Hi everyone, I know it's been a while but I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

9. Keeping Enemies Closer

Anna's green eyes fluttered open. Instant confusion flooded her mind. Where was she? How did she get here? And why was this lady dabbing the side of her head with a wet cloth? She was laying in the comfiest double bed, covered by a soft blanket. It would be so easy for her to close her eyes and drift back into a peaceful slumber.

It was at that moment that she suddenly remembered what had happened. She shot up without any warning, causing the lady cleaning her face to drop the cloth.

"Careful Miss Anna. Your body is still mending," the lady spoke. Anna turned to look at her, noticing she was wearing a maids uniform.

"I hurt my head," Anna informed her. The young girl placed her hand to the wound on the side of her head but felt nothing. The last thing she remembered was her stepfather's first colliding with her head. The rest of her memory was made up of dream-like fragments.

"It's healed," Anna mumbled.

"Well of course it has! You did drink a health potion," the maid gestured to the empty vial on the nightstand, "you did spit most of it out but what you swallowed has seemed to do the trick."

As the maid explained the amazing world and workings of potions, the bedroom door opened and in walked Reaver.

"Good, you're awake," he said, standing at the end of the bed. He was dressed extremely posh in his white suit and top hat. Anna diverted her eyes from the maid beside her to look at the businessman, why was he here? She squinted as she attempted to access her memory again but was met with a sense of amnesia.

"I… uh… don't know what's going on," Anna admitted, her voice quiet.

"I believe your father-"

"Step-father," Anna corrected him, receiving an eye roll from the businessman. She did not want anyone to think she was related to a man like William, not through blood anyway.

"Ah yes, your step-father. You thought you'd killed him, he tried to kill you. I shot him and you passed out on me. The whole thing was all very dramatic," Reaver briefly explained, his words instantly jogging Anna's confused memory. Thinking back to the events it all suddenly seemed a little clearer to her. Gaps were still very prominent in her memory but after Reaver's brief explanation, Anna began to understand more of what had happened to her

"Thank you," she said to the deviant. William had been a terror throughout her life and the fact he was no longer a threat to Anna brought her an unbelievable amount of peace. She felt she owed Reaver for disposing of her problem.

"Well that's what friends are for," Reaver replied, perching himself on the end of the bed. The ex-rebel felt the bed shift with his weight, causing a swarm of butterflies to fill her stomach.

"Friends?" Anna raised an eyebrow, taken aback by what Reaver had just said.

"Yes friends, my dear Anna," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "And you know what friends do for each other? They do each other favours. Now you might not recall this but I saved your life when I killed that nasty step-daddy of yours. Now you owe me a favour."

Anna stared at Reaver for a moment before responding. Had he really saved her life as well as kill William? Damn, now she really felt like she owed him something in return. Despite all her better judgement she actually felt willing to help the man out. Gratitude can greatly impact a person's morals.

"Okay… but that's not exactly how friendships work though. Anyway, what do you want from me?"

Reaver turned to look Anna in the eyes, a smirk spreading across his face, instantly causing Anna to regret the gratitude she felt towards him.

"A lot of things. But first things first we're going to pay our dear King a visit."

Anna's eyes widened involuntarily. The King? Was he serious? She couldn't visit the King. If he discovered who she was he would have her executed. He'd likely make a spectacle of it too. Just as he'd done with Major Swift.

"Why?" she questioned, "Logan would have me killed if he knew who I was."

Maybe that was Reaver's plan all along, to have her killed. But as Anna considered that, she instantly realised that Reaver was most likely to shoot her dead in the bed she sat in than get someone else to do it. Perhaps she was more use to Reaver alive at the moment than dead.

"Not if you tell us what we want to hear," Reaver replied before continuing, "Now Imogen here will see to it that you're looking more… presentable."

Anna stepped out of the carriage to be greeted by the grandest, most magnificent sight she had ever seen. Bowerstone Castle. The maid, Imogen, had made her look a lot more presentable. Changing out of the blood-stained shirt and tying her long brown hair in a chignon at the back of her head. The hair was adorned with a crystal headband which complimented the light, blue dress she wore. The 'perfect attire to meet the King', the maid had informed her and as she looked at herself in the mirror, Anna quite agreed. The dress had off the shoulder sleeves that exposed Anna's chest to the delight of all the men in her presence and Imogen had applied a light covering of makeup to the ex-rebel's face. To bring out her natural beauty.

"Wow," was all she could say as she stared up at the mesmerising building in front of her.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Reaver asked her, disregarding the beauty of the castle as he began making his way up the stone stairs, towards the entrance. Anna shook her head before reluctantly following him. Despite the glorious surroundings, Anna could not escape the feeling of dread she felt.

Logan was the type of king that people feared. Each deed he committed seemed to be crueller than the last. Anna had heard what had happened to Major Swift. Accused of treason without a trial and executed like it was a circus act. Major Swift hadn't even been a real rebel, not like Anna was. If Logan had done that to a soldier, he would likely do worse to her.

As herself and Reaver walked through the castle corridors the air was cold, it sent shivers up her spine. It didn't help the fact that it felt as if Anna was making her way to her own execution.

They eventually reached a room at the end of the corridor. It was a large room with floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed the natural light to illuminate the environment. In the centre was a round table with a map of Albion depicted on the top. To the right-hand side of the room sat a large, open fireplace with two sofas in front of it. Reaver sat down on one, gesturing for Anna to join him, which she did.

"This is a bad idea," she said quietly, her eyes darting around the room as she continued to take in her surroundings.

"Yes, it may end badly for you but I'm sure I could live with that."

"You're cruel," Anna glared at him. Reaver simply chuckled in response, unphased.

Anna's attention was suddenly diverted from the man beside her when two heavily armoured guards entered the room, closely followed by the King himself. These guards were not the usual Albion soldiers, these were Logan's personal elite soldiers. Dressed head to toe in shiny, silver plate armour which contrasted alongside the purple cloth they wore. They also carried far superior weapons to the regular soldiers. Anna felt her heart drop as she watched them all enter. This was it. She really didn't know how she'd get out of this one. Both men were strong believers in the 'shoot first, ask questions later' moto.

"Reaver, glad you were able to make it," Logan said before pausing, his dark eyes falling on Anna, "Who's the girl?"

Anna remained silent.

"Andrea Burton, your majesty," Reaver introduced her. Logan narrowed his eyes at her.

"The rebel?" Logan asked, raising his eyebrows. Anna's eyes widened slightly. Of course he would know her. There were wanted posters with her face on plastered all around Bowerstone. As the King spoke the two guards raised their weapons, the barrels of their rifles pointing straight for Anna.

"Ex-rebel," Anna quickly blurted out. This instantly intrigued the King, she could tell. He raised his hands, thankfully causing the guards to lower their weapons.

"Go on," he instructed, sitting down opposite the pair.

"Well uh… I was thrown out of the Resistance group… so… yeah," Anna explained, she could barely hear herself over the sound of her own heartbeat, pumping loudly with adrenaline and fear. She sounded incredibly nervous to both the men.

"And now you're here to ask for your freedom in return for any information you have on your rebel group?" Logan asked but before Anna could reply, Reaver butted in.

"Yes, she is, your majesty."

Sitting opposite the King made Reaver seem a lot more appealing, at least at the moment. Anna's eyes naturally glanced down at her lap, instantly feeling the pressure of both men's gaze and their waiting response.

"Well, go on?" the King pressed but was only met with silence from the ex-rebel. Could she really give the Resistance secrets away and betray them in that way? Surely not.

"Let's start easy, my dear. Where are your Head Quarters hidden?" Reaver asked. But that was the one question she couldn't answer. Despite her fall out with Page, she still classed the rest of the rebels as her friends. Revealing the location to the two men would likely result in the deaths of all the Resistance members, which she couldn't live with.

"I can't say," Anna replied in a quiet voice.

"Well, what is my brother's role in this 'rebellion'?" the King asked. Another difficult question, Anna didn't know the answer to this one.

"I don't really know," she replied honestly.

"Is there anything you do know?" the King asked angrily, panicking Anna. Was there anything? She wasn't even sure. The last bit of information she had gathered from the group was the business of sailing to Aurora in search of allies. It meant very little to her so surely it would mean ever less to Logan and Reaver but it was worth a mention she supposed.

"I heard they were travelling to Aurora, looking for allies," Anna admitted. She sounded unsure about the information as she felt there was little value in it.

"What?" Logan exclaimed, his dark eyes widening in shock. Anna's eyes returned the look, taken aback by his sudden outburst.

"And how do you suppose they get there? Swim?" Reaver asked, a hint of amusement laced in his words.

"No. If I was them, I'd look at stealing a boat. Probably one of those Reaver Industries' cargo ships," Anna explained. She was confident that the rebel group would likely follow a similar plan. Reaver scoffed at Anna's explanation.

"None of my ships have been stolen, nor have I heard of anyone else losing a ship to a pack of wild rebels"

"Well I suppose they haven't left yet," Anna suggested. The suggestion alone caused a spark of outrage to flood the King's face.

"They must not make it to Aurora," Logan said, rising to his feet in a hurry, "Miss Burton, consider yourself a free citizen of Albion. I feel this bit of information will be the breakthrough we need to stop this damned rebellion."

And with that the King exited the room, his guards following closely behind him. The absence of the King gave Anna a moment to reflect. Had she really just gave her friends up to save herself? Only time would tell.

"Oh my, I must be a bad influence on you," Reaver announced, causing Anna to be dragged from her thoughts, "any other secrets you fancy sharing?"

"No. Not to you."

The carriage ride back to Reaver's Manor in Millfields was quietly uneventful. Anna stared out of the window for the majority of it, watching the houses of Bowerstone grow less and less and the forests of Millfields appear.

The cocking of a gun instantly drew Anna's attention from the scenery out the window.

"What?" she asked, inhaling sharply as she stared down the barrel of Reaver's pistol. How many times was she expected to look down a barrel of a gun today? It seemed to be getting out of hand.

"I have decided my dear that you are of no use to me now," Reaver announced. The ex-rebel's green eyes widened involuntarily; she couldn't believe that she'd fallen for Reaver's fake friendship. She felt like a complete idiot and if she didn't say something soon, she'd be a dead idiot.

"That's not true," she blurted out, not sure where she was going to go with this. Reaver cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly in curiosity.

"And why not, my dear?" he asked.

"I know things," she said, instantly cursing herself for how stupid that sounded, "I mean, I know people who are plotting against you."

Reaver lowed his pistol but still kept it drawn. It was clear he was intrigued. Any information that sustained his survival was useful to him.

"Go on then," he encouraged, a small smirk appearing on his lips, but this time Anna wasn't going to fall for his trick.

"Not so fast. I tell you what I know and then you'd shoot me," Anna explained her thought process and Reaver nodded once in agreement. She was learning his games rather quickly, "So how about you let me stay in your big, fancy house and I will personally deal with those who are plotting to end you?"

Reaver's eyes narrowed viciously, he disliked not having control of a conversation. This wasn't what he had planned to happen. Was she really proposing they work alongside each other? It wasn't his usual type of deal but perhaps it would be beneficial to him in more ways that one. He could not fault her looks and her knowledge of the gangs and people in the Industrial area would be useful to him. He pondered it for a moment before giving his answer.

"Deal," he said plainly, placing his gun back in his holster. Anna exhaled slowly, watching as he did so. It seemed she was making a habit of sacrificing others to save herself. Maybe Reaver was becoming a bad influence on her.

Outside, the carriage was pulling up in front of Reaver's Manor. A relief for Anna, she couldn't bear another moment alone with the deviant.

"I'm glad we have a deal, Reaver," she said, faking confidence, "But look, we're home," and with that she clambered out of the carriage before the businessman could change his mind.

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