Chopin Ch. 01

"You must see you have nowhere to go! Give her back now, and I may contemplate sparing your life," Lydia said, holding her dagger up. She was mere feet from him now, close enough to lunge and pierce him through.

The train rumbled, louder this time. It would be passing under the bridge any second.

"You're getting better at bargaining already! Well, I'm afraid that's my cue," he replied. Suddenly she realized his plan. She lunged forward, desperately hoping to impale him on her blade, but he was too quick. His hand flew out, and a smaller dagger crashed into hers with incredible force, deflecting her blow wide of her mark. He used the motion of his arm to spin off the bridge, and he landed with a dull thud on the top of a boxcar, the front of the train having poked its huge metallic nose out from under the bridge mere seconds before. He looked up at Lydia's incredulous face, beaming. The princess was still on his shoulders. A few seconds more and he was happily riding out of her throwing range.

"Shit!" she exclaimed. She stooped to pick up his knife, examining it briefly. "This has the Seal of the Chopin family, where did he get something like that?"

She didn't waste her time with the question, and sprinted the final stretch to the train station. There, she saw a Palace Guard. She pulled out his walkie-talky and began to bark orders into it. Within minutes, every stop on Hiper end of the line would be aware of his profile, and be on the lookout for him. He may have escaped for now, but they would find him eventually. And when they did, oh, her wrath would be terrifying.

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"Phew, that was much closer than I would have liked," Ed said as he settled into a freight car near the back of the train, hidden behind stacks of crates. He bound Natalia's hands, more as a precaution than out of fear, and set her down in as close to a comfortable position he could manage, given the cramped space. He was kidnapping her, but it wasn't anything personal against her per se, and no reason to prevent her from being comfortable.

He clambered atop one of the piles of crates, and leaned his back against the wall of the boxcar. "It's just a job, keep emotional attachment out of it. C'mon Ed, you're a pro, don't let her get to you," Ed mumbled to himself, gazing on Natalia's unconscious form. She was unbearably attractive, and it was taking no small measure of his willpower to keep focused on anything other than her.

Hendon was a rural town, deep into the neighboring country of Surin, and far enough away that Hiper's troops wouldn't be able to actively follow them without risking an international incident. Especially since the tensions between Surin and Hiper had been running high as of late. Every few years little arguments flare up into bigger arguments, and occasionally militaristic cock-waving between the two nations leads to a few skirmishes, nothing more. But it means that, even for a brief period, anti-Hiper feelings would be running high for a while, and the chances of Ed's employers being extradited to Hiper for trial was low. Ed assumed there was some fall man set up just in case anyway.

The only thing that worried him was that that woman that had attacked him had seen his face. Wanted posters with his likeness would severely limit his ability to operate in Hiper. Which wasn't that difficult to deal with: just never go back to Hiper in any official way. But a warrant out for your arrest is never a good thing to have, and after the dust settled on the most recent border conflict ended, Surin might join the search for him, and the thought of being restrained to doing business in the ultra-religious Scion Empire wasn't the most appealing thought. "There are always the Chaco Islands I suppose," he shrugged, "Well, this is gonna be a long train ride, and I have a few hours until the next city, may as well get some sleep." And with that he settled into as comfortable a position as he could manage on top of the crates, and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift off into sleep

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Her eyes snapped open, scanning the darkness. Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust, and she immediately noticed that she was surrounded by crates. And there was a rumbling sound that indicated a train.

"So, I'm on a train, surrounded by boxes, with no idea where I am. Either its a really flashy first date, or I'm being kidnapped," she thought. She tried to stand, but quickly realized it was futile, her legs and arms weren't responding to anything she told them to do, "must've drugged me too."

She slowly worked her muscles, trying to regain feeling. Soon she was able to move her feet, but she was still having trouble with her arms. She sat up, and looked over her shoulder. "Damn, bastards tied my wrists," she mumbled. She heard something above her rustle.

"So you're finally up huh?" came Ed's voice from somewhere above her.

"Yesh," her tongue was still asleep it seemed, "Pleashe tell me you weren't the one that did this," she said, sincerely hoping he was bound as well, that this was all some sort of mistake.

"Unfortunately princess, I am," he replied. She caught the hint of sadness in his voice, and observed that he wasn't using her name.

"Why?" she asked, looking up, trying to find him. She had felt that it was real when she had kissed him at the Ball, and maybe she could play on it to make him let her go. As cruel as it was, she decided, it was her best option.

"Everyone has to make ends meet somehow," he replied simply, somewhere up to her left. It was extremely dark, darker than it would have been if he had simply closed the doors to the car, meaning that it was most likely night outside.

"Kidnapping a princess is a flashy way to make money. And an ultimately futile one," she said, her strength coming back to her. She was able to shift her legs slightly now.

"Is that so?" he asked, sounding disinterested. She suspected it was just an act, but it didn't matter, she had to keep a conversation going so that he wouldn't hear her rustling around as feeling came back to her limbs.

"Yes. There is no way you made it all the way to the train station without anyone noticing you. I'd bet there will be posters out with your face on it, and police at every stop, waiting to catch you and take me home," she said confidently. It was an act of course, she had no idea how anything had happened after she had passed out. He could have been picked up right out of the front entrance, then driven to a train station and boarded there for all she knew.

"You're right, a woman in a rather revealing red dress managed to find us before I got on the train. She was a very bad bargainer, I must say," he replied, laughing a little.

"Lydia saw you? Well, its settled then, you're going to get caught at the next stop," she said, certain she was going to be rescued any minute.

"She did seem like the ferociously loyal type, its true," he remarked. Something was wrong. She had just expressed her certainty that she would be found, and he was agreeing? No, something was very very wrong.

"...Did...did you kill her?" she asked, shaking a little with anger.

"Ha! No, of course not, fighting her would have taken too much time. I would have missed my jump," he replied, chuckling.

"Missed your jump?" she asked, confused. Not only was he laughing about something, he seemed at ease. What was wrong with him?! Didn't he know that leaving her alive was going to spell his doom?

"Yes. I carried you on my shoulders and we jumped off of a bridge onto the top of the train. And voila, now we're here," he said. She heard him shift, and her eyes darted to where the sound had come from. Her eyes had finally adjusted, and she noticed he was sitting atop two precariously placed crates.

"How can you be so confident? You left a loose end, and she will come back to bite you, trust me. When this train stops you may as well just turn yourself in," she said, sincerely suggesting it. So far, no harm had been done to her, and she liked him, odd as it sounded, enough to try and lessen his sentence from death to a long time in the dungeon.

"I think you're underestimating me Princess. Its not like I just decided, I'm going to kidnap the princess today. I was hired as the finishing touch of a rather elaborate plan. I'm so confident because the train isn't going to be making any stops inside Hiper," he explained. She stood shakily as he was talking, careful to make as little sound as possible. He may have thought he had the advantage, putting her in the dark and taking a higher position, but the darkness could work to her advantage as well. It was hers now, and even if she couldn't escape, she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"I think you're underestimating me as well Ed!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into the crates. They toppled easily, and there was a small yelp of surprise as Ed was thrown out of his perch. She quickly turned and felt her way along the wall, looking for a door to the next car. Her knees buckled a few times, but she clawed her way back to her feet, relying heavily on the wall for support.

She pressed on for what seemed like forever, until she hit the corner of the car. Literally. Her head smacked against the wall, albeit lightly, as she wasn't moving too fast. She smiled, however, and slid along the wall, only a few feet from the door. She could vaguely see stars and the shadows of passing trees fly past in what she assumed was the door's window.

"Oh, please may this not be the end of the train," she muttered. She reached forward to grab the handle of the door, to make her way into the next car, and hopefully to some form of safety.

Her hand touched something soft, like flesh, and definitely not a metal handle. Before she realized what it was, two pale yellow orbs appeared in front of her. It took her a second to realize what they were. When she did, she recoiled in terror, falling back onto the ground.

"God damn princess, that was uncalled for, I was rather comfortable on my crates, there was no need to go and do all that," he said. He caught her wrists with unnatural accuracy, given the dark, and pulled her up.

"But--but--but how?" she stuttered as he picked her up.

"I was born in the dark, you merely adopted it," he replied, his eyes flashing again. "I can see more clearly in the dark, because my eyes reflect more light."

"But, how did you not get caught under the crates? I heard you fall!" she exclaimed, returning to her senses a little. She wanted to fight and get away from him, but she felt safe in his arms, as if even though he had kidnapped her, nothing bad was going to happen to her.

"Hmm? Oh that? I saw you moving the whole time. When you pushed the crates, I hopped off. I was walking next to you the whole time," he explained, still holding her firmly. It was a good thing it was dark, because she was blushing fiercely, everything about what she felt seemed so wrong. How could she feel comfortable in the arms of a man that had stolen her from everything she knew.

"Then why? Why let me make it to the door?" she asked, her voice soft, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Because, I wanted you to see something," he explained. He shifted her so that she could look out of the window. Outside she could see the clearly lit interior of another car. Inside, there were rows of seats, many occupied.

"I don't get it, what does he want me to see?" she thought. Then she saw him. He was a huge man, standing maybe 7 feet, and he looked massive. There were several smaller men around him as well. All were armed to the teeth, pistols on hips, as well as knives strapped to limbs.

"Imagine if you had stumbled into there, barely able to walk? They don't know you're the princess; to them you look like a beautiful girl that can't protect herself, and they would not hesitate to rape you," he said, pulling her away from the window, back into the darkness.

"You wouldn't stop them?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"These guys were hired specifically hijack this train. They don't know anything about you, or me. All they've been told is that there is something my employer wants on this train, and they were paid handsomely to insure its arrival in Henden. they don't know what it is, and they're nervous. If they saw me, they'd blow my head off," Ed explained. He was moving confidently through the dark, apparently not hindered by it at all. Soon they were back, she assumed, where she had started. She stared blankly, waiting for her eyes to readjust, but she heard him push a few more boxes, making more space for them.

"Alright, I see that it's pointless, may you please remove the bindings from my wrists? They are uncomfortable," she replied. She realized that she was much safer here with him than she was out there, but it was pointless to try and secure her escape through him. He was as much a captive on this train as she was.

"Can you promise not to try and choke me? Or push anymore crates on me?" he asked sarcastically. He sat down next to her, taking a hold of her hands before she even replied.

"If I must," she mumbled, embarrassed. He chuckled, and the cloth binding her wrist fell away.

"Good, we've still got a ways to go, and I'd rather not have to live in fear of being killed by my hostage. That would be quite embarrassing, and I doubt I'd ever get hired for this sort of deal again," he replied cheerfully. She rolled her eyes. She was glad to have at least a few hours of relative safety, though she wasn't so sure about what would happen after he handed her off to his employers.

"What are you going to do with the money you get from kidnapping me?" she asked, curiosity returning.

I'm going to get the hell away from Hiper. I've heard the Chaco Islands are nice, warm, friendly," he replied.

"Aren't they a terrorized by a huge network of pirates?" she asked, laughing at his use of the word friendly.

"Sure, but I think I'd make a damn fine pirate, don't you?" he answered, laughing.

"You? A pirate? Hahaha and I'm going to become a prison warden," she joked, laughing with him. They carried on through most of the night, joking lightheartedly, trading stories, and such.

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Ed awoke the next morning with a start. He bolted upright, eyes darting wildly, searching for Natalia. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. Regardless of the obvious danger of going into the next car, she may have done so anyway, in despair, hoping to die.

"Good morning sleepyhead," she said, poking her head out from around a crate, she noticed the look on his face, "Something the matter?"

"Just a bad dream is all. You shouldn't act so familiar with me, I'm kidnapping you remember?" he said, standing up and stretching.

"Right right. I don't think that makes you a bad person though," she said, shuffling back behind the crates. "Don't come over here."

"I'm forcibly taking you away from everything you know, how does that not make me a bad person," he asked, amused.

"Yeah, but you kept me from getting into trouble with those other guys. If you were a bad person you would have let me go, right?" she asked. Something that sounded like cloth rustled near where Ed thought she was.

"I suppose. It would make my job a lot easier if you would hate me though," he sighed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm prying off a floorboard so I can escape," she replied, teasingly.

"Can you do me a favor and quit it princess?" Ed replied.

" I'm joking, I found clothes in one of these crates, so I'm changing into something more comfortable," she replied. Ed swore under his breath, and focused his willpower into not peeking.

"This is definitely not how a kidnapping is supposed to go," he said, resigned.

"If its any consolation to you, I much prefer your version," she replied. The rustling stopped, and she stood up, revealing that she had chosen an baggy pair of grey sweatpants and a black tank top, then put on a slightly transparent cream-colored top that flowed down to just above her belly button. She looked like every man's vision of the beautiful girl-next-door. She spun a little when she noticed Ed staring, showing off. "You like it?"

"I'm not even going to answer that. We're almost there, I have to bind your hands again," he replied. He produced a pair of steel cuffs seemingly from nowhere, and walked over to her. She consented, and her hands were soon inseparable again.

"That was quite clever, how did you make them appear like that?" she asked. Ed sighed, she really didn't get the situation she was in. She was being kidnapped for Pete's sake, and she was concerning herself with his sleight of hand.

"You must not have gotten out much as a child, seeing as you clearly don't understand the concept of danger," he replied, leaning against a crate. She leaned on it as well, facing away from him.

"Yeah, I never really got to do things with other kids. I was a princess, and no one else could match my rank, so they weren't allowed near me. So yes, I don't know much about the world outside my castle, but that's not entirely my own doing," she replied, an edge of sadness creeping into her voice. Ed just chuckled.

"So you see this whole kidnapping thing as an adventure, huh?" Ed asked, reading her mind. She looked at him, startled.

"H--how did you do that?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I was once a sheltered child as well. I would have thought this was incredibly fun," Ed replied. She looked at him, and she thought she saw a tiny glimpse of loneliness in his eyes, but he turned away.

"Was once? What happened?" she asked, standing and shifting around him, trying to make him look at her again.

"My family died when I was young, and I was cast out onto the streets. I learned to fend for myself, and now here I am, kidnapping princesses," he replied. She was about to inquire further, but the train began to slow, signaling their arrival in Henden. He grabbed her by the handcuffs, and made his way to the door on the side of the boxcar. He threw it open, and light flooded into the boxcar. The wind whipped at his face, but he ignored it, and the train continued to slow. Finally, it slowed to a halt, and he hopped out, then turned around to offer assistance to Natalia. She took it, jumping gracefully into his arms. He turned and set her down on the ground then slammed the boxcar door shut.

"If you try to run, you're dead, got it?" Ed whispered to her as they walked toward the station. Something about him seemed a little different. He was less focused on her, and he seemed much colder than he had been only minutes before.

"No more time to screw around with the princess, its time for business," he thought to himself. The train wasn't very long, so the walk to the station was brief. Using a set of stairs built into the platform, they ascended and Ed scanned the platform. He spotted who he was looking for quickly. A conspicuous man in a navy blue jacket and black aviators stood at the exit, and two more similarly-dressed men were lurking nearby. He pulled Natalia's cuffs lightly, and she followed him. The man in the blue suit turned and walked with Ed, and the other two fell in behind them.

"We have a car ready for transport back to headquarters," he said, his voice a flat tone, showing little emotion.

"Then I guess this is where we part ways, isn't it gentlemen?" Ed said, beginning to turn. One of the men behind placed a menacing hand on his shoulder.

"I'm afraid its not that simple. The Madam wishes to speak with you," the lead man said in a tone that suggested that it was an invitation he should take. Ed laughed.

"Alright, lets see what the old hag wants," he replied, intentionally referring to their matriarch as a hag to get them riled up. He had a feeling that it wasn't going to be a particularly fun meeting for him, so may as well have what fun he could in the meantime.