AN: hi, pretty people! I have an essay due tomorrow on a book that I haven't even begun to read (yay, college!) but who am I kidding, I'd much rather be updating this fanfic anyway! We're super super close to 300 reviews, so you guys should start letting me know which chapter you want written in Cassius' POV, or even if you want any chapters written in anyone else's POV, it doesn't have to be Cas. Just let me know! Enjoy!
They call me the Woman in White.
It's fitting, I suppose. As I stand on top of the hill and look down into the valley where some of the Royal army's soldiers are currently camped, I can almost picture how I look right now, with my white gossamer gown blowing in the wind, the only reminder I have of the Royals and the life that was ripped away from me. I am known throughout the land now as the girl who went from rags to riches to rags again, now taking the riches rightfully.
Jules stands next to me, his bow slung across his back. I look at him now, at his black hair, shaken loose from it's band, blowing in the wind. He is referred to as the Shadow; and it fits him perfectly for how quick and soundless he can be on missions. We are a force to be reckoned with.
Mary stands between us, looking thoughtfully below. She asked if she could tag along with us, and we agreed. I can see it in her eyes as I watch her; she is remembering the day that I found her in the woods, curled into a small ball as the soldiers beat the poor starving girl. I almost cringe at the memory, at the thought of the soldiers firm grip on my wrist as he joked about the things he was going to do to the both of us. If I hadn't have come when I did, Mary would most certainly be dead. And if Cas hadn't have come when he did… well, I didn't want to think about that.
But I hate seeing the fear in her eyes.
I kneel down next to her. "Hey," I say, "don't be scared."
"That's easy for you to say," Mary replies, "you've done this a hundred times."
I point down to the field where the soldiers mill about, oblivious to the three of us standing in the tree line. "What's down there?"
"A camp," Mary replies.
I can feel the weight of Julius' eyes on me. "Go on," I say.
"A camp for the Royal Army."
"What's the Royal Army?" I ask, urging her to continue.
She looks at me, brow furrowed. "A group of soldiers," she answers.
"And what are the soldiers?" I ask.
"Trained killers," Mary reminds me, looking at me like I've lost my mind, "with guns."
I sigh. "Mary," I say, "dig deeper. Underneath the camp and the title and the armor and the weapons, what are they?"
Mary is quiet. I can still feel Julius' stare.
"They're human," I say. "They're just people. Like you and me. Nothing to be scared of."
I stand and look at Julius. He is still watching me, his face expressionless. Normally we wouldn't be picking a fight with the Royal Army unless they had something of value to take and bring back to the Lost Boys. But these men were on a mission right now: To find the Woman in White and her Shadow and bring them to Peter to be tried and prosecuted. And we couldn't let that happen.
"Ready?" I ask.
"I've got you covered," he replies, touching his bow lightly. I nod and start to head down the slope toward the camp of soldiers.
We'd waited until all soldiers were accounted for to strike; there are six in total. I can see four of them now. Two of them immediately turn my way and are shot down by Jules' bow. I ball my hands into fists; I was never a big fan of violence, but whenever Julius was around, it felt like a necessity. I almost smile to myself, catching myself yet again comparing Julius to his twin Cassius: where Cassius was a steady flame, Julius was a forest fire- hard to contain and very dangerous. Where Cassius would follow me out to the woods to talk with me about whatever I was feeling, Julius will leave me to build my anger in peace.
Before Julius can fire any more arrows, the two remaining guards have their pistols trained on me. "Shoot again and she dies!" one of them calls to Julius.
"Tracker, Jenson!" the other yells.
"They're a little tied up at the moment," I tell them. I can almost picture the smug smile on Mary's face, standing on the other side of the camp where the other two soldiers lie tangled in a net from a trap that she devised.
The first soldier cocks his gun and points it steadily at me. I raise my hands casually in a surrender, a small smile playing on my face. That's another difference between the twins: me. Cassius contains my fire, helping me get a handle on it and use it to help me toward a goal.
Julius stokes it.
"Doug," the second soldier says in warning to the first.
"Yeah, Doug," I say, "don't you remember? I need to be alive when you bring me in for the trial."
Doug takes a step toward me. "I don't care, Skaff," he says. "I've been living out of a tent for a week because of this-"
"Language!" I say, feigning offended, holding a hand over my mouth.
"I don't have time for this," Doug says. "Let's take her in for questioning; I'm done with the chit-chat."
My eyes flit around the campsite. Where is Mary? We should have already taken these two guards out minutes ago.
"Let's not get hasty," I say, backing up a step.
"Yes," another voice rings out, "let's get comfortable."
The three of us whirl to see Victor step from behind a tent, holding Mary by the arm and smiling.
"Your Majesty!" the soldiers cry, bowing reverently.
I merely stare at Victor as he walks forward, his eyes on me. "I see you've found the outcast girl," he says, "well done."
"Let Mary go," I tell him, refusing to look away from his burning stare.
He smiles. "I will not," he says, "she was a part of this attack and will be tried as such."
"You have me," I say, "isn't that enough?"
"I'm afraid, my darling, that you're letting this new name of yours go to your head. You're not as important as you think, merely a nuisance."
I glare at him. "Where are the other pirates?" I ask.
The two soldiers swivel to look at Victor. I figured it out as soon as Julius told me about the twins that were cast from the House and banished to be Lost Boys: Victor was Peter's twin brother, branded as an outcast and left out to wander the woods forever. And now he was the king of the Pirates. The soldiers working for him must not know that there are more than one person with Peter's face.
"I don't know what you're talking about, silly girl," Victor says, but in his eyes I can see that he admires me for figuring out the plot twist of the land.
I look out of the corner of my eyes to the tree line, just barely able to see the figure of Julius, standing at the ready. I finally catch his attention and slowly turn my head back toward the tent in front of me, hoping that he knows me well enough to know what I mean by the gesture.
"You can't fool them for long, Victor," I say.
"Don't act like you're so powerful," Victor says.
"I dont," I reply. "But you'd be surprised."
And as soon as I say that, an arrow whizzes past me, severing the rope to the awning of the tent, bringing it down on the two soldiers, knocking them backward into the tent.
Mary ducked and I leapt at Victor, bringing him down. "Run!" I yelled to Mary.
She took off as I pushed myself off of Victor and turned to run to Julius. He had made his way down the slope and was now struggling with the two soldiers who were tangled up in the tent's fabric.
But Victor grabbed me by the ankle, bringing me back down. He climbed on top of me, pressing my face into the dirt. I threw an elbow back and clipped him in the ribs. He hissed and grabbed my hair roughly. "You think we're the bad guys, my Woman in White, you're mistaken. We're all on the same side."
I struggled beneath him.
"Remember that." And then Victor was gone.
AN: alright, that's all I have time for today! I hope you guys enjoyed! Sophia is becoming quite the little rebel. Review please and tell me what you think!