[center]_________Somewhere Outside of the City_______[/center]

The morning crawled by. Minutes felt like hours. Already the names had been made public, the news had become public, patrols had exploded through the roof. Bounty hunters had been alerted, mercenaries recruited, reserves called to duty, and civilians ordered to become the eyes and ears of the King. Fear. Fear gripped the city, gripped the merchants and travelers and slums and nobles and foreigners, and yes, even the royalty.

The official story was that a suspicious and radical soldier had misused her authority and forged orders in order to sneak an assassin by the name of Trent of Chazwall into the Ivory Tower. While there was no immediate threat to the King, guards recall radical shouts of “Death to the Lempa and her King!” upon being exposed. Both escaped by taking a hostage who is now presumed dead.

Even in a small unremarkable location that Kate and Trent knew well was not untouched, for the glint of soldier’s blued armor shown in the sun, horses galloped, and peasants walked with haste down the distant path. A finely dressed gentleman broke off of the normal path and made his way to the location, with a quick check behind him. He carried a parcel and a bouquet. At first, Kate was sure she was to be exposed, but upon a quick glance, she recognized the eyes under the fine hat. It was Trent.

He had to do a double take upon seeing the gnome. He had forgotten, the little distasteful fellow in the cell next to him had joined their little adventure with a rather befuddling decision by Kate. The fellow had boasted of his antics, not realizing the death sentence he was so excitedly constructing. Seeing his bonds, Trent pulled out a dagger and chopped the cords in one swipe, embedding the blade into the wood of the tree Blont was tied to. [color=00ff00]“Well, if it isn’t the greatest thief in the world! Do allow me to hurry you on your way.”[/color]

He pointed back to the capital. [color=00ff00]“The Gallows are that direction if you are still intent on having your hands cut off before you are hung. But I am pleased to tell you that your stay has been upgraded to a surprise form of execution once you’ve used up your usefulness to the guard, and if you are in the mood for something more depraved, then hold out for deluxe package. All you need to do is NOT tell them everything you know about us. I’m sure they have other deals that they would be willing to provide if you ask at the front desk. Frankly, I would advise running for your life, but who am I to judge the aspirations of your little heart?”[/color]

Trent replaced the dagger. [color=00ff00]“Shoo, shoo, be on your way.”[/color]

Upon dismissing their “guest” Trent handed several packages to Kate. Making sure that the Gnome could not get a good look at what he had given her. Upon unwrapping there was a fine dress, the kind that a bride busted out on her wedding and honeymoon. This one, however, was indicative of more well-to-do than either Trent or Kate could actually afford. It also came with some not-so-practical shoes. Kate would need to abandon her armor and weapons, and no one should envy her feet. However, who (even among the guard) is going to stop two newlyweds on a leisurely stroll? If they kept the pace for 16 hours a day, the two should be able to pass town to town and make it out of the country in three days, considerably less if they could can catch a ride now and again. Nights could simply be staged to appear to have drifted to sleep stargazing. Furthermore, the parcels had been loaded with items of intrinsic value, and a gold wedding ring (something Trent could not afford unless he blew the entirety of his savings on was contained in the box.)

As Blont leaned in to see, Trent made very much intent to cover the contents, glaring at him in suspicion and resolve.