Aline had always been considered a pretty girl, with warm honey colored eyes and dark hair wound carefully in a crown like braid on her head. She’d grown up far from the capital, on the southern tip of the continent, but that hadn’t stopped the “recruiter” who had seen her from persuading her parents that she’d have a better life working as a servant for the royal court. They’d called it auditioning, where young men and women were paraded before heads of staff for various members of noble families, but it had felt more like a slave market. Being one of the ‘lucky’ few to have been acquired for work at the capitol palace had been terrifying. She’d heard horror stories about what happened to young women brought there. But at least she was guaranteed food. A bed that she didn’t have to share with two sisters and a brother, and money. She would have sent it back home, but she didn’t have a way to. There wasn’t anyone she could trust to take her hard earned coin back home. She was assigned to kitchen and serving staff, a safer position than most, but it didn’t take long for the reality of things to set in.<br/><br/>It was only two years after her arrival that she had been recruited by the resistance, working as their eyes and ears here in the palace, sneaking out at night to learn hand to hand combat with the others. She knew she couldn't defend herself here, but someday those skills would be useful. For the time being, she just focused on what she’d some day get to do to the elven royal guard, hoping she’d get to be part of the force that took them down. It was the only way she made it through the frequent visitors who made their way to her room, or pulled her into a side hall and took what they wanted. After all, she was only human. If it hadn’t been for the resistance she might have grown to hate all elves, but they’d helped her see who the real enemy was. And now, three years later, she’d gotten her wish. She was part of the group who would take down this rotted nest of debauchery. The thought of what was to come kept her motivated, and kept a lift in her step and a soft and gentle smile on her lips. After all, if a servant didn’t look happy to serve, than what good were they?<br/><br/>Tonight would be different. Tonight it would all come crumbling down around them. She’d been ecstatic to learn that she’d been chosen to be one of the servers at the masquerade, planting her in the center of all the madness. She was one of twenty individuals performing a carefully orchestrated dance tonight, and throughout the planning had become so much more impressed with their leader and his second in command. It had disturbed her all those years ago to learn they were lead by one of the very nobles she’d come to despise, but after her first meeting with him, even she’d been charmed. Now, she couldn’t imagine following anyone else. Her position tonight was instrumental. There was only one other servant on their side, a young man responsible for collecting dirty glasses and empty plates. The two of them were to locate and ensure that most of their “top twenty” worst offenders and major players were in the room by eleven, when the detonation was supposed to occur. They wanted to know who would be killed or injured by the blast, and who would be around to come after them afterwards. So far she’d located eight, though between the two of them they’d located 12; and with more people arriving throughout the evening, it would be conceivable that still more would show up.<br/><br/>But as with every plan, there were the inevitable hiccups. Both her job as a servant and her task as a lookout for the rebellion were best performed when she went unnoticed. So she was caught off guard when addressed directly by the princess, standing perfectly still so as not to spill the tray of drinks as she halted in her movements abruptly. Her breath caught in her throat as the woman asked her specifically about the man who had just left. Who would have thought that a simple acknowledgement of thanks would be their undoing. Her eyes dropped in gaze to her feet as they were supposed to, stammering out her words.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#cc99ff">“I… I do not know, m’lady… He’s not familiar to me…”</span>there was nothing necessarily suspicious about her fear and stammering, but she knew she had to give the princess something if only to make her go away.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#cc99ff">“I… he’s not wearing the colors of any of the inner circle, Princess… I don’t believe he’s one of the great families, perhaps... A lesser noble?”</span>she could only hope it would be good enough.<br/><br/>~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/><br/>Iago stepped out onto the balcony overlooking one of the many wide canals that ran through the heart of the river city. A gentle breeze blew across the water and he tilted his chin up to enjoy it. There was a boat a ways up the waterway from his location, one that would move into place later, to pull their men and women from the water. It was all part of their plan. One they had bet everything on. Rich golden eyes, almost brown in the dim light of the full moon, looked up at the night sky, as if gazing upon the clear starlit expanse, deep in thought. In truth, he was praying. To the ancient elven gods, to his ancestors as the humans did, to anything that would listen. He was going to kill people, but he begged forgiveness for it, knowing that they had no other choice if they were going to free their beloved country from the grip of the king’s vicious talons. The ends had to justify the means. They had to.