The Duke's Stolen Bride

The Tavern

The storage room was not spacious in the slightest. Everything they had was clearly crammed into it and had no organization. Their soaps were half open and spilling over, rags dirtied, and the mop looked like it was just begging to be released from its cage. Whoever was in charge of cleaning cared very little for the storage space.

But at the moment, it was a haven.

Some light peered through the crack of the door from the main room and Ceila adjusted herself to get a better view of it. Though she couldn't see much, she could see a figure, the woman she believed, standing near the door. The broom was back in her hand as she pretended to sweep, even as the door flew open. Whoever was at the door was out of Ceila's view but she could hear the voices almost perfectly. They gave no care for the time it was.

"Can I help you?" The woman questioned, leaning against the broom. Two more figures emerged behind her. Likely they were the ones from behind the bar.

"We're looking for a thief. Two men told us she came in here, a woman with...peculiar hair." Ceila recognized the voice immediately. It belonged to the head of the baron's guards, Stannis. He was kinder than some of the others but it rarely made a difference, especially now. It didn't matter how kind some of the staff could be, they all worked for the same people. They all contributed to her cage.

"A thief? No, we haven't seen anyone," the woman shrugged. The figures moved closer to her, protecting her. "I certainly wouldn't let a thief into our little tavern."

"Well some men told us she came right in here after harassing them, so you don't mind if we take a look around?" Stannis was suspicious. There was some shuffling near the door, cheap armour clanging together, he didn't come alone. Ceila didn't expect him to.

Suddenly she couldn't find her breath.

"I absolutely do mind," the woman retorted back but it didn't seem like the guards were listening. Ceila couldn't see but she could hear the movement of the armour as the guards spread out, tossing chairs and having no care for the state of the tavern.

Ceila forced herself to take a breath but it was getting more difficult. There was no way they wouldn't check the storage closet. She would be found soon.

"Hey! You can't do that!" The woman started yelling and Ceila watched from the slit in the door as she and the two other figures tried to grab at some of the guards but they fought back. The two figures put up more of a fight and pushed them away from the original woman but there were too many guards to fight back properly.

There were so many guards. All there just to retrieve Ceila. Just to retrieve the perfect woman.

Then a shadow loomed over the door and she could feel her heart stop.

The door creaked open, revealing a guard behind. She didn't recognize his face, but she knew he would not keep her secret, not willingly.

Panic surged in her throat until she wasn't sure she could take it anymore. She could vomit. No thoughts ran through her head as she reached over with her bare hand, pressing it against the man's cheek before he had a chance to speak.

Her eyes glowed and she spoke just one word.

"Leave."

She fell back, her elbows pressed against the shelves, barely holding herself up. Her legs had already given up and now her arms were struggling to stay. The pink glare in her eyes stayed as she stared at the guard, fixated. It should work. It had worked every other time. There was no reason to suggest he might be able to fight it. Yet she doubted it. She doubted herself.

After a moment, the guard blinked for a few moments, and in some sort of hypnotic gaze, he closed the door. He spoke of nothing as if his mind was gone, before heading back to his superiors. He was leaving. Just as she said.

But she knew she couldn't do it again, not in her state. If someone else was to open the door then her escape would be for naught. She pressed her teeth against her tongue, ready to bite.

"What in the Divine is going on here?"

A voice, a stern and angry voice, echoed through the tavern. Everything went still.

Ceila glanced through the slit in the door but she couldn't see much other than a flash of red as a new figure spoke to Stannis.

"I'm going to assume you have a warrant, ordered by the court, for you to be searching through my tavern like this?" The new figure, a man, questioned. Venom leaked from his voice.

"W-Well it was ordered by Baron Thoas," Stannis stuttered for a moment.

Ceila had never seen him lose his composure before.

"Baron Thoas doesn't have the ability to give warrants unless he's a judge now?" The man was being sarcastic and completely unfazed by the amount of guards that infiltrated the tavern.

"No but he is a noble and they can investigate if they see something suspicious," Stannis stood his ground, but his voice was not as strong as it was before. Whoever this figure was, he scared him.

"Well how can he see something suspicious if he's not. Fucking. Here?" The man cussed, emphasizing each word.

Ceila's vision started to blur and she pushed herself back away from the door, letting the shelves take the entire weight of her body. She couldn't see what was going on anymore now, but she heard some rustling. As if the cutlery was moving.

"I- Well," Stannis stuttered but the man gave him no time to think of some excuse.

"So get the fuck out of my tavern before I decide to get some of my old friends involved." He threatened.

Ceila clutched her chest again. Her lungs were on fire and she could barely feel her leg anymore. The pain of her ankle turned into an uncomfortable numbness.

"Fine," Stannis grumbled. There was some more rustling, but it sounded like the guards retreating back to their superior. "I'll be back tomorrow with a warrant."

"I will see you then." The man replied and stayed silent until Ceila could hear the door closing, indicating the guards were gone.

She let out a heavy sigh, though she refused to let relief cloud her systems and bring her hopes up.

"Genevieve." He was quieter now, but Ceila could still hear him clearly.

"Yes Keith?" the woman with the broom responded, feigning innocence in her voice.

Ceila felt her arms weakening. She considered letting herself sit on the ground, but if she had to run again, standing would be better. Of course, that was assuming she could even run.

"Where did you put them?"

The woman didn't respond, but Ceila heard movement towards her door. She was found.

There should have been alarm bells in her head, a panic that rose in her chest, or survival instincts that told her to scream as the man who scared Stannis was coming for her. There was none of it. Her body was too tired to even process the danger she could be in. Her adrenaline faded long ago.

With heavy eyes and one arm barely still holding her up, she glanced up as the door opened.

The man stood tall in front of her, probably a head taller than the woman, with lean muscles just like a guard. He had slightly darker skin, almost like a permanent tan, and a very exposed chest with a completely unbuttoned blouse and tight black pants. The shirt helped prove to the world he had toned muscles, as if it was doubted. His hair messily fell to his ears and was a bright red with matching, sparkling eyes, and a bit of stubble against his cheeks and chin. One ear held black piercings across his helix, daith, and lobe while the other had a simple light teal earring in his lobe. There was a scowl on his face and a cane in his hand. A cane he relied heavily on, leaning more of his body weight than expected against it.

"Genevieve you're a moron."

Was the last thing Ceila heard before her body finally gave up.