A Most Excellent Adventure (Attn: Bella/Natlya)

[Locke]

Terric (who hates us for doing this to him)

Eventually, the two fell asleep in each other’s arms though they had never been further apart. The next morning, they tried to continue business as usual. A good morning kiss, jokes about Terric’s appetite, and even another romp between the sheets. Everything either did seemed off. Too forced and unnatural.

I trust her absolutely, Terric constantly reminded himself as they browsed through shops. Neither Gaidin was particularly interested in the shops or their wears. Terric passed up several vendors selling pies or candied nuts, and he gave the bookseller’s shop barely anymore than a cursory walk through.

With each shop they visited, Terric found his attention constantly sliding towards Natlya Cade. Whenever he saw her standing too close to a display or whenever he couldn’t see her hands, he would remind himself, I trust her absolutely. Still, he couldn’t help but check. By noon, they were holding hands between shops. It was meant to be a gesture of affection and a bridging of gaps, instead Terric did his best to turn a deaf ear on the realization that holding her hand would make it harder for her to steal. Eventually he let go. He had to trust her at her word. The hurt look she turned his way was like a knife to the chest.

She waited near the door at the rest of the shops they visited, holding her hands out where they could be scene. Terric made a determined effort to not even glance in her direction. He would not allow his old prejudices and mistrust to lead him to continue to shame her, or dishonor himself. They returned to their inn with a noticeable distance between them.

[Bella]

They left White Bridge earlier than planned. Every moment seemed to give them less and less reason to stay. As they set out for Four Kings, they touched less and less. They spoke less. Nat began to wonder why she didn’t just leave and return to the Grey Tower. This was proving small pieces of agony, and she didn’t know why they were enduring it.

As he battled the thoughts of his own mind, he withdrew from her. As the distance grew, so did her hurt and so she pulled back from his as well.

She had never experienced such a long stretch of awkwardness and tension as the days after leaving White Bridge. They shared a tent, but not as they had. When she knew he was asleep on one night, she pressed her face into her arms and cried silently until she felt like she had no water left in her body. Until she was as dry as the land he came from.

Why was she so upset? That puzzled her as much as anything, but she couldn’t stop the feeling.

They didn’t even stay long in Four Kings. They settled themselves back up on provisions and inquired as to conditions on the local roads. There were the usual rumors of bandits and trouble, but you found that in every town and on every road between one side of the world to the other. She didn’t give it much mind without better details, and just saw to their supplies.

Natlya all but broke the night back on the road after Four Kings.

They sat around the fire, engaging in the occasional light conversation that had them talking but saying nothing at all. They didn’t sit near one another, and the memory of Baerlon seemed to be trying to wipe itself from her mind. And the fact was, that hurt. More than she thought it should, but she couldn’t change it.

“I can’t take this anymore!” she exclaimed, loudly and suddenly, as she flew to her feet. “This is ridiculous.” She paced around the fire for a moment before she stood in front of him. “Yes, for several years, I lived as a thief. I lied and played games and took things without permission, but what example did I have? And I was good at it. I survived. I won’t apologize for it.

“But I came to the Tower, and I grew up. Ten years, Terric. Ten! I ran away once, but I came back and worked harder than ever. I watched the man I love get slaughtered during the Seanchan attack, but I stayed. I worked. I grew. I changed. I don’t lie now. I don’t steal. Is not ten years enough to prove that?”

She knelt in front of him and held her hands out towards him, wrists together. “If that isn’t enough to believe me, then take me back to Four Kings and throw me before their magistrate. I’ll tell them every misdeed I ever made. A jail cell would be better than this.”

Before he could reply, she pushed herself to her feet and stalked off. Where had all of that come from? Why did she bloody care so much what he thought of her? Yet she did, and their growing distance--while never actively cruel--was cold and it was bothering her more with every breath she took. The fire in her would not be put out, however, and it had just exploded at him. Yet even that hadn’t quenched it, and her feet trod hard on the ground as she stalked towards the road. Where was she going? Not far, but she had to move.

Once she hit the road, she knew that maybe...this hadn’t been her best plan.

She saw people running her way, and they weren’t far as she stepped from the trees. It was very clearly a woman sprinting for all she was worth with three men hot on her heels. The woman spotted Natlya first. The Gaidin went for her sword, and then...realized that she had left it back at camp with Terric.

Blood and bloody ashes, she said to herself, not moving from where she stood.

The woman reached her and almost fell against her, grasping at Nat’s shirt. “Please, help me!” she gasped.

“Get behind me,” was all the Gaidin said, pushing the woman behind her.

The men were close and now noticed Nat as well. They began to slow, but not enough since Nat surged forward to meet them. No defense like a good offensive move…

Two in front and one just behind, but centered. Her eyes quickly took it all in, including their surprised expressions when this little redheaded hellion ran at them instead of away. She stretched her left leg, catching the one on the left and sending him tumbling to the ground right over her. Meanwhile, her right arm straightened and caught the one coming up the middle hard against the chest. He was pushed back a step as she reclaimed her arm, immediately bending it and sending it straight up into the temple of the man to her right.

There was a slight crunching noise and a choked scream as he collapsed where he stood.

Evading his falling body, Nat hurried back a step and flowed into the defensive posture that Dax Gaidin had drilled into her all those years ago. The one from the center had been the least affected and he was the one that came at her now. His right hand flew out in a fist for her face, but again hearkening back to Dax and his class, she caught his fist with her own right hand. She gripped tight and pulled him forward, moving in a half-turn in the process.

She moved fast. The Tower had taught her well. With her hand holding his and keeping him at a disadvantage, she jammed the elbow of her left arm into his stomach. Hard. No moment wasted, she spun back around. Dropping their arms, she punched him straight in the face with her fist and sent him coughing and bleeding back. He almost stumbled over his unconscious friend.

The third one had gotten back up and recovered his wits as she faced him. This one had pulled a dagger, and Nat again cursed herself for not remembering to storm off with her damn sword.

He surged forward and slashed at her in a wide, horizontal sweep that was broadcasted so early she was easily able to duck down and avoid it. His arm still extended, she came up inside his guard and hit his in the gut. She turned hand and punched upward, but the hit was weak at this proximity. He wasn’t very affected and she knew it would be just a moment before the blade came for her, so she did the next best thing.

She knocked her head into his. Stars erupted at the edge of her vision, but they clearly did for him too because he groaned loudly and his arms flailed slightly as he stumbled back.

Blowing out a breath, she didn’t have a full chance to recover that extra numbers of wits before Middle Guy was at her again. He punched out and caught her in the face, busting open her bottom lip. Blood flooded back into her mouth, but instead of crying over spilt bodily fluids, she spat them out full force into the man’s eyes. Momentarily blinded, she lifted her foot and brought the hard heel of her traveling boot down on his foot and jammed the heel of her hand into his throat.

The man spluttered and gagged, choking on his own injured windpipe as he instinctively fell forward. Unfortunately for him, it meant his forehead came into direct contact with her knee coming up with all the considerable strength in her leg. Dead or unconscious, it didn’t matter; he fell on top of his wounded friend.

Then there was one.

The third man no longer had his dagger. She noticed this fact, but didn’t have a lot of time for much else as he surged at her in a blind rage. How dare one little girl beat them up, eh? His hands found their way to her neck before she had a chance to evade him. The fingers wrapped around her throat and she gasped, at the pain and the first hint of losing her breath.

She did not panic. She was a Gaidin of the Grey Tower.

Bringing her hands together, she moved them up and throw the gap between his own arms--you know, the space that was harder to erase while her throat and body were in the way. Instead of grappling with his arms, however, she stretched out and found his face. Her thumbs slid into the corners of her eyes and he screamed. His hands loosened, and she was about to move further when…

...he just stopped, and fell away from her.

Natlya blinked and looked at the prone body. His own dagger was sticking out of his back and she looked up to see the woman they’d been chasing. Her eyes were wild and her whole body heaved with her breathing. Looking at Natlya, her lips trembled. “Thank you.”

Forcing herself not to gasp every breath, Nat just nodded. “Here to serve,” she said. “Let’s get back to my camp and sit a moment…”

[Locke]

Terric

His mouth hung open as she stormed off. This wasn’t her fault. It was his. He knew she wasn’t still a thief. He just… his own history made it hard to say so. He wanted to tell her, shout it at her retreating back maybe, but no. She didn’t need him running after her, forcing her to listen and understand.

Natlya Cade vanished through the trees and Terric was left to bury his head in his hands. What had he done? Baerlon seemed so long ago now. He could think of a million things he could have, no should have, said in White Bridge, but he never did. He leaned back staring up at the stars, contemplating, all the toh he was accumulating. Most of all, he just wanted to see her smile again.

The incongruous sound of screams and fighting tore through the sounds of evening forest. Terric cast his head around looking for the source. The sound were coming from the same direction Natlya Cade had left, and she’d left her sword. He glanced over towards where it was propped. Maybe he could wrap it in a blanket or something. No, no time for that. He grabbed the weapon by its scabbard, trying not to think about what he was doing. Carrying the weapon at arm’s length, Terric dashed off after her.

Back on the main road, Terric found her standing protectively over a woman and surrounded by writing or still forms. He was too late to help, but at least she had managed without her weapon. “Are you ok, Natlya Cade?” he asked, extending the sword pommel first.

[Bella]

The sound of someone coming through the trees, and fast, made both women jump and whirl to the sound. Natlya's hands were up, ready to fight again, until she saw Terric and let out a heavy breath. He looked concerned and had her sword. She glared at the weapon as she took it from him, like it was the weapon's fault she had forgotten it.

She noticed the woman cowering slightly behind her. "It's okay," she reassured her. "He's...a friend." Her hesitation was not lost on her ears, since the "conversation" before she stormed off was also in her mind. She swallowed hard, licking her lip and wincing. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Thank you so much," the woman said to Natlya, no longer behind her. "My town...it's been taken over. These terrible men are trying to control everything. And just..." She wallowed audibly. "Take what they want. I wouldn't obey and I ran and they chased me..." Her whole body started shaking and Nat put her arm around her.

[Locke]

Terric

With the looming prospect of battle, Natlya Cade’s history was far from Terric’s mind. In all actuality, liberating this Wetlander town wasn’t their business, but Terric did not operate in that way. They needed help, and he would go. Turning back towards their camp, Terric said, “If we are going to fight these men, I’ll need my spears. We should also scout out the town as opposed to charging right in like this is some gleeman’s tale.” He flashed a grin back over his shoulder towards his fellow Gaidin. He didn’t even think twice, he knew she would follow.

As they made their way back to camp, Terric’s mind whirled. A fight in unfamiliar territory. He would have to get as much information about numbers and terrain. Then they would go see for themselves. Something else occurred to him. He would finally have a chance to use his fancloak.

[Bella]

Natlya did not argue. She did not resist, nor did she even question it. This was what Gaidin were made for, right? To put an end to evil, whether it be found in Shadow or in the darkness of men's hearts. She had seen the truth of the woman's stories just with the way the pair had "met" already.

As he took off, Nat gestured with her head for the woman to follow. "We are going to need you to tell us everything you can about your town and the men who have made the worst of it."

They would of course be doing their own scouting, but the woman lived there. She had experienced their arrival. The woman would have vital information and she was clearly too happy to tell them, spilling so many words that Nat was almost tempted to stuff a roll of fabric back in there to let the Gaidin catch up with it.

Once they were back in camp, all else was slowly forgotten. She strapped on the weapons she didn't have before, and what armor she had brought. It was light, good for her size and flexibility.

The woman finally finished all that she had to say. She stared at the both of them, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "You're really going to go in there and take them all on? There are more than a dozen men." Her head twisted from side to side, from Natlya to Terric, while those two just look at each other, small smiles and flashing eyes.

"It's what we do," Nat said. "We are Gaidin."

[Locke]

Terric

Back at the camp, the two Gaidin set about preparing for battle as their new charge filled them in about the town. She called herself Milli Sorro, and she’d been a weaver before the bandits came. Since Terric only had to strap on a few weapons, he set about questioning the woman.

“Where did the bandits come from?” he asked as Natlya Cade donned armor.

“I don’t know, good sir,” the weaver said barely holding back tears. “They just came one night and killed Lord Payrone.”

Terric paused, wishing to be comforting but painfully aware that the presence of a large heavily armed man might do more harm than good. Terric at on the ground, gesturing her to sit as well. When she did, he spoke using a more soothing tone. “What did they do next?”

“They took over the town, forced some of the men to join them and the rest of us have to do whatever they want.”

Terric felt a flash of rage as he realized the extent of their plight. Doing his best to keep it out of his voice, he asked, “Where are they staying? In town or are they camped near by?”

“Most are at the old lord’s manor. A few at the Mayor’s house, and the rest spend their nights drinking all of our ale and passing out at the inn,” she said with a disgusted twist to her lips. Quickly, though it was replaced by pleading, “Please, my sister was a servant at the manor. I haven’t seen her since before the bandits came. You will help her right?”

There went his plan of simply putting the manor to the torch. “Yes, We will do what we can. If you can, give me the layout of the town.” He took a stick and began to scratch out an image according to her description and began to formulate a plan. Eventually, Natlya Cade squatted across from him, clad neck to toe in boiled leather with her flame red hair pulled into a functional tail. He tried not to stare, but she looked stunning.

[Bella]

As she knelt before him, preparing to look at the sketch the woman made, she caught Terric staring at her. Her eyes glinted and she smirked slightly, then turned back to the drawing the woman made and the description. "We aren't going to be able to find out much about the men in the tavern, but if they are drinking all the time, they should be easy," Nat commented thoughtfully.

"The brutes are mostly in the manor and some of the lesser ones or village men at the mayor's," Milli supplied.

Okay, so they were only two Gaidin and looking at three locations of issue. They couldn't just burn anyone out since they had civilians to think of. The men stationed at the manor were clearly going to be the biggest threat, so logic suggested they take them out first and she said as much. But went on and asked about the terrain.

Milli swallowed and thought. "It's an open village, no wall. The manor is on a hill and surrounded on three sides by forest, with the small valley below seeing the town itself."

"We should be able to come upon the manor house without being seen then," Nat said. "Come up the hill from whichever side has the thickest trees for cover. Slip into the manor and take out the biggest threat, before they can raise an alarm. Then see to the men in the mayor's house and the tavern." She lifted her gaze to Terric for his thoughts.

[Locke]

Terric

She’d caught him staring, he simply held her gaze. She wasn’t in any way a bad looking woman. Why shouldn’t he stare? He was still listening to her plan. When it was his turn to speak, he said, “I don’t think we should attack the manor first. We’re out numbered if we go there first there’s a better chance that somebody will make a sound or start banging a gong or something to alert reinforcements. Then we’ll have a fight on two sides. The men in the inn are most likely drunk and won’t be much trouble. If we can kill the smaller groups without making too much noise, we’ll do better with the large group.”


He used the tip of his spear to mark potential paths into the town and routes towards objectives. “Have you ever watched a lioness hunt, Natlya Cade?” Terric asked. “They don’t charge into the center of the the herd. They cut off the stragglers.” He drew an X through the inn. “Our best bet is to use the same tactic once we get to the manor. Find out where they sleep, kill them. Sneak up on guards and kill them as well. I don’t doubt we can take any group of them in small fight, but once there are arrows flying in from every direction, skill stops mattering as much. And I’d rather you not take an arrow in your back.” Nothing he said was meant to be a rebuke. He just had much more experience with these sorts of things. He would defer to her in the situations where her experiences made her the expert. He hoped he’d never have to swindle a lordling or something, but there had to be plenty of less shameful uses of her talents.

[Bella]

Frankly, Natlya wasn't keen to take an arrow in the back either. Or for him to. She saw where he was coming from, although didn't entirely agree. Tactics were tactics, but people were people. She felt that where she may have lacked his experience in the former, she may have outpaced him in the latter.

She worried about the drunks getting the cry out and bringing down the manor's better armored and larger group, where as if they struck the manor first, they might be able to sneak through the rooms better...

...or not. Really, it was a roll of the dice on either plan. She didn't think either had a guaranteed clear advantage, so she was willing to go with his thoughts on this one. "My biggest point is the fact that we'll do better if we can keep them confined to the buildings while we fight, since once in the open, then things get harder."

She looked over the scratches in the dirt. "Well, we go after the stragglers together or one to one. We either both go to the inn and then the mayor's house and hope for the best, or try to take them out simultaneously."