Blood and failure.

Darya stumbled getting out of the cart, but she took off running, she was crying and immediately drew attention.

“There’s another one, get her!” shouted a bandit, and Ania took advantage of the opening to attack, Aarni heard a thud, another one, and then the clash of wood on wood.

“Get the other one, we’ll deal with this bitch!” shouted the voice, more anger than mockery now. Aarni was ready and as he heard steps running around the corner to the back of the cart, he launched himself out of the cart and into several bandits. The bandits were caught off guard and fell hard to the ground, Aarni rolled off of them and drew his sword.

“Stand down or be slain.” He said clear and loud, his adrenaline surging as a scene he had played out so many times in his head finally came about. The response was laughter, “You are no match for us, fancy boy, surrender and we’ll let you leave with your life.”

The men were armed with the same type of spears most soldiers used, Aarni stood out with his steel sword, but it also gave him an advantage over their weapons in a small fight like this.

One of the bandits was slowly getting up, and Aarni saw him shift his weight forward to lunge. A swift step back with his left foot and a thrust with his right arm severed a decent amount of the connection between his chest and head.

It was easy, surprisingly easy to cut through the soft tissue of a man’s throat. The blood shooting out and the half-scream, half-gurgle that came from the dying bandit unnerved Aarni. He took a step back, putting more distance between himself and the bandits.

“You’ll regret that!” one yelled as he charged forward.

His lunging stab was inefficient and telegraphed. Aarni stepped sideways, parried and sliced through a good chunk of the man’s wrist and arm as he stepped out of reach.

These men had the basic training of Mnozimar soldiers, Aarni had sparred against men of their level at 12 years old. His anger burned inside him, his own soldiers, turned bandits and slavers. Whatever mistakes had led to this, he would fix right now.

“Careful lads,” one said as they kept distance and fanned out, respecting him as a threat now. The bandit that charged him was not out of the fight, he couldn’t afford to wait till he got back up and he couldn’t let them surround him. There were 3 healthy men, one down, one wounded. The man to his left circled too far away from the others, and Aarni moved, charging for the gap between the other two men. They flinched and went defensive for a moment, their fatal mistake. He turned at the last second toward the outside one, swinging to drive his spear to the side and hitting him square in the chest with his shoulder, knocking him down and allowing Aarni to reset the fight, positioning to put the men in a line with the setting sun behind him, Aarni had the advantage now, he just couldn’t give them time to recover.

He kicked the man he had knocked down in the face while rotating away from the cart, cursing as he realized he was still barefoot. The other two men moved quickly to reach him, and he rotated to keep them from flanking him. When the one in front looked to his ally to tell him to circle the other way Aarni took immediate advantage of the opening, charging forward Aarni attacked twice quickly, first to the inside of his sword arm, cutting into his armpit, and then a follow up that slashed deep into the front of his thigh. The remaining bandit turned and ran as his companion fell, and Aarni let him go. He secured the weapons of the injured men, and went to the cart to get rope to start tying them up, following the procedures of the palace guard that had been drilled into him.

Ania had defeated 3 men herself, and when she saw Aarni with the rope she asked, somewhat crazed, “Where’s Darya?”

Aarni blanched, “What?” His brain almost refused to process her words.

“Darya, where is Darya?” Ania was yelling now, Aarni had never been yelled at like that, no one ever yelled at him.

“She ran that way,” he said pointing, and as soon as he said it he realized, it was the same direction he let the last bandit run.

In his head the unspoken words reverberated, the direction he let the bandit run.

Aarni grabbed his sword and was running, sprinting toward the cluster of trees he saw Darya running to.

His worst fear materialized in front of him when the last of the bandits stepped out from the trees holding Darya, a knife to her throat.

“Stay where ya are, hero.” The man yelled, he was missing teeth, his hair scraggly, one eye red, probably diseased. He was ugly scum, filthy slaver scum, and he had his disgusting filth hands on Darya. Aarni’s adrenaline was pumping, his rage blinding. This filth was touching Darya and it was his fault, she was in danger and it was his fault.

“I’m gon get ma horse, and you gon let me ride out here hero, or I’ll slit her pretty throat and bleed her right ere.”

The man was pulling Darya with him, walking back toward the cart, touching her, threatening her.

“Let her go.” Aarni bellowed.

“I got the knife, hero, I do what I want.”

“Let her go!” He yelled, Aarni was losing control, his rage overpowering any sense he had.

“Don’t be stupid hero, I’ll kill her.”

“You touch her and I’ll carve your flesh off your bones and feed you to rats before I let you die!” Aarni was screaming, spitting his words. The bandit was focused on him, the blade pressing tighter to Darya’s throat.

“Back off hero! I’m gon do it, I’m gon bleed her!”

Aarni just screamed at him, unable to move forward or backward, his mind and heart breaking. Then suddenly, the man was on the ground, the knife out of his hand, Ania standing over him with her staff on his throat.

Aarni walked over, sword in hand, **** in his heart. He raised his blade, the bandit was blubbering “Don hurt me, please, please.”

Aarni stabbed for the man, who dodged as best he could, the sword piercing his ribs, likely puncturing his lung, Aarni pulled the sword out and aimed for his throat.

“Aarni, stop.” Yelled Ania, and she knocked his sword out of his hand with her staff.

Aarni didn’t even flinch, he climbed onto the man, punched him where the blood was coming out of his ribs and started **** him.

Ania tried to push him off the bandit, but Aarni had a strong grip on the man’s neck.

Darya grabbed Aarni’s face.

“Look at me Aarni, I’m safe, it’s okay.” She was stroking his cheek and talking softly to him. “I’m okay Aarni.”

Aarni released his grip; tears were streaming down his face.