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Post by Val on May 11, 2020 3:09:43 GMT
Destrian had made up his mind very suddenly in the days after the breakthrough between him and Cyra. Perhaps he wanted to redeem himself after murdering an innocent, but he felt that it was time to set things in motion with Eve. He'd never expected to rebel against the kingdom that had taken him in, but he'd also never been a sheep. His loyalty to Raevaryn was not strong enough to make him turn a blind eye to their transgressions. They were on the precipice of war, and he felt that it was his duty to be that catalyst that set things in motion. It was time for the corruption to be exposed.
The sun was setting as Destrian approached the gates of Raevaryn Castle on horseback with Cyra wedged into the saddle behind him. He'd considered leaving her behind, but he had freed her from her prison for this very reason. As far as he was concerned, Cyra was virtually unstoppable. He wasn't afraid to take on the mission alone, but it would be stupid not to utilize the weapon of mass destruction at his disposal, if things took a turn for the worst. Besides, he had a feeling that Cyra would be grateful for the opportunity, and it was the only thing he really had to offer her.
"Hide your face," he instructed her as the guards opened the front gate. He nodded to them as they passed, officially entering the castle grounds. This was very likely the last time he would step foot within these walls, and he took a moment to observe the familiar surroundings as the guards changed shifts right on schedule.
Dismounting from the horse near the stables, he went about his usual motions, as though it were any other night he was scheduled to see Eve. He'd given Cyra very little information, not feeling the need to overwhelm her with the complicated details. All she needed to know was that he was smuggling a prisoner, and he would unleash her second form if necessary; she knew what to do from there. "Get down. I'll show you where you're going to wait for me. Remember what I said; don't talk to anyone." He looked up at her pointedly, wondering if she was capable of following orders.
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Post by starrea on May 11, 2020 3:39:54 GMT
Something snapped inside of Cyra during that conversation with Destrian and she hadn’t been the same since. Before that conversation, she hardly questioned why she couldn’t remember so much of her childhood. Now, bits and pieces were working their way into her consciousness and it was extremely disorienting. None of them were complete enough to make any sense, but they sent her spiraling down an emotional rabbit hole.
On top of that, Cyra was starting to see Destrian in a different light. That in itself was a game-changer for Cyra, because most of her identity was built around her all-consuming rage. She didn’t know what she was without her anger towards Destrian. What made it even worse was that she couldn’t do anything or go anywhere. Destrian hadn’t imprisoned her again but she hadn’t left the cabin since she brought home that guy from the bar. She had thought she was ready to face the world but she had been dead wrong.
All of the emotional whiplash left Cyra tired all the damn time, so she had spent most of the past couple of days sleeping. She went out of her way to avoid Destrian and Ari, going as far as only getting up in the middle of the night to avoid seeing them. She had hoped that after a couple of days, she would snap out of it. Cyra has been wrong again; by the tome Destrian had sought her out for some special mission, she was just as emotionally distraught and exhausted as she was a week prior.
Cyra didn’t ask any questions and Destrian didn’t seem to want to give her any answers. She didn’t really care, anyway. The ride to the castle was uneventful, aside from her trying to get on the horse - which still didn’t like her. Her mood did start to lift when the castle came into view and she couldn’t help but marvel at it. Cyra had never seen a castle before, not in real life, and the reality of it was blowing her expectations out of the water.
Caspian’s command for look away from the guards was unneeded because Cyra was already shrinking away from them, pressing her face into his back. She turned her head just enough to catch a glimpse at everything as they rode by and she had to stop herself from asking questions. Seeing civilization like this suddenly made her realize just how much she had missed out on and how much she didn’t know, so she turned her face into Destrian’s back and didn’t look again until the horse stopped.
Her leg muscles screamed when she hit the ground and she stretched them a little with a scowl. If Destrian was going to keep her around, she needed to make him invest in a damn wagon. She rolled her eyes as he practically pushed her to where she was supposed to hide and she crouched down, exactly as she was told to do. She waved her hand dismissively at him, “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be right here and I’m not going to talk to anyone. Don’t worry, just go.” But she didn’t blame him for worrying because if the roles were reversed, she would incredibly worried.
Either way, he truly didn’t have to worry. Cyra was too scared to talk to anyone right now - just another thing to add to Cyra’s list of shit-she-couldn’t-do. She also couldn’t let him die because she wasn’t willing to risk her own life, so that only left her with the option of helping. Maybe when Destrian recognizes her cooperation, things wouldn’t be so damn awkward between them. It wasn’t likely, but she couldn’t stop herself from wishing for a more normal relationship between the two of them because neither one of them was going anywhere anytime soon.
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Post by Val on May 12, 2020 2:36:08 GMT
Destrian still looked unconvinced, but he had no choice but to trust her. Something had changed in Cyra and, although it was unexpected, he was grateful for it. It worked very much in his favor and he could only hope she wouldn't revert back to her destructive ways.
Giving her a quick nod, he slipped into the shadows and took the familiar path to the dungeons beneath Raevaryn castle. The journey felt like an out of body experience. He passed familiar faces around each corner, but they paid him no mind. Everyone knew that Destrian kept to himself. The only attention he'd ever gained from his fellow soldiers was either the usual wariness, or shock when his relationship with Ari began. Their dislike for him seemed to grow after that, perhaps out of jealousy that the assassin had chosen him over any of them.
The air grew cold as he descended the steps into the darkest recesses of the prison. It was where the most high profile prisoners were kept, Eve included. Of course, no one knew who she was or why she was there, other than Alister, and now Destrian himself. All of the soldiers and guards did what they were told and asked no questions. Destrian wondered what Alister would think when his secret captive suddenly disappeared, along with the soldier he'd assigned to her. Would the king even know who he was?
The deep thoughts came to a halt as he approached Eve's cell, materializing out of the shadows. "Eve," he greeted her calmly. He unlocked the cell door and entered, but did not follow his usual routine by taking a seat. Instead, he remained standing near the entrance, observing her silently for a moment. It was strange to imagine the woman she might have been before. He'd ruined her, and was now speaking to the shell of a former queen. He was truly no different than the people that had destroyed his life. "I need you to listen to me very carefully."
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Post by eragon on May 16, 2020 20:08:45 GMT
Eve sat cross legged on the cement floor and watched the last sliver of sunlight shining through the grate at the top of her cell fade into darkness, signaling the end of the day. Flames from the torches in the outside hallway still provided enough light to see by, but it was dim. She rose from her position, not bothering to stretch her cramped muscles, and moved the few steps to the straw mat that was her bed to lay down. It would be some time, she knew, before sleep finally claimed her, but she'd grown used to this, as she had to everything else about her current life.
She was watching the shadows cast by the torches shift across the floor when Destrian seemed to materialize out of nowhere in front of her. Although, her gaze shifted to him, there was no change in her expression. He had never visited her after the disappearance of the sun, she noted, but his sudden appearance stirred no feelings in her. The before-Eve might have been surprised, but Eve had learned not to question the things Destrian did. It was out of the ordinary, but he had changed their routine before with no warning to her; it was above her position to wonder why.
"Destrian," she responded, sitting up and watching as he entered the cell. Again, she noticed that he didn't sit down, another deviation from their routine, but her interest in this didn't extend beyond observing the change. "I always listen to you carefully."
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Post by Val on May 22, 2020 4:56:56 GMT
Destrian stared at her, a moment of unintentional silence passing between them as he let her response sink in. The reality of the situation dawned on him as he realized he would have to decide what to do with the rightful Queen of Nethilor once he freed her from this place. He had inserted himself in a very dangerous political game and this woman was merely a shell of her former self. He wasn't stupid enough to think that Nethilor would be grateful to him for returning her in this state, but he had no intentions of accepting the consequences for the part he had played.
"I am taking you away from this place," he told her simply, offering no further detail, "We are leaving. Now. Come on." He gestured for her to stand, glancing quickly behind him as a long forgotten sense of paranoia came over him. Everything was still and silent, but he wanted to leave this castle as soon as possible. He wasn't sure how Eve would react to the news, but he didn't have time for resistance. The sooner they left Raevaryn, the better. It wasn't the first time he would be hitting the reset button on his life, leaving his former self behind and attempting to start fresh, but this time felt entirely different. He was responsible for more than just his own life.
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