A/N: Aaaay:D This chapter was such a struggle. And probably OOC. I succckkk.
By the way! Thought I'd tell you Aubrey/Anna Camp's been confirmed for Pitch Perfect 2! And I think I freaked out in joy when I saw that! Just so you know:3
There's also a contest up on Facebook, where you can enter for a chance to win a visit to the Pitch Perfect 2 set! I mentally flipped my shit when I saw that too:3 I already entered; you guys should check it out! Tell me if ya win:) I'd love for any of us aca-nerds to win it.
DISCLAIMER: Nope. Otherwise I wouldn't need to enter the contest. Well I could, but you know. It'd be weird to enter if I already owned it. Mehhhh I wanna win that contest so bad D:
Chloe stood by her father and a smug-looking Tom while she absentmindedly rubbed her wrist, watching as a couple guards cuffed the unconscious bandit and tossed her unceremoniously into one of the castle's prison cells before slamming the barred door.
"Nice work, son," Jefferson praised the prince, patting him on the shoulder as they both glanced at the thief's figure with distaste. "We may not have caught them all, but we got the leader. We can hold her in here until we figure out what to do with her."
"It was my pleasure sir," Tom responded in an overly pleasant voice, puffing out his chest as he glowed under the king's praise. "Anything to save your beautiful daughter."
Chloe felt a twinge of annoyance at the two men as her father chuckled, grinning in approval. "Ah, yes. How chivalrous of you, Tom. My daughter is lucky to have you in her life to save her from trouble. Chloe, did you thank this heroic young man?" Both men turned their attention to the princess, who had yet to look at either of them.
"Aren't you going to take the arrow out of her shoulder?" Chloe asked instead, her gaze on the bloody weapon still embedded in the unconscious bandit's shoulder. It irked her at the thought that Tom had nearly shot the redhead with his recklessness, and Chloe couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for the bandit's injury since, for some unknown reason, the thief had pushed her out of harm's way.
"Chloe, don't be silly. The thief was robbing us of our valuables. An arrow to the shoulder is the least she deserves," Jefferson scoffed, looking scornfully at the unconscious prisoner again. "If only we'd caught the rest before they made it out with our possessions."
"At least you were able to get back this thief's loot," Tom reminded the king politely, holding up the sack full of valuables that had been slung over the bandit's shoulder. "And when you catch the other Bellas, you may be able to get the rest of your belongings back."
"If we catch them," Jefferson sighed, running his hand through his short brown hair.
"Oh I'm sure you will, sir," the prince reassured him, a bit too over-enthusiastically. "A man as brave and intelligent as you is guaranteed to. After all, you already caught the leader."
The king nodded slightly at the prince's sugary words, a small proud grin adorning his face. "That's right, I suppose I did."
"Suck up," Chloe muttered. She was becoming thoroughly annoyed with Tom's overly polite and pleasant front, especially since he had not at all been this respectful when her father wasn't present.
"Chloe that's enough," Jefferson snapped, having heard her muttered remark. "I haven't forgotten about the stunt you pulled tonight, and I am very disappointed in you young lady. I will be speaking to you later," he warned. Chloe said nothing, her tightening jaw the only indication that she had heard him as she kept her eyes trained on the unconscious heap behind the cell bars. "Now come on, let's all go back to the grand hall and enjoy the rest of our evening. Perhaps a few celebratory drinks are in order."
The king began ushering everyone out of the room of prison cells, a guard shutting the door behind them as they stepped out into the hallway. The king and Tom began recapping the prince's act of bravery, Tom's ego getting unnecessarily fluffed again as a cocky grin melted through his front of humbleness. However, as they began in the direction of the grand hall, Chloe hesitated in the hallway, falling behind. Her mind was stuck on the recollection of the Bella pushing her out of harm's way, saving her and taking the hit instead, and while this didn't necessarily put the thief on 'trustworthy' level, Chloe couldn't help but think the least she could do was take it out. She would just sneak in there, pull out the arrow, and get back out before anyone saw her; after all, the bandit was unconscious, what could she do? She wouldn't even have to know. "I'll catch up with you guys," she told them when she noticed the men had stopped to look back at her questioningly. As her father's expression melted into a look of skepticism, she hastily added, "I need to go to the bathroom."
"Don't be too long," her father warned. Chloe nodded, wide innocent grin in place, and Jefferson eyed her for another heavy second before turning and continuing down the hall with Tom and the guards. Chloe feigned toward the direction of the bathroom, but once the men had turned the corner she quickly strode back to the jail room door, quietly pushing through.
The bandit was still lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, brunette hair splayed out across her face. Now that Chloe was facing the cell door, she became hesitant; why the hell was she doing this? This girl was considered a notorious thief, most likely a rather dangerous force to be reckoned with. But at the same time, the redhead found this hard to believe, especially as she remembered how the bandit had saved not only Chloe, but the rest of her team, sacrificing herself to make sure the rest of the Bellas made it out to safety. It seemed rather selfless, which was an odd trait for a thief to have, and with this mindset, the redhead grabbed the keys off the hook on the wall, opening the cell door and shutting it behind her with a clang.
The princess knelt down on the cold stone floor in front of the unconscious Bella, who looked much smaller now that Chloe was next to her. Brushing the chocolate hair from out of the thief's face, Chloe absentmindedly admired the girl's facial features now that she could see them without the hood. This girl was rather pretty, and the princess couldn't help but think how much less intimidating the bandit looked; she seemed much more human now, much more vulnerable, no longer the notorious thief everyone supposed her to be.
Chloe's eyes drifted to the brunette's red-stained shoulder, the reason she was here in the first place, and she winced as she got a closer look at the bloodied weapon embedded in the bandit's flesh. It looked quite painful, and the redhead moved forward, carefully wrapping her hand around the arrow.
Beca was jolted awake as a flare of pain rippled through her shoulder, and she let out a hiss of pain and surprise. Chloe jumped back as she let the now-free arrow clatter to the floor, startled by the bandit's sudden response. She watched with a mix of fear and curiosity as the bandit, still dazed from sleep, tried to clutch her shoulder, only for her eyes to widen as the handcuffs around her wrists clanked loudly.
"Wh-hnn..?" she mumbled, looking down at her wrists confusedly. "Where am I?"
"The Castle prison chamber," Chloe responded hesitantly, hand fumbling blindly for the cell door as the brunette's eyes flew up to the princess in surprise, only now seeming to realize the redhead was even there. Chloe held her breath at the piercing steel gaze, fear building in her stomach. The thief's reaction to waking up in a cell was rather unpredictable, and Chloe wasn't so sure about being in there now that the bandit was awake; would she lash out and attack?
In Beca's head, the events of the failed heist slowly came rushing back, and the brunette jolted up at the memory. However, her wound flared with pain under the strenuous movement, and, unable to move her cuffed hands to catch herself, she fell back to the cold cement with a groan.
"And what are you doing in the prison chamber with me, princess?" the thief wheezed, her eyes drifting to the ceiling. How the hell was she supposed to make it out of this mess? Turning her head, she raised a brow as her pain-hazed gaze fell upon the bloodied weapon on the floor. "You took the arrow out of my shoulder?"
Chloe was still moving back slowly away from the thief, ready to slip out the door at any sudden movement. Why had she decided to do this? "Um, yeah, I guess. Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come in here; this was a mistake. I can just-"
"How's your wrist?"
Chloe stopped her movements, caught off guard by the question. "Huh?"
"Your wrist," the bandit said again, nodding her head toward her in inquiry. "You fell on it when I pushed you down. Is it okay?"
Chloe couldn't help the scoff that escaped her mouth, her eyes taking in the bandit's weak and bloodied body. "You're asking me if I'm okay?"
The bandit rolled her eyes as she readjusted herself, trying to get comfortable on the cold stone floor. "What, is it against some sort of royalty law to ask about your well-being?"
"No, I just," Chloe paused, shuffling her feet. "You're a bandit. Why do you seem so nice, and like, not all scary and bandity? People keep saying you're some notorious dangerous criminal, but ever since I ran into you you've been surprisingly nice."
"What do you mean, nice?"
"Well, you saved me from getting hit with an arrow," Chloe pointed out, letting go of the door and cautiously kneeling back down a few feet away from the Bella. "And now you're asking me how I am."
The bandit rolled her eyes. "I'm not being nice, I'm being a normal considerate person. Anyone with a conscience would do those kind of things princess."
"My name is Chloe," the redhead corrected, having never enjoyed being called by her royal title.
"I can't call you princess?"
"No," Chloe insisted. "I don't like it."
"But you are the princess of Barden, right?"
"What's your name?" the redhead deflected quickly.
"Not going to tell you that."
"Why not?"
Beca smirked. "Can't give away my identity to the enemy, my dear."
Chloe huffed, looking thoughtful. After a few moments she commented, "Are we really enemies though? I mean, we haven't really done anything bad to each other."
Beca raised a skeptical brow at the redhead. "You realize I'm in a cage, right?"
"That was mostly my dad's doing," Chloe defended weakly.
"Still," the bandit sighed. "How do you know I'm not going to kill you as soon as you turn your back?"
Despite the shiver that ran down Chloe's spine at the sentence, the redhead stood her ground. "Well, because... I don't think you would. You're a human with a conscience, remember?"
"Are you actually trying to make friends with a castle prisoner?" Beca inquired, wondering why the princess had even decided to come into her cell and converse with her in the first place, especially after she had tried to steal from her castle. "Is this something you do often, or am I just that special?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I'm not, I'm just trying to be civil. I'm a naturally friendly person. Besides, I only came in here to remove that arrow from your shoulder; I didn't even think you'd wake up."
"Are you sure your wrist's okay?" the bandit cut in, her eyes having fallen to the redhead's hands where she had absentmindedly began rubbing her sore wrist.
"Oh, yeah it's fine. Just aches a bit," Chloe admitted hesitantly, her voice falling to a mutter as she glanced down at her injury.
"Lemme see it," Beca mumbled, doing her best to sit up as she reached for Chloe's wrist. The redhead was hesitant, but she let the brunette take her wrist after a moment, surprised by the thief's gentleness and soft calloused hands. A shiver went down Chloe's spine as the Bella's fingers ghosted over the swollen skin, and it took her a moment to realize something was amiss...
"Hey! What happened to your handcuffs?!"
"What handcuffs?"
Chloe scowled. "You know what handcuffs! Where did-... How did you get them off?!"
Beca dangled the metallic cuffs teasingly in front of Chloe, smirking. "Trade secret, princess."
"I don't think thievery is a trade. You sure you're not a magician?" Chloe quipped, snatching the handcuffs back as she quickly moved to grab Beca's wrists. She was mildly surprised however, when the thief didn't put up any sort of fight; the brunette even went so far as to help the princess get them onto her when she realized the movements were straining Chloe's wrists.
"There, satisfied?" Beca asked, waving her securely cuffed wrists for emphasis.
"Just keep them on please," Chloe sighed, standing. Though she didn't think the bandit would bring her any harm, she still wasn't too comfortable being in the cell with her when she could so easily get her cuffs off.
"Why, so your father can execute me without any hassle?" the thief grumbled resignedly, carefully lying back down with a small pained grunt. "You may not want to hurt me, but I know the king and his men wouldn't hesitate to behead me."
"They won't. At least, not for awhile," Chloe reassured. "You did rob us. They need to figure out what to do with you."
"Such comforting words, princess."
"Stop calling me that," the redhead huffed, opening the cell door and slipping out. "I don't like it."
"Sorry princess."
Chloe's eyes narrowed at the bandit's cheeky smirk, her hands moving to lock the door. "If you trust that I'm not going to hurt you, then why can't I get your name?"
"Trust is a big word," the bandit retorted simply. "A bandit trusts no one."
"Fine, I'll just call you the criminal that tried to steal from us," Chloe retorted, rolling her eyes.
"The princess and the criminal? That sounds like some stupid movie reference."
"What?"
"Nevermind."
Chloe moved to hang the key back on the hook by the entrance, grabbing the door. She knew she'd been gone way too long by now, and her father was no doubt going interrogate her on her whereabouts. She was halfway out the door when she heard the bandit call out behind her.
"Beca."
"What?" the redhead stopped, poking her head back in. The Bella was staring up blankly at the ceiling now, her steel eyes analyzing the cracks in the cement almost contemplatively.
"My name is Beca," she repeated, a bit more hesitant than the first time. "Don't make me regret telling you."
"Beca," Chloe repeated, trying the name on her lips. "That's a nice name."
The brunette's eyes flickered over to the redhead. "Thanks, I guess."
Despite the circumstances, the princess had to fight off the small smile threatening to stretch across her face. "It was nice talking to you Beca," Chloe admitted hesitantly, her hand on the doorknob. Though the bandit seemed to enjoy annoying her and taunting her, it seemed more playful than malicious, and Beca's cockiness came across much more teasingly than Tom's pure unrelenting arrogance.
The bandit simply nodded curtly in response. "Likewise," she mumbled, watching with an unreadable expression as Chloe backed out of the room and shut the door quietly. Once the princess was gone Beca sighed, stretching out on her back as best she could without straining her shoulder as she returned to staring blankly at the ceiling.
Why had she let herself get caught? She wasn't too concerned yet; she knew the Bellas would probably already be devising a plot to sneak her out before any harm came to her, but it was rather inconvenient, and while she could probably sneak out of the cell on her own, it was probably best to wait for her group instead of attempting a solo break out.
Her shoulder was a dull throbbing now, no longer the searing pain it had been before, and though she hadn't really said it, she was quite thankful to the redhead for taking the arrow out. She couldn't understand the princess' reasoning for doing it; why be conversational and nice to a prisoner that had tried to rob her father? Was she trying to trick the brunette into revealing information on the Bellas? While the redhead seemed harmless, she knew that a lot of people were not always what they seemed, no matter how innocent they came across. For now, Beca would simply tread cautiously around anyone in the castle, at least until she knew who was trustworthy. She would keep her guard up so not to reveal any vital information about the Bellas, including around Chloe.
With this thought in mind, Beca let her eyes drift shut with a sigh. There was nothing much left to do but lie there.
A/N: A bit of a long chapter. Sorry if you don't like that; the bechloe interaction scene got away from me a bit:/
Random question for you: who's your favourite band/artist? I know that's always a hard question to answer; I always struggle when I get asked it xD Sooo many good ones, I can't choose! I think I could narrow it down to All Time Low, The Maine, or The Script, if I absolutely had to. Gosh I love music:3 What about you? Who's your favourite band/artist? Can you pick just one? I wanna know:D
REVIEW RESPONSES:
blue-wasabi24: Hmm yeah, that makes sense. Oh well, you and your bro still got a cool name from the place, and that was free:P Huh, you don't like pancakes? I don't think I've met someone who doesn't like them before xD I can respect that tho. Unique taste, eh? :P
Defying-gravy: Plenty of bechloe interaction in this chapter haha; hope it didn't disappoint:3
Kartoffel: Hope you liked the bechloe interaction in this chapter:3 Hot dogs and pancakes? For serious? I've never heard that one before xD Kinda curious now. Like, they use a pancake as a bun? Or like, cut up hot dog in it? I'm kinda tempted to try this now:P Oh the possibilities.
YouJustGotPitchSlapped: You were right about her imprisonment:) Hope you liked this chapter. Nutella and sugar on pancakes actually sounds good; just add some peanut butter and you could have some kind of Reese's pancakes:3 Salt and pancakes sounds a bit odd though, I agree. Your poor tastebuds xP
Reda V: Haha, was that enough bechloe interaction for you? Hopefully it wasn't too horrible xP And I'm glad you like my random questions; it's kinda become a trademark thing for me, so it's nice to know it's not annoying or anything:P
lucakutya: Sorry for the wait; hope this chapter lived up to your expectations:3
Snow White Misery: Hope this chapter didn't disappoint:3 Ooh, you like lots of fruit on your pancakes/french toast/waffles by the sound of it:P Sweet (no pun intended). I'm not much of a fruit eater myself, so I guess I'll just have to take your word for it when you say it's good:3
Ezri Dax: Hope this chapter was okay; I'm quite iffy on it, but I'm tired of struggling with it xP Lemon and sugar on pancakes? Why lemon? Wouldn't that taste sour? I guess I can't judge too much haha; I've probably done much weirder things with my food xP Ooh, British:D Does that mean you have an awesome british accent?
RadforR: Ooh, jam or jelly:O I've never thought to do that (which is odd, cuz I've had pancakes with peanut butter before, heh). I might have to try that:)
cxcxcx386: Haha ohh, I'm interested to hear what your headcanon was for the continuation:3 Hopefully this chapter wasn't a disappointment in comparison to your (most likely awesome) headcanon for it haha. And Yes! Aubrey has been confirmed now! I was so happy to it:3 I'm glad you like my questions too; it's kinda become my trademark thing of sorts, so you can expect them often xP Hmm, honey; I never thought to put that on pancakes before:O Sounds quite yummy! I agree though, pancakes take a lot of work. Ain't nobody got time for that:P