Love's Curse

Chapter 7

Kendra

We finally turned off the trail and stopped to make camp. Behman swings gracefully out of the saddle and offers me a hand. I refuse. I mean, I'm not completely incompetent. But when dropped to the ground I loose my footing and fall on my rear, which sparked a word that would not have earned my father's approval. Behman coughed, trying to hide a laugh. I whip around and glare daggers at him and he unsuccessfully tried to hid a smile. I stand up and brush the dirt from my skirt with a indignant huff. He turned his back to me, shoulders shaking with laughter and started setting up camp.

I wandered around the cleared space looking for firewood. My long skirt often got caught on stray brambles or branches. When I had finally gathered enough wood to keep the fire going all night, I had done twice the amount of work than needed thanks to my courtly dress. I sank down on a log and rubbed my tired feet.

Behman came over after scouting around and declared we were about ten miles from the border of neutral territory. He chopped some of the branches in half and a flame kindled quickly. As he slipped his knife back in its sheath.

"I hate dresses," I mumble as I tend to the fire.

"Why? You look so pretty in them," he teases.

He smiled crookedly and patted the ground next to him. I surrender with a sigh and move next to him. A few minutes later he breaks the silence.

"You know there are extra clothes, right?" I turn to look at him incredulously.

"And you let me suffer through all that trekking around the woods in a dress just because you thought I looked pretty!" He just nods silently, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Unbelievable!" I march over to the horses and dig around in saddle bags until I find a pair of dark brown leggings and and a green tunic. I travel a few meters into the woods and slip into my new clothes.

When i return i go back over to the horses to stuff my tattered dress back into the saddlebags. As I pull the saddle bags off the saddle i am suddenly conscious of a presence behind me that most certainly isn't Behman I slip my hand into the bag and quietly slide a blade out of its sheath while trying to look like I was struggling with the buckles. I hear a quiet grunt and it only confirms my suspicions. As the presence draws close enough behind me that if I moved my elbow I could touch him, I tense readying for the split second movement that would determine if I live or die.

I whip around, slashing with sword and swipe it across his wind pipe, killing him instantly. I am revolted at the thought of killing another living being but I have to put that aside as two more armed men approach. I feint to the right and then duck underneath his blade. I flourish my sword, cutting his feet out from beneath him. I end his life with a direct stab to his heart. Behman is still unconscious on the ground.

The last guard approaches me more carefully then his brethren did. I crouch into a battle stance and circle around him like a panther. I fake him out a couple of times before he launches at me.i bring my blade up to late and his sword digs deep into my shoulder. I let out a scream of pain. He pulls his blade out of my shoulder with a spray of crimson. Gasping I back off. He comes at me again but this time I'm ready.

After I knock his blade to the side, I immediately hammer him with a bunch of over head cuts and then suddenly cut at him from the side. He blocks too late and my blade cuts deep into his side. He collapses in pain and I quickly end his suffering.

Behman begins to awaken as I clean my blade by the fire. I rush over and kneel at his side. His eye lids flutter and he looks at me in confusion.

"What the hell happened?" he asks rubbing his head in pain. The he suddenly jumps up. "Are you all right? Where are the guards?" He sees the dead guards and freezes and then slowly moves his gaze to where my shoulder is dripping blood. His jaw drops. "Wow. You really are one kick ass princess." I smile at the complement.