Author's Note: Okay, I can't remember if Treno was near the water or not.
But for argument's sake, let's just pretend its on the coast, okay? Thanks
for reviewing and sticking through my long absence due to serious computer
problems (which are all now resolved). You'll hear more from me soon.
Chapter Seventeen
The ship landed unceremoniously in Treno a few hours later. Tantalus and Ellie disembarked from the ship and entered the city, faces hidden under the hoods of their cloaks. They headed straight to one of the inns and took up three rooms for a week. After waiting a long, uncomfortable hour, there was a knock at the door of Blank's room. The innkeeper handed him an envelope lacking any sort of marking.
"Some fellow asked me to give this to ye." he said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Thanks." Blank replied, closing the door quickly. He turned and handed it to Ellie, who opened it and sighed deeply as her eyes flew over the page.
Everything is in place. You weren't followed to the inn. We'll be watching.
She lowered the note from her sight and pulled a match from her pocket. "Its all clear." She told Blank, watching the paper ignite.
"Alright, let's go." She said, pulling her hood over her head as Blank followed her out the door.
When they reached the street, they headed towards the center of the city where the castle and advisor's mansion were located. As they approached the guard of the house, she pulled her hood back to reveal her face. The guards all did a double-take, before straightening their posture to a full attention.
"Miss DeBarbarac, its so good to see you feeling better." The guard in the middle commented as the other guards swung the gate open as quickly as they could. She only nodded in response before heading through the gates, Blank at her side. They quickly ascended the stone steps up to the door where they let themselves in.
She led him up a set of stairs to the left and down a hallway until they reached a certain door. She paused briefly before turning the knob and throwing it open. Her father was seated behind a desk, and his mouth opened before his head could even look up.
"What the hell?" he spat angrily, then saw her. He paused a moment before laying his quill on his desk and folding his hands in front of him. There was a long silence before anything was said.
"Do you have any idea the trouble you caused me? Just disappearing like that?"
"Do YOU have any idea how much MORE trouble I could get you in?" she spat back at her father.
He leaned back in his chair, his jaw clenched. This had always been the way of things between them.only being civilized with each other enough to get by. There was another long silence before he suddenly noticed Blank standing behind her.
"Who the hell is that?"
"This is Blank, he'll be staying with me." She said, suddenly reassured as she felt Blank place a protective hand on her shoulder. Her father only grunted and stared at them a moment before picking up his quill again.
"Glad you could find someone who can tolerate you. Now go away."
With that Ellie turned on her heel and left the doorway, slamming the door harshly behind her. She stormed down the hall with Blank at her heels.
"So where are you going?" he asked.
"WE are going down to my bedroom. You're staying here tonight."
"What?? But I have a room."
"Look Blank, he would kill me without giving it a second thought. There's no way I'm staying here alone tonight. I'm sorry you're just going to have to deal with it."
"That's fine. . . we sharing a bed?" he asked, a smirk on his face. She turned to him, punching his shoulder hard enough to have him rubbing it for the next hour, though he'd never admit that it hurt.
Later that night, they had resolved to have Blank sleeping in the lounging couch which they moved next to her bed. Before turning in for the night, they walked out onto the balcony outside, looking out at the city. Ellie pulled a matchbox from her pocket and lit a match, letting it burn a few seconds before throwing it onto the stone floor and stepping on it, grinding it into the floor. She did this two more times, before hearing a rustling in the trees nearby.
"There they are." Blank whispered, not motioning or looking in the direction of the sound.
"That's comforting." She replied quietly.
"They won't let anything happen to you." Blank said, looking at her. "And neither will I."
She turned to look at him, her eyes quizzical. "You didn't need to volunteer to put yourself into danger on my account. Thank you so much for coming with me."
He just nodded, both of them smiling softly before turning and reentering the bedroom, locking the door behind them. Ellie blew out the lamps while Blank checked all the door and window locks, and bid quick goodnight's to each other before crawling under the sheets. Ellie, aware of how oddly comfortable she felt with him there, fell asleep in moments. Blank, on the other hand, remained awake for almost an hour, just listening to the sounds of the house before slipping into his own sleep.
Hours later, Blank was awoken by the sounds of muffled screams from somewhere nearby. He bolted upright and turned towards Ellie, prepared to see a new enemy to battle. He only saw her, tangled in her sheets from tossing and turning restlessly from a nightmare. Indeed, this was no new enemy.
He rose from the couch and moved quietly towards her side. Memories of Zidane telling him about her past suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel horrible about what she'd been through. He reached his hand out slowly and placed it on her shoulder.
"Ellie . . . " he said quietly. "Wake up, its okay . . . "
Her face twisted into pain and then she suddenly sat straight up, letting out an anguished cry. Her eyes flew open as she gasped for air, the dream leaving her as the real world, and the need for oxygen, came rushing back. He began rubbing her arm as she woke up.
"You okay?" he asked, smiling at the outline of her messy hair in the dark. He began to realize that underneath that hard, fighter shell, she was still a girl like any other girl. He felt something tug at his heart as he thought about this, then looked back to her.
"Yeah . . . I just . . . uh . . . " she strangled out, furrowing her brow. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't even remember what it was about," she said, turning to look back at her pillow as if she'd find the answer there.
"It's gone now." Blank said comfortingly as she turned back to him. They sat together as her breathing returned to normal, his hand still rubbing her arm reassuringly. They were silent when suddenly she reached out to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. His eyes widened, surprised at this, and he craned his neck to look down at her face.
"Thank you, Blank," she said quietly into his shirt. A smile played over his lips as he reached one of his hands up to rub her back.
"It's okay," he told her. "You're worth it."
She giggled softly and lifted her head to look at him. "Oh am I now? That's good to know." She said, smiling at him.
He chuckled at her, staring into her eyes and wishing he never had to look away. After a moment he realized he was staring and cleared his throat loudly.
"Well, uh . . . get some sleep, okay?" he said, and she nodded at him, attempting to look serious although she could barely keep from smiling. He squeezed her arm lightly before standing up from the bed and returning to the couch.
"G'night Ellie."
"Nite."
* * *
The next day, Ellie and Blank woke up to find a guard outside their door. "What a surprise!" Ellie had exclaimed sarcastically as she opened the door and saw a soldier staring back at her. "Bastard," she'd muttered as she closed the door.
"Who, your father or the guard?" asked Blank.
"Both."
Despite efforts to learn whatever they could, it was next to impossible for the duo to find any information about the war with their unwanted escort following them around. In the middle of the afternoon, Blank had suggested leaving the house to go into the city to see if they could learn anything, on account that they would lose their shadowing soldier at the gates of the mansion.
"And to get a bite to eat, of course . . . " he'd added quickly, making Ellie laugh for the first time that day.
They returned to the inn in the early evening hours, with little to report to Tantalus to relay to the spies.
"Well, the city's pretty militarized . . . " Blank started.
"Like the rest of us didn't notice that," replied Cinna, slinging his hammer over his shoulder.
"The soldiers are now carrying sets of short blades, they must have trained them with them because they never had them before." Ellie added.
"Okay. Anything else?" Marcus asked, looking up from the notes he was scribbling for the spies.
"Not really."
"Damnit. That's nothing."
That night, Ellie and Blank returned to the house, walking straight from the door to her room without looking around at anyone around them. Their escort was at their heels before they were ten feet from the front door. They entered the bedroom silently and closed the door behind them, glaring angrily at the guard who seemed as though he was going to follow them in.
Blank went to all the windows and checked the locks as Ellie rummaged in her pockets for a box of matches. Then they made their way out to the balcony and proceeded to light matches and grind them out.
"So how long do you think we'll be here?" he asked her.
"Not much longer. If it starts to feel like the war is about to break out than we'll pull out." She replied. There was silence as he watched her for a moment, seeing the anger and pain on her face, and then took a step towards her.
"Ellie . . . I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He said, lifting her chin up so he could meet her eyes. "And I meant it."
"I know." She said, smiling softly at him. He reached up to brush a stray piece of hair that had flown across her face in the breeze, and found himself cupping her cheek. She sighed, her eyes slipping closed at his touch. He bit his lip nervously and then found himself unable to hold back. He dipped his head down to hers and brushed his lips with her own. She breathed in sharply in surprise, then her face softened as she kissed him back lightly. After a moment they pulled apart, smiling at each other.
"Hey, let's hit the sack." He said casually, hoping his red cheeks weren't visible in the darkness of the night.
"Alright." She said, and they returned to the bedroom. That night, they both slept more peaceful than they ever had before, in each other's arms.
Three days later, the group had little more information to offer. Everyone, especially Ellie, was getting aggravated.
"This is ridiculous, did Beatrix really think I'd be able to just waltz back in and have him hand over information? Argh . . . I'm going for a walk."
"Want me to come?" Blank asked.
"No, I'll be fine."
Ellie left the inn, pulling the hood of her cloak tighter around herself as she made her way towards the waterfront. She pushed her way through the crowds, bumping into many strangers, knowing that the Alexandrian spies would not lose sight of her even if she tried. She climbed up on the railing separating her from the sea and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. When she opened her eyes, her gaze fell upon the setting sun off in the distance. Her eyes fluttered back open as a sense of resolve overcame her. She had to do something.
She pulled off her hood, revealing her face, then looked out at the bustling crowd around her. Quicker than she anticipated, a small crowd gathered around her, asking how she was feeling, and had her mysterious "illness" been cured. Citizens of the city concerned over her health came up to meet her, the advisor's daughter "back from the dead," according to the news boys. She had always been loved by the public, her smile and spirit lighting up all around her. They had watched her grow up from when she was a small child, and was like a daughter to all she knew, save her father. She shook all their hands, and began talking excitedly with them. At one point a jester came up to her and began performing eagerly to the crowd. It's now or never . . . she thought to herself, watching the jester intently. He threw a strawberry high into the air and caught it in his mouth while juggling, then gathered the items from the air and took a bow. Ellie smiled and began clapping, then suddenly leaned back too far over the railing. She screamed and heard the crowd gasping as they all turned to her in horror. She fell backwards from the railing, plummeting 50 feet to the icy water below.
A knock at the door started Blank from dozing in his bed at the inn.
"Who the hell?" he mumbled, dragging himself from the bed and walking to the door. He pulled it open to see the innkeeper standing there, looking slightly distressed.
"What is it?" Blank asked.
"Its . . . oh, travelers wouldn't know. Here, this is for you." He said, clearly trying to maintain his composure as he handed Blank an unmarked envelope. Blank took it, and the man turned and left before another thing could be said. Blank watched him walk down the hall, bewildered.
He left his room, letter unopened, and walked down to Cinna's room where the rest of Tantalus was hanging out.
"Hey guys, did you ask the spies for something?" Blank said, holding up the letter.
"No. Where's Ellie?" Marcus replied.
"She went for a walk. But don't worry, the spies were watching . . . " he trailed off, dread suddenly consuming him.
Blank lowered the letter as the rest of Tantalus looked to him, and a deafening silence filled the room. Blank stared at the letter a moment before ripping it open, his thief hands suddenly unable to move fast enough. He pulled the letter open and his eyes flew over the page, disbelief covering his face.
"Blank, what is it?" Marcus asked, watching as Blank's arm lowered, the letter fluttering from his fingers to the floor. Blank opened his mouth to speak, but was unable to make a sound. Cinna moved to pick up the letter as Blank turned on his heel and left the room, running down the hall to his own. Meanwhile, Cinna picked up the parchment and read it aloud.
Accident in the water. She's dead. Obituary and full story will be in papers tomorrow.
Chapter Seventeen
The ship landed unceremoniously in Treno a few hours later. Tantalus and Ellie disembarked from the ship and entered the city, faces hidden under the hoods of their cloaks. They headed straight to one of the inns and took up three rooms for a week. After waiting a long, uncomfortable hour, there was a knock at the door of Blank's room. The innkeeper handed him an envelope lacking any sort of marking.
"Some fellow asked me to give this to ye." he said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Thanks." Blank replied, closing the door quickly. He turned and handed it to Ellie, who opened it and sighed deeply as her eyes flew over the page.
Everything is in place. You weren't followed to the inn. We'll be watching.
She lowered the note from her sight and pulled a match from her pocket. "Its all clear." She told Blank, watching the paper ignite.
"Alright, let's go." She said, pulling her hood over her head as Blank followed her out the door.
When they reached the street, they headed towards the center of the city where the castle and advisor's mansion were located. As they approached the guard of the house, she pulled her hood back to reveal her face. The guards all did a double-take, before straightening their posture to a full attention.
"Miss DeBarbarac, its so good to see you feeling better." The guard in the middle commented as the other guards swung the gate open as quickly as they could. She only nodded in response before heading through the gates, Blank at her side. They quickly ascended the stone steps up to the door where they let themselves in.
She led him up a set of stairs to the left and down a hallway until they reached a certain door. She paused briefly before turning the knob and throwing it open. Her father was seated behind a desk, and his mouth opened before his head could even look up.
"What the hell?" he spat angrily, then saw her. He paused a moment before laying his quill on his desk and folding his hands in front of him. There was a long silence before anything was said.
"Do you have any idea the trouble you caused me? Just disappearing like that?"
"Do YOU have any idea how much MORE trouble I could get you in?" she spat back at her father.
He leaned back in his chair, his jaw clenched. This had always been the way of things between them.only being civilized with each other enough to get by. There was another long silence before he suddenly noticed Blank standing behind her.
"Who the hell is that?"
"This is Blank, he'll be staying with me." She said, suddenly reassured as she felt Blank place a protective hand on her shoulder. Her father only grunted and stared at them a moment before picking up his quill again.
"Glad you could find someone who can tolerate you. Now go away."
With that Ellie turned on her heel and left the doorway, slamming the door harshly behind her. She stormed down the hall with Blank at her heels.
"So where are you going?" he asked.
"WE are going down to my bedroom. You're staying here tonight."
"What?? But I have a room."
"Look Blank, he would kill me without giving it a second thought. There's no way I'm staying here alone tonight. I'm sorry you're just going to have to deal with it."
"That's fine. . . we sharing a bed?" he asked, a smirk on his face. She turned to him, punching his shoulder hard enough to have him rubbing it for the next hour, though he'd never admit that it hurt.
Later that night, they had resolved to have Blank sleeping in the lounging couch which they moved next to her bed. Before turning in for the night, they walked out onto the balcony outside, looking out at the city. Ellie pulled a matchbox from her pocket and lit a match, letting it burn a few seconds before throwing it onto the stone floor and stepping on it, grinding it into the floor. She did this two more times, before hearing a rustling in the trees nearby.
"There they are." Blank whispered, not motioning or looking in the direction of the sound.
"That's comforting." She replied quietly.
"They won't let anything happen to you." Blank said, looking at her. "And neither will I."
She turned to look at him, her eyes quizzical. "You didn't need to volunteer to put yourself into danger on my account. Thank you so much for coming with me."
He just nodded, both of them smiling softly before turning and reentering the bedroom, locking the door behind them. Ellie blew out the lamps while Blank checked all the door and window locks, and bid quick goodnight's to each other before crawling under the sheets. Ellie, aware of how oddly comfortable she felt with him there, fell asleep in moments. Blank, on the other hand, remained awake for almost an hour, just listening to the sounds of the house before slipping into his own sleep.
Hours later, Blank was awoken by the sounds of muffled screams from somewhere nearby. He bolted upright and turned towards Ellie, prepared to see a new enemy to battle. He only saw her, tangled in her sheets from tossing and turning restlessly from a nightmare. Indeed, this was no new enemy.
He rose from the couch and moved quietly towards her side. Memories of Zidane telling him about her past suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel horrible about what she'd been through. He reached his hand out slowly and placed it on her shoulder.
"Ellie . . . " he said quietly. "Wake up, its okay . . . "
Her face twisted into pain and then she suddenly sat straight up, letting out an anguished cry. Her eyes flew open as she gasped for air, the dream leaving her as the real world, and the need for oxygen, came rushing back. He began rubbing her arm as she woke up.
"You okay?" he asked, smiling at the outline of her messy hair in the dark. He began to realize that underneath that hard, fighter shell, she was still a girl like any other girl. He felt something tug at his heart as he thought about this, then looked back to her.
"Yeah . . . I just . . . uh . . . " she strangled out, furrowing her brow. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't even remember what it was about," she said, turning to look back at her pillow as if she'd find the answer there.
"It's gone now." Blank said comfortingly as she turned back to him. They sat together as her breathing returned to normal, his hand still rubbing her arm reassuringly. They were silent when suddenly she reached out to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. His eyes widened, surprised at this, and he craned his neck to look down at her face.
"Thank you, Blank," she said quietly into his shirt. A smile played over his lips as he reached one of his hands up to rub her back.
"It's okay," he told her. "You're worth it."
She giggled softly and lifted her head to look at him. "Oh am I now? That's good to know." She said, smiling at him.
He chuckled at her, staring into her eyes and wishing he never had to look away. After a moment he realized he was staring and cleared his throat loudly.
"Well, uh . . . get some sleep, okay?" he said, and she nodded at him, attempting to look serious although she could barely keep from smiling. He squeezed her arm lightly before standing up from the bed and returning to the couch.
"G'night Ellie."
"Nite."
* * *
The next day, Ellie and Blank woke up to find a guard outside their door. "What a surprise!" Ellie had exclaimed sarcastically as she opened the door and saw a soldier staring back at her. "Bastard," she'd muttered as she closed the door.
"Who, your father or the guard?" asked Blank.
"Both."
Despite efforts to learn whatever they could, it was next to impossible for the duo to find any information about the war with their unwanted escort following them around. In the middle of the afternoon, Blank had suggested leaving the house to go into the city to see if they could learn anything, on account that they would lose their shadowing soldier at the gates of the mansion.
"And to get a bite to eat, of course . . . " he'd added quickly, making Ellie laugh for the first time that day.
They returned to the inn in the early evening hours, with little to report to Tantalus to relay to the spies.
"Well, the city's pretty militarized . . . " Blank started.
"Like the rest of us didn't notice that," replied Cinna, slinging his hammer over his shoulder.
"The soldiers are now carrying sets of short blades, they must have trained them with them because they never had them before." Ellie added.
"Okay. Anything else?" Marcus asked, looking up from the notes he was scribbling for the spies.
"Not really."
"Damnit. That's nothing."
That night, Ellie and Blank returned to the house, walking straight from the door to her room without looking around at anyone around them. Their escort was at their heels before they were ten feet from the front door. They entered the bedroom silently and closed the door behind them, glaring angrily at the guard who seemed as though he was going to follow them in.
Blank went to all the windows and checked the locks as Ellie rummaged in her pockets for a box of matches. Then they made their way out to the balcony and proceeded to light matches and grind them out.
"So how long do you think we'll be here?" he asked her.
"Not much longer. If it starts to feel like the war is about to break out than we'll pull out." She replied. There was silence as he watched her for a moment, seeing the anger and pain on her face, and then took a step towards her.
"Ellie . . . I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He said, lifting her chin up so he could meet her eyes. "And I meant it."
"I know." She said, smiling softly at him. He reached up to brush a stray piece of hair that had flown across her face in the breeze, and found himself cupping her cheek. She sighed, her eyes slipping closed at his touch. He bit his lip nervously and then found himself unable to hold back. He dipped his head down to hers and brushed his lips with her own. She breathed in sharply in surprise, then her face softened as she kissed him back lightly. After a moment they pulled apart, smiling at each other.
"Hey, let's hit the sack." He said casually, hoping his red cheeks weren't visible in the darkness of the night.
"Alright." She said, and they returned to the bedroom. That night, they both slept more peaceful than they ever had before, in each other's arms.
Three days later, the group had little more information to offer. Everyone, especially Ellie, was getting aggravated.
"This is ridiculous, did Beatrix really think I'd be able to just waltz back in and have him hand over information? Argh . . . I'm going for a walk."
"Want me to come?" Blank asked.
"No, I'll be fine."
Ellie left the inn, pulling the hood of her cloak tighter around herself as she made her way towards the waterfront. She pushed her way through the crowds, bumping into many strangers, knowing that the Alexandrian spies would not lose sight of her even if she tried. She climbed up on the railing separating her from the sea and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. When she opened her eyes, her gaze fell upon the setting sun off in the distance. Her eyes fluttered back open as a sense of resolve overcame her. She had to do something.
She pulled off her hood, revealing her face, then looked out at the bustling crowd around her. Quicker than she anticipated, a small crowd gathered around her, asking how she was feeling, and had her mysterious "illness" been cured. Citizens of the city concerned over her health came up to meet her, the advisor's daughter "back from the dead," according to the news boys. She had always been loved by the public, her smile and spirit lighting up all around her. They had watched her grow up from when she was a small child, and was like a daughter to all she knew, save her father. She shook all their hands, and began talking excitedly with them. At one point a jester came up to her and began performing eagerly to the crowd. It's now or never . . . she thought to herself, watching the jester intently. He threw a strawberry high into the air and caught it in his mouth while juggling, then gathered the items from the air and took a bow. Ellie smiled and began clapping, then suddenly leaned back too far over the railing. She screamed and heard the crowd gasping as they all turned to her in horror. She fell backwards from the railing, plummeting 50 feet to the icy water below.
A knock at the door started Blank from dozing in his bed at the inn.
"Who the hell?" he mumbled, dragging himself from the bed and walking to the door. He pulled it open to see the innkeeper standing there, looking slightly distressed.
"What is it?" Blank asked.
"Its . . . oh, travelers wouldn't know. Here, this is for you." He said, clearly trying to maintain his composure as he handed Blank an unmarked envelope. Blank took it, and the man turned and left before another thing could be said. Blank watched him walk down the hall, bewildered.
He left his room, letter unopened, and walked down to Cinna's room where the rest of Tantalus was hanging out.
"Hey guys, did you ask the spies for something?" Blank said, holding up the letter.
"No. Where's Ellie?" Marcus replied.
"She went for a walk. But don't worry, the spies were watching . . . " he trailed off, dread suddenly consuming him.
Blank lowered the letter as the rest of Tantalus looked to him, and a deafening silence filled the room. Blank stared at the letter a moment before ripping it open, his thief hands suddenly unable to move fast enough. He pulled the letter open and his eyes flew over the page, disbelief covering his face.
"Blank, what is it?" Marcus asked, watching as Blank's arm lowered, the letter fluttering from his fingers to the floor. Blank opened his mouth to speak, but was unable to make a sound. Cinna moved to pick up the letter as Blank turned on his heel and left the room, running down the hall to his own. Meanwhile, Cinna picked up the parchment and read it aloud.
Accident in the water. She's dead. Obituary and full story will be in papers tomorrow.