forum It's A Deal Then //Private with Chogiwae//Closed

Started April 07, 2020 by @gracehustle

tune

With the two different plates balance on his arms and the two large buckets of water hanging from his hands, Venali looked like a servant as he walked back. He grunted from the strain it put on his shoulder but didn't say anything else as he passed Raina's room to bring her brother food first. "I brought food and water, clean yourself up." He said simply to the boy, getting one of the nearby guards to open the door so he could set the plate and bucket right inside the door. "Tomorrow you can see your sister if you behave."

That was enough interaction with the kid. He didn't hear any response and frankly didn't want to stick around long enough to see if he was going to get a response.

Now to bring Raina food.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much do you hate me?" Venali asked, opening her door and copying the same movement to set down the things he carried inside her cell. He backed out of the cell right after, locking the door and leaning against the wall so he could talk to her. If she wanted to talk to him that was.

Serena could not relax as she paced around the cell, being away from Alec and her knife driving her to the edge. She knew that unless she saw for herself that Alec was okay, she wouldn’t be able to rest.

But then the door opened and Serena tensed, stepping into a proper stance, but it was only Venali. He spared her no glance as he walked out after setting a few things in her cell. Her eyes flickered to it to realize he’d brought her food. And water, probably to wash up. And wash up where, exactly?

“On a scale of one to ten, how much do you hate me?”

Serena quirked an eyebrow at the door. Was that stupid question even a question?

“If you were one fire and I had water to extinguish it, I’d drink the water,” she snorted, eyeing the food. It was just some rice, bread, and a bit of curry and butter. “Did you give some to Alaric? Enough of it?”

"Ah, that's harsh." He shook his head and acted offended, even though he knew all humans hated Fae and she was no exception. "Your brother got the same amount that you have, if that's the answer you're looking for," Venali said simply, sighing as he sat down outside of the door. He paid her no attention, rolling up his right sleeve again and gently poking the newest marking.

Three bands, guessing that his uncle chose that design to permanently signify how much his life was now tied to those of two humans. It didn't look half bad though, looking like the bands was stopping the spread of his other marking from spreading to the rest of his body.

"I told your brother that if he behaved, he would be able to see you tomorrow. Do you think he'll listen to that?" Venali asked. It confused him how much he was talking to this human, but he figured it was just a side effect of the bond and the fact that if she died, he would too.

Serena inhaled sharply and told herself to keep calm. Alec was safe. He had food. Slowly, she picked up her spoon and took a slow bite, grimacing at the taste that met her tongue. Even with all the spices in the world, their food was trash. Or maybe it was because she was a prisoner. It didn't matter; Serena was starving. With a wince, she rolled her shoulder again, testing it to see if it still hurt. It did, but it was bearable now.

"Yes, he would," she said quietly, begrudgingly. She knew he'd have a lot to say to her, so he'd keep quiet, behave, and wait until he could see her. She sighed before looking back at the door and sneering, "Don't you have some business to take care of, dog? Such as, I don't know, murder some families? Ruin some lives?"

Serena wondered what her first task would be, and when. And whether she was prepared for it not. No matter, she'd make sure she was. She had to protect Alec, and she knew now that Venali wouldn't let her die.

Then it dawned on her. She'd practically sold her soul to the devil. Even if she passed, she would be unlikely to leave. Serena cursed herself silently. She had been too caught up in trying to protect Alec that she missed that part. She was such an idiot.

Venali snorted, though did stand like he had somewhere to go. "Like I said before, I am no one's dog, so I would advise you not to call me that again. I am the one that is supposed to take care of you, I hope you know. And sorry to disappoint, but murdering families and ruining lives isn't really something I do." He rolled down his sleeve again and put on his best fake smile, "The mark hurts more the second day, so you know."

His uncle had probably given him hundreds of things to do by now, something he enjoyed doing every time his nephew ignored him. It left Venali in a predicament since his favorite thing to do was ignore his uncle.

With his last comment, he walked off, humming softly to himself and heading straight for the training room to work his stress out.

Lies. Faeries lived for murder. It was in their blood, something they could never shake off. Tormenting humans gave them a sick sense of power. And the way this one addressed her as if reminding her that her comfort was in his hands… it made her frustrated. If only she could peg their egos down a notch, remind them that their power was only temporary. That beneath their beautiful skin and stupid abilities, they were nothing more than savages.

But then Venali was gone and she was left alone in her cell. Mulling over his last words, she slid down her shirt to drag a finger over the mark. She grimaced.

Then she ate, forcing the food down her throat, knowing she might not get any after this, and then took the rag he brought with the bucket of water. She slowly began to wash the dirt off of herself, careful not to stand in front of the door or anywhere in sight. There was no soap, so she was still dirty, but at least she'd look a little cleaner. No more mud on her cheeks, nor in her hair, arms, or anywhere it itched.

Then she began to pace around the cell again, waiting for the Fae to return with instructions.

[Time Skip: Following Day]

Venali didn't stop back at the cells for the rest of the day. He did give strict orders to the guards though to make sure both Raina and her brother got dinner as well as breakfast the following morning.

As he had guessed, his uncle had piled task after task onto him until he was exhausted. Even then his tasks weren't done, and so he got up early the following morning to finished everything up. His thoughts drifted to the human he was bound to the whole time, sure that if his arm was this sore, her's would be even worse. That thought was the thought that pushed him to visit her at lunch, bringing food for her as well as a few painkillers out of sympathy. One of the other guards took her brother's lunch and delivered it to him.

"How are you feeling today? Was I right?" Venali asked, unlocking her door and sliding food and pills in before shutting it again. He took his spot outside her door again, sitting down with a soft sigh. His own painkillers were finally kicking in, leaving his shoulder happily numb.

Not only had Serena been unable to get decent sleep, her shoulder hadn't stopped burning. It felt like it had been dipped into molten lava, torn to pieces, and then stitched back together. If she hadn't been able to sleep before, then the chances of catching any sleep were nonexistent at this point.

So she stayed awake, tossing and turning, gripping her shoulder tightly in hopes of lessening the pain. If she ever saw the Fae king again, she'd kill him. She'd do it nice and slow, dragging out his torture until–

"How are you feeling today? Was I right?"

The annoying voice floated through the door and breaking the little bubble around her. Serena hissed and pushed herself to her feet, breathing heavily through her nose.

"If this is your idea of mocking me, then I'm afraid you're doing a poor job at it," she exhaled sharply. "What do you want?"

"Good afternoon to you too," He drawled, pointing to the food and small cup of pills, "Painkillers, as well as food. I came to let you see your brother, but maybe I'll just wait another day if you're in a bad mood." Venali rolled his shoulder, glancing over it at her with a cocked eyebrow, "Do you want to see him today?"

It was a petty thing to hold above her head like a prize, but also something he knew he would have to have control over if he wanted them both to behave.

"Eat up, once you're done we'll go see him." He stood slowly, leaning against the side of her doorway, "How did you sleep? The idiots out here didn't keep you up, did they?"

Serena hissed, then bit back any sarcastic remarks. She wanted to see Alec, and she was sure he wanted to see her, too. She wouldn't screw this up for them. Though she hated the thought of this Fae holding their meeting over her head. She wanted to gauge his eyeballs out for the way he was looking at her cockily.

She slowly made her way to the tray of food, her bad arm limp while the other lifted up the tray. Then she sat back down on the bed and bit into her bread, closing her eyes in the process.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" she muttered under her breath. "I wasn't aware a Fae cared about the comfortableness of someone other than himself."

Then she paused, opened her eyes and blinked.

"You're a half-breed," she tilted her head to the side, using the term half-Fae hate. "I wondered why your life was barely acknowledged by your bastard king."

Venali was about to answer her first string of subtle insult when she brought up his half-Fae heritage. "Don't call me a half-breed." He growled, his golden eyes flashing. He stood up straight and glaring at the girl inside the cell, "I am a half-Fae. Nothing else than that." She had been true about his life being worth nothing in the eyes of his uncle. Eldon despised his nephew. The mistake offspring of his too caring brother and some human his brother claimed he loved.

"I have much better things to do with my time than babysit you, I'm here only so you can visit your brother and because I thought you would want to know when you're first tournament is." He shrugged, brushing off her comment about his heritage within a moment and going back to his normal attitude when dealing with her.

“Oh, did I hurt your little feelings?” Serena crooned, hate lacing her voice. “My apologies. I was wrong to assume you’d willingly mingle with filth and dirt.”

Then she hissed, pain flashing through her shoulder again. She picked up the painkillers and took one, swallowing it with water. Then she licked her lips and locked eyes with the Fae’s beautiful, yet angry eyes.

“Do you know of the Fae with a scythe over his back?” she finally asked, deciding she might as well fish for information. “Ten years ago, he may have massacred a shipment—“ those words were so hard to spit out—“of humans, and possibly even tortured a few before their deaths. Do you know of him?”

"Who said I wouldn't?" He replied, snapping back at her with a wink to hide the anger that was rising from her words. Acting like he didn't care was much easier than showing that he did anyway.

Venali shrugged as she asked her questions, getting back at her with a simple response sure to make her angry, "Sure I do. That's all I'm going to say though." He watched her through the bars of her cell door, sighing and motioning for her to hurry up. "I don't have all day, get going before your time to talk to your brother runs out."

He wasn't lying in saying he didn't have all day, he was just..bending the truth. Half of the day was already gone anyway, meaning what he said was true. A perk of being a Fae.

Serena would have snarled, she would have demanded answers, but the second Venali mentioned the decreasing time with her brother, she instantly held herself back. She couldn’t butcher that up.

She swallowed the last piece of bread, drank her water, set the tray aside, and stood up. Her rice and curry were still unfinished, but she’d be willing to wait until dinner to eat. It wasn’t like it was a new thing for her to starve herself. She’d done that plenty of times, whether it was intentional or not.

“Let’s go,” she said, dusting her hands. “Take me to Alaric.”

(This word changing thing is messing with me lol)

"Eat the rest of your food." Venali watched as she left the rice and curry on the plate, guessing she did so because she wanted to see Alaric. If she wanted to get strong enough to compete, she had to eat. She was stick and bones, something that would get her killed as soon as she took a step into any of the competitions. "I'm not negotiating on that."

He leaned back against the wall, purposely letting out a bored sigh. It was only the second day of dealing with Raina and already he was sick of it. She knew how to annoy him beyond belief and how to make him mad, both things no one else had been able to do besides his uncle. Spending the rest of his life bonded to her was going to be torturous.

Serena scowled. She was bound to that thing for the rest of her life? She couldn't wait to be rid of him. With a growl, she saw back down and began to eat quickly, wasting no second in finishing up her food before she finally did. She stood up and glared at him, licking her lips free of a grain of rice.

"Finished," she said, purposely trying to rile him up. "Any other requests, Venali? Or are you done being a royal pain in my ass?"

She wondered if it was possible for him to die without killing her in the process. The king never mentioned that, but perhaps he hoped she was stupid enough to attack him. She hoped that wasn't the case, and that Venali's death would have no link to her life. But with the way life was blatantly fooling around with her, she knew she wouldn't get that wish granted.

"Being a royal pain in the ass is something I excel at, so no, I'm not done being one," He said, scoffing and pretending to think, "Let me see…a little begging for the ability to see your brother would be nice, maybe a few fake tears?" Venali rolled his eyes and motioned for one of the guards in the hallway to toss him their restraints. He caught them easily and opened the door to her cell, holding them out with a bored expression, "Let's get going."

It was too easy to get under her skin in return, at least he had that ability. He just hoped the rest of his life wasn't going to be completely filled with snappy arguing and fights between him and her. Maybe they could learn to at least tolerate each other.

It seemed like an impossible task though.

Serena took deep breaths to control herself. It didn’t work, though, because all she wanted to do was strangle this Fae male until all her life problems were solved. But no one got whatever they wanted, so she was stuck with him.

She walked over to him and silently held out her hands for him to clasp the restraints. She looked up at him and smiled sweetly.

“Is the Fae scared the little human is going to run away?” she crooned. “Oh, wait, I forgot. Fear is an emotion felt by those with a sense of morality. You monsters have none.”

Venali scoffed again, snapping the restraints around her wrists, "These, are to keep you from being killed, and in return, keeping me alive." He glared at her, not moving from where he stood, "I feel plenty of fear, remember that. I do have the curse of mortality coursing through my veins." With that he grabbed the metal chain hanging between the cuffs and used it to guide her out of the cell, closing the door behind him.

Her brother's room was down the hallway a bit and he didn't let go of the restraints the entire time. There were countless remarks he wanted to snap at her, but he kept his mouth shut, strangely silent.

With the way he was leading her on, Serena felt like a dog on a leash. She, too, however, kept silent. She wanted to ask about the Fae with the scythe on his back. She wanted to know his whereabouts, whether he was here, in this place. She wanted to know the best way to kill him torturously, the same way he’d killed her parents and sister, but she didn’t want to sound too desperate. Knowing Venali, knowing the disgusting race he was from, he’d keep it from her.

“If you die, will it kill me, too?” she finally asked, trying to fish for more information. She still felt dirty, even though she kept washing herself with the rag and water. She needed a proper bath—she hadn’t had one in such a long time. “Or is it just my death leading to yours?”

"I don't want to test the theory, but every other time two have been bound like this, it goes both ways. I die, you die. You die, I die." He said simply, stopping in front of the cell holding her brother and sighing, "Here's your brother, in all of his stubborn glory." Venali unlocked his cell door and stood casually to the side, waiting to see if she wanted to go in or not, "You have until dinner at the latest, but I'm really hoping you'll want to go back sooner than that. I don't want to stand here that long."

Her question about the Fae with the scythe popped back into his mind as he decided it was going to be a while and he thought it over. Why did she want to know about him? What was so important about that Fae? Venali wouldn't tell her anything, at least for now, but he did know who she was talking about. He was a Fae general, originally assigned to human shipments, but after the massacre she mentioned, he was promoted to general. Eldon had liked how merciless the Fae was.

Serena cursed under her breath at his statement. That meant she couldn’t kill him. So she really was bound to him, no matter what. But, she did it for Alec, so she’d bear it. She had to.

When he opened the door, Serena sneered at him, lifted her hands, and showed him her middle fingers.

“How incredibly sad,” she snarled as she stepped inside. “Be a good dog and wait patiently, hm?”

Just as she stepped inside, she was tackled in a hug. Smell of unwashed skin and hair reached her nose and she scrunched it, knowing she probably smelled just as dirty as that. Still, she sighed and patted her brother on the back.

“Raina! You’re okay,” Alec breathed as he pulled away, looking at her with big, wide eyes. “That asshole dragged me over to this cell, and wouldn’t tell me if you were all right.”

“I’m fine,” Serena said, eyes darting around the cell. It was the same as hers, so she looked satisfied. He didn’t seem injured, which was good, too, but quite surprising. “I’ll get us out of here, so don’t worry.”

Alec looked as if he was contemplating saying something, then he turned, ran back to the bed, and returned with her knife. Serena’s taut muscles relaxed considerably the second the knife was back in her hands.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said, squeezing her bound wrist. “You’re the strongest woman I know, and I’m your brother. I’ll be fine.”

After a while, Serena hugged Alec again, holding him tightly, letting out emotions she’d once masked. She kissed the top of his head, then pressed the knife back in his hands, her own shaky. She might never see him again.

“You’ll need it more than I do,” was all she said. When she was done, she squeezed his hands, inhaled deeply, sealed her emotions, and turned back to Venali.

“We’re done,” she said sharply. “Take me back, and then fill me in about the tournament.”

"This asshole can hear you," Venali said, "Loud and clear you bastard." He wasn't a fan of Raina's brother, to put it lightly. He went silent as they talked and caught up with each other, busying himself with tracing the lines and patterns covering his right arm.

"Are you trying to boss me around?" He asked, flicking his eyebrow up as he looked down at her, "I can guarantee you that I will do no such thing if you don't ask nicely. No bossing me around." Venali opened the door again and grabbed the chain between her cuffs, closing the door behind her and locking it. That was as far as he got though, watching her with a look that said he was waiting for her to ask nicely. At least if she could not try to tell him what to do, he could settle with that.

(He said it so you could hear, Venali 🤣)

Serena sneered, contemplating wrapping the chain around his finger and twisting it.

So that’s exactly what she did when he hooked his finger around the chain. She crossed her wrists, wrapped the chain around his finger, and tightened it all the while glaring at him.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” she said sweetly, knowing he would most likely attack her for that. “Your funeral alongside mine, bastard.”

He grit his teeth as she wrapped the chain tightly around his finger, grabbing onto one of her wrists immediately, making sure it was hard enough that eventually, she would have to relent. Venali flicked up an effortless mask to hide the pain in the meantime though, rolling his eyes, "No, your brother is the bastard, I'm the asshole. Thought we had this figured out." He was trying very hard right now not to smack her, or grab her marked shoulder. That would make her think twice. He knew the pain from experience and told himself it was only to be used as a last resort.

"Don't forget your brother dies if I die, girl. Make sure I have daisies at my funeral, I'll make both of yours look pretty as well." He growled, not letting go of her wrist as he started back down the hall.

Serena let go of his finger, the expression on her face shifting to a simple look of hatred. She knew under normal circumstances, he would have killed her. Then Alec. She couldn’t lose Alec. To protect him, she needed to swallow her pride.

“He’s the only family I have left,” she ground out quietly, trying not to trip as he practically dragged her back to her cell. “So please, Venali. What is your uncle planning for the tournament?”

"Now you try to be nice? Really?" Venali scoffed, glaring at her, "It takes me losing my temper and threatening your brother to get you to actually do something other than jab insults at me?" He stopped in front of her cell, opening the door and keeping it to just gently pushing her past the door. His eyes didn't flick up as he turned her around and took off the cuffs, stepping outside in one fluid motion. The door closed behind him and he watched her through the bars, "Three days is when your first competition takes place. If you manage not to piss me off when I bring your dinner, I'll tell you more."

He turned on his heel and walked away as soon as the words left his mouth, the cuffs held tightly in his hand. The only reason he had to help her was because they were bound together, he repeated the words over and over in his head as he walked to his room on the top floor of the castle.

From the little time she’d known him, Serena hadn’t seem him act like this. He wasn’t this rough or—Serena shook her head. She was getting over her head. Venali was a Fae. He was a sick asshole who deserved to die, but couldn’t because it meant her death, too. His kind deserved to perish for what it did to hers.

But he was refusing to look at her, and she couldn’t being herself to speak, either. She just let him unlock the cuffs, walk out the door, shut it behind himself, and leave. Serena sighed and dragged her heavy feet to the bed and sat down, burying her face in her hands.

Three days. Her first challenge was in three days. She had to pass, otherwise… she didn’t want to think about the otherwise. She could do this, though. She wasn’t as weak as the humans thought she was.

So she ate lunch, emptied her bladder, and exercised her muscles.

Three days. She’d show them.

Venali was back a few hours later, looking much calmer as he carried three plates of food. He had lost his temper earlier, and even if she was human, he didn't think anyone deserved to see that side of him. "Bring this to Alaric, and have one of the servants get him to a bath as well as get him a clean change of clothes after he eats," He said, his voice calm but holding an air of power that made the guard he was talking to nod.

"Dinner is here." The words were simple and straight to the point as Venali opened her door and set the food inside. He made sure to shut it before sitting outside her door, holding his own plate in his lap as he looked into her cell, "Are you willing to talk to me, without the insults?"

Serena had been laying on the bed on her side after a bit of muscle training, tired. Her eyes were closed, but she couldn’t really get the peace she desired. Because she was in a Fae facility, every time she closed her eyes, she heard the restless screams of her family. Them screaming at the Fae to stop. The Fae not stopping until their screams had died down.

And then left their bodies for little Serena to find. Right before the images flashed in her mind, the door opened. Her bubble flashed and her breathing returned to normal. She pushed herself into a sitting position just in time for Venali’s voice to reach her ears.

“That depends on whether you deserve them or not,” she said, but her voice was quiet. “But sure.”