Walking Across An Empty Land [Arthur]

[Elsa de la Noue]

It really hadn't been a smart idea to go for a walk in the forest that day. First of all, it hadn't really been necessary for Elsa to leave the safety of Camelot, and second, it was dangerous in the woods. Bandits seemed to enjoy wandering around and ambushing unsuspecting passersby. Elsa should have known not to head into the trees alone that afternoon, but of course, she had not really thought about the consequences until after she was already far past the tree line and into the greenery.

The young woman could have turned back then and probably avoided all the unlucky events that would soon occur, but she figured that she was already partway through her walk anyway, so she might as well continue onwards. That decision was her ultimate mistake, as not a quarter of an hour later she heard a rustling in the bushes and glanced up curiously. No one was there and she couldn't see any animals, but she walked cautiously a few steps forward. That was when someone suddenly jumped in front of her and she shrieked in surprise. A masculine covered her mouth and she struggled against his hold, another man coming up behind her to grab her wrists. She wasn't exactly certain what they wanted with her -- she was a servant girl, without any valuables whatsoever on her -- but she knew that she did not want to be at their mercy.

They tied her hands behind her back and gagged her with a piece of dirty cloth before dragging her to their camp. They didn't tell her any reasons as to why they'd kidnapped her, but she didn't really care what their reasoning was; she just wanted to get away. As soon as the sun began to set and the bandits were cooking their dinner, Elsa realized that she needed to get free as quickly as possible; Camelot was still under attack of the dorochas and that included the forests. She certainly did not want to die any time soon.

Luckily, once they'd reached the camp earlier, the bandits had tied her to a tree, her arms spread wide, with the rope ends bound at her wrists. She was able to shift and rub the bindings against the rough bark of the tree and it was only minutes later that the rope broke from the fraying. With a triumphant smile, Elsa hiked up her skirts and sprinted in the direction of Camelot.

Moments later, she heard the bandits cry out as they realized she had gotten free and Elsa panicked, trying to move faster. She needed to get back to Camelot and find somewhere safe to hide for the night, and being with the ignorant bandits was definitely not safe.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Times in Camelot were extremely unsafe. With the attacks of these faceless creatures, they were losing people every day. It pained Arthur a great deal. The people of Camelot were his responsibility; they looked to him and relied on him for security, safety and protection. Every life lost, was a failure on his part. With his father's worsening condition Arthur knew that he had all but stepped into the role of acting king. So decisions pertaining to the kingdom were for the most part made by him. And of course with the guidance of his uncle, whom he'd truly be lost without. One recent decision -- one that required no thought -- was that until they found a way to permanently destroy these creatures, everyone was able to come to the castle for protection and sanctuary. He would turn no person away. Which was also why he was relieved to hear that Guinevère had stood up for the people in his absence. Each day that passed, she proved herself to be more and more of a perfect queen for this land. But that day was not near. Nor was it the focus of his mind right now. He had ridden out into the woods around sunset.

He knew it was dangerous of course, for these creatures came out in the dark. But with all the people that were traveling to the city from outlying villages and all throughout the kingdom, Arthur had to do a quick search to make sure no one was stranded in the woods. Upon his journey to the village where it had seemed to began, him and the knights discovered that the fire from a torch warned them off. Though did not kill them. It was at least something to buy them a bit of time until they found a more permanent solution. So Arthur rode, a torch in hand, ensuring that there were no lurkers about. He was forced to dismount his horse when he reached a heavily wooded area. Though it was areas such as these that most people were stuck in. The sun was setting quickly and he knew he had to get back to the castle . . . but not until he checked here first. Tying up his horse, and clutching his torch, he walked deeper into the woods. There was a chill in the air but his chainmail and cape provided enough warmth. There was almost an eerie silence . . . one that made Arthur wonder if these creatures also came about unpopulated areas. Probably. For they were slowly taking over the kingdom.

A nearby rustling pulled Arthur out of these thoughts. He immediately drew his sword, holding it up defensively. He knew that a sword was not the weapon to fight these creatures with -- for it seemed that no mortal weapon would kill them. But it was not the creatures he heard. There were other dangers that filled the woods when darkness fell. And he was not about to take any chances. He looked towards the direction of the sound, his steps light and cautious. Not having expected to see a person so soon, the outline of a woman suddenly came into view and as she came closer toward him, the torch gave enough light to see who it was. It was no one that Arthur recognized, but his concern was raised all the same. She looked a bit disheveled, and like she had been running frantically . . . as well as afraid. Was she running from the creatures? That was Arthur's obvious first guess. Arthur stood in her path as if to stop her, putting the torch into the ground so that it was still nearby should he need it. He also put his sword back in between his belt, knowing he would not need it to interact with this young woman.

Once she was directly in front of him, he put his hands on either side of her upper arm as if it calm her. "It's alright. You're safe now," he began with a strong and soothing voice, immediately wanting her to calm herself, enough to breath at least. And to know that she was safe. He was unsure if she would recognize who he was, but she would at least know him to be a knight. Usually, that was enough to convince someone that they were in no danger in their presence. He heard some more movement in the distance and looked over in that direction, not yet seeing anything. Lowering his hands from her arms, he pulled off his cape and draped it around her for warmth. Both physical and from whatever had caused her to be so afraid. "What happened?" He asked, knowing that they did not have a lot of time to talk. He needed to get back to the city, and he had a strong feeling that she was coming with him. Especially since he could not very well leave her out here all by herself. If she was in fact by herself.

[Elsa de la Noue]

The bandits were only growing closer and Elsa wasn't fast enough to outrun them. Despite being a working class young woman and in rather good shape -- and even with her long legs -- they were still faster than she was. She wasn't paying much attention to where she was going, so long as she was heading towards Camelot, and as such didn't see the torchlight ahead or Arthur's silhouette against the swiftly darkening sky.

And so it was with a gasp of surprise and wide eyes that the young woman ran into him, staring up at him in fear. At first she thought he was one of the bandits, but then she realized that he was wearing chainmail and the crest of Camelot. She breathed a sigh of relief and then glanced back in the direction she'd come from. She was out of breath and scared, but there was a knight of Camelot here now! That meant she at least had a decent chance of survival. She'd almost given up before running into him.

"Bandits..." Elsa managed to say, sounding as breathless as she felt and holding the cape tightly around her. "Kidnapped me and I escaped to get back to Camelot... It's not safe at night." Then the men came crashing through the trees and bushes and she jumped, instantly moving behind Arthur for protection and tugging the cape even closer. She hated feeling helpless, but violence and self-defense were not was she was good at.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Bandits? Great. That was the last thing they needed right now. He was not oblivious to the presence of bandits and other criminals that lurked thought he woods and kingdom as a whole. But these past days, bandits were the last thing on his mind. They had a more pressing threat. One that involved immortal faceless creatures that claimed the life of a person upon a single glance. He continued to listen to her as she explained that she had been trying to return to the city before they kidnapped. He didn't even want to imagine what they planned to do with her. It was men like that, who kidnapped young helpless women that he despised. For the thoughts that went along with this, fueled his hatred and intolerance for them. Especially in his kingdom. If only there were a way to eradicate Camelot of such crude and vile men. But right now was not the time to think of such hopes of cleansing the land. The dorrocha was a far more pressing concern. As was her safety. He didn't have time to say anything before the group of men emerged from trees and revealed themselves. Thankfully, the woman instinctively moved behind Arthur without him having to tell her to.

It at least ensured that whether she knew he was the prince or not, her actions were a sign that she trusted him. And he would not do anything to betray that trust she had quickly bestowed in him. Though at the same time, he did not want to fight them. As she had pointed out, it was not safe at night. Were these men really so unaware of what other dangers were in the woods at this hour. He could see the way they were leering at her, and Arthur knew that it would be difficult to convince them, but he had to at least try to explain that this was not the time for this. "It is not safe at this hour," he told them. He was not saying this to intimidate them, for they too did not appear to realize who he really was. Only that he was a knight. "Let her be. You all must find shelter, or return to the city." He may not condone nor approve of their actions and intentions . . . but they were still men. Still within the kingdom's jurisdiction; and for that reason still felt under his responsibility of people he should protect. They only chuckled and drew closer. Arthur eyes the torch he had placed next to him.

It may be easier to fight a potential two front battle if he was not outnumbered, and if these creatures did not just appear out of no where. They came swiftly and at one look, one quick movement . . . took the life of their victim. Arthur could not afford for his concentration to be divided. He pulled out his sword, a sign of preparation for combat, even though he had hoped it wouldn't come to this. As they came closer, Arthur kept his eye on them as he bent down to pick up the torch. He knew it was unfair for him to ask the woman of this, but he needed her help. He needed someone to keep an eye on the surroundings, as these men were clear idiots. He quickly turned and passed her the torch. "Wave this in front of the creatures if you see them," he told her. As this gesture of defense against them was still something that was not known by many. They had only discovered it last night and were only able to tell others in the morning when they returned. So he told her, just in case she did not already know. With that, he turned forward once more. They did not demand the girl, but he could see that they were going to try to claim her from him.

And Arthur was going to make sure that did not happen. He moved one hand behind him to gently hold her and push her back, just in time too as one of the bandits came charing at him. Arthur easily enough blocked the blow, countering it and while the man's attention was on Arthur sword, Arthur balled his hand into a fist and punched him across the face, enough to send him to his feet. He may be outnumbered but there was one thing he had on his side, and that was the fact that bandits were not well trained. Their combat style was sloppy, predictable, and they swung only to kill. It was easily countered, but it was time they did not have. He needed to end this quickly. Though still did not wish to kill them. "This is unnecessary," he told them, but they were not listening. Instead another swung at him and once again, he blocked it, only this one showed a bit more resilience and Arthur found their swords clanging for quite some time before his finally entered the man's chest.

A completely wasted life, but if it meant protecting this woman then so be it. He could not even tell her to make a run for it, out of fear that the creatures were out there. So instead, he kept trying to fight them off. Swinging his sword toward them, the once silent air now filled with the collision of metal; of blade against blade. Arthur did not bother dragging out this fight. His blade eventually claimed the life of all five men, even the who's unconsciousness had not lasted long. He rose to his feet once more, charging toward the prince, only for his sword to force his opponent's out of his hand and then slice his chest. The last of the attackers falling to the ground. Arthur looked at them, taking a moment to catch his breath. It was such an unnecessary fight, for they should have just listened to him. But at least it meant the woman was safe. He turned to look at her, to make sure she was alright. "We need to get back to the city," he said, speaking collectively by using the word 'we', so that she knew she was not alone. "Were you with anyone else?" He asked, wanting to make sure they weren't leaving behind any of her family or friends.

[[ Sorry it got so long!! And that the end is so abrupt! Hahah I just didn't want to make it any longer than I already had!! ]]

[Elsa de la Noue]

Arthur's first words to the bandits made her eyes widen in surprise. Of course, she would never wish death on anyway, even if they had done something horrible, but she had not expected the knight to be as merciful as she would have been. It was a shock to hear that he wanted them to be safe in the city as well. He was definitely not an average knight, but Elsa was glad for that. It would have been hard to watch him kill the bandits without any provocation except her words against them.

The young woman blinked as he handed her the torch, but nodded. She'd heard rumors that fire scared the creatures off; it was obviously true if this knight trusted it to work. With a shaky inhale to try and calm her heart, she held the torch with both hands and watched the area with attentive eyes. As Arthur began to fight the bandits, Elsa did her best to not get distracted -- it was easy to become so when he looked so graceful with a sword -- and keep watch for the dorrocha. It was lucky she managed to do so, too, as she soon spotted movement out of the corner of her eye and heard the deafening shriek of the creature. She leapt forward, brandishing the torch in front of her and the creature quickly dissipated.

Two more of the dorrocha appeared while Arthur was taking care of the bandits. Once he'd finished, Elsa sighed in relief and made a point to not look at the bodies of the dead men. She did not want to see that. At his question, she shook her head. "N-No," she replied. "I was alone. I had only planned on going for a short walk... but the bandits found me." She hung her head, disappointed and ashamed of her own poor decision to go out walking in the woods. "It had been a long day and I wanted to be alone for awhile..." Looking for a job was taxing, she'd quickly discovered, and she'd only been at it for a day or so.

[[ That's okay! Haha! It took me awhile to reply, too, so it's fine. (; ]]

[Arthur Pendragon]

As she spoke, Arthur put his sword back in between his belt and the metal. He then took the torch from her so that she would not be burdened with it. He listened to her response, having been out here . . . alone. It also seemed that she realized the wrong in this, from the way she hung her head and the tone of voice she used. Even further explaining the reasons as to why she was so; because she wanted to be alone. Arthur could understand that feeling. Though obviously, for entirely different reasons. "These are dangerous times," he told her, knowing that she already knew that. But felt the need to remind her. "You should not be out here. Not while these creatures pose a threat." Again, it was nothing that she did not already know. But she could have been one of the many victims that fell under their wrath.

And each life lost by them, made caused more pain in Arthur's heart. Knowing that he was losing people of his kingdom; the people whom he loved and was meant to protect. Arthur looked around, making sure there were no more bandits, nor any more dorroca. "Unfortunately, I can not let you be alone any longer." Though it was true words, it was also meant as a bit of a tease. As she had said that she had come out here to be alone, and now . . . Arthur would certainly be hindering that desire of hers. For he could not just leave her be. "Come with me," he added. "Where do you live?" he asked as he motioned for her to start walking so that he could move alongside her. He would take her back to the city for now, but he was wondering how far away from her home or village she was.

[Elsa de la Noue]

"I know," Elsa replied softly, allowing him to take the torch back. "I wasn't intending on being out any longer than half an hour, but then the bandits came." It was true: she had only planned on walking for a little bit before going back to Camelot and taking refuge in her home with her family for the night. She wasn't daft, despite some people's impressions of her and women in general. Had Arthur not been there, though, she could easily be either severely scarred -- both physically and mentally -- or dead altogether. She owed him her life. "Thank you," she added after a moment. "For saving me."

The young woman smiled a bit at his words. "It's alright," she assured him. "I don't really want to be alone now anyway... Not after what just happened." She quickly began to walk forward, not letting herself get too far from the knight. She was not willing to go very far from him when he was her only protection in these darkening woods. "I live in the city," she answered. "My father, Ambroise de la Noue, owns a bakery there." She luckily wasn't too far from home, then; if she had lived in another village, things would be much worse off. "My name's Elsa," she said in a friendly tone after a moment of silence. "What's yours?"

[Arthur Pendragon]

Her acknowledgment of how she should not be here out in the woods alone was enough for Arthur not to keep pressing the matter. She knew that it was not safe, and all they could be thankful for was that he had come in time. That the bandits hadn't been able to do more harm. He despised thinking what they did with such beautiful women. Knowing that there were people like that who dwelt in his kingdom . . . it was sickening. But alas, it was not something they need concern themselves in the present moment. Not unless they ran into more of them, but Arthur thought that highly unlikely. He did not often encounter two groups of bandits on the same day, unless they were the same ones. When she thanked him, he turned to look at her, giving a bit of a smile. "You're welcome," he responded. "Thank you as well. For ensuring the dorocca stayed away." Because he had not failed to hear the screams of them approaching, and how she waved the fire to send them back. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, having realized he hadn't even asked her about her well being.

"Did they hurt you?" He asked, wondering if there were any physical marks that he had just not seen or attention had been brought to. Getting hurt emotionally was one thing, from the trauma of it . . . but he kept his gaze on her, wanting to ensure that there was no physical harm done on her. She seemed to be walking alright and he didn't see any marks on her face . . . still. It was better to ask. Arthur listened as she began to answer his question, speaking of how she lived in the city. How her father owned a bakery there. "Nearly everyone has come to the castle to claim sanctuary. I will take you there tonight. And tomorrow, will make sure you get back to your family." Unless they were staying in the castle until the attacks were over. For Arthur would not reject a single person who came to seek protection in the walls of the royal palace. "My name's Elsa" Another small smile formed on his lips as she introduced herself, her voice becoming less hesitant and more friendly.

"It is good to meet you Elsa," he said respectfully. Ever since he fell in love with a servant, and knighted non noble men . . . ranks were hardly of any relevance to Arthur. He judged a person on their actions and what was in their heart, rather than what blood ran through their veins. "My name is Arthur," he said, far too casually, as he drew out a nod to her in greeting. His voice was spoken in almost a teasing tone, knowing that he had just given name very informally for a prince. That if she lived in the city, and a man who was wearing the uniform of a knight who just called himself Arthur . . . well, it would not be all too difficult to connect the dots. But he found no need to demand formality from her. As he previously recognized, the line between ranks were blurred. Most referred to him as title out of respect, and even then . . . mostly in public. He would not be bothered with it, nor bother her with it, right now.