The Princess's Servant

35. The Bandits

The bandits had tied the prince and princess securely to a tree a couple paces away from their encampment. While they had demanded that the two of them stay silent, the bandits presently found themselves following the same order.

The five of them sat in a ring around the fire pit, each with a wooden bowl of stew in their hands. Not one of them had spoken a word to the others since they'd left the hunter's camp, and not one of them looked ready to speak any time soon.

The two hostages felt a malicious energy that permeated the surrounding area and made Holden and Nara feel quite content that they were slightly away from the band: any warmth the fire provided seemed to be canceled out by the chill of the atmosphere.

The bandits had of course heard the conversation between Prince Holden and Princess Eris. As such, each of them had separately arrived at the same conclusion:

The princess was worth nothing. The prince was worth everything.

Though initially a promising hostage, 'Princess Eris' had apparently not only renounced her title, but was also likely hated by her family. The half-day's journey to Lailoy was not worth the risk of arrest if their pleas for ransom would go ignored.

That left the prince, who at very least believed he was who he said he was. What's more, he was wanted not only by his own royal family, but by Lailoy's as well — making for the possibility of a double ransom from two of the wealthiest families on the Thesnian Continent. Each bandit wanted Prince Holden, and they wanted him all to themselves. But each bandit also separately arrived at another truth:

The greater the numbers, the greater the odds.

Demanding ransom from two powerful families would not be an easy task. The risk of arrest or death skyrocketed the fewer bandits remained. Not only this, but the prince needed to remain guarded. If he was able to escape, no one would receive any ransom, and all were likely to face a poor drawing of themselves the next time they checked out the bounty board at the local tavern.

It was with this great wisdom in mind that the small bandit concocted his brilliant scheme. He decided that he would steal his teammates' shares as soon as the ransoms had been received, and make off as the third richest person in all of Thesnia.

But sadly for him, others were plotting. The second bandit — the skinny one — had decided that he would kill the entire rest of his team the moment they'd sent for both ransoms. He figured that as long as he could keep the prince secured while he waited for his gold, he could soon make off as the third richest person in all of Thesnia. It was a good plan, he thought, and he contentedly sipped at his dinner as he dreamed of absconding to a hilltop castle with all his wealth.

The third bandit — the only female in her crew — had hatched an even more ingenious plan. She
would kill all her teammates the moment they decided to send for both ransoms (to get ahead of anyone who would kill after they'd sent). It was a marvelous idea, she thought, and she too suppressed a smile with a sip of her stew.

Meanwhile, the fourth bandit — the buff one — had determined his own course of action. He had decided to kill everyone right then and there. In fact, he'd decided to kill everyone (save precious Holden, of course) the moment he'd heard the word "prince." But he was also the worst in the group at fighting, so he'd had to come up with a different plan.

"How did I ruin the princess's life?" Holden hissed in a hushed voice to the woman right beside him.

"Quiet over there!" The skinny one yelled, though his scolding felt half-hearted.

"How?" Holden insisted in a quiet whisper, and the bandits did not force their commands further. Nara shook her head in annoyance as she thought of how to phrase it.

"You didn't do anything," she told him. "You were just a kid. Your father, on the other hand..."

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