"Where do ye think ye're going?" asked a burly guardsman.
"I-I need to get into the palace, it's an emergency. I have to speak to the king." gasped the handsome young man, with deep blue eyes and sandy-blonde hair.
"Do ye have a message or an invitation?" asked the guard.
"No, but..."
"Listen lad" said the man, as he placed a hand on his sword, "if ye know what's good for ye, ye'll leave."
"I don't mean any trouble. If you won't let me in to see the King, then will you admit me to see Sir Thom or Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop?" said the lanky young man.
"What business do ye have with them?" he asked, suspicously.
"It's concerns a very close friend of theirs, please it's very important that I see them right away."
"Who?"
"Lanen Authy, you wouldn't-"
"Follow me" said the guardsman. He led the young man through the palace and into a small study, where stood the king's champion and her son. "Corum, what's...?" asked Alanna, eyeing the young man that followed her old friend.
"He says that it concerns Lanen. I'll leave him to you, I've got duty." said Corum as he turned and left.
"What do you want? Surely you, and Lanen are getting along just fine." Thom said coldly, jealousy and hate showing in his hazel eyes.
"I can only assume you're Thom, are you still mad at her?" asked Jocelin astonished.
"I wasn't, but that was until I saw you and Lanen kissing in the forest after an attack. I see she didn't waste anytime finding a replacement."
"After the battle... well you obviously weren't watching close enough. I was wounded," he said showing them the scar," the only reason Lanen kissed me is so I wouldn't see she was about to stick a hot poker in me. Me and Lanen....we're just friends." sighed Joss. Alanna sat listening to this exchange quietly. When Thom had come back without Lanen, she had tired to find out from Thom and when that hadn't worked, she had always wondered why and now she knew. "I don't believe we've met m'lady, I'm Jocelin and you're the Lioness." said Joss grinning.
"It's nice to meet you. Corum said you're here about Lanen...where is she?" asked Alanna, dreading the answer.
"Lanen's been captured..." replied Jocelin, pain in his voice.
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Darkness...Lanen's back hurt, feeling had left her hands and feet long ago, she wasn't sure of how long it had been since she was captured. She had stopped fighting the binds that tied her hands and feet, now a bloody mess. She was tired, exhausted, and hungry. Coming out of her thoughts, Lanen realized they had stopped and someone was in the wagon, fumbling with the ties of her blindfold.
Light flooded into Lanen's vision, stinging her eyes. She tired to sit up, moaning and grunting with the effort. The rugged man laughed at Lanen's effort and made no attempt to assist her. "The delicate flower does have weakness." he said mockingly sarcastic. "Not that it's any of business, but we've stopped at an inn tonight. If I had my way, I'd leave you in the wagon to suffer, but my leage has different wishes. He says your to be treated fairly." grunted the scanran officer.
"And what would your so called King know about fairness?" mumbled Lanen. Glaring at her, he continued: " You're to be my wife, to make things seem natural we'll remove your bonds. BUT, if you make one movement that even suggests you're trying to escape, you'll regret it."
Going behind Lanen, he untied her feet first. Seeing her chance, Lanen kicked backwards, into his lower abdominal area, and made a run for it. The vigorous man had quick reflexes and was on top of her before she even got a foot away, but Lanen refused to give up. Praying to the gods for more strength, she fought with what she knew, but unfortunately her hands were still contained behind her back with all the man's weight upon her.
"I warned you..." growled the man, as he flipped her onto her back. Lanen spit squarely in his face and told him to go to hell. Wiping his face, he backhanded her across the cheek, but Lanen stared defiantly back. "Your a feisty little one" he said sneering at her, and feeling the body beneath his. "I'd teach you a lesson, you'd never forget..." he said trailing off. "Why don't you? or has your king ordered you otherwise?" Lanen replied, smiling knowingly.
The officer roughly shoved himself off of her and retied her hands. "For that, you'll stay here and receive nothing but bread and water." he said as he existed the wagon.
"I-I need to get into the palace, it's an emergency. I have to speak to the king." gasped the handsome young man, with deep blue eyes and sandy-blonde hair.
"Do ye have a message or an invitation?" asked the guard.
"No, but..."
"Listen lad" said the man, as he placed a hand on his sword, "if ye know what's good for ye, ye'll leave."
"I don't mean any trouble. If you won't let me in to see the King, then will you admit me to see Sir Thom or Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop?" said the lanky young man.
"What business do ye have with them?" he asked, suspicously.
"It's concerns a very close friend of theirs, please it's very important that I see them right away."
"Who?"
"Lanen Authy, you wouldn't-"
"Follow me" said the guardsman. He led the young man through the palace and into a small study, where stood the king's champion and her son. "Corum, what's...?" asked Alanna, eyeing the young man that followed her old friend.
"He says that it concerns Lanen. I'll leave him to you, I've got duty." said Corum as he turned and left.
"What do you want? Surely you, and Lanen are getting along just fine." Thom said coldly, jealousy and hate showing in his hazel eyes.
"I can only assume you're Thom, are you still mad at her?" asked Jocelin astonished.
"I wasn't, but that was until I saw you and Lanen kissing in the forest after an attack. I see she didn't waste anytime finding a replacement."
"After the battle... well you obviously weren't watching close enough. I was wounded," he said showing them the scar," the only reason Lanen kissed me is so I wouldn't see she was about to stick a hot poker in me. Me and Lanen....we're just friends." sighed Joss. Alanna sat listening to this exchange quietly. When Thom had come back without Lanen, she had tired to find out from Thom and when that hadn't worked, she had always wondered why and now she knew. "I don't believe we've met m'lady, I'm Jocelin and you're the Lioness." said Joss grinning.
"It's nice to meet you. Corum said you're here about Lanen...where is she?" asked Alanna, dreading the answer.
"Lanen's been captured..." replied Jocelin, pain in his voice.
_________________________________________________
Darkness...Lanen's back hurt, feeling had left her hands and feet long ago, she wasn't sure of how long it had been since she was captured. She had stopped fighting the binds that tied her hands and feet, now a bloody mess. She was tired, exhausted, and hungry. Coming out of her thoughts, Lanen realized they had stopped and someone was in the wagon, fumbling with the ties of her blindfold.
Light flooded into Lanen's vision, stinging her eyes. She tired to sit up, moaning and grunting with the effort. The rugged man laughed at Lanen's effort and made no attempt to assist her. "The delicate flower does have weakness." he said mockingly sarcastic. "Not that it's any of business, but we've stopped at an inn tonight. If I had my way, I'd leave you in the wagon to suffer, but my leage has different wishes. He says your to be treated fairly." grunted the scanran officer.
"And what would your so called King know about fairness?" mumbled Lanen. Glaring at her, he continued: " You're to be my wife, to make things seem natural we'll remove your bonds. BUT, if you make one movement that even suggests you're trying to escape, you'll regret it."
Going behind Lanen, he untied her feet first. Seeing her chance, Lanen kicked backwards, into his lower abdominal area, and made a run for it. The vigorous man had quick reflexes and was on top of her before she even got a foot away, but Lanen refused to give up. Praying to the gods for more strength, she fought with what she knew, but unfortunately her hands were still contained behind her back with all the man's weight upon her.
"I warned you..." growled the man, as he flipped her onto her back. Lanen spit squarely in his face and told him to go to hell. Wiping his face, he backhanded her across the cheek, but Lanen stared defiantly back. "Your a feisty little one" he said sneering at her, and feeling the body beneath his. "I'd teach you a lesson, you'd never forget..." he said trailing off. "Why don't you? or has your king ordered you otherwise?" Lanen replied, smiling knowingly.
The officer roughly shoved himself off of her and retied her hands. "For that, you'll stay here and receive nothing but bread and water." he said as he existed the wagon.