She probably should have known better than thinking she could talk her way out of this. This world was unknown to Sam, these people strangers. Maybe she could have talked and debated her way out of any situation in law school or back in her own world. But here she was essentially an alien. For all she knew he murdered ten girls a day. So she felt herself go cold when he started smiling the worst smile she had ever seen and silently berated herself as he confirmed himself to be every bit the monster she had described. But she refused to look away from his eyes, not matter how cold and terrible they were. He looked at her as though challenging her to advert her gaze, and she wouldn't give him that satisfaction no matter the outcome.

She felt herself grimace when he told her she had been spared back in her world due to the fact that her death would have caused them exile. But there were no rules that protected her here. He had taken a step towards her before he said that last bit, and she wanted to lean away from him as much as she could, but she was pressed firmly against the tree Dorothea was hiding in. Cornered by these three men who were likely to murder her in the next ten seconds. ."...Oh," was all she could say weakly in response to him declaring they could slice her up as much as they pleased. Then she felt the cool blade from the the man with the nose's sword on her throat. "Oh, God." This was it. How it was going to end. In screaming and slashing and blood in the middle of a forest in this fantasy world. Sam suddenly remembered that her dad's birthday was in two months and she fought back the urge to cry. Instead she fixed her gaze on the eager man with the broken nose and decided to be defiant until the end. "I don't suppose apologizing about your nose would do me any good, would it?"

[i]"Tie her up."[/i]

Sam had been expecting the next words out of his mouth to be orders to begin hacking at her with their blades, and she stared at him visible shock. "What..." She was cut off by the Nosy Man's start of a protest but then the Marshal had him pinned against the tree beside her in an instant, she heard herself let out a gasp. She was shocked she hadn't leaned away and cut herself on the other sword. She watched the two men as the one in charge threatened without threatening in the most dangerous voice she had ever heard. The effect was instantaneous. As soon as he had been released, Nose had turned her around and took hold of her arms, a bit more roughly than was necessary she thought. Then her wrists were bound tightly behind her back. Sam winced as the rope cut into her skin and she knew she was going to have some lovely injuries there to go with the bruises she had already received from their gauntlets.

Once her hands were tied firmly behind her back she felt the Marshal take hold of her. Sam felt herself being dragged unceremoniously out into the center of the clearing, in perfect view of where Dorothea was perched at the top of the tree. She looked up at her, unable to keep a brave face this time as she felt the sharp, cool edge of another blade near her throat. The Marshal threatened to slice her to bits unless Dorothea came down from the tree and handed herself over. The dagger moved from her throat to behind her ear as he suggested she might not need them. Sam so disagreed but was unable to find her voice, which was probably for the best anyway.

Dorothea made a threat of her own and it made Sam grimace slightly. She may have been a princess but her threats seemed empty when they cam from a cat and when he as one motion away from slicing Sam's ear clean off. At the suggestion of plucking out eyeballs Sam felt the coolness of the dagger on the skin of her face as he moved the dagger once more so it laid under her eye. She had been attempting to force herself into acting calm but she could practically hear her heart racing wildly and her breathing was audible and panicky.

Sam looked up at Dorothea once more, just as cornered as she was. The princess looked furious in her defensive position but what could she do? She was essentially powerless in the form she was in. It still was painful to watch as Dorothea submitted and began her descent from the topmost branches of the tree. Sam closed her eyes, trying to fight back the feeling of defeat and despair, then opened them again. "No, don't do it!" she yelled to her, even though she was probably going to get sliced for this. She was probably already dead anyway though. "You can't trust him, he'll probably just kill me when you hand yourself over anyway! I'm not worth it!" Sam didn't want to die, didn't like saying these things about herself, and was surprised that she was even saying them. But they were true in a sense. She was no one. She was normal, average, and she didn't even belong in this place. She shouldn't know Dorothea at all, and Dorothea shouldn't be willingly handing herself over for the life of a girl that wasn't even from the same world as her. Maybe just as much as Sam shouldn't have been willing to risk her life for the princess. But Sam didn't want to watch this man she hated more than anyone else at the moment win. It was against her nature, no matter how skeptical and cynical she was. She hated it when the scumbags won and got away and walked all over everyone else in the process. Sam couldn't let that happen to Dorothea when she had no means of defense. She didn't think she could stand seeing the Marshal's face if he got what wanted.