Dont judge so fast

Taihon pulled out a makeshift knife, an ugly piece of sharpened stone and lime, and neared the blade. Mira had seen evil and cruelty in the past, and could smell a predator a mile away. He made no pretense to hide the blade, the sadist enjoyed her discomfort at he her incoming doom. He would scar her, forever.

Instead he cut her bounds.

"Close your mouth, not even you can be that dumb"

"Jerk. What do you want from me?" it was obvious the rogue wanted something. Freeing her didnt mean anything.

"A trade. And before you ask, I had to tie you up because you were hurting yourself" Mira sensed deceit, he could as well have planned for something else, and changed his mind along the way.

"What I want the most is to escape. So I watch your back, you watch mine, and we get out of here. Deal?" Mira was cautious, but that sounded sensible, and she wasnt compromising to follow his orders. She nodded.

"And I imagine we will both need weapons and armors, or a disguise. I know a place, but I want your word of honor, as a paladin, you wont leave me behind" Wary again, but it was a sensible request. She nodded.

"And last....if we get out of here, I want you to petition to the king for a full pardon. it wont matter much, I wont stay in your backwater kingdom, but it is nice to have less knights after me" Mira didnt want to compromise to that, so she asked "how about the other prisoners? do your plans involve freeing any of them?"

"... they can. But if you want to add that risk, I will throw in another too. I still want some Exstatica"