Chapter 10: Dangerous Allies: Part Two

Trust was very hard to come by, especially when you were a princess; one never knows when another is slowly stabbing them in the back. This was going through Evanna’s mind as she stood near the balcony of her room, with mere strangers listening to her proposal. The only comfort she felt was from Ger’s presence. Cilv unexpectedly agreed to the quest, making Evanna stare at the woman before asking, "What is it you seek?" Cilv smiled with a dangerous glint in her eye, "For m.... services. Hmm". She put her fingerless gloved hand onto her chin like she was deep in thought;t, however, Evanna knew the woman well enough that she already knew her price. "Any wanted posters with me on, taken down in all of the Dunhurst Kingdom. And 1000 gold coins as well as any treasure I may find," Cilv declares. Evanna blinked, Ger gaped, and Axel eyed her suspiciously while Ronan looked down at his feet as though they were the most interesting object he had set his eyes on. "That is ridiculous-" "I don’t trust him, your highness." One look from Evanna made Ger and Axel close their mouths immediately. "How many are there?" She asked, looking at Cilv and ignoring Ger’s gaze on her face. Cilv laughed as she found delight in the drama that she was causing, especially with the self-righteous Ger standing there. "I do not know the count, Evanna. All I know is that not last night, there were posters with my face on them scattered across Birch. The same can be said for some other places I wish to take residence in." Evanna glanced her eyes down at the floor as she thought about her proposal. Money was not an issue, but the posters were; it would be an official order as a princess. "You cannot truly be thinking about it, Evann.." Ger voiced beside her. "We don’t know the crimes she has committed for her to be on the posters," Axel raised his gruff voice. She stood there listening to the counsel of her dear friend and this man she had met but two hours ago at dinner. "Let me give you an alternative, princess." Evanna looked back up at Cilv’s voice. "You either agree to take the posters do, or you get a manor built for me in the countryside of Reigh. After all, it would be a shame if I did not come on this quest of yours and my lips were not sealed.. I could accidentally speak of a magical gemstone. OR where are you, the princess of Dunhurst.. is going? The stories are endless." "Blackmail.. Evann, how do you even know this woman?" Ger angrily said, raising his voice. "Quiet man," Ronan spoke up, glancing around the garden. "I accept. The posters will be taken down once we return," Evanna finally spoke, quietening the group once again. Cilv smirked at Ger when the princess was not looking. Ger knew he would not like this person, but it was now that he met he that he despised her. He knew that if they were in trouble, she would plot against them to suit her own needs. After further discussion between the group, they agreed to meet in two days outside of Reigh at an Inn that Ger and the men knew. Once it was settled, Cilv left immediately then Axel and Ronan walked off back to their rooms, talking animatedly about the upcoming adventure, leaving Ger once again with Evanna in her garden. She stayed quiet, looking at the flowers in the garden until Ger broke the silence, "Care to explain your plan?" Evanna knew what he was referring to, though she sensed they were not alone, she glanced towards the wall Cilv had jumped over, before turning back to face him. "Let us speak somewhere more private," She whispered. He frowned and glanced at their surroundings, unsure of where the threat lay, but he agreed. Without another word, Evanna climbed back up the tree and onto the balcony. She patiently waited for Ger to do the sa. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Evanna walked back to her room, indicating for him to follow. They sat down in her living room, which calmed her nerves. It was not appropriate to have a man in her room, even if they were just friends. "As soon as we make it back here, I will speak with the king. I cannot decide on taking those posters down, especially if she is wanted for something horrific; however, she is a great asset to have," Evanna explained. "I object to that sentiment, I fear there are more cons to having her with u," Ger replied. He could not fathom how the princess had even met a woman like this. Two winters had passed, and she somehow made an acquaintance with a dangerous thief. He did not even want to think about how Ronan had met the woman, though he was not as concerned about him; he loved all women. For the next twenty minutes, they discussed in detail how she was going to escape the castle; after all, she was going to do that bit by herself. He felt nervous after leaving the balcony. The next time he would see her would hopefully be at the Hawk’s Nest Lodge, which was situated in the middle of nowhere. Ger had given her the directions to the place; it was quite easy, a straight line from the castle passing four villages on the way. As he made his way back into the palace through the servants' quarters, he decided to go see Ronan before he made it back to his guest room. Earlier, before the meeting, Evanna had arranged for them to be her guests at dinner, and it was, to say the least, entertaining. He had been placed to sit in front of Isabel, who never liked him because of his low status growing up. Yet, every time his attention was away from his men and went to Evanna, she interrupted, flirting excessively with him, to the point that he felt uncomfortable. He could not help but feel annoyed with Evanna, as she kept coughing to hide a laugh, as did Ronan, who, in turn, made Evanna smile knowingly with him. He did not like them teaming up on him. However, anytime that Evanna showed any form of delight, the queen would make a snide remark towards her, who, in turn, brushed it off like it was dirt on her shoulder. Her brothers, who had grown a lot in the two years he was away, had also been taken away from the table early after the king ordered the servants to take them to bed for being troublesome. The king, himself, had been quiet throughout the whole dinner, only responding if he was spoken to. Once he made it to Ronan’s door, he stood and knocked politely. He had learnt from past incidents not to open the door unless he wanted to see him naked and in a compromising position with a woman. He waited there patiently for 5 minutes as he heard some scuffling from the other side of the door, before it swung open. As it were, Ronan stood in the doorway with just his shirt on which came down to his thighs, and his hair looking very dishevelled. Ger rolled his eyes, which made him smile broadly before opening the door further for Ger to come in. The bed covers were missing from the bed, and he heard someone in the bathroom. He shook his head. Ronan did work quickly. It had been less than an hour, and he already had a woman to warm his bed. He did not bother asking who she was; they were leaving in the morning and were soon to be leaving the kingdom. "Put something on, we need to talk away from your... acquaintance," Ger said as he threw some breeches he found on the floor at Ronan’s chest. He also took note of the rumpled-up maid’s dress left on a cushioned chair across from the bed. Ronan pulled his breaches on and buttoned his shirt up more to hide his six-pack that had been on show, but still left a few buttons undone, enough flesh on show to display his taut chest. Ruffling his hair slightly, he felt a bit more put together than a few minutes ago. "I will be back soon, just enjoy the bath until my return," Ronan spoke through the walls before following Ger outside. The stone-built hallway was quiet, their footsteps echoing. There were no guests or guards here; however, Ger still felt it better to talk openly somewhere else, instead of the hallway to the guests’ chambers, so they made their way to the courtyard. Ronan clasped his hands behind his back as he leisurely strolled by Ger’s side, taking in the sight of the courtyard around him. The white pillars on the side went up high to the arched balcony above, where people on the first floor could look down into the courtyard. He paused for a moment, making Ger stop his steps also. "Look, I know what you want to speak to me about, and it's nothing. I met Cilv a month ago and we spent the night together. That is all, my friend," Ronan spoke u, beating Ger to it. Ger was happy to hear that his affections were nothing more than a one-night stand. He had been concerned because Ronan tended to ’fall in love’ frequently and fall hard each time. First it was Rosaline, then Maria, Henrietta, Elizabeth, and many more that his heart had bled for, and he had not long turned 20. Ger sighed, "I am happy to hear that. This ’trip’ needs to go as smoothly as possible. Is there anything else you can tell me about Cilv, though? Do you know of her skills?" Ronan chuckled lightly and smirked before responding, "I know many of her skills". Ger moved his head to the side to look at his friend seriously. "Lighten u, Ger, I was joking, mostly. From what I gathered after our delicious lovemaking, she is a very skilled thief. Until now, she had been unnoticed for a year., I believe she is very light on her feet and very hard to capture. I would be quite wary of her, though. In the small amount of time we spoke, she did indicate that she was not against killing if it meant saving her own ’ass’." Ronan clarified what Ger feared about the woman, though they could not go against the princess’s wishes. He would have to pay extra attention to Cilv so that she did not cause any problems for Evanna. "One more thing," Ger spoke, "Stay away from Evanna. She is still a princess and above your station." He did not fail to notice,ce not just at dinner but at the meeting as well, how he looked at his love-struck, puppy dog eyes. Whether it was just awe he felt or lust, he could not afford any complications. It also annoyed him; out of every female Ronan had been with, he still couldn’t help but look at the princess as well. Ronan burst out laughing, "Brother, please. What do you take me for? There is no harm with a little bit of flirting," he winked. "Ronan. I am serious. She is still young and innocent. I think her only male friend has been me." Ronan Sighe, "And you never once thought she was outlandishly beautiful? Her eyes are out of this world. Makes you want to stare into them for hours and know their secrets." He held his hands up in surrender after Ger took a step towards him threateningly, "Okay, okay. I will ’stay away’ from her. But I will not stop myself if she sees me as a friend. I am very charming. Not to mention handsome!" Ronan stroked his hand across his smooth, sharp jaw as if to prove his point. He then backed up and jogged off so Ger could not make any more comments towardshimmHeHee knew Ronan was not a bad guy; he just knew too much about him and his many female friends.