AUTHOR'S NOTE: thank you to my reviewers. Remember, all I want to keep
going is the knowledge that someone wants the next chapter. So when I get a
review for this, I'll post it.
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How Kaderayna pulled through was a mystery to everyone, including herself. She really didn't care, though, as usual. After a killer hangover, she went back. She knew that soon the liquor would be guarded, so she figured that she had better stock up on what they had before it wasn't there anymore.
She entered the wine cellar through a tiny window at the top, shimmying through it to land on the dank floor amongst the rows of wine. There she dusted herself off and made for the cupboard she had found the previous day. Kaderayna emptied the remaining contents into her skirt and carried them back to the window, jumping up to set them on the soft grass above. Once she was done, she closed the window.
'May as well take one for the road,' Kaderayna thought. So she sat down and helped herself to some beer, using one of the jars she'd emptied the night before. Then she helped herself to another one. And one more. Deciding she'd better stop there, Kaderayna grabbed a wine bottle and dragged herself up the staircase.
As she thought, a guard was stationed at the top of the stairs. "How did you get in?" he growled, roughly grabbing the wine from her hands.
Kaderayna stumbled off. "Too easy," she thought. She retrieved the stolen liquor that she had put by the window and then went upstairs to her chambers. She dumped all but the smallest flask into her travel bag and pulled out her knife. After one swig of the strong brandy, Kaderayna went to find the bitch whom she thought had told Elessar that she was in the wine cellar. She was in one of her rages, her mind buzzed with anticipation and anger as she made her uneasy way through the corridors.
By the time Kaderayna got to the parlor, however, she was so drunk that she kept walking into doorways. It was thundering outside. 'Perfect night for a murder,' Kaderayna thought romantically. In the average person's mind there is nothing romantic about a murder, but were average sober, Kaderayna would be behaving rightfully.
"My lady," a new servant girl asked. She was only about ten years old, with jet black hair and a round-ish figure. "His Majesty is looking for you."
"Tell 'his Majesty' to fall on his sword!" Kaderayna yelled, punching the girl in the stomach. Hard.
"Hey, what're you doing?" a guard shouted from across the room as the little girl got up and ran away in pain and terror. Soon a three more guards were on her; one held her, one took her knife and one took her flask.
"Get off me, you bastards!" she slurred, but her drunkenness made it nearly impossible to get away.
They got off. "Come with us. Your temper will be judged by the king." Two guards each took one of Kaderayna's arms, but she wasn't finished.
"Curse you, you bloody mongrels! Your king deserves to be fed to the dogs! I hope he dies a horrible, slow death, and I hope all of you do, too!" Finally they got sick of her. They brought her to the gates of the palace and threw her out into the mud.
Wincing from the pain in her right arm from struggling so much, Kaderayna felt for not the first time in her life terribly helpless. She was hurt (but mostly because she thought she was), weaponless and drunk. Then someone came up from behind her and helped her up. Startled, Kaderayna spun around to face them, instinctively reaching for her non-existent dagger.
"The left-handed girl," the stranger mocked. His black eyes made Kaderayna suspicious of him; she found that she could not focus on anything else once she had looked into them.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Kaderayna demanded.
"I have heard of you." Kaderayna didn't believe him. She was unknown, or so she hoped. "My name is Falquir; I needed help and your friend Daeron said you would be perfect."
"Perfect for what?" Kaderayna said suspiciously. Bloody Daeron, he never could keep his mouth shut.
Daeron was a drunk just like Kaderayna. He had had the opportunity to have a respectable position but had gotten bored and thrown it all away for a mug of beer. She'd met him in a pub one night in the summer back in Ithilien; they'd been drunk enough to share their life stories with one another. Kaderayna was amazed that she actually remembered that conversation, but she didn't remember the rest of the night at all so maybe that made up for it. She would rather remember the conversation anyway. Nights she couldn't remember always turned out badly.
"Power, Santavaj, power. I'm creating a new government, a new monarchy. You can rule it with me if you will help me. I need to know what goes on inside those doors, how the wheels of the palace turn. That knowledge will be enough for me to overthrow the king."
Overthrow the king! Throw Elessar into the streets! Falquir, no matter how shady a character, had captured Kaderayna's attention. In the moment he said those words, she was in.
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How Kaderayna pulled through was a mystery to everyone, including herself. She really didn't care, though, as usual. After a killer hangover, she went back. She knew that soon the liquor would be guarded, so she figured that she had better stock up on what they had before it wasn't there anymore.
She entered the wine cellar through a tiny window at the top, shimmying through it to land on the dank floor amongst the rows of wine. There she dusted herself off and made for the cupboard she had found the previous day. Kaderayna emptied the remaining contents into her skirt and carried them back to the window, jumping up to set them on the soft grass above. Once she was done, she closed the window.
'May as well take one for the road,' Kaderayna thought. So she sat down and helped herself to some beer, using one of the jars she'd emptied the night before. Then she helped herself to another one. And one more. Deciding she'd better stop there, Kaderayna grabbed a wine bottle and dragged herself up the staircase.
As she thought, a guard was stationed at the top of the stairs. "How did you get in?" he growled, roughly grabbing the wine from her hands.
Kaderayna stumbled off. "Too easy," she thought. She retrieved the stolen liquor that she had put by the window and then went upstairs to her chambers. She dumped all but the smallest flask into her travel bag and pulled out her knife. After one swig of the strong brandy, Kaderayna went to find the bitch whom she thought had told Elessar that she was in the wine cellar. She was in one of her rages, her mind buzzed with anticipation and anger as she made her uneasy way through the corridors.
By the time Kaderayna got to the parlor, however, she was so drunk that she kept walking into doorways. It was thundering outside. 'Perfect night for a murder,' Kaderayna thought romantically. In the average person's mind there is nothing romantic about a murder, but were average sober, Kaderayna would be behaving rightfully.
"My lady," a new servant girl asked. She was only about ten years old, with jet black hair and a round-ish figure. "His Majesty is looking for you."
"Tell 'his Majesty' to fall on his sword!" Kaderayna yelled, punching the girl in the stomach. Hard.
"Hey, what're you doing?" a guard shouted from across the room as the little girl got up and ran away in pain and terror. Soon a three more guards were on her; one held her, one took her knife and one took her flask.
"Get off me, you bastards!" she slurred, but her drunkenness made it nearly impossible to get away.
They got off. "Come with us. Your temper will be judged by the king." Two guards each took one of Kaderayna's arms, but she wasn't finished.
"Curse you, you bloody mongrels! Your king deserves to be fed to the dogs! I hope he dies a horrible, slow death, and I hope all of you do, too!" Finally they got sick of her. They brought her to the gates of the palace and threw her out into the mud.
Wincing from the pain in her right arm from struggling so much, Kaderayna felt for not the first time in her life terribly helpless. She was hurt (but mostly because she thought she was), weaponless and drunk. Then someone came up from behind her and helped her up. Startled, Kaderayna spun around to face them, instinctively reaching for her non-existent dagger.
"The left-handed girl," the stranger mocked. His black eyes made Kaderayna suspicious of him; she found that she could not focus on anything else once she had looked into them.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Kaderayna demanded.
"I have heard of you." Kaderayna didn't believe him. She was unknown, or so she hoped. "My name is Falquir; I needed help and your friend Daeron said you would be perfect."
"Perfect for what?" Kaderayna said suspiciously. Bloody Daeron, he never could keep his mouth shut.
Daeron was a drunk just like Kaderayna. He had had the opportunity to have a respectable position but had gotten bored and thrown it all away for a mug of beer. She'd met him in a pub one night in the summer back in Ithilien; they'd been drunk enough to share their life stories with one another. Kaderayna was amazed that she actually remembered that conversation, but she didn't remember the rest of the night at all so maybe that made up for it. She would rather remember the conversation anyway. Nights she couldn't remember always turned out badly.
"Power, Santavaj, power. I'm creating a new government, a new monarchy. You can rule it with me if you will help me. I need to know what goes on inside those doors, how the wheels of the palace turn. That knowledge will be enough for me to overthrow the king."
Overthrow the king! Throw Elessar into the streets! Falquir, no matter how shady a character, had captured Kaderayna's attention. In the moment he said those words, she was in.