There was no restful sleep.
The weight of her shackles woke her every time she shifted in bed. Just before dawn she finally lost herself to sleep, but when the morning arrived and she opened her eyes, she was staring at the shackles again around her wrists. They reminded her that this was not a nightmare she could wake from.
Her gaze went to the Roegadyn sitting by the bedside: Crimson Mountain, a frighteningly large man in blood-red armor that befit his name. Her eyes narrowed in remembrance of the events the night past; he had forced her to undress in front of him, and grovel on her knees expressing gratitude for the opportunity to do so. Askier was there too, and had purposefully turned his back to the scene, choosing to stare at the fire instead. But Crim made it plain that he enjoyed her humiliation. She knew he was trying to rob her of hope, to prove that he had complete dominion over her... but with this new day, she was determined not to let it happen.
“So, not just a bad dream.†Askier’s voice broke the silence of the room, the Miqo’te rising from his seat and stretching with a lazy yawn. “How are you two?â€
When Crim did not answer, Roen sat up, clutching the blanket around her naked form. It was the only thing she was given. “Thirsty.â€
“Well, we've got water, or whiskey. Or I can try to make some tea." Askier said as he stood up and started digging in the box sluggishly. He glanced her way but his eyes never quite reached her form.
"I would like some tea," she conceded quietly as her eyes roamed about the room again.
"Yer gettin' ready ta earn yerself a hood without a hole fer ya ta look through, Crim rumbled. "Yer trouble... too much trouble. This was a bad idea. A bad idea..." His massive arms crossed. He seemed to have lost that sadistic glimmer in his eye from the night before.
"If this was a bad idea, then just let me go. I will..." She pressed her lips together before continuing. "I will figure out how to protect my brother."
Crim sneered. "I never thought of it that way. Askier, whatcha think? I suddenly feel compelled ta just set 'er free. I'm sure nothin' bad could possibly happen. It's the best plan ever, don'tcha think? Then we'll have absolutely no leverage at all when Natalie shows up with 'er goons ta kill us."
“We can discuss this, supposing we all agree to be civil.†Askier threw a look to Crim as he set a kettle of water with tea leaves onto the hot embers in the hearth. “At this point, it’s too early to toss in the towel. Nat hired us to keep Roen safe, and so long as we actually keep her physically here, she has no reason to come after us.â€
Crim gave a shrug and stared coldly back at her. "There you have it. I guess we can't just let'cha go like nothin' never happened. Go figure."
Askier turned away from the fire, dusting off his hands. "I doubt Roen would act like nothing ever happened, anyhow, after what you did."
Roen scowled, looking this time to Askier. He seemed more reasonable, perhaps less cruel. "But keeping me here is meant to lure my brother to his death," she said. When she turned back to Crim, it was with a controlled voice. She did not want to spark his ire again. "If you truly mean to keep the promise you made to Delial, you cannot just do nothing but keep me here. As you said, he will be looking for me."
Crim rose without a word, striding toward the fireplace as he slid a gauntlet over his right hand. He grabbed the kettle and flung it violently into the far wall, causing a loud crash as the kettle bent with the impact. It rolled onto the floor, its contents spilling forth, hissing.
Roen flinched at the noise, and did her best to hide her disappointment at the loss of hot water within. It was as if the Roegadyn could hear her thoughts and see every glimpse for any opportunity to escape.
"Hells, Crim!" Askier yowled as he dodged the flung kettle. The Miqo’te clenched his fists as he stood back up. "Crim, would you stop complicating matters for a second?"  Askier was doing his best to keep a snarl out of his voice. "I'm trying to be civil here and figure out how to turn this all around, and you aren't helping!"
"Couple o' things. First off, I know what I done an' I don't need nobody remindin' me of it. Ever.†The Roegadyn stood over her again, looming. “Second, I'm half an ilm away from gaggin' yer mouth so I don't gotta listen to ya no more. I tried ta offer ya help an' ya threw it in my face. Now yer shite outta luck."
Roen saw the warning signs, but she had to press. Perhaps if she could reach what vestige of honor he may still have left, perhaps there was still hope. "Then that is it. You are going to break your word. You are going to do nothing and let him die."
Crim was not moved. "Gag her, Askier. We don't need ta be arguin', an' I ain't listenin' to 'er no more. Gag 'er."
"I'll gag her once I've gotten a chance to get a few words edgewise with her. If you don't want to hear her voice, why don't you step outside for a second and I'll get you once I'm done with her."
Crim did not respond, he just settled back into his chair across from her, crossing his arms and staring at her.
Roen fixed her gaze on Askier, some small hope rising in her chest. "I want to save my brother. You know this. Death does not have to be your only end to this. And it does not have to end in his either. Just help me,†she pleaded.
Askier regarded her for a moment, then grabbed a waterskin from the box and dragged his chair towards her side of the bed. He extended his hand with waterskin toward her as his golden eyes studied her for a moment longer. When she accepted his offering, he took a seat. “I wanted to save my sister by blowing up Ul'dah, Roen. I'm aware of those feelings. I'm willing to try to work something out, but I want a few promises from you."
Roen welcomed the water to her parched lips. "What promises?"
"First off, you need to stop pissing Crim off, 'cause that isn't helping anything. Seriously. You antagonize him again, I'm going to let him do whatever he wants. Second, I want your word that, if I help you, no matter what happens, whether Gharen lives or dies, you will not come after my head, Crim's head, or even try anything against me and my own. Because in the end, we are supposed to let you go. And I can’t do that if you are going to turn around and hunt us down. You agree to these two, I'll work with you. If you can't swear by the Twelve you will, we're done here."
Roen set the waterskin to her lap, tugging the blanket around her again. "All this will be for naught if he dies. If we save him... I will..." She straightened, nodding. "I will not pursue this when this is over. But you cannot hold me here in chains."
"If we save 'im." Crim snorted, looking pointedly to Askier.
Askier sighed. "That's not what I asked you to agree to. I asked you to agree, even if we failed.  I'm not going to try and help you if you are going to come after me if he dies, because that end is already in motion. We may not be able to stop it.â€
"Then how do I know that you are not just saying this to ensure your own life? You said it yourself, you will have to let me go. You know this cannot end well for you if things go as planned.â€
"You don't." Askier shrugged. "You have no reason to trust me, but I kept up my end of my bargain to not destroy Ul'dah in exchange for my sister’s freedom. Obviously, I'm pretty good at keeping my end of bargains."
"You let me go after this plan is done, your life is forfeit. You kill me, then you have to kill..." Roen paused, biting her lip. "Then you have to deal with whoever hired you to do this."
"You mean deal with your friend Natalie?†Askier arched a brow and leaned back, crossing his arms. “I already have a plan to handle her. I have a friend who would love to know about what she planned and use it. I have my plans, question is, does trying to help you save your brother get added to them or not."
Roen narrowed her eyes. "You underestimate Natalie. That would be a mistake."
Crim snorted. "How ironic. All you can do to the guy who actually wants ta help yer brother is piss 'im off, an' all ya can do to the guy who don't wanna help 'im is grovel."
Roen spun back to Crim, the memory of the night before rushing back all too quickly. "Would you make me grovel again then? Get on my knees? Beg you for things? Is that how you will be satisfied?"
Askier raised a hand at Crim. "Easy, big guy, I'll gag her in a sec."
The Roegadyn narrowed his eyes dangerously at her. "We're past talkin'. I tried ta make a deal with ya an' ya just called me a liar. Then, when I said we were done talkin', ya said I was gonna break my promise. I ain't got no interest in what'cha gotta say no more. I'm just humorin' Askier so he can see how worthless any conversation with ya is."
Roen recognized those signs well enough. She swallowed and lowered her eyes, her hands clenched around the blanket. "I will... I will agree not to come after you." She said hoarsely, her words aimed at Askier. "But you must give me your word that you will try and save him."
“I give you my word that I will try. Nothing more." Askier extended his hand to her. "I only took this job to help you, a fellow Garlean out you know. Well, that and I was bored to tears."
Roen stared at him for a moment, before her own hand emerged from the blankets to take his. "Are you going to get me out of these chains?"
"Nope." Askier shook her hand. "Those stay on for the time being. You don't need your hands for us to plan just yet. Okay then, Roen, the Syndicate is after your brother, we have you, Gharen will probably find out soon. Question is, does the very angry Hyur go after us, the little pawns, or the brains he thinks are behind this?"
Roen narrowed her eyes on the Miqo’te. "You said it yourself. You were going to bomb Ul'Dah and kill countless people for your sister's safety. What do you think?"
Crim picked up a foot and smashed it into the bed with a loud thud, jolting her suddenly and firmly planting the frame against the wall. "Mind yer tone."
"Thank you, Crim." Askier smirked, putting his hands behind his head and scratching. "Might mean, Crim gets his fight if we play this wrong. Roen, how much do you care for Nat's well being?"
Roen glanced from Crim back to Askier, scowling. "I still do not believe you. I do not believe Natalie had anything to do with this."
"See? She's hopeless. Can we gag 'er now?" Crim gave Askier another pointed look.
"I cannot believe she would do this. Have me kidnapped... and my brother killed?" Her voice shook in full denial. "She would not. She... would not..." She said again, as if to herself, her gaze lowering to her hands. "We are talking about saving my brother, not about hurting Natalie."
"Roen, I don't know how to make you believe it but seriously, what would I have to gain by lying to you about this?†Askier leaned in towards her, as if to press his case. “The point of my question is that Nat might get hurt if we do this. I don't plan on it but there is a chance the Syndicate might do something. I have no idea if they would since they don't know about this, but you need to consider it."
Her lips curled down with suppressed anger that rose within. “You say you want to help my brother, you say you are doing this for me, but then you accuse my mentor. Do not expect me to believe everything you tell me so readily. You bind me and strip me, and expect to just believe you when you accuse someone I consider my sister!"
Crim growled in warning. "You didn't believe me before I did that, so yer argument ain't worth shite."
"Roen, shut your gob and listen to me or I'll gag you and make you listen," Askier snarled, teeth flashing. "By all the hells I will."
Roen scowled at Crim. A part of her knew she should not, but she had to know. He offered her help yesterday, only to... “We were talking about a letter, remember? Yesterday? You said you would help me. Then you had me strip and kneel and grovel. Am I to thank you for that again? And this? This knowledge you lay upon my lap about someone who saved my life... wanting me kidnapped?"
"Yes!" Askier exclaimed in exasperation, trying to control the conversation. "I'll admit, Crim went too far--"
“I was listening to you,†Roen locked her gaze on Crim, embers of bitterness still there from his betrayal. “Then you became cruel.â€
The Roegadyn’s expression darkened in an instant and with speed that belied his size he rose and grabbed her by the shoulder, yanking her towards him. He tossed the blanket aside and struck her. And struck her again. She tried to brace herself against the blows but they kept coming.
"Crim!" she heard Askier shout. The blows finally came to a stop when Crim tossed her back onto the bed like a rag doll, as his other hand pulled away the blanket that Askier had thrown at the Roegadyn.
Roen tried to scramble onto all fours, but the shackles hampered even that, and she fell over. Her muscles coiled in panic, even as her body burned and ached with the blows she just took. She pushed them aside; she needed to get away. She saw Askier facing off with the Roegadyn with a bottle in hand.
Crim’s hand was moving toward the hilt of his massive sword at his hip, his eyes blazing with fury. “You gag that dumb bitch... NOW!"
"Crim, you insufferable...!" Askier growled and he hurled the bottle at Crim's head. The Miqo'te's face was flushed blood red. "I hired you ‘cause I thought you had a brain, but you are just as barbaric as Kahn'a said!" Askier seized his satchel from the table and pulled out a small item clenched in his fist. He flicked his gaze at Roen and took a step towards her, but his attention quickly returned to the Roegadyn.
Crim did not move as the bottle struck his face. His expression seemed frozen for a moment, and Roen thought he actually looked surprised for a brief instant. As if he truly did not believe that Askier attacked him. The bottle fell to the floor with a clang, as Crim slowly turned to the Miqo’te. The murderous look that came over him made Roen’s blood run cold. With a metallic hiss, he drew his massive blade and took a step towards Askier.
“You should run now,†the deadly warning rumbled from the Roegadyn.
The weight of her shackles woke her every time she shifted in bed. Just before dawn she finally lost herself to sleep, but when the morning arrived and she opened her eyes, she was staring at the shackles again around her wrists. They reminded her that this was not a nightmare she could wake from.
Her gaze went to the Roegadyn sitting by the bedside: Crimson Mountain, a frighteningly large man in blood-red armor that befit his name. Her eyes narrowed in remembrance of the events the night past; he had forced her to undress in front of him, and grovel on her knees expressing gratitude for the opportunity to do so. Askier was there too, and had purposefully turned his back to the scene, choosing to stare at the fire instead. But Crim made it plain that he enjoyed her humiliation. She knew he was trying to rob her of hope, to prove that he had complete dominion over her... but with this new day, she was determined not to let it happen.
“So, not just a bad dream.†Askier’s voice broke the silence of the room, the Miqo’te rising from his seat and stretching with a lazy yawn. “How are you two?â€
When Crim did not answer, Roen sat up, clutching the blanket around her naked form. It was the only thing she was given. “Thirsty.â€
“Well, we've got water, or whiskey. Or I can try to make some tea." Askier said as he stood up and started digging in the box sluggishly. He glanced her way but his eyes never quite reached her form.
"I would like some tea," she conceded quietly as her eyes roamed about the room again.
"Yer gettin' ready ta earn yerself a hood without a hole fer ya ta look through, Crim rumbled. "Yer trouble... too much trouble. This was a bad idea. A bad idea..." His massive arms crossed. He seemed to have lost that sadistic glimmer in his eye from the night before.
"If this was a bad idea, then just let me go. I will..." She pressed her lips together before continuing. "I will figure out how to protect my brother."
Crim sneered. "I never thought of it that way. Askier, whatcha think? I suddenly feel compelled ta just set 'er free. I'm sure nothin' bad could possibly happen. It's the best plan ever, don'tcha think? Then we'll have absolutely no leverage at all when Natalie shows up with 'er goons ta kill us."
“We can discuss this, supposing we all agree to be civil.†Askier threw a look to Crim as he set a kettle of water with tea leaves onto the hot embers in the hearth. “At this point, it’s too early to toss in the towel. Nat hired us to keep Roen safe, and so long as we actually keep her physically here, she has no reason to come after us.â€
Crim gave a shrug and stared coldly back at her. "There you have it. I guess we can't just let'cha go like nothin' never happened. Go figure."
Askier turned away from the fire, dusting off his hands. "I doubt Roen would act like nothing ever happened, anyhow, after what you did."
Roen scowled, looking this time to Askier. He seemed more reasonable, perhaps less cruel. "But keeping me here is meant to lure my brother to his death," she said. When she turned back to Crim, it was with a controlled voice. She did not want to spark his ire again. "If you truly mean to keep the promise you made to Delial, you cannot just do nothing but keep me here. As you said, he will be looking for me."
Crim rose without a word, striding toward the fireplace as he slid a gauntlet over his right hand. He grabbed the kettle and flung it violently into the far wall, causing a loud crash as the kettle bent with the impact. It rolled onto the floor, its contents spilling forth, hissing.
Roen flinched at the noise, and did her best to hide her disappointment at the loss of hot water within. It was as if the Roegadyn could hear her thoughts and see every glimpse for any opportunity to escape.
"Hells, Crim!" Askier yowled as he dodged the flung kettle. The Miqo’te clenched his fists as he stood back up. "Crim, would you stop complicating matters for a second?"  Askier was doing his best to keep a snarl out of his voice. "I'm trying to be civil here and figure out how to turn this all around, and you aren't helping!"
"Couple o' things. First off, I know what I done an' I don't need nobody remindin' me of it. Ever.†The Roegadyn stood over her again, looming. “Second, I'm half an ilm away from gaggin' yer mouth so I don't gotta listen to ya no more. I tried ta offer ya help an' ya threw it in my face. Now yer shite outta luck."
Roen saw the warning signs, but she had to press. Perhaps if she could reach what vestige of honor he may still have left, perhaps there was still hope. "Then that is it. You are going to break your word. You are going to do nothing and let him die."
Crim was not moved. "Gag her, Askier. We don't need ta be arguin', an' I ain't listenin' to 'er no more. Gag 'er."
"I'll gag her once I've gotten a chance to get a few words edgewise with her. If you don't want to hear her voice, why don't you step outside for a second and I'll get you once I'm done with her."
Crim did not respond, he just settled back into his chair across from her, crossing his arms and staring at her.
Roen fixed her gaze on Askier, some small hope rising in her chest. "I want to save my brother. You know this. Death does not have to be your only end to this. And it does not have to end in his either. Just help me,†she pleaded.
Askier regarded her for a moment, then grabbed a waterskin from the box and dragged his chair towards her side of the bed. He extended his hand with waterskin toward her as his golden eyes studied her for a moment longer. When she accepted his offering, he took a seat. “I wanted to save my sister by blowing up Ul'dah, Roen. I'm aware of those feelings. I'm willing to try to work something out, but I want a few promises from you."
Roen welcomed the water to her parched lips. "What promises?"
"First off, you need to stop pissing Crim off, 'cause that isn't helping anything. Seriously. You antagonize him again, I'm going to let him do whatever he wants. Second, I want your word that, if I help you, no matter what happens, whether Gharen lives or dies, you will not come after my head, Crim's head, or even try anything against me and my own. Because in the end, we are supposed to let you go. And I can’t do that if you are going to turn around and hunt us down. You agree to these two, I'll work with you. If you can't swear by the Twelve you will, we're done here."
Roen set the waterskin to her lap, tugging the blanket around her again. "All this will be for naught if he dies. If we save him... I will..." She straightened, nodding. "I will not pursue this when this is over. But you cannot hold me here in chains."
"If we save 'im." Crim snorted, looking pointedly to Askier.
Askier sighed. "That's not what I asked you to agree to. I asked you to agree, even if we failed.  I'm not going to try and help you if you are going to come after me if he dies, because that end is already in motion. We may not be able to stop it.â€
"Then how do I know that you are not just saying this to ensure your own life? You said it yourself, you will have to let me go. You know this cannot end well for you if things go as planned.â€
"You don't." Askier shrugged. "You have no reason to trust me, but I kept up my end of my bargain to not destroy Ul'dah in exchange for my sister’s freedom. Obviously, I'm pretty good at keeping my end of bargains."
"You let me go after this plan is done, your life is forfeit. You kill me, then you have to kill..." Roen paused, biting her lip. "Then you have to deal with whoever hired you to do this."
"You mean deal with your friend Natalie?†Askier arched a brow and leaned back, crossing his arms. “I already have a plan to handle her. I have a friend who would love to know about what she planned and use it. I have my plans, question is, does trying to help you save your brother get added to them or not."
Roen narrowed her eyes. "You underestimate Natalie. That would be a mistake."
Crim snorted. "How ironic. All you can do to the guy who actually wants ta help yer brother is piss 'im off, an' all ya can do to the guy who don't wanna help 'im is grovel."
Roen spun back to Crim, the memory of the night before rushing back all too quickly. "Would you make me grovel again then? Get on my knees? Beg you for things? Is that how you will be satisfied?"
Askier raised a hand at Crim. "Easy, big guy, I'll gag her in a sec."
The Roegadyn narrowed his eyes dangerously at her. "We're past talkin'. I tried ta make a deal with ya an' ya just called me a liar. Then, when I said we were done talkin', ya said I was gonna break my promise. I ain't got no interest in what'cha gotta say no more. I'm just humorin' Askier so he can see how worthless any conversation with ya is."
Roen recognized those signs well enough. She swallowed and lowered her eyes, her hands clenched around the blanket. "I will... I will agree not to come after you." She said hoarsely, her words aimed at Askier. "But you must give me your word that you will try and save him."
“I give you my word that I will try. Nothing more." Askier extended his hand to her. "I only took this job to help you, a fellow Garlean out you know. Well, that and I was bored to tears."
Roen stared at him for a moment, before her own hand emerged from the blankets to take his. "Are you going to get me out of these chains?"
"Nope." Askier shook her hand. "Those stay on for the time being. You don't need your hands for us to plan just yet. Okay then, Roen, the Syndicate is after your brother, we have you, Gharen will probably find out soon. Question is, does the very angry Hyur go after us, the little pawns, or the brains he thinks are behind this?"
Roen narrowed her eyes on the Miqo’te. "You said it yourself. You were going to bomb Ul'Dah and kill countless people for your sister's safety. What do you think?"
Crim picked up a foot and smashed it into the bed with a loud thud, jolting her suddenly and firmly planting the frame against the wall. "Mind yer tone."
"Thank you, Crim." Askier smirked, putting his hands behind his head and scratching. "Might mean, Crim gets his fight if we play this wrong. Roen, how much do you care for Nat's well being?"
Roen glanced from Crim back to Askier, scowling. "I still do not believe you. I do not believe Natalie had anything to do with this."
"See? She's hopeless. Can we gag 'er now?" Crim gave Askier another pointed look.
"I cannot believe she would do this. Have me kidnapped... and my brother killed?" Her voice shook in full denial. "She would not. She... would not..." She said again, as if to herself, her gaze lowering to her hands. "We are talking about saving my brother, not about hurting Natalie."
"Roen, I don't know how to make you believe it but seriously, what would I have to gain by lying to you about this?†Askier leaned in towards her, as if to press his case. “The point of my question is that Nat might get hurt if we do this. I don't plan on it but there is a chance the Syndicate might do something. I have no idea if they would since they don't know about this, but you need to consider it."
Her lips curled down with suppressed anger that rose within. “You say you want to help my brother, you say you are doing this for me, but then you accuse my mentor. Do not expect me to believe everything you tell me so readily. You bind me and strip me, and expect to just believe you when you accuse someone I consider my sister!"
Crim growled in warning. "You didn't believe me before I did that, so yer argument ain't worth shite."
"Roen, shut your gob and listen to me or I'll gag you and make you listen," Askier snarled, teeth flashing. "By all the hells I will."
Roen scowled at Crim. A part of her knew she should not, but she had to know. He offered her help yesterday, only to... “We were talking about a letter, remember? Yesterday? You said you would help me. Then you had me strip and kneel and grovel. Am I to thank you for that again? And this? This knowledge you lay upon my lap about someone who saved my life... wanting me kidnapped?"
"Yes!" Askier exclaimed in exasperation, trying to control the conversation. "I'll admit, Crim went too far--"
“I was listening to you,†Roen locked her gaze on Crim, embers of bitterness still there from his betrayal. “Then you became cruel.â€
The Roegadyn’s expression darkened in an instant and with speed that belied his size he rose and grabbed her by the shoulder, yanking her towards him. He tossed the blanket aside and struck her. And struck her again. She tried to brace herself against the blows but they kept coming.
"Crim!" she heard Askier shout. The blows finally came to a stop when Crim tossed her back onto the bed like a rag doll, as his other hand pulled away the blanket that Askier had thrown at the Roegadyn.
Roen tried to scramble onto all fours, but the shackles hampered even that, and she fell over. Her muscles coiled in panic, even as her body burned and ached with the blows she just took. She pushed them aside; she needed to get away. She saw Askier facing off with the Roegadyn with a bottle in hand.
Crim’s hand was moving toward the hilt of his massive sword at his hip, his eyes blazing with fury. “You gag that dumb bitch... NOW!"
"Crim, you insufferable...!" Askier growled and he hurled the bottle at Crim's head. The Miqo'te's face was flushed blood red. "I hired you ‘cause I thought you had a brain, but you are just as barbaric as Kahn'a said!" Askier seized his satchel from the table and pulled out a small item clenched in his fist. He flicked his gaze at Roen and took a step towards her, but his attention quickly returned to the Roegadyn.
Crim did not move as the bottle struck his face. His expression seemed frozen for a moment, and Roen thought he actually looked surprised for a brief instant. As if he truly did not believe that Askier attacked him. The bottle fell to the floor with a clang, as Crim slowly turned to the Miqo’te. The murderous look that came over him made Roen’s blood run cold. With a metallic hiss, he drew his massive blade and took a step towards Askier.
“You should run now,†the deadly warning rumbled from the Roegadyn.
