Border Crossing

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"You're late." Baralai Fairchild despised the rain, almost as much as he despised mages. He was waiting at one of the bridges that crossed the river that in turn divided the two largest kingdoms in their land. It was the same bridge where he had waited countless times. Templar or no, gold was gold, and this gold also got rid of troublesome mages.
"You want the gold or not?" A black clad man snarled as he jumped down gracefully from his equally black steed.
Baralai muttered something rather unbecoming of a Templar, then held a gloved hand out. "Gold first, then the cargo. Try anything..." He words were cut off as the mage he was transporting broke free of his restraints. It all happened so quickly that he didn't see the flash of lightning and the proud Templar was crashing into the raging river below.
Six months. It had been six months and the fallen Templar still woke in a cold sweat after dreaming of that night. The mage had rendered him immobile, though wide awake when he had plunged into the river, his heavy armour weighing him down until a pig farmer had dragged him from the river several miles away. It had taken months to get back to health and pay back the farmer for his kindness. In that time word had gotten out that Fairchild the Templar was a deserter.

Alice Gormanghast was scowling into the mirror. She hated this world she had been born into, even now as her maid pulled tightly on the laces of her dress she thought of nothing but a way to escape. Her brother's were all war heroes, famous to everyone in the kingdom for their brave deeds and triumph in defeating several of the dragons. But Alice... All she was known for was to be the prize her father handed over to the man he deemed brave enough to end the war altogether. She was the proverbial Princess in the tower, useful only for luring in prospective suitors. The young brunette didn't even realise her rose coloured lips were quirked into a slight smile 'if only they knew'. Indeed, her father would have a literal heart attack if he knew his prized daughter had secretly been learning how to shoot a bow and handle a sword. She lost herself for hours at an end in books that told of the thieves guild, and their mysterious leader who was sometimes known to have a higher moral code than the knights of their kingdom.

"Hold up, yer highness..." Blackbeard snorted. "Who is even caring what your royal backside is up to?"

"As you wish." Auron complied. "Any other demands, sire?" He added rather bitterly.

Richard moved closer to the mirror, his hand up. "That's just the problem...No one should." He breathed. His fingers hovering close to the glass. "Not another word, Jack. Not until the mage gets here. She will tell us what this is..." 

"You heard what I said. I want a..." Kane paused, suddenly distracted. He turned his head, frowning at something in his own world. "Make a grab for him." He hissed at some one else. "Do it now!"

The large pirate clearly did not like being given orders. He was still scowling at Richard when the moonlight coloured hair wafted past him, it's owner seeming to float rather than walk. "We help pirates now?" The small woman asked, violet eyes narrowing at Jack slightly before she smiled up at Richard.

Auron took that as his cue to wake Yena. For the longest moment he simply watched her sleep, loathe to be the one to tell her they would be leaving civilization behind.

It wasn't hard to guess how Richard felt for this woman. His bright blue eyes sparkled as he turned to look at her. "Since when did we call locking someone up in my cabin helping?" He asked, too busy watching her to see the claw like hands that were reacing through the glass for his head. 

Yena spelt soundly for what seemed like the first time in a very long time. She was curled into Auron's side, safe and secure. At least for the moment.

Luckily for Richard, Marisol was always there to see what he didn't. Slender fingers reached around the wrist that had reached through the mirror, silvery burn marks appearing on the owners flesh. "That's how all the best stories start; locked up in your cabin." The young mage chuckled.

Auron didn't wake her. He found himself going against orders more and more often since he had met Yena. He wanted to let her enjoy this moment while she could.

The demon howled, jerking his hand back through the mirror. Richard frowned at the darkened glass, then turned back to Marisol. "I only wish, my dear." He chuckled.

Yena woke toward dawn, feeling well rested and more than a little hungry. She lifted the covers off her head, realizing she was alone in the bed.

Marisol rolled her violet eyes and shook her head. "What about the slave trader you had locked up in there? Her certainly made a few strange noises." She mused, her pert nose wrinkling as she laughed.

Auron had been busying himself elsewhere, hoping it would keep his thoughts free of the dragon mage he had to hide away. To the contrary, it left him thinking of nothing else. Why was he so drawn to her in the first place?

"You sound jealous." Richard chuckled. "It doesn't matter that I convinced her to give you a fair amount of your arcane ingredients for nothing more than a song." 

Once again Yena found herself sitting on the window ledge, wondering what it would be like to fly. She watched the soldiers matching below her, their serious formation giving her pause. She wondered where Auron was and if he was the reason they all looked to be concentrating so hard.

"Convicned. Yes." Marisol replied with an amused smirk. "I am quite capable of picking ym own herbs, thank you very much."

The men were indeed being pushed harder than usual out of fear of their commander. Auron simply wanted to give Yena as long as possible here in the castle. His heart wasn't even in the stern sounding orders he barked at the soldiers.

"Your time is better spent elsewhere." Richard said simply, the dig going right over his head. "Now, tell me where that magic leads and who in the world would bother spying on me. I certainly haven't been worth the bother before now." 

Yena finally managed to climb off the ledge and headed for the kitchens, once again raiding them for food. Her stomach was growling loudly even as she helped herself to warm bread and butter. She was so used to hiding under the tables for stealing she didn't even know that she didn't have to. Or that the cook was reporting her strange behavior to Auron. She didn't even know the other servants were staring at her as she drank a tankard of milk, never knowing it had been made just for her.

"Until now you didn't have a prize worth spying on." Marisol remarked, her violet gaze again looking Blackbeard over.

"Milk and bread? I feed prisoners more than that." Auron remarked from where he leaned in the doorway behind Yena.

"If you call a dirty old pirate a prize,  you are welcome to him." Richard snorted, seating himself at the table so Marisol could work. The snowy haired mage would find a pair of ice colored eyes staring back at her. They eerily matched those of the prince. 

Yena's head slammed into the table above her as she started in surprise. "It was just some bread and milk." She muttered quickly. "No one was going to eat it."

"Dirty or not, he is still a prize." Marisol pointed out. "Missing for all these years, and with such a reputation..." She seemed to be doing everything she could not to meet the eyes that were watching her. 

"I know, but I am wondering why you think you need to steal it." Auron replied. "I had food prepared just for you."

"He is still cursed." Richard reminded her. "We can't get the elf to remove it. She is flat out refusing even under threat of death." 

Yena didn't get out from under the table. "Why would you do that?" She asked, not sure what to make of him.

"Then leave him cursed." Marisol replied with a shrug. "The curse only makes him all the more interesting to others."

"Because I'm supposed to be keeping you alive." Sidon replied, too afraid to speak the truth in front of others.

The blue eyes in the mirror crinkle with delight, glowing a slight yellow. "Mar..." Richard tapped the mage in the shoulder, frowning down at her. "Where are you?"

"I see." Yena returned to her stolen lot and hovered over it, clearly used to having to fight for every bite. "I am fine with this. Thank you."

Marisol jumped considerably before looking up at Richard sheepishly. "Where else would I be?" She asked rather evasively. "Did you want me to locate your sister?"

"Why?" Auron asked bluntly. "You think this is all you, a dragon AND a Mage, deserves?"

Richard turned his back on the mirror, missing the eyes completely. He rarely saw magic and didn't seem to care for it when he did. "I think Jack knows more than he is telling. We should start with him."

"I'm fine with it." Yena said, frowning at him. "Why do you care?" She glared at him from under the table, making it clear his leaving her before she woke hadn't sat well.

"The elf couldn't make him talk, what makes you think we can?" Mariaol asked, though she truthfully didn't want the pirate to talk while they were being watched anyway. 

Auron had known this was coming. The large man sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. "Kane wanted me to take you to the mountain and confine you there. I was looking for a way to, you know... Not do that."

"Destroy the mirror first and then I think you can make even a deaf mute talk." Richard said, his eyes on Marisol. They matched those in the mirror exactly without the yellow.

"Why?" Yena asked, frowning at him. "Why would you want to disobey your king?"

"Y-you know I can't do that!" Marisol stammered, seeming to act a little differently than she had only moments before. "I cannot break a mirror!"

"You want a reason?" Auron asked gruffly. "Yena... I can't talk about these things here. Can you not just accept that I offered you food without wanting something in return?"

"It's an Eluvian, Marisol. It's not that bad of a mirror." Richard said gently, his tone not nearly as forceful. "It's a shame to break it, yes. But nothing I can't live with. Besides, you can find Alice another one. I trust you." 

"I don't trust you." Yena said softly. "And no. I don't want your food. I don't know what's in it. It...It smells strange." She admitted finally, staring hard at the floor.

Marisol was still somewhat hesitant as she looked up at Richard. "Do you really want to find her?" She challenged. "Or are you doing this out of duty?"

Auron felt he was fighting a losing battle. "Yena... Why would I feed you poisoned food, when I could have killed you in your sleep?" He asked, crawling under the table to join her.

"You keep asking me that." Richard said, reaching out to brush the wispy moonlight hair behind her ears. "Why? Do you think my answer will change? I love my little sister and I always will. I have crossed the world for her and I would do it again. I would do the same for you."

"You aren't going to be comfortable here." Yena said, not knowing what to make of his willingness to join her in her hiding space. "See? They can see you. Your legs are sticking out."

Marisol stared up at Richard uncertainly. She wanted to believe such beautiful words, but simply couldn't trust them. "Your sister may be broken beyond repair, Richard." She breathes the Prince's name so softly it was no more than a gentle whisper. 

"A price I'm willing to pay." Auron shugged, despite his large frame looking less than comfortable. "What happens after we steal bread?" He asked, like it was all a game.

"You are my miracle worker. I have faith that you can fix anything." Richard told Marisol softly, his rough thumbs on her cheeks. 

"We eat it." Yena said softly, pulling off a piece. She dipped it into a small vat of butter and handed it to him. "But you'll have to eat quickly. The cook will come this way soon. We have to be gone by then."

Marisol closed her eyes and smiled, it was a nice fairytale to believe; the former slave loved by a prince. "I'll find her, I promise." She breathed.

"Or what? She'll make us starve?" Auron asked in a dramatic whisper. "Do we have to sleep on straw too?"

"For now we need a broken mirror and a talking pirate." Richard said, pulling himself away from her. He was all business again, returning to his seat and frowning at Blackbeard.

"Thats too close. I'd like to be in the forest be dark. But..." yena sighed. 
The cook stomped on Auron's foot, cursing loudly. "Big brute! Always in the way! Get out before I call the king!"

Marisol watching Richard for a moment longer, having seen the change in him all too often.
"Got it all figured out, dontcha?" Blackbeard snorted.

Auron glanced out from under the table, grinning up at the cook. "You want to be the one to give him back news?" He mused.

"I'm going to have your son executed." The proclamation was simple and to the point. "I'm going to make an example of him. Perhaps you and your men will finally get my point."

The fat old woman frowned down at him. "The elf should be working not stealing and wasting food. Worthless girl." She hissed, pointing a finger at Yena. "You know the rule as well as I do, Auron. We all work or we die."