AN: From here on the chapters are going to have more mature themes. The rating has been bumped up. if you are uncomfortable please stop reading. Thank you!

Warning: Attempted r#pe

The festival the paladins had been invited was in full swing by the time they arrived. Lights decorated the town square making it seem dream like. Above strings of light ran from the fountain placed in the center to buildings surrounding the area. Stalls with games and food lined the streets, their vendors smiling as each transaction ended with a satisfying clink of cash in their tin.

Nova followed behind Lance, her hand held tightly in his, as they weaved through the crowd. Lance after a little bit of convincing wore a pair of navy blue slacks, a light blue dress shirt with no collar, and a suit jacket the color of his slacks. Nova wore a simple white floral summer dress with a scoop neckline. A white strap came from the neckline and secured behind her neck. Her hair had been pulled into a half up half down hairstyle. Tucking a strand behind her ear, Nova glanced behind her out of habit, her attention soon grabbed by a stand with no one near it, the crowds' interests captured by the neighboring stalls instead. Its owner was up on the counter with his back against the frame. Wisps of smoke rose from his mouth and the cigarette clutched between his fingers. He watched the crowd with an unamused look. Passerby's averted their gaze when they came near. The stall itself was tucked back into a corner just out of reach of the lights from the square.

"Hey," Nova pulled on Lance's hand to grab his attention. He stopped his trek through the crowd and returned to her side. "What do you think about playing that one?"

Lance followed her finger to the stall. The owner was now watching the two, his cigarette held between his teeth. "Are you sure?"

Nova nodded, "He seems bored out of his mind, maybe a few customers will help?" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as Lance pulled her to him placing a kiss on her temple.

As they approached, the stall owner hopped from the counter and placed three balls in his place. He crossed his arms, looking the couple up and down. "You know how to play?" he asked. His voice was rough from years of smoking and even now tendrils of smoke escaped out his nostrils when he spoke.

The two nodded. The game was familiar enough. Take one ball and throw it into the three stacked metal cans. The goal was to knock all three stacks down.

The owner stepped to the side and Lance took the first turn. He knocked each of the three stacks down with ease. With a huff the cans were stacked back up and then it was Nova's turn.

Before she had a chance to throw, Lance grabbed her attention.

"I'm going to go grab something to eat. Do you want anything?"

The look in Lance's eyes was serious. A look he only gave her when he was trying to communicate something.

"No. Thank you though." Nova replied. The coded response slipped easy past her lips. If Lance was going "to get food" he must have spotted their Galra targets. If only she didn't have to hide her connection to the Galra, If only she hadn't been forced to work with them for half of her life. An uneasy feeling flooded her as if someone was watching her. She fought the urge to look, Lance was still standing in front of her and the last thing she needed from him was questions she couldn't answer.

With a nod he disappeared into the crowd. She turned back to the game if she was needed he would let her know. For now she had to keep up appearances. They were after all just a couple enjoying a festival.

She had managed to knock down one of the three stacks and only had one ball left. She wasn't worried about winning or losing. Instead, she was more focused on waiting for the signal to tell her she was needed.

Coiling her arm back in order to throw, she let out a yelp when she was thrown forward in surprise when the crowd suddenly widened in order to let a vehicle through. The ball fell from her hand. It rolled to the side before being kicked into an alley by the passing crowd.

"What the hell lady?" The man growled. She turned to see him leaning over the counter, eyebrows furrowed and cigarette clenched tightly between his teeth.

"I'll get it," she called back, waving her hand at him.

She hadn't noticed the alley before, but now that she stood directly in front of it it seemed darker then the sky above. The ball, she noticed, had just barely stopped beneath a pile of lumber. Satisfied with how quickly she found the ball she bent to pick it up.

Her hand had no more than touched the ball then when rough hands clamped down on her arms. She cried out in surprise, but was quickly silenced with a knife placed to her throat. An arm wrapped around her waist as her back was pinned to her assailant. His breath came beside her, his breath hot and rancid. She moved her arms in order to break free. That seemed to anger him. In response he flipped her around and slammed her against the stone wall pinning her arms to her side. The blade held in his hand caught on the skirt of her dress. The sound of the fabric barely registered in her ears as she glared at him.

She silently cursed herself for dropping her guard. She worked her wrists back and forth in order to break free, but his tightening grip sent her head flying back with a hiss.

"I've been watching you," He said as he came closer, "and I just want to have some fun."

Nova flinched her eyes clenching shut as she pulled her head away. Something about this guy seemed too familiar, but she couldn't place a finger on it. Bringing a leg up she went to knee him in the groin. He fell to the ground whimpering the knife clattering next to him.

In one smooth motion she had the blade placed against his throat, herself straddled across him in order to keep his arms pinned. "Game over," she growled. If she could hold him until Lance got back they both could take him to the proper authorities.

"Oh I've missed you, Luiseach," He said, "That fire in your eyes was always a pleasure to see."

Nova went rigid the knife pulling back from his skin by a few centimetres. Only a few people ever called her by that name, one of which was dead, the others she prayed she would never see again.

Without warning she was thrown back. A hand gripped hers, prying the blade from her fingers. She placed a arm against the guys throat as he came towards her. She cried out in fear as her legs were forced apart and her assailant placed himself between. He hovered over her now labored breathing caused her to shrink in on herself.

She whimpered again when the blade traced down her arm. In response she was smacked across the face her hair covering her vision. Even as she felt the straps of her dress being untied she still struggled with everything she had.

There was a shout and then the weight was lifted off of her. She continued to lay there hands clutched to her chest. Her head was spinning, focusing on one thing was difficult.

A crash sounded followed by scuffling and shouts. She was numb to the commotion focused more on her dress straps resting against her neck, loose, instead of the tight like they should be. With a deep breath and shaking hands she pushed herself into a sitting position pulling her legs up underneath her. She reached back up behind her neck in order to tie her straps. Nova couldn't stop the tears that sent her hands to her face dropping the straps once more.

Steps approaching to her left sent her flying back to the wall, her back pressed flush against it.

"Hey it's okay. It's Lance. It's okay." Lance said kneeling down so he could see her face. Nova scrambled towards him, her hands locking onto his jacket and face buried into his chest. His arms wrapped around her holding her tight while she shook, his head was resting against hers lips buried into her hair.

"I-I couldn't get him to stop," she cried. In response Lance's arms tightened around her.

"Shhh." he whispered, "We'll get him. All of us. We'll catch that son of a bitch." The whisper was intense, and she took comfort in the fact that she knew he meant it. Her grip on him tightened when his hands brushed her hair to the side. "I'm just going to fix your straps. Is that okay?" he asked. Only when she nodded did he continue.

A few minutes later he had her up on her feet and his jacket draped across her shoulders. He held an arm protectively around her middle back. Tight enough to let her know that he was there, but loose enough to where she could pull away if she wanted to.

When they emerged the stall owner pounced on them. "You have my ball?" he growled at Nova leaning closer than what was necessary. Lance's hand was instantly on the guy's chest pushing him back.

"Here's your ball," Lance said, pressing it harder into the guy's chest, "Now back off."

The guy held his hands up "Okay dude geeze." His eyes flicked over to Nova looking her up and down, "What happened to you?"

"Get back to your stall before I throw you there myself," Lance said, stepping forward shielding Nova with his body. The guy instantly backed off giving one last knowing look to Nova. He somehow knew what had gone down in the alley and the thought made Nova's blood run cold.