[Anastasia Ligeia]

With a sigh Anastasia looked around for the thousandth time in the last few minutes. Her heart beat rapidly as she made sure no one was following her. It was her second report back to the rebels, and Anya was scared. She was constantly scared someone from the palace would see her, and she would be finished.

Anastasia was a servant, and they weren’t allowed out of the castle. Of course, it wasn’t like she was really a servant. No, she was a spy for the Rebels. Her predecessor had only lasted ten days before he’d been discovered and killed. Well, Anya had been there almost two weeks and at least she still had her head. Physically and metaphorically. Just thinking of what would happen to her if the Emperials found out she was a high ranking member of the rebel army made her shiver.

Down to the section of the business district with the warehouses Anya went, checking a slip of paper often. She was dressed differently than a servant’s outfit, instead in a short black skirt, leggings, and tall black boots that made small clicks as she walked. Her shirt was tight fitting, with sleeves that flared out at the end. Under her skirt were two knives, and there were two more on her forearms.

Finally she came to the building she wanted, and went inside. There was a member of the Rebel Army there, and she reported directly to him. He would go back and tell the Warqueen Anya’s exact words. Anastasia watched him go, then she turned around and looked around, to make sure no one was there. If anyone had caught her, well, Anya wouldn't think about that again.

[Jeren Calvert]

What are you doing here? Jeren silently questioned himself for the hundredth time. It was simple, he was here on a whim. Lately, he'd been on high alert, every one of his servants a suspect. The minute this girl entered the palace she had been no exception. Most ignored the awkwardly quiet girl, but he viewed her as the perfect spy. Of course it made sense for the rebels to send in someone who wouldn't stand out, who appeared to be invisible. So that is why he'd followed her, and the frantic glances behind her back every couple of minutes just buffed up his suspicion. The fact that she was outside the palace walls without the express permission of his father or himself proved she was guilty of something. In the end he hoped it would be just a secret affair with some townsman. Jeren would never admit it aloud, but he'd grown somewhat found of the girl. While servants in general tended to annoy him with their adoration, she seemed indifferent to his status which was utterly refreshing. However, if she proved a traitor he'd have to apprehend her. There was no way Jeren would let filthy rebel scum defeat his family.

Unfortunately what he saw was not a hot make-out session, and in a way Jeren knew he had only kid himself with that so-called "alibi." His heart grew cold as his eyes rested on the rebel guard representative. Jeren had seen him before in the battle he'd fought. There was no denying that this servant was an informant, and if any doubt remained, the next words that came out of her mouth proved it. Tightening his hands around the bow and arrow he'd brought, his jaw clamped together as the servant enclosed all the battle plans his father had been planning for the next week.

As the rebel guard member left, and the girl emerged from the warehouse, Jeren lifted his bow and notched an arrow to it. Having been a skillful tracker, she hadn't noticed him following her. In his current position on top of the warehouse she had just exited, gave him the perfect opportunity to shoot her down right then and there. He had the element of surprise which was a crucial advantage in any situation. He had another plan in mind though. While he felt nothing but hatred for her at the moment, his previous fondness softened his anger to a short extent. Instead of killing her he'd take her as his personal prisoner. He'd get her to spy on her own kind.

Not wanting to loose the advantage of high ground, and eying the knives she carried with her and wanting to stay out of their reach, he addressed her from the top of the building.

"Anastasia," he hoped hearing her name would take her off guard. "Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air. If you try to run, I will shoot you, and I promise I won't miss. You are now my prisoner under the charge of treason." His voice rang loud and clear, though not far enough for anyone else besides him and the girl to hear.

[Anastasia Ligeia]

Anastasia froze and cursed herself in seven different ways for not knowing she was being followed. Thoughts of her predecessor flashed through her mind, and she scowled. She did not want to be another Rebel Statistic. And she was not going to get killed by this…this prince. Even if he was very nice looking, though that was something Anya refused to think about. Instead she scoffed and rolled her eyes as he told her to drop her weapons. Anastasia undid the knives around her forearms, but left the ones that her skirt was hiding. Instead of just uselessly dropping her knives, Anya laid them gently on the ground. They were of too good workmanship to just be tossed all over the place.

“So do you treat all of the servants this nice, or am I just a special case?” Anastasia asked, trying to think of something to do to remedy the situation. She couldn’t exactly plead innocence, especially to the prince himself. And it wasn’t like she could call him a liar and act like the victim. Again, since he was a Prince. So what could she do? Anya laced her fingers together over her head, rolling her eyes again and sighing. “Well what are we going to do now, my Prince?” she mocked.

At some point he had to come down, and if he got close enough Anya could stab him with her remaining two knives. She shifted just a little, hoping he couldn’t tell she had two more concealed blades. Wait, okay so she wouldn’t stab him. He was too important to be stabbed right now. The townspeople would probably kill her. So instead she would knock him out, then escape. If he didn’t come down though, at some point she would get a chance to Shift, then she’d get away. Yeah, one of those plans would work.