The Princess and The Bandit

SEVEN

* * *

He stumbled upon the remains of dead men on this road by accident. He didn't have a set destination in mind, but since he has been declared a traitor of the empire, Commander Austin sneaked his way out of his beloved country and on to the backroads to avoid getting captured by Lord Brad's henchmen.

He found about two dozens of men, lying lifeless on what he suspects as their own pool of blood. Their stench was stomach churning as crows and vultures feasted on their carcasses. And then he found twelve more men who appears to have been killed with arrows.

Arrows that has the blue imperial colors of Arcadia.

It could be from any Arcadian who may have had business going this way and came into trouble with these dead men who, in all appearances, looked like a large group of hunters. But it could be arrows from that one particular Arcadian he hopes to find soon. And hope did flutter in his chest. He doesn't want to think that the princess might be dead already

He may not have enough evidence to support that but he truly believes that the princess still lives.

For the past few days of aimless travel, evading main roads and town squares that Brad's henchmen may possibly be lurking about, Commander Austin is now nurturing a ray of hope. Hope not only for his shot at redemption, but also for the good of all his fellow Arcadians.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the great empire of Arcadia . . .

"Where is she!!"

Lord Brad of Bunloaf County bellowed as he whipped the back of his prisoner. It's been an hour since he started torturing the young man chained by the dungeon wall. To be honest, he really doesn't have the patience for this. He very much prefer to have this useless guard drowning to his death in his own blood.

But this lowly servant of the imperial army is his last lead to find the lost princess. And this young man most definitely needs to be punished as well. Brad has seen just how close he has become to his bride, his future wife. And he doesn't like it one bit. This young imperial guard has no right to be that close to his woman. This stupid guard gets all the princess' smiles and laughs so much it's not acceptable at all.

Lord Brad is the one that the princess should smile at and laugh with every single time.

Only him and no one else.

Especially not this scum.

"Where is my bride!!" Brad hit the prisoner again with his leather whip, more vicious this time.

"S-she's . . . not . . . y-your bride," Shawn, the poor soul held captive by Brad, struggled to reply. He knows that if he is to survive this hell, he must save the last of his energy.

But he just needed to clarify that one.

Which earned him five consecutive whips on his already battered and bruised back. He already has plenty of cuts, blood seeping through it. His face is black and blue, a cut on his brow and under his eyes, his lips busted like a whacked piñata.

"She's mine!!" Lord Brad bellowed at his face.

He doesn't look anything like the polished civilized nobleman he's supposed to be with how wild and dilated his pupils are, trying to scream out his frustrations. He looked a whole lot like an out of control psychopath.

"Send someone for Alejandro, I have another business proposition with him!" He demanded to his right hand man, Pita, "And you," he turned back to Shawn with backhanded smack in the face, "You better shut your mouth or I'll cut off your tongue, you piece of shit!"