On the Road Again

[Isabelle Leonette Lucian]

Ever since she'd left the castle, Belle had become something of an early riser and today was no different even with the arrival of Brenna the night before. Belle had remembered her promise to procure some fresh clothing for her friend and opted to go down the road to the small town a mile or so away and look for supplies there. The inn could provide some rations but not nearly enough if they ended up somewhere too far from civilization or they couldn't risk stopping.

The air was cold and the sky clear giving nothing away to indicate that a storm had passed through the night leaving a blanket of pristine, untouched snow to blanket the ground. Had she not known the road between the inn and town by heart by now she might have risked wandering off track and never arriving. As it were she was pretty confident in her mediocre skills to navigate and allowed the horse beneath her to amble along at his own pace. She'd had Nero for as long as she could remember and though she knew taking him had been something of a risk she couldn't bare the thought of leaving him behind.

This allowed her ample time make a mental list of the things she'd need to pick up. Some sturdier traveling clothes for Brenna of a more manly nature so as to continue the rouse of a male persona. Foods that wouldn't perish -- hard breads, dried frutis and meats, nuts. She'd need to get a few extra canteens for carrying extra water. Grain for the horses, extra cloaks... the list went on and on and soon enough the small village appeared in the distance. It was nothing like Valhaven or even half of the towns she had passed by or through on her way south but it would have what she needed and was enough off the beaten path that she wasn't particularly afraid of discovery.

"Nearly there, Nero then you'll get that apple I promised you," she said, patting the dappled steed on the side of his head. The horse whinnied in response and kept to his lackluster pace. She knew Brenna was going to worry when she realized Isabelle had left the inn but she'd left a message with the innkeeper and she was confident she could get back before Brenna even woke up let alone had enough time to mount a search party.

[Erasmus Reynard]

How is it that a princess was roaming about with no guard, no escort? Gloved hands slowly slid the small telescope closed and slid it into the confines of his white cloak. He was dressed entirely in white, and perched up on one of the middle branches of a tree about 200 yards away.

Even if she made it to the tree he was perched in she'd never notice a single footprint. He'd made his way up mid way through the storm. The cloak he was wearing was lined in rabbit fur as well as his gloves and boots. He was quite warm. He'd cased the Inn the night before, it didn't take much to figure out that two women, one being royalty, would need more than the inn could offer. She would eventually come down this path.

He was very patient as he waited for her to get into range. Slowly he drew forth his shortbow. Slowly he set his arrow. It's end was a large round metal ball. This woman was lucky. She was not meant to die. He aimed for her head.

"I don't envy the headache you'll be having..." He let the arrow fly.

[Isabelle Leonette Lucian]

That danger might have potentially tracked her out here to the near wilderness of Lochmare was always a constant thought in the back of Isabelle's mind but at the moment, in the pristine beauty of the morning, Belle was hard pressed to worry about anything. Even if she'd been paranoid and on high alert she never would have noticed the other in the tree quite a distance from her though it was clear he saw her.

The attack clearly came without warning and the force of it knocked her off her horse though she'd never feel the impact with the ground. The moment the ball tipped arrow struck her head she almost instantly lost consciousness. In a panic the horse took off but training had it stopping short as though it were rethinking this idea. He stood pawing at the ground uncomfortably, sensing danger still lingered.

[Erasmus Reynard]

Right on the mark. He watched her go down, and the horse move then stop. It would only make it that much easier. He set another arrow onto the bow. This one was slightly longer and with a sharp tip. He knew the sweet spot. Right where the neck met the sternum of the beast. The shot would drive the arrow straight through to it's heart. He aimed and let it fly.

Once the deed was done. He dropped down from the branch he was perched on. A quick tuck and roll broke his fall and he used his momentum to return his footing. He slowly stalked over. He first yanked his arrow free from the horse. Then he plucked up the one he'd used to steal her consciousness. He knelt next to her and set his ear over her mouth. She was still breathing. He placed a note on the horse's flank and drove a dingy dirty cheap dagger through it. 3 words were on it in poor handwriting. ~We Have Her~

A sharp quick whistle rang out as he began to pat her down. Money, dagger... that was it? This girl had more guts then brains apparently. No guards, barely armed, she made herself into an easy target. Erasmus' horse soon trotted over from the woods, it was waiting near the area but out of site.

Soon after he removed his cloak and laided it flat on the ground. He lifted Belle and set her onto the cloak, and then began to roll her in it. It was rather large on him, so it was easy to bind her with it. It concealed her head and feet, binding her arms to her side. The horse trotted up next to him and stopped. Pawing the ground slightly. He stood and pulled leather strips from his saddle bag. tieing the ends of the cloak tight. Then with another longer strip he tied the center tight, binding her into it's confines.

He worked fast. Hoisting her then securing her to the horse's back near the saddle. All of this taking less than a minute. He knew there would be more bodies if he was caught in the act of doing this. He jumped up onto his horse and began to trot around the area. Removing any trace of his tracks beneath stomping hooves. Once the evidence of his presence was removed he took off, following her trail back a little ways before going off the beaten path down a trapper's trail into the woods.

He rode for a good half hour before breaking off of the trail and heading further from the scene of his crime. The snow began to fade beneath rocky outcroppings. The horse carefully navigated the terrain. Soon they came upon a lone cave. Miles from civilization. Miles from anywhere or anyone. He knew this because he scouted the area for quite some time before choosing this spot. Dry kindling was ready as he unloaded his prize. He laid her down and started a very small, nearly smokeless fire.

Phase one was completed. Now was when the real fun would begin.....

[Isabelle Leonette Lucian]

"Ready or not! Here I come!" The sound of her father's deep voice echoing through the long, empty hall nearly had the eight year old Isabelle succumbing to a fit of giggles. She tried her best to maintain her silence and managed to keep from moving too much to instantly give away her hiding spot behind some heavy drapes. Not that it mattered because unbeknownst to her the toes of her slippers were poking out beneath the bottom.

"Could she be under this table?"

Her hands rose to her mouth to stifle another fit of giggles.

"Maybe behind this plant?"

It was almost too much for her to contain. She'd chosen such a wonderful hiding spot hadn't she? He'd never find her here! She waited for his next guess and after several minutes of silence frowned. Where was he? Had he given up? No. He wouldn't just give up, not without telling her first. She opened her mouth to speak but no words would come out. She tried to push the tapestry aside but suddenly found herself smothered in it. Twisting and turning she struggled to free herself.

Reality had her attempting to thrash about on the ground where her captor had laid her. Her dream had seeped into her reality or perhaps it had been the other way around. Regardless, Isabelle subconsciously pushed against the cloak the man had used to bind her. It wasn't long before she did reach a state of semi-consciousness that hung somewhere between sleep and awareness. Her cry of distress was muffled by the cloak and her panic was rising fast.

[Erasmus Reynard]

He made the long treck back into the cave. It went back so far that you couldn't even see or smell the small fire. He returned to their little camp in time to see her struggling. Two rabbits were dangling from very fine, nearly invisible wire that had trapped them around the throat. He watched her struggle for a bit. Then set the rabbit's down at the cave wall. He slowly moved over to where she was. Kneeling down he placed a hand on the cloak to try to steady her. He knew she wouldn't be able to hear him.

He said nothing as he pulled a dagger from his boot. It was a very fine blade made of an odd metal that looked somewhat like steel but not quite. He did it with a flick of his wrist. Slicing through the leather restraint that tied the part of the cloak where her head was. He moved her up to a sitting position with her back against the cave wall. He then peeled down the layers of the cloak wrapped around her to expose her head and shoulders.

He looked to the large bump he'd left on her head, but said nothing and made no expression. Then without a word he walked back to his rabbits. He knelt next to them and began to go about gutting and skinning them. His hands moved with a surgeon's precision and made the entire act look easy, too easy.

[Isabelle Leonette Lucian]

Everything was dark and silent and then she was moving. She hadn't heard footsteps approaching ( not that she could hear much ) and she hadn't been able to calm down long enough to think there was even someone else around. Fear crept to join the panic that all but consumed her. She could feel whatever covered her falling away and seconds later her flushed face was assaulted with blessedly cool, fresh air.

She took several deep breaths before allowing herself to focus her attention on her surroundings. Or at least, she attempted to. Thankfully it was dark because the wave of pain that slammed into her would have been ten times worse had light been allowed to pierce now closed eyes. Her head was killing her. It felt as though someone had taken a large tree limb and hit her at point blank range.

Whatever had happened to get her here became irrelevant the moment she realized she was still bound from the shoulders down. Her first thoughts once the pain receded enough to allow her to think, was that Von Drake was behind this, he had to be! Right? Perhaps it was just wishful thinking. If it was Von Drake calling the shots there wasn't much to fear. He wanted her alive, the man had an insatiable ego. If it wasn't Von Drake than her future was unknown.

She wasn't alone, that much she knew. Belle had no clue who the man was expertly prepping the animals for cooking but she was fairly certain she didn't want to. "Where am I?" The words came out softer and less demanding than she initially intended.

[Erasmus Reynard]

The light was dim but her eyes would adjust soon. His dark brown eyes glanced up to her as she spoke. A loud wet slap rang out as he slammed the rabbit skin to the ground. He didn't reply.

His blade went to the second rabbit. He made sure she could hear the snap of the bones, the slice of the flesh. It wasn't long until the other skin slapped to the ground.

"You're in a cave."

His tone was serious and nothing else. He took the skinned whole rabbits, and using rocks and branches, leaned them over the fire to cook. Snatching a cloth and some water he began to clean his hands off. His eyes locked upon hers, even if she couldn't quite see him yet.

He wore dark clothing that had been hidden beneath the white cloak he had bound her with. His long sleeve shirt was form fitting, yet obviously allowed movement. A black vest was worn over it, lined in daggers. He wore dark bracers over his forearms. His long hair was tied back into a ponytail that went down to his shoulderblades. His bow, quiver, and two swords leaned against the cave wall next to him.

[Isabelle Leonette Lucian]

"You're in a cave."

Of course she was in a cave, why hadn't she noticed it before? Perhaps because she'd been too busy trying to figure out why she was in a cave. Though fear hung heavy on her shoulders the anger sparked by his nonchalant attitude ran a little bit hotter for a moment. She couldn't quite make out what he was doing and perhaps that was for the best, she had never been one for blood and gore and odd as it was considering her present situation she might have felt a pang of pity for the small, unfortunate creature.

"Why?" Since he didn't seem to mind giving her the answers she wanted so far, why stop asking? She'd press on and eventually he'd get fed up and tell her to be quiet or he would just stop responding. Belle knew she could have made a million and one threats and all of them would have been hollow so she didn't demean herself by attempting it. "Who hired you?"

[Erasmus Reynard]

He let her get gutsy and ask more questions. What more would one expect from a princess after all. Arrogance, bah. He slowly turned the rabbits, their flesh sizzled nicely over the low fire.

"Because you were easy prey."

He minded the rabbits for some time before even thinking of her next question. They were about done by the time he decided he would humor her.

"Many people tried to hire me, but I went with the highest bidder of course." He was answering all of her questions. But he only answered how she asked, unspecifically.

He slowly rose to his feet and began to walk over to her. His footsteps made no sound even in the quiet cave that would amplify sound as it bounced from the rocky walls. He pulled a dagger from his vest and held it in his left hand. He stopped over her and began to reach towards her.....

[Isabelle Leonette Lucian]

"Because you're easy prey."

Belle felt her heart begin to race. Had this been random? Perhaps he didn't even know who she really was. All he'd seen was a stupid girl traveling on her own. It hadn't even been that far of a distance! Inn to town, five miles at most with little but rough, snow covered terrain between the two. Who in the world stood around in this sort of weather waiting for easy prey? Someone who anticipated it. Which meant someone who had been watching.

The answer to her next question confirmed that it wasn't random but that didn't cause her pounding heart to slow any and she had to force herself to focus on her breathing in order to keep it even and her fear from shining through.

"Many people tried to hire me, but I went with the highest bidder of course."

Of course. The way he spoke made it seem like this was no big deal, like he'd been bartering for bread at the market, or cattle, or any number of mundane things. Before she had a chance to ask who the highest bidder had been, though she had an idea, he started towards her a mere shadow moving across the floor. Still bound by the cloak she had no way of moving to avoid whatever it was he intended and as he drew closer she felt her panic mounting only to have it reach its peak when he drew the blade free from his vest.

All manner of protests rose to her lips but she choked them back. If he were going to kill her, she would not give him the satisfaction of begging for her life. Had her father seen his own coming? Stared into the eyes of death? Of betrayal? He wouldn't have begged if he had. Was she as strong as he undoubtedly had been? She could be, she had to be. Closing her eyes, she steeled herself to what was inevitably coming as he reached out for her.

[Erasmus Reynard]

Why do they always fall to pieces... He watched as she tried her hardest to remain calm. Then her eyes slid shut. He shook his head and sighed. His free hand grabbed at the cloak flap near her head and pulled it outward. The dagger came in and began to slice into the cloak. Cutting away enough to free her arms without disturbing the strap around her mid section that had kept the rest of the cloak tight about her legs.
"Eat."
He didn't say a word. He turned and walked back over to the fire. Leaving her on the ground over in the corner. Plucking up a rabbit he began to slice away pieces and eat. The other one remained un disturbed.

[Isabelle Leonette Lucian]

Belle wasn't sure what to think when she felt the knife slice cleanly through the blanket binding her arms. Relief? Anxiety? Fear? He may not have plunged the knife into her chest or slit her throat this time, but what about later? Would he changed his mind and just get it done with? Perhaps he'd been ordered to scare her into submission.

"Eat."

Eat? Her eyes flew towards him but he'd already turned away to return to his place by the fire. She watched as he began to eat himself and then her eyes dropped to the other rabbit roasting over the flames.

How in the world was she supposed to eat it when it was on the other side of the cave? Did he think she'd crawl for it? Look like an utter fool as she wiggled across the cave floor? Her own pride overrode any twinge of hunger she might have felt. Gritting her teeth she made no move to approach him, the fire or the rabbit. She'd eaten a bit that morning, she could last a while longer.

[Erasmus Reynard]

His eyes were locked on her as she sat defiantly where she was. He continued eating the rabbit. Licking his fingers and smacking his lips. The wonderful aroma of the fresh was filling the cave. She was only hurting herself really. The weaker she was the easier it would be to transport her. That is if he wished to keep to the plan. After all there are more valuable things in the world than money. He held the key to the kingdom after all.

Yes, he'd planned on her crawling for her food. He had no worry of her escaping. The area around the cave was littered in traps both lethal and non. And if she died. He wasn't too worried. He all ready had a plan, if it came to it.

Outside the cave the sound of a canine yelping could be heard. He sighed and shook his head. He set his rabbit upon a cloth near his things and rose silently to his feet. He calmly made his way outside. She would hear yet another yelp. Then all was silent.

[Isabelle Leonette Lucian]

If he thought childish antics were going to break her that easily, he had another thing coming. Frowning she closed her eyes and began to hum softly to herself though what tune was anyones guess. Something from her childhood perhaps? It wasn't until that yelping echoed through the cave that she stopped and opened her eyes again.

A dog?

Without really being able to help herself, her eyes shifted towards her captor. What would he do? Just let it cry? How had it found them? Had it wandered far? Perhaps they were closer to civilization than Belle had originally assumed. Her heart leaped in her chest and she tried not to let her hope grow too large.

Movement on the part of her captor interrupted her thoughts and she watched silently as he rose to leave the cave. A small part of her considered getting to the food during his absence but he would still know that he'd won and she was too stubborn right now to allow that. The abrupt absence of yelping had a tendril of fear curling in her stomach. Had he killed it? The poor dog who didn't know what it was doing? It was odd how such a thought could spark such hatred for a human being.