He was groggy, stirred but did not rise immediately. He woke, felt sore. Smiled then fell back to sleep still in a bit of a haze though not a deep one as she roused him again with her voice alone. He smiled, pressed upward and stirred. She had dressed by this stage, a little unkempt but it wasn't as if she had an enormous amount of time or had been wearing a dress of his cum … no that was last night … “You look beautiful,” a pause, he heard the knocking getting closer though it took a moment for her words and the deed to come together. He smiled again, sat up and looked for his clothes each muscle aching as he moved.

“I'll catch up with you two in a bit.” She departed to find Jack going from room to room. He looked at her and approached. He had a wicker basket, the kind used for picnics and she could see the neck of a bottle sticking out of it, wine she guessed. If he suspected anything he did not say anything.

He could assume she thought. “Your Highness.” He bowed, she didn't look like she had been up to anything other than having to don the same clothes. He escorted her after taking up the lamp he set down,called out to Naramis that they were heading towards the kitchen once he found that he was awake.

Jack lead her, giving her the lamp when he relieved a larger duffle sized bag near the door, he didn't stain with it but it was heavier. It took a few minutes to find the kitchen though. There was a bar and a place akin to a lounge where the public to take a meal though the actual kitchen was for the staff when the place had been in business for prepping meals of the guests. There were empty trolleys, some trays and some but not many pots the ones still hanging up here were rusted or had other traits where scavengers passed them up like being dented from falling and being hung back up almost as if any scavenger knock many of them down then tided back up.

There was a small table here for the staff, one of the four chairs wobbled a little but the others were fine though they had to be dusted off first. Jack dumped the bag and set the basket on the table where she got a whiff of muffins, still warm.

He got out three glasses, opened the bottle of champagne and filled the three glasses he set out before making a show of setting out plates and still warm muffins, some fruit and other goodies. A butler he was not though he had enough sense to know that they would be hungry and at least grabbed something. She was too hungry to complain, cum wasn't exactly a meal after all …

“I grabbed a few other things while I was out,” he hooked a thumb to the bag. “Clothes mostly though I had to guess a sizes so I grabbed various things in different sizes and … well I'll wait for Naramis, no sense in repeating myself.” He smiled and picked at some grapes as they waited though it wasn't long before Naramis joined them. He was carrying his sword, looked at the food, waited then joined them.

“Everything is good … your sister hasn't made a move yet as far as declaring you dead or lost. My guess is that she can't rush things and has to wait for a believable time frame to pass. News reaching the kingdom that you were lost. My guess is that when the ship that was pursuing us arrives here there will be some form of announcement and your sister's coronation after a period of mourning, she doesn't seem to want to arouse suspicion and alienate your supporters so at best ...”

“At best we have her personal guards to deal with and anyone in league with her but once you show up, at least before she consolidates, most likely they will side with you. You know rats and a sinking ship and all. It doesn't look too bad Vikki.”

Jack caught that, said nothing but looked between them. Maybe he was envisioning what the swordsman saw, maybe he was jealous as his gaze lingered on her just a bit longer then he smiled briefly but still remained silent as if he had not been surprised at all.

“We can sneak in to the castle, even capture your sister without shedding any blood ...”

“Or ...” Jack fell silent, took up and apple and bit it letting the silence hang there for emphasis. “Just walk right in. After all, so much easier and who will draw a weapon against the legitimate ruler. You have the regalia too and sneaking around means that your supporters don't know that you are there.”

She was thankful that Jack had been so thoughtful, having not only thought to bring them a hot meal but almost a change of clothes. She had been wearing the outfit for so long and was truly thankful to have something fresh to change into. She busied herself with eating first, while the muffins were still warm. "Jack, you are a god send!" She cooed as she ate. If there was any tension in the men's reactions to that statement she chose not to notice them.

She listened to Jack's report and Naramis' comments while she finished her breakfast. It was a relief to hear that Natalie had not had time to spread lies about them. It meant there would be fewer obstacles to returning to the castle and retaking her throne. "My only concern is how to take on my sister. I have no hard evidence of her betrayal, only Naamathite's assertions to me. Natalie could still assert that he was lying to drive a wedge between us. I cannot go in there and lock her in chains on the word of our enemy."

A part of her still wanted to believe her sister was innocent but, still, someone on the inside had helped their enemies steal her regalia. She needed to ferret the traitors out if she was ever to feel safe again. She didn't want to find herself poisoned or stabbed to death in her bed a month down the line because she trusted the wrong people. "We have to think of a way to draw the traitors out. What if you go in, Naramis. Let the guards and my sister know I have returned with the regalia but that I am hiding in a nearby inn because you feared their were still assassins in the city. Don't let on that we suspect someone in the palace. Tell them you came back to recruit guards to travel back with you and fetch me, so I would have extra protection. But give them enough time so that the traitor could send someone ahead to finish me off. Jack and I will set a trap for them and if an assassin turns up we will have someone to interrogate for evidence that Natalie is involved, if she even is..."

“You royals make things so complicated.”

There had been a little tension between the two men though not much. It was more along the lines of one getting a compliment, grinning at that while the other grinned more as if to say yeah but she's with me. Of course neither had been of royal blood and Jack seemed a bit better in the tactics department, not that Naramis was bad but he had never really been trained for it. His chief duty was keeping her safe and so far she was still alive, granted without a kingdom at the moment but alive nevertheless.

“You don't have to arrest her. Chances are she'll freak out that you're still alive or not Naamithe's prisoner but she can't risk doing something like assassination or what not, it would look rather suspicious on the eve of your coronation, to which I still don't have an invite.”

Naramis snorted, and shook his head a little. “A thief in a room full of the wealthiest people in the kingdom -”

Jack smiled and shrugged it off.

“You could relocate her to a distant part of the kingdom but that still leaves the traitor. My guess is it's someone with access to the regalia in the first place, someone in the clergy ...”

Naramis mulled over her plan. It was obvious that he had reservations about leaving her alone with Jack either it was jealousy or the simple fact that he would not be at her side during such a time. But he did not argue or complain, he just cast a hard glance at Jack that spoke volumes, that she better be safe. Jealousy was a distant second but this had to be done.

“So when should we do this?”

“We all go to the city, then I'll set back. It will give me some piece of mind knowing the set up … and there is one other matter I would like to take care of before hand. It's something I want to do, need to do, and for practical reasons too.” He glanced to Jack then to Victoria then seemed to change his mind. “No, it should be fine.”

“Remember we need to stay ahead of the ship's arrival too so your best to let us take care of things at our end. Princess?” Both men gazed at her, it seemed that her input had been taken seriously and they were waiting on her final decision before stirring into action.

She glanced between the man, pleased that they were listening to her and putting faith in her plan. "I think we should set out at once. Jack is right, we don't have a lot of time. Let us find a good inn to set up our trap in and then Naramis can go to the castle to bait the hook. If the traitors do not make their move then... Well, we'll just have to out maneuver them the usual ways, through courtly manners and deceptions." Though she really hoped it didn't come to that. If was too easy to put your trust in the wrong person and wind up eating poisoned soup... She would have to employ taste testers and spies. "Jack, do you have any connections with innkeepers in the city? Know of any place that might be suitable for our trap?"

“Sounds good, Vikky.”

Last minute tweaks had been done with their plan though when questioned Jack gave her a nod. He did a fair bit of traveling and had a place in mind. He shared it with the two and bounced ideas back and forth, some sights Naramis cut down, particularly those that would tip others off,
The Princess would be in the best of places or close to it.

Even at the worse of times it wasn't believable that she would go slumming regardless of what the truth was. So the first step for their trap had been finding a place that fit. Jack had been less knowledgeable here. He wasn't one for ritzy places but he knew of them. Being a thief entailed knowing who owned what after all.

After the details had been hammered out they split up getting things into motion. The place that had been agreed upon had been pretty exotic even possessing stables for steeds outside the standard horses. Still Jack had not though it was a great idea to sign in with their names and once they were in the city they were able to do some shopping.

The clothes he brought had been common and even the steeds that he had managed to gather through some means had been common. Once there though she could get whatever was necessary and credit it to the castle unless she decided to go against what they had agreed upon and find another place more up Jack's alley where the clothes he gathered had been a better fit.

In any event he recommended getting two rooms signing in as if they were sharing a room so that any unwanted guests would be drawn there and they could deal with them or at least remain safe in the other by signing in with fake names for both rooms though the first fake and obvious.

“What are your plans with him after all this?” Jack asked out of the blue and by him it was clear that he meant Naramis. It was plain that he had picked up on the not so subtle nature of things.

He glanced to her from his place at the edge of the bed that he sat on, thinking about something after running through their traps again and again. All of the rest hinged on Naramis. It would have been so much easier if they had a means of communication with each other though Naramis was pretty good at figuring things out.

She gave the thief an arched look, surprised by the question he asked. She'd teased Naramis about him, and she couldn't really deny she'd been attracted by roguish charms, but she'd never really taken his flirtatious comments seriously. Still, Naramis had clearly felt a bit threatened by Jack so she figured she should be honest with him. "I suppose its not really a secret that we have become lovers. It's a little hard to be discrete when we've all been traveling together so long. We will have to be a bit more careful once we return to the castle." It would be scandalous should anyone find out she was having sex with her master of the guard. Not that she intended to let that stop her. As far as she was concerned they were already sworn to each other. "I plan to make it official once I can change the law. We've have already agreed to marry, it's just a matter of making my advisors accept it." She winked at Jack and shot him a playful smile. "Don't worry, it won't effect the kiss I owe you. Naramis will understand that as Queen I must honor my promises."

He could have attempted to blackmail her or make things difficult or uncomfortable but he hadn't. Either it wasn't in his nature, he already had a sweet deal going for him or it was so obvious that threatening to expose it would do little as scandalous as it was theirs had been a secret that they were going to let out eventually when the time was right. Now was not that time.

“He's lucky,” he grinned back. Jack was silent for a moment as he had considered thee kiss, looked at her then either dismissed his thought or decided to press on with what he wished to say. They were alone and only had to wait. At best it would be a few hours before anything happened.

“He loves you, oh, I can see just how restrained he is. If you weren't here ...” he had not finished, there was no need. Killing him was something that Naramis wouldn't do as best as the two thought but there was little doubt in his mind that Naramis would have taken a swing at him. He could see that there were times he wanted to, times where Naramis had to swing away verbally instead especially when he pushed him a bit. It was on purpose but really giving what he was getting as a benefit Jack let that a little teasing was in order and it wasn't exactly if the swordsman didn't just pull that I've got her card, what have you got? card often enough.

He stepped a bit closer to her, nodding slightly. “I'm not worried that you'd keep to your end of the arrangement. Nor don't I think he'd allow it, he's got to obey after all,” a fake laugh and a smile. Naramis didn't have to like it though and the thief knew he would get jealous despite the situation.

“I would say that it would be best to cash in now, we both can be dead in a few hours but it's best to hold off, gives me something to look forward to in order to carry me through this mess … I'll leave it up to you to pay up at some point before your marriage though ...”

He grinned briefly, as if that contact alone could be tempting enough, as if he didn't expect it to be easy to hold back on and more so in such a situation but he did not let her dwell on it for long.

“Should we set up watches, one gets rest while the other listens in on progress, maybe even observes for a far?”

She thought for a moment that he was going to claim his kiss now but he pulled back and she found she was a bit disappointed. She loved Naramis and by no means meant to be unfaithful too him but she wasn't dead. Jack was a terribly attractive and charming man and, really, what harm was there in a kiss. She shrugged it off as easily as he did though. Probably best to give him is prize later, when they weren't so alone, so as not to be tempted even. "I suppose you are right, there is more prestige in kissing a Queen anyhow and I've not been officially crowned yet."

She stood up and went to the door to peek out into the hallway. She doubted anyone would be here this soon but it gave her something to do. "I can take the first watch. I doubt you got very much rest last night while you were scoping out the city." She hadn't gotten much actual sleep either but she still figured she was more well rested than the thief.

It wasn't as if he didn't find her attractive, quite the contrary at that. He knew that he was bad for her, that the impulse to do more than kiss would be strong indeed and once they got started he knew it would be damn tough to stop if they were unsupervised.

Still, he did consider it, a lot at that. What harm is it before she's married?

But they were from different worlds so he kept thinks more or less to just thinking about it. He smiled at her obliged to have some rest which he took up. There was nothing eventful as she waited, the day slipped past and Jack went on watch.

The inn was a nice one at that having a recreational room and even live entertainment in the evenings. It wasn't until her second night that something abnormal occurred. She had seen him earlier that evening around the dinner rush and thought nothing of it, not until she spied him from around the corner just as he entered the false room that they had taken out.

Clearly that was the guy. He had seen her earlier that day, the fact that he had been here told her just how urgently he pressed himself onward to deal with this. But she realized that he had to have had a look at the register or paid off the owner to have a look since the room had been a rouse and he had not followed her to her room to arouse suspicion.

She only had a quick look now, she noted that he had a few lock picks but was rather nondescript in appearance from what she saw earlier.

Jack had apparently rigged something up in the room and he was probably sleeping in the real room but if he detected something amiss he could be gone before she got back. She could watch the area, see where he went if he didn't trip the trap inside to at least know where he was going or meeting but that had risks of it's own too. Stay or go, those were the first two options though there were others two if she wished to involve others or not.

She opted on staying put for now, waiting to see what happened when the mysterious assailant tried getting into the room. He was clearly in a rush and not being as careful as he should be seeing as he'd allowed her to catch sight of him. Besides, they needed to catch this man in the act of actually doing something nefarious. She had to have faith in Jack's skills, that his trap would not be too obvious from the outside and tip the would be assassin off to trouble.

It was a tense wait for her, the man was in a hurry to get in though given the hour he may not have suspected anyone was up and suffice it to say that he probably did not expect to be watched currently. But once he was inside he closed the door behind him. Minutes passed, leaving her to wonder what had happened, had Jack's trap been tripped? Was he using more time now that he was out of sight? Then it hit her, that he might have thought something was off if she and Jack had been sharing a room, that that didn't sit right, a Princess and commoner, though Naramis would have kept that detail hidden, wouldn't he?

All sorts of scandalous gossip could arise and if an assassin wasn't counting on Jack it would be easier to deal with him. Then ten minutes went passed with nothing happening … it was approaching fifteen when she was grabbed from behind, a hand covering her mouth as she was jerked back around the corner.

“Shh, don't scream, it's me,” a moment later Jack was drawing his hand away from her mouth yet the one about her waist still held her back against him as if his brain was telling him that it felt too good to have her this close.

“You weren't in the room when I woke, something up?” His voice was low, he was aware that the second room they had rented was around the corner. “The assassin?”

She smelled good, having access to baths, ointments and soaps was an unmistakable boon. He did release her waist though as he felt a stirring in his loins trying to distance himself from her in a small way.

Her heart leapt up into the throat when someone grabbed her from behind. It turned out to be Jack but, dear lord, had he given her a fright. It was a good thing that he'd covered her mouth because she surely would have cried out if he hadn't. She relaxed slightly when she heard his voice but her heart continued to race. He remove his hand from her mouth but kept his arm around her waist. It felt surprisingly good... A fact she tried to ignore as she spoke in a hushed tone. "I saw a suspicious looking man lurking around... He broke into our other room but... he hasn't come back out..."

Her voice sounded embarrassingly breathy to her ears. Damn, Jack was too close. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and her was making her stomach flutter. He was clearly feeling something too. She could feel it in the bulge pressing against her backside. Heat flushed her face and she put her hand to the arm on her waist, meaning to push it way but she didn't. She knew she should but she didn't. "I... uh... think he must have sprung your trap."

That had not been the only thing that was sprung but he said nothing, hoping she didn't feel that just now but if she had he wasn't going to apologize for it. If he wasn't affected that would have warranted an apology, she was beautiful, their was no mistaking that.

“OK, wait here.” He moved soundlessly toward that room, as he got to the door if she peaked around the corner she would see a dagger flip out of a hidden sheath up his sleeve and he entered. Apparently he got more then food and clothes when he went on ahead to check things out.

He wasn't gone longer than two or three minutes though it felt longer. When he returned he was unarmed the dagger probably returned to it's sheath. He smiled at her as he approached, a silent I'm alright..

“He's there. Out cold,” that had to do with whatever tap he had set, he didn't explain though. “I bound and gagged him but my guess is he'll be out for another twenty minutes or so unless we rouse him before hand. Shall we question him or should we just sit tight until Naramis gets back?” He avoided eye contact for the most part other than his return but he seemed content that the would be assassin wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

She relaxed when Jack released her and stomped down hard on the tiny feeling of disappointment. She had to stop thinking like that. Jack was attractive yes but that was no excuse for getting all hot and bothered every time he got close to her. Naramis needed to hurry up and get back. She did not trust herself alone with this man. She peered around the corner to watch him go into the room the assassin had been it. There were a tense few minutes that felt like a small eternity waiting for him to emerge again. She was just about to go check on him when Jack stepped back out of the room and shot her one of his cock sure grins.

He came back to her and explained that the man was out cold and bound up safely in the other room. She sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god that's over." She relaxed back against the wall and thought aloud. "I really want to interrogate him but I thought it would be best to wait for Nar to get back. Maybe for no we could just search him for incriminating evidence or something."

Nar? That had not been the first time he had heard her refer to Naramis in such a way though he drew no attention to it. She looked relieved, and in a way he felt a little less tense himself being one step closer to his own freedom.

Naturally he could have skipped out on them before, a full pardon was a good thing to have and being on the good side of a Queen was great as well. It didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes either. He nodded and they went to the room. The assassin was out cold, gagged and bond to each of the four posts of the bed.

She could smell a whiff of cinnamon in the air though it was not strong. The room was a suite with a long, bedroom and private bathroom, the best that the inn had to offer which wouldn't seem out of the ordinary for a Princess. It was still beneath what would reflect of her station but for on going through all of her trials and hiding out her for a day or two this place wouldn't rise any warning bells as it would be clear that she was slumming it until she could get back.

The door to the bathroom was ajar and she could see shattered glass on the floor. A bottle or jar had to been knocked over, she had not heard it shatter so either the room was shielded from allowing sound out or it had happened before the arrival of the assassin.

A search of the assassin uncovered a dagger, the pommel opened like a ring and brief experimentation revealed it was just that. When a finger was slipped into it the dagger vanished to appear as if it were just a ring and became a dagger again once removed. He had no documents on him but it was his ring that was interesting. It was almost as good, the signet ring of her sister, just showing it was enough to place weight that they spoke for someone in high authority and were to be obeyed. Her sister would not grant it out to just anyone and no wonder why he could access the registry with ease. But they had the second room under false names so the assassin would not have know he was going to the wrong room.

He had some coin on him, not much seeing that the ring could get him whatever he required whether goods or cooperation. She had such a ring herself and while she could not rule out theft that was very unlikely since it was on her finger when not in use.