A Devious Exchange

Hero amongst the Good Doers

Hesitantly, my eyes drifted open slightly, my lashes obscuring my blurred vision. The boot had seemed to disappear from my chest, the radiating pain in my arms and face must've blocked my memory of it being lifted. I blinked a few times before glancing up where the man once stood, except now a new reverberation vibrated my ears. A loud thump to the ground following a pained gasp made the fine hairs on my neck and arms stand to attention. My elbows quickly lurched beneath my torso to balance myself and lift my chest upward, only for me to rush to my feet at the scene before me.

A well-toned man in soldiers' clothing held my wooden yoke firmly with a gloved hand. His face was turned away from me at the now unconscious man lying on the ground. His head was busted in on the side, crimson streaks dripping from his almond hair in a syrupy mess, seeping into the gravel where his head laid face down. I had no doubt the man was close to death based upon the palpitating flow of blood. My mind connected the dots swiftly as I glanced at the blood carelessly dripping from the wood.

The soldier had hit him.

At my sudden gasp, the soldier's head whipped around and gave me a scrutinizing stare. I was taken aback by the man's face; a light pink scar ran down his sandy cheek to the corner of his worn frown. He had a square face with a cleft chin, dark stubble highlighting each dip of the skin. His nose was prominent, narrowed at the top with little flare at the bottom, much like most of the community men. His eyes are what shocked me the most, a burning amber that set my thoughts spiraling and breath quickening.

No thoughts towards introductions came to mind as it was obvious I was indiscreetly taking in his appearance, but I'm sure he's gotten that look before. By the looks of it, he wasn't that much older than me, in the older twenties judging by the faint creases lining his forehead. He radiated authority with the way he held himself: shoulders tense, feet apart and bent at the knee, body turned facing his opponent, and a clean, pressed navy uniform hugging his figure adorned in all sorts of gold badges. However, my internal monologue dropped as he cleared his deep voice.

"Miss, are you alright?"

His voice struck a traitorous chord within me I would not acknowledge. Alarmed whether from embarrassment or fear, I gathered myself and pulled my slightly parted lips to a closed frown. Keeping with his sight, I nodded while tucking a few escaped strands back into the now messy braid. It had only been a few hours and the braids were ruined from the scuffle.

His eyes immediately darted to my moving hand to my confusion. Had he thought I was going to strike him? It seemed so as he stepped forward, the gravel crunching underneath his clean leather boots while swaying the piece of wood previously dangling at his hip.

It wasn't uncommon for soldiers to use their leverage to get what they wanted. Heck, I've seen many stalls nearly go up in flames when the owner doesn't give them a discount for goods. They do what they please and don't care about the people who work hard for their living. Not that soldiers had it any better. They still had to abide by the king's command day and night while staying fit, but they did get free housing and food for them and their families by putting their life on the line.

Glancing at the unconscious man, I gulped at the thought of lying in the grit like him. I cursed myself; I shouldn't have egged him on. I was no more ready to fight than before, and my schedule was already ruined from the morning's surprises. Though running from him now would simply be ill-fated.

Keeping the soldier in my line of sight, I took a few steps back and put my hands out in front of me. Swallowing my pride, I loudly asserted, "I mean no trouble, I just needed to use the well."

The soldier stopped momentarily while analyzing me, then proceeded to hoist the buckets from the floor with one hand and drop the wooden joke at my feet. I raised a brow as he continued to fill them from the well with his back turned from me.