to cottages and then a town. They had reached the town. Jasille and Dimaethor put their hoods on and Henley led them to a small inn on the outskirts. He went in and arranged their rooms as well as food. He was uncertain to what arrangements he should make, so he took note of their original plans to sleep the night before. He got a room for he and Thea and one for Jasille and Dimaethor. This inn had stairs up the side as well in through the tavern, it was perfect.

After everyone was settled, Henley brought food up to all of them. "I need to look at that shoulder, Jasille. Do you want to do it now or would you like to eat first?" Thea was not with him, he had left her sitting on the bed by her own plate of food. He was sure when he went back she would be in the same place and the food untouched.
 
Inais Grund , Nais, as he preferred to be called, was enjoying his drink in the tavern. His haul today had been more trouble than he had anticipated, but the struggle was worth it. He leaned back in his isolated booth and pulled out a small bag. Contained within was a a piece of chain jewelry that was made of pure silver. It wasn't gold, but it was more than he could be happy with, having pulled it from a group of about five common thieves. His work would've been easier had they not had weapons.

He twirled the bag around by his ear, loving the melody that the jewelry played for him as it moved within the bag. While he was enjoying himself, his green-colored eyes spotted a certain company enter the inn. One that he'd heard quite a bit about. Information was easily affordable to those who knew how to get it. He liked to stay informed about everything. That's what put him a step ahead of his less-renowned thieving brethren. 'This is worth a bother...' he thought to himself.

He watched the company from where he was, paying close attention to their gestures and lip movements. He was a bit surprised that the innkeeper didn't seem to notice them. Then again, he wasn't the bartender. The innkeeper just let the guests in, not attend to their lustrous wants. Nais was sure that there was something to be gained from interacting with these people. Maybe some sort of riches. Ah, it didn't matter. He was running from the same crowd, so just the extra company as cover would help.

He'd have his own skills to offer them too. An expert marksman, he knew how to use a bow better than most of the rest. Throwing knives were also an area he was proficient in. With these kinds of skills, it was doubtful they'd deny him. Unless, of course, they weren't that desperate for help. He knew he wouldn't get in without aiding them in some way that would alleviate any suspicions.

Not wanting to wait any longer, he got up, swiped his ruffled, brown hair away from his face, and approached where the party had arranged things with the innkeeper. He was going to inquire about the group that had just entered, when he spotted one of its members nearby, a young female. "Ah, excuse me," he said, his voice toned yet rough at the same time. He waved for her, but stopped before he got too close. "Don't worry. I don't mean any harm. I'd just noticed that you seem a bit distraught and might check on how you are."
 
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After Henley had left the room, Thea looked around, recognizing the layout of a room in an inn much like the one she worked at. She thought to herself, two days, had it really only been two days ago? Looking at the plate of food, it also seemed so familiar and something about it all soothed her. Even her worst days at the inn were in no measure as horrible as this morning. Hours ago, two people lived and now were dead by her hand. Even the slight justification that Henley offered, that they were not good people, did not help with her sorrow. She could not understand how it could be her right to have decided that either of those two men should cease to exist.

She pushed herself off the bed and looked down at her blood stained and tattered shirt. She found a replacement in her bag and pulled it on, smoothing it out and making sure her appearance would not draw any attention. Walking out the door, she quietly shut it behind her, not wanting to alert Henley that she had left.

Walking down the stairs, she listened to the familiar sounds of a tavern growing as she got closer. It wasn't that especially fond memories were present at the inn and tavern she had worked at, it was just something she knew. It wasn't exactly like her tavern, there were no familiar faces and no distinctive decoration that harkened back to where she used to be. But, if she closed her eyes, for a moment it felt like what had been her home. Opening her eyes, she noticed a man waving at her and speaking. The first inclination was that he wanted his drink refilled, then she remembered she was a patron here, not a servant.

The man did not come too close, but asked how she was. It took her a moment to think if she should respond or ignore the question and return to her room before Jasille or Henley knew she had left. She chose to respond, "I am not distraught." she said and looked to the stairs, judging how quickly she could get up them if she were in trouble with this stranger.
 
He'd noticed the way that she was looking towards the stairs. Of course she'd be wary. There was no way for her to know this man's true intentions, even if he meant well. "You seem distraught. I promise you that I'm not here to harm you."

He moved a step closer to her and then gave a slight bow. "A pleasure to meet such a lovely lady as yourself. I'm glad to hear that something isn't the matter after all." He held his hands out to show her that he didn't have any weapons out. "Nothing on me, now, ma'am. Not anything other than the bow I wear on my back, but I wouldn't make such a move against you."

He stepped ahead once more, making sure to move with enough caution so as to not scare her off. He couldn't afford to do such a thing if he wanted to make their company. "Nais Harold, expert marksman and keeper of the peace and this town." As he said this, his tossed a loose coin over to the innkeeper. "I assure you that I'm nothing like the ruffians you'll find roaming around back there," he told her, motioning towards the tavern. "A man has to know how to control his alcohol, not to let it control him. You lose focus if you don't."
 
Thea had a spark of interest as he mentioned his bow but she was wary of why he spoke to her. If his intent was concern over her looking distraught, she had already objected to that, so there was no conceivable purpose to his continued communication. His eyes were a bright green and he looked upon her with a warm, gentle nature. She was sure whatever look he gave her was to set her at ease, which could be out of respect, to be polite or for some reason she should be concerned about. She glanced at his bow, it was much nicer than her own and she wondered if he was a skilled archer.

He moved closer to her, taking his time as if she were quarried prey; that set her on edge. She decided best to politely leave the situation.

"Mr. Harold, thank you for checking on me. I should go, my father may be worried in my absence." She lied, assuming they would continue the story they told the soldiers and the knight. That thought brought a dark look over her as she began to turn toward the stairs.
 
Nais flashed a warm smile and nodded. He would've chuckled to himself if it weren't for her presence. Such an easy lie she told, though understandable why. She couldn't afford anyone to find out who she really is. Not with the trouble they were all currently in.

"But of course. Indeed, that is a good idea. He wouldn't want you talking to strangers for so long, regardless of how polite they may seem to be. He placed his hands back in the pockets of his pants, which were made from a more finer fabric that was gentle on the skin, and comfortable at that.

"I'll be about my own business too. I have to make sure there's no trouble on the outskirts of town. You might know how things are. You and your party seem to have just recently entered. How was it?" His look was construing suspicion on her. Before she could respond, he turned partly towards the tavern and afforded her another bow. "My humblest greetings..." he started, then spoke down to a whisper, so as to avoid being heard by others. "...to his majesty, please." With these words, another smile left his face before he turned and returned to his table, which he began to clean up for his departure.
 
With legs that felt hardly solid anymore and a racing heart, Thea turned to the stairs and tried to make her way calmly up them. He knew who they were. He must have known she was lying about her father. Then she started to feel sick, did he know that she had killed those people. She shook her head as she crested the stairs. There was no way he could have known that, no way to know she was the one that killed two of them or that Jasille had killed the other.

She saw the doors to their rooms, side by side, and she went for hers first. Henley was not inside, he must still be with the king and Jasille. She looked behind her, scared that she would give away their rooms to the man if he followed her. Only, he probably already knew and there weren't that many rooms in the inn anyhow.

She tried the door and it was locked. She knocked on it, stealing glances over her shoulder. The door opened and she burst in, turned and slammed the door shut, locking it.

"A man downstairs... he knows the king is here!" she said in terror.
 
When they finally reached the tavern, Jasille sighed with relief. Despite not saying a word, his shoulder was aching in pain, though the bleeding had stopped. Soon, he and Dimaethor were in a room and Henley had left to get dinner for them. When he brought up a meal and asked if he wanted that first or his wound looked at, he said, "My wound, please."

Dimaethor sat at that the table in the corner of the room and began to eat, making a face. Still, he said nothing, but was looking out of the corner of his eye as Jasille took off his shirt. The knight winced as he moved his shoulder, but said nothing.

The wound was not too deep, but it appeared as if it could soon become infected if it was not treated properly. There was dried blood crusted around it, making it look worse than it was. "I think it's just a small cut," Jasille said, just as Thea burst in, talking of a man that knew of Dimaethor's identity.

Jumping to his feet, Jasille exclaimed, "What?! Gods be damned!" He grabbed his shirt and his sword, and went to Dimaethor's side, helping him to his feet. "We shouldn't stay here much longer...was that man an elf?" he asked Thea, his eyes bright with fear.
 
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"I do not know!" Thea said and thought back to the man for a moment, could he have been an elf? "I was frightened when he approached me in the tavern, then I was only thinking of leaving without causing a scene." She neglected to add that his eyes were what she remembered most and that bow.
"What were you doing in the tavern?" Henley asked and she looked panicked, she couldn't explain and it didn't matter.
"I was standing there and he waved at me, came over and told me that he thought I looked distraught. I said that I wasn't and he continued talking to me. He told me he did not mean to harm me, showed me his empty hands and mentioned the bow at his back. It was a magnificent bow... I told him that my father would be concerned with my absence. Then he mentioned something about trouble outside of town, it felt as if he knew about...about..." She struggled to even say it, before moving on. "Then he bowed gently, sent me along with greetings to his majesty." She looked over at Dimaethor and then back to Jasille. "I'm sorry..."
 
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Once his things were gathered, Nais went to paying the bartender for what he had and passed the innkeeper on his way out, affording him nothing more than a nod and a smile. It was no doubt that the young female would get the wrong idea about his intentions. He'd like to see what their course of action would be. His best bet would be to move a ways off, though to remain where the inn was still within view. This was just what he did.

He pushed the inn door open and walked over to his horse. A trusty, brown-colored stallion. He made sure to pull his green hood over his head, to maintain his identity. If that girl were to spot him again with his cover down, she'd identify him right away. He couldn't have them ganging up on him while he was unprepared to deal with such a situation.

His bow also needed to be dealt with. This was where his saddle bag came in handy. It was quite large, and attached to horse at the side. He opened the largest compartment and placed his bow inside, while his bows were placed in the one on the opposite side. He made sure that his side knife was still easily accessible from his footwear, then gave the horse a slight kick to get him moving.

Shortly enough, he'd arrived at a nice distance from the inn. He could monitor the entrance, yet see well enough in the back that he'd catch them even if they tried the alternate exit. He made sure to continuously stroke the horse to keep it quiet. It wouldn't do him any good to blow his cover at this point. All he could do now was wait.
 
"It's not your fault," Jasille said. "You couldn't have known. But right now, we are leaving. We can ride until it's dark...that will put several miles between us and this town." He grabbed his cloak and pulled it on before helping Dimaethor into his, making sure to hurry.

When he was ready, his hood pulled low over his eyes, he grabbed their things and said, "Let's go...whoever this man is...I don't like it." He led Dimaethor out, not waiting for Thea or Henley.

((Sorry for the short & late post :/))
 
Henley and Thea made their way to their room quickly. They had little to pack up since they had stayed such little time, but Henley was moving slower than Thea could manage at the moment. She knew that if Jasille thought the threat great enough, he would leave without Henley and without her. She understood it, she knew he would expect her to do the same if it meant the King's survival. She paused for a brief moment to regard how easily she had dismissed her earlier pain when there was no other option.

Henley was not used to this pace. He was in good shape, but not from the constant stress of running from something or under the pretense of being hurt if he didn't run. Jasille was built for this and Thea had been conditioned to it from her past as well. Henley was in his home, working in his lab for the better part of his life. He knew he may slow them down one day, he just didn't expect it to be this early. He did not protest with Thea grabbed his pack along with hers and raced out of the room, beckoning him to follow as quickly as he could manage.

She caught sight of Jasille and the young king on their way to the stable. Running as quickly as she could with the two packs, she caught up with them and continued on past them without stopping. She wasn't ready for Henley to get left behind. She would make sure that both horses were ready by the time Henley arrived and then they could all go on. Her fingers worked quickly and with experience in getting her horse ready first, then moving to Henley's as Jasille and the king entered the stables.

Henley made it in before they had finished with all the horses, he had quickened his pace, not ready to leave them or to hold them back. He nodded to both Jasille and Thea as he mounted his horse. "Through town, follow me, at a normal pace. Then we can ride harder to get some distance between us and the stranger."
 
Jasille held Dimaethor by his wrist as he led him to the stables. At some point, Thea passed by them, carrying both her and Henley's bags. Watching her disappear into the stables, he followed her, and began to help her saddle the horses.

Soon, Henley was there, giving them instructions. "Right," Jasille said, helping Dimaethor onto his horse and making sure his hood was low over his eyes. "Let's go," he said, mounting his own horse and following Henley and Thea out.

As they rode out of the village, Jasille kept his eyes out for any signs of suspicious people, scowling beneath the hood of his cloak. "Head down, Your Majesty," Jasille said to his king, riding close beside him. "There could be an archer...Thea said that man had a bow..."
 
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