Transaction

[The Imfamous AKA]

Once Ian was out of earshot, Soren leaned over to her, whispering, ¡°That is your best friend?¡±
Rue shook her head once. ¡°No, Soren. That was my best friend. He¡¯s been taken in by the system and destroyed.¡± She turned from the hall and ran.

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It took hours of Soren banging on the courtyard door for her to open it. When she did, her eyes were bloodshot once again, and her nails chewed short and her voice quavering.
¡°Come in, Soren,¡± she said without looking him in the eye. She opened the door wide enough for him to enter, and shut it carefully behind him. He looked around, and saw that little had changed since he was last in the garden, but there was a pile of torn papers scattered about the tree.
Rue silently walked back to the tree and lowered herself into a sitting position. She held up a torn page, a single tear escaping her eye. Soren rushed to her side and sank down next to her.
Before he could speak, she threw the paper down and recited:
¡°I hate this place, these walls, my face,
And every last tear streaked trace
Of bits of pain and chunks of disgrace.
I just have to get out of this place.¡±
That sat in silence for seconds that seemed like eternities. Finally, Rue spoke. ¡°He was a poet, you know. I had books upon books that he wrote for me. Poetry, songs, stories, his random thoughts, even. And they took him and destroyed him, Soren. Absolutely destroyed him! He was so against this place! He was just like me... Silently plotting, letting them think he was dominated. And now, look at him! He¡¯s a crony! A lackey! A bloody guard!¡±
She crumpled into herself, sobbing uncontrollably. He closed his arms around her once more and she curled up in his arms. They sat like that until her sobs subsided, her tears dried, and she could move again.
¡°He was my best friend. He was like the brother I wished I had. And now he¡¯s a traitor. One more enemy we have to watch out for.¡± Her eyes closed once more and she took a deep, wavering breath.
¡°I hate this place, Soren. And I¡¯m going to do everything in my power to destroy it.¡± She looked into his eyes, seemingly deep into his soul. ¡°I¡¯ve lost my only ally, Soren. I need you to help me. This isn¡¯t something I can do alone. Help me. Please, help me, Soren!¡±
He was silent for several seconds, so long she thought he¡¯d refuse. Finally, he replied. ¡°Anything for you, Rue.¡±

[The Imfamous AKA]

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Days, then weeks, and finally months passed uneventfully. Soren would meet Rue, either outside the courtyard or her sitting room, and they would spend the day chatting. These chats, generally, were Soren relaying slave gossip to Rue, who was so informed of the workings of the Nobles, but had no clue what their slaves were doing. Rue, in turn, taught him everything he could need to know about the place. She told him all of the Lords¡¯ and Ladies¡¯ little tricks, who to watch out for, who to suck up to, etc. But there were two he had seen that she tended to avoid the subject of, and frankly, he was getting curious.
It had taken him hours to work up the nerve to ask her about these two that she didn¡¯t want to share about. But when he finally did, he only received one answer:
Her loud, melodious laugh.
¡°Soren!¡± she exclaimed, still laughing. ¡°I haven¡¯t told you anything about them because they¡¯re new! I barely know anything about them!¡± Her laughter subsided when she saw how embarrassed he was. ¡°I do know a few things.¡± He stared hard at her, still embarrassed, but now very much intrigued.
¡°One of them, Lord Dorian... He was a slave here, a year older than me. He was...¡± She shook her head, as if shaking away a memory. ¡°He was my first pairing. It didn¡¯t end well.¡± She turned her head away. Soren watched her silently; since that morning after the ceremony, she had been a pillar of strength, and very little had gotten to her.
But he didn¡¯t have much to worry about; she turned back to him, dry eyed after a few seconds. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware he was a Lord until he was instated at the beginning of the year. The other new Lord, Rorik, I think his name is, I know very little about.¡±
¡°What do you know?¡± he asked, cautiously.
¡°He was pulled before I got here. All I know is that his father recently died, so he took over as representation of the line, which is odd, because they¡¯re third level Nobles, so they have three spots. It¡¯s really against the trend to have any open spaces for Nobles.¡± She had explained this all to him before. There were five levels of Nobles, including the Royals. Each had a set number of families and each family had a set number of spots. For a family to not fill all of their spots was almost blasphemous.
Soren opened his moth to ask another question, but was quickly cut off. ¡°I think I¡¯d better go, Soren,¡± Rue said, rising from her chair. She walked to the door, pausing with her hand on the handle. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, alright?¡± Before he had a chance to reply, she was out to door, leaving him sitting in confusion.
¡°What did I do this time?¡± he asked himself quietly. He gave her a few minutes of a head start and then slowly left the room as well.

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The next morning, as he approached Rue by the courtyard, he noticed that he was not alone. As he slowed next to her, he saw her eyes locked upon the looming figure, dressed in Nobleman¡¯s clothes. More importantly, he saw the carefully veiled fear in her eyes. He resisted the urge to step between Rue and the Lord, but felt a deep, instinctive hatred for the man.
¡°Miss Rue. What a pleasure.¡± Rue curtsied, and the Lord planted a gentle kiss on her hand, an honor usually reserved for Nobles. Soren watched Rue¡¯s eyes widen slightly at the gesture, but she remained calm.
¡°Lord Dorian. To what do we owe this honor?¡± she replied in a surprisingly steady voice.

[The Imfamous AKA]

“I have actually been seeking a word with you for quite sometime. I was wondering if we could speak privately.” He shot a glance at Soren. It was rather suspicious that he was asking permission instead of demanding.
“Of course, Milord,” she answered courteously. “Soren, would you mind if I met you in the sitting room? I won’t be long.” He nodded, and made his way toward their spot.
But something made him stop. He reached the corner, turned and waited, listening carefully, hidden from both slave and noble.
“What do you want, Dorian?” Rue asked, all subservient pretenses dropped.
“Rue, you know very well what I want,” Dorian replied.
“Well, you know very well you’d have to get Drake’s permission, you dolt. And he’s not a very sharing person, so the likelihood is very-“ she cut off, and Soren heard a slap. “Touch me again, Dorian. I dare you.”
“Why you little...”
Rue cut him off abruptly. “But first, a warning. I must assume that the reason you’re pursuing me now, after all these years, is that you’ve finally confirmed your suspicions that I am, in fact, noble born. But you have no idea what level I am. Let me be the first to inform you, I am high enough to challenge you and win. I only have three years, at most, left as a slave here, that is to say, if I’m not pulled or pregnant. After that, I can completely ruin your life. Think on that.
“Secondly, if you do decide that you must chase me, I know the four words that can get you, if not removed from holding a court or killed, then at least seriously injured.”
“And what, exactly, would those be?” came the snide reply.
“’He’s working with Tristan,’” she answered smugly.
“But I’m not working with Tristan.”
“Yes, but you can’t prove that. It would be my word against yours, with Drake as the judge.”
“And who do you think he would believe?”
“Who indeed? Drake has a very long memory. Do you think he would take the word of the man who physically scarred his prized slave? Because I don’t.” There was a stunned silence.
Finally, long seconds later, “I will have you, Rue.”
“Not while I’m alive. Good day, milord.” Rue turned on her hell and strode in the direction of the sitting room and Soren. He scampered off, only getting there a split-second before she reached the corner.
She opened the door, took one look at Soren, and immediately asked, “How much did you hear?”
“All of it,” he sheepishly replied.
Rue sighed. “All of it? Soren, I can explain. Dorian is...”
“Rue, you don’t have to explain anything. If this is something you need to keep to yourself, that’s fine.”
“No, Soren, I need you to understand what happened back there.” She collapsed into one of the chairs. He sat across from her, watching warily. “As I already told you, Dorian was my first pairing. He’s not exactly a kind partner. Apparently in his pairing the year before, no one had objected to the markings he left on his partner, but Drake wouldn’t stand it on me.”

[The Imfamous AKA]

“But, Rue, Drake marks you all the time.” He gestured to the faded marks on her neck from her last encounter with Drake.
“Yes, but those aren’t permanent. What Dorian did... Soren, I’ll carry it with me for the rest of my life. He broke one of the few rules we have here and was punished for it. Brutally. At the end of the next year, he was gone, passed through. I didn’t expect to see him ever again. And when he showed up at this year’s claiming, I was, less than enthusiastic, we’ll just say. He suspected that from my behavior as a first year that I was noble born, but there was no way for him to prove it until I was out. So he let his suspicions run his behavior and tried to court me for a few days, following me around, the usual. Drake got angry and forbade him from coming near me, so he’s been looking for an opportunity to talk to me since. He seemed rather convinced that I would be eager to marry him after I’m out, him being a high level noble. As you saw, he was greatly mistaken.”
“Rue...” Soren began, only to be cut off.
“No, Soren, I don’t need your sympathy on this matter.” She shook her head sadly. “This is a problem I can fix for myself. Everything I told Dorian back there was completely true. If he so much as lays a hand on me again, Drake will have his head on a silver platter.” She paused, meeting his eyes. “And if he waits until I’m instated, I’ll have it.”
“How- How did he mark you?” Soren asked shakily.
Rue gazed harshly into his eyes. “Would you like to see?” Soren was taken aback by the ruthless tone of her voice. He had seen her in tears, in a fit of temper, practically in any rage of emotions, but the rage in her eyes and voice was completely new. He nodded cautiously.
Rue nodded in return, and stood. She turned her back to Soren, and began undoing the laces down the front of her dress. As the garment loosened, her upper arms were exposed, and Soren pulled away as inch by shocking inch her shoulders and back were shown.
Her shoulders and sides were covered in long, thin scars, made by what looked like a whip or knife. Prominently displayed across her back was a large triangle of scars. Soren stared in horror as he realized what, exactly, he was seeing.
A gigantic D, written in her skin.
Soren saw her shoulders shake slightly as she relaced her clothing. As she was finishing the knot on the ribbon, he rose and wrapped his arms around her gently. She let loose, sobbing into his arms as she had before, but he felt something different this time, as though some wall had come crashing down from between them. She turned in the circle of his arms to cry into his shoulder, which was the only place in the world she wanted to be.
She pulled away long minutes later and looked at him. She saw, to her surprise, that he was also crying. She hadn’t seen him cry before, and it startled her out of her own tears.
“Soren? Why are you crying?” she asked, alarm in her eyes.
“How could anyone do that to you? Cut into your skin and scar you for life? It almost makes Drake’s markings seem insignificant.” He let out a shaky laugh. “How could he think you’d want to marry him after that?” He shook his head, as if to tell her not to answer. “You’re so strong. It’s amazing that you haven’t killed anyone from all the abuse they’ve piled onto you.”

[The Imfamous AKA]

¡°I¡¯ve never been alone in it all. I had Ian.¡± She smiled up at him. ¡°Now I have you.¡± She leaned into his embrace, relishing the closeness of it. She¡¯d been held before, by Drake, by the boy¡¯s she¡¯d been paired with, but there was never an emotional connection. Even when Ian had hugged her, it wasn¡¯t as close as this.
She stayed within the comfortable circle of his arms for what seemed to be an eternity. She finally pulled away, and gazed into his eye, dazzled by the blues swirling together. She found herself unconsciously leaning in, placing her lips on his delicately. Her eyes closed instinctively and her arms rose to encircle his neck. She felt Soren¡¯s hands drop to her waist as he pulled her close, deepening the kiss. This time, it was her tongue tracing his lips, begging for entry. He willingly obliged. She explored to contours of his mouth as he lowered them both down to the chair.
She pulled away momentarily to resituate herself on his lap, and his head dipped to feather kisses along her jaw line. She leaned her head back, arching her neck in pleasure as his tongue ran over her pulse point. Her hands rose to tangle in his pale hair and his fell to surround her waist and draw her hips closer to his own. She cursed the restricting skirts that forced her to angle away from him. Instead of fighting them, Soren moved on to pull her head down to meet her lips once more. As she was distracted by his mouth, he began to undo the laces that she had recently retied. His hands reached up to slowly tug the material down off her shoulders. She stiffened as his searching fingers traced the scars on her upper arms and shoulders, but as his hands traveled lower, she relaxed once more. His warm hand cupped her breast, kneading softly, and his head dipped to trace the upper curve of it.
Rue arched her back as her took one firm nipple into his mouth, moaning in delight. His teeth grazed it, and he swirled his tongue softly, almost as if to sooth the ache from the gentle bite. She had never experience something like this. Her partners had never seemed concerned with her pleasure, and Soren seemed only wanting to take in the lusciousness of her. Which he did. He eased the sleeves of her dress down, and his hands skimmed across her waist as he switched to lavish attention on her other breast. Rue let out a soft whimper as the cold air touched her still damp nipple.
Soren¡¯s hands continued to dip lower, fabric falling as he went, but when his fingers dipped into the crevice between her legs, she pulled away.
¡°Soren, we can¡¯t,¡± Rue breathlessly protested. ¡°Please, Drake will know.¡± Soren reluctantly pulled away, sliding her sleeves back up, ashamed.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rue,¡± his eyes fell away from her gaze as he relaced the garment. Rue placed a finger under his chin and raised his head to meet her eyes. He saw the desire and gratitude in her eyes and was taken aback.
¡°Stop apologizing, Soren.¡± She smiled mischievously. ¡°We only have to wait another two months. No one will deny us pairing.¡± His eyes narrowed, confused. ¡°Soren, you silly boy, once the pairings begin, we¡¯ll have all the time in the world.¡± He finally understood; they could be together and it would be approved of once the so-called ¡°testing¡± began. He smiled widely.
¡°I can wait two months,¡± he returned her mischievous smile.
¡°Good. I can, too.¡± Her hands replaced his, tying her dress closed, then she dipped her head down to peck him on the cheek.
¡°And if you ever apologize for that again, I might just kill you.¡±

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[The Imfamous AKA]

They continued their meetings, and they grew more intimate as the weeks wore on. Rue doubted she’d be able to make it until the pairings began to let him take her. It was the first time in her life that she had actually wanted to be close to anyone. They would get distracted by each other so easily that they barely shared any information the past few days.
Rue had been silently celebrating since their encounter with Dorian. Drake, Tristan, and Dorian all seemed content to leave her be. But a mere two weeks before the pairings were set to begin, their happiness was disturbed by a message. The Queen finally wanted to meet Soren.
Rue led him through the twisting halls to the entrance to the Queen’s tower. They were briefly stopped by her guard, but they gave him the notices that they were expected, and he showed them in. Soren was pulled in first, despite the fact that they were both anticipate.
The room was darkened, and Soren immediately took the submissive pose in the center of it. A single light came on, illuminating the Queen.
“Come closer,” she ordered him, her voice regal and familiar sounding. He immediately obliged.
“Look at me.”
He did. She was tall, even from her seated position. Her dark hair, the same shade as Drake and Tristan’s, was piled on her head in artful braids. He took in her elegant, but revealing outfit, but avoided making eye contact.
“You’re polite and well trained. I see Miss Rue has done a good job with you.” His eyes dropped back to the floor at her mention of Rue. “Yes, Sir Soren, I know of your, friendship, shall we call it, with Rue. I’m surprised my sons do not, everyone else seems to be speculating about you two.”
He looked back up at her, still not meeting her eyes. “You do know, don’t you, Soren that Rue comes from a very influential family here? I thought so. Despite the obvious, I’ve decided that I approve of your relationship with her.” Soren’s eyes widened in shock. He definitely hadn’t expected this. “I’ve already informed Drake and Tristan that they are to allow the two of you to begin the pairing.” She waved a hand to dismiss him. “That is all.”
Soren turned from the Queen, and in his haste, he met her eyes for a split second. He walked calmly from the room, marveling on the rich, chocolate brown of them, when he heard her last words to him. “Take good care of her, Sir Soren. We’ll have great need of her soon.”
He silently left the room, and sat next to Rue in the receiving chairs. She rose, looking at him questioningly, but he was distracted by the thought of the Queen’s eyes. Where had he seen that color before? He spent the next long minutes wondering, catching snippets of Rue’s conversation with the Queen, but not really hearing them. Rue didn’t seem to have his apprehension of silence while near the Queen. She answered quickly and politely, but she did indeed answer.
Rue rushed from the room. Soren was broken out of his reverie by the sight of her hurtling toward him. He instinctively opened his arms to catch her, but he didn’t expect the force of her speed, and they spun around rapidly. He held her in the air, continuing to spin with the momentum, and she gazed lovingly down into his eyes. She leaned down to kiss him, ignoring the questioning looks from the guards. He set her back on the ground, not breaking the embrace.
When she finally broke away, she grinned wildly up at him. “We have permission to pair!”

[The Imfamous AKA]

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They walked arm in arm back to the sitting room, Rue talking animatedly all the time. ¡°We¡¯re the first pair to get permission this year, so we don¡¯t have to wait for the official start. And since Her Majesty ordered it, neither Tristan nor Drake can do a damn thing about it! Not that they¡¯ll be happy about it, but they just have to face facts.¡±
They entered the sitting room, but when Soren made to sit down, Rue pulled him up. ¡°No way, Sir Soren.¡± She linked her hands behind his neck, and his instinctively went around her waist. ¡°We¡¯re getting started now. I was beginning to think I¡¯d kill myself before starting the pairing.¡± She pulled his head down to meet hers, moaning even at that slight contact. She leaned into him, restrictions gone. He returned her fervent need, pulling her close. She began to pull him towards the third door out of their tiny sitting room, not to the hall, not to the library, but to the third room, which Rue had never shown him.
He pulled away to examine the room, which seemed to be a small, private bedroom. She grinned up at his surprised face, laughing. ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to be in here unless we¡¯ve been paired. But since we have been, I figured it was time to show you it.¡± She tugged him down to kiss him again, tilting her hips up to meet his. He gripped her waist and she stumbled backward, falling onto the bed, drawing him down over her. She pulled away from him to give him an enticing look before inching up the bed, pulling him after by the collar.
He growled softly, following more than willingly. He took her mouth again, and began undoing the laces as he had so many times before. This time, as she moved to kiss and caress him neck, she shoved the light material of his shirt off his shoulders in return. She continued to move lower, nipping and licking his shoulders and chest. He groaned at each touch of teeth or tongue on his skin, twining his fingers in her wild hair. When her teeth grazed his flat nipple, he moaned aloud and pulled her head back up to meet him. As their tongues entwined, he pushed her dress down around her waist. She lifted her hips as he urged the fabric past her legs, letting it drop on the floor at the foot of the bed.
Rue anxiously yanked his shirt from him arms, and traced the well defined muscles as she returned her hands to his shoulders. She looked down at herself as he began to bestow kisses and gentle bites to her neck and shoulders.
¡°Hey! No fair! Get rid of those things!¡± She nodded indignantly to his pants. He laughed aloud, and pulled away to remove them. As he did, he gazed upon her body. Completely unclothed, she was ravishing. His eyes traced her curves and dipped past her luscious legs and hips, to land on her breasts. The second he was free from his clothes, he lunged back and took a ripe nipple into his mouth. She mewled, surprised and arched her back up to meet him.
As he lavished one breast, his hands dipped down between her legs. She cried out as his slightly rough fingertips slid past the nub of nerves and into her. As he instinctively worked his fingers in and out, she arched her hips up, searching. Just when she thought she might break, she shoved his hand away.

[The Imfamous AKA]

¡°If you¡¯re not inside me in five seconds, I might just scream.¡± He took her at her word, and slid up her body to meet her lips. Her legs wrapped around his hips as he sank inch after long, succulent inch into her. He paused to relish her tightness, but Rue would have none of that. She immediately began to work her hips in small circles, torturing him. He relented and pulled out, nearly to his head. As he thrust back in, much quicker this time, she cried out softly, nails scoring his back.
She locked her ankles behind his back and rose to meet each thrust. It took bare minutes for her to feel the buildup of a wave inside her, and she began to franticly move, craving release. He began to move faster, sensing her readiness. His lips met hers in a frenzy. Tongues entwined as much as bodies, Rue arched her back, forcing him further into her body. She pulled away, biting into his shoulder to stop herself from screaming as wave after wave of pleasure hit her.
Soren knew he wouldn¡¯t last much longer as she began to contract around him, squeezing his release from him urgently. It only took seconds for him to join her in the throngs of pleasure. He collapsed onto his elbows over her, emptying himself inside her.
It was a long time before either moved. Whether it was minutes or hours, neither was sure. Soren raised his head slightly to suckle her pulse point, and Rue¡¯s hands left his back to tangle in his hair. She planted a gentle kiss on his head.
¡°I¡¯ve- I¡¯ve never felt anything like that before,¡± she admitted cautiously. He raised his head to scan her face. Her hair was spread out on the pillow beneath her and draped over her shoulders haphazardly. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was a shaky smile.
¡°Neither have I, Rue.¡± He gazed lovingly into her chocolate brown eyes. ¡°Neither have I.¡±

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They spent the next few weeks in a daze. They rarely left their little room, only wandering out for food. They had set the precedent for the pairings, and in a few short days, the halls became barren as couples took to rooms similar to Rue and Soren¡¯s.
They would take turns fetching food from the dining hall. Usually, it was done by whoever had the most energy. Today, Rue contentedly strolled down the hallway, her mind already back with Soren. She was shocked into response when a hand shot out and pulled her into a nearby room.
She stared dazedly up into the eyes of her captor. Drake¡¯s green eyes met her, not hard or angry, but concerned. She managed to stammer out a greeting.
¡°M-master Drake.¡± Her gaze dropped, and she moved to take the submissive position, but the close quarters and his hands on her arms prevented it.
¡°Enough with the niceties, Rue. I¡¯ve come to warn you.¡± He raised a hand to take her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Rue shook him off, pushing him away from her. ¡°A warning about what?¡±
¡°Tristan has finally discovered the depth of your attachment to that Soren fellow. He means to use it against you, to drive the two of you apart.¡±
¡°Why would you care?¡± she asked carefully, making sure her voice didn¡¯t shake. She hadn¡¯t been permitted to talk like this to Drake for seven years, and his reaction stunned her.

[The Imfamous AKA]

“The Queen has mentioned pulling you.”
Rue stifled a gasp. “She would do no such thing, and you know it. It’s a disgrace for a noble born not to complete their terms here.”
“She’s said that she thinks you’ve learned enough, that you’re ready to leave. No one is taking the notion seriously yet, but there is always that possibility. I just thought you should know.” He turned her and reached to pull open the door. She grabbed his arm before he grabbed the handle.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“We had a civil relationship before you came here. Let’s just say that I’m atoning for my sins.” He opened the door silently and pushed her out, closing himself in.
Rue turned, stunned, and began to walk. Her protesting stomach forgotten, she returned to the sitting room. As she opened the door to the bedroom, she stifled an exasperated gasp when she saw the bed was empty. She knew that Soren wouldn’t leave without telling her.
She turned and took of in a sprint toward Tristan’s quarters. She held back tears as she raced off. She caught up to Tristan, who was towing a bewildered, yet struggling, Soren toward his quarters. Tristan met her eyes and saw the blood thirsty look in them as she hurtled toward him.
“Drake! Contain your stupid little pet!” he shouted, and a second later, strong arms surrounded her. She turned, teeth bared, only to see that it was Ian holding her, with Drake a few steps behind. Her eyes widened, and her angry snarl relaxed.
“Ian... Please...” She saw the hurt in his eyes as his arms tightened around her.
“Let her go, Ian.” Drake’s commanding voice called out. Ian immediately dropped his arms, and Tristan nearly let go of Soren in shock.
“Drake, how dare you! She was about to attack-“ The rest of his words were cut off as Rue stalked over and threw her fist up and forward, grinning at the sickening crunch as his nose broke. He dropped Soren’s arms as his hands rose to staunch the bleeding. Drake laughed loudly from behind them, but Rue barely heard.
“If you ever, and I mean, ever touch him again, I will kill you.” Rue’s eyes flashed angrily as she pulled Soren away from the prince. “Do you understand me?”
“Why you little bi-“ Tristan began, lunging for her, only to be cut off by a regal voice.
“I advise you not to finish that sentence, Tristan,” the Queen said as she approached.
“But she-“
“I will hear no opposition. I told you and your brother that your rivalry over her would get someone hurt, and it did. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse. No, you and Drake are to immediately return to your quarters.” Drake nodded, and turned, followed closely by Ian. Tristan opened his mouth to argue. “I said, immediately, Tristan!” He snarled at Rue, then sulked into his quarters.
The Queen turned to Rue and Soren, who bowed their heads. “You two will come with me.” She turned on her heel, and they followed obediently. The silent trio quickly made it to the Queen’s quarters, where Soren was told to wait outside as she spoke to Rue. Soren anxiously watched the clock as it hit a quarter hour. He began to feel alarmed when it hit a half. His heart raced, panicking, at an hour, until finally, the door opened slowly.

[The Imfamous AKA]

Rue emerged, her cheeks tear stained and hands shaking. He immediately rose to comfort her.
“Rue, tell me what happened,” he said gently as he kissed the tears from her eyes. After she was calm, she pulled away, giving him a reassuring look.
“Soren... I... I’ve been pulled.” Her gaze held his intensely, waiting for him to respond.
“Pulled? You’re leaving?” he asked, long seconds later.
“Yes. But, don’t act like this is the end of the world. We’ll see each other again.” Her eyes shimmered, giving him a hint of the mischievous girl he’d come to know. “Probably sooner than you’d think.” She leaned in, planting a gentle, passionate, promising kiss on him. She pulled away as the Queen’s guard coughed behind her. As she was led away, she turned and mouthed something to Soren. He couldn’t be sure, but it looked remarkably like “I love you.”

[Asila]

Aw, Rue can't leave! That's so sad!

You had better post book 2! I want to see what happens! This is such an interesting story, though I find myself very glad I'm not one of your poor characters. I'm such an idiot, I would probably be a runner and then bad things would happen. ;D (Don't even ask me why I posted the grin smiley. I think I'm demented. Visions of my own misfortune shouldn't make me want to laugh at me, but for whatever reason...*shakes head*)

But I really want to find out what happens next, so post the next pages! Please? *puppy-dog eyes*

[The Imfamous AKA]

I don't have all of Book 2 done, but I can post what I do have, if you want...

[Asila]

Definately! You should start posting the rest! I want to see what happens...