Chapter Three: Bandits Country
It had been an hour since the disagreement she and Matt had. I need to get out of here now! She thought miserably. Running over to the window, she looked out to see if anyone was around. The coast was clear. Mimi ran back to the chest and pulled out a forest green hooded cape she found earlier. She of course would have tried to escape earlier, but there was always someone near by outside watching her every move.
Opening the window she looked down and gulped nervously. This castle was at least eight stories high; she was on the second. Heights were never her thing. Slowly and carefully she stepped out onto the ledge; now out of the room and standing on the castle wall. "I must be crazy."
Looking past her shoulder she noticed a huge wagon filled with a pile of hay. 'I could just jump down… No that is just a disaster waiting to happen.'
"Oh my!" she cried. Just then a crow flew past and squawked at her, scaring her half to death she shrieked and let go, falling backwards.
"No!"She screamed. Closing her eyes waiting for her horrid death; she instead fell into something soft but scratchy. It was the hay. Just laying there in shock, trying to process what just happened. After a few seconds she jumped up putting on her hood and walked around to the font. So far no one in sight; sighing in relief, she then ran to the front entrance and walked right out. "Well that was easy." she smiled to herself.
Trying to remember what her surroundings looked like from the time Tai captured her, she looked behind herself to see some guards coming. She quickly ran into the forest becoming completely hidden by the trees. Walking for about twenty minutes she grew tired. Having no where she idea was, she must have wandered around in circles at least six times; she was completely utterly… lost. Groaning in frustration "I have no idea where I am! I need some sense of direction!" Mimi cried out to no one in particular.
"Maybe we can be of service." A husky voice commented from the bushes.
She spun around to the source of the voice to find five men known as bandits come out from the bushes. Taking a defending stance she answered coldly. "Yes, can you point me in the direction of Altearia?"
"Yes we can, but. It'll cost you." the bandit replied with a smirk.
Knowing exactly what was on their mind she replied disgustedly. "You scum. I'll find it on my own." She huffed while turning around. But the persistent man ran up to her and grabbed her by the shoulder.
"If you think you can get away talking to us like that then--" he was unable to finishes his sentence when his stomach met contact with her elbow, then the back of her fist to his face, and last she flipped him flat on his back with one twist of his arm; knocking him out cold.
The three other bandits looked at her surprised with their jaws hanging low.
"Who's next?" she asked while smirking.
"You will pay for what you did to our friend!" one screamed and charged at her followed by the other three.
The instant another one reached her he was knocked out cold, just like his friend. 'This would be easier if I had a sword.'
One man ran behind her and grabbed a hold of her arms, then threw her to the ground. The same man who pushed her drew out his sword. "Hold her!" he commanded.
The bandit did as he was told and jumped behind her gabbing hold of her arms and forcing her to stand.
"You should really be careful when you're dealing with a stranger; especially when a pretty young woman like yourself is all alone. You never know what could happen next…" he said with a smug smirk as he brought the tip of the sword and slightly pressed it right under her chin.
Mimi shivered from the touch and glared daggers at the bandit.
"It's such a pity that we have to kill you. We could have had a lot of fun."
"I hope you die." Mimi hissed closing her eyes when she saw him raise his blade.
Hearing a loud thump she opened her eyes to see the bandit stare at her clearly in pain, and then he just fell forward… dead. She looked at him shocked.
"What the!" yelled the other bandit behind her. "Who the hell are you!" he yelled releasing Mimi.
Not ever in her entire life had she been so happy to see him.
"Matt!" she cried. Mimi quickly stood up and ran to his side.
"Are you alright?" Matt asked. Mimi nodded her head.
"How dare you interfere and kill my friend! You will pay!"
And with that, everyone was in a fierce battle. Matt fought the two on his own while Mimi stood there watching the ongoing battle, unsure of what to do.
"Matt? What should I—Uh… never mind." Mimi said. In a matter of seconds both bandits were laying on the ground out cold.
Turning around Matt glared daggers at her. "You!" he yelled pointing his finger at her. "I swear if you didn't have any use for me, I would kill you right here, right now!" He yelled furiously.
"What do you mean use for me? What exactly do you have planed for me?" retorted Mimi.
"Forget about it. It's nothing you should know."
"Well, it's about me, so it is something I should know about!"
While their little squabbles kept going on, both of them hadn't noticed that one of the bandits that Mimi had taken out had regained consciousness.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mimi saw the bandit raise his blade. "Matt! Watch out!" cried Mimi. But it was too late. The blade soared right into Matt's left shoulder causing him to fall over. Running over to him Mimi suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right leg. Falling down she looked at her leg to see a blade sticking out. Biting her lip in pain she reached down and pulled it out wincing.
Looking up, not seeing it coming, her stomach met contact with the bandit's foot sending her flying a good five feet away from him. Mimi laid there holding her stomach, gasping for breath.
The bandit then walked over to Matt who had already pulled the knife from his bleeding shoulder. Standing up, Matt held up the blade at the bandit while holding his shoulder. The bandit smiled and kicked the blade from Matt's fingers. Matt ignoring the pain, charged the bandit pushing him to the ground.
Mimi still laid there holding her stomach, watching the ongoing fight; thinking of what to do. 'Perhaps I should just leave them. Let the bandit kill him. Then Altearia could have the upper hand… doesn't matter to me what happens to Matt.'
Matt who seemed to be winning, sat on top of the other man pinning him down. That was until the bandit punched Matt's wounded shoulder. Grabbing his throbbing shoulder Matt fell over, now with the bandit on top of him, pinning him down.
"Did you really think a weakling like you could defeat me?" the bandit scoffed. Pulling out another knife from his shirt he brought it to Matt's throat. Matt struggled to keep the knife at bay.
"Damn it." Matt cursed under his breath.
"Get off of him now!" ordered Mimi from behind the bandit.
"And what do you think your going to do about it?" asked the bandit not knowing she had a weapon.
"This." She hissed pulling his head back by his hair and placing the blade at his throat.
"Now. Get off of him." she said calmly.
The bandit slowly stood up and dropped the knife next to Matt who also stood up.
"Now get out of here before I kill you." Mimi said as she pushed him. Nearly falling over the bandit ran away back into the bushes just as he was ordered.
"So I suppose you think that I'm just going to let you go now?" asked Matt with a smirk.
"Of course I do."
"Well think again."
"Why you smug—"
"Besides. You think your going to get very far with that leg of yours?"
Mimi looked down at her bleeding leg, then back to his eyes. "I suppose not…" she couldn't believe what she said next, it's was like her mouth had a mind of its own. "I suppose I could come back with you…" she said with a slight shy smile.
Matt caught the smile, and grinned in return. "Well, we should probably tend to our wounds, before heading back; to stop the blood flow." Mimi nodded her head in agreement.
"Come on. I saw a river near by. When I came after you."
Mimi could hear slight anger return when he said the last part. She just rolled her eyes.
It took only moments to get there. 'How could I have missed that river when I passed through here?' She thought with a frown.
Matt walked down the hill and sat on a rock. Mimi winced in pain every time she stepped. It nearly killed her just to get down the hill too Matt. Finally making it down, she plopped herself down next to Matt on the same rock.
"So, maybe we should tend to your wounds first?" asked Matt looking at her blood stained leg.
"Perhaps we should tend to our own wounds." Mimi said.
"Fine. I was just trying to help." Matt said defensively as he removed his shirt.
Mimi turned away slightly blushing. 'Oh this is bad; I hope he didn't see me. This is nothing to be embarrassed about.' She thought looking back at him only to blush even harder.
"Aren't you going to clean your wound?" he asked.
"Hmm? Oh right. I will. I was just… uh never mind."
Matt stared at her strangely and went back to wiping the blood off his shoulder and around the wound.
'Get a hold of yourself Mimi!' Ripping a piece of cloth from the bottom of her dress she dipped it in the water; pulling her dress up to her knees, she gently wiped the blood from her leg. Matt who was already done cleaning his wound was having trouble tying the piece of cloth from his sleeve around his shoulder. Looking to Mimi who had already finished fixing her wound.
"When we get back, we're going to have to get stitches." Mimi said looking to him. Tilting her head to the side she stared at him curiously.
"Do you want me to help with that?" she asked.
Looking to her he nodded his head. Mimi stood up and limped behind him; looking down she gasped at what she saw. He had a horrible wide scar starting from the middle of his back to his shoulder blade. Kneeling down she took the cloth from his hand. Lifting his arm slightly she wrapped began to wrap it around his wound trying her best to ignore his scar.
Knowing what she was thinking about, Matt looked down a little embarrassed.
"There all done." Mimi said hurriedly.
"Thank you." He said standing up, looking down to her he offered his hand to her. Picking up his shirt first, she placed her hand in his.
Putting on his shirt "So when you get tired, don't be afraid to say something."
"Well of course I'll say something. Why should I be afraid of you? Please!" she said returning back to resenting him.
Frowning, 'God this girl is hot and cold! And a bit irritating'. Shaking off her cold behavior he put on a small smile and started to walk back up the hill ahead of her. Limping Mimi followed a good six feet behind.
It hadn't been more than ten minutes when Matt heard Mimi's whines. "Okay Matt. Let have a break right now. My leg is killing me!"
Sighing, a little annoyed. He knew he said to just say something if it was getting hard to walk, but he thought he'd at least get thirty feet.
Sitting down on a rock she examined her leg. Matt walked over to her and sat down. "You know we're not going to get very far with that leg of yours."
"Well excuse me! It's not my fault. It's your fault."
"My fault! How is it my fault? It's your fault for running away!"
"Well what do you expect? You expect me to just be happy where I am?"
"No, I expect you to obey orders from your king!" A loud smack then rang though the forest.
Whoops wrong thing to say.
"I shall do no such thing! You are not my king and you shall never be my king! You are just some idiot that won't leave me alone. You will never be more to me than the pigheaded boy you are!" She nearly screamed with rage.
Touching his red stinging cheek Matt had finally lost any ounce of patience he had left with this one brave, but foolish girl.
"You have finally crossed the line! You have some nerve slapping me after what I had told you would happen! You are the most ignorant, stubborn, stupidest girl I have ever met in my entire life! "
"Well. As a matter of fact, you never did tell me exactly what you would do to me!" she said a little taken back.
"Well do you want me to demonstrate when we get back to the castle?"
"Why don't you ''demonstrate'' right here?" she challenged.
"Maybe I will."
"Then do it! Right now!"
"Maybe I will." He said stalling.
"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to do something about me? Cause if you won't I will."
"Oh. So you're going to do something to me? Do it then."
"Oh shut up!"
"Why don't you make me?"
"Maybe I will." She said mocking him
"Do it then. Make me shut up." He said meeting her challenge.
"You are so childish. Saying all these… childish things. You put up some argument."
"I thought you were going to make me ''shut up'' or are you too afraid now?" he said clearly amused.
"Hmm…"
smack Matt was now holding his other red hand printed cheek. Mimi went to slap him again, but this time Matt caught it just like he had the very first time they met.
"Now, now. I'd be more careful of my actions if I were you. You wouldn't want to lose this little hand of yours." He said coldly staring her down in the eye. Mimi could help but gasp. Matt threw her hand back at her.
"Now let's go." He said walking away.
Mimi didn't follow but just hold her hand to her chest; frightened. 'He wouldn't really do that… would he? He's just trying to scare me, that's all. Nothing more but a cruel joke.'
A moment later they both heard a horses gallops coming towards them. Looking behind they saw a friendly sight. Well friendly to Matt that is.
"Tai!" called Matt with a grin.
"Where have you two been? We've been looking for you everywhere!" cried an irritated Tai. "And you're both injured. How great!" his words dripping with sarcasm.
"Well someone over here decided to run away." Hissed Matt as he looked her way.
Standing there, Mimi glared daggers at them both. 'Great only two horses! I bet I'm going to have to ride with Yamato '.
Matt got onto the other horse and stared at Mimi. "Well are you coming!"
Grumbling under her breath she limped over to Matt's horse and looked up to him. Matt raised a brow.
"You're not riding with me. You're riding with Tai." He snickered.
"Whoa wait! I can't ride with him!" she cried.
"Like I'm happy about it either!" retorted Tai. "Now get over here so we can leave already."
When reaching him she looked up at him and put an arm up, signaling she need to be lifted up.
Sighing Tai grabbed her arm and yanked her up easily, but roughly. "OW!" she cried.
"Oh cry me a river." He said bluntly.
And with that they trotted off back to the castle. During the whole twenty minute ride it was clear silence. No one said one word the whole time.
Mimi was now once again locked up in her so called room; with fresh stitches in her leg, eight to be exact. Matt had gotten ten stitches total. The night had finally settled in about three hours after their return. A few of Matt's servants had barricaded all the windows with iron bars preventing another ''genius'' escape.
Sprawled out on her bed she kept herself busy counting the all the little cracks on the Celine while singing softly to herself.
There's a song that's inside of my soul. It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again I'm awake in the infinite cold. But you sing to me over and over and over again. So, I lay my head back down. And I lift my hands and pray
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours I know now you're my only hope
Sing to me the song of the stars– Hearing a knock at the door she stopped her singing abruptly. Not moving from her position she didn't say a word.
"Mimi, its me." said Matt.
"Go away. I never want to speak to you ever again."
"I just wanted to say you have a lovely singing voice." He said with a small smirk.
Mimi's eyes widened 'he heard! Oh no!'
After hearing the fading of his footsteps. She smiled to herself. 'He likes my singing…?' With that she fell asleep.