"Name, ID, trade and reason of travel please" a groggily voice drawled, obviously unamused at how his armour was getting drenched.
His scarred face was displeasing to the eye, dripping wet as the rain was relentless; it held no mercy as it continued a heavy downpour.
Zillah never was one for the weather, but never let it distract her focus; flashing a charming smile to seem compliant, to which the man grinned upon.
Zelek on the other hand could never monitor his emotions; a clear mood change, and all were irritated.
"Malia, wool trade and supplying the market in the Far West" Zillah lied, voice sounding convincing. "It's for the Ophidian branch"
Zelek scoffed at how well she could deceive.
She handed him the card, fingertips brushing intentionally. He eyed her daringly, giving an approving hum.
"And what is a beautiful lady such as yourself doing in the wool trade?" He asked curiously, eyeing her discretely.
"Trying to make good money for my family as-" she slid to the side to give a view of Zelek, "-my brother is not doing anything"
"Brother?" He raised an eyebrow, a smirk following as he watched her intently.
Zillah merely smiled innocently, raising her eye level to the sky, then back to him.
"Indeed, he is my brother" she whispered seductively, to which the guard visibly shivered. It was a statement that sounded practically innocent, but certainly wasn't.
Smiling to herself now that this man was right between her fingertips, she reached out for the card in his grasp, tracing each finger on the rough skin.
He gulped.
"I am in a bit of a rush, I don't want to be late with my goods, so if you could hurry the process along faster..."
She leaned out of her seat entirely, face inches from his, "I would be ever grateful..."
Staring into her bright green eyes, idling almost as cold water dripped down her wears.. he could not deny this breathtaking women.
Zillah on the other hand hated the way he looked at her, a sick twisted feeling knitted her stomach but she held her appearance, knowing that he would be right where she needed him to be.
"Of-of course Malia" he stuttered, still surprised that a women such as her could ever have interest in him.
"Aww, did you hear that brother" she remarked, sitting correctly and facing him, "he remembered my name"
Checking the card over, he nodded, and handed it back to Zillah quickly, obviously flustered and unsure how to handle himself.
She smirked internally, rolling her eyes.
Adjusting her hood to block out the ever-growing heavy rain, she eyed him cautiously, taking note on every detail she could while Zelek acted bored.
The mud squelched beneath his feet as the guard gave the cart a once over that took longer than she would care to admit.
Each time he would glance over the section Liam and her sister were hiding in, her mind would be doing summersaults.
Eventually, and after a painfully long wait, he allowed them passage.
"All good, move along" he shouted, signalling with his fingers the all clear.
On his command, the Great Wall parted to the welcoming sight of the Western kingdom.
Zillah beamed as her insides squirmed around at the excitement, not wasting her chance and grabbing the reins before the guards at the gate got suspicious.
~
Something felt off. Even with the transition being smooth, Aloysia could sense something heading towards them.
To which sooner or later her ears perked up at the sound of thundering hooves splashing the mud up the sides of queued carts as it travelled, gaining closer and closer until the noise startled Liam laying beside her.
"What's happening out there?" Liam asked worriedly, already tired of the suspense that seemed to leave them clueless to the outside world.
Aloysia hushed him, shaking her head.
Listen...
As the horse grounded to a halt, Zillah glanced back, only to widen her eyes at the single rider hastily de-mounting his horse.
Within a second of reaching the border, the man who appeared to be a messager rushed to the guard they had the delight of dealing with, fumbling in the mud as he did so.
His breathing was heavy, and his face spoke of urgency. Alarm bells rung loud in her head, and with a stern glance from Zelek telling them they had to leave now, Zillah's thoughts were clear.
Get out.
Not a moment later, Zillah instructed the horses to bolt as quickly as they could past the border. Her own fear of discovery growing exponentially with each exposed second.
The horses screeched, but powerfully pulled them. Zelek held on for dear life.
As the cart was beginning it's descent, the guards surrounding them held their hand out in protest, rallying against her and resorting to screaming once they saw the look in her eye; all while the gates up ahead had been instructed to close...
No no no...
"Stop that cart now! On his majesties orders!"
Shit.
With her eyes locked ahead, Zelek peered behind him, spying the same guard that had just given the order to box them in with a face consumed of rage.
The others following suit as they aimed their weaponry at the cart, at them.
Zelek swore under his breath, secretly tapping the wood twice that divided him from Aloysia and Liam.
And they knew what that signal ment... that they had been discovered.
~
That dam tap, they didn't wish to use it, especially by what it entailed.
They had been spotted, or at the very least, under heavy suspicion...
This was not supposed to happen- this was wrong.
Groaning in frustration, she nudged Liam on the shoulder, inching closer, whispering, "We've been compromised" she paused, "on to plan b as well as a little bit... of well- improvisation"
Liam shook his head in disbelief, worry evident on his creased brows.
Aloysia took no notice, too focused on weighing the possibilities where she would not have to get involved, but they were next to none.
They had come for the power lurking within... and... along with a fist, that is what they would get.
Face hardening at the thought, she closed her eyes slowly; ever so carefully pulling, tugging on the stone that almost consumed her moments ago...
That raw power was there and itching to be used.
Liam writhered where he lay, nerves overtaking him as his fear became visible.
He wished to never feel the way he did, to feel a coward.
He would change that, soon, somehow.
Allowing the words of his mother into his head, and what she would always say whenever he would seek help for his own riling emotions, he murmured, "we do not choose what we feel, but rather, we choose how to act on it"
Aloysia on the other hand, even with having one hand in control over the stone, feared only one thing, hurting those she loved- those close to her, and in this moment in time, the fear played on those facts.
She could feel the power responding to her, could feel it slither through her veins... it's raw form was a feeling that had no comparison, and it was a feeling she longed to latch onto.
Liam, who remained quiet as he waited, glared at her lying next to him; a minimal glow resonating from her eyes, even beneath the thick barrier of her eyelids... a red light shone.
He knew that this would end in bloodshed... it always did.
~~
"Look, kind sir, we have been cleared, we have clearance to pass" Zillah shouted at them, arms folding over the backs of her seats as she eyed them with malice, the soldiers face unrelenting.
Her voice wasn't carried far with the noise of Mother Nature overhead but it was enough for him to hear. The messenger was still by the horse's side, eyeing the twins heavily.
The man sauntered over, face to face with Zillah as he spoke, so close that she could count the splatters racing down his tough face, "that may be so, but new information changes that miss"
His top lip formed into a snark as he looked at her with distaste, "if you have nothing to hide, then let us check your cart again"
Zillah hummed, panic rising in her chest, barking at her.
She gulped, eyes hiding any sign of hesitation.
"Of course, please" she gestured to the wool, "go right ahead"
His eyes darkened, hand secretly moving to his weapon as he made eye contact discretely with the soldiers surrounding them.
"This will not take long.." his words trailed off as Zelek's hand slid down his cloak to reach for his drenched daggers.
He remained patient, vigilant as the unforgiving rain dripped from his serious face, tracing him as it collected like a puddle at their feet.
Zillah caught on. Reaching for her own daggers hidden beneath her thigh, listening to the drops of water splashing on the irons edge, as she counted her odds.
Time for plan B.
The horses grew restless with no one uttering a sound, no one daring to breathe loudly but the downpour clawing at people's attire.
The twins were ready for a fight... getting ready to have to cross the border by foot.
Gosh this couldn't have gone any worse, she thought, chuckling in her mind, yet- when did it ever?
Cautiously, the rugged guard lifted the wool cloths one by one, each weighing more than the last...
~
The light grew stronger, as the barriers to the sun were removed slowly.
Liam grew nervous, but refused to let fear win; bracing himself for a fight.
Aloysia sensed his uneasiness, reaching out to reassure him, not mock him as he became accumulated too over the weeks.
Her touch was comforting, helping him remain somewhat calm and hush his worries as the wool became thinner and thinner until the last layer revealed the cold rain pouring from the heavens...
It was all so sudden that the atmosphere filled with the breeze of the fresh water-filled leaves, and grew thick with tension.
The guard, as he ripped the last layer to reveal the two bodies, leapt for his sword, unsheathing it in an instant with a face of pure anger it could shake the leaves off a branch.
Aloysia however was ready for him as she lunged at the guard; latching onto his wrists and pulled him into the wagon, knocking the sword from his fingertips.
Liam who did not expect this, shot for his own dagger, and once the guard sunk into the cart with a backbreaking thud, he swung his fist clutching the pommel into his side, through his armour, through his flesh.
Liam recoiled, the guard screaming a string of curses as the wound knocked him unconscious.
Imminently he used Aloysia's help to stand, clothes sticking to his body as the rain soaked into his clothes, his hair.. his dagger dripping faintly with blood.
The surrounding guards all stood on edge, on guard for any sudden jolts of movement.
Aloysia looked around her, each metre of woodland she saw, more and more men doused in weaponry appeared; angry, enraged, and all looking like a drowned rat caused by nature.
"By the kings orders-" a guard shouted out, "We, the central border guards place you, Aloysia Tamala and Prince Liam Theoden under arrest for high treason against the Southern government and it's people"
Liam stood gobsmacked, the grip over his dagger strengthening as a low growl emerged from him.
Aloysia could feel his rage coasting through him and grew alarmed. She had never felt this from him before and his thoughts... they were that of murder.
Aloysia hastily turned to face him, dimming eyes concealed through her saturated hood as she whispered, "this doesn't have to end in a fight, they're provoking you, don't let them win" her body nudged ahead of him, partially blocking him from making a mistake.
She feared the worse, she couldn't imagine Liam becoming violent... more than anything, she wished to never be witness to a growing monster... the very same monster she was.
He had never taken a life, never felt the impact it had upon ones soul, and she was not going allow him to feel it now.
"How dare you accuse me of High treason in my own kingdom!" He screamed, teeth bared, pushing his restraint to charge directly at him.
"I have served this kingdom with every breath, every bead of sweat from the moment I opened my eyes"
Aloysia could only watch solemnly, watch as those lips parted in pain and as his chest rose and fell dramatically quickly.
"Liam, don't do something thing you'll regret" she breathed so only he could hear.
She was not the only one, Zillah and Zelek stood close to them, knives held horizontally in front of them to ward off any threats, yet were distracted by the Prince's passion.
His eyes dropped to Aloysia for a moment. "No"
He continued, body tensing, "My mother was murdered by that imposter who claims to be your king and sits on my throne!"
Each word seemed heavier with grief and anguish than the last, an unforgiving chain of the past catching him in a slight slip of emotional control.
"Liam..." Aloysia called, her voice soft and gentle under her hood.
"How could you betray your morals and accept a man like him-"
"Liam" a little louder.
"HOW COULD YOU-"
"Liam!" Aloysia gripped his shoulders, pinning him in place as he attempted to bolt straight at them; iris' revealed nothing but fire behind them.
"Liam- Liam listen to me please, you are not thinking straight-"
He fought against her, trying to break free but her iron grip could never be broken.
"Enough!"
They both swung their heads to the groggy voice cutting through the rain.
The messenger who arrived by horse...
"If you do not come with us willingly, you are a bigger fool than I thought" he shouted, frustrated from getting absolutely no where.
He was not only a messenger, but by how he was dressed, a knight.
Aloysia had enough of this. Her instincts told her to slaughter them all, but a part of her knew she would never be forgiven if she did that, especially if she allowed Liam to partake...
So instead she would give them a chance.
Turning to face the crowd, she raised her dagger into the air, catching the eyes of all those surrounding them as they followed it slowly becoming engulfed by the sheath attached on her hip.
Some were confused, others, a sigh of relief yet still on guard; she was unpredictable.
"Let me ask you something before we go willingly." She requested, voice calm through the heavy downpour.
Sighing and massaging his brow, the knight nodded, wishing for this to be over quickly.
She began, "Why does a soldier fight? Why does a guard, a knight, a mother fight?"
"Seriously? What is this? Some righteous talk? I don't give a dam about what you have to say!" He spat, stepping closer.
No one moved, remaining guarded. Both of their words were slightly muffled by the rain, but it broke through.
"Listen" she hissed. The man rolled his eyes in response.
"It's simple. It's for a reason. A cause worthy of your sacrifice... so tell me, why do you brandish those weapons for a reason unknown to you... unknown to the soldiers who lay down their life every. Single. Day."
She gazed straight ahead, a level playing field.
"How do you know, that what they are dying and sacrificing their lives for, will make them martyrs? When what you are fighting for is secret? Kept hidden?"
Liam lowered his weapon, looking upon the blades of grass beneath him and just stared, eyes welling at his own anger.
"I have been running for weeks, trying to escape this fallen kingdom under the northern's guidance. The king wants me, wants a power within me... and you help him. Why? Ask yourself."
The guard was outraged. "You speak in riddles! Do not try and sway us witch"
She ignored him, biting her lip.
"We are what we are, but we are always given a choice... and whether I like it or not, this-" she pointed to her chest, where the stone lay within, "is a part of me. And there is no hiding from it, no escaping it, only to accept it. Move on."
"You can too. Break free from the lies and leave the kings rule"
The knight broke the silence, the others not daring as their face had changed, almost like a new perspective... "Where would we go? Join you and your 'cause'?" He mocked, eyes rolling. "The king would just send others to kill us- it's not worth the risk"
"No" she stated, stepping forward with a hand outstretched, "you can be neutral in this war... rise above it and... be better"