Well, Herod was running for all he was worth. After all, he had to get back to tell the real kidnappers what had happened. He saw no need to cover his trail. After all, they'd been the only one's around the princess and she'd headed towards the town, she wouldn't be following.

"Oday lay..." The man attempted the bird's call that was supposed to be their signal, but he'd never had much of an ear for animal noises. Luckily they knew the lummox and didn't just shoot him straight full of arrows.

"Where the hell you been, Herod. We were just about to head out of camp." But the man was babbling already...something about a mighty demon sweeping out from the heaven's and crushing Stephan beneath his heels for daring to try and harm the princess that was under his charge.

The men just stared at the idiot. What a fanciful story. Their laughter echoed within the forest. "Just because she's an unnatural woman doesn't mean she's a demon, Herod."

"Or the lover of one". chuckled another. At least the man was good for a few laughs.

"Psh. That princess is too ice cold to ever have a lover, which will make it all the easier to bring the kingdom into war. We get rid of the brother, and with a lowly woman on the throne, war is just around the corner, and then we get rich." That smirking reply came from a powerfully built man who walked into the clearing.

"And if that doesn't work, I'll just charm her right down to her little toes. All women just want to be mastered. It's just a matter of how you go about it."

It wasn't long, before Marlon began to see the signs of people other than the one who had run. Now normally, a merchant wouldn't have been able to recognize said signs, but quite obviously Marlon wasn't a normal merchant. In fact, he'd done things like this quite often, though he usually had some backup.

Quietly, and quickly, he switched gears from full speed to slow and quiet. And invisible, or at as close as an experienced sneak could get. Like this, he would begin keeping his eyes open for sentries, those with arrows.

Upon finding the first, the man would fall before he saw anything, a small throwing knife embedding itself through his eye and into the poor mans brain.

Luckily for Marlon, he was just the last guy in range. The others were clustered together and talking, trying to make sense out of Herod's ramblings.

"Look Herod, all we need to know is if the princess can manage to still get out of the palace like she used to before the rumblings of war." The man managed to stutter out an affirmative reply before he kept going on about how Stephan had gotten trampled by a demon.

"Alright, tomorrow is the day boys. We have to be ready. Even if she is able to use that weapon she's always rides with, we'll get her with sheer numbers. She's only a tiny thing after all. But she isn't to be hurt. Got it?" The man waited while every man around him nodded.

"Now...you two.." He pointed out two men who had come up to see what was going on. "Go switch sentry positions with Brian and Nickolas. I don't want us discovered. We have a war to start. Who knows, maybe we can even drag Duvah into it. Their prince is missing. We can claim credit." The men all chorused his laughter.

And also luckily for Marlon, though he missed the questioning of the poor guy who ran, he arrived just in time to hear

"Alright, tomorrow is the day boys. We have to be ready. Even if she is able to use that weapon she's always rides with, we'll get her with sheer numbers. She's only a tiny thing after all. But she isn't to be hurt. Got it?" The man waited while every man around him nodded.

"Now...you two.." He pointed out two men who had come up to see what was going on. "Go switch sentry positions with Brian and Nickolas. I don't want us discovered. We have a war to start. Who knows, maybe we can even drag Duvah into it. Their prince is missing. We can claim credit." The men all chorused his laughter.

Needless to say, he'd found out exactly what he'd needed to know. The question was if he wanted to take a risk and try to do something about it now, or if he wanted to go back and warn the princess.

His urges for risks over rode his sense of self preservation, and rather than leaving like any sane person would, he went and hid close enough to the camp to keep an eye on it. Right now, they'd be too excited and active for him to sneak in. Once they calmed down, or all became busy, however...

Let it be noted that he was no longer anywhere hear the corpse he'd left, by the time he hid. If they watched that area, or hunted around there, they'd be chasing smoke.

The two men went out, while the man who seemed to be in charge took out a cigar and began puffing on it as he paced. "This is going to be easy boys. The princeling is devoted to his sister. Almost unnaturally so. He will go to war for her, and we need to be ready. The other group in Chiazu is also working on their part of the plan. But they won't move until they hear from us that our part is done. So we need to do this right." The man looked around and spotted a slacker.

"You there, go pack up my tent. We camp in the wild tonight. No sense in giving them any ideas of what we're doing." He barked out the order and grinned when he saw how fast the man moved in order to comply. That was all anyone needed a little direction. Just like that snippy little princess.

He crushed the paper in his hand as he thought of the girl who'd so arrogantly turned him down. Ah well, his contacts in Duvah would be glad to supply the weapons for a full blown war.

So they were moving, huh? Well now. In the chaos of the packing, people wouldn't be paying as much attention. He'd take this chance, though, to actually move, looking around the outskirts of the camp and trying to spot one of the most important places in something like this.

He was trying to find their supply tent. And he'd keep looking until he either found it and saw how it was guarded, or someone caught him.

That was easy enough. It was the tent right next to the main guy. He was watching everyone go in and out, barking the occassional orders to them as they left. Not really doing anything himself, but they seemed to expect that. After a short while, a cart was brought up to the tent. "Make sure it's comfy boys. Don't want the princess to get bruised.", chuckling as the men brought a large feather mattress and stuffed it into the cart. Either the guy had other plans besides kidnapping or he really thought she would bruise from riding in a cart.

Well damn. It was the one everyone was actually keeping an eye on. That sucked. Considering they were moving, and their new activity, it was beginning to seem like an increasingly bad idea to be sticking around. All this would be useless, after all, if he got caught.

So despite his urges for sabotage, Marlon began to move back, carefully and quietly working his way back towards the city. He was kinda disappointed that his fun had been ruined, though. Of course, with this different set of events, tomorrow would probably be fun too...

...oh, what a surprise those thugs would get tomorrow.

During all this time, Serefina had done what she normally did. She'd gone to an inn and had her horse cleaned up while she waited in the perfectly respectable waiting room, being waited on hand and foot. Which was, of course, as exciting as watching dirt.

"Your highness, is there..." but Serefina cut the innkeeper's wife off with a look. No, she didn't want anything else. She didn't need tea. She wanted her horse and to leave. But what she said was...

"No, thank you. Now that my horse is ready to go, I should be getting back to the palace. Thank you though." She smiled warmly, leaving several gold pieces in the woman's hands before she mounted back up on Darkness. "Remember, I was never here."

"Yes, your highness."

And so Serefina trudged back through towards the gates of the palace. She didn't want to, but she'd never heard the end of it otherwise. Maybe Stazi had a dinner date tonight she could help him sabotage. Just because he'd agreed to let the Vizier look for a bride, didn't mean he had to accept.

While she was leaving the town to head back to the castle, Marlon was reaching the road and beginning to head towards the town. Looking a little dirty, from his little adventure in the forest, and a little winded, but at least he hadn't been caught. Now, he had to think, should he tell the castle and probably have her be locked up, or should he try and handle he little problem himself, meaning the group would be wiped out hopefully?

Considering his position on freedoms, to him the choice was obvious.

"Hmm...I wonder if there are any good fighters in town. I didn't bring enough of my usual servants with me to hold that group off on our own, I don't think..."

As Fina reached the gates, she saw the worst possible thing. "Oh god, not again...", pulling tightly on Darkness' reins to do an about face. "How many times do I have to tell them, I'm not marrying some pasty faced inventor of a prince." For what she'd seen had been the carriage with the royal markings of the Country of Duvah. And she assumed that the prince had finally come. She wasn't going to deal with him damnit.

"Come on Darkness, maybe Adrian will cover for us and we can just hide out for a while. "Maybe that would get it through to the Vizier that she didn't want to marry, especially not some male who probably had paler skin than she did.

"Let's go to the Merry Maiden. Katherine is always good for a spare room to hide in."

Originally Posted by Tabi Kat

"Well, if you stand there much longer, I'll hang a sign on you to attract customers since you're standing in mah doorway." She'd feel the brush of a broom at her ankles as an old woman swept her doorway and talked, it seemed Mariah's wonderings had led her to stop right in front of sherbet vendor.

((Sorry it's taken me this long to reply, I work ridiculous hours.))

"Hmm?" Mariah picked up her feet and moved out of the way so that the old woman could continue her business of sweeping.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stand in the way of your stall. I just got caught up in thinking. I tend to do that sometimes." It only took a few seconds for Mariah to process what the old woman said to her, "But I will take some raspberry sherbert please. It's my favourite."

"You look like a woman in the know, "Mariah continued, not letting the woman get a chance to say anything, "Have you heard any happenings about here? A fight perhaps? Some one in need of some muscle or fists?"

"Not for me of course," Mariah quickly stated before the woman could give her a disapproving look, taking a lick of her sherbert as she paused, "But for my brother... He's looking for business."

The woman looked at her disapprovingly anyways. What kind of man sent a girl to look for business for him. "No, I don't know of anything like that. But the palace is still hiring soldiers for the war they think is a coming." She put back the ice and syrup. Sherbets were expensive treats, but thanks to the Duvahian alliance, it was easier to get since they could ship them here on the airships.

"But you can look in the taverns, sometimes they'll put signs up there."

Mariah smiled sweetly at the woman, paid her the money and thanked her. She was used to those looks, but she always tried to avoid them. The less she got, the more likely she would be able to get a proper job with a respectable lady.

There were several taverns in the area, but really, only two of them were respectable and worth looking into for leads. The other ones were just full of peasant drunkards who either wanted to drink some kind of emotion away or men looking for something Mariah did not want to provide. So it was really between the "Merry Maiden" and "The Blackened Rose". Mariah decided that now she had her sherbert, she was in a jovial mood so she made her way to the tavern with a light step, but not of course before she patted her retractable bo in her back pack for good luck.

((I'm assuming they're in the same town. If not I can totally edit)).

Originally Posted by seripha

Mariah smiled sweetly at the woman, paid her the money and thanked her. She was used to those looks, but she always tried to avoid them. The less she got, the more likely she would be able to get a proper job with a respectable lady.

There were several taverns in the area, but really, only two of them were respectable and worth looking into for leads. The other ones were just full of peasant drunkards who either wanted to drink some kind of emotion away or men looking for something Mariah did not want to provide. So it was really between the "Merry Maiden" and "The Blackened Rose". Mariah decided that now she had her sherbert, she was in a jovial mood so she made her way to the tavern with a light step, but not of course before she patted her retractable bo in her back pack for good luck.

((I'm assuming they're in the same town. If not I can totally edit)).

There were several people there, already milling about. Apparently they had nothing better to do than mill about in a tavern. If you haven't guessed by now, the narrator just likes saying mill, for some inexplicable reason. Anyways, back to the narrative. Most of them were businessmen and the like, instead of the normal drunk no good peasants and non citizens that normally hung about.

"Another beer!" one man shouted across the room, while another man attempted to accost her.

"Hey doll, how about you go get me a drink?"

"How about you get your own drink, Griffin." This was not a question, but a statement from a girl/woman/noble who had walked in right behind Mariah. She was wearing breeches of all scandelous things and had a gorgeous and obviously expensive sword at her side.

"You know Katherine doesn't like when you treat random girls like barmaids." The platinum blond beauty looked at Mariah with a sheepish grin and a twinkle in those deep violet eyes. "Excuse him, most of Katherine's patrons are that self absorbed."

"Yes, Lady Paladin." Speaking in a tone that knew both respect and it's place on the pecking order. He looked as if he could have easily tossed Serefina a few hundred yards, but he treated her as if she was royalty itself.

Now, in the time it took Serafina to get to the castle, and then back to a tavern, Marlon himself had managed to make it to the city. And then, even gone so far as to ask around, find out what the good taverns were. After all, he did want more hired muscle, but he didn't want thugs. He needed people who could put off at least a polite air, if not an air of respectability.

Of course, when asking around, he got two names. The 'Merry Maiden' being one of them. Now, being the kind of guy he was...happy girls seemed appealing. So that happened to be the one he chose.

And so, only maybe a minute or two behind the girl Mariah, the somewhat more ragged looking Marlon Gale walked into the tavern and paused at the door, letting his eyes run over the crowd for possible people.

And part of what he'd see would be the back of one platinum tressed 'noble'; of whom he'd never gotten the name of when they'd been speaking before. Small bits of blood and gore flecked her heels, but she seemed busy talking to another girl.

Mariah tried not to laugh out loud and maintain a demeanour of womanly graciousness and sensibility, but she couldn't let a small smirk cross her face. Either it must show that she's worked in a place like this before or the men really were just stupid enough to ask for alcohol from any female being. Out of curtesy to such a noble, Mariah did a quick bob of a curtsey as was custom from her part.

"Oh, I'm sure it is al-" Mariah stopped mid sentence as she heard the way the man addressed the woman. Did he just say "Lady Paladin"? Mariah did a quick and a little obvious once over of the Lady. The breeches, didn't phase her although Mariah was insanely jealous that she had to walk hindered by a long emerald green dress. The sword immediately, of course, caught her eye. It was magnificent and extremely well made. Mariah had no idea what that would cost, but it was definately something that she could never afford in her entire lifetime.

However, that wasn't what drew her attention the most. Following the sword's tip her eyes went down to the Lady's shoes. Mariah's nurse had always said that one's shoes could immediately tell what type of person wore them.

"Those who wear nice, clean shoes take care of themselves and what they own." Nurse had told her once when Mariah had scuffed up a pair of her newest suede boots in a fight with a brother, "Men especially. If they look after their shoes they will look after you. The same goes the other way around. Good respectable men won't want to marry you if you have dirty, scuffed up shoes. They'll think you're careless and worse, a trollop! They won't treat you with respect."

The Lady's shoes had little flecks of blood and what might be some one's flesh! Mariah stared, rudely, at the shoes in disbelief. Such a grand and noble Lady with a glorious, expensive sword, and the respect of men had fleck of what looked like FRESH blood and bits?!

"I'm s-sorry," Mariah said with a slight surprised stammer, still staring at the shoes, "Are - Did - Is everything okay??"

That idiot guardThe man known only as the High Lord Vizier was pissed, and when he was pissed, people tended to stay out of his way.

"She's run off again..."

"Yes, sir.", this was his sniveling manservant who was dressing the Vizier for the Duvahian envoy.

"The prince seems unconcerned."

"Because the Lord Captain is watching over her, and no one in the city would hurt her. She is also a paladin, me lord."

"I don't care. I don't want her harmed. The time is not right. She should be good for something other than slinging that sword at things. It's not natural. Why couldn't see be meek like her mother."

"Her mother died because of her meekness, my lord."

"Shut up. Hand me that robe."

"Yes, sir." The man handed the vizier the purple hood and sighed, the Vizier was actually a rather handsome man, as well as powerful. And he knew he was needed. Which only helped serve his own purposes even more.

"Let's hope the envoy doesn't mind waiting."

"Yes, sir."

Hmm. Now that was unexpected. Standing in the middle of the tavern, with her backside in perfect view, was the lovely princess he had met earlier seemingly in discussion with another girl. At first, he'd planned to just stand back and admire the view for a few moments, but upon seeing the other girl start to panic, he moved forward casually, a playful smirk upon his lips.

"Well, hello there milady. What a pleasant coincidence to see you again so soon! What brings you here?"

He was, of course, talking to the princess. He did, however, take a look over at the other girl, grinning at both of them flirtingly. After all, he might look a little dirty after his trip through the woods, but he still looked respectable enough just because of the way he held himself.

Despite the size of his nose.

Serefina looked down to see what the other girl was looking at and noticed her shoes finally. She was usually trudging through mud or worse as a paladin so it didn't often occur to her to do anything but toss them off at the first chance she got and if they were clean when she returned, then great. If not then they got handed down to one of the servants to use for other things. She knew she was spoiled in that respect.

"Huh? Everything is ---", and suddenly the boy merchant was back and interrupting her conversation. She pasted a smile on her face and prayed he wouldn't say anything stupid in front the girl.

"Excuse me, miss. I need to talk to my...ahem...friend." She grabbed Marlon's arm and dragged him over towards a corner, surprisingly strong for as tiny as she was.

((We now have an OOC))

The envoy did, in fact, mind waiting. She was used to things happening when she wanted too, and wasn't all that happy about having been pulled away from her normal duties anyways. As for why she'd been chosen, when the king of Duvah had to know that a female envoy would make the people here a little uncomfortable. She was the only one that the royals trusted that wasn't caught up in...other matters, though. matters that would be explained to the vizier as soon as he actually arrived.

Meanwhile, Lady Anavelia Daerae, head of the country of Duvah's Royal Research Facility, would be pacing restlessly in the waiting room she was stuck in. Probably scandalizing whatever guards were there with her tight breeches, and what could have been a man's shirt, if it wasn't for the low cut front and her...ample bosom filling it.

"I wish that blasted man would hurry up. You can never trust a male to actually be where he's supposed to be when he's supposed to be."

Needless to say, Marlon was expecting a little more...friendly of a greeting than a fake smile and being dragged off forcibly. He still let himself be dragged though, smiling apologetically at the girl he didn't know. He hadn't meant to interrupt really after all, just help defuse what looked like it had been an uncomfortable situation.

Ah well, what was done is done.

So, when he was dragged off, he'd look at the beautiful woman curiously, an eyebrow quirked.

"Yes? Is there something you felt you had to draw attention to us in order to say?"

Because hey, after that, everyone would be watching them even if they pretended not too. Especially if these people knew her.

"Ahem..."

The Vizier entered the room, a smile crossing his lips at the backside the woman showed. This was going to be an interesting interview. He tugged on his collar straightening it to perfection. He was a man of refined taste and the various forms of cleavage were appealing in their own manner.

"I do believe that is normally said of women; not men.", he stepped forward, and took her hand, kissing the back of it lightly. "But seeing as how I was expecting a young prince this afternoon, I will count my blessings." Of course, he did not realize that this was the Duvahian envoy, merely assuming that it was an overture.

Originally Posted by hexeos

Needless to say, Marlon was expecting a little more...friendly of a greeting than a fake smile and being dragged off forcibly. He still let himself be dragged though, smiling apologetically at the girl he didn't know. He hadn't meant to interrupt really after all, just help defuse what looked like it had been an uncomfortable situation.

Ah well, what was done is done.

So, when he was dragged off, he'd look at the beautiful woman curiously, an eyebrow quirked.

"Yes? Is there something you felt you had to draw attention to us in order to say?"

Because hey, after that, everyone would be watching them even if they pretended not too. Especially if these people knew her.

"Yes." She gritted through her teeth, whether they were paying attention or not didn't matter to her, her fists touched her sword lightly, and it would be as if there was a dark wall between them and their surroundings. No sound would escape.

"These people know I'm a paladin, but they do not know I'm a ..." she bit out the next word, "...princess." She looked up at him, her dark eyes soulful and pleading. This meant a lot to her. "Please don't say anything."

Which meant, he had a solid in if he was willing to resort to blackmail, and an even more solid in if he seemed to do it out of mere kindness. Admittingly, she rarely used the puppydog eyes on anyone but her brother, but she'd already gotten the sense that this man wouldn't be intimidated easily. I mean, if a 17 hand high Black horse who would trample you as soon as look at you, doesn't scare you, a tiny beautiful woman with a big nasty sword wouldn't either.