Bandit Attack

The next morning, they were woken up by the caravan stopping abruptly.

"Bandits!" Someone screamed, jolting the two awake. They scrambled to get ready, grabbing their weapons and rushing out.

Pell was already there, sword drawn, ready to defend the caravan. Cordain joined him, his own sword at the ready. Illyana prepared her bow, stationing herself on the backline and ready to shoot arrows at any bandit that tried to get close. The two men fought back to back, taking out any enemy that came their way.

Illyana's arrows found their marks, dropping a bandit here and there. The guards and Cordain formed a wall, holding off the onslaught as they slowly advanced, dispatching the bandits.

Cordain pushed onward, confident they were turning the tide of the skirmish and was quickly surrounded by three bandits whom he locked swords with. As they clashed, a bandit from the opposite side of the attack snuck up on Illyana. He had avoided the guards' line of sight and was heading straight towards her.

Illyana fired arrow after arrow, unaware of the impending threat. Her sole focus was on Cordain who was outnumbered as she tried to line up a clear shot against one of the three surrounding him. She drew her bow, steadied her breath, and waited for a clear shot. Little did she know, there was a bandit a mere ten feet from her.

Just as she was about to loose an arrow...

Thwack!

The bandit drew down his sword on the bow, preventing any more of his comrades from being shot. The force of the impact made her fall onto her butt, her bow clattering on the ground. The bandit leered down at her, grinning evilly as he raised his sword again, ready to finish her off.

"Ah." She murmured. In that moment, her life flashed before her eyes. At a mere eighteen, she had so many things she wanted to do. So many more things she wanted to experience with the love of her life. None of those things were ever going to happen now.

...

Kashing!

A heroic figure suddenly stood between her and the blade that was going to take her life. It looked like Cordain, but slightly larger. With a few quick swipes of his sword, the bandit fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

The figure turned around and looked down at her, his chest heaving and his brow sweaty. He had barely made it. If he was just a moment later, Illyana would have been dead. It was Pell. His dark brown eyes met her brilliant green and she felt a rush of emotions she couldn't describe. He was her saviour.

"Th-thank you, Pell. I... I owe you my life." Illyana stuttered, still in shock from what had just happened. She could have died, if not for him.

"Anytime, my lady. Just glad I was here to protect you." He smiled at her, his face flushed with the adrenaline of the battle. He held his hand out to her, helping her up. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you." She dusted herself off, picking up her bow. She felt a bit of a sting on her arm, but otherwise, she was unharmed.

But the battle was not over yet. Five more bandits had broken through their defensive line and Pell was quickly overwhelmed, barely able to deflect the onslaught of swings coming his way. With each step back he took, they got closer to Illyana who could do nothing without her bow. She held her small dagger in front of her, a last ditch effort at survival.

Suddenly, the bandits turned their attention away from Pell. He was confused at first, but when he saw what had caused the distraction, he felt relieved. Cordain had taken out the three he was fighting and had pulled back to help out.

Five bandits was too much for one guard, but two fighters were enough to dispatch the disorganized band. Standing back to back, Cordain and Pell protected each other's blind spot until they slew each and every bandit.

"Phew! Thanks for the save Cordain. Thought I was a goner there. Almost had my head taken off!" Pell joked, breathing heavily.

"Don't mention it. You stepped in when Illyana was in trouble and I couldn't reach her." Cordain clapped him on the back. "I owe you one."

"Nonsense, it's my job after all." Pell shrugged it off, but Cordain could tell he was proud of his heroic act.

"Thank you Pell. And you too babe." Illyana came over to them, her dagger still in hand. She looked between the two men, feeling a sense of gratitude and admiration for both of them.

"Illy! Are you okay? I shouldn't have gone so far. I got carried away." Cordain hugged her, feeling guilty for leaving her side.

"I'm fine, just a scratch. Pell saved me." She showed him her arm where there was a small cut. Cordain winced, feeling responsible for her injury.

"I'm so sorry, Illy. I promise, I won't let that happen again." He kissed her forehead, his heart heavy with guilt.

Pell watched the scene, feeling a bit awkward. "Well, I should get back to my post. The battle seems to be dying down, so I'll leave you two to it."

"Oh, wait Pell. Are you joining us tonight too? We'll knock back a few beers and celebrate our victory. We'd be dead without you. Come on, we insist." Cordain insisted, wanting to repay him for saving Illyana.

"I... Sure. I'll come by later." Pell smiled at them and his eyes lingered on Illyana for a moment before he turned to leave.