A/N: it's not Friday or 1am on Saturday but Monday was yesterday and now I want to occasionally post on Monday's so accept this chapter as a late Monday chapter, thank youu <3
_Savarine & the Nameless_
A week and three days. That was how long they had been in the musty old dungeon for. Savarine's stomach burned in protest of the lack of food. They hardly fed you anything down here, and most of it was not that good anyway. A meal of slop, muddy looking water and stale bread. The first two days she struggled to eat it but it dawned on her that she might be here for longer than an empty stomach could sustain, so she had ended up forcing herself to choke the stuff down despite how nauseous the process made her.
Ryus and Kehan didn't seem to have much of a hard time with the food. In fact, they seemed to be fine as they worked out within their cells whenever the guards weren't watching and whenever they were not conversing about escape plans with the girl and her brother. If Eric was having a hard time down here, he didn't show it. The man was quick to bare his stress like a pro as usual. Savarine thought his ability to keep his cool in these situations was admirable.
There had been many conversations during these past four days about escape, but none had been accomplished. Ryus claimed to be able to lock pick but the issue there had been that there was nothing any of them had that could lock pick a door like this. Another plan was to rob the guards but those brutes would not converse with them, only leave them meals and tell them to shut up. The windows were steadily barred so there would be no escape through them.
They would need to happen across something strong enough for Ryus to pick a lock with. But there was no way to contact anyone to come down here with something to help them escape. Not that such a person would be able to make it past the guards with anything good enough to pick the locks. It was almost as if in order to escape, someone from the outside had to break in and incapacitate the guards. All four of them knew that was not an option.
Savarine brought her hand up to the stream of light that came in through the barred window. She watched it in the shine, slowly turning it and grasping at it as though it was something to touch. It was the only pretty thing down here as it lit up the glowing dust particles with its yellow rays as though they were tiny stars. The light felt soft against her skin and she found herself missing the open plains of Fordorne. She found herself now missing the horse she had grown up with, and her little gremlin siblings and sweet mother. She should have never insisted on coming to the capital with her father and brothers.
Ryus and Kehan spoke to each other softly in their native language. Savarine did not know what it was they were saying but after four days of this behaviour, she found herself no longer caring. "We're not going to escape." She spoke out now, as she dropped her hand from the light and leaned back against the hard stone wall. Eric looked over at her and sighed.
"You don't know that," He offered.
"Oh but I do. We're in the capital- they have the most guards here compared to the other lordling lands. Even if we got out of our cells, where would we go? What would we do to escape the guards that number us thousands to only four? We either die in these cells or on the chopping block." She said pessimistically, looking down at her lap in scorn.
"Have confidence, you never know what might happen," Kehan offered her.
Savarine looked up at the foreign man now. "How do you manage to be so optimistic? Even your buddy knows when something's amiss." She motioned to Ryus who looked in worse shape than his friend.
Ryus hummed out first before he decided to speak up. "We will likely be pulled for execution soon, and it does not look like we're going to escape soon." His expression darkened. "It looks like we are done for."
Kehan nudged him. "Negativity of the mind only encourages negativity of your reality. Not all is lost. Perhaps when the guards come to lead us to execution, we can overpower them and take the key," He suggested.
Ryu's face went sour. "Armored and armed guards against two unarmored and unarmed men. I am not so hopeful of that situation. We do not even know how these people fight. We know nothing of them and their ways, Kehan."
Savarine's brows raised. "I think Ryus is right. The whole reason I am here in the first place is because of my Father. He was invited to the capital because he is a master swordsman- mainly he trains the princes, but other times he works with the guards why Eric and occasionally Fenir trained the princes. If you encounter guards trained by my father, I don't quite know if you would make it out alive."
A smirk hit Ryu's face now. "Boasting now are we. You that confident in his abilities?"
"Tch," Savarine rolled her eyes. "Sure call me a boaster. But the fact still stands that the Ward family are the best swordsmen on this continent."
"Even you?" Ryus challenged.
"Do not take me for one of those delicate girls," Savarine warned.
"You were crying when we first got here," Ryus pointed out.
"Caught me at a bad time." She said simply.
"Hmm,"
The girl narrowed her eyes. "You want to go then, western boy? If we make it out of this alive I'll gladly beat your arse sword or fist."
Ryus chuckled. "Sword or fist? That is awfully bold of you, girl."
"Girl? I am a woman!"
"With the way you talk you could have fooled me."
"Are you insinuating me to be a man? Tch. How original." Savarine's playfulness was all but gone now. It was often that she was compared to a man. She was getting sick of it. Eric reached to put a hand on her shoulder but she merely smacked it away.
"Ryus," Kehan spoke up now. "Apologize."
"Huh?" Ryus looked to his friend. "I have done nothing wrong."
"You were rude,"
"Oh because she is a lady I must speak to her appropriately? She is unlike any lady I have ever met outside of the military."
"That does not mean you could so easily insult her like that," Kehan warned him.
Ryus sighed and looked over to Savarine. He opened his mouth to apologize but was cut off.
"I do not care. Compare me to a man all you like, it won't make a difference. Focus on finding a way out of this place," She told him seriously.
Ryus only nodded in response as Kehan gave him another warning look. The group was quiet for a long time, the air now tense, though soon the feeling faded and all they were left with was their thoughts and silence.
Perhaps it was only a few minutes, or perhaps a few hours but soon there was the bang of doors in the distance before footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway. Savarine looked up to see a guard walking up to her cell, but he was not alone, behind him was none other than Fenir. She felt overwhelming joy in seeing her other brother.
"Fenir she breathed as she crawled up to the bars."
"Savarine," he responded in greeting. "I would have come sooner but they would not allow me."
"Fenir I didn't do it- Eric- he didn't do anything!" She said frantically.
Fenir waved his hand dismissively at her. "Stop talking, I already know you didn't do it. You aren't like that. Eric isn't like that."
Savarine felt relief flood over her, tears threatening to spill from her blue eyes. "And father? What does he think?"
"He refused to believe it. He tried to make an appeal but it was shot down. If he tries again he may end up down here with you two," Fenir sighed.
Savarine looked to the guard who stood not too far away and then to Fenir. "Could we get some privacy?" She asked the armoured man.
"No, I am not to leave you alone." He answered gruffly.
"C'mon, you're Castello aren't you? I remember you. Father had me kick your arse. You were a bit of a challenge. Stood out from your fellow guards." He praised with a sly grin. "But you still lost sparring with some other soldiers. You aren't the best. Look, if you give me some privacy with my dear baby sister and arse of a brother I'll make sure you're the top of your squadron." He offered.
The guard was silent for a while, thinking it over.
"At no cost," Fenir offered now.
More silence. Moments past before the guard shrugged. "Alright. But no funny business. If I sense anything suspicious the deal is off." He said before walking away.
"I'll catch you at the next training. We'll stay after to work on your skills." Fenir told him with a grin. Soon the guard was gone and Fenir turned back to Savarine's cell.
"Are you really going to train that guy?" She asked skeptical.
Fenir let out a short laugh. "Gods no he was awful."
Savarine let a smile form at her lips. Fenir was still Fenir all right.
"So what do you want? There was a reason you wanted him to go away. Don't ask me to kill the prince though, as much as I am pissed, I'm not willing to end up with my head in a basket and fed to the hounds. You want me to break you outright?"
"Could you? Do you have anything with you that could help?" Savarine asked him, hopeful.
"Pfff, no. The guards are thorough. Checked my boots and sleeves and everything."
Savarine frowned. "Could you sneak something in?"
Fenir went silent and thought to himself. "Perhaps, if they let me come back in. I barely got in here as it is. Said I was saying my goodbyes and all. Doesn't seem like they want to execute you, just keep you rotting in her which in my opinion seems like a worse fate."
"Maybe you could sneak something through the window?" Eric offered.
Fenir looked over at him with raised brows. "Almost forgot you were here, brother." He ignored the glare that Eric sent him. "I could try to, but the outside of this place is guarded."
"Perhaps you could sneak past during the night," Kehan offered from across the hall. Fenir turned to face who it was that had spoke up.
"Huh? I wasn't talking to you, go back to whatever it is foreigners like you do while locked up."
"Shut up Fenir. Don't be rude. That's Kehan, the other is Ryus. They want to help us escape in exchange for us to meet someone."
"Huh? That's a strange request."
"Some prophecy girl." She said.
"Now that's a load of shite if I ever heard one."
"You don't understand," Ryus spoke up next, looking Fenir up and down, less than impressed.
"Then do explain."
"We fled from the west," Kehan started. "Fled and found ourselves on the beach of Faun Gia. The lordling girl- Rhoswen Solone. She knew we were coming. She can see the future."
"The Solone girl? Isn't she ill or something? Why would you believe anything she says? She's a child isn't she?"
"Well, she is young," Kehan said. "But the things she sees in the future are true. She knew Savarine would be here," he offered now.
Savarine hummed. "That is true," She said now. "They knew my name before I ever gave it to them."
"Hmm, I am not so sure I am convinced." He hummed out.
"There is no sure way to know unless you see her yourself. We promise you both no harm by our hands. Once Savarine meets her, she is free to go. It is not like there is anywhere she has to go if she escapes. It is like a small detour before she finds out where she can go. Gives her more time to figure it out at least," Kehan offered.
"What happens when she meets this so-called prophetic lordling girl?" Fenir asked suspiciously.
"I do not know. It seems like just a meeting. Rhoswen had visions when she touched Ryus's hand. Perhaps she will have more when she touches Savarines."
"Visions of what? The future? Pff,"
"Seven individuals, and the future yes. A dangerous future it seems, we'd like to know the importance of these seven."
"Seems like not even you are sure. What about your buddy? He doesn't talk much or something? Or is he as sceptical as I am?"
Kehan's eyes widened slightly before he looked over at Ryus.
"Sure I'm sceptical," Ryus said with a shrug. "But I have seen things hard to believe. Things that aren't making sense in a realistic world. I'm warming to the idea of all of this and I am curious what it is that would transpire if Savarine was to meet with Rhoswen."
"Alright. Then I'm coming too," Fenir decided.
"Fenir that's not necessary. I'll be with her, you do not have to go and ruin things here for yourself. If you leave they'll know you helped and they'll be after you too," Eric started up.
"What so I stay here under scrutiny of the court? Our family name's been dragged into the dirt. We'll likely leave court soon, if anyone stays it's going to be father. When you escape our family name will be under further scrutiny but that's better than the two of you rotting down here."
Savarine went quiet for a long moment, her head falling. "This is all my fault..."
"You couldn't have known," Fenir said simply. "You're an idiot but not even I would have known."
"But-"
"Shut up, there's no arguing over this," Fenir told her.
"He's right, Sav," Eric added.
Savarine bit her lip to hold back the tears threatening to escape her. "Let's just focus on the plan to get out. I can come over in the night and sneak a lock pick and a dagger through the window. I can't help you get through the guards in here but I can set up horses outside and take care of any guards who get in the way there."
"Can you drop off more than one dagger?" Ryus asked now.
"I'm not sure. If I get stopped and searched they may question why I have so much on me... I'll see about hiding extras in my boots after I survey the area. There's a fair amount of daylight left so I'd rest till I toss the shite through the window. When you get out, don't go to the stables, they'll be looking there. Head towards the west gate, it's farthest from here but they'll expect you to go to the closest gates- so patrol will be thinner towards the west."
"You seem to know quite a bit," Kehan pointed out.
"Despite what my idiot sister would tell you, I actually paid attention to my education. Not to mention as soon as she came here and they wouldn't let me in, I started thinking about all this. This is the best I could come up within such short notice all by myself."
"Seems reasonable enough for our situation," Ryus said with a shrug.
"It could always be better," Eric said thoughtfully.
Fenir scowled and shot his brother a glare. "You have any better ideas, brother?"
Eric's hands went up in surrender.
"Then it's settled," Fenir said, finalizing the plan.
________
"It's been dark for ages," Savarine groaned out.
"Perhaps he was stopped?" Kehan offered her.
The four had been waiting many hours now, yet Fenir had not snuck the daggers and lock pick through the bars of their window. Savarine thought perhaps he had been caught or perhaps he had tossed them into the wrong cell. The latter didn't seem quite likely.
"Come onnnn Fenir," Savarine stressed to herself.
"Perhaps we should start coming up with an alternative plan?" Ryus asked now.
"Got any ideas hotshot?" Savarine asked him grimly.
Ryus's brows raised for a moment before they dropped and his face went sour. "No..." He mumbled out.
"Fenir seemed clever enough," Kehan said thoughtfully. "Have some faith."
"We really should try to come up with a plan B," Eric offered to them.
"Shut up idiot." A distant voice called to them in a hushed tone. Three daggers clattered to the floor, along with a lock pick. "You have one chance to make it out of here. Don't you two botch this," Fenir warned his siblings before disappearing before anyone could say a word to him.
A smile graced Savarine's features. "Finally that lazy arse was good for something," She breathed, ecstatic. She picked up the lock pick as Eric gathered the three daggers. "Ryus, catch." She tossed the lock pick across the hall and into the boy's cell. He caught it with ease and started at the lock at his door.
"There are three daggers and four of us," Kehan mumbled out now.
"Which of you are better with daggers?" She asked the foreigners.
"That would be me," The two westerners said at once.
"Tch well figure it out because one of you will be defenceless."
"Oh, so the girl gets one," Ryus drawled.
"Why don't you take a dagger and we can have a showdown on who's more skilled? I could gut you like a fish western boy."
"Got any military experience?" Ryus asked her as he focused on the lock.
"No."
"Any field experience?"
"... No."
"Have you killed anyone?"
Savarine stiffened. "Why does that matter?"
"What is training worth without the experience?" He asked her now as his lock popped open and he stepped out of his cell with a satisfied face.
"You shouldn't underestimate her," Eric warned them.
"Ahh yes your very prestigious sword family, how could I ever forget?" Ryus said with the roll of his eyes as he started up on the door to Savarine and Eric's cell.
"Let us keep the daggers and you'll just have to find out," Savarine said with a daring smirk.
Ryus looked to Kehan who shrugged. "I have more front line experience than you Ryus, I've had my fair share of fist on sword battles."
Ryus sighed now and nodded as he kept his sights on the lock that he jiggled the lockpick in. "Alright if you say so, brother."
"You two are brothers?" Savarine asked them now.
"Ahh no, not by blood. We grew up together in the military."
"You were in the military together?" She repeated as a question.
"Most boys in the west are. Raised there from four years old."
"That's... so young..." Savarine mumbled out.
"It's normal from where we come. Though it is not a good thing I suppose. It is the reason we came here after all."
"I... I'm sorry."
The door to their cell clicked and swung open and Ryus stepped back with a wide grin. "No time for sorries. We are about to be freed."
Eric handed him a dagger that he happily accepted and the four made their way down the hallway towards the way they came from.
After a moment Savarine lifted her hand up. "Wait, if we came from there, won't there be more guards? Do you think there is an exit somewhere less populated?"
"I do not know the layout of the dungeon. If we go looking for this exit then there is no telling if we will find it let alone get there without being found out." Eric reasoned. "We need to take our chances using brute force to break out of here."
"There are only four of us and a number of guards," Kehan warned them.
"Hmm," Savarine hummed out now. "If we keep our wits about us, we should be fine."
"How are you so confident at a time like this?" Ryus asked her, appalled.
"Oh no, I'm terrified." She said as she held up her shaking hand. It was obvious that Ryus was trying to hold back a laugh at that.
Kehan rolled his eyes. "You both like to joke in the face of death don't you?"
"Huh?" she gave a confused look to Kehan.
"On our way here we almost died a few times but all Ryus wanted to do was make a joke out of it." He said shaking his head with a smirk.
"If you make the best out of the worst, things don't seem as bad."Ryus reasoned.
"You all need to shut your yaps before we're caught just standing in the hall," Eric warned them with an irritated tone. "Let's go before we make Fenir wait any longer."
"Right," Savarine said with a nod as the three of them followed after Eric. Finally, they reached a door. Savarine tried it only to see that it was locked.
It took a minute, but Ryus was able to pick it and open it slowly. It seemed there were two guards in this room. They were playing cards, unaware of the silent escaped prisoners. Savarine made a move forward but Ryus's hand shot out and held her back. He held up one finger, and then all five before pointing to himself and then to the guards. The black-haired girl thought she understood what he meant as she stepped back and allowed him to sneak forward and creep behind one of the guards.
It was too fast for Savarine to really catch as Ryus was behind one guard, his dagger up to his throat and his blood spraying onto the guard across from him. Ryus immediately dropped the bleeding man who was now choking on his own blood and made a move towards the other who yelled in shock and reached for his sword. But Ryus made use of the shock and lunged across the table in time to stab the man in the eye quickly, careful to catch him before he fell too loudly and set him to the floor.
"He yelled, keep an eye out for anyone who heard." He said to the others in a hushed voice.
Savarine's eyes were wide. There was so much blood... No. No, she was not going to focus on that. She wanted out of here. She was here unfairly. All these men served an unfair king and they were going to willingly serve his monster son in the future. Someone like that had to die. These men knew their lives were at risk every day they served. Still... part of her was immensely grieved at these actions.
They moved into the room Savarine tossed her dagger to Kehan carelessly as she picked up the man's sword. It was a bit rude to take a deadman's sword but alas, dead men could not complain now, could they? She held it firmly in her hands, the familiar feel coming as a comfort to her. "Let's move," She said now, and they progressed on.
Ryus did, however, turn out to be correct. A few guards had come to investigate, and these guys were more prepared than the last. Eric threw up his dagger as he barely blocked the blunt force of a sword coming down at him. Savarine did not have time to think about these poor men's lives as she swung her sword at the man, slashing him hard in the armour. He let out a shout and she dodged the second man coming at her. A third arrived but he was immediately taken out by Ryus who she had not even noticed.
Kehan knocked the sword from the man Savarine had hit and held him in a lock easily. Eric quickly used this chance to stab his throat just as Savarine was finished dealing with the final man, having brought her sword up in just the right way that she too, slashed into his throat.
"You're not bad," Ryus commended.
"You aren't so terrible yourself," Savarine said with a shrug.
The group pressed on just as planned but soon more and more guards appeared. There were now too many to attack at once, and they found themselves dodging and fleeing more than staying to fight. Savarine now had a few gashes on herself, and the rest of the group was the same way, but somehow they had all managed to avoid anything fetal as they worked their way to escape.
It felt like a dream as they pushed open that final heavy door to run outside without hesitation. Their feet beat against the ground as they headed to the west gate. Guards shouted in the distance but Savarine felt herself lightening, soon laughing. "Screw them!" She said with excitement.
They managed to get through the first wall before it was closed, entering the richer half of the city. As they passed her ears picked up the sound of some sort of rush of air. A nick at her arm let her know just what it was.
"Arrows!" Eric said to them now. "We need to go through the darker parts of the city," he instructed and the group did just that as arrows followed in their wake. It seemed a blur to the group as they hopped and ducked into alleys and streets.
"I think we're losing them," Kehan said after a moment of silence from behind them.
"They likely think we're going to loop around to a closer exit," Eric warned. "But just in case, stay aware. They may be trying to close the next gate. They'll need someone to reach it and warn them first so as long as we can beat them there then we're all set."
The group was breathing heavily now, their lungs and bodies aching, but there was no time for rest as they neared the gate into the commonwealth. Kehan threw a hand up and they skidded to a stop in the dark. It seemed news had not yet reached this side of the wall. Once they were through it would likely be obvious the way they were heading and they would have to make an even longer run to the final gate before they were gone.
A hand on Savarine's shoulder made her wheel around and slash her blade at whoever it was that had touched her. Fenir jumped back with surprise. "Way to go, idiot, you almost killed me."
"Fenir," Savarine hissed as quietly as she could, the other three of the group turning to look. "Aren't you supposed to be stationed down there?"
"I was but here seemed as good a place as any, easier for you all as well." He told her now.
Fenir led them into a dark alley where there were five horses tied up. Each climbed onto a horse before taking off. "Let me lead," Fenir said, taking a turn out of the alley. "I mapped out what I assume to be the safest route." He informed. No one argued as they followed after him into the dark.
The path Fenir chose had many turns as if they were running in a zig-zag, however, it was off the main path if anyone were to ride past. This way took longer but eventually, they made it to their goal. The final gate. Their horses took the gatesmen by surprise as they struggled to close it, however, they were far from halfway as their horses rode easily under and through. Freedom. There was a strong sense of relief flooding across the group, but it did not last long as they were shot at with arrows once again. However many more than before whizzed past, nicking them as they rode their horses on.
More thundering hooves could be heard behind them as guards rode their horses after them, continuing the onset of arrows. Adrenaline was pumping through Savarine as she experienced what she considered to be the second scariest moment of her life, however this time it was rather exciting.
All too suddenly she experienced a sting in her back. One that left her unable to completely react as she gasped out.
"Savarine's been hit!" Ryus called out as he rode his horse up close to hers, reaching out towards her. "Don't you dare fall off!" He commanded the girl.
So she had been hit by an arrow? The realization allowed the paint to fully wash over her as she bit her tongue so hard blood filled her mouth. "I'm going to pull you onto my horse, I need you to help me out as much as you can!" He told her as he barely ducked an incoming arrow.
"It hurts!" She hissed out as her horse slowed and thus bringing Ryus's slower too.
"You have to work through it," He told her as he reached over to grab her. The process was awkward as he struggled to lift her over to his horse, and she struggled to allow herself to be moved. The bounce of the horses running was no help either. Midway through, Ryus snapped the end of the arrow off her back without warning, making her scream out and almost fall to the ground. Her scream spooked her horse who bucked and veered to the right. Ryus managed to pull her onto his horse and sit her in front of him so she would not fall off.
"I did not take the arrow out, only broke off the end. We have to leave it in so you do not bleed out,"
"I know how injuries work genius! Next time warn me!"
"You would not have let me," He told her seriously as he picked up his horse's pace, leaving her horse behind. They quickly caught up to the others and continued on into the dark until it seemed as though they had lost the guards.
"We're heading into the forest," Fenir announced. "Savarine, I need you to hold on for a while until we're farther from them. If they catch up we're likely done for. The horses are getting tired." He told her.
"Just go, go as long as you need," She grunted out to him, feeling woozy, but sitting in front of Ryus allowed him to make sure she did not fall off the horse.
It was much darker out here than it was in the city. She allowed the cold air to hit her face, cooling her down and allowing her to regain what little breath she could. How long had it been since she had been able to enjoy fresh air such as this? She did not know, nor did she have the time to think about it as she soon found herself slipping away, her eyes closing and her world fading to black.