Till Death Do Us Part

[The Writing Owl]

"The king's prized gem, the amethyst, is gone!" A guard yelled as he stared at the empty pedestal.

"What?!" Another guard yelled, coming in to make sure his companion was telling the truth.

In the nearby forest, a girl chuckled as she looked at the small purple gem, now attached to a chain. The silver chain was tied around her neck so the gem was kept close. "Finally... I have you now." The girl said, smiling.

A sparrow flew over to the girl and chirped into her ear. She smiled, seemingly able to understand the animal and quickly jumped to the next tree. Her braided brown hair flew behind her as she jumped from tree to tree. The guards had just figured out she had stolen the king's most prized gem. She had to get to the next town before they found her.

The castle was in a complete panic as the girl got away with her crime, smiling the whole while.

 

[samanthinator]

(( Your signature...I just noticed it. Awesome. ))
"What, in the name of the Maker, do you want, man?"
John wasn't exactly thrilled to be woken, even in the best of circumstances. Considering that it was past midnight and the Captain of the Guard, the King's right hand man, had just gotten to sleep, this was not the best of circumstances.
"Someone's stolen the king's prized gem, sir." The servant was nervous, staring at the ground and stuttering softly. John had a reputation for cruelty around the castle grounds. The rumors were complete bullshit, but the fear suited him and his rank just fine.
Releasing an irritated sigh, John forced his weary body into wakefulness. He quickly strapped himself into his armor, muttering the entire time.
He looked like a soldier, all things considered. His dark hair was cropped short, close to his scalp, mostly for convenience. Steel blue eyes levelly assessed everyone and everything they came in contact with. He was tanned, muscled, just about six foot one with broad shoulders and a medium-bordering-on-heavy build. High cheekbones and a strong jaw complimented the rectangular shape of his face. Stubble spread across his jaw and cheeks, thanks to a few days spent tracking down a fugitive who had stolen from a well-off noble and a personal friend of the king.
That was most of his job, actually. Dealing with problems for the king's political allies, instead of helping the common populace as he should be.
"Do we have any idea as to who we're dealing with, why they took it, and where they went?" he asked the servant, buckling on his sword belt. The sword was not lavish, not excessively decorated, but elegant in its simplicity.
"Um, we, uh, think they went into the forest, s-sir."
John sighed, looking at the man. "Get me a pack and ready a horse. I'll need to find the fucking thief before His Majesty returns."
The servant nodded and scurried off.
Maker, John wondered, what am I going to have to deal with now?

 

[The Writing Owl]

"Eliza, Eliza!" A small sparrow chirped, flying up to the girl.

"Yes, Flighty?" The girl, Eliza, asked. She had tan skin and bright green eyes. She was very dirty from being on the road for quite some time and could definitely use a bath. She was a well-known thief who was often referred to as the 'female Robin Hood'. Her long brown hair was tied up in a messy braid to avoid getting into her face too much as she jumped from tree to tree.

"The knights are after you! They're sending the captain of the guard!" Flighty chirped, scared.

"Don't worry. I'll be at the next town before you know it and they'll never figure out where I went." She said, smiling.

 

[samanthinator]

Forty three minutes later, John was on his horse and riding. The pack on his back was filled with a few days worth of food, plus some added weaponry. A coin purse with a few gold pieces-his normal allowance on a chase-was tied securely to his belt. Maker help the pickpocket who attempted to take his gold, however.
A few minutes later, he was riding into the forest.
The mare he was riding was wary of the place, as were the locals. Supposed to be a hiding place for ghosts and witches, according to the legends. John was never much of a superstitious man.
"Easy, there, girl," he whispered to the horse, gently patting her neck. He looked around, watching the trees, looking for any sign of movement.

 

[The Writing Owl]

Eliza slipped on one of the branches. "Oh shit!" She yelled. A crash resounded through the forest as Eliza groaned, laying on her stomach. Her leg was twisted in an obviously painful way and she would have a bunch of bruises forming later.

A cackle filled the air as Flighty tried to get Eliza to get up. "The witch is coming!" He screamed. "The witch is coming!"

All of the rumors of witches and ghosts were true. The main rumor was that the witch of the forest loved to take pretty girls away to make them become her slaves. Eliza tried to get up, knowing the horrors that the witch could inflict on her, but just couldn't. Her leg wouldn't allow it. She fell to the ground, nearly crying from the pain.

 

[samanthinator]

His head snapped in the direction of the cries.
There was someone else in here. Female. Probably injured.
John usually damned his tendency to be the heroic rescuer, but that would be saved for later. He spurred the horse, quickly sliding out of the saddle once they approached the wounded girl.
"Dammit, are you alright?" he asked, kneeling beside her.

 

[The Writing Owl]

"I'm fine." Eliza growled, trying to get up again. She hated the knights for obvious reasons. She held back a cry of pain as she once again fell to the ground.

Cackling filled the air again as Flighty's cries grew more frantic, "The witch is coming! Get up, get up! The witch is coming!"

"I know Flighty, calm down." Eliza said, forgetting that not everyone could hear animals like herself.

A pale woman on a broom appeared before the two. She had stringy black hair and menacing red eyes. She cackled. "Well, well, looky here! A pretty little maiden has found herself in a bit of trouble! Come over here, dear. I'll fix you up in a double!"

 

[samanthinator]

(( That...There was a creepy old lady voice in my head saying the witch's lines. Nicely done. ))
John's hand went to his sword's hilt. He didn't draw the weapon, but the woman's appearance startled him enough that he just might.
That was impressive in and of itself, honestly. Not much could scare or surprise him anymore.
"Look, I don't know who you are, lady, but back off." Despite his surprise, he kept his town level and even, with a note of seriousness.

 

[The Writing Owl]

"Oh if it isn't a strapping young man! Protecting the fair injured maiden. I'm not just some evil you have to ban! I'll help her with the pain she has been laden." The woman said, jumping off of her broom and floating to the ground.

Eliza grabbed his pant leg. "Don't try to fight her. She's a witch. She has magic abilities beyond what you can imagine." She whispered, staring at the woman.

 

[samanthinator]

She was a witch? That changed things. Not fighting her was probably wise.
So he needed a distraction. Enough time to get himself and the injured girl away from the witch, preferably away from the forest.
Not back to the castle, he wouldn't dare return without the thief in tow.
"Why should I allow you to take her, witch?" he asked, standing and drawing his blade. It was mostly a delaying tactic as he thought through his options.

 

[The Writing Owl]

"I am no witch, of that you can be sure. I just want to help this young maiden. Keep her happy and keep her pure." The witch said, getting closer to the girl.

Eliza glared at the witch. "You're a fucking liar."

The witch looked offended. "A liar?! How dare you call me such a thing! I'm more like a friar! I served the king!"

 

[samanthinator]

"Bullshit," he responded. "I serve the king."
Distraction, distraction. Dammit, what could he distract her with?
His eyes flicked around the clearing, then settled on the witch. A soft smile worked its way onto his face. Yeah, that would work.
John waved his sword-carrying hand, and the witch's broom caught fire.
His control over the element was minor, at best, and he required materials for the flame to be present. The broom? Perfect kindling.

 

[The Writing Owl]

"Ah! My broom! My broom! You sent it to its doom!" The witch screamed, burning with the broom. The two soon turned to ash.

"Great. Awesome. Now, I'm just going to crawl my way to town now." Eliza said, pulling herself along. She gritted her teeth as her leg screamed in pain. She was in no condition to move.

 

[samanthinator]

Well, letting her do that after he'd just killed, or maybe just burned a witch for her would be rude.
"Nah. Let me fix you up, at least. I'll go back to my business right after," he offered, not waiting for a response as he walked over to the terrified horse and digging in one of its saddle bags. Bandages and sturdy stick should be fine, as long as there was no actual cut.
"Just a sprain? Or is the bone broken?" John asked, walking back over to her with both of the items.

 

[The Writing Owl]

Eliza pulled her pant leg up, thinking he could just get her to leave her alone after this. Her leg was bleeding and a bit of bone was poking out. "Well damn." She said, looking at the cut.

Flighty saw the injury and quickly flew around Eliza, chirping worriedly. "Oh my God, are you okay? Does it hurt? Oh my God!"

"Shut the hell up Flighty, you are not helping." Eliza told the bird, closing her eyes in pain.

 

[samanthinator]

That complicates things, he noted, swallowing.
Things like this, medical shit, had never been his strong suite. However, John knew what needed to be done and would definitely give it a try.
"I'm going to need to correct the positioning," John told her, looking into her eyes. "It's going to hurt like a bitch."
He held his hands above the broken leg, but not touching, asking for her permission to continue. It tended to be better if the injured person was ready for whatever needed to be done.

 

[The Writing Owl]

"As long as you don't fuck it up more I won't hate you too much." Eliza said, bracing herself for the pain.

Flighty continued to chirp in her ear, causing her to glare at the bird.

 

[samanthinator]

With that, John nodded and put his hands on her leg. He carefully moved the broken bones back into the correct positions, hoping that it was a clean break and that there weren't any bone fragments left in the wound. Then, he gently cleaned the wound, pressed the stick to the side of her calf, and bandaged the whole lot with extra over the injury itself. It was an effort to to prevent too much blood loss.
"There." He swallowed, then added, "You won't be able to walk much until its healed."

 

[The Writing Owl]

"And thus I am fucked." Eliza sighed. At least the knight hadn't realized that she was the thief. As long as that information stayed hidden, she would be safe. That wouldn't stay safe for long if he noticed the chain around her neck. She tried to move her injured leg, but it just caused a wave of pain to shoot up the injured area.

 

[samanthinator]

"I can take you to the next town," John offered, head tilting. His quarry was likely long gone by now, and catching up would take days. However, he could at least take her that far. Drop her off at an inn or something. "You should be able to ride just fine, as long as you're careful with your movements. Might need help getting on and off, though," he added, nodding towards his horse.