Post by strider on Jul 13, 2007 9:02:59 GMT -6
A rugged man at the helm of an opulent and richly adorned carriage, hardly befitting of its current driver, breathed in the crisp morning air as he drove it quietly down a small dirt road. Two of his comrades led the way on foot, while the carriage was flanked by one man on each side and trailed by one more from behind. All six men wore light armor and were heavily armed. The precious cargo inside the carriage had finally quieted down, no doubt tired from the kicking and screaming she had been doing for most of the night.
His hardened features and a scar across his left eye showed years of battle experience and fortitude. The prospects of a hefty ransom flashed through his mind, and he smiled slightly at a job well done. His men wanted to enjoy the cargo a little, but he allowed none of that. They were professionals, after all.
Suddenly, he pulled on the reins to stop the horses as one of the men ahead signaled with a raised arm. All of the men reached for their weapons and stood ready. He looked ahead to see what was holding them up and saw a lone cloaked figure standing before them on the path. The hood of the cloak was drawn over the head, hiding the figure’s face.
“Out of the way!” yelled one of the men in front.
The figure continued to stand silently on the road. Then, he began to slowly lift up his arms to his head and drew the hood of the cloak back to reveal himself. The figure who stood before them was a young man with long jet black hair drawn up in a ponytail. His dark obsidian eyes stared into them and seemingly pierced their souls. The man on the carriage felt a strange pang of fear penetrate his heart, a feeling he had only felt on the most dreadful battlefields before. He couldn’t fathom how such a fierce energy could emanate from just a boy.
“Boy, step aside,” the man in front said again, “or I will slit your throat and leave you to die on the side.”
“You’re more than welcome to try,” the mysterious figure said smugly.
Visibly irritated at the young man’s arrogance, the man in front drew his sword and slowly walked forward. The others laughed slightly, amused at the young man’s bravery in front of six armed men. The man on the carriage, however, felt uneasy and kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Arrogant little brat,” the man in front said as he swung his sword at the young man’s neck. With lightning reflexes, the young man blocked the swing, twisted the man’s arm, and struck at the elbow to snap the arm. He then took the sword, spun around, and drove it straight through the man’s neck. He pushed the limp body aside as it slumped down to the ground.
The sight shocked the others, and they all rushed forward with weapons drawn. The man on the carriage jumped down and headed to the carriage’s door.
“Hey!” a female voice could be heard shouting from inside. “What’s going on out there!? Let me out!”
The apparent leader of the group opened the door and reached into the carriage. He pulled out a beautiful young woman wearing an elegant Vabbian dress. She struggled from his grip, but he wrapped an arm around her neck and held a blade up to her.
“Quiet, wench!” he yelled. He then turned to the other men. “What are you waiting for? Get him!”
He watched as three of his men were dispatched as easily and effortlessly as the first. The young man was fast and agile, moving like a highly trained fighter and knowing exactly where to strike.
“Stop right there!” yelled the leader of the group. He had had enough. Only one of his men was left standing between him and their mysterious attacker. He held a blade up to his captive’s neck. “Or the girl dies.”
The young man seemed unfazed by the threat. In one swift movement, he flicked his wrist to reveal a dagger hidden underneath his cloak and threw it towards the leader. The dagger darted past the first man and lodged itself into the leader’s head, right between his eyes. The young woman stood in shock, staring at the dagger that barely missed her by a few inches, and she quickly pushed the man’s body aside as it fell to the ground.
The remaining kidnapper gripped his weapon tightly and stuttered, “Who… who are you…?”
“Dead men need not know my name,” said the young man as he revealed another dagger and slowly walked forward. Visibly shaken, the last of the kidnappers rushed forward to attack. The young man gracefully spun around the attack and lodged his dagger at the base of the man’s neck. He continued to walk towards the shocked woman at the side of the carriage, as the man’s dead body fell first on its knees and down to the ground.
The young man gazed at the woman before him. Her dark hair, tied back and adorned with jewelry, swayed lightly with the cool morning breeze as a few free strands fell across her face. She gazed back at him with deep beautiful eyes, still partly in shock at what had just occurred. Her soft beauty simply took his breath away, and the two stood for a moment, entranced in each other’s gaze. He snapped himself out from it and smiled at her.
“Strider Kaaru at your service,” he bowed. The gesture, in turn, snapped the young woman from her momentary daze.
“How dare you!? That could have struck me!” she yelled as she motioned to the dagger lodged deep into her former captor’s skull.
“Not quite. I wasn’t aiming for you,” he responded.
“What if you missed!?” she cried out.
“But I didn’t,” he said with an arrogant smile.
“Ugh!” she exclaimed as she took a step back. “What do you want from me?”
“I’m here to rescue you,” he said. He turned around and walked towards the two horses that had been drawing the carriage. He slowly began to unlatch them from their harnesses. “Your father sent me.”
“That’s not possible,” she said as she eyed him with cautious vigilance. She quietly reached down for a large branch that lay on the ground and hid it behind her back. “He would have sent for the royal guards.”
Kaaru turned his head and pointed back down the path the carriage had come from.
“You crossed the border last night. Kourna would not take it well if a Vabbian merchant king sent such a large force into their territory. That’s where I come in.”
She held still and continued to watch his movements.
“By the way, you can drop that branch. If I wanted to hurt you, I probably would have by now.” He motioned over to the dead bodies that littered the road. He finished removing the harnesses from the horses, turned to her, and held a hand out. “Your highness, do you know how to ride?”
“Hmph!” she let out as she dropped her branch. She walked over towards the horse and brushed his hand away. She alighted gracefully onto the waiting steed, snapped the reins, and began to speed off.
“Wait!” Kaaru yelled out as he stumbled after her. “Ungrateful little…”
He then turned, jumped onto the remaining horse, and began to chase after her. The scene he left at his wake was something that his superiors would not have approved. A typical strider would have dispatched the captors quickly and quietly and would have secured the mark with ease. It was their trademark to be swift and discreet. This one, however, was a bit different from the others. He believed in doing things with style and had a penchant for flair and dramatics. He was young, brash, and arrogant, but he was certainly skilled enough to support the title he wore.
The two sped through the woods for some time. The princess looked back from time to time and saw that the strider kept pace with her.
“He’s not bad,” she smiled slightly to herself. They eventually came out into an open field. The rolling hills of the meadow were bathed in soft morning rays as the sun began to rise above the tranquil mountains in the distance. The princess looked back and slowed her horse down to a trot to allow the young man to catch up to her.
“What’s the matter, strider?” she said with a teasing smile. “Have trouble keeping up?”
“Actually,” he began as he came up next to her, “I needed to tell you that you’re going the wrong way. Vabbi is back that way.” He turned and pointed back to where they had come from.
“Hmph!” The princess wrinkled her nose slightly in displeasure. She turned her horse and began to trot back in the right direction.
“Haha,” Kaaru chuckled lightly to himself as he turned and rode beside her. “Cute.”
*****
“What’s on your mind,” Princess Lauren said softly as she looked up at Kaaru. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the reunited star-crossed lovers were reclining in one of her father’s lush gardens. Kaaru sat with his back against a tree, and Lauren lay across with her head rested on his lap. He gently stroked her hair.
“I was just thinking about the first time we met,” he answered.
“Haha,” she laughed. “Oh, that terrible attempt of a rescue?”
“Excuse me,” he responded and began to tickle her lightly. “That rescue was perfectly executed.”
She burst out into joyous laughter as they continued to joke and tease each other. With the war finally over, Kaaru had a chance to step down as a commanding officer of his guild and take a leave of absence. Morrigan, Lilith, Hsien, and Ibuki left with him and accompanied him to Elona, where they all worked as private mercenaries. The work they took on paled in comparison to war, and Kaaru finally had time to enjoy the real reason he moved to Elona.
“What was your first impression of me?” the princess asked.
Kaaru looked down at her and took a moment, then said, “Breathtaking.”
She blushed lightly and smiled. “Smooth talker.”
“What did you think of me?” he asked.
“Arrogant.”
“Haha,” he laughed. “I guess neither has changed, has it?”
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
“I think I’ll take it easy for a bit and see where life takes me.”
“Have you spoken with my father? He’s always liked you.”
“Yes, I have. He will definitely hire us, and it will give me an excuse to be around you so often. It’s a good cover, but who wouldn’t want a former S-Class strider and his team under their employment anyway?”
“Do those girls all have to follow you?” she pouted.
“Why?” he inquired. “Do you not like them?”
“I’m just not comfortable with the fact that they all seem to be madly in love with you,” she replied.
He laughed and said, “I don’t think you should mistake loyalty with love.”
“Except for Hsien,” Lauren added. “She’s okay. I like her.”
“You certainly are a strange one. Most people don’t get along with her, but I’m glad you do.”
The two continued to converse under the shade of the tree, relaxing and enjoying their time together on such a calming and lazy afternoon. They stayed until the sun began to set, and they watched the sky illuminate with vibrant and fiery hues of orange and red as a turbulent chapter in their lives was coming to an end to give way to a promising, yet still uncertain, new one.
His hardened features and a scar across his left eye showed years of battle experience and fortitude. The prospects of a hefty ransom flashed through his mind, and he smiled slightly at a job well done. His men wanted to enjoy the cargo a little, but he allowed none of that. They were professionals, after all.
Suddenly, he pulled on the reins to stop the horses as one of the men ahead signaled with a raised arm. All of the men reached for their weapons and stood ready. He looked ahead to see what was holding them up and saw a lone cloaked figure standing before them on the path. The hood of the cloak was drawn over the head, hiding the figure’s face.
“Out of the way!” yelled one of the men in front.
The figure continued to stand silently on the road. Then, he began to slowly lift up his arms to his head and drew the hood of the cloak back to reveal himself. The figure who stood before them was a young man with long jet black hair drawn up in a ponytail. His dark obsidian eyes stared into them and seemingly pierced their souls. The man on the carriage felt a strange pang of fear penetrate his heart, a feeling he had only felt on the most dreadful battlefields before. He couldn’t fathom how such a fierce energy could emanate from just a boy.
“Boy, step aside,” the man in front said again, “or I will slit your throat and leave you to die on the side.”
“You’re more than welcome to try,” the mysterious figure said smugly.
Visibly irritated at the young man’s arrogance, the man in front drew his sword and slowly walked forward. The others laughed slightly, amused at the young man’s bravery in front of six armed men. The man on the carriage, however, felt uneasy and kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Arrogant little brat,” the man in front said as he swung his sword at the young man’s neck. With lightning reflexes, the young man blocked the swing, twisted the man’s arm, and struck at the elbow to snap the arm. He then took the sword, spun around, and drove it straight through the man’s neck. He pushed the limp body aside as it slumped down to the ground.
The sight shocked the others, and they all rushed forward with weapons drawn. The man on the carriage jumped down and headed to the carriage’s door.
“Hey!” a female voice could be heard shouting from inside. “What’s going on out there!? Let me out!”
The apparent leader of the group opened the door and reached into the carriage. He pulled out a beautiful young woman wearing an elegant Vabbian dress. She struggled from his grip, but he wrapped an arm around her neck and held a blade up to her.
“Quiet, wench!” he yelled. He then turned to the other men. “What are you waiting for? Get him!”
He watched as three of his men were dispatched as easily and effortlessly as the first. The young man was fast and agile, moving like a highly trained fighter and knowing exactly where to strike.
“Stop right there!” yelled the leader of the group. He had had enough. Only one of his men was left standing between him and their mysterious attacker. He held a blade up to his captive’s neck. “Or the girl dies.”
The young man seemed unfazed by the threat. In one swift movement, he flicked his wrist to reveal a dagger hidden underneath his cloak and threw it towards the leader. The dagger darted past the first man and lodged itself into the leader’s head, right between his eyes. The young woman stood in shock, staring at the dagger that barely missed her by a few inches, and she quickly pushed the man’s body aside as it fell to the ground.
The remaining kidnapper gripped his weapon tightly and stuttered, “Who… who are you…?”
“Dead men need not know my name,” said the young man as he revealed another dagger and slowly walked forward. Visibly shaken, the last of the kidnappers rushed forward to attack. The young man gracefully spun around the attack and lodged his dagger at the base of the man’s neck. He continued to walk towards the shocked woman at the side of the carriage, as the man’s dead body fell first on its knees and down to the ground.
The young man gazed at the woman before him. Her dark hair, tied back and adorned with jewelry, swayed lightly with the cool morning breeze as a few free strands fell across her face. She gazed back at him with deep beautiful eyes, still partly in shock at what had just occurred. Her soft beauty simply took his breath away, and the two stood for a moment, entranced in each other’s gaze. He snapped himself out from it and smiled at her.
“Strider Kaaru at your service,” he bowed. The gesture, in turn, snapped the young woman from her momentary daze.
“How dare you!? That could have struck me!” she yelled as she motioned to the dagger lodged deep into her former captor’s skull.
“Not quite. I wasn’t aiming for you,” he responded.
“What if you missed!?” she cried out.
“But I didn’t,” he said with an arrogant smile.
“Ugh!” she exclaimed as she took a step back. “What do you want from me?”
“I’m here to rescue you,” he said. He turned around and walked towards the two horses that had been drawing the carriage. He slowly began to unlatch them from their harnesses. “Your father sent me.”
“That’s not possible,” she said as she eyed him with cautious vigilance. She quietly reached down for a large branch that lay on the ground and hid it behind her back. “He would have sent for the royal guards.”
Kaaru turned his head and pointed back down the path the carriage had come from.
“You crossed the border last night. Kourna would not take it well if a Vabbian merchant king sent such a large force into their territory. That’s where I come in.”
She held still and continued to watch his movements.
“By the way, you can drop that branch. If I wanted to hurt you, I probably would have by now.” He motioned over to the dead bodies that littered the road. He finished removing the harnesses from the horses, turned to her, and held a hand out. “Your highness, do you know how to ride?”
“Hmph!” she let out as she dropped her branch. She walked over towards the horse and brushed his hand away. She alighted gracefully onto the waiting steed, snapped the reins, and began to speed off.
“Wait!” Kaaru yelled out as he stumbled after her. “Ungrateful little…”
He then turned, jumped onto the remaining horse, and began to chase after her. The scene he left at his wake was something that his superiors would not have approved. A typical strider would have dispatched the captors quickly and quietly and would have secured the mark with ease. It was their trademark to be swift and discreet. This one, however, was a bit different from the others. He believed in doing things with style and had a penchant for flair and dramatics. He was young, brash, and arrogant, but he was certainly skilled enough to support the title he wore.
The two sped through the woods for some time. The princess looked back from time to time and saw that the strider kept pace with her.
“He’s not bad,” she smiled slightly to herself. They eventually came out into an open field. The rolling hills of the meadow were bathed in soft morning rays as the sun began to rise above the tranquil mountains in the distance. The princess looked back and slowed her horse down to a trot to allow the young man to catch up to her.
“What’s the matter, strider?” she said with a teasing smile. “Have trouble keeping up?”
“Actually,” he began as he came up next to her, “I needed to tell you that you’re going the wrong way. Vabbi is back that way.” He turned and pointed back to where they had come from.
“Hmph!” The princess wrinkled her nose slightly in displeasure. She turned her horse and began to trot back in the right direction.
“Haha,” Kaaru chuckled lightly to himself as he turned and rode beside her. “Cute.”
*****
“What’s on your mind,” Princess Lauren said softly as she looked up at Kaaru. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the reunited star-crossed lovers were reclining in one of her father’s lush gardens. Kaaru sat with his back against a tree, and Lauren lay across with her head rested on his lap. He gently stroked her hair.
“I was just thinking about the first time we met,” he answered.
“Haha,” she laughed. “Oh, that terrible attempt of a rescue?”
“Excuse me,” he responded and began to tickle her lightly. “That rescue was perfectly executed.”
She burst out into joyous laughter as they continued to joke and tease each other. With the war finally over, Kaaru had a chance to step down as a commanding officer of his guild and take a leave of absence. Morrigan, Lilith, Hsien, and Ibuki left with him and accompanied him to Elona, where they all worked as private mercenaries. The work they took on paled in comparison to war, and Kaaru finally had time to enjoy the real reason he moved to Elona.
“What was your first impression of me?” the princess asked.
Kaaru looked down at her and took a moment, then said, “Breathtaking.”
She blushed lightly and smiled. “Smooth talker.”
“What did you think of me?” he asked.
“Arrogant.”
“Haha,” he laughed. “I guess neither has changed, has it?”
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
“I think I’ll take it easy for a bit and see where life takes me.”
“Have you spoken with my father? He’s always liked you.”
“Yes, I have. He will definitely hire us, and it will give me an excuse to be around you so often. It’s a good cover, but who wouldn’t want a former S-Class strider and his team under their employment anyway?”
“Do those girls all have to follow you?” she pouted.
“Why?” he inquired. “Do you not like them?”
“I’m just not comfortable with the fact that they all seem to be madly in love with you,” she replied.
He laughed and said, “I don’t think you should mistake loyalty with love.”
“Except for Hsien,” Lauren added. “She’s okay. I like her.”
“You certainly are a strange one. Most people don’t get along with her, but I’m glad you do.”
The two continued to converse under the shade of the tree, relaxing and enjoying their time together on such a calming and lazy afternoon. They stayed until the sun began to set, and they watched the sky illuminate with vibrant and fiery hues of orange and red as a turbulent chapter in their lives was coming to an end to give way to a promising, yet still uncertain, new one.