A/N: Continuing this story due to the two lovely reviews I got (And it's been posted for all of six hours!). Plus I'm bored. And I left Ribyyn looking highly vulnerable, which she was, and wish to remedy her highly wussie attitude. I therefore, must continue the story to at least the fourth chapter...or wherever.

Okay...when I started this I had two reviews. Now I have seven. Thanks to all!

DISCLAIMER: I own the characters but Tortall and it's surrounding areas are owned by Tamora Pierce.

Lady Ribyyn of Hadic

Chapter 2 - Leaving (Another creative title!)

Ribyyn awoke on the cold stone floor and found that she could not open her eyes. After a few moments, she realized that her eyes already were open, so therefore she was either blind or in a dark room. She heard a whimper, and once again, it took her brain a few moments to register exactly what it was and where it came from. It came from her.

"Ribyyn? Are you up?" She sighed with relief when she recognized Darin's voice.

"Yes." She sat up slowly. "Do you think they've gone?" Silence. "Darin?"

"Hush," he whispered, slipping a hand over her mouth. She jumped, unaware that he had been right next to her. "Listen." She strained her ears and heard footsteps, and then a harsh voice speaking Scanran. Ribyyn was able to pick out only a few words, mainly the ones her brother had taught her; the ones a lady shouldn't know. "They're still there," Darin whispered into her ear.

Well that much was obvious, she thought to herself. She reached up and moved his hand away from her face. "There's another way out," she whispered back. "Come on. This way." She grabbed his hand and lead him off through the dark tunnel. "Keep your right hand on the wall," she told him, "And then just keep crawling until I tell you otherwise." Together the two teenagers crawled on their hands and knees through the dirty passageways.

***

It wasn't until much later, when Darin could feel the calluses forming on his palms and when the knees of his breeches were wearing thin, that they stopped. Well, Ribyyn stopped; Darin merely ran into her.

"Ow," he swore violently as he rubbed his nose.

"Shush! You're going to get us caught if they're out there." Darin quieted, but still swore silently to himself. Meanwhile, Ribyyn looked for the stone that would move the wall aside. Her hands slipped into the hold and she pushed on the wall with all her might. Slowly the wall moved aside.

Darin squinted as bright light flooded into the small passageway. Inhaling the clean air, he gagged when he found it wasn't quite as clean as he expected it to be. The smell of death floated down the hallway. With a quick glance at Ribyyn he crawled out into the open space. Darin's eyes adjusted to light much slower than Ribyyn's did. Perhaps if they hadn't the whole scene that followed could have been avoided.

As he sat on his knees, waiting for his eyes to stop burning when he heard a Ribyyn's familiar shriek. Quickly, still blinded by the light, he reached out and grabbed her arm, slapping a hand over her mouth to muffle the rest of her scream. Finally, after what had seemed like hours to Darin, his eyes became accustomed to the searing light. It took all his mental vigor (A/N: What am I talking about?), as well as his humongous ego, to keep him from screaming the way Ribyyn had just done.

There in front of the two teens lay a scene of blood that, later on, they would have nightmares about. (A/N: This dear author might vomit...and that could be worse. But for all you sick people craving descriptions...you'll love this next part.) On a plain wooden chair lay Ribyyn's younger half-brother, a slit in his throat and blood on his shirt. Under the table were the other two boys, arms or legs missing. Looking around and surveying the mess, Darin realized that the arms had merely been cut off and thrown across the room. Ribyyn's step-mother and father lay in a bloody pile in one corner of the room and there, in the middle of the floor, was Kalvin a bloody, disastrous mess.

Ribyyn wailed when she saw her beloved older brother. She made to run towards him but Darin grabbed her arm and shoved her back in the hole. He raced in behind her and managed to shut the wall after him before the marauders came rushing into the room, summoned by Ribyyn's scream.

"There's someone in here!" one of them cried out in Scanran.

"Search the room," ordered another. And then they began knocking over chairs and throwing the bodies into a pile.

"Ribyyn," Darin whispered in her ear, as she choked back sobs and tears. "Ribyyn, is there another way out? You have to get us out of here." He felt her take his hand and then she stood up and pulled him down the passageway. He was surprised by her sense of direction; it was pitch black in between the thick stone walls. The air was stale, having never been ventilated since the castle was built, but she somehow managed to breathe in enough oxygen to run through the corridor.

She came to the end abruptly and shoved open another section of wall. They were in her father's study now. She slipped out and Darin followed, rubbing his eyes. Tiptoeing over to her father's desk she opened a drawer and grabbed a small purse. She then opened up a large wooden box and pulled out what was left of her mother's jewels. Many had been given to the Lady Sienna when her father remarried, but some he had kept, like the wedding ring. There was also a necklace; a silver heart inlayed with tiny diamonds. She grabbed both of these, slipping the ring onto the necklace chain. Then opening another drawer she grabbed a stack of papers.

Darin watched the young girl sift through the papers, surprised to realize that she knew exactly what she was looking for. "What are you looking for?" he asked. She may have known, but he was certainly no mind reader.

"Birth papers," she said shortly. "And ownership rights. The ones to the fief."

"What are you going to do with those?"

"Take them with me."

"Where are we going?" Darin was shocked. He hadn't exactly had a plan, other than run like hell.

She stopped as she found the papers she was looking for. She reached under the desk and grabbed a bag. Carefully, so as not to rip them, she put the papers in it. Closing it up she shrugged it onto one shoulder and said, "Right now? We're going to the kitchen." She dove back into the passage and Darin quickly followed, sliding the wall closed behind him once again.

"Where are we going after the kitchen?" he asked quietly, aware that the enemy could be standing right outside the wall. "I assume we're leaving, but where are we going."

She paused at the end of another corridor, placing her hand on the wall. "I'm not entirely sure. South I guess. There isn't much up north but more mountains and raiders." She was quiet for a moment and then shook her head and pushed open the wall. Stepping into the kitchen she raced for the cabinets above the stove. Opening them up she pulled out food that would stay fresh for a week. Darin, following her lead, grabbed a bowl of fruit off of a table. He pulled out the apples, pears, and oranges, leaving the bananas which would turn brown. He grabbed a nearby flour sack, untied the top of it and dumped the flour out. Dumping the fruit into it he twisted the top of the sack and slung it over his shoulder.

Ribyyn had finished gathering her food, three loaves of bread and two skins filled with water. Seeing the bananas left in the bowl, she grabbed two of them, unpeeling one immediately and shoving it into her mouth. She put the other one in her bag. Then she grabbed three of the steak knives that had been laid out and were drying. Opening a drawer, she pulled out the sleeves that the knives were placed in when normally not in use. Then the knives went into the bag next to the banana and loaves of bread. Handing Darin one of the skins she slipped back into the corridor. Darin, like a shadow, followed her.

***

Fifteen minutes later the two teenagers finally crawled out of the dark passages. Sticking close to the walls of the castle they were hard to spot in the dusky light. Looking up Ribyyn noticed that it looked like rain. Wonderful, she thought to herself. Just lovely. We have to run away as fast as possible and the Gods feel it's time to let it pour. How typical. Glancing over her shoulder she said, "Make a run for the stable. We'll grab a couple of horses before we go." Darin nodded and did as she asked. Gliding, almost invisibly, into the stable, Darin unlocked two stalls; the ones that held Kalvin's and Ribyyn's horses. Meanwhile, Ribyyn pulled saddles, blankets, and bridles down from their residing places. Then, together, the two of them readied the horses, secured the bags to them, and mounted up.

Darin heard movement outside before his companion did. "Someone's out there," he whispered to her. She stopped to listen, and then nodded when she realized he was right.

"On three, we make a run for it," she ordered. He nodded his assent and pulled himself down, close to the horses neck.

"One," he heard her whisper. Underneath he felt the horse quiver in anticipation.

"Two," his heart was in his throat. What if the marauders knew the two of them were in the stable? What if they were ready for them? He and Ribyyn were as good as dead.

"Three," she whispered and shot off like an arrow. Darin didn't have time to react as Kalvin's horse followed Ribyyn's without any order.

Together the two of them all but flew out of the stable. Thankfully, for the both of them, Darin had been wrong about the raiders knowing where they were. The thieves were too surprised to do more than jump away to avoid being trampled beneath the hooves of the galloping horses.

Ribyyn sighed with relief. With the marauders caught of guard, by the time they reacted and were able to run after them, she and Darin would be long gone. Even with the knowledge that she was safe, the knot in her stomach would not leave. She had freedom finally, she realized, but was the price of her family really worth all that? No, it wasn't, but unfortunately there was nothing she could do about it. She was safe and she had Darin for company. That was all that mattered.

A/N: Oh look! Ribyyn took charge! I suppose after the initial shock she's pretty cool. I mean, with four brother's she'd have to have SOME stomach for gore and such. Rather cheesy ending though. Hope you enjoyed it.

Notes:

Temptress: Maxie is a wonderful nickname. (Had sudden case of bad thought. Whips out brain-cleaning floss and cleans brain - much better.) Anyway, in answer to your questions: Ribyyn is a wuss and it's logical author/creator talk. As for God coming down and telling me I'm a wuss...well I'd congratulate him on being so highly observant and then I'd scold him for screwing up royally at playing "master-of-the-universe." This is going where Myles Class said it would. Thanks for loving me!

TheBlindAssassin: How could you possibly say Ribyyn was a cool character? She was a wuss in the last chapter (see above comment to Temptress). Darin is mighty cool though. I have plans for these two. ::grins wickedly over steepled hands::