"Hei! You don't have to push me, you know? I'm already going," Marte said, pulling her shoulder away from the guardsman. Leona and the others were in a similar situation, with guards all around and being led down an increasingly darkening staircase, though Gwili was still nowhere to be seen.
"You will learn to hold your tongue when in the presence of Her Majesty," the guardsman said, giving her a back-handed slap. "Oi! There was no need for that," Neko said, tugging at the chains on his wrists as he leaned in towards the guard who'd just slapped her.
"It's fine, Neko. I'm fine," she said, spitting a wad of blood at the guardsman's feet. "Only weak men hit defenseless women, and I'm pretty sure this one's had his meat cut off and served to him for breakfast," she spat, earning her yet another slap. "Hehe, way to prove my point, prickless," she said, licking the newly formed wound in her mouth.
Nice one, Marte, Bernar thought, trying to hide the grin on his face.
"Enough," Zari shouted from the front of the line as she turned around. "Guardsman, you are not going to touch a single strand of her red hair unless I say so," she snarled. "As you wish, Your Majesty," the guardsman said, quickly changing his demeanor. "And you: Hold your tongue unless you want it cut off with a dull blade," she threatened, glaring at Marte.
Neko's pissed. Does he like her, I wonder? Bernar thought as he saw Neko's brow furrowing deeply.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty," Marte said, trying her best to hide another insult. "You would do well to keep her in line, large one," Zari said, pointing to Thorsen. While he didn't respond verbally, it was evident that he was even more proud of her than Bernar.
At least, that's how Bernar saw it, anyway.
They continued down the tight corridor, turning this way and that through what could be considered a labyrinth of darkened hallways. "How much further do we have to go?" Bernar asked bluntly, making Zari flinch at hearing his voice. "Oh, I didn't realize you were so anxious to be tortured," she replied, desperately trying to maintain her composure.
"Not anxious at all, actually," Bernar began with a slight chuckle. "I'm just starting to wonder if all of your guards hit like children," he taunted, getting a disapproving glare from Leona as she shook her head. "Then, to quell your curiosity, I'll make sure to send the best one just for you, you insolent bastard," she said over her shoulder. "Luckily for you, we're here," she said, standing aside as a rusty steel gate creaked open in the dark.
The torches the guardsmen carried hardly even lit the far corner of the small cell that smelled of old piss and shit that had long since been forgotten. There were the sounds of rats scurrying in the dark away from the light, alongside an intermittent dripping sound from the accumulated moisture so deep underground.
Probably shouldn't tell Leona about the rats, he thought, seeing one of them lay a fresh pebble of shit near the broken, wooden bench.
"Welcome to your new home, Queen of the Whores," Zari said sardonically. Bernar glared at her for a moment in the torchlight, but when he saw Leona's unchanged expression, he reminded himself of the thoughts he had when he saw the knife to her throat.
It's all a part of her plan, or so it seems. Is this how Thoma feels when Taegin and I don't tell him things? he thought, restoring his natural facial features.
"Thank you for the hospitality," Leona said without even a hint of sarcasm, surprising the guardsmen as she walked in willingly. Bernar, followed by Neko, Marte, and Thorsen, stepped into the cell, while the others who remained of Gwili's bandits were taken to another one a few cells down.
As soon as they were done entering the cell, the squeaky cell door was bolted shut, as the hashishin who'd captured Leona sealed it with a ward, giving Bernar a wolfish grin as he did so.
I can't wait to kill him, Bernar thought, responding with a broad, chagrined smile as Zari approached the cell.
"We'll see how much you're smiling after a month here," she said, sticking her nose into the air, her voice gently muffled by the protective barrier. "Oh, dig the sand out of that dusty gash between your legs already. This isn't even that bad. I've been in much worse places than this," Bernar said, imitating her pose with extra sarcasm. The Harutian Queen sneered, glaring at him as he mocked her.
"I'll make sure you are the first to suffer for your disrespect, and then, as you're bleeding out, I'll make you watch as Leona screams for help," she said threateningly, prompting Bernar to chuckle.
"And I'll make sure to turn your entire palace into glass if you touch another hair on her head," Bernar said with a bright smile. "Quit posturing. No one has that much power," Zari scoffed. "No, you're just praying I don't, but if you'd like to find out, I won't shy away from an invitation, Queen Sandy Snatch," he replied, his once-bright smile transforming into a wolfish grin as her face paled.
Her frightened face turned to anger at the name, prompting her to stomp off down the hallway, followed by her guards. When they were gone, Bernar took a seat on the ground and put his head up against the wall with a sigh. "I think that went well," he said sarcastically. "How can you be in such high spirits? We're in a damp, smelly prison cell with no real outlook on getting out anytime soon," Marte asked bluntly.
"Because if she really wanted us dead, this cell would be the least of our worries. Also, because I know Leona wouldn't come here without a plan," he said, tilting his head over to her. She was sitting on the half-rotten bench silently with her eyes closed. "One that you almost ruined," she began, getting up from her seat.
"What did I do?" Bernar asked. "Queen Sandy Snatch? Do I really need to say more? By the Graces, it's like you have no survival instincts," she asked, putting her fingers to the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Well, I kept her attention from noticing Gwili's absence, didn't I?" he asked wryly, catching Leona completely off-guard. "H-how did you…?" she began to ask.
"I trained with Gwili for years, so I know him better than any of you," he answered before she could finish her sentence. "Besides, I could've killed that hashishin that held you at knifepoint, but when I saw your face, I realized you had a plan," he continued.
"You figured all of that out within a few seconds?" Neko asked, amazed at the speed of his decision-making. "I only figured out Gwili had another purpose as we were being dragged down here, but yes," he replied with a shrug.
"While I'm impressed at your deduction abilities, you still didn't need to taunt her like that," Leona said with a sigh. "If I didn't take it as far as I did, she would've noticed Gwili wasn't here," he began, moving towards her and gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "Besides, I wasn't about to let her get away with insulting you like that without any repercussions whatsoever," he said, his eyes glowing in the dark as he stared into hers.
Her eyes opened widely in realization. "Y-you did that for me?" she asked with audible confusion. "Yes? What kind of person would I be if I didn't protect your honor, even if it meant taunting the queen of another country?" Bernar asked, mildly confused at her question. "Sorry. I've just never had anyone stand up for me like that," she said with mild dejection.
He stepped in closer, cupping her thin face in his hands, and kissed her forehead. Even in the dark, he could see Marte and Neko's jaws slamming into the floor beside him. "It's the least I could do. She did deserve it, after all," he said, wrapping his arms around her small frame.