Reunite ( Snow White With the Red Hair FanFic) [Hiatus]

Chapter 11

Zen was suddenly in front of me, his arm out, sword in hand, indicating that he was the one who hit my sword. Stranger 1 took out his sword, yelling, "Back off, bastard!" He attacked Zen, who dodged it and used the tip of his sword to hit the idiot in the stomach. Hah! His fault for fighting an angry Zen!

Stranger 1 was slammed against a tree(again), while Zen was panting heavily. He turned around, putting his hand near Shirayuki's head. "So...Shirayuki, wasn't this supposed to be a day trip?," he said.

Shirayuki whispered his name with Zen asking, "Are you hurt?" She waves her hands around. "Oh! No, no, I'm alright." Zen smiles, saying, "That's good."

The stranger coughs, his hand on his wounded stomach. "Heh, you have your own guardians," he says sarcastically, "My luck. I wanted to have that job for myself. I could present her almost anywhere and then I'd finally make some money..."

"Yeah, well ya lost that opportunity when your dumb little brain decided to kidnap her," I say, scoffing. Shirayuki looks at me, an attempt to calm me down. She looks back at the stranger.

"Was that your plan all along?," she asks. The stranger nods, "Yes, yes it was." His eyes land on the mansion behind us. "This mansion right here, it belonged to my family. A vacation home when we were nobility."

"Ah, I see. No wonder you knew it so well," Shirayuki says understandably. The torch's flame had gone out, and started sizzling, with our voices barely overpowering the sound.

"Nowadays, I have to live in hiding, like a dirty stray mongrel," he says, with stray hairs laying on his face, "This house was once lavish, but that was a very long time ago. Social status and family name can be swallowed up by darkness in a moment. Self proclaimed elegance and fancy clothes can't save you if you found yourself penniless. You could end up filthy and shamed...just like me."

Zen had a 'Wow, that got deep real quick' expression on his face as the stranger continued his rant. "No, I refuse to live like this any longer. I swear, I'm going to be rich again.I don't care what I have to do to make it happen. That's why I thought you'd be a good insurance policy for me, Red, you're a guarantee."

I dug the tip of my sword into the ground and lay on the handle, flicking some hairs out of my face. With a strong voice, Zen said, "That's enough, I don't want to hear any more. Keep your offensive metaphors of her to yourself."

Shirayuki seemed to have a dumbfounded expression, with her eyes wide and mouth slightly open. I resisted the urge to make a comment. "Shirayuki will not be a pawn, for you or anyone. Got it?"

Zen's little speech brought tears to my eyes, as well as Shirayuki's. "So your name's Shirayuki," the stranger said softly.

With a voice 10 times more aggressive than his, Zen said, "Do not speak her name!" The stranger snickered. "Calm down, are you her father or something?" He winces and carefully leans back as Zen lunges forward and threateningly shakes his sword in the brunette's face.

"You are seriously asking for it!," he says between gritted teeth. With a quick sigh, he backs up. "Shirayuki, quick question. Was this guy alone?" "Uh, I don't know, I don't see anyone else, "she replies.

I get off my sword. "They haven't come out to help their comrade, so it's more likely he's alone. We can take him down the mountain," I say. "We won't have to escort all the way to the castle. We'll hand him over to officials down at the base," Zen says, nodding.

He turns around and lifts the guarded sword on his shoulder, slowly but dramatically walking to Shirayuki and I. The stranger puts on a shocked face. "Castle?! What am I dealing with?! Who are you?!" Calmly, Zen answers with his name.

The stranger lifts his eyebrow. "Huh? As in Zen the Second Prince of Clarines?" Zen turns around yet again. "As well as Akemi of Sauron, and Shirayuki's friend."