Abducted! (Cass, Dante, Henry)

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

Gill rode from the Castle to the outskirts of the city just as soon as her shift had ended. She had missed riding, that last time she had been on horseback was the ride to the city. After her flight through the streets, out into the countryside, she positioned herself on the banks of long grass looking down at the city before her, a line of dark trees marking the border to the forest at her back. Her horse nickered close-by, the reins looped around a small shrub, where he was happily ripping up tufts of grass to munch on.

Gill sat on the soft grassy ground, still in her maid's outfit- she hadn't even bothered to remove her apron- her dark hair swept over one shoulder and look of deep concentration on her face. A large white piece of parchment rested across her propped knees- a drawing of Camelot castle half-sketched to life. Gill had bought the parchment from one of the market stalls on the way, and the charcoal she had simply pocketed from the charred remains in the kitchen fireplace. Gill had a good eye for artistry, and had been itching to do something creative ever since starting to live in Camelot.

She bit her lip, looking up at the castle turret, then back down at the paper, her hand sketching light lines. The wind picked up a little, a loose strand of hair falling infront of her eyes and flapping the corners of the parchment.

Gill didn't notice, she was in her own little world.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Casalynn rode elegantly on her horse as he galloped with speed from the grounds of Camelot. She rose and fell as her horse placed different hooves on the ground, accompanied with the 'clatter' as his shoes connected with the floor. She had planned the day carefully and hoped to visit the Caves of Balor making a short detour around the forest. She had always loved going to the forest, knowing full-well that it was a dangerous place. She had been told never to venture there alone and that had been her downfall last time, only narrowly escaping with her life. You would think her encounter with bandits last time she came to the forest would teach her a lesson, yet the thought of running into them again did not phase her. After all what would be the chance of that?

She flew with speed past peasant houses and ran full pelt through an open field. She knew the route like the back of her hand so felt safe travelling at the speed she was going at. It didn't take her long to see the border of trees in view so she knew she was close by. She could feel the change in terrain under her horses hooves as they were now running on soft, mushy grass. Casalynn slowed her horse so he would no slip and now entered into a soft gallop.

As she slowed, she noticed her horse limp uncomfortably. She was unsure if she had taken him out too soon as he was still recovering from his injury after all. The journey she had planned was long, so a brief rest was probably the best course of action to take. Cass egged her horse to travel just a few more steps before she elegantly dismounted and dropped his reigns. She patted him affectionately on the neck and navigated herself to his hindleg. She placed a careful hand onto his mending wound and flinched as her horse neighed in protest. A sudden rush of guilt pulsed through her body; seeing her horse in pain was not a joyful sight and it was her fault that he was in pain.

Cass knew her horse would be okay after a short rest, so led him further up the banks of grass and dropped his reigns hoping he would stay still. She sighed as the thought of her delayed trip entered her mind and she casually shrugged looking for a place to sit for a while. Her long blue gown flowed in the wind, the posh, velvet-silk dress covered by a sparkling white cloak. She dropped the hood from her head as she walked over to a girl who was sitting down and looked as though she was drawing. Cass was not expecting to bump into anyone on her visit, as the route to the forest was not something the everyday person wanted to undertake.

She took a glance behind her to make sure her horse was still there, greeted by the sight that he was happily munching on a mound of fresh grass. She slowly approached the girl and studied the clothes that she was wearing. She looked as though she was a maid and of course, had no objections to that fact.
"Hello. Is it okay if I join you? My horse just needs a rest before I venture out into the forest. He gets tired easily" Casalynn expressed politely and with a smile, indicating to her horse who let out a contented sigh as he swallowed a mouthfil of grass and returned his head to continue eating.

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

Gill leant over her work, biting the inside of her cheek in creative contemplation as she smudged the darker shading of the castle with a knuckle, and then wisps of clouds with her fingertips. She rubbed her nose where the strands of hair were tickling, wiping yet more charcoal across her face without noticing as she tucked her flyaway hair behind her ear.

As she heard a girl's voice her eyes flicked up, twisting around where she sat to on the ground to face a stranger. On first impressions: a young, pretty girl of a similar age to Gill, or perhaps a bit younger. "Hello. Is it okay if I join you? My horse just needs a rest before I venture out into the forest. He gets tired easily." She spoke politely and Gill noticed her horse, close-by to where she had left her own, confirming her words. From her polite accent and fine dress, Gill was unsure whether this girl was a noble or not.

"Of course," she replied brightly, moving her cloak from beside her to leave a space for the girl to sit down. "I hope your horse isn't hurt?" she asked, then ventured to add: "M'lady?"

"I'm Gill." she offered her hand, then noticing its blackened state, withdrew it quickly with an apologetic smile. She was actually glad for some company outside of the Castle, having spent quite enough time sitting solitary with her mind empty of anything but the scene infront of her, and the smoky interpretation on the parchment.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Casalynn liked how pleasant the girl was and that she didn't object to her being there. She said politely and kindly inquering about her horse which Casalynn thought most kind. She smiled warmly, glad that Gill hadn't told her where to go like she was half expecting and was more than used to. When Gill said 'M'Lady', Casalynn wasn't sure to play the part or shrug it off like she normally did. She knew she must look like a noble, yet the fact was she was like any other citizen of Camelot. Apart from the fact she was of noble birth and had slightly more money than anyone else, at least that was the way she saw it. Since the demise of her Guardian, she had inherited his manor along with the servants and also all the money that he had owned. After the months she had endured she thought that was more than fair; he owed her that much at least.

She shook her head politely "No need. Just call me Casalynn" She said in response, beaming a quick smile before she proceeded to sit down. She glanced over at her horse who whinnied and snorted in protest to the cold air and stinking weather yet nevertheless carried on chewing his endless mouthful of grass.

"I hope your horse isn't hurt?"

"He isn't too badly hurt; he's just on the mend. Last time I came here we both ran into a bit of trouble and he got shot with an arrow. He still feels a bit sorry for himself, but with a bit of TLC he'll be as right as rain. I think I brought him out a bit too early though, I just thought he needed the exercise" Casalynn said, directing her comment to the growing size of her horse's overly large stomach. As she had been feeling so guilty, she spoilt him with overly rich foods and perhaps fed him a lot more than she ordinarily would. She knew it wouldn't take him long to get ito shape again and thought a brisk, casual ride to the caves and back would be pleasant journey for the both of them. Plus she could tend to her unsettling thoughts about going into the forest again; she just needed to prove to herself that there was nothing to worry about.

"That's good." Casalynn indicated to the drawing Gill was tending too. Casalynn had often wished that she was creative and artistic enough to draw, yet she had no real talent and often got bored halfway through and began to move onto something else. Cass admired Gill's drawing, seeing how realistic and lifelike it was to the Castle of Camelot that stood proudly infront of them. "Your really talented. It's a lot better than what I could do" Casalynn complimented trying to inverse in coversation.

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

Gill smiled at the girl as she sat down, and listened to her reply about her horse. Whilst she was not a noble, Gill placed her in an upper-class setting, perhaps from a wealthy merchant family like the Auvrays had been a decade ago. The girl, Casalynn as she introduced herself, seemed friendly and her conversation style open. Without meaning to, Gill's thoughts breifly rested on Henry- as conversation with him had always been the opposite: strained and difficult. Gill shook him from her mind, it made her chest hurt when she thought about him. Focusing her full attention on Casalynn, the colour rushing to her checks when she realised the girl was complimenting her drawing.

"Thank you," Gill replied, but looked down at her work skeptically, "I'm a bit rusty, I used to draw all the time back home before we, well, when we had the money for a tutor!" She glanced down at the unfinished work one last time, then rolled up the drawing and stuffed it into her skirt pocket. "But practice makes perfect!" she added cheerfully, her eyes wandering back to where the horses were. They had stopped eating now and were sniffing one another inquisitively.

"I remember a friend who works at the castle mentioning about a plant, or herb, it's like a natural painkiller for horses..." Gill recalled something Lilith had told her, "She's training to be an apothecary," Gill explained, "I don't know what it's called, but I'm sure I could find it in the forest, I'd recognise it definitely. It might make your horse feel a bit better?"

They had a good hour of light left, and Gill was sure this plant couldn't be too difficult to locate.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Casalynn struggled to understand how Gill could think of herself as Rusty at drawing, from where she was standing she couldn't image how it could be better; it was brilliant. Mind you drawing was a strange prospect for her as she was never able to do it in her many years of life. Her eyes followed Gill's nimble fingers fold up the piece of parchment neatly and place it in her jacket pocket. Cass's eyes then followed Gill's gaze of the two horses who were now inspecting each other and sniffing one another with interest. She couldn't help but smile at the sight and diverted her gaze to Gill as she carried on talking.

"... I don't know what it's called, but I'm sure I could find it in the forest, I'd recognise it definitely. It might make your horse feel a bit better?"

Casalynn grew interested in the 'herb' that Gill was talking about. She had never heard of such plant that acted as a natural painkiller for horses yet the thought appealed her. It would make her and her horses life much easier as a result and the day wouldn't exactly be wasted if they both went on a hunt for this so called herb. She would do anything for her horse to ease his uncomfort so finding and obtaining this plant was the least she could do for him after being the cause of his injurt after all.

She was surprised at how kind the girl was, as not many people would be so willing to help her and offer her a helping hand in this case. She was rapidly beginning to warm up to Gill and could see the kind and caring heart she had which was a rare thing to find. Casalynn was also glad that she would have company on her journey, as two in her view was always better than one. She was the sort of person that enjoyed being with other people and being on her own was something she did if she had to. After standing up from her sitting position, she brushed the imaginary dirt of her sparkling clean robes and looked up at the sky. They had plenty of time to find what they were looking for.

"Wow, sure! That's if you don't mind of course? If you'd be willing to help I'd be most grateful." She said with a excited smile. She elegantly strolled over to her horse and patted him gently on the neck. Inspecting his wounds to check if it was appropriate for her to ride; as long as he wasn't pushed to far then it would be okay. She turned back to glance at Gill and expressed her upmost appreciation. "Thank you. You're most kind" She said in truth happy that she had met Gill.

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

Gill scrambled to her feet as Cass did, shaking the grass from her skirt whilst looking down at her feet. She fleetingly felt self-conscious of the dirty maid's uniform she was wearing in comparison to Casalynn's lovely dress. She did miss the lovely clothes she used to wear, and often envied how lovely the noble ladies looked when she glimpsed them in the castle corridors. Shaking these thoughts from her mind, she moved from the patch of flattened grass toward the horses.

"Wow, sure! That's if you don't mind of course? If you'd be willing to help I'd be most grateful." Casalynn spoke as they walked towards their respective horses. Gill liked Casalynn and was glad for the company outside of work, she hadn't really met that many people since arriving in Camelot, and this girl seemed friendly, polite and confident.
"Of course not!" Gill replied warmly, fiddling about with her horse's tack to ensure everything was tightened properly. "I'm glad I can be of help, I'm glad we met actually, I was beginning to get a bit bored of my own company!" she smiled back at Casalynn, then pulled herself up onto her horse, swinging her legs over in an incredibly unladylike way. Gill was learning to ride properly and not side-saddle, she wasn't a lady any more. She clicked her tongue, and the horse turned around, heading towards the forest. She stopped alongside Casalynn, waiting for her to mount.

The path leading into the forest was wide enough for the two girls to ride side by side. Gill switched from looking and talking to Casalynn, to scanning the plants alongside the path for the one she was looking for. Although it was not yet dark, the forest was quite shadowy but she had enough light to see by.

"So, are you from Camelot?" Gill asked, both hoping to find out more about Cass and glad to have someone to chat to.

[Casalynn Laymont]

"I'm glad I can be of help, I'm glad we met actually, I was beginning to get a bit bored of my own company!"

Casalynn, like Gill, was also very glad that they had met. She had spent so long by herself since moving to Camelot, she had almost forgotten what it was like to actually be in the company of someone. Back when she lived with her Guardian, Baldrick, she preferred to distance herself from him in an attempt to go a night without being beaten. He never let her out in fear she would speak up and tell someone of the various crimes that he had commited but now all that had changed. She had regained her freedom meaning she could make up for lost time and not have to worry about being home late as there was no consequences and punishments to withstand.

Cass watched as Gill mounted her horse and soon followed to do the same. She placed her left foot in her horses stirrip and hauled herself over, swinging her leg to put her right foot in the other stirrip. She re-positioned herself on the saddle getting comfy for the long ride and gracefully took hold of Bassett's reigns and pulled them to the left gently. She tapped it with her foot to get him moving and followed Gill as she merged with the forest's path. Casalynn could tell the this path had not been used for some time as overgrown plants were slowly beginning to take over on the man-made tracks. She rode side by side with Gill and matched her pace with gentle ease.

"So, are you from Camelot?"

This was a question she found fairly hard to answer. As far as she knew, Camelot was her home yet not her first. She had moved there a few years back, finding herself there not knowing who she was or why she was there. Her memory had still not returned and every now and again she would remember a slice of her past that led her onto more unanswered questions. After a long while of trying to remember and figure out the gaps in her memory, to no avail all her attempts seemed futile.

"Yes, I'm from Camelot. I've lived there for a few years now with my uncle. Sadly he's been... taken care of and I live alone in his manor." She said in an unsually upbeat tone. Truth be told she was not sad at all that he was gone and she would witness his dismise for herself once the hanging had been arranged. Cass noticed her horse was beginning to fall behind Gill's and nudged him lightly to get him to pick up pace.

"How about you, do you live in Camelot? I'm guessing from your attire that your a maid?"

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

"Yes, I'm from Camelot. I've lived there for a few years now with my uncle. Sadly he's been... taken care of and I live alone in his manor."

Gill didn't completely understand Casalynn's words, she wondered what she meant when she said 'taken care of', but decided not to pry into this girl's business. They had only just met after all. Cass's horse pressed forwards and she spoke again, level with Gill.

"How about you, do you live in Camelot? I'm guessing from your attire that your a maid?"
"I've recently moved to Camelot." Gill replied, "I used to live in a town several miles outside of the city- and you guess correctly, I work up at the palace, my father got me a job there..." she paused for a moment, squinting into the overgrown plants that crept onto the path, then jumped down from her horse. She thought she had seen the herb she was looking for, and continued chatting as she walked around by Casalynn's horse, stepping into the greenery.

"...it's hard work, but I enjoy it. City life is exciting too." she bent down and picked up a few leaves, inspecting them closely, then looked up toward Cass. "Oh these aren't the right ones at all. I must have the eyesight of a bat!" she smiled apologetically, tossing them over her shoulder. Gill began to walk back toward Cass and her own horse, then froze in her tracks as she heard a rustling sound behind her.

"Did you hear that?" she asked, eyes wide and looking up Casalynn who had a better view from atop her horse.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Cass listened intently to what Gill was saying and thought it was most interesting that she worked up at the Castle. She stopped in her tracks and lightly pulled on her horses reigns to stop him, which he did and obeyed without question. She could feel the strain on her horses back leg and re-positioned herself so that she was not putting any pressure or weight to make him even more uncomfortable. As Gill dismounted from her horse and walked around to inspect the overgrown foliage, Casalynn hoped that the herb in which they were looking for would be found within the greenary.

Sadly, to no avail it didn't look as though the plant was there. She guessed it was an easy mistake to make as to her most plants looked the same as each other although that wasn't probably the case for Gill. "It's okay. I'm sure we'll find it sooner or later" She said staying positive hoping her horse wouldn't have to ride for too long as the effects were sure to take it's cause on him.

"Did you hear that?"

Hear what? Casalynn had heard no such noises, although it seemed whatever it was had alerted Gill. Casalynn was immedialty put on her guard and stayed high on her horse where her view was sure to be slightly better. She placed a finger on her lips to signal to Gill to stay quiet; if there was anyone here they would be listening out for any noises to direct them to their current locations. She also wanted to listen out herself for any rustling or crunching of leaves that sounded nearby.

Her fears and concerns were confirmed when she heard the rustling, yet couldn't see anyone who was causing it. Her eyes darted back and forth to find the origin of these noises but could see no one. Before her mind had chance to register, an arrow shot past her head missing her by inches, narrowly scraping her cheek and embedding itself into the tree standing behind her. She gasped and her face formed into an 'O' shape before she threw herself off her horse and unsheathed her sword in protection. Casalynn took refuge behind her horse and breathed deeply in an attempt to steady her rapidly beating heart.

"Gill!?" She shouted, loosing sight of her whereabouts as she hid behind Bassett, praying desperatly he wouldn't suddenly make a run for it.

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

Gill fell silent as soon as Casalynn put her finger to her lips. She froze mid-stride, arms unmoving infront of her, extended as if she was walking in the dark. She strained her ears, keeping eye contact with Cass. Silence. Well not quite silence, she could hear the wind rustling leaves, the horse's heavy breathing...

Whoosh An arrow flew from behind her toward Casalynn. She screamed, although panic caused her to stay still rather than throw herself to the ground for cover. As soon as she saw Casalynn was unharmed, Gill spun around in the direction the arrow had come from. There was no-one in sight. Somewhere she heard the grating of metal upon metal as a sword was unsheathed and hoped it was Casaylnn- she couldn't recall whether she had a sword on her or not.

"Gill!?" Casaylnn's distant voice broke through the silence, and Gill turned back to the horses. She could see the bottom of the girl's dress framed by her horse's legs and stomach.

"I'm here, I'm OK." Gill called back shakily, beginning to make her way back to the horses, "Lets just lea--" her words were cut off as a broad hand smothered her mouth, pulling her head back into the crook of his shoulder. She felt cool metal at her throat. Her eyes flew from side to side like a trapped animal. A deep voice sounded from the man that held her, "Get the other one, the Lady." Two men advanced into Gill's sight, walking toward the horses and Casalynn; she could only watch helplessly and silently.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Casalynn awaited anxiously for Gill to reply, responding if she was okay or not. She knew it had been a big mistake to come into these forests again after what happened last time, but even she didn't think she was that unlucky. As the saying went, lightning never strikes twice yet in this instance it had. All the signs on the way here told her not to venture into these forests again as her horse was still recovering from the last narrow escape to a capture she had encountered. This time she had no Prince Arthur to come to her rescue and she feared no one would even notice their disappearance. She grew scared now that the two would not escape and actually feared for her life - and for Gills.

A sigh of relief broke through her mouth when she heard the sound of Gills voice, she was okay, at least for now. The next step was to get out of there, hoping that they could hopefully outrun them as she had last time. She was about to emerge from behind her horse, when she heard Gill suddenly go silent through mid-sentence. She immediatly thought the worse and wondered if the so called 'bandits' had got to her. She was forced to make a split decision of either to run and save herself, or stay in the hope that she could help Gill.

Casalynn highly doubted she could make a quick getaway anyway as her horse was in no fit state to do so. He could run full pelt for only a few minutes or so she guessed, before his injuries got the better of him and forced him to slow down. Even if there was the slightest chance she could escape, she would not leave Gill no matter what her chances. If she did, she would be riddled with guilt for the rest of her life and now it was time to extend the helping hand she had first given her when they had first met.

Casalynn turned her head slowly, looking under the bloated belly of her horse, to see sets of feet steadily advancing on her. She guessed they would have no problem spotting her hiding, as it wasn't like was out of sight. At least she had her sword though, that was bound to buy her a bit of time before they captured her. She leapt up from her hiding position and navigated herself behind her horse quickly. She pressed both hands on her horses flanks and pushed him so that he would escape unharmed; she couldn't bare the thought of him getting wounded again because of her. Without any protest, he began to trot and was soon out of sight. She did the same with Gill's horse as she figured maybe she would not want the animal to be in the hands of such gastly men.

When her horse was no longer blocking her view, she saw a sword to Gill's throat which put a spanner in the works somewhat. The men stopped walking now, stopping in their tracks when they saw that she had a weapon. The man who held the blade tightened his grip and her eyes grew wide as she realized her new friend may just be killed infront of her very eyes. "You may just want to think about what your doing. Drop your weapon or she dies" The mans gruff tone rattled around in her ears for a while, before she dropped her weapon and put her hands up to signal submission.

She didn't struggle when a rather large man with grubby fingers placed a tight grip on her neck before un-sheathing a dagger and holding it close her stomach. He shoved her into moving and she soon joined Gill who still had the sword pressed against her throat. Cass mouthed a silent 'Sorry' whilst carrying on walking in a direction she wasn't too sure of.

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

(Cass- Sorry I've taken about a hundred years to reply, I really thought I already had!!)

Gill watched with wide eyes as the men advanced toward Casalynn. She was glad when the horses bolted, riding back the way they had come to the edge of the forest with loud whinnies; good thinking on Casalynn's part. But whilst Cass had a sword to protect herself, she realised that the girl was refusing to fight because the men were threatening her. It took only moments for them to grab her, then one man took a girl each, and marched them deeper into the undergrowth where Gill presumed their horses were waiting or they had made camp.

It was getting really dark now, and as she part stumbled and was part pulled along, Gill wasn't even sure she would be able to find her way back to the main path if she managed to escape. She could make out Cass and the large man holding her. She mouthed back, "It's not your fault!" to Cass's mouthed "Sorry," but was unsure if she'd get the message. The man that was holding her gave more instructions, twisting her arm painfully behind her back with one hand as he reached out to grab something with the other.

It was rope. The rough thick cord used to tie horses in a stable. Gill could see that the man holding Cass was also holding an identical coil, but then she was forced to a sitting position on ground and her hands pulled behind her. She felt rough bark against the back of her head, and could see from what was happening to Casalynn that they were being tied to parallel trees. Gill looked across to the girl she had only just met, and couldn't help but feel responsible for the situation they were in. She tried to convey how sorry she was through expression alone, and not how terrified she felt.

After making sure she was securely tied, the men moved away deep in conversation. Gill picked up the words "Lady","Maid" and "Ransom" which confused her. She strained her ears to listen for more, but one of the men squatted beside her and pinched her cheeks together in between one of his big hands, forcing her lips into a squished pout.
"Bad day for you isn't it little maid..." he drawled, but before he could continue he was called away by another man, a voice of authority.

"The King'll want them in one piece. You're not to touch them. Yet."
Gill resisted the urge to heabutt the man as he pulled his hand and face away, instead attempting to twist her wrists out of the tight knots and looking across to Cass whose face she could barely make out in the dying light.

[Henry Renold]

"Dante!" Henry hissed angrily through clenched teeth. He felt like his heart was clenched too, like it couldn't beat until he knew she was ok. Safe.
He couldn't explain to Dante why he was doing this. Last time Gill had spoken to him was back when he was in the stocks, and he hadn't been very...accepting. Hell, he had basically told her he never wanted to see her again, but circumstances had changed and as far as Henry was concerned; it had never happened.
Opening up and describing how he felt wasn't one of Henry Renolds stronger talents. Perhaps growing up without a family would do that to a boy. Or perhaps it was the tough life he had had to lead. But either way talking about love -or whatever that was- was not going to happen any time soon, even if his friend might understand now that he had Evie.
Instead, Henry took to taking the situation out on poor Dante, using every excuse possible to vent his frustration.

"Will you come on!" He said with a glare. They had spent several crucial minutes at Dante's house collecting supposedly 'essential' items that Henry had no desire to collect. He would have preferred to rush in and fight the kidnappers face to face, but luckily for Henry, Dante preferred the more subtle approach. Now they approached the city gates, where the paved roads and overcrowded streets ended and open countryside began.

The forest lay in front of them, dark and wild, almost as though it was daring them to enter. Everyone knew the tales of the forest of Balor, of witches and dark magic, but frankly Henry had never cared less.
"Are you coming?" Henry snapped, narrowing his eyes.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante knew that he would be getting the cold end of Henry's personality when he dragged him to his home to collect some things. A small throwing knife, warmer cloaks, a few vials of poison and a torch. Henry wanted to rush his opponent head on, but that would most likely lead to getting killed. They would have to gain an upper hand first. Henry didn't seem to realize that he couldn't help Gill if he was dead.

He trudged through the snow through the gate. Henry was lighter and didn't sink as deeply into the snow so he was a good distance ahead. Dante imagined that he would act the same way if something happened to Evie but he couldn't help but fall behind. Snow was still new to him and he was just learning to maneuver in it. Are you coming? Dante growled and sent a rude gesture in Henry's direction before picking up his pace.

Once at his side he said through heavy breathing, "Will you relax a little? If they think she is a Lady of the Court they won't kill her. They need her in once piece to bargain with." Henry's speed did not slow so Dante rolled his eyes and followed him into the forrest.