Opposite Sides of History// 0/0 // Closed!

Much more than I'd like to was her immediate thought, but instead, she said, "Not much. I've only seen her in passing with her mother a few times. It's not like she trains with us or anything. She's with the queen most of, if not all the time." While most of what she said was true, it was all partial truths. But the princess did spend the vast majority of her time by the queen's side. Farah could understand why she left.

Farah took time and considered this. If she was going to pick up and leave in search of the princess, she'd need to gather up supplies for the trip. Her parents would find out that she was leaving whether she told them or not, so she'd need to get their permission. It would be less suspicious that way. And she still had to report back to the queen about the battalion's progress for the day. The queen!

Farah's eyes narrowed in thought before she rose to her feet. "I have an idea. But you are not going to like it and there is a very high possibility of it turning south."

Farah laughed very quietly at the too-eager tone in Atria's voice. "Well… I'm going to turn you in," she answered, waiting for her newly established partner's reaction. "It's the only way I can think of to get you into the places I need you to be so we can have the best chance of finding L– the princess." Farah internally cursed for very nearly letting the princess' name slip.

"That necklace I gave you is my most prized possession in all of Eisha," Farah replied plainly. "I won't leave you there. I wouldn't have sworn by the opal's fire that you could trust me if you couldn't." She sighed, reluctant to admit what she was about to say, but she needed this… alliance, of sorts. "I… I need your help with this. I can't find the princess alone, she…" Farah shook her head. "She's… difficult to find."

It's even harder when she's avoiding you specifically, Farah thought. She tugged at the sleeve of her tunic uniform and prepared to head back down the stairwell, but before she could move, Atria's comment made her immensely curious. "Oh, really? And how, may I ask, would you have found out that kind of information?"

"We're doing this now," Farah quickly answered. "If I don't report back for my battalion soon, the queen will become suspicious. But once we're inside the palace, I just need to nab a few things, and then we can escape out the back. Sometimes it pays to be a part of the royal military." She added the last part with a smirk. "I'll also need to get into my own room in my house. There are some things I need from there as well."

Farah nodded. "We'd better get moving then. And… I'll need to tie your wrists again, for effect. The queen has become very paranoid," she revealed, using her dagger blade to tear off another piece of her tunic to use as a binder. "If she doubts any part of my story, we're both as good as dead. Luckily, I've been lying consistently to her for the past five years, and she hasn't suspected a thing in that area, so we should be safe."

"If I say I searched you, they'll believe it. We'll be fine," Farah responded. At Atria's question, Farah realized exactly what she'd said, and her eyes widened. Quickly, she shook her head and focused on resecuring Atria's bind. "It doesn't matter. Little things. Here and there. You know?" She nodded toward the stairs. "After you."

(Also, side note. I feel like this would be a good rp for the trope where one character gets hurt and has to take off her shirt or something so the other can take care of the wounds, and there are a lot of scars on her back, and the character who isn't injured says "who did this to you?")

"I wish you would stop calling me that," Farah hissed as she began to lead Atria back down the steps. She seemed impressed with the girl's ability to change emotions, but two could play at this game. Her features instantly became stoic again, and as the pair reached the ground floor, Farah was quick to spot her battalion patrolling the streets, most likely looking for her. "Here, we go," she muttered. "Are you ready?"

"I promise you, you will be fine," Farah muttered in reply. "Trust me."

With that, she forced Atria out the door and into the street. Seeing her battalion at the end of the road, she started off towards them, practically dragging Atria behind her. It's an act. This is fake, Farah told herself as she donned a very intimidating expression. As the members from her battalion noticed her, their eyes grew wide with simultaneous shock, respect, and fear.

"Won't someone in this worthless group tell me why it is that I was the only one to follow through with our orders?" Farah's words were sharp and ruthless. "You all should thank your lucky stars I was able to catch her before she slipped away and disappeared forever." She tossed Atria out in front of her, making sure to stay closer to her than any of her other battalion members. "And that I won't be telling the queen about this." Every single battalion member heaved a sigh of relief at her words. "But I can assure you," Farah continued, her eyes narrowed and lips pulled tight, "if this happens again, each of you better expect a new assignment post. Or something much worse.”

If Atria was anyone else, Farah would have broken their nose, or worse. Instead, she knelt down and grabbed Atria by a fistful of her hair. She did so as gently as possible while still attempting to make it look realistic. It was a razor-thin line.

“Like hell you will, thief,” Farah sneered, letting go of Atria’s hair and grabbing her arm instead to pull her to her feet. “Let’s go,” she commanded.

Farah led the way, bringing Atria with her as the rest of her battalion fell in silence behind her. She kept a fast pace to stay out of their earshot, and once she was, she murmured “I’m sorry” very discreetly to Atria.

"I couldn't let you go without something that would have been too suspicious," Farah retorted. Briefly, she glanced over her shoulder disguising the effort of seeing how far out of earshot her battalion was by pretending to check on their pace. She turned back around and muttered as quietly as she could. "I'm truly sorry. I did my best to make it painless."

"I told you to trust me. I've been doing this since I was born. I know how to handle myself and a captive," Farah replied, but at Atria's ending remark, she couldn't withhold a small smile. However, it vanished as quickly as it appeared when she looked back again at her battalion. "The queen doesn't have all day," she snapped, and instantly they picked up the pace. Farah shook her head and made a turn down another street. Beyond the buildings of the city, the palace loomed into view.

"Only a few minutes. You'll need to meet Her Majesty, be dismissed, and thrown into a prison cell, but since you'll be with me the entire time, the latter event will not be happening," Farah answered. "I don't expect the Queen to talk to you long. She'll most likely look at you, dismiss you, and then leave. Then we take a detour before escaping. Simple."

That opal meant more to Farah than Atria would ever realize. It hurt her to give it up, but it was a decision Farah had to make. Finding the princess was the most important thing on her mind at any given time of day, and to do so, she had needed to gain the trust of Atria. And what was proved trust to a commoner more than a valuable. The battalion finally arrived at the gates, and when the guards saw Farah, they didn't hesitate to let her pass.

"Lady Dowling," they both acknowledge her with nods of their heads, and Farah nodded back curtly before guiding Atria into the palace's entranceway.

(By the way, I'm sorry I'm not on as much anymore. My parents have decided that I spend too much time on my devices, so I'm not allowed to have them in my bedroom late at night anymore 🙄)