The Knight She Fell For

Chapter 1

Melina

I had been walking for hours on end. Looking for a new place to stay, a place with food and water. The cave I had stayed in for the past month had been the most comfortable place I had slept in since I had left home but I didn't want to stay in one place for too long afraid that someone would find me.

I had avoided the bigger villages and towns and had found shelter in mostly caves and abandoned huts. So now I was walking through the forest trying to enjoy the beautiful colours of the autumn leaves.

I was cold and tired but I didn't have a choice, I wasn't going home any time soon. A cramped feeling pulled at my chest as I thought of home. It had been three summers since I left. Three years I had been travelling through Camelot. From time to time I would come across one of the smaller villages that was populated by almost only farmers. There were never more than ten to twenty houses and the villagers are always very nice to me, but still I left after a month or two. I don't want anyone to find out who I am. Believe me I have my reasons.

My legs were getting tired and I stopped, leaning against a tree to catch my breath.

There I heard it.

The soft crack of a branch snapping in half and at least five pairs of feet rusting through the leaves that covered the forest ground. My hand slipped to the hilt of my sword as I scanned my surroundings. My heart was beating quicker than normal.

Another breaking stick and a soft cuss from the man who broke it. I was surrounded. Their red and blue tunics gave away who they were. The people I had been running from for three years. There were seven of them, all armed with a spear or a sword. I pulled mine  knowing that I had a severe disadvantage against the four spears.

"Do you really think that petite piece of metal will protect you?" one of them said. Of course he had to say that when he had a spear in his hands. He laughed and shook his head, "Foolish girl."

They were closing in on me. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. There was the first attack. It came from my left. I dodged the spear by stepping to the right. I didn't even try a counterattack knowing he was too far away to hit. I thanked the gods I didn't, as right after a swordsman to my right swung his sword at my head. I blocked it and pierced my sword through his abdomen. He cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, but I didn't give him a second thought. There were already two other spears coming at me. I dodged one of them but the other hit my arm. It left a deep cut and I had to put all my focus in not dropping my sword. In the corner of my eye I could see someone getting closer. His sword hit my left side as I tried to turn away. I danced around the tree, always keeping my back close to it. I needed to get away. My legs were sore and tired and I was losing a lot of blood.

Think Luna, think. An idea popped into my head. Maybe it was closer to a suicide mission but it was the only thing I could think of in this moment. I looked at the men in front of me. I had managed to kill one and wound another two but they were still standing. I focused on their movement. Waiting for one of them to attack. Silently begging for it to be a spearman.

I got lucky.

He charged at me with the spear pointing at my stomach. I let my sword go with my left hand as he got closer and closer. Please let this work. Please work. There he was. Just before the spearhead could pierce me I stepped to the right. At the same time I grabbed the spear with my left hand and pulled the man forwards.

He stumbled forward and I split his chest with my sword. Now I had a sword and a spear. In my head I cheered at my success. I swung the stick of the spear to the head of the person closest to me.

Then the point at someone else. It didn't kill him but that didn't matter. The man who had spoken at the start of the fight was now screaming at his friends, ordering them to capture me.

I had surprised all of them with my counterattack and now there was a gap in their ranks. I took my chance, spurting through the gap. I dropped the spear. It was a good weapon to keep them away from me but I knew it would slow me down in this forest. I chose speed over protection. Two of my pursuers did have to run through the forest with those clumsy sticks and two of the five were wounded. That had to slow them down enough to give me a chance to get away.

I ran as fast as I could, not daring to look back. At least I wasn't cold anymore. I laughed at my own thoughts. You are running from five armed men who are trying to either kill or capture you and you find the time to be happy about the fact that you are not cold. Their screams told me I was gaining ground on them. I risked looking back. Fool.

When I looked back to where I was going it was too late. A tree had fallen over right on the path I was running on. A few of the branches had broken off. I tried to jump over it but I was too late. I fell to the ground, cutting my leg open on the wood splinters. The ground behind the tree was lower than that on the other side. I rolled down and landed with my face in the leaves and dirt on the ground. I began to get up but realised that they couldn't see me if I stayed where I was. I grinned at the confused shouts Ignoring the burning pain in my leg. After minutes of waiting I found the courage to look. There was nobody there.

I got up and ran west. My legs were burning but I was too afraid to slow down. The sun slowly moved from right above me to low at the horizon. Only then did I slow down. My knees trembled and I fell to the ground again. This time I stayed there. I pulled myself over the ground to a tree. I turned to let my backrest against the rough wood, letting my head fall back as I tried to catch my breath. Like that I waited for the sky to get dark.