"I just wanted to have a word with Missy."
Aithan Alistair entered the room, interrupting. Dressed in a fine black suit,he looked like a pile of gold in a dumpster inside that small,shoddy room. He carried in a heavy metal tray,heavy with a jug of water, a small bowl of porridge, and some fruit. After settling it on the table, he bowed deeply.
River was completely caught off guard.
"M'lady," he said,still bowing, "there is no excuse for this rudeness on our part."
He pressed his lips together, his jaw tightening. Even his stolid face was dusted with a shamful shade of pink. River almost blurted out "it's okay" before realizing no, this was, in fact, not okay.
"Rise,please," River croaked. However distressing everything was, he couldn't stand the sight of this proud, giant man bowing so pitifully.
"Is there something you want, M'lady?" He questioned.
Yes, to leave.
"Water "
Aithan turned to the tray, swatted away Raven's stealthy paw that was grabbing at Softberries, and poured water into a small cup.
"Untie her."
"Nope." Raven threw a plump berry in the air and caught it in his mouth. "She will run away."
No shit,detective.
Aithan glared. "Her highness can't eat or drink like this. Untie her."
Another berry went up in the air. "I will. I will. After she listens to what I have to say,
Aithan looked like he wanted to smash Raven's head in with the tray. But he silently walked over and held the cup to River's lips.
"Excuse me," he muttered.
River chugged down the entire cup and asked for another, which was promptly given to him. He felt much better and was clear-headed now. Looking down at himself, he almost fainted.
His blue dress had omnious dark red stains all over it. His sleeves and front were covered in red. Blood? No, it did not smell like blood. It had not darkned like blood.
"I think you owe me an explanation," he glared daggers at the Southern King, trying to make himself seem bigger than he felt.
Raven narrowed his eyes at him. For a moment, it looked like he was going to deny it. In the end, he shrugged and stuffed his cheeks with a handful of berries.
"Ask away," he garbled with his mouth full.
"What happened at the banquet? I can't remember anything," River inquired. "How did you?"
"Aaaaaaaa!" Raven interrupted him,rather rudely. "That was a fucking breez."
"I never thought I'd run in to you," Raven tilted his head to the side,appearing rather bored. "I only wanted to show my face, slug as much free booze as I could hold, and fuck off."
River glared. "You know me?""
Raven dramatically pointed an index finger up.
"Southern God?"" River raised a brow.
"Well, I was going to start from the fucking beginning," Raven said, rolling his eyes. "Anyhow, I had like five fucking seconds to think of a way to get you out of there.Then the old fart wanted to toast: "
"Language" Aithan interfered.
"'mkay, 'his majesty' or whatever the fuck you call the man," he waved a hand dismissively .
"In my experience, people get way too distracted with spat wine to notice what the fuck is going on with the wine in the cup."
"You drugged me?" River's jaw went slack. That explained the weird smell and the sourness of the wine. Unsuspecting,he had emptied half the cup of it.
Mireya Huxley had been right for once. The wine had been fine. Until it wasn't.
Don't consume anything strangers give you. Noted.
"But how did you put it in?" River wandered. As distracted as they were, they were not blind. If he poured something in,surely they would notice?
Raven held up his hand, showing off his collection of black rings,glittering on every finger except the fourth.
"This has the muscle relaxant," he held up the pinkie, then stuck out the middle finger, "this one poison."
He held out the thumb and index finger and said, "One has an aphrodisiac, the other has a permanant paralytic. For my own safety, I am not telling you which is which."
Sir,are you a king or a hired assassin?
River couldn't help but laugh humorlessly. "You already told me which one has the poison."
"I'm saving myself for marriage," he said, putting a hand on his chest solemnly.
"I choose death over premarital sex."
I hope you accidentally spill all four into your breakfast!
"So where is the Southern Ring?" River asked merely out of curiosity, but Raven's face fell immediately. He furiously patted around his pockets for a few seconds. He then fished out a golden band, shaped like a serpant, from his back pocket.
"Here it is," he smiled sheepishly. "I almost forgot to put it back there."
Is this man for real?
"Ahem," Raven cleared his throat. "So you sat there for a couple minutes, swayed, and fell on your fucking face." He cackled, slapping his thigh. "That was fucking priceless."
Aithan bowed once more. "It was a blunder on my part. I was entrusted with your safety, but I failed."
"But we were in a hall full of people" River pointed, "You can't just haul someone like that!"
"Um, I just fucking did?" Raven laughed, his pearly white cannines peeking through.
"No one questioned you?! My brother? Gaurds?"
"They did," Raven remarked.
"And?"
"Oh!noo!!" Raven dragged out each syllable,sounding way more dramatic than he needed to be. "This miss fainted! It must be the heat! Since I'm a fucking gentleman, I'll kindly escort her to get some fresh fucking air."
"And they bought it?"
"Well, duh, you are here, aren't you?"
He rolled his eyes.
"But -but-" River stammered,questions whirling in his mind: "Out of the capital? They check every carriage at the border."
Raven Alistair started laughing his head off.
"Ill tell you what they don't check," his eye sparkled with tears from how hard he was cackling. "Inside wine barrels. That comes with King's fucking stamp,ordering not to be opened. "He inhaled sharply,hugging his sides, "because they are a fuc-fucking gift."
His bewilderment must have shown on his face because he threw his head back and wheezed, sounding like a glass being wiped. "Your fucking face! God!"
That would explain the dark red stains on his clothes. He had traveled comfortably for two days, folded inside a wine barrel.
River sighed. It was scary to think how Raven had planned and perfectly executed such a detailed scheme in a span of a few minutes.
Distracting everyone, lacing the drink, strategically making River drink it, and even asking for 12 barrels of wine so there would be a foolproof smuggle route-River remembered how he even threw the remaining wine on the floor, getting rid of evidence.
If he wasn't at the receiving end of this devious plan, he would be so impressed that he would start applauding. He made a mental note to never let his guard down around the man again.
"Why didn't you ask me?"
Raven killed his witchy laugh. "Ask what?"
"To just come with you?" River shrugged.
Even Aithan's impassive face contorted into a what the fuck? expression.
"Excuse you?" Raven jumped a brow. "And you would do what? Fucking elope with me?"
"I mean, yeah," River puckered his forehead. "I was planning to run away, anyway."
"What the fuck?" Raven Alistair scrunched up his face. "And you would have gone with any fucker who asked nicely? Without first knowing if they were serial killers, or nah?"
River pursed his lips, giving his argument some thought. He was desperate, after all. If someone got him out of East Wing, rest was a worry for another time.
"Why the fuck are you actually considering it?" Raven eyed him like he was a hairy spider on a bathroom wall. "Why is your immediate answer not 'fuck no'?
River sighed, looking at the window and the sunlight spilling in through it. Bright, warm sunlight. How was he to explain to this man that he had not seen it in years?
"Ya scare me," he shuddered. "Anyways,"
Raven rose and walked up to him. His mouth and tongue had gone red from eating berries. He loomed in front of him, blocking the golden sunrays. His eye gleamed, adding to his menancing aura.
"Let's get down to business."
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Aithan - " I hope my brother behaves himself for this single night and that everything would go smoothly "
Raven - casually breaks 23 etiquette rules and commits a capital offense
Aithan - "am I a joke to you?"
River Verlice