“I have all night.” He smirks. He sees her reaching for the door behind her and charges at her then figuring that she was going to try to barricade herself in the bedroom and had no wish to be standing out here with his dick in his hand so to speak when they could be having fun.

It was OK though, the longer she made him wait the more he intended to make her scream.

He charged just as she hoped he would. She quickly turned the door knob and swung the door open, dodging out of the way so her attacker would crash into the now open room. She didn't wait to see if he would fall flat on his face of not but rather slammed the door behind. Wishing she had some way to lock the door behind him she toppled a bookshelf in front of it. The door openness inward so sadly it would not trap him inside but it would slow him down while he was forced to climb over it while she raced to the exit, hoping to God he hadn't already locked it.

(They are in a kind of private apartment with a desperate bedroom, right?)

(that is correct, figured it would be more lavish since she is a noble)

Her plan had worked at least this time though it would not work again as she side stepped his charging form. He did not fall, however, though she had him closed in that room at least for now. Even if it locked he had the key and she could hear the bedroom door opening just as she got to the bedroom door, twisted and …

Unlocked! He must not have been expecting any trouble from her and as she opened the door she could hear him crashing over the book case. Regardless of which way she ran he'd see what direction she headed in.

It was fairly automatic to stick to the route that she had already followed, she knew where the guards had been stationed anyway.

“STOP HER!”

She heard him race into the hall as she came to a T intersection, right was back the way they came, left had been unexplored but their were more doors down that way. Two seconds to decide, she did not have much of a head start.

Victoria gave both routes a seconds consideration. One was more familiar and led to a definite exit but was heavily guarded. The other was filled with unknowns. She frowned and turned left. It might lead to a dead end but she knew she would never escape via the front doors. Besides, the Duke would expect her to turn right and follow the path she knew. He would follow the most likely path to find her and search the other areas later, giving her time to move and find another escape route.

She heard the Duke's footfalls as he approached the T-section and chose a door at random to duck through, closing it quickly and quietly behind her. She stood, pressed against the back of the door, not breathing. She pressed her ear to the door and listened to hear which path the Duke would take, praying he turned right.

Her heart was pounding. She acted quickly, to quickly to realize what was going on really as she chose a door. She had been so relieved, breathing out then listening for the Duke.

“YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER! GUARDS! GUARDS! FIND THE PRINCESS. ONE THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD FOR THE MAN WHO FINDS HER FIRST.”

His voice was loud as he called guards to him for his voice carried and drew the closest guards.

Then she came to realize with that single word she was not alone here.

“Princess?” God, the offered reward was loud in her ears, he was virtually outside the room somewhere and her attention was brought to the very man who was only hear due to her doing, Jack Spade ...

Victoria's heart was in her throat when she heard Jack's voice. She whirled and almost tackled him in her haste to silence him. She grabbed his collar and pulled him down into a kiss. Hoping the unexpectedness of the act would distract him from what was happening just outside the door. She prayed he had not already heard the Duke's promise of reward for her recapture.

“I will not be naïve and think that I have stolen your heart, Princess as wonderful and as sudden of that kiss.” She could feel that he stiffened from that contact. She was a beautiful young woman, there was no way that he would not. In fact if he did not get somewhat hard he would have found that more to be apologetic about so he did not move to apologize.

“One thousand pieces of gold ...” he had heard … “I think two kisses from you would cover that.”

Victoria frowned up at him. "You really don't deserve a second kiss. But I'm desperate and if it will shut you I will give it to you. If you betray me again, however, I swear I will use my last few seconds to de-man you completely." She answered in a harsh whisper.

(Hate auto-correct. Bolded word is what I meant to write.)

He looked a bit hurt by her words then seemed to recover quickly enough.

“When have I betrayed you, your Highness?Right now I could have turned you over to the Duke, but I won't and would not. I may be a thief but I am not unscrupulous in my dealings. A thousand pieces of gold is a paltry sum, your Highness. Who would seek to trade you for that? U sure as wouldn't.”

Jack sighed. “If you think I am undeserving of such delights then I shall go without, my silence is guaranteed, Princess.

“If … no, I won't wast your time especially with their being so little of it. Hide here and I will complete my arrangements."

She was offended by his affectation of innocence. She glared at him and continued in a low but cutting voice. "When have you betrayed me? Do you think my memory is really that short? What was that back on the ship?" She fought to keep her voice down but she couldn't hide the hurt lacing her words. She wasn't really him, it was the day and the timing. The doubt the Duke had planted in her. Had her sister really sold her out to steal her throne. Who could she trust now if she couldn't trust her own sister? "I gave you my regalia for safe keeping and you just handed it over to my enemies at the drop of a hat. You aren't even using it to buy your freedom. That I could have forgiven but he was letting you go..."

Her voice shook on those last words and tears threatened to fall from her eyes and she was forced to turn away. The events of the day were suddenly catching up with her. She had to show a face of strength and confidence before her men, face of fearlessness before her enemies. It was the burden of royalty but she wasn't royalty. She was just a woman alone with a man who neither a friend nor an enemy. She might as well be alone. Silent tears fell down her cheeks but when she spoke again her voice was steady. "I'm sure you did right by your self. It was my own fault for trusting a thief with something valuable. I'm sure the Duke paid you handsomely for it."

(Ugh... Sorry, that was intense. Sometimes I think I get entirely too involved with my characters. Their emotions completely surprise and overwhelm me sometimes.)

(Quiet alright I can get into the heads of a character or the role their playing sometimes even posting a ton when I get absorbed with a character)

When she turned his back to him he seized a shoulder turning her to face him. He wasn't one caught up in protocols. He was unafraid of touching her and as he did so now.

It was clear that she was hurt, he had been too though he had composed himself first. She would have to believe what he had to say or not there was nothing he could do to dissuade her, or was there …

He drew a hidden dagger from a wrist sheath pressing it into her hands and guiding it to his chest point first.

“I truly do not deserve it then but listen. If your are displeased at any point then command it and I will simply step forward, you only need to give the command.

“Fact we were busted. Fact was that I was on a job. I finish one job before taking on another and the current task was not finished yet.

“The Duke is not dumb. My presence alone would have tipped him off that there was something valuable on the ship and he would not have stopped looking until he wound something interesting.

“So, yes I gave him the regalia but that was to drop his guard. He would not expect it if I stole it back. I have even arranged for your escape and Naramis' the others I am working on but they are in common areas removed from this. If it were in my interests in betraying you alerting the Duke that you were in here is easy enough. Now, your orders, your Highness.”

Was the rogue being that truthful? Was he actually a loyal citizen, a patriot that showed his birth nation loyalty or was there something else here. Regardless he seemed to waiting on her as the Duke ran rampant in the halls.

"Oh, curse you, Jack!" She swore when he forced her to face him and wiped the tears from her eyes in frustration. "How am I supposed to trust you now. How can I trust anyone? The Duke claims that my own sister has betrayed me. I don't want to believe him but..."

“I cannot ask you to trust me again. You freed me and for that I am grateful but the regalia was lost the moment the ship was. It was best that Naamathite believe that I had been more his friend than loyal to the crown. The regalia I can get back … in fact …” he shook his head. “Let me worry about that. I was working on freeing both you and Naramis. Naramis being a baron or some such according to what I have overheard is here and the others are locked away elsewhere with other commoners.

“It may take some doing to get them. You don't have much of a choice to either trust me or command me to take a step forward.

“Right now you have command. You get to choose. I cannot verify anything the Duke may have told you regarding your sister but I'll find out, provide that your next command isn't for me to step forward of course.”

He was looking into the eyes of the Princess awaiting her decision, knowing that he could not answer those questions that she posed for trust was a hard thing to build back up.

(LOL, I forgot about the dagger in my haste to make that last post.)

Victoria sighed and lowered the dagger. She still didn't completely trust him but killing him would serve little purpose. If there was even the slightest chance he was telling the truth then she had to take it. "If you really can get me out of here and my regalia back then I will give you that kiss."

“Certainly reward enough, but I am unworthy such a reward in tasting your lips against mine again.” Jack had been relieved that she lowered the dagger. “I will not make you regret this. I have to move quicker than I intended thinking that I had the night though that is not the case. I want you to hide here, I will be back soon enough.”

He shot her a reassuring smile then it quickly faded. Him smiling was probably going to place her at unease. Please, hide here your Highness. I will deal with things for the next half an hour or so. You can finish them, but they will not be easy of course.

“Sailing to Brindel is probably the quickest way back but Urikian ships will chase us down before we get too far. Thus just crossing over to the mainland to Sirocco is probably the best. They do not move as quickly over the land than the sea.”

(quiet alright, I've done it myself from time to time the last being our last thread where I forgot about a blind fold)