I'm back…!

Evangeline is not the most stable of horses. Say you took an insane person with an extreme case of paranoia and throw a little bit of a stalker actually following them and you have a human version of Evangeline.

She rears at every animal that so much moves a branch and at any bird that barely stirs the wind. Sounds are her worst nightmare and she's skittish with jumps. This horse, is no where near a war horse. Only thing I can think is that he was mistaken when he gave her to me to use in war, or he'd been planning not to let me fight. If it was the latter he wouldn't be conscious for long when I get back.

I had just recovered Evangeline from a very traumatizing encounter with a turtle the size of the King's seal. One good thing about my skittish baby is, before she freaks out, she wiggles her ears, like a little fly is messing with her and she's trying to shake it off.

Three days into my ride to Spain, Evangeline started to wiggle her ears. It wasn't like usual, I don't know how she did it, but she stayed completely calm, just shook her ears. At first I was confused and then shocked, and when I recovered from that I heard it. The shallow footsteps falling evenly together, with at least five people, maybe more.

The way the feet fell it was obvious they were trained to march, question was, were they hostile soldiers?

Quickly I jumped down from Evangeline and grabbed my cap from the saddle bag. I tugged all my hair up and balanced it precariously on my head, placing the hat on top. A few strands escaped, but that was okay, don't have enough time to fix it. I pulled on my cloak, lifting the hood and leaving it up. I took off my sword, leaving the daggers in my boot, strapped to my arm, at my hip and attached to my back.

The sword was attached to the right side of Evangeline's saddle, so it was carefully hidden. Any real looking and it would be revealed. I stepped towards Evangeline's head and took the reins, walking forward and to the left of her. I started humming and preparing to act surprised when I was surrounded by the soldiers.

The Spanish soldiers came at a swift pace, faster than I would have thought, and formed a semi-circle around me, casting wary glances around, making sure I was alone.

"What is your business here?" a man with a beard, I'm assuming the captain, demanded harshly with a tortured Spanish accent in French.

"Me master has me sending word to his brother at the border about their mum. She's really sick. They believe with the influenza. They wanted me tell them all about how she's doin' and her fits of discomfort and her other times of-"

"Enough! What's your master's name?"

Ummm… "Charleston. Rober' Charleston. His brother's name is William. He have some children named Wilma and Killian. Their mum's is-"

"Just the master!"

"Rober' Charleston."

"And for what are you apprenticed?"

Darn… what can it be, what can it be…

"Iron smithee."

"Liar", a scrawny boy with light fluffy white hair and a little mole on his left cheek yelled.

How did he catch me?

The captain turned to the boy, "How would you know Francisco?!" he yelled with an expression of disgust. Poor kid, he's just calling my bluff, and getting scolded.

"My pa knows Robert Charleston, and his brother William and his kids Wilma and Killian, who are practically my cousins. He's a gold smith. Not an easy mistake to make, huh, is it?" He sounded so sure of himself and proud that he could help, I felt kind of sorry for him with his horrid commander.

The captain started his tortured French again, by asking, "Explain yer'self youngling'."

What do I do? Dang'it. Ummm…. What would Edward do. Talk his way out. I can't do that. Okay what can I do, there are six of them not counting the one war horse travelling with them. I could always fight.

That sounds good. Let's just hope I'm not to arrogant and I really can do it.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm with Robert. Your kid's lying." In the background I heard a protest of being called a kid. I laughed inwardly and hoped he wouldn't be much good in a fight, because I'm probably getting on his nerves.

"Nah, he's not. He's annoying, unrespectable, undependable, and several other unmentionables, but he's honest. Detain him."

Without another word I raised my hands, they were slightly shocked by the sign of surrender, and it gave me enough time to grab the dagger from on my back. While all of the guards tried to draw their swords, the captain took a dagger to the abdomen. He dropped quickly yelling to grab me. I had already jumped behind Evangeline drawing my sword from its scabbard.

I rounded Evangeline, just before she reared, kicking at a soldier that was trying to come up behind me. As the soldier and she fought I held off two soldiers. I nicked the burly man to my right, making him cry out and reach for his hand, which had a bloody gash in between his thumb and fingers. While I was taking care of the man on my right the teenager to my left had veered. It was out of peripheral vision for a long time until I realized he was missing.

I turned my back on the man clutching his hand, to search for the missing boy. I saw at the last second his swing, avoiding the loss of my right arm, though he dashed right along my shoulder, leaving a line of blood trickling down my arm.

"Well that hurt", I said in my normal voice. I realized my mistake slightly after I said it; I hadn't made my voice deeper. I sounded like a woman.

The young man gasped and I quickly ran my sword into his side. He dropped with a thud and a grunt, with my sword and then lay still. Francisco and the last man, for Evangeline had taken down her soldier, stood up from making sure the captain was alright.

The glanced around and saw their three comrades on the ground. They charged suddenly giving me enough time to draw my hip and arm daggers. One to each hand, the left one slightly longer, felt comfortable like I never fight with a sword, always daggers.

Francisco ran at me first and I brought my two daggers in an x over each other stopping the movement of the blade. I twisted my wrists and he released the sword, where it fell to the ground and stayed. He backed up slowly and hid behind the older man. I actually laughed at him, vocally. He was such a coward that he had forgotten his short sword and dagger hanging from his hip. Francisco was so close to the other man that the elder-looking man gently shoved him away, where he fell in a little heap.

I rolled my eyes at the pathetic show and positioned my feet farther apart, ready to dodge to either side.

The elder man had a weathered face with pitch black hair and specks of gray. He looked kind enough, I just wish I didn't have to fight him.

He moved faster than I thought possible, catching me off guard. I stumbled back as he struck at my hand, catching the hilt of my dagger, a centimeter from my hand. I lost my grip and my right dagger fell. I continued to back up, parrying his strong blows with my left dagger. My grip was starting to get lax and I wearily stepped backward, stepping on a root sending me sprawling.

My right ankle throbbed and my hip was bleeding slightly. My dagger was at least six feet away. I scrambled backwards with the man approaching, the tip of his sword following my neck. My back hit a tree and I stopped; my legs scrunched up against my chest, on the off chance I could stand up.

I glanced at the position he was in and realized quickly he had made a mistake, his right leg was just a little too far out.

"Sorry."

He looked utterly surprised and said, "What?"

I didn't answer as I swung my good left leg out and swept his feet off of the ground. I rolled just before his sword fell on top of me and drew the dagger from my right boot. I quickly threw the dagger at Francisco, who had decided that I was defenseless enough for his taste and pegged him in the right shoulder. He crumpled, sobbing and I realized that it was barely even a wound; the dagger I threw was tiny. It was truly hilarious.

I stood up and nearly collapsed, my right ankle was searing. By the time I steadied myself the older man had tried to start rising. I didn't waste much time. I limped over to the man with my sword running through him and pulled it. Poor sap, he was still alive. I walked past the old man with a sharp blow to the head with my hilt, knocking him unconscious. I repeated the act on anyone still conscious and looking around.

I dragged my leg which was starting to get really tingly after me on my way to retrieve all of my daggers.