Last Rogue (reboot) (open, but please pm me first)

Perched high up on the top of the whistling rooftops crept and strange darkly dressed man, hidden from plain sight. The night was dark and cold, and the guards were busy harassing the young whores from the city brothel. It was cold, the man could see his breath escape the black cloth covering the lower half of his face.
The man was quiet, tip toeing through the rooftops and working his way to the palace where the king was sleeping. He wasn't there to steal the crown, no. He was a thief, the best in the land, but not tonight. He wasn't going to intercept important political information, though he was an excellent spy. No, he was there to spill the leader of the cities blood on the royal bed. That night, the mysterious rogue, was an assassin. He was the last of his kind, and the only professional capable of doing the job.
Weeks prior he was delivered a message by carrier crow, so someone went through a lot of trouble learning to send him the message, then he was promised ten thousand gold coins for the successful assassination of the king. Half of which was dropped at a secure location in advance to secure the deal. The instructions were very specific, kill only the king and spill no blood but his majesties. Who ever hired this man, they were willing to pay any amount of money for his death.
The rogue was armed with only his blade, a long dagger, as well as a grappling hook and some other small tools to help him escape. This job was delicate so his was carrying a light but specific load to his arsenal.
Climbing the walls he entered the palace, avoiding detection from the guards. He made his way through the dimly lit halls and down to the kings private quarters where he slept. The rogue got on to the balcony and made his way into the bedroom, seeing the king facing the fireplace for warmth. As he climbed up to get in he had noticed it had gotten quiet. The whores had been shunned away by the guards, suspiciously unusual seeing as they liked to flirt. Shaking his uneasiness away the rogue snuck up behind the king and stabbed him in the kidney, or at least tried to. His knife was stopped by armor. "Chain mail!?" He thought to himself. Soon the stalking assassin would learn this wasn't even the king, he was a well disguised double. The rogue was set up.
From the imposter's hands rang a loud bell. "Guards! Guar....." He said before his throat was cut, but is was too late. The guards were waiting outside the room, storming in with crossbows. Four guards fired upon the killer. He quickly kicked up a chair and stopped three bolts, one hitting his shoulder and piercing the man. Soon the room was full of armed guards ready to kill this professional assassin. Injured he couldn't defend himself. He fought two guards off and quickly reached in his pouch, grabbing a glass vile and smashing it to the floor. As the room filled up with noxious gas, the guards choked and shouted. "S... Stop... Him!!!" The man darted down the hall way, quickly disarming a few guards and continuing his race for survival. As he reached the end of the hall, more armed guards with crossbows lay a volley of bolts at him. Again he was hit in the thigh, hitting an artery. Now the man was bleeding out and had to escape. Reaching a window he threw his hook out and swung towards the nearest building, crashing through a window and tumbling to the floor. Bleeding out he was heavily injured and at the mercy of who ever would find him first.

Hearing a smash from one of the windows upstairs Keita rushed up, shocked by what she found lying in her bedroom. She hurried over and got him to stay still without a word, snapping the arrow in his thigh and then putting pressure around the wound wondering what on earth happened. It was a little while before the bleeding stopped enough for her to pull the arrowhead out, warning him it would hurt. Looking to the arrowhead she frowned. It was clearly from the guards at the palace, looking at the injured man before her she sighed. One of her faults or weaknesses rather being that she couldn't leave an injured or sick person alone and tended to his injury with care, getting him to move his trousers off so she could get to the wound better, cleaning it out thoroughly before wrapping it with clean bandages she found in the cabinet to the side.

She sighed before recognising him "Really what trouble have you got into this time" she sighed and helped him up onto the bed "Breaking into a woman's bedroom, you don't get any better with age do you?" she sighed and ruffled her brown hair, grey stormy eyes looking to her old friend "Well what do you have to say for yourself?" she said her arms crossed over her chest and then went to the window leaning out of slightly and cut the rope bringing the hook in as well "Just as reckless as before" she sighed "Now rest up, that injury is rather deep, get some sleep and I'll change you bandages and check the wound tomorrow ok?" she said to him.

The next morning Keita walked in and as she'd said she got him to take his trousers off again and checked his other injuries as well this time making sure that they would heal ok, and also cleaned out the rest of his injuries "You don't remember me do you?" she asked him softly. Seeing if he'd remember her from all those years back, they'd gone their separate ways a while back now and she'd learnt about healing and herbs from her father who had been a doctor. But no one thought a woman could work well as one so was made to stay at home, helping with simple things in her father's business. "Just don't move for a few days and you'll be fine ok?" she said as she changed the bandages on his leg after checking the injury "How have you been these past years anyway?"

The man's name was Jareth Methos, the last Methos after his mother and uncle died.
As a young boy his father taught him how to fight and defend himself well. They use to take frequent trips into the wild and camp while learning athletics and fighting styles. He lost his father to a bear attack.
His mother married his uncle, and when he was a teenager, he learned the truth. His uncle and his father were notorious rogues. His dad a thief, and his uncle the assassin. Jareth was inducted into the guild when he was old enough and became a great rogue, having all the best skills from both men.
Jareth always like Keita as a boy, they would play and he would always chace her. When they grew up and his father died, she was the first one to hold his hand.
When Keita found him he was woozie and dieing, but he would never forget her beautiful face. Jareth never let her knew how much he liked her, but as hard as he tried everyone knew. So he hoped she would think it was a boyhood crush.

When the next morning came he woke up and allowed her to look at him. "How... how did you hide me? I... I mean are they looking for me?" He said ignoring her initial questions about his actions.

That day the city was in somewhat of a lockdown. No one was allowed in or out without notice or escort. And word had gotten out that there was an assassination attempt on the king. Even an award was out to anyone who could aid in this man's capture.

Keita looked to him when he askedd how she'd hidden you "Right they are looking for you, but they won't go into a room where there is someone with a fatal contagious disease" she smirked "You're lucky this is my father's work and home, I stay here and this is also what used to be my bedroom, so you were moved out temporally while you slept so they could investigate with no problems and put in another room, we decided best to keep you in here though, they won't search a woman's bedroom twice for a man" she said a smirk on her lips.

"Now tell em what were you doing crashing in through my bedroom widow?" she asked him her arms crossed over her chest as she finished treating him, telling him to pull his trousers back on and rest.Her father then walked in "Nice to see you again Jareth, my have you grown but still getting injured" he chuckled. "I'm leaving Keita to look after you until you're better so be sure to show her respect, she might be a woman but as I'm sure you know she can treat anyone just as well as me now" he ruffled her daughter's hair "anyway rest and She'll come in with breakfast for you in a little while" he smiled. Keita soon left to go get the breakfast for Jareth. "Do you have somewhere you can hide afterwards?" he asked in a serious tone.

"If so, take Keita with you when you're better, that king has been paying close attention to her as of late and we don't know why, but neither me or her mother like it" he spoke in a hushed tone and was very serious, "If had been anyone else I wouldn't have asked but I trust you'll look after her" he put a hand on Jareth's head and smiled "Think of it as payment for the treatment you'll be receiving, she'll also mod likely tend to any other wounds or illness's you get but we can't let her stay here, he'll end up coming himself and he could take her away then if he so wished." sigh dyer father before she came back in with breakfast for Jareth "Eat up, it's not much but it's nice" handing him some fried egg and toast on a plate.

Jareth knew not to pass up a gift, so he ate his meal and looked up at the doctor. He wouldn't give any more information then what they already know.
"I was doing a job." Jareth said pausing to eat and making his story right there. One of his many talents was talking his way in and out of certain situations. "I'm sorry to bring this burden on your family. You know I would never jepordise their safety, especially after everything you all did for me after my father died." He said finishing his plate and standing up, barely making it to his feet.
Jareth reached into his shirt and grabbed a small coin purse with a dozen gold coins in it. "For your troubles... May I barrow some clothes? And if you have one a cane please? I need to go into market and see what the word is. I'll return for my things at nightfall, maybe if Keita is free later she can join me in the market for lunch."

The doctor nodded "Well she is free later so I'm sure she'll join you for lunch, she finishes her shift early today anyway" he looked up to his daughter who nodded "Ok then I'll meet you out front once I'm finished ok?" she said to Jareth. She'd already figured out everything, far from stupid she put two and two together and quickly got her answer.
"Thanks and we have plenty of spares, I'll be back soon" he said and came back with some clothes and a cane "What do you need them for anyway?" Keita looked to her father and sighed "the cane is most likely to support his leg, the artery was injured after all so it's best to put as little pressure on it as possible, the clothes are most likely because he's own have blood on them which would naturally bring suspicion" she said bluntly.

Later on that day Keita met him out front like she said she would, "How is your leg doing Jareth, it moving ok?" she asked him softly, she had a warm cloak on since the weather had become rather chilly. "Also in advanced I'm sorry if any of the guards come up to us, they won't leave me alone as of late" she spoke quietly and looked around a little. "Well let's get going, we're having lunch are we, see anywhere you'd like to go?"

Jareth spent the day picking pockets and playing street rat. He knew he was going to be hiding in this city where everyone is trying to find him, being a very large reward for his capture.
Jareth also needed to gather what he could to try to escape. Most of his equipment was in a camp hidden miles away from the city.
As Keita aproached him he immediatly silenced her. "Shh... Don't use my name. I'm sir or old man, if we're asked I'm your patient. You'll let me do all the talking if we're stopped. The gaurds have been really aggressive today and it's best we stay low." Jareth looked around them, noticing that is was quiet enough for the two of them to walk and talk. "No one has been allowed in or out with out esscort or documents. If the King has been courting you, then perhaps you can influence him to grant you leave." He said grabbing her arm and acting like a week old man as they stumbled into a tavern.

Keita nodded and headed into the tavern with him playing the part of the nurse looking after her patient whispering to him "What are we doing here?" she muttered a little nervous of such a place. "and as for influencing him, he only sends knights as of late" she said quietly. Although she would give it a try and had a good excuse to. As if planned one of the knights came over with some flowers "From his majesty young maiden" he said and she smiled "Thank you but right now I am busy, Unfortunately I cannot let some of the patients leave with me during my usual rounds to the nearby villages, like this old man here he came from a village a little ways from here and wishes to head back with me so that he can pay me and my father" she sighed sounding rather unhappy. The Knight nodded "We'll see war we can do" he said. It was true in a sense as well unfortunately. "Well what do you think?" she asked him quietly.

Jareth stayed quiet during the conversation. After the guards left he sighed and answered her.
"Your story was well put together and quite believable, unfortunately it was poorly timed and unnecessary." He said raising his hand to call over a wench. "You should have waited till they asked who I was. Don't ever start a conversation with a lie. Know your story yes, but never give your story if no one calls attention to you."
The wench came over and offered her services. "Yes, may I help you?"
"I would like some food please..." Jareth said in his old man voice, spilling some copper on the table.
"It's going to take a little more coin..." She stopped and sighed, feeling bad for the poor old man. "I think we might have some bread and I bet you'd like an ale to cure that throat... I'll be back in a bit." She said leaving.
"Bless you..." Jareth said as she left. "You see..." He said to Keita. "When the guards go to the King, they will know I'm from outside the kingdom, making this old man here a suspect."
As Jareth paused to think the young woman came back with ale, soup, and bread. "Eat up..." She said.
"Huh!?" Jareth replied pretending to have a hearing problem.
"Enjoy!" She yelled, "before you croak." She said under her breath.
Jareth was eating and pretended not to here her, after she left that's when it came to him.
"Ahhh, but we can work with it..." Jareth said smiling at Keita. "You won't be leaving with an old man... Not a live one anyways."

Keita raised an eyebrow at what he said "Well I want to get out here as quickly as possible" she sighed at him softly before sitting beside him "and don't act like an idiot either" she said to him quietly. She let him finish his ale and bread and as they were about to leave one of the knight got back to her as she heaped the old man from his seat. "Milady" they came up to her "the king has given you and some patients to leave for a a day to get some of them to their homes" he said and she smiled and thanked them. "Come on I'll go prepare the horses and we can get you home by the afternoon" she said to Jareth smiling and heading back with him.

Jareth packed his gear and mixed up a quick batch of thick red liquid. He knew everything was happening too easy, an assassin had just tried to murder the king and there was no way they weren't going to find him.
Jareth played with the liquid between his fingers, feeling it and testing its functionality. Keita's father came in and noticed Jareth had it all over his disguise.
"Oh my are you blee...?"
"No sir," he said politely "this is stage blood."
"It smells vial." The man said.
"Good," Jareth replied, "I'll look sickly ill and hopefully the guards will be less likely to touch me."

When the time came Jareth in his old man outfit sat on a carriage facing the gate. The horses started to pull them closer, Jareth started to play himself off.
"I'm sorry you couldn't help me young lady. Please just make sure I'm buried next to my wife."
The other patients looked sad for Jareth, helping his story.

When the got to the gate, there was a mysterious man accompanied by heavily armored guards waiting.
"I'm sorry but by order of the King... We must search everyone of you before you leave." A guard said fallowing the strangely dressed man.

As the man watched the guards tear through everyone's belongings, Jareth studied him. Something about him was disturbing yet familiar at the same time.
Finally the guards came to Jareth, smelling his putrid odor. Jareth didn't fear being caught, even if searched his equipment was small and well concealed.
The guards started to pat him down, so Jareth started to cough up blood all over them. The man glared at Jareth and shook his head to the gaurd
"Uh... your all free to go." The guard said looking disgusted.

Keita watched one of the guards scared her a little, she watched every move that was made as she was patted down. She nodded and checked everything quickly before jumping back into the carriage with Jareth in the back playing the sick dying old man after carefully helping him back onto the carriage of course. "There are guards everywhere" she said softly even down the path to the next down guards were searching the nearby towns for the assassin. "Jareth keep out of trouble" she sighed and shook her head at him a little.

She had brought a few more patients with her as well in order to keep the story up, they were unloaded into the nearer towns before she began heading to one further out and sighed a little "It's ok, there shouldn't be any guards out of here an how on earth did you make that vile smelling liquid?"

Jareth was changing into his traveling outfit, just brown and white rags covered in a tough green vest with a large green wool hood. "I've have learned much alchemy in my training, that was liar's blood. I mix of red clay, water, and sulfur. The taste was as awful as the smell." He said drinking water from a whine skin a gargling it, spitting the rest of it out.
"We need to be heading forth for a day or two, there's a cave that I've built into a home. Very few no it's location, and you'll be the second human on that list." He said looking back at her.

Keita looked back to him "So how many creatures shall we say know where your home is?" she asked him and snapped the reins of the cart so the horse would speed up a little more. Keita had food supplies in her rucksack and pointed them t to him asking if he could apse her some water. "So you trained as an assassin over the years you've been gone?" she asked him. "Apart from that how have you been?" she asked softly. "Also my father said to warn you of soldiers that might start searching ayer a few days, to draw a away suspicion my father will have to say I've gone missing so he can keep the doctors open for people" she sighed "This king is a hassle" she muttered clearly a little annoyed.

Jareth looked back at her and smiled. "You will learn very soon what it's like to have a pack of wolves as neighbors." He said as they veered off to a beaten path.
After a long trip he then looked at the carriage. "The horses know to fallow the path... I think we need not worry, but we have quite a hike ahead of us. Pack light." He told her.
By the time they got to the rock formation, he was dark and the woods were alive with sound. Jareth's home was truly in the middle of no where.
As they walked closer Jareth slipped on a large leather glove and whistled. A loud screech hollered back from the sky, and a large black hawk swooped in and landed on Jareth's arm. "Kieta meet Paros." Jareth said heading behind a waterfall, taking out a large key and inserting it into a rock and twisting hard. A loud click sounded and Jareth grabbed the side of the large slate and swung it open. Revealing a large wooden door. Once inside it was a gorgeous indoor living space with fireplace, kitchen, and some lovely furniture. He also had some chests, scattered around his rather large home. "Well, do you think you will manage?" He said putting his pet down and lighting some torches and candles.

Keita looked to the bird and nodded watching what he was doing carefully before walking inside after him "Wow, this place is amazing" she smiled and looked around "Could do with a little more light but apart from that it's amazing" she smiled and kissed his cheek smiling happily. "And I can manage, but you do need to get food in for a start these cupboards are empty" she frowned opening up several cupboard doors and finding them empty.

Jareth smiled as she wondered around his home. "I don't keep much in stalk, I don't always stay long. There should some flax flour in the cupboard next to your feet. Out here, we eat what grows. And out here, we need to be the top of the food chain, so we hunt." He said opening a chest. "I also happen to have..." He said climbing into the chest and taking out a few jars. "Ah... Fish stalk and preserved herring. So it looks like herring soup and flax bread tonight." Jareth grabbed a jar of dried vegetables and started to soak them in caldron.

"Well we need to get some more food in stock at least, otherwise it'll be hard if the winter is cold this year...well if I'm still here by then anyway" she said to him before helping him with making the bread and soup. "Ok then shouldn't be too much longer until the bread is ready how is the soup coming along?" she asked. She looked outside for a moment "I really hope my father is alright, in a few days they'll definitely be problems" she said worried.

"Your father will be alright as long as we all stay low for a while. As long as he keeps running his clinic and we don't show up, everything should calm down." Jareth said stirring the pot. "You will need to return at some point, the king fancies you. So if your gone too long suspicions will be raised. Until that time though, I have much to do. And I may need your help." He said ladling her a large bowl of soup.

She nodded and kissed his cheek gently "Ok and I know but if I get dragged into anything I'll be counting on you to help me out" she smiled at him softly before she sat down at the table with her bowl of soup and began to eat it contently "hmm, turned out nice didn't it?" she said "But there's also the issue of leaving again after I do return, I can't keep asking to leave for patients or they will suspect something" she muttered.

Jareth took some bread and dipped it in his soup. "The soup is mostly to keep us warm, and feed us through out the next few days." He replied. "When you have little, you make do with what you have." He said sounding like his father.
The soup was made from everything found in the surrounding forest around them. The spices where local, the fish from the stream, and even the odd plants in the soup where gathered and jarred in the broth. "I'll need to do some hunting tomorrow. I've been away for a few months and need to see if I have any new neighbors." He said slurping his soup. Jareth's table manners were lacking.
Hearing her concerns, he paused. He knew in his head he needed a partner, but her? Jareth would have to fight his feelings for her if he wanted to rebuild. Finally he took a deep breath. "You won't raise suspicion if you don't enter or leave as Keita." Jareth stated.

"Hmm that is a good point but it is hard to go without being noticed also I at least need to be able to return my father's cart, if I enter as Keita again in a few days they'll still think that I'm working in the doctor's, there are so many people it's hard to pick out just one person" she smiled "then I can simply leave as someone else" she said back thinking carefully after all if she didn't enter as Keita again at least once then they'd send out search parties. "also routine visits out of the city would be another idea as well" she said nodding a little as she thought about what else to do about that problem.

"also if you want to stay healthy you need to vary your diet, I can look around for some fruits and vegetables and growing your own within the forest would be another good tactic, that way you wouldn't need to go into the village too much"

Jareth listened to her, a smile growing on his face. "Your ambitious, which can take you a long way. But I suggest that if you want to see your father again, you'll have to listen to what I teach you very carefully. Tomorrow I'll be out, making sure we weren't tracked. We'll take the horses and carriage to a close by town. I have a contact there who would be willing to help us." Jareth stood up and stretched. "I don't have a guest room. But if you would like you may sleep in my room. I have a spare bedroll that I will take until we find you something to sleep on."

Keita listened carefully and smiled a little as she did so "Ok then, I'll stay in tomorrow then since you'll be out" she said and nodded at his next words "It's ok, i can take the bedroll, I can't take your bed from you after all" she said and moved from her seat before she stretched a little and looked to him "Anyway where is your room and where is the bedroll?" she asked him again.

Jareth walked her into a cozy room with a large bed made of wood and decorated with antlers. The bed was easily large enough for the two of them.
Jareth found the bed roll and lit a candle in the room. "Seriously, I think you should take the bed. I'm quite used to sleeping on hard surfaces. I'll be just fine."