In the Heart of Pernelle

Episode 4 (2)

Theresa sat by the fire as the bandit, now tied to a tree and glaring daggers at the princess, sat on the opposite side. Theresa kept her sword safe, stuck into the ground at her side for easy access. She hardly took her eyes off the girl in front of her.

"Why are you out here?" Theresa asked, to which the girl, who had been forced to introduce herself as Magnes, scrunched her nose in disgust.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She snarled, clearly not in the brightest mood. The princess sighed, eyes rolling about and watching the sky, trying to keep her calm.

"You know," Theresa said, "If you're not going to answer my questions then there isn't  a reason to keep you alive."

Her head lolled to one side to face Magnes threateningly, eyebrow raised. The bandit, however, looked unfazed.

"You couldn't kill me if you tried." She leaned her head back against the trunk of the tree she was tied to, smiling cockily.

"Says the one tied to a tree right now."

The bandit winced at the statement, some sort of relaxed yet weary tone to her voice. "Not for long."

"Yea, sure." Theresa said, turning herself so she could lay down next to the fire, clearly not sensing any danger from the restrained girl. "It's going to be a long night if you don't try to make conversation." 

Magnes chuckled. "What, are you not going to sleep?"

"Not with you around." 

"Oh, So you admit I'm a threat?" 

Theresa sighed, exasperated. "I'll admit that you're probably the most annoying person I've ever met." 

"Huh, guess you've never been to a tavern, then." Magnes smiled to herself, believing she had the one-up on her counterpart. 

Theresa turned to look at the bandit through the flames. "And you have?" 

Magnes simply shrugged, fluttering her eyes with exaggerated innocence. Theresa turned her head back, instead focusing on the stars. 

"Or I could just leave you here." The princess said casually, to which the bandit turned a little with surprise.

"What-" 

"I mean, like I said, there's not a reason to keep you around, and if you believe so much that I won't kill you, this seems like the next best option, does it not?"

"Hold on-"

But Theresa ignored the bandit, nodding to herself with mocking reassurance. "That's not a bad idea at all. What do you think?"

The princess turned to meet eyes with her counterpart, who glared at her, the insulting grin she once wore no longer on her face. Theresa smiled sweetly. 

"That is unless you start complying with my questions."

The bandit sighed and leaned back against the tree once more, closing her eyes in defeat.

"Now, what brought you out here?" 

"Why does it matter?" Magnes shook her head, eyes still closed, clearly not yet willing to give away her secrets, whatever they were. 

"It just does." Theresa whined, growing annoyed that the girl was still stalling. "Stalling only makes me more interested.

"That's not my fault"

"I want to make sure some slave trader isn't hunting you. I have other things to worry about at the moment."

"Well you don't have to worry about that." Magnes said softly, eyes wandering tiredly. Her tone implied that something was amiss with the topic, though Theresa wasn't sure how. The princess scrutinized the bandit.

"Then what should I worry about?" She asked, "People like you aren't usually just out in the middle of the woods after dark for fun."

"You're probably right." Magnes replied, and at first Theresa thought the girl wouldn't say anything else. "But you can rest assured that my past is not a threat to you, my lady."

Theresa bit back her tongue to correct the girl as she continued.

"But how about you? Why is a knight such as yourself out in these woods alone?"

The princess gulped. "That is none of your concern."

"Oh, but you're so insistent to hear my story." She smiled gleefully, chuckling at Theresa's expense.

"Yeah well I'm not the one-"

"Tied to a tree, I know."

It was Theresa's turn to glare, frowning across the fire. Frustrated, she allowed her feet to fall under her and lift her up, yanking her sword from the ground. 

"Well now where are you going?" 

"I need a walk before I lose my temper."

Theresa left Magnes tied to the tree as she made her way further from the fire, sighing to herself. This girl was infuriating, making her only go in circles with no end. She knew she couldn't just let the bandit roam free after the attempt she made on her life, but she was having no fun deciding what to do with her. 

She knew she couldn't bring her back the Queldam, mainly because her father would then realize her absence, if he hadn't already, and punish her with more time spent in her chambers, maybe in the stocks. 

She also didn't want to risk bringing her to the knights for fear of what either party would do to the other. She racked her brain for an answer but found nothing. She had no idea what to do with the girl. 

However, a small part of her felt tempted to just leave her in the forest, tied up for someone else to find her. She wouldn't be responsible for anything that happened to the bandit after that, and she thought she was doing the world a favor that way. But looking back towards the fire, staring at the girl's tired face gazing into the flames, she didn't feel she had it in her to let fate decide. She knew that whether she wanted to or not she'd have a role in whatever happened to the girl, and her conscience yelled at her to help rather than hurt. 

Her torn mind began to ache and Theresa grunted, frustratedly swinging her sword into the brambles of bushes, ending up fixing it into a tree. With a little struggle, she pulled the weapon free and dropped her hands to dangle, a crease in her brow. She had to do something. 

Magnes still sat against the tree, arms tangled in the rope as she tried to grip it and break free, finding it useless. Being stuck with a Lyrian knight wasn't on her to do list, and her heart beat in her chest as she realized that her fate laid in the hands of an insufferable girl younger than her. 

As Theresa came back, Magnes watched her warily, waiting to see what the knight would do. To her surprise, the girl in front of her simply sat down in silence, sticking her sword back into the earth. 

"Done with your little breakdown?" The bandit taunted, but Theresa didn't respond. Her eyes remained planted on Magnes now, expressionless face warm with the reflecting firelight. 

There was no sound except for the living woods, bristling with wind and distant caws of birds and dying bugs. Theresa grabbed her blanket and nudged it over her shoulders, leaning against an opposite tree, though it was clear she had no intention of sleeping that night. Her gaze stayed fixed on the girl in front of her, unsettling to say the least. 

"Well?" Magnes said, trying to sound confident and expectant but coming out as anxious, nervous by the change in the knight's stature. 

"Tomorrow we will ride along to Temes and I will turn you in to the knights stationed there. They'll determine your fate." 

"Temes?" And Theresa nodded in response. 

Magnes heard the girl's resolution, but she didn't want to believe it. Back to Temes? It sounded like a nightmare, as she knew she was no longer welcome. Her jaw tensed as she bit back a retort or a protest, realizing it would fall upon deaf ears. Theresa had already made up her mind, whether Magnes liked it or not. She'd just have to see what came of her in the day, when she had more opportunities to escape the daunting gaze of the girl. 

For now, both glared at each other over the blinding fire, neither wanting to give in to defeat. With a glance up to the moon, it was easy to say that it was going to be a long night.