Rosalia rode stiffly behind EO, trying to calm her nerves. It had been a long time since she had last faced Lord Venger. At the time, she had come to find if most of the tales she had heard about him were true. What she had found was that the tales were not only true, but had been seriously lacking when telling of his evil.From what Kimmy had told her when she had introduced her to the Outworlders at the ball, a story show had been made for children that portrayed the evil lord as a sorcerer with extremely bad aim. And though the Young Ones had always beaten him and won the day, the show had not told of how they had been hurt and how long it took them to recover after certain deeds.
Rosalia tried to get a grip on her fear. She needed to be calm. 'I have dealt with him before. I know what to expect, though it may not be pleasant. He can't kill me,' she thought. 'No, he can only make me wish I were dead,' another part of her said sarcastically.
Rose shook her head and tried to think positive. She had the others to think about and she needed to play her part well.
Just then, she heard EO humming softly under her breath. Rose blinked twice as she recognized the song to be an old Elven lullaby... a version her own father had sang to her and her older siblings. Instead of bringing pain, the memory brought a sense of peace. Rose smiled and composed herself. Having regained her inner strength, she was now ready to face Lord Venger.
Then one of the guards who were escorting them said, "Alright ladies, come with me. I'm sure Venger is eager to extend his invitation himself."
Rose smirked. She knew very well that the "invitation" was a direct order.
The guard walked over to their horse and said, "Here, let me help you down."
He reached up and placed a dirty hand on Rose's thigh, sliding it up to the point of indecency.
Rosalia stared down at the offending hand and then into the man's leering eyes. Her own eyes filled with warmth, but not of passion. An anger that burned deep within spilled into her gaze and her expression hardened.
Then with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, she bent down as if to kiss the guard. Her hand caressed the side of his face and her fingers hooked firmly under his jaw.
"I don't need any help getting down. Perhaps you need help getting down to the Netherplanes though?" she whispered for his ears alone.
The guards eyes widened as he felt an uncomfortable heat radiate from her leather covered palm. The heat suddenly began to grow so that it almost burned the longer she kept her hand against his skin. He pried her fingers loose with a shout and rubbed at his cheek. A red mark lingered there, not quite a blister.
The guard backed away and motioned his men to do the same. "Let the ladies get down their damn selves," he growled, rubbing his face. The others backed away but grinned. Just because he didn't have luck with women didn't mean they would have the same bad manners.
"You had that coming to ya, Reggie," the other said. "If a bunch of women are out traveling alone, ya have to know they have some means of defending themselves. As ya just found out, eh?" he winked.
Reggie stormed off into the Castle, leading the way. "Come on, ladies," Barclay said. "Lord Venger awaits."
