Snippets of a Knight's Woe

Chapter 19: Situation

The air was tense, and they were both instantly sober as Aegis looked around, trying to figure out where the bowman was currently hiding. The real problem was that he knew the attacker wouldn't risk approaching them; they had the upper hand in this cat-and-mouse situation due to the range of the bow and arrow. To exit the forest, they would have to move in the general direction of the archer. However, Aegis first wanted to move them to the side to pass through a denser section of the forest and possibly circle around the archer's periphery.

Amara was keeping calm as she adjusted her clothing. Trained in close-quarters combat, she found this situation far from what she was accustomed to. She turned around in Aegis's hold and looked up at him, whispering nearly silently, "Are we running or attacking?"

Aegis looked down at her. He knew she could fight, was smart, and resourceful, but all he could think about was protecting her at all costs. He was trying to factor in the safest choice he could make, but his anger at the situation was quickly clouding his judgment. Aegis made a determined decision to try to capture the archer. The princess nodded in agreement and added, "I want to interrogate him; I'm sure you do too."

Suddenly, they heard the same sound as before—a crisp snap and the whoosh of an arrow. This time, the sound came from Aegis's right side, and he immediately pulled the princess down to the ground beneath him. Aegis swore under his breath; this archer was going to be a problem.

The knight pushed off the princess and hastily grabbed his sword. "I have to rush him. He's circling us like prey. Stay where you are, Amara." Aegis stood to his full height, towering over the prone princess, and swiveled his head, waiting silently.

Amara watched Aegis from her position, flat on her back. She understood he was planning to be shot at in order to locate the archer. He was going to deflect the arrow, and, on cue, her knight took his stance. The next moments passed quickly as an arrow shot toward Aegis. He swept his sword in a wide arc, cutting the arrow in half, and briskly ran in the direction from which the arrow came.

Amara rolled onto her stomach and crouched slightly, watching Aegis move with a demonic speed toward a dimly lit area, his figure blending with the vegetation. She heard another arrow being shot, followed shortly by another, and then a hard thud. Unable to see anything, Amara waited silently for Aegis to return.

The bushes rustled as Aegis emerged from them and returned to where he had left the princess. "You may arise, Princess. That fucker has fled." Amara stood up from her hiding spot and took in his appearance. An arrow was stuck through his left hand, and a deep gash across his left shoulder was soaking his shirt sleeve in blood.

Amara moved close and inspected his wounds. There was nothing life-threatening and it didn't seem as though the arrow was poisoned. She took out her small pocket knife and cut a strip from her dress—no need to arm herself in the recent fight, as a pocket knife would have been ineffective against an archer from a distance. She cut the torn sleeve off Aegis's shirt and tied the strip of dress fabric firmly around the wound, saying softly, "That should do for now. We should get out of here and find a healer. Luckily, there should be one at the festival."

Aegis agreed and followed the princess out of the forest. As they walked carefully, Amara glanced at the long arrow in Aegis's left hand and asked curiously, "Does it hurt?"

Aegis lifted his hand and looked at the wound before meeting Amara's gaze with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, it went straight through my hand and is still stuck in it." He continued sarcastically, "Why, doesn't it look painful?"

Amara shrugged and stated plainly, "Well, you don't look like you're in pain."

Aegis chuckled blandly. "Sorry for not emoting right now, Princess. I'm still angry at the fact that the guy who did this, got away."

They walked into the open field and saw the festival. Amara turned to him and asked calmly but with a hint of irritation in her voice, "About that, why don't you tell me how the archer escaped?"

Aegis growled under his breath. "I charged him. He shot at me—the first shot grazed my shoulder, the second one went into my hand. Before he could fire a third, I got too close for his liking. He turned to run, I swung my sword and cut him across the back, but it wasn't deep enough to stop his hasty retreat."

Amara nodded as they walked past the bonfire. Since she had planned this whole event, including the layout, she knew exactly where the healer was stationed. People started to stare as Aegis walked past them, blood dripping from his hand onto the grass. No one approached them; the scathing glare Aegis wore kept them at bay as he moved hastily behind the princess toward a closed tent. He sighed under his breath, hating the situation.

Amara entered and held the tent open for Aegis as he ducked down and entered. Inside, they found the healer—a woman around Aegis age—engaged in a passionate embrace with a strapping young man. They pulled away as soon as they noticed they weren't alone and tidied up slightly. Amara observed that, luckily, it seemed they had just started and no unsightly bits were exposed.

The healer rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, her short curls bobbing as she greeted them. The young man stood beside her and blushed silently. "Good evening, Princess. What can I do for you? You're the first to visit my tent tonight."

Amara sighed and indicated towards Aegis, "My knight here has sustained some wounds—an arrow through his left hand and a gash on his left shoulder." The healer quickly moved to check him over and guided him to a seat. Amara stood next to Aegis and teasingly remarked to the healer while shooting an amused look at the young man, "I don't really think we're the first to visit tonight."

The healer looked away from Aegis's wounds, flushing pink and replied sheepishly, "William is my assistant. I'm teaching him the art of healing." Williams blush reddened to crimson as the young man avoided all eye contact.