Do The Job, Get Paid

Writers: Devin, Bree
Date Posted: 2nd April 2007

Characters: Royani, Marod
Description: Royani's handsome young dance partner turns out to be something other than he appeared.
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 2, day 28 of Turn 4
Notes: Directly after 'Finding the Courage' and also one of my last night posts. ;)

Marod laughed as they wandered toward the tables again. "I fear I may have had a bit too much to drink."

Royani's fingers were tucked snugly into his elbow, and it was probably the only reason she was quite so steady on her feet. "Perhaps we enjoyed the wine more than was proper," she agreed.

"Maybe we should take a walk to clear our heads a little," he suggested.

It wasn't exactly a proper thing to do, but she didn't care as much anymore as she had earlier in the evening. "I shouldn't go too far, but maybe a short one?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want to seem improper." **Unfortunately, you're going for a much longer walk that you think.**

Royani glanced over her shoulder to make sure her brother wasn't going to notice her slipping away. "I don't do things that are improper," she admitted with a nervous laugh. "It's almost a little exciting."

He tugged her arm gently. "Just a quick walk around the tents. We can do terribly illicit things like talk and put one foot in front of the other."

Her laugh was a little more genuine this time. "I suppose it's not so bad. Let's go." Marod led her behind the tents and headed for the one on the far end. Klegen and Boesyn were hiding near there. "Such a beautiful night," he commented, looking up at the stars.

Royani tilted her head back and tried to ignore the way the world swayed gently around her. How many glasses of wine _had_ she had? It had seemed so easy to accept them when Marod was drinking along with her... "Very beautiful," she replied absently, her hands tightening around Marod's arm. "The company is even better," Marod said. It was a shame. She seemed like such a nice girl. He would have felt better if she had been snobbish and rude.

Royani blushed at the compliment. "I agree. You're so much nicer than all of those boring old men who wanted to tell me why they'd be the perfect husband for me."

Marod chuckled. "That's good to know. I'd like to think I'm not boring _or_ old."

They were starting to move away from the lights of the tents, which made Royani a bit nervous. It was all well and good to find walking alone in the dark with a handsome young man a bit exciting, but she knew her duty well. Even the slightest rumor of anything illicit could hurt her father when the time came to decide on a marriage contract. "Maybe we should turn back."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he said. "I hadn't realized we'd gone quite so far." Where were those two? They were supposed to be near the last tent!

There was a soft shuffle behind them, and then rough hands closed around Royani's shoulders and jerked her back away from Marod. Her startled gasp was muffled almost before it left her lips as Klegen shoved a gag between her teeth. "Get her hands," he hissed at Marod as he hurried to tie the cloth behind her head before she started struggling in earnest. Marod pulled a cloth from his pocket and grabbed Royani's hands. "I'm sorry about this," he told her, "but business is business." Once her hands were tied he nodded to the others. "Alright, let's go." Lifting the girl up easily, Boesyn tossed her over his shoulder.

Shock had kept her paralyzed up until now, but when she felt Boesyn's shoulder dig into her stomach, it startled her into action. No one had bothered to tie her feet--probably because she'd been so unresisting--but now she drove her foot as hard as she could into the large man's body, hoping to hit somewhere tender enough to get her put down.

The large man grunted and stumbled, causing her to slip part way from his shoulder. "Ow!" Boesyn grabbed her and pulled her off the rest of the way. "Little bitch!" He held her with one hand and lifted the other. "Boesyn!" Marod snapped. "She's not to be harmed!" He took another cloth from his pocket and reached for her legs.

Royani made a muffled noise and tried to squirm back from Marod, betrayal plain on her face. She kicked out at him as hard as she could when he reached for her leg, making frantic noises that she _knew_ would never be heard above the dancing.

Klegen stepped behind her so that she couldn't move and reached down to pin her shoulders. "Stop it, girl," he whispered roughly. "No one's going to hurt you unless you keep struggling."

Marod got a hold on her legs and held them together while he tied them. "It'll just be a few days, and then you can go home." The look on her face hurt, but he tried not to let it get to him. He stood and turned to Boesyn. "Hold her tight, but don't be rough. If I catch you hurting her, you'll be sorry."

Boesyn frowned. "Yeah, fine." He lifted Royani and slung her over his shoulder again.

After a brief look around to make sure they hadn't been spotted, Klegen gestured sharply with his head to Boesyn. "Start walking. We need to get to the abandoned cot before anyone notices she's missing." Once the larger man had started off, Klegen moved in closer to Marod and lowered his voice. "Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I'm going to cover our tracks."

With a quick nod, Marod hurried after Boesyn. **Do the job, get paid, and get out.**

Last updated on the April 3rd 2007

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Do The Job, Get Paid