The Life of a Bandit and a Thief

Chapter Nineteen - Choices

Chapter Nineteen - Choices

"I thought we told you to leave." Elise stated, eerily calm as she stood before Jameson.

"I don't take commands from the like of you. Filthy Tracorians." he spat, his confidence and insult somewhat meaningless from the way he cowered back, a hint of desperation and fear in his voice.

"We could say the same to you, filthy Angrokorian." Elise spat back, taking another step forward, Sam and David smirking behind their masks as they watched Jameson struggling to take back his power of the situation.

"We have already taken your possessions, stripped you of your sword, and asked you kindly to leave this Kingdom." Elise continued, falsely sweet, "And yet here you are, still in our Forest, having stolen our weapons from us, and attacking one of our own."

Her anger now came through in her voice as she pointed down to the battered girl still on the ground, cradling the crumpled and bleeding figure of the man Jameson had stabbed, stroking his hair and looking around at the people gathered in fear and confusion.

Elise handed the Bow back to David, never taking her eyes of her enemy, and drew her sword out from her belt, the sound of steel on leather music to her ears. 'Almost as beautiful as that sound he just made.' She smiled to herself as she pointed the sword at Jameson's chest and taking a step forward, making him shrink away even more as a pathetic squeal escaped his throat.

"We warned you what would happen if we ever saw you again." She said menacingly quiet, her mind filled with gratifying images of her sword shining red as the man's head lay apart from his body. "So I suggest you run." She whispered at him, smirking and enjoying Sam's soft chuckle as Jameson quickly scurried away into the trees, throwing one last fearful look over his shoulder at the Bandits, ignoring his other victims still silent in the clearing.

No-one moved or spoke for a few moments. Sam and David knew Elise needed a moment to cool down, they heard the seething rage and bloodlust in her voice, and knew now would not be a good time to provoke her.

Simon stood a little dumbfounded, waiting for some-one else to make the first move. For a few seconds, time stood still as everything settled, the only sounds the crackling of the small fire and the painful, ragged breathing of the injured man.

In the end, Elise was the first to move; the others letting out a breath they hadn't realised they were holding as she lowered her sword and turned to face the girl.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly, a concerned smile on her face as she took off her mask and pushed it in her pocket, crouching down so she was eye-level with the dark, chocolate brown eyes of Jameson's victim.

The girl made no sound, but looked on with eyes wide with fear, crawling back slightly as she still clutched her friend.

"Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you." Elise blurted, dropping her sword to the ground and holding up her hands, seeing how terrified the girl was.

'And no surprise.' Simon thought to himself. 'Elise scares me even when she's not holding a sword and threatening people.'

"W-why?" the girl stuttered, wincing slightly, the injuries on her face obviously making it painful to talk.

"You're one of us," Elise explained, frowning in amusement, 'Why does she think we'd harm a defenseless Tracorian woman who'd just been mercilessly beaten by a bloody foreighner?' "We weren't going to let some bastard from Angrokor attack you. We help our kind. Rob them too," she added with a small chuckle, "but when faced with them smug bastards from across the border we always stick together." She smiled.