[Chapter Three: In the Den of Thieves] Fanfiction Story
Chapter Three: In the Den of Thieves
A terrible sandstorm began right as the Magicians prepared to track Amelda into the desert. There was no way they could follow as the winds wiped away any trail that might have been useful. When the guards reported that the secret passage in the wall had been opened, the Pharaoh called for an emergency meeting ( Read more... )
In the early morning light, peace resounded throughout the Dragon Kingdom in comfortable silence, until...
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?!" an angry voice screamed, almost making the entire hideout shake. "We planned all this so you could get in and out with the tablet with ease, simple and clean, but noooo. You had to go and get an attack of humanity and drag back a bloody carcass!!"
"Would you please quiet down," the other hissed, glancing back up to the small set of steps behind him, leading to a trap door to another room. "You'll wake her up."
"Oh, since when did you become so concerned about some strange girl, and why the HELL did you bring her back with you anyway?! She come free with the tablet?"
"Okay you two, that's enough!"
Once the room was quiet once more, Raphael sighed deeply. This couldn't get worse...
"Hey, you lot in there!" a shout from outside turned the attention all three males to the door. Being the most in control at the moment, the tall blond mercenary went to the door, opening it, only to face the Captain of the Dragon Army, along with a group of Seto's guards. "The great Dictator is expecting you at the Temple to receive the the next tablet piece. You better not make him wait!"
"Yeah yeah, we're coming." Raphael moaned, looking back at his comrades glaring fiercely at each other. From the looks of things, they were not going to see eye to eye about Amelda's decision to bring back a Magicians apprentice to their hideout, and keeping her there.
"Well, be can't afford to be late, hurry up you two..."
"You...you guys can go ahead without me." the red haired thief finally spoke in a much calmer tone, leaving Varon blinking in surprise. "I'll stay and look after her. It was my choice, I'll deal with it. Besides, we can't tell the Dictator about this."
"Too right, if we did, the minute that beast was resurrected we would become its snack." the brunette muttered, still not at ease with the idea. They would all be in trouble if Seto ever found out. They couldn't give her back without giving away their identities to the Magicians, but despite their disagreement, no one had to heart to...well, shut her up permanently.
"Look, go give him the tablet while I watch her. She needs medical treatment anyway. And Varon, so you know, calling her a carcass when she isn't dead and being eaten by vultures is an incorrect reference." Amelda smirked, watching his friends face contort into a childish pout.
"I'm not a walking dictionary! How should I know!"
Chuckling a little, the two mercenaries grabbed the large golden slab and went outside to mount their horses, promising to bring Amelda the clue and his cut of the pay back. Once they had gone, said man went to the counter, picking up a cloth and bowl of water, along with a couple of medicine bottles, and carefully carrying them in his arms as he walked up the small flight of steps, pushing the trap door up to check on the girl in his care.
What he saw when he poked his head through the hole nearly made him drop the contents in his arms.
{Tag: Mana XXDD}
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Mana had woken up at the sound of a raised voice, but had not yet panicked since she was still a bit disoriented. When her mind became clearer, she found that she was in unfamiliar surroundings. 'This isn't my room.' It sparked in her mind, the face of the young man and the temple caving in around them. For a horrifying moment, she had put two plus two together and imagined the worst possible scenario.
'I've been KIDNAPPED! I've been kidnapped, I've been kidnapped!' Mana had jumped up, her hysteria taking over all rationality. 'Master Mahaado's gonna KILL me! Oh my Ra, does he even know where I am? The Prince is gonna be so worried and what does the stranger want with me, is he gonna hurt me or--'
At the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the stranger who had taken her away from the palace. This further fueled her panic and the headache from her injury. She leapt up onto the bed and pressed herself against the wall.
"EECK! What do you want!"
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Carefully placing the objects he held onto a nearby table, he kept eye contact with the young apprentice, noting her fear. He decided it best to keep looking stright at her, in case she thought he would try and surprise her in some way. Once he had wet the cloth and wrung it till it was damp, the thief cautiously approached the scared mage, one hand reaching slowly to try and touch her arm.
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." he spoke softly, now leaning over the bed, just within reach of her. But instead of trying to pull her towards him, he offered his free hand out to her. Hopefully, it would show the girl he wasn't trying to trick her in any way. "I just want to check your injuries, I promise." he continued, smiling ever so slightly.
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One thing was for sure. Her headache wasn't feeling any better thinking all these frightening thoughts!
"Ehem...okay," she said finally, in a meek voice. Carefully, as though somehow expecting him to curse her at any moment, she took hold of his hand. Using it to balance herself as she sat back down on the bed, she waited quietly like a good little patient. But she was still worried.
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Once she was seated on the bed, he sat down himself, still holding her hand, squeezing it a little in hope of reassurance. It was cold comfort, but he couldn't give much else. After all, in her eyes he was just a criminal, utterly heartless and cold blooded, not to mention the one who had 'kidnapped' her from her home Kingdom.
Putting the cloth down for a moment, he carefully reached around her head, trying to feel from the bump that would be there, but without prodding it too much and causing her pain. From what he could tell, it was swelling up rather badly, just like he thought.
"Okay, listen, I'm going try and bring this swelling down." he said softly, taking the damp cloth again "I'm afraid it will sting a bit, but you have to stay still for me, understand? If it's painful, just grip my hand as much as you like, but don't move." he explained, finally pressing the compress firmly onto the bump.
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"Am I gonna be okay?" she asked fearfully. She didn't realize how serious her injury was, and she suddenly wished that Mahaado was there with them. He seemed to know just about everything there was to know about anything.
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"You'll be fine with a bit of rest," he replied, removing the cloth and soaking a herbal mix from one of the bottles on some long clean bandages. He then proceeded in carefully wrapping them tightly around her head. "These will have to be changed once a day, but otherwise, you'll make a full recovery." he finished, his voice calm, almost pleasant. It had been a while since he spoke in a tone so close to content and happiness; what was this girl doing to him?
When he had finished, the mercenary stood up and prepared to leave, only to stop abruptly and look down at the hand that was still gripping onto his.
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In the moment that he stood up to go, she had never felt so alone. Back at the palace, she was surrounded by servants, mages, and teachers. But here...there had only been the stranger. He had taken her away from her home, but he had healed her.
This man had been so nice to her... While Mana didn't understand why he had helped her, she was willing to learn more about him. She'd always been a good student.
"...What's your name?"
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There was so much going through his mind right now; why did she seem to trust him, after everything he did? He knew himself that if their roles were reversed, he couldn't be as forgiving to someone like him. Still, she wasn't quite like anyone he'd ever met before. He was unable to place her in the corrupt and pain filled world he had inhabited for so long, but perhaps that was a good thing. There had already been too many innocent people slaughtered, which he had witnessed with his own eyes...
Finally blinking in realization she had asked a question, he tensed a little. He doubted very much the others would like the fact he gave the 'prisoner' his name, but he felt unable to ignore the request. She had given him some sense of trust (why he couldn't comprehend) so it was only fair he returned it.
"Amelda." he simply replied.
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"I'm Mana, pleased to meet you." Then, tilting her head sheepishly, she added in a rush, "Well, kinda, in a way, despite the circumstances...Heh." Even Mana knew how lame that sounded. She tried to change subjects quickly. "I've never hardly ever seen outside the palace. There was a few times I went with Pharaoh to see the marketplace when I was real little and that was really fun to see all the people, smell the spices in the air, and hear the musicians in the square... This is very, very different, though..."
Nervous giggles followed before she fell silent. Babbling was her weakest trait and she knew that it annoyed people when she spoke too much. Maybe he didn't like her like those others? But she couldn't let go of his hand, not quite yet... It was so warm and it was as if it was the last solid thing in the world.
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At least she liked his name; at least he wasn't mistaken for a girl this time.
"Well, nice to meet you Mana." he replied, recalling hearing the name called out as he had ran from the palace. He thought it best not to mention that though. She was having a hard enough time adjusting without adding more grief for her to take.
Still, knowing they couldn't just take her back without getting caught, and if Seto found out she would be used as some bargaining tool to get the last tablet pieces. And even if the mercenaries would negociate quietly by themselves with the Magicians...well, he guessed he would be on the receiving end of any anger felt from the apprentices 'abduction'.
Somewhat awkward at what he could say to her, he decided practicality was the best option. Standing hand, he used the hold she still had on his hand to pull her to her feet, and keep her steady in case her head still hurt.
"Come on...you must be hungry by now. We'll get you something to eat." he siad, tugging her along as he pulled the trapdoor up and descended the stairs.
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