Knight in Shining Armour

Chapter One: The Encounter

"Get offa me, you creep!"

"Ye shut yer mouth, yer lil' scum!"

I struggled to yank my arm out of the hand of this pig, but the more I resisted the tighter his grip became. I winced in pain. No way was I going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry out.

Even though I really wanted to. I screwed up. I got caught trying to steal a loaf of bread and make a run for it. But I ended up tripping over the bucket of water near the entrance of the store.

In my defense, I haven't eaten in two days and I've already been losing more than enough weight than needed. That's what happens when you live in a poverty ridden village like mines.

Damn, pig, I thought to myself as I glowered up at him.

Which is what he looked like. With his greasy hair and oily, pink skin and pork like body. Even his nose was upturned in a pig-like way.

I attempted to pull away again, but this time he twisted my arm in a painful manner, causing me to bite my lip till it bled.

"Finally caught me a lil' git and I ain't lettin' yer go, so yer can stop yer squirming," the pig, who was the bakery owner, breathed, his hot, stinky breath nearly made me gag.

"You really shouldn't bathe in mud, sir. It's bad for you," I hissed at him. His squinty, dark eyes scanned my face thoughtfully. Then he gave me a creepy smile.

"I'm thinkin' maybe a lil' runt like you costs about a good 5 pounds of coins. Maybe more if I put yer on the market lookin' all dressed up and pretty," he laughed into my face, which made my nose twitch.

"What you need to lose is 5 pounds and more," I sneered at him, even though I was terrified on the inside.

Being put on the market meant being a slave. And I didn't want to become a slave again. Those 5 months were absolute hell. Just the thought of it...

"Screw you!" I barked at him.

"What's takin' the authorities so damn long? I want yer out my bloody shop so they can deal with ye."

"Deal with this," I muttered, turning my head and spitting right in his face. The action caught him off guard and he let go of my arm, which was the perfect time to escape. But before I could make a run for it, I was backhanded to the floor.

Blood instantly started dripping from my nose and my vision was slightly blurred, specks of white dancing in my eyes. I felt a sharp pain shoot from my scalp as I felt my hair being pulled by its ends. The blood from my nose dripping even more. There was no way I was escaping him this time.

"Ye lil' filthy wh-"

The sound of the bakery's bell ringing cut him off. I couldn't see who had entered the bakery because my head was pulled back to look up at the ceiling, making me light-headed. "This kid causing you trouble, Benson?" A deep male voice said.

My heart dropped drastically. This was it. Not only was I going to be in huge trouble with the authorities, but I also didn't get a chance to accomplish my goal. The only real reason why I'm still alive. Tears stung my eyes, but I wasn't going to cry.

Not here. Not now.

"I'll take it from here," the voice said. Suddenly, my hair was released and all the pain I was feeling was replaced with soreness. I felt a tight grip on my wrist and I looked up to see who now had me, while using my free hand to pinch the bridge of my bloody nose.

It was a tall, lean guy covered head to foot in different colored and patterned cloths. He was so oddly dressed that it made you notice more of his clothing attire than his actual physical appearance. The only part of him that wasn't completely covered was his face.