Random short stories

Theif

After weeks of being without a place to bathe, I can only imagine how horrible I smell. My clothes are probably awful too. My leather armor is old and worn, the shirt under it is dirty and ripped, and the bottoms of my trousers are shredded and caked in mud. My face is covered in dirt and grime, and my hair is a tangled mess tied with a strip of cloth on the back of my head.

The sun is beginning to set, so soon the hunters will go home. They never search during the night, not in these woods anyway. Ever since I killed the one and hid the body, people think evil spirits are here, and even the bravest of men wont stay after sundown. That is, besides me.

I hear footsteps in the distance. Crouching behind a tree, I draw my dull hunting knife from my belt. As the footsteps near, I hear voices.

"Sir, I think we should leave soon, its going to be dark soon." One says, a slight tremble in his voice.

"Oh nonsense," another says. "Don't be such a ninny." My foot slips, snapping a twig, and the footsteps stop abruptly.

"Wh-what was that?" the first voice says, clearly frightened. I curse under my breath, as I may have just sold my self out. I unhook the bag with the crown from my belt. As quietly as possible, I place the bag in an animal hole by the roots of a tree.

"It's just a squirrel." The second voice reassures, and they continue walking. I grip my knife, ready to attack. The footsteps sound close enough now that I can probably take them by surprise.

Lunging to the other side of the tree, I attempt to stab one of the men, but am quickly stopped when the other grabs me by the hair. I step on his foot  as hard as I can, and he yelps in pain and lets go of my hair. They unsheathe their swords and point them towards me. I suddenly realize that I will not be able to take both of them, so I turn and run, hoping to lose them along the way. They run after me, angry. I run for a while, hoping that they are the only hunters out right now. I look over my shoulder, unable to see the men, and turn behind a large tree.

As I try to catch my breath, I feel a cold blade against my throat. Someone grabs my arm and pulls me towards him.  "Is this her?" He says gruffly. His breath reeks of beef and his hold on me is strong.

"It seems so." The other says as he steps in front of me, holding a piece of parchment, which I can only assume is a wanted sign. "So you are the little thief?" he says, laughing. "It's hard to believe a puny little lass like you would be able to steal the crown. How'd you do it?"

I say nothing and spit on his polished boots, causing him to slap me in the face. I try to pull my arm from beef breath and fail. He grabs my wrists, holding them behind my back. "Are you going to talk or not?" he says, digging his fingernails in my wrist. I still say nothing, following the directions given to me by my boss. "We ought to just take her in, let the queen deal with her."

"No," the other man replies, putting his hands on my shoulder, pushing my clothing down to reveal more of my skin. "Let's have some fun with her tonight, bring her  back in the morning."