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[CrimsonMoon]

! !! Matty Only!! !
---

The young princess sat alone in her room in the Red Keep, hugging the ragged cloak she would use as a disguise tightly around her shoulders. She was shivering, staring at the full moon out the window, her small shaking hands grasped tightly around a lion locket as she prayed:
"Gentle Mother, font of mercy,
Save our sons from war, we pray.
Stay the swords and stay the arrows,
Let them know a better day.
Gentle Mother, strength of women,
Help our daughters through this fray.
Soothe the wrath and tame the fury,
Teach us all a kinder way."
She trailed off as she heard the screams from the bearby battle field and sniffles, her door creaked open slightly, causing her to jump

" It's time, dear Ariella." an old woman states, her wrinkled eyes wet with tears. The young princess nods and tucks the locket into her tunic before hurrying after the old woman

-TIME . SKIP-

She slipped out of the walls alone, gripping her sack tightly in one hand while carrying a pack on her back, she had pulled her hood down to hide her golden-sun hair and her bright blue eyes flickered nervously as she walks across one of the many abandoned fields left by the farmers, blackened with ash and strewn with bodies and feasting ravens..

[mationix]

It had been so odd for Elizah when she had disappeared, nothing seemed to hold his attention for more than a couple seconds. Jobs that used to give him joy seemed to have been sucked dry; everything was a chore now. He found it darkly humorous that he had turned this soft -something that he had been thinking since the time he had met her. Though what could you do in this world -you could barely keep up with the rules constantly shifting in almost anyone's favor but your own.

He shifted where he crouched down, his legs slowly starting to tingle from not moving in a while. He had been assigned for capturing some princess by an anonymous someone; it was a lot easier for Elizah to be a roaming assassin, instead of staying back at the convent, he felt that it was easier to breath when he was away from that place -too many memories.

Stifling a yawn, he rubbed his eyes with the bottom of his palm, forcing his bloodshot eyes open. Not getting a wink of sleep had caused him to start hallucinating -a couple times of seeing his "targets" resulted in his victims turning out to be trees. Though he couldn't go back to sleep, nightmares plagued him, making him wake up in a cold sweat. He was now operating on shooting his system of sugar, to try and keep himself awake.

Shaking his fogged up mind, he focused on keeping the road in front of him from tilting and swaying. When was this princess going to pass by him? He couldn't wait forever... Then again, what else did he have to do?

[CrimsonMoon]

She moves across the empty field swiftly, her pack bouncing across her back noticably. She pauses and shooes away a raven from a dead soldier, stiffling a soft cry when she sees the man's face nearly gone and begins sprinting faster... Right outside her home... Was Hell.

The young princess stops only when she reaches a tiny grove, gasping for breath and crying softly," Hear me roar-" she kept repeating as if those words would drive away all her fear. Ayla pulls her hood up and continues walking, limping slightly from twisting her ankle earlier on

[mationix]

Despite his exhaustion, Elizah's tuned skills stirred as he heard the soft sound of a step-shuffle, his thoughts zeroing in on the sound. Perking up somewhat, he shifting forward, his eyes scanning the area. As his eyes landed on a figure, he nodded to himself, shuffling back behind a row of trees -that should be the princess, who else would be walking around at this time in the war out in the open?

Rolling his shoulders, he briefly weighed his options, which weren't that much: the first one was he could use the element of surprise to take her down, she seemed smaller than he was -he could overpower her- or he could wait until the next town when her defenses were lowered. Unfortunately, both could end in absolute failure -his exhaustion depleted his strength, she could have enough strength to defend herself and letting her move to the next town meant that there was more ways for her to hide and be protected by the guards of said town.

Muttering silently to himself, he scrubbed his face with his hands, before stilling. The only option that gave him enough room to work in was the first one -there was a chance that he would be unable to take her down, though that was a risk he was willing to take. He snuck around the trees, keeping his eyes on his target.

He suddenly darted out of the thicket of trees and wrapped his arm around her throat, halting her movement, as he stood behind her, his other fingers wrapped around his dagger as it pressed against her cheek. "Good evening, princess," he said pleasently, "I would advise that you don't move, or the road will be stained of your blood. Understand?" Though his voice was light, his muscles were taught, ready to defend himself if she decided to do something.

[CrimsonMoon]

She immediately tensed, gasping in fear as soon as he touched her. She grabs his arm, nails digging into his skin but trembling in that way small animals do when they have nowhere left to escape.

Immediately tears sprang to her blue eyes, she had failed already?!
" Pl-please sir... I-I'm not who you're looking for-" she gasps, gulping

[mationix]

A humorless smile wound up his lips. Oh...how cute, pleading for her life, huh? And it was so early in the game... "Do you really think that I would waste my precious time on someone who wasn't my target? Rest assured, I believe you are who I'm looking for," he replied, as lightly as before. Unless, of course, he was absolutely wrong about all of this and the person who tipped him off of where the princess was passing by lied to him...that would be a little embarrassing to say the least.

"Tell me," he continued, "why on earth would a girl like yourself wander out here on a night like this...? Especially at a time like this?" Elizah didn't seem to be talking to her, he seemed to be talking to himself, musing at this like it was a puzzle he couldn't figure out though he knew he had all the information he needed to solve it.

[CrimsonMoon]

Her mind frantically began to speed up until she blurted," I-I pleasure the Stark soldiers!" She whimpers, mentall slapping herself... If anyone knew the bloodline of the Lannisters just said that, she was pretty sure she would be thrown out on the streets so fast that she'd have no choice but to do just that...

Ayla freezes, waiting for his answer, who? Who wanted her? Other than the Starks and their allies but... Why jus this one guy?

[mationix]

OK that had surprised him... His arm around her neck lessened greatly, as he took a small step back, his dagger hovering over her cheek. Was he wrong? Had he gotten the wrong person? She did look like someone with a lot of money, her pack on her back seemed to be bulging with things, it wouldn't surprise him in the lest if Stark soldiers paid for her body. His mind whirled with this, trying to find a hole in this new information, though he barely knew about anything about the person standing in front of him.

Was he wrong? No, he couldn't be -he had to believe in the information that he had been given, instead of this woman. He had to bluff his way out of this, even if it was weak. The dagger pressed against her cheek again, though this time it was the flat side that was against her cheek. There was to be no blood of hers spilling in any instances, that was his orders.

"Do you really think you could fool me?" he lied smoothly -though despite his calm tone, he didn't get as close to her as before-, "that bluff was pitiful, even for you dear princess."

[CrimsonMoon]

She knew from years of being in a court what someone did when they lied, all his actions told her that her bluff had been taken," I've been mugged before, love," she sighs in her best don't-screw-with-me voice," Please let me do my job..."

She flinches slightly when he shifts the knife, silently cursing all the Starks for making her have to say such horrible things

[mationix]

His eyes narrowed, his exhausted mind trying to come up with something. A small idea flickered in the back of his mind, and before he knew it, he was saying, "well then if that's the case, I can't just let the Stark soldiers go without their w****, can I? I'm sure they do miss you beside them." He dropped his hand from her neck to her wrist, grabbing it roughly, as he pocketed his knife again. "Looks like you'll be back to your men soon enough, no need to thank me." A wolfish grin appeared as the thought of being paid for dragging this woman back to the Stark soldiers and getting paid before he found the princess; he would be rich soon enough. Though then what...?

He brushed that thought away, as he started dragging her down the stretch of road. Everything was going to be fine. This was going to work. ...right?

[CrimsonMoon]

She yelps immediately," N-No! Please I-I-" her mind frantically searches for and answer as she begins to struggle, finally coming up with a simple answer.

She but his hand hard enough to draw blood (instincts! *claps*)

[mationix]

Letting out a yelp, Elizah wrenched his hand from hers, hissing under his breath. "Really? I'm trying to help you and this is how you repay me," he snapped, glaring at her and grinding his teeth together. Though he couldn't let her go, he had to get the money for returning her to the soldiers, he could live off of that money for a couple weeks, while he searched for the princess. He grabbed her wrist again and yanking off what was left of his old black scarf, he tied her hands together. Giving her calf a kick, he gestured her to continue walking.

"And no more biting, understood?" He grimaced, holding unto the end of the scarf to keep her from running away.

[CrimsonMoon]

She immediately grasps skmething at her neck, a locket. And by the Gods, usually looking for something so insignificant at a time likd yhis only meant one thing. Some form of kick a** magic.

[mationix]

"Come on, we can't just wait all day," he snapped, giving her calf another kick. I need to find that princess soon, I can't keep doing this search and fetch assignments; they won't add up to anything if I can't get a large sum of money soon... Elizah thought to himself, feeling his stomach roll with apprehension, how on earth was he supposed to make it in this world if the world kept switching up the rules on him?

[CrimsonMoon]

She pauses and suddenly drops to her knees, hunching as if bowing to him," Please sir, Don't take me to the Starks," she whispers frantically," Please, They'd just use me as a threat..."

[mationix]

Yet another thing he hadn't been expecting. As she dropped to her knees, he jumped back a step, his dagger in his hands, poised over her as if expecting her to attack. Frowning a bit, he watched her warily. "And why shouldn't I? Times are hard, a man's gotta do what he has to do to survive." Though he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of pity flickering weakly. Elizah stomped that feeling out almost instantaneously, no feelings or else he'd go insane even more.

[CrimsonMoon]

" I-I dunno... I just don't want to be like one of those women of the night," She whimpers, voering her bound hands in her head,"... I'm scared..." She admits softly

[mationix]

Elizah snorted. "And you think anyone else wants to be what they are right now?" he retorted, still eyeing her as if she was a wild animal, "what's done is done, you set yourself on this path, whether you knew it or not." At her helpless words, the twinge of pity appeared again, this time a little stronger. Though again, he shoved it down. Well, not so much that it was completely gone, mind you.

He suddenly started yanking her towards the side of the road, already cursing himself for his soft nature. "We'll continue walking in the morning," he muttered, tying the end of the scarf to a thick branch. "Get some rest, you can sleep up there for all I care." Settling down against the tree, he put his hands behind his head, trying to get comfortable, even if he wasn't going to get any sleep, he could at least be comfy while he waited for morning to come again.

"Just know that I will get you if you try and run away, got it?"

[CrimsonMoon]

Ahe sniffs and nods, still unsure if he knew who she was. She sinks against the tree, her hands being held uncomfortably upward,"... I'm sorry," she whimpers

[mationix]

As she sat down beside him, he shifted to the side to try and give her room, just in case she turned out to be a psycho-path. Besides, he felt guilty being close to another woman, like he was cheating on her. "Yeah, well, sorry doesn't make money, now does it?" Elizah muttered, closing his eyes.

(I'm thinking that maybe Elizah actually falls asleep, though doesn't wake up until a couple days later, since his body really needs sleep. Perhaps it's because somehow the princess keeps away his insomnia by sounding like Eva- he could believe that she's Eva re-incarnated since his brain is still trying to work off of a week's loss of rest.)