𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓 - 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑

"𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆"

Aurelia stumbled out of the building, her shoes making a loud noise across the marble stairs, she was quickly losing her composure and it had everything to do with that bastard.

By his calm expression, she knew that the bastard wasn't surprised at her presence he seemed confident.

It was making her blood boil.

She hadn't been this angry in centuries, but all it took was one quick look at him for all the memories to come stumbling back.

How he looked at her, his fiancee on his arm like she was a foolish girl for believing in love. Like she was the one with the audacity to believe that someone like him, a Knight, now Lord could even consider being with her.

The feeling of betrayal might have been pushed aside but Aurelia wasn't one to forget, or forgive.

But right now it was making her weak. She wouldn't let feelings like anger make her weak. Not in Ketterdam, Kettersam thrived on exploiting the weak.

Aurelia's gold dress stood out in the rougher crowd. Even if she lived in the better parts, no one could be trusted in Ketterdam.

Usually, Aurelia was smarter than this, to walk out exposed to the weather and the other horrors that Ketterdam has to offer.

But Aurelia wasn't in the right headspace, everything felt fuzzy and wrong. People were begging to blur, the crowd around her becoming mere splashes of colour.

The twists and turns of Ketterdams streets that she had long memorised, no longer made sense.

Turning around in panic everything seemed to close in until everything went black.

──────⊹⊱✧⊰⊹──────

The first thing Aurelia noticed was the smell, alcohol, mold and the distinct smell of gun powder.

The second was the noise, loud shots and nagging on tables alerted Aurelia to the fact she was above one of the gambling dens.

Blinking, attempting to regain her eyes sight, Aurelia slowly become aware of the fact that she was on the floor.

A nice carpeted floor, but the floor nonetheless. A smaller room, decorated with a stolen painting of the fold decorated the walls.

The scowling face of Kaz 'Dirty Hands' Brekker greeted Aurelia. Attempting to move her body, Aurelia discovered her hands tied.

No surprises there, but still rather rude.

Across the room, still in the shadows Inej 'the wraith', looked at Aurelia in a manner that conveyed that she was as unhappy at Aurelia's current situation as Aurelia was. She crossed the room, probably with the thought of undoing the ropes around Aurelia's ankles and wrists and helping her up, but before she could reach Aurelia, Brekker's cane swang in front of her and stopped her.

The silent argument between Brekker and Inej amused Aurelia. After a few strong looks from Inej and Brekker's eventual sigh of defeat, Inej came and untied Aurelia's hands.

Aurelia stood up, bracing her hand on a nearby table, still woozy from the probable drugs in her system.

"Why does the Dark King of Ravka, the Black Heretic, the Darkling want you, a spoiled heiress from Ketterdam so much that he would break countless international laws?" Kaz Brekker spoke in a casual tone as if talking about the weather.

His face betrayed no hint of pain but without his cane, which was halfway across the room, his leg still dragged slightly across the floor.

Aurelia had seen injuries, seen lesser men never recover.

"Why would you assume I know what the King wants? As you said I am an heiress for Ketterdam, I have no dealings with politics."

Brekker didn't falter his walk, "We both know what you get up to in your free time, I doubt the 'Oh so Dark King' would want an heiress, but he might want the gilded witch."

Before Aurelia could reply Inej planted papers in front of her, her smile still kind as Brekker continued, "Isn't interesting that these autopsies all conclude with suicide as the cause of death. I wasn't aware so many of Ketterdams population felt inclined to strangle themselves to death-"

The door to the room swung open revealing a dishevelled Roland. "Hi honey, are you ok?"

Jesper Fahey quickly appeared behind him, equally out of breath. Aurelia would have assumed they had both run up here, but by their swollen lips and tousled hair, Aurelia came to a different conclusion.

Quirking an eyebrow in a disapproving look that was Aurelia's signature look, "I'm fine, no thanks to you. Get a bit busy did you." Trailing down Roland's rumpled clothes, humour in her voice.

Aurelia turned to Brekker, "Look I heard some talk about you wanting to buy an apartment and the space above one of the dye houses, that I happen to own. When you let me leave, I'll make sure the right papers fall into your hands."

As usual Kaz Brekkers face revealed nothing, but he stepped back and allowed Aurelia to leave with Roland.

Like anyone who had spent enough time in Ketterdam, Aurelia knew that this was not the last time Aurelia would be seeing Kaz's motley crew.

Stopping a few steps down, Aurelia turned and called out, "Inej, still on for lunch on Wednesday?"