Post by Aelin Galbraith on Nov 12, 2015 5:23:10 GMT
Aelin walked into the bank, breathing hard and sweating. She had run so fast as to catch the last teller before they shut down for the night. She took a deep breath and walked up to the counter, handing to woman there an enveloped document. The woman was tall, too tall for her liking, and slightly muscled. Her short hair had almost sent Aelin calling the woman, Mister, but her lower features soon had her keeping her mouth shut. She swallowed as she waited, looking around the room as the woman headed into the back of the bank. She looked around the old parliament building, once bustling, she was sure. It had been her third time here this week on an errand for the same man, a shifty business owner with a lot of finances and other things that needed taken care of. Aelin had made the mistake of walking into the run down shop asking if he needed any services. A lot that had done her. She should have never gone there, or decided to go door to door looking for someone in need of an accountant, but because she needed money and he was willing to pay, she had taken on the job. Besides, it wasn't as if she had a better option. No one seemed to be in need and those who were couldn't afford it.
She couldn't work for free, but it didn't mean that she hadn't given the shop owners any tips and advice to help their business' thrive instead of fail. She refused to let her people die off to the larger, mostly more successful adventurers shops. There were few Landers that posed competition since the Adventurers had learned the secret of, well, Aelin wasn't quite sure what they had learned, but for some reason their items were stronger, clothes prettier and their food even tasted better. She wondered what their secret was, though she wasn't quite sure she would like to know the answer either. Whatever it was, it could wait, for for now, she needed to complete her objective, get whatever it was that the man needed so badly that he had called her to race as fast as she could before the teller's closed and rush back to him for her payment. She hadn't asked questions any of the times and hadn't bothered to look at what she was collecting, but she wondered what it could be. She figured he would know if she looked anyways so she figured she would just leave it. How bad could it possibly be anyways?
The manly woman teller came back to the counter and handed her a box. Aelin stared down at it, then looked back to the teller. "Thank you kindly." Her voice was a soft whisper and it made the teller look at her strangely. Aelin knew then that she was probably about to get in a bit of trouble. She grabbed a hold of the box but the teller was just as quick and gripping the other end. "State your name." The tellers voice was highly animated and it made Aelin want to cringe, but she held her ground and stood tall, acting like the noble girl her mother had taught her to be. "I am Aelin Feyruh Galbraith. Accountant and attendee for the Mister Schultz. Now if you would kindly let go of the box, I must be on my way. My business is urgent!" She pulled the box and was surprised when the attendant let go and stared blankly at her. Aelin blew out a huff to her and turned, walking away proudly. She felt victorious, though she didn't realize the guards giving chase until it was almost too late.
She turned her head, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction, until she saw five men, heavily armed and all running towards her in heavy suits of armor. "Oh shoot!" She picked up her feet and ran as fast as she could, clutching the box in her hands as she did so. She couldn't afford, literally, for them to catch her and take whatever it was was in the box, though it now peaked her interest even more. Damn her for lowering her guard. If only she had acted as though the box was hers. This Schultz person was probably going to fire her now that she had given up herself. There was no way she could walk back into that bank and not get arrested. She was in big trouble and she needed to get out of this situation fast! Where to go, where to go? Her eyes darted until finally, she found her escape route.
She dashed down the next street, quickly turning right, then a quick left. She ran, and didn't bother to look back as she took the next left and popped herself into a random doorway. Luckily, it was pitch black inside and it didn't look as though anyone was here. She sunk to the floor gasping but quickly quieted down as she heard the shuffling of feet on dirt, heading in her direction. She looked down at the box and put her hand over the seal on it. She couldn't stand it any more, but, the man she was working for, he was a very serious guy. If she opened this box, if she saw the contents, what would happen to her? She could run, or try to anyways, but, what good would it do. She blew out a long breath and heard the guards stop outside of the window. She tucked herself in close and remained still and as silent as she could possibly be. After a few moments, the guards left and she blew out another breath, looking back at the box. She shook her head, deciding not to open it and waited a few more minutes before sneaking out of the building.
As she ran through the streets, she wondered why she had been put in this kind of situation. An accountant usually handled finances, or business endeavors and marketing schemes, but this, this was clearly illegal, what she was doing. She knew the guy was fishy, probably not even named Shultz, but what choice did she have? She needed more money than any other jobs would offer and she would have to work for a year to be able to pull of what she needed to. This guy had offered a substantial amount of Gold for her services and she hadn't even questioned it. Yes, she had put herself in a dire situation and for what? A place to stay? Scraps on her table? She breathed heavily, sweat dripping down her face. It was all worthless if she got caught. She would be thrown in jail for whatever she had been sent out to fetch. The guy didn't need an accountant, he needed a pack mule.
The thought made her stop dead in her tracks. She wasn't a pack mule! This wasn't what she had been born for, taught for, was it really what she had grown up for? Was she only living to die or be thrown in jail. She looked down to the box and gritted her teeth. She was suddenly so, so angry that she couldn't contain herself. She threw the box against the nearest wall as hard as she could. She couldn't believe it. She was being duped! He probably wasn't going to pay her before, but now, she stared down at the slightly opened box, he definitely wasn't going to pay her now. She raised her head to the sky and as tears began to stream down her face and she let out a cry, rain began to fall. She stood there for a short while, staring up at the night sky, wondering what she was truly here for. Was her plan so significant that she had to live like this? Was her need for revenge so strong that she would die for it? Was she so taken over by grief and greed that she couldn't see past her plans, past the gold she needed? As she lowered her head back to the box, she realized that it as true, all of it. She was all of those things, and more.
She sighed, picking up the box. Perhaps she could lie and say that they had almost caught her, that the box had opened by an accident. Perhaps he would still pay her. Her doubts, her thoughts, nothing changed the fact that she needed this. She needed the funds from this excursion. Though she thought she did, she didn't actually care that it was illegal. Why should she when she was planning to do what she was going to do. It didn't matter anymore, none of it did. She needed to complete her task and get on with it soon. She would get the money, find a few poor suckers to do her dirty work and send the world into chaos. Was it world domination that she was after, or world destruction? She wouldn't know until the time came, but it was going to come a lot sooner once she got what she was after and she would. She hadn't worked this hard and this fast for nothing, oh no, she was in it to win it and win it was exactly what she planned to do. The noble blood in her screamed for her to disengage, but her intentions were too cruel. The once sweet, innocent Aelin had been cast down to hell upon the deaths of her family and she would watch their killers perish, even if she too, had to die to do it.
She continued to walk for a long while. The man's warehouse meeting place was on the other side of the city and right on the outskirts in the slums. It would take her another half a day to get their on her two tired feet, but her dealine wasn't until tomorrow night. Perhaps she could stop at the Inn she stayed at and fix the box while resting her weary feet. She nodded and continued her trek. She was about a mile away from the Inn when the guards turned the corner, staring her right in the face. She quickly shifted on her feet and darted for the nearest turn. She turned right and then right again and then made a quick left. This time, there were people in all of the buildings, down all of the streets, yet as the guards yelled at them to stop her, they just stared blankly as she shifted past them, her feet moving as fast as they could.
It seemed as though the Lander's weren't quick on their feet, not like she was anyways. They all just went about their normal day, not growing any wiser or gaining any ground. Most seemed to have given in on fighting the Adventurers and chose to live among them, to befriend them. It disgusted her! Why did they not care? Didn't they understand the power of the adventurers? They had to know what they were capable of, unless, unless the adventurers had fooled them all! She spat as she ran, her spit landing on a blacksmiths shoe, but even as he yelled after her, she wouldn't look back. She could never forgive these people for living among them, for being apart of a society of killers. Traitors! All of them were traitors! How long had it been since the catastrophic event had happened? How long had it been since these people had surrendered their families, their cities, their homes and even themselves to them?! How long? She kept running her feet growing faster with the anger in her heart. They would all curse the day that they had surrendered themselves, they would pay for their sins, everyone!
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She opened her eyes as the day broke in through her window. Her room was a soft blue, the color of a Robin's egg, unhatched. Her bed was canopied with white lace and her sheets made of fine silk. She stretched her arms out and let out a long yawn as held her hands together and pulled them back, stretching out the muscles in her back as well. She had been sleeping so peacefully, having a strange dream she couldn't remember. She could feel no weight from it so she knew it had been a good one. She shuffled out of her bed and straightened out the sheets and covers before slipping out of her sleep wear. She quickly changed into the new outfit her father had bought her. Her mother loved the way that soft toned blues looked on her, but her father had always longed to see her in bright colors. He thought that the purple shirt would look just lovely on the fair skinned girl. he white skirt was to make the purple pop even further and she looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed down her bed head hair. She smiled as she put the brush down and twirled in the mirror. She thought she looked rather lovely!
She trampled down the stairs calling out for her father. She wanted so badly for him to see her in her outfit, but the house was silent. She called out her mother's name and continued to look around. She wandered back up the stairs to their bedroom. The bed was already made so she knew that they were up, but why didn't they answer? She journeyed back down the stairs and checked the kitchen. She found no one and no sign of anyone having been there this morning. She raised her eyebrows questioningly, but figured that they were somewhere else. Her next stop would be the garden out back where her mother usually collected herbs for healing tonics and tea. She made her way down the hallway and opened the back door. She called out, but got no reply. The girl made her way down the few stairs and to the herb garden. No sign of anyone here either. She began to panic, searching the backyard for any clues as the whether her mother or father had been out here at all. There were no footsteps in the soft soil nor in the grass. She shook her head, her panic increasing. She ran back to the house and made her way back inside. She figured that they must have gone out early in the morning. Perhaps they had gone to the market for fresh produce or maybe to buy her a gift! The thought set the girl at ease and she went back to her bedroom to play with the dolls she had already been given. She would wait, wanting to show how proud she was to her father in his choice of clothing.
The door clicked open and Aelin perked herself up at the noise. She dropped her toy and opened the door to her bedroom, running as fast as she could down the stairs while still being cautious. Once at the bottom, she smoothed out her skirts and took a deep breath and headed for the door. "Mama, Papa! Welcome home!" She walked tall as her mother had taught her, proud and glowing. Her father turned to her, his face a glow of booming victory. By the light that shone in his eyes, he was so proud to see his daughter in the outfit that he had purchased for her. She smiled brightly at him and her feet picked up to begin a run, but she noticed something wasn't right. Her mother was standing there, but she hadn't turned around. "Mama, look at the outfit that papa got for me." She waited, but still nothing. Her head tilted curiously to the side and she took a step forward. "Mama?" She looked to her father and watched as he shrugged and turned to face his wife, laying a hand on her shoulder. Little Aelin waited for her mother to turn around. She patiently waited, wondering what had gotten into her. It was so unlike her to not greet her right away, but then something caught the corner of her eyes.
Aelin watched as her father turned back to her, his eyes wide as he mouthed for her to run. She gawked at him and then at the massive person standing beyond the two of them. Her heart raced and finally, her mother began to turn around. The young girl watched her mothers hands rise to her throat and her eyes widened with fear as she took a step back. She watched her father turn in an attempt to catch her mother, who sunk to the ground, but before he could catch her, a glimpse of grey flashed and her father, too, slumped to the ground. She heard the noise of gargling and her world collapsed around her. She took a few steps backwards and caught on the rug leading to the stairs. Her bottom hit the ground hard and she winced in pain, but the pain was diminished as she saw the man, his armor thick, step over the corpses of her parents. She crawled backwards, never letting her eyes off of the man as he came towards her. He towered over her and raised his sword, the steel fresh with the blood of her beloved family. Tears fell from her cheeks. "Please.. Please, no.."
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"NO!!!!" Aelin awoke in her bed at the Inn. Her blankets and clothes and skin were soaked in sweat. She breathed heavily, feeling as though she was suffocating from within. She had had the dream, no, the nightmare for as long as she could remember now. The same one always. The hope to impress her parents and them seeing her and dying right in front of her eyes. It hadn't happened that way, but she still felt the realness of it all with each waking moment. She continued to breath, but her breaths were slowing, her anxiety diminishing and though flashes of the terror in the night still fresh with her, she forced her thoughts to something else. She would be damned if she would let that dream get to her. When the dream had first appeared, her life had stopped. She let the terror control her and take her to a dark place she didn't recognize deep within herself, but soon, she learned to move past it. At first, it had taken her a long time, but now, coming out of the nightmare seemed like a breeze. The night terror was probably the one think still fueling her forward, the only reason she hadn't stopped her mission after the first or second or fifth attempt.
With a sigh she wiped away the sweat from her face and went into the bathing area of her room. She filled the tub with luke warm water and sunk herself into it. She wet her hair and washed her body clean of the sweat, though the image of her parents corpses burned in her mind. She let out a heavy breath and stood in the tub. Reaching over, she grabbed a drying cloth from the small side table and began to dry her upper body. Stepping one foot out at a time, she dried each and then moved to dry her long, white hair. She ran a brush through it and patted her cheeks lightly. She needed to be ready for what was to come later on that day. Stepping from the washing room, she put on her dress and wrapped her apron around her waist. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the damaged, slightly open box sitting there. She walked over to it and hovered her hand over the top. She wondered again what could be in the box that was so important that she had to take great care in it. She wondered if she should open it or at least take a peak. For all she knew, it could be some sort of death machine, though that was probably impossible. She pictured that of a death machine and agreed with her thoughts in saying that it would be much, much bigger. With a tilt of her head, she pushed open the already open opening and pulled the contents from the box.
Her head tilted and she stared at the container in her hands. She shook it, feeling a liquid inside, but the container was sealed and the couldn't smell a single scent through it. She knew she couldn't break the seal, else she didn't value her life. She wasn't ready to die, not yet, not until her task was complete. She shook her head and put the container back in the box. She knew that if she didn't do it, she would probably never know what was in the box, but her safety came second and her mission came first and she couldn't let either of them be compromised by her own stupid curiosities. She closed the box the best she could and fixed it up, then lightly put a piece of adhesive over the opening to cover it. If Schultz had anything to say about it, she would tell him the story of her pursuers and how she fell and the box broke open, but she sealed it as soon as she could. She prayed that it would work and that he would not see her dead. If she couldn't be paid, then she could always look elsewhere, but the amount of money that this man was going to give to her, it was beyond anything she had ever heard of and she honestly, truly needed it. She had things to do.
She walked through the town, her eyes keen on the people around her. She wasn't completely in the clear yet and she knew that she still had to keep a look out. She couldn't let herself be caught or else not only would she be broke, she would also be dead and she wasn't ready for that to happen, not one bit. Her eyes shifted and she was sure she looked suspicious, but after this stretch she would be able to take back roads to the warehouse where she was to drop her package off. Most of the people looked at her and instantly looked away, not because they thought she was suspicious but because they were going on with their own insignificant lives. The hustle and bustle on the street made it easy for her to blend in. Aside from her tired eyes and weary glances, she smiled to each person who met her wandering eyes and they either nodded or smiled back at her in a sort of simple greeting. Perhaps they thought her lost, or perhaps they thought her friendly, but the truth was, she wanted to spit in their faces for what they were doing, going on with their lives as if something catastrophic hadn't happened, as if the adventurers were a normal thing. Still, even with her thoughts, she pressed on, smiling at the passerby's and keeping her head tall.
Once she was through the crowd, she stopped to take a break down a side alley. She sighed as she leaned up against a wall and put her head against it. A few breaths had her suddenly exhausted, but she knew that she couldn't stop for long. If she had been in danger on the street with all of the crowds, the back alley ways would be ten fold. The guards would have her pinned in them and she doubted that they had given up. They were probably skimming the city for her. As if on purpose, her eyes glanced the poster across from her. She hadn't seen it before as her mind had been on other things, but now she stared into the face posted. It was hers. She cursed and picked up her feet. If they had the posters up already and this far out, she wondered if they knew where she was, but how could they? She, herself, didn't even know how she had gotten back to the Inn, but she knew that they hadn't caught her, else she wouldn't have the box still and she would have awoken in a jail cell as opposed to her rented bed. None of this trip made any sense and know she was a known criminal. She wondered if anyone in the street had noticed her. If they had, she needed to move.
She picked up her feet and began to dash through the alley ways. Who knew how many people had noticed her from the poster, how many had seen her go through that alley way. If they contacted the guards, then she had very little time before they arrived. She, herself had never been in trouble with the law, aside from now, but she had seen how fast they were and how quickly they could catch up to someone who wasn't aware that they were moving against them. She couldn't get caught, not now, not ever. She repeated to herself to keep moving forward and never look back, the words a recital in her head. Go, don't look back, keep going, never look back. This would become a mantra if she didn't arrive at her destination soon. Her mind and body were both exhausted from the last few days and the nightmares she had nightly and she hadn't stopped to eat anything either. She was completely drained but she forced herself to push on, she had no choice but to move on and so she would. If she had to run forever, she would do that too, but she knew that the danger would die down soon enough and that she wouldn't have to keep running for the remaining time that she lived. She would push past this stone in the road and keep pushing until she completed her work, all of it.
As she came up to the warehouse after dodging a few guards who had caught sight of her and recognized her, she slipped into it through the back, doubting that they had fallowed her this far. The guards seemed to stay within the city limits and the warehouse was just inside of its limit, but the road she had taken, took her out of the city for a brief few minutes and she knew the guards couldn't follow, which was great for her, giving her the time she needed to slip back in. She entered the dark warehouse, knowing that the only light would be in the room where she was to meet Schultz. It would be a bit difficult considering she had only ever been through the front, but she still had plenty of time before her deadline so she knew no matter how long it took her, she could find it in time. She began feeling walls with one hand while the box was nestled safe in her other. She felt a door up ahead and turned the knob, cringing as it squealed open. She quickly found her way through and shut it as quietly as she could. With a heavy sigh, she put her hand back to the wall.
She had no clue how long she had been searching, but after entering and leaving so many rooms she was growing tired of this game she was being put through. She hadn't expected such a trial but she would persevere. She had no choice but to. She continued on, opening another creaky door and slipped inside. She felt around the walls, taking her time as to not trip over anything, and finally found another door. She opened it and a bright light caused her to squint at the sight, casting her blind for a few moments. She stepped inside and as her eyes adjusted to the change in light, she the figure of Schultz standing there, a paper in his hand. "Busy night I take it?" His voice was calm, too calm. She suddenly felt frightened, but she didn't react to her subconscious, who was currently screaming at her to get out. Her eyes had adjusted and she took a few steps forward. "Busy indeed. I wasn't followed so here," she tossed the package to him. "I'll have my money now."
Aelin's eyebrows furrowed as the man let out a coarse laugh, one that hit her with a stinging pain in the chest. She knew then, that no matter what she said, she wouldn't get paid. "You think I can pay you for your work after you almost got caught?" She watched his eyes shift and two men appeared from the shadowy corners of the room. She cursed under her breath and readied herself, but remained calm. "I wasn't followed, I delivered your package. What does the in between matter?" She rested her two hands on her hips and cocked her head as he looked at her, his eyes a squinting glare. "My box is damaged." She huffed a breath at him and shrugged. "So the box is, but not whatever is inside. I made sure to reseal it so that your goods remained as so." She watched the two men, body guards no less, take a step forward, but Schultz raised his hand to stop them. They stared in anticipation. So, this is what she had signed up for, huh? She had been blind before, on her last missions for Schultz, but now she had no doubt in her mind. This man was a criminal, a boss at that. "Just give me my money so that I can go. I won't breath a word and you won't ever see me again." She stood tall, her mind flustered but her face showed nothing.
She watched as Schultz watched her and wondered what he could be thinking. She was in a pile of boar crap if he decided that her life was nothing. He had gotten his package and he knew as well as she did that he didn't have to pay her. Her work had been sullied and it was her own fault. He told her not to breath a word, but she couldn't just not answer to the teller when she had asked her her name, but perhaps she should have said something different. None of it matter now anyways. He would either let her live, or kill her, payment or no. Now, she had to wait. He opened the box and pulled out the container, his eyes shining as though he had just won a trip to paradise. He set the container down and began to walk to her. His body guards picked up their feet to follow, but were stopped again by his hand. She swallowed, trying her best to not show the nerves racing through her body. As he neared, she felt death at her back door, but she remained tall and still. "I wonder what a little girl like you could want with such an amount of money." He pondered the thought in his head a moment, she could see his gears turning.
"What makes you think that I will be done with you after this? Should I choose to keep you alive, you were a good mule, those are hard to come by these days with those damned adventurers lurking about." He stared at her a moment longer and clapped his hands. A third guard stepped forward from a separate corner than the others and walked over to the two of them. He dropped a bag at her feet and then walked to meet the other two body guards. "Take your money and go. I'll be in touch soon." She picked up the bag, not a word out of her and left the room. She took a deep breath once she had entered the darkness once again and shook her head. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be his mule anymore. What could he make her do now anyways? He obviously wasn't looking for something to help with investments or even finances and she couldn't show her face in the bank again. She couldn't go to the guards because she would be arrested along with Schultz and his lackeys. She was stuck doing his dirty work.
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