Arlen crouched behind the stony ridge, and watched as 2 Servicer’s he had seen back at the mansion of the Ruling Family, stealthily trekked up the mountain path. The Queen was situated 3 feet to Arlen’s left, and she didn’t seem to even be breathing as her mouth pursed, and her face continued draining of color. She didn’t appear confident in their odds should they have to face 2 highly trained veteran Servicer’s whom were trained specifically in the field of war and combat.

He sincerely hoped that the Seers that worked for the Ruling Family hadn’t been able to see them for at least a day of their travelling away from Nola, the Minkies Shield. It would give them the head start advantage that he knew they would need.

The 2 Servicer’s that were watching every detail of their surroundings were both dressed in the black coat of the Servicer’s, with the edges falling just above the knee of their black trousers. The taller of the 2, had ebony hair, was pale, and had the steely gray eyes of an experienced killer. His companion had thick deep gold hair that was kept meticulously in place, despite the curls on the ends.

His eyes were a shade of brown that was almost black, and instead of seeming frivolously handsome, they gave him a kind of intensity that was almost as intimidating as his traveling companion.

“Samuel.” The black haired Servicer said as he held up a hand to stop their progress.

The dark eyed Servicer named Samuel sniffed the air experimentally.

Then nodded towards his companion.

“Arlen, Son of Ida, show yourself or we will use whatever force necessary. You have deviated from your vows as a Servicer of the Ruling Family, and are being called to appear before Alexander the 9th for your sentencing.” The dark haired Servicer called out, his emotionless voice sluicing the air easily.

Arlen felt acid rise in his throat, but one look from the Queen and he could tell he better stay quiet, or she would be the one to kill him.

They had known the Servicer’s were coming for them as soon as the 2 had stepped onto land. They had been waiting, and knew that the Servicer’s would be upon them after Arlen left the safety of the tribe.

They had all been bracing themselves for a conflict and had barely slept ever since the 4 of them had set off on their own.

“Very well.” The black haired Servicer began turning to stare back down the path they had recently come.

“If you are not compliant, we are forced to return you to the Ruling Family in an undesirable condition. Your comrades are of course sentenced to death as they are already privy to too much insight.”

Arlen believed that it had to be his pounding heart giving them away, because he was certain that no one around him was moving or breathing.

Arlen watched in horror as both of them became blurs and swarmed the area- flitting as quickly as a humming bird’s wings from place to place until with a short gust, they appeared behind them.

The black haired Servicer immediately had the Queen by her neck and hoisted into the air, while Samuel squared off with Arlen. Jed and Keynan were on the ridge beneath them and immediately began firing arrows with their swords drawn.

One of the arrows struck the arm of the Servicer holding the Queen, forcing him to release her, but as soon as the Queen hit the ground he had two thin blades in his hand and wasted no time in moving to strike both Jed and Keynan across their chests.

Both men moved out of the way just in time.

Samuel bared his pearly white teeth at Arlen.

“Haven’t learned how to control the quickening, have you?”

Arlen leapt nimbly at Samuel with his short sword drawn, but missed as Samuel blurred, and appeared nose to nose with Arlen, his hand already around his throat.

“I thought this would be more fun.” Samuel sighed, and Arlen could feel the air being blocked from his windpipe. He tried to throw a punch to Samuel’s gut, but the blow was deflected easily. A small smile began to bloom on Samuel’s face, when he suddenly went rigid, and fell limply to the

Arlen stumbled down to one knee as breath flooded back into his body, and blinked against the multi colored spots, until he finally was able to see the Queen as she leapt at the last Servicer whom had heard his companion fall, and had turned with the tiniest of frowns on his face.

He once again caught the Queen easily by her throat, only she was ready for it, and this time when he grabbed her throat, she gripped his wrist with both hands.

In less than a second, he released the Queen and crumpled to the ground.

Everyone took several deep breaths in the following silence.

The Queen began to sway on her feet, and both Keynan and Jed immediately appeared at her side as her legs began to give way under her.

Arlen was the first to break the

“Did you-?”

“No. They will be asleep for a while.” The Queen answered as she slowly steadied herself.

“I’m surprised you were able to subdue both and are still conscious.” Jed mentioned cautiously as he frowned at the 2 Servicer’s crumpled bodies.

“Arlen… what is different about you and these Servicer’s.” The Queen asked randomly, still slightly breathlessly. Alrne could tell by her expression that there was something very obviously troubling her.

“I’m bonded to someone and the Ruling Family, whereas these men are only bonded to the Ruling Family.”

The Queen shook her head.

“No, magical bonds don’t change blood. Yours is different from theirs. They were far easier to take care of than you. Your blood is harder for me to affect, and I had assumed that was just because you are a Servicer, but theirs was different.”

Arlen frowned.

“Perhaps because my mother originated from an Eastern continent?”

“Perhaps.” The Queen answered, but was still studying Arlen very carefully. He got the distinct sense that she didn’t believe that explanation, and was tallying another conclusion that she was not forthcoming about.

“We need to get going, she only put them to sleep to make sure that they didn't kill us. Once we start murdering Servicer’s, then we start bringing politics into this matter.” Keynan prompted as the Queen gradually resumed standing on her own.

“Kidnapping an already kidnapped Lady from the secret Palace of Pleasure’s, that is owned by the Crowned Prince of the Southern Kingdom, isn’t political?” Arlen asked dryly.

The Queen didn’t dignify the quip with any acknowledgment as the group slowly resumed their journey along the face of the mountain.

Jed however gave him a good humored smile.

“I think your Lady has started rubbing off on you Servicer; you never used to be so snippy.” Arlen smiled grimly.

There was a tight knot in his chest as Aggie’s face flashed through his mind.

He remembered the first time he had really seen her smile...

The night of their escape from Sean O’Farrell’s keep, and while she had just been publically humiliated, she smiled because she was at Freedom’s threshold, and it was going to be all over.

The ache in Arlen worsened.

It had been almost a month since Aggie had been taken, and while Arlen felt her fear die away, he also felt the blows she received, and everyday he had to take a few moments to himself to try and remind himself that being in a panic was not going to help her.

He needed to think clearly, and remain focused if he was going to get her back.

He would see her and protect her again, that is if he survived the Servicers.

***

Aggie stood in front of Reg who was making a show of flexing his furry arms to the crowd. She watched standing casually, favoring her left foot as she leaned to her side with her head tilted, her eyes fixed on the Beast Awares she was about to fight.

Up on the quarterdeck, Captain James Murphy watched the Lady with narrowed eyes, the lines in his forehead seemed to have grown deeper ever since her arrival, and First Mate Ikes was well aware of this. Even though the captain was well into his 40’s, he had maintained his youth for far longer than seemed fair- that is until the Lady had stepped on board.

“What is it Captain?” Ikes knew the Captain saw something of concern, but as far as he could tell, there wasn’t anything that the Lady could possibly be doing.

Her hands were limp at her sides, and no one was within arms reach of her as she stood under the hot sun of the day. Her face had a layer of dirt darkening her features, and her hair had grown significantly in such a short amount of time, which gave it a distinctly disheveled look with its odd lengths flipping up and over in random places.

“She might beat him.” James Murphy said slowly as he continued watching the line of her gaze.

“He is the third best fighter we have right now, and while she is the fourth, what is it that gives her an advantage over a Beast Awares that is more than twice her body weight with antlers.” There was an indignant note in the Beast Awares voice that made the Captain give him a slow sidelong glance before returning his attention to Beatha.

“She’s been studying him for a long time, and she has a plan.”

The Captain folded his arms over his chest and frowned.

“What is the matter Captain?”

“I don’t like people I can’t figure out.”

“In your defense Captain, your exchanges haven’t been over a pint- or in her case a cup of tea.”

James nodded slowly as Ian stepped forward with the pot somberly-; he was far more wary around Aggie ever since he witnessed her brutality towards his fellow crewman.

“After this fight, I want her in my cabin. I think it’s time she and I had a chat in more civil settings.”

First Mate Ikes gave a brief nod as the ladle struck the bottom of the kitchen pot between Aggie and Reg.

Reggie started quickly as he took a lazy swipe at Aggie who dodged the blow hastily. The Beast Awares was already laughing at her as he continued swiping her sides without much force or effort behind his attacks.

Aggie appeared to be strictly on the defensive, as she continued dodging his blows.

As though toying with her, this continued for a minute, until Reggie finally sped up one of his fists, and while she did dodge, it clipped her arm.

Despite the blow shifting her balance, she didn't let it shift her focus.

The blow that followed immediately after, Aggie dodged far more quickly, and the Beast Awares fist collided with the mast.

The great pilla of wood shuttered at the impact, and the Beast Awares gave a small grunt at the pain in his knuckles.

He issued another punch towards Aggie that was a little faster, but he still was following through too closely, which allowed Aggie to side-step, and push him into the mast with the full force of his blow behind it.

His fist hit harder, and he let out another grunt, his eyes grew dark with ire.

The crew around him were laughing and jeering.

"Oyy, buck up!"

"Baller is beatin' 'im black 'n blue!"

"Don't do 'er job for 'er!"

Reggie rounded on Aggie with more serious intentions than before.

“Come here little mouse, you won’t knock me down just by dodging.” He growled at Aggie while he cut her path off from going back around mast.

“That wasn’t the plan.” She responded slightly winded from dodging his blows.

Reggie backed her up further and further away from the mast, forcing the crowd of sailors apart to let them through, until her back was against the ship’s railing. Aggie nearly tripped and fell back into the glittering blue water that looked far too cold to have a quick dip. Aggie grabbed onto one of the lines running up to the mast situated on the quarter deck that was pulled tight to balance herself.

“No where to dodge.” Reggie grunted baring his teeth.

As he neared, Aggie hoisted herself up with a jump, and kicked high. Mistaking what she was aiming for, Reggie knocked her foot back into her true target with added force, and the heel of Aggie’s boot collided sharply with the base of his left antler.

Aggie fell to the ground, while Reggie shouted in pain as he doubled over clutching his antler and head.

Aggie didn’t waste any time, she took off running. The crowd of crewmen not wanting to be caught in either of their paths, opened up the ring around them so that there was a clear aisle towards Aggie’s destination: the shrouds.

Aggie heard Reggie chase her, but he wasn’t coming fast enough yet, so she slowed momentarily before leaping up, grabbing onto the shrouds that were connected to the main mast. As Reg charged towards her at full speed, murder in his eyes, Aggie pushed off the ship railing, and swung both her feet at Reggie who had only been anticipating one of her kicks. She slammed both of her feet into his head, the power of the blow knocked him back against the main mast which let out a splintering sound.

A clear snap rang out as Reggie’s left antler snapped off was still audible over the pummling of the mast, leaving the entire ship silent.

The roar that bellowed from Reg stuck maddening fear in the crew as its power shook them all senseless.

If Aggie hadn’t prepared herself for that exact moment thousands of times in her head, she doubted she would have been able to think straight.

Aggie had been knocked to the ground near Reggie after colliding with a charging Beast Awares, and she had hoped he would’ve be knocked out, but when he lifted himself to look straight in her eyes, she saw that he was far from finished with her.

As she fought for breath and began to shift away, Reggie grabbed her ankle, his other hand still clutching the broken stump of his antler, and dragged her closer to him her hand reaching for her throat.

There was no control in his face, no trace of the human blood that was in his veins as his eyes looked more like a wild Beast than anything. Reggie yanked her towards him, but as the pain continued to consume him, Aggie grabbed the broken antlers as she slid by, and with a combination of adrenaline and panic realized he meant to snap her neck then and there. Without a second of hesitation, Aggie thrust its prongs through his eye into his brain faster than he was ready for.

What startled everyone, was that the roaring cry that echoed out, came from Aggie as she leaned harder into the antlers forcing them further into Reggie's skull.

The shout rang in the air, as blood and brain gushed all over her, and with one final adrenaline ridden push, she shoved the Beast Awares back away from her.

Not a single crewmember cheered, or called.

Aggie shakily stood up, tears were streaming down her face, and her hands and shirt were soaked in blood.

She stared at the crewmembers who looked too stunned to move.

Aggie stared wildly at all of them before she succumbed to the shaking, and fell to her knees in time to vomit.

When she finished, she wiped the back of her mouth, and found a firm but warm hand under her arm, hauling her to her feet.

Everything blurred as she was ushered away from the gore she had made- tears silently ran down her face; her mind completely blank and unable to take in anything else that was happening.

It wasn’t until she realized she was seated on an actual chair that she blinked, and realized she was sitting in Captainn James Muphy’s private cabin.

“Well Beatha, you’ve made me wealthy man today.” Aggie saw him pouring amber liquid into 2 tumblers that were very obviously of good quality.

“I bet you’d win today.”

Aggie stared up at James Murphy whom raised his glass in salute without a note of mockery, before he drank deeply. He leaned forward and placed the other glass in front of her.

“I think it’s time you and I have a chat, but first I recommend you drink that, and then take a bath.” He turned his back for only a moment to place his drink back down on the small side board, when the glass shattered across the back of his head.

First Mate Ikes was in the room immediately, but Aggie had already picked up the chair she had been sitting on and hurled it at Ikes.

He was forced back, and she immediately picked up the small heavy table that had been in front of her, and threw it far more forcefully at Captain James Murphy.

Still dazed from being hit by the glass, he stumbled backwards, knocking several navigational instruments off of the sideboard ledge as he went.

Roused by the commotion, crewmen filled the room, but Aggie had nothing else to throw.

“Beatha! If you do not cease and desist immediately, I will personally see to the rightful punishment of the Fey woman.” First Mate Ikes roared at her over the men.

Aggie stopped. She wasn’t sure what voice of reason still existed in her that was loud enough to drown out the rampage she wished to embark on, but she didn’t move. Every crewman was staring at her in a combination of wide eyed shock, and some had the smallest shadow of fear behind their eyes. The sight of the deranged Lady covered in blood forever changing how they would see her.

“Captain? Are you alright?” First Mate Ikes turned to James who was taking very short breaths after being winded by the table.

“Not my first brawler, though I can say it is the first time it has been a member of Royalty.” His joke charmed everyone immediately, and put the entire room at ease.

Aggie hated him for it.

“Lady Beatha, I tried the route of civility, but it would appear we need to communicate with a firmer hold on you. Fortunately for you, I still will grant you a bath, though crewmate Ian and Herm here will observe while you do so, and you will be shackled during the process. We are going to have a chat, and it is up to you on how the consequences from said chat will go.”

As he spoke James Murphy withdrew a handkerchief form his breast pocket and dabbed at the cut on the back of his head.

Aggie watched the crewman named Herm smile at her, his dark eyebrows shadowing his blue eyes, though Ian looked far less pleased with the arrangement.

She didn't say anything in response, only tightened her fist by her side.