A twig snaps beneath her, causing the mass of giant spiders to focus their attention on her—she can see multiple pairs of glowing red eyes. Her stomach drops instantly, she knows this is it. Dammit! Her heart leaps from her chest as she’s forced on her back, the spider toppling her; its furry, hairy limbs twitching in place. Cordelia’s shriek echoes throughout the forest. She would die—all because of some stupid damn twig!

<Deely!?>

The familiar voice momentarily draws the spider's attention away from her. What? No, she's hearing things—only he knew her by that name. There’s no way the thief could have followed her all the way out here. God, he would kill her—if this spider didn't make quick work of her first. Did it matter which one did?! Her eyes now keenly adjusting to the little light around her, she braces her hands against the furry spider to keep it at bay, tremors crawling up her spine as its fur tickle her arms. She feels its heartbeat against her palms as her lips quiver in disgust.

A matter of seconds pass before she feels the insect lift off of her; to which she’s smart enough to know it’s not the insect’s doing. It’s the thief’s, and knowing how thieves react (thanks to the bedtime stories in the tales her father told her as a little girl), her throat would be next on the chopping block. She rolls out of the way, taking advantage of the brief reprieve he’s given her.

<Get out of here, now!>

Cordelia wants to run—hell, her mind is screaming at her too, but she can’t. She can’t leave him here to fend off a nest of spiders. She did her best to shrug it off before, but there was comradery between the two—even if they only shared kisses. His actions had shown that he cared enough to temporarily break his aim—dammit, why is she wasting time here? Cordelia makes a swift decision, she will help him. If there was one thing that would be her undoing, it would be her fickle mind.

<Above you!> She screeches, as a giant spider topples him. He’s pinned under the might of the monster, but Cordelia hovers around him—nervous to approach. It was different when she was the one in danger, but when she saw it’s massive size—god, now wasn’t the time to get weak limbed! Terrified, she halts—her legs turning to mush. She decided to help, and that’s what she would do! Taking up the courage she needed, the blonde screams as she charges shoulder first into the furry creature—shivers instantly overtake her as she writhes in its presence. It works, the spider jumps from him—but now it sees her as it's target. The spider topples her, pinning her on her back with its torso. She lets out a blood-curdling scream as its fangs become visable. The slice of flesh and guts pierce Cordelia’s ears—the massive spider collapses on top of her. The thief rolls it off, as he helps her off the ground. She’s both terrified and disgusted. She can’t bear to look at herself.

The skittering continues above—even the thief is cursing under his breath. Her fears amplify—gripping onto the taller man for added protection—despite her feelings toward him moments ago.

<Deely, I told you to run.> His voice shows his displeasure. <I would have caught up to you.>

<No you wouldn’t, I saved your behind from getting eaten—> He covers her mouth with his hand. He hushes her with a sharp tone as he looks above him. There were more where those wretched spiders came from.

<It had to be you who lead us right into their nest...> His whisper hints he blames her for the ordeal. <You're lucky the treasures you dropped led me straight to you.>

<Well, if it weren’t for your lack of respect, I wouldn’t be in this mess!> The blonde scoffs.

<We can argue later, just keep your wits about you for just a while longer.>

<But you're the one who started it—>

<Shh!> The thief positions himself in front of her; Cordelia’s confidence raises from his presence. Even though he’s a lawbreaker, he was noble enough to ensure her safety. She wishes she had that stick of hers—it would have really come in handy right about now…

<Look at the ground, now!> He yells, shoving her head downwards.

<Ouch—not so hard!> She says, but he’s insistent on his positioning. She has no choice but to comply.

Within seconds, she hears loud thunks surrounding them. She couldn’t believe her eyes—the nest of spiders—all of them were dropping dead! But—he hadn’t even touched them! Cordelia gasps, relieved to have be saved, but… at what cost. She stares at the thief, his disposition strangely out of character.

She wasn’t sure what to think, other than hiding her nose from the awful stench that wafted around them. The smell of spider guts—horrible. But one question wasn’t far from her lips,

<What did you do to those spiders?>

<They say I was born as a demon.> He chuckles. <I can give you one look and you’ll drop dead.>

<I’m not joking. Did you use some kind of magic?> Cordelia recalls a story her father used to tell her when she was a little girl The Magical Princess, but the verses in the story felt real. Then again, her father was a wonderful storyteller.

<You could say that.> He eyes her suspiciously as he lets her down. <I'm surprised you believe in magic.>

<You could call me a believer.> She raises her hands to her hips, but is quickly interrupted when he scoops her up in her arms. Her flushed complexion can't be seen in the dark. He plants a sudden kiss upon her lips; she can feel his grin upon them.

<You surprise even me, Deely.> His eyes are soft again, almost sparkling. <Few women I’ve known have come to my rescue like that.>

<Don’t be dramatic.> She scoffs, half smiling. <Besides, I thought you said kissing was off-limits.>

<I changed my mind.> His soft tone throws her off—he sounds like a concerned lover, not her captor! She hates how his affectionate tone warms her heart.

<You left me an opportunity and I took it.>

<Now here I thought we were becoming friends.> He frowns. <Imagine how shocked I was when I was informed my cousin had left the inn.>

<Why did you leave? You said it yourself, you wanted to get out of Wellspring.>

<I'm your captive.>

<You still see me that way? Interesting, I wasn't aware that captives begged to be kissed by their captors each night.>

<Excuse me!> Cordelia scoffs. <I never begged to be kissed.>

<My lips beg to differ—my bottom one is getting tender with all your biting.>

<I-I do not bite! You take that back!>

<I never said it was an issue. Which, has got me thinking. Your type is all concerned with legitimacy and marriage and whatnot...> His grins mischievously. <How about I propose a deal.>

<What kind of deal?> Cordelia isn't sure she wants to be in his arms anymore, despite the feeling of his soothing heartbeat against her ear.

<I don't want you to be my captive anymore. If you promise that you'll help me find the princess, I'll split the wealth with you.>

She should have expected that. <I highly doubt that your friends will want to split the wealth with an outsider like me.>

<That won't be an issue.> He hums. <Because when I gain the money, I will ask for your hand.>

<Hand in ...marriage?> She balks.

<Of course, what else would I mean?> It's not the question that shocks her, people have gotten married for mere exchanges of property and wealth—like her previous situation... But, this is the man who wanted to kill her for talking too much.

<That’s not possible—there is no way I’m agreeing to that ridiculous proposition.>

He eases her down, appearing hurt by her rejection. <Why not—you said yourself that you ran away from home? Once I’m given my reward, I will take care of your every need, Deely.> Those violet eyes of his visibly brighten.

This was coming out of nowhere—there had to be a reason for his proposal. Unless his culture dictated that this behaviour was ...normal? <That’s beside the point—just because you’ve decided that you’ve taken an interest in me doesn’t mean I will agree.>

<I understand your point.> He lets out a begrudging sigh. <You’re a woman of class—I shouldn’t have expected my bold proposal to work.>

Her eyes widen in surprise. This man was anything but predictable.

<How about a courtship—that’s what they do in nobility, right?>

<Can you lead me out of these woods first—I can’t say I’m in the mood to talk about courting when I should fear for my life.>

<You have nothing to fear—those spiders are as good as eliminated.> Cordelia wants to question the certainty of his tone but ultimately decides against it. She’s not ready for any more surprises.

<Why the sudden interest in me?>

<You can speak Weltish—which my comrades cannot. You’ll be a wonderful asset to my team.>

<And that’s why you wish to wed—because I can be of use?> She would have understood it more if he wanted to get in her bed—but to be used as some kind of tool... it reminds her of why she left the palace in the first place.

<You wish to be free from your homelands, I wish to expand my enterprise. I see it as a fair trade.>

<And what if I refused you outright?>

He frowns. <It’s nothing personal …but if you leave my sight next time, I’ll have no choice but to kill you. You know too much about me.>

<How?! I don’t even know your name!?> She protests, seeing that his frown doesn’t change. <You’re doing exactly what my parents did—except they won't kill me for running away!> Cordelia screams, stomping her foot. <You know what, I’m out—just take that knife and slice my god-damn throat already. I’m sick of being bartered about like cattle!>

<I didn’t realize my proposal would offend you—I thought you’d be pleased with this arrangement?>

<You’re either incredibly stupid or purposely insulting me.>

<I understand we met in dire circumstances—>

<That you caused!> She cuts him off. <I wouldn’t be in this mess if you left me and my stuff alone!>

<Deely, come on—you’re overreacting.> His tone raises.

<Oh, am I?!> She flails her hands in front of her as they leave the forest—a small town is ahead. Neither acknowledges it. <You’re so obsessed with this princess being murdered that you do not see what’s right in front of you!>

<I’ve had enough of this.> He growls. <Either you shut up, or I’ll make you.>

<Do it. Make me shut up.> She tests him, eyeing his hand.

She sees that he’s tempted to, his hands quake in frustration. She knows this could be suicide, but she’s too pissed to care. <What, too scared to hurt a woman? If you can’t hurt me, how the hell are you going to kill this princess you’re so infatuated with?>

God, why was she trying to goad him? He was a trained assassin, a killer! But reason falls far from Cordelia’s mind—pure stupidity replaces it.

<Dammit, Deely!> He kicks the ground in frustration. <You’ve fucking cursed me!>

An explosion of relief overwhelms her.

<Maybe that’ll teach you to put up or shut up.> She learned that phrase from one tavern she and the thief stayed at prior. However, it didn’t end well for her, as the anger in the thief’s eyes returns.

<Do not test me.> He growls.

<Or what, you will spank me?> She wickedly grins, feeling untouchable until he grabs her wrist, yanking her forward. She lets out a yelp, but he doesn’t let up, practically dragging her along the dirt path.

<You better learn to shut your mouth before we reach The Sands.>

<So I take it the courtship is off?> Her wicked smile still reminds. If he would be abusive with his actions, she can do the same with her tongue.

<Like hell it is—you’re just the wicked wench I remember you to be.>

<And you a hellish brute.> She retorts.

It was nice they could agree on something.