Disclaimer: I don't own the following characters. Which is sad, because I would love to own George…;-)
Summary: It's been a while since George Cooper was known as the King of Thieves. But when a mysterious and sinister enemy kidnaps him to get revenge on Alanna of Pirate's Swoop, this old rogue must dust off his daggers to keep himself alive.
A/N: Sorry, I had to reload this chappie to fix a few things. I also added quite a whole new part at the end.
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"Gotcha!" Leaping over a cluttered desk, George Cooper, Baron of Pirate's Swoop, grabbed the hidden figure crouched underneath.
"Aw da! You always find me!" Thom, his oldest son, cried.
Scooping him up into his arms, George tweaked his nose. "It took me much longer to find you this time, lad. Before you know it, you'll be able to hide right in front of me!" While Thom laughed happily at this prospect, George grinned. It was his favorite game to play with his children- hiding and seeking. It trained them to be careful for the future, and it kept him in shape. Not that those talents would be needed any time soon; George spent his time at the desk Thom had been hiding under. Paperwork and reports filled his days, instead of the mischief and intrigue that came from being the Rogue. Not that he regretted giving it up and turnin' respectable, but some times he was more aware of the changes it entailed than others.
A cough at the door startled George out of his musings. "Yes?" It was Nareek, a Bazhir servant at the Swoop.
"A message for you, Baron. It looks like it has to do with business." Business was their code word- it meant spying. Nareek held out a sealed envelope.
Setting Thom down, George told him, "I have work to do, lad. I promise we'll play more later."
Thom groaned, before his face lit up. "Can I go play with the twins?" Twins Alan and Alianne were only two years old, but a source of great joy for their brother.
Ruffling his hair, George considered. "Make sure their not sleeping, and even then, only if it's okay with Maude."
Hugging his father quickly, Thom turned and ran out of the room calling out for his nursemaid. With that taken care of, George waved Nareek forward. Taking the envelope from him, he inquired Nareek if he was sure that it came from one of their own. The Bazhir nodded. "The one delivering the message checked out; he was just a normal man from Fedor." Fedor was a city two day's ride from the Swoop. "I didn't open the letter so I'm not sure about the contents," Nareek added.
Nodding his thanks, George dismissed him. Taking the letter, he sat down at his desk and slit it open. It was a message from one of his best agents- Rinley. Checking the code, George confirmed that it was the one he taught; the letter was definitely real. Reading quickly, he surmised that Rinley had some information too important for writing. He requested to meet with him at the Ruddy Vixen Resthouse, over in Fedor.
He leaned back in his chair. A trip to Fedor might be good for him, give him a chance to stretch his legs. Besides, Rinley was vital to him. If it was as important as he said it was, he did not want to risk sending another agent.
With that decided, George alerted the household to his plans. It didn't take long before his bags were packed and the guards informed. The Swoop was used to both he and Alanna leaving suddenly. Alanna hadn't actually been there in weeks- she had been called off to help settle a dispute somewhere on the Scanra-Tortall border. As George said good bye to the family that remained, he felt a little sad. While he would miss his children, he would only be gone a few days. He was worried that while he was gone, Alanna would come back. Shaking off the feeling, George reminded himself that it was unlikely. Alanna wasn't expected for at least another week; it was foolish to deny himself some fun on the off chance that she would return early.
Pulling his cloak up to cover his face, George jumped on the saddled mare one of the hostlers had brought to him. Turning the black horse around, he waved to his family once more, before he galloped down the road.
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Kerrek whistled out a pretty tune as he washed and rinsed out mugs. The Ruddy Vixen Resthouse had been busy lately, and he had been forced to do some of the cleanin' himself. It would be best if I hired some more help, he thought to himself. Perhaps I can have someone ask around the city. His musings were interrupted as a burst of cold night air flooded the inn. He looked up to see a cloaked figure entering. The man moved slowly and confidently, almost with a cat like grace. Pushing back his hood, he sat down at the bar and ordered a meal.
As Kerrek quickly brought him his food, he noticed several things. For one the man hadn't ordered ale, or rum, or anything like that. Secondly, while he ate hungrily, Pretty Nell, the regular Ruddy Vixen lady friend, flounced up to him. Instead of staring at her and going to a secluded corner, he dismissed her advances. He must have a real special lady at home to say no to Pretty Nell, Kerrek thought. Nobody says no to Pretty Nell.
Polishing off his plate, the stranger pushed back his stool and stood. He smiled good naturedly at Kerrek when he noticed his eyes on him. Sheepishly, Kerrek smiled in return. Seems like a charmin' fellow, if I ever saw one.
"Sir, I'm lookin' for a friend of mine. About this high," the man held out his arm. "He's got light blonde hair, curly in a way. You seen him?"
Kerrek scratched his head before he nodded. "He's up in room 9. Should I bring ya up?"
The stranger shook his head. "Thanks, but I'll go myself." He nodded his head. "'Night."
Kerrek shook his head as he watched the stranger climb up the inn's stairs. It was amazing how that woman had known a stranger of that description would come looking for a man such as that. The woman had told him a few days earlier to be on the lookout for a man with laughing hazel eyes, a rather large nose, and a charming smile. When he saw someone of that description, and they asked about a blonde haired somebody, he was supposed to send them to room 9. The woman had given him a couple gold pieces for his service. Shrugging his shoulders, Kerrek decided that the matter was over and out of his hands, and started washing the soiled plates the man had just used.
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When George reached room 9, he knocked three long knocks on the door, followed by two short soft ones. Being extra careful had never hurt anyone. The door creaked open, revealing a shadowed room. A figure stood in front of a warm fireplace, it could be Rinley, but George wasn't sure.
Crossing his arms, he carefully unsheathed two daggers. He might not be the Rogue anymore, but he wasn't ignorant. "Rinley?" he called softly, testing beyond the doorway with his foot. The figure nodded, but George sensed something wasn't right. With a quick movement, he flung a dagger to his right, hitting a man square in the chest. He grabbed another blade tucked under his belt. He was pushed entirely into the room and the door was slammed shut. Settling on the balls of his feet, George listened intently. If he couldn't see his attackers, he would have to listen for them.
There. A shuffle to the left. Reaching out, he swung his arm in an arc, slitting the throat of one of the men. Grunting, another man threw himself on George's back. Twisting his arm free, George stabbed him in the ribs, then tossed him off. More men came at him. George lost count as he blocked, swiped, and fought. More and more men went down at the hands of George's weapons. Wiping at his forehead with a bloodstained sleeve, he inhaled deeply. There were too many of them, he couldn't fight them all.
Suddenly a force slammed into the back of his skull. As he struggled to stay standing, the figure by the fire turned around and pushed back their cloak. A mass of brown curls tumbled out, framing a charming face lit up by electric green eyes. The woman moved over and stood in front of George as he fought to stay conscious. "Good night, George. We'll have to catch up later."
As his eyes rolled back into his head and he sunk to the floor, George managed to utter a single word. "Delia…."
A/N:-D Review Review! I hope you like the villain, I felt it was odd that she was just stranded in prison. More will be explained in the next section.