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It was obvious he hadn’t recognized her, and Yassia couldn’t even blame him so much. After all, in his memory she was a mere nomad, a simple, rather ragged looking girl he had accidently shot and then treated. Just a passing, rather insignificant acquaintance and by no means comparable to the woman he was speaking to now: in royal surroundings and with an almost regal gown, clean washed and not in the least in pain, cursing in a foreign language. Though, come to think of it, she had a right mind doing just that right now, cursing him to the lowest parts of hell again. Because even if he didn’t recognize her, it was no excuse to treat her like that, with obvious scorn and disdain. Should SHE feel like a culprit in his twisted mind? Was that it? Well, she would show him how wrong he was, oh yes indeed! Even being drunk was no excuse to treat a lady of high status with such outrageous behavior.

He hadn’t seemed quite interested in prolonging this rather annoying encounter, but as she spoke he turned again. Yassia didn’t know if that should make her feel content or even more annoyed. On one hand, she wouldn’t mind talking to him again, as she remembered him to be quite good company - however muddles her memory was by the amount of whiskey they had consumed – but surely not like this! Drunk, insulting and quite impertinently sizing her up!
“Look, I am always on the prowl, my lady,” “If you’re angry that I was more interested in your friend than in you, live with it.”
Yassia gave a little incredulous snort at this rather brazen remark, feeling her temper boil up more and more by the second. “Don’t flatter yourself”, she snapped letting her gaze wander over him rather disdainfully. “You’re not as irresistible as you think. Not in this condition!”

Already she could feel her hands tremble with the effort she had to put into keeping her outward calm. If he made just one more outrageous remark, she would snap.
“Or would you like to fill the void she just left in this little corner? I'd gladly take you,”
And there was it. Yassia could feel the blow these words inflicted to her and how it almost tangibly tore down the walls she had only just been able to hold up. Her eyes widening in shock, she gave him a clear ‘did I just hear you right?!’ look and whispered hoarsly: “How dare you…!”
Before she could stop herself and before he probably had even time to realize what was coming his way, she raised her right hand and struck him hard across the face.

“You’re drunk!” she stated, putting all the contempt she could muster into her voice. “And this time I am not! “
Oddly enough the slap she had just given him did not calm down her raging anger and so even without many conscious thoughts, she raised her hand again.

Yassia usually didn’t like cursing, didn’t like it at all to be precise, as it had just been a firm part of her upbringing to see it as an unnecessary blemish in conversation. Even though her mother had sometimes shook her head at how much courtesy was overvalued in Ailantha, she had taken heed of such things with their children as well, and especially with her daughter, bringing her up to be the role model of the other ladies. Her son, Ramon, had been more of a fighter and as such cursing had come to him more natural, but Yassia remembered how he had always bitten them back in the presence of their parents. Oh, the old times… before the ‘mercenary doom’, when things had still seemed like a fairytale. Was it the sound of her own language being spoken that brought back so many memories of happier times? But she also couldn’t deny that she wasn’t as offended around this particular man cursing. It sounded rather funny, to be honest, and so she gave him another smile instead of chiding him.
”See, now you’re not the only one getting something to last out of this encounter.” With the thing she had got to last she of course meant the scar the wound would most likely leave.

She cocked her head slightly as the man mentioned her mother. Would she in fact be proud of Yassia now? Who could tell. She might be proud she had handled herself so well in the situation, keeping a clear head and all, but she might be disappointed and sad that Yassia had gotten herself into this danger in the first place. But she was dead long since, and sometimes the princess thought that her mother and now her father must shed endless tears up with the stars when they looked down on their daughter having to fight so many battles. It was surely not what they had planned for her. But the stars did not shine down in favour on the Dyfrène dynasty any longer. And it was Yassia’s goal to change that.
”I hope she will be”, she mused, her eyes involuntarily darting up to the sky, searching for the stars that were still to show their glimmering light. “I am very thankful for her endless and sometimes tiring lessons right now.”

He then spoke about his own mother, which made Yassia wonder. Would she still be alive? She dearly hoped it for him, because in her eyes you were never too old to need the guiding and loving hand of a mother sometimes.
”Well, reading is a very useful skill as well!” she commented and gave a firm nod, to show she was not only saying that. “Had I known, then maybe I should have carried a sign in front of me saying: ‘Don’t shoot, I won’t bite’ or something similar.”
Yes she was teasing him yet again. It seemed the only possible outlet for her to deal with what had just happened, without openly blaming him and calling him a trigger-happy bastard. No that would not bode well. She still needed his help after all, and somehow she also didn’t think he deserved a full Yassia-outburst just now. That might come later if at all.

Yassia had expected it to hurt, but in fact, he was very gentle. That was of course due to the fact he used a whole lot of body contact, securing her waist with his arm and all, but the princess knew she was not in any state to complain. But nevertheless, she released her pent-up breath in a hiss when she was finally sitting halfway upright, and had to lean back against him for support. You never knew the part your shoulders had in that until you actually needed them…
”Thank you”, she breathed and closed her eyes for a split second to regain her strength. It must be the bloodloss for her to be so exhausted and airyheaded…and maybe the alcohol as well.

She bit her lips again, but this time not from too much pain but rather from discomfort. Or was it not even so much discomfort and that was what made her uneasy? He was so close to her, touching her in this very intimate way, maybe knowing as well as her what it usually meant for a man to loosen a woman’s lacing. Yassia even could feel his warm breath on her bare skin as he examined the wound and it made her shiver. She should tell him to stop… try on her own… and yet she did not move a limb. Instead, she felt the prominent urge to break the silence that was suddenly mounting between them. And she realized again she didn’t even know the name of the man that was now all but undressing her.
”I am Yassia by the way.”, she whispered, her speech hoarse and a little slurred.

Yassia would have really not expected this man to be so interested in curses in a different language. Was he only being polite, keeping her talking to check if she was truly alright after what they both had just been through? Or was he genuinely interested in such things? And if yes what kind of man did that make him then? Did it even matter? She noticed with amusement how he repeated her words, as if trying to memorize them. He spoke them very well, with an accent of course, lacking the trill Yassia’s people inflicted to consonants, but it was nevertheless quite good!
”Not bad for a freshman in that language”, she lauded him with a wink. “May it come in useful someday.”

Finding it rather nice that he took part of the blame – she knew some people who wouldn’t have, truly! – Yassia gave a little breathy chuckle that sent her wincing once again. Laughing was a bad idea apparently, at least right now.
”Well, my fault to run straight into you as well. Should have chosen another path than coming between arrow and prey. But I guess that’s life… who knows what use it might have in the future?”
Basically though, Yassia did think the path of her stars might have become a bit rattled and confused. Too much bad things had happened to her that didn’t turn out to be useful in any way. It was as if like they had lost the concept of her life and now tried to improvise… and were thoroughly bad at it! Maleeixo les estrelles indeed!

She watched him search for the comfrey and indeed he did not have much trouble finding it after her directions and pointers. The hide of a marten wasn’t that big after all. It might look weird dangling from her waist like a freshly shot piece of prey, but it surely held its perks as well. For one, the hide was sure to not let in much water and so her herbs had survived even her shipwreck without mouldering away. As he held the little pouch and examined it, she saw his gaze flicker to her then to the pouch and back, and suddenly something seemed to dawn on him. His exclamation almost made her chuckle again, but she bit it back for her wound’s sake. Had she felt less rattled, she might have mustered up a sassy and teasing remark like: ‘now you get it!!’, but in all honesty Yassia didn’t feel up to it right now, even though a mischievous glittering lit up her eyes as she spoke.
”Indeed I am. I’ve been trained for years by my mother. Though I never had to treat myself with battle wounds before.”

The worst concerning pain might be over, but other than that Yassia knew a few ordeals were still to come. And one of them was the actual dressing of the wound, which, to make it work properly, had to be preceded by an Undressing of herself. Luckily only partly this time, but it was still so very unseemly. Why did she always have to happen on men when she was in need of help? Was that another way of the stars to mock her? The man – she didn’t even know his name yet, she realized suddenly – had ordered his men away, and then addressed the precarious topic. Despite her firmness just a minute before, Yassia’s heart now started to flutter like the wings of a caged bird. Why had he sent his men away? Was it because he wanted to at least diminish the shame for her, not being looked at by too many eyes or did he have… other motives?
Well, once again she had to rely on someone to be honorable, even though she had not crossed path with too many honorable men before on her journey. But there simply was no other way.

”Sh-sure”, she murmured, slightly avoiding his gaze. Had her voice been a little slurred already? Oh dear… that couldn’t end well. But then she surprisingly also was past caring for that. “I best should sit up for that, yes? Help me up?” she asked, biting her lips in preparation. Would she be able to keep her upper body upright by herself or would he have to steady her? And she could not risk the fabric of her dress being even more torn, she only had this one. That lead to another, very precarious conclusion.
”If… if you undo the lacing at the back a little, it’ll be easier to clear away from my shoulder…”

Apparently close season for Yassia was called off. She really shouldn’t have mentioned any more of the cursing, she should have learned by now that sometimes apologizing brought the focus on the topic more than ever, instead of dismissing it. That was why after all the custom on Ailantha’s court had been as such that if anyone sneezed or coughed or made some other very uncourtly sound, you rather ignored it instead of the culprit apologizing or you yourself wishing him well. Why had she been going on a limb with this? Why did she care so much what this stranger thought of her? They most likely would never cross paths again after all.
Now she had to think about what to say to him. Of course, she could lie and make something up, but right now she didn’t feel much in the condition to fabricate something that was genuine enough to pass as the truth. She would have to swallow the bitter pill. That might teach her to not run her mouth like that in the future…

“Must I?” she sounded rather bedraggled. “I really must ask you not to take offense. But in any way, you were right, l’infern must sound familiar to you. It means hell, and of course hellfire. So… what I was saying was: Curse the stars – it’s a custom where I come from to blame the stars for your fate”, she explained briefly, having had the same question asked before, “and then I said, ‘and curse you, huntsman,…” she blushed again and finished the sentence so lowly it nearly wasn’t audible anymore. “…rot in hell’. Well, if I had had enough reason left I surely would have said something else. That just came out… well, I might have left the first part, because it’s fairly common to say ‘maleeixo les estrelles’ or simply ‘maleeixo’ when something goes wrong… or is not very fortunate.”
Was she really now holding a conversation about cusswords? She couldn’t be in her right mind anymore! Had the whiskey already infected her brain?

And the unease just kept coming!! Now the pain had died down considerably, she could feel his hands on her waist, clumsily fumbling to untie the herb pouch. He apologized, so she trusted him not to grope on purpose, but it was still embarrassing enough as it was. “It’s alright…” she said, her voice raspy again and she hoped it was only because of the screaming and the pain earlier. Once again she found herself in a situation where she had to put her trust in others to behave properly. How long until her luck with that would run out?

She smiled as he seemed not to know what comfrey looked like. She hadn’t expected him to, after all. And as the plant, dried and cut in pieces as it was, would not be very easily distinguished from other greens, she had established an order in her herb bag long ago.
“You actually don’t need to search long. See all those little pouches inside the hide? Take them out and search for the one with the green leather thong tied around it. That’s the one that contains comfrey.” Yassia almost felt like training a student of herb lore, just like her mother had trained her so many years ago. A funny thought to behold, really. The dressing of the wound would be very painful again as she would have to be moved, so Yassia couldn’t help but ask:
“Can I get some more of that throat searing drink of yours?”

It might be morbid to joke around in the face of death. But it might also be the only way of dealing with it. Yassia wasn’t exactly reflecting on what she did, she had been reduced to mere willpower and instinct right now. One step after the other, a clear set path, to not even allow the panic to take its firm, choking grip on her. Bless her dear mother for having brought with her the practical skill of a healer, not thinking it beneath a noblewoman or even a queen to practice herb lore. She had saved many a wounded knight’s life, even though Ailantha had never been much in a warlike state. These injuries had been accidents mostly, born out of folly. Or hunting accidents like this one. Yassia had shown an interest in these kinds of things from an early age, and as much as Ailantha was set on courtly and seemly behavior in general, here no one had stopped her. Though of course she never would have thought that one day her own life would depend on what she had been taught.

“Well, at least you did not only hunt down the wrong creature”, she commented, jerking her head the slightest towards the dead cockatrice. “and it won’t give you half as much trouble as I do right now.” That almost sounded like she should be apologizing for still being alive. Well, in the current circumstances Yassia thought it might be alright to add a little bite to her comments. She was ladylike enough to not curse with the pain, so she needed another outlet.
She realized his discomfort, and even though she could not very well blame him, Yassia had to make sure she could trust him to go through with it. She could not cut the arrow out herself, she depended on his firm and and determination.
“Not getting too squeamish are we?” she asked, her voice showing concern. “I need you to stay strong… because in a few seconds I won’t be anymore.”

The time had come, and Yassia had thought herself as well prepared as she could possibly be, but in the end it could have never been enough. It was one thing to try and imagine pain beyond imagination, it was a completely different thing to feel it.
As soon as the red-hot blade touched the skin of her shoulder, Yassia’s heart seemed to miss a beat. Every muscle of her body contracted and she reared up, fighting against the restraining hands. Even though she had been gritting her teeth hard, she let go a gurgling scream. It was not a high-pitched scream but guttural, almost feral, it seemed to come from the very core of her being. Before she had the chance to recover from the first cut, the second was afflicted. He was working steady and sure, and somewhen later she would feel grateful for his swiftness, but not now. Now she was ready to curse him to the lowest parts of hell.

Which she practically did. “Maleeixo les estrelles i jo et maleeixo, cacador! Podreixin a l'infern!”¹That was it for her resolution to not curse like a tinker.

She had known it would get nasty and she had tried to brace herself for the pain, but that didn’t help Yassia much as they now took hold of the arrow to break of its shaft. It was a good thing one man was holding her shoulder down, because if not she would have reared up in sheer agony and maybe would have caused the arrow to push itself even deeper into her shoulder. Now that would so not be good…
Yassia had bit her lip so hard she now tasted blood, but she couldn’t help the painstricken hiss that escaped her the moment the shaft was broken. For a moment she felt dizzy again, but she forced it back with all her might. If she could not stand through this, she would have even more difficulty with the next step. And that couldn’t be! She was maybe not a warrior and used to feel pain, but she had suffered so much already, had gone through so many ordeals that a simple arrow now would not be her undoing. If anything, she was simply too stubborn to let that happen!

The pain had momentarily numbed all other sensations, so Yassia was a little surprised to find, she hadn’t even noticed the young man taking her knife from it’s sheath on her belt. Well, that also meant he hadn’t lingered there long, which was only fortunate. If anything, he seemed to be honorable, like his companions as well. Not once they had given any comment about having shot a woman or anything like that you might even expect from a bunch of men like them, obviously on a hunting trip. On the contrary, those who were not occupied with saving her immediately, didn’t even seem to take too much notice of her. It reassured Yassia deeply, as it made focusing on her injury all the easier if she did not have to look out for her integrity constantly as well.

Yassia puckered up her face as she heard the man’s even halfway sheepish explanation. Sharp and serrated?! Just her luck apparently! “Ugh, well thanks a lot!” she grumbled, still panting heavily. “When you come you come in style eh?” But she was in no mood now to blame him, that would come later. For now that little jibe would have to do. She took another deep breath of preparation, and then explained: “That is why you have to cut it out… with the flaming knife. It…” she had to gulp a wave of sudden nausea down, “Like this it will cut easier through flesh and it will also cauterize the wound. Scrape the flesh from the barbs if you have to, but rather cut it out than push it through.” Bravely said though the sheer mentioning of scraping flesh made her stomach very queasy. It would hurt enough whithout that. And it would leave nasty scar, depending on how well he worked. But now was not the time to be vain.

The timing seemed perfect. Just as Yassia deemed the white moss must have had enough time to stop the majority of the bloodflow, the other man returned with the knife. Once out of the fire the white-hot color slowly turned to yellow and then to a light orange. Yassia knew that only a very distinctive color of the blade would make it still hot enough to cut with a good effect, but not causing too much internal damage.
”Keep it ready”, she whispered hoarsly, suddenly shivering. It was one thing to inflict this on a patient, it was completely other thing to knowingly be doing this to yourself. “When I say ‘now’ make first a cut to the right and then to the left, as close to the arrowhead as you can get… wait…wait…” the knife turned just the right shade of orange. “NOW!”
Yassia’s hand dug into the leafy ground in preparation.

Cursing her fate would not bring Yassia anywhere, she realized very quickly. She needed to keep her mind free for thinking in clear, straight patterns. No panic nor pity would do her good now. She needed to stay in the here and now, not in the vast land of ‘what might have been’. Oddly enough, the pain helped very much with that. Every time she so much as breathed, a spasm of pain ran through her whole body, starting from her injured shoulder. Rearing up would only cause the arrow to move, and so Yassia tried to stay rooted to the ground for all it was worth, her muscles rigid and cramping from the effort. She didn’t even realize she was trembling now. All the while her mind was running two miles a minute, trying to think of what she could do. This would be so very much better if she had a full room of herbal remedies at hand, but of course she was in the middle of nowhere. She had to do with what she had got.

Yassia may be occupied, but not too occupied not to take in what was going on around her. She was very well aware of the man that was leaning over her, seeming so very desperate and… guilt-stricken? Had it been his arrow hitting her? Oh, she would come back at him for his bad aim later, but now was not the time for that. First things first. Looking at him, a weird sense of déjà-vu overcame the princess. Once before a man had been leaning over her like that, urging her to wake up and stay awake. It had been when she had been washed ashore in Albion after her shipwreck. She had been deadly chilled, but not so much injured, also on the brink of dying. But that was were the similarities ended, truly. Not only was this young man different from Lorcan as night was from day, blond and tanned while Lorcan had been dark and pale, but Yassia also doubted that things would proceed from here as they had with Lorcan…

Another surge of pain ripped her from her walk down memory lane, and she gasped, involuntarily gripping the man’s hand tight. She needed to focus now!!
“White moss”, she breathed out between gritted teeth. “These woods must be crawling with white moss. It stops… the bleeding.” That at least was what her mother had told her. Sadly, even though she had her pouch of first aid herbs with her, made of an intact marten hide, head and all with only the bones and guts having been skillfully removed, white moss was not in her stock, for the simple reason that it only did grow rarely in Ailantha. Her mother had brought this knowledge with her from Albion, but had never really used it in Ailantha. And sadly enough as well, fresh white moss was not nearly as effective as dry one, but they didn’t have time for such inanities.

And then once the bleeding had stopped it was to get really nasty. Even thinking about it now made Yassia want to be sick, but she knew it had to be done. And the sooner the preparation for it started, the better was her chance to survive.
“Please… make a fire… if you can.”

Slowly Yassia forced her rigid muscles to relax a little, even though they were still cramping from the shivers than ran down her spine. The worst was over now, she told herself. She was in a cozy warm hut, she was safe from the chilling cold outside, and she was in the caring hands of a man that had saved her life. Lorcan. The stars must have truly guided his path towards were she had laid on the sand, even though he might not believe in the power the stars had over mankind. Yes, thinking over beliefs might keep her head straight, she was finding her mind to wander down very dangerous paths as of late. And it made her wonder. She had never felt out of line before, was this a part of nearly dying and waking up to a new and confusing world? Was it maybe natural and so she should not worry? Or was there something else to it? Something Yassia didn’t even dare to dwell on in her mind, so she hastily pushed it aside again. But what to focus on instead? There was only Lorcan, and she found that looking at him, his facial expressions and how they changed, was the very same danger she seemed to run from. It was all so very confusing and much to deal with for her poor mind. Maybe it would get better once she had slept. Only that she couldn’t allow herself to sleep yet, she first had to change clothes and maybe get some herbal remedy into her system that would help heal her body while she slept.

She watched him examine the marten pouch and couldn’t help a slightly knowing smile playing around her lips. Some of these herbs must look foreign to him indeed, and as Yassia knew a few things about the herbs of Albion from her mother, she knew they WERE different. Not all, but certainly some. She nodded briefly when he told her he needed direction. That was something that came to her with ease, she could still guide him even though her mind was as exhausted as her body.
”You are right, some of them might seem foreign to you. They come from Ailantha, a kingdom far away on the continent, down southwest. It’s landscape is very different from what I have heard Albion to b-b-be…” another chilling spell washed over her and she had to refrain from talking for a few seconds, before it passed. “So… do you see that little pouch made of green linen inside the marten? It contains little pieces of willow bark. That h-h-helps against fever when you make a tea of it, you know?” She puckered up her face and gave a breathy chuckle that sent her wincing once again with pain. “It tastes like hell, but then… I guess that’s what medicine should do… right? Taste horrible and be effective.”

Now she was truly in her element, and it helped her to stay focused. Just repeating what her mother had taught her so long ago, made it easier to cling to the present and the more important things. But however hard she tried, she couldn’t shut out Lorcan’s presence completely, given she even wanted to. He was right at her side again when another chill took over her body, and his hands seemed to calm it down somewhat. Yassia didn’t know what he was doing, or if he was doing anything at all, but it seemed to help. How peculiar indeed. She didn’t really want to dwell on that fact for long that apparently the moment he touched her, she could keep the chill at bay. Well, maybe it was simply because he was another human being with a considerable body heat himself, so everytime he touched her he gave a little of that heat. It was all a very simple explanation. And it was good to tell herself that it was necessary for him to touch her, so she wouldn’t get tempted to think it was for other reasons. Now THAT would be too confusing indeed! No… it was all because it was necessary, and necissity crowded out the feeling of unseemliness. Right now, she was a patient first and foremost, not a woman… right?

Well, if anything Lorcan could always be trusted to make a smile appear on her face, despite how miserable she felt. She listened to his comment of cursing and found it rather bewitching. He talked about manners. Usually a normal peasant wouldn’t care if he was cursing in the presence of women, but he seemed to care. Did that mean he was more than just a simple fisherman or something similar? But if he was, what had he been doing at this time of day down by the sea? So many questions that every now and again flamed up in Yassia’s mind, and even though they were not her primary concern right now, they still were itching to be answered… someday.
”S-seeing as I don’t have that detailed an image of you, I doubt it could be spoiled, Lorcan”, she said and it even bordered on mild teasing this time. She must definitely feel better somehow if she could find it in herself to joke. “But you are right… it is somehow an excuse. B-because we never like to think it is us that are responsible for our m-mistakes. We couldn’t d-dare to take any more steps forward if we thought about what it could change.”

She had startled Lorcan alright! Her panicky reaction had confused him, Yassia saw that and it made her feel guilty instantly. With growing unease she listened to his blurted out excuse and explanation, desperately trying to make her see his true, honorable intentions. She believed him, and it made her feel shameful for doubting him even for a second. They both had acted out of line, too overwhelmed with something that Yassia didn’t want to waste any more thought on. Seeing him so desperate to redeem himself in her eyes, made it almost impossible to let him speak and her heart broke for him in this very moment. She had pulled the rip cord where it hadn’t even been necessary, and all of this wasn’t his fault, it was entirely hers!
Taking a deep breath of preparation, Yassia mustered all her strength and lifted her hand, putting a gentle finger on Lorcan’s lips like he had done before with her.
“Shhh… shhhh Lorcan”, she whispered and locked his gaze. “You don’t need to apologize. I am the one who has to be sorry. I see now that I have been overreacting, I panicked where I didn’t need to. You are an honorable man and I was wrong to doubt you. Please forgive me, Lorcan, and let me accept your help. I WILL accept it. Not only because I have no other choice, but because I am willing to trust you. Stop fretting… it is all good.”

Had she spoken too much or out of line? Yassia couldn’t really tell, as she had spoken impulsively, in a great need to reassure him. Now she had accepted his help there was no way back, and it somehow caused a slight tingle in her guts as she thought of what might soon come to pass. Shaking her head slowly, she tried to clear her mind. What was the thinking?!
Thankful for the slight distraction, she examined the dresses he had given her to choose from, and her hands slowly ran over the fabric as she took them into consideration. They were of good making, all of them, but not overly decorated, which she liked. They were all more than just acceptable, and even if it should not be her primary concern right now, Yassia felt in the mood to show some fashion sense.
”I’ll take the green one”, she decided finally, tapping it with her finger. “I always loved the color and I’ve been told it matches my eyes.” Immediately she shook her head at herself inwardly. What was she saying, truly! She knew that her eyes were of a mix between brown and seagreen, the two colors intricately weaving into each other, also depending on the light, but that didn’t mean she needed it to be mentioned! Yassia had never been overly vain, so why start now? And there was no one around she wanted to impress, now was there? There was only Lorcan…

Deciding she couldn’t very well postpone it any longer, also for her body’s sake, Yassia looked at Lorcan again and gave a tentative smile. “Alright… let’s get to work, shall we?”
Yes… calling it work was good. It kept too confusing thoughts at bay and coated the whole unseemly action with an air of necissity. Lorcan was nothing but her healing assistant, and she was healer and patient in one… it was all so simple when you told yourself it was. And yet Yassia feared it was not simple at all.

The noises and the laughter was still loud enough for Yassia to hear, but it didn’t drown out another noise that came from some place to her left. A growl. Low, menacing. And totally too close for comfort! Yassia stopped dead and listened with a frantically beating heart. The men to her right a little more in the distance must have heard it to, because their laughter ceased immediately. Oh sweet stars what to do?! Was she really once again running into her doom? Why couldn’t she have listened to the many advices? She should have considered that coming later to Camelot was all the while better than not getting there at all because she was being eaten up by a nasty saurian beast. Congrats Yassia… and welcome to the next tight spot. Sit down and make yourself comfortable, you already know the deal after all… you’re stubborn and it gets you in trouble, now look how you manoeuver yourself out of this one!

The growl might still be some distance off, but when it next came it was definitely closer, moving towards her. In the end, she decided, there was only one option. She could not stand around and wait for it to come, she needed to run! And she best got herself some company now, human, fighting fit company – of course she couldn’t tell if they were, but only lunatics would wander around in such an area unarmed. Lunatics… or stubborn Princesses that was.
So when Yassia set out to run again, this time really trying not to make such a big noise, but by now means knowing how well she was faring with that, she chose the direction she had formerly tried to avoid: towards that group of men and away from the beast, whatever it was. It seemed like the only reasonable thing to do at that moment.

But Yassia had not wasted a single thought about the danger she might be in not from the beast side of this approaching nasty encounter, but from the human side. She didn’t think that she might be an excellent target as well, running as she was: full speed and yet not giving any noise to identify herself as human, to not startle the thing that might be coming towards her in her back. No, Yassia was definitely not at her best today concerning reasonable decisions. But then again, that was her, and it would not be the first time to get her in trouble. And hopefully also not the last.