we're headed for a dark place

[Carys Valdare]

"I'll meet you outside," she told Ines, her smile feeling a little bit forced, but she had a few things to say to Roland before they departed. Once the Lord Chancellor's wife was out of earshot and settling herself within the carriage, Carys turned to face him but was unable to meet his gaze. "I will not be able to keep you in the loop," she told him quietly. "It will be too much of a risk, and too much of a risk for you." Eventually she found the strength to lift those green eyes to his face. "I need you to promise me, though...should something happen, you will look after the Court, the good ones in it." What she was about to do would go against Xilas and his intentions, and she did not want those she considered dear to be in the middle of it. This was her choice and decision, and she wasn't going to let them get wrangled into it. She hadn't even wanted Roland to get as involved in this as he already was, regardless of it originally being his idea.

Now that she was looking at him, her intention to turn and leave had been halted. She was feeling herself being torn in two all over again, just like the other night, and she was frozen. "And no matter how long this takes, you do not get anymore involved than you already have...you understand me?" Being stern normally kept her grounded, so she would try that.

---

When Carys turned her attention to him, he looked down at her. A nod was given in response to her words. He knew she wouldn't be able to keep him in the loop. When her eyes met his, he frowned slightly, there was a twinge of guilt in his eyes. He should not have asked her to get involved.

Then came the ask for the promise, and he frowned deeper, his hands moved up to rest on her shoulders and he nodded in response. "I promise..." He sighed. "Carys... I..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry to put all of this on your shoulders..." He let his gaze shift down and away from hers for a brief moment before he returned to her eyes again. He knew, though, that this was what she lived for. But still, he would not be able to forgive himself if anything did happen to her. "...Please be careful..."

At her stern order to him, he couldn't help but smile, then, and he nodded to her in response. Without another word, he pulled her closer to him and embraced her tightly, placing a kiss to the side of her head before he whispered in her ear. "Please come back to me." He swallowed hard, feeling his throat tighten a little.

He held her for a good moment before he pulled away and looked down at her. He could feel his heart racing in his chest as he found her eyes. As much as he did not wish to think about it, this may very well be the last time he'd see her, and he did not wish to leave anything behind that he may have regretted. So without hesitation, he gently grabbed hold of her face and leaned down to kiss her. It was a soft, gentle, yet passionate kiss. Something to leave her with. Something to hopefully make her want to come back for.

---

A lot of things didn't scare her anymore, but for some reason, she couldn't ignore the thundering beat of her heart right now. There was a nervousness that was rarely there. Was it because of the high risk she was taking? Was it because one slip could spell the end for her, for Ines, angering Xilas and sending the entire Rogue Court into a frenzy? Was it just Roland himself and that unfathomable gaze?

His hands felt heavy on her shoulders, grounding her there and making it impossible for her to move even though she knew she should. Carys just knew that it was the fact that she didn't want to. Her jaw had clenched, only caring for that promise because she wasn't going to do this if there was a chance he could be pulled down with her. She would outright refuse it, no matter how great the cause. Roland already risked too much as it was. "Do not be sorry," she told him. Carys was practically whispering now because she feared her voice might crack and give herself away. Yet, the longer she should there, the more her resolve cracked and crumbled to her feet. "I owe you my life...it is something I can never fully repay. And if getting her out of Tresteria helps, then I shall do it." Not that she could really walk away, no matter what she told herself- not after seeing how distraught Ines was. Carys would not abandon her because she knew what it was like to be at the hand of an abusive man.

His gaze was breaking her down, but that smile was crippling. Carys realized she was holding her breath when he drew her into an embrace, shutting her eyes with the press of his lips at her temple, the sound of his voice at ear. It was her complete undoing, and she would blame it on the fact that she may never see him again.

Tears softly blurred her sight when he drew away, the tension building, the control completely disappearing. As Roland reached for her face, her fingers were already going to his chest, curling tightly into the fabric of his shirt as she met him halfway. The gesture was gentle at first, but her emotion had her rising up on her toes while simultaneously drawing him down closer to her; deepening their kiss in her desperation, her desire, her fear and everything else in between. Carys allowed this one, selfish moment before she had to force herself away. It was her turn to grab his face then, resting her forehead against his as she struggled to find words to say...but there was nothing she hadn't already expressed, nothing that would make this any easier to walk away from. It already felt impossible.

Drawing in a staggered breath, she dared to open those tear-filled eyes to look at him one last time before she silently and quickly left him. Any longer, she would have completely lost herself.

---

It had been weeks. Nearly two months to be exact, since Carys managed to sneak the Lord Chancellor's wife out of Tresteria. The woman hadn't been equipped for hard travel and it made the journey that much more taxing. But she still did it. She still managed to get her on a ship at the small seaport clear across the island and safely way. Yet it had taken far longer than it should have, and surely Xilas was wondering where she had gone. He would know Ines was gone. He would put everything together despite how many times she secretly called him a fool. The man could act like it, but he was conniving, darkly surprising, and she knew she should have gotten on that ship as well.

She should be running for her life.

Instead, Carys made her way back to Vireron City, well aware that she was going to possibly walk straight into the lion's den. Yet, had they forgotten? She was the fucking lioness. She worked hard, she fought and clawed her way to the top of the Rogue Court, and she wasn't ready to simply let it go because of some damn job, because an old man couldn't get a handle on the scandal that would have befallen him if Ines had talked. If Carys was given the chance, she'd kill the Lord Chancellor as well. After all, he was one of many on the council that didn't wish to see a woman on the throne. Oh, how she could remedy so many problems with just the edge of a knife.

Easier said than done, of course, but one step at a time. Right now, she had to survive. She had to prove that she deserved that damn title of Rogue Queen.

Entering the city, making her way towards the end where she knew thieving eyes were on her, she was quick to realize how eerily quiet it was. The sun hadn't yet set so businesses were still open. No, this was something else. This was an ambush. And she paused in the middle of an empty street, drawing in a deep breath to wait for the inevitable. In front of her, the man she recognized as Xilas' right hand man, simply known as Axel, blocked her path. He grinned wickedly at her. "He didn't think you would come back..."

"I have some unfinished business," she told him, a little too nonchalantly for the tension that was in the air. All around her, Carys noted movement, knowing she was very outnumbered. "So, shall we?" Her own smile was sickly sweet as she held her hands out in front of her before they were burdened with the weight of shackles.

It was at least an hour of traveling. She hadn't the slightest idea as to where they had taken her because she had been blindfolded as well. When the cloth was pulled from over her eyes, she had to adjust her vision to the bleakness. Wherever she was, there was nothing but stone. The air was cold and damp and barely lit. If she had to guess, it was deep within the foundation of some abandoned building. And knowing Xilas, it would still be close enough to the Court because, God forbid, he travel very far to torment her.

"Aaaah, there she is. My darling queen..." His voice echoed through the room, bringing that green gaze to find him stepping out from the shadows. "I'm sure you already know the kind of trouble you've left me to clean up, yes?" The grin that had been on his face faltered into a sneer before he looked to one of his men, gesturing back towards Carys. "Kill her."

It was immediate. The moment the fool got too close, she popped the rose shaped cap off of her silver ring which housed a tiny defense blade. A swipe of her bound fists, the metal grazed across the cutthroat's cheek, stunning him enough before she lashed out like a viper and jabbed it straight into his eye.

As the man reeled back in crying pain, Xilas barely flinched. No, the bastard was watching with a grin that kept widening over his face before it simply couldn't anymore. A loud laugh erupted from his chest and he clapped as though applauding the end of a play. "Yes, yes, I knew it. My Carys does not actually wish to die. Do you see this?" he was questioning the other two armed thieves at his sides who were quietly hoping they didn't ask one of them to strike the woman down next. Then his cold eyes were settling back on her. "No, no, no, you came back because there's something here you want. Or-" Xilas paused, a finger tapping his chin before he laughed again. This time, it was dark and guttural. "You didn't think you would...take my place, did you?"

Her fingers curled tightly into her palms as though she were ready to strike again if need be. Still, she knew if Xilas wanted her dead, she probably would be already.

After a moment, she backed up almost too casually; only stopping when her back hit the cold wall. It wasn't in retreat- oh no, quite the opposite. She lounged there as though this were an every day occurrence. Then, Carys shrugged a single shoulder, her mouth curling up faintly in a half amused smirk, "Can't blame a girl for trying, hmm?"

Except, she hadn't even tried yet.