Chapter 16: Peace in the Olorun

"What do you want done with him first?"

I looked away from the still form kneeling on the floor and up at Myra as she spoke. Her voice was sharp and held a tone as if she'd been sucking on sommat sour.

"Take him to a cell." I replied evenly, watching as he was hauled up to his feet again by a couple of the others. His palms, and probably his knees as well, were scratched and bleeding from his stumbles and falls.

He raised his cold eyes to mine and the corners of his mouth tilted up into a harsh smirk. His left eye was already becoming puffy and discoloured, the small cut on his eyebrow making a thin trail of blood down the side of his sweating face. Dom had certainly gotten him good for his punishment.

As they lead him away and his back turned to me I raised a hand and brushed my fingertips over my cheek. It would be purple come daylight, and I had no doubt that four nail made scratches had made their own little blood trails to my chin.

XoXoX

It was cold, even as I huddled into my thick cloak I shivered. The first rays of sun were only just peaking over the horizon, fighting to break through the layers of heavy cloud to bathe the lower city in its light and warmth. The crisp breeze blowing over the water, making little waves that lapped at the rocks, added to the chill in my bones.

Letting out a long breath that clouded in front me, I tore my eyes from the Olorun's water below and rested them on the large unmoving bundle at my feet.

Below, down the other side of the rocks Spirit shook his head and snorted.

XoXoX

"I'm going to kill you," I said, as if I'd been commenting on the weather. "I just can't decide how to do it…" Tilting my head, I stared at him as he shifted against his bonds to ease some of the ache in his body. "I thought you'd have some opinion on it?"

He spat a mouthful of blood at my feet and beside me I felt Tyron stiffen, heard his fists clench, and his knuckles crack under the pressure.

I'd had lectures on what to do with traitors. Chain their wrists and hang them from a ceiling, so that their toes only just touched the ground, then flog them until they'd almost fainted from sheer agony and blood loss. In front of everyone under your command, a message of what happens if you betray your Lord.

But I am not my father.

XoXoX

Placing a booted foot on the bundle I gave it a hard push and watched as it rolled to the edge on the steep rocky bank and tumbled down, landing in the water with a splash and immediately sank to the bottom.

It was over, the fires in my stomach settled for the first time in months. The sweet smell of promised rain filled my nose and brought peace to my senses. A single tear slipped out of the corner or my eye and slid down my cheek, stinging as it passed over the scratches there and mixed with the dry blood before falling to join the Olorun's water, where my newfound peace would stay.

XoXoX

He panted heavily. His chest heaving and he winced as the deep breaths pained his bruised and cracked ribs. "Is that…all?" He asked, looking up at me scornfully. "You're just…going to," He coughed and blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth. "Watch, as your mutts…lay all the…hits?"

Dom and Tyron growled instantly at the insult but I merely blinked, not allowing my temper to make me hasty.

He dismissed their snarls and clenched jaws and continued his broken speech. "The great…Daughter of Fire…won't even, avenge…her own…sister's death."

I became ridged as he continued to bait me, no doubt hoping I'd break and kill him and end his pain. 'How did he go from not speaking at all to not shutting up?' I thought bitterly.

He coughed again and leaned his head back against the hard wall of his cell, eying me though half closed eyes. "She didn't scream, not that anyone could 'o helped 'er," His voice was starting to slur. "Even when

I pressed 'yer blade 't 'er throat…"

I struck him.

XoXoX

I sighed again as the dawn wind sneaked inside my cloak and sent another wave of shivers through my body. I'd almost given him what he wanted. I'd been so close to slitting his throat right then, to end it all…but Myra had stopped me.

Letting him off then wouldn't have been good enough.

XoXoX

"Are you sure about this?" Dom asked me as the body was wrapped in dark cloth and tied on safely.

I studied his concerned face for a moment, noting all the little specs of red dotted over his features and no doubt on his clothes. I knew I looked the same. "I'm sure."

"Are you sure you're sure? I don't think letting you wander off into the night with a body is a good idea, at all." He pursued. "Why don't you let me come with you?"

"Brother, please, I need to do this on my own," Kurt nodded to me, signalling that it was ready. "I'll be back later."

"Beks…"

"No. Stay here, eat, bathe, sleep…do something. I want to do it on my own and when Goodwin asks you where the body is you can truthfully say you don't know."

He winced and shuddered at the mention of her, but still seemed reluctant to allow me to leave. He reached out and pulled me into a tight hug and sighed. "If I let you go, you must promise not to get into more trouble."

I smiled and nodded, pulling back and patted his cheek. "I won't. I'll see you later," I smiled down at my cat as he sat at me feet. "Pounce will stay with you." I laughed as they both groaned.

XoXoX

I smiled to myself and returned my eyes to the sky to watch the clouds grow darker and continue to block the sun. A new day, even if it is bleak and likely to rain soon, will swallow up the events of yesterday, making them the past. It was so peaceful, so far down stream that no one ventured here, to far for the noises of a waking city to reach my ears.

The light scuffle of footsteps brought me out of my musing. The sharp and familiar ring of metal as I drew my sword and whirled around filled my ears. My hood fell and my hair flowed loose as I raised my blade, ready to attack. Mayhap I was not as relaxed as I thought.

There stood Rosto, a few paces in front of me, his eyebrows raised as he watched me curiously.

I slowly lowered the sword, then returned it to its sheath and quickly wiped a hand across my cheek to erase any evidence of the tear. I nodded to him, wondering warily why he had sought me out here and now, of all times and places. "Rosto," I said. "What are you doing here?"

The familiar smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I could ask you the same thing, though I think your reasons are slightly less honourable then mine."

I fought to keep the smile off my face. "Oh? And what would bring the King of the Rogue away from his bed to such an isolated place, at this hour?"

He chuckled and approached me. "Seeking an elusive friend of mine, as it turns out, and you?"

I bit my bottom lip thoughtfully. "Peace."

He stopped, not a hands width from me and grinned. "So I didn't just see you push a dark mass into the river then? Strange kind of peace."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied emotionlessly. How long had he been watching me? "How long have you been there?"

He shrugged and smirked some more then turned his head to watch the horizon for a moment. "Not long, your secret is safe with me, Beka." He looked back at me. "It's going to rain."

I nodded, biting my bottom lip again as I started feeling nervous under his gaze. "I know," I've gone as crack-brained as Dom, nervous of Rosto. "About last night…"

He smiled and to my relief, took his eyes from mine and instead ran them over my face. "It's fine. I'm sure I can come up with some way for you to pay me back."

There was that cursed smirk again! I opened my mouth to reply but quickly shut it again when he gently cupped my left cheek and brushed his thumb over the scratches. I quickly became aware of how I must have looked to him-blood smeared, ruffled, and probably red eyed and tired. I winced.

I turned my head away from his hand and took a sideways step-since stepping back would have put me over the edge. "I'm sure you will," I mumbled, and tugged the dark heavy material closer around me. "Did you want something else? I should get back soon, elsewise there'll be people out look…"

A hand wrapped firmly around my forearm and with a startled yelp I was pulled back to his chest, and found myself staring up at him wide eyed and gaping. "Rosto, you…"

He cut me off again as he bent down and pressed his lips to mine. I was too surprised to move and for a while I was simply frozen in place. He was kissing me, again, for the third time. The hand on my arm stayed where it was and the other he wrapped around my waist and tugged me closer, until there wasn't an inch of space between our bodies.

It was only when he started to pull away that I came out of my stupor and tentatively reached up to stop him. I slid my hand to the back of his head and gently pulled him back down. I felt him grin against my lips and the hand on my arm snaked around my back and the fingers tangled in my short hair.

Finally we broke apart when we needed to breathe and he rested his forehead against mine, grinning like a complete looby.

"Well, I have to say, that was the best kiss I've ever had." He smirked, bringing his fingers back to my face to rub what I guessed were spots of blood away. "I didn't know you felt that way, Beka."

I smacked his arm. "Be quite, you just ruined a perfectly good moment." I teased, remembering what he'd said to me before. I pulled back and looked around. "I wonder where Goodwin is…"
He scowled at me. "That's not nice."

A large, fat rain drop landed on the side of my face and trickled down as I giggled softly. "It was pretty funny…"

He still didn't look convinced but dipped his head to press a light kiss to my nose, then another to my forehead. I let my eyes drift shut at the feeling of his warm lips against my skin, and readily welcomed the shivers the kisses sent down my spine.

His deep chuckle, which rumbled through his chest and into mine, broke off the contented sigh in my throat. I opened my eyes a little to glare at him half heartedly, barely registering that another large droplet had hit my head. "What's so funny, Piper?"

Rosto grinned cheekily, the familiar mischievous glint in his dark eyes. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were enjoying this."

Closing my eyes again, I leaned my forehead against his chest wrapping my arms around his middle and sighed. He was warm and comforting and being in his arms was making me drowsy and awake at the same time. "Do you want me to hit you?" I mumbled into his tunic.

'Why isn't he cold?' I thought distractedly as he wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin atop my head. 'Why isn't the silly white haired looby shivering in this wind?' I had no idea, mayhap it was just me?

We stayed like that, still and content, until a loud crack of thunder jolted us out of it. We both turned our heads up to look at the sky as more of the tear-shaped drops fell, then all at once it was pouring and soaking us to the bone.

I tilted my head back and smiled softly as the pelting rain splashed over my skin and ran off. It stung the scratches a little and the little trails that dripped off my clothes were slightly red tinted, but I had never been so happy to see rain in my life.

Laughing and gripping the back of Rosto's tunic tightly I looked up at his amused face, taking note of how the water trickled down his face and dripped off his nose. How his hair was plastered to his head and how his eyes looked even darker.

"What?" I asked over the sounds of the storm, releasing one hand from his back to rub at my face and remove more of the blood. I knew I'd never be rid of it truly. Every speck that touched me seemed to stain.

Rosto grinned and chuckled, his eyes dancing. "I haven't heard you laugh like that for a long time," he shook his head. "And in the pouring rain you're happy?"

I stretched up on tip toes and pressed a chaste kiss to his mouth, the rain wasn't only washing away the blood but also the weight on my shoulders that had been there since I had escaped my Father all those years ago. "It's over, finally over. Should I not be happy?"

He still looked a little surprised that I had kissed him. "Of course, I'm just glad that you are, Little Terrier."

I smacked his chest playfully. "I'm not little."

He just smirked and took my hand, lacing his fingers with mine. "Mayhap we should get out of the rain afore we catch ill?"

I sighed and nodded. "I should get back…I told Dom I wouldn't be to long. Would you come for breakfast?" Did I just invite the Rogue to my headquarters for breakfast? "If you want." I added quickly, apparently I had.

He grinned. "That's where we'll all be."

I smiled. "So much for it being a secret, come on." I pulled away from him and started down the other side of the bank. The rain was so heavy now I could only just make out Spirit's outline.

"You should've known you couldn't keep a secret from us." Rosto laughed, squeezing my hand lightly.

Shaking my head I cooed at my agitated stallion as we approached him. He tossed his head, not pleased with the onslaught of water and pulled on his reins. "Easy, we'll be out of here soon."

"You're still riding?" I could hear the surprise in his voice.

Smiling as I put the reins over Spirit's head and regained my other hand I swung up into the wet saddle and held out a hand to help him up. "You don't really think I walked all the way here did you?"

He shook his head, still grinning, and took my hand. His hair and clothes were stuck to his body, defining his well muscled torso and even through this downpour his eyes shone through, finding me, like they always did. I still have to ask him how he does that.

He settled behind me, pressing himself against my back and wrapping his arms around my waist. I felt his hot breath against the soft skin under my ear before he placed a gentle kiss there.

I felt myself blushing quickly and nudged him with my elbow. I felt him grin against my neck afore he removed his lips and whispered in my ear. "I'm ready, whenever you are."

My face was probably hot enough to evaporate the rain before it even touched me. Mumbling a vague reply I tapped Spirit's flanks and let him pick his way through the rocks and eagerly take us home.

A/N: Ta dar! :). There you go, hope you guys liked it! Please review and let me know, it's always a pleasure to hear your most valuable opinions :). Not sure how well I did with the fluff but...it's an attempt anyway lol.

I shall be starting work on the next one immediately and I'll get it to you as soon as I can. My holidays are officially starting tomorrow and I could be rather busy so there might be a bit of a bigger delay then usual but I'll try my hardest =].

Thank you, as always, to Navigator101 for her BETA work =] and of course to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/favourite-d. You guys rock, cookies and ice cream to you all :).

Til next time,

~Angel xo