43 Everan & Valadae

_Everan & Valadae_

"Everan! Everan!" Valadae called his name as he pulled her along the hallways blindly. She gasped in surprise when he ducked into an empty room after rounding a corner, allowing the guards chasing them to continue running past. The fae girl took this moment to look him up and down. His face was more hardened than usual and he seemed to be out of it, looking a bit dazed with how his eyes would not focus on anything. His golden honey eyes were almost glowing now, slightly illuminating the room which only had slight light coming in from behind the window's curtain.

She pulled from his grasp when she noticed the scales that were creeping up his arms and face. Her immediate assumption was that he was some sort of demon before the reality of who exactly he was dawned on her. "You were born under the dragon..." She mumbled. His eyes suddenly shot to her and he took her by the arm, trying to lead her out of the room but Valadae pulled against him. "No! No, talk to me Everan!"

He only growled at her in response. "Damn you, you stubborn fool!" She hissed at him as she hit his tugging arm. "I just lost my sister! The least you could do is tell me what it is you are planning to do running around the palace like this!"

He had not even looked at her and continued to drag her to the door, her small figure easy to pull along with him. Valadae reached up and cupped his face in her hands, forcing his golden eyes to meet her light blue ones. "Everan." She said his name, unsure what else to say to him.

He stared at her for a long moment before the glow faded from his eyes and the scales retreated back into his skin. He blinked for a moment before he smacked her hands away from his cheeks.

"We need to get out of here, who knows if they'll send more," He told her now, coming back to his senses.

Valadae gave him a strict look. "What was that? What was going on with you?"

His eyes narrowed and he looked out into the hall silently. "Everan!"

He turned to glare at her. "Keep quiet." He instructed her.

"Not until you tell me what it is you plan to do. Why hide from the guards? I'm with you."

"I'm dying today aren't I?" He hissed at her. "I might as well have killed that brat fae."

"She was not a brat! She was- she was my sister!" Valadae said with trembling lips and hands.

"More assassins will come for you, and I am going to die if I stay. We need to get out of here." He instructed her, ignoring her tears.

"I am safer here than out there," She told him now.

"Trust me, you are not. The wilds have been trying to get assassins in here for years, the fact that they have now means that someone important has become a traitor." He told her matter of fact.

Valadae gave him a sceptical look. "No, that can't be. Everyone in the court has sworn their loyalty. It has been this way for many years." She said confidently.

"You are much more naive than you let on," Everan grumbled out. "Even the grandest and fairest of courts have enemies and traitors. You are going to die if you stay here."

"Why do you even care! You've talked about killing me yourself before," She said as she violently wiped tears away from her eyes.

"Shut up," He grumbled, taking her by the arm again and leading her out into the hallway. "How do we escape safely? It's do or die, some traitors are likely to be less obvious than the two we came across." He told her.

"I'm not leaving!" She told him. He spun to look at her with sharp eyes. Raking her with a fierce withering glare. There was an obvious threat behind his golden gaze that had her legs feeling shaky.

"Fine. You are not leaving. But you are helping me escape this place and you are showing me the way out yourself. Think of it as insurance, dear princess," He growled to her lowly. "Die here for all I care, but I will not be dying just yet,"

Valadae swallowed before she nodded, numbly following after him as he pulled her along. "T-take a left at the next hallway, at the end of it there is a flight of stairs that will lead to another hallway..." She continued to direct him through the large castle for some time, her feet and arm growing sore as he did not bother to slow down. It felt like forever that they were winding through dark hallways and dusty staircases as Valadae directed him through the most unused areas of the castle as not to get caught. There was no guarantee her limited power would allow him to so freely leave this place.

No matter how nasty he could be to her, he was still important and it was best if he did not die. The seer had told her he was important. Valadae needed to find her. She needed the woman to shed more light on what made him such a big piece in all of this.

Soon they were rushing out of the castle's back entrance and towards the stables to steal a horse. Here was when guards passing by on patrol saw them. "Stand down," Valadae yelled at them as they rushed over with swords drawn.

Everyman had been too wrapped up inside of his head to realize how bad of an idea it was to so foolishly rush into the open like this. He glared at the guards who took in his bloodied form. "I have to kill them," He told Valadae in his native tongue, hoping even her limited knowledge of the language would pick up on his meaning.

It seemed she had. "Kill?" She repeated the word in his native language with wide eyes. "No, you can't!"

"Explain what is going on Princess, or we will have to take the prisoner back behind bars," One of the guards commanded, raising his sword up at Everan who held back a growl.

"What orders are you acting under?" Valadae asked him.

"Orders to kill him if he is to leave his room. You should be glad I would do him this kindness only to lock him back up," The guard explained.

"Do not speak to me so rudely," She scolded him as her own eyes narrowed. "Go back to patrol." She commanded him.

"I cannot,"

"Go-" Valadae's words fell on deaf ears as Everan was moving suddenly, easily slipping past the sword and jabbing a dagger into the man's throat just as he took the sheathed sword from the other guard. Without waiting for the guards' reaction to his quick movements he spun, bringing the word up as he completely decapitated the other guard and pushed him back so that the blood would spray away from him.

The two guards fell to the ground as Valadae held her hands up to her mouth in horror. Everan had not even hesitated. She looked to him now, seeing that he did not have any emotions for these men. "You killed them!" She said in shock.

"I'll kill anyone in my way. Let's go."

"No, this is as far as I can go, I will have them open the gates," She said now.

Everan narrowed his eyes. "They won't. These guards weren't going to let us get to the stables. They are not going to listen to you. They'll let us through the gate if you're a hostage. I'll let you go once I'm through."

Valadae looked at him for a long moment. "So you'll threaten to kill me if they don't let you through?" She asked for clarification.

"Aye. I WILL kill you if they don't. This wasn't a question. This is what we are doing, lets go." He said, pointing the dagger at her now.

Valadae felt what little colour that was in her face leave as she nodded and walked on. Part of her was sure he was not going to kill her, as he had been concerned that she was going to be killed if she stayed here earlier. However, Everan seemed to be a wild card and it was best for now to believe his words.

He poked her in the back with the dagger, making her jump. "Hurry before I have to kill more guards," he growled at her. She obeyed and the two of them briskly made their way to the stables.

"P- princess," The stable boy mumbled out in surprise before his eyes widened further upon seeing Everan with a dagger.

Everan reached forward and yanked Valadae to him. "Horse now, or she dies," He said venomously.

The stable boy looked to Valadae who nodded. "Just do as he says," She said, giving a nervous smile to the stable boy. He had diary blonde hair that laid long, tied up into a loose ponytail. It was common for men here to keep their hair long, but unlike women, they were allowed to tie it up before marriage. They were allowed to cut it some too, unlike fae women who were never to cut their precious locks.

The boy had retrieved a horse quickly and led it to Everan who looked at it with a scowl. "All your horses are white?"

"That is the preference here. We breed them like this." The stable boy mumbled out.

"You breed your people in that way too it would seem." Everan said with a disgusted look. He put his dagger away momentarily in order to lift Valadae onto the horse. She squeaked at this sudden action as he quickly hopped on behind her, quick to pull his dagger out again. "Where's the gate?"

"North of here, that way," Valadae instructed and Everan wasted no time in directing the horse full speed in that direction. It was embarrassing being so close to Everan, as she was sitting flush against his chest. The colour was coming back into her face as she felt his breath on the back of her head. There were too many emotions for her now. Fear, embarrassment, grief. She had no idea what it was she should be feeling at a time like this.

Soon they reached the gate, and as they did they came across many guards. "Open the gate!" He yelled out at them. "I have your precious princess! You shoot arrows at me, I kill her without hesitation. You don't open this gate, I kill her. I saved her sorry arse from assassins. It would be a waste to have her die here!"

"Do as he says!" Valadae yelled with a shaky voice. She felt the coolness of Everan's blade press against her neck and cringed. He wouldn't actually kill her, would he?

"Let her go first and we will gladly open this gate!" An older looking guard said now.

"I am no fool, open the gate and she's free, you have my word. Safe and sound." Everan promised. "Spend any more time chatting and she's dead!"

"Wait, we can negotiate-"

Valadae screamed out as Everan sliced at her wrist, holding it up so it could bleed down her arm and show all who were around, point their bows and swords in his direction. "Next time it's her neck!" He hollered without remorse.

"Damn you, Just open the gate!" Valadae commanded the eldest guard.

The gate started to creak as it was drawn up slowly. Everan nodded to the guards as he brought his horse up to the gate as it was drawn up.

Valadae prepared herself to be off the horse, but Everan held her firmly in place. "Let go of me, you got what you wanted!" She hissed at him. Everan only ignored her as he started his horse at a full gallop, running straight out the gate and into the free wilderness. There was a ruckus behind them as the guards realized they had been lied to and quickly sent their own men on horses after him.

"You lied!" Valadae yelled at him, enraged."

"Aye," was his only response as he kept his eyes on the path in front of them.

"They are going to kill you!"

Everan laughed freely, enjoying the fresh air that pelted his face. "Let them try. Let them all try and fail,"

"You are absolutely mad!" Valadae said, glaring at him. A part of her wanted to writhe right here on the horse and do all she could to get away but if she fell off she might be further hurt, and that thought was what scared her into submission, doing nothing to make the horse drop them.

"Perhaps," Everan said with a chuckle.