One Rider- Fifteen Thieves
Alanna sat on a bench, tapping her foot, her chin rested on her hand. He was getting restless; she needed some adventure. Sure, life at the palace was great. But she missed the wind in her hair, and mostly the sense of excitement she got when she was riding to new places, or even well travelled ones. Alanna sighed and stood up. She was leaving, no matter what anyone said. She climbed the stairs and knocked on the door of Jon's study.
"Come in," he called. Alanna turned the handle and entered the room. Jon sat at his desk, filling in forms and other documents. He looked up at her and smiled.
"Alanna, hello. What do you want?" he asked, happy to see her.
"I was thinking…" she began, "And I wondered if I could…maybe go and see how Faithful and the Bazhir are getting on?"
"Well…I suppose you could, yes. How long were you planning on going for?" Jon asked.
"I'm not sure, a couple of months maybe." Alanna answered. Jon nodded and looked her in the eyes.
"You'll be ok?" he asked, then laughed and shook his head. "I forgot what you're like." Alanna rolled her eyes and left Jon to his documents and laughter.
Alanna went to the stables when she was ready to get Moonlight. She said goodbye, and rode off, smiling to herself. She couldn't have been far from the desert, so she slowed her horse down to a trot. Uh oh, she thought, as a group of about fifteen men in black cloaks jumped out at her from behind a few bushes. Alanna unsheathed Lightning, the thieves mirroring with their own long blades. One of the group lunged at her. She fought him off, sweeping her sword back up in an arc, and cut back at him. Her sword imbedded itself in flesh, and she pulled it back. She swung her sword at the next man, knocking his axe from his hand. Alanna quickly disposed of him. She wheeled Moonlight around and pulled her shield in front of her as an attacker tried to slice her down her middle. She shuddered as the blade impacted with the shield. He lunged again and was skewered on Alanna's blade. Three down, twelve to go, she thought grimly. She swung around again, taking down two of the thieves. Another let out a bloodcurdling scream as her sword cut him from chin to waist.
"Six more," she muttered. She dispatched a seventh with a throwing knife and an eighth with Moonlight's hooves. Four… she counted mentally. One tried to lunge for her, and ended up an arm worse off. She then ran him through, stabbing another behind him. The last one tried to jump onto her horse, and lost his head. Alanna wiped her forehead and re-sheathed Lightning.
She arrived at the Bloody Hawk at nightfall. Faithful ran to greet her with a yowl, and rubbed against her legs purring. Alanna lifted him up and put him on her shoulder. She smiled as Halef Seif walked towards her. He showed her to her tent, and she unpacked her belongings. She spent the next few days catching up with the tribe.