A Fairy Captain of the Guard [Hold]

Run Run

He pulled on her arm and Fiona felt her body move of its own accord. She was feeling much less human now and more like herself. Thrown out of her initial shock, she could feel the cold air whip through her thin robe that was coated in the blood. She shifted her wings around, keeping them folded, and felt the blood that covered them crack as it dried. It would be a mess to clean if she was able to get out of here.

They didn't speak as they ran through the alleys of the kingdom. Evanswood was large, but the original king designed it well. It was built in a grid pattern. Overtime, new additions to the kingdom had been built slightly off center, causing some of the roads to be tighter than others. The wall around the kingdom had only been finished within the last twenty or so years, having been destroyed fifty years' prior during an attack, and was the strongest wall in all the continent.

The horns grew louder, even as they neared the far east wall, and various homes began to light up in response to the noise. Fiona ran up to the Vampire, still not looking at his face.

"What exactly is your brilliant plan?" She hissed in the darkness. She knew she didn't have to talk loud for him to hear.

He didn't respond for a few more minutes, but as they neared the towering wall he turned and flashed her a smile. Focusing only on his white teeth, Fiona flinched. Every one of his pearly white teeth were pointed.

"Fly us out of here." He pointed to the top and Fiona just shot him a glare in response.

"I can't do that." Before he had come to her with his "plan" she had known she could jump to the top of the Gate. While made of reinforced spikes thicker than the body of ten men, the Gate was five feet shorter than the wall. This was for the bridge that was fashioned over top to allow walking access between the towers that stood on either side of the Gate. There was no way she would make it over any other section of the wall.

"Why not. You're a Fairy." He stated it like she hadn't known already and Fiona finally looked up at her helper's face.

He did not look like the other Vampires in her memories. With only the light of the moon he was pale, but not sickly looking like the others. His face was, she cursed her mind for thinking so, handsome. A strong jaw and straight nose that seemed to be more appropriate on royalty than a Vampire, he would have easily been the most handsome man she had ever seen if not for the scar that ran down his cheek. From his left eyebrow it ran a jagged line down his cheek to the corner of his mouth. A mouth that was turned down at her obvious appraisal.

"You done?" He barked, causing her eyes to meet his. She was not surprised when she saw they were just like any other Vampires – an eerie blood red.

She ignored him. "This was your plan? How did you get in here in the first place, Vampire?" She felt her stiff wings begin to flutter against the robe. Not only would she have to undress to fly, but it would take far too long for her to stretch them out and ensure they were clean enough to fly both of them. Fairy wings were a rather difficult and stubborn form of transportation.

The red eyes rolled at her response and she felt the Vampire grab her hand again.

"Fine." His voice was sharp and, like a petulant child, he huffed. "We'll go the hard way."

Fiona wasn't able to ask what exactly that meant as he yet again pulled on her hand, leading her to the north.

Time was not on their side. It had only been about five minutes since they ran from the Gate – with her Fairy and his Vampire speed their travel was much shorter than any on the Guard could hope to achieve – but still she could hear the screams and shouts. The town knew.

They ran only a short time until they came to the one place she had expected least.

"Here?" She asked, staring at the muddy pond in front of her. Erin's Pond, named for the queen who was rumored to have requested the pond formed. It was legend that it cost a hundred lives as she ruthlessly ordered the workers to dig a moat from the nearby rushing river to the large hole that she created inside the kingdom. No one knew if Erin existed, so Fiona had decided long ago it was a tale to scare children away from the pond. It worked and few ever visited.

The pond was covered in thick green and brown foam. It was always at it's worse after the winter, having frozen and unfrozen multiple times through the season. Some townspeople threw trash in during the summer. Brennan had spoken about trying to clean it up and restore it – give it a better name – but he had grown too busy with his marriage to start.

"You couldn't have thought your precious wall was that protective." The Vampire sneered as he pushed her in the water. The water felt like ice on her skin and Fiona felt all the air leave her lungs. Pushing up with her feet she emerged and gasped for breath, just barely making it in time before he pulled her back under.

The pond was only six feet in depth at maximum and quickly elevated to meet the wall that was built around it. Four metal bars, each thicker than her arms, held the wall up around the small part of the pond that met the flowing river on the outside.

Fiona saw this spot as the Vampire dragged her towards it. She knew the previous king had planned this spot with the most work. Every part of the wall was meticulously planned to keep the kingdom safe.

"You can't get out –," she stopped as she saw the break in the bar. To an ordinary person it would be unnoticeable, but she could see the small line, neatly cut through the bars. It was only visible close so she knew then why no one had noticed.

"How long has this been here." She snapped as the Vampire let go of her hand to grab the bars. Even though they were thick, they were no match for the Vampire. Using both hands, he bent them one by one.

"How long has the wall existed?" He asked, not looking at her. With his strength and the assistance of the cuts, the bars were still metal and took him a few seconds each to move. Once open, he pulled his body through the mud onto the other side, offering his hand to help her through the small opening.

Once on the other side he bent the bars back into perfect alignment. It looked as if they had never been bent before and Fiona shuddered at the thought how many might have used this method before them.

"Is there any way to seal it?" She asked once he was finished. She was still Captain as far as she was concerned. She couldn't leave such an open threat to the people.

"It's been like this for years." He hissed, grabbing her hand. She was getting real tired of his grabbing and snatched her hand from his.

"We can't leave it like this what if-,"

"What if a Vampire and Fairy sneak back in to be beheaded by their own stupidity?" The Vampire cut her off. His eyes were wide as they stared at her incredulously. "Think, Captain," he spat out the word like it was sour, "you've never known of it before and neither has your king. They aren't going to help you right now. Do them the same kindness and let's leave before they actually grow some knowledge and figure out we've escaped." This time he simply held out his hand, his eyes glowing in the darkness as the moon was hidden behind the large trees of the forest. She finally noticed they were on the edge of the forest to the north of the Kingdom.

Fiona had never felt her heart break. Even as a child, running from those who didn't or choose not to understand her species, she did not feel the tear at her heart. She knew they were ignorant and, in some cases, evil. She knew she would not be able to change all of their minds and she did not care.

Now she was going to take the step that meant leaving all she had worked for. In the frenzy of the last hour or so she went from the most powerful woman in the kingdom – on par with the queen even – to the most wanted, running with a man (no, thing) she had never met to a place she did not know.

Her hand, muddy and cold, grabbed onto his. For the first time in the night his hand did not feel like ice as it touched hers.

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