Svarthafen

A scream came, but not for long as a cloth was bound before her mouth.
"That'll teach you to nip at me..!" the pirate said as he tightened the knot on the back of her head. Besides the group of pirate her screaming and yelling had certainly gathered a crowd - but if one listened to the whispers, they told about how she had called upon the Black Tain herself. There was a reason, you didn't evoke his name just like that. Those who did tended to go missing, and though some of the citizen might have sympathy with Arenna, they neither could or would do anything. If the pirates wouldn't be what made Arenna disappear - it would be something else, such was the curse of his dark name.

Dragged or lifted through the city - whatever was necessary - the pirates had a field day discussing how many barrels of mead the money from The Black Tain would buy when selling this beauty.
"Are you a noble, honey?" the bald pirate asked. "I'm sorry, I can't understand you, speak more clearly!" he laughed and they all echoed him. "I wonder what The Black Tain is like? I heard behind his black, bushy beard he has the teeth of a bear and eats live goats..!" the pirate continued padding Arenna on the back. "He'll surely teach you to bite properly..!"

Before long they stood in front of The Black Tain's longhouse and Arenna would stand before a small person she might recognize.
"So, here we are again. Did he finally dump you?" Mouse asked and squinted as a happy grin appeared on his face. "Or perhaps you couldn't wait until tomorrow and then ditched him? Well, maybe you can bargain a bit more gold in compensation for the horses... But I doubt it." his words smug as he subtly rubbed his hands.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Bring her in, The Black Tain ain't patient!" he commanded the pirates who seemed to drop their jolly attitudes when entering the long house. Unceremoniously Arenna was dropped on the floor inside the long house between the pirates and a throne cloaked mostly in shadows a good twenty foot ahead of her. A shadow seemingly sat in the throne awaiting her and as the doors closed behind her the fireplaces in the sides flared up for a moment the heat noticeable throughout the room and even the pirates seemed to be taken aback.

"Remove the sweet girl's gags." a gruff voice commanded, as the curly haired woman quickly obliged and stepped back again allowing Arenna the freedom to speak at least. "Why did you call for me, woman?" the Black Tain asked, his deep voice sounding lifeless and deep pitched.

Arenna's plea was met with... silence. Only silence and nothing else. Neither the pirates nor the Black Tain seemed utter a single word, before eventually the pirate woman asked with a almost a whisper.
"Ehrmm... Mister Black Tain, could we... get our prize..? And then we'll also be on our way..." her voice like that of a school girl asking to be allowed to the toilet.

"Hmmm... no." The Black Tain finally answered, the words hard as stone and it would be difficult to ascertain if it was an answer to the pirates' or Arenna's question. "But you may leave... and then I'll assess her worth and ask Mouse to serve you a fitting compensation." The Black Tain spoke, the tall pirate about to interject, but kicked over the shin he ate his words before they were uttered.

"Of course, A wise choice!" the curly haired woman said, just happy to get out of the tense situation, and she turned her heels and left the longhouse along with the other pirates.

Meanwhile Arenna would feel his eyes heavily on her, and apparently they were alone now - not even guards inside the long house, the place eerily empty for a leader's audience hall.
"...and why should I? Are you someone special?" the shadow leaning his elbow on the armrest and his head on his palm and voice teasing but curious too.

"Are you scared? Do you want to have a good look at me? 'The Horror of The Deep' as they also call me..." The Black Tain said motioning to get up from his throne and into the light nonetheless...

Two bulky hands grasped the stone armrests of the throne he sat on and pushed up the mighty tall man, who stood high - quite a bit higher than Atraedor and was a lot broader too.
"You lie..." his vice rumbled through the room as he chuckled and took a couple of steps out of the shadow. "But it is understandable that one would try hard to deny the fear that I arise..!" he said his body now visible even if it was in dim light.

Fuzzy black beard that reached the stomach, a pale complexion and distinctly red irises were the features that she would notice first - that and the huge build of the guy, round around the belly and his clothes resembling that of a pirate captain rather than that of a noble regent.

"I will tell you a secret..." he stepped closer to Arenna his salty breath could be smelled several feet away and a smirk sealed the intentions of his words. "I like..." he moved his head closer to Arenna his teeth bared. "... to play with dolls..!" his voice malevolent, but right as those words fell he froze. His body started shaking slightly and his red pupils turned upwards and sounds of suppressed discomfort came from his mouth as he stood up tight like a board before falling backwards making a loud noise as he hit the floor, arms and legs splayed over the ground, the Black Tain seemingly unresponsive.

"Oh but I really do..." a delicate, female voice teased behind the throne as Arenna would see the contour of someone a lot more lithe step forwards giggling a bit as the small feet made hardly a sound.

The figure stepped closer and if Arenna knew lore about elves and fey, this woman would look like something in between with her long ears and standing five feet tall at most. Dressed in a blue/green sleeveless dress with flowery ornamentation at the shoulders and a deep cut out down to her chest, the long blonde hair flowed naturally down to her waist acting as if a breeze itself was caught in it.

"Welcome, Arenna of Rondón! I am Iaira, a Forest Fae - otherwise know as the Black Tain." she announced, her turquoise eyes quietly observing Arenna as she spoke with a sly smirk on her face. "Why do we need to be disturbed by all those noisy troublemakers?" she gesticulated annoyed around hearing horses, cows, crows, dogs and trying to smash and slash their way into the building while their masters were heard desperately trying to pull them away. Annoying the Black Tain like that was a death sentence after all and the people outside were heard working together trying to bring the mad livestock down one by one, the thick walls of the longhouse still persisting.

"Let you go? But why would I do that, you're the most interesting little thing to come in that door in a looong time..!" she said and flicked her index finger at Arenna, who would suddenly find herself no longer bound by gravity, but neither bound by her own will of movement as she floated upwards. A small circling gesture from Iaira had Arenna starting to slowly circle around in a cone movement about four feet above the ground her, heels the center of movement.

"Now who were you again..? I want to hear you say it, because I already know. Anyone in this city who takes the name of the Black Tain in their mouth have no secrets to me..!" Iaira threatened as Arenna was slowly turned upside down, the same movement continuing in a cone like pattern, only now her head was the lowest part and the center of movement.

Walking leisurely back towards the Tain's longhouse Atraedor started upping the pace little by little as he felt how the animals starting becoming unsettled soon to race past him and towards the Black Tain's longhouse. This wasn't boding well, what was happening in there? As he neared the longhouse the peasants were all gathered around it trying to either pull back their livestock, dogs and cats - or simply put them down where they stood. Everyone were afraid of the Black Tain as it was right now, and even Mouse was helping, as he barked out orders to get people to kill the animals.

Atraedor looked towards the doors and a group of pirates stood there apparently waiting for something. Yes, Atraedor remembered those pirates, they were the one who had taken that Rondón lady, and piecing together the clues, it was obvious where the girl was being held. A few sweat drops fell from his forehead thinking back on it and he started feeling bad about the girl being alone with the Black Tain. If only the Black Tain had been who everyone thought he was, he wouldn't have cared as much - but Atraedor knew that some magic being manipulated the Black Tain.

If there was anything he was good at, it was information gathering, but this complicated matters and crossing his arms his hooded expression was one of doubt whether to save the stupid girl, who had nothing to do with his vendetta against Taingaard, and thus having to push the latter well into the future - or sit it out and wait for her to die... Atraedor didn't think the last option through and knew he'd curse himself afterwards for losing such an opportunity, but his body moved automatically towards an opening as a whole flock of geese came waltzing towards the long house, the pirates and guards at the doors looking their way with their hands on the hilts of their weapons.

She closed her eyes, hoping that would help her not feel so dizzy... and helping her to not even look at the true Black Tain. It was too disconcerting, and far more horrifying. Plus, there was that dead body lying on the ground anyway.

Arenna's heart was beating hard in her ears, and she could feel her blood rushing in her body as the magic within her seemed to whisper, wanting to be released. Arenna was more afraid of that than anything, however, so she shook her head vehemently, dark hair falling all over her face as those spider webs spun all around her and crushed her from every angle.

"I AM Analucia," Arenna insisted again as she was crush, crush, crushed-- and then she let out a soft scream of pain, followed by ragged breathing as she tried to find some sort of calm. She'd never been tortured like this before, but she had endured pain from broken bones (the result of being obsessed with horses).

Iaira's voice became increasingly high pitched as the girl lied to her yet again.
"No you're not..!!!" she exclaimed her hands clenched tightly as she stomped the floor frustrated by the fact that this frail women had no concept of who was in charge here. "Tell me the truth NOW, or I'll break you into a hundred pieces!" she threatened Analucia, but still she was careful not to break her new found play thing's bones or wound her mortally - something that had come from prior experience that if she broke them, she wouldn't be able to play with them any longer. However this restraint was close to being discarded.

However as the unlikely hero he was, Atraedor had managed to jump in and break the spell and the forest fae just gazed surprised at Atraedor from the moment he had jumped on Analucia like a monkey on a tree trunk to they both fell down onto the ground and he slowly got up and faced Iaira.

"Who are you...?" she asked almost dumbfounded, but when he just continued to stand there, her anger started cooking, the temper that had just been calmed, rushed into red. "I SAID WHO ARE YOU TO RUIN OUR GAME!!!" Iaira yelled her scream itself piercing to the body, and forming a flaming scarlet orb in her left hand she tossed it viciously at Atraedor.

"Die and perish you halfwit!" the orb connecting as if Atraedor did not mean to move, the deep red flames encompassing his body and with a groan he fell to his knees. "That's it, become hideous ash at my feet..!" a superior smirk appeared on Iaira's face.

Atraedor did not move as the first orb of fire connected the pain beyond intense as the scarlet flames scorched him - but it was working. Her magic was strong, but he was sure he was able to encompass it all.
"Yes... yes, use it all you bitch..." he whispered falling to his knees and his words twisted to a groan, but right as his hopes were at their highest to actually complete what he came here for, he saw the damned Rondí girl about to race past him, a fiery anger burning in her eyes.
"N-no wait..!" Atraedor exclaimed and clenched his teeth. She was absolutely ruining everything, but if he didn't do something she wouldn't reach the fae before she would have been immolated her also and Atraedor focused all his mental energy.

As if a switch was flicked off the scarlet flames around him were absorbed into his skin, the mostly immolated robe revealing that his skin had passed from a dark bluish grey to a faint scarlet red as Arenna would suddenly feel his embrace again - stopping the girl in her tracks.
"We'll be leaving now..." he said and tightened his bear hug around her as suddenly a shock wave flew through the room, the beacons inside flaring up violently as he turned his back to the wall that faced north - towards the great forest - and with a punch to be felt in the entire body an energy blast saw Atraedor and Arenna held in his arms crash through the wall of the long house carrying an absolutely ballistic speed, the trajectory sending them quite far into the forest through trees and bushes before the blast finally lost momentum and had them rolling around in the undergrowth, Atraedor still trying to hold onto Arenna if possible.

The smoke from the flames he hadn't been able to absorb were still softly rising from his skin and well bruised by the flight Atraedor coughed and got up to all four spitting out a bit of blood looking around for Arenna whom he might have lost contact with in the last part but should be nearby.

Everything happened almost too quickly for Arenna to see. She herself was hardly thinking, and suddenly, before she could touch Iaira, she was held down by a familiar strength, though hot to the touch and then--

Boom! They were blasting off again into the trees and the forest, branches and twigs scraping and breaking off with the force of their bodies until they hit earth and rolled and rolled, colliding with small stones and fallen logs until finally, finally they stopped.

Most of the damage had been taken by Atraedor, but Arenna still had a large cut across her cheek and her knee was sore. Still ... She pushed herself up from the loan of the forest floor, pretty eyes wide as she watched her rescuer puke blood.

"Atraedor!" she exclaimed in a voice thick with concern as she scrambled up, regardless of her wounds and went to him, falling to her knees and reaching for him, pulling his cloak aside so he wouldn't puke on it while one hand went to his forehead to stabilize him. "I never thought I would see you again, I owe you my life!"

Arenna was so upset, she didn't even realize she was speaking in Rondí.