A/N: Okay guys, I realized that I never cleared up what happened to the bandits in the village. I was persuaded by Heartflower to write this bonus chapter and explain it. Hope you like it!

Eskel's Flower: Bonus Chapter
*Set during chapters 7 until between 10 and 11*

~Boom Boom Boom

Pounding of the stone

Boom Boom Boom

Pounding of my heart

Boom Boom Boom

Pounding of the feet

Boom Boom Boom

We all do our part~

The villagers didn't go quietly. Each girl and woman fought for their lives. They managed to subdue six of the bandits before one of them got a hold of a hostage. Two year old Eya and her new baby sister Desia had been quietly sleeping before Onor found them. He showed them to the rest of the villagers and they stopped resisting. Eskel's people stick together. They allowed Jerla and her fourteen year old, pale faced daughter Gerti to be in the room with the girls.

They communicated with the others by—what else?—quarry speech. Everyone else was captive in their own home. Miri and Jans were nowhere to be found; most people believed the worst due to Miri's history from the academy. They all lost hope—until they heard the feet.

Men were arguing in hushed tones as they slowly walked towards the village. The women could see their shadows, but they couldn't tell if the newcomers were mountain men or bandit reinforcements. In the end, though, it was little Landon, Liana's four year old, blue-eyed brother, who got the information. With wide eyes, he snuck out of his house and crept along Britta's old bushes. Landon rounded the corner carefully and then grinned widely. "DADDY!" he screamed joyfully. Harekn scooped up his son.

"Where are they, Landon?" he asked desperately as he hugged him.

"There." He pointed to his house.

"Who?" Harekn clarified.

"Mummy!" he shouted. Harekn and the rest of his clan sprinted to the house and kicked the door in.

Trystar looked up warily, but her expression changed immediately when she saw her husband. He brought her into a large embrace. "Harekn," she whispered contentedly. He pulled her in front of him and looked her in the eye.

"Trystar?" His wife nodded and gave him a questioning look. "Where are they? The ones who did this to you?"

She shuddered. "It's the bandits. They're back. They decided to make Os and Redat's house," he nodded her head in their direction, "their headquarters. A dozen or so men are here…but that should be no contest; you brought that many and more. Did you find Dan?" she questioned.

He bowed his head. "Gentz…was arguing with Laren. He thought that Dan was already gone, and that it was a lost cause. I left with him. We all did…except for Fendild, and Peder, Jorge's boy."

"Where are they?" asked Trystar desperately. "Are they still out there?"

"Yes," he sighed. "I don't know when they'll be back."

Trystar spoke urgently. "Was Miri with them?"

"Miri?"

"Yes, Miri Larendaughter, she left with Jans to get help. Have you seen her?" Harekn drew in a shaky breath and slowly shook his head. Trystar started to hyperventilate. "Harekn, what if—what if they got her? What if Dan already found her?" Her husband held and rocked her as she wept for the poor little girl. Poor little Miri.

The bandits were sitting in luxury. All of the food they wanted, all of the riches they wanted, all of the animals they wanted were theirs. It wasn't as if a woman or child would wrestle it away from them! It was funny how all of that confidence drained from them when Dogface realized that it wasn't dark outside. The absence of light was due to the mountain men surrounding their little hideaway. They all walked out, hands up, and the mountain men snorted at their cowardice. This was what had seemed so difficult a year ago?

They found Wert and Os in a back room, starving and badly beaten, with their hands and feet tied and a gag in their mouths. Gentz, feeling guilty for leaving Laren, personally tended to their wounds and got them the food and water they needed. He was also the one who made the journey down the mountain (with Uwirk) to get someone from the palace to help take the bandits away.

In the end, one of Prince Steffan's own cousin's was the one to load the bandits into the back of a trader wagon. He and his cousin were very happy to see the bandits' reign of terror come to a stop. They asked about Dan, but all Miri would say was that "he won't be hurting anyone every again, don't worry" and they couldn't get anything out of Peder, Laren, Jans, or Fendild. So the Heir Apparent left with the rest of the bandits, and for the first time in a long time, Mount Eskel was a safe place.

THE END!

A/N #2: So ends the bonus chapter of Eskel's Flower. I really hope you liked it, and thank Heartflower for the idea! If you have any questions about anything (or ideas!), please leave a review. Whether I think I can make it into a new chapter or not, I'll send you a PM and give you any info you need! Thanks for reading, review and tell me how you liked it! ~IceCreamGurl6455