Bindings of Glass
Chapter 7
"Tell them what you told me." Lilia demanded standing in front of the prisoner. The tower room they had locked her in wasn't terrible; there was at least a small shelf bed but the windows were barred and the door was heavy wood with three separate iron locks and a bar that came across it. She felt guilty leaving Regina in these conditions but she knew now that she was here they had to make this look convincing.
Regina turned her head away refusing to speak. Lilia sighed looking at the royals for a moment before drawing her hand back. Her slap wasn't particularly hard but it did sound a loud crack and left an immediate red mark on Regina's slight olive-toned skin. Her head twisted to the other side with the force of the blow but she remained silent.
Lilia reached out grabbing her jaw and forcing her to face them again, "Tell them what you told me." She repeated.
Regina twisted her face away biting at her lower lip to stay silent. She would've told them immediately but she knew she had to play the defeated role knowing it was the only way to convince Snow and her idiot husband that this wasn't some sort of ploy by herself and Lilia to get to them even more.
Snow frowned shaking her head, "She's not going to talk is she?" She asked doubtfully looking at Lilia.
Lilia sighed softly, "She will when she's ready unfortunately she's stubborn. Unfortunately so am I." She sounded a bit grave as yet again she drew back her bare hand and slapped Regina's cheek. The force wasn't any harder than the last but it did crack more loudly then the first and Regina's cheek began to redden and swell a bit more with each blow she landed.
James watched all of this his jaw clenched. He didn't agree with torture any more then Snow did. He had no stomach for such things. They were supposed to be the good guys and what good guys allowed torture in interrogations? He knew Lilia wouldn't take it too far. She knew when she was about to do permanent damage he was sure…wasn't he? Judging by those loud slaps and the bruising that was beginning to form he wondered at his decision to allow Lilia to do the interrogation.
Blow after blow and Regina still remained silent and Lilia sighed kneeling down so that she and Regina were eye level. "Do you really want me to keep hitting you? It'll stop the moment you tell them what you told me you knew." Lilia waited a moment sighing and standing up. "Fine. It ends when you lose consciousness." She drew back her hand again but this time she closed it into a fist.
Snow turned her back on the whole thing feeling completely green. She had done a great many things living in the forest. She had stolen, killed animals, and various other things in order to survive but never had she tortured someone. Never had she beaten someone that wasn't able or willing to fight back. She stepped closer to her husband who slid his strong arms around her closing her eyes and pressing into his chest hoping to block out the noises of the beating. But it didn't happen.
She turned peering out with one bright green eye as Lilia dropped to her knees and pulled Regina up so that she was no longer lying on her side but back up on her knees. "What did you say?" She heard the blonde warrior repeat.
"I said I don't know where she is but I know where she might be." Regina's voice shook a bit but she still managed to speak precisely and with as much authority as she could muster.
"Where?" James asked still holding his wife close.
"I don't know. I don't know the woods but I do know it's a place where a dead tree grows."
"Are you just trying to get out of being beaten into unconsciousness that's insanity how would a dead tree grow?" Lilia scoffed but didn't make a move to lift her still clenched fist.
"A dead tree grows?" Snow repeated softly twisting so that she was facing her step mother who was looking a bit worse for wear with that swollen cheek and what appeared to be a split lip from the blows Lilia had landed earlier.
"Do you know that place Snow?" James asked softly.
Snow frowned and shook her head, "No. Not exactly but I've heard talk of it."
"Can you remember where you've heard such talk?" Lilia asked.
"Once when I went to sell some things to the trolls; they don't talk particularly much but as they were leaving they were talking quietly amongst themselves and they mentioned a dead tree growing. They seemed very fearful of it. Like it was a place they wouldn't dare trod."
"Ogres and trolls are bitter enemies. It's possible it could be a part of their lands." James said softly looking at Lilia.
"We could take a look at it. Do you have a map of the areas surrounding your kingdom?" Lilia asked.
"If you want to know the rest you'll have to bring me along." Regina interrupted still looking a bit worse for wear.
"Do you want me to beat you again?" Lilia snapped drawing her fist back.
"No," Regina glared up at her but there was still that defeated slump to her shoulders. "You may need my help."
"Why would we need your help witch?" James asked angrily.
"Because ogres are angry, bitter creatures that will kill a human on sight; I can at least get you and your wife out of there should it come to that."
Snow frowned, "And why should we trust you?"
"What other choice do you have?" Regina asked. "I won't say anymore until you agree to bring me along."
"What if we drew up a contract?" James said softly. "If you swore not to harm my wife and I along with our men and Lilia we'll allow you to come along."
"I would agree to those terms with one of my own. I'm to see no harm either." Regina bowed her head a bit closing her eyes, the pain in her cheek despite Lilia pulling the blows was very real and throbbed quite badly. She'd never been beaten before even her little brawl with Emma in Storybrooke wasn't anything like this. She'd had a bruise but nothing that hurt this badly. Emma had pulled her hit the same as Lilia only Lilia had much more arm strength from swinging her sword around then Emma did.
"Let's go and draw up this contract. Bring her along." James motioned to the guards to help Regina up and bring her with them. The chains they'd looped around her wrists and ankles rattled angrily. He was quite concerned that suddenly Regina would disappear as she was known to do but she stayed around as they made their way to the library.
The library was a beautiful room with high vaulted ceilings and wide high windows. Sunlight streamed in cheerfully the light teal curtains drawn back to allow it to enter. The smell of parchment and leather filled the room due to the high shelves filled with books and parchments of various sorts. Lilia threw herself into one of the arm chairs in front of the large table watching as the guards a bit harshly pushed Regina to her knees in front of the royals as they stepped around the large table. Lilia watched as James lifted a quill from an ink well and began to write across a blank piece of parchment each of the terms they'd all agreed to.
She remained silent throughout everything her face blank though she worried that she had overdid it and really hurt Regina. It was her intent to make this look real not to actually hurt her. She watched as James held out the quill for Regina to take who hesitated a moment before signing her name. James and Snow both did the same and then she leaned forward and took the quill as well signing her own name with a flourish. She watched James set the black feather back into it's ink well before he rolled the contract up to keep it stored in a safe place.
"Well now that that's done what else was there for us to know?" Snow asked looking at Regina with cold eyes.
"Just that your daughter may no longer be the person you believe her to be."
Lilia glanced beside her as Regina shifted yet again on the back of the horse. Two guards walked at a sedate pace beside her and James himself held the reigns of her horse preventing Regina from trying to run not that they knew he wouldn't but still. Snow's white horse rode beside that of her husband's along with two other guards that surrounded them. Lilia didn't like this many people being with her used to dealing with only one or two in her party at the most. Most of the time she was alone and she preferred it that way. If she only had to look out for herself it was a lot easier to get in and out of sticky situations. Regina was still pale and drawn but she did appear to have gotten a bit of sleep the night previous, the dark circles no longer quite as prominent. It would take them the better part of a week to get out of Snow and James' land and head to the Northwest where Ogre lands lay beyond Maurice's castle. They hoped to stop there and replenish their supplies before continuing on into the rugged wilderness.
Lilia sighed kicking her horse a bit and coming up beside Snow. She smiled at her and got a small smile in return. "Are you all right?" She asked seeing Snow draw her green cloak up around her a bit more.
"I'm fine. It's just been a while since I've been out in the woods."
"My amazons live in the woods so we're always out in it. We hunt, we train, we use it for our defenses. Everything comes from the wood. We respect it a great deal."
"You've taken them on as your own then? I remember how proud you were of your people."
"I still am. I'm one of the last of my people and I'm an amazon. I have two very proud lines running in me it's not something I take lightly."
Snow gave her another small smile as they continued on. They made camp when darkness truly began to fall still a ways away from a village. A tent was erected for the royals but Lilia chose to stay outside with the guards feeling it was safer. She also wanted to take her share of guard duty. She took the second shift giving the men time to settle down before she went to Regina who had been left outside near the large fire that was started for cooking and warming the soldiers who slept on the hard ground.
"I didn't hit you too hard did I?" Lilia asked drawing a blanket over and tucking it over Regina's thin shivering form. Winter was truly setting in and nights were turning freezing. It wouldn't be a shock to awake in the morning with frost on the ground.
"No you didn't. You had to make it look convincing." Regina said softly giving her a small smile of thanks for the blanket. Though she'd been allowed a bedroll she wasn't truly comfortable falling asleep under the watch of Snow and James' men.
"Why don't you try and get some sleep? I'll stay awake and make sure you won't get hurt." Lilia promised. "Besides I'm on guard duty for a while. You've got time."
Regina nibbled her split lip carefully before nodding. She shifted and settled Lilia sitting down close by her to make sure she was comfortable and being that she was a light sleeper when she did sleep it ensured Regina of her safety. She knew the contract wouldn't allow her to be harmed under the royal's command but that didn't mean the guards may not take it upon themselves to exact revenge. She'd rather not take the chance. Finally settling down she drifted off to sleep listening to the sounds of the night and crackling of the fire.
Author's Ending Notes: What's a girl gotta do to get some reviews up here? Geez. So since if you live in the states it's Saint Patty's Day happy drunken holiday to you all. Being a cop in a big city however it's not going to be a pleasant evening...well it wouldn't be anyways if I hadn't taken off WAY in advance. Heh. So please please please be safe out there if you're planning on going out tonight. Don't drink and drive and all that. If you live in my city I wouldn't want to have to arrest you if I was working but either way my brothers and sisters will be out there arresting people who break the law. So there's me being a good cop so give me a good amount of reviews and we'll see about getting the next chapter which is getting into some more fun stuff up sooner rather than later. Also anyone want to be my new friend I discuss this pairing with? I have no one and my wife isn't interested in it in the least so she's out. Any takers?