Vaunivor
Tlazolteotl
Syrenrei
AHeartlessNobody
nachonacho
VampiretwilightWhen Crow awoke on the stable rooftop, the sun had sunk quite far down the horizon. He yawned widely and sat up, stretching his limbs as he slowly came back to himself. He was slightly sore from sleeping on the uneven surface, but he felt more refreshed than anything else after the pleasant nap. It was nice to finally get some much needed rest after going almost two days without getting any at all, and he was glad he had found the time to do so between his other preparations for the raid.
He climbed down from the roof of the stable and headed back into the town near the market he had found earlier. It was about time to meet with the queen’s attendant, so he needed to figure out where the Running Bear tavern was. Looking around at all of the signs, he realized the task was easier said than done. There were a number of different taverns in the area, each one filled with lounging serfs, but, being illiterate, he couldn’t tell which one he was supposed to meet her in.
He stopped walking and rested a hand on his hip, looking between the various taverns on either side of the street. It would be risky to ask for directions, because it wasn’t unlikely for him to be standing right near the place he was looking for. He didn’t want to give away his inability to read and draw more attention to himself than was necessary. He exhaled, watching the passing servants in the hope that one of them would give him a clue as to where the Running Bear tavern was. Unfortunately, none of them mentioned the name he was looking for.
Come on, he thought in frustration. Am I really going to lose this opportunity over something as superficial as reading? He was about to keep searching again when he felt a pair of slender hands cover his eyes.
“Guess who?” Lily’s voice cooed from behind him.
“Hey there,” he turned around to face her and then froze. The girl had changed into a new, much more provocative dress with a low cut that showed off her chest. He flushed slightly and averted his gaze, trying to calm his heart that had begun to race in spite of himself. She’s a lot more brazen than I thought she would be, he thought nervously, wondering where the timid girl from the marketplace had gone.
“Thanks for waiting for me, Dante” Lily went on with a pleased smirk upon noticing his expression. “I hope you think this was worth it.” She smoothed down the front of her dress.
Crow swallowed. He hadn’t thought that his harmless flirting would cause any trouble, but now he was starting to regret doing it in the first place. Calm down, he forced himself to look at her, so as not to give away his discomfort. This is all for the sake of the mission. I’m not being unfaithful to Penelope… I won’t let it get that far. Pushing away his unease, he smiled at the girl and offered her his arm, “You look even more beautiful than the fabric you chose for the queen’s dress.”
“Why thank you,” Lily slipped her arm through his.
They walked to the Running Bear tavern—he subtly paid attention to where she was looking in order to find out which one it was—and sat down across from each other at a table. A wench stopped by briefly to take their orders, and then they were left alone. Lily rested her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers together and propping her chin on them. She smiled coyly, gazing at him with dark eyes hooded beneath long lashes, “So, at which estate do you work?”
Great, he thought with an inward groan. One question in, and I’m already not sure how to answer her. I hope our drinks come quickly. He returned her coy smile with an alluring smirk of his own, “The head of the manor is just a vassal you’ve probably never heard of. He doesn’t seem to have much to do with the royal family.”
“Try me,” Lily challenged. “I serve the queen, and she makes a point to learn the names of all the nobles in the citadel.”
Of course she does, he let out a soft sigh. There was no way he would be able to lie his way out of this subject, so he would just have to divert her attention somehow. “Well, if you insist. I work for—oh look,” he gestured past Lily’s shoulder. “Our food is here.” Luckily for him, the wench was walking back at that moment with their plates and mugs. She set everything down on their table and moved on to take the orders of another group of patrons.
“This looks great,” he smiled at Lily. “Seems like you have good taste in fabrics and food alike. I’m impressed.”
“I’m flattered that you think so,” she giggled, taking a small sip from her drink.
Crow mirrored her motion, drinking from his own mug as well. He tapped his foot impatiently underneath the table. If she continued to drink so slowly, there was no way she would get drunk. He needed to convince her to do more than just sip at her ale if he was going to get any information out of her.
“You’re a dainty drinker, aren’t you, love?” he teased, hoping to strike a competitive nerve in her.
“Of course,” Lily shrugged nonchalantly, unfazed by his taunting. “I have to be prepared to assist the queen at all times.”
“Well, you aren’t with her now, are you?” Crow pointed out, winking at her wryly. “You’re with me.”
“I suppose so,” Lily smiled back at him, biting her lip. “It could be fun to get a little… wild.”
Beneath the table he felt her slide her foot up his leg, and he fought the urge to cringe. Gods, this woman is forward, he forced a grin and raised his mug in a toast, “To having a good time.”
“And to having an even better night tonight,” Lily added with a wink of her own. She clinked her glass against his and they both drank. This time, she downed a sizeable portion of her ale.
Perfect, he fought to avoid giving away his feeling of triumph. If she keeps up like this, I’ll have the information I need in no time…
--
They both finished their dinners and their drinks, though Crow was careful to make sure he didn’t drink fast enough to become inebriated. He needed to stay sober so he could focus on his goal and combat Lily’s attempts to get physical with him. The more she drank, the more flirtatious she became until he was practically throwing herself at him. It was becoming a nuisance to keep her at a distance.
“So,” Crow began, guessing she was drunk enough to speak openly with him about the palace. “Tell me about your job serving the queen. What is the security like in the castle?”
“Thatsa boring question,” Lily tilted her head and then grinned at him drunkenly. “Let’s talk about you an’ me tonight.” She leaned in close to him, lowering her voice. “Don’ tell anyone, but I’ve always wan’ed to do it in the king an’ queen’s bed. Wanna try with me?”
Crow sighed in frustration. It was going to be hard to keep her on track while she only cared about sleeping with him. This is okay. I can work with this. He met her gaze with a coquettish smile, “Not unless you tell me where their bed is.”
“Tha’s easy,” Lily waved a hand dismissively. “They stay on tha fifth floor in tha west wing. So, you wanna do it in their bed?”
Fifth floor, west wing, he silently repeated to himself, trying to memorize the information as she gave it to him. “We’ll never make it to their room if we can’t get past the guards,” he tried a different approach.
“Don’ worry about them,” Lily scooted closer to rest a hand on his arm. “Tha guards only go through each wing a few times a day. ‘S not likely we’ll run into any.” She leaned in even closer to him. “They trust Aeklora to watch tha palace, so most o’ the guards are stationed outside. But we won’ be hurtin’ anyone, so she’ll pro’ly leave us alone…” Her eyes drifted down to his lips and she moved in to kiss him.
“Ah ah,” Crow leaned away from her, tilting his chin up so she couldn’t reach his mouth. “Not until tonight.” He decided to ask her just one more question, not wanting to linger around the persistent woman any longer than he needed to. “How would we get up to the fifth floor?”
“Tha stairs,” Lily frowned, seeming disappointed in his aversion to kissing her. “They’re in tha center of the palace.” She leaned in one more time in a clumsy attempt to meet his lips before he could move away.
“Great,” Crow stood up quickly, dodging her once more. “Thanks, love. That’s all I needed to know.”
“Huh?” she knitted her brow in confusion.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said dismissively. “Anyway, I should take off. Thanks for getting dinner with me. It’s been a lovely evening.”
“But what about tonight?” Lily frowned.
Crow clicked his tongue, “You know, I just remembered that I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t think the woman I love would approve,” he winked at her slyly and turned to walk out of the tavern, leaving the drunken girl behind.
Stepping out into the street, he looked up at the sky once again. It had gotten quite a bit darker as the sun had nearly vanished over the western horizon. He felt his heartbeat pick up. It was almost time.
I hope Penelope slipped the henbane into the staff’s food, he thought, making his way back to the garden to retrieve his bow. This will all be a lot easier if she did.
He climbed down from the roof of the stable and headed back into the town near the market he had found earlier. It was about time to meet with the queen’s attendant, so he needed to figure out where the Running Bear tavern was. Looking around at all of the signs, he realized the task was easier said than done. There were a number of different taverns in the area, each one filled with lounging serfs, but, being illiterate, he couldn’t tell which one he was supposed to meet her in.
He stopped walking and rested a hand on his hip, looking between the various taverns on either side of the street. It would be risky to ask for directions, because it wasn’t unlikely for him to be standing right near the place he was looking for. He didn’t want to give away his inability to read and draw more attention to himself than was necessary. He exhaled, watching the passing servants in the hope that one of them would give him a clue as to where the Running Bear tavern was. Unfortunately, none of them mentioned the name he was looking for.
Come on, he thought in frustration. Am I really going to lose this opportunity over something as superficial as reading? He was about to keep searching again when he felt a pair of slender hands cover his eyes.
“Guess who?” Lily’s voice cooed from behind him.
“Hey there,” he turned around to face her and then froze. The girl had changed into a new, much more provocative dress with a low cut that showed off her chest. He flushed slightly and averted his gaze, trying to calm his heart that had begun to race in spite of himself. She’s a lot more brazen than I thought she would be, he thought nervously, wondering where the timid girl from the marketplace had gone.
“Thanks for waiting for me, Dante” Lily went on with a pleased smirk upon noticing his expression. “I hope you think this was worth it.” She smoothed down the front of her dress.
Crow swallowed. He hadn’t thought that his harmless flirting would cause any trouble, but now he was starting to regret doing it in the first place. Calm down, he forced himself to look at her, so as not to give away his discomfort. This is all for the sake of the mission. I’m not being unfaithful to Penelope… I won’t let it get that far. Pushing away his unease, he smiled at the girl and offered her his arm, “You look even more beautiful than the fabric you chose for the queen’s dress.”
“Why thank you,” Lily slipped her arm through his.
They walked to the Running Bear tavern—he subtly paid attention to where she was looking in order to find out which one it was—and sat down across from each other at a table. A wench stopped by briefly to take their orders, and then they were left alone. Lily rested her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers together and propping her chin on them. She smiled coyly, gazing at him with dark eyes hooded beneath long lashes, “So, at which estate do you work?”
Great, he thought with an inward groan. One question in, and I’m already not sure how to answer her. I hope our drinks come quickly. He returned her coy smile with an alluring smirk of his own, “The head of the manor is just a vassal you’ve probably never heard of. He doesn’t seem to have much to do with the royal family.”
“Try me,” Lily challenged. “I serve the queen, and she makes a point to learn the names of all the nobles in the citadel.”
Of course she does, he let out a soft sigh. There was no way he would be able to lie his way out of this subject, so he would just have to divert her attention somehow. “Well, if you insist. I work for—oh look,” he gestured past Lily’s shoulder. “Our food is here.” Luckily for him, the wench was walking back at that moment with their plates and mugs. She set everything down on their table and moved on to take the orders of another group of patrons.
“This looks great,” he smiled at Lily. “Seems like you have good taste in fabrics and food alike. I’m impressed.”
“I’m flattered that you think so,” she giggled, taking a small sip from her drink.
Crow mirrored her motion, drinking from his own mug as well. He tapped his foot impatiently underneath the table. If she continued to drink so slowly, there was no way she would get drunk. He needed to convince her to do more than just sip at her ale if he was going to get any information out of her.
“You’re a dainty drinker, aren’t you, love?” he teased, hoping to strike a competitive nerve in her.
“Of course,” Lily shrugged nonchalantly, unfazed by his taunting. “I have to be prepared to assist the queen at all times.”
“Well, you aren’t with her now, are you?” Crow pointed out, winking at her wryly. “You’re with me.”
“I suppose so,” Lily smiled back at him, biting her lip. “It could be fun to get a little… wild.”
Beneath the table he felt her slide her foot up his leg, and he fought the urge to cringe. Gods, this woman is forward, he forced a grin and raised his mug in a toast, “To having a good time.”
“And to having an even better night tonight,” Lily added with a wink of her own. She clinked her glass against his and they both drank. This time, she downed a sizeable portion of her ale.
Perfect, he fought to avoid giving away his feeling of triumph. If she keeps up like this, I’ll have the information I need in no time…
--
They both finished their dinners and their drinks, though Crow was careful to make sure he didn’t drink fast enough to become inebriated. He needed to stay sober so he could focus on his goal and combat Lily’s attempts to get physical with him. The more she drank, the more flirtatious she became until he was practically throwing herself at him. It was becoming a nuisance to keep her at a distance.
“So,” Crow began, guessing she was drunk enough to speak openly with him about the palace. “Tell me about your job serving the queen. What is the security like in the castle?”
“Thatsa boring question,” Lily tilted her head and then grinned at him drunkenly. “Let’s talk about you an’ me tonight.” She leaned in close to him, lowering her voice. “Don’ tell anyone, but I’ve always wan’ed to do it in the king an’ queen’s bed. Wanna try with me?”
Crow sighed in frustration. It was going to be hard to keep her on track while she only cared about sleeping with him. This is okay. I can work with this. He met her gaze with a coquettish smile, “Not unless you tell me where their bed is.”
“Tha’s easy,” Lily waved a hand dismissively. “They stay on tha fifth floor in tha west wing. So, you wanna do it in their bed?”
Fifth floor, west wing, he silently repeated to himself, trying to memorize the information as she gave it to him. “We’ll never make it to their room if we can’t get past the guards,” he tried a different approach.
“Don’ worry about them,” Lily scooted closer to rest a hand on his arm. “Tha guards only go through each wing a few times a day. ‘S not likely we’ll run into any.” She leaned in even closer to him. “They trust Aeklora to watch tha palace, so most o’ the guards are stationed outside. But we won’ be hurtin’ anyone, so she’ll pro’ly leave us alone…” Her eyes drifted down to his lips and she moved in to kiss him.
“Ah ah,” Crow leaned away from her, tilting his chin up so she couldn’t reach his mouth. “Not until tonight.” He decided to ask her just one more question, not wanting to linger around the persistent woman any longer than he needed to. “How would we get up to the fifth floor?”
“Tha stairs,” Lily frowned, seeming disappointed in his aversion to kissing her. “They’re in tha center of the palace.” She leaned in one more time in a clumsy attempt to meet his lips before he could move away.
“Great,” Crow stood up quickly, dodging her once more. “Thanks, love. That’s all I needed to know.”
“Huh?” she knitted her brow in confusion.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said dismissively. “Anyway, I should take off. Thanks for getting dinner with me. It’s been a lovely evening.”
“But what about tonight?” Lily frowned.
Crow clicked his tongue, “You know, I just remembered that I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t think the woman I love would approve,” he winked at her slyly and turned to walk out of the tavern, leaving the drunken girl behind.
Stepping out into the street, he looked up at the sky once again. It had gotten quite a bit darker as the sun had nearly vanished over the western horizon. He felt his heartbeat pick up. It was almost time.
I hope Penelope slipped the henbane into the staff’s food, he thought, making his way back to the garden to retrieve his bow. This will all be a lot easier if she did.