The Red Viper and the Tempest.
An unlikely match from the beginning.
A moment of attraction, fleeting and memorable.
A hint of vulnerability, strong and lasting.
A spark of a flame, inevitable and ruining.
In the midst of storms and poisons, tw...
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It was quiet. Too quiet, in fact.
For days now, all she could hear through her door were the sounds of clanging armor and heavy footfalls. But today, there was nothing.
Normally, the silence comforted her. The solemnity of the emptiness calmed her senses, slowing down the beating of her heart until she could simply be. However, the silence that surrounded the hall felt ominous.
It scared her. It felt as if they were all waiting for something to happen, for the next loud sound to break through the air before everyone could return to their clockwork movement. Every second, every tick of the clock did not ease her in any way.
The prince may have been dead and the queen may have gone but the war was not over until the king was dead. The king who had gone mad. The king who would rather kill every person that stands in his way, even if it meant killing everyone in the Seven Kingdoms.
A sigh left her just as a knock sounded on her door. Looking up from her book, Cassandra called out. "Come in."
At her response, a servant came in carrying a tray of food. From the smell of it, it was vegetable stew. It was a sign of things. The capital was running out of food to eat that even the keep could not provide as well as it did for its inhabitants.
After setting the tray down in front of her, the servant left immediately. After all, no one wanted to associate with the supposed traitor to the crown.
Cassandra was just about to push the tray away from her when her eyes landed on something inconspicuous, hidden by the bowl of stew. Lifting the plate, she saw a small piece of parchment with a few words written on it in familiar handwriting.
Cass,
The docks. Be ready. All of us will leave here.
Ashara
At those words, Cassandra felt her body surge with hope. Gods, Ashara was brilliant. They could escape. Far away from all of this war and suffering. She stood from her seat and looked around the room, looking around for things that she does not wish to leave behind.
Grabbing a satchel, she filled it with some of her simple clothes before picking out a cloak. There was only one thing left. She had to escape from this dreaded room and find her way to Flea Bottom to locate Owain. There was no way she would be leaving him here.
Then it was straight to the docks to leave the godforsaken city. Grabbing the stowed pair of boots, she hurriedly laced them on as she recounted all the ways she could leave the keep without being spotted.
With nothing to do all day, she had been ingrained to listen in whenever her guards would change rotation. It was just a little after noon which meant she only had a few minutes before her guards changed. Usually, they would leave early before they were relieved by the next set.
