The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silvery glow over the bandit camp nestled in the heart of the wilderness. Rowena and Cersie, shadows melding with shadows, navigated through the twisted labyrinth of tents and makeshift shelters. The scent of damp earth and the distant crackling of a dwindling campfire surrounded them as they closed in on their perilous destination.
With practiced stealth, they reached the part of the camp where prisoners were held... A harrowing scene unfolded before them, the Lord's guards lay strewn on the ground, lifeless bloody and broken. It was clear they had fought with all of their strength... The lord, bound and helpless, was confined next to his wife, their eyes reflecting the despair of captivity. "Dad!" Rowena cried out in a desperate whisper.
Cersie, on the look out , motioned for Rowena to untie the lord and his wife as no bandits were near them. The rustle of rope against roughened wrists sounded in the eerie stillness, and now they sought to slip away undetected.
As Rowena and Cersie, burdened with the liberated lord and his wife, stealthily navigated the periphery of the bandit camp, a sudden rustle in the moonlit shadows disrupted their delicate escape. A lone bandit, perceptive to the subtle signs of their departure, caught sight of the fleeing figures.
Fear seized Cersie's heart as she notched an arrow, aiming at the bandit who had dared to interrupt their flight to safety. The bowstring hummed with tension, and the arrow soared through the night air. Yet, with a deft maneuver, the bandit threw himself to the ground, narrowly evading the lethal trajectory.
Cersie's arrow, a mere whisper in the dark night, missed its mark, embedding itself in the soft earth behind him. The bandit, realizing the imminent threat, sprang to his feet, signaling to his comrades with a guttural shout that echoed through the trees.
The other bandits, drawn by the call, emerged from the shadows. Panic gripped Rowena and Cersie as they quickened their pace, burdened by the weight of the two.
Cersie, her instincts aflame with urgency, could no longer rely on her arrows to fend off their pursuers. She gently passed the wife to Rowena who was now holding both of them. With a swift motion of her hands, she summoned her magic, the air crackling with unseen energy. The bandits, closing in with malicious intent, were met with a force that sent them stumbling backward. Tapping into the wellspring of her magical abilities, she conjured wave after wave of unseen force, knocking bandits off their feet. Yet, as the camp fell into chaos, an unexpected pang seared through her chest. Ignoring the pain, she pressed on, determined to shield the lord and his wife from harm.
Rowena told her father, "Get behind me! I need you to be able to hold yourself up! Otherwise we might not get out of here!" The Lord nodded and helped his wife up. Rowena pulled out her sword, a glinting beacon in the moonlight and fought alongside Cersie. The clash of steel and the desperate cries of bandits filled the air. Each swing of Rowena's sword was met with blood never missing her mark.
But then, an unexpected moment of vulnerability seized Cersie. As her magic rippled through the air, a sudden, searing pain gripped her heart. She staggered, a momentary weakness threatening to unravel her. Concern etched Rowena's face as she rushed to Cersie's side.
"Are you alright?" Rowena's voice, a gentle inquiry amidst the chaos, held genuine worry.
Brushing off the pain, Cersie forced a reassuring smile. "Just a momentary ache, nothing more. We have to get them out of here now."
With renewed determination, they fought their way through the bandits, Cersie using her magic despite the pain, strategically to incapacitate their adversaries. Rowena's blade carved through them, a dance between metal and flesh.
Soon they made it out of the bandit camp and none had followed...