Private Tales Behind the Mask

[Val]

"Hey hey hey!" Val said as he quickly jumped from behind the desk and ran behind Wren out the door.

He didn't make a move to grab her, deciding that a fleeing woman in the state she was in likely didn't want to be grabbed in...well any way at all. Instead he reached a hand out to her in offer, hoping she would stop before she descended down the massive spiral staircase.

"What's the matter?" Val asked. "It's fine, they're dead. No ones got you."

Not him, not them. "We hit the alarm and then go grab your friend and get out before the guards even realize what happened."

There'd be utter chaos, but Val hardly cared.

"It's fine, you're okay." The noble said soothingly.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Wren stopped amidst her panic and spun around to look at him.. "I can't breathe.." she wheezed out and looked down at his hand, and then to her own and the blood that covered them, that she felt dripping from her face.

"Fuck.." she growled and tilted her head back as she listened to his reassurance, trying again to pull in a deep breath. He was right, she knew it in her mind that he was but she couldn't stop the panic attack as much as she tried to.. She was just going to have to listen and trust him.

"Alright just do it.." she told him and rushed past him back into the room to arm herself. Her hands were trembling, and the crushing reality of where she was tried to drag all logic from her mind.. "It's fine...You're okay...It's fine..." she muttered to herself under her breath as she fumbled with knives.

 

[Val]

Not for the first time in the night Val wondered what the hells he'd gotten himself into. This woman was falling apart while he was standing there, and half of him wasn't sure just what the hell he was supposed to do or to say.

Maybe offer her a go on the desk, that might direct her anger at you. The thought crept up into his mind and was almost immediately dismissed.

Wren was still far more deadly than he could ever hope to be, and Val had absolutely no intention of getting himself killed on this little mission of theirs. Stepping back into the room the nobling wandered back over towards the desk, searching through drawers until he found an odd raised metallic button.

For a few seconds he inspected it, considering and then looking up at her. "Breath."

He told her softly

"Breath and enjoy the Chaos." Val said the words as he slammed his hand against the button. There was a slight hesitation, and then suddenly the prison burst Into life. Cell doors slammed open, lights of magic turned on, and every guard in the place received a screaming alert as the whole place fell into chaos.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Enjoy the chaos, he said...He clearly had no idea the constant chaos that went on in her head or how damaged she was thanks to this place, a prison she'd been let out of twelve years ago but she'd never really been free of. Her body jolted as he pressed the button and she closed her eyes, pressing her fingertips firmly against her temples..

"Shut it out...Just breathe.." she growled at herself and drew in a slow breath before pushing herself back from the desk, pulling her scarf over her face and her hood over her hair, and giving him a firm nod as she skipped past him to step out into the chaos.

She rushed down the spiral staircase and into the riot, her heart pounding in her ears the only thing louder than the alarm that sounded.. "Breathe.." she told herself again and again under her breath as she made her way through the stampede of escaping prisoners, her eyes frantically searching in the flashing light for Theon.

Hands that grabbed at her were swiftly cut away with the blades clutched, white knuckled in her palms. She moved swiftly, ducking under swinging clubs and swords of officers who were quickly set upon by begrudging inmates.

"Theon?!" she called out amidst her audible breaths as she stormed on through the carnage, but she screamed out as arms clutched her from behind, locking her arms to her sides and lifting her from her kicking feet and walking her toward an opened cell.

"VALREN!" she roared out and slammed her feet at either side of the door frame in refusal, her legs locking as she pushed back against the man trying to imprison her.

 

[Val]

There was a loud squelching noise followed by a wheezing cough as the man holding Wren found himself impaled by the shorter of Val's blade. Blood spewed from his mouth and splattered over Wren as Val tugged the now corpse away from her and threw him to the ground.

"Kress!" Val cursed out the name of the anicent god, shaking his head at Wren as he grabbed her and shoved her against the wall.

When she'd burst from the Wardens office like a wolf from hell Val had needed to sprint after her. Unlike Wren he hadn't managed to slip past inmates or guards, and he'd needed to leave behind a trail of corpses to actually manage to catch up to her. Blood slicked his blades, staining the green leather of his armor and dragging at his cloak.

The mask he'd worn was gone, and his growled at her.

"Slow. The fuck." Anger was in his eyes. "Down."

The noble stared at her, his gaze hard. "Unless you want to end up a fucking corpse."

There was a right way and a wrong way to do this, and running into the middle of everything frantically searching was definitely not the right way. The chaos was their cover, it was their way through. It was not meant for them to join in. They were the ones who had to remain calm, to slip underneath it all.

It was the only way they'd make it out.

"We will find your friend." He told her with a scowl. "But not by getting ourselves killed."

Val loosened his grip on her, glancing back to make sure no guards or inmates were on their way. When none came, he looked back at her with that same hard stare.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

The arms around her loosened and one side of her face was sprayed with more hot blood, and as she tried to wipe it clean she was slammed to the wall. After a brief flash of anger, she stared at Val with wide, emerald eyes blinking in shock.

She didn't try to fight back, she was too busy focusing on breathing, but his anger seemed to penetrate the cloud of panic in her mind and she nodded mutely at him. He was right, of course, she was being reckless, she wanted to get Theon and get out of here as quickly as she could but she wasn't being smart about it.

Her jaw clenched and she huffed as he let her go, too stubborn to apologise, but his pep talk seemed to have got her attention.

“I’ll slow down...” she agreed loudly over the sound of alarm. “I’ll follow you..” she frowned and gave him a shove of her own in retaliation.

 

[Val]

Gods damn it he wanted to throw her out the fucking window, or up against the nearest wall.

He wasn't really sure which one he actually wanted. "Good."

Val said a she ground his teeth, fingers tightening for a few moments as he took in a deep breath and tried to focus on some of the layout of the prison. His eyes closed for a few seconds and he ran a hand through his hair. If she hadn't rushed out they could have planned their path, could have napped out their route.

Now they were in the middle of shit.

"Your friends probably in the west wing." He told her as he brushed off his armor. "We'll need to go through the the wall and then across the courtyard."

His fingers tightened for a brief moment as he motioned towards the end of the hall already covered in corpses.

After a few seconds he glanced over towards her and then headed off.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Wren stared at him as though she was having the exact same thought, her chest heaving with each huff of air that escaped her nose as she glared at him under her hood, her eyes wandering over that blood spattered green armour.. He was frustrating on so many levels.

She bit on her lip as he closed his eyes, trying to stop herself for pressing him to hurry the fuck up, the words on the tip of her tongue and ready to lash at him before he finally spoke of a plan.. "Alright then go." she frowned, and stuck close behind him as he moved with a wary glance over her shoulder every now and then..

Yelling and screaming could still be heard echoing off of the walls, guards calling to one another, the slamming of cells. Those who were still alive were clearly busy trying to chase down and contain the prisoners currently trying to escape, and some prisoners felt it a better use of their potential freedom to go after the guards instead of fleeing. Many of the inmates were not people Wren had any desire to run into, and she couldn't help but worry about what they'd done..

A bolt whistled by her ear and she ducked and turned to see two prison guards charging down the corridor toward them both. "Valren!" she snapped at the man and turned to throw out a hand toward the second bolt that flew toward them, sweeping the air upward and sending the arrow clattering into the ceiling before clattering to the floor. The guards hesitated, and Wren flipped a throwing blade in her hand before launching it at the closer guard's chest, followed swiftly by another. He fell, and Wren was out of throwing knives.

 

[Val]

Val often wondered how in the fuck he got himself into these situations.

Why did he care?

Why did he even bother? He could have lived a noble life. He could have just been rich and slept his way through the ranks of the princesses that visited Oban. It would've been a good life. It would've been a nice life. Yet here he fucking was, standing in a prison getting shot at with crossbows.

Why? Because of his stupid fucking conscience.

The other guard was reloading his crossbow as Val suddenly burst with activity. Unlike Wren he had no magic, but he did have skill. Within a split second his blades slipped into their respective sheaths and from his back sprang the curved horn bow that he had won so many competitions with. His fingers flittered over the string, and by the time the other guard knocked his bolt he would find an arrow sprouting from his forehead.

"Come on!" Val called to Wren, knocking another arrow and half turning make sure no one else was coming for them.

It was time to cross the courtyard.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Wren's hand was raised, ready to rip the air from the second guard's lungs, a brief gust of wind whipping at her hair as she tried to focus but before she could do anything the man crumpled to his knees and keeled over with an arrow in his face. Wren blinked and glanced at him, she was fast with a bow, but not that fast.

"Fuck me.." she muttered quietly and let her hand fall back to her side after rubbing at her brow. She turned to follow after him to cross the courtyard. "The towers, Val.." she barked at him as she looked up at the guards armed with crossbows, taking shots at the rioting prisoners..

 

[Val]

Val didn't need another word of encouragement. His head spun towards the tower, fingers tightening as he shifted and drew back the arrow. His entire body twisted, and then as though he weren't even looking the young noble launched an arrow. It flew through the air and cut into the throat of a soldier, the man tumbling down onto the ground of the tower.

"Go go go." He shouted at her as they dashed into the courtyard.

Most of the prisoners were lashing out at one another rather than doing anything productive, but Val didn't particularly care. They weren't here to free them all, just one man.

Wren and Val slipped along the wall of the courtyard, moving as fast as they could. Every few seconds another arrow would knock, and then it would find it's target. By the time they reached the door to the west wing Val only had three arrows remaining in his quiver, but for his efforts the guard towers were now nearly empty.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Wren cast a shield of twisting air around both of them that cast up the dust to a small cyclone around their feet as they moved. She stuck to the wall, moving quickly around the perimeter of the courtyard, her tunnel vision on the door to the west wing. It opened, and three guards rushed out and spread out, one of which headed straight for her but she pulled her hand up and the wind that had encircled the pair rushed in a tenacious gust that hit him as though it were something far more solid and sent him flying back into the wall with a thud. He didn't get back up.

Wren glanced back at Valren before slinking inside and pausing as she looked at the spiral staircase that led to the cells she remembered. The underground pits, where no light or sound reached. She dearly hoped he wasn't down there..

"Theon?!" Wren called down the corridor of , her voice echoing back as she looked up at floors and floors of more and more cells.. "Fuck.. Answer me.." she frowned. They'd never have time to search all of these.

 

[Val]

Val slipped the bow back over his shoulder and adjusted his weight slightly as he drew the long-dagger from the small of his back. Fingers tightened for a brief moment as they stepped into the darkness of the hall, the noble quickly reaching up to grab one of the torches on the wall.

A cringe ran up his spine as he once again heard Wren shout.

"Below." For a few seconds Val closed his eyes, knowing that Wren likely wouldn't enjoy what he was about to say. "They'll have him in one of the torture rooms."

There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that the bastards would be putting Theon on the rack. His father had once told him that anyone arrested with suspicion of associating with known criminals was put to the question.

Theon definitely qualified for that.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Wren stopped and turned back to him with a look of dread. She knew that, of course that was where he'd be, perhaps she'd just hoped the warden had been feeling particularly generous.. She groaned and her chest tightened again as she looked back to the stairs. She felt her stomach flip again but she clenched her jaw and lifted another of the torches from the wall..

The bowels of the prison had been reserved for the worst of criminals, and in Oban where coin and status was everything, the worst of criminals were thieves. Even sixteen year old thieves. Wren suppressed a shudder as she stood at the top of the stairs and held her breath as she pulled herself together and descended..

It went on forever, and she paused a few times but muttered to herself about breathing and continued. The lower they went the darker and quieter it grew, the dank and heavy air bringing about another wave of nausea. When they reached the floor there was no sound at all, and without the torches it would have been impossible to see anything at all. She was back in her hell.

Her hand trembled so hard she struggled to keep hold of the torch, her knuckles white in fear of dropping it. She glanced back at Val before continuing quickly along the corridor, her ragged breaths audible checking the tiny windows in the doors..

"He has to be in one of these..." she muttered frantically... "What the fuck are you doing Wren?..He has to be in one of these..."

 

[Val]

"Breath." Wren would feel a hand curl on her should a second after Val's voice rang out in the corridor.

There was a surprising softness to the way he spoke to her, his tone calming, soothing. Though the nobling was a selfish man by all accounts, he was not in any way cruel. He could see the strips of her that were slowly peeling away, could tell that she was falling into piece the deeper and deeper they moved into the prison.

Val couldn't let that happen.

If she came undone here it would be the death of both of them, and that wasn't something he could abide. So he offered her a touch, though whether it was comforting or not Val had no idea. His fingers squeezed gently, and he motioned with his torch towards the last three doors at the end of the hall.

He too remembered this place. His father had taken him here, though not to suffer. A different sort of lesson had been forced on him within these halls, one that he would never admit to Wren. Or anyone else for that matter.

"You check the right." He told her softly. "I'll go left."

They could take the center one last.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Wren tensed. She wasn't the tactile sort, she could count on her hands the amount of times she'd hugged her sisters in their lives, she was damaged and it made her cold and distant despite how much she cared for them. She'd only known Valren a short time, he was a noble and a man, neither of which were things that Wren liked and a touch such as the one he gave her was one that would normally have been shrugged off with a sneer. But here, she'd spent months, entirely alone without light or sound, here the reminder that she wasn't alone was not only required but appreciated. She eased and gave him a brief nod, torchlight flickering in the terrified gaze she met him with as she tried so desperately to keep it together and just be..brave.

She rushed from door to door, even the sound of her whispered "Theon.." sounded loud amidst the deafening silence.

"Wren?....WREN?!.."

Her heart leapt and she bolted to the end of the corridor and held her torch up to the door to take in the sight of the bruised and battered plump man attached by the wrists to the shackles that hung from the ceiling.. "Fuck.. Theon, hold on.." she muttered at him and fumbled with the keys that clattered on the lock as she tried a couple before dropping them.. "Fuck..."

"Valren...I can't.." her head shook, her hands trembling too much to be of any use..

 

[Val]

A small amount of hesitation flickered across Val's face, his lips thinning for a moment as he half stepped forward and then stopped for just a second.

For a brief flicker of time he wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to do, but his head shook and he decided to be what he had thought himself to be. With the hesitation gone, the noble stepped over towards Wren and gently grasped the keys in her hand.

There was a janglr of metal as he searched for the right one. "Here."

He told her softly as he took the key and quickly slipped it Into the lock. There was a loud mechanical click, and then a creak as unoiled hinged shifted and moved the heavy wooden door.

"Get him down." He told her quietly. They still needed to be careful, so he would watch for anyone coming.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

The keys for the shackles were on the wall, and she grabbed them as she rushed toward the man. Her eyes instantly filled with tears as she looked over him, he was almost unrecognisable in the torchlight. She reached a hand to his face.. "What've they done to you?.." she whispered, her voice cracking ..

"Wren what are you..doin' here, lass?.." the older man rasped weakly, one eye completely closed over whilst the other squinted at her.

"Shh." she frowned.. "We're getting out of here.." she told him firmly and set the torch on the floor to unlock the first shackle. Her hands were no longer trembling, her breathing was strong and steady, and she'd completely blocked out the crippling fear of where she was. He needed her, he was in this state because of her, the last thing he needed was her quivering like a beaten dog.

"Hold on to me.." she rumbled at him as the first cuff opened and she moved to open the other one. The man was far bigger than she was, but she took his weight with a quiet grunt of strength and leaned to pick up the torch before heading back to the door..

"Alright, let's go.." she nodded to Valren..

 

[Val]

Val glanced at Theon. The man looked like the six pits of hell. He wondered how he was able to walk even with Wren helping him move. Lips thinned for a brief moment, and he quieted his mind and shifted his weight so that the torch brushed through the air ahead of him.

"Aren't you glad you hooked me up with that dance?" Val said to Theon as he moved forward, deciding that perhaps some humor was called for.

It was probably wholly inappropriate for the moment, but it was also the only way Val knew how to actually deal with these situations. He had tried to do the same when his father had brought him here, but...well that hadn't ended so well.

Without hesitation Val quickly lead them back up the stairs, moving swiftly until they were back at the entrance of the courtyard.

"Alright hold on here." The noble said as he peaked his head out, noting the chaos that was still running through the courtyard. "Alright we should be goo-"

He was about to finish when a loud, echoing screech resounded throughout the plaza. The thunderous sound of wings reaching out just a second later.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Theon managed a grunt but he coughed and winced for the effort.. "Get us out of here, lad, an' I'll let you know..." he wheezed out. Wren's eyes rolled, but she was too focused on keeping Theon upright and getting him up the pitch black spiral stairs to think about anything else.

She paused as Valren instructed them to hold on, her hand squeezing on Theon's arm.. "Almost there.." she reassured the man calmly. She couldn't see the surprise on his swollen face in the dim light, but she felt him squeeze back, a comfort that he knew she needed whether she showed it or not.

Wren had taken a step forward when it seemed they were clear to cross the courtyard, but her gaze widened and she froze. "Gryphon knights....Shit." A brief wave of hopelessness washed over her again, threatening to drown her if she didn't keep focus..

"Valren, take him.." she frowned and shuffled toward the door to see how many there were.. "Get him across the courtyard, and hold the door for me, I'll cover you... And if you need to shoot, shoot." she glanced at him, she didn't mean the knights.

 

[Val]

Four.

Four of them.

Val had seen the Gryffon Knights fight before, he'd even sparred against one of them before. They were fierce warriors, deadly with a blade and even more so with the halberd. Fighting them was...well it would be fucking impossible.

Especially four of them. "Fuck that."

Val said as he pushed Theon against the wall and motioned for the man to support himself against one of the odd outcroppings there. With slow steps he moved towards Wren, his fingers reaching out to gently grasp her.

"I distract." He told her. "Pull their attention. You get on one of those damned birds."

That was a better plan in his mind.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

"Are you completely fucking mental?..." Wren snapped at the man as he strode toward her, her eyes glancing down at the hands that grasped her. "They're not just going to let me climb onto their backs, Val. Even if they did I don't know how to ride a fucking Gryphon." she blinked at him incredulously.

The panic was creeping back in. They were totally fucked... "We're totally fucked..." her fingers raked into her hair and she pulled in a shaky breath..

"Lass just get yourself out - leave me here, I'll only slow you down." Theon huffed and started sliding down the wall. She rushed forward and caught him and groaned as she pushed him back upright.

"The only reason you're here is because of me. And the only reason we're here in the first place is to get you out - I'm not leaving you. Say it again and I'll add another bruise." she frowned at him, but the man managed a weak smirk at her.

Wren looked to Valren desperately as she held Theon against the wall.. She gave a brief nod, letting him know she'd do whatever it took as she pulled the scarf up over her face again.

 

[Val]

"Good." Val said as he glanced out the doorway again, judging his own blade for a moment before looking over towards the Gryphon riders.

One of them had already slipped from his saddle, slowly walking across the courtyard as he joined the frey. Prisoners fell before him like flowers, cascading onto the ground with waves of blood and death. A frown touched his features.

Three arrows left.

"That one." He pointed Wren towards the wayward Gryphon. "Take that one. I'm going to make sure that I have their full attention."

The long knife was slipped onto his back, and he quickly unhooked his curved horn bow. He drew one of the arrows, taking a deep breath. "Try not to die."

That was the last thing he said to Wren before he slipped out of the courtyard and dashed forward. Before anyone could see him, before anyone could do anything at all Val dashed into the open and loosed three arrows.

Each of them sped across the courtyard, each of them striking home.

The two mounted Gryphon Riders found an arrow buried into their chests, the armor they wore keeping the blows from being fatal as the third felt the strike bury itself deep into his thigh.

All of them turned their heads instantly, all of them finding Val right out in the open.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

"Try not to die, he said.. Just get on that gryphon's back, he said.." Peyton muttered to herself as she watched him go. She poised herself to run as she watched him shoot at the remaining riders who now had their attentions fixed on him .. "The fuck are you doing Valren??…" Wren breathed out with a shake of her head and bit on her lip, looking between him and the lone gryphon that was slamming talons into the dirt, casting plumes of dust into the air..

"Wait here until I call you.." she told Theon reluctantly and pulled in a lungful of air before making a run for it whilst the beast's back was turned to her. In an instant she had grabbed hold of the reins and planted a foot into a stirrup to pull herself onto the beast's back. It reared in surprise and she held on for dear life as it spun..

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!!.." she yanked back on the reins and the beast stopped throwing it's head and screeching. She tried to guide the thing like a horse, but it was far more stubborn as it ambled toward where her friend was waiting.. "Theon!.." her hand shot out, and the older man stumbled weakly to her, a wary eye set on the gryphon as he grabbed hold of Wren's arm and she helped him up. The gryphon hardly seemed to notice the extra weight and it spun around, trying to take off..

"No no no you stupid prick! Shit!!.. V-- Guy hurry the fuck up!" she demanded, only just stopping herself from yelling his name. The gryphon was doing whatever the hell it wanted and Wren had little say in the matter, she had no idea how to navigate it, but it wasn't happy.. Both she and Theon held their arms out as the beast started a canter and spread it’s wings..

"Run!"

 

[Val]

This had been a mistake.

Val was good with a sword, expert with a bow, generally considered among his mates to be the best fighter of the lot of them. When pressed he could handle himself in most brawls, hell, once he'd even managed to best two trained Guardsmen in a duel.

Gryphon Knights thought? That was an entirely different story.

One of them would have been an issue, one of them would have probably had him on the backdoor. Three though? Three had him bruised and bloody within seconds of their first crossing blades. Already he could feel the crimson slipping from his wounds, cuts marking his thigh, side, and upper arm. Welts were forming under his arm, and a scrape across his forehead marred his otherwise handsome face.

He thanked whatever god was watching over him for the mask he'd been wearing.

Wielding his sword in both of his hands he slowly backed away as the three Gryphon Knights cornered him. They stalked forward silently, moving in unison like the heads of a Hydra. One stepped forward and lashed out, cutting his blade forward. Val batted the sword away with his own only to catch the sudden hook of a halbard to the inside of his thigh, the sound of his pained cries echoing out across the courtyard as he nearly fell.

His vision blurred, pain lancing through him as he caught sight of Wren hoisting herself and Then o to the Gryphon.

"Few more seconds." He muttered to himself as he suddenly lurched forward and went onthe attack. The Gryphon Knights took a startled step back, shocked as Val suddenly rushed them and slipped passed their guard. His blade swiped high, then low, drawing blood as he cast down one of the nights only to be cast down by his fellow and thrown half a dozen feet onto the ground.