A dozen men slip out of the dense trees. Ahead of the column, thirty more appear, seemingly out of thin air. From their hiding spots in the foliage and trees, they emerge. Each man is holding a crossbow.
You now suddenly have about thirty crossbows pointed at you.
Elya's bodyguards react immediately, quickly riding in front of the vulnerable queen, raising their shields.
A ripple of panic spreads through the column.
You, however, push past the bodyguards' wall of steel. Unarmed and without armor, you ride forward. Aurora pulls back nervously, unhappy with the madness you're dragging her into this time.
You are completely calm. It's surprising, even to yourself. You've become used to the threat of death. Or maybe you're just used to staring down crossbows.
One of the ambushing party lowers his crossbow and steps toward you.
He calls out in a loud voice, "Laepa!" Leave.
You've barely spoken any Kroridian for five years. Hearing it again brings back a flood of memories. Both of the language itself and the war you learned it in.