Breaking Barriers

[BCOLOR=transparent]His words were frustrating to hear, even though they were as true as the fact that the sun rises everyday which may be the reason they were so annoying to hear. No matter if she could gain food on her own or manage to sleep anywhere she was given the chance the real problem would as he said be to avoid any unsavory people who cared little for her will or to not be taken seriously whenever she entered a town. From her very few visits to Lenion during her life she had learned that even in that small, out of the way village humans barely regarded the elves any attention or respect, it was like they forgot who grew and harvested a lot of their food for them. But if that was the case in such a small village then she could only imagine the view point in a larger place. Out here there weren't many traders that took young elven girls from their homes to be sold as servants or other duties to the rich either but of course she knew about it and heard a lot from other elves that were passing through on an errand from their own lord. With the dislike of working on a farm, relatively freely, she held being sold into service was something she didn't think she would handle all that well, she would probably not be so popular either. Even if her upbringing made her do what she was tasked her verbal protests and objections would not be so easily silenced.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Satisfied that he would be willing to help her for awhile if she left, she still insisted on thinking '[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]if[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]' even while her mind was almost made up, a small smile spread across her face which excalated into a chuckle at his complaint over trees and their poor ability to converse. She herself was no stranger to speaking with animal or nature around her, except her parents Saera didn't often interract with others, there were of course people close to her own age on the farms nearby, they had been her playmates when they were young. But now those who were not already married had more work to do just as she had and couldn't meet everyday like in the past, now it was more like weekly or monthly so the animals around the farms wild or tame had heard her words quite often.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Her smile vanished when Willem continued, serious once more."You have," she agreed with a nod. "But it's a human bounty and I don't always put much faith in your laws. And seeing as you don't seem like the type to be a murderer or a rapist then the bounty won't bother me. Besides you are the first human to look past my race and talk with me like I'm not some lowly servant, and that weighs more heavily with me than a bounty on your head does." She said, her voice serious. It was perhaps not the best way to judge if someone was worthy of trust or not but it did say something about a persons character at least. "If it proves I'm wrong then that's that, but in that case it's best if it becomes apparent before you teach me any combat skills." Not that she held any sort of belief that any amount short of a decade could put her on equal foot with someone who had studied with the best of teachers but it still didn't hinder the slight threat from popping out of her mouth. "I'm going to assume, by the way, that by combat training you don't mean using a hayfork or a scythe?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]It was the only things that could be called any sort of weapon that Saera had ever wielded except for a kitchen knife, and while she was quite good at hefting hay, cutting grass and other such tasks she doubted that those skills would amount to much when it came to holding her own against a person that was likely to be at least twice her size. Having developed muscles from farm work still could only go so far with her slim frame and with more skill dodging territorial geese and sheep than intelligent humans, or at least intelligent enough to carry out a fight, she probably wouldn't last so long.[/BCOLOR]
 
Saera certainly had a reason for wanting to trust him, but whether it was a good or bad reason was up for debate. Willem also could not shake the feeling that she was looking for a reason to escape from here, as if the notion he had planted in her head was a seed that had been growing for a much longer time than he anticipated. Either way she was obviously ready to pursue an adventure. The only problem that remained for him was to ensure that she would be an asset to his cause and not a hindrance. But that would not be a problem so long as she was under the impression that he was her best hope for survival out there. The main question now was determining what to do about her lack of combat experience.

He shook his head with amusement at the suggestion of using farming tools. "I wouldn't recommend it, unless you have a few stories about lopping off some heads with that scythe you would like to share." He took a moment to examine her build. She was slim but not skinny. The main issue was her height, which severely limited her ability handle certain weapons. "Stand up for me. I need to inspect your frame to determine what fighting style would be best suited for you." It probably sounded a bit more forward than he had meant for it to be, but then again he had never been one to care too much for how his words sounded to others. Mincing words for the sake of politeness was overrated in his book. Even the numerous whippings he received as a child had not forced him to drop that shenanigan.

After a long period of silence in which Willem circled around Saera, examining her elvish stature, her posture, and her strongest physical areas, he stopped in front of her and twisted his mouth. "I think we can work with this. Obviously your height severely limits the human weapons you can use, and smiths that produce elf sized weapons are rare to come by. I'm not entirely sure there is even one nearby." Looking down at her arms, he continued with, "You won't have the strength to carry a hefty shield around, nor a broadsword for that matter. Archery could be an option, but you would be at a severe disadvantage in a close range fight." He stroked his chin thoughtfully and slumped back down in his chair. "But you do have a little bit of muscle in your arms and shoulders, no doubt thanks to all of that farm work. In fact you have a similar build to Alyana." His mind then clicked and he smiled confidently. "That should be effective. Judging by your size you can probably move quickly enough to master the art of dual blades. I'm sure some village nearby must have an armory holding something like that."

Willem then stood up again. This time he did not examine any part of her but her face, letting his gaze pierce the bright eyes that stood before him. "So my offer is on the table. I will train you and allow you to join me on my trip. You've expressed interest but given no answer." He knew well enough that she was not likely to refuse, but it would still be nice to hear a definite yes. "Well?"
 
Saera stood up from her curled position on the chair without a word, despite being a bit taller than average for an elf she still had to look up at Willem to see his face when he finsihed circling around her and stopped in front of her. Even if she knew it was for a good reason she felt slightly miffed about being examined like this, having a stranger judge her possible strengths or weaknessess, even if this particular human probably had the skills to do it accurately. His assesments of which wepaons she could not use was not wrong, being sinewy strong didn't lend much abilities to heft weapons demanding pure power or at least a good deal of strength in both arms and hands, she did like to prospect of a bow though, having found archery interesting but the small bows and slingshots she and the other kids had made years before like man children most likely had done had proved to her that her aim with such a long distance weapon could stand to be markedly improved, and of course there was the small problem of not being able to use a bow up close to someone.

Dual swords? Saera was not so well versed when it came to weapons but while it was easy to guess how to use them she suspected learnign to use two blades was not the easiest, of course for her who had never used any weapon it might not be that much of a difference honestly. But the pictures her mind made up, a combination of his mention that speed was required and her own flare of imagination, was appealing, the weapon seemed to be more elegant and graceful than a large sword or other big weapon, pure guesses on her side seeing as she had no real knowledge to compare with. Pondering on what he said she was fairly sure the smithy in Lenion was equipped enough to have a variety of weapons although she had never been inside to see for herself, but while small the village was situated quite close the bigger town where Lord Delaer lived so it was probably better stocked than some other small village.

She stood silent as he stated his offer and thought it over, she had already asked and earned an agreement to accompany him for the time being, had recieved promise of weapons she would learn how to use and defend herself with and his help to not be ignored by everyone on the way. But that last step, the last word that would make it final was hard to get out, her thoughts went to her parents, what they would say, surely they wouldn't be pleased with her less than traditional decision and most likely afraid for her life. Possibly they would forbid her to leave, of course Saera was legally an adult so they couldn't really stop her even if they tried, seeing as she wasn't tied to the farm like her parents were it shouldn't be such a big deal for her to leave the farm life either although there was no need to test that by asking first.

His insistant 'well' drew her out of her thoughts, resting a hand briefly on her necklace Saera lifted her chin to meet Willem's eyes. "Yes, I want to come." Any doubt that had filled her so far was now gone, having made her choice after a long time of dreaming instead of acting had put her at ease, proving that it had been the right decision. "I will find some way to repay you for this." Not fond of having a debt hang over her, especially to a human, Saera was intent on doing something to become even with him for his time and aid.
 
Willem could see that Saera was going to take a while to turn the idea over in her head. All the while his gaze never left her face, but his mind drifted elsewhere. Thoughts of what he could do to overturn this oppressive regime and the chaos it would cause filled his head with numerous ideas. He was about to take his first step in gaining the elven support he needed to cause an uprising. All he needed now was an army, which would most likely have to come from outside Ikaela. The main problem he couldn't see an immediate solution to was knowing the whereabouts of Alyana. Wherever he went to find help, it would be much easier to have an army rally behind them if they presented a united front as the Twin Warriors. Surely he could muster up a force without her by his side, but there was no guarantee of success in that scenario. There was no way he was going to overthrow anyone with an army of elves who were anything but battle-ready.

His thoughts snapped back to the present when Saera finally confirmed that she wanted to join him. He expected nothing less, and a smile curled up on the right side of his mouth. He then stretched his arms and yawned, only just realizing how tired he was from his travels. "Believe me, if this goes how I have planned it then it will be I who must repay you." Willem was not usually one to put his trust in other people when he needed something done, save for Alyana. Then again he had never had such a tall task placed in front of him before. It would have been a little easier were it not for the fact that all of his former allies still held favor with the crown, regardless of whether they liked their new king or not.

Finally turning back to face his first recruit, Willem sighed with uncertainty, both for how helpful Saera might actually be as well as for what was in store for both of their futures. "We will leave at dawn. I suggest you pack lightly and get a good night's rest. Don't bother showing me to a bed. I prefer a nice hard floor. It's what I'm used to." With that he left the kitchen and meandered into a small room consisting of very little furniture. It would do. But he did not look for sleep right away. Instead he stared for an unknown amount of time out the window into the night. The forest he recently trekked through could be seen in the distance, and the sky was no longer an evening shade of blue, but a pitch blackness. Everything was about to change, either for better or for worse.
 
As Willem headed off to sleep Saera remained in the kitchen cleaning up from the late dinner, washing the bowls and mugs, preparing the remaining stew so it would be protected until it was ready to heat it up tomorrow and put everything back in its place. The unused remains of the vegetables for the stew she went back outside with to throw it on the compost before finally returning to her room to pack and sleep a few hours, stopping only to grab a few days worth of food from the pantry. It was already late and during most normal days she was often already asleep by now, not until now had she noticed how tired she was after the day's work and also from all that had happened during the relatively short time since evening had fallen.

Her mind was still spinning with everything she had learned so far and despite feeling certain that her choice was the right one for her she still felt tendrils of guilt in her conviction. While it was true she'd eventually leave her home whatever was decided it didn't feel entirely fair to leave without saying anything, her parents would probably return early but surely not at dawn, more likely late morning which wouldn't give her an option of meeting them. But what bothered her more was that she was torn between relief of not having to encounter her parents face to face to tell them she was leaving and the guilt of leaving only a letter behind to tell them what she had decided to do.

They couldn't exactly forbid her and order her to stay, she was an adult and didn't need to do as her parents said but it would still hurt to hear them refuse even if their main reason for their protest most likely would be concern for her safety, both from dangers and the superior attitude humans held against elves in general. But she was spared from a decision since Willem wanted them to leave at dawn so she would have to either leave a letter or nothing at all and that made it easier to sit down by her small table with a blank paper. She wasn't the best at writing since she had never attended any sort of real school, instead she had learned how to read and write by her mother but the knowledge wasn't often used and tended to be a bit rusty.

Not the best at expressing her feelings, and certainly not on paper, Saera still managed to finish the letter quite quickly, leaving it beside her bed as she proceeded to pack a few things. Using a simple bag she'd made herself with available fabric she did as Willem instructed and ignored anything that she wouldn't be able to use in someway, lastly putting in a warm cloak before closing the simple flap and lying down on the small bed. Despite feeling tired and being convinced she was too restless to actually fall asleep it didn't take long for her to slip off into sleep.

At first she wasn't aware of what woke her, it was still dark in the room, a faint light barely visible at the horizon through the window but it was not dawn yet which was normally the time she was expected to rise and start the day. Lying still she strained her ears to try and see what woke her, shivering slightly as the chill of the night still lingered in the room, the events of yesterday came back to her as she listened. The sound of horses snapped her wide awake however, horses was not that common here and the humans who used them would never visit the farms this early. With the sounds of horses and the creaking of leather tack came the sound of hushed voices and the soft sound of several people dismounting their steeds. Out of her bed in an instant she grabbed her bag and slung it across her shoulders as she hurried into the hall. "Willem," she called out, voice hushed to not alert anyone outside. Slowing her steps to see where the man was, a bad feeling in her gut without really knowing if there really was a threat, perhaps it was just an unlikely coincidence to get more visitors in one night than they normally got in half a year.
 
The occasional sound of Saera bustling about the house to clean up and pack her items sounded from outside of the room Willem found himself resting in. She had been more than hospitable so far. It would be a lt more difficult for him to return the favor on a path ridden with danger and uncertainty. But she had agreed to this voluntarily, though Willem would be the first to admit that he had planted the idea in her head the moment he realized she might be useful. He ought to have more of a guilty conscience for that, but at the same time he almost wanted to do it for her own sake. He could not imagine spending his entire life on a farm with no adventures and no mysteries to explore. It sounded no different than being kept in a prison, except the food was probably much better and the people inside wouldn't stink as much.

Laying down on the hard floor, Willem attempted to let his thoughts fade into his subconscious. But he had very little luck at first. His mind was focused on the task ahead, and every way it could go wrong filled his head until he thought it might burst. He could be captured and tortured in a dungeon for his treason. Saera could lose her life because of some error on his part. A war would devastate the entire kingdom. Willem would be remembered as one of the most infamous men to ever wear the medallion that he so willfully tried to embrace. History is written by the victors, and if he failed then Willem and Alyana would be forever remembered as the traitors that tarnished the names of the Twin Warriors.

Willem was awake well before dawn, as per his usual morning schedule. Outside it was still quite dark, but the sun was likely to peak over the horizon before long. The floor was actually more comfortable than he had expected, though that could have been due to the fact that his body was used to dirt and rocks lying beneath it. It was the best sleep he had in weeks despite the restless thoughts that had filled his mind the night before. He would let Saera sleep for a little while longer. There was still time before they had to leave, and he could use that extra time to get in a few practice swings. Practicing in the dark was a favortie training method of his. It forced him to feel the movements rather than see them, for the eyes were not always trustworthy.

Outside the air was cool and welcoming. The grasp of steel in his hands felt good. The blade whistled through the air as it cut the spaces in front of him in arrays that would look far more brilliant in the sunlight. He wondered how long it would take before Saera was ready for a proper sparring match. Was she a quick learner? Only time would tell with her, but Willem was not always the most patient man.

His brief practice came to an end when the sound of hooves hitting the dirt sounded from the north on the other side of the small farmhouse. He peaked around the corner, hoping for a clue that might help him discern who was approaching. It was still too dark to make out much, but Willem knew the royal crest when he saw it, even in such poor lighting. There looked to be about five or six soldiers on horseback headed their way, no doubt looking for him. He kept himself hidden, hoping that Saera was awake and ready to go now.

The sound of the hooves stopped and a voice sounded. "I don't know if they're awake yet, but they're elves. We'll wake them up. I want answers and I want them now. Find out if they've seen that traitor and if he's gone by here. Well don't stand there gawking, get to it!" The sounds of men dismounting and armor clinking around echoed as the men approached and then opened the front door. The leader's voice was unfamiliar to Willem, but it did not sound the least bit friendly. He held his breath and prayed that Saera was awake and had the sense to use the backdoor.
 
Sneaking throught the dark house, where the faint, grey light of pre dawn was the only light source that fell in through the small windows Saera grew more tense by the minute. It was too quiet in the house, even her sharp hearing could not pick up a second person in any room, and outside the people were speaking as they dismounted the horses, the sound of metal hitting metal were big hints that these were not normal people coming to inspect a farm, no humans around here wore armor made of metal, if they wore any at all it was most likely just sturdy leather. The deep voice giving orders didn't exactly spread confidence and trust in Saera and she was not eager to meet these humans, especially as she would have to outright lie to them if they found her.

Hiding a fugitive was not a petty crime, especially not when it came to a fugitive of such importance, and Saera was certain that her status as an elf would only make it all worse. Besides she didn't feel particularly inclined to help humans not to mention her intention to leave the farm today would be stopped, maybe not forever depending on her actions now but she'd loose the help she would otherwise gain from Willem. Standing just by the doorway into the main room Saera heard the door being pushed open heavy footfalls against the wooden floor singaled that these people didn't feel the need to bother with being curteous enough to knock.

Curiosity getting the better of her she peaked out into the main room to see who they were, her dark hair and muted clothes helping her to blend in with the shadows, the men who entered were soldiers, even though she held little knowledge about the royal family she recognized the royal crest embroidered on their clothing and she quickly dodged back out of view. Turning arund and walking on light feet towards the old door at the end of the hallway she struggled to open it without making a sound, in a more luxurious home that door would most likely have led to a nicely furnished veranda but here it simply led out to the backyard. The small fields of homegrown vegetables and the fruit trees greeting her as the door swung open, creaking loudly in the quiet morning as it did so and she heard voices from inside the house and footsteps hurrying after her.

Ignoring the voices she closed the door and put the hasp on to delay them, a look around the seemingly empty side of the house revealed Willem already outside, she had expected as much since the house was empty but she had had no idea of where he had been or if he knew about the men out front. "I take it you know about the soldiers?" She said, both a question and a statement, even if he had not noticed them from the start he must have heard them by now. "They saw me, or heard me, I don't know which," she said, almost needlessely since someone were forcibly trying to open the door, it didn't work but it wouldn't take much pressure to break it open, or they could simply go around the house instead of struggling with a door. "There's no where to go where they wont see us though so where do we go?" All around fields spread out only broken by a river snaking through and the forest from where Willem had first come, but the flat ground offered no cover to avoid being seen and Saera felt a lot more vulnerable than Willem probably did since she had nothing to defend herself with, unless slamming her bag in someone's head counted.
 
They were in the house now, and Willem was suddenly aware of what they might do if they found Saera alone. He had to go back in and help her. There was no way she was ever going to be able to fight off even one of them, let alone six. Luckily she stumbled out of the back door in a hurry and he sighed with relief. But he could hear their shouts and steps coming after her as the door slammed shut behind her. So much for getting out unnoticed. They would have to make a stand here and either convince them to turn away or fight. Willem had a pretty good idea of which one it was going to come down to.

She was right in her assessment. They would not be able to run from this because of how open the field was. But they were here for him, not her. He could at least fend them off while she got away or hid somewhere. He quickly grabbed her by the arm and forced her behind him. "Get out of sight, quickly! No matter what happens, stay out of sight. They won't hesitate to kill you if they find out you were harboring a fugitive." Before she could get out of sight, however, the back door flung open and four of the soldiers appeared before them. The other two shuffled into sight from the other side of the house. Nothing was going right this time. And judging by their expressions they were not prepared to take him back to the capital alive.

"It's about time we found you, Willem. You've given us more than few headaches along the way," the captain grunted with resentment, eyeing him coldly, not even sparing a glance at Saera. The face of the captain, even in the dark, was somewhat familiar to Willem. He had never spoken to this man as far as he knew, but he had likely crossed paths with him more than once in the capital. He did not look especially terrifying, but he could not have been named the leader of their unit for nothing.

"I have a knack for evading capture. Ask your joke of a king how many headaches I've given him," Willem retorted with a smirk. The captain drew his sword, as did the others. Willem brandished his own blade, ready for them to strike. "I know," the captain stated firmly. "That's why we won't be taking you back with us. All we want is that medallion around your neck. And since you won't give it to us we'll just have to take it from you." Willem's grin widened with amusement. "Give me a challenge then." They needed no second coercion, and all six men converged on him in an instant. The darkness was almost an advantage for him since no matter who he hit it was certain to be an enemy as long as Saera stayed out of the way.
 
Before she had a chance to move away as instructed the soldiers broke through the door and for a moment Saera felt like giving them an earful for destrying someone else's property. Of course that was hardly the thing to care about at the moment with four soldiers setting their sights on them, or rather on Willem, with the remaining two guards appearing from around the house. All in all there were six large men between them and freedom. Her view of them was perhaps not entirely correct though, to her all of them looked large but by human standards they were most likely quite normal albeit well trained. Luckily none of them seemed to care much about her at the moment and she didn't mind, as an elf, and untrained in any form of fighting, she felt rather vulnerable standing there in the half dark without anything to defend herself with.

Inching backwards to keep out of the way, both from the soldiers but also Willem, in the dark even the grey light of dawn didn't help much when it came to seeing details, especially when caught in a fight. Her back meeting the solid wall of the small tool shed Saera tried to melt into the wall as much as she could all the while keeping her eyes locked on the men fighting. It was captivating in a way, the swords sang as they danced through the air and clashed against each other, brutal and life threatening it may be but it was still hard to look away.

Six men against one seemed like overwhelming odds but from what she could see Willem wasn't loosing, at least not instantly, his words from earlier that he could handle quite a few attackers on his own apparently held some truth. These soldiers couldn't be useless if they were sent after a one of the Twin Warriors and yet they were not having an easy time, to her untrained eyes though the battle went well as long as Willem didn't die so she wasn't much of a judge.

Her tries to remain invisible wasn't working though as one soldier broke off from the group, forced off by Willem, at least that was Saera's guess since it was hard to see any details, her sharp hearing didn't help much with seeing any better in the early morning. Before he could join in the fight again his eyes fell on Saera and faster than she though possible with the armour on he closed in on her. Already pressed against the wooden shed Saera threw herself to the ground just in time to avoid the gleaming blade aimed for her neck, it lodged in the wood and Saera could her how tools in the shed were thrown to the round by the impact.

Fumbling around with her hands without letting the soldier out of her sight Saera's finger closed around a familiar shape, the wooden handle of a sickle that must have fallen close to the door. Slowly pulling the sickle out through the partially open shed door Saera closed her fingers tightly around the handle, she had used the tool many times but that had been when she cut grass or crops not towards humans. But the soldier didn't seem interested in talking over the situation and at the moment Saera for once didn't think she could form any words something she otherwise had no problems with.

The soldier apparently didn't see her as much of a threat because he didn't move as quickly as he probably would do near someone like Willem or anyone with combat skills and Saera both looked and felt very vulnerable where she sat on the ground. As the blade swung down towards her again Saera used her small stature to throw herself out of the way once more, only a second too late and she could feel the cold blade ripping through her shirt and opening a cut on her arm. As soon as she got to her feet she put all her power behind her as she slashed with the sickle, the curved blade carved deep into his upper thigh, earning a grunt of pain and anger from the soldier, a sign of amazing control since the sharp blade opened a wde wound as it sank into the leg.

The feeling of steel sinking into flesh and warm blood pouring out was such a disturbing feeling that Saera let go of the sickle instead of pulling it ot again, stumbling to her feet she backed away, left hand clasped over her own wound. Willem's battle with the remaining five guards was forgotten, her only focus was on the wounded guard, she was now weaponless and had the very angry, if somewhat crippled, soldier between her and the toolshed.
 
The first man to reach Willem was obviously a brash youngster who was eager to make a name for himself. What better way to alert the world to his presence than to be among the few men to slay one of the legendary Twin Warriors? Unfortunately for him some things were easier said than done. The youngster charged him full speed, wielding his blade above his head while screaming for blood like a madman. He did the obvious thing by bringing the greatsword down as hard as he could, hoping to split Willem in half with a single stroke. It was an easy side-step for him, and he gracefully licked the man's neck with the tip of his blade. The cut would not kill him, but it certainly caught him off guard and was deep enough to cause him to buckle in pain. One down for now.

The others were a little more cautious in their approach. Three of them looped around to get behind him, forming a circle to close him in. The only problem with their strategy was that no one wanted to be the first to attack him. This was a perfect opening. Letting them make the move first would leave him far too open for a secondary man to take advantage of his dropped defenses. But an attack by him would take them all by surprise. So he pounced at the captain with a swift blow. It took the man off guard, but he managed to parry it away in time. Willem used the opening to break free of the circle and engage the next man in combat. He was obviously not ready for the attack and managed to hold off a few blows before he felt the cold bite of steel penetrate his stomach.

Two more attempted to double team him with the others closing in fast. Though they were more protected with their armor, they were also much slower than him. Willem dodged the first couple of swings and parried away another before taking a shot himself. It glanced away as the captain moved to let the blade strike the armor covering his shoulder. Now the other two were on him as well, and Willem felt the combined force of them taking a toll now. He quickly back-pedaled away to give himself some breathing room. He made a decision to let the the next one come to him this time. And so he did, followed closely by his comrades. Willem parried the first blow out of the way, then ducked as another soldier swung for his head. The blade missed its target by a hair's breath and instead found one of the other soldiers. The man who swung looked horror stricken, and Willem made sure he did not get a second chance. He stabbed the fool squarely in the chest and immediately spun around to avoid the strikes of the captain and his last remaining man.

Unfortunately Willem made the mistake of not completely ending the first soldier to charge him. The youngster had spotted Saera and was now pursuing her. He huffed with anger and darted after the coward with the other two hot on his heels. She had already managed to wound him, judging by the sickle embedded in his leg. He was prepared to cut her to pieces, but Willem arrived on the scene in a hurry, lopping the man's head off with a single stroke. He met Saera's eyes for a split second. She was hurt, but that would have to wait for the moment. "Get inside the shed!" He spun around to face the other two, though less than a moment too late. The captain's blade swept downward and opened a large gash on the right side of Willem's chest. He cursed at himself for leaving himself open like that and groaned in pain. The last two men wasted no time and were once again on the offensive, throwing blows at him with all their might.
 
Saera frooze up as the guard advanced towards her again, apparently not too hindered by his wound but instead he looked thoroughly pissed. Perhaps it hurt just a bit more in his pride that he was wounded by an elf, a female one at that, it surely wasn't something the guards experienced all that often. Then, as if she wasn't rattled enough the young soldier was cut down, one second he was charging and in the next his head tumbled to the ground without its body. Eyes wide Saera looked up from the headless body and met Willem's eyes, she heard his words but she reacted slowly as she looked back down to the dead guard, she had not imagined she would be this affected by death and violence.

Avoiding the body she started to make her way to the shed, not that the small wooden shed appeared very comforting at the moment, it was small and dark with not other way in but the single door. If one of the remaining soldiers made it past Willem she would be trapped as if the shed was nice little cage, of course it would make more sense for them to kill Willem first and then go after her but either way she would be trapped with no way to escape.

Before she reached the shed door she saw the captain wound Willem and she was no expert but a wound like that must be a hinderance, considering her own wound hurt like hell and that was only in the arm, her non dominant side no less. Biting her lip in indecision Saera hesitated, she wanted to help, especially since there now were two against one wounded but what could she do. Even if she found something to use how would she get close enough to be of help without getting in the way?

In the end she gave into the voice that told her to not be complete fool, even if she felt like helping and hated being helpless she would most likely not succeed and even if she did it would be luck. She had only managed to hit the guard because he got his sword stuck and perhaps because he underestimated her a little. Against two focused soldiers she would certainly not be able to get even a lucky hit in. Although that didn't mean she was going to stand defenseless. The shed had a myriad of farming tools, many with sharp edges, so even if Willem lost she would stand a chance, a small one anyway.
 
Willem was distracted by two things as he attempted to hold his own against the two remaining royalists. The first was obviously the immense pain radiating from his chest where the captain's blade had struck him. The second was the young elf standing by the shed who seemed to want more than anything to feel useful. Willem prayed, something he was not one to do very often, that she would let her better judgement guide her actions this time. He admired the fact that she was prepared to help, but there was a great difference between bravery and stupidity. If she attempted to attack now things would only get worse.

Luckily Saera was inside the shed before anything else could happen, leaving Willem to focus all of his attention on the fight. His chest was in pain, and now it was radiating to his right arm. That was his dominant limb, meaning the fight we become more and more painful if he continued to let it drag on, not to mention the blood loss form such a large gash. So he doubled his efforts as best he could, parrying and dodging, knowing that he was likely to tire out well before either of them. But he knew he had the skill advantage on his side. All he had to do was outsmart them and this would be over in a snap. He may be hurt, but it would take more than a single injury to take down one of the Twin Warriors.

The captain lunged at Willem, aiming a stab at his neck. It was obviously a decoy, as the other soldier made to swing for where he expected Willem to move. So instead of side-stepping, Willem ducked under the blow and rolled to his left. His chest screamed in protest but he ignored the pain as best he could. Getting himself upright as quickly as he could and swiping at the captain's leg. The hit was blocked, but Willem felt the tip of it cut flesh and noticed the slightest flinch on his opponent't face. The other soldier stepped forward and attempted to aim at Willem's injury. Predictable. It was an easy parry, and Willem knocked the man's sword from his hand. The poor fool had no time to react, as Willem's steel was protruding from his back in less than a second.

Only the the captain remained, and he was clearly not one to back down despite being outmatched. He was a young and brash, and that gave Willem the advantage. A more seasoned veteran would attempt to avoid and evade for a while and let the blood loss run its course. But he was not a seasoned veteran, so of course he went straight into attack mode. From there it was a simple method of letting him swing himself into a hole, which he eventually did. Making a desperation swing for Willem's head, the captain left his midsection wide open. Willem went for the opening and gave him a similar gash to the one he was given earlier. The sudden gush of blood caught him by surprise, and it was all Willem needed to see before he lopped his head off with a clean swing.

With the fight over, Willem grasped as his chest and doubled over to catch his breath before dragging himself to the shed. He banged on the door twice and called inside. "Saera. It's over. It's safe." He then slumped onto the ground, his back leaning against the wooden walls and his hand lying over his chest, trying to slow the bleeding.
 
Saera having made her decision to be logical and stay in the shed was not putting her mind more at ease, instead she grew more anxious since she couldn't see what happened anymore. Of course there was the crack in the wall where the soldier had run his blade through trying to hit her but she had already tried that and it didn't work. Sure she could see a bit of the outside, the grassy ground growing brighter as the sun slowly climbed higher above the forest but the opening was to small to actually see anything that wasn't straight in front of the shed so she was left in the dark, literally and figuratively speaking.

All she had to go by was the sounds and it was not easy for a person with zero battle experience to figure out how a battle was going judging by grunts, movement that was muted by the grass and the ringing of steel against steel. So she was stuck knowing nothing all the while wondering if Willem would call out it was safe or if a soldier would open the door ready to swat away whatever farming tool she held and run her through with a sword. And for someone who's only way of making time pass faster when working Saera was daydreaming she had plenty of imagination to plan out several gruesome outcomes that this could have, some more positive sure but not that many since she'd last seen Willem wounded fighting two remaining soldiers.

Going by all the rumours and the legends of past warriors the Twin Warriors were nothing to scoff at but Saera couldn't help but wonder ho much a single one could handle when wounded, besides living so far from any bigger town she had little insight in how much was exaggerated and what was truth when it came to the warriors and their skills. A banging on the door snapped her out of her thoughts, her heart sped up before she had time to register Willem's voice, and the fact that one of the soldiers hardly would have knocked first.

Flinging the door open she rushed outside glad to be free, the bodies lying sprawled on the bloody grass clearly spelled out who won although she quckly looked away as her stomach flipped at the sight, maybe she would need a bit more time before she could actually see and deal out death without feeling sick. Avoiding the small battlefield her eyes fell on Willem, sitting slumped against the shed his arms clamped over his chest, dark blood seeping between his fingers, colouring his side red.

"That does not look like a simple cratch," she commented as she crouched down beside him trying in vain to gain an impression of the wound, not so rattled now when the body that bled was still alive. "We must care for that before leaving but that while it could be done here it will be easier in the house." She was far from a trained healer of any sort but working on a farm and some reckless climbing as a child had taught her to care for wounds on herself and others even if she could not fix a serious injury like deep or internal wounds or broken bones. "Can you make it inside for I don't think I can carry you?" Definitely not, but she'd support him if needed or otherwise she would simply have to go and fetch what was needed and bring it back here.
 
Blood was oozing from between his fingers as Willem desperately tried to slow the bleeding. This was the cost of losing focus in a fight for only a second. It could make all the difference between life and death. Luckily he was not out of the water just yet. It may have been a deep gash but Willem had suffered worse injuries in the past. The difference this time was that he did not have the best healers in the capital to assist him. Hopefully Saera new something useful in the art of healing. His own knowledge on the matter was somewhat lacking.

"I can walk," he insisted, though not to certain of himself. "I've experienced much worse pain in the past. And besides, my legs are unharmed for the most part." The most he suffered down there was a bruised leg that came in contact with the captain's armor. Other than that his only significant injury was the gash running along his chest. All he had to do was walk slowly and not let too much blood leak out, although there was quite a bit already doing just that. The tricky part would be getting up. Once he did that he should be able to hobble back into the house without too much of a problem.

Straining audibly, Willem grabbed hold onto one of the loose boards on the shed and pulled himself up. It took a lot more effort that he would have admitted openly, and by the time he was on his feet he was gasping for breath. The sun was peering over the horizon now, lighting up the open area between the forest and the mountains. Somehow the picture of death before them did not look as gruesome with the sunlight shining brightly this dawn. Had he not been mortally injured he might have taken a moment to admire the brilliant color in the sky from the wonderful hue. He also made a note to remember that they would need to hide these bodies somewhere before they left.

Willem then trudged along through the grass towards the house, refusing to let Saera assist him. Instead he insisted that she go on inside and gather the items she needed to treat the wound. That way they would not have to waste time after he was inside. He could walk just fine on his own, albeit rather slowly. But it was enough to get him inside and finally slumped down in the same chair he sat in the night before. He groaned wearily as he listened to Saera bustling about the house to find the items she needed. Willem was actually somewhat impressed. Despite seeing death for the first time she was seemingly unaffected by the bloodshed.
 
Having had her offer to help him inside despite his obvious pain Saera went on ahead to gather what she needed as he'd said but not muttering about men and their stubbornness. Well inside she woke the fire and put on more firewood before she grabbed a bucket and went to fetch water, luckily for Willem the water around these parts were quite clean especially compared to some other places where it was not always safe to drink unless you'd cooked it several times. Heaving the water back inside she saw that Willem had made it to the chair which was a relief, now she didn't have to worry that he had fainted from bloodloss. Filling a pot with water she hung it above the fire and and hurried on to fetch clean rags and the small medicine bag her family owned, it was not much but it had a few things to help slow bleeding, prevent infection and so on all created from herbs and other natural growing ingredients. Her people was skilled with natural healing both from their close bond with nature and the fact that it was free of charge and could be grown in your own backyard or even inside if you had the space.

"If you want there's something to dull the pain I have some herbs to do that once the tea is ready, I could fetch you some strong liquor if you really want it but it may be good to keep your head clear." Her voice was calm as she spoke but if she had not had this serious injury to focus on she would have been a whole lot less calm. Only a combination of not wanting to show weakness and an ability to push anything out of her head and focus on what was important kept her from thinking about the death and violence she'd just witnessed. When the water finally boiled she removed it from the fire and poured part of it in a mug together with a sweet and spicy herbal mix that was both calming and helped ease pain so it could steep while she fixed the wound.

"I'm not a trained healer mind you, but I have seen a good deal of wounds caused by sharp weapons." She said, adding the last part to ensure him she was not completely unskilled. "First of all you need to get that shirt off or I won't be able to do anything, and do you have a spare with you? I could give you one of my father's but those may be a bit small otherwise I can probably fix it later. Once the shirt was off Saera filled a bowl with water that now had cooled down enough to touch and dipped in a rag of cotton before proceeding to clean away the blood and whatever dirt could have made its way into the wound, she tried to be gentle but must still have been painful.

The bleeding didn't fully stop even as she cleaned the wound but she could see it wasn't as deep as she had feared, much thanks to the ribs being in the way of the sword which meant no stitches would be needed compared to a wound in the leg or arm where a sword could cut much deeper. When she felt satisfied that the wound was clean she reached for a jar and smeared on some of the salve on the wound and pressed a dry rag over it. "Can you hold this in place firmly, the salve should work to stop the bleeding but keeping pressure will help a lot." Once he did as she said Saera removed the tea leaves and put the mug in front of Willem after putting in some honey as well. "It's not only to make the tea sweet in case you don't want that but it's actually good for your healing as well." She explained while picking out long cotton rags that could be used as a bandage.

Removing the bloody cloth revealed that the wound still bled but at least it didn't pour out uncontrollably, wiping off as much blood she could Saera smeared out even more salve across the cut, a mixture of honey and various herbs and oils that all helped stem bleeding, ease pain somewhat and somehow kept wounds from getting infected. The long rags she wrapped tightly around his chest and tied together in the front. "A skilled healer might have some things to say about this but you won't die at least." Saera said, washing of her bloody hands as she spoke. "But you are to keep as still as possible and no swinging a sword around for awhile or the wound will just reopen if it even gets time to heal." She ordered, in this case completely ignorant that she technically had no right to order a human around.
 
Willem had not brought a spare shirt with him, which now seemed like a foolish mistake. He attributed that to his own arrogance, not of the mind that he would need one. But he had little trouble removing the one he was already wearing, revealing the gash that was now oozing blood more rapidly than he would have liked to imagine. He was beyond lucky the blade did not chip any bones. Such an injury would take much longer to heal than a normal flesh wound. He also liked to think that his body was used to such injuries and would therefore be much faster in healing itself. But he was not going to pretend to be an expert on the matter of healing.

"There's no need for that," Willem insisted at the suggestion of using liquor to dull the pain. "I've been in far worse pain than this before, and there is no point in wasting time fetching it. Let's just do this and get it over with." She forced him to swallow those words, however, for as the cotton made contact with his wound he felt the need to scream with rage. But he kept himself silent for the most part, allowing a groan or grunt to slip out from time to time. He bit down hard on his own lip when she scraped at the dirt. Obviously Saera was not an expert healer, but for someone who had no real anesthetics to work with it was not a terrible job.

Pressing his hand against the cloth, Willem did as she instructed. It was significantly less painful than the previous process, and the coolness of the salve was a relief to his inflamed skin. He inspected the tea before him and raised an eyebrow. He had never heard anyone mention the concept of using honey as a way to heal more rapidly. It must be some elf lore she believed in. Wither way, he took a small sip, and then another. His senses and state of mind were immediately calmed by the hot liquid. "I don't know if it will help me heal faster, but I have to admit this is a delectable brew." Willem had often taken to drinking wine more than anything, especially in recent months, but for a moment he wondered if tea might be a better option. Then he remembered that tea was not so easily carried on the road as wine.

Saera removed the cloth from his chest, and Willem could see that the blood had already soaked through. But the wound was leaking at a much slower pace now than when he first reentered the house. She repeated the process once again, and there was no doubt it was messy work. But with the few resources that were at her disposal it was a job well done. He felt a little numb from the blood loss but the tea was slowly releaving that as well.

A small chuckle escaped from his mouth as Saera explained that he could not fight. As if that were an option given the number of people that were after him. He supposed he could use his left hand for a while, though he would be significantly worse and far more awkward with the blade in his weaker hand. "I cannot thank you enough," he said with half smile. "It's no professional work but I can certainly make do with not dying." He dared to lift himself off the chair, being sure to keep his right arm as immobile as he could. "We will have to move those bodies out of sight, somewhere in the woods perhaps. Do you have any animals large enough to carry them?"
 
For being her first really big wound, even if it wasn't terribly deep, Saera was quite proud of her work even if it was not close to a skilled healer. "Well, since you saved my life I guess we're even." While talking she rolled up the remaining clean cloth and placed them in the small bag containing the homemade medicine and stuffed it in her bag that she had almost forgetten were still slung over her shoulders. If things so far were any indication it might be a good idea to have some things to treat wounds with during the way.

"Yes, we have a draft horse we can use," Saera nodded in reply to the question. Their farm was small but they had a horse to help with the fields and a few cows to provide milk and occasionally a cow had to be slaughtered to provide meat in rough times. She did not look forward to go out again and see the dead soldiers, it was much easier keeping herself together and ignore the corpses if she didn't see it but the bodies needed to be removed and she would not let Willem do it on his own with his wound.

Putting away the things she had used after cleaning them and throwing the bloody cloths in the trash Saera headed back to the bedrooms, calling to Willem as she went. "I'll be right back." In her parents room she searched through the wardrobe for anything that might work, even if the size difference between elves and humans wasn't huge it was clearly noticable, especially for things like clothes, but she found one that might work for now. "This might do," she said when she stepped back into the kitchen, holding up an off white shirt that was not as small as most elven clothes. "It was my grandfathers and he was a quite round, or well built as he put it, so it's the best I can offer until you get a new shirt or mend the one you have."

Leading the way outside Saera headed towards the barn, it was quite small, just enough for the animals and some tools and equipment but as well cared for as the house. Inside it was warm and pleasant like always, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent she could almost pretend this was a normal day and she was working on her chores but that moment was short lived, the more time that passed the bigger the risk of her parents returning. Stopping by the tack room first, easily finding the simple leather harness in the small, sparcely filled room but left the bridle. By Chawan's stall she quickly put a halter on the large grey dappled gelding and fitted on the oval shaped collar, the back strap and the girth.

It didn't take long and soon she led the gelding outside to the area where they kept the plough and the larger waggon but they also had a simple wodden cart with only two low sides and two wheels. Backing Chawan in between the shafts she fastened them to the harness before leading him over to the dead bodies. The gelding snorted and shook his head nervously at the scent of blood, scraping the ground with a large hoof. "Easy, Chawan," she murmured gently, scratching him under his chin like he loved to calm him. The dappled grey was just above 16 hands high so compared to some other work horses he was not the biggest but he was broad and muscled and very strong if he decided he didn't like something. The simple harness and cart hadn't taken too long to prepare even if the sun was steadily climbing higher but what time this had taken they'd save by being able to take all the bodies at once. "You shouldn't move too much with that wound but if we can just get them on the cart then the work lies with Chawan and you can continue to keep that arm as still as possible."
 
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