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Aurelia rocked gently with the swaying motion of her horse. It had been a gift from her liege lord upon the date of her departure. The mare was silver with a dappling of grey on her hind quarters and a genial disposition. A nice sort of horse to travel a long way on, she thought. Unconsciously she gave the animal a stroke on the neck and repositioned herself in the saddle. She wore a fine set of white breeches and doublet belted around her midriff with a sheer sort of silver chemise underneath and supple leather boots that reached the knee. Pinned with a golden falcon was a white fur-trimmed cloak that laid over her shoulders and part of the horses' rump. It wasn't truly cold enough to warrant the cloak, but it was too nice to fold into her packs.

The sun was high in the sky and glittered on her honey hair, pulled back and braided over her shoulder. Her features were fine and typical for an elf, really. She was lovely to behold with clear blue eyes and full pink lips. Currently her face was inclined to the sky, watching a bird's shape reeling overhead in the clear blue expanse.

"Won't be long before we hit the border, my Lady." Aurelia's attention was brought back to earth when her riding companion came level with her. He was a big man, thick with muscles and covered in armor tinted in blue. A rose was embossed with a filigreed design about it on his breastplate and currently his helm was latched to his horse's pack. The man road a robust roan destrier, a knight's horse indeed. "Soon, you will be able to see my kingdom off in the distance. An elegant place to be sure, My Lady--"

Aurelia cut him off with a raised hand and small smile. "I am no Lady, Sir Bastian. You need not extend me the formality."

The knight flushed just slightly. It was only proper to call the envoy a Lady; she would come to court as one. He nodded stiffly. "If you say, My Lady." The elf woman was forced to laugh. Bastian was a heavyset man with broad shoulders and a strong chin. His hair was a chestnut color and mostly shaved short, save the small ponytail of hair at the top. His eyes were a lighter shade and attentive. She liked that he was so dutiful to his kingdom, but they need not send him to escort her; she was a woman grown and able to ride freely should she wish. The Kingdom of Greyhawk must really wish a peace between them to want her to arrive in such good hands.

They'd been traveling along the High Road for around two days and not once had their been a disturbance. The day dragged on with little talk between the two travelers. By dusk, the knight was nearly begging Aurelia to call a halt. He had already but she'd persuaded him to continue moving until it was full dark. He had had enough of it by now and was dismounting.

"My Lady, we must needs stop when the light is here, else we shall not be able to see to set up camp." He had taken the reigns of her silver mount to cease her movement. Delicately, Aurelia swung form the horse and dropped toher feet.

"Very well, Sir. We shall stop for the night." Truthfully, she could see well enough in the dark to comfortably put her sleeping blankets in place, but she had the sneaking suspicion that this knight liked to be in charge. Some time later, the horses were brushed down and tied off and Aurelia was hugging her knees by a small fire. Sir Bastian refused to rest her eyes until she had, so the elf was pressured into lying down. She was never a troubled sleeper, so the dreams washed over her easily.
The dark of night kept Adair well hidden as he rode along a ways behind the knight and his envoy. The ride had been long, he could feel it in his bones, and his legs ached from the horse. It was a shimmering black, the horse was, with the backwards name of Ivory. "Stupid name for a horse" he had told the man he had gotten it from, but it was a horse, and that was what he had needed so he took it.

The horse was going slowly, like it was trying to fall asleep much like it's rider. Adair wasn't complaining for now. He needed to stay back, hidden in the darkness. At least until they stopped for camp, then he could make his move. He tried to clear his head, to hear what they were saying, but they were so far ahead that it turned into little more that mumbles in the wind. "They have to stop eventually." he spoke to himself, and when they did well that's when he would get to work.

Adair himself had a average height for a human man, he was wearing a black cloak, with the hood up, black boiled leather, were his top and trousers, his boots an ebony like the rest of him. His eyes were a deep blue and his hair a dark ebony that was cropped close to his head. His skin was a slight tan, His face was scruffy from lack of shaving the past few days, with money on the mind he rarely took his thoughts to other things. He had a tiny "L" shaped scar on his right cheek, he always tells people he obtained it from a battle he fought in long ago, in reality he'd fell out of a tree when he was a boy.

"Whoa." he said as he saw the duo ahead slowing down in front of him, Ivory's trots slowed as he steered the mare to rest beneath the protection of trees. He watched for the longest time as they set up camp. "Any day now.. if the gods are good." he said impatiently under his breath. While they set up camp, Adair unloaded his pack.. tying his dagger to his side in the chance he had to use it. While preparing the chemicals to knock the girl and the knight out.

Even from a distance he knew the knight would strike him down in no time at all, he had to be silent and quick. Those were the things he was good at, the fighting part of it was.. well he wasn't a coward but he knew his limits.

When they finally took to bed, he waited another half hour longer. Before he decided it was time and crept his horse over near them. "Be quiet" he whispered, praying the half-witted beast didn't give him away.

He made his way into the camp, quiet as a mouse. I hope this is the right one he thought as he neared the sleeping elf. She fit the description easily enough, he took a glance over to the knight, hoping he could get through this before he woke up. He took the rag soaked with the sleeping toxin, and held it over the mouth of the girl. If he had made it that far he'd pull out the rope and begin bounding her arms and feet, preparing to thrust her over his shoulder. "My apologies." he said, as he threw her over a shoulder, beginning to make his way back to the horse. Almost, he thought, almost there another few steps. His quiet feet soon stepped hard onto a stick.. the crack went louder than he thought it would be, he was praying the knight was a deep sleeper, they usually weren't.
Aurelia had fallen asleep listening to the horses soft noises and the shifting of hooves. The sounds of the night did not disturb her slumber so what was another horse approaching? Bastian on the other hands had made a valiant effort to stay up while his charge slept. He'd muttered ballads to himself and wiped down his sword though it saw no use that day. When his sword was gleaming and his song at an end, Sir Bastian found that his eyelids betrayed him. He'd only meant to rest them as he leaned against his pack, but soon the knight was snoring in his armor.

Unprotected, the elf woman was lying on her side with her knees pulled up in front of her and the fur-rimmed cloak over her form. It would have been easy going for Adair to come up to her as her back was facing the woods. The horses shifted their weight as the man came closer, but they were so used to humans milling about them they gave no fright. The rag was placed over her mouth and she had but a moment to react. It would be her downfall as she sucked in a breath and unwittingly helped the toxin along. Soon, her eyes were rolling back as she fell unconscious.

Adair had managed to tie her and take her some feet away before he'd made his mistake. The stick was indeed loud enough to wake the knight, who shot to his feet in a daze. "My Lady, that noise---" His sleep addled eyes fell on the empty blankets Aurelia had occupied. He let out a roar as he pulled the bastard sword from it's sheath. "What knave has got you, Lady?" He leap into the woods, eye darting left and right. But his vision was not as good as the elf's might have been and the thief in all black escaped him.
Adair could feel his heart jumping into his chest when the stick had cracked, he could hear the knight moving about too. By the time he had heard him speak, he took off as fast as he could go carrying a woman on his shoulders.

Upon arriving at Ivory, the horse huffed a bit. “Shut up Ivory.” He said hurrying to tie the elf to the horse. Once she was up, he climbed up and sat in the saddle, whirling the horse around, and giving it a quick heel. The horse galloped out and into the night, it’s hooves clopping quietly in the soft earth.

He didn’t stop for the longest, his eyes sticking to the stars so he could tell where he was, it was easy to lose oneself in the night, and he couldn’t afford to be stuck out here with a captive elven maid for longer than needed. She was a pretty thing though.. elves were good that way he had noticed over his many years, they also tended to be a bit full of themselves.
Bastian cursed when he blundered through the underbrush only to half his greaves be caught up in thorns. The irony of a Knight of Roses being caught up in thorns escaped him then, but the others in his unit would not let it go so easily when he told the tale in days after. Ivory had safely taken Aurelia and Adair away by the time the knight had freed himself. He cursed to the night and tried his damnedest to find a trail. But he was not a ranger and it was dark. In a fit of frustration he hacked at a tree trunk until it was naught but splinters. How could he let her be taken right out from under him? They had gotten so close!

A screech split the sounds of night and Bastian lifted his head. Perched atop the silver mare, sidled along her saddle paddle was a whitish bird with mottled grey feathers. The falcon gave another shriek as it inclined its head this way and that in search of its master. "You, bird. Stay there." Bastian had gone falconing before as a boy, but that was with trained birds with hoods and gloves... This one was half wild. He'd seen the elf maid talking with it as if it were a pet, but frankly the bird put the knight a bit off. "You will find her, in the morn." He stomped back into camp and the bird flapped into a tree.


Her head body was now swaying with a different rhythm than the day's ride. A more hard pressed sort of flee... Her wits were scattered about her and hard to gather, but slowly, her eyes opened. Low-light vision gave her an idea of where she was, but the irksome part was that she was nearly upside down. Aurelia tried to move her arms so she could set herself right, but she was bound... Not only her hands, but her feet and there was a horse bumping beneath her. What on earth...?

"What's...What's going on?!" She managed to croak out the words as alarm dawned on her.
Ivory has begun to slow down tremendously by the time she was waking up, the horse was a lazy one that was sure. He could feel her her stirring and debated stopped completely, the horse slowed even more and finally halted. Adair took a glance back to the bound elf, blinking quietly for a moment as she got her wits about her.

"You've been kidnapped." he said bluntly enough. "If you hadn't guessed from the bounds, I would.. untie you and let you ride free. However.. I have a tiny feeling you might sent me to the gods if I were to trust you so eaisly." He hopped off the horse and threw her over a shoulder again, setting her down by a tree. "I will however let you rest, and give you some water to sup on.. it'll help clear the toxin out of you." he felt around under his cloak for his waterskin offering it to her. "Just because I'm kidnapping you doesn't mean I have to be a horses arse y'know." he raised a brow at her to his offering.
Kidnapped? She would have smacked herself in the face for being so lax about her own protection. Of course some people would not want peace in the realm; war can put people to work, make money even. She wished she hadn't been so proud to think no one would bother her. "I am not armed, Sir Thief." And she was not, another thing to silently curse herself for. She should have had a dagger, or something on her person. But she wanted to believe people were inherently kind and that no harm would come that she had to defend against. "What has happened to my knight?" Had he taken Bastian as well? Or slit the man's throat in the still of night?

Adair was hefting her to the ground and she flushed at behind handled so... indecently. She was plopped on the ground and she collected her knees to her chest, or as close as he bonds would allow. "To what gain to you detain me?" She tried to look defiant, like she was going to fight him should he try something untoward, but truth be told there was no fighter in her. She lifted her hands for the waterskin when offered and took a long drink without her eyes leaving him.
"Are you not?" he asked, puzzled he could see plenty of ways she could take his life without the aide of weapons, though she probably hadn't thought of them herself. "I think I'll play it safe and leave your bounds on as it is. Lady Elf."

Adair would watch her drink, letting her get her fill from his waterskin, he'd crouch down and look her over. the toxins had a way of keeping one feeling dizzy for a while.. water flushed it out soon enough though. "Your knight is unharmed, probably back to sleep now. He ran after you for all of five seconds. A persistent man that one is."

He raised a brow at her last question. "Gold has a way of making a man do things, my lady." He took his water skin back, and lowered his brows back. "Is your head less dreamy now?"
She had not thought of it, but the inflection he'd put on those words irked her. "I am not a Lady." Humans and their titles! She tried to give him a withering look, but probably failed. She was much too much the diplomat to look threatening... Besides, who does look scary when they're bound hand and foot?

The dizziness was definitely wearing off the more she drank and that was a good feeling, but it was replaced by dread and fear. Aurelia was not so certain she could trust a man who'd just stolen her. Might be that Bastian was safe and sound, might be he was smiling ear to ear. That thought made her gag a little and she coughed up some of the water she'd drank. "He'll be going back to get a battalion on your trail, Thief." The words were empty. She knew the race of man to be glib wordsmiths, but words were fleeting when they had no truth or feeling behind them.

Aurelia shot him another glare as he took the water skin. Gold. It's always for gold, or silver or something else 'precious.' She eyed him warily before nodding to his last question. This was going to be hard going; she had gotten the one kidnapper who wanted to seem like he was concerned for her well being... She thought she might use it to her advantage, when she could. "Who has sent you?"
Adair tried not to laugh at her threating look, he bit his lips together and said as simply as he could. “You don’t look like any lord I’ve ever seen, so me thinks I’ll keep calling you lady as I please, you’re the one tied up after all.. My lady.” He gave her a half smirk, it was pity he was going to have to get rid of her, she’d be a joy to keep around, if only to keep throwing jests her way.

“Will he now?” Adair smiled again, his fingers drumming on his knees, as he studied the elven maid. “How will he find us? I got a bit of a head start on him, and am quite confident enough to stop. While he goes back to get his battalion well.. I’ll have you across the river by then… I’d like to see this battalion cross that on their horses. However I will say it does touch me a little that you think I’m dangerous enough to warrant the use of a whole battalion.” He shot her a wink.

He went about tying up, his water skin back under his cloak. “Oh yes.. who would have thought Lady Elves were worth so much.. I’d been in this business first off, instead of –“ he stopped halfway, that was as much as she was getting out of him for now, though she was asking about who sent him. “I’m wounded you think me so stupid.” This was enough talk for him, “alright back on the horse we go… we need to make it to the river by dawn and get on out way…you ready?” he didn’t give her much time to nswer before he was throwing her over his shoulder and tying her back up on the horse. “If you’re a good little elf I may tie you up more comfortably, but for now.. this will have to do.”
"You people think elves look all alike, I could just be a pretty man." She clenched her jaw in an annoyance, but playing the race card might not have been the best idea. More over, she might have just invited him to come check. She resolved to kick him should he try.

She flushed as he began to question her supposed rescue party. It had been nothing but an empty threat, but it had gotten him talking at least. He told her they were going over the river and that was a start at least. As for an actual rescue? It would likely be only Sir Bastian, plodding along after whatever tracks he might be able to discern. Her only hope might be Akos and the bird was not trained for this. She struggled at her bonds.

"Not stupid, Thief, only loose-lipped for a pretty face." She had began to wriggle, trying her bonds at different angles as he approached her. Unfortunately, his knots were true and she could break free.
“I’ve seen plenty of elves enough to tell a man from a woman, thank you.” He didn’t move to check, he knew she was a woman, she was just trying to confuse him. “My lot thinking your people look alike, though.. is probably the nicest thing, compared to what your lot think of mine.” He could play it back.

“We think highly of ourselves don’t we? I never said you were pretty…” he might have, she was but he was going to mess with her all the way he figured, it’d fight off the boredom of travel that was sure. Back on Ivory, Adair would kick off into a slow trot. The stars above shining down on them, It was quiet and still all but the horse. “So.. you and your knight.” He started, after a bit of silence. “Where were you two headed off to? Some secret lovers hideaway?” he laughed at himself “The lady Elf and the bumbling knight.. a love song for the ages.. forbidden love. Ah that’s sweet.”
She would only roll her eyes to his comment. Her taste in peoples was rather much less narrow than that, but her current situation had dampened her mood. She was a diplomat after all!

He was getting an idea of her that was not the picture she would have painted of herself, but it didn't matter. Someone would come and get her and she would be rid of this knave post haste. What he thought of her was not something she cared about. She was strapped to the horse once again and she heaved a sigh. She was tired and uncomfortable and all she wanted to do was get to Greyhawk... And it was like Adair was reading her mind. "You should know, isn't it why you waylaid me?" Her cheeks flushed bright red at his accusation. Sir Bastian was a handsome man, some would say, but she was not that kind of woman! She worried at the bonds once more, hoping that with time they might wear. At the very least she would try and hit him for saying so. "I know you're a kidnapper and all but you don't have to be crass."
“Maybe I do… but I was still asking you all the same.” Truth be told he knew where she was going, his employer has made it clear she wasn’t to get there, He hadn’t buggered that up at least, even if he did talk a whole lot for a kidnapper. The other truth of it was… well being a thief meant a lot of alone time, and Adair was a friendly enough guy, even if he had Aurelia bound in ropes, and his none stop jests. He was taking advantage of the fact he had actual company… even if that company was a captive.

He didn’t know however why it was so important she didn’t reach Greyhawk, he was just carrying her the other way, it was a bit of a ride back, but she wasn’t going to Greyhawk this night. He gave her a laugh. “So the knight does like the elven pie eh?” He laughed for a good long while at himself, taking in a deep breath. “I do apologize my lady, I’ll try not to be so crass… I might even be a gentleman.” He would have smirked back at her, but she wouldn’t have been able to see in any regard. “I am taking you for a midnight ride down the river… and I haven’t killed you yet Lady Elf.. I think I could be much worse company.”
Aurelia glared at her bound wrists in the hope that she had somehow gained laser vision and the blasted things would fray and rip. With no such luck, she was forced to continue listening to Adair. She wasn't about to tell him where she was going and if he really wanted to know, he could try and pry it from her.

Her face flashed a bright red which he could not see and she attempted this time to slid off the side of the horse. Whatever injuries she incurred might be worth it should she gain her freedom. "I am not a Lady!"
Adair had only laughed at her insistence that she was not a lady. He had decided he might possibly leave her alone for the time being, and just persuade the horse to travel them hasteily down to the river. The clouds had parted from the moon, and it’s light shone down around them. Adair swapped from riding in the road to riding more deeply under the cover of the wood.

In the back of his mind, though he’d never admit it, he was carrying a tiny worry that maybe the knight would be behind them soon enough. Knights always worried him, and not because they were bigger and armoured more to the fact that most held their code fiercely, it made them a bunch of mad men in Adair’s opinion. Usually when they set their mind to something, they didn’t give up until they were dead. That was a fierce loyalty that Adair didn’t share, a man like that would travel all over the earth of a stolen envoy, and then put the kidnappers head on a spike somewhere.

As they neared the river, the rushing sound of water could be heard as they approached. Ivory came to a slow where the trees thinned a bit, and the ground got even more soft. As they halted, Adair hopped off first, reaching for Aurelia “Come now, elf.” He called her as he laid her against another tree. He messed with lighting his lantern, and gathering his pack off the horse. “Sit sweetly little elf, we’ll be moving down the river shortly enough.” He spoke.
Aurelia's attempt to slide off the horse was short lived as she was tied down too well. She cursed this horse and this thief and all the stars that were watching he be drawn away from her safe haven. The ride was long and she was soon bored because Sir Thief had stopped talking. She wasn't tired, per say, but her brain was turning off out of boredom and a couple times her head would loll forward. Aurelia shook herself awake and found they'd gone into the woods. It was darker here with the moon blotted out by the tree branches above them and she whiled away the time with counting trees. The game grew old when the trunks broke and thinned to show the waters ahead.

She was roused from her boredom as the horse was brought to a halt and Adair dismounted. Aurelia gave him a look as he reached to pull her off again. She should have spit in his face or something, but that as below her. Instead, she was lifted and placed near another tree, all the time shifting her raw wrists against her bonds. "Why down the river?" She was going to try to fish for information. If not to help her situation, than to lessen the quiet between them.
"Why not down the river?" he returned as his lantern came to life with light. He squatted down beside her once again, the light playing off his features. He might have been comely enough were she not his captives. He was rather loose lipped though "It breaks the path you see... even if they come looking for you. It'll buy me more time." She smiled at her like a big dope and lifted her back over his shoulder..

He grunted "For an little elf you're a might load heavy." he said, as he walked over to the raft he had set up before hand. His boots squished as his and her weight both pushed him into the shallow mud. He laid her on the raft, and finished sorting out his packs, laying the lantern down. He'd grab up an oar and push them off. "He took in a breath as they finally started off. the water rushing around their raft as they went down the might river.

He looked at her for a long time.. it might have come off a little creepy but he wasn't trying to be. Elves had always fascinated him.. their long lives. "How many namedays have you seen elf?" studying her they had a bit of a ride and he didn't feel like sitting around totally quiet.
That's what she had assumed. An an envoy, she should have been trained or at least briefed on something like this happening... She searched his features for half a moment, seeing if he meant to harm her. But she was once again being lifted like a bale of hay and carrying her off. "I am not heavy. Perchance you are just a weakling."

She had half a mind to struggle and fight him. But with the way her luck was going, she would flail herself right into the water effectively drowning herself since she was tied. Soon they were on their way down the river and Aurelia wished she had the foresight to leave a mark for Sir Bastian. She could have at least left an arrow to show which direction they'd gone. Another thing she would have to remember for later. Perhaps she would be the one to brief young envoys on these situations.

Aurelia met his eyes when she realized he was staring. She flushed slightly under the scrutiny but would not break the look. She shifted her body to sit more upright and screwed up her face. "That's an odd question." But a harmless one, she thought. "It will be my 91st year, this one." Then she glanced back up to him. "And yourself, Thief?"
“Perchance I can drop you in the river.” He laughed though, she was retorting and he absolutely loved that.

“It’s just a question.” He said as he awaited her answer, and when he said it his eyes widened a bit, he shouldn’t have been surprised, elf ages confused him. “You hardly look a woman grown.” And she was older than his grandmother; he didn’t say that though. He just smiled “Twenty-nine, my elven lady. If you look like this at ninety-one whatever did you look like at my age?” he gave the oar another stroke a steered them. The crickets where playing their nighttime symphony around them, the flame of Adair’s lantern flickered here and there, moving the light over them.

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