She stared at the bounty hunter. "You! We thought you were… were-"

"You know this slave?" Asked the queen, her blue eyes glittering with curiosity.

He was silent for a moment. "Yes, very well. She's my slave, a run-away."

"What?! You know that's not-"

"Guards, apprehend her for breaking into the queen's throne room and threatening the queen."

The queen nodded her approval.

"Your majesty, since this is a personal offense towards you, I shall help escort her myself."

Azura turned to run. Before she knew it, he was on top of her.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded furiously.

The only answer he gave was the click of metal binders. She struggled in vain, but struggled nonetheless. A Zygerrian guard grabbed her elbow and led her out of the throne room. They went through a hallway. Azura tried to memorize the route they took, but got confused in the labyrinth of hallways. Just before they reached the cells, the guard stopped. He reached out to touch her midriff. In a lightning quick move, the bounty hunter batted his hand away.

"Don't," the bounty hunter seethed.

The guard was bewildered, but acquiesced. He pushed her into the cell and secured her arms to cuffs fused into the wall, so that she was standing and facing the wall. She thought he was going to try and touch her again, but thought better of it. She realized he had left when the metal door sealed shut. She was alone. She spent the next few hours in agony. Wondering what she could have done differently, where Eva was, and why the bounty hunter had betrayed her, though she wasn't too shocked. She shuffled her feet occasionally, trying to prevent them from getting numb and tingly. Finally, she heard the door open. She froze, unsure of what to expect. She heard the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps coming towards her.

"Who's there?"

"Me."

She erupted into fury. "You betrayed me." She was past yelling.

"I did what I had to."

"What you had to?!" She repeated incredulously.

"You would've done the same."

"I would rather die than betray those closest to me."

He paused, pondering her words. "Are you suggesting we're close?"

"No!" She yelled indignantly.

He sighed walked until he was next to the wall, so that she could see him.

"You were about to blow my cover. I stopped reporting, because they were starting to get suspicious. By capturing you, I'm proving that I'm loyal to them. This is vital information."

"And what will become of me?"

He paused before leaving. She was left to seethe alone.

Her arms ached. No matter how she moved them, they were impossibly numb. You could probably cut them off and I wouldn't feel anything. She was exhausted. There was no way to sleep like this. It had been two days. No food. No water. Her numb arms were one of the least of her problems, thought they were an irritant. She stood on her tiptoes, relieving the pressure on her arms from the metal cuffs. She jerked back. If only these would break. She couldn't stand the dusty, mute space in the cell. She couldn't stand the bone-dry feeling in her mouth, how it ached when she tried swallowing. She couldn't stand her stomachaches, caused by pangs of hunger. A matter of fact, all she could do was stand.

A metal 'whoosh' indicated the door had opened. Finally, something. She waited in anticipation. Azura felt a gloved hand touch her wrist. She stilled. The metal cuff opened with a 'click.' Then the other. She whirled around to face- The bounty hunter? She froze and eyed him warily, waiting for his next move.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Helping you escape."

Her eyes narrowed. "After capturing me, you help me escape?!"

He remained silent.

"How am I supposed to trust you?"

He paused, considering her question. "You don't. Do you want to escape or not?"

Her muscles tensed. Who IS he working for? Why's he doing this? She was about to ask him where Eva was, but decided against it. Great. I can't trust him at ALL! How can I escape with him when Eva's gone AND I don't know whether or not he's trustworthy?!

"I hate you," she muttered. Well, that blew my chances of 'escaping.'

He froze. His helmet was stoic, as always.

"Do you want to escape or not?" he repeated.

She was slightly taken aback. "I hope you have a plan," she sighed.

He led her out of the cell and through several corridors. She held her breath whenever she saw a guard. She felt like the whole palace could hear her heart beating. He used the hand signal for 'all clear.' She followed him out of the palace, knocking two guards out along the way. Just as she thought they were in the clear, she heard a shout from behind them.

"Run."

She didn't need to be told twice. She took off running as fast as she could, the bounty hunter a few paces ahead of her. Her feat beat the dusty ground as she sharply rounded a corner, the guards close behind. She could tell that out of the bounty hunter, guards, and herself, she was the slowest. The guards were slowly gaining. The bounty hunter grabbed her as he rounded another corner. He cut through the market place, leaping over a food stall. Azura was quite a bit slower. He picked her up and continued running. She wasn't in a position to protest. He ran through the twisting alleyways and worming through crowds. Finally, he let her down and bent over, breathing hard.

"I think we've lost them," he panted.

Azura nodded her agreement, observing her surroundings warily. He grabbed her arm and began leading her down another alley, when she yanked it away. He gave her a bewildered look, but didn't say anything. She followed him until he reached the city gate. He stopped suddenly and muttered something.

"What?" she whispered.

"They've got my ship."

"Now what?"

Just as she spoke, the city gates began to close. They creaked until the massive doors had shut. He tugged her in a different direction. They had gone into another alley, when he stopped. The bounty hunter froze. She didn't dare ask what it was. Suddenly, he sprang back to life.

"Run!" he yelled.

They rounded a corner, when the bounty hunter suddenly jumped on top of her, effectively covering. She heard a little whizzing noise. His body went limp. In alarm, she pushed him off of herself. There was a tiny, silver dart in his neck.

"Blast-"

She fell down beside him.