The Damsel and her Knight

3rd ☾ A Stranger in the Woods

A man with no name,

Lost in the forest he came.

3rd ☾

A Stranger in the Woods

When the soldiers moved several steps back, I saw two bodies stilled on the ground. We were already far from them, but I knew to whom those sleeping robes belonged to.

"Stay still, child!" The soldier tried to keep me in place, but I was gasping for freedom like the way I hungered for air. The young soldiers started dragging me like some wild animal, holding me by both arms while my body ruthlessly swept the dirt. I felt my face burning as I brushed the rough ground. Endless tears ran wild from my eyes.

When one of the soldiers was pulling back, I managed to get free from both of their grasps and I held on tightly to the nearest tree. "You monsters! You promised! You promised to never harm them! Get away from... get away from me. Take your hands off me. Stay away! Let me go, you bunch of liars!"

"Don't say we didn't try." When the soldier grasped a hold of my arm, he twisted it.

I winced in pain, screaming. "Let me go! Let me... go."

"You will face the king with a broken arm, child. You should have known better," he said to me.

"Why won't you just let me die here?" I was crying while fighting back with all the strength I had left. "You could break all my bones right now, but I wouldn't go to your king."

"Tie her up!" ordered the soldier who broke my arm. "This one knows how to create a fuss."

"Yes, sir!" The other one quickly obeyed, putting a rope around my feet and another one on my mouth. My one arm was already broken, so they let my arms free. I knew I could still do something with my right one, but my body was already giving up. There was just so much one person could do. I hated how strength always came with a limitation.

"What do you think you're doing?" I heard a man's voice from afar.

All of us stopped moving.

I looked around to see where the voice was coming from.

"Who's there?" asked the soldier.

After a moment, I heard the leaves rattle. A young man appeared from the woods. He was dressed in worn-out peasant's clothing, but his body was well-built. He looked as buff as these soldiers, contradicting the pair of clothes he wore. It appeared as if this man never knew hunger, unlike most of the peasants scattered in the borders of each town. A piece of clothing was firmly tied around his head, holding most of his dark, wavy hair in place. One thing I'd also noticed was a sheath of sword tied on his back.

I saw hope in his eyes. In my state, I was pleading for this stranger to save me. I didn't care if he was dressed like an outcast and a huge weapon hung on his back. A thief, like my mother would simply put it. He could be crook, but right then, he was my chance of deliverance in every form. Either way, it was clear that I'd be dead in the king's hands.

The soldiers stood on their grounds, both of them pulling their swords out. I realized that the ropes around my feet were still loosely tied, so I took the opportunity to free myself. The stranger seemed to notice what I was doing. He grinned, walking away from where I was and luring the two soldiers away.