Absorbing the heat into her skin, Aria slumped into the water. The dirt drifted off her as the water splashed around from her movement. Her tanned skin finally began to show through the cakey layer of mud, and her auburn hair was no longer clumped together. She slumped her head at the rim of the wooden tub, as a small smile crept at the corners of her lips. Even though it was a public bathhouse, she was glad no one was in sight. After all, who would even think to be there this late.

The room was covered with steam. It relaxed her nerves and muscles, although she had to be cautious about the wound on her hand and neck. She took a bucket from the side and sent water splashing down her hair. It was a luxury she never really had the chance to have. Where she came from, baths weren't very common.

Stepping out of the tub, she dried herself with a nearby cloth. Slowly, she wrapped bandages over her wounds, using the mirror to help her see behind her. A stinging pain always made itself present whenever she would accidentally rub her arm against the wound. Her nose crinkled as the smell of iron overpowered the faint floral scent.

"So much for the bath."

Turning around, she lifted the green shirt from the chair. Without question, she slid into it which was clearly too large for her as it fell past her stomach. She tucked some of the ends of the shirt into her pants and pulled on some leather boots.

Moving her leg around, she glanced at the ash colored boots, her eyes narrowing in the process. This is definitely...different, she thought to herself. Her eyes drifted towards her other boots. A thick layer of dirt covered their faded color, and the heel was hanging onto dear life with the other end and a hole at the top where a rat had chewed through it.

"It's better than picking off of a corpse," she said to herself.

Leaving the room, she stepped on her tiptoes as she made her way to the entrance. There wasn't a chance they would have left her alone, especially when they're so skeptical of her. The sounds of the voices outside the door was enough to give it away.

Pressing her back into the pillar, she tugged the door slightly open, peeping on the two female guards who stood watch. She clicked her tongue slightly, then returned back to where her bath original was. She began to pace back and forth. The sounds of her heels echoed through the walls, and she stopped before a fogged mirror. Wiping her arm against it, she cleared away the fog to glare at herself.

Pulling her hair around her shoulder, she felt it tangled around her bony fingers, as a wet mess drip down her shoulder. Her fingers combed out three sections of her hair, which she started to loop with one another until it resulted in a side-braid.

She walked out of the bathhouse, only to be stopped by the two women, one of which held her hand up. Aria rolled her eyes while her arms crossed her chest.

"We've been asked to escort you to the meeting site," one woman said, as her hand tightened around her spear. Aria quickly glanced her up and down.

"Already?" Aria questioned with the tilt of her head. "It isn't even morning. I believed William said at first light"

"This was at his request. Please just follow us."

Shrugging her shoulders, Aria followed. She took the time to examine what it was that she had gotten herself into. Tall buildings, all made of stone having some sort of intricate carvings into them. Fountains and waterways. Even the ground looked expensive, with every path having some sort of stone walkway. Oddly enough, she didn't see any people, even if it was late at night, she expected there to be someone.

The guards held their spears to their chest as they marched forward. Aria snickered at the thought that both of them were female. She liked to think that the boys were being gentlemen by sending girls rather than boys to accompany her to her bath.

One of the guards glanced at Aria out of the corner of her eye. Noticing the grip of her spear tightened, Aria couldn't help but sigh as a response. Women or not, the thought of her every move being watched set off a nerve.

"They send me female guards because I was naked, and yet the guards are ready to strike me at any minute," Aria thought to herself. Her arms crossed over her chest.

She heard her new boots clicking against the rocky path. Watching her feet take each step, Aria grew lost in thought. Until she ran into a stone column, which had brought her back to reality. Aria cursed under her breath and proceeded to rub the center of her head. The two guards attempted to contain themselves, clearing their throats after Aria set her eyes on them. Grumbling, Aria stepped around the pillar and continued to follow them.

The cold evening air kissed her skin, making her shiver ever so slightly. The sounds of distant screeching of animals beyond the wall filled the night. After a while of no life in sight, Aria spotted two hooded figures down a narrow walkway. A strong fume emitted from the two, and it was enough to make her gag. The two could be heard laughing and coughing as they passed around a long pipe—the clear source of the smell. Shrugging her shoulders, she moved on to escape the fumes.

Aria noticed that they were closing in near a large wooden door, and off to the side was a fire pit. The door was clearly an exit of the city, considering it was against the large wall that surrounded the many buildings. Many men in steel armor stood in the fire pit area. There was sparing, people shooting targets that hung on the wall, drinking, bantering, and many more.

Aria immediately spotted William within the crowd, who was sitting on a log drinking something out of a tankard. He was laughing with some men, some of which had trouble walking without tripping over themselves. His eyes looked over to Aria, and his lips curved into a smile as he proceeded to take another drink.

He rose to his feet and walked over to Aria. The two guards left her side awhile ago, however, she only now had noticed. His misty eyes followed her body, studying her. Irritation filled her veins, and her eyes slightly twitched as she proceeded to cross her arms over her chest.

"You definitely look a lot better clean than covered in mud," he chuckled while he began to search his pocket. She clicked her tongue at his remark, and he shook his heat at hers. William pulled a flask from his coat and held it out to Aria. "Here, take this. It will help with the pain from the stretching."

"Thank you," Aria grumbled as she took the vial from his hand. She took a quick drink of it, nearly choking on the slimy liquid. Aria smacked her lips together while William snickered. "So, why need me before dawn?"

"Because, Zaydn still doesn't know what to believe," William said. He began to turn around, walking back towards the log he was originally sitting on. Aria followed closely behind him. "You have to understand that he is a scholar and one of the advisors of the king."

"Forgive me, but I've been what you would call a savage for many years of my life," Aria said with a fake smile. "You're going to have to tell me what that means otherwise I'll just be confused."

"It means a lot of people look towards his opinion. A lot is riding on his shoulder for taking your word and agreeing to let me ." William turned to her as he took a swing at his tankard. He offered it to her after he took a drink, which she accepted.

Aria hated the smell of the ale. She never understood why people enjoyed it so much. Every time she took a drink it burned the back of her throat, and she would always take another drink to attempt to soothe the burning. Of course, it was an idiotic thought, but she did it to mimic the people around her. People talk most when they're influenced by it.

"If you turn out to be lying--" William began.

"I'm not."

"But if you were, the men around him and the king will question his judgment. As well as mine. He's taking a chance to listen to a person in a cell," William explained. Aria lifted the pint to her mouth, taking a drink of the ale. William noticed the glare she was giving him. "Yes, I'm aware we put you in the cell but you have to be reasonable that you had chains on you. People still don't know if you are an escaped slave or an escaped prisoner."

"What do you think?" she questioned after taking another drink of the ale. He took it out of her hands and took another gulp before handing it back.

"Don't worry halfling, I don't think you're an escaped prisoner. If you were," he leaned closer to her, "you would have tried to knock me out or kill me not just kick me and run." A smile crept over her face, and she tapped her fingers against the tankard.

"You should have seen that coming. Not my fault you thought a scared defenseless girl wouldn't go for an obvious weak spot," Aria teased. Mocking him by making her voice higher than usual, William shot her a glance.

"Alright listen here, I will get you back for that."

"I'd like to see you try," Aria said. She went to take another drink before William snatched the ale from her hand and chugged the rest of it down. "Alright then, if that was payback, you're going to have to try harder. Anyway, keep going on about why we have to do this before morning."

"Right, you see, we're not exactly under any of the king's orders, and Zaydn wants to get this done as soon as possible. Plus, he and I have other duties we need to attend to throughout the day. Does that make more sense to you?"

"Yes."

"Good, now stay here while I go talk to Zaydn for a bit. We'll be leaving as soon as light strikes." William rose from his seat and wandered off towards a doorway in the wall before them.

Aria rested her head on her knees and peered into the fire. She watched as embers rose and the wood charred and turned to ash. Specs of ash fell near her feet and she stared at its grey color.

It reminded her of him. His grey eyes still haunt her. How they would pierce her soul and bend her will to his own. His sweet scent blinded her from the truth.

She flipped her wrist, staring at the burned skin and scarring. Memories flashed through her eyes. One, in particular, was clear, as if she was reliving it.

***

They dropped to their knees. Breathing heavily, for they had run all night to get as far as possible. Both Leo and Aria had looked up at each other and began to laugh. They had finally done it. But, the question still remained.

How long will it last?

They may have gotten far from Aldrich, but they were both aware of how he reacts when people escape, and they will surely be no exception. Especially after what Aria had done.

Leo pulled himself to his feet. Offering a had to Aria, he helped her off the ground. A toothy grin crossed his scraggly-bearded face. He patted her shoulder and spoke.

"Let's build a fire."

Aria brushed away his hand and turned to begin the search for wood. He went with her, as the chain linked to their arms only allowed them to get so far from each other. Aria kept looking at him from the corner of her eye, watching his every move. She had a hunch there was more to him that he was letting on.

She gathered pieces of wood, hearing the chain rattle as he would pull slightly on it. They were connected and forced to stay near each other at all times. Her eyes would occasionally turn to him.

They threw the wood into a pile and rearranged them. Leo stood there confused after arranging the pile of sticks, however, Aria crunched leaves and tucked them under the pile. Her hands scavenged around in the leaves and dirt nearby until finding two well-sized rocks. With a few clicks and blows, a fire was lit.

Leo's eyes continued to stare at her, watching as she pulled her knees to her chest. When she met his gaze, he looked away. Her stomach rumbled, and she wrapped her hand around it as if to calm its rage. She saw her wrist, noticing the black "V" slightly moving.

"We need to burn it," she said.

Leo lifted his head, noticing that she was looking at the "V" that they both bore. He lifted his arm and began to look at his as well. His head tilted at the sight, noticing that it was slightly waving along his olive skin.

"What does it mean?" he asked while his thick accent shown through.

Aria lifted her eyes, meeting his brown colored ones. The fire crackled before them, and the sun settled behind them. Crickets hummed their songs, and the sounds of distant howling filled her ears. Her arm reached for a stick in the fire, taking hold of it and bringing it to her side.

Pressing the blazing fire against her wrist, she screamed in agony while a tear rolled down her cheek. Leo flinched at her actions, looking at her with wide eyes as she burned her wrist. He scattered towards her, ripping the stick from her arm and throwing it onto the ground. Aria pushed him away from her.

"They will track us!" she yelled. "Burn the tattoo, or risk us being found."

Leo stood in shock. He didn't move and only breathed as he attempted to process her words. Looking back at the tattoo, Leo's eyes softened as he watched its movement. He shook his head and stomped out the fire from the stick. However, he stopped the moment he noticed Aria holding a new torch.

"Burn it, or I will," Aria said. "I won't be found!"

He shoved her away. Lifting his arms and clenching his fist, Leo waited for her next move. It was clear that he was willing to fight it out.

Aria wiped the blood away from her lip and rose to her feet. She tilted her head, while her eyes remained on his. He tensed his body up. She tightened her grip around the stick. One step closer. Leo felt his throat clog up and his heart race. Another step closer. Aria's blood rushed with adrenaline as fear rocked her to her core. Another step closer.

"Burn it, or I will!" She screamed, "Drake is tracking us with his magic! Burn the tattoo!"

Aria's eyes trailed down, noticing his footing and position. A smile spread across her lips, shrugging her shoulders as she revealed her palms. She lowered her arm, the one that held the torch, but she didn't drop it yet. Leo lessened his stance. A foolish mistake.

Aria grabbed the chain and yanked it, tripping him over. With one quick jump, Aria pressed the stick against his arm with all her force. A throat-shredding scream spread through him. The fire ate at his flesh and tore away the tattoo. All that was left was the scar.

After a long wait, I have finally updated! *Confetti* I'm so sorry that this took so long. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts below! Did you hate it? Did you love? Are you just not sure? Thanks so much for taking the time to read and have a lovely day!