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Posted: 9/2/14

Chapter VII – The Holy Roman Empire

It had been just over 13 weeks since this unexpected journey had started for Rachel. They were behind schedule, not that Quinn had voiced that fact, and were in the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, and area of it which would one day be called Germany. The Empire itself had been dissolving for the past few centuries and would probably dissolve some more over the next one.

That was beyond any relative point for these two woman and their three horses as they trotted down a cobbled street in the fading light. The month of May was closing soon and hopefully it would continue to get warmer even as they ventured towards colder climate countries, with rougher terrain.

The streets, though growing dark and thin of people, were still full of life, sounds, and atmosphere from within buildings, like the local taverns or public houses.

The pair themselves had grown quieter on their travels. After opening up to the Lady, Quinn back tracked, realising they weren't things she should be telling this woman, of all people. She blamed the sheer lack of human companionship, her loneliness in her life for her reason being open with Rachel, and even thinking other things.

Rachel was just a young, naive woman with a title, and she was naive enough to think that title meant something. It was nothing, just a word in front of a name, it could be taken away, or manipulated, or put the holder of such a title in danger, like a king to be assassinated or a Lady to be kidnapped.

"We will stop here." Quinn told the younger woman as they reached a public house where they could pay for a room for the night. Quinn led the group from horseback round to the back road, taking them to the stables. A young man was still there, tending and guarding the guests horses and ready to take in the new horses. There was a small exchange of words and coin before the human pair continued back round on foot towards the house itself, Quinn keeping Rachel close to keep her from wandering.

Then something made the contract killer falter. Quinn felt Rachel tense as she heard it too. The screaming, yelping, of a man in pain

"Help, please, somebody... h-help!" Quinn understood the language he was using, but like Rachel, you didn't need to know what he was saying to understand the person was in trouble.

Rachel just looked to Quinn, a caring worry in her eyes at the sounds of the man being attacked. The brunette was surprised when she saw the same concern in her captors eyes. Quinn clamped her hand round Rachel's wrist and pulled her with her, rushing, jogging, down the road to where the noise was coming from.

They slowed, or Quinn slowed them, as they reached the mouth of one alley way where the sounds of the cries for help were coming from. They both peered down to see what was happening, Quinn cautious for fear of being seen, Rachel cautious for what she might see.

Halfway down the foot path between the two houses they saw three men standing around a forth curled up on the floor. The floored figure's yelps quietened as he grew weaker, while the three standing continued to kick him. Even in the darkness, they could both make out the person laying on the floor was only young, a young man, maybe even a boy.

"This will teach your father to skip on payments!" One of the men growled before spitting on the injured boy.

"Is that boy-" Quinn clamped her hand over Rachel's mouth and removed them both from the end of the footpath, clear from the view of the scene.

Once they were out of sight, with Rachel pushed up against the building, trapped by Quinn's body, she released her hand but left a finger over Rachel's lips to keep her silent. "Do not speak, stay here, out of sight." She ordered with a short harsh whisper. She said nothing more as she quickly removed herself from Rachel and ran light footed to the next footpath sat the other side of the same building she was leaning against.

"Wait, what?" she whispered harshly, as she rushed after her captor. "Where are you going?" She demanded, still keeping her voice in that whisper, as she rounded the corner. She stumbled in her tracks though when Quinn had already disappeared from sight. "Quinn?" She looked behind her, then forward again... then up in time to catch some movement, of someone disappearing from sight as they reached the roof. "Quinn!" she whisper yelled again... but nothing. She was alone.

The brunette looked around, to the alien town, the quiet streets around her. She suddenly felt so alone, and so in need to grasp onto someone, to hold on and keep them close, for protection and sanity. At a complete loss she went back to where Quinn had told her to wait, Quinn would be back for her, the money being offered for her was too great for Quinn to lose her now, anyway.

When she closed in on where the boy was being beaten she peered round the corner again. She watched and wondered what Quinn was going to do, if she really was to do anything. Rachel then flinched, making sure to clamp her own hand over her mouth to hide a possible gasp or whimper, as one of the three standing men cried out in pain and dropped to the floor.

The other two men were startled too, they looked around frantic, Rachel was frozen as one of the men seemed to be looking straight at her, tilting his head almost. The brunette's eyes widened, suddenly worried that he might hurt her now-

All thoughts were cut short when a body fell from the roof pinning the very man that was looking at her to the ground. The body then remained crouched over him as they struck out and pinned the third man in the gut with their hidden wrist blade. He cried out and collapsed to the ground too.

The last man, pinned beneath Quinn struggled, she growled something close to his face, in the local language, and in desperation of his life he called out an answer that satisfied her. And then his struggling abruptly stopped. Rachel watched as her hooded captor stood up, removing her other wrist blade from her victims neck as she did so.

She then cautiously approached the boy on the floor, picking an item up from next to him as she offered her arm. He was startled and shaking but after realising this mysterious person was his saviour, and not there to kill him, he took her arm. "You're safe now." Rachel still did not know what was being said, because of the language barrier, but she saw the boy relax against Quinn as she walked him away from the three bodies.

Rachel followed, at a loss of what else to do as they crossed the street and Quinn sat him down. He had short brown hair, his build was quite slim, perhaps even weak looking. Rachel watched as Quinn handed him the item she had picked up.

"Danke" he breathed as he took the spectacles and mounted them on his face. "I am Arthur, Artie to my friends. And you are?" he meekly looked up, cautiously expectant.

"A friend, Artie" Quinn answered with a half smile, using the name his friend would call him to let him know she was that. "What did those men want with you?"

Rachel watched oblivious as the boy sat there, trying to catch his breath and wipe the blood from his lip. He would probably wake bruised but he looked like he would be okay. At least he could stand.

"My father owes their boss money. He's trying to pay them, back, it was for my sister, she needs medicine." He explained, gaining sympathy from the coherent blonde.

Rachel watched the exchange of words, then to Quinn as she reached for the money pouch on her belt, she opened it and took out a generous amount of coins. "Here, take this, it may help for a little while." She offered the handful forward.

"Th-this is too much," he hesitated as his eyes, one already swelling a little, widened. It was already a generous thing to do, to save his life possibly risking her own, but this as well was definitely too much. "Why?"

"You need it." She took his hand and placed the coins in it, forcing him to take them. "Now run home, stay out of trouble and avoid more debtors." She pulled him to stand and shooed him, after all there were three bodies laying in an alley a few feet from them all, it would not be good if more men showed up. Quinn had the information she needed anyway, from when the last to die squealed.

The two women watched him go, though he stopped and looked back, torn on how he should handle this situation. This stranger, in the hooded clothes was an angel, his saviour, and he couldn't even thank her. "Quinn, why did you help him?" Rachel asked attentively behind her.

Quinn looked back over her shoulder, in the dim street lighting Rachel could still make out the harsh expression on Quinn's face. She didn't understand the look though. "It was the right thing to do, he was being beaten for someone else's mistake." Rachel didn't understand the harshness in Quinn's voice either.

"What mistake?" Rachel just wanted to understand, it was pure and innocent curiosity.

"His sister is sick, his father borrowed money for a physician for her, and those men were from the debtor." She explained simply as if she was being both dismissive and suddenly defensive. The blonde turned abruptly and headed towards the inn, hoping Rachel would just follow.

And she did, but not without opening her mouth. "But, Quinn, y-you murdered-"

She turned swiftly back, her abrupt movement cutting Rachel's words short "What did you think My Lady? That I am a simple courier of people?" She loomed over the shorter woman, with an anger, almost as if she was projecting the anger she expected from Rachel. Projecting the outrage of what she thought Rachel would be feeling. It was defensive, she said it first, before Rachel could make her feel bad. "These blades, my scars, they mean something, what you have seen should have told you-"

"You were so brave, and selfless" She cut the assassin off with the surprise of a sweet, soft, vulnerable, caring voice.

Quinn just furrowed her brow. "Excuse me?"

"They were dishonourable to treat that boy like that, and yet there you are. You run in, without thinking of yourself and rescue him." She said softly, as she looked into her captors eyes with admiration.

Quinn stopped herself from relaxing, this had to be another attempt at a mind game, to put Quinn at ease. She'd just killed three men, no matter their crimes murder was murder... wasn't that what Rachel would normally believe? "But I killed them." She emphasised that point.

"I know." Rachel nodded and swallowed thickly, nervous. Nervous of her own ideas, and forever changing mind... and the three bodies in the alley way. "And it's conflicting, like your life story." She muttered the very last part.

Quinn shook her head, "I don't understand," she said with much confusion. What she had told Rachel of her life story was not conflicting, it was simple, she had killed people for money.

"What happened in Spain?" She asked suddenly. Quinn's travelling tales hadn't erased what she saw of her captor all those weeks ago near Pamplona. Quinn just gave her a warning look. "That was your home, that villa we stayed in that one night, wasn't it?" she pushed, swallowing thickly.

"I do not wish to speak of it." Quinn tried forcefully before she turned and kept walking.

"What happened, Quinn?" Rachel rushed after her, grabbing her arm to stop her.

Quinn tore her arm away aggressively. Her past was no one's business but her own. She'd already made too many mistakes with this lady, she should have kept her drugged and found another ship. "No, my Lady, It is not something you need know." She tried to walk again but Rachel just desperately grabbed her again, bringing them face to face once more.

"You are my kidnapper Quinn, and at the same time the only one I have to depend on. I am very much lost without you, so please, for once, try and be honest with me," she wanted to know, she wanted to know everything about this woman.

"... No." She finally pulled her arm free again. "You are my... parcel, I need to keep you safe that is all." The word safe made it sound almost kind, but her tone and the label she gave the younger woman was heartless, just how she needed to sound. "Now... I need to... hunt," she grunted as she walked away again.

"Hunt? We have eaten, why would you need to hunt?" Rachel asked, too loudly, making Quinn snap back to her again.

"Not for food." she snarled. She was just angry with herself, for letting Rachel get to her. Why did killing now feel so wrong? Why did everything she did and believed in feel wrong? It could not just be because that is how Rachel had felt when they first met.

"Quinn, I do not understand." Rachel voiced her confusion with concern.

She sighed heavily. "Whoever sent those men, that I took care of, is going to be very upset, and they might take it out on that young boy and his family." She tried to explain harshly, not wanting Rachel to approve but wanting her to at the same time, for a sudden reason she was not sure of. "I need to find the debtor and silence them, for the good of that family"

"Quinn-"

"Please, I will acquire a room for us, just stay there, and be silent." She requested harshly.

"But Quinn, it could be dangerous." Rachel's voice broke a little with worry.

Quinn just walked into the inn, not listening to Rachel's words. What did Rachel care? She wanted Quinn dead 13 weeks ago, and nothing had changed. Rachel was still her captive, she the captor.

Once they were in their acquired room Quinn thought of tying Rachel up, but as she watched the unsure woman on the other side of the room she decided it was unnecessary. Rachel could have run already, she'd had enough chances. "I will return before sunrise." Quinn reassured her. "You leave here, I will hunt you down." She left with that warning, not waiting for a usual promise from the Lady, just leaving and locking the door behind her. She had some bodies to hide first and then some people to find.

"I'm not going anywhere" Rachel said quietly to the silent room.

...

Rachel didn't sleep that night; she couldn't, not with Quinn not there. She needed her; she was trapped without her, ironically.

She sat on the lip of the bed and watched the night sky out the window of their rented room, waiting and hoping nothing happened to Quinn, or she'd be stuck here, possibly an enemy to the local people, and if not that, then she was useless and mute to them as she could not speak their language.

The sun was just starting to break free on the horizon, ready to rise and shine for the people. It just reminded Rachel that so many, mostly silent, hours had passed by, hours of thoughts flashing into Rachel's head. Her captor took down three in the alley, what if there were too many where she was going, or had gone. What if-

The turning of a key in the lock broke Rachel from her stupor. For a moment she was tense, before the door swung open to reveal the only person Rachel wanted to see right now. She stood up and faced the woman, "Quinn," she breathed with relief as the woman silent entered the room and shut the door behind her again. "I did not hear your footsteps beyond the door. I heard some earlier and hoped it was you but I realised I never hear your footsteps, you are like a ghost you-" Quinn just looked at her out of the corner of her eye, from beneath the lip of her hood. What Rachel noticed in the peeking sun light streaming into their room, when her eyes landed on the other woman made her falter. "Quinn? Oh my- you're bleeding".

She approached, quickly and without second thought. Quinn was silent as she poured water from the pitcher into the basin, sat on the dresser. As she settled the pitcher back down the water in the basin began to stain red from drops of blood falling from Quinn's face.

Worry distracted fear and caution, as Rachel attentively reached out. She pushed the hood back and gasped softly at what she found. There was a cut under her right eye, with light bruising surrounding it, and there was more blood, running from her ear.

Quinn carefully pushed the brunettes hands away from her own face as she reached for the cloth and dampened it in the bowl before starting to blindly wipe the blood from her face, dabbing cautiously at the cut under her eye and hissing from the contact.

"Here," Rachel reached for the cloth in Quinn's hand without even thinking. As her hand enveloped Quinn's the blonde stopped, "Allow me," Rachel said with a hint of a question. Their eyes locked, deep brown against sparkling Hazel, each searching for something, for some emotion from the other person. Quinn just gave in, letting go of the rag and breaking the eye contact.

She placed her hands on the dresser leaning there as she let Rachel attend to her injuries. The Brunettes touch wasn't softer than her own, she still found herself in discomfort as her face was cleaned of the blood that was hers.

Rachel wanted to know what had happened, how Quinn had got these injuries and if she had succeeded in her missions. She imagined Quinn had, unless all her stories had been just that... No, Rachel doubted Quinn had lied, there was something about Quinn when she had been telling those tales, they were in her mind, and some even in her heart from when she had killed out of love. And of course there were the scars Rachel had seen, the most vicious to her back. No, Quinn hadn't lied, and she had succeeded, even if she hadn't escaped without injury.

Quinn stayed silent, only glimpsing at Rachel occasionally as she continued to dab and touch her face, having to move Quinn's head with the lightest of touches, so she could see better in the low lighting. The only time Quinn moved of her own accord was when she washed her hands, Rachel did look at them briefly, they had blood on them too... but not Quinn's.

Quinn had told herself before she got back to not speak, and just let Rachel exhaust herself with her judgemental rants... but they never came, she was surprised by an entirely different Lady Rachel, cleaning the blood from her face.

Rachel wasn't sure what had changed, or even what she was thinking or feeling, but whenever she was near this woman lately she found herself nervous, yet excited. Her heart would beat harder in her chest, her breathing became frail. Rachel even thought there were moments where she forgot this woman had taken her from everything she knew, this woman had turned her life upside down, in almost every way imaginable.

Rachel washed away the blood, the truth of what Quinn was, what her role had become in this world. A killer. Quinn felt sick in the pit of her stomach, she had revealed her true self to Rachel, even more so than she already had. There was no hiding anything about herself anymore. And she didn't know why she cared so much either, why should she care what Rachel thought of her?

If she had dared ask Rachel would have held back the truth, which was, she thought what Quinn had done was admirable, she had gone out of her way to save a young boy and his family, she had then furthered her mission and found all the men responsible. Even as she cleaned the blood from Quinn's face and tried to sooth the damaged skin, she didn't think of the lives lost, only the lives saved.

She didn't know what it was, what she felt right now, she was just letting it seep into her. Maybe, maybe she was akin to these feelings, though she had never felt them before, maybe they were feelings she had read of in the literature in the corner of her father's library. But that wasn't prominently on her mind right now; she was just letting herself feel, while she worried for the bruised and bleeding woman in front of her.

Quinn had revealed her true self to Rachel, and that sat in the pit of her stomach... though she was not sure why she suddenly cared what Rachel thought of her.

Once Quinn was clean they settled, though they did not sleep long, spending most of the time they could sleep thinking about the silence that had befell them and the wonders of why the other never said a word.

...

"I need supplies; there is a market not far from here." Those were the first words said once morning had truly broken and the pair had removed themselves from the awkwardly shared bed. Rachel was able to breathe with ease that Quinn was speaking again. She had worried that it was her questions, trying to find out too much about her captor, that had pushed the blonde's tolerance too far.

"Very well." The brunette replied simply.

Quinn paused in packing the few item in her bag. "Are you fine to accompany me?" she asked lightly.

"Of course, I do not wish to stay here again until you return." Rachel admitted, but kept her voice neutral and calm.

With the guilt of her words of the night before still on her mind, coupled with how surprisingly caring the Lady had been when Quinn had returned, Quinn thought she should make it up to her, if only to make the guilt go away.

.

They wandered through a market place together, some distance between them, showing Quinn trusted the other woman. She let Rachel browse over the people and the items on the stalls. As the Lady stopped by a market stall selling flowers she looked back, to check on the blonde. She walked with her hood down today, no need for the disguise or the warmth.

Quinn walked with such confidence, a thing Rachel was jealous of. She pretended she was confident but she wasn't. She wasn't sure how she had found the strength to jump off that ship that day, or how she had found the power to say those hateful words to her captor. It hadn't lasted, obviously.

She continued to watch Quinn as a group of children, 3 boys and a girl, begging on the streets closed in on the uniformed woman. They had been playful, harmless enough when begging the other strangers who had shooed them away, but as they closed in on their new target their steps faltered when they saw the weapons adorning Quinn's clothes.

She surprised them and her spectator, who she was not even aware of, by smiling to the children. She dropped to a knee in front of them and reached into her coin pouch, then offered them the money. Rachel watched as one of the children, one of the smaller boys cautiously stepped forward before meekly reaching at taking the coins. With a nervous laugh he then ran, the other children following quickly, Quinn just smiled to herself before standing again and continuing her search for a certain item.

She didn't see the Lady watching her, she didn't even look for her, she just trusted she was nearby.

It wasn't the first time Rachel had seen her do this, give money to people, especially children, begging on the streets. She'd done it on the streets in the towns in France, maybe she had done that in Spain too but when ever Quinn went to the markets she had always left Rachel tied somewhere... that was in the past now, they had made progress.

She wasn't sure where Quinn got all her money from... she didn't really care either.

Later, as they wandered back to the inn to retrieve their horses from the stables, Quinn reached into her home made satchel for her newly gained item. It was probably the most simple item she had acquired on this journey so far, and it meant nothing to her, but she knew they'd mean much to the person they were for.

"Here," she offered over to the brunette, without warning.

Rachel's step faltered as she looked down at the pair of items in Quinn's hand, being held out in front of her. "What are these?" she furrowed her brow at the older woman, but took the neatly folded items. She could quite clearly see what they were, she just didn't understand why. The dress had been more than enough to make her comfortable walking through the streets.

"A gift for you, my Lady." Quinn dismissed lightly and quickened her pace.

The Lady took a few quicker steps to catch up, and smiled to herself at the items in her hands. "Stockings?"

"Yours were destroyed when you tried to swim to shore." She necessarily reminded. "And then I further damaged your dress that you claim was made by the Queen of England-"

"Made by her tailor" Rachel corrected with a chuckle.

Quinn smiled a little too as she cautiously watched Rachel admire the simple clothing. "And I heard somewhere that the Queen wears those, they're Italian, made by the same guy who makes hers."

"You didn't need to do this." Rachel told her. Though she was more than ecstatic that she had.

"It was nothing." Quinn dismissed as they kept walking, round the inn, to the back road and the stable.

"Thank you." Rachel said finally. Then after a pause she said another 2 words. "Henry Herne."

Quinn looked to her quizzically, "Pardon?"

"Henry Herne is the name of the man who makes these, not Guy." She laughed lightly again. Quinn just smiled and shook her head, just feeling pleased that Rachel was pleased. It kept her distracted as she pushed open the doors to the stables, allowing them both inside.

She only made it a few more steps before she looked forward and stopped when she found their horses gone and two men waiting for them. She was jostled forward a little when she felt the distracted young Lady walk into her.

"Quinn?" she heard Rachel ask before she stepped round the blonde and saw what she saw.

"Thanks ever so for keeping our horses in such fine condition. But I'm afraid we've needed to take them back." The young man with the curly brown hair stood central to the stable space, one pistol aimed directly at Quinn's head. The blonde man stood to the side of his friend, alternatively with his bow drawn and an arrow aimed at her.

"Oh... fucke." Quinn sighed.

"My Lady Berry, at last we have found you, and can return you to your mother and father." Sam relaxed his bow and offered his hand to the brunette woman, the one they had been after for so long. Finally luck had been on their side, the trail they had been following had been the right one.

Rachel looked to Quinn, the stockings clutched tightly in her hand, something in her eyes... worry. It had to be worry; she worried if this broke their deal. Would Quinn kill them with even less thought, now that Rachel would be safely with them? Quinn nodded and gestured with her hand for Rachel to just go to the waiting man.

The lady looked torn, even a little broken, not that anyone noticed. This whole event was all about her but no one was really paying attention to her. All the eye contact was between Quinn and the two present goons.

"Where is the third?" Quinn demanded her question, she knew to expect a 'surprise' attack if they did not answer.

"Oh do not flatter yourself, you-you woman!" Jesse spat with disgust, and part disappointment that he had let a mere woman escape them. "Finn has our horses secured, far from your thieving hands. We do not need all three of us at this moment in time."

"You think you can insult me, you think my gender is a weakness." She laughed, even with the barrel of a gun pointed at her head, only a few feet away, she laughed. Even throwing her head back, to over exaggerate the laugh. It made the men uneasy but confused the Lady further more. This was not Quinn. She looked skyward too, and noticed bales of hay being stored in suspension directly above herself and Sam.

The laughter faded and Rachel snapped back to attention, before Sam, who's rough grip lingered on her wrist, noticed what she was looking at. Even if the grip wasn't tight, his hands were rough. It was unnecessary for him to hold her anyway, she removed herself from his grip and separated herself from them directly. Almost instinctually he drew the arrow again, pointing it at the enemy.

Quinn's voice then directed itself at her. "I wonder, my Lady, if you should really choose them, if you wish to choose at all. I have laid out your options if you continue with me, these men see you as nothing but an object, one that needs a man to make her something. But you know, for I have told you, that is not true." Rachel creased her brow, she saw something soft in Quinn's eyes, something telling her to hold onto the words. "Do not fear, I am not taking your promise into effect, you kept your word..." Quinn reassured her, this was not about their deal "I'm just trying to make you think, you could have run before My Lady, you know you could. But you didn't." And Rachel knew it, in the Market, or the night before, she could have found a way to leave, she could have run. She didn't want to though.

"Silence!" Jesse demanded loudly, ceasing the play of words. Because that's all it was, Rachel thought to herself, it was just trickery, her life was worth so much money to Quinn, that's why she tried so hard to get her to choose... And if that was what Rachel truly believed, why was it so easy to choose Quinn? "You speak such falseness, our Lady Berry will be returned to her rightful place." He said smugly, his arm still strongly supporting the pistol pointed at the assassins head. Quinn was unaffected by the threat though, she just looked around, even glancing over her shoulder, assumedly checking the escape of the open door. "And you, a sword to your neck by Duke Berry himself would be most appropriate, but unfortunately not viable, you vile and depraved woman. So a shot to the gut I think is suitable-"

"You have spent too much time with the Lady, it seems." She cut him off, loudly. "You waste time with words, a tactic I have learnt also." She smirked before turning swiftly, flicking her wrist to extend her wrist blade and cutting the rope tied to the iron bar by the door. One of the hay bales suspended above them fell, knocking Sam to the floor, before anyone could really register what was happening. His arms were forced to relax under the weight, so the drawn arrow fired with low velocity, and completely off target.

Jesse fired his pistol out of instinct, wasting his one shot as it zipped through the air, a few feet from Quinn's head. Most would have flinched, she didn't even blink. She smirked at him as she closed in, "You leave yourself open, kind sir," she mocked him before kneeing him straight between the legs. She knew it was a low blow, an unfair one too but it worked as he doubled over, then dropped to the floor, clutching at himself and whimpering.

She then offered her hand to Rachel. The young lady had an excitement and nervousness that shone in her eyes. Something made her throw her hand to Quinn's without fear or hesitation. The blonde relaxed with further satisfaction and accomplishment at the feeling of the other woman's hand in her own. She gripped it firmly before turning and dragging her captive out of the stables and away from the danger.

They safely ran to the main street in front of the inn just as a large tented merchant's cart rolled by. "Quickly, my Lady," Quinn breathed before rushing them to the back of the cart and ushering Rachel to climb inside. She followed closely behind, and made sure the opening to the back of the tent was closed behind them. They sat silent, and hopeful they would make it clear of the town, in the very least.

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