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The deer's snout plowed through the Spring's first fresh grass, its tail lowered in a relaxed manner, and only its ears turned and twisted now and then. She had been following the dainty creature for half a day, and finally, she had found it. Ithiliel rose her arm, her fingers fishing for an arrow, and slowly, making sure not to make any sound, she drew it from the quiver.
Her face was covered with a black scarf draped around her face as well as around her head and shoulders. Not only to make sure to contain her breathing from potential prey and that her long hair wouldn't get entangled in branches while on the hunt but also because of its bright bloodred color.
A soft breath left the huntress's lips, dutifully extinguished by the fabric covering them. She notched the arrow carefully onto the string of her bow and slowly drew it back, holding it steady while aiming for her prey.
'Father will be proud,' shot through her mind, and her lip corners would curl up slightly. Then the wind lowered, and she saw her chance to release the arrow from the string as a sudden yell from the nearby path startled the girl and the deer.
Ithiliel's fingers slipped from the string, and she watched the arrow fly off, hitting a tree rather far from where her prey was moments ago. An annoyed sigh slipped from under the scarf, together with some not very ladylike curses, and she rose from behind the bushes she was hiding at, crossing the small clearing and retrieved the arrow.
She closed her eyes a moment, focusing upon the voices coming from the wood path. Her thoughts were rushing. Reports of bandits raiding travelers lately came to her mind. Her father's words rang in her ears.
"If you happen to witness an attack, withdraw if you can and come back home immediately. Do not interfere!"
The girl scoffed at herself, curiosity taking over, and so she notched the arrow back onto the string before she snuck closer to the path, hiding behind bushes and skillfully using the shadows to hide within. Her black leather clothes sure were of help too.
Her heart pounded in her chest while her breathing became shallow. She felt fear, and yet the excitement prevailed. Quickly she reached the edge of the slope and pushed the branches of the small bush carefully aside to peek down onto the path; her gaze was soon falling upon the cause of the commotion. A single hooded rider seated up high on a bright white mare surrounded by a handful of cloaked figures. Ithiliel scanned the area, green eyes wandering, knowing from talks with her father that the bandits were at least a dozen men strong.
The young woman's eyes were exceptional; shadows hidden behind the green wall of leaves and branches that formed a wall on the other side of the path weren't left unnoticed, and she kept her bow prepared in any case. But her eyes weren't good enough to cut through the shadows of the traveler's hood. As if there was a spell hiding his features from unwelcomed gazes.
"Again, traveler. Hand over your coin and valuable belongings, and we will allow you to pass."
The rough voice coming from the tallest figure caused Ithiliel to perk up a bit more. This voice had a familiar rang to it, but she was not able to point out why. Of course, she could be mistaken, but her guts were telling her that she knew this man from somewhere.
"It is a way too nice of a day to spill blood, wouldn't you agree?"
Ithiliel tensed as the man barked the words towards the rider, rising her bow to aim at the apparent leader of the bandits, yet she did hold the arrow back. She still wasn't sure how many were still hiding within the bushes, and it would be like suicide to attack now. She maybe was young, but she sure was not stupid. Also, she knew that even if the traveler handed over what they asked for, they wouldn't let him go.
"Now? Shall we come and take it, or will you cooperate?"
The annoyance in the bandit's voice was audible, and the traveler still hasn't moved an inch. Even his mount remained steady in one spot. The tension that grasped for Ithiliel's mind was growing. 'Why wasn't he answering,' she wondered. Then, just as the thought crossed her mind, another voice reached her ears.
"Tell me. Why would I give my, through hard work, earned coin to mongrels such as you?"
The posture of the rider seemed not to have changed. He remained seated high up upon his horse's back, relaxed as if he had a pleasant chat about the weather. Yet the arrogance that swung with his voice almost caused a groan to slip from Ithiliel. 'This fool is going to get killed if he continues like that,' she thought while she continued to observe the scenery.
A barking laugh came as a response from the bandit, a hand reaching for the handle of his sword at his side while his other waved around. "I am not sure if you are just a fool or blind or both. Maybe you should remove the hood to see better. You are outnumbered. And I am losing my patience. Hand over your coin and valuables. Now!"
Ithiliel, hidden behind the bush, swallowed hard, the growling tone of the bandit sending shivers down her spine. 'What are you doing, you fool? Give him what he asks and run for your life,' the huntress thought. She was sure to have count four more men hiding. The man on the horse was not aware of the actual danger he was in. Her thoughts rushed, her fingers cramped around the arrow notched to the string, and her muscles were tense. She was unsure if she should reveal herself or try to withdraw silently and leave the man to face his fate.
"What a splendid idea. It sure was starting to become a bit warm underneath. Who would have guessed it would become this warm? The first Spring moon hasn't even passed yet."
If she hadn't had her bow ready, Ithiliel would have facepalmed. This idiot is quite full of himself and must have a death wish. She wasn't able to explain his attitude otherwise. He was surrounded by bandits while all alone, after all. And what is it with this speech? While her thoughts jumped back and forth, considering if she should get involved, the man raised his hands and removed the hood and cloak covering him. Then, after he took the cloak off, his armor came into view, and so came the emblem of the royal knights engraved onto his chest.
A cascade of golden hair poured over broad shoulders, surrounding a pleasing royal seeming face with high cheekbones. A straight, well-formed nose was throning above elegantly curved lips, and bright green eyes stared coldly down at the bandits' leader. But his ears drew her attention the most. Pointy and slightly standing up and off told of him not being entirely human.
Ithiliel was speechless; the arrow she was holding almost slipped off of the string. A Halfelf? Slowly she crawled closer, pushing the branches further aside to have a better view. To hell with danger, she would stay and help this, admittedly good-looking, fool if needed.
The bandits also missed neither the man's origin nor his occupation. Threatening a knight was a death sentence. The head, though, seemed to have missed this information. Or he didn't care. On the other hand, his fellowmen withdrew a few steps, obviously unsure if they should continue or not.
"A royal knight. That is a first, I must admit. However, it doesn't change the fact that you are alone and don't stand a chance against all of us. Your coin, m'lord! This is my last warning; otherwise, we will have to take it by force and kill you," the leader said then, slowly starting to draw his weapon to imply that these weren't just empty words.
"My, my. Someone really is full of himself, are you not?" the knight returned, and with a smooth move, he dismounted his horse before slapping the beast to chase it off. The warhorse reared up, hooves combing through the air like a pair of deadly hammers before it would shoot forward, the bandits in front of it jumping out of the way so as not to get run over by the heavy beast.
'He calls the thief full of himself?' Ithiliel frowned, watching him dismount, and shook her head then. This guy really is something. As he dismounted, the huntress' eyes flickered over to the wall of trees where she saw more of the robbers, slowly standing while remaining in the shadow of the nearby tree. 'What the fuck are you doing, Ithi,' she wondered about herself while she would cock the bow.
The head of the bandits, though, seemed not to be impressed. As the horse jumped forward, he twisted to the side and drew his sword simultaneously. "Wasn't like I didn't warn you, stranger," he said, the smirk that hid in the shadows of his hood was audible. "Not much to lose, is there? Either your or my life", the blond replied while drawing his sword as well. Then, just as he was about to storm forward towards the bandit, a flash of a blade drew Ithiliel's attention. "Careful!" she shouted, and as she hoped, the knight stopped startled just in time as a knife passed by him, right the spot where he would have been in if the voice wouldn't have warned him.
Ithiliel released at the same time the arrow from the string, passing by the knight, and just a moment later, the sound of a grunt and a heavy thud was heard. The sudden appearance of the black-clothed and hooded figure also startled the bandits, something the knight took for his advantage. Again he stormed forward, sword risen high and aimed for the leader. However, the head of the bandits recovered almost as quickly as the knight and rose his sword just in time to block the blow from up.
The sound of the two blades colliding woke the other bandits, and two launched forward to help their leader while the other two spread and headed for Ithiliel. The young woman, though, was faster. One arrow found its way quickly into one robber's chest before he even crossed the road. He collapsed with a painful yell and caused a grin to form upon Ithiliel's lips behind her scarf.
She wasn't able to enjoy her small victory since the second bandit went for her. He was already too close for her to use her bow, so she swung the bow over her shoulder and drew the hunting knife from her belt. The eyes of the man shone with a murderous glance as he launched for her, but Ithiliel was used to avoid attacks even from hungry wolves. The elven blood rushing through her veins sure helped her sharpen her senses, a fact her attacker wasn't aware of since she still wore her disguise.
The huntress dodged the blade aiming for her side, spinning around while crouching, and rose her own blade. Yet she didn't aim with it for the man; instead, she reflected a ray of sunlight with the well-polished metal. Her trick succeeded; the bandit closed his eyes for a short moment, irritated by her scheme. It was enough for her. Quickly she kicked out, aimed for his ankles, and almost cheered as he fell down the slope with a yell.
Her knife found its way back into its sheath while taking the bow back into her hand, her knife-free hand fishing for an arrow and notched it to the string. Her movements were fast and smooth, and it didn't take longer than the blink of an eye from when the bow wandered off her shoulder, and yet another arrow was released. Another yell told her she did hit her second target as well.
Meanwhile, the knight took turns with the remaining three bandits. By the time Ithiliel second attacker fell down the slope, he had taken down two, and only the leader was left. It appeared so, though Ithiliel, as she turned her gaze to check on him, saw movement from the bushes on the other side of the path again. Another arrow into the blind was released, though not fast enough. A small throwing knife crossed midair with the arrow and found its way nonetheless into the knight's shoulder.
A grunt left his lips, and the leader saw his chance. He shot forwards, his blade pointing at the knight's chest, yet another arrow stopped him, piercing through the man's forearm. The attacker stumbled and dropped down onto his knee, enough time for the knight to recover, but Ithiliel was faster. Quickly, she slid down the slope and stood between the knight and the bandit, an arrow notched to the string again and aimed for the man's forehead.
"Remove your hood. Slowly," she demanded, her voice muffled through the scarf covering her lips. Her eyes were focused upon the man kneeling on the ground, upholding the tension upon the string while observing him. The bandits' leader scoffed, his hand pressed upon the wound, the arrow sticking through his fingers while lifting his wounded arm. A finger hooked under the hood, yet before he could remove the cloth, a commotion behind her drew her attention.
"Look out, boy!"
Ithiliel turned, her eyes widening as one of the bandits, hiding in the bushes, jumped towards her with a dagger pointing at her. She froze, didn't even consider lifting her bow with the still attached arrow. A gurgling noise filled the air, and blood splattered while Ithiliel stared into the man's eyes. The tip of a sword piercing through his chest, disbelief mixing with pain in his eyes before turning lifeless.
Slowly the corpse dropped to the ground, the knight standing behind him and ripping the blade from the body. The young woman's eyes were filled with shock, but she recovered quickly. And then a different sort of shock took over her gaze. She turned around rapidly, lifting her bow, but the leader of the bandits was gone. The man's sacrifice gave his leader enough time to vanish.
Ithiliel cussed and was about to follow into the bushes as a heavy hand dropped onto her shoulder and spun her around. Due to the sudden move, the arrow slipped from the string and missed the knight by inches.
"Are you insane?" she yelled at the blonde, her fingers grasping around her bow while glaring at the knight.
"Insane? You were about to follow the guy into a potential trap!" came as an answer.
"He is wounded, and we've got him! You've got no idea what trouble he and his men caused over the past few months! And you idiot allowed him to flee!"
"I did not allow him to flee; I saved your damn ass. He took the chance to get away, and you yourself shot several arrows into the bushes, so you should know he might not be alone there."
"Well, I did handle the others pretty well, don't you think?!"
"Mere luck, boy!"
"Stop calling me a boy!"
The knight sneered. "What else shall I call you? A girl?"
"Quite accurate that one, indeed," Ithiliel hissed back while her hand reached up and removed her scarf from her face and head. Bloodred locks spilled around her face and shoulders, and green almond-shaped eyes glared at the man. A straight, well-shaped nose pointed and right beneath luscious, full red lips.
The knight took a surprised step back, his eyes focused upon the beautiful huntress in disbelief.
"What? Cat got your tongue? Surprised a woman saved your arse first?"
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