A/N: This chapter's a bit longer than I thought it was. Sorry if it's a bit uneventful.
DISCLAIMER: Nah brah. I do not own it. All I own is a worn out pair of converse and a half-eaten box of Froot Loops (which I also don't own).
Beca groaned as a metal-clad boot collided with her stomach again, her already-bruised torso screaming in protest. She barely had time to cross her arms over her aching midsection before she was kicked again, the force rolling her to splay out on her back with a pained wheeze.
"I'm not gonna ask you again, thief," the guard hissed, grinding his heel into the Bella's wounded shoulder. "Where is the rest of your group? Where are they hiding? Some sort of home base?"
"Eat dirt," Beca ground out, doing her best to ignore the unbearable pain flaring through her arrow wound. The guard growled in fury, and the bandit got a small moment's relief when the man removed his foot from her shoulder, only for him to bring it down again, stomping on it. The Bella's vision danced with dark spots from the excruciating pain, but she refused to cry out, a mere quiet whimper escaping her throat as her eyes burned with tears.
"C'mon Bump, I don't think she's gonna blab anything," the second guard, Donald, spoke up as Bumper raised his foot again.
"She will if I beat it out of her," he retorted hotly.
"No, you're just gonna knock her out. We can try again later. Maybe use different methods," Donald tried to reason, putting his hand calmingly on the other man's shoulder. Bumper huffed, stepping back.
"Fine. I'll be back though," he threatened at Beca again. As an afterthought, he moved forth, launching one last parting kick to her ribs. However, this time the bandit was prepared, and she grabbed his foot with her cuffed hands, yanking. The guard, not expecting the move, was pulled off his feet, falling back with a thud, and Beca used his moment of vulnerability to swing her own foot up, socking him square in the mouth with her booted heel. Ignoring the pain in her body, she moved to twist the man's leg in her grip, a rather high pitched screech escaping Bumper's throat before she drove her foot into his face again.
It was then that the other guard intervened, launching forth and delivering a swift powerful kick to the back of the angry bandit's skull. The force of the blow knocked Beca unconscious, her grip going slack on Bumper's leg, and the guard frantically thrashed away, allowing Donald to help him up. Bumper wasted no time scrambling out of the prison cell, shouting a string of colourful curses as he clutched his nose, and Donald gave the unconscious prisoner a small nudge with his foot before following the other guard out, locking the jail cell behind him with a resounding clang.
"I can't believe that ding-a-ling almost shot you! How reckless!"
Chloe couldn't help the smile that adorned her face as Aubrey paced the kitchen, the tiled floor making soft clicks beneath her shoes. She was recapping what had occurred the night before to her blonde best friend, needing someone to hear her side of the story, and while she knew Aubrey would get rowled up with the story, the cook looked about ready to crack someone's head off; the princess found it somewhat amusing.
"Bree calm down, I'm totally fine. The bandit saved me, remember?"
Aubrey stopped her pacing, facing the redhead. "Yeah, but I don't know how I feel about this criminal either. What was her name, Bacon? What if she's just trying to get you to trust her so she can get you while your guard's down?"
Chloe couldn't help but giggle. "Her name was Beca. And I really doubt that. I was the one to go in there and start talking to her, remember? If she really wanted to 'get' me, why wouldn't she just do it when I was in there with her?"
"She was injured. She was probably too weak to take you," Aubrey pointed out, pausing when the oven timer beeped shrilly. She hurriedly made her way over to the oven, continuing to speak over the timer. "But once she gets a bit of time to recuperate and you decide to waltz on into her cell again-"
"Aubrey, that doesn't make sense," Chloe cut off the blonde with the shake of her head, brows furrowed. "Plus, that doesn't explain why she saved me and took the arrow in the first place."
"I'm sure she had some reason," Aubrey responded distractedly, pausing as she quickly peeked inside the oven doors before moving to grab some pot holders. "I just don't think it's a good idea to trust her."
"I'm not asking you to trust her," Chloe defended, watching the cook shuffle around the kitchen with years' worth of familiarity and practice, "and if it makes you feel better, I won't go into her cell anymore."
"That'd probably be best either way," Aubrey said simply, her back to the redhead as she opened oven doors, ignoring the sudden burst of heat as she reached in to grab the pan of freshly baked croissants. After a moment's pause, the blonde sighed, swinging the oven door shut and setting the hot pan down on the counter with a small clatter. She braced herself on the counter, head bowing. "I just want you to be safe, Chlo," she muttered, voice quieter and much less harsh than it had been moments ago.
Chloe's face softened at this, knowing Aubrey's over-protectiveness was simply a result of her concern for the princess' well-being, and Chloe moved around the island counter to pull Aubrey in for a hug, being wary of the hot pan on the counter. "I know Bree, and I really appreciate it."
Aubrey sighed, turning and letting her arms wrap around her best friend. "If she hurts you..."
"I know," Chloe repeated softly, patting Aubrey's back in what she hoped was reassurance. "And if she hurts me I give you full permission to go at her with a meat grinder. I honestly don't think she will though." The blonde's mouth curved slightly at this from over Chloe's shoulder; however, as quick as it appeared it was gone, and Aubrey shook her head slowly, biting her lower lip in thought.
"Okay fine, I trust your judgement," Aubrey resigned after a few more moments, pulling away gently. "But I don't have to trust her. I still don't like her."
"Noted," the redhead chuckled. "As long as you don't poison her food or something."
"Well so far they haven't told me to prepare anything for her," Aubrey informed her friend, carefully pushing the pan further back so not to burn herself before moving to lean against the counter. The princess raised a brow at the cook's words.
"Wait, what? They're supposed to have something prepared for her, even if it's just something small," Chloe mused, following Aubrey's lead as she leaned against the counter beside the blonde. "They can't just keep her locked up and not feed her, she'll starve."
"I know," Aubrey said, fiddling with her apron. "Technically they're required to provide sustenance to the prisoners during their imprisonment. I haven't been asked to prepare anything though. At least, nothing for her," the blonde said regretfully. This definitely wasn't the first time the castle had conveniently forgotten to provide nourishment to its captives, but Aubrey wasn't about to tell Chloe that.
The redhead pressed her lips together thoughtfully, feet shuffling. "Maybe we should-"
"No."
"I didn't even finish my sentence!"
"You don't have to, I know what you're going to say. And as much as I disagree with the castle's choices, I'm not going to risk my life going against the king to feed a prisoner," Aubrey explained, shaking her head sorrowfully. "If I were to get caught... I would lose my job, at the very least. I could be thrown into the prison myself. Maybe even beheaded."
Chloe nodded slowly in understanding, chewing her lip. "Well... what if I just took her something? They can't do anything to me, and if any of the guards try to stop me I can always just say my dad told me to."
Aubrey looked reluctant. "I don't know Chloe..."
"Please, Bree? I promise I won't let any blame fall on you," the redhead pleaded. "I'll say I just stole something from the kitchen while you were busy doing your job. My dad already knows what kind of mischief I'm capable of getting into."
The blonde's lip quirked up slightly at this in amusement, understanding Chloe's mischievous side quite well after many years of knowing the redhead. However, Aubrey still held a face of reluctance. "Why are you so determined to feed this criminal anyway?" she asked slowly, nudging her shoulder against Chloe's.
Chloe smiled at this, gently returning Aubrey's nudge playfully before she lowered her gaze, shrugging. "Because, I dunno. Just, even though she's a thief and stuff, she saved my life and was more pleasant to me than most of the snobby royal people I have to deal with. She's human too. A good one. And... I wanna be a good person too, not one of the stuck up princesses that only care about themselves."
Aubrey bit her lip contemplatively, the gears turning in her head. After a few more moments she let out an exaggerated sigh, turning her back to the kitchen. "Ten seconds."
"What?" Chloe asked confusedly, straightening up.
"I'm not going to see anything because it all happened when my back was turned. Hurry and grab something," the blonde explained, crossing her arms as she stared down at the perfectly shaped croissants in front of her.
Chloe grinned widely at her best friend's back, beginning to head toward the cupboards. "You're the best, Bree," she said gratefully, shuffling quickly about the kitchen. Though Aubrey had stated the time limit, she waited patiently as Chloe dug around, absentmindedly scanning the croissants for any flaws that may be noticeable as she heard the princess opening drawers and cupboards behind her. Eventually Chloe settled on some simple cheese and bread, grabbing a knife as well as a loaf of bread and a block of cheese.
"Please wash your hands!" Aubrey spoke up once she heard the princess' plans, knowing if she didn't say anything Chloe would simply hack into the food without a second thought. She heard the redhead giggle sheepishly, but she obeyed, the tap getting flicked on for a short moment.
Once Chloe had gotten a few chunks of bread and cheese slices bagged in a brown paper bag, she hurriedly tidied the small mess she'd made, not wanting to leave a mess in her organized best friend's kitchen. When she was finally finished she launched an appreciative hug at Aubrey, grateful for all her best friend had done and was still doing for her.
"You're such a good friend, Bree," Chloe said softly. "I don't know where I'd be without you."
The blonde, who had had her back to Chloe, was caught off guard by the arms suddenly around her torso, but she soon turned in Chloe's arms to return the hug, chuckling lightly. "Getting into all sorts of trouble, no doubt," Aubrey jokingly responded, her lips quirking upward. "You're a pretty good friend too, Chloe. Don't go all soft on me now though. You have something you need to do, preferably while I'm not looking."
The redhead giggled, releasing the cook with a nod and mock salute. Then, grabbing the bag off the counter, she headed out to the hallway. So quick to exit, Chloe missed the small grin Aubrey harbored when she realized the princess had cleaned up after herself, the kitchen as spotless as it had been when the blonde had turned her back. It was such a small gesture, almost an unnoticeable thing, but Aubrey felt touched nonetheless, knowing it was something no other royal would do. Most, if not all, would prefer to leave their messes for their servants to clean up, but Chloe was not like most of the snobby rich upper class people, - this whole bandit situation was definitely a good example of this - and the blonde couldn't help but feel grateful that she had made friends with someone as pure and considerate as Chloe Beale.
Chloe quickly made her way through the castle's maze of hallways, food bag clutched tightly in her hand. She was grateful the hallways were rather empty, and she made her way across the palace without a hitch.
As the princess neared the prison chambers, she slowed her steps as she heard voices approaching, most likely a couple of guards. While Chloe didn't really need to worry about anyone but Prince Tom and her father - who she knew for a fact were both in the grand hall right now - she still did not feel like running into anyone so close to the prison area, and she rushed around the nearest corner to hide as they approached.
"She's gonna pay," Chloe heard one man growl, his voice sounding nasally. "I think that bitch broke my fucking nose."
"And we didn't even get any answers from her," a second voice added, sounding exasperated. "The king's gonna be upset our questioning didn't-"
"I don't give two shits about the king right now, my nose is fucking broken!" the first guard cut in, apparently not liking his partner's lack of empathy. "I knew that stupid bandit girl was nothing but trouble."
Bandit girl? Chloe's stomach dropped at this. Did they mean Beca? Why would Beca have broken a guard's nose during questioning? Or more importantly, how? As far as Chloe knew, the guards were supposed to stand outside the cell for questioning.
Now confused and curious, Chloe anxiously darted down the hallway as soon as the guards had rounded the corner, cushioning her footfalls so not to be heard. She didn't hesitate in front of the big door that led to the prison chambers, pushing straight through.
"Beca?" she called, eyes landing on the brunette's form on the floor. The bandit appeared to be sleeping, and Chloe took a few steps closer, absentmindedly wringing the rolled up part of the bag in her hands.
"Beca? Are you awake? I brought you something to eat. It's nothing much, just some bread and cheese. I didn't know if you had..." but the redhead trailed off, eyes widening as she got close enough to see the blood dripping down the brunette's face from both her nose and a deep gash in her forehead. The red liquid seeped down her skin in solid rippled lines, and the bag of food fell to the floor with a soft crinkling noise as Chloe stepped closer to the cell, brows furrowed in confusion and bewilderment as her hands wrapping tightly around the iron bars. What had happened?
"Beca?" she called out, louder this time, in hopes of the brunette hearing her and coming to. She gritted her teeth when she received no response, tapping her fingers anxiously against the bars. Then, without a moment's hesitance, she whirled around to swipe the key off the nail, her statement to Aubrey completely blanking from her mind as she unlocked the bandit's cell and slipped in.
A/N: Ugh. UGH. This chapter irritated me. Mostly the friend!Chaubrey scene. I just could. Not. Get it. Meh.
So I've got a random question for you guys. If you could master any instrument, what would it be? I think I'd definitely choose a guitar; I've taught myself a little bit with the guitar, but I'm nowhere near awesome with it or anything. Meh xD What about you? ANY instrument at all, if you could master one, what would it be? I is curious:{3
REVIEW RESPONSES:
lucakutya: Lol how did you know? :{P Glad you liked; hopefully this chapter was okay too, heh.
YouJustGotPitchSlapped: Ah, sounds like you've got a pretty wide interest in terms of music variety then; that's always a good thing:{P Not much Bechloe interaction in this chapter, but hopefully you still enjoyed it somewhat:{3
blue-wasabi24: Mmkay, so I checked out that band, and they actually sound pretty awesome:{O Very nice sound; I approve! Thanks for introducing me to them dude:{3
Kartoffel: Hmm, the pancake as a bun thing actually sounds like a cool idea. The egg and hot chocolate thing though... What even...? Does it make it taste better? Does the egg cook into it? I'd think it'd be slimy:{/ I don't understaaaand!
Defying-Gravy: Glad you liked! Not as much Bechloe in this chapter, but hopefully you still enjoyed it:{3
ballpointmf: Thanks; will definitely keep it going:{3
Ezri Dax: Heh, dude I love British accents! They're super cool and cute x3 Ah, did I have the King sounding all informal and such? Dang xD I don't really have anything to base a royal setting on, so I'm kinda doing it with what feels right and such, so I apologize if anything doesn't seem to fit into the formal, royal setting like it should xD I shall try to be more careful in the future. Hmm, an arrow to the shoulder... I suppose now that I think about it, it probably would be a bit more painful/bloody than I portrayed. I originally imagined in my head that the wound wasn't too deep, considering Tom's sloppy firing, but I guess it would have to be, with the arrow being actually embedded in her (not to mention she was still shot straight on with the arrow). Darn you and your logic xP Haha kidding; thank you for pointing it out to me dude. I definitely need someone to call me out on these kind of things. You're aca-awesome:{3
jasmine allgeyer: Thanks haha; I will definitely add more ;{P (I know your username has a dot in there, but it keeps deleting it cuz it thinks you're a web address, so xP)
KSpecial: Heh, sorry. I mean... *sweats*. Ah, I'm just used to apologizing in case the chapter sucks or isn't up to par or something xP I'm glad you're enjoying it though; thank you. Your review amused me:{P