Mistress Morrigan

Chapter four - Escape

Chapter Four

Xavier tried exceedingly hard not to stare at her as she slept. It was hard, though, what with her long lashes casting shadows across her cheeks, the beautiful curves of her lips, the light blush on her face. The gentle way her chest rose and fell with each breath... No. Stop! She just got through torturing you! Come on now! Get it together, man! he thought viciously to himself. Even after thinking these things, he still stared at her. A while later, when she shifted in her sleep, he jumped guiltily. The rest of the night, he stared at the wall, trying to get his chaotic thoughts in order. Why was he feeling this way? He honestly had no idea whatsoever. It's not like he harbored any feelings for the woman. Certainly not!

He sighed, and admitted that he did harbor feelings for her, but not any of the good ones. While Xaviers thoughts were a mess, Morrigan dreamed. She dreamed of her baby boy, and making a run for it, as Xavier had put it. Her dream self thought that making a run for it would be a good idea. After all, what had Lord Rahl really given her? A place to live? Family? This was as he put it. But in her subconscious mind, she knows what they really are. A prison, and tormentors. A plan began to form. She would take Xavier through the halls of the place, and if any guard stopped her, which was doubtful, she would tell him in her best mord-sith voice, that Xavier was acting up, and she wanted him to sleep outside. If he asked about the bag she would be carrying with her, she would tell him nonchalantly that she didn't want him to freeze. She suddenly sat up in bed with a gasp. This made Xavier jump, and his heart jump into his throat. 

"What is it?!" he asked, looking panickly around the room. If something woke her up like that, it was most definitely not good.

"Nothing," she gasped, clutching at her throat. The realization of what she about to do had really shaken her. And it takes a lot to shake her. 

Xavier gazed at her, and thought she looked beautiful. Not that she hadn't looked beautiful before, it was just without a haughty expression, she looked purer. Kinder. And then it all went away as quickly as he saw it.

"What are you staring at?" she snapped, glaring at him.

"Um... Nothing?"

"That's what I thought."

She got up and out of bed, and he did his best to ignore the fact that she wearing nothing but her underclothes. She got a rather large bag, and  threw him the bag he had forgotten about. He had had it the day she captured him. How many days ago was that? It couldn't have been that many... And already, he was forgetting the little details, like that fact that had a bag... He looked through it. He found his wedding ring, which gave him guilty feelings, and so he put it gently near the bottom of the bag. He found a few changes of clothes, and a few food items. He put the bag down, and wondered where he had been going. He glanced up to find she had slipped on a white silken nightgown. He frowned. She hadn't packed any of her leathers. He wondered why. 

He watched her put her Agiel gently in the bag, almost as he had with his wedding ring. She stared at it for a moment, then shook her head the smallest bit. She packed some more practical things, like some medicines, food items, and two water skins. She grabbed a sword she had leaning against the wall, and packed a few knives in her bag. She glanced up at him. She then got out the collar. His breath quickened with panic. She stepped towards him. He stepped back. She stepped quicker towards him, and snapped it around his neck.

She frowned at his paniced look. He looked as if he were about to dart. 

"I need you to be in a collar and chain so that it looks convincing. Come on. Let's get this over and done with before I change my mind." He let out a breath of relief. She hooked the chain up to the collar, and tugged him along, surprisingly gently. Her entire countenance changed, however, when they ran into the first guard. He got that hardened look all mord-sith had on her face, and now was anything but gentle. She jerked on the leash extremely hard, and growled at him to pick up the pace. This is what I should have been doing before, she thought, why didn't I? If he had hurried, we could have been done with this by now. She shook her head at her stupidness. Well, a small voice argued in the back of her mind, maybe it's because you know how being tortured feels. You know that sometimes, even after a small time in the hard embrace of torture, that even the strongest need a little slack... Her brow furrowed. Her face turned stony once again, when the guard opened his mouth. 

"Excuse me, miss, what are you doing up at this late hour?" he inquired. 

She smiled sweetly and innocently at him. She dug through her bag, and retrieved the Agiel. 

"You do not recognize me for who I am?" she asked sweetly. Quickly, she put a hand on his shoulder, and twirled him so that his back was to the wall. Too late, he realized. She pressed the Agiel viciously against the back of his neck. Xavier cringed, and looked away. I have to get away, he reminded himself. The guard promptly fainted from pain. She held on to him, and lay him gently on the floor, so that he did not make a sound. That wasn't exactly how she had wanted it to go, but she didn't appreciate the guards question. He should have recognized her. And yet, he didn't. It was no matter now, though. Then, she thought about it. Without her leathers, people wouldn't recognize her for a mord-sith. You could start over... the little voice whispered to her. She thought about listening to the little voice. Then, she reprimanded herself. You will always be marked for what you are, she thought, and she tugged, a little harder than before, on Xavier's leash. 

They made their way through the twisting hallways of the place, and finally made it to the door. There were two guards on duty, but they were both snoring. They went silently past them, and set foot outside.