A scream!

Steelheart raises his head after a moment, and you are about to urge him forward, when a faint scream comes to your ears through the trees!

The sound comes from off the path to your left, where the foliage is too thick to ride through. You instantly slide from Steelheart's back and plunge into the woods, pushing a leafy branch aside and splashing through the stream. You do not hear the scream again, but you can hear the clash of metal upon metal... the sound of swords.

The forest floor is treacherous, with roots and pits and fallen logs to trip you up, but adrenaline has given you the agility of your youth. You bound over the obstacles in your way as surely as a mountain cat, scrambling up and over a rise, where at last you can see the cause of the commotion.

In the small clearing below you, an assailant in a black hood and helm advances upon the Vixen with a dark and deadly blade, driving her back with a series of slashes which are not meant to strike, but rather to frighten her so that she will eventually stumble and fall - leaving her at his mercy. Her own sword is out and she defends herself as best she can, but it is clear that she is unused to the weapon and no match for him.

Never breaking your stride, you run down the slope toward them, then up the stump of a fallen tree which looms over them both. At the top of the stump, you leap high into the air over the black-cloaked swordsman, shouting out to turn his attention to you. Your sword flashes from its scabbard, the Sun gleaming off the polished steel as you raise it over your head in both hands.

The assailant is caught completely by surprise, and raises his hand rather than his sword to block your attack. Your blade comes crashing down upon his wrist with all your strength behind the blow, ringing out against the steel gauntlet which is all that keeps his hand from being severed, and then your full weight lands down upon him and both of you roll together onto the ground. The man yells out in pain, and comes to a halt with his head bashed up against a stone and his forearm bent back at an impossible angle. Before he can try to rise, your boot slams into his chest, pinning him down with your swordpoint at his throat.

"This sword has never drawn blood," you say in a whisper more deadly than any scream. "You do not deserve the honor of being the first to stain its blade, but I will do what I must. Yield now, or take your last breath!"

"I yield!" he cries, his sword dropping from his hand.

"Lady Sylvia, are you hurt?" you ask, not taking your eyes from the man beneath your boot.

"N-no," she replies, her voice shaking.

"That fact has bought you a few more hours of life," you say to her attacker.

"Your Majesty! King Xavier!" You hear Trina's voice coming from behind the ridge.

"Here!" you reply. "Make haste, but do not risk injury to your horse on this ground!"

A moment later, she is at your side, and her blade joins yours at the throat of the man on the ground. "I have him, Sire," she says. "You may attend to Lady Sylvia if you wish."

"One thing first," you say, and you rip the helmet off the injured man - not gently. The face that stares back at you is scarred and bearded, with dark eyes that look up at you in pain but not in fear. "Answer me true, for Lady Trina can see the lie in a man's face and she will know if you are false. Do you work for Lord Velimir?"

The man is silent, and you can tell that he will remain so for the moment.

"In Steelheart's saddlebag is a length of braided silk cord, thin but stronger than a rope four times its girth," you say to Trina. "We will bind his uninjured arm to his side, and you will take him back to the castle and put him in irons. If he goes without resistance, have Master Sanjay Bhandari set and splint the broken arm once he is in his cell; if he struggles or tries to run, let it remain untreated."

"Sire, I cannot leave you here alone -"

You raise a hand to silence her, then stand up to speak quietly in Trina's ear. "I fear that she will run for the woods as soon as she regains her wits," you whisper, indicating the shivering girl who sits a few yards away, holding her knees to her chest. "If she does, she is not only lost to us - she is as good as dead. We cannot let that happen; she is much more than what she seems. I must convince her to return with me of her own will, lest she decide later that she is better off taking her chances on her own. Please, Lady Trina, do as I command; take this man back to the castle, and leave me here. I will follow, and I will be all right."

"Yes, Sire," she says, unable to hide the **** in her voice.

It takes several minutes to tie the man so that he will not escape, and you take the extra precaution of putting a loop of rope around his neck which Lady Trina may pull tight if he tries to run. All the while, you watch the Vixen with one eye, willing her silently to remain still for just a moment longer.

Finally, the black swordsman is bound, and Lady Trina leads him back up the slope like a dog on a leash. She gives you a last, concerned look before disappearing over the ridge, and shortly after you hear the hoofbeats of her horse as she trots away back down the path to the castle.

"Lady Sylvia," you say quietly, approaching her with care. She does not respond, does not seem to hear. You kneel down to look her in the eyes, and when she turns her own eyes up to see you there, she suddenly throws her arms around you and cries into your shoulder. You hold her as close as you can, what with the armor on her arms and shoulders, and let her exhaust her tears.

"I... forgive me, Sire," she sobs softly when at last she is spent.

"You have done nothing that requires forgiveness," you assure her.

"I should not have run," she says quietly. "I know that you have sworn your protection, and I did not doubt your word of honor, but I have had to run from danger all my life... I was not thinking clearly, not at first. Once I was in the woods, I was able to stop and collect myself. I had decided to go back, but then... he came for me." She shudders, and takes in a sobbing breath. "I have faced **** before - I have dodged swords and arrows, evaded men more than twice my size who meant me harm. But when he came after me... the last time I saw that cloak and helm, it was when my home burned. I forgot everything, I became a frightened child again. I felt so helpless!"

"Look at me now," you say to her, and she meets your eyes. "When I came over the ridge, I did not see a helpless child. I saw a woman who had drawn steel against her attacker rather than surrender, even though she knew it was a battle she could not win. I saw you defend yourself with a weapon you had never wielded before, and block at least three of his blows. I saw the bravest woman or man I have ever seen in my life... Liesel."

Her eyes grow wide, and fresh tears well up within them. "No one has called me by my true name for so long... I had almost forgotten what it sounded like."

Her face is very close, her eyes staring directly into yours... and then suddenly, her face is even closer, as she pulls herself up to you and kisses you.