Chapter 2: Only once lucky…
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Rae stirred from her sleep as dawn broke. The sounds of marching and horse hooves had awakened her. Donning her green jacket, she raced through the fields. As she neared the roads bordering the fief, she climbed up a tree and waited. Sure enough a band of warriors approached. They were clad in white. A knight and stand bearer led them as they marched onward. The stand bearer carried a flag with a silver blade and crown on a blue field. The knight looked unusual though. He had red copper hair and purple eyes. Not to mention he was also quite short and stocky compared to the others. Rae watched from his hiding spot in the tree as they passed by, wondering what all this meant.
~§~
(Noon)
As she hunted for foot she carefully thought things over. 'The peculiar knight lived at the manor called Pirate's Swoop and also seemed to be the commander of the band of warriors. A knight was paid well for hi service to the crown. Would that mean there would be more money at the manor?' Shondai's bridle was falling apart and couldn't be repaired again. She also needed to use the blacksmith's forge and make some more throwing stars. Surely that wasn't illegal. 'But won't I surely standout? A girl, shaping metal into star shapes. No… I can't afford to draw attention. Otherwise I might be suspected for the robbery at Pirate's Swoop. Spying a rabbit dart across her path, she crabbed a throwing star and threw with accuracy. The rabbit stopped mid-air and collapsed on its side. 'I wonder,' she thought, 'what the monks and priestesses would say if they could see me now.'
~§~
(Pirate's Swoop)
"I can't believe it!" roared George, "I was robbed 5 gold nobles last night and slept though the entire thing,"
"With being baron of this fief, I'd say you've been a bit off guard." Remarked Alanna with a smirk.
"Who do you think would'ave done this? Those in the rogue might've found it funny to pull a prank like this. But they'd surely left their mark, saying it was them." George paused then continued, "I don't think it was a thief. Only 5 nobles were taken, nothing else."
"What I find puzzling," stated Alanna "is how they reached your chambers undetected. The second top stair creaks when stepped on and no trees have over your balcony. And the roof is fairly steep. The upstairs entry doesn't seem like its been used either lately. All I can say," and looking into the worried eyes of her husband, she whispered, "is this thief is good. Very good."
~§~
Rae waited in the trees as the moon shone overhead. The lights in the manor had gone out four hours ago. It was about… and hour past midnight. This time Rae carried her sword, Red Blaze, strapped on her back. She took more precautions now that there was a knight at the manor. Her sword had a thin but sharp blade and had engravings along its hilt. A bright red tassel hung off the hilt of the sword. It was a beautiful piece of work. It used to belong to Master Jien, but he gave it to her before she left.
She decided to take the same entrance as the night before and then search for the knight's chambers. She leaped off the tree onto the roof, and jumped down to the balcony. She slipped inside the room like a shadow. Just as she was making her way across the Baron's chambers, she heard a thunderous yell. Quickly unsheathing her sword, she spun around. A short, stocky figure stood behind her with a sword in its hands raised above its head. It was the knight… dressed in a sleeping gown? Rae pushed away her confusion and quickly blocked his sword as it came crashing down. His style of fighting was strange to her. He gave slow, heavy blows, while hers were quick and strong. They fought hard and blocked each other well. For a second they both faltered and paused in their rhythmic dance. Rae quickly brought her sword up and pressed it against his throat. He, seeing the same chance as her, brought his up too. For a few moments they stood poised with their swords at each other's throats. Rae heard someone behind her but didn't turn fast enough. She felt a thud and saw stars. Then all was black.
A/N: Cheers!! Second chapter done!! I'm going to pause for a couple days. But I'll write a bunch of chapters during spring break. Yay!! Two whole weeks of no school!! I'm looking forward to your reviews.