Capture

[Trinn]

Spring had come quickly to Alagaesia. The cold winter winds had been swiftly replaced by warm breezes that brought the smell of flowers and bloom. In Uru'baen, it was sometimes hard to be able to appreciate the full magnificence of a new spring, and so, a portion of the Toros house had decided to embark to Feinster where they would be able to enjoy the spring in a smaller city. Feinster was known for it's beaches as well, and Helena particularly looked forward to exploring the sands under a midnight moon. She had loved her native city Tierm for it's beautiful sea views, but it had lacked a proper swimming beach. In Feinster, there were beaches, and they were full of beautifully soft sand.

Their first day in the city was occupied with paying their respects to the lords and ladies that occupied Feinster. As the families had dinner together in the large dining hall of the house, Helena's parents attempted again to bind her to one of the young sons. She had been forced to politely refuse, and then be excused from the table.

The next day fared better. She and her mother, accompanied by a few of their house guards, walked the city streets and shopped at the fare. Helena had found a beautiful emerald and onyx bracelet, and her mother had purchased some new gowns for the both of them. The day ended with another dinner at the same noble house. Fortunately, the topic of coupling was not broached again.

It wasn't until the third day that Helena realized her parents were not planning on visiting the lovely beaches, which she had so far only gleaned a glimpse of. It seemed she would have to do it herself that night.
~~~

The sand felt even more wonderful on her bare feet than she had imagined. Her gold silk slippers dangled in her left hand as she trudged through the sand, letting each little grain squeeze through her toes. It tickled a little, and she smiled to herself as she walked the shoreline. The ragged brown cloak blew back in the sultry breeze off the sea, revealing glimpses of the rich gold gown she wore. Perhaps it was silly to dress up on these midnight outings, but Helena was a lady, and she would dress a lady no matter.

The sound of little pawprints brought her hazel eyes away from the softly rushing waves of the sea, down to the sand below, where Dashing was trotting along playfully. She kicked a little sand at him, and he jumped away, running sideways. Many people thought ferrets were vicious little creatures, like weasels, but in truth they were simply playful. They just happened to have very sharp fangs.

In this manner they continued on, until another sound disturbed the peaceful moonlit walk. Looking over her shoulder, Helena spotted two figures walking some ways behind her. Alarmed, Helena snapped her head back around. It was strange for someone else to be out on the beach at this time of night. Trying to remain calm, she continued in her easy pace, hoping the stranger would ignore her and be on his way. A few minutes later , she looked back over her shoulder once more.

They were closer, and she could clearly see their cloaked and hooded figures outlined in the silver light of the moon. Big, bulky figures. Men, no doubt. It seemed they found her looking, for they suddenly picked up their pace.

"Dashing." Helena said under her breath, "To me." And the silver furred ferret promptly climbed up her leg and into her arms. Carefully she stowed him away into the pocket hidden on the inside of her cloak, then risked another glance behind her. The two strangers had drawn noticeably closer now, and Helena felt her first hint of fear. They were not taking a leisurely stroll. These men were up to no good.

Her heart was beating quickly now, fear settling into her bones. Just one more look... the wind caught the cloak of one of the men, revealing the long flashing silver of a knife's blade. That was all she needed.

Abandoning her calm pace, Helena broke into a run, her bare toes digging desperately into the sand. There was no hope of guards helping her; she had strayed too far outside the city. Her only hope would be to outrun the men.

Breathing hard, Helena put all her energy into the run, but soon she heard the heavy breathing of the men, who were drawing inevitably closer. At that moment, she hated fancy gowns and dresses. Her's kept catching around her knees and ankles, hindering her stride. Something struck her head then, putting sharp spots of light in her vision. Helena stumbled, almost caught herself, tripped on her dress, and fell.

The men were upon her in an instant, and before she could so much as scream, a fist came down on her head, and then there was only darkness.
~~~

Helena awoke to light. Her stomach rolled as she groggily opened her eyes, nauseated from the stabbing pain in her head. Her hand made to touch her forehead, where she felt crusty dried blood, but it would not lift. It was only then that she realized she was bound hand and foot, as well as gagged. The situation fully hit her, and her stomach rolled uncomfortably again. Captured. By thieves or worse. A moan came out muffled from her mouth. Blinking slowly, she took stock of her surroundings.

She sat in the center of a shabby tent, bound to the middle tent pole. From the way the sun baked the inside of the canvas, it had to be midday or after. Which meant she had taken a bigger blow than she would have thought. Outside she thought she heard the two men talking, but their conversation was muffled and hard to hear. She heard "ransom", "war", "Bellatona", and "supplies". So, she would be used for ransom, and they were somewhere near Bellatona. Groaning again, Helena rested her head against the pole, closing her eyes and trying to think of a plan. Dashing was gone, too, and she hoped he, at least, had made it back home.

[Max452]

Home. Elias sighed at the thought. A warm, spring breeze rustled through the company of halted horsemen. It had been nearly six months since Elias had returned to Belatona. His brother, and especially his sister would grant him a grand scolding for not visiting often. Elias mentally rolled his eyes at the thought. It was not his fault; he had soldiers to command. Elias continued to stare out into the vast lands of Belatona; the city a few more miles from their location. His black stallion mare neighed irritably for the stop of the march; she was an untamed spirit that enjoyed racing across the land.

"Colonel." His lieutenant rode to a stop beside his commander, disrupting the said man's musings.
"Aye?" Elias retracted his vision from the scenery and toward Grayson.
"Our scouts report suspicious activity to the west of us. It may seem like nothing, but one of the scouts said they spotted a large wagon filled with jewels."
"A wagon filled with jewels?" Colonel Elias' rose an eyebrow. "Thieves?"
"Aye. It appears so; no one carries that much unless they have been inviting themselves into people' homes without permission."
"Or they've gathered all their belongings to escape the brewing war." Elias added, before nickering his mare to turn around. "Well, there is only one way to find out. Grayson. You have command while Bray and James accompany me."
"By your command, my Lord." Grayson nodded. "We will be on stand by."
~~~

It did not take long for Elias and his small group of men to find the encampment. Elias's scouts reported that it was only two men, but one could never be too careful. "Bray, James, keep your eyes and ears open."
"Aye, Colonel." They responded in unison.

The three horsemen trotted for a few more minutes before they cleared the brushes and into the encampment themselves. "Well, good day, sirs." Elias replied with feigned mirth; his eyes scanned the area, noting a two tents and the wagon. Until he was sure who these men were, Elias refused to show his true sentiments. "Pardon the intrusion. I am afraid my men and I are quite lost. We were on our way to Belatona when we were separated from the army." There was no way to lie about that; they were well armed and their horses were donned with Queen Nasuada's emblems. "Would you care to show us the way?" Elias asked, wanting to gauge the men's reactions to his story.

[Trinn]

Helena's eyes snapped open. There were more voices now, belonging to other men. From what she could hear, they sounded pleasant. Could this be her salvation? Struggling now, she attempted to free herself from her bonds, rubbing the skin raw on her wrists.
~~~

One of thieves, startled, dropped a log of firewood that he had been carrying to the firepit. The other smacked him in the back of the head and then bowed to the two horsemen. "Evening' sirs." he said, attempting politeness. "Belatona be just that way some five miles." he said, gesturing to the northwest. "It shouldn't take ya any longer than an hour, with the fine mounts you have there." The smarter thief eyed his companion, hoping he didn't open his stupid mouth again.

"We'd be happy to take you there ourselves, but our own horses are tired from the day's travels, and we need our rest. The sun'll be settin' in the next couple hours." He added, trying to get the soldiers to leave them alone, when in truth, the sun had a good five hours left in the sky. He didn't want a fight, not with them on horseback and him on his feet. Not to mention that wretched little noble girl stuck in the tent... They would be as good as dead if she were found out.
~~~

"mmmm!" Helena tried to scream out, but her voice sounded pathetically small with the gag in place. She tried to scream again, to alert anyone of her presence, but it seemed no use, and blood was running from her wrists freely now. It hurt so bad, she gave up and stopped trying to escape the bonds there, and just let her head hang down in defeat.

[Max452]

Elias glanced over to James and Bray; the reaction between the two individuals gnawed at him. There was thick tension in the air now and his gut was telling him that something was amidst. He gave a slight nod to his men, who, upon his signal, starting to casually lead their horses around the campsite.
"Ah, we thank you for the direction, good sirs." Elias continued, "I suppose we should leave before the light dwind-" He halted in his speech, having heard something. It was small. Quite small that typically no one would have heard. His eyes darted over to the direction of the noise - the tent. "What is your business here?" Elias dropped his polite tone and replaced it with a more aggressive tone as his men continued to meander about.

As Elias spoke with them, James nonchalantly approached the wagon. He glanced over to the two men, finding them preoccupied with Elias, lifted the canvas' side. "Well...would you look at that." James let out a low whistle as he exposed large chests of gold and jewels to all present.

"Now, how did you, fine, lads, get a hold of that much gold?" Elias asked, his right hand ready to reach for his blade, Bane.

[Trinn]

"Well, you see my lords, that just ain't none a your business!" The speaking thief said, and drew out a curved blade. He launched at Elias, trying to cut the black horses flesh first, as it was in easiest access. Kill the horse and get the man on his feet, then the fight would be even! His companion clumsily followed suit, drawing out a similar sword. He dashed off towards the other two soldiers, to protect the gold. That small witted fool was going to die.
~~~

Now there was a commotion, and more noise, louder this time. Helena grew hopeful again as she heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn. "MMMMM!!!!" She screamed out again, her throat starting to scratch from her efforts. "MMMMM!!!!" A horse whinnied nearby, as if frightened. She silently begged the gods to be merciful. Something soft brushed against her arm, and she jumped, frightened half to death. Dashing squeaked as he climbed into her lap.

"MM mmm!" she said stupidly, trying to say her pets name. The ferret looked at her and blinked, not understanding. She wriggled her wrists, and then, by some miracle, Dashing jumped down and waddled behind her. First he licked her bloodied wrists, and then, slowly, began to nibble at the rope around her wrists.

[Max452]

Elias's mare neighed as Elias quickly maneuvered her away from the thief's blade. In an instant, Bane was out and blocking the blade from harming his horse. "A poor mistake on your part." Elias growled out and instantly began to fight back. He directed his mare to sideways, forcing the thief to back up as he mercilessly struck out with Bane in what seemed to be easy, fluid movements; Elias had trained himself to fight in all manners, therefore, fighting on horseback was manageable.

While, Elias was fighting the main thief, James drew out his sword to clash with the second, clumsy thief. "Come on, then." James snarled, but blinked in surprise when Bray appeared behind the thief, blade held against the man's neck. "Hey, Bray! He was mine!"
"You were taking too long." Bray retorted to James, before glaring down at the thief. "Surrender or die." Bray was always that blunt.

[Trinn]

The clumsy thief dropped his blade instantly and held up his hands. "Surrender!" he said quickly. He wasn't that much of a fool, after all.

His friend was a bit more stubborn. He tried his best to keep Elias off him, but in the end he could not hold up against the well trained knight. In a second his sword was knocked from his hands and he had stumbled backwards to fall in the dirt. "Kill me then, my Lord. I won't live the rest of my life in a dirty dungeon cell!"
~~~

Helena mumbled through the gag, trying to spur her little pet faster. The rope was thick, and Dashing was chewing as fast as he could. Helena's fear was that the thieves would best her rescuers, further dooming her to their whims. Her imagination took hold, and she thought of all the horrible possible futures that might be had under their hands. A little whine rose up in her throat.

[Max452]

"Good lad." Bray replied before nodding at James. The soldier sighed in reluctance as he dismounted. He went and grabbed rope from his pack and immediately set upon binding the man's hands, whilst kicking the dropped sword aside. Once done, James glanced over to his commander, while Bray made sure the surrendered thief stayed put.

"Well, it seems the Colonel took longer than we did." James noted as he spotted the more stubborn thief staring down their commander. Bray didn't reply, but merely directed the bonded thief to the center of the camp.
~~~
"No, good sir. It be the dungeons for you; I am no executioner and I follow the law. The Mistress of Belatona shall give you a more proper sentence than I." Elias replied, sword pointed downward at him, as James came before them, rope in hand as he intended to tie the thief's hands.

Once both thieves were secured, Elias hopped off his horse to investigate the source of that small, quiet, sound. With Bane still drawn as to ward of any unwanted surprises, Elias approached the tent. Flapping the main entrance aside, he peered in and was stunned to find a bonded woman. "It is all right now, my lady. I mean no harm; you are safe now." Elias' assured in a soft tone, not wanting to cause the woman to panic.

[Trinn]

Silence now fell outside the tent, and Helena stared at the tent flap anxiously. She jumped again when it suddenly moved in a flourish and a man stepped inside. His words soothed her frightened senses and she calmed. Embarrassment took over when she realized who it was that was speaking to her. Lord Elias! Well, better him than a common foot soldier, she thought, trying to make herself feel better. Her hands suddenly sprang free, and she groaned in relief. Reaching into her mouth, she pulled out the gag and spat. It was unladylike, but that thing had tasted quite disgusting. Dashing jumped into her lap again, looking pleased with herself. Making to rise, Helena found that she couldn't. At least, not easily. She had passed almost an entire day without food. "Lord Elias," she said from the ground, "You have my most humble and gracious thanks."

Making a second attempt, she was able to get to her feet. "If it weren't for you, I would surely be lost."

[Max452]

Recognition dawned upon him as the woman called out his name. Ah...the Toros lady...he had forgotten her first name; he was not one to involve himself with the noble court - Eliza did all that. He was soldier. "Lady Toros." Elias greeted as he sheathed Bane. "I must refrain to say that it is good to see you; this is not a pleasant situation." He declared before moving to her side. He rose a curious eyebrow when he spotted a furred creature bound onto her lap. It seemed the ferret had freed her; clever. His hands darted out to steady her when she tried to move, but stopped short when she attempted once more, though his hands hovered near by to catch her. "Thank my men, Lady Toros. They were the ones that alerted me to these bandits." He studied her for a moment, noting her blood crusted forehead and exhaustive state. "You are in need of a physician and food. Belatona is not far from here." He informed her. He moved closer to her. "If you would excuse me, Lady Toros, but I can see you are in no condition to walk." He swiftly picked her up - one hand on her back, the other tucked under her knees. He motioned to exit the tent.

[Trinn]

Helena found Lord Elias's manner rather interesting. He was nobility, but he spoke more like a well mannered soldier than a man of high house. It suited him, though, she thought idly in her exhausted mind. She opened her mouth to let him know that she could walk, but it was no use. In seconds he had swept her up and carried her outside. She was further embarrassed. There was nothing Helena hated more than looking like a foolish and weak woman, as so many of her kind did. And here she was, a damsel in distress! Dashing clung to her shoulder, and she was sure it only made her look more foolish. "Provide me a horse and I can ride." She said, looking up at Elias. "I'm sure one of my captors has a suitable mount." And she cast her gaze onto the two apprehended thieves. One glared fiendishly at her, while the other stared dumbly at the ground. She returned the first thief's stare, her own gaze smoldering.

"Pretty little things shouldn't go walking by themselves at night." He said then, and licked his lips. Helena felt herself go pale. Had he done something to her while she had been unconscious? The thought made her feel slightly sick. She looked away from him, and he laughed as if he had won something.

"A horse, please." She said meekly to Lord Elias.

[Max452]

Lord Elias' blood boiled at the sight of the wretched thief's behavior. If he wasn't carrying Lady Toros, he would have shown the man's mistake more properly, however, Bray's actions would have to do; Bray had punched the thief while James told him to be silent. Lord Elias would make sure that Eliza would give this man his proper fate. Mustering all of his patience, Elias finally glanced down to address the woman he was carrying.
"If you insist, Lady Toros, but I would feel more comfortable if you ride my steed, Temperance. She is good mare; I have other plans for the others." He guided her to his own horse as he spoke gently to her. "Worry not about those fiends; they will receive their proper judgment." He then proceeded to help her up onto Temperance.

"Bray, James, yoke up those two horses to the wagon." Elias commanded once he was finished helping Helena. "I believe these good lads are going to be walking; tied them to the wagon." He then sent a killer glare at the main thief. "Make sure its a good pace for them." His voice hinting anything but an acceptable pace to set them.

"Aye, Colonel." His men ushered out.
"I'll lead the horses, sir. My steed is yours." Bray replied.
"Thank you, Bray." Elias replied as he returned his attention back to Helena. "Bear with us a little longer, Lady Toros. We'll get you to Belatona and have your wounds looked at." His eyes flickered over to her bloody wrists. "For now, this will have to do." His right hand darted over to his cloak and he ripped the bottom with ease. He then proceeded to wrap the strips around her wrist.

[Trinn]

Helena glanced up at Elias, amazed by his kindness. If only other noble born men were more like him, she found herself thinking. As it was, most Lords thought they deserved everything and didn't bother lifting a hand to swat a fly away from their own face. That was usually a servants job. It disgusted her. Lord Elias was a refreshing change of pace.

With help from Elias, she was settled upon Temperance in short order. She absentmindedly stroked the strong mare's long hair. "Thank you, M'lord." she said, marveling again at his generosity. She risked another glance at the thief who had taunted her. His face seemed paler as his hands were tied to the wagon. That satisfied her some. It would be perfectly fine with her if he ended up dragging behind in the dust. In fact, she wondered just how fast Temperance could run...

Her musing was interrupted by Lord Elias's attention and a soft touch on her wrists. "You're really too kind." she said, blushing a little as she held her hands out for him to more easily bandage. That he was tending to her himself rather than one of his men, that Bray fellow, for instance, was quite chivalrous. "Please, if there is anything I can do to return your hospitality, just name it."

[Max452]

Elias continued to gently bind the cloth around Helena's wrist when she addressed his apparent kindness. Taken back by such a compliment, he couldn't help the light blush that graced his features. "Um, thank you, Lady Toros. I only desire to help." He smiled at her, though his embarrassed eyes did not glance toward her. "No need, Lady Toros; I am quite content with what I have, but perhaps I might suggest that you be more careful in the future?" He finally glanced up, "I would hate to have that poor ferret lose its friend." He gave a teasing smile before their conversation was interrupted by Bray.

"Colonel. We're ready." Bray announced as he hopped onto the wagon, ready to guide the horses back to their battalion.
"Aye, and may I suggest we make haste?" James added, a sly grin on his face as his horse snorted around the now tied thieves.

"Yes, I think it is best if we do not linger here; the Lady of Belatona would be annoyed if we are late." Elias joked about his sister as he gave a comforting pat on Helena's aided wrists. "Come, my sister will be pleased to finally have a female companion for the day." Elias joked, filled with mirth from the thought of going home. He hurried to Bray's steed and mounted quickly. "Grayson and the men should already be there; let us not keep them wanting, gentleman, and dear Lady." Elias exclaimed as he took to ride next to Helena, leading them all toward Belatona.

[Tismri]

Eliza stood in the courtyard of her home in Belatona, arms lightly crossed and her expression only hinting at her annoyance. In reality, she was having to restrain herself from waiting by the gate. Elias was supposed to return any minute now. She allotted him a few extra minutes, but she always hated it when he was late for some reason, especially if that reason was not sound.
She very nearly allowed herself to begin pacing when she was informed that her brother and his company were seen riding their way. She took a deep, calming breath, glad to be sure now that he was safe, and now her annoyance was more apparent. She was going to rag on him a bit when she saw him, mostly because it had been so long since he'd last visited her.