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Olivia had lost the feeling in her hands a long time ago as she hung from the wall. Alex had redressed in her armour almost as soon as the Sheriff had left and walked from the dungeon without a word. Olivia didn't try and make her stay.
She had thought perhaps her shivers might stop as she got used to the cold but every few seconds a tremor would rack her body and she would have to grit her teeth against the pain. The cold stone had leeched into her body and though she was used to having cold feet her blue tinged toes were a cause for concern.
She had tried to break free for hours. Pulling at the metal till blood ran down her arms but though it sounded like there might be a loose bolt her wrists remained too tightly bound. She knew that her only hope was to try and break free on the walk from the dungeons to the gallows and for that she needed to save her strength. The others would be there, she was sure. The Sheriff would have announced her execution, his victory, to anyone he could find to listen and she knew that even deep in the forest the news would have filtered through. They'd stopped executions before, but never one of their own.
It had been a short but fierce argument and Casey had won, which was why she was now walking through the trees swinging a long branch at her side. Elliot hadn't wanted her to go, tried to argue that she would only get in the way but she knew she could fight if it came to it. The boys in her village could attest to the power of her backswing and armed with a branch she wasn't the demur Lady her attackers would be expecting. She argued that she would be as much use as him with his dud leg and that if he was going, she was too. Amanda has stayed clear of them as they threw insults back and forth, both knowing that the other had a point but being unable to admit it. It was Munch in the end who had settled things. Finn had arrived back to the top of the waterfall still astride a horse he had borrowed from Alderthrope. He tied the animal to a tree before climbing down and informing them all that the execution was scheduled for the next morning. Munch had used the ensuing silence to tell Elliot that he could go if he rode the horse and stayed in the trees and that Casey could go if she stayed with him, pretending to be some pilgrim on a sacred journey. They both begrudgingly agreed and Casey was shown the path up the rock face.
She pulled up her breeches for the hundredth time it felt and tightened the rope at her waist. Finn had leant her some clothes and to say they were ill fitting would be kind. The breeches stopped at about her knees yet needed to be tightened with rope around the waist and the shirt was loose while at the same time showing her stomach if she as so much moved her arms. With Amanda's ankle boots on her feet she knew she made a funny sight but she couldn't have stayed at camp while they all went to help; even Munch was going.
They walked silently through the forest, with only the stars to guide them and Casey was happy it was summer, she didn't want to imagine how much colder it could have been. They knew it wouldn't be easy, that the Sheriff would have at least tripled the guards but Casey was quietly confident that by sunset tomorrow they would all be sitting round the fire at camp laughing at how close to death they had come.
The door sounded in the gloom and for a moment Olivia was overtaken by panic. She wasn't ready to die, wasn't ready for it to be morning. But instead of the measured pace of the Sheriff or the marching steps of the guards it was Alex who hurried down the stairs, boots echoing off the stones. She came to stand in front of her and brought one finger to her lips, covered once again by her armour, miming that Olivia was to remain silent. She quickly removed the restraints and after so long held in one position Olivia fell forward into her arms.
'You have to walk Olivia. I can't help you if you don't walk.' Alex said, trying to ignore the warm body she felt through her gloves.
Olivia straightened and took a couple of shaky steps up the stairs. Alex followed close behind, ready to catch her should she fall. Olivia pushed at the heavy door that opened into the courtyard and expected to see the faint lines of dawn twisting through the sky. Instead she saw only blackness. Turning to Alex she opened her mouth to ask what was happening but Alex once again signalled for silence. Olivia didn't understand what was happening or why but seeing as this path didn't seem to lead to the gallows she was happy to follow it.
The guards on the walls were all facing outwards so it was easy for the pair to sneak across the courtyard, the moon hidden by clouds. The castle was a simple one. A circular wall encompassed everything. The main building at the back contained the hall and all the main rooms, kitchen at the bottom, living quarters at the top, with two square towers at either side. The armoury, stables, chapel and soldier's quarters ringed the large main courtyard that had the looming shape of the gallows in the right top corner. Hovels and taverns and one church had slowly been built just outside the main gate while the forest wrapped around the west and north sides, trees constantly being cut back so enemies couldn't use them as cover.
Alex led them between the armoury and the stables on the western side and though the horses remained silent they were almost scared out of their skins when they stumbled upon the prone form of a man. Luckily for them it only belonged to a passed out drunk, from the kitchens by the look of him, leaning against the stable wall. They tiptoed past and Alex squeezed between the outer wall and the back of the stables. Olivia was quick to follow and the wood cut splinters in her arms and hips, Alex not thinking to replace the clothes she'd destroyed.
'This will lead out to the moat,' Alex said pointing to a small wooden door in the wall she uncovered by pulling away the ivy, 'the water is shallow here, a ford. My father had this built when he first came to the castle. Always good to have a secret way out he said.'
Olivia nodded and crept through the child size door. She didn't know why Alex was helping her, or even if she trusted that help but she knew that right now was not the time to question it. At the last moment she turned and uttered a quiet thankyou before entering the moat.
She walked across with relative ease, all the time expecting an ambush. However it was when she was crawling away from the castle that things took a turn for the worse. The moon decided at that point to emerge from the clouds and shine against her white skin. The guard on the wall, a young boy, barely sixteen, didn't quite know what he was seeing at first but when the mysterious shape morphed into a back he shouted out and raised the alarm.
Alex was walking back across the courtyard when she heard the first shout. She attempted to retreat into the shadows but the gate keep opened and five scared looking guards came spilling out.
'She's escaped.' Alex did nothing. 'Benson, she's escaped, she's outside the walls.' Alex sighed internally but knew she had to be seen to act. She went a pushed one mail clad boy towards the drawbridge and one towards the soldiers' quarters before turning and quickly saddling her horse. The traitorous moon shone on the silver of her breast plate as she rode out from the castle.
Olivia had almost reached the trees when she heard the first horn blow. Turning she saw the drawbridge to the castle being lowered and a figure ride out. She stood almost transfixed as the horse rode towards her but when the one was joined by four others she regained her wits and ran for the trees.
She ran as fast as her stiff legs would take her, wind only adding to the chill of her wet body. The forest was her home, if she was going to escape being amongst the branches and leaves once again dramatically improved her chances. But even she could not out run a stallion and all too soon she heard the pounding of hooves growing closer, the ground beginning to shake. She spun round just in time to see the black beast rear on its hind legs and kick out at the air, angry that its sleep had been disturbed.
Olivia nodded slowly at Alex, asking with her eyes if she would let her go. Alex's only response was to draw her sword. Without another thought Olivia darted off into the trees, knowing that Alex couldn't take her mount off the path without being slowed to almost a standstill and that the other riders would lose them in here. She felt nettles graze her legs, stones stick in her feet and thorns gouge bloody tracks in her arms but didn't slow down once. She could heard Alex crashing through the underbrush behind her, sword sheathed, armour protecting her from the forest but slowing her just enough that she couldn't quite catch Olivia.
Both women were fit but it was Olivia who tired first. Though the metal was heavy Alex had been running and existing in armour for her entire life and could run the length of the county in a helmet and breast plate. She reached out a hand and grabbed at Olivia's hair, ironically in the same place they'd had their standoff before. The forest floor disappeared in a muddy cliff and in their tiredness and frustration they didn't slow down quick enough. Olivia tried to turn and stop but Alex was right behind her and came crashing into her chest. They both toppled off the cliff and into the river below.
The water was flowing fast and the first rays of dawn lit up the surface like diamonds. Though deep one could, with a little effort, swim to the side; but both woman had not let their 'little' fall interrupt their fight. Alex was struggling to stay above the water with her armour weighing her down but she refused to let go her grip on Olivia's head and they both tangled together in a mess of limbs. Neither one knew which way was up anymore and Olivia tried to take a gasp of air when her head broke the surface only to have Alex push her back under, water flooding into her mouth. They only stopped struggling when the sound of the waterfall reached their water clogged ears.
Alex immediately let go and tried to swim to the side, to grab onto anything she could but they were too close to the edge. Before either woman could even scream they were swept off over the side of the rock.
The water felt like it had punched Olivia in the side and for a moment she drifted beneath the waves. The pounding of the falling water sending up a white spay that disturbed everything else. When her mind caught up she kicked for the surface and dragged her bruised and battered body out of the pool. She lay there for a moment, simply breathing before the sight of the fire pit in the corner of her eye made her lift her head. From the new ash that lay there she guessed that the others had moved camp and she smiled at their precaution. Rising to her knees she looked around for Alex, confused when she didn't immediately see her in the water. Pushing herself to her feet she saw that unlike her Alex hadn't been able to escape the river. The stream had carried her all the way to the rock face at the far end of the ravine. It was trying to drag her underwater and into the hole through which the river followed and it was with all her strength that Alex was fighting against the water.
Olivia stared for a moment before deciding that her answers were more important than finding Alex's bloated corpse further downstream. She ran over and walking waist deep dragged the woman from the river. She lay her on her back by the river's edge and ripped off her helmet, a torrent of water coming with it. Alex spluttered and coughed and Olivia wondered how she had been able to breathe under there at all. She straddled her chest, the metal cold against the inside of her thighs, and grabbed at the straps of her breast plate.
'What the fuck Alex?' Olivia asked breathing heavy. Alex tried to struggle and sit up but Olivia raised her chest off the ground then brought it crashing back down into the dirt.
'First you attack me. Then you save me. Then you attack me again. You're gonna have to explain that Alex.' The blond woman, hair sticking to her face, clenched her teeth and remained silent. Olivia picked her up again and dragged her back towards to the water. This time when she brought Alex's head back down her entire face was under water.
'What's your game Alex?' she brought her spluttering out of the river but Alex only stared at her and tried to loosen her grip. She held her under for longer the second time, till Alex was bucking under her and bubbles were rising to the surface.
'You think I care if you live or die,' she said as Alex gasped for breath and coughed up water, 'You think I don't have good cause to kill you already? You think that because you got me out of that castle I owe you something?' She plunged Alex back beneath the water. 'I don't owe you shit!'
She knew she was lying. Even if it was the Black Cloak a life was a life and now Olivia owed hers, at least in part, to Alex.
She came spluttering to the surface for the third time and looked up at the woman on top of her. Brown hair dripping onto her face, breasts hanging forward slightly as she leaned over her and muscles in her arms tense as she held her weight. Olivia went as if to plunge her back under but she made a small noise in the back of her throat and Olivia paused.
'You couldn't loose.' Olivia leant forward even more to hear the thin cracked voice that emanated from Alex, frowning in confusion.
'What? What do you mean? Why couldn't I lose?' Alex paused for too long and so Olivia shook her slightly again, 'Why couldn't I lose Alex?'
'Because then I'd win.'