Kassandra Capps's Story

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What started out as a quiet, clear night would forever be known as The Day of Blood and Fire.

It was late evening when the screaming started, emanating from the stone fortress of the castle. The people gathered at the doors, too frightened to go inside, but too terribly curious to stay away. The doors flew open with a bang and people, Nobles and Servants alike, fled from the interior of the building. They trampled people and wrecked stalls as they fled, but they wouldn't get far. There were plumes of smoke rising from the different districts of the city. Orange light began to glow and the air was filled with more screams. There was the crashing of glass, the clang of metal on metal, and the heartbreaking sounds of people losing their homes. Some even losing their lives.

The culprit? A woman dressed in the same shade of red as the blood staining the throne room who wears the face of the queen. But the queen is dead, the king is nowhere to be seen, and the princess is missing. This new queen, this Red Lady, and her young army are tearing down the kingdom. Not just to conquer it. No. To rebuild it. First comes the fire and the cleansing. Then the reconstruction will commence and the kingdom will be remade.

The key players are all in place. The Queen stands at the head of the square. A shimmering crown of gold sits upon her head, glowing in the orange light of the fires. The Captain and Vice Captain of her guard, her soldiers, stand on either side of her giving a... trial of sorts for the nobles that refused to help when she had appeared to them before. Her daggers moved throughout the city, seeking rats on two legs who must face their crimes against the crown.

The Shadow Children were mostly settled in for the night, the younger ones already asleep in their cots in the glow of the lanterns while the older ones worked and did their playing. The herbalist was at the one of the man tables near Soup, their kitchens, playing cards with her brother, the Medic. The weapons master was in her treehouse, staring up into the night sky, an open bottle of wine in her hand. The Captain was up in her treehouse, another young man wrapped around her finger. The master of the guard was out with her troop, scouting the forest and the kingdom for any sign of the snakes called Daggers. And any sign of her missing brother.

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The missing Princess--Drew--was fleeing her kingdom, dressed in rags and covered in dirt. Her hands were riddled with blisters, sore and festering from the prison work forced upon her. Her back still stung where a whip had cut her skin and painted the walls with her blood. The sound of screams shook her body to her core. So much so, that she had fallen to her knees repeatedly until she was too far to hear them. She turned, high enough to see the smoke and flame filling the night sky. She let out a choked sob and collapsed, her tears leaving streaks in the dirt that coated her cheeks. Her kingdom was falling to pieces and she was powerless to stop it.

"Winn," she said, barely a whisper, "Winn, we should go back." She pushed herself to her feet, her legs weak beneath her. She had been working in the gardens all day after being sick all night from the drugs they fed her. She didn't have a choice. She needed to eat to survive long enough to escape. And she had, but it was bittersweet. She didn't understand why Angelina chose to strike that night when it was obvious she had her men in the castle for weeks. Her torment had only gone on for days, but the time seemed to stretch down in the cells. She wouldn't tell Winter the truth about what was going on down there. Not yet. She doubled over and wretched. Whether from exertion, drugs, or shock she couldn't tell.

She straightened and wiped her mouth. "Winn, we have to go back."

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Kat swung from the hammok she had hanging one of the walls of her treehouse--They were comfortable but not as practical as a bed--dressed in her underthings and a long shirt. She was unaware of the events taking place on the other side of the walls. She was sure the others thought she was fooling around with one of the boys--young men really--but in truth she had sent him away hours ago when he realized that she wasn't interested in anything he wanted. She had her own needs. They were met. She was done with him. Now, she let her mind wander. More about the past than the present. The happy parts of her past anyway.

She had half a mind to reach for one of the bottles she had tucked away, but then she remembered that Leila had been in her room earlier that night and she had yet to get her report from her vice captain and Mavis. She would need that before she decided to incapacitate herself for the night. Things in the forest had been quiet lately which Kat found incredibly unsettling. "What are you up to you crimson bitch?" She mused to herself.

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Leila sat in hear window, leaning against the back frame. There was a throwing knife in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. If she cut her hand, it wouldn't be a big deal. It wasn't her dominant hand and she had someone who could fix her up. She just needed something to take the edge off. It was getting closer to her birthday. Closer to the day her life turned upside down all those years ago. She looked out the window again only this time she was staring down at the tables where her best friend and his sister were playing cards with some of the other kids. She supposed this family wasn't all that bad. Things hadn't been the same at home for a long time anyway.

She took another swig of wine and gulped down the sour liquid. Wine wasn't her favorite, but Kat always had some stashed away in her treehouse and never locked the door. She too was oblivious to the monstrous deeds happening on the other side of the wall. Hell, the forest could be on fire and she wouldn't know. She was watching the stars with a reverence. The only way she was leaving her treehouse was if Will came in her and talked her out of it.

Something was off. Mavis couldn't tell what, but something about tonight was different. The woods were clear, nothing but the odd animal. Maybe Mavis was just paranoid as the anniversary of her parents death was coming up. Nothing would happen, she was worried for nothing.

Still she had to be sure. If they got attacked tonight because Mavis though she was seeing things the teen would never forgive herself. She sent all but one of her party back to camp with the instructions to tell their Captian that Mavis would return later. Kat would need to know after all.

She made her way to the edge of the forest, her ruined home in the distance. Was that smoke from the city? Mavis had to check this out. She turned to the Shadow Child with her, hand on her blade. 'Return to The Captain. Tell her of the smoke. I will go further and look for signs of those blasted Dagger.'

'But Mavis-'

She silenced him with a glare. Young as she was her troops respected her. He nodded grimly and after placing a calloused hand on her shoulder, ran off. Mavis faced the castle again. Just what was happening?

She took a deep, calming breath and took off, a blur in the night. As she got closer Mavis could hear the screams. Painfully she was reminded of the flames licking at her skin, her brothers screaming for her.

She shook her head. Now wasn't the time. Something big was happening and Mavis needed to find out what. The Castle's main entrance was in sight but Mavis didn't need that. Anyone of intrest would be escaping in the smaller routes, sewers and holes in the ground.

Not wanting to be noticed, but wanting to see what was going on Mavis did what she does best. She scrambled up a tree and planted herself on a thick branch. If no one important came out within an hour she'd return to camp.

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Tom took another large bite of his apple. He swung his dagger around in his free left hand and he watched the first set of flames erupt. This was her plan and now it was in motion. Tonight would go well, there was no doubt in anyone's mind. Tom eyed off the smoke that rose through the dark sky. Sure he didn't need to be here waiting, it wasn't exactly a job that called for a person of his position, but he preferred to be out here rather than in that castle watching the chaos from a distance. Down here he could hear the screams, feel a part of the madness. Besides Kass would be at their Queen's side. He trusted his vice captain as much as he trusted his own to hands.

Tom was getting impatient now. He took the last bite of his apple and threw the core to his feet stomping on it with one of his boots. Then finally, the door he had been watching swung open. A portly man saddled up with luggage appeared followed by his wife and three children. Just what Tom had been waiting for. One of the Queen's enemies looking to make a hasty exit. Tom strode forward pulling out his sword. "And where you guys be off to on such a fine night?" The family all jumped at the sound of Tom's voice and the father looked at him like a guilty child caught stealing an extra cookie. The man made a move to run, but Tom was able to immediately stop him by way of sword. "Oh no. I wouldn't try that. A noble family like yours shouldn't be skulking around alleyways so late at night." Lord Albert, cousin to the king. A title that brought him a stunning commoner wife and access to as much food as he could stuff down his pie hole, a liberty he had clearly taken advantage of. Another one of the nobles who had turned their backs on his Queen. Tom wasn't one for politics but he knew how to follow orders.

"Please, just let us go." He pleaded, his face red and splotchy from the panic that had clearly set in. Tom closed in on the group, his features giving none of his thoughts away. “I’ve got money. Lots of it.” None of the man’s arguments swayed Tom at all. “Just let me go,” His wife said stepping forward, batting her big brown eyes Tom’s way. “I’ve done no wrong to The Red Lady like him. And I’m not royal blood like the children.” Tom’s face held a sadistic smile. How quickly the parents rose up to betray their children.

He shrugged and moved aside to let her past. After all, she was right. The wife wasn’t anyone his Queen wanted revenge from. Although, she only managed to run a few meters before Tom slipped out a small dagger and pierced it through the back of her skull. With blank features Tom tugged his jacket back into place. “Sorry. That was personal.” Tom had a thing about shitty parenting. “Now the rest of you.” Tom made quick work of cutting down the remaining family members. It was messy work. It had to be as so to leave behind a warning for anyone else thinking of going against the Queen.

Once he was done. Tom left the bodies how they lay and walked through the backstreet towards the castle. Fire seemed to roar all around and people ran about through the streets, screaming and yelling. Tom liked the sense of it all. It felt like change and Angelina provided the means that allowed Tom to be at the heart of it. Heading towards one of the many lesser known back doors into the castle. He pulled up a grate in bedded in the ground and was about to jump down when his attention was caught by some movement out of the corner of his eye. Glancing upward towards the tree foliage, he narrowed his eyes searching for the same movement but he couldn’t see anything. Shrugging off the feeling of being watched, Tom jumped down into the tunnel below the streets that led straight into the castle.

Tom entered the dining room quietly and with little fuss. He had been picked for the Dagger’s because he didn’t stand out or have much presence. Wandering around the edges of the room Tom made his way up to his position at Angelina’s side. As he walked past Kass, he briefly put a hand to her back and whispered “Nice shot.” He had seen her previous show out in the square. Then he passed her and took his spot of Angelina’s side. He flashed her a smug smile. Their day had finally come. Tom wasn’t much into politics and he really didn’t care much for bloodlines or who he was expected to bow to. Though this was one political move that mattered to him. Being by Angelina’s side meant he had a lot to gain from this movement. “How are things going from your end?” He asked quietly.

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Raven was beyond bored, she was glad the Queen finally had her crown, but sitting at a feast with an entire room with people whose combined IQ was lower than hers, including that of her so called peers, no thank you.

She didn't enjoy physical torture, unless it taught her something. She didn't do it for the sake of bloodshed, she wasn't a psychopath like the rest of these lower lifeforms. She had a scientific mind, if she was going to use physical torture, it was going to be because she wanted to learn what it did.
She spent her time inside watching the carnage unfold from her tower room. The fires burned, the screams echoed, blood spilled.

Bored.

Raven looked over, narrowing her eyes at a tree, she'd found one of her 'peers' in, sipping wine with a wide grin. She rolled her eyes.

"Julian..." she groaned.
Another textbook psychopath... He annoyed her the most.

She turned away, just as there was a knock on her door. "Come." She called. A herald entered and bowed. "Milady." he said and she looked at him with a look of disinterest. He didn't seem to know what to do with the little girl with the dark reputation. Most knew of her, most where afraid. He stammered.
"Out with it." She huffed.

"The Queen, she requests your presence." He said and she rolled her eyes. "Was it mine, or was it all of us?" She asked and he didn't seem to know how to answer "Fool, Where is she?"
"In the throne room, milady."
Raven walked by him with a huff, a cape billowing around her tiny frame as she moved.

She found Tom and Kassandra first. "Whose grand idea was it to send a completely inept herald to my chambers?" she asked them as if she weren't the younger of the group. "I have no idea, what is supposed to be happening now, all I was told was the Queen 'requested my presence' but since you lot are together, and armed I figured she had something she wants us to do?"

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Climbing up the face of the castle was a simple enough feat--there were many protruding stones and little divots in the brick that told stories of hardships so long past that no one really remembered anymore. Khara idly wondered as she leapt to a further hold than she could reach, if this would just be another coup scratched out of history or changed to make this Queen seem kinder. What would people years and years from now think of this moment? Khara shook out her mane, dislodging the unwanted introspection with a grunt and kept climbing, arriving at one of the many lit windows and the one with the most noise coming out of it, slipping herself through the opening silently, the redolence of rich, expensive food hitting her as soon as she came in, making her nose scrunch up against the variety of scents.

Khara zoned in on Crow and Kassandra, her feet whispering over the intricate marble flooring as she made her way over to them, patrons blissfully unaware of the predator in their presence despite the way her barbaric-looking clothes and the blue face paint made her contrast against the warm tones of red, gold, and brown that permeated the hall. She came up behind the leader and co-leader of their little plucky band of murderers, reaching their side at the same time the deranged little girl--Raven--marched up to Crow and Kassandra.

"I have no idea, what is supposed to be happening now, all I was told was the Queen 'requested my presence' but since you lot are together, and armed I figured she had something she wants us to do?" The Wolf glanced down to notice that they were, in fact, armed and now that it was mentioned, she could practically taste the tension in the air though it was probably just the nobles trying their hardest not to get killed.

"Hm," Khara grunted to make her presence known, though she was sure Crow had already sensed her. She rose a dark brow in wordless question.

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Leila snorted and grabbed another knife from her bedside table and started twirling it as she had before. "I've got plenty more where that came from." She raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to come nearer, but she knew he wouldn't take it. Instead he would just stand in the doorway and attempt to talk her down from there. Unfortunately, he knew exactly what to say to get her to do so. She listened with feigned disinterest as he spoke and snorted again when he spoke of handsome men falling at her feet. She didn't want to be a hero. She didn't want glory. But handsome men? She looked up at will. Well.. that probably wasn't happening any time soon.

The temptation to wait and watch was easy to overcome when faced with the second option. There was no way she would allow Will and Kat to do anything dire without her. No. If she was to die in battle it would be with them. There was no way she could live without them. She'd forget how to function without her sister and her best friend. A sick feeling rolled in her gut at the thought of either of them being dragged back, broken and lifeless to be buried. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the nausea to pass and when it did, she looked up at him again. She stood and walked over to him, slightly unsteady, but nothing a run couldn't fix. She held out her hand for her knife to be passed and she held up the uncorked wine bottle for him to take. "I think, Doctor, you drive a hard bargain."

Once her knife was once again in her possession, she went to grab the others before also grabbing her cloak and making her way down to ground level. When she was most the way down she started barking orders as if she was the captain and not Kat. "Alright, we haven't received much ammunition from our jobs as of late, so everyone will have to stick mainly with sword. Only those deemed "sharp shooters" are allowed to use a bow or cross bow tonight. Blasters, grab whatever you need in case of an emergency, but do not get selfish with the powders. Save them for what they're meant for in times like these. Emergencies. If I see any explosion with our signature in it, you will be hung from the cave ceiling by your toes until your legs go numb." She continued on like that until they were at the mouth of the cave and ready to leave.

There, she saw her sister. She sauntered up as if she hadn't stolen her wine and as if she hadn't been drinking most of the evening and said, "Hello, sister dear." That was honestly a dead giveaway. It was only ever Kat or Sis. Never Sister Dear unless she was drunk.

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Kat finished rounding up those who could fight, many had left before the others, members of the guard currently on and off duty. She split them into two uneven groups. A mix of those with skill and all those under the age of fifteen were made to stay behind and guard the little ones. Even though Kat was sure the Daggers wouldn't be attacking their home base (not that the idiots would be able to find it) since their attacks were focused on the city, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

As she was making her way to the cave entrance, she glanced up to check on the status of Leila's coming or not and smirked as she saw a familiar dark haired figure make her way clumsily downwards from her treehouse. She shook her head in bemusement as she began to bark orders at the others even though most had already gathered their weapons. She didn't bother to say anything until her sister was beside her at the cave opening. "You're late," she greeted with a smirk, but the time for talk had passed. With a nod, she turned and took off through the trees. Branches whipped by her face, but none struck her as if the trees were aware of their urgency and parted so they could pass. She heard Leila give out a curse every so often as they ran which told Kat two things. One of which she already knew and another that surprised her, though she'd never admit it. The first was that Leila was still buzzed from the wine. The second that the trees seemed willing to hinder her. Guess she must've done something stupid.

The made their way to the hill that overlooked the entire kingdom when she stopped them and motioned for them to split up. The different groups were to go to different parts of the city in search of people to bring down to the tunnel systems. Kat, Leila, Will, and two others were going through the front. They were to serve as a distraction for the Daggers. Not that they would truly take the bate, but they had to try.

With a crack, the sky opened up and the rain came down, causing the cobblestone streets to become slick, but it did little for the fires. Kat pictured the streets in chaos, but now they were just a mess. There was noise in the distance, but most of what she could hear was glass breaking and fires raging. No Daggers in sight and no people. At least, no people who were living.

"Come out, you red bitch!" She yelled into the streets, her voice echoing off the stone. "You're going to regret waking your neighbors!"

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Drew froze. She recognized those faces. She had seen those faces before. Not just in the castle, but after... in her cells. It took a moment of coaxing to get Drew to snap out of it enough for her to move and hide. Normally, she'd whip out her sword, but--other than the fact that she didn't have it--she just... didn't have the fight in her at the moment. She should be angry with those men, but instead all she felt was fear towards them. It was herself she was angry with. Angry that they had broken her. Angry that she had allowed it.

So now she watched, practically cowering behind a stone wall. Valie's once strong princess reduced to hiding in the face of danger. How sad. How sickening. Maybe The Red Lady was right about her. Maybe there was no way she could ever be queen.. The sound of metal on bone broke through her daze and brought her attention into the present and what she saw she hoped to never have to see again. Winter had sliced one of the guards' heads clean off and had stabbed the other into the wall. He was angry. Why was he angry? Well... besides for the obvious reasons.

He gave his call for her to come out and she felt the corners of her mouth lift ever so slightly as she made her way out to him. It brought back memories of playing in the gardens as children, giving each other clues as to each others' whereabouts while playing hide-and-seek. In a place as big as the castle, one needed hints in order to keep them from playing the day away with the same match of the same game. She stopped a couple feet from him. She reached out with a hand and wiped a spot of blood from his face. "I wish you didn't have to do that.." She whispered and then made her way out of the gate. "You have to show me the way to camp. I don't know how to get there. Also, do you have my sword?"

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Tom led himself and his Vice Captain out through the castle passageways. Then Raven approached. Her usual severe attitude in place. Tom had been angry at having a kid on his team. A girl her age couldn’t possibly serve any use and would only get in the way. At least that’s what he had thought, but the truth was she was the one of the group with the best head on her shoulders and was always useful. “Delacroix. Everyone is found inept when compared to you.” Tom said wearily, appeasing to side of her that thought herself permanently in the company of idiots. Sure he liked Raven, but right now he was lacking the patience for all of his team’s different idiosyncrasies.

“Khara. Good.” Tom said as Khara’s face appeared out of the shadows behind him. Sure Khara acted more like a ghost than a human, however if one knew her well enough and they knew what signs to listen out for one could know when she was around. In fact it had become a bit of a game between the two of them with her always trying to catch him off guard. Not that either of them were childish or joyful enough to ever voice their game out loud to each other.

Then Raven asked what they were up to. Tom could feel both Kass and Khara giving him inquisitive stares. Whilst keeping his face impassive, Tom sighed internally. He hated having to explain things and honestly he just wanted to get moving. “I’ll explain on the way.” He said leading his group through a few more corridors and then out a back door of the castle. It was a little-known peasant entry that led to a narrow alleyway that smelled of urine more often than not.

Tom had taken no more than ten steps when he ran into his weapons master returning to the castle. “Bribois, come.” He ordered the bloodied man, not breaking his stride. In fact as rain started to fell from the sky he speed up his pace. The rain would only watch away tracks and clues. “So the Princess has somehow managed to escape and our new orders are to re-capture her.” Tom explained to his current comrades. He looked pointedly at Julien, “Alive. Obviously.”

Tom took a few more steps before looking at Khara. “I’m going to need your expertise on this one, first though I think we should-“ Tom’s instructions were cut off by some rather noisy citizens. "You're going to regret waking your neighbors!" From the side street he’d led his team into, Tom couldn’t see who the voices and numerous footsteps belonged to, however he could of recognized that voice anywhere.

“Of course the forest brats are here,” Tom groaned to his team. Using his own little nicknames for the orphans who likes to hang out in the forest and cause trouble for everyone else. His old friend, Kat, and his sister, Leila, included. He did not have time for this. They were clearly up to something, no one makes such obvious movements against an enemy, but he also couldn’t just ignore them and let them do whatever they wanted. Thinking quick on his feet, Tom easily evaluated the Daggers he had with him. “Okay, Khara and Delacroix. You guys keep going, find the princess.” Khara was easily his best tracker and whilst Raven had many strengths he preferred Julien and Kass had his back. He trusted their skills more. “Don’t either of you dare come back with empty hands.” He dismissed them and turned back to his remaining comrades.

“Okay. Kass, wanna’ get up high. Watch our back with your bow?” Tom said to Kass treating his Vice captain with suggestions rather than the orders he gave the rest of his team. He hoped she’d take him up on his suggestion. At least with some sort of marksman they could bluff that they numbered more than three. “Brisbois, with me,” He ordered before creeping down another side street that led to a large courtyard the forest brats had gathered in. With eyes on his enemy, Tom was able to identify Leila, Kat and three others. “Keep going, I’ll distract them and you can come at them from behind,” Tom whispered his combat suggestion to Julien.

Kat’s back was to him and silently Tom pulled out a small dagger. Narrowing his eyes he held it between his forefinger and thumb before letting it fly directly at one of her comrade's head. He ducked back behind the corner without seeing the result. Tom called out tauntingly, “’Red Bitch’? I’m not expert on royalty but I believe you’re supposed to say ‘Her Majesty’? Tom pulled out his sword and dragged in along the ground so it made a loud scraping sound, very clearly directing them to his location. He crouched down ready to attack whoever came around the corner looking for him.

Leila rolled her eyes at Kat's display. She was going for distraction and was doing a good job of it, but she wished she didn't have to make them all look incompetent. Her stomach lurched at the number of bodies that littered the street. People discarded in the gutters like trash. If this was how The Red Lady intended to rule her kingdom, Valie was doomed. She retrieved the sword at her waist and drew it quietly. She had the sudden sensation of being watched and she knew they weren't alone. She began to wonder if the bodies in the street were really dead..

There was a familiar metallic sound singing through the air and she just barely had time to turn and deflect it before it sunk into the back of Will's head. The knife fell to the ground with a clang. Leila faced back now, her eyes searching for the assailant. She prayed that Kat would remain facing the street. And then his voice called out in response to Kat and her veins turned to ice. Tommy.

One hand gripped her sword tightly. The other reached down for her own throwing knife, ready to toss at that bastard's head when he showed himself. "Tommy! What have you done! All these lives! All these people! They're dead because of that woman you serve! How could you! Don't you remember all those trips we made into town? These people were kind to us!" The sound of metal on stone cut through the air, rising goosebumps on her arms. It made her teeth feel like they had been rubbed with sandpaper. Kat turned at the sound of the sword on stone and Leila cursed under her breath. She turned to watch Kat's back--albeit reluctantly. "Show yourself Coward." She muttered into the orange light of the town painting in flames. Something still felt off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

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Kat's feline like eyes watched the dark, looking for movement. She distantly heard steps on the stone, but she could not be certain of friend or foe so she wouldn't bother to investigate. Not just yet anyway. Something flew at them and--thankfully--Leila had managed to stop it. Kat refrained from turning around just yet. The Daggers used diversion often to strike a foe. They're too cowardly to kill honestly. Men, Women, Child all murdered from any angle. Including being stabbed in the back. She heard Crow call from behind them and Leila responded before she could get a word out. Her heart ached for her sister at how she pleaded with her brother. They had the same conversation repeatedly about how far gone Thomas was. The little boy she once played with as a boy was gone. He's gone, Lei. Let him go.

But they were here to distract and give the others time, So.. "Coward! You hide from me?" She called as she turned her back to the street. Leila sighed and covered for her. Sorry Kiddo. This has to be showy. She grinned, feline and took a sauntering step towards the sound of metal on stone and Crow's voice. "You know what I'll do to you when I get my hands on you Thomas Crow!" She knew he probably couldn't see her, but she knew the others were probably watching. She pretended to slash her throat and die from the blood loss. She knew the others would have her back if something happened. Her eyes were trained on the rooftops looking for that damned archer of a vice Captain, but if she was there, she couldn't see her yet.

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Drew nodded at his words, but it didn't erase the guilt she felt leaving her people behind to die. She had no ideas as to what her aunt had planned for those who remained in the kingdom, but she knew they couldn't be good. Not with the amount of fire and ash she saw throughout the kingdom. "If you had tried to stop them.. you'd be dead.. or worse. She might've tossed you inside as well." At the sound of her name--not her title-- her head snapped up to look at him, but he was looking down at his hand. There was red, angry skin on his finger where a blister had formed and broken open. She moved towards him and stopped to take a look at it. His skin was warm beneath the ice of her fingertips. "We should probably clean and wrap that. We can't let anything get infected out here. Where are the bandages?" Then she realized she didn't know what exactly the plan was. He had said something about the Shadow Children, but had he finally believed the stories? That they had existed.

"Where are we going, Winn? Are we really hiding out here until things.. what? Blow over?" She ran a hand through her tangled hair, shaking slightly with the cold. Her breath was beginning to form clouds in front of her as the temperature continued to drop. As she looked for medical supplies, she found a satchel at the foot of her cot and pulled it over to her to search it. It contained clothes and food, obviously for her, but no bandages inside.

It wasn´t a surprise to Julien to see most of his Queen creatures coming from the castle as he was arriving nor was it to see that both of the Corvus had a determined or slightly angry expression on their faces but for some reason that anger found his way directed at Julien, taking away his excellent mood, disgust and nuisance was the usual vibe the little Lady deigns to bestow on Julien but being scolded by his Captain wasn´t some playful antipathy "Yes I´m greatly displeased by nobility but I haven´t killed Angelina yet my Crow... nor anyone who can be beneficial for the future of Valie"it wasn´t important for Julien if people did not understand his way of life but he respected his leader, this and similar things coursing through his mind while the Captain was talking to The Inquisitor...

"You're going to regret waking your neighbors!"

"So Kat is finally here I wonder if she found Frere maybe I really will get my second chance at a dance" With this thoughts cheering his mind he turned his attention to the direction of the screams he quickly assessed his weapons and wounds, the a gash on his right thigh and the one on his arm were going need some favoring the rest weren´t of importance like the split lip.

There were only five Shadow Children in the courtyard and that gave Julien some doubt, although selfish and too passive none of them were oafish, at least not those that he remember and Kaitlyn couldn´t know how many of the Queens people would answer such a challenge "What are you thinking Kaitlyn... and why have you brought the young ones, you did not intervene when everything was at its worse and now that things are finally starting to right themselves you come and bring those that know nothing into this purge His eyes dissecting the kids behind TSCs Captain, two seemed weak and disturbed by the dead bodies and the other two seemed equally disturbed but more ready to join their song of steel to the orchestra of the night “Keep going, I’ll distract them and you can come at them from behind,” The Crow said and this inspired Julien, making his way quickly around the courtyard he decided to give aid to his captains plan for distraction. Selecting a shadowed alley close to the Captain he hung his dark coat to a pole with a knife coming from the sleeve barely in eyesight of the two brown-haired shadow boys and climbed his way to the first floor of the house next to it, waiting and observing his knives and his scythe were ready he just needed the boys to make a move towards the mildly billowing shadow or the reflection of steel or Crow

"Give me a small opening and I´ll test your painting skills all the models are in their positions" In his mind he already had envisioned the end image for this encounter, the dark haired girl was skilled enough to create quality art and therefore she would escape mostly unscathed probably carrying a broken forest Jaguar maybe even with a defeated soul after my asymmetrical perfection was discussed and the fate of the other three determined. Those three and both of the Daggers with him were the wild inspiration the strokes that would create their own colors and bring versatility to this piece, he just had to wait for the right time to bring down his stormy brushes and give life to this courtyard.

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Tom's sister called out first. "Tommy! What have you done!" He closed his eyes listening to rest of Leila's talk. She didn't understand. He didn't serve the Red Lady exactly. Sure she was in charge, but they worked together. They both had a vested interest in seeing her on the throne. The kindness his sister spoke of wasn't an act Tom could recall. No part of Tom's childhood involved kindness. So now he wasn't in it for anyone else. He was doing all of this for himself. He would have been happy to have Leila come along with him but he has given up on that dream. She didn't understand his choices and he'd long since accepted her as his enemy.

Tom sighed at Kat's taunts. Honestly he wasn't like the others. He didn't thrive on blood and violence and he didn't look forward to a challenge. It wasn't that he was reluctant to hurt his former childhood friend, but it honestly just felt like so much effort. Luckily Tom saw out the corner of his eye, the Queen appear. Smirking he sheathed his sword and stepped out into the light, showing himself to the forest brats. The Queen followed him out. When she stated that he'd been called worse, Tom smirked at her, and said, "I bet you have." He wasn't too concerned with Angelina's safety he was sure Kas and Julien were in place, though he didn't dare look for them and give their places away.

He listened to Angelina's proposal. Their best vs His best. It would be interesting, again he'd fight if he had to, but he wasn't showy enough to immediately assume he was any better than Julien or Kass. Then he listened to Kat's deal. Giving up the princess? Now that seemed very unlike her. Smirking he put his hand to his sword's hilt. "You're hardly in the situation to position to make demands. We have you surrounded." He bluffed easily. Though he was very confident that him, Kass and Julien could easily hold off the brats.

Then he looked to Angelina. "I think it only takes one to go off and collect the Princess for us. It's probably best we keep the rest as an insurance policy." He asked sarcastically in a flippant manner. Tom was going to make sure some of these brats were staying here under his comrades' watchful eyes.