Vespasian's POV
The air was cold outside the room and Vespasian watched in a satisfied manner as the girl followed his every instruction. He feared that at any minute she would begin screaming and the guards would come rushing in, swords drawn and hungry for his blood. And if he was discovered or caught, it would be a hellish nightmare for all involved. As the girl waited by the window, assuming she was weighing up her choices, Vespasian began tying the other end of the rope to a hard outcropping of stone that was near the window. Just as he finished tying the rope immediately sprung out in tension as the girl leaped out, taking the entire length of rope with her. Vespasian’s eyebrows shot up in amazement as he didn’t have to incite her to that action, and he quickly popped his head out to see the process. The girl free-fell for nearly twenty feet before the rope ran out and jerked against the weight. The counter-force must have been quite painful for the woman.
With a smile, Vespasian himself climbed out, turning to face the room and closing the shutters as best he could. He climbed down in the irregular route, finally coming to level with the girl as she hung limply in the rope. Smiling, he steadied himself with one hand while he reached for the rope with the other and brought the woman close to him, their bodies touching each other. With a smile and no other sound, Vespasian released his grip on the rope, swung his sword out, and slashed the rope in one swing, cutting it several inches from where it was tied around his captive’s waist. She fell the remaining ten feet, though Vespasian didn’t look to see how she fell, and he scrambled down a few more feet before dropping himself beside her. With no concern for how she might be, he lifted her up from underneath the armpits and quickly untied the remaining rope from around her waist.
The rest of the length was still attached inside her room but that couldn’t be helped. When the guards investigated the matter the following morning it would be the only piece of evidence they had, and it would mostly point to the fact that the girl must have fled herself. Taking the rope, with strong hands he grabbed the woman’s hands and began to tie the remaining length of rope around them, binding her wrists together in a tight pattern. “You can try to run if you like, though I daresay you’ll get far.” He began to walk back to the gully, his arm firmly on her elbow as he lead her, “I’m not in the mood for chasing little damsels through the forest, so just let me say that if I see you trying to run, you’ll get an arrow through the shin or leg and forever walk with a limp. Do I make myself clear little lady?” Vespasian whispered to her, half in a mocking tone, half in a warning. “Now then, I hope you have a name or shall I keep coming up with monikers?”
