Yrantan adventures (Completed)

[ArcticFox]

"Good night, madam." Levon bowed deeply and then left, taking the light with him. Anna was left in the darkness to change clothes and get into bed. It was no small a feat, it took her almost half an hour to find her bedclothes and she probably didn't put them on the right way. Still, she somehow managed to get into bed and fell asleep instantaneously.

The knocking on the door awoke her. She jumped up in her bed and straightened her hair with her hands, before sleepily saying:
"Enter."
Levon's face appeared on the doorway. He only peaked inside, not wanting to disturb her in case she wasn't dressed. "I'm sorry for waking you up this early, madam." The steward said, his voice somewhat disturbed. "You guest. That dark elf. He was not in his room when I went to check on him this morning."
"Truly?" Anna asked, alarmed. "But he was still recovering. Why would he leave when I clearly told him there was no hurry?"
"Dark elves are fickle creatures." Levon said. "And proud to boot. I do think he was grateful to you, madam, but his pride didn't let him be a burden."
"He is not a creature." Anna argued. "He is a person just like you and me. And he is injured. Not to mention if the guardsmen find him prowling the streets, they'll just haul him off to prison or beat him bloody again. Ugh." She groaned and then sighed. If that was his choice, then so be it.
"I do apologize for not being able to keep him, madam." Levon said, his gaze lowered. "I will send a maid to help you get dressed."


- Accept and get dressed.


- Refuse and get dressed by yourself.


- Stay in bed a little longer.

 

[Ezri]

It wasn't like she hadn't considered the possibility that Nerith would leave anyway, but it was still disheartening to hear. Hopefully he would be able to keep himself safe; it would probably be safer if he left the city altogether. He said he needed the library for something, but to staying in Yranta after what the guards had done to him would be beyond reckless.


"No, it's not your fault..." she sighed -- it wouldn't have been good to try and force Nerith to stay, even if she was worried about him. "And please don't send a maid. I prefer to do it myself, really." It was a bit awkward to admit it, and considering Levon's strict standards she didn't think he'd approve, but she didn't think he'd argue with her either.

 

[ArcticFox]

"I understand, madam." Levon nodded. Anna was a little bit surprised that the steward didn't object. She was ready to tell him off repeatedly, but he accepted the first denial and closed the door, retreating into the hallway. Still, Levon was her employee all things considered and he had some duties towards her, none of which included questioning her every decision.


Anna was left on her own. She got out of bed and into the small bathroom attached to the master bedroom where she washed her face and brushed her hair. She took a light white dress, that fell just above her knees and a flower patterned green shawl over it. Once she was satisfied with her appearance she grabbed the doorknob. She had to make a decision as to how she would spend the day.


- Stay at home and study diligently with Levon.


- Go eat breakfast outside and study later.


- Study first, then take the afternoon off.


- Don't study at all, spend the day slacking.

 

[Ezri]

There -- she knew she didn't need anyone's help dressing herself! Anna did a light twirl, satisfied with her choices, but now she was faced with slightly more difficult decisions. It was tempting to simply forget all about her new duties and relax, especially after the arduous day she'd had before, but that would only make things harder on herself. And she definitely did not want to condemn herself to another long, exhausting night of work.


"Might as well get it over with..." she told herself, stepping into the hallway and then heading for her father's old office. If she could finish her business quickly, she could have a nice, stress-free afternoon.

 

[ArcticFox]

Her morning and much of her afternoon were spent in the study. Levon was of much help, first bringing her breakfast and coffee and then sitting to work with her. Anna ended up taking her lunch in the study also. It was five in the afternoon when they finally finished. Levon had been with her the whole time, not leaving to rest or take a bite to eat, not even when Anna insisted on it. He would either deflect or answer that he was simply not hungry and Anna could not manage to convince him to share a meal with her. He always watched her intently when she ate, so much so that she felt herself blushing a little. There was a yearning in his gaze, a want. Anna tried her best not to give it that much thought, maybe it was all her imagination.


After her work was done, she was vaguely aware of her duties. She remembered all the rules and all the numbers written in the ledgers. She knew how much was spent on the law enforcers' wages in the last year and how much was invested in expanding the courthouse. Any further calculations are going to be her own concern. Right now, though, she needed to get some down time. She needed to air her mind out. And she had a few possibilities.


- Take a walk on the beach.


- Go to a coffeeshop in the city center.

 

[Ezri]

Whew! It had taken longer than Anna had hoped, but her work was finally finished. She was grateful for Levon's help, of course, but it couldn't be healthy for him to ignore his own needs like that. Even though she never saw him take care of himself, the way he persisted in his duties was almost superhuman... it was strange. But as long as she was going out, she shouldn't worry too much about it -- she was supposed to be relaxing, after all!


In the end she decided to head for a nice coffee shop -- she deserved a little treat. Even if it happened to be busy, it might be nice to find a little table for herself and watch people pass by.

 

[ArcticFox]

That afternoon in Yranta was very warm. It was the middle of the summer and Yranta was a city on the seaside, so it was to be expected. Warm wind blew through the streets, ruffling Anna's hair as she walked toward the resident district where most of the commoners lived, their houses built in a variation of styles, shapes and colors. It was the most colorful district of Yranta, even more than the market square or the harbor. She walked through cobbled streets, while carriages rolled past and people walked by her. Some of the familiar faced inclined their heads or muttered words of greeting and Anna greeted back. Her path led her to a side street, not much smaller than the main one, where a couple of cafes and restaurants had their chairs and tables arranged right in the middle of the streets, so there was no traffic.


Anna walked up the nearest coffee shop, her sandals clicking on the cobbles, and she sat behind a table under the outstretched awning above. The waiter soon came up to her, a man in his late thirties, in a shirt with short sleeves and black pants. He bowed politely and took her order. She hadn't been waiting for two minutes when the waiter reappeared placing a white mug filled with black coffee that smelled aromatically. He took a step back, but then like he remembered something, leaned toward Anna and almost whispered.


"Are you miss Penrose?" He asked. Anna was taken aback. She just walked out of her home to have a nice cup of coffee in peace. Why would a waiter be asking for her name?


"Yes." She answered reluctantly.


"I have this for you." The waiter said, pulling out a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his pants. He placed it on the table next to her mug. Anna quickly took the paper and unfolded it. Thank you... was all that was written there. She was even more confused. She turned around, looking down the street at the tables of other cafes and restaurants, but none of the customers looked her way or seemed vaguely familiar. She looked up at the waiter.


"Who gave this to you?"


"A gentleman. Just before you sat on that chair, miss." Waiter answered. "I'm very sorry, but I cannot say anything further."


- Insist on knowing the author of the note.


- Don't insist.


- Ask something else.

 

[Ezri]

'Thank you'... who would have written that? Anna couldn't remember anyone that she'd really helped recently, other than Nerith -- but it couldn't be him, could it? He would look pretty conspicuous just being in the middle of town, and she didn't really think he was the type to send notes... but then again, she didn't know him very well. Drumming her fingers on the table, she tried to come up with other options or explanations.


"You can't tell me anything?" she frowned, staring at the note as if she could determine the author just by looking at it more carefully. That strategy didn't seem to be working. Anna hardly wanted to cause the waiter more trouble, since he was probably just doing his job, but if she didn't at least try to get more information out of him this mystery would drive her mad. "What did he look like?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"I am very sorry, my lady." The waiter said, bowing deeply. "But, this gentleman wished to stay anonymous." And he flashed her a knowing look, the one that could only mean that he was paid well to keep the gentleman's identity a secret. It was clear that she could not get any further information from the waiter. So she just nodded and paid her bill. The waiter thanked her and went inside the cafe. Just then she noticed the ineligible scribbles on the bottom of the note, like someone was writing on the paper over it and the indentations were left deep in the paper of the note. She quickly summoned the waiter again to ask for a pencil. 


"Here you go, my lady." The waiter was all smiles when he handed the pencil to her. In a way he reminded her of Levon. 


"Thank you." Anna said and took the pencil. Once the waiter left she quickly made a few scribbles over the indented part of the note. As she did that the letters started to become visible. "Midnight tomorrow. Docs." Was all it was written. Was this meant as a secret note to her or did this mysterious gentleman write a second note to someone else and it was a coincidence that the pen indentations were left on this piece of paper. Judging by how careful he was not to get revealed, she doubted that this secret message was simply a mistake.


- Go home for now and think about this later.


- Go home and decide to go to the meeting.


- Go home and decide against meeting the gentleman.

 

[Ezri]

Secret messages and a mysterious stranger... this all felt very much like an adventure. Realistically Anna should be a bit worried -- meeting someone she wasn't sure she knew in the dead of night was a dangerous thing to do, after all -- but there was no way she would be able to just ignore it. Even if it was reckless, she'd done a number of reckless things in the past few days, and she was too curious to stop now. She'd have to go.


Unfortunately, midnight tomorrow was still a long ways away, so her curiosity would have to remain unsatisfied for now. Anna sipped at the last of her coffee before deciding to head home; hopefully she could find some other way to pass the time.

 

[ArcticFox]

Anna returned to her home where she had dinner and went to bed pleased. She had done a lot of work in the past two days and hopefully it would pay off. Being a member of the Council is a difficult task for anyone, let alone a young woman. She would face a lot of prejudice and malcontent, but she was confident that she could handle it. Tomorrow she'd go meet the other Councilors without any shame.

Someone grabbed her shoulder and turned her over on the bed, stirring her from her slumber. A hand clapped down on her mouth, stopping a scream in her throat. She was straddled on the bed, a dark face looming over her.
"I need a favor." Intruder spoke, judging by his voice and his strength he was clearly a male. "I will let go of you now, but you mustn't make a sound."

- Try to bite his hand.
- Nod compliantly.
- Don't do anything.

 

[Ezri]

Anna's heart was beating so fast she was sure she could hear it, and her thoughts were suddenly thrown into a frenzy -- who was this? How did he get in here? Was everyone else in the house okay? She didn't even know if she would be okay -- whatever 'favor' this intruder wanted, if he had to sneak into her home and assault her to ask for it, it couldn't be good. At least he probably wasn't going to kill her, since he would have done so already if he wanted to... that was something. It was hardly a comforting thought, but it was enough to keep her focused.


For the moment it seemed like it would be better to cooperate. After a few tense seconds she nodded, slowly, although in the back of her mind she was frantically considering her options in case this situation somehow got worse.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Good girl." The intruder said in a coarse whisper, his breath on Anna's cheek. He turned her head around, lowering himself so he spoke directly into her ear. "I don't want to harm you, but I will if you try acting foolishly. There are people looking for me outside. Dangerous people. They will not hesitate to get rid of you also, once they find out you've spoken to me. Or well... at least, I to you."
Just then as if on cue the dogs of the estate started barking in alarm. Someone entered their premises. The intruder stopped for a second and then continued even quieter.
"Don't tell them I was here once they come knocking. Think of something, you're a smart girl." He smiled mockingly. "If you want to live." Then he removed his hand from her mouth, but his body of still on top of hers, rendering her unable to move.



There was a knock on the door, and Levon's alarmed voice came through.
"Madam, there are men in the front yard, demanding to enter the house. You need to come down quickly."

- Say you will be right down.
- Try to call Levon for help.

 

[Ezri]

Levon! Surely he would come to her aid if she screamed, but... if this man was telling the truth, he might not be the only person she had to worry about. Not that Anna could trust him, and she hated the idea of lying for him; he was probably some sort of criminal, or maybe an escaped prisoner. As much as she wanted to call for help, as long as he was going to let her go downstairs she should just take that chance. If the guards were at her door she could just tell them the truth, but if it was someone else... she'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it. If she could just get away from this horrid potential fugitive and tell Levon what was happening, maybe they could come up with something.


"Um--" Even though she'd made what she thought was the best choice, Anna hesitated. She gulped, and called out as best she could. "-- I'll be right there!"

 

[ArcticFox]

"Madam? Are you alright?" Levon's worried voice came from the hallway. It seemed he noticed the tension in her voice.
"I'm fine. Just getting dressed." Anna answered, her voice shaky. "I'll come down in a moment. You can leave."
"I understand, madam." And then his steps could be heard disappearing down the hallway.

The stranger swiftly jumped from the bed and stood there, his back turned to the light coming through the window. He was of medium height and his hair was down to his shoulders, arms bare and muscular. And that was about everything that was noticeable in the darkness. Anna rose from the bed trying to take a good look at the stranger's face, but it was proving rather difficult now as he was turned away from the light. 
"Don't dawdle." As if he could read her mind, the stranger hissed, pulling a long knife from his belt to make his point.

- Linger and try to take a look at his face.
- Ask him what should you say to the men looking for him.
- Just go and think of something on the way.

 

[Ezri]

A chill running down her spine Anna's eyes flitted down to the knife, but only for a moment. She should just leave, she knew, but if she could just get a good look at his face maybe she could recognize him or describe him to someone later. Of course, she couldn't tell anyone about this if she was dead... but it wouldn't help him to kill her now. At least, she was praying for that to be the case.


So she pushed her luck and studied his face in the darkness for just a little longer...

 

[ArcticFox]

As the intruder spotted that Anna was looking at him, he took a step toward her, a knife in his hand. He stopped just half a step away from the girl, placing the blade gently on her throat. "You really aren't very bright." He whispered, his voice husky. "It will take just one move for me to end your miserable life." His hand tensed and for a moment it seemed like he might actually do it. But in the next second, the intruder lowered the knife and turned his face toward the window, the weak light of the moon shining down on his features. "Satisfied?" He asked her.


- Nod and go.


- Stay to question him.

 

[Ezri]

As he lowered his knife Anna exhaled, although she hadn't realized that she was holding her breath at all until then. She'd called his bluff, and now she at least knew what he looked like; it might not be much to go on if she had to report him to somebody but it was better than nothing. He looked younger than she expected. In response to his question she just silently nodded and made a move toward the door. More information was never a bad thing to have, but right then she wanted nothing more than to be out of that room as quickly as possible.

 

[ArcticFox]

Anna hurried our of her room. She ran through the hallway on the upper floor, leading away from her bedroom and then down the stairwell, stumbling in the darkness. Breathless, she caught up with Levon in the hallway of the lower level. The butler was holding a candle when he turned and whispered.
"Did he hurt you?"
Anna was left speechless in the middle of the hallway. It was impossible for Levon to hear the stranger entering her bedroom. She didn't hear him until he was on top of her! As Levon saw that his mistress stood silent in the hallway, he stopped and gave a slight bow, an apologetic look on his face.
"I heard the intruder the moment he entered the premises, but I knew he could do something to hurt you if I involved, madam. That is why I pretended not to know about his presence. I do apologize.'

- Be angry at Levon.
- Be thankful.
- Be curious as to how he could've heard.

 

[Ezri]

She wasn't sure that Levon would see it in the dark, but Anna gave him a quizzical look -- one of his many talents was apparently knowing things he had no way of knowing. Naturally she wanted to know how, but it didn't seem like the best time to ask. If anything it was sort of comforting that he knew; for some reason, seeing him now was even more of a relief than she thought it would be.


"N-no, I'm all right. Thank you for trying to look out for me." she insisted as she caught her breath, lightly touching her neck where the intruder's knife had been. "I thought it would be dangerous to ask for your help, so I didn't. Although it was frightening... I'm perfectly fine."

 

[ArcticFox]

"I am nevertheless sorry for not being able to keep you out of an inconvenient situation, madam." Levon said as he looked at Anna, his eyes sorrowful. Then he turned around and continued walking toward the main hallway. Anna shuffled behind him, anxious as to what or whom she might find in front of her gates. 


As they descended that huge stairs down into the main hallway, loud voices filled her ears. Now she could see them, half a dozen men, all dressed in red and gold liveries of Yranta. Guardsmen. But, not only guardsman. As Anna approached the men she saw a golden pin on their breast pockets in a shape of a hollowed out sun. These were prison guards. Sunset was a prison on the outskirts of Yranta reserved for the most dangerous of men and vicious criminals. It was aptly named, since no one who entered it ever saw sunlight again. Except the man in her bedroom, it seemed.


"M'am." One of the man, a tall man with a neatly cropped beard, stepped forward, his tone commanding but still polite. "We believe that you have an escaped fugitive in your home. He is a very dangerous man who needs to be put behind bars as soon as possible. We need to search the premises."


"There is no one in here, sir." Anna responded, her voice as relaxed as she could manage. "You have just awoken me from my sleep. There is a large wall outside and my hounds guard the grounds. How could anyone enter?"


"We have followed him up to here, m'am." The guardsman insisted. "This is the only house he might have hidden in. Let us do our job."


- Let them search the house, but try to warn the intruder


- Don't let them search the house.


- Let them and don't warn the intruder.

 

[Ezri]

So she was right about him being a fugitive; the problem now was that she had lied to protect a fugitive. Now she was stuck; knowing how rash the guards could be, she wasn't sure that they would hear her out if they found the prisoner hiding in her home. Refusing to let them in would be suspicious, and they might just barge in anyway. If this man was able to escape from Sunset, surely he could hide himself properly while they searched, but he might need some warning. How could she do that? She didn't have much time...


"I assure you that no one is here, but if you must." she shook her head and sighed, moving to step aside for them and doing her best to sound a little frustrated. While she moved she faked a stumble and let out a surprised yelp as she fell backwards, bumping into Levon before she caught herself. "Oh--! E-Excuse me... My feet still aren't fully awake, it seems." She might look like a fool, but it was all she could come up with on the spot. At least that noise of hers should have carried upstairs...

 

[ArcticFox]

Levon reached out to steady Anna as she stumbled. "Are you alright, madam?" He asked, but when no one was looking he gave her a knowing wink, which was somewhat uncharacteristic of him. The prison guards turned around and regarded her briefly, but quickly continued with their job. Their commander ordered for the men to spread, and half of them went left and half right, to thoroughly search the main floor. After quarter of an hour they returned to the hall to report that they found nothing suspicious. Apparently they stirred all the servants out of their beds, because Anna could see their messy heads poking out of the kitchens and the hallway where their rooms were placed.


When the men moved to the upper floor, Anna felt her breath catch in her throat, but Levon's presence beside her somewhat reassured her. The guards spent a longer time searching the rooms upstairs, but when they finally returned they reported nothing of suspicion to their commander.


"Well, ma'am." He turned to face Anna. "Seems the intruder had gotten away." He spoke, but there was a faint note of accusal in his tone, or maybe it was all Anna's imagination. "We apologize for disturbing you in this late hour." He inclined his head, touching his right hand to the red officer cap he wore. And he ordered his men to leave.


Once the guards were out of the mansion's premises, Levon turned to Anna, his expression serious and determined. "Do you wish me to deal with this intruder now, madam?" He said and in order to explain it, added. "I can still feel his presence in the villa."


- Let Levon deal with him.


- Deal with him personally.


- Deal with him together.

 

[Ezri]

As soon as the last of the guards left Anna felt her whole body relax, as if she'd been holding a heavy box the whole time and she could finally let it go. Her popularity with the guard wasn't going to get any better, but at least she and Levon gotten away with their lie. But it was still too early to relax completely.


"You can feel his presence?" she repeated, surprised at the admission. That didn't seem possible, not outside of fairy tales, but Levon did know these sorts of things somehow so she was inclined to believe him. If the intruder really still here she wouldn't be able to ignore it without confronting him, even if there wasn't much she could do herself. The idea of seeing that man again was far from pleasant, but she was sure she wouldn't feel afraid with Levon by her side. She gave him a firm nod, not going to take 'no' for an answer. "I'll go with you."

 

[ArcticFox]

Levon didn't elaborate on the matter, instead hurrying up the steps, but still glancing at Anna at every turn to make sure she was near. He led her straight back to her room, pushing open the door. They were greeted by a sight. All the lamps in the room were lit and the intruder sat on Anna's bed in a quite relaxed fashion. Now that she could take a good look at him, she saw that he was wearing leather armor, his hands bare, and not prisoner's garbs. He had a holster around his waist and a sword hilt protruded from it. He also had a long knife in his hand, casually holding it in his lap.


"Nice trick." The man said, looking at Levon. "Do you have a special mechanism for these or something?" He gestured with his knife to all the lamps that had their candles lit. Now that Anna focused on the flames, she saw that they were burning more brightly than should be possible. Levon didn't answer to the intruders question, but instead threw a sideways glance at his mistress.


"Do you want me to kill him or just subdue him, madam?" He asked and his voice was very serious. On the other side of the room the stranger chuckled like he found the whole scene amusing.


"You should leave, butler." He said in a mocking tone to Levon. "Leave your little miss to me. I already promised I won't hurt her now that she was a good girl. I still have something I want to tell her without her faithful dog interrupting me with his barking."


Anna could see that Levon was positively fuming at the said words and that he would like nothing more than to go at his throat. But she was also vaguely curios as to what the strange man might say if it was even safe to be in the same room as him, alone.


- Let Levon kill the intruder.


- Let Levon subdue him.


- Tell Levon to wait outside while you talk to him.