Lyn raced across the field as swift as her legs could carry her. She had
good reason for this flight; Four, angry thieves had chased after her for
over a mile now, and they were not about to stop any time in the near
future. At first, when they began the chase, she suggested to herself that
it was the two knights from town, but she was quickly told to think
otherwise. What men who only wanted to speak to her have any use in waving
hand axes in the air and shouting at her? Apparently men who wanted her
blood after a conversation.
She could have kicked herself for thinking it, but she wished that those knights, despite how they had treated her, were with her. At least they would be chivalrous enough to defend her. She could have been fighting long before then, but she had no energy in order to fight in the first place.
The strength in her legs weakened and she could feel herself slow to more of a jogging pace. This frustrated her. She tried desperately to force herself to go faster, but she couldn't. The voices of her adversaries seemed to grow louder, indicating that she was not going quickly enough.
She hadn't looked up for some time, keeping her focus on her feet and never behind her, but her large dark eyes stole a look of what lie ahead.
Her hopes of escape increased as she saw a large grove of trees that appeared to serve as a pleasurable place for hiding. She could climb trees well enough. The only issue was getting into the tree without her enemies finding out which one she was in. Otherwise, this was a good plan.
Lyn picked up her speed, but only by a little, and made her way into the forest. The trees were strewn with ivy and the ground was littered with massive tangles of roots. This would serve as a hiding spot even for a dragon, so of course it would provide shelter for her.
She began to pick out a trunk to scale, but she was immediately stopped as she heard the snapping of twigs and the all-too-familiar voices of the wicked men.
"Sorry, Lyn..." she told herself, "More running for you..."
Her fingers let go of the ivy around the tree she had chosen and she began to run once again. However, as most things go in tales of peril, things get worse before they get better.
Within seconds, Lyn found herself face down with a mouthful of dirt in the undergrowth and her foot was hopelessly caught in a snag. She reached for her sword, only to find it not at her waist. She began to panic, and this was not something she usually did. For once in her life, she felt utterly helpless.
She lifted her face off of the leaves and dirt and began to struggle with her new trouble. She had no idea how she got herself trapped under THIS root, but nevertheless, it happened and it wasn't making things any easier. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get her ankle out from under this confounded obstacle.
The men drew ever closer, and, as she looked over her shoulder, now she could see their faces. They were ugly men who undoubtedly had a long history of murder, rape, and thievery. One held an axe with several chips in the blade; the other held a thick sword bent near the hilt. There were only two of them who ventured into the woods after her, but it made little difference. If she did not get away from them soon, she would not see the rising sun tomorrow.
She fought violently with the snag, nearly beginning to cry in desperation. She had no weapon, bloodthirsty men wanted her hide for whatever reason, and she could not get away from it all, just because of this stupid root in her path.
One of the men laughed, a sickly sound that caused her stomach to churn. The other said something to the first, but Lyn couldn't hear it. She didn't want to hear it.
She glanced over her shoulder again, terrorized with the fact that they were practically on top of her. Her heart made a fierce leap into her mouth and her lips let out a cry of frustration and anxiety as she gave one last vicious tug at her trap.
To her joy, it broke free, giving her long awaited permission to jump up and flee. She had just barely got herself off of the ground, when the small light of hope was blown out. Pain shot through her arm as a large, calloused hand grabbed her and prevented her escape.
She screamed angrily and tried to fight with him, but his other hand gripped hers painfully and made sure that she went nowhere. Hot, reeking breath hissed into her ear, "'Ello, priddy."
"Let go of me, you revolting beast!" she spat into his face, only making him smile.
"Oy, Narig. We caught us a purdy one now, didn't we?" the other, the one with the crooked sword, chortled as he pressed his blade to her neck. Lyn clenched her teeth painfully as he ran his four fingers through her hair (he was missing one.).
"Reckon we take 'er to Zugu? Or do we just kill 'er here?"
The second shook his head slowly. "I don't think we got to turn 'er in to 'im right now..." He smiled maliciously, revealing yellow teeth, "She just needs to be dead when he gets 'er. Doesn't mean we gotta turn 'er over now, hmm?"
The first, called Narig by his companion, grinned too. "He's never in a rush fer anythin'," Lyn stared angrily into his black, soulless eyes as he looked at her. "Look's like we get a bita fun with Lyndis."
Her eyes widened. "What did you call me?"
Of course, she did not achieve an answer. "Oy, you think she still be a virgin?" Lyn ran cold with fear.
"I don't know, but she won't be by the time I be done wit 'er."
Lyn screamed and fought with all the wrath left inside her as Narig reached for the front of her shirt.
Suddenly, a raging battle cry seemed to come out of nowhere and echoed off the trees surrounding them. Lyn whirled around best she could and to her astonishment, a horse no more than a black and red blur came at them with immortal speed.
The two brigands that held her let go of her and stared in horror as a lance wrote their death sentences. It was never a threat. Only reality.
Lyn leapt out of the attacker's way at her only chance. She was not about to be killed by someone who could very likely be her rescuer.
The giant weapon flew through the first bandit's throat the one with the sword, causing a squirt of blood to spurt out of his mouth. The rider then lifted its victim into the air like a newly won prize, then drove the body into the ground and dragged it some fifteen feet before dropping it in a puddle of mud.
Then, a second horse and rider rushed in Lyn's direction and chased off the other man, nearly skewering him through the back like the pig he was. They then both made a turnaround and came at her on both sides.
She was about to make a run for it, for her imagination had taken hold of her, suggesting that these knights wanted HER for bounty and killed the bandits for making the first attempt.
"GET ON!" a familiar voice shouted at her, making her change her mind about that fantasy.
As the creature ran by, she locked both hands onto the saddle and hauled herself onto its back and behind the rider.
Their speed suddenly increased to a fierce gallop and they flew through the trees and out of the grove on the other side into the field.
It was then that Lyn suddenly realized that her savior's armour... was dark sea green. The same colour of the same knight that flirted with her in the city. Her eyes widened and she slid back away from him as best as she could without falling off.
The horses made their way up to the top of a nearby hill and came to a halt at the crest. The knight that was carrying her shouted at the men that were now departing from the forest and preparing for a fight. "COWARDS!" he spat, "SUCH NUMBERS AGAINST A GIRL?! CUR! EVERY ONE OF YOU!" Then he lowered his voice and hissed, "Sickly bastards... To hell with them."
Lyn leapt off the creature's back and took a sword from the saddlebag of the black horse.
Sain, the man who had carried her into safety, smiled broadly as if he had completely forgotten about the bandits. "Hello milady."
Lyn smirked. She was not all too happy to find that her rescuer was a frivolous flirt from town "All-passion-and-no-fire".
"Your valiant protectors are here." Sain went on with his show, twirling his weapon about in a flashy manner.
Suddenly, he was immediately stopped when the dull end of a lance hit him square in the chest, making him tumble off his horse backwards.
"I thought I told you not to show off." Kent, she recognized, growled, "Do those words ring a bell to you? Any of them?"
Sain looked up casually. "Uh..."
Kent flipped his weapon around and pointed the barb at Sain's head menacingly, magically making him remember.
"OKAY, OKAY!" Sain pleaded, "YES! Just... point that thing someplace else!"
Kent sighed and drove his lance into the dirt in front of his black horse.
Lyn hadn't noticed several things about these two men at their first meeting. Kent's horse had grey hooves striped with white and a black tail that looked as though its tip had been dipped in white paint. Also, entwined within the tresses of jet of the creature's mane, were two feathers; one red and the other silver. She recognized the red feather from the cardinals that flocked annually to the woods near her home on the plains, but the silver feather? That was one bird she had yet to see.
Kent's fiery red-orange hair glistened in the afternoon light and danced lightly in the passing wind, and his auburn eyes looked gentle, yet strong as they slowly moved away from his companion and examined their enemy's position from afar.
Sain's mare was chestnut in colour and her muzzle was black dotted with gray, and no feathers were wrapped in her mane. But instead, two gold or brass ringlets wrapped around her front left ankle and tinkled whenever she moved it. Her nature seemed similar to that of Sain's, for she danced about as he tried to mount her again. She nickered and brayed as she dodged this way and that to escape being tamed by her rider.
Lyn hadn't noticed it before, since she was so focused on the words themselves and not the voice that said them, but Sain's accent was different from his friend's (if Kent really had a noticeable accent at all.). To the people of her world, it sounded like he would have come from up in northern Lycia or far west, but to those of our land, he sounded like an Irish tongue had found his mouth a suitable place.
He finally caught hold of the beast's reins and pulled himself up onto her back. "I'm glad we finally caught up to you," he said.
Kent's eyes narrowed to slits as he watched their enemies, or what was left of them, spread out to different places of the field. Suddenly, his sword flew into his hand and he prepared to charge at any given moment. "If it's a fight they want, let them come," he hissed with a grin upon his face, "Let them look to me."
Sain tugged his lance from the side of his saddle and held it out in front of his chest, threatening the bandits from a distance. "Stand back, Kent. Let me take care of these brigands."
Lyn, still holding the spare sword in her hands, had already begun to make her way down the hill. She twisted around abruptly and snapped, "I don't need your help. This is my fight and mine alone!" However, she knew this was a lie. She knew she barely had any energy to fight them alone, but she did not wish to encourage them to stay. "You just- stay out of this!"
Sain's horse retreated a few steps, a look of hurt on his face. "Milady... We only want to help..."
Kent's expression remained unchanged.
"Just because I'm a woman, it doesn't mean I need help saving my own skin just from some bandits like them." Lyn didn't sound as bitter this time, but she was not about to apologize.
"My lady. I understand. Women are by no means weak... But please, allow us to aid you in any way possible." Kent said.
"I already told you. This is my problem."
"Well, we can't just sit around and do nothing..." Sain insisted rather timidly, shrinking away in his saddle.
Lyn hadn't heard much else. She began her bold march down into the field, her hands clenching tightly around her new weapon.
Suddenly Kent moved forward and strode down after her. Lyn noticed this and turned around again. "I thought I said I want to do this alone."
"Milady, I cannot stand in the background and watch as an innocent is attacked for no wrong she has done." Kent did not look away from his straight-forward gaze, "Think of it as an apology for my friend's act in town."
Lyn softened. Maybe he was a chivalrous knight of wherever-he-was-from...
"Milady, I could not call myself a knight if I stood by and did nothing to aid you."
"Same goes for me." Sain trotted down to their side, the anklets on his mare's hoof tinkling constantly. "I may only be a knight, but there are still rules for me to follow."
Lyn went quiet for a moment, then looked up at them both. "Fine then. But you are to attack only when..."
She never really had a chance to complete that thought. "Thank you, milady," Sain began as he shifted his lance in his hand and gripped the reins tighter in the other, "Now, if you'll excuse me..." Suddenly he charged down the hill, aiming for a bandit hidden in some nearby brush.
Kent lifted a hand as if he was planning to issue warning, but nothing came out of his mouth when he opened it. His armoured hand fell heavily to his side and clattered loudly against the metal that hung at his thigh. "Bloody fool.... I thought I told him..."
Lyn looked up at him. "Told him what?"
He sighed. "He should know by now. It's the weapon triangle. Heard of it?"
Lyn tilted her head to the side quizzically. "I believe so."
"Lance beats sword. Sword beats axe. Axe beats..."
"AGGGGGH!" Sain shouted angrily as his blow flew right past the enemy's chest.
"Sain! Why aren't you using your sword!?" Kent shouted at him as he continued to fight nonetheless.
"I can use a lance better!" Sain shouted back, still holding a fierce struggle with the bandit. "Besides-"He paused as he dodged to the side and made another useless strike. "It looks more heroic. Terrifies the enemy."
Kent rolled his eyes as his comrade appeared to just give up on attacks and just started waving his lance at the brigand who now seemed to be enjoying this. "I can't believe he's this ignorant..." he said quietly as he rubbed his temples as if to relieve himself of a non-existent headache.
"DAMMIT! Just die already!" Lyn heard him shout; now he was just attacking out of frustration, striking nothing but air.
Kent sighed more heavily than before, then he slid his sword out of its scabbard and trotted down the hill to his friend's much-needed aide.
Since the bandit was so occupied with Sain's lame fighting, he was absurdly oblivious of the fact that Kent was right behind him. Of course, Sain also was unconscious of Kent's being there as well. The brigand took a step back, only to be skewered by the red knight's sword like a piece of ripe meat. He made little effort to make this kill, barely blinking as his sword hit flesh.
Sain stopped swinging his lance about and looked at the corpse on the ground before him. "Did... did I hit him?"
"No Sain. No you didn't hit him," Kent began coolly, then shouted, "Because you were using YOUR LANCE, YOU BLOODY FOOL!"
Sain cringed away, squinting slightly as if fire were erupting from Kent's eyes. "I'm sorry, Kent. I'm sorry."
"No you're not! You're never sorry! Dammit Sain... SWORD!" Kent said as he suddenly pointed his now-bloodied weapon at his companion's face. "SWORD beats axe. Axe... beats LANCE. Sword... to axe. NOT LANCE!"
Sain bit his lip, either because his friend's ire was entertaining to his strange mind, or out of nervousness. "Kent really..."
"SWORD... to axe. SWORD... ... to axe. SWORD! SWORD SWORD SWORD, SAIN. SWORD!"
"Kent, I understand. Please, just let it go."
"If you understand..." Kent suddenly hit Sain over the head with the flat side of his weapon, "ACT LIKE IT."
"I am! I am!" Sain begged as he was hit multiple times, mostly over the head, but he was also struck in the back and shoulders.
"Do you?"
"Yeeees!"
Suddenly, as if he was changed by magic, Kent's fury cooled and his gentle expression returned to his eyes. "... ... Good. Now, do you remember? Use the sword..."
"Not the..." Sain paused for a moment, "lance."
Kent seemed to take notice of his friend's nervousness. "What is it?"
"I uh...forgot to... buy a sword..."
The red-clad knight suddenly stopped moving completely. "Forgot?"
Sain nodded slowly, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily.
"Forgot?" The evil tension was returning to Kent's voice. "Forgot?"
Terrified something bad was going to happen, Lyn jogged down between them and said, "Please. No more fighting." She looked up at Kent. "Do you have an extra? Just for him to use until we find another shop?"
Kent sighed one of his now usual sighs and reached into his saddlebag. Out into the sunlight he pulled a new sword, ready for blood. His auburn eyes scanned it briefly, then it flew from his hands and landed in Sain's lap. "Loose it before we buy one of your own, and I'll hurt you.... I promise it."
The green-clad knight nodded quickly and strapped the scabbard to his belt, fumbling with it for a moment before actual success.
Kent shook his head with what Lyn guessed was a smile, then he looked over at her and said, "Please allow me to make up for his foolishness. I..." Unfortunately, Sain wasn't about to let his companion take another kill. He rode down into a thin grove of trees, sword held high and began his attack on the next enemy.
Kent groaned and rubbed his forehead. "If it's not one thing, it's another... I swear... I think he's more trouble than he's worth."
Lyn adjusted her position and folded her arms across her chest. "What has he done wrong now?"
"He's just not paying any attention to his surroundings," he replied, pointing at the trees where the bandit had slinked off into, "The trees are his main weakness. Always were. See, the way he attacks involves cocking back and letting off heavy swings. The tree branches happen to make that difficult."
"Hmm..." Lyn nodded.
Sain threw an attack, but, as Kent had stated, his sword snagged a branch and nearly yanked the weapon out of his hand. "Dammit all!" they heard him shout angrily as he retreated from the trees.
Lyn was afraid Kent would spear him like an animal, but rather than angry, Kent looked mildly amused. He chuckled to himself and rode over to Sain's horse. "Trees still be your enemy, Sain?"
"... Yes. The confounded fool thought it would be funny to attack me..." Sain complained. Kent only laughed.
"You can't expect your enemy to just hold still while you attack it," he chortled, "It just doesn't work that way."
Sain folded his arms and tapped his sword on his armour rhythmically.
"Besides," Kent gestured to the wood, "the trees are in the way."
Sain rolled his eyes.
"One of us should distract him and the other should strike while he's occupied," Kent suggested, picking up the reins of his horse.
"... A'ight." Sain agreed, now holding his sword properly in his right hand.
Lyn watched them ride down to the trees once more, listening to their almost simultaneous hoof beats. As soon as she began to hear the familiar sound of clashing metal, she turned to a third bandit standing out in a space that looked relatively open, and she wondered why he was not seeking shelter.
But, his stupidity was nothing but her advantage.
Her sword had been in her hand the entire time, but she had no chance to attack yet. It seemed as though Sain was too cocky to allow anyone to have a share in the fight... Her energy had been recovered though; it only took her a few minutes to have enough power to jog a mile after running two.
This next attack should be somewhat simple. According to Kent, swords were advantageous over axes, and her new enemy carried one of those in his hands. This was not going to be a live-or-die situation. It, to her, only seemed to be a kill-and-possibly-get-hurt situation if she did say so herself.
She let her fingers shift about around the hilt to get comfortable with the weapon. It wasn't... familiar to her in a manner of speaking. Like, only some blades would fit in her hand properly and work with the rest of her body so well it would seem as though it were part of her, yet others would clash with her shape and would have less killing skill than a garden snail. This sword, the one she held know, wasn't necessarily unusable, but she had held better. That didn't matter right now though.
Lyn took one last quick glance back at her companions, then she ran down to her next enemy with her sword ready to vanquish any danger that opposed her.
The bandit seemed to have spotted her, for he began shouting useless curses and waving his axe at her as she drew nearer. Was he agitated... or just afraid? She could care less about finding out.
All of a sudden, everything turned into a blur of messy colour, save for her adversary and herself. Nothing mattered but his death at her blade. If there was a struggle, she did not see it. If there was a scream, she did not hear it. All she knew was that there was blood on her hands and a corpse at her feet.
Lyn inhaled deeply and held her breath for a moment before releasing it as a heavy sigh. She was not aware of what had come over her, but she did not mind its coming.
From behind her, she heard Sain and Kent approach with Sain laughing all the way. "Hah! First kill of the week!"
"Yes. First kill after missing three and me killing one for you. Yes, first kill of the week, Sain." Kent humoured him bitterly.
"Wha- wait! What do you mean 'three'?"
"One; the bandit in the woods when we came to her rescue. You attempted to spear him in the back, but he got away. Two; the one that you could not hit to save your life that I had to diminish for you. Three; the bandit that, luckily, you were able to kill with a bit of my assistance, but you still missed the first time and made retreat."
"... ... Why do you do that to me?"
Kent paid him no mind. "Milady. There is one man left. He is their leader, hiding up in the rocks."
Lyn's sharp eyes followed to where Kent had pointed out and let them fall upon sharp gray rocks that stuck out of the hills like rotten teeth.
"Why do things always get difficult before they get better?" Sain complained as he examined the rocky shelter as well, "I mean, this is no faerie tale."
Lyn just tightened her grip on her sword. "It just seems to go that way," she began as she started to the rocks, "Let's go."
Kent nodded and wrapped the reins around his hands and commenced his march after his temporary commander. Sain chewed his lip for a moment, still looking over their destination. It didn't look friendly at the very least. His horse also followed rather reluctantly as if she understood how he felt. "Sorry, Lyth," he said to her (Sorry Atarashii. I really liked the name you gave Sain's horse, so I took it -. And now I say thank you. BTW, read "Fragments" by Atarashii. It's beautifully written, but it's so SAD!), "Kent wouldn't let it go if we just turned tail and fled. Besides, they're just rocks." He waited for only one more moment, then he spurred up his horse and chased after Lyn and Kent, who were now actually quite far away now.
He finally caught up, expecting to get a terrible lecture from Kent, but his friend seemed to barely notice that he was gone in the first place. Since he anticipated it, he was almost disappointed... Almost though.
Lyn was keeping an absurd pace, for now she was running faster than Kent's horse. "How determined IS that woman...?" he mumbled to himself.
Kent glanced back at him. "Pardon?"
Sain shook his head. "Nothing. It's just that girl... Is she the one we're really after?"
Kent nodded. "I believe so... Look at the resemblance... There is no other. It must be her."
Sain was quiet for a moment. "... The Lady Madelyn appears to be right in front of us... But it can't be her... She's..." His lips ceased movement.
Kent looked over at his friend's solemn expression. "It cannot be helped. All we can do now is find her daughter. I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do.."
Sain bobbed his head slowly, still examining Lyn from behind.
Suddenly, an angry shout came from out of the rock sanctuary and cried something that sounded a bit like, "Damn you! You and your..." a bit was incomprehensible, "...Lyndis!"
Lyn paused as that name was shouted again.
Kent noticed this and pulled up beside her. "Is something the matter, milady?"
She knitted her brow, but said nothing.
Kent nodded, taking this as a type of dismissal, and pulled his horse away a few feet.
As if lifted by a new motive, Lyn broke into a sprint and charged in the direction of the rocks that hid their final enemy.
Sain's horse was effected by this sudden moment and jerked herself to the side. Sain brushed her neck with his hand gently and cooed some soothing words into her ears.
Kent made a lurch forward and rushed after her, sword in his hands. "Milady!" he shouted after her, but she made no turn-around.
The green-clad night, now feeling quite left behind, grabbed up the reins and spurred his beast into action.
But things never seemed to go right for him... Lyth suddenly reared backwards, sending him flying off backwards and into the grass. "DAMMIT YOU CONFOUNDED CREATURE!" he shouted angrily as his horse pranced about, completely ignoring the fact that she had thrown him off.
He got himself to sit up, which was rather difficult to do, since he had landed on his head and was mostly upside-down. He sighed and put his forehead in his hand. His companions were getting farther and farther away, and his horse was escaping. "Get back here, Lyth!" he called after his horse, but she was now too occupied with eating grass at the foot of a tree not too far away.
He saw that his attempts to get her to come to him were in vain, so he began to stand up. But as he rose to his knees, he saw something glitter in the grass.
Being drawn to sparkly things, Sain reached down and picked it up. His mouth fell open as he looked it over. It was a necklace with a pendant made of a dark blue stone entwined with silver wire. "Pity on whoever dropped this..." he muttered as he ran his fingers along the chain.
He stood up, now realizing that Lyn and Kent were now very far away, and slid his new trinket into his pocket.
As soon as he managed to get back onto Lyth's back, he spurred her (carefully) into a gallop and pursued his comrades.
Kent had turned around as was slowly trotting in Sain's coming direction as if he expected him to be lagging behind. His solemn expression that usually sat on his face was positioned there now as his friend finally caught up. "Fall off again, lad?" he asked with a mocking tone.
Sain flashed an unpleasant smirk. "Why would you care at all? Besides, I found a nice little treasure while I was in the grass," He pulled the necklace out of his pocket and let it dangle from his fingertips, "I think I'll give it to her as a token of my apology for my behavior in town... Or as a token of my affection. Either way will suffice for me."
Kent only shrugged. "I care not of what you do with that. As long as I know you found it and didn't steal it..."
"Hah!" Sain snorted, "Only a thief would sink so low as to steal such a thing. Besides, look at it. Who would be mad enough to let something like this escape into the paws of a scoundrel?"
The red-clad knight made a wordless noise that resembled clearing his throat, but a bit like laughter at the same time.
Sain looked at his friend strangely. "What?"
Kent shook his head and waved it away. "It's nothing."
Sain knew he was lying, but pursuing this subject might not be the best idea anyway. He slipped his trinket back into his pocket and spurred up his horse to meet up with Kent's, who was now riding further ahead to catch up with Lyn.
She could see him. She could smell him. She could almost taste him. She could feel his very presence.
But HE could not.
That sickly man. The one they called Zugu. He seemed to be the worst of them all. At least he hadn't tried to rape her... yet.
Lyn could feel her fingers wrap around the hilt of her sword as the growing of hatred for these wicked men pulsed within her heart. "He will die like the rest of them..." she whispered to herself.
Daring to get ever closer before her attack, Lyn crept up into the neighboring bushes and eyed her final enemy. His face was littered with scars and his hair was appallingly dirty. An axe sat at his knee, and there were crates of supplies and god about him on three sides of him.
He was murmuring to himself, about whether he should pack up and flee or if he should go hunt for survivors and other things of the sort. "Damned knights... meddlin' about in other's affairs..." he cursed, "That damned girl... What does that man want with that wench...?"
Lyn continued to peer out of the leaves and kept her gaze upon that filthy soul before her.
"Lyndis," he snorted, "Why does he..." Before he could finish, Lyn leapt out of hiding and pointed her blade at him, aiming at his throat.
"Who are you and what do you want with me?" she shouted at him threateningly, "If you tell me, I may spare your life," She nearly coughed as she said that. She meant to kill him, but sometimes more things are learned out of the sake of mercy. She decided to add a bitterness to her words; "That is, IF I feel friendly. My patience has been drained by your comrades. SPEAK!"
The man, no other than Zugu, arose from his seat on the stump and his amazingly large hands curled around the handle of his axe. This axe was not like the ones meant for wood-chopping that her other enemies had carried. This axe was meant for battle. For killing.
He chuckled. "My, my, Lyndis," he almost sounded disappointed, "The things I'll do for money... I'd prefer to keep you for meself."
Lyn spat at the ground near his feet.
"However, I'm getting' paid enough fer yer hide." His lips curled back in a twisted grin as he laughed again.
"If you think I intend to die easily, you think like a fool," Lyn snarled, "Go home, and I might not hunt you down. You're friends are dead."
There was a long silence, as if one were waiting for the other to say more.
No one did.
Suddenly Lyn dove at him like a wild animal. Zugu staggered back in surprise as the girl showed no sign of backing down against him. She attacked him in a crazed blur of swipes and slashes. He managed to block most. The fight was heating. Lyn was ready to kill.
Sain and Kent had made their way up to the rocky refuge in time to see the beginning of the battle. "Kent! Look at her!" Sain gasped, "It feels as though my heart has been stolen away by a warrior princess..."
Kent rolled his eyes and continued to climb up the hill. It wasn't as rocky as it had seemed from a distance, Sain made a mental note of this, and it was much easier to scale than it appeared.
"What do we do?" Sain asked anxiously. Suddenly, before his friend had any chance to answer, he heard a cry of pain. However, that cry came from Lyn. He ran his horse right past Kent's and intended to plunge into the fray.
But, he was held back by the sudden pull of Kent's hand on his shirt. Sain thrashed about trying to get Lyth to pull him out, but Kent only held him tighter. "KENT! I must help Milady!"
Kent growled, "Don't you understand? If we do everything at the beginning of everything, she'll hate us more than she does!"
Sain held up a finger and reached into his pocket with his other hand and pulled out the necklace, letting it dangle from his fingers. He shrugged smugly. Kent only looked more frustrated. "Sain, no necklace is going to make up for this if you just dive into HER fight. She'll believe that we don't think she can care for herself."
Sain, defeated and humbled, ceased trying to escape his friend and placed the necklace around his neck. "I suppose you're right..." he said as he looked down at the mane of his horse, "Persisting protection will only make her more prejudicial..."
Kent blinked.
Sain shrugged. "The Sacae have always had a grudge against Lycians... I suppose she takes us as representatives, eh?"
"Take a good long look at yourself, Sain."
"I do," he smiled, "Every morning actually."
Kent blinked again. "... Sometimes I wonder about you, Sain."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Sain smiled, then trotted up the hill toward the already one sided battle.
"Yes, Sain," Kent murmured to himself, "About who we should take you to; the gallows or a doctor."
Lyn had him on the ground, blood gushing out of a wound on his side. She too, had injuries, but none of them more lethal than a scratch.
She sighed bred with a chuckle. "And here I thought bounty hunters were skilled fighters..." she grinned smugly, "I guess I was wrong." Her expression quickly faded into graveness and she pressed her sword down against Zugu's already bleeding throat. "You do realize that you are going to die?"
Zugu only growled at her.
Lyn gritted her teeth, then plunged her weapon relentlessly into his heart, ending his life and saving others that he might have preyed upon.
As soon as she could see his breathing stop, she looked toward where she had come to see the two knights riding up to greet her.
"And now," she said to herself, "For these knights of... Caelin."
Oi... Think it took me long enough to finish this chapter? Jeeze... I is tired and my hands hurt and I am VERY satisfied... sigh Read up. And please, I want more reviews! They make a sad obsessed soul like mine happy -.
She could have kicked herself for thinking it, but she wished that those knights, despite how they had treated her, were with her. At least they would be chivalrous enough to defend her. She could have been fighting long before then, but she had no energy in order to fight in the first place.
The strength in her legs weakened and she could feel herself slow to more of a jogging pace. This frustrated her. She tried desperately to force herself to go faster, but she couldn't. The voices of her adversaries seemed to grow louder, indicating that she was not going quickly enough.
She hadn't looked up for some time, keeping her focus on her feet and never behind her, but her large dark eyes stole a look of what lie ahead.
Her hopes of escape increased as she saw a large grove of trees that appeared to serve as a pleasurable place for hiding. She could climb trees well enough. The only issue was getting into the tree without her enemies finding out which one she was in. Otherwise, this was a good plan.
Lyn picked up her speed, but only by a little, and made her way into the forest. The trees were strewn with ivy and the ground was littered with massive tangles of roots. This would serve as a hiding spot even for a dragon, so of course it would provide shelter for her.
She began to pick out a trunk to scale, but she was immediately stopped as she heard the snapping of twigs and the all-too-familiar voices of the wicked men.
"Sorry, Lyn..." she told herself, "More running for you..."
Her fingers let go of the ivy around the tree she had chosen and she began to run once again. However, as most things go in tales of peril, things get worse before they get better.
Within seconds, Lyn found herself face down with a mouthful of dirt in the undergrowth and her foot was hopelessly caught in a snag. She reached for her sword, only to find it not at her waist. She began to panic, and this was not something she usually did. For once in her life, she felt utterly helpless.
She lifted her face off of the leaves and dirt and began to struggle with her new trouble. She had no idea how she got herself trapped under THIS root, but nevertheless, it happened and it wasn't making things any easier. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get her ankle out from under this confounded obstacle.
The men drew ever closer, and, as she looked over her shoulder, now she could see their faces. They were ugly men who undoubtedly had a long history of murder, rape, and thievery. One held an axe with several chips in the blade; the other held a thick sword bent near the hilt. There were only two of them who ventured into the woods after her, but it made little difference. If she did not get away from them soon, she would not see the rising sun tomorrow.
She fought violently with the snag, nearly beginning to cry in desperation. She had no weapon, bloodthirsty men wanted her hide for whatever reason, and she could not get away from it all, just because of this stupid root in her path.
One of the men laughed, a sickly sound that caused her stomach to churn. The other said something to the first, but Lyn couldn't hear it. She didn't want to hear it.
She glanced over her shoulder again, terrorized with the fact that they were practically on top of her. Her heart made a fierce leap into her mouth and her lips let out a cry of frustration and anxiety as she gave one last vicious tug at her trap.
To her joy, it broke free, giving her long awaited permission to jump up and flee. She had just barely got herself off of the ground, when the small light of hope was blown out. Pain shot through her arm as a large, calloused hand grabbed her and prevented her escape.
She screamed angrily and tried to fight with him, but his other hand gripped hers painfully and made sure that she went nowhere. Hot, reeking breath hissed into her ear, "'Ello, priddy."
"Let go of me, you revolting beast!" she spat into his face, only making him smile.
"Oy, Narig. We caught us a purdy one now, didn't we?" the other, the one with the crooked sword, chortled as he pressed his blade to her neck. Lyn clenched her teeth painfully as he ran his four fingers through her hair (he was missing one.).
"Reckon we take 'er to Zugu? Or do we just kill 'er here?"
The second shook his head slowly. "I don't think we got to turn 'er in to 'im right now..." He smiled maliciously, revealing yellow teeth, "She just needs to be dead when he gets 'er. Doesn't mean we gotta turn 'er over now, hmm?"
The first, called Narig by his companion, grinned too. "He's never in a rush fer anythin'," Lyn stared angrily into his black, soulless eyes as he looked at her. "Look's like we get a bita fun with Lyndis."
Her eyes widened. "What did you call me?"
Of course, she did not achieve an answer. "Oy, you think she still be a virgin?" Lyn ran cold with fear.
"I don't know, but she won't be by the time I be done wit 'er."
Lyn screamed and fought with all the wrath left inside her as Narig reached for the front of her shirt.
Suddenly, a raging battle cry seemed to come out of nowhere and echoed off the trees surrounding them. Lyn whirled around best she could and to her astonishment, a horse no more than a black and red blur came at them with immortal speed.
The two brigands that held her let go of her and stared in horror as a lance wrote their death sentences. It was never a threat. Only reality.
Lyn leapt out of the attacker's way at her only chance. She was not about to be killed by someone who could very likely be her rescuer.
The giant weapon flew through the first bandit's throat the one with the sword, causing a squirt of blood to spurt out of his mouth. The rider then lifted its victim into the air like a newly won prize, then drove the body into the ground and dragged it some fifteen feet before dropping it in a puddle of mud.
Then, a second horse and rider rushed in Lyn's direction and chased off the other man, nearly skewering him through the back like the pig he was. They then both made a turnaround and came at her on both sides.
She was about to make a run for it, for her imagination had taken hold of her, suggesting that these knights wanted HER for bounty and killed the bandits for making the first attempt.
"GET ON!" a familiar voice shouted at her, making her change her mind about that fantasy.
As the creature ran by, she locked both hands onto the saddle and hauled herself onto its back and behind the rider.
Their speed suddenly increased to a fierce gallop and they flew through the trees and out of the grove on the other side into the field.
It was then that Lyn suddenly realized that her savior's armour... was dark sea green. The same colour of the same knight that flirted with her in the city. Her eyes widened and she slid back away from him as best as she could without falling off.
The horses made their way up to the top of a nearby hill and came to a halt at the crest. The knight that was carrying her shouted at the men that were now departing from the forest and preparing for a fight. "COWARDS!" he spat, "SUCH NUMBERS AGAINST A GIRL?! CUR! EVERY ONE OF YOU!" Then he lowered his voice and hissed, "Sickly bastards... To hell with them."
Lyn leapt off the creature's back and took a sword from the saddlebag of the black horse.
Sain, the man who had carried her into safety, smiled broadly as if he had completely forgotten about the bandits. "Hello milady."
Lyn smirked. She was not all too happy to find that her rescuer was a frivolous flirt from town "All-passion-and-no-fire".
"Your valiant protectors are here." Sain went on with his show, twirling his weapon about in a flashy manner.
Suddenly, he was immediately stopped when the dull end of a lance hit him square in the chest, making him tumble off his horse backwards.
"I thought I told you not to show off." Kent, she recognized, growled, "Do those words ring a bell to you? Any of them?"
Sain looked up casually. "Uh..."
Kent flipped his weapon around and pointed the barb at Sain's head menacingly, magically making him remember.
"OKAY, OKAY!" Sain pleaded, "YES! Just... point that thing someplace else!"
Kent sighed and drove his lance into the dirt in front of his black horse.
Lyn hadn't noticed several things about these two men at their first meeting. Kent's horse had grey hooves striped with white and a black tail that looked as though its tip had been dipped in white paint. Also, entwined within the tresses of jet of the creature's mane, were two feathers; one red and the other silver. She recognized the red feather from the cardinals that flocked annually to the woods near her home on the plains, but the silver feather? That was one bird she had yet to see.
Kent's fiery red-orange hair glistened in the afternoon light and danced lightly in the passing wind, and his auburn eyes looked gentle, yet strong as they slowly moved away from his companion and examined their enemy's position from afar.
Sain's mare was chestnut in colour and her muzzle was black dotted with gray, and no feathers were wrapped in her mane. But instead, two gold or brass ringlets wrapped around her front left ankle and tinkled whenever she moved it. Her nature seemed similar to that of Sain's, for she danced about as he tried to mount her again. She nickered and brayed as she dodged this way and that to escape being tamed by her rider.
Lyn hadn't noticed it before, since she was so focused on the words themselves and not the voice that said them, but Sain's accent was different from his friend's (if Kent really had a noticeable accent at all.). To the people of her world, it sounded like he would have come from up in northern Lycia or far west, but to those of our land, he sounded like an Irish tongue had found his mouth a suitable place.
He finally caught hold of the beast's reins and pulled himself up onto her back. "I'm glad we finally caught up to you," he said.
Kent's eyes narrowed to slits as he watched their enemies, or what was left of them, spread out to different places of the field. Suddenly, his sword flew into his hand and he prepared to charge at any given moment. "If it's a fight they want, let them come," he hissed with a grin upon his face, "Let them look to me."
Sain tugged his lance from the side of his saddle and held it out in front of his chest, threatening the bandits from a distance. "Stand back, Kent. Let me take care of these brigands."
Lyn, still holding the spare sword in her hands, had already begun to make her way down the hill. She twisted around abruptly and snapped, "I don't need your help. This is my fight and mine alone!" However, she knew this was a lie. She knew she barely had any energy to fight them alone, but she did not wish to encourage them to stay. "You just- stay out of this!"
Sain's horse retreated a few steps, a look of hurt on his face. "Milady... We only want to help..."
Kent's expression remained unchanged.
"Just because I'm a woman, it doesn't mean I need help saving my own skin just from some bandits like them." Lyn didn't sound as bitter this time, but she was not about to apologize.
"My lady. I understand. Women are by no means weak... But please, allow us to aid you in any way possible." Kent said.
"I already told you. This is my problem."
"Well, we can't just sit around and do nothing..." Sain insisted rather timidly, shrinking away in his saddle.
Lyn hadn't heard much else. She began her bold march down into the field, her hands clenching tightly around her new weapon.
Suddenly Kent moved forward and strode down after her. Lyn noticed this and turned around again. "I thought I said I want to do this alone."
"Milady, I cannot stand in the background and watch as an innocent is attacked for no wrong she has done." Kent did not look away from his straight-forward gaze, "Think of it as an apology for my friend's act in town."
Lyn softened. Maybe he was a chivalrous knight of wherever-he-was-from...
"Milady, I could not call myself a knight if I stood by and did nothing to aid you."
"Same goes for me." Sain trotted down to their side, the anklets on his mare's hoof tinkling constantly. "I may only be a knight, but there are still rules for me to follow."
Lyn went quiet for a moment, then looked up at them both. "Fine then. But you are to attack only when..."
She never really had a chance to complete that thought. "Thank you, milady," Sain began as he shifted his lance in his hand and gripped the reins tighter in the other, "Now, if you'll excuse me..." Suddenly he charged down the hill, aiming for a bandit hidden in some nearby brush.
Kent lifted a hand as if he was planning to issue warning, but nothing came out of his mouth when he opened it. His armoured hand fell heavily to his side and clattered loudly against the metal that hung at his thigh. "Bloody fool.... I thought I told him..."
Lyn looked up at him. "Told him what?"
He sighed. "He should know by now. It's the weapon triangle. Heard of it?"
Lyn tilted her head to the side quizzically. "I believe so."
"Lance beats sword. Sword beats axe. Axe beats..."
"AGGGGGH!" Sain shouted angrily as his blow flew right past the enemy's chest.
"Sain! Why aren't you using your sword!?" Kent shouted at him as he continued to fight nonetheless.
"I can use a lance better!" Sain shouted back, still holding a fierce struggle with the bandit. "Besides-"He paused as he dodged to the side and made another useless strike. "It looks more heroic. Terrifies the enemy."
Kent rolled his eyes as his comrade appeared to just give up on attacks and just started waving his lance at the brigand who now seemed to be enjoying this. "I can't believe he's this ignorant..." he said quietly as he rubbed his temples as if to relieve himself of a non-existent headache.
"DAMMIT! Just die already!" Lyn heard him shout; now he was just attacking out of frustration, striking nothing but air.
Kent sighed more heavily than before, then he slid his sword out of its scabbard and trotted down the hill to his friend's much-needed aide.
Since the bandit was so occupied with Sain's lame fighting, he was absurdly oblivious of the fact that Kent was right behind him. Of course, Sain also was unconscious of Kent's being there as well. The brigand took a step back, only to be skewered by the red knight's sword like a piece of ripe meat. He made little effort to make this kill, barely blinking as his sword hit flesh.
Sain stopped swinging his lance about and looked at the corpse on the ground before him. "Did... did I hit him?"
"No Sain. No you didn't hit him," Kent began coolly, then shouted, "Because you were using YOUR LANCE, YOU BLOODY FOOL!"
Sain cringed away, squinting slightly as if fire were erupting from Kent's eyes. "I'm sorry, Kent. I'm sorry."
"No you're not! You're never sorry! Dammit Sain... SWORD!" Kent said as he suddenly pointed his now-bloodied weapon at his companion's face. "SWORD beats axe. Axe... beats LANCE. Sword... to axe. NOT LANCE!"
Sain bit his lip, either because his friend's ire was entertaining to his strange mind, or out of nervousness. "Kent really..."
"SWORD... to axe. SWORD... ... to axe. SWORD! SWORD SWORD SWORD, SAIN. SWORD!"
"Kent, I understand. Please, just let it go."
"If you understand..." Kent suddenly hit Sain over the head with the flat side of his weapon, "ACT LIKE IT."
"I am! I am!" Sain begged as he was hit multiple times, mostly over the head, but he was also struck in the back and shoulders.
"Do you?"
"Yeeees!"
Suddenly, as if he was changed by magic, Kent's fury cooled and his gentle expression returned to his eyes. "... ... Good. Now, do you remember? Use the sword..."
"Not the..." Sain paused for a moment, "lance."
Kent seemed to take notice of his friend's nervousness. "What is it?"
"I uh...forgot to... buy a sword..."
The red-clad knight suddenly stopped moving completely. "Forgot?"
Sain nodded slowly, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily.
"Forgot?" The evil tension was returning to Kent's voice. "Forgot?"
Terrified something bad was going to happen, Lyn jogged down between them and said, "Please. No more fighting." She looked up at Kent. "Do you have an extra? Just for him to use until we find another shop?"
Kent sighed one of his now usual sighs and reached into his saddlebag. Out into the sunlight he pulled a new sword, ready for blood. His auburn eyes scanned it briefly, then it flew from his hands and landed in Sain's lap. "Loose it before we buy one of your own, and I'll hurt you.... I promise it."
The green-clad knight nodded quickly and strapped the scabbard to his belt, fumbling with it for a moment before actual success.
Kent shook his head with what Lyn guessed was a smile, then he looked over at her and said, "Please allow me to make up for his foolishness. I..." Unfortunately, Sain wasn't about to let his companion take another kill. He rode down into a thin grove of trees, sword held high and began his attack on the next enemy.
Kent groaned and rubbed his forehead. "If it's not one thing, it's another... I swear... I think he's more trouble than he's worth."
Lyn adjusted her position and folded her arms across her chest. "What has he done wrong now?"
"He's just not paying any attention to his surroundings," he replied, pointing at the trees where the bandit had slinked off into, "The trees are his main weakness. Always were. See, the way he attacks involves cocking back and letting off heavy swings. The tree branches happen to make that difficult."
"Hmm..." Lyn nodded.
Sain threw an attack, but, as Kent had stated, his sword snagged a branch and nearly yanked the weapon out of his hand. "Dammit all!" they heard him shout angrily as he retreated from the trees.
Lyn was afraid Kent would spear him like an animal, but rather than angry, Kent looked mildly amused. He chuckled to himself and rode over to Sain's horse. "Trees still be your enemy, Sain?"
"... Yes. The confounded fool thought it would be funny to attack me..." Sain complained. Kent only laughed.
"You can't expect your enemy to just hold still while you attack it," he chortled, "It just doesn't work that way."
Sain folded his arms and tapped his sword on his armour rhythmically.
"Besides," Kent gestured to the wood, "the trees are in the way."
Sain rolled his eyes.
"One of us should distract him and the other should strike while he's occupied," Kent suggested, picking up the reins of his horse.
"... A'ight." Sain agreed, now holding his sword properly in his right hand.
Lyn watched them ride down to the trees once more, listening to their almost simultaneous hoof beats. As soon as she began to hear the familiar sound of clashing metal, she turned to a third bandit standing out in a space that looked relatively open, and she wondered why he was not seeking shelter.
But, his stupidity was nothing but her advantage.
Her sword had been in her hand the entire time, but she had no chance to attack yet. It seemed as though Sain was too cocky to allow anyone to have a share in the fight... Her energy had been recovered though; it only took her a few minutes to have enough power to jog a mile after running two.
This next attack should be somewhat simple. According to Kent, swords were advantageous over axes, and her new enemy carried one of those in his hands. This was not going to be a live-or-die situation. It, to her, only seemed to be a kill-and-possibly-get-hurt situation if she did say so herself.
She let her fingers shift about around the hilt to get comfortable with the weapon. It wasn't... familiar to her in a manner of speaking. Like, only some blades would fit in her hand properly and work with the rest of her body so well it would seem as though it were part of her, yet others would clash with her shape and would have less killing skill than a garden snail. This sword, the one she held know, wasn't necessarily unusable, but she had held better. That didn't matter right now though.
Lyn took one last quick glance back at her companions, then she ran down to her next enemy with her sword ready to vanquish any danger that opposed her.
The bandit seemed to have spotted her, for he began shouting useless curses and waving his axe at her as she drew nearer. Was he agitated... or just afraid? She could care less about finding out.
All of a sudden, everything turned into a blur of messy colour, save for her adversary and herself. Nothing mattered but his death at her blade. If there was a struggle, she did not see it. If there was a scream, she did not hear it. All she knew was that there was blood on her hands and a corpse at her feet.
Lyn inhaled deeply and held her breath for a moment before releasing it as a heavy sigh. She was not aware of what had come over her, but she did not mind its coming.
From behind her, she heard Sain and Kent approach with Sain laughing all the way. "Hah! First kill of the week!"
"Yes. First kill after missing three and me killing one for you. Yes, first kill of the week, Sain." Kent humoured him bitterly.
"Wha- wait! What do you mean 'three'?"
"One; the bandit in the woods when we came to her rescue. You attempted to spear him in the back, but he got away. Two; the one that you could not hit to save your life that I had to diminish for you. Three; the bandit that, luckily, you were able to kill with a bit of my assistance, but you still missed the first time and made retreat."
"... ... Why do you do that to me?"
Kent paid him no mind. "Milady. There is one man left. He is their leader, hiding up in the rocks."
Lyn's sharp eyes followed to where Kent had pointed out and let them fall upon sharp gray rocks that stuck out of the hills like rotten teeth.
"Why do things always get difficult before they get better?" Sain complained as he examined the rocky shelter as well, "I mean, this is no faerie tale."
Lyn just tightened her grip on her sword. "It just seems to go that way," she began as she started to the rocks, "Let's go."
Kent nodded and wrapped the reins around his hands and commenced his march after his temporary commander. Sain chewed his lip for a moment, still looking over their destination. It didn't look friendly at the very least. His horse also followed rather reluctantly as if she understood how he felt. "Sorry, Lyth," he said to her (Sorry Atarashii. I really liked the name you gave Sain's horse, so I took it -. And now I say thank you. BTW, read "Fragments" by Atarashii. It's beautifully written, but it's so SAD!), "Kent wouldn't let it go if we just turned tail and fled. Besides, they're just rocks." He waited for only one more moment, then he spurred up his horse and chased after Lyn and Kent, who were now actually quite far away now.
He finally caught up, expecting to get a terrible lecture from Kent, but his friend seemed to barely notice that he was gone in the first place. Since he anticipated it, he was almost disappointed... Almost though.
Lyn was keeping an absurd pace, for now she was running faster than Kent's horse. "How determined IS that woman...?" he mumbled to himself.
Kent glanced back at him. "Pardon?"
Sain shook his head. "Nothing. It's just that girl... Is she the one we're really after?"
Kent nodded. "I believe so... Look at the resemblance... There is no other. It must be her."
Sain was quiet for a moment. "... The Lady Madelyn appears to be right in front of us... But it can't be her... She's..." His lips ceased movement.
Kent looked over at his friend's solemn expression. "It cannot be helped. All we can do now is find her daughter. I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do.."
Sain bobbed his head slowly, still examining Lyn from behind.
Suddenly, an angry shout came from out of the rock sanctuary and cried something that sounded a bit like, "Damn you! You and your..." a bit was incomprehensible, "...Lyndis!"
Lyn paused as that name was shouted again.
Kent noticed this and pulled up beside her. "Is something the matter, milady?"
She knitted her brow, but said nothing.
Kent nodded, taking this as a type of dismissal, and pulled his horse away a few feet.
As if lifted by a new motive, Lyn broke into a sprint and charged in the direction of the rocks that hid their final enemy.
Sain's horse was effected by this sudden moment and jerked herself to the side. Sain brushed her neck with his hand gently and cooed some soothing words into her ears.
Kent made a lurch forward and rushed after her, sword in his hands. "Milady!" he shouted after her, but she made no turn-around.
The green-clad night, now feeling quite left behind, grabbed up the reins and spurred his beast into action.
But things never seemed to go right for him... Lyth suddenly reared backwards, sending him flying off backwards and into the grass. "DAMMIT YOU CONFOUNDED CREATURE!" he shouted angrily as his horse pranced about, completely ignoring the fact that she had thrown him off.
He got himself to sit up, which was rather difficult to do, since he had landed on his head and was mostly upside-down. He sighed and put his forehead in his hand. His companions were getting farther and farther away, and his horse was escaping. "Get back here, Lyth!" he called after his horse, but she was now too occupied with eating grass at the foot of a tree not too far away.
He saw that his attempts to get her to come to him were in vain, so he began to stand up. But as he rose to his knees, he saw something glitter in the grass.
Being drawn to sparkly things, Sain reached down and picked it up. His mouth fell open as he looked it over. It was a necklace with a pendant made of a dark blue stone entwined with silver wire. "Pity on whoever dropped this..." he muttered as he ran his fingers along the chain.
He stood up, now realizing that Lyn and Kent were now very far away, and slid his new trinket into his pocket.
As soon as he managed to get back onto Lyth's back, he spurred her (carefully) into a gallop and pursued his comrades.
Kent had turned around as was slowly trotting in Sain's coming direction as if he expected him to be lagging behind. His solemn expression that usually sat on his face was positioned there now as his friend finally caught up. "Fall off again, lad?" he asked with a mocking tone.
Sain flashed an unpleasant smirk. "Why would you care at all? Besides, I found a nice little treasure while I was in the grass," He pulled the necklace out of his pocket and let it dangle from his fingertips, "I think I'll give it to her as a token of my apology for my behavior in town... Or as a token of my affection. Either way will suffice for me."
Kent only shrugged. "I care not of what you do with that. As long as I know you found it and didn't steal it..."
"Hah!" Sain snorted, "Only a thief would sink so low as to steal such a thing. Besides, look at it. Who would be mad enough to let something like this escape into the paws of a scoundrel?"
The red-clad knight made a wordless noise that resembled clearing his throat, but a bit like laughter at the same time.
Sain looked at his friend strangely. "What?"
Kent shook his head and waved it away. "It's nothing."
Sain knew he was lying, but pursuing this subject might not be the best idea anyway. He slipped his trinket back into his pocket and spurred up his horse to meet up with Kent's, who was now riding further ahead to catch up with Lyn.
She could see him. She could smell him. She could almost taste him. She could feel his very presence.
But HE could not.
That sickly man. The one they called Zugu. He seemed to be the worst of them all. At least he hadn't tried to rape her... yet.
Lyn could feel her fingers wrap around the hilt of her sword as the growing of hatred for these wicked men pulsed within her heart. "He will die like the rest of them..." she whispered to herself.
Daring to get ever closer before her attack, Lyn crept up into the neighboring bushes and eyed her final enemy. His face was littered with scars and his hair was appallingly dirty. An axe sat at his knee, and there were crates of supplies and god about him on three sides of him.
He was murmuring to himself, about whether he should pack up and flee or if he should go hunt for survivors and other things of the sort. "Damned knights... meddlin' about in other's affairs..." he cursed, "That damned girl... What does that man want with that wench...?"
Lyn continued to peer out of the leaves and kept her gaze upon that filthy soul before her.
"Lyndis," he snorted, "Why does he..." Before he could finish, Lyn leapt out of hiding and pointed her blade at him, aiming at his throat.
"Who are you and what do you want with me?" she shouted at him threateningly, "If you tell me, I may spare your life," She nearly coughed as she said that. She meant to kill him, but sometimes more things are learned out of the sake of mercy. She decided to add a bitterness to her words; "That is, IF I feel friendly. My patience has been drained by your comrades. SPEAK!"
The man, no other than Zugu, arose from his seat on the stump and his amazingly large hands curled around the handle of his axe. This axe was not like the ones meant for wood-chopping that her other enemies had carried. This axe was meant for battle. For killing.
He chuckled. "My, my, Lyndis," he almost sounded disappointed, "The things I'll do for money... I'd prefer to keep you for meself."
Lyn spat at the ground near his feet.
"However, I'm getting' paid enough fer yer hide." His lips curled back in a twisted grin as he laughed again.
"If you think I intend to die easily, you think like a fool," Lyn snarled, "Go home, and I might not hunt you down. You're friends are dead."
There was a long silence, as if one were waiting for the other to say more.
No one did.
Suddenly Lyn dove at him like a wild animal. Zugu staggered back in surprise as the girl showed no sign of backing down against him. She attacked him in a crazed blur of swipes and slashes. He managed to block most. The fight was heating. Lyn was ready to kill.
Sain and Kent had made their way up to the rocky refuge in time to see the beginning of the battle. "Kent! Look at her!" Sain gasped, "It feels as though my heart has been stolen away by a warrior princess..."
Kent rolled his eyes and continued to climb up the hill. It wasn't as rocky as it had seemed from a distance, Sain made a mental note of this, and it was much easier to scale than it appeared.
"What do we do?" Sain asked anxiously. Suddenly, before his friend had any chance to answer, he heard a cry of pain. However, that cry came from Lyn. He ran his horse right past Kent's and intended to plunge into the fray.
But, he was held back by the sudden pull of Kent's hand on his shirt. Sain thrashed about trying to get Lyth to pull him out, but Kent only held him tighter. "KENT! I must help Milady!"
Kent growled, "Don't you understand? If we do everything at the beginning of everything, she'll hate us more than she does!"
Sain held up a finger and reached into his pocket with his other hand and pulled out the necklace, letting it dangle from his fingers. He shrugged smugly. Kent only looked more frustrated. "Sain, no necklace is going to make up for this if you just dive into HER fight. She'll believe that we don't think she can care for herself."
Sain, defeated and humbled, ceased trying to escape his friend and placed the necklace around his neck. "I suppose you're right..." he said as he looked down at the mane of his horse, "Persisting protection will only make her more prejudicial..."
Kent blinked.
Sain shrugged. "The Sacae have always had a grudge against Lycians... I suppose she takes us as representatives, eh?"
"Take a good long look at yourself, Sain."
"I do," he smiled, "Every morning actually."
Kent blinked again. "... Sometimes I wonder about you, Sain."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Sain smiled, then trotted up the hill toward the already one sided battle.
"Yes, Sain," Kent murmured to himself, "About who we should take you to; the gallows or a doctor."
Lyn had him on the ground, blood gushing out of a wound on his side. She too, had injuries, but none of them more lethal than a scratch.
She sighed bred with a chuckle. "And here I thought bounty hunters were skilled fighters..." she grinned smugly, "I guess I was wrong." Her expression quickly faded into graveness and she pressed her sword down against Zugu's already bleeding throat. "You do realize that you are going to die?"
Zugu only growled at her.
Lyn gritted her teeth, then plunged her weapon relentlessly into his heart, ending his life and saving others that he might have preyed upon.
As soon as she could see his breathing stop, she looked toward where she had come to see the two knights riding up to greet her.
"And now," she said to herself, "For these knights of... Caelin."
Oi... Think it took me long enough to finish this chapter? Jeeze... I is tired and my hands hurt and I am VERY satisfied... sigh Read up. And please, I want more reviews! They make a sad obsessed soul like mine happy -.