About a half an hour later, a loud rapping sound penetrated Thea and Nikandros' door.
A familiar voice followed a soft rustling in the hallway, "Just me...sir." The innkeeper said quietly.
Nikandros' eyes narrowed. He had heard the innkeeper's reluctance. Nikandros had been trained to be suspicious of anything, and anyone. It came naturally now. He crept to the door and looked through a small crack in the wood. Several men stood in the hallway quietly, one holding a large sword against the innkeeper's neck.
Creeping back to the bed, he quietly roused Thea, "One moment!" Nikandros called and fake yawned, pretending to be sleepy.
"Take yer time." The innkeeper retorted. A loud thump followed his answer with a quiet groan.
Thea slowly opened her eyes. Instantly, she noticed Nikandros' concerned expression, "What is it?" She whispered.
Nikandros pressed a finger to his lips, in a universal signal for quiet, "Climb out the window. No time to explain." She nodded and hurriedly hiked up the skirt of her dress before slipping over the window sill towards the street below.
Not a second later, the door was forced open and the men stormed inside. They narrowed their eyes as one stepped forward, holding his sword against Nikandros' neck before he could react. Nikandros pretended to look completely shocked, "Wh-wha-aat do you wa-ant?" Nikandros asked, pretending to be frightened out of his wits.
The man snorted, "We know who you are. You can drop the act, assassin." Keeping his eyes on Nikandros' the man barked, "Search the room, find the girl."
"Assassin?" Nikandros asked keeping the act up, "Sirs, I ain't an assassin!" He protested, eyes wide.
"Just shut yer mouth."
The men reported back the findings of their search, "She's not here."
The man watching Nikandros scowled, "Where is she?" He growled to Nikandros.
"Wh-where is wh-who?" Nikandros stuttered, still pretending to be frightened.
The man rolled his eyes and punched Nikandros in the face. "Where is your friend?" He spat.
"Wh-what f-friend?" Nikandros asked, stunned by the blow, his ears ringing.
The man ignored Nikandros, "Go search for her. She probably got out by the window." All the men left accept for two.
The man chuckled quietly, "Even if we don't find your friend, I'm sure we'll still get quite the bounty for you." His eyes gleamed evilly.
"B-bounty? For me?" Nikandros asked, pretending to be astounded, "Wha-what did I do?" The man pulled out a worn parchment and held it out for Nikandros. "Why this is for an assassin!" Nikandros exclaimed, "not for me!"
The man looked confused for a second. He pulled the paper back and inspected it. He shook his head, "No. This is you." He confirmed, more for himself than for Nikandros.
"No, that ain't me for sure." Nikandros shook his head, "I'm a loyal citizen to the king. I would never try to kill the prince."
"Well never mind that. You can tell that to the king." The man grabbed Nikandros roughly by the shoulders and held the sword against his neck. He motioned for the other man in the room to come forward, "Tie his hands nice and tight." He snarled, "And if you try to escape, assassin, I will not hesitate to cut you."
"But I ain't no assassin!" Nikandros protested.
They ignored him and tightly tied his hands in front of him. They began to push him forward, when one of the men suddenly felt a sharp pain on his head and slumped to the ground, unconscious. The other man turned around and frowned.
YOU ARE READING
Against all Odds {Middle-Earth fanfic}
Fanfiction"Nice fighting out there. You are finally getting better." She joked. He smiled and rolled his eyes, "Thanks." She grinned, "Yah, well soon you'll be good enough to challenge me." She baited. He laughed, "I would challenge you now, but I'm all tuc...
