No Bounty on Love

The Prince had contacted him personally, and with good reason. Amulus Mariad was a man of wealth, and a man with connections. The connections of course had come through more than birth, and in his case hard work. His work was well known through out the kingdom now, he had been seen as a joke at first, until he dragged in some of the highest class bounties in the country. Amulus was born rich, he didn't need the cash, but the rush, the women that came with it all. It spurned his taste for the action and excitement, the reward for him was living his life in a way that most dare not. And in doing so he had earned himself a name, not to mention a trophy rack of scars.

Amulus was far from perfect of course, he lied and cheated through a great deal of his career, as anyone who wants to reach the top should! If you didn't have the balls to do whatever it took to get what you wanted, you didn't deserve it. This of course left Mariad with a large group of enemies, and few friends. He wasn't the most charming fellow to begin with, his ego and pride making most dislike him right away. That of course was their loss, as he was all what he said and more from his point of view.

At least the Prince of all people knew a good thing when they saw it, as did a fair share of women. Then again girls love a nice scar or two, and Amulus had enough to go around, along with blades. Amulus's main weapon was his repeater crossbow, the best money could buy of course, he was the the to take advantage of his wealth, not tie his arm behind his back for no reason. The weapons the bounty hunter prized the most however, were his twin rapiers. Finely crafted weapons, with tips capable of finding the weakness in any armor. Lastly, a good man always comes prepared with several throwing knives, rope, and various other tidbits of gear, including a few explosives. One could never be too prepared as they say.

Of course this only left his devilish good looks, which consisted of his rugged facial features, and ice blue eyes that could stare straight through a man. Dirty blond hair descended down his back, tied by a black leather band. He was also rather tall sitting a little over six feet, it gave him an intimidation value even when he wasn't facing his foe. Dark leather was what he wore for armor, studded and secure, it was designed to let him move quickly when needed. However, today he was going up the stairs nice and slow. There was no real rush, the Prince wasn't all that important after all. The King maybe, but not the Prince.

Of course, as he was quickly searched and disarmed by several guards, and then hustled in, he was growing to dislike this Prince fellow. "Good evening your Highness," He said in the fashion of a high noble, as he was raised, bowing down low. At heart he was a no good rogue, but one always put on a good show for royalty, "And how may I be of service to you my lord?" He asked looking up at the overly dressed man. Pig disgusting he was, at least by Amulus's standards, which were of course very high. They were always measured against himself after all.

The Prince sneered, he never did like this type. They would do anything for money, of course that is what made them so useful. At least that is how he saw Amulus, not knowing him well enough apparently. A mistake in most men's books. But royalty could get away with it. "Your very presence is making me sick, peasant, so I will make this quick... I am after a particular woman, a woman that goes by the name of Cecilia La'Grange," The prince tells him with a small grin. He already had a few other men on this job, another couldn't hurt of course.

"We are all after a woman, however just a name isn't much to go by, what exactly does she look like?" the bounty hunter replied in a curious manner. This was not exactly what he had expected, "And I presume you want the girl alive? Need to specify things like that with people like us, I hope you remembered to mention that to the other guys you hired my liege," He said with a gruff laugh, and in return received a grimace.

"Show this disgusting pig the portrait," The Prince ordered a few of his guard, who soon presented it to him. At least this bounty hunter had a brain on his shoulders, a blessing and a curse. He could be useful, but dangerous if he thought too much. The Prince noted this down, he was a man that always kept useful men close, and a dagger closer to them. "Does this suit you then?" The prince asked, wanting to get to his warm bath soon. This business was so dull after all.

Amulus smiled and licked his lips, "A fine creature you got there your highness, I will be sure to bring her back to you in one piece," He said taking the painting down to memory. Something was stirring in his stomach, this was going to be a good hunt, he could tell. His grin soon turned into a twisted smile, "Farewell my good prince, I will be on my way then, don't want to keep the girl waiting," And with a bow the man left, going toward one of the most reliable sources of information in the kingdom, the pub.

Well wasn't it ironic then, that the first place the man looked he might find the girl? Might, being the key word. In fact it was highly unlikely that she be found in the bar, even though she was in plain sight. She looked quite different from the picture that Amulus had been introduced to, with those long flowing black locks, with the unnatural silver streaks mixed in. It was a permanent feature, one of the many she'd achieved from her rare lineage.

That however was disguised with much cleverness. She'd smeared ground charcoal into her hair, and made her face look pretty dirty. Her hair was tied in a way that could easily make it seem she was a man, and her armor was pressing her breasts flat against the inside of them. She could have passed for a man, even with those delicate facial features. A nice round face and two almond shaped green eyes, almost an unnatural bright color. They'd been dulled also, probably from the alcohol. She took another sip of it, closing her eyes with a gruff sigh.

Alcohol was the only clean thing to drink, water was nasty, and even with the glasses dirty, alcohol nulled the effects of the dirty glasses. She opened her eyes once more, tapping her glass on the counter to indicate that she wanted more. A little more wouldn't hurt. She could hold her drink well anyway.

It was obvious from her disguise that she was aware of the men following her, and the bounty on her head. Well perhaps not the bounty, but the men she had seen stalking her. She wasn't at all unsure why, in fact, she knew the exact reason.

Cecilia hadn't been living a very just life, in fact, she was probably just as dirty as Amulus, if not moreso. She didn't have the money she needed, and in times stole things, living off the streets. But it seemed she always got what she needed, no matter what it was. A hotel room, clothes. She just had a good way of persuasion over people.

Amulus came into the pub with his usual demeanor, cold and sinister. As was expected of a man like him. He slid into a boyish looking figure at the bar, and slammed his hand down on the table, "Barkeep, attention right here you fat bastard, I am looking for a woman," He said in a gruff whisper barely audible over the ruckus around them.

"You and every other bloke in here, laddy."

"Don't you get smart with me you sack of horse shit, I am looking for a certain girl, one with silver streaks though her hair, real looker too," he told the barkeep, sliding forward a coin. "If you see her, she is in a lot of trouble with the Crown, I was hired to keep her safe," He said lying through his teeth, something he was amazingly good at. He had no idea of course the person he was looking for was right next to him, a strange coincidence indeed, but his goal was to spread the word that rather than hunting the girl, he was planning to protect her, a lot better overall when spreading around people's ears.

"Doesn't sound like a job you would normally take, Amulus."

Amulus licked his scarred lips, "Times are tough, plus you know how it goes, the more people hunting the broad, the more fun I have protecting her, see where I am going with his?" The barkeep laughed and turned away, washing a cup out... wish his shirt.

Cecilia blinked, but didn't look up from her drink when the man bumped into her. Better if she kept to herself, kept quiet and kept the attention from herself. She dared glance up at the man though, when he spoke of a woman. Taking another drink of her ale, she let out a gruff laugh, the disguise in her voice very nice as well. It was surprising, how feminine she could be, and how manly when she needed to be, like now.

"I've seen the bitch." She didn't bother looking up to the man, knowing most probably wouldn't. Keep things inconspicuous. "Slept with her once, a real whore. Probably off in the red light district somewhere, I wouldn't be surprised." Every single thing she had said was untrue, but neither Amulus nor the bartender knew that. Cecilia was still a virgin.

"Mmph. Have fun protecting her. I hear she's in trouble with a lot of people," Cecilia mumbled, finishing off her ale.

Amulus stopped his smiling, and looked at the man with a terrible stare. "You are a liar, I don't like liars, you didn't even look at me right when you spouted that bullshit," He growled pushing up from his seat and pulling a knife out. "Now why would a boyish little bastard like you be lying to one of the best hired blades in the kingdom? I grew up in a household of politicians you little worm, I know truth and horseshit when I hear it," He said slamming his sharp knife straight into the counter before the man, a twisted smile finally making it across his lips again. "You know you are rather pretty for a man, I heard the Prince has a lot of interest in types like you, or maybe..." It was clear by this point that Amulus loved the sound of his own voice, "Or maybe you just want the bounty for yourself?" He said in a low whisper.

Gruff, violent, rugged, yet very handsome, that was the best way to describe the man that moved ever so close now. "Your biggest mistake was saying you managed to get your dick out and into a woman, I don't buy that for one minute," He spat into the 'man's' beer, his anger rising now. He hadn't had a chance for a good throat cutting for a while. Maybe it was time to take this one out back... maybe. "If you have something worth saying that isn't a lie, say it now if you value your life," he said in a cold tone, and it had more truth to it than anything else said in that bar over the course of the week.

This man... This man was a catchy one. He'd seen straight through Cecilia's lies, when normally somebody would have easily been able to believe them. And she actually felt pretty... Well pretty entertained. She hadn't encountered somebody who could see through her lies so easily before. This would definitely be fun...

The 'man' blinked, seemingly unphased by how Amulus was speaking. "The bounty for myself?" Cecilia laughed, shaking her head. "I don't need money, you idiot of a maggot." She didn't even seem the least bit changed when the other came so close to her. Grinning as she heard those last words, she shrugged a little, taking a more serious stance.

"Yeah, I do." She didn't hide her voice now, it was obviously belonging to a female. "Smile while you can, bitch." And with that she drew out a short sword, showing off that attractive grin of hers.

Amulus had taken a step back, and reached into his cloak, not for a sword... but rather for his deadly repeater crossbow, aiming it in a leisurely manner at the... woman? "Just who exactly are you?" He was growing suspicious now, there was something about this girl. Maybe it was just a bounty hunter, but then again the world was a small place, there was the off chance this was the woman he needed to capture, if that was the case he would need to play this safe.

Still he wasn't going to make it seem that way, and kept the crossbow pointed directly at her. Armor or not, at this range the bolts could tear through the best plate in the Kingdom. The penetrating power of them was second to none, he had gotten his money's worth. "Regardless of who you are, you have more balls than most men in this shitcan," He licked his lips, in the end he had decided he was going to get a piece out of his one. She was just his type as it turned out, he liked them feisty. Hopefully she would be alive for the experience, but sometimes you had take what you got.

It was idiotic, she had to admit, that she'd so easily give herself up. At least give her disguise up. But perhaps she could play with this man for a while, toy around with him until she say fit, then run out of there like a bat out of hell. No. Run wasn't something Cecilia did. She created a distraction, then leisurely walked out of the place. That's what she would do.

"Oh wouldn't you like to know sweetheart?" She purred in a seductive manner, then rolled her eyes as the crossbow was pulled. "You don't want to do that, believe me." She laughed, rolling her eyes once more. "And I obviously have more balls than you as well. You who's too afraid to fight a woman fairly. Tsktsk. Just when I thought things would get interesting you had to go pull the 'IplayunfairlybecauseIcan' card."

Oh he had a situation set up for her to walk out of here alright. As she ended her sentence, he loosed a bolt past her ear, letting the feathers nick her hair. The bolt sunk deeply into the wood behind her, and he smiled, "I don't fight fair, dear, that is why I am still alive." He said through gritted teeth, her taunting annoying him in a way. Making him lose a little face in front of these men was going to cost her, "Walk toward the back entrance, we are going for a nice stroll, hun," He said gesturing toward the exit.

Amulus had been half tempted to draw his blade, but not around this many backstabbing bastards. The moment he put down the crossbow that they all feared, he could expect more than one knife in his back. He had to play it safe, regardless of what his pride said. "We can dance all you like somewhere else, but I don't want to wreck this fine establishment anymore than it already is."

Cecilia didn't even seem to shudder as the feather brushed up against her hair. She was great at hiding her emotions, especially fear. Hell, she had to be! The girl placed a hand on her side with a sigh. "Oh alright." She murmured, rolling her eyes for the third time that night. And it just seemed she'd be quiet when- "OH. ARE YOU AFRAID OF THESE MEN HERE?!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, sure to grab every single persons attention. "IS THAT WHY YOURE AFRAID TO SET YOUR BOW DOWN AND FIGHT ME FAIRLY?" She grinned, but stepped towards the back entrance.

"Dance? Oh dear you seem to be too flatfooted to dance. Hell, I don't even think you have manners to dance with a lady." Perhaps all of this was an attempt to piss the other off even more. And in the case that she did get caught, she'd know that she had payed the other back equally in insults in front of people.

Amulus grunted, "It is no mystery, half the men in this joint want my head on their wall, but I am sure most of them will settle with a piece of your ass and a handful of gold," He said getting a cheer out of the men at the talk of a such a lewd concept. His fingers gripped the smooth wood of the crossbow like they would a lover, and he took a step forward. "I am losing patience here darling," His voice had a shake to it, and his eyes were focused on hers now, a deadly look in them.

His hand shot down to his cloak and he pulled out a throwing knife, and tossed it straight into the throat of a man sneaking up behind him. The man dropped to the ground clutching at his escaping life force. He soon had another knife in his hand, and this one again went right past the woman's head like the bolt before it, sheering off a small amount of her hair as it nicked her ear. "The next one is going right through one of those pretty eyes, small enough to let you live, big enough to leave you with no depth perception, what is it gonna be?" It was clear he was losing a great deal of patience, taunting this man was different that it was to mess with others, He was becoming less and less amused.

"I-" But before she could reply, the entire room was cheering. Just like men. Oh one day she swore... She swore she'd kill them all. Idiots, all of them. She tilted her head a little, blinking as she considered the concept. And then the throwing knife had passed right by her ear. Bastard... She raised a finger, touching the blood with it. Only a little. Not even enough to scar.

"Alright. Let's dance outside then." She murmured, obviously a little deterred after seeing how irritated the man was. She didn't doubt that he wouldn't do it either. She knew he would. "Mmph." Cecilia moved from her position, and began to walk towards the back door.

He regained his composure, following her out carefully into the alley before closing the door behind him, and shoving a blade through the wood and the frame so the door was shut tight. "So tell me, are you the girl I am looking for?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, lowering the crossbow a tad, the need to threaten her lessened now. He was sure she was it, the amount of trouble she caused him had given him that much. But he wanted to hear it from the horses mouth.

He wondered if she really wanted to cross blades with him, which would be interesting indeed. He sword style was very dangerous, and he would be afraid of dicing one of her hands off if he became to aggressive, he would have to for a disarming without removing most her fingers if it came down to that. He did after all have pride, which was a form of twisted honor by most accounts. "And lets not make this complicated, though it seems you have already cost me face, you know how hard it is to build up reputation?" He said in a snarl.

Cecilia seemed very happy because of the way that the other was so angry. If she was caught now, that was payback enough in itself. The girl blinked, then nodded. "Mmmhmm. Well ain't you smart." She grinned, shaking the powder out of her hair. "You're not here to protect me at all. Idiot."

"Oh believe me, I know. That's exactly why I just cut you down a bit. I'm sure you were a bit too up there anyway, that's how men tend to get. They need to be cut down every once in a while." She grinned shrugging a little. "It's good for you."

It was her, as he had expected, "Well had I been telling the truth I wouldn't be so inclined to help you now, if anything I would be more interested in cutting you down a few inches," He said calming himself, this was the job, he just needed to get her back to the palace now. Of course, after the shit she pulled in there, he had decided to have a little fun with her first.

What kind of fun he wasn't sure yet, for one she needed a bath. "You are coming with me, we are first of all taking you to a bathhouse my family owns, and getting that dirt scrubbed from your body, I know we can't get your tongue cleaner but we can get you ready for the Prince at least," He said stepping forward toward her, still holding the crossbow, though a little looser now. "And if you don't comply, I will strip you down and rub your ass clean myself, and I make sure to enjoy it." He said licking his chops.

"Mmm. Sure you would." She still had that grin on her face. Amulus was so... He was good competition. For what she wasn't sure. But it was just funny. The palace. Like hell she was going there. She wouldn't step a foot closer to the damn place. Not with that bastard Prince there.

Could Cecilia really deny such a nice request? Nah. She needed a bath anyway. So she nodded, shrugging a little. "Sounds alright with me. Why don't you take me there then, my charming friend?" She laughed, letting out a slight sigh. A bath actually sounded freakin' wonderful.

Amulus was happy she was at least being half compliant, the good part about his family owning the bath house was he could get access to his wonderful guest without much hassle. It was on the other side of town, in the noble part. The bounty hunter watched his catch with the eyes of a hawk, making sure she was always within eyes view. "I was almost hoping you would resist, I wouldn't have minded washing you down myself," He said with a suggestive grin. He could tell there was quite a woman under those clothes and grime, hey eyes told him everything he needed to know.

It would not be long before they arrived at the massive steaming complex, and he would escort her in, guarding the entrance she had gone through so she could undress in privacy. It was a lot easier to get a woman like her naked without sitting there watching them undress like a pervert. He would have plenty of time to get his revenge for the bullshit she had pulled in the pub.

Cecilia wasn't about to pull some bullshit now. She at least wanted to give Amulus a good ass whooping before she was thrown into the dungeon in the castle. There were so many reasons the Prince might have it out for her. Was it the nobles she'd knocked down running away from someone? Or the way she'd screwed over a shopkeeper to get more than she had paid for? And there was another reason...

No. That information was hardly accessible, and she doubted the Prince would even care anyway. "Oh, I'm sure you and the rest of those nasty perverts in the bar would just love to do it too." She chimed in, walking nonchallantly down the street with him behind her.

When they finally arrived, she was surprised that Amulus wouldn't just sit down in front of her and demand her to undress. Perhaps he knew that would get him nowhere. Finally she'd pulled off all the armor and underguards, and pulled a towel around herself. It was obvious even then that she had a nice figure, curvy and very feminine. It was a surprise that she could have hidden it so well. "Alright." She pulled down her hair, looking expectantly at Amulus.

"What do you want me to strip down and get naked as well?" He asked in a sarcastic manner, before opening the door to the Mariad's personal bath room. It was massive, more like a small pool than a bathtub. The walls were all decorated in marble, and trips of gold banded around the various pillars and decorations. Steam rose from the water and it was clear that it was going to be a nice warm bath.

Amulus closed the door behind himself, and leaned against the only escape. At least the only one this girl could possibly know of. "You know it is a real shame you hid a killer body like that for so long," He said not thinking twice about looking away as she stood there with the towel. In the end, towels were much easier to take away than armor, hence why he had waited. The patient hunter as they say. In this case he had been patient waiting for a nice shot of her ass.

Cecilia said nothing, merely rolled her eyes. He knew damn well what she was waiting for, she was waiting for him to show her the way to where she would be bathing. Her eyes widened a little, and she glanced to him. "I doubt you even need my bounty." She laughed, shaking her head.

When they were finally situated, she tossed the towel down, not quite caring if Amulus saw her naked. It would just be a weakness anyway... Something she could use against him. Cecilia wasn't a shy girl at all, which was obvious by how she'd been acting in the pub. But coincidentally he couldn't see her front at all as she stepped into the pool, glancing back with somewhat of a sneaky grin. "And it's a real shame an ass like you was given such a nice face." She replied, stepping into the water.

"Funny you should mention asses with a nice one right in front of me," He said as he circled the bath, half tempted to get in with her. She was being a real tease, however for right now he would watch rather than as she said, join her. He would rather wait just a little while longer before he made any rash actions revolving making a move on said ass. Meanwhile he watched her, feeling himself get a little hard as he tried to sneak a peek on her fine bosom. Of course she wasn't making that easy, which made him grin. He noted how she had found him handsome, of course he already knew that. "For your information, I hunt for pleasure, not for money, that is just a small added bonus," He said to her as he finally sat down on a bench nearby.

Cecilia simply shook her head and rolled her eyes as she grabbed a piece of soap from a nearby side of the pool. She didn't seem very modest either, rather uncaring that he was there. Men had seen her body before, and she wasn't afraid about him seeing it. She raised an arm above her head, rubbing some soap around before washing it away. Her chest was nice, but not overly large.

"Ah, of course you do. It must be fun living in this lavish lifestyle, when other people are working their asses off for a piece of bread." She nodded dunking her head under the water to wash her hair.

Amulus watched her with studious eyes, a nice body indeed, she was certainly his type. Then again most women were his type, but that was besides the point. "It isn't my problem, why should I feel bad about something I have nothing to do with? If they want more they can get more, it is all about hard work, which believe it or not I know a thing or two about," He said moving a hand to his groin area with no shame as he watched her, rubbing himself lightly. He wondered if the Prince would mind if he had a little fun with her first, not like he would find out anyways.

"It's not about hard work." She laughed, shaking her head. "There are people out there who have worked all their lives, since they were children in coal mines, and don't have shit to show for it." Her voice wasn't angry, just a little irritated. "I can't believe I have to deal with two spoiled brats today." She mumbled to herself, ignoring the fact that Amulus was rubbing himself. But then she thought of something funny to say.

"Might as well not touch down there, isn't nothing to touch anyway." She laughed, finally finished as she stepped out of the pool, wrapping the towel around her.

"Such a cruel tongue for a girl about to lose her freedom, are you just spouting as much bullshit as you can before you are turned into some toy by the prince? I am betting he will just cut your tongue out for saying such," He said with a cruel smile, stepping forward as she stepped out and placing a hand on her side. "Just what is going on in that pretty little head that you have to hide behind being so tough?" He whispered in a rough tone, coming closer to her now with that handsome face she had remarked about before. She had pretty eyes, he noticed when he got nice and close to her, and now she smelled especially good, he loved the way the steam rose from her skin.