14th Vhalar, 711
Silence was comfortable for some and fear inducing for others.
For Ryder, it was always the latter. He'd hated isolation since realizing what it finally felt like to have someone there at your side. Waking up and not being alone in a cold world like this had given him a new, unspeakable warmth. As if a cloak of fur was forever wrapped around his heart, to protect him from the bitterness around and fill him with love and care. It was a feeling Ryder was unfamiliar with, he'd only ever had a few people care for him and they'd died when he was young. He spent most of his life without anyone to say he cared about, or to tell him that they cared about him.
As his conscious regained, her face was the only thing even remotely clear to him, hands and legs bound behind her back. Ryder was in the same position, facing opposite her. Her deep eyes watched him, tears streaming down her cheeks as Ryder glanced up at her. His nose felt bloody and painful, his head aching incredibly. Chances were his nose was broken, and it wouldn't have been the first time.
"Ryder!" Bella called out to him, snapping him out of the daze and waking him. Ryder looked up at her, feeling a sharp rage flood through him as he tried to struggle in the binds. He let out a small snarl as he tried to struggle, before one of the men grabbed his hair from behind and held him in his place. "Stop your fucking moving, you backstabbing little prick" the man grumbled, before pushing Ryder back to the ground. Ryder sat himself up with a growl.
"Who the fuck are you and what do you want?" he said viciously to the men, a deep anger filling him seeing Bella in such a vulnerable position with nothing he could do. One of the men chuckled and knelt down in front of him, face close to his own.
"Well, Ryder. We're some friends of an employer of yours. An employer you took money from without keeping your end of the bargain. An employer who's tired of having his money taken by you. That ring any bells for you, Ryder?"
As the realization came to Ryder, he felt a surge of energy through him. He struggled in his binds more and more, the rope starting to burn away at his skin, causing him to bleed lightly. Bella started to sob, incoherent words leaving her mouth as the men grabbed Ryder and ripped his shirt open, a vial of liquid in their hands. Two held his arms to stop his struggling as the third poured the entire vial over the man's torso, coating his chest and stomach. A weird sensation went through Ryder, causing what felt like intense pins and needles on his torso, every movement making him wince a little.
"What are you doing to him?! Stop it, please!" Bella cried. One of the men gestured his head to another, causing him to let go of Ryder's arm and take Ryder's shirt. He wrapped it up tight and made it in to a small gag, forcing it in to the girls mouth and tying it behind her head. Her sobs became muffled, her cries incoherent and unable to be heard as she tried to scream for mercy. But gag or not, mercy wouldn't be found tonight, as Ryder was soon to learn.
Behind him, Ryder felt a cold blade press in to the back of his shoulder blades. "See, Ryder. When this poison is poured on someone, it makes whatever it touches a little more sensitive" the man explained, running the flat of the blade up over his shoulder and towards his chest. "So what would normally hurt a little becomes unbearable. Something like this."
With a sudden slash across his chest, Ryder's nerves heightened massively, a cry of pain burst out of the man. He'd never felt pain like it, the cry of pain almost matched by the muffled scream of terror from Bella opposite him. Blood ran down his chest, the blade cutting deep. Heavy breaths left the man as he tried to regain control of his body from the excruciating pain it was in. Breathing was strenuous and difficult, sweat pouring down his face.
"I'll fucking kill you" he muttered under his breath. Cold, vicious eyes looked up at the man that was holding the blade as Ryder found himself struggling more in his binds, adrenaline near to numbing the rope-burn on his wrist. He jolted up suddenly, making the man take a step backwards with fear evident on his face. "I'm gonna slit your fucking throat you cunt!"
One of the men came in front of him and threw a solid punch to the side of his cheek, knocking Ryder on to his side on the floor. His body crumpled almost instantly and he felt his vision go slightly blurred again, the blow making his head ache with agonizing amounts of pain. But he ignored it, refusing to show fear. Nothing they did to him would make him show fear.
As he was brought back to his knees, the man he'd scared undid the gag around his girlfriends mouth. Tears poured down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly, wanting it all to stop. She'd spent the day planning what they could do next, what journeys and adventures the two could go on together. All she had wanted was to take the coldness from Ryder. When she'd met him, he was just as he was at work. He was cold, almost hollow. But she saw more than that in him - and she brought that warm care out of him. Very quickly, she'd fallen in love with him, and him with her.
"Please...please stop it. We'll give the money back, we'll pay it all back and more. Just please leave him alone" she begged, her pained voice making Ryder's heart stop in his chest. A tear streamed down his cheek, the feeling of love one that was new to him. Of everyone he had ever met, none cared for him like Bella had. None of them stayed by his side through his mistakes. Through his outbursts of anger and frustration. Nobody but her saw anything more in him than a cold, empty shell. Because nobody but her could bring out more than that.
Placing a hand on her cheek, the man knelt down in front of Bella. Ryder glanced aside, trying to stop the tears from pouring. He wouldn't show them weakness, he couldn't. "We will be getting our money back, my sweet. But first, someone has to pay for it with more than just gold" he smirked, no sympathy to his voice. "One of you gets to leave here alive. You or your precious boyfriend. The other dies."
Ryder's eyes widened as he looked back to Bella, the space between them now clear, their eyes meeting. Her mouth opened to speak, but Ryder interrupted her. "Don't you dare" he muttered, his vision blurry from the tears. "Don't you dare leave me on my own. Don't you fucking dare!" he screamed.
Bella smiled lightly, a small sob leaving her mouth. "It's okay Ryder. You're not going to be alone. It's okay. I promise you that it's okay. I'm not going to leave you alone again."
Ryder finally broke, a sob escaping his lips as the tears rolled down his cheeks like a river flowing. He'd never admit it to himself, but it was loneliness that terrified him the most. Now that he had love and care, he never wanted to lose it. There was never a day he didn't want to wake up by her side, never a day that it was better to not spend time. Even when things had been hard, she made them easy just by saying those words. Those god forsaken words - 'it's okay'.
"I'm going to protect you Bella" he sobbed. "I'm going to keep you safe, and I'm going to quit my job as a mercenary for you. I'm going to start us a new life somewhere beautiful, and work a safer job and earn us money. Just like you always said you wanted in the future. We'll be safe and nothing will hurt you because I'll protect you."
As those words left his mouth, and a smile spread across her face, she found herself grabbed by their captor. Her hair was pulled back to reveal her throat, which a knife was put to. Ryder froze with fear, trying to get words out. 'No' formed in his mouth, but came out as a hollow sound, struggling to break free of the mouth it left.
With one last sob, Bella looked down, her eyes falling to the mercenary. "I love you, Ryder" she muttered, the fear making her shake. Ryder's voice remained lost, however, only a sob escaping his lips as he looked at her. Tears ran as his vision became blurry. But no amount of blur hid the truth, as the woman's throat was slit in front of him.
"No!" Ryder screamed as his voice burst back, finally finding the words. "No! Stop it!" his voice screamed through the house. He struggled in his binds, finally breaking one hand free of them, burning his entire forearm as he did. He grabbed at the rope on his legs and pulled a leg free, before running to Bella. All of the men around drew weapons, but let him do what he had to. It wasn't out of respect, however, but twisted glee. Seeing him suffer, watching her bleed helplessly - it made them smile.
Ryder knelt over the woman, putting his hand on her cheek, her head resting on his knees. Incoherent sobbing escaped as he pressed his forehead against hers, thoughts running through his head at near the same speed tears fell down his cheeks. Words found no way of explaining his emotion, but the scream of anger that left his mouth did as he roared with a deep, feral hatred. He'd lost everything he had for a second time in his life - and he hated it. He hated all of it.
As he turned to face his captors, he saw their weapons. But he didn't care about it. Nothing was going to stop him. But as he took a step forward to the two, the last one from behind swiped his legs out from under him, causing his head to hit the floor and daze him.
"Bring him with us - alive. I'm sure the boss will love to see this."
Silence was comfortable for some and fear inducing for others.
For Ryder, it was always the latter. He'd hated isolation since realizing what it finally felt like to have someone there at your side. Waking up and not being alone in a cold world like this had given him a new, unspeakable warmth. As if a cloak of fur was forever wrapped around his heart, to protect him from the bitterness around and fill him with love and care. It was a feeling Ryder was unfamiliar with, he'd only ever had a few people care for him and they'd died when he was young. He spent most of his life without anyone to say he cared about, or to tell him that they cared about him.
As his conscious regained, her face was the only thing even remotely clear to him, hands and legs bound behind her back. Ryder was in the same position, facing opposite her. Her deep eyes watched him, tears streaming down her cheeks as Ryder glanced up at her. His nose felt bloody and painful, his head aching incredibly. Chances were his nose was broken, and it wouldn't have been the first time.
"Ryder!" Bella called out to him, snapping him out of the daze and waking him. Ryder looked up at her, feeling a sharp rage flood through him as he tried to struggle in the binds. He let out a small snarl as he tried to struggle, before one of the men grabbed his hair from behind and held him in his place. "Stop your fucking moving, you backstabbing little prick" the man grumbled, before pushing Ryder back to the ground. Ryder sat himself up with a growl.
"Who the fuck are you and what do you want?" he said viciously to the men, a deep anger filling him seeing Bella in such a vulnerable position with nothing he could do. One of the men chuckled and knelt down in front of him, face close to his own.
"Well, Ryder. We're some friends of an employer of yours. An employer you took money from without keeping your end of the bargain. An employer who's tired of having his money taken by you. That ring any bells for you, Ryder?"
As the realization came to Ryder, he felt a surge of energy through him. He struggled in his binds more and more, the rope starting to burn away at his skin, causing him to bleed lightly. Bella started to sob, incoherent words leaving her mouth as the men grabbed Ryder and ripped his shirt open, a vial of liquid in their hands. Two held his arms to stop his struggling as the third poured the entire vial over the man's torso, coating his chest and stomach. A weird sensation went through Ryder, causing what felt like intense pins and needles on his torso, every movement making him wince a little.
"What are you doing to him?! Stop it, please!" Bella cried. One of the men gestured his head to another, causing him to let go of Ryder's arm and take Ryder's shirt. He wrapped it up tight and made it in to a small gag, forcing it in to the girls mouth and tying it behind her head. Her sobs became muffled, her cries incoherent and unable to be heard as she tried to scream for mercy. But gag or not, mercy wouldn't be found tonight, as Ryder was soon to learn.
Behind him, Ryder felt a cold blade press in to the back of his shoulder blades. "See, Ryder. When this poison is poured on someone, it makes whatever it touches a little more sensitive" the man explained, running the flat of the blade up over his shoulder and towards his chest. "So what would normally hurt a little becomes unbearable. Something like this."
With a sudden slash across his chest, Ryder's nerves heightened massively, a cry of pain burst out of the man. He'd never felt pain like it, the cry of pain almost matched by the muffled scream of terror from Bella opposite him. Blood ran down his chest, the blade cutting deep. Heavy breaths left the man as he tried to regain control of his body from the excruciating pain it was in. Breathing was strenuous and difficult, sweat pouring down his face.
"I'll fucking kill you" he muttered under his breath. Cold, vicious eyes looked up at the man that was holding the blade as Ryder found himself struggling more in his binds, adrenaline near to numbing the rope-burn on his wrist. He jolted up suddenly, making the man take a step backwards with fear evident on his face. "I'm gonna slit your fucking throat you cunt!"
One of the men came in front of him and threw a solid punch to the side of his cheek, knocking Ryder on to his side on the floor. His body crumpled almost instantly and he felt his vision go slightly blurred again, the blow making his head ache with agonizing amounts of pain. But he ignored it, refusing to show fear. Nothing they did to him would make him show fear.
As he was brought back to his knees, the man he'd scared undid the gag around his girlfriends mouth. Tears poured down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly, wanting it all to stop. She'd spent the day planning what they could do next, what journeys and adventures the two could go on together. All she had wanted was to take the coldness from Ryder. When she'd met him, he was just as he was at work. He was cold, almost hollow. But she saw more than that in him - and she brought that warm care out of him. Very quickly, she'd fallen in love with him, and him with her.
"Please...please stop it. We'll give the money back, we'll pay it all back and more. Just please leave him alone" she begged, her pained voice making Ryder's heart stop in his chest. A tear streamed down his cheek, the feeling of love one that was new to him. Of everyone he had ever met, none cared for him like Bella had. None of them stayed by his side through his mistakes. Through his outbursts of anger and frustration. Nobody but her saw anything more in him than a cold, empty shell. Because nobody but her could bring out more than that.
Placing a hand on her cheek, the man knelt down in front of Bella. Ryder glanced aside, trying to stop the tears from pouring. He wouldn't show them weakness, he couldn't. "We will be getting our money back, my sweet. But first, someone has to pay for it with more than just gold" he smirked, no sympathy to his voice. "One of you gets to leave here alive. You or your precious boyfriend. The other dies."
Ryder's eyes widened as he looked back to Bella, the space between them now clear, their eyes meeting. Her mouth opened to speak, but Ryder interrupted her. "Don't you dare" he muttered, his vision blurry from the tears. "Don't you dare leave me on my own. Don't you fucking dare!" he screamed.
Bella smiled lightly, a small sob leaving her mouth. "It's okay Ryder. You're not going to be alone. It's okay. I promise you that it's okay. I'm not going to leave you alone again."
Ryder finally broke, a sob escaping his lips as the tears rolled down his cheeks like a river flowing. He'd never admit it to himself, but it was loneliness that terrified him the most. Now that he had love and care, he never wanted to lose it. There was never a day he didn't want to wake up by her side, never a day that it was better to not spend time. Even when things had been hard, she made them easy just by saying those words. Those god forsaken words - 'it's okay'.
"I'm going to protect you Bella" he sobbed. "I'm going to keep you safe, and I'm going to quit my job as a mercenary for you. I'm going to start us a new life somewhere beautiful, and work a safer job and earn us money. Just like you always said you wanted in the future. We'll be safe and nothing will hurt you because I'll protect you."
As those words left his mouth, and a smile spread across her face, she found herself grabbed by their captor. Her hair was pulled back to reveal her throat, which a knife was put to. Ryder froze with fear, trying to get words out. 'No' formed in his mouth, but came out as a hollow sound, struggling to break free of the mouth it left.
With one last sob, Bella looked down, her eyes falling to the mercenary. "I love you, Ryder" she muttered, the fear making her shake. Ryder's voice remained lost, however, only a sob escaping his lips as he looked at her. Tears ran as his vision became blurry. But no amount of blur hid the truth, as the woman's throat was slit in front of him.
"No!" Ryder screamed as his voice burst back, finally finding the words. "No! Stop it!" his voice screamed through the house. He struggled in his binds, finally breaking one hand free of them, burning his entire forearm as he did. He grabbed at the rope on his legs and pulled a leg free, before running to Bella. All of the men around drew weapons, but let him do what he had to. It wasn't out of respect, however, but twisted glee. Seeing him suffer, watching her bleed helplessly - it made them smile.
Ryder knelt over the woman, putting his hand on her cheek, her head resting on his knees. Incoherent sobbing escaped as he pressed his forehead against hers, thoughts running through his head at near the same speed tears fell down his cheeks. Words found no way of explaining his emotion, but the scream of anger that left his mouth did as he roared with a deep, feral hatred. He'd lost everything he had for a second time in his life - and he hated it. He hated all of it.
As he turned to face his captors, he saw their weapons. But he didn't care about it. Nothing was going to stop him. But as he took a step forward to the two, the last one from behind swiped his legs out from under him, causing his head to hit the floor and daze him.
"Bring him with us - alive. I'm sure the boss will love to see this."
