Fifth day in Nottingham Castle

[stuck_mynock]

Atton's not been having fun.

The guards aren't imaginative, but they do take a certain delight in their cruelty, and Atton's been given barely any chance to rest over the past almost-week. His arms are aching from being chained up, and his face and torso has a constant, burning ache from the abuse its been through over the past five days.

He's waiting, though, for an opportunity.

Comments

[will_scarlett]

After a time they leave him with only one torch guttering in the darkness as the dungeon gets ever colder.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Atton's happy to wait. He's dirty, bloody, cold, exhausted and hurting all over, but he's been in worse situations before. Wait long enough, and a solution always reveals itself.

[will_scarlett]

Late in the night, one guard comes down with water and bread and stands in front of Atton,

"'ere, guess 'ave to feed ye."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Guess you have to. Water first, please?" He's more thirsty than he is hungry.

[will_scarlett]

The mug of water is held up so that Atton can just get some which means the guard has to strain a bit, Atton's tall, "'ere."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Atton drinks, as much as he can, and since drinking from a mug held by somebody else is an inherently difficult and clumsy endeavour, a lot of it is wasted going down his chin.

"Many thanks. And the bread?"

[will_scarlett]

The bread is offered up in small pieces, its kind of stale but its food.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Atton wouldn't care if it was stale even at the best of times - After being without food for so long, he cares even less.

When he's finished the last of the bread, his head snaps forward, aiming a hard, fast headbutt at the guard, intended to knock him out.

[will_scarlett]

Due to the angle, the guard wobbles but doesn't completely fall over though he does curse,

"Ye bastard."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

If he moves away, Atton knows he's not going to get another chance at this.

So, he aims another, harder headbutt.

[will_scarlett]

This time there's a crack as the guard's nose breaks and he starts to fall backwards.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Atton can't reach him as he falls, so he just hopes that the impact knocks the guard out.

[will_scarlett]

The guard hits the floor with a rather resounding crack.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Perfect.

Atton strains one leg forward, against the chains (and he thanks the Force that his legs aren't held as tightly as his arms) to pluck the ring of keys from the guard's belt. He raises his legs a little, tosses them up to catch them in his mouth (it's difficult, and vaguely comical looking, but Atton manages well enough) and then, with a swing of his head, tosses them to one side to catch them in one hand.

It's a fiddly job, but eventually he gets one of the manacles undone. From there, it's fairly easy to get the other three off.

He quickly undresses the guard, dons his clothes - They're not a good fit, too small, but he manages. He leaves the armour in a corner of the cell, because that won't fit on. He takes his knife, too. Once that's done, he heads out of the cell, making his way towards the exit.

He keeps his head down, and his figure stooped, to try and downplay his height. It wouldn't do to be caught out.

[will_scarlett]

Its quite late so things are pretty quiet in the castle for now and the door to the dungeon needs a good shove to open it since the wood's swelled.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Atton's good with shoving. He continues onwards, holding the empty mug of water in one hand. If anybody asks, he'll say he's returning from giving the prisoner food and water.

[will_scarlett]

No one seems to be about until he passes the same landing he fought on before, this time only two guards are there on watch. One of them startles awake and eyes him,

"'e give ye any trouble?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Aye, bastard 'eadbutted me once I'd finished feedin' 'im."

[will_scarlett]

"Oh, did ye give 'im 'ell?"

There's a smirk in this guard's voice, also his armor is a little nicer, he likes causing pain one reason he's on this duty.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Atton laughs, cruelly. It's not a difficult act - He's seen people like this before.

"Aye. 'is face was a bloody mess by the time I left 'im."

[will_scarlett]

"Good, 'ave some ale, saved some for ye an some o'those pies that the cook tries to 'ide from us."

Ale is poured into the mug he's holding and a lukewarm pie handed over as they push stuff off a bench to sit on.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Inwardly, Atton swears. Any delay is a bad delay.

Outwardly, he seems pleased, amiable. He sits down, taking the ale and the pie.

He realises that there's no way they won't see the bruises on his face if he's sitting and eating them. He takes the opposite approach instead. He looks up, letting the firelight illuminate his face, and rubbing along the bruises - There's enough now that they look sort of like one or two large bruises.

Gulping down his ale. "I swear, that prisoner's got a 'ard 'ead. 'ow bad does it look?"

[will_scarlett]

The guard who's more in charge laughs,

"Ye'll be all sorts o'pretty colors for days. 'fraid I'll just 'ave to let that pretty Jenny know ye willna be seein' 'er for a bit."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Smirking: "I could get 'er to bathe my wounds. Tell 'er 'ow I got 'em defending Nottingham against an outlaw."

[will_scarlett]

That just makes all the guards laugh and one of them pat Atton on the back,

"Oh aye, sure ye can, 'arald, love to see ye try."