Nefarious Afairs

Chapter four; Part one

Rogue would tell you she had been a wanderer all her life; but that wasn't entirely true, there was a time, once, that her mother settled. For the first time in little eleven year old Rogues' life she'd had a place she could call home; that is, until it all turned to ash.

The boy known as Carter was leaning ever so casually against a large, oak tree.

"And you're supposed to be hiding, not in the clutches of some layabout bounty hunters."

Rogue rolled her eyes, he was clearly avoiding the subject of his supposed death. She decided to play along.

"How's the leg?"

The almost sarcastic comment wasn't lost on him. His mouth quirked, as close to a smile as he ever came. Rogue smiled too, but it was a small smile and not altogether genuine. what is Carter doing here? What does he want? Rogue wasn't fool enough to believe Carter was simply here to exchange pleasantries. No, he wanted something, but what? She decided to get straight to the point.
"What do you want Carter?" Rogues' voice was deadly calm.

"Who's to say I want anything."

He twirled his dagger around and around, occasionally his brushed up against his no longer functional left leg. It was a rather annoying habit he had picked up off Adrian.

"Is it a crime to want to see you, my love?"

Rogue cringed at the word,

"I am not your love, I haven't been since..."

Carter's smiled, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes

"Ah yes. Regardless of current affairs, I have always had your best interest at heart. Adrian would have wanted me to see you. To look after you."

"I don't need you to look after me." She retorted. Rogue knew exactly how Carter looked after things he loved, it wasn't pretty.

When she spoke her voice was cold and distant.

"He's dead, Carter; and it's as much your fault as mine. Leave him out of this." Images of his cold body lingered in her mind for longer than she would have liked.

Carter's mouth turned up into a snarl.

"Dead. Yes, and no thanks to you if I recall; you can't hold me accountable forever Victoria"

The sound of that name chilled Rogue to the core, her brother's face flickered into her mind, along with all the others she had left behind.

Carter opened his mouth to say more when he heard footsteps behind him, he turned slowly to see Aster behind him. One of her blades was out and she looked ready to kill. Carter made to move past her but she grabbed his collar and pushed him up against the tree he had been leaning on. The knife thudded dully into the wood near Carter's head. His eyes were full of fear but he seemed to know that if Aster had wanted him dead she wouldn't have miseed.

"Get back to your post." She growled and then turned to Rogue.

"You,"

she gestured vaguely in her direction.

"Get up."

Rogue did as she was told, not wanting to upset this woman after the display she had just seen and yet, she had to ask.

"Are you the reason I slept out in the cold?"

She gave an evil smile but said nothing, Rogue decided to take this as a yes.

Rogue hauled herself to her feet and found herself being escorted by guards, they were on the move again.
As she stumbled and tripped along the rock, track through the mountains. Rogue could not help but replay the scene over and over. The look of fear in Carter's eyes and Aster's voice saying and the strength and skill at which she held him to the tree.

And since when did Carter run with bounty hunters? That didn't sound like the Carter she knew, but it had been two years, she supposed and he'd different since that night too, but who wouldn't be? It had certainly changed her; and not for the better.

Her feet were chained which was making walking over the uneven road (if you could call it a road) especially troublesome. There were a few times she stumbled so badly she fell, everytime there was a rough hand to yank her upwards and a gruff voice to mutter menacing words in her ear.

They went along like this for many days and Rogue found herself beggining to fall into a rhythm, she was even getting used to sleeping in chains. Some of the guards were getting more comfortable around her too and she'd had no more surprise visits from Carter. Though, looking back it wasn't Carter she should have been worrying about.

Hey there! Yes you, thanks for reading, I know there are a lot of other stories so thanks, if you liked this part let me know in the comments or give me a vote! much abliged, the author.