She had been captured; bruised and beaten. Breathing was arduous because of the broken nose that had been filled with clumps of dried blood, it hurt to even perform the involuntary movements of inhaling and exhaling as her fractured ribs pierced painfully at the sides. The lips that were once full, soft and pink were now dry, cracked, splintered and bruised and hurt just as badly as the rest of the face. The skin under both eyes throbbed and was possibly black and blue as the rest of her visible, exposed skin.

Blood trickled down one side of the prisoner's face; from a gash right above the left eye, that had come about from being thrown aggressively against the wall multiple times and beaten brutally to the point of numbness. Her wrists and ankles ached from the long hours of being stretched, as the limbs they held were outstretched and pulled apart with iron clasps, to be later replaced with rough rope that tied around once pale and smooth arms, it too violently digging into the now raw skin. The whole of her back ached from the endless flogging of the whip that left a terrible, persistent stinging sensation long after the whipping.

The body of the once proud female general of the North, was now unrecognisably marred from the countless assaults of her jailers. The woman who had defied Drachma for so long; who often by her sheer presence, made grown men tremble and with a stare from those piercing blue eyes, who commanded the toughest men in all the land, and swept the very bravest off their feet.

Was now the prized prisoner of the enemy she had pummelled mercilessly. Fate had finally dealt her the losing card, after having been the winner for so long. Judging by the law of Briggs ; the law she had lived for and ingrained into her men, she was no longer the fittest, no longer the strongest.

She lay face down on the filthy, grimy floor of her cell, hands and feet tied behind her. Cooling the skin of her bruised cheek against the cold hard floor. Just waiting for the end to come, she had fought them as hard as she could and was still fighting them until that very moment, but they had robbed her of her strength and dignity.

It was all beyond her control, the only thing she had left and was hanging onto the many thoughts spinning in her head and kept her company. That kept her from going insane. She clung to them like a life preserver, unwilling to let go. For all she cared right then, the Drachman vermin could break her bones one by one; scar the entire length of her skin bit by bit, and beat her until she was completely senseless, but they could not reach what dwelled in her mind. The secrets she protected for her country, the lives of her brave men that hung on the balance. She would never betray what she held dear. Never. She would resist the enemy until her last breath.

She was too worn down to move and could barely feel her limbs. The blonde woman closed her weary, swollen eyes and thought of the men at Briggs, home. She had thought them to operate without her and protect the fortress as though she was there, and if anything ever happened to her she had instructed them to continue as though they had never lost their commander. She was certain that they could manage impeccably without her. They had Miles and he knew what to do in her absence, and she hoped none of them would attempt to save her. One loss was nothing compared to the loss of many.

-o-

However; at that very moment, a lone solitary figure stood with his hands behind his back on the rooftop of the proud monstrous fortress of Briggs and staring into the distance. At the particular direction of Drachma, hands balled into tight fists. It had been five days since her disappearance, and exactly four hours since they learned of her capture.

The note that was sent by means of an arrow shoot directly at before the guards of the gate couldn't have been clearer. What they sought bright as day and he knew what he was aware of what he supposed to do, what she would have wanted him to do.

Little did the queen of Briggs know, that as much as her men respected and completely valued her gumption, they were not willing to lose their queen just yet. The years of loyalty he held for her wouldn't allow that of him. The second in command at Briggs had a plan and he was going to carry it out. There was no way in hell he was going to sit by and abandon his superior officer to her fate. She belonged here, and he was going to bring her back, even if he had to die trying.

A/N: This was something I started on a whim early last year but abandoned for some reason. Anyhow, decided to get back to writing it and see how it pans out. I guess this could be my first dark piece of writing, if you will. A change from the usual fluff and feel good that I often write so we'll see what happens. As usual, reviews are appreciated and of course the usual disclaimer applies.