With Righteous Anger!

Duncan has descended the stairs after you, and when he sees the scene in the cellar, he stifles a gasp of horror. Sir Reginald doesn't seem to notice.

You remove the fur-lined silk cape from your shoulders and approach the unfortunate girl slowly, wrapping it around her as gently as you would for a babe. She doesn't react, continuing to stare down at the ground.

"I say, Your Majesty, is that -" Sir Reginald begins.

"Be silent!" you bark, not looking back at him. Then, to the woman in front of you, you say in a low voice, "Did he or any of his men violate your chastity?"

She remains still for a long moment, then shakes her head very slightly, side to side.

"Your Majesty! I must protest, we would never -"

"Then why is she here like this?" you demand, turning on Reginald with a scowl. "Why do you chain a woman and strip away her clothes and her dignity, unless you intend to yourselves on her? Answer me that!" You lay a hand upon the hilt of your sword, and watch as Reginald's eyes grow wide with sudden terror.

"Y-your Majesty... w-we found her as such, she had no clothes... she was b-bathing in a stream -"

"And you assumed she was the Vixen, not simply a maid having a bath? And you gave her nothing to cover herself? What kind of men are you?"

"She had her bow!" Reginald almost screams. "Her quiver of black-tipped arrows, it was on the bank! She reached it as we approached, and fired a shot which cut my own archer's bowstring! You know the stories, only the Vixen could do that!"

"Release her," you say to the guard. "At once, man! Unlock those chains, or by my crown, you will be the next to wear them!"

The guard scrambles to obey. Sir Reginald cringes back against the wall, looking as though he is about to cry. "But... she is a thief... the most wanted criminal in the Kingdom..."

"She is a maid who was taking a bath," you growl at him, "and she defended herself against armed men who attacked her while she was naked and helpless, and she would have been well within her rights to send her arrows into your eye sockets! Furthermore, even if this woman IS the Vixen, she remains a citizen of MY kingdom, and I will not have her treated so despicably. Lord Duncan," you say to your advisor, "Please help her up the steps, and have her ride Steelheart back to the castle. I will borrow a mount from the Sultan. Take the path through the wood, and keep her face covered; I will not have her shamed! Once there, take her to..." you hesitate for a moment. "Take her to Valerie's chamber, so that she may bathe and dress. Tell Valerie everything, but speak nothing to anyone else of this! As for you," you continue, turning back to Reginald, "you had best not speak of this either, and keep your men quiet. As you are no doubt aware, I was a commoner once, and that means I hear the whispers and rumors that spread among them. If I hear such about what has happened here today, I will know their source... and I promise you, you WILL pay dearly for tarnishing this young lady's honor."

Sir Reginald blubbers incoherently, nodding his head.

The guard has finally made his shaking hands work on the lock, and the chains slither out of the manacles and drop to a heap on the floor. You return to the woman and remove the bolt from her irons, dropping them next to the chains.

"Thank you," she says in a whisper only you can hear.

You help her to rise, and turn her over to Duncan, who assists her up the steps. As you pass by Sir Reginald, he starts to speak, but you silence him with a single glare and then leave him in the cellar.