Betrothed

Elaina was swept away. What must of only been a few stolen moments felt more like a blissful lifetime. Murmured phrases and soft caresses, the small moment of pain she felt was lost in senses of euphoria. Laying there attempting to catch her breath and still her beating heart, she tilted her head to steal a glance at Evan. His face was flushed, no doubt just as much as her own.

Her mouth curled in to a wide embarrassed grin, even as she scooted close to Evan to hide her face at his shoulder. "I didn't think it would be like that..." she mumbled, even laughing softly. If every night she spent with him could be like this, she could handle a few cave monsters, angry guards, and frustrating trips!
 

Tenderly, Evan placed his hand against her cheek, a soft smile curling his lips. "I'm sorry it wasn't how you'd imagined... I would have given you rose petals and wine... I do apologize that I did not make it more special. Did I hurt you?" his smile turned down a little at the corners, his eyes widening as he considered the possibility. He had been told that for a woman, it hurt very much the first time and there he had been being so zealous...

Evan shifted, wincing slightly when he adjusted his head. The pleasure had made him forget the pain but it was indeed there, at full force. Carefully, he cradled her small form into his chest, marveling at how soft and feminine she looked just this way. The pants she had been wearing were on the floor, leaving her pale legs exposed in the dark, an outline he could barely define. Her hair was a pool of deep black on the pillow in this dim light and Evan found himself wishing to lose himself. He wished that things were not complicated, that he could give this woman an easy, painless life.

From these thoughts sprang unbidden the thought of a child. It was possible, of course, something he had not considered. The idea did not trouble him as he imagined it might, instead he lay there, running his fingers through her hair and considering the jumble of their features. It was best not to worry her though, not with practicalities, when she looked so peaceful.
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His skin warm and body solid, Elaina had no desire to move elsewhere even when she gave a small frown at his wincing. She shouldn't have been in here like she was. Not with his injury. ...but there was no regret. Resting her arm over his stomach, that rush of coupling was slowly ebbing to give way to sleepiness.

Elaina shook her head at his question. "You haven't hurt me." she responded softly. "I don't think I have ever felt so nice in my entire life." It should have been embarrassing or made her feel ashamed to get herself in such a strange situation! Here she was naked and with a man, and not even married yet! But there was something about Evan that made everything all right. This was going to be her husband and how sweetly he treated her made her head all giddy. Now she was smiling again even as she sleepily nuzzled against his chest.
 

Evan watched her, marveling in her inner balance, her strength, and her trust. Despite how her world had been turned upside down in the past days, she was here in his arms, finding happiness in this moment. Evan realized, with slow comprehension, that he too was happy in this way. The pain of his head wound had lessened and he anticipated that there would be sutures called for him, as Will had told him there might be. Things were, for the moment, at peace. Contentment welled in his chest, creating a sort of bubble that pressed against his ribs.

Evan held Elaina close to him, allowing her to bury her face in his chest in order to gain the immersing his face in her thick locks of hair. Evan yawned, his eyes drooped. With a glance at the door, knowing that someone might enter to check on him, he tugged the patchwork quilt over their bare midriffs. With a small murmur of happiness, Evan closed his eyes and let the healing of all that surrounded him wash over and cleanse.
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So comfortable there with him, it was only moments for Elaina to fall asleep. Unlike the previous night, it was a deep and restful sleep.

Some hours later when it was supposed to be time for dinner, the nice old woman and her cranky husband were just making room to extend their tables for their guests. Having a Prince and his Bride for dinner was such a rare occasion, they wanted to make it special even with their humble settings. The old woman had no issues with bossing around the Prince's men. Having them do a few chores around their property so she could spend the afternoon cleaning up and preparing.

Finally she headed up the stairs, first knocking on the Prince's door to wake him for dinner.
 

The knock on the door broke into Evan's complex but strangely happy dreams, involving dancing at balls and other things he had disliked since childhood. Evan blinked his eyes slowly, the darkness overwhelming him at first and making it difficult to distinguish whether or not his eyes were truly open or if they had closed again without him noticing. Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, which he used immediately to search for his pants.

The low throbbing in his head felt immensely better than it had just a few hours prior, allowing him to tug his pants on without becoming victim to excruciating pain. "One moment" he said in response to the knock, straightening his shirt. The last touch was covering Elaina gently with a blanket, her thickly lashed eyes falling against her creamy skin so that he could see the contrast in even this poor lighting.

Evan tottered over the door to open it. "Yes?" he asked sleepily, trying to ensure there was no hint of grumpiness to his tone. It was the hospitable old woman, and he tried to gather his thoughts. He would of course offer he compensation for boarding his entire entourage, especially since they were all essentially penniless for now (it had seemed a bad choice to tote money around on what was expected to be such a short trip to one kingdom and back).
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The nice old lady was just as cheerful as she could be, offering Evan one of her best smiles when he opened the door.

"Greetings, Your Highness. My, I hope you're feelin' so much better with that bump on your noggin'! I just came to tell you that we're all prepared to have you come down to dinner." She was so proud of the dinner, refusing would probably offend her. Especially now that she was sure he was in perfect shape to get up and walk. In fact, she didn't make much effort to hide how she was eyeballing him.

"You go on and get yourself dressed. I'll just be heading next door to get the Princess!"
 

"Ahhh" Evan coughed slightly, smiling at the old woman. "I'm certain that your dinner will satisfy my palate to the highest standards and that the princess will thoroughly enjoy your food as well but... the poor woman has had a very difficult few days of late and almost no sleep. I will happily eat as much as I can and hope that she will rouse soon so that she can taste your food" Evan stumbled a little initially but he gained momentum as he spoke to the woman.

Taking her by the arm, he led her downstairs to where the food was laid out. He complimented the very smell of the food, but feigned having forgotten to cover his feet and that it was highly rude to eat with one's feed uncovered. He made his way as quickly as possible back to his room, pulling on his boots as soon as he entered. After that, he silently went to work. He scooted her to the center of the bed and slipped off her shirt so that she was comfortable. It was difficult for him to pry his eyes away from her beauty, but he had to do so, pulling the blanket to settle at her armpits and cover her body should someone enter. A final kiss to her forehead heralded his exit as he rushed downstairs to sit at the table.

"Marvelous, which plate is mine?"
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Downstairs the meal was humble, but wonderfully laid out and filling. Though Evan received a few curious looks from his men, no one questioned the Princess' absence! After all, the past couple of days had been a disaster. The fact any of them made it downstairs to eat was just a testament to how hungry men could be. The old woman and her husband were filled with glee to be entertaining their guest. Offering stories of their village and posing so many curious questions about the Prince, his family, and his bride to be.


Meanwhile, Princess Elaina awoke to find herself alone in the dimness of Evan's room. ...and without all of her clothes! Faint embarrassment covering her cheeks, she sat up slowly to blink wearily in the darkness. Her body was sore, but the memory of Evan was so sweet, she had her hands pressed against her cheeks trying not to grin herself silly. How much nicer would it be if they were somewhere safe and comfortable, with no more worries and just the joy of each other's company..? Imagining it now left her wishing she could find out!

Elaina slipped from bed, snatching up her clothes and getting dressed as quickly as possible. She peeked out the door to make sure no one was there, then tip-toed quietly to her own room. Everyone must have been downstairs for dinner, and she didn't want to come down looking as if she just... well. Elaina wanted to look presentable!

It only took a few moments to refresh herself and straight her clothes and hair. But before she moved to the door, there was a curious tapping at the window. She might have dismissed it as a bird or tree branch, but it came at such a perfect rhythm, she was certain a person was doing it. Hesitant, she stepped across the room to the window and pushed it open. No one seemed to be there.

...and then in two seconds she had something dropped over her head and was being hauled out the window with a muffled scream!


Downstairs, dinner was interrupted when the front door came down with a loud CRASH! Even the old man and lady looked startled when several large men barged in to the place. Dressed in various dark colors and a mix mash of armors, the one symbol that seemed to match was a familiar brand of a local thieving guild. And with the way they were armed, they were definitely expecting more than just a few poor peasants in the village to bully. Without any hesitation, they were swinging weapons with intent to kill!
 

Evan leapt to his feet, irritation written across his face. His men jumped to the defense of the peasants instantly and it was lucky that they were used to detail as the prince's body guards for they at once were wielding swords. Plates doubled as shields in the scuffles and the old woman daringly stabbed one of them with cutlery, but Evan was not in the dining room to witness this. He trusted his men for the moment while he made sure that Elaina was safe and, if he had his way, locked in a room to prevent her from escaping and trying something that would be bold but possibly foolish.

Evan was alarmed to see that the door he approached was standing open. "Elaina?" he called, his expression suddenly less irritated and far more grim. There was no answer from her, not even some sarcastic snort. Evan glanced around for signs of her and all he found was a sheet crumpled on the bed and a shoe laying on the floor, abandoned of its wearer. Evan rushed down the stairs to the others, ignoring the mayhem as he yelled for Peter.
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(I might edit c_c)
 
As scared as she might have been, Elaina wasn't one to just scream and cry for help. Tossed over someone's shoulder, she may have been screaming, but it was every unpleasant word she could think of while she furiously tried to get that sack off her head. Once she succeeded, all she could catch a glimpse of was dirt and grass, a soldier's behind, and several booted feet.

"Let go of me, you pussy-footed squadron of behemoth louts!" A good several of them laughed, much to her chagrin. But her hands managed to latch on to the dagger at the man's belt. She almost had it snatched out when her caught her wrist and she was being slung back to her feet. Staring face to chest at a man with a dark beard and twizzlie mustache, her swinging fist was stopped short and his hands bound together before she snatched anything else sharp. Before she knew it, she was dragged up on to a horse, while the bearded man shouted orders.

"Separate in to groups and take different directions! It'll be a long while before they can follow! And you take the lil' squeaker across the borders. Heeyah~!" He slapped the back of the horse and they were off galloping away with Elaina in tow.




At the Inn, the old woman was furious about her dinner being interrupted, but not as much as the old man. He'd been waiting all damned day for that dinner, so it was no surprise that he was a little more gung-ho to swing around the big axe that had previously been hanging up above the fireplace. The soldiers in the place doing a pretty good job of breaking things and fighting with the men, but they took special attention to Prince Evan when he came running back down the stairs shouting for Peter. They weren't going to let a single man leave the building alive, if they could help it!
 

Peter, alarmed, came to Evan's aid almost instantly. Sweat was dripping down his brow and his sword was bloodied but he was nothing if not Evan's loyal best friend. Evan looked distraught and still a little weak from the ordeal, Peter could not help but feeling sorry for the way the entire affair had panned out. With dawning realization as Evan told him the details, Peter interrupted him.

"Where is Phillipa?" Evan paused, ashamed that he had no investigated this question but Peter bore him no ill will for it. Rushing past, Evan relayed the information to Will before he and Peter abandoned the small building with all due haste, leaving it up to the armed troupe within to take care of the disturbance. It was clear that the guards outmatched drastically the thugs in skill and athleticism, taking only small injuries from their weapons. The old man was surprisingly powerful with a hefty axe he pulled from the mantle and the old woman was oddly agile as she sidestepped slices to jab the faces of the thugs with kitchen knives.

Pipa, meanwhile, had been utterly terrified when she had stepped out of her room to go to dinner and seen the men carrying off Princess Elaina. Still, with all the dedication of a canine companion, she trailed after the group silently, hiding in the shadows for the most part. With a determined expression, she watched the men load up horses. From her hiding place, she collected a handful of stones and threw them at the heads of the horses, feeling guilty as she did so. Her plan worked to some degree; the horses whinnied in pain at the impact and began to rear as well as move about, causing a slight delay. All was going well until one of the men thought to look for the source of the disturbance.
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Pipa's distraction might have stopped the horses for a few mere moments, but unfortunately is also gave away that she was following! One of the men rode by, snatching up the girl by the back of her dress and dragging her up on to the horse in the most uncomfortable way! While they cackled about it, they rode off, now with two women in tow!


I felt like at least a few hours, riding constantly and the horses at a mad run. When the men finally stopped, the separated groups converged once again at their agreed meeting camp. They were across the borders in a different country, one that shared borders with both Evan's kingdom and Elaina's... and wasn't on the best of terms with either of them.

Taking Elaina, who had her hands still tied or else she'd be swinging fists, and Pipa who was much easier to carry, they dropped both women in front of a tall bone throne. On the seat was a man who looked similar to the twizzlie mustache soldier, but was a few years older and had a crown of what looked like wolf teeth on his head. Stroking his beard, he regarded both ladies with curiosity.

"Which is Princess Elaina?" he asked in a loud booming voice.

"I am!" Elaina immediately. "And I suggest you release both of us immediately. This is a ridiculous way to request someone's company!"

The Bone King leaned forward, suspicious. The one claiming to be Elaina looked of the right age, was fair of skin and dark of hair, even spoke with authority. But she wasn't dressed like a princess. The other girl, also with dark hair was quiet, demure. Dressed feminine and subtle. She could have easily been a princess trying not to draw attention to herself.

"Women are prone to lying... but how to tell which is the real princess?" he asked allowed.

"The virgin one!" shouted one of the men in the back. Most of the men erupted in to laughter, including the Bone King.

Elaina was probably three shades of red at that point. She really didn't want to know how they thought they would find out, and when they did... she wasn't exactly... Oh dear! And poor Pipa! She was barely even grown, she shouldn't be manhandled by a bunch of soldiers!

"What say you, which is the true princess? Will we have to find out the hard way?" asked the Bone King with amusement! He seemed to find making both girls uncomfortable hilarious. "Tie them up in the tent! We'll find out which is going to be my bride and new Queen of Goyvaerts!"
 

Pipa blushed and squeaked, but overall was hardly more than a simple weight as they carried her off. The king didn't believe that Elaina was the princess, so this might be the opportunity to save Elaina! Pipa made a face at the men as they tied her up, but hung her head demurely. She glanced around at the men, fear glinting in her wide eyes. It was lucky that she had not removed her gauzy green dress, for she was being mistaken as the princess instead of Elaina who had not had a chance to change from wearing her corset top and pants into a dress.

Evan and Peter discovered, without much difficulty, the position where the men had hitched their horses, the mass of hoof prints and waste was a clear marker but the harder part was obtaining horses and following the trail. The prints in the mud often faded out for long distances, panicking the men about what direction they were traveling and if it was correct. Evan bit his lip, they seemed to be heading into another kingdom.

When the men came again to collect Elaina and Pipa, Pipa inhaled deeply when placed before the intimidating throne of bone. Little tears welled up in her eyes as she responded to his question this time before Elaina could chime in again.

"Please, I'm not used to this harsh treatment..." she sniffled, dabbing her sleeve to her eye, "I don't want to be violated... I'll give in to you, really..." her lower lip trembled a little as she spoke.

"Where would they have taken her?" Peter asked grumpily, sitting on his borrowed horse next to Evan. They had, at least momentarily, lost the trail and were reduced to speculation on the outskirts of a tiny town barely within the border of Goyvaerts, disguising their appearances as best they could here.
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"Pipa, don't you dare!" Elaina hissed, rather horrified at the thought of them taking the poor girl away to do what they wanted. Being the Queen of Goyvaerts wouldn't be a pleasant experience. It was one of the many reasons she had agreed to a betrothal with Evan! The men here were barbarians and brutes, and they clearly intended to take advantage of a small country. Even if that meant kidnapping it's Princess!

"Ah haaa! The truth shines through." Having deciphered the riddle of the two woman, the Bone King pointed at Pipa. "She is the true princess after all. Take this one to my tent and prepare the wedding ceremony. I will have me Queen by nightfall!"

A soldier hefted up Pipa, and carried her across the camp. It didn't take long before he disappeared with her in to a large fancy tent and had her tied up neatly so she wouldn't be escaping before her wedding night.

"As for you." chimed the Bone King, stroking his beard again as he looked over Elaina. "I have no need for a wench. Be rid of her. Throw her to the men, toss her in the river, or sell her to the slavers. I care not."

As they carried Elaina away, she kicked and scream! Trying to insist they listen, but no one was going to! She finally clamped her mouth shut. At least Pipa would be alive and safe... sort of! Being tossed in to a river or sold to slavers couldn't be good for a young woman. Elaina was afraid for herself, but if she was clever she'd figure out a way to escape. For now... she was making sure not to make it easy for them to drag her away!
 

Miserably, Pipa wallowed in her own emotions since she had nothing else better to do. Within the tent, she was tied to a wooden pole with her arms and legs also bound tightly. Pipa continued to sniffle, only emphasizing their belief that she was a princess with the tragic manner she had assumed. Pipa was entirely confused what the men would gain from marrying the princess, but she was decided in her conviction that no one but Evan ought to have lovely Elaina for a bride. Still, it was worrying to think of what was becoming of Elaina. Pipa only wished the men would hurry and rescue them!

Peter and Evan rode in to the town on their horses with as much of a casual air as they could muster. Glancing about, their heads bound in scarves partly for disguise and partly for warmth, was difficult but they did as best they could. Peter approached a young woman dressed in tattered clothing gray and drab, his usual aura of suave charm catching her attention.

"You wouldn't have seen a collection of men on horseback come through these parts lately, huh?" he asked after plying her discreetly with compliments and politeness. The girl rubbed her chin thoughtfully, her lips pursed. Finally, she answered him with a coy smile.

"There were men, yes... here only perhaps an hour or so ago. They traveled north along the trail..." she puffed her chest out a bit as she spoke, letting her eyelids close to fan her lashes over her cheeks. When she opened her eyes again at the silence, the two men were gone.
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Elaina was carried off to another tent at the edge of camp, while her current captors argued about the best thing to do with her. Being as difficult as possible, she squirmed and kicked. But all the while she was paying close attention to where everything was located in the camp.

"We should keep 'er! Why should 'is kingship have all the fun!" exclaimed the one fighting to keep a hold of Elaina. He didn't have to fight hard. He was nearly seven foot tall and had the strength of an ox.

His companion, the one with the twistie mustache just snorted. He held back the flap of the tent for the other to walk in. "He's an idiot! I've got the real princess right here. Leave us alone." The big fellow dropped Elaina to her feet, just in time for the shorter one to snatch her by the arm. Once his companion was gone, he hauled her over to a table. In a swift movement he hefted her up and slammed her down on her back over the table. A knife pulled from his belt and held to her throat.

"It doesn't matter though, does it, Princess. I am going to be Rosenthal's new king whether father marries the right girl or not." Smirking, his hand lower down to the front of her pants. Jerking them open and shoving his hand down the front. "May as well see if he was right?" He chuckled as she gasped and whimpered at his prodding. Several sharp thrusts of his fingers left him raising an eyebrow in amusement. "So you are a little whore."

"Sir, we need you for the ceremony plans!" Someone poked their head in. The Bone Prince snorted, releasing his hands from Elaina and stabbing the knife down in to the table next to her head. Then he was gone.

Taking in a sharp breath, Elaina rolled to her side. She snatched the knife out of the table with a tug, then got to work cutting the ropes off her wrists. As soon as her hands were free she was wiping the tears from her face and scooting to the back of the tent. She had to get Pipa away from here..!

Elaina lifted up the bottom of the tent and peered out, making sure no one was looking that way. She crawled under it, then dashed across the dirt and grass to the next tent for cover. Pipa was taken to the King's tent. He must have been an pompous man, for his tent stood out from the rest with it's unnecessary opulence. Once in the clear, Elaina ran until she reached his tent. Like escaping the other, she crawled under the fabric to sneak herself inside. It was empty save for poor Pipa tied to a wooden stake in the middle of the tent.

"Sshh. Pipa. We're going to escape." Elaina responded, pressing a finger to her lips before she used the knife she stole to cut Pipa's legs free first. As she reached up to cut her arms free, someone snatched Elaina by the hair and drug her backwards.

"Ah! The wench comes to save her Lady! Brave little thing, aren't you?" The Bone King exclaimed, shoving Elaina away from Pipa. Elaina spun back around, trying to slash the knife at him, but he easily knocked it from her hands. With a hard swing of his fist, he caught her across the face with a backhanded hit. Elaina crumbled to the floor unconscious.

The Bone King turned back to Pipa taking her chin in his hand. "I can't have time with my bride interrupted."
 

Pipa cried out her shrill squeak of protest when Elaina was knocked unconscious. It wasn't supposed to happen this way, Elaina wasn't supposed to have been hurt. Pipa had been trying to protect her, but now she had managed to get herself injured anyway. Tears welled up in Pipa's eyes, her rosebud mouth turned in a petulant frown.

"I command you to stop this right now" she squeaked at him, her tensed posture suggesting that she would have been stamping her foot if she were able to stand up right. The Bone King merely laughed at her, he was gazing down at her from roughly two feet above her head and had little to fear from the bound woman's tearful protest. There was a commotion outside before the Bone King could execute any dastardly deeds further, however. He moved forward, clearly intent on ignoring the noise as a minor disturbance, until one of his men rushed into the tent, sweat beading on his brow from exertion.

"Your Terror!" he panted, doubling over before he spoke again, "There are men, two of them on horseback. They've come riding in like Nephthys's angry fleet meting out death" the man coughed and Pipa realized that he was bleeding at the gut, staining his buff jerkin a deep red that was almost black. The Bone King swore and pushed open the flap of the tent. Almost instantly, two men approached him straddling bay roans, stolen horses from the region.

"What have you done with her?" Evan spat, jabbing his sword at the Bone King's neck. Behind them lay the carnage of the king's men, collapsed in puddles of their own blood as well as that of men who died near them.
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The Bone King merely smirked in response. To his credit, he showed no fear at having a sword pointed at his throat. "Whom do you speak of, Prince Evan of Elipis? Surely not one of the many you've just slaughtered on my lands! This means war, you realize!"

He knew was in a bad position. However, he also knew his son was good and alive and that not all of his men were yet dead! In fact, right that moment, those men were sneaking in to the backside of the tent while their King was distracting the two riders.

Before Pipa could start screaming, they gagged her and untied her from the wooden stake. The Bone Prince was rubbing his chin as he looked down at Elaina on the floor. He knew which one was the true Princess, even if his father did not. He lift Elaina up, nodding his head for the rest of the men to sneak out with him through the back!
 

Evan growled at the Bone King but the more eloquent Peter stepped in. "You'd be left without a leg to stand on, kidnapping the future queen is a far more serious crime than the rescue of that queen, even by force. You know it would not be honored by any of the surrounding countries, your pathetic argument" he hissed. Evan resisted the urge to shove the sword point through the man's neck.

"She must be in this tent" Evan addressed to Peter, looking back at the ripped tents that they had left in their wake. Evan proceeded to leap off of the horse and push past the man to look inside the tent. Inside, he found none other than the sobbing, gagged Pipa. Peter remained with the king, if he could be called that, sword kept flexed and angled toward his stomach. Evan hastily unbound Pipa and she began crying hysterically about the men carrying off Elaina. Evan was livid, but he whispered for Pipa to take a dagger from one of the men he had killed, arming her with it and rushing to the entrance again.

"Peter, they took the girl with them. You, scum, if anything has happened to my devoted servant, I will kill you myself" with that, he grabbed the reins of the horse and galloped in the direction Pipa had indicated, catching sight of the men.
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