Fable 3: And So We Begin [Book 1]

The Deviant's Daughter

A/N: Mild language and mentions of blood

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It was everything but a dream. She was about to die by a madwoman and the mob she riled up. Quite horribly, Aria wanted to add. There was only a sliver of time to get her bearings, to begin moving into safety... Yet her feet were glued in their spot. Her beating heart overtaking her logical senses. In the next moment, Aria would be violently thrown around. Hit, beat, thrashed about. And she would die. It was the only thing the front part of her mind kept focusing on. The idea of escape was thrown out the window, along with a plan of action. She was unsure of how to defend her. Magic was out of the question. If they didn't want to kill her earlier, they would want to now. Old Kingdom magic was dangerous and unknown. People didn't like the unknown. Especially not in these times. Especially not in this moment. Especially not when Aria was the wielder.

A shot fired in the crowd. Pieces of the ceiling crumbled down onto the ground. Before the crowd could turn to see who it was, another shot fired. And then a third, and a fourth. The small disorientation was enough for Aria to get her bearings and slip through a small opening. She was far from being safe, but, if she were to cause a grand commotion she could be guaranteed an escape.

' Someone's trying to help you... Think, Aria, think! You can do this without magic, let's go..'

Her hand reached for a tankard, wildly throwing it in the opposite direction. 'This is your plan!?...' A connection was made, for shortly after a string of curses was yelled. Follower by grumbling and louder curses. More shots fired, perhaps they were hoping the attention would be off of her?

"Who threw that?!"

"He did!" Aria lowered her voice, pushing an unsuspecting stranger into the fray. "That's the bloke." And with the cue of footsteps storming over to the stranger, Aria jumped back into the crowd. There's was a smack, and grunting - the start of a fight. But it wasn't enough for a real commotion to begin, the focus was still primarily on her.

The dread began to return. She had tried her hardest, with the help of strangers, to save her skin, but she would only get so far. The door was nowhere near her position, and there was no one to trust. Her hands clenched into fists... Maybe it was time for magic. She could feel the will bubble underneath her skin, but she couldn't let go... It would be a mistake to show this side of her...

But to her surprise, within a second, more screaming and shouting began. There were forceful pushes and punches thrown, and soon the whole inn was sent into a tizzy. Corliss' voice could be heard through it all, yelling one singular name over and over. Whatever plan Avo had created, Aria was thankful for him and the situation he created to save her pathetic hide.

It was now or never, and Aria slunk through people and fights. She avoided chairs, thrown objects, and people. Thankfully, she eluded most of the chaos that the tavern was now in. There wasn't a better time to escape... A piece of red clothing flashed in her peripheral, and immediately she turned towards it. The color didn't attract her, instead, the thrill she would get for chewing out Roy for did. Perhaps he was the one who got into Corliss's head. No doubt that was the reason Aria was now in this predicament. It made sense... He was foreshadowing her demise. Her fingers caught onto the fabric, bunching up into a tight fist before pulling down.

"Mister Roy Morris! Listen here you little shit!" she shouted before realizing that this was in fact not Roy, but a middle-aged blonde soldier. His rifle was in his arms, stopping his shooting. His frozen position caught her off guard, as if he was truly invested in what this strange woman had to say. "O-oh-oh, well. You're not Roy... Do you... Do you know him perchance? I.. Well.. We.. have to finish this wonderful conversation we were having, preferably before I retire for the night-" she paused, brows furrowed at his reaction. "What? I know I'm-"