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Chapter 3 - Band of Mercenaries

The next morning saw them setting off with the dawn. Rei still wasn't talking to Kent, despite Lyn's efforts to get her to forgive him and Sain's pleading with the crimson shield to apologise. Kent, of course, refused to believe that he had done something wrong.

"When I rescued her," Lyn muttered to Sain as they rode about ten feet behind Kent and fifteen in front of Rei, "I had no idea she kept grudges so well..."

"How long have you known each other?" The green knight asked, too annoyed by his friend's behaviour to feel up to flirting.

"Not long. I found her unconscious on the plains only about a week before meeting up with you."

"Exhaustion? Or was she attacked? I've not asked, but... I don't recognise her origins. Is she Sacaean?"

"She'd ridden herself into the ground, but no, she's not. She's from an island chain far to the north - Kanhi, I think she called it."

"She's certainly striking." Sain thought aloud, though quietly so that neither Kent nor Rei would hear.

"Mm, though insecure. It's strange. She worries that she won't be noticed... but then she seems to hate the only men she ever mentions."

"Maybe she was abused, then... In which case, she's tougher than she looks. If that is so, I'm glad you two are so close."

"Are we, though? She keeps mentioning an illness, but... she hasn't told me what. It can't be anything serious, since she seems healthy enough, but... I must say it worries me."

"Ah," Sain disagreed, "she said that her father and betrothed believed that it was an illness. Perhaps it is not a physical problem? From what you've both said, she comes from a fairly closed society. Perhaps she is simply too free-thinking for them?"

"I hadn't thought of that... she has become happier since I met her and started telling her about the countries around here..."

"I've yet to see her smile, or laugh properly, though. Does she have aught but that controlled chuckle?"

"I've seen her smile, once. She has a nice smile..."

"Then I shall endeavour to put it back on her face. I suggest a change of tack." The green chevalier gave his winning smile. "Go talk at Kent, milady Lyndis." He twitches his reins so that his horse started walking more slowly, dropping back to walk beside Petal. The horse eyed them, warily, but the rider continued looking stiffly forward.

"Lady Rei, surely you know that such a sour face does not suit?" The errant knight began.

"Has Kent sent you to talk of duty and obedience, knight?" Came the cold reply.

"Hardly. If he had, then I would not. Such words are fine for a knight of Lycia, but to a water lily like yourself? The heart should dictate your course. So, tell me. Onerous alliances aside, are there none your breast has fluttered for?"

"Sain," Rei turned stony eyes to the Lycian, her tone still cold. "What is it you want?"

"To see you smile, ashen lily. To bring joy to your face. To walk among a garden of drooping flowers for long is to lose a part of your own lust for life - I could not countenance such a loss for one of your subtle beauty."

"Your words... you never sound sincere, Sain." Those dark eyes turned away, staring at the trees that were becoming closer together as they approached the foothills of Taliver mountain. "How can I trust you when you speak such pretty lines with so little soul?"

"If to you I sound lacking in spirit, then perhaps you perceive me better than I do myself. To me, my words are always true. I may not be a model knight, but all my faults are to the better. Honesty is important."

"Prove it."

"Ask me a question, then, fair lily."

"How many men have you slept with?" Though she didn't look at the knight, Sain could have sworn that he saw the edge of a smirk starting to form.

"One, though I've never thought to repeat the experience. My taste runs to women."

The response left Rei gaping at his response. She'd expected him to deny ever even thinking about it, whether he had or not.

"You are... full of surprises, knight," she spoke at last. "Was it?" She looked up towards where Lyn was talking to Kent. The discussion seemed to be serious in tone.

"Sain, not 'knight'. It sounds so... impersonal. And no, it wasn't that stubborn fool. I swore secrecy not to tell anyone who it was, either." He grinned. "He'd never forgive me. It was an experiment for both of us, that's all."

"Knight, I fear that if I treat you personally you will push yourself too far. I would hate to deprive the world of your charms, but I fear that you might force my hand if I showed the slightest familiarity." The islander's voice was cold again, but with a teasing edge so subtle as to be nearly unmissable. "So tell me, knight. Why do you chase so?"

"Ah, I fear it is a curse upon my line. All of my family must find a partner before the age of twenty-five, or a fate most terrible shall befall us." He replied, deadly serious. She looked at him carefully, and the serious look slipped for a moment.

"What fate would that be?" She asked, suspiciously.

"We will die alone and unloved, never to know the touch of a woman or man again." He told her, mournfully, his brown eyes large and soulful, drooping slightly.

"Right." Rei replied, dryly. "You can stop staring at my chest now." She finished, before goading Petal into a slightly faster pace. Sain spluttered, then nudged his horse to keep up.

"H-hey, that's not what…" he started, but the tactician ignored him, staring intently over Lyn and Kent's shoulders. He stopped, then looked up to see what she'd seen. A large, winged shape flew steadily towards them before dropping down behind the shoulder of the mountain

"That was too big to be a bird. Do you have any large flying creatures in Lycia?" Rei asked, shading her eyes in the hope of seeing it again.

"No…" Sain replied, frowning and doing the same. "Though Ilia to the west has Pegasi, and Biran to the east is known to field knights mounted on wyverns. It could be an Ilian Pegasus Knight. They're mercenaries, so they travel quite a lot…"

"Well, we should be near where it went down soon. It worries me. It might have been a spy of some kind."

"Lets hope not – if Lundgren is using such pricey mercenaries, we'll be in trouble." The knight finished, consternation colouring his voice. "We should know soon – that's less than ten minutes away. Perhaps there's a village." He grinned at Rei, then moved up to interrupt the others who had continued talking oblivious.

"What happened here?" Kent asked a short while later, frowning again as he looked around the rubble that had once been the outskirts of a moderate-sized city.

"Bandits." Lyn replied, cold anger burning in her voice. "My people were camped only on the other side of this mountain when they were wiped out. This is Taliver Mountain, home to the bandits by the same name. They were bad before, but… six months ago, someone armed them, practically giving them good weapons and armour. My people didn't stand a chance… especially not with the water poisoned…" she trailed off.

"Why doesn't the marquess put a stop to it?" Sain asked, mirroring his shield-brother's frown.

"No marquess rules here. The people of the plains and mountains… there are two kinds of people who live here. We Sacaeans, who must stay, and those who see us and wish to share our freedom. They accept no ruler, forming communities that survive through co-operation. Once, this was the greatest city in Sacae, but the Biran border creeps closer from the south every day, and the bandits press it from the north. Now, only a tiny core remains…" she sighed, then nudged Hunt forward again. "There's nothing they can do and still remain free, so they endure as best they can…"

They walked in silence for a while. 'Freedom…' Rei contemplated, looking around at the ruins. 'What price must be paid? It is what I desire, but… to live in fear is no more freedom than being ruled and taxed…' she sighed, quietly to herself, then saw Sain moving closer again. She hid a grimace – she was in no mood any longer for his teasing and flirting. Fortunately, she was saved a moment later.

"Hey – what's going on over there?" Kent asked, looking to the left slightly. A long building stood among the ruins, while outside a small girl with pale, blue-grey hair was being menaced by a couple of toughs. Behind her, though, was something that made Rei gasp.

"Is that… a Pegasus?" Lyn asked, frowning, then spurred her horse forward. The others followed a little behind. "Florina!" Lyn called, and the three looked up. "It is! Florina, what are you doing here?" she continued, amazed.

"I… I came looking for you… but… I heard that you'd left the plains, so I came looking…" the girl stammered, and Rei realised that she wasn't really all that small - an inch shorter than the tactician if that. It was just that she stood so hunched over and frightened, clutching her hands together in front of her.

"Hey, it's okay." Lyn smiled, then turned to the thugs. "Now, what seems to be the problem here?" her tone shifted to hold a dangerous note.

"This clumsy witch landed on poor Miguel!" The smaller of the two toughs answered, hostilely. "Now she's got to pay."

"Florina, did you apologise?" Lyn asked, and Rei came up to stand just beside her. Kent and Sain flanked them; wearing identical 'bodyguard' scowls.

"Yes, many times over… I said I was sorry, but they wouldn't listen…" Florina replied, then let out a pained gasp as the bigger man – Miguel – grabbed her arm roughly.

"Enough of this. The girl is coming with us. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave alone." He growled the words out, then yanked on Florina's arm. Lyn dismounted, starting to move forward, but Rei's dagger got there first, piercing the arm that held the Pegasus knight through the bicep.

"You bitch!" Miguel roared, letting go of Florina to rip the knife from his arm. He went for the axe at his belt.

"Don't." Rei said, coldly. "Neither of you were hurt. Let her go and leave. Otherwise, that may change." She slipped off her own horse, face carefully blank of all emotion.

"Don't be daft! You cut our leader, and no one does that and gets away with it." The smaller thug laughed, viciously.

"Really? Would you cross Lycia for the sake of one girl, one cut?" Rei continued, mildly before gesturing to Kent and Sain. "These two are Knights of Lycia, and have the ear of their Marquess. No doubt that if you harm us, others will come looking. Your precious gang would not survive it."

"Who cares? So some knights come looking – they're no match for the Ganelon!" Miguel chuckled. "Kill the knights," he told his companion, "and if any of you…" he looked at the knights, Rei and Lyn. "If any of you move, she dies." He grabbed Florina again, holding knife to her throat.

"One question." Sain piped up from the back. "Is he one of yours?" He asked, nodding to behind Miguel.

"Like I'm going to fall for that old trick." The bandit lieutenant sneered, and Rei let a knife slip into her hand, keeping both hidden under her cloak. She couldn't see anyone behind the bandit – but then, Sain was still mounted.

"Perhaps you should listen. Knights tend to tell the truth." The youthful voice came from behind Miguel, where the knight had indicated. A boy, probably. Fifteen or sixteen years old from the voice. "I'm not a good person to have as an enemy, and I know I prefer to make friends, but… this is a lot of fuss for an accident."

"Shut up, boy. This doesn't concern you." Miguel didn't turn around.

"Maybe not, but the arrow on my bow should concern you. It's fully drawn, you see, and aimed between your shoulder blades. I've never felt it, but I'm told that an arrow there hurts like hell." The voice continued in the same friendly tone. "I believe we have something of an Biranese Standoff. I know I'm not going to back down. Somehow, I doubt that the knights will allow you to kill them without resisting. I certainly don't think the girls are going to just let you take them." He paused. "Of course, I could just shoot you. That would solve all our problems."

"Wh… how dare you?" Miguel growled, his forehead creasing as he tried to follow the jovial barrage. "Aargh, enough of this. Rat, get the others." With that, he lifted the knife away from Florina's throat before smashing her in the forehead with the hilt, knocking her out as the other tough ran off into the ruins. He then sidestep-turned to charge at Will, dodging the arrow as it was released. The archer ducked the blow, hurriedly, then the knights flashed into action, swords slipping from saddle-sheaths with a single sound...

"Florina? Florina, can you hear me?" Lyn knelt over the girl, cradling her head on her knees and dabbing blood away from where the bandit's knife had broken the skin with a wet cloth. After a moment, the orchid-haired girl groaned and blinked her eyes open.

"L-Lyn? Oh, Lyn! It is you…" She came awake properly and hugged the girl, startling her. "I was scared…"

"Ssh." Lyn started stroking her hair, gently. "It's okay. I'm here now. The bandits are gone. Why did you come looking for me, Florina? Is something wrong?"

"N-no… But… do you remember the final initiation rites for the Pegasus knights of Ilia? We have to spend a year working with a mercenary company…"

"But... aren't most mercenaries men? Bands of men?" Lyn frowned, seeing where this was going.

"Yes… so... I wanted to come and see you first…" Florina pulled away, standing up and offering a hand to pull Lyn to her feet. "Because… you know..."

"You're not very comfortable around men, yes. I can see that being a problem." Lyn frowned in thought. "Why not travel with us for a while? It looks like we might have a lot of trouble in the future… it would be as good experience as working with mercenaries. Besides, there's someone I'd like you to meet…"

A short distance away, Rei chuckled despite herself as she watched Kent chase Sain around in circles in the inn's courtyard. Kent was desperately trying to engage the other knight in sword drill, but the green lance evidently preferred not to practice that particular martial art. As it was, the two of them would probably wear themselves out after a while and collapse. A sudden presence at her shoulder made Rei look up to see the shadow of a boy – she realised a moment later that it was the archer from before.

"Excuse me… could I talk to you?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Sure. Take a seat. My name's Rei." She patted the ground next to her, moving her cloak so he wouldn't sit on the edge of it.

"Wil, from Pherae. Your group seems to be on a journey of sorts, and… well, I was wondering if I could join you all. I'm at… something of a crossroads, and with those bandits chased off there's no reason for me to stick around here."

"Hm. I don't see any reason why not, though I warn you – we're hunted. We're travelling to Caelin in Lycia to stop Lord Hausen's brother from trying to kill us, and he's hired some pretty fearsome assassins." She paused for a moment, then smiled, tightly. "If you promise not to tell the others, I'd like your opinion on something. I don't want to worry them overmuch, since it doesn't seem to have anything to do with them yet."

"I don't know. You sure you want to ask me? I'm… you don't even know if I'm coming with you." Wil frowned.

"If you want to, you can. Archers are invaluable, and for that alone I think you'd be welcome. Plus, you seem like an alright person. Besides, if you don't come with us, it won't matter."

"Alright, then. What is it you wanted my opinion on?"

By way of reply, Rei reached into her cloak and pulled out a slip of paper and a stick of charcoal, sketching out a small emblem and showing it to him. A sharp gasp of surprise and an incredulous look were her reward.

"This is… I don't know for sure, but… I think it's safe to say this is the symbol of the black fang. They're a group of really powerful assassins from Biran, but… where did you see this? They don't normally go after normal people," he frowned. "They target people who abuse their power."

"Strange. That's not me… I don't have any power to abuse. Still, I was targeted. They seem ruthless – the one that attacked me thought nothing of putting a harmless old priest in danger and defiling a shrine. She said that I had an important future, and that the 'lord of a thousand plagues' wanted to get rid of me… do you have any idea who that might be?" She took the paper back, rubbing it to erase the charcoal mark then cleaning her fingers on the hem of her cloak.

"No, I'm afraid not. Sorry…" Wil replied, trailing off as the Sain gave up, finally relenting and picking up his sword. "When do you plan to move on? I think those bandits will be after you now, since that rat escaped."

"In the morning. We're safe enough here, I think, for now. They'll need time to martial the whole gang."

"Alright." He nodded. "Who is in charge of the group, anyway? I approached you because you weren't involved in anything."

"Lyn is… she should be finished nursing the Pegasus girl by now. I'll introduce you." She stood, offering a hand to the archer, and they went to talk to Lyndis.