The Princess & The Thief

Chapter 25-Bandits

_____________________________
"You can give it all you got,"
"'Cause, love is running through my veins,"
"Oh, this lion can't be tamed,"
"There's fire in my blood,"
"Burn..." _____________________________

(Warning: Violence)

Luke's POV

It took four days to get to Bandit Forest on horseback, and Luke's parent's house rested in the border town on the opposite side. He didn't know if he was more relieved or deathly nervous. Probably the latter.

The bay mare beneath him snorted, swishing her tail to rid a leaf that had lodged in the strands. Luke kept one hand on the hilt of his sword, patting her neck with the other.

Riding through a sun-dappled forest on a winter day was more serene than it should've ever been in those woods. The trees were adorned with golds and browns, creating a vibrant contrast against the glittering frost on the ground. The air was crisp and chilly, carrying the refreshing, heavy scent of pine and earth. The gentle sunlight filtering through the branches created a mesmerizing play of light and shadows on the dappled ground. The sound of hooves crunching on the snow was the only disturbance in the icy landscape, a brisk wind whipping at his face.

It was a moment suspended in time, peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Despite his past affiliation, Luke had kept as much to the outskirts of the forest as possible in order to avoid the bandit camp. It's where he learned how to survive when he'd left home, how to rob and con, how to face opponents he shouldn't have been able to. A part of his past he'd never fully told anyone.

He never wanted to go back. To that camp. That ring. He shouldn't have gotten out, he wouldn't have, if it wasn't for Cliff.

He reached for the piece of paper in his pocket for nothing more than the reassurance of it being there. It had become a comfort thing for him those past few days, re-reading and holding the song draft Julie had apparently slipped into his pocket at some point.

When he'd found it just outside of town, his first thought was a fond one that she'd been taking thievery tips from him. Then he'd had to take a pit-stop just so he could read the song over and over with a pounding heart. When he realized it was missing a little less than half, with a note from Julie at the bottom saying to help her finish it, he'd been very happy.

Perfect Harmony, she'd titled it, was one of the most beautiful songs he'd ever seen. And it seemed to be about them. Him.

He held that paper now, listening for that lack of noise in the silence.

He'd noticed his mare getting a little antsy a while back, and since he'd learned to always trust the animal's instincts, he'd been paying close attention to her ears and breathing just in case. The farther they'd gone, the more tense he'd gotten.

It was because he watched her body language that he got a head start when the forest erupted.

Without warning Bandits surrounded them on all sides, popping out of their perfect camouflage in the brush. The sounds of shouting and clashing weapons cut through the sublime.

They could've made it if two huge men hadn't cut across their path. The horse reared back with a whinny, the whites of her eyes growing. A chain wrapped Luke's arm as he scrambled for purchase, lurching him from the saddle and to the frozen ground.

Hooves thundered past and his horse was gone. Great. At least she'd alert the castle though, if things went bad.

An ugly brute of a man leaned over Luke as he fought for air. He froze when he recognized that face, ceasing breathing at all.