The Runaway Bride? (Eris)

[Kamrynn Sleightyr]

Spring 45, 510 AV

Steward Knight Gari Normar's words still rang happily in Kamrynn's ears, "I'll send my best man!" The Steward had promised Lord Valren, and here Kamrynn was on the very same errand! Of course, there were several nuances to Knight Normar's words that Kamrynn had failed to pick up on. Sarcasm was chief among them.

***

"Valren," Normar had said, exasperated. "We can't spare any knights to babysit your runaway daughter."

Lord Valren (A title he had given himself, and though it held no weight, he insisted upon its use) grit his teeth. "But her fiancé was killed! Murdered! And now the beasts that dared to do such a deed are after her! She's run from town in fear! After all the patronage I've provided to this city and your own personal efforts, you refuse to do this for me?"

Normar stared blankly at Lord Valren. The man had omitted several important details, including the fact that his daughter, Vanessa, was the the prime suspect in her fiancé's murder. It was one of those things that everyone knew, yet no one could prove.

Her fiancé was... less than faithful, to put it politely, and Vanessa had been caught essentially plotting his demise more than a few times, but her father's money always kept her from trouble. Now though, the unsavory types she had hired were probably black mailing her for more money to keep quiet about the deed.

Still, Lord Valren was right, and Normar continued. "I understand, I'll send my best man on it, right away." The steward could barely hold back his laughter as he turned to one of the guardsmen. "Kamrynn, that means you. You're to assist Valren in every way possible to recover his daughter," Normar turned a knowing look at Lord Valren, then added. "And bring her safely into the custody of Castle Stormhold."

The young guard beamed, then bowed deeply. "I won't let you down, my lord."

The nobleman swallowed hard, "Thank you, Gari, Sir Knight, but what of the fiends who have done this black deed?"

"I'll deal with them personally." Knight Normar said flatly. He would, too. The criminals in question were a group calling themselves The Iron-Hands, and were based far outside of the city in the wilderness. Still, they had been a thorn in the side of Syliras for some time. They were elusive though, almost impossible to catch, but Lady Vanessa's confession would give them enough information to have the whole Iron-Hand Gang dangling from a rope.

The way Gari planned things, he wouldn't even have to worry about Kamrynn's safety. There'd be so many knights patrolling the forests and streets they wouldn't be able to sneeze without a knight catching wind of it, making a move was out of the question.

***

So now Kamrynn found himself in the Bronze woods with the spring sun shining warmly down on his head. He reigned in his horse to take in the fresh mountain air and get his bearings.

According to Lord Valren, Lady Vanessa was likely hiding out in the Valren summer cottage at the base of the Cobalt Mountains in these very woods. The map provided to him was so good, even Kamrynn couldn't get lost. It was only a few days ride from the city.

"Help!" A voice cried out from the path ahead. Kamrynn's eyes shot up, his adrenaline pumping.

A middle age man in a rough leather jerkin came running out the woods up ahead. "Help! I-" He stopped dead when he notice Kamrynn was a Syliran knight.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Kamrynn asked, leaping off his horse and running up to the man.

"My..." The man stuttered, looking Kamrynn over closely. He seemed to make up his mind about something, and grinned a toothless smile before continuing. "It's, my... daughter. She... fell into the river! Quickly, you have to help me!"

"Oh no!" Kamrynn shouted. The honest knight was taken in by the story without question. "Of course, let's go!" The man turned and sprinted into the woods with Kamrynn right behind him.

The stream, only a few feet deep, bubbled and babbled noisily, far behind them -in the opposite direction they now sped.

[Eris]

Eris let out an exasperated sigh as her horse stopped once again to nibble on some grass. Rhine hadn’t seemed too keen on going off on this trip in the first place and now she was doing everything in her power to slow them down. “Come on, girl. You’d think I don’t feed you enough,” Eris whispered into the horse’s ear, giving her a gentle kick with her left foot.

The horse snorted, but mercifully started up again. To be perfectly honest, Eris wasn’t too keen on this trip either. She didn’t like running after people, especially people who had just committed murder. And yet, that was the only thing she seemed to be doing lately. She didn’t even need the revenue from this job. Not in the way she often needed money to survive. She had enough coins in her purse to last her for a few more comfortable weeks. But her employers had offered her something more - something she would be foolish to refuse. Especially after she’d spent all this time searching for it…

She hoped this murderous bride would agree to return with her peacefully. Otherwise, she would have to be death with. And Eris was given to understand that if there was no other viable option, she could use her blade. In fact, the man giving Eris her instructions seemed to be very eager to convince Eris that the blade would be her only option. Apparently, not many people wanted this woman alive.

The man had also mentioned that the knights were looking for the woman as well. Always a complication, but one that could be easily dealt with. In fact, Eris could think of several ways to use the knights to her advantage.

She was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn’t even notice when they came upon a river, with a horse standing nearby. Rhine noticed, however, making straight for the other animal. The two horses stared at each other for a while, probably discussing the importance of proper grass digestion. Eris hoped the owner of the mount wouldn’t make things difficult for her.

Jumping of her own horse, she patted Rhine’s flank and set out into the woods to investigate the territory. If she were to find the woman, she would have to actually start looking for clues, instead of simply taking a leisurely ride through the forest. She had no qualms about leaving Rhine behind. The horse could take care of herself and would never wander too far away, especially when there was plenty of grass to be had right where she was.

Suddenly, Eris heard noises akin to human footsteps – two pairs of footsteps by the sound of it. Slowly, she drew her dagger from its sheath and continued to move deeper between the trees.

[Kamrynn Sleightyr]

The scene that unfolded before Eris was interesting to say the least; three men with hunting bows were hiding around a small circular clearing. While this kind of behavior wasn’t suspicious -hunters could make a profitable living in the Bronze Wood and many of the fantastic creatures here could easily take three men to bring down effectively -the hunter’s prey was a little uncommon and more than a little illegal.

A Syliran knight, who probably should have known better, was being lead by another hunter in a roundabout way to the clearing, so as to position the bowmen most effectively for ambush. He was just about to enter it as Eris approached.

None of the men heard or noticed the stalker that drew up from behind them, steel bared and glittering dangerously in her hand.

Kamrynn followed the older man’s lead for a minute or so before he called a halt. The knight was trusting –not stupid.

“Hold on.” Kamrynn said dangerously. “You said your daughter fell in the river, but the river is behind us. I’ve been swimming in it since I was a kid. What’s going on?”

The older man stopped dead in his tracks, reluctant to turn around and face the Knights gaze. The lie probably didn’t matter at this point; his friends were hidden just a few dozen paces away. It wasn’t the ideal location to spring the trap, but it would probably work just as well.

“Nothing at all, Sir Knight!” The man said facetiously, then whistled shrilly. “Boys!” The trap was signaled.

Only two men stepped out from their hiding spots.

The thrill of battle brought a smile to Kamrynn’s lips. He didn’t wait for their conditions or demands, his sword and shield shot out like quicksilver and he was dashing towards the nearest opponent –the man who had lead him to the trap.

The arrows flew.

A hastily raised defense caught the better of the shots on Kamrynn’s shield, while an acrobatic flourish saved the knight from the second.

Before him, the man who had roped him in drew a large hunting knife and backed away, waiting for another volley of arrows. There was no smile on the man’s lips anymore, the trap wasn’t working out at all as planned.

Kamrynn smirked, batted the man’s knife away with his shield and cracked him in the temple with the pommel of his sword. The hunter crumpled to the ground twitching, but alive.

More shots would be coming, and the Knight was in a bad position –one of the hunters had moved to flank him and the other was straight ahead, loosing another arrow.

Kamrynn sprang from his feet, spinning, flailing and turning and trying to be harder to hit. There was a twang of bowstrings and Kam hoped for the best.

[Eris]

Eris caught a glimpse of two men moving through the thicket a few steps ahead of her. One was a Sylirian knight by the looks of him. Eris wrinkled her nose – the last thing she wanted to do was get involved with his kind. She was just about to turn away and head back to her horse when a piercing whistle assaulted her ears. She watched in surprise as two previously-hidden men fell upon the knight. An uneven fight, to be sure, but the man seemed to be handling himself quite well. No need for her to get involved, no need at all.

That’s when she noticed a third men crouching down behind a tree, bow at the ready. This is none of your business. Leave, just leave. Eris hesitated, twirling her dagger in her hand uncertainly. Joel would have advised her to run while she could. He didn’t like to get tangled in other people’s messes. She could practically hear her old teacher’s voice now: You’re too damn curious, girl. Get the ‘ell out of there while you can.

She saw the archer rise and take a step out of his hiding place, arrow aimed straight at the knight. If she were to make a move toward him, she’d be out in the open and smack in the middle of the mess. A resigned sigh escaped her lips as she leapt forward, dagger flashing in her hand. She ended up half-a-step behind the archer. Just as he turned, clearly surprised, Eris swiped her dagger clear across his left side, catching him under a rib. The man howled in pain, dropping the bow to the ground. She had no idea why she didn’t just go for the throat. That would have guaranteed a kill. But she wanted to leave the man breathing. After all, she wasn’t yet sure why this knight was being ambushed in the first place. For all she knew, the hunters could be in the right here and she had no business killing without having a clear-cut reason for it.

[Kamrynn Sleightyr]

Ping! The ringing was like music to Kamrynn's ears -the sound of his armor doing its job. He didn't like plated armor, especially when traveling, and he wore just as little as he could get away with, but when an arrow glanced off the steel plate on his thigh, he was grateful, to put it mildly.

Back on his feet, he sprinted after one of the archers; he'd have to fight them one at a time. From the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of red, and indeed, there was a woman, and she seemed to be helping him!

"You bitch!" The hunter swore, clutching his side. Blood trickled out from between his fingers, the cut was deep and excruciatingly painful -but not life threatening. Unsure of a course of action, the hunter fell back against a tree, raised his hands to ward off any blows and cried out to his fellows.

"Guys! There's another over here!"

Meanwhile, Kamrynn had sliced the second hunter's bow in half and raised his sword for a finishing strike. A pang of guilt shot through him like lightning -even if they had ambushed him and tried to kill him... He still didn't want to cut down an unarmed man.

It turned out he wouldn't have to.

The hunter swallowed hard, and looked for his friends. Two were down, the only one with a bow was nowhere to be seen and there was a mystery woman who had come to thwart them. This was supposed to be an easy ambush, a robbery, no one was supposed to die!

The man turned and fled, and the injured hunter with a slice in his ribs attempted to do the same. He locked eyes with Eris, a fearful and hateful look in his eyes, then slid away as quickly as his injury allowed.

The third and final man had quit the moment he noticed Eris and was long since gone. Now in the clearing there was only Kamrynn, Eris and the unconscious instigator of the trap.

Seeing the men fleeing, Kamrynn smiled and turned to address his surprise savior. "Thanks, miss!" He said happily. "I think I owe you my life. Kamrynn Sleightyr, at your service." He bowed politely.

[Eris]

She watched the bleeding man crawl away after his associate, not making any move to stop him. They had just been cowardly hunters, hoping to catch a Sylirian knight unawares. They were a poor excuse for human beings, in Eris’s opinion. They couldn’t even execute an ambush correctly. And the knight… Could he have been truly so naïve to fall straight into the amateur trap? Or had he been looking for a fight? Irrelevant.

“I very much doubt that you owe me your life, sir,” Eris said curtly, acknowledging his bow with a slight inclination of the head. She hated the outward show of chivalry and politeness that always seemed to radiated from the Sylirian knights. And now she would have to give him her name in return. She disliked giving out her name to strangers, but it was better not to raise suspicion by withholding it. “I am called Eris.”

Formalities, just formalities. She didn’t much care for the man’s purpose in being here. Unless… Unless, he was here to seek out that escaped noblewoman… Ideas sped through Eris’s mind, filing themselves away for future use. If he was indeed here for that purpose, he could prove to be very useful. It was always easier to have someone else to do all the dirty work and then come away with the prize.

“But what is a lone knight doing in these parts, if you don’t mind me asking? I hadn’t heard of any trouble in these parts that would warrant a knight’s attention.” she inquired, rising an eyebrow.

[Kamrynn Sleightyr]

Kamrynn listened to her question and was only too happy to provide an answer. "True enough, the woods are typically pretty quiet, this little fiasco aside, and the Syliran Order doesn't like to over extend itself too far outside of the city."

The Steward Knight had cautioned Kamrynn against advertising his mission, but he brushed the warning aside and continued. After all, a whole wing of Knights was watching the Iron-Hands. This woman had saved his life and she certainly wasn't amongst their number.

"Actually, I'm looking for a runaway." He said openly. "One of the less influential nobles in Syliras is having a little... well, trouble, I guess, and his daughter fled the city. I'm travelling to their summer cottage in the Bronze Woods to collect her and bring her back to Syliras. That is, assuming she's there. Then she can wait in the safety of Stormhold castle while the Knights flesh out the problem."

Clearing his throat, he went on. "How about yourself? I understand we're not far from the city, but it's unusual for a young woman like yourself to be out in the woods all alone." Blushing, he added. "Not that you don't seem capable of taking care of yourself, but, I'd be happy to escort you back to Syliras, or down the road a ways if you happen to be heading in the same direction as myself."

[Eris]

Eris’s eyes grew wider and wider as the man spoke. She hadn’t had this much luck in ages. In fact, the whole thing was probably too good to be true. She almost burst out laughing at the knight’s offer. As if she would be willing to journey all the way back to Syliras after going through so much trouble to get here. But opportunities were meant to be seized…

“Oh, What a coincidence!” Eris exclaimed, feigning surprise, “I heard of the lady’s disappearance. She and I are well acquainted. You could even say we’re friends of sorts. I was hoping I might find out where she’s headed if I took a walk in the woods. It’s just so terrible what happened with her fiancée. And well – this is just the best of luck. She’s a very fragile creature and she’s probably scared as it is. If you come looking for her by yourself, she’ll never come with you of her own free will. But if she sees me with you, I’m sure she’ll be much more comfortable.”

Eris smiled her best engaging smile, hoping that the knight was as gullible as he first appeared.

[Kamrynn Sleightyr]

Eris' words fell on eager ears. This was a pleasant turn of events, Kamrynn had suspected that Vanessa might be distrustful of him, of anyone really, and who could blame her after what she'd been through? He wasn't looking forward to dragging the girl back to the castle by her ear, but if he brought a friend of hers with him, he wouldn't have to... He'd seem like a real hero!

"This is a fortunate coincidence indeed!" He said, returning Eris' smile with one of his own, overlooking Eris' sudden softening of demeanor.

"I'd be honored if you'd accompany me, then. I'm heading to her family's summer cottage to look for her. Lord Valren seems to think that's the most likely place she'd run off to. It's a little over a day away, I believe, that is, if we don't have any more interruptions. Shall we get a move on?" He gestured towards the road and their horses.

[Eris]

The corners of Eris’s lips quirked up in a wolfish smile - it was to be that easy, then. She nodded, beginning to walk back to the river. She wondered briefly how she would handle the situation if they indeed found the murderess. She liked to have a plan… Then again, Joel would have told her to go with the flow. Her teacher had liked spur-of-the-moment decisions and for once, Eris decided to follow his lead. Sometimes, thinking ahead became just too much of a chore.

Rhine was patiently waiting at the clearing where she had left her. Or rather, the horse was chewing on some grass, and seemed less than happy to see Eris back so early. Eris figured that it would be wise to learn how much of the whole story the knight really knew. It simply wouldn’t do to reveal too much of the woman’s biography, if the knight believed in the killer’s innocence.

Patting Rhine’s flank, she asked casually, “So, how is it that you ended up on this mission? Did Lord Valren speak to you of the reason for Lady Vanessa’s disappearance?”