When Elizabeth settled down for sleep that night, she wondered if he would visit her. She'd met him in the market, true, but... she almost hoped to see him again. He was a handsome man, after all, and smart, and suave, and... sigh. The stories were true after all. And even if he did decide to fancy her, maybe even to love her, it would only be a fleeting moment before his eyes lit upon another beauty and he forgot all about her. Elizabeth sighed, closing her eyes, rolling over in her big bed and trying to forget the man.

He decided against visiting her at night. Too forward! Instead, he merely slipped her another note.
I want to show you my.... honest side. Come to this adress, my beautiful maiden.
Raven


On the flipside was the adress of a lock shop. It was quite well-known too, and if it got out that Raven ran it...He'd die. Well, that was the good outcome, a simple death. He'd swindled hundreds of millions of dollars. He'd be lucky to 'just' die.

A week passed, and Elizabeth did not visit the shop. It seemed that her father had gotten wind of her escapades, and she was now under close supervision, often kept in her chambers by a guard or two. She found it odd, of course, because she had never been locked up before, and it was weird to start the practice now, when she should have been being paraded about for marriage. She spent the long hours doing, mostly, needlepoint, hoping that someone would come rescue her like in the fairy tales.

He came late this time, opening the window, putting a finger to his lips as he walked inside and handed her a note.
Don't speak. Only nod or shake you head. Understand? the note said simply, Raven looking around, hunched over. It felt like if she looked away, he'd vanish into thin air. His breath, the clothes brushing against themselves... all silent. Like he wasn;t even there.

Elizabeth looked up at him, confused, but nodded. She wanted to ask him why but, as it would break the newly-forged contract, simply kept silent and looked at him imploringly. She was clutching her sheets to her chest, hiding her pajama-clothed body from him. Her golden hair was teased in the wind again, moonlight giving her an almost angelic glow.

He took the card and flipped it over.
I want to take you away from here. You shouldn't be cramped in here. Do you want to come with me? the card assked. Suddenly, his eyes looked into hers. They seemed to glow, standing out like lanterns in the darkness.

Elizabeth started shaking slightly. She stared at the note, swallowed hard, and thought for a very long time. Five minutes. But I have my parents... my sisters... Ten minutes. What would I bring? Where would we go? Fifteen minutes. Who cares? Suddenly, she stood, leaving her blanket behind and going to her closet. Five minutes later, she appeared in a simple dress and a cloak, looking at his feet. She nodded, finally, in response to the card, but was too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

He nodded, walking over to her.
"I'm sorry for being so suddenly intimite." he murmured softly, kissing her knuckles. Then he picked her up like a bride and leapt from the window. For a moment, a beautiful moment, they seemed to fly. The moon shined on his features as his hood fluttered back. Instead of lust, or pride, showing on his face... Only love and determination. in the few weeks, she had captured his heart, rather than the other way around.

This didn't anger him. He rather liked the development.

The kiss and the lift surprised her, but she made no noise. Quiet as a mouse, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face against his shoulder. She had been brought up a lady, taught to be quiet and calm in all situations. Her training staid fast as he carried her over roof tops. She did not fidget, nor did she ask questions. She simply sat quietly in his arms, leaning against him, lulling herself into a soothed half-sleep to avoid thinking of all the things she'd just done, all in a simple nod of the head.

He slipped into his room quietly, setting her on the bed gently, sighing. "What have I done now?" he asked himself, taking off his hood and gloves, pulling a bedroll from the closet, laying on the floor next to the bed. He paused, then slipped the covers over her, then he smiled. "Why not." he picked up the mask, setting it over her face. It was... endearing. He chuckled.
"Sleep well... Nightengale." he said softly, pushing a hair from her face. "Tommorrow's going to be... interesting." he slipped into his bedroll and fell to sleep.

When Elizabeth awoke the next morning, she was startled at finding herself... blind. It took her only a few frantic moments to realize that she was wearing a mask, and that it had shifted to cover her eyes while she slept. Feeling quite stupid, she pulled it off, examining it in her dainty hands. "Ah... it's his..." She murmured, not at all concerned, having not looked around to realize she was, in fact, not in her own room, and that last night was not a dream.

He walked into the room, yawning heavily. He woke about an hour before her, and he didn't want to wake her just yet. So he made her some breakfast, something simple. Eggs and bread. What he had every morning.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty." he said softly, sitting on the bed and handing her the plate of food. "You slept rather soundly."

Elizabeth was beyond startled when he walked into her room. And that's when she realized that she wasn't actually in her own room. She was somewhere different. With a groan, she covered her face in her hands, dropping the mask on the bed. "Oh my god..." She managed, drawing her knees up to her chest. "It was real... I've been kidnapped... I'm in your house... oh m'god my dad's gonna kill me..."

"Hush. We aren't staying in this town for long. Tonight, we flee on horse. All he will know is that the Raven stole his daughter away. He might send word to your siblings... but I do nothing without considering the risks." he said quietly. "You are in safe hands, my nightengale."

Elizabeth looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "But... you'll tire of me eventually. Someone else will catch your eye... I will cease to be a treasure..." Her golden hair fell around her face as she started crying. She would never be able to go back to her family. What would she do when he got tired of her? She sniffled and hid her face in her hands again, body shaking a little.