Escape from the Seige [Closed 1 x 1]

[spellslave]

❝ (Closed 1 x 1 with Rex Rodentium)
Stigandr had been hired as an additional guard, some weeks before the siege had began. Rumours had been on the winds of what was going on, what was going to happen, and thus he had rode hard to the castle and offered his services. Life there was not so bad as he had first assumed, yet it was frustrating at the same time - he was accustomed to the wilds, to wandering on his own whim.

He had withstood the siege, perhaps surprising naysayers by refusing to leave when the last chance had been offered. His word was his oath, and he had sworn to protect the family for as long as they might see fit to hold him to that. Thus when a servant had been sent to state in hurried whispers that he was to aid the princess in her escape and to take her as far from the siege as possible, he had already set to preparing.

His Warlander stallion had been brought from the stable - a magnificent mingling of Andalusian and Friesian breeds, with armour plated at the neck and rump while its' face also bore a decorative guard. His own armour was impressive. Black leather with maille, that complimented his broad-shouldered, sturdy yet not overly 'ripped' physique while plate armour from shoulder to hand covered his sword arm. With his hair left loose, it fell over his shoulders in a black curtain, to match his short-trimmed beard. His features were sharp, defined and rugged, with brown eyes and the suggestion of scarring at the right side from cheekbone to jawline. Mounting smoothly with a faint rattle from his armour, he positioned himself ready for the princess to arrive. Presumably, on the same horse. That alone would be far easier than taking two. ❞

[Rex Rodentium]

Her Highness, Princess Teagan Regina Drey, heir apparent to the kingdom of Taladora, did not look like anything that her title would cause one to assume. Not that she was not lovely with her large hazel eyes and her light brown hair that bordered on blonde in certain strands, but because of what she was wearing. Rather than than the normal gowns she was force to wear, she instead wore a pair of riding pants and a young man's tunic. Her hair was braided and stuffed into a cap. Her normally clean face was tear stained from the tearful good-byes. Then the castle doors had been breached. They had expected more time but they had been wrong.

She had watched in horror as one of the guards had his throat torn open by the quick slash of a blade. Fear had paralyzed her but her mother had the piece of mind to push her into a room and block the door. From the room, she had taken a secret escape passage that had been built into the stable. She had no doubt her parents were dead though she thankfully had been too far down the passage before she could hear anymore of the horrible sounds of death and destruction.

"I grabbed as much jewelery as I could in hopes we can sell it later," she said softly, lifting the pack she had prepared the night before. It had a change of clothes that was in the same simple design as what she wore. No one would mistake her for a peasant as the cut and cloth was too fine to be afforded by anyone but a noble. She had also included food, water skins, blankets, a warm cloak, and her favorite book. The last item was silly but she had hidden it carefully as she knew she needed at least one treasured item to take with her. Chances were the castle would be ransacked and whatever was no of value would be burned.

Looking back one last time, she sighed, "We should go. I am not sure how much time they bought me." With help from her guard, she mounted and clung to him. Normally, she was incredibly comfortable on horses, much to her mother's chagrin. But this was different and she was unsure how quickly the horse would be taking them away.

[spellslave]

❝ He regarded the young woman patiently, or as patiently as he could muster, before gesturing that it was better than she seat herself in front. The pack was eyed but not ignored, although he did perhaps grimace a little. "They might perhaps have been more sensible to place you in the clothes of a servant, one of the page boys perhaps. Let us hope that our pace is swift enough so then attention is paid less to our passing, and less to your attire," he murmured. With that, he kicked his heels in and urged the horse forwards. There were of course enemies at the gate he was to go out of, but less, and he had reputation enough that it was considered the safest.

Drawing the two long curving blades that had been sheathed at either side of the saddle aligned with his knees, he held the scimitars' horizontal - resulting in when he met the first of those waiting outside, those who did not have the sense to duck were caught by it. Heads played dance along them before rolling off, and he kept a secure hold on the reins as well before finally drawing the blades down once something of a path was cleared to either side of them. That movement in turn gave the guards' at the gate time enough to close and bar their way back without having to worry significantly on anyone trying to get through. Taking the road of least resistance, he aimed the stallion - which was of its' own accord, biting, kicking and lashing out at any that came within range - forwards, intending fully to gallop through. Blade at the ready, and with a throaty, vicious war-cry coming from his throat. ❞

[Rex Rodentium]

Teagan adjusted where she was sitting, still making sure to hold onto the pack. Without its contents she was unsure how they would survive. How else would they manage to procure food and lodging? She had no realization that they most likely would be camping in the wood and hiding. During her whole life, she had been pampered and while she was not ungrateful, she had no idea about the real world. Before the siege, she had been engaged to be married in a few months. The invasion and following siege had quickly destroyed any of those plans.

"I did not pick the attire," she replied, slightly annoyed, "They found what they could for the time we had. We can worry about clothing once we get out of here." She let gasp as she felt the heads hit her and the blood splatter. The violence and gore was terrifying to her. While she wanted to close her eyes, she didn't dare out of pure fear.

[spellslave]

❝ Stigandr was at least, if nothing else, careful that nobody came close to her. She was his charge and his ward. Through the thick of it, he suddenly veered the mount sidelong so then it careered with skidding hooves down the hill; intinct took over, and the stallion soon took the rest of the hill at his own pace, before balancing out by leaning back in the saddle. "Lean back, it's easier on him," was quickly said to her, in the hope that she would do the same, before he straightened up and encouraged him into a gallop again. Right towards the woods, the wilds... and perhaps the last place she had been expecting to go. Roads and paths were far too obvious, at least so close to the castle at any rate. He kept one of the blades drawn however for a moment, before exchanging it smoothly for an axe- a wicked double-headed thing, that he held perhaps closer to the head than was the norm' for when dismounted.

"Still have everything?" ❞

[Rex Rodentium]

The princess did as she was told and leaned back when her companion did. She would have normally known to do what he had asked but the shock of everything was had blanked her mind. She watched as the road disappeared and they were in the woodlands which she had been warned to never enter. There were stories her nanny had told her stories of the witches and wild folk who lived in them. How they would eat small children and dance naked under the moon while spouting magic spells. She knew none of the stories were true and were simply fanciful tales to scare her but seeing the actual forest brought a shiver down her spine.

"I... I think so," she said softly, "Is it safe to go into the woods? I mean, I know they probably won't follow. And I know all the stories are just stories... Right?" she asked, wiping some tears from her eyes.

[spellslave]

❝ He did not ease up on the pace until the sounds of the siege were long quiet, and it was only the occasional woodland, wild sound and the horses' methodical hoofbeats that broke through the heavy air. "Some of the tales are just that, made to keep those out of the forest who do not know how to survive in them. Some are true, but greatly made false and more elaborate so people will listen." He had encountered those of whom she had not spoken; traded with one and had been healed by another.
"I fear men, more than I fear any that dwell here."

He could not see her tears from where he was sat, and thus finally once they came across a grove, he halted and dismounted before gesturing that she do the same. "I will prepare our sleeping place." He gestured up to the trees, to those with lower-hanging branches that were just out of reach from him. "That will keep us off the forest floor." Thus he began to work on selecting long branches, chopping off any excess twigs or protrusions before lashing them together with peeled bark.

"What food supplies did you bring?" Unfortunately, the man was rather less aware of how to deal with an upset princess than he was anything else.❞

[Rex Rodentium]

The fear subsided slightly at the mention that the man who was protecting her had more fear of men than the inhabitants of the woods. It was hard for her to disagree with that notion when she had already seen what men had done. The loss of the fear left her with just sorrow and loss. All she had had known was gone. Her mother had tried to prepare her for life as a dutiful queen and wife. Part of that meant traveling to other kingdoms and being away from the comforts of servants and castle life. Instead she had ignored her mother's lessons and instead buried herself in books about fantasy and history. Now she was wishing she had listened more.

She dismounted carefully and opened the back carefully. "I have bread, cheese, some dried meats and fruit. A few apples and some cure meat. I also have some water skins filled with what I would assume to be water but there might be one with wine or spirits though I don't see why that would particularly helpful."

[spellslave]

❝ He paused. "There is a cauldron in my saddlebags. Do you know how to set up a hidden fire?" He did not expect a positive answer, but something was better than nothing. "If I snare us some wild rabbit, we can get a stew going with what other ingredients you have." At the mention of spirits or wine, a hint of a smirk appeared. "As much as it is tempting sometimes to drink oneself into blissful nothingness, the headache in the morning is not worth it. Strong wine can be used to cleanse a wound, to ensure that it does not fester." Armed lightly now, he would've set up the hidden fire if she required assistance before moving into the woodlands to begin the hunt. "I will be within shouting range. If you need aid or get in trouble, scream." ❞

[Rex Rodentium]

Teagan instantly lowered her head, "I know how to make fire with flint. I think I have some packed in my bag. Other than that... No..." Once again, her lack of knowledge of the real world was showing through. She pulled out one of the water skins and sniffed it before drinking. Her nose curled up and she quickly corked it. "It seems that might be why the packed it then. It is definitely strong spirits. Stronger than anything I'm used

She watched as he left and grabbed her cloak from her bag and pulled it tightly around her. While it couldn't have been later than midday the thick canopy of the forest made it appear similar to that of twilight. It explained why so many scary stories had been told and they all rushed to her mind. The princess was unsure how long she had been sitting waiting when she heard a rustling in the bushes. She let out a frightened scream and looked for anything to attack the intruder with. Her scream faded away quickly when a small rabbit hopped out and twitched its nose at her. "Teagan, you idiot," she admonished herself.

[spellslave]

❝ The rabbit did not get far however. Within moments of it harmlessly hopping towards it, it suddenly leapt and twisted in the air as an arrow pierced it cleanly through the side of its' skull. Felled by a single shot, there were a few faint twitches as the body finally registered what had happened, but then no more movement came. Not too many more seconds passed before he strode back from the undergrowth, his expression part-concerned but also with an undertone of amusement at precisely what she had been scared of. He had, prior to leaving, instructed her to start a simple herbal broth off and with that, he moved to seat himself near to the fire and began preparing the rabbit. Deftly and easily skinning it with an ease of motion that only came from practise. "We will keep the pelt. Might be able to sell it for a pretty penny." Pelt sold well, the finer quality they were in, perhaps why he was taking some care. ❞

[Rex Rodentium]

The princess tended to the broth as he cleaned the rabbit. She knew that the rabbit she would often eat at the great table in the dining hall was caught and prepared in the same way but it definitely didn't feel the same having seen it alive one second and dead the next. "That's good," she said softly, trying not to look at what he was doing.

"Do you mind me asking you a few questions? I'm not sure I even know your name. It's Stig... Stig..." she bowed her head and a blush of embarrassment came over her features, "You've saved my life and I don't even know your name. I should have paid more attention to my mother and father. I knew the seige was serious but..." she sighed, "I guess I just didn't want to believe it."

[spellslave]

❝ If he figured as to why she was averting her gaze, he perhaps might have lightly mocked her. He had always been, from a child at his father's knee, taught precisely how and where his food came from. But she came from a different world to him, one of pampering and care.

At her question, he looked up for a moment. "Stigandr. It means 'wanderer', in the tongue of my people." He did at least not mention that her father had, centuries ago, driven them out of their lands to live in the wilds. Only within the recent century, had they started to mingle once more. "And you do not have to apologise. Their intentions were pure at least, in trying to keep your sheltered, even if the result was not as they intended." ❞

[Rex Rodentium]

"Stigandr," she said softly, the word feeling strange on the tongue, "Stigandr. I like it. I've been told my name means 'little poet.' They decided on the name while I was still in the womb. I had a great uncle named Teagan and apparently the name is often used for both genders. I have not met any others with the name though," she said as an after thought.

She looked over at the now sliced meat. It was easier for her to see that it no longer resembled the living animal it had once been. Her gaze met his and she looked away in embarrassment, this time due to how sheltered she was, "They tried their best to get me to listen. But I acted like a stubborn child and ignored them. And it's not like I had any siblings. My mother never said anything but I heard the servants talk about how my mother had lost many babies before they were born. She had nearly lost me as well. Some even said she had paid a witch in these woods to save me in the womb."

[spellslave]

❝ He paused at that last part, but the only sign of the troubled nature of his thoughts, was the thinning of his lips as he finally put the meat into the broth along with a few roughly-chopped herbs. "More often the loss of a babe is due to both parents. People are so often willing to dismiss that it is just the woman, when if the seed of the man does not work as it should, that is at fault just as much," he replied calmly, before standing to begin weaving together something of a shelter. Using the horse as a brief boost, he swung himself up onto one of the lower 'y'-shaped branches of the trees. T'was still sturdy and thus, he began making something of a roughly-hewn platform that went over several of the thicker branches. "We will sleep off of the ground." In explanation. ❞