Madeline and Cassian stood hidden at the back of a brick building, watching as Klaus’s Carriage was left unguarded with only the Coachman who had dropped from his seat and was leaning against the carriage, anxiously waiting for his master to return.
The slightest sound heard was enough to make the Coachman flinch and spin, his nervousness and fear were visible in the way he carried himself, and that made him an easy target for Madeline and Cassian to distract.
"Are you ready?" He asked Madeline who nodded in return, and since the plan had already been made, Madeline adjusted her dress before strutting out from where she had hidden towards where the carriage was parked.
Getting closer to the Coachman, Madeline’s expression switched into one of panic as she ran towards the Coachman’s direction. Deliberately faking her fall that elicited a short cry from her, the Coachman’s attention was instantly gained as his guards were raised.
He looked at the civilian dressed in military uniform, her face contoured with panic and fear as she looked up to the guard who was wary of her sudden presence.
"Help me! Please! They’re coming!" She stretched her hand forward with the hopes that the Coachman would assist her up to her feet, equally looking behind her from time to time, further increasing the Coachman’s suspicion that she was being chased by someone.
Noticing the Coachman’s reluctance to help her up, she pretended to have pains all over, unfortunately, it was difficult to force tears out of her eyes in order to convince the Coachman better, and she secretly gritted her teeth in slight frustration before masking the panicked look on her face.
"Who... who are you?" The Coachman finally found the courage to ask, and Madeline’s pitiful face made the Coachman lower his guard a bit. "My teammates, they’ve been abducted, please, help me! He’s coming for us!’
"Who is coming?"
"We don’t have time! He’s coming and--- Ahhh!!"
Madeline’s sudden scream made the Coachman raise his head up to look ahead, and in the foggy mist of the night, a shadow was standing there, his head lowered as he came to a stop, and the Coachman, taking notice of Madeline’s fright as she tried to scramble to her feet, also made the Coachman’s face turn white.
"He’s here!! I told you!!" Madeline’s apprehensive gaze followed the shadowy figure of a man, and the Coachman heard the horses behind him neigh out loudly in fright, and the sound of the horses also alerted Klaus who was taking a walk and trying to confirm his research.
"What tha-"
When the figure remained unmoving, the Coachman tried his best to act tough, but the fear was still evident in his eyes as he took hold of the lantern hanging beside the carriage, and pointing it at the figure.
"Who’s there??"
He took another daring step forward, and Madeline, who was acting it out, continued with her crying pretense as the Coachman appeared to be falling right into their trap.
"Who’s there?!" The Coachman yelled out this time around, and he bristled back when the shadowy figure slowly raised his head, and in the foggy mist that hid his vivid appearance, a flash of red glint caught the Coachman’s gaze, making the hand that held the lantern in his grip tremble, and as the fog faded, he froze when the sight of a vampire stood in front of him, a wicked grin plastered on his bewitching, yet spine-chilling face.
"Run."
Madeline slowly got to her feet and hid at the other side of the carriage, and the Coachman, who was consumed by fear, felt his hold on the lantern loosen, and it dropped to the ground, the lights going off when a slight whoosh of air blew by. Shock-stricken, the Coachman nearly peed on himself as a panicked cry left his lips, and he dashed off in a speed that surprised both Cassian and Madeline as they watched him disappear into the distance.
Madeline covered her mouth with her palm to stop herself from giggling out loud, and Cassian, who knew they had successfully gotten the job done, walked past Madeline to the Coachman’s seat.
"Klaus needs to hire a better Coachman." Commented Cassian as he climbed onto the Coachman’s seat, but Madeline used her hands to signal she was against the idea.
"We need to make it past the main gate, remember? You can’t ride the carriage. Let me do it."
"I would rather abort this mission than let you ride any carriage." He disagreed with a scoff that hurt Madeline’s pride.
"That was a one time thing." She defended, knowing he was addressing what happened the first time she ran his carriage into a tree. "Don’t you trust my capabilities?"
"Hand me to the palace guards instead." He scowled in annoyance, and Madeline’s mouth dropped open in disbelief, obviously hurt by the comparison.
"This is what I get for trying to help." She muttered in a low tone, biting the skin in her cheek to avoid turning their conversation into argument. She would be sure to remember this statement of his when they’re safe and sound.
Reluctantly, she threw their traveling bag in and got into the seat of the carriage. She closed the door with a bang that rang out loudly in Cas’s ear, making him wince slightly, only to turn his head back to see it was his wife’s doing.
"Ahh... this woman." He sighed. "We just succeeded in our plan and she’s already angry with me."
Shaking his head, he arranged the scarf Madeline had wrapped around him, adjusting enough so only his eyes were visible.
He pulled at the reins of the horses, making them neigh in response as they stood with the back of their hooves, and with one final pull, the horses were pulling the carriage down the graveled street.
As the carriage rode past the graveled street, Madeline stared out the window, unsure of how many hours had passed by, and when she subconsciously stared at the buildings, a glimpse of someone hiding behind the shadows caught her attention.
A gasp tore from her lips as she looked out further, and shockingly, the figure remained there, moving. It reminded her of the time she saw someone standing behind the shadows before the tragic accident.