Silver
Chapter Two:
Enter Lita the Bandit Chief
by Phantasy Star
Serena swallowed, staring at the bandit before her. "Well, what's your name?"
She frowned, trying to decide whether that was a stupid question. She had never met a bandit before, not in her castle, not on the village grounds, and certainly not out here in the wild. What exactly does one say to a person of this profession? Regardless, they were meeting for the first time and her mother had always stressed the importance of manners.
"What?" the leader said, surprised, "We're not gonna to tell you our names! Looks at us, we're bandits! We're gonna rob you!"
Serena saw a glint in Endymion's eyes.
"Your Highness, please stay behind me," he warned, "In case you must defend yourself, use this wand."
He took out a stick from his hunting sack and tossed it towards her. She surprised herself by catching her easily, holding the wand triumphantly in her hand and flashing a grin at the bandits. Surely they knew now that she was not simply a weak princess in need of protection.
"What is it?" she asked, inspecting the cherry-colored wand with a glowing creasant-shape at its end. She was struck by how warm the material felt against her palm. The weapon seemed almost beautiful.
"It's a Moon Wand," Endymion answered, "Aim it at your enemy and focus your energy into it."
"Wow, it's a magical weapon? Cool!"
"Hey, are you two done chatting?" one of the bandits said impatiently, "You're holdin' us up. 'Got a whole town to rob after this."
Serena barely had time to gasp when Endymion moved. It seemed as if she blinked and the first two bandits had already fallen. The third collapsed when Endymion slammed the hilt of his sword against the back of his head. His eyes rolled backwards and he fell crumpled on to the ground.
The fourth bandit charged at Endymion, and Serena frowned. She stared at the wand in her hand, wondering whether she could truly control it. Her mother had tried to teach her basic elemental magic before, but it never seemed that important.
"Take this, jerk!" Serena cried and aimed the wand.
To her surprise, a creasant shaped beam shot out and hit the bandit in the neck. He yelped out in pain and dropped to the leaf-covered ground, lifting his hand quickly to covering his wound.
"Fantastic, Your Highness!" Endymion exclaimed, and she beamed. He was finally displaying some form of positive energy, and it was because of her!
Serena watched as the fifth bandit surveyed his fallen friends. The gruff-looking man chuckled nervously, before turning to scamper away.
Then he gasped.
"Master!" he said, immediately kneeling in front of a figure hidden in the dark.
Serena peered curiously into the shadows and saw another stranger hidden under a drooping tree branch. The figure wore the same dark green shirt and back pants, and sported the same styled bandanna.
But it was a she this time.
"What are you doing?" the woman said, kicking the knelt-down bandit in the stomach, "I told you guys to raid the wealthy village across the river! You can't take that simple instruction?"
Serena blinked.
"Seriously, Joe! I'm gonna have to demote you to third-in-command if you keep disobeying my orders!" the woman scolded.
The bandit gazed desolately downwards, both his stomach and pride hurting.
The woman finally turned towards Serena with an apologetic smile. She stepped closer, "Oh, I am so sorry."
Endymion came between them defensively.
"Relax," the stranger scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I'm Lita Kino, leader of the Green Bandits. Usually I say these words with pride, but after watching that miserable fight, well, I really feel like abdicating my title…"
Endymion retracted his weapon carefully and stared coldly at her, "If I were not on a mission, I would arrest you and personally deliver you to our kingdom's prison. Bandits bring chaos to our countrysides."
"Ugh, such discrimination," Lita exclaimed, although she didn't seem offended, "We're the good kind of bandits! You know, steal from rich folks, give to poor folks, you've heard the stories. Anyway, what's going on here? She looks like a royal lady, and you look like a knight." She frowned thoughtfully, "Hmm… You didn't kidnap her to have your way with her, did you?"
Endymion's eyes widened, his face turning red, although Serena wasn't sure it was from anger or embarrassment.
"I am not to disclose my mission!" Endymion growled, "Now, leave my sight before I am forced to cut you down."
Lita seemed to have decided to ignore him and fixated her gaze on Serena instead.
"Uh, it's… it's true," Serena stammered, "He didn't kidnap me. Well, he kind of did, but it's fine. He's escorting me to the Mars Kingdom."
Lita didn't seem to be paying attention to her words though. Instead, she was looking at the silver bracelet on Serena's wrist.
"Wow, that thing must be worth a fortune!" she said.
"I've... had it since I was a little girl."
"You are not taking it from her," Endymion said, his voice low with anger.
"I wasn't going to!" Lita snapped, then turned to Serena again with a smile, "Listen, Princess..."
"Serena."
"Princess Serena, if you need another escort, I'd be happy to join you and assure your safety! As for payment, well, we can talk about it when we get there. You're a princess, so you're fairly well-off, I presume?"
"Uh, I guess..."
"Then it's settled!" Lita said happily, "I'll come with you! It'll give me a break from my pathetic minions!"
"We are traveling by horse, but by foot," Endymion said flatly.
"I have my own horse," Lita retorted, then beamed again, "All right, when are we leaving?"
"But Master!"
Lita turned around, looking at the bandit who had gotten off of the ground.
"You can't leave us, Master! We would be so worried! You're one of us! When we found you at the river unconscious two years ago, we-"
"You talk far too much, Joe," Lita said, waving her hand dismissively, "I'm going and that's that. Now, remember, don't sour the Green Bandits' names while I'm gone!"
The bandit nodded worriedly.
"Please stay safe, Master!"
Lita grinned, "You too, Joe."
"Your Highness, it is time to rise."
Serena shook her head with her eyes closed, mumbling, "No, it's not…"
"Princess Serenity, if we wish to arrive at the Mars Kingdom in three days, we must take advantage of every hour the sun is up…"
She opened her eyes, finding herself staring at Endymion's handsome face, behind him the clear blue sky. She groaned.
It was much too early, and she had not slept well the night before. Which was probably understandable. She had never slept outdoors before, and was nervous the whole night about bugs and critters, despite Endymion's repeated reassurance that the fire would keep them away. She had to admit though, that the bed Endymion had made for her out of leaves felt oddly comfortable.
"I was dreaming about my mother," she said sullenly.
Then she berated herself for being stupid. Why was she expecting sympathy from him? He would probably just say 'I am sorry for your turmoil.'
"I am sorry for your turmoil, Your Highness."
She sighed.
"But the knight who was sent for your mother, he is more experienced and more capable than I," Endymion continued, looking sympathetic for once, "I assure you that your mother is in good hands. In fact, she would likely reach the Mars Kingdom sooner than we do."
"You think so?"
He nodded.
She sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.
"Endymion... why did they send you to come for me? Out of all the knights of First Guard?"
"I… am not certain myself," he admitted, "It was Queen Serenity's personal decision."
Serena was surprised, "My mother knew you?"
"Yes."
She was beginning to tire of his short answers. Perhaps he sensed it. He continued.
"Two years ago I was found in the hills by the castle. During one of her walks, the Queen herself spotted me. I was unconscious and badly wounded. I... I woke up with no memories. Queen Serenity took me in and assigned me to become a knight."
"Two years ago?" Serena said incredulously, "In two years you rose through the ranks to become a grand knight of the First Order? Wow, you must be pretty good."
She thought she caught a hint of pride flashing through his eyes, but then he was turning away.
"Anyway, Your Highness, we must continue our journey."
She nodded.
A moment later, they were on the horse again, and she had gotten accustomed to resting her head on his back. Lita rode cheerfully next to them, bragging about her exploits as a bandit leader serving justice. Serena listened excitedly, but Lita rarely elicited any type of response from Endymion.
As they continued to ride towards the Mars Kingdom, Serena thought about the man in front of her. A knight with a mysterious past. Her heart began to pound and she hoped he did not feel it.
Perhaps there was more to him than she had initially thought.
It was during daybreak when the Jupiter guards overtook them.
Serena gasped in horror as over fifteen soldiers surrounded them. Their allegiance was clear; each soldier wore a green suit, and a dark-gray helmet engraved with the number-four symbol. Endymion eyed them carefully while Lita took out her hunting knife.
"We just want the princess," the tallest soldier said as he stepped forwards, "You two will not be harmed."
Endymion stepped down from the horse, and Serena immediately missed his warmth.
"I wish to know the intentions of the Jupiter Kingdom," Endymion declared, "We have been allies for decades. What prompted this abomination?"
"We're not here to discuss anything," the enemy leader said, "Give us Princess Serenity."
"I think not," Endymion said, his eyes narrowing.
In a flash, Lita had jumped down from her horse and the fight began. Serena grasped her wand and shot its creasant-shaped energy bolts, surprising herself when she felled guard after guard.
Endymion struck through several enemies with his sword; none of the Jupiter guards' weapons even touched his armor.
Then, Serena cried out in alarm as a blade rammed past Lita's shoulder, and the tall girl winced in pain before dropping to the ground, her hand clutching the wound.
Two Jupiter guards stepped forwards and forced Lita to the ground. Serena, to her horror, realized their intentions. One of the guards held a spear over Lita's head.
"No, don't hurt her!" Serena cried frantically, "I'll... I'll go with you!"
"Your Highness, you cannot!" Endymion exclaimed, turning momentarily from the battle to face her.
She knew she didn't have a choice.
"Sorry, Sir Endymion," Serena said, giving him a weak smile, "Thanks you for being semi-nice to me over the past couple of days. I… I hope we'll meet again someday. Please, go and protect my mother."
Endymion's dark blue eyes were filled with horror as she climbed down from the horse.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, and to summon forth courage she didn't know she had, Serena walked slowly towards the Jupiter soldiers.