A Plan Upset

Writers: AL, Ames
Date Posted: 1st April 2011

Characters: Wirnan, Kaya
Description: Wirnan finds Kaya in one of the caves and she pleads for him not to make her go back.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 1, day 11 of Turn 6
Notes: Wirnan, Kaya

Wirnan

The nights were getting cooler. Though there was probably another month
before really cold temperatures came, Kaya wasn't going to waste time. She
would give it a few more days and then set out on a route that she had found
out was traveled often by Caravans. She had mapped out a route, marked
where she could take shelter in the mountains, caves surely dotting along.
She had also marked where holds and cotholds lay on the way, places to take
shelter should Threadfall.

The girl shivered. She wouldn't be caught out in it. She knew when she
would leave. Just after the threadfall on a certain date and then she would
have a bit of time til the next one. By then she would have either found a
caravan to join or reached somewhere where she could take shelter. She
could do it.

The girl crouched down and tore off a piece of her bread and some of the
cheese. She was careful not to eat to much. While she had gotten plenty of
supplies, taking most from the spoils of the festivities and taking the rest
away a little at a time, she preferred to have extra just
in case. She would also eat more once she was traveling, so she partook
conservatively. She sat upon a large rock, contemplating her plan, going
over every detail in her mind again though she had done so a hundred times
or more already. Her mind was so busy she didn't hear the soft footsteps
and gentle crunch of rocks at the entrance of the cave.

Wirnan could not believe he was trudging through these caves in near dark.
They'd searched all around the Hold itself and that had been when he'd found
the note she'd left him. She'd run away! He still could not believe it. He'd
had to rally quite a few of the hold lads to help him in the search. They'd
looked in all the more obvious places and still had not seen her. It did not
help that her father continued to glare at him as though he had somehow
abducted his daughter and hid her away. **As if!** He snorted as he trudged
from the first of the large caves back to the smaller caves. If he got his
hands on her after all the fuss she'd caused, he'd...he'd....well, he didn't
know what he'd do, but Wirnan was fuming mad that she had put the whole Hold
on alert.

Deep down inside he feared that something would befall her before they could
find her. **What a stupid idea,** he thought with gritted teeth as he
checked the first of the smaller caves, sweeping the glows around the space.
Muttering to himself when he found it empty, he signaled to the men who were
with them to head towards the last of the caves. If she wasn't here he
didn't know where she could have gone.

He'd been lucky enough to recall their ride shortly after her arrival. She's
shown a rather intense interest in the caves. So much so, Wirnan wished he
would have thought of it sooner. His feet crunched on the gravel as he
motioned for the other men to take their positions. He would go in, see if
she was inside. And if not... he shook that thought away, not ready to face
the fact that they might never find her.

"Kaya? Are you here?" He called out as he ducked down to enter the cave.
There were a few smaller tunnels off the back, he knew he'd have to search
them all just to be sure. He lifted his basket of glows to take in the main
room, hoping she would actually be there.

And she was. The sound of Wirnan's voice alerted her and Kaya was on her
feet, dropping her bread. Her face lost it's colour and her eyes darted
about. But where was she going to hide? It was a cave and a small one at
that. There was little in the way of nooks and crannies and those that were
there were far too small for her to hide behind. She took a step back, but
that wouldn't help. The light of the glow was full force on her. She had
been found.

His eyes opened wide with a relief when the light fell on her figure.
"Kaya," he almost sighed. "Are you alright?" That was Wirnan's top concern.
First, he needed to make sure she was not injured or hurt in anyway and
_then_ he'd give her a piece of his mind!

"I'm fine." Kaya's eyes darted back to the entrance, aka, exit. But if she
left, all her supplies, the bundles resting against one of the walls, would
be left behind. Would he take them? Would he notice if she ran? "What
are...you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing her?" His voice rose at the audacity of her question.
"You vanished! Do you have any idea how many people have been searching for
you?" Wirnan was angry. His tone of voice and his body language reflected
that. "I _found_ your note." He almost hissed. "How could you just up and
leave? What if something had happened to you? Alone, out here, hurt. What if
we'd never found you?" He had to take a deep, steadying breath to calm his
racing heart and thoughts. She _was_ safe. He could bring her back with him
and this whole ordeal would be over.

"I'm _fine_." Kaya couldn't see anyone else at the entrance. Maybe he came
alone. She began to edge slowly closer to it. Things weren't going
according to plan. She didn't want to go back. "Please Wirnan," She
pleaded, hands coming together and fingers pointing at him. "Please don't
tell anyone. I'm fine, and I'll stay fine, but please, please, don't tell
anyone or take me back."

His eyes flashed with anger at her words. "Are you so self absorbed that you
cannot fathom what your actions have done to the Hold and the good folks
that live here? Everything is in an uproar over this, worried that something
has befallen you, not to mention your father has blamed me for whisking you
away or doing something more dastardly and hiding the evidence." He paused,
his frown deepening. "I honestly thought you were different. I still cannot
fathom why you would risk not only your life but so many _other_ lives who
have been out night and day searching for _you_."

He saw her sacks then and his anger intensified. Moving towards them, he
yanked one of them up. Holding it up he glared at her, "How long have you
been _stealing_ from the hold and it's residents? For clearly all this
cannot be yours!"

"They were just going to be thrown away! It was after the feast! After
meals!" She had dried those meats herself and carefully did her best to
preserve what she could to keep her with food for as long as she needed it.
Kaya shook her head. "Wirnan, you don't understand. I can't go back. I
_can't_...please...please just put it down and leave, say you never saw me!"

"I _can't_ do that," he replied, shaking his head. "Whatever your reasons
are, Kaya, I cannot let you run away under my watch. Not only could I not
live with myself, but I would not be fulfilling the promises I made when I
accepted this position. Now come on. I'm sure we can work out whatever the
problem is." He motioned with his hand that she should join him. He intended
to escort her back to the hold himself.

No. She couldn't. She couldn't go back. If she did, things would be worse
than ever. Her father would give her a beating, that was for certain, but
then he'd marry her off to that holder who would probably beat her every
single day, if not several times a day. No. She couldn't go
back...no...no..."No!" Kaya moved, but not to get closer to Wirnan.
Instead she tried to dart past him, hoping she could be quicker than he
before he could get close enough to grab on to her.

His eyes had caught the change in her movement. Dropping the satchel he
reached for her and caught her arm before she could get away. In a moment,
he'd pulled her against him. "You _can't_ run forever, Kaya and I cannot let
you go." He didn't want to tell her that there was more to his reasons for
wanting to keep her near than just his job and his duties. Having her body
pressed to his as he held her in place only seemed to ignite in him the
ideas that had started to form as he spent more and more time with her.

"Come back with me and I'll help you in anyway I can. Let me help you
through whatever it is that has you feeling like you must run."

Kaya writhed in his grasp, her expression twisted into fear. "Let me go
Wirnan, oh Wirnan _please_, _please_ let me go. Just let me go!" She
wanted to cry and it took a lot to keep those tears from falling, though as
she turned her dark eyes up to him, they shimmered in the moonlight that
trickled in from the entrance of the cave. "You don't understand...I
can't...I just can't..."

"Promise me you won't try and run off again and I'll release you." He felt
his heart go out to her at the look in her eyes. Whatever was bothering her
was strong indeed and he wanted to help.

"I...I can't...I can't..." Kaya was about to spit out her dilemma, pour
forth the fears that had mounted up within her for so long, her desperation
to leave, the horror of the man her father wanted to marry. She stopped
struggling and looked up at him, about to form the words when a shout cut
off of. "Did someone find her? There's a light over here! Did Wirnan find
her?"

Kaya's eyes grow wide and that fear coursed through them once more. In
desperation, she stomped upon his foot and pulled away in an effort to get
through the entrance and run before anyone else could catch her.

"Shards!" He exclaimed as he felt pain rush up from the force of her blow.
She was off and running before he could catch her. Limping after her, he
called out to the others. "Catch her!"

Kaya rushed out only to be surrounded by another set of arms. "No! NO!"
She shrieked, fighting against the hands that held her. Her father stomped
over and grabbed her then pushed her to the ground. "You! We have been
searching for you all night!" He didn't give her a chance to scramble to
her feet, but pulled her up and shook her. "Let's go."

"No!" Kaya shrieked again, but another man, one of her father's, took hold
of her other arm and together. It was too much for her and after a few
moments, she stopped struggling and was forced to be led away by the rough
hands, casting her darkened gaze back briefly to the man who had discovered
her. The cave squatted behind him, her refuge now violated. Anger flared
in her and those flashing eyes settled on Wirnan until she was pulled along
with a jerk and forced to pay attention to where she was going. He had
ruined it. It had ruined everything! And now she was trapped...

What was she going to do?

Last updated on the April 27th 2011

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A Plan Upset