Open Chronicles Through the thorns.

[Alima Aiken]

Ryna was a simple yet complicated young woman. She did more than the average man. Even more so, Ryna is an assassin, willing to protect anyone. She was in Alliria looking around. She stopped into a tavern. Choosing a place to make herself comfortable, she looked to the bartender and said, "Give me the best thing you got." He nodded, beginning to prepare Ryna's drink. Once finished, he slid her the drink. She hadn't any idea what it was, but she would try anything. She downed the drink in one go. Her attention turned to the person in the doorway being as loud as possible. She sighed.

"What do I have to do to be noticed around here!?" They shouted, clearly drunk. Ryna only shook her head, unable to believe that someone could be so careless. She stooped and trotted passed the person in the doorway. The person grabbed Ryna's arm firmly. "Let go of me. I will not ask again." She said, her gaze seeming to pierce the persons boldness. Cowering away, they had retreated to their seat in the tavern. Ryna went back to walking out the door.

 

[Urchin]

Urchin was whistling a jolly little tune to himself as he headed towards the Siren's Song tavern at the docks of the Shallows. He'd been doing relatively well for himself recently and had enough coin to spare for a couple of hours of drinking and gambling. Plus he was hoping to bump into some of the whores who worked the tavern... Not to hire them for their services. No, Urchin knew exactly what girls like that had to deal with and would never dream of adding to the problem with his patronage. But he was on friendly terms with a couple of them and thought it might be nice to catch up. Hopefully Honey would be playing her lute tonight. She had a really pretty voice.

Just as he was about to enter the tavern though, a beautiful young woman opened the door and Urchin almost collided with her. "Oh, sorry there Miss. Didn't see ya there," Urchin said politely, tipping his little cap to her. With one hand, he held the door open to let the woman through, and with the other, his hand very carefully snuck into the woman's pocket, to see if there were perhaps any coin to help himself to. After all, he was so close to the lady, it'd be a waste to just let her walk by without at least checking to see if she had any valuables worth taking.

 

[Alima Aiken]

Ryna had almost collided with a small boy, whom was very polite. She gave a weak smile before trying to trot past him. Feeling something heavy in her pocket, she whirled around only to find the boy trying to pick-pocket her. She grabbed his hand and lifted it above the boys head. She had become furious very quickly. In a low and grim tone she said, "Try to pick-pocket me again and I'll snap both of your arms in half. Am I clear?" Her eyes meet the boys.

She had hoped he got the message. With triumph and boldness, she let him go and continued out the tavern. Ryna had never done anything like that before. Her new found fearlessness made her feel mighty! Powerful and ambitious! It felt like she could lift the world.

 

[Urchin]

"Ya!" the lad gave a pathetic little yelp when Ryna grabbed him by the arm and lifted it above his head. It looked like he hadn't been quite as sneaky as he'd initially thought. Or maybe Ryna was just a lot more observant than your average person. Either way, he'd been caught red handed.

"Try to pick-pocket me again and I'll snap both of your arms in half. Am I clear?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" the boy agreed easily. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean no 'arm." ... Well, of course that wasn't necessarily true. He meant to do harm to the lady's finances at least. Luckily for Urchin, the young lady decided to let him go without any more trouble.

"Thanks," he said, lightly rubbing on his wrist where she'd grabbed him. "Look, I'm real sorry Miss. Wun cause ya no more trouble, I swear. Ya ain't gonna call the guards on me or nuthin', are ya?"

 

[Alima Aiken]

"I haven't quite decided on that yet, young one." Ryna said, stopping to face that boy. "Clearly you pick-pocket for a living, so I won't give you any trouble. Just know this, If I see you pick-pocket someone, I will call the guards." She looked in her pocket and grabbed out four silver coins. She handed the boy the four coins.

"No more pick-pocketing. Understood?" Ryna said in a mother like tone. She waited for the boys answer with a slight smile.

 

[Urchin]

"I haven't quite decided on that yet, young one."

"Oh come on Miss, I wun give ya no more trouble, I swear..." The lad pleaded, knowing that the woman had ultimate power over whether he spent the next few nights in a cell. He'd already been in trouble for similar offenses, so he doubted the guards would go easy on him this time. "'Ow about I do ya a favor, huh? Listen, I'm local, I know everyone round 'ere. There anythin' in this city yer lookin' for, I can 'ook ya up, 'ows that?"

"Clearly you pick-pocket for a living, so I won't give you any trouble. Just know this, If I see you pick-pocket someone, I will call the guards." She looked in her pocket and grabbed out four silver coins. She handed the boy the four coins. "No more pick-pocketing. Understood?" Ryna said in a mother like tone. She waited for the boys answer with a slight smile.

The boy did a confused double take when the woman actually threw a few coins his way. He'd tried to pickpocket her and she was taking pity on him. Damn, he had misjudged this lady, that was for sure. "Oh wow... Thanks! That's real, real nice of ya, Ma'am," the lad said happily as she quickly pocketed the coins. "Dun ya worry Miss, I wun pick pocket no more I swear!" Well, that was a bold faced lie. The boy made his bread and butter from stealing and that wasn't about to change any time soon. But he'd certainly be sure not to pickpocket in front of her again. "An', hey, I meant what I said before. Yer a real stand up lady, an' I'd be 'appy ta help ya out with anything ya need." And he certainly had the contacts too. Unbeknownst to Urchin, this seemingly kind young lady had an unexpected career that some of his more wealthy associates could definitely make use of.

 

[Alima Aiken]

Ryna ruffled the boys hair, knowing full well he was lying. He was a sneaky one. She smiled. "I'm glad you understand." She said softly. Boldness and power in her eyes. She needn't any help with anything but a favor could always be renewed. "I don't believe I caught your name." Her eyes seemed to sparkle with curiosity.

Out of the blue, her senses kicked in. Instinctively, she used herself as a shield for the boy. Her head on a swivel, she scanned her surroundings. " I need you to be silent at this very moment. If not..." She stopped, only shaking her head. Her hand went to the hilt of her dagger. Quietly unsheathing it, she heard a couple of bottles fall. Her gaze directed towards the noise.

 

[Urchin]

Urchin breathed a heavy sigh of relief when the woman ruffled his hair. This lady was okay! He'd have to make more of an effort to get on her good side. A woman like this seemed like she might be handy to have around in a tough spot.

"I don't believe I caught your name." Her eyes seemed to sparkle with curiosity.

"Oh... Ain't really got one," the lad lied again. He certainly had a name, he just didn't use it anymore. Truth be told, nobody had called him by his real name in about five years. "Folks round 'ere mostly just call me Urchin. Works as well as any other name. How's about you, Miss? What do they call ya?"

Before the lady could even answer though, she suddenly went into an extremely defensive mode, looking about here there an everywhere as if in search for a source of danger. "Oh... Uh... Okay," the lad whispered very quietly, taking a step back to put his back up against the wall in case there was any trouble. After a few seconds of silence, the lad spoke up to whisper again. "What's wrong?" he asked very quietly... And if there was trouble, what was it about? Were they after him, or after her?

 

[Alima Aiken]

¨Urchin? Not a very fitting name for a young boy like yourself.¨ She presented Urchin with a weak smile. ¨As far as what they call me, you shouldn't worry about that.¨ As far as the boy knew, she was only a woman exiting the tavern and nothing more.

"Oh... Ain't really got one," the lad lied again. He certainly had a name, he just didn't use it anymore. Truth be told, nobody had called him by his real name in about five years. "Folks round 'ere mostly just call me Urchin. Works as well as any other name. How's about you, Miss? What do they call ya?"

As her gaze was toward the disturbance, she heard Urchin in her ear. ¨What´s wrong?¨ He asked. Ryna turned her head slowly to him. She gave a small, worry filled smile. ¨Nothing...Nothing at all.¨ She lied. She stood her ground as a rather large man emerged from the side of the tavern. With her arm still protectively in front of Urchin, her other had went to the hilt of her dagger.

 

[Urchin]

¨Urchin? Not a very fitting name for a young boy like yourself.¨

The lad shrugged at Ryna's statement. "Ah, it's fine, I been called worse," he assured her. "'Specially by the local guard. They got a few choice names fer me, I can tell ya that," he joked.

¨As far as what they call me, you shouldn't worry about that.¨

"Oh?" Urchin asked curiously, not really sure what to call a woman who didn't provide a name. Presumably she had a reason though. Either she didn't want her name to be associated with the likes of him, or she was in some kind of trouble and didn't want her name getting overheard at all. Either way, the boy decided it was best not to press the matter. "Not a problem. Guess I'll just stick with "Miss" then."

As the woman defensively blocked him from the man leaving the tavern though, the boy could tell that something was seriously wrong, despite Ryna's objections to the contrary. After all, the woman had one arm out to protect him and another hand on the hilt of her dagger. Something was definitely about to go down. "Uh... Okay," the boy whispered nervously. "... What do I do?" Should he stay put? Hide? Run? Cause a distraction? He really had no idea, but he felt like he should be doing something.

 

[Alima Aiken]

As the woman defensively blocked him from the man leaving the tavern though, the boy could tell that something was seriously wrong, despite Ryna's objections to the contrary. After all, the woman had one arm out to protect him and another hand on the hilt of her dagger. Something was definitely about to go down. "Uh... Okay," the boy whispered nervously. "... What do I do?" Should he stay put? Hide? Run? Cause a distraction? He really had no idea, but he felt like he should be doing something.

Ryna had stayed quiet instead of answering Urchin. She was too busy trying to protect him. The burly man took a couple of steps towards Ryna. ¨Where is it?¨ He said in a deep and grim voice. Ryna shook her head. ¨I don't have it. I´ve told him that. ¨ She said with a slight tone. The man scoffed and lunged a Ryna. Rynaś first instinct was to push Urchin out of the way. The man grabbed Ryna by her throat. ¨Urchin, Run!¨ Ryna said as she struggled to get loose from the man's grip.

 

[Urchin]

Shit! What the hell did he do now? Looked like Ryna had some kind of beef with the guy, and instead of keeping his mouth shut, Urchin had gone and drawn the guy's attention, giving away that Ryna was there. Now she was in a whole world of trouble and it was all his fault.

¨Urchin, Run!¨

And that was exactly what the boy wanted to do. It's what his instincts told him to do. This man was a lot, bigger, stronger and meaner than him, so running was probably his only chance. Besides, Urchin was good at running. One might say that's what he did best... But for once, the boy ignored his instincts and didn't run.

That might have been the right thing to do in the past, but Urchin wasn't a little kid anymore. He was almost a man grown, and any man worth his salt always defended a lady when she was in trouble... It's what men were supposed to do, right? So even though Ryna was most definitely stronger, faster and more experienced at fighting than Urchin, the boy took it upon himself to help her out as best as he could.

"Let 'er go, ya big ol' bastard!" Urchin demanded, charging the guy and delivering a swift kick to his groin. Urchin might not be very strong, but he knew that a kick in the balls would hurt like hell for any man, no matter how big and tough they were.

 

[Alima Aiken]

"Let 'er go, ya big ol' bastard!" Urchin demanded, charging the guy and delivering a swift kick to his groin. Urchin might not be very strong, but he knew that a kick in the balls would hurt like hell for any man, no matter how big and tough they were.

The man's attention temporarily went to Urchin. A low growl emerged from his burly throat. "Oh yeah? What are ya gonna-" The man was cut off by a swift kick to the balls by Urchin. The man doubled over in pain as Ryna was dropped to the ground. Ryna coughed and hacked, finally getting air in her lungs.

" Why didn't you run, you imbecile! " She shouted at Urchin, still coughing a bit. She rubbed her throat and stood up slowly, feeling light-headed and dropping to one knee. She looked at her hand and discovered the man had put something on her skin. The substance was sappy and sticky. Ryna's vision blurred as she reached a willing hand out towards Urchin. " You aren't safe...please....run.... " She said as she collapsed into unconsciousness.

The man was still doubled over in pain, unable to deal with the situation. All he knew was a small runt kicked him, then there was only pain. He groaned cupping his groin and wishing the pain go away.

 

[Urchin]

" Why didn't you run, you imbecile! "

"I..." the lad blurted out, surprised to be yelled out after his rather brave attempt at chivalry. "I were just tryna 'elp!" he protested, but it seemed that he hadn't really done much to help at all. The man had dropped her, he'd managed that much, but something was extremely wrong. He didn't know what the man had done, but Ryna looked like she could hardly breath. Before he could do anything to help her, the woman collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Urchin yelped out helplessly. Now what was he supposed to do? He couldn't carry Ryna while he ran, he wasn't strong enough for that. And he certainly couldn't fight the guy off. Looked like running was his only option... But what about Ryna?

Only one idea came to mind. The lad ran across the docks while Ryna was unconscious and her attacker keeled over in pain. Reaching his hand into the boggy water, the boy scooped up a handful of mud and pebbles. "Hey, dipshit!" he yelled at the man, pelting him with a barrage of pebbles. "Pick on someone yer own fuckin' size!" Not that Urchin was much closer to the man's size than Ryna was.

Once the lad's hands were empty of pebbles, he turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Hopefully, if all went to plan, the man would chase after him, leaving Ryna alone. And if that happened, hopefully somebody coming out of the tavern would find her and get her some help. If not... Well, the poor woman was screwed.

 

[Alima Aiken]

He wiped the mud and pebbles from his face. The man got up, looking at Ryna. He grabbed her and ran after Urchin. "Get back here you little shit!" He shook the ground as her ran after the young boy. He was a little far behind, being that he was large and carrying someone. Not like the man at all to go after young children, but they interfere with his work, it's trouble for them.

He felt Ryna swarm a bit. He didn't want her to wake while he chased the young boy. The man seemed to stop and grab a liquid from his bag and put some on Ryna's skin. He laughed. "I've got what I want." He said in a low and mischievous voice. He turned and began walking in the opposing direction. He had gotten what he came for, now he just needed to take Ryna to the boss.

 

[Urchin]

Urchin kept on running as fast as he could, zigzagging through streets and ducking between alleyways to try and put as much distance between him and the guy as possible. When he was sure the man was no longer following him, Urchin stopped and poked his head round the corner... No one.

Doubling back, the lad retraced his steps, planning to make his way back to the tavern and check if Ryna was okay. Half way there though, he saw the man who had attacked them was currently carrying Ryna under his arm and walking away in the opposite direction. "Damn," the lad whispered under his breath. Looked like his plan had completely failed.

Now, he just didn't know what to do. The logical part of his brain told him to just leave it. After all, he had only just met the woman. He barely knew her. What business was it of his what happened to a complete stranger? But then there was the emotional side of his brain. The annoying part that bugged him to do the right thing. Yes, he didn't know Ryna very well, but she had been nice to him. She hadn't called the guards when he tried to steal from her, and even given him some coin when she realized that he was down on his luck. If he let something bad happen to her... Well, he just wouldn't be able to sleep at night. He at least had to try to help.

The only problem was, there was no chance in hell that he could take the guy in a fight. The man would probably snap his neck before he even got a hit in. So, his only option for now was to follow from a distance and see where the man took her. After that... Well, he'd have to figure that out as he went along.

 

[Alima Aiken]

The man walked a good distance before stopping to look around. He went to a rather small looking building. He knocked on the wooden door four times to let the boss know it was him. The boss opened the door, revealing himself in the light. His name was Kane. Prince Kane. He was looking for Ryna for sometime now and has finally got her.

"You've got her! Thank you, Sailious. Quickly! Bring her in!" Prince Kane said. He stepped back as Sailious went into the small building. Prince Kane had a sinister smile widely plastered across his face. For years Ryna had evaded his capture in someway. He had never seen someone so good at escaping. For an assassin and bounty hunter, she sure was sneaky. Sailious set her in a chair and grabbed a rope, tying it tightly around Ryna.

Ryna swarmed a bit before waking. She gasped in sight of Prince Kane.

 

[Urchin]

"Well fuck," Urchin cursed under his breath when he saw another man open the door. It looked like there'd be more than one guy to deal with if he wanted to play the knight in shining armor... Not that he could take the one guy in a fight anyway. For a moment, the lad weighed his options. He could try to pick a fight with the two men and get brutally beaten to death. Not the best idea. He could sneak in and wait until the woman was left alone before saving her... But there was no guarantee that the men would even leave her alone, or she might be dead by the time they were finished with her. He could inform the local guard, but he was already wanted on several charges of petty theft, so he doubted they'd take him seriously, and he'd probably just end up in a cell for his trouble. And, of course, he could just go home and do nothing... But that would be a pretty shitty thing to do and he doubted he'd ever be able to look himself in the mirror again if he pulled a stunt like that.

No, there was only one plan he could come up with that might save the girl and end without him getting himself killed. Find somebody who could deal with those bastards a hell of a lot better than he could. And he knew exactly where to look! Sprinting through the streets as fast as his little legs could carry him, Urchin headed straight towards the Raven Club, hoping he'd find at least one friend there that might help him.

"Charity!" the lad called out as he threw the door open. "Mr Isak! Miss Eile! Ogden! Anybody?" he screamed, looking around frantically as he ran inside.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Charity sat at a small table in the corner of the Raven Club talking happily with Eilerias. She had taken the day off from her usual antics to catch up with the woman she had barely seen since their reunion.

"...And of course the brat just had to trip and make a racket spilling the coins all over the floor and alerting the guards! I've never seen his little legs move so fast before! Between scrambling to pick up as much coin as he could and trying to run, it was the funniest thing I had seen in a looong time!" Charity slapped the table and leaned back in her chair laughing. "Anyway... Speaking of protégées, how is Lidia doing with her training?"

Charity continued to converse with Eilerias but it wasn't long before the club's front door crashed open.

"Charity!" the lad called out as he threw the door open. "Mr Isak! Miss Eile! Ogden! Anybody?" he screamed, looking around frantically as he ran inside.

"Hey kid! Over here!" Charity raised her hand in greeting, a large grin on her face. He looked relieved to see them but as he ran over, Charity could tell something was wrong. Urchin was speaking frantically, and she could hardly make out what he was saying. Something about a girl he had met? And a kidnapping? What was going on? She reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Woah... Slow down. Take a deep breath and tell us what happened." Charity pulled him closer and gently rubbed his back in what she hoped was a soothing manner. She looked over at Eilerias worriedly. It wasn't unusual for Urchin to get worked up over nothing, but this sounded serious.

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias joined Charity at one of the tables, listening to one of the stories of her and Urchin. "Poor thing." She laughed popping a few grapes in her mouth. "What I would have given to watch that from the shadows! Lidia is doing extremely well. I guess she's lucky to have guidance with her magic. I was kind of left on my own to work things through. Isak's worried, though, that I push myself too hard and he wants Lidia to take over training the others." She rolled her eyes. "You should have seen the lessons I used to start Lidia's training. Those were brutal. There was one time I nearly killed-"

Eilerias was cut off as the door flung open and Urchin ran in, screaming as he did so. She joined Charity, waving him over. "Come join us!" She patted the chair next to her. "You met a girl?" She asked, her excited voice overlapping with Charity's. "Is she pretty? What's her name?"

She quickly realized he wasn't here to tell them about a new girl in his life. Something seemed wrong. She watched as Charity rubbed the boy's back, giving an equally worried look back as Charity looked at her. "Is everything okay Urchin?" She wanted to go over there and use her soothing touch to make him feel better, but Isak was nearby and he would probably be upset with her if she was unnecessarily using her powers when Charity could do a fine job calming the boy. "Sit down, tell us what's wrong."

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Iron clashed against steel, the whistling sound echoing throughout the room as Isak and Ogden danced back and forth, exchanging blows of sword and axe. It had been a few weeks since they started training, after Ogden had finally accepted to have his sword arm properly healed by Eilerias, swallowing some of his pride and fear of magic, and giving Isak some much needed lessons in swordplay.

It had been years since he had trained that, with the harsh teachings of his former master.

"Ya ain't too bad with a blade, boss!" The dwarf taunted, before Isak dashed against him again. Even if a bit out of shape, thanks to so much ale and meat, Ogden was still a elite warrior, and nimble enough to evade most of Isak's attacks with ease, which quite frustrated the young man.

After a short spin to regain his advantage, Isak recklessly let his magic flow towards his blade, lighting up the edges with fire as he brought it down against Ogden's axe. But the sword fell short of hitting the axe, as they heard screams coming from the lobby of the club. Isak could hear someone calling his name, but his first instinct was to think of Eilerias, worried that something had happened.

He let go of the sword as it disappeared in a fleeting flame, vanishing in thin air, pieces of the fire flying back towards his wrist and forming a mark there as Isak bolted to the stairs with Ogden fast on his heels. They arrived at the lobby to find Eilerias and Charity trying to calm down a distraught Urchin.

Isak stepped forth, announcing his presence, sweating through his tight black longshirt and panting a bit due to the intensity of his training just minutes ago. He looked quite surprised to see Charity there as well, but only just recalled that Eilerias had mentioned something about taking the day off to talk to her.

"What is it, Urchin? Don't tell me you're leading a horde of angry grunts straight to my door."

 

[Urchin]

The lad rushed over to Charity and Eilerias's table, leaning on it to catch his breath and shaking his head when offered a seat. "No time," he objected. "There's a lady! Nice lady! Met 'er outside the Siren's Song. She were just standin' there. Didn't do nuthin'. Big guy, great big mean fucker, 'e comes out an' start's chokin' the girl. Kicked 'im in the nuts good an' 'e drops 'er. Try ta get the lady ta come with me, but she falls over. Out cold. Guy chases me off an' then runs off with the lady. Ain't nobody try ta stop 'im or nuthin'. I followed 'im though. Dragged 'er to this old buildin'. More guys there. Gotta go 'elp before they does bad stuff ta 'er!" Hopefully the others would be able to pick up the gist of what was going on through the boy's barely discernible ramblings.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Charity sighed and released Urchin. Seemed there was no consoling him. "How the hell do you keep getting yourself into these sitiations?" She tipped her chair back and crossed her arms. "So this random broad ya met got kidnapped and now you want us to go and save her? Even though you barely know her and whatever trouble she's in doesn't concern you in the slightest? Why should we help her? Its no skin off my nose if she got herself kidnapped."

"You're too soft kid." Charity said smacking Urchin on the arm. "Remind me to teach you how to fight when this is over. We won't always be around to save your ass when there's trouble you know."

"Rescue missions are such a fuckin' pain..." Charity grumbled, scratching the back of her head. "But since you asked so nicely, I guess I'll play along. Coming up with a plan is the boss man's department, so don't look at me." Charity yawned and gestured towards Isak. "Any ideas Lavelle?"

 

[Eilerias]

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" Eilerias ate another grape, watching the scene unfold in front of her. "Slow down. What happened now?" She listened as Charity questioned the boy. He wanted them to save some girl he had just met. "So you DID meet a girl!" She snickered, teasing the very frantic boy in a poor attempt to calm him down without magic.

She lowered her voice and looked at Charity. "Maybe he wants to impress her...you know... rescue the fair maiden and get her love." She sighed. "How romantic....anyway, I am not sure how much a healer would contribute to a rescue mission, but I'm down. If you're taking Charity on the day we both took off to spend together, that means I am coming too." She crossed her arms and looked to Isak, ready for his master plan to save the poor girl.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak stood unimpressed as Charity interrogated Urchin, a frenzy of questions storming at his face followed by heavy scolds that made her look more like a worried mother, rather than a petty thief. Maybe they were all going soft, as Isak looked to Eilerias and watched her play around and laugh at Urchin, teasing him about this girl that was supposedly in trouble. He almost opened a small smile, but did his best to maintain his closed face.

A moment later, and they all turned to him, waiting for any sort of plan that could help Urchin and this unknown damsel in distress. But of course, Isak wouldn't walk into anything if not with a guarantee that he could take something in return, always looking for the tiniest advantage at his disposal.

He waved his hand nonchalantly, unfazed by the looks given to him. "Ideas? What makes you think I'd bother rescuing every poor soul in this damned city?" That went off a bit more colder than he had anticipated, but his walls were almost instantly torn down as Eilerias looked at him with those soft eyes of hers, seemingly aware that she could convince him of anything, having the powerful and lovestruck crime boss on the palm of her hand.

"Fine." He sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a moment to think properly. It didn't take more than a few seconds for something bold to come up on his mind. He couldn't possibly risk Eilerias' safety, so they had to be smart about taking back this girl and dealing with her captors. "I assume you know where this old building is, Urchin?"

After having his answer, and the knowledge necessary to go forward with what he was concocting, Isak carefully explained his plan.

A ruse - set up a negotiation with whoever captured her, fooling them into thinking that a powerful Allirian merchant put a huge bounty on her head, and bluffing that the prize could be shared among them, as long as Isak is the one to 'deliver' her.

They only had to be very convincing, and very persuasive, for that ploy to work.

"Ogden, fetch my coat and some coin from our coffers. Don't worry, Urchin, you'll see your damsel soon enough."