The Life of a Bandit and a Thief

Chapter Sixteen - Elise's New Friend

Chapter Sixteen - Elise's New Friend

It had been a week since Lena had left, and everyone could feel her missing presence.

Rob was much more subdued now she was gone, Susie missed having another woman around - "It's good to balance out the testosterone around here every once in a while" she had said, while Elise seemed at a slight loss without her best friend around constantly.

"She says she's got back safely, Mother is fine and her Father, though no better, isn't getting any worse either." Sam read aloud for them all from the letter his sister had sent as they sat around the camp fire, the day's light just starting to fade from the sky. Montgomery perched precariously on his shoulder, a definite sneer on its ugly face.

"So she'll be back soon then?" Rob asked a little too eagerly, earning a ribbing from David.

"Oh do you miss your little Lena-wena Robby?" David teased, making kissing faces at him, Rob pouting in return in slapping his face away as Sam laughed at the pair.

"What's up, Princess?" Rob suddenly asked as he held David in a headlock, noticing the blank look on Simon's face.

"Nothing, he's just sulking 'cos Lena's gone too, like poor 'ickle wobby-ARGH!" David grinned before Rob smushed his fist into the top of his head, and they began to wrestle.

Simon sat in silence, watching the exchange. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed Lena too. Despite her constant insults and snarks, and the faces he knew she and Rob pulled at him behind his back, and the jokes she told he was usually the butt of, he definitely noticed she was gone.

"I wonder Elise has got to." He said, trying to change the direction of his thoughts.

"Don't worry she'll be back soon." Sam answered as he finished off his reply to his sister, tying it to a begrudging Montgomery before he flew off with a screech and a rain of feathers.

"Don't you ever worry about her wandering alone in the forest? Especially this close to night." Simon questioned.

"She's only gone down to the stream for a bath." He shrugged, brushing the loose feathers off his shoulders, and grimacing when his hand landed in a spot of bird poo the old raven had left on his shoulder. "And anyway, 'Lise is a big girl, I'm sure she can take care of herself." He added, wiping his hand on his trousers and turning back to watch Rob and David's fight.

At that moment, Elise had her knife pressed against the man's throat, her other arm gripping his hair to hold him in place.

"What are you doing here? Tell me!" Elise threatened for the second time, the man in her grip stammering incoherently, his eyes fixed on the knife below his chin.

"I...I-er..."

"Hoping to catch a glimpse were you? Can't get a woman so you sneak up on them in the middle of the Forest, eh? Angrakorian filth!" She spat, pulling the man's hair so hard a few of the slick, black strands came away in her palm.

"I'm looking for someone." He managed to sneer. "She looks a bit like you, I got you mixed up." He said through gritted teeth. "And don't you dare insult me, you don't know who I am, you Tracorian whore!" He hissed, stiffening as Elise tightened her grip on him and increased the pressure of the knife on his throat. He could feel the drop of blood starting to run down to his collarbone from where the blade had lightly broken the skin.

"A whore, you say?" Elise chuckled. "I don't know what my husband will say about that. Why don't we go ask him now?" She asked sweetly, before starting to drag him through the trees back towards the camp.

"And I'm very sorry for whoever you're looking for," she added as they moved, "because you definitely chose the wrong girl to mistake her for."

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Hello all!

I know it's not a Sunday, but since I left quite a big gap before updating, I thought I'd upload this little chapter before the big one this weekend.

I'm pretty excited for the next few chapters cos they're actually going to be a cross-over with another of my stories (well, my only other story), and the upcoming chapters were the first inspiration I had for this story!

So don't feel you have to, but if you want you can read 'The Prince and the Slave' Trilogy, which you can find on my profile. The third book especially is where 'Lise and all the gang come in for a bit so it might be interesting to see how they're seen by other people :)

So enjoy this mini-chapter, and vote, comment and share as always :)

Rose x