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This time Malty woke up to Rifana shaking her shoulder. Seeing the princess awake, the weasel girl put a finger to her lips and motioned with her head in the direction of the entrance. In a few moments Malty could hear some noises as well.
She tried to clear her head of the remnants of sleep and think of what to do. Again, it wasn't the usual time for their meals. Should they pretend to be asleep? But then again, what's the point? They wouldn't be able to see anything and no element of surprise would help them anyway.
Malty pulled away the blanket, and moved into the corner as far away from the door as she could, tugging Rifana to her side. The girl nodded and crouched beside the princess, her breathing getting faster with nerves. Neither of them wanted the repeat of the last unexpected visit.
Finally, a small light approached them together with several pairs of quiet steps. No clanking of armor could be heard. So these were neither the usual guards nor soldiers nor knights. Adventurers? Malty didn't dare to hope for a rescue as much as she had in the beginning of her imprisonment.
The light stopped before their cell. It wasn't a torch or any kind of fire. It seemed like a glowing white ball, wavering in the air. Light magic? Most likely. Malty couldn't see much due to her eyes being used to the darkness.
"What do we have here? Prisoners? Slaves?" a voice whispered. The light moved through the bars and inside their cell. The princess could feel Rifana pressing herself against her side. She put an arm around the girl. Well, there was no point in staying silent.
"We are prisoners, yes, but not slaves. Name yourself." Malty kept her own voice quiet and steady as well. Clearly, those were not Rabier's men.
"You're a feisty one, human. Who's that with you? Can you speak, little weasel?" the visitor didn't sound threatening. The voice indicated a woman.
With the light over their heads, Malty could see better. In front of the bars stood a short demi-human female with round ears on top of her head, similar to Rifana's, but not quite the same. She was dressed in some kind of cloth and leather outfit with a couple of small bags and a dagger visible at her waist. The woman's hand was outstretched so she was likely the one with light magic. Malty tried to remember which race had the most affinity to it, but couldn't. Meanwhile, Rifana decided to respond.
"My name is Rifana. Are you here to save us?"
That was a childish question. They had no idea who those people were. Aside from the woman, several other figures could be seen behind, though Malty didn't get a good look at them yet. She highly doubted her father enlisted demi-humans to track her, although if he put up an open reward, many adventurers would've taken the job, including the demi ones. But then again, it could be Siltvelt spies for all she knew. In any case, if Rifana didn't know them, they weren't from the girl's destroyed village.
"Sure we are. Who's your friend?"
Smart, asking Rifana first. But Malty wasn't about to stand for it.
"My name is Myne. I'm an adventurer who made an enemy out of the local lord. A despicable man. He kidnapped Rifana and her friends as well."
"Silence, human. I didn't say you could speak. Well, Rifana, what do you say?"
"What Myne said is true. My village had been destroyed by the Wave and just as we were about to start rebuilding, some soldiers captured us. Me and a few others were brought here and that man, lord Rabier, he came down to beat us. I think, I think some people died, and two of my friends were taken away, sold, probably. Um, Myne was brought here too and they put her in my cell. They whipped her too. Please, won't you let us out?"
Clever girl. Malty let out a small sigh of relief. She didn't expect the girl to betray her to some strangers right away, demi-human or not, but Rifana still could let something slip. They had to be careful.
The newcomers had a whispered conversation so quiet that the princess couldn't pick a word, and then another figure approached. It was a mole-like demi man, and he started to do something to the lock. After a minute or so, she could hear a click and the door opened. Malty and Rifana got up. Those people didn't seem like ordinary adventurers.
As his job was finished, the mole man stepped away, but before they could step out, another man blocked the way. This one was large, with white hair and ears, which meant he was a white tiger, a definite enemy. In fact, the slave who beat Malty on Rabier's orders had been a white tiger too, even if relatively tamed and much weaker looking. The princess tensed and so did Rifana at her side.
"Girl, step away from the human," the man said calmly.
"What are you doing?" Rifana asked. Malty kept silent through sheer force of will. The weasel girl had a better chance of sorting this out.
"Step aside and stop asking questions. We don't have much time here. This human could scream and raise an alarm. We need to secure her."
"She wouldn't do that! Just let us out, please. What if the guards come?"
The man shook his head and in the blink of an eye was there, pushing Rifana aside and taking hold of Malty. The princess struggled and could hear the girl trying to argue, but pretty soon, Malty was gagged painfully with a leather strap and her hands were bound in front of her, also with leather. Yes, this group was definitely Siltvelt scum. Shit.
The redhead decided to stop resisting for now, it was pointless anyway. The white tiger's hands were like steel, she was certain his level was very high. Rifana was squirming furiously against the woman from before, who had to dismiss her light spell.
"Stop it, you little fool! We need to get out. Do you want us to tie you up too?"
Malty made a sound and Rifana turned to look at her. The princess motioned with her hands in what she hoped was a calming gesture, which made the girl stop struggling for the moment. As the surprised Siltvelt spy let her go, she ran to Malty and took her bound hands.
"Are you alright, Your... Myne?"
Malty rolled her eyes and nodded. It seemed like they were finally leaving this place, even if the company was less than perfect. Rifana seemed to understand her point, as she nodded back. Then the girl darted into the cell, startling their captors, and brought out Malty's boots and their blanket. She put the cloth over her shoulder and bent at the princess' feet, but Malty tapped the girl's ear and shook her head no, then motioned at Rifana's own feet.
After a moment, the girl gave her a little smile and quickly put on the slightly large for her boots, while the demi spies looked on with raised eyebrows. Malty then pushed lightly at Rifana to get her moving. The newcomers were apparently satisfied so everyone went to the stairs.
Once they were outside, she could see the first rays of sunlight over the horizon. Rabier's estate was on a cliff, so even with the outer wall blocking the sight, looking at sunrise for the first time in weeks almost brought tears to her eyes.
But the beautiful feeling didn't last long, as she could suddenly hear a shout and a clang of steel which was immediately cut short. Turning their heads, Malty and Rifana saw the morning guard, Gavil on the ground and a bird-like demi-human standing over him. Crying out, Rifana dashed in that direction, dodging the hands trying to stop her. Malty stumbled after her awkwardly and watched the girl press her hands over the man's bleeding throat. The guard tried desperately to take a breath, but it was of no use. Rifana turned her already tear-stained face to look at Malty and the demis who were staring at her as well. Shaking her head, the princess approached and put her bound hands on Rifana's shoulder, tugging her up and away. After a few moments, the girl let herself be removed from the body and soon their captors ushered both of them along.
In minutes they crawled through a hole in the wall, which was hidden by some bushes, and followed a dark path through the trees which avoided the road and the nearby town. Malty winced from the pain in her bare feet, and regretted for a second giving her boots to the girl. But then again, the princess had longer legs and could run faster if needed. She wasn't going to be some kind of crybaby over this trivial matter, especially since Rifana appeared to be in shock after witnessing the gruesome death. Those Siltvelt bastards didn't have an ounce of decency between them. Not that Malty was particularly fond of Gavil, who while not exactly cruel, was still their jailer and guilty of treason for not reporting the princess' whereabouts to the Crown. Yet, for Rifana's sake, they could've just knocked the man out.
Eventually the trees grew thicker and they entered the woods proper. That's how Malty S Melromarc escaped her imprisonment only to end up a captive again, following her kingdom's enemies to some unknown fate.
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They walked for hours until Rifana managed to calm down enough to start properly registering things around her. Gavil's blood was still on her hands, even though she kept rubbing them against her ragged and dirty dress. She saw some terrible things during the Wave and after, but death wasn't something she could get used to. Or so she hoped anyway.
Their new companions, or rather captors, were all demi-humans, but not anyone Rifana knew. There was Elian, the leader, a tanuki like Raphtalia, but very grown-up and powerful. She seemed serious, and not particularly fond of humans, though that could be said about all of the new people. The second one, Megar, was a hakuko man, very big and strong. He was the one who tied up Princess Malty and he was still rough with her, prodding her in the back when she stumbled or slowed down. On his back he carried a broadsword though his armor appeared light with no metal parts. The other two were a small, quiet lumo man who disappeared from time to time to scout ahead and moved with quick, sure grace through the dense undergrowth. And finally, a tall but thin shoon man with empty eyes, the one who killed Gavil.
Rifana wasn't stupid. She figured that the group weren't adventurers who came to free the princess. She doubted they were even from Melromarc. Probably Siltvelt, the demi-human country which worshiped the Shield Hero. The weasel girl always wanted to travel there one day, because it seemed like such a magical place. Yes, a part of her was aware that Siltvelt started a war with her own country before she was born which meant they weren't as kind and peaceful as people of her village. But still, the war seemed like a thing in the past, and Siltvelt without doubt a country she'd like to visit.
Now she wasn't so sure. Why were people so eager to fight and hurt each other?
As if in reply to her thoughts, Megar pushed Princess Malty again and the poor woman fell on her face. Rifana, her musings about peace gone, bared her teeth and dashed to the redhead, dropping on her knees and helping her turn around and sit up. Then she gently brushed the dirt from Malty's face and watched as the princess' own rage melted away, replaced by exhaustion, as she glanced behind Rifana at their captors.
"Get her up already, girl! We need to hurry," said the hakuko. He didn't seem even a little bit sorry for what he did.
"Untie her! Don't you see she can barely walk?" asked Rifana, still crouched down in front of Malty and rubbing her hands. They were cold. "And look at her hands! The bindings are too tight, you're hurting her!"
"Like I care, kid. She'd probably murder us all if given the chance. I know her kind. Now get away from her, I'll help her up alright."
"Calm down, Megar. We don't even know who this woman is," said Elian the tanuki. "Fine, Rifana, we'll free her hands. We are far enough from the populated areas."
She gestured to the silent lumo, whom everyone called Pat. The man quickly loosened the knots and put away the belts into a pouch. It seemed those people didn't waste anything.
The princess glared at everyone in turn except Rifana, but thankfully didn't speak. As she started to get up, Rifana pushed her back down and grasped one of her feet to check on it. It was dirty and scratched, even bleeding in several places. The girl gently brushed the dirt off, ignoring the annoyance from the group behind her.
"It's fine, Rifana, I'll take care of it once we stop for the night. I can still walk." Princess Malty, no, Myne, Myne, Myne, she has to remember to call her that, was making a brave front, but she was clearly in pain and very tired. To tell the truth, so was Rifana. They spent so much time just sitting in one place. It was impossible to make such a long track through the woods right away.
Rifana tugged off her (really, Malty's) boots and not listening to the token protests, helped the princess to put them on. Not like the weasel girl wasn't used to going around barefoot in her village.
"You done?" asked Elian. "Good. Now get up and walk. We'll stop as soon as it's safe. I doubt the two of you can walk much longer anyway."
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They stopped before the dark after finding a small lake surrounded by a dense growth of trees. It seemed like a good place to rest and recover. The group had no tents or any kind of heavy equipment, but seemed to be fine with roughing it on the ground. Pat disappeared again to check their surroundings, while Megar and the birdman, Ulroy, began to prepare the camp.
Malty and Rifana just dropped down near a tree, breathing heavily. They were both at the very limit of their endurance. Yet, they weren't given any time to rest.
"Those two should be working, the human even has her hands free, what are we, her servants?" complained Ulroy.
"I don't know, man," replied Megar. "I don't want either of them touching anything with the way they stink. They're gonna attract all the monsters with their damn smell."
"Crudely put, but Megar is right," said Elian. "The two of you should clean up. Also, I need to check something."
The raccoon woman approached Rifana, offered her hand, and after helping the girl up started tugging at her dress.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Malty grunted as she got on her feet with effort.
"Stop resisting, child, I'm looking for a slave seal."
"I don't have it!"
"That's what you say, but I still need to check. It's for your own safety."
"She doesn't have it!"
"Hey, Elian, should I shut the human up?" Megar seemed almost happy with the distraction.
"No. And turn away, you two! It's not a show for you!"
"Alright, alright. Just watch out for the woman, she could run."
"Where would I run, you imbecile, I can barely stand!"
"Stop the racket already! There, I checked. Unless the seal is in a worse place, but I doubt it, it's not as effective unless put on the chest."
Elian let go of Rifana who darted back to Malty's side.
To tell the truth, washing up seemed like a great idea. Amazing even. But not with the dangerous beasts around. Not to mention the monsters living in the woods.
"We'll wash, but we don't have anything clean to wear. And I don't want any of the men watching." Malty ignored the sounds of indignation from the men in question. Only Pat the mole, who was already back, stayed silent. He was creepy, but better than the other two.
"They won't be watching. Megar, Ulroy, you go collect firewood and see if you can find something for dinner. Go, we'll be fine. Rifana and the human are in no condition to run. Pat will stay here, he knows how to behave."
Grumbling, the two men left. Pat sat down, looking away from the lake, busy with something he pulled out of one of his pouches.
The princess and the weasel girl couldn't give up the chance to finally have a proper bath, so they started to undress. Malty wondered how she could think of a lake in the woods as a proper bath now. The month she spent in that cell changed her too much (she knew now that it had been about a month, since Elian finally told Rifana the date after she asked several times).
Despite being tired, they spent at least half and hour in the water. It was tough without soap of any kind, but they even managed to clean each other's hair to a half-decent state, though brushing it with their fingers barely had any effect. Now, in the fading daylight, Malty could see both herself and Rifana properly for the first time. The sight wasn't pleasant. Aside from the scars (and the girl's back was horribly marred), they were very pale and thin, with ribs sticking out. Not to mention various rashes and even pimples covering their skin. Of course, a bucket of water every few days hadn't been enough to even attempt getting clean in their cell.
They had to leave the water once their teeth started chattering. The princess didn't want Rifana getting ill again.
Elian waited for them on the bank with a couple of shirts, one large, clearly a man's and one small, but stretched, probably her own. The woman was short, but well endowed.
"I don't have any spare pants lying around, not the ones I'm ready to part with, so you better wash your own and hope they dry by the morning. I sent Pat to keep the boys away for a few more minutes, so dry a little and put these on. No one is going to bother you for tonight."
"What about tomorrow? What are you even going to do with us? Why did you take us?" Malty lost her patience and wanted to get some answers. She wisely didn't ask who their captors were, since she guessed anyway and doubted they'd appreciate her curiosity.
"All in good time. For now all you need to know is that we saved you from imprisonment and torture. Be grateful."
"Fine."
Rifana didn't have anything to add, so they let the evening air dry them, jumping a little in place to keep warm, then put on the offered shirts, trying to ignore the lack of any other clothing. Not like they had that much to begin with.
The men came back, but apparently had no energy left for aggressive or snarky comments. They prepared a small campfire and started cooking, well, something on a spit.
Malty was getting ready to lay down and rest (though she was planning to stay awake until they had food to eat, as her stomach was grumbling something fierce) when Rifana sighed and collected their dirty clothes, heading back to the lake. Good. The village girl probably had plenty of experience with laundry. The princess hadn't even been to the laundry room at the castle once. The servants just took away her dirty things and returned them clean. For some reason, it seemed so strange now, like somebody else's life.
Oh wait. Oh no. Something was seriously wrong with her. She couldn't just sit there and enjoy her well deserved rest. Groaning, Malty climbed to her feet again and followed Rifana.
"Hey, you need some help with that?"
"What? Um, Mal... Myne, do you even know how to wash clothes?"
"It can't be that hard! Just show me."
"It's fine, you don't need to do it. I'm halfway done anyway."
"Why are you being so stubborn? Just let me help!"
Rifana dropped the thing she was holding (Malty's underpants, ugh) and tugged on the princess' hand. The redhead obediently sat down and gasped in surprise as the girl's cold wet arms sneaked around her in a sideways hug. Rifana's head pressed against her shoulder, then she lifted it to look at the princess and smiled.
"You've helped a lot already. I wouldn't be here without you. You don't have to do everything, you know. If you want, you can sit here and keep me company."
Malty shrugged. It's not like she was THAT eager to play a laundry maid. They sat on the bank together as Rifana finished her work, then the taller woman helped to hang everything on the nearby branches, ignoring the weird looks from the demi-humans.
Thankfully, they were given enough monster meat to fill their bellies and then settled on the ground with their trusty (if dirty) blanket. There wasn't even a question of changing the sleeping arrangements. As soon as Malty picked a patch of grass and swept away the odd branches, Rifana approached with the blanket and settled down with her. The princess noticed from the corner of her eye how Ulroy the birdman shook his head in apparent disgust. As if she cared what that creature thought of them.
She wished she could stay on guard the whole night, but it was a miracle she hadn't fainted hours ago. Both Malty and Rifana fell asleep in minutes.
In the night the princess woke up to find Rifana's body shaking against her. She checked to find the girl still asleep, but from her whimpers it wasn't the cold. With everything that happened today it was no wonder her nightmares were back. Malty did the only thing she could, fixing the blanket and turning a little so she could fully embrace the girl, who didn't wake up but whined a little and rubbed her head against Malty's shoulder. The princess sighed and eventually fell asleep again, but not before catching the piercing gaze from Elian who was keeping guard near the fire.
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