Saving Ravenclaw (Severus x Rowena)

4- Lord Siveon

They slept very close together, due to the cold and lack of space, but they did not touch each other directly because the thick cloaks covered them almost completely. The only room in the tavern was dark, except for the last embers in the fireplace, and the only noises that could be heard were the snoring of the men sleeping around them.

Suddenly, the door of the tavern was kicked open, and instantly, dozens of armed soldiers entered the room, shouting and beating and pushing everyone to their feet. Rowena and Severus woke up, confused and sleepy, and instinctively he placed himself in front of her, so that they would not see the woman, who was trying to hide under the hood of her cloak.

The men in the tavern tried to take out their weapons or anything similar to confront the soldiers, but they were easily cornered against the wall, threatened by their attackers' swords. Lord Siveon advanced, without noticing the looks of anger and hatred, until he reached Severus, whom he looked at carefully.

"Snape..." he said, with a crooked smile. Severus was startled when he heard his last name, and tried to find out who the man was, but the mask he was wearing prevented him from recognizing his face. For the moment, Siveon had the advantage. "I see we see each other again," he greeted.

"But who is he?" Severus wondered. That voice sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't remember from were. Lord Siveon noticed Rowena, who was hiding behind Severus, and his crooked smile widened.

"Rowena, you don't need to hide," he crooned. "You can't run away from me. It's a pity that you escaped from the tower, because now I will have to impose a much harsher confinement on you."

"That's not going to happen," Severus muttered, standing firm in front of the woman.

"Are you going to prevent me from fulfilling my duty?" Siveon mocked. "I'm afraid, Snape, that I won't please you again," at that comment, Severus once again had the impression of knowing him, but he couldn't remember. It was as if something didn't fit in his memories.

"I don't think so," Severus replied, defiantly. Lord Siveon acted without warning: he hit him in the stomach, with such force that Severus leaned over, breathless, and grabbed Rowena by the arm, pulling her away from the wall.

The woman began to resist viciously and scream, and Siveon silenced her with a loud slap, which threw the woman against the wall and caused her to fall to the floor. Watching this, Severus lunged at Siveon, and both men hit the ground, struggling to grab the wand or the sword, and to prevent the other from doing so. The soldiers came to their lord's aid, but Rowena stood in their way, her golden eyes shining with anger.

To the first one who approached her, Rowena broke his nose with a punch, to the second one, she hit him in the stomach with her foot, and to the third one she grabbed his wrists, making him raise his hands, and hit him tremendously with her knee in the groin.

As the man bowed in pain, Rowena grabbed his sword and stood on guard, defying anyone who would confront her. She didn't have too many problems, because the travelers from the tavern, taking advantage of the soldiers' distraction, had launched an attack with everything they had at hand, causing a true pitched battle.

Severus and Siveon were rolling on the floor, hitting each other as if they were lifelong enemies, and without paying attention to what was happening around them. Siveon pulled a dagger from his boot and tried to stab it at Severus, but the death eater pinned his arm and pushed him to release the weapon. Siveon charged with renewed strength, and they both rolled on the ground again, with the blade of the dagger mere centimeters from their faces. In that strange fight, Severus was able to lean somewhere and finally managed to move the dagger away, although in that sudden movement, the blade moved against Siveon, tearing his shirt, and digging into his arm.