Iris woke with a start, a warm, but urgent hand lay across her bony shoulder, shaking her. "Wake up, the gypsies have invaded the town!" A familiar voice whispered hoarsely, blue eyes peering into her periwinkle ones.

Keith Calloway. a member of the Towns Guard, and Iris's father, lifted the her to her feet, thrusting a bejeweled dagger into her sleep numbed fingers. "Papa, I-"

"No, just get down to the lake." Her father ordered before dashing off into the fray, not even pausing to check to see if she obeyed his commands.

Before leaving the cabin, she grabbed a dull sage green skirt and a dark brown leather belt, slipping the skirt on, which was to big around her waist, so she fastened it with the belt. She tied her dagger to her waist and ran out the door, only to bowl into Damian, a young blood with a stubborn streak, tussling with a gypsy.

The sheen of steel on steel bedazzled Iris, the sound caused her ears to pound. She turned left and ran along the cobblestone road that she helped create, glancing over her shoulder constantly to see if anyone was following her.

She yelped as her body collided with that of another, causing her to stumble back. Calloused hands circled around her thin wrists, the fear causing blood to pound in her ears, her eyes glided up her captors chest, his white chemise, covered in soot and red splotches she could only identify as blood, was open at the collar and down the center of his chest, exposed chiseled muscle and black, curly hair.
Further up his body was his face, which was handsome enough, in a rugged way. over the left side of his lips lay a thin scar that curling under his nose and ending somewhere in his right nostril. His eyes the color of the turquoise gem, bright and sharp.

She couldn't move, her eyes wide with fright and shock as the dark gypsy leaned towards her, his breath hot on her face.

Iris cried out as rougher hand dug into her hips and tossed her away, causing her to land on the cobblestones, scraping her arms and elbows, her skirt moving up her leg.

She tossed pale blonde locks over her shoulder and glanced back, shocked to see the dark gypsy grab another, more younger one by the throat. "Do ye have a death wish? The next time I have a woman in my arms, ye leave well enough alone." He ordered, tossing the gypsy away, turning his back and ignoring him. He looked down at Iris, a wave of fear rushed over the blonde maiden, but her joints were frozen, locked under his gaze.

He held out his hand wordlessly, giving an aura of authority, as if she had no choice but to take his hand and allow him to pull her to her bare feet.

Once his grip on her hand loosened, she broke free and ran as fast as her body would allow, not even taking the time to spare a glance behind her, disappearing into the forest.

xXx

Ryan watched the stunning nymph run into the tree, her blonde curls catching on the brambles and branches.

He scoffed as he turned to yell at Carlos, a Spaniard who joined his troop five years earlier and has been a thorn in his side ever sense, but he was gone. Which only left Ryan more angry than before.
He decided to deal with Carlos later and push the thoughts of the angelic creature far from his brain and focus on the task at hand, find the towns treasure and get out alive.

He ran to the middle of town and looked around, growling angrily hen he realizes that they were losing. He tried to yell out commands to his "soldiers", but it didn't seem to be heard over the commotion.

In the corner of his eye, he sees the flutter f thin, peacock shade fabric, causing him to turn his head, seeing his sister, Colleen, trying to sneak into one of the houses. He groaned in annoyance and stormed over to her, his fists clenched. "Damn you, Colleen." He snapped when he was close enough for her to see and hear him.

Colleen lifted her chin stubbornly and faced him head on, refusing to give her older brother any ground on the issue. "I should be allowed to help! I'm a part of this troop, ye know."

"Aye, I know that fact all too well." Ryan snarled, his upper lip curling unnaturally. "Sometimes I'm tempted to leave ye to the wolves, Colleen. Go home before ye get hurt." He grabbed her wrist and pushed her towards the bridge that marked the end of the land that the town is on.

"But, I-"

"Go, now!" He ordered, refusing to let her disobey.

In the end, she had no choice but to leave, refusing to look back at Ryan as she crossed the bridge.
He had remained still for so long, he didn't notice anyone sneaking up behind him until he felt the stinging pain of a sword cutting through his shoulder. He turned in a flash, his saber in hand, facing Keith Calloway, the reason his face is scarred.

He let out an inhumane growl and lunged at him with saber in hand, but the Towns Guard blocked and parried with ease, causing Ryan to loose ground. It took less than five minutes to push the King of the gypsies to the bridge, giving him no choice but to retreat.

"I warn ye now, Calloway." Ryan said in the darkest of voices. "One of these days, ye will lose the most precious thing to ye in this world, and ye will be powerless to stop it."

And with that, he let out a holler, calling back his men and running over the bridge, a new plan formulating in his brain.

Oh yes, Calloway would pay for this, in the most painful way possible.

XxX

Iris sighed as she watched her best friend, Sophie Mikhail, go on and on about how "romantic" it was that the gypsy defended her against his troop member. "I mean, he defended ye, Iris. That has to mean he has feelings for ye!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"I doubt those feelings pure, and I know they are not reciprocated." Iris sighed, annoyed but trying her best not to snap at Sophie, the hopeless romantic.

"Yer parents married for love, and you don't have one romantic bone in ye." Sophie huffed, pouting at her, her dainty red curls falling into her face, making her seem like a fiery vixen awaiting her prince in the forest.

"My mother died because of my parents choice, I will never let that happen to me." Iris said in a tone that left no argument.

"Girls? Where are ye?" George Mikhail, Sophie's father, called out somewhere in the forest, he shine on his bald head seen before anything else.

"Papa!" Sophie exclaimed, rushing into her fathers waiting arms, his aged face warm and inviting as he smiles at his second youngest child, but his only daughter. Iris remained near the tree that she had been leaning against sense she found Sophie, rubbing her wrists absent-mindedly.

"Is my father alright?" She asked when she noticed the concerned look George gave her when she didn't run up to the man she saw as a grandfather.

"He's fine. But he worried about you, so my advise would be to hurry up and head back to town." Once he was sure the two girls were following him, he started to tell them about the battle that ravaged the property, but left only minor injuries to the towns people.

Iris didn't pay much attention, watching the sun raise up over the distant mountains. A new day is dawning, but is the dawn going to be painted with peace? Or blood?

xXx

Once back at camp, Iris grabbed a basket so she could help gather up the tattered ropes that were kept by the town square for emergencies, her eyes glancing over at the bridge ever so often, as if in hope of catching a glimpse of her waylaid gypsy.

Her father saw her from where he bent over, picking up the occasional piece of silver that the gypsies so clumsily dropped in their haste to escape the townsfolk. He straightened his spine and kept himself from running to his daughter, concern furrowing his brow as he reached her side. "Are ye alright?" he asked softly, placing a warm hand on her shoulder, his voice soft.

"Aye, Papa." She smiles a little, forcing herself to smile at him. "Just a little shaken up from the events that occurred."

He nods in understanding, pulling her into a hug. "I'm gad ye got out unscathed, little flower." He whispered softly, kissing her forehead. He pulled back too soon, and Iris had to bite her tongue to keep from calling him back to her. "Today is goin' to be a busy day, so don't over do it." He said, smiling.

"I won't, Papa." She nods to him, her smile disappearing as she watched her father take the silver pieces to the treasure chest.

She felt smaller hands on her shoulder, and Iris turned to face one of her best friends, Damian Mikhail, the youngest son of the Mikhail clan, and Sophie's older brother. "Do ye need help, Scales?" Damian smirks at his time old nick-name for her, which she earned from when she was skinning a fish, and she realized to late that the scales were stuck to her arm for the better part of the day.

"I'm not helpless, Damo." She laughed softly, placing a hand on her hip and jutting it out in a sassy manner, one she knew her father would never approve of, hence why she did it when she knew he wasn't looking.
"Oh, ye naughty little vixen." Damian laughed and reached to tickle her overly sensitive abdomen. She squealed and promptly ran to the other side of the town square, hiding behind Sophie, who laughed at the display and leaned over to pick up a piece of fallen wood.

"Yer brother is the spawn of the Devil!" Iris exclaimed as she helped her friend, panting from her sudden dash. "Last I checked, my father is not the Devil." Sophie pretended to chastise her older friend, but found that she fell into a bought of giggles.

Iris rolled her eyes as she looked around, the townsfolk busying themselves with cleaning up the mess the gypsies caused. "I wonder how long it will take for the town to be back to normal," Iris mumbled softly, her pale eyes looking over the scene thoughtfully.

"It will only be normal when the gypsies are gone, and if yer fathers plan is accepted by Papa, than the gypsies will be gone soon." Sophie said softly.

Iris sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. "I still can't believe my father would suggest such a horrid thing to the counsel." She whispers hoarsely, looking back at the bridge, hoping that George said no during the vote later that day.