My computer still hasn't returned from the computer doctor so I am once again fighting the beast to get this published for you.

I'm also deliriously sick so sorry about the editing on this one.

Ta.

Chapter warnings: character(s) in bindings; violence; abuse; on screen character death (s)

Don't forget that you can find me on tumblr: we - are - all - of - legend - now and that my ao3 account is wearealloflegendnow (even though I haven't posted there yet)!

~TLL~

No way out? Rose thought blankly. That was impossible. There had to be a way out and she would find it.

Rose felt the Clan members behind her start to slowly advance and her hand twitched down to her spear. She felt several sharp objects dig into her back and Rose knew if she moved now, she would be killed. She didn't take her eyes from Master's as she slowly raised her hands up. Rose didn't know how much he knew but if he didn't know about tomorrow night's plot, then she needed to at least stay alive. She could have something figured out by seven p.m. tomorrow. Too many people were counting on her for her to not figure something out.

There were hands at her waist, removing her weapons belt and then patting her down. Rose gritted her teeth. Even the methodical, detached pat down seemed like too vicious of an assault and it was hard to keep herself from going stiff and lashing out. Master's gaze stayed on her and she knew that he was laughing at her, enjoying her pain, and he was thinking that she deserved every bit of this for trying to make a fool out of him. When the hands were satisfied that she wasn't carrying anything else, she was unceremoniously shoved forward.

Master's hand grasped her by her bicep and pushed her into the cold little cell. He followed her in, the bulk of him taking up most of the space. Rose caught herself against the wall and then spun around to face the Huntsman, finally letting her chin lift in the defiant way that it always wanted to. Whatever came next, she knew that it was going to hurt, and, at the very least, she could get her satisfaction from letting him know just how little she really thought of him.

"Did you really think you could do it?" the Huntsman asked, his voice soft as he took a step forward, completely putting her in the corner. "Did you really think that you were smart enough that I wouldn't realize what you were doing?"

Rose didn't move. She just stared at him. If she spoke, she might slip up and let him know something that he currently didn't.

"You were so promising. Why? Why would you do this? The Clan is your life. You are us and we are you."

Rose would have spit at him if she didn't still have her mask on.

"Answer me!"

The Huntsman's voice boomed and echoed in the barren chamber but Rose didn't even flinch.

The Huntsman grabbed her by her throat, lifting her up off the ground, smacking her head against the cold wall. Stars danced in Rose's vision but she let her body go limp. He wanted her to fight back so that he could prove how much better than her that he was. Rose desperately wanted to claw at him and go down fighting but she couldn't. The Huntsman was going to hurt her; he was going to have to show her how in control he was. But, if she fought back, it would be worse, and who knew what state she would be in tomorrow? No matter what, she had to live until tomorrow because she had to set Jake free.

The Huntsman shook her and Rose just let her head loll. She focused on the image of Jake in her mind and then she let other images slip through: ones of Spud and Trixie, hanging out at the diner with her; Haley, throwing her arms around Rose, glad that she was safe; the hope in Susan's eyes when she found out that her son was still alive. Rose focused on that and fought every instinct she had to claw out the Huntsman's eyes because she hadn't worked this hard for it to all fall apart now. Not when she was so close to watching the Clan crumble and she knew that, above all else, was what would destroy the Huntsman.

He dropped her to the floor and Rose let herself crumple, internally bracing herself for what she knew was coming next. It still knocked all of her breath out when the Huntsman's boot drove into her stomach and Rose forced down the squeak that almost crossed her lips. Don't move, don't make a sound, don't react, she told herself. Think of Jake.

And that was what she did, even as the Huntsman grabbed her by her hair to pull her up again, hitting her everywhere that he could, screaming at her for answers that Rose couldn't give now, even if she wanted to. She was sure that he had broken her nose and the blood gushed down over her mouth, caught in the fabric of her mask and threatening to drown her.

When he finally left her, Rose didn't even have the strength to pull the mask off. She heaved for breath, feeling the pulse of broken ribs every time that she tried.

The heavy lock of the cell door thudded dramatically as the Huntsman shut it behind her, saying to the audience of Clan members who had wanted to see the once mighty Huntsgirl get put into her traitorous place, "There will be at least one guard outside of this cell at all times. Short shifts so your attention doesn't wane. Do not approach her and don't be fooled: she's devious."

How devious could she look, bloody and bruised, unable to even stand up?

"Sir, should we feed her? Give her medical attention?"

"Absolutely not! Let her bleed out, starve, or die of dehydration. But let her die."

"Yes, sir!"

Rose rested her head down against the cold floor, her eyes fluttering. She knew that she should fight it. She was probably concussed and she needed to start thinking of a way out but, right now, Rose couldn't even form a single coherent thought, let alone try to put together an entire plan.

She let her eyes close.

She had all day tomorrow.

(-.-)

Rose's body throbbed.

It wasn't anything that she didn't expect but it was still unbearable. But, she had to bear it. The Huntsman hadn't outright killed her, which Rose had always thought he might if she'd been caught, and Rose had to start figuring out how to get herself out of here. Well, no. First, she had to figure out if she could even move.

With a tortured groan, Rose lifted one arm and pulled off her mask. Overnight, the blood had dried and so many spots on her felt crusty. She felt several scabs rip off when she shifted as her clothes had gotten fused into her wounds. Rose tried not to look disgusted at herself, knowing that the Huntsguard outside of her door was watching her every movement and expression and it would all go into a report back to the Huntsman. Rose rolled herself onto her side and tried not to feel like she'd been hit by a truck. As she shifted, she felt something slide on her back. Rose rolled and felt the shape of it pressing against her.

Her storage locker key!

She always kept it inside the waistline of her pants. She hadn't wanted Master to ever find it accidentally while he was undressing her or have it fall out of her pocket in the same instance. And, now, she had a weapon.

"Hey, you want relief?"

Rose turned her head, watching one of the Huntsboy's approach her current Huntsguard.

"Yes," she said emphatically. "The Huntsgirl has started moving and that's gotta be someone else's problem."

The Huntsboy laughed. "Death spasms, probably."

"You aren't scared of her?" the Huntsguard asked. "We've seen her beat Master in a fight!"

"Yeah, and she lost last night. She's just going to die and it's what she deserves. I overheard someone say that the Master said that she was probably the Magical Militia's assassin. She's been killing us!"

The Huntsguard looked at Rose, horrified. "Yeah, I'm out of here."

The Huntsguard transferred over the keys to the jail cell and the long, custom-made weapon that would allow the Huntsguards to stab her from outside of the cell bars. She wondered if her Huntsguards were going to get guns too. The Huntsgirl gave Rose one last look before leaving very quickly. Rose's new Huntsguard settled in, the weapon over his lap, his eyes never leaving her. Rose's eyes were on the pocket where his gruel was. A little bit of that and she'd at least be able to think a thought or two again.

But, this Huntsguard wasn't going to give it to her. He looked overly trigger happy and he would probably like a reason to use that weapon on her. Rose stayed as still as possible while he was outside of her cell, watching the little square of light from the window make its way across the floor. The guards seemed to switch off every two hours and Rose was glad to see the trigger happy one go. Not that anyone else was going to show her sympathy but the one after that didn't look at her at all and the one that she had now looked afraid of her, just like the first one had been.

Rose had slowly worked on moving all day, trying not to feel so stiff and sore. Her throat ached and she wished that she had water. She would kill someone for water. She would even kill for gruel. But, she would have to bide her time. It was still early in the afternoon, although the sun would soon be setting this late in December. Rose managed to get herself into a sitting position, fighting her dizziness and an urge to vomit. She picked the dried blood off her face for something to do while her stomach settled and she pondered if she should try standing. Yes, she would have to.

Rose lurched upward, her knees collapsing on her twice before she was able to get her feet under her. Her Huntsguard looked amused as she stumbled around her cell like a newborn foal but Rose didn't pay him any attention. She did a lap of her cell, trying not to feel like the world was actively spinning around her. She used the wall and drew on all of her past experiences of pain to figure out how to keep on existing through everything. Rose paced until she felt like she was going to collapse and then she let herself slide down the wall until she was sitting down. She was closer to the bars now and her Huntsguard twitched, the long weapon sliding slightly across her lap. Rose didn't even have to try to look weak and unassuming now. They had to know that she wasn't a threat anymore.

Except for that small storage locker key, she was completely defenseless. She didn't even have her strength anymore.

The little square of light was gone and the guards switched off again. Rose knew that she was running out of time and she didn't have a plan but she didn't know what else she could do. She was going to have to kill her guard and get the keys to her cell but that wasn't going to be easy. If she did it too early, someone would get alerted. If she did it too late, Jake might be trapped or killed before she could make her move.

It was a wing and a prayer kind of day but Rose was hardly a stranger to those kinds of days.

She eyed her new Huntsguard. Short but not small, well-built and certainly competent. He wasn't someone that she knew but Rose knew that it wouldn't be someone that she knew. She wasn't a threat anymore. She wasn't worthy of the elite's attention. Rose wasn't anything at all. The Huntsman hadn't even come back; he probably didn't think that she'd last the night. Honestly, Rose wasn't sure that she could either. But, she didn't have to last the night. She just had to last long enough to free Jake. And, though Master had always said it was her greatest flaw, that narrow minded focus was the only thing that was keeping her upright.

"What time is it?" she asked her Huntsguard.

He looked startled that she'd found the ability to speak or maybe it was because her voice was so scratchy that she sounded like a demon.

"Um, it's 6:45."

Fifteen minutes.

It was closer than she thought and Rose started to feel claustrophobic. Right now, the Magical Militia would be encroaching on the Huntsquarters. Unseen, sticking to the shadows like they were Clan members, they would surround the entrances. The faeries, small as they were, would be getting ready to actually slip inside of the control panels of the Huntsclan building, first to open the doors for the troops, second to seal the doors so the Clan couldn't flee, and then, finally, to start cutting off the communications between Clan members. She knew where Spud and Trixie would be standing and where they would lead their troops. She knew that Lao Shi would be with Haley, both of them going to the heart of the fight. She wondered if any of them were thinking of her. She wondered if any of them had any doubts that she was going to be exactly where she told them that she was going to be.

"What time is it?" Rose rasped again.

The Huntsguard frowned at her but obediently checked his phone. "6:57."

Three minutes.

It was comforting, actually, that the Huntsman hadn't come back to see her. It meant that he didn't know about tonight. He would be here gloating if he did, at least once. She just hoped that he wasn't with Jake. Too much of their plan hinged on the potions working and Jake being fine.

Rose struggled to her feet. She was running out of time. The Huntsguard watched her, his hand resting on the weapon.

"Is it 6:59 yet?" Rose asked.

But, it ended up not mattering. The second the words left her mouth, the alarms starting sounding in the Huntsclan. The Magical Militia were in! Rose's heart started pounding in her chest, her instincts screaming to her that she was supposed to be in the middle of the fight, not cooped up in the cage. She slid the key into her hand as her Huntsguard dropped the weapon in surprise as he shot to his feet. The flashing red lights of the emergency alarms gave everything a strange, flat appearance.

"You knew this was going to happen!"

The Huntsguard stormed toward her and Rose held her ground. Soon. In three, two, one …

Rose jammed the key into his eyeball. As she had expected him to do, as anyone would, the Huntsguard howled and fell to his knees, his hands going up to cradle his face. As quickly as she could, Rose dropped to her knees too, reaching into the back of his weapons belt and yanking the knife from its sheath. She brought it to his throat as he realized what was happening. He scrambled to call for help.

"There's no one to help you," Rose growled, and then she killed him.

She pulled his body to her, awkwardly maneuvering him onto his back so that she could get to his keys. She grabbed his gruel poach at the same time, opening it and shoving it all into her mouth. Normally, it would be more than enough to get her to feeling nearly amped. As it was, Rose still felt dead on her feet as she unlocked her cell and stumbled into the hallway. There likely wasn't enough gruel in the Huntsclan to make her feel all right but there would be enough to keep her alive.

She stripped the Huntsguard of his weapons belt and his mask. She tucked her blonde braid down inside of her grubby shirt and then pulled his too large mask over her face. Likely, no one had given her a thought since the alarms started blaring, and though she hopefully wouldn't see anyone until she had gotten to Jake, she wanted to make sure that she didn't cross anyone's mind.

Rose unscrewed the opening to the vents and started the long trek down to the control room. She heard the sounds of fighting and screaming as she went and she wished that she could see something. She wished she knew who was winning and who was losing. She wished she knew who was still alive and who was already dead. And, she hoped that no one on the magical side thought that she was a traitor.

Rose dropped into the control room in Sector 1. Automatically, she swung around to loop the tapes, before she remembered that it didn't matter anymore. God, her brain was so fuzzy. She'd give anything for water. She needed water.

Rose pushed the door of Sector 1 opened and grabbed onto the railing, looking down at Jake. Relief swept through her. He was alone and he didn't look as though someone had come to harm him throughout the night. He had deep gouges around his restraints as he had yanked and pulled on them, trying to free himself when she hadn't shown up. Sector 1 was wired differently so the alarms weren't being broadcasted and blared down here but they were loud enough that you could hear them.

"Jake! I'm here!" she shouted.

Jake stopped and looked up.

Rose pulled off her mask as she half fell down the stairs, her legs begging her to give up and lay down. She braced herself against the wall, her scabbed hands feeling soothed from the cold. She wished that she had time to stop but there wasn't time to stop. Maybe not ever again. For now, it was go, go, go until the Clan was dead. The Huntsman was going to be irate when he saw her and Rose grabbed onto that spite with everything that she had left in order to give her the willpower to leave the wall and crawl to Jake.

She undid his muzzle straps.

"What happened to you?" Jake cried.

"We have to kill the Huntsman," Rose said.

"You need to go take care of yourself! You're going to get yourself killed if you try to go and fight like that!"

"We have to kill the Huntsman," Rose repeated. "I have to kill the Huntsman. Are you with me?"

Rose knew the answer from the look in his eyes but it gave her strength to hear him reply, "Of course I'm with you, Rose. Where else would I be?"

"Are you ready?

"Rose –"

"Deep breath," she said, "we don't have anymore time to waste."

And she didn't know if she wanted to hear what he was about to say; she didn't know if she could go and fight knowing what it was.

They each drew in a deep breath, even though Rose's ribs felt like they were going to push out of her skin. With one nod at him, she undid the straps on his muzzle first and then dived to get the front manacles off. Immediately, the alarms started blaring and the gas started filling the room. Rose could feel it on her skin. With his front legs free, Jake stood on his hind legs and stretched up, digging his claws into the ceiling and breathing fire, burning his way open. Rose maneuvered around his tail to get his legs free. Jake curled upwards, the ceiling splitting with a rain of plaster. He punched his way upward, the hole starting to grow.

Faster, Rose thought desperately. She couldn't hold her breath for much longer. Faster.

Finally, the ceiling split open.