Disclaimer: Tortall, the characters, and anything recognizable belongs to Tamora Pierce, not me. I don't make any material profit from writing this.
A/N: This is for the Monthly JoGeNuDoNaRo Challenge over at the Men of Tortall forums. This month the challenge was to write a crack!ship (a romantic pairing that is not commonly accepted or considered canon from the books) oneshot. Mine is Beka/Ersken. Don't forget to review when you're done!
It wasn't supposed to be this way. They had never intended for it to get this far. But it had. It was too late to turn back now. They had let it get out of hand and now, because of that, the connection between them was far deeper than it should have been.
He was seeing someone else – courting her – and she was leading a man on even while she did this. The situation was dangerous. Danger did not even begin to describe what they were doing. Deep in her heart, Beka knew that this was wrong. But it felt right. It felt good. That was why she couldn't give it up.
There was fear and adrenaline racing through her as she walked down the cobblestone streets. People pushed by all around her. Excitement spiked through her next, rushing with the adrenaline through her veins. The thrill came simply from the fact that she was sneaking through the streets, seemingly right under the nose of the Rogue himself. It was a death sentence hanging over their heads if he did discover them, but it only made the excitement sweeter.
Rosto might not have minded in the least when Ersken and Kora had begun their romance, this was different. This was Ersken effectively betraying Kora. Beka herself had broken the deepest trust he had given her. That trust was not something Rosto the Piper gave lightly, and if there was one thing that Beka knew he would not stand for, it was treachery from those closest to him. That included her. Especially her. She had led him to believe that she had given in to his charming ways, which was the opposite of what had happened.
They had not started out to begin this – it had been an accident. They had been caught together on a case that had led them to another city, and they had been caught by their prey. Three days locked in a small dark room had caused sparks to fly between them. It had only gone from there.
At last, she caught sight of the hooded figure in the alleyway. He was there, waiting for her, just as she had hoped. Glancing at the crowd around her once more, Beka darted into the alley. The hood of her own cloak fell as she reached him, a bright smile on her face. Ersken smiled back at her, taking her hand and drawing her farther into the shadows. He looked over her shoulder again just to make sure that she had not been followed before he embraced her.
"It was difficult to get away," he said softly. "I think she's starting to suspect that I'm up to something." Beka nodded.
"Kora is a smart mot," she replied. "We knew that she would catch on sooner or later. Rosto doesn't seem to have a clue," she added. Then she leaned closer to him and he captured her lips with his own.
"We will have to act soon," Ersken told her when they broke apart. "Elsewise we'll both be in trouble…" His voice trailed off and he gasped. Beka whirled, breaking free from Ersken's embrace as he crumbled to the ground.
Dark silhouettes blocked the dim light from the street. Her throat tightened as they drew closer. Ersken was still. Blood was pooling on the cobblestones already, but it was quite clear that he was gone.
One of the silhouettes moved closer to her. When blue-green mage-fire flared into existence an instant later, she saw who had discovered them. The Rogue himself stood in front of her, his pale blond hair neatly pulled back and his face set. His eyes seemed darker than even the sky on a moonless night. There was a certain wildness in his lack of expression and immaculate appearance.
Kora's face was harshly illuminated behind him. Her anger was plain on her face; betrayal was written in her eyes. Hatred flared in her expression as she watched Beka's frozen posture.
"Treachery is not tolerated," she announced quietly. Beka flinched when Kora spoke, taking a step back.
"You have shattered every form of trust any of us have given you, Beka," Rosto added. "Ersken is dead because of your betrayal. The truce between the Court of the Rogue and your precious Provost's Guard is over." Beka gasped, taking another step back. Her blue-grey eyes were as wide as saucers as the Rogue and his friend watched her.
"You can't do that!" she whispered finally. "Not because of me. Please-" Rosto cut her off.
"I can do whatever I want, Cooper. I'm the Rogue," he snapped. "His blood is on your hands now."
Silence reigned between them for several moments. Beka bit her lip until it bled as the three of them stood tensely. Tears were beginning to stream down her face even as Rosto watched.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked finally, her voice trembling. Rosto leaned close to her.
"I've forgiven you," he intoned softly. "Never cross me again."
Rosto turned as Kora extinguished the light. Beka stood there, her question unanswered, for a long moment as they walked away. When her knees gave out, she sank to the cobblestones. Rain began to fall on her, but she did not care. The raindrops washed her tears away, but more replaced them. It was a long time before she got up.