April 7th Prompt
A Liars Guide to a Poet's Heart
Title given by @litzomania-

TW
Vi0lence, we@pons, de@th, teensy tiny bit of romance, cliffhanger

Arden stood in a deep brown study on the east bank of the Thames. He had just come from the House of Parliament where he had listened to his father debate with the other lords, it was meant to be a learning exercise for when the time would come that he would take on the title of Earl Rutherford. The wind whipped around him, blowing his charcoal hair into his eyes. He pulled his coat tighter around himself and continued down the street, his mood continuing to sour. People passed him on the street, men hurrying home to a warm meal, women ushering their children down the street, couples holding hands and smiling lovingly despite the bitter cold. Jealousy filled Arden's chest as he watched these normal people pass by, their minds occupied by the scratchy beds that awaited them in their snug little houses. The weight of political decisions that could affect thousands didn't rest on their shoulders, they had freedom of choice. Hundreds of jobs and opportunities were possible to them, but he had only one path to follow in life. These thoughts continued to plague him until he was brought to a halt by the sound of a scuffle coming from a nearby alley. A crease formed between his brows and he ducked quickly behind a large wooden crate. Two hooded figures stood in a cluttered alley their attention fixed on something Arden couldn't quite see.
It's probably just some stray cat, I should go… He was about to turn away when a high cold laugh filled the air, he stood frozen and turned slowly. That couldn't be–could it?
“Tell us where you put it,” growled one of the figures.
“You expect me to betray them? Why on earth would I do that?” came an amused voice.
Arden's pulse quickened, he had to see, he was mad for thinking it could possibly be her after all she was dead. Wishful thinking, idiotic thinking. "We know who you are, who you were.“ said the second figure.
”Blackmail, is that what you're thinking? I'm afraid that won't work on me chaps,“ Arden shifted to the side, trying to see through a crack between the crates. ”because you know nothing of me or my capabilities. This little display of power, well, frankly it doesn't phase me. My mouth is sealed." The voice said darkly.
Yes, Arden was sure of it. It had to be if he could only shift one of these blasted crates to the side. He began to move slowly to the left, a stack of boxes was only a few steps away, and he would be able to see from there. But fate had other plans.
The alley was dark and his senses were not what they normally were, his foot connected with a piece of junk and suddenly he was falling. Desperately he grabbed onto a lid of a nearby crate but missed, the movement causing the stack to sway precariously. He had just enough time to roll out of the way before it came crashing down around him, the people in the alley quieted. His senses returned by this sudden shock, Arden leaped up, his hand fumbling for the small handg-n that rested deep within the many pockets of his coat. One of the hooded men had a d-gger pressed against the throat of a young woman, her honey hair shining brightly despite the dark space, a wicked smile sharper than a kn-fe's edge spread across her face. She took her chance as her antagonist's grip slackened with the momentary confusion, in a lightning-quick movement she slipped up underneath the man's guard, twisted his arm, and grabbed his collar, pushing him roughly against the wall. Pinning him in place as the tables had turned. Arden's fingers closed around the smooth metal of the p-stol and he swiftly cocked it and pointed at the other man,
“Move a muscle and I'll send one of my fiery friends here through your head.” he said, desperately trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He'd never had to actually use a g-n before, not even in his father's hunting parties, the idea of hurting a living being made his stomach churn. But in this situation, it may call for it, and if it meant helping–yes, yes it was her. He couldn't be mistaken. She was alive.
“Eris,” Arden croaked, his heart twisting in his chest as he looked at the girl. Her autumn eyes flicked to his face, and she bit her lip hard, anger flashing briefly across her features.
“Easy now, we never meant to hurt anyone, just wanted some information you see?” her attention snapped back to the man she had pinned against the grimy wall.
“I think I see perfectly,” Eris hissed, the kn-fe biting deeper into his skin. “Any last words?” fear filled his eyes as she quickly brought the kn-fe across his throat, leaving a small red line in its wake. Gasping for air, he slumped against the wall.
A wave of nausea hit Arden and he quickly trained his gaze on the other man who was slowly backing away. Eris looked down at the de-d man, her eyebrow raised elegantly as if annoyed he put up so little fight. Brushing this off, she turned on her heel and approached her other assailant, twirling the now bl–dy kn-fe in her fingers.
“Please, please don't hurt me.” the man begged, his steps quickening. Eris laughed again, this time it turned Arden's blood cold. “how quickly the tables turn, and how quickly one's expression does change when your the animal caught in a trap.”
The man's eyes darted around the alley, but there was nowhere to run, Arden and his g-n were blocking the only way out. His back quickly came up against the opposite wall. Eris stopped and leaned nonchalantly against a nearby crate, her attention fixed on the kn-fe in her hands as she wiped the crimson stains with her sleeve.
“It's not my fault, I'm in desperate need of money, it was the only way…” he trailed off, tears spilling over and down his ruddy cheeks.
“Eris, don't,” Arden began as she started walking nimbly towards the cornered man.
“Save your breath,” she grumbled, tucking the kn-fe into the pocket of her coat. The man stopped trembling, his back straightened and he was about to sidestep Eris before her fist connected with his jaw. He reeled back, clutching his face as the girl grabbed a nearby piece of wood and brought it down hard on his head. His eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the ground.
Eris spun to face Arden and growled, “You want to put that g-n away or shall I?” In his shock, he'd forgotten that he was still aiming at the place Eris now stood.
Quickly, he pointed it at the ground and cleared the chamber and clip. “I–I…is he de-d?” he stammered.
“What? No, of course not. He'll wake up in a bit with a bad headache and maybe a little bump on his head.” She scoffed.
Arden nodded, still stunned “O-okay.”
"Well, thank you so very much for ‘coming to my rescue’,“ she said sarcastically as she made to move past him, ”but I must get going now.“
Ardens mind cleared as his attention snapped back to the young woman before him, he grabbed her arm tightly. ”What? What do you mean you have to get going? You owe me an explanation, who were they? What did they want? And most of all, you're supposed to be dead!“ his voice constricted and his breath quickened as the memories of that fateful day came back in painful detail. ”They found your body in the lake.“
She glared at him, color rushing to her cheeks, ”I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know who you are and if you keep me here against my will, I will shout for an officer, because frankly sir, you are a madman. And I don't owe you anything.“
”Eris, please, don't do that to me. Not after everything,“ his vision became blurry with unshed tears as he gripped her arm tighter. ”You have no idea what these last few years have been like, without you, my parents expecting me to just carry on and forget about it. Play the perfect heir in court and find someone else…“
She appeared to be having an internal war with herself, hurt and anger playing across her face as she resisted the urge to run. Finally, she seemed to have come to a decision, ”You seem to be doing good work, papers keep calling you the Poet of Change, as the rumors about your opinions spread…“
”It's what we always talked about,“ Arden whispered, an idea coming to him. He pulled her closer ”Come back with me, we can talk it over in a safe place, we shouldn't be found near a body.“
”No,“ Eris tried to push away but his grip was desperate and tight. ”that's not a good idea, Arden, these men…they're after me. And more of them will follow us, it would put you at risk. They're ruthless, and I couldn't live with myself if…“ she trailed off.
Bitterness filled Arden's voice, ”But you can live yourself after faking your death and forcing me to live through the darkest three years of my life.“
”Arden, I never meant, I'm sorry…“
”Apologies aren't enough Eris, I need an explanation. Just come back with me, I don't care about danger, not anymore.“
”Arden…Arden…I,“ a sob escaped her throat as panic filled her eyes.
He pulled her closer and whispered into her hair, ”No more lies. You can tell me. Whatever has happened, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe, just let me take care of you, just this once.“
She stilled and pulled back, searching his light blue gaze. ”Don't do that to me Arden, there's a reason for the lies. Lies are what's kept you safe, there's always a fine line between life and death, and lies are the only thing that keeps that line from crumbling.“
”How many lies, Eris? How many lies have you spun and what secrets are you keeping?“
She turned to leave, ”We are strangers, and nothing more, Arden.“
”No,“ he croaked, ”we'll never be strangers, not after everything. Don't say that.“
She kissed his cheek gently and brushed his hair back from his forehead, ”Goodbye Arden." With that she hurried out of the alley, disappearing into the grey uncertain world beyond, leaving him in the dark.

1,765 words

written on my freewrite so there may be typos or inconsistencies xD