The Beauty of Courage

~Six~

Isaiah squashes his irritation down where it bubbles ferociously deep in his gut. Long days of riding stretching over two months keeping a close eye on their captive and watching his men is taking its toll. Even Navi is getting on his nerves with his guilty glances at the beauty. Isaiah dismounts and extends his hand to assist Sophia down. Her gaze however is not on him but watching the men who laugh loudly and chat in a language she cannot hope to grasp without direction. Isaiah swallows roughly and clears his throat. Her eyes jump to him and he has to still his heart with the expression reflected in them. Even being back home within his own country does not soothe his soul.

"My reward from the King will buy me a ship and I shall find treasures all over the world," one man utters with pride as he releases his horse from its tack.

"A ship? A foolish enterprise indeed. A storm will destroy all you have worked for. I intend to buy several horses that run like the wind. They shall compete in races and earn me a steady decent living," another man argues.

Isaiah rolls his eyes and pushes his shoulders down. The king would not be happy with him if he decided to take his anger out on one of the men sent to watch him, not without good reason. A soft hand grips onto his arm and his mind jumps back to her. He assists her to the floor. She studies him intently. "What are they speaking about?"

"Plans doomed to fail."

Her mouth twitches down and her brow furrows. Even after riding for weeks without stopping for a decent wash or a decent meal she still looks better than anyone else would. Even her disgruntled expression just adds character to the beauty. Isaiah does not appreciate these intruding thoughts. Navi would tell him that he is still a man and it would be strange for him not to find her fascinating. Isaiah knows that he cannot afford to.

"Horses? How is that better than a ship? I guarantee I will earn more than you sailing the world!"

The other man scoffs, believing himself to be right. "Do not come crying to me when you lose everything to the ocean floor."

Isaiah sighs now and leads Sophia further away from the men. She sits down on one of the large rocks lying around. "They are..." His mouth twists at the words in his mouth. "discussing...telling about how they spend money."

"You are both idiots. The trick is to dress and act the right way, find yourself a wealthy woman and marry her before she realises you are not. The King may even give his blessing when he sees his own bride," Matik interrupts the other two. The men glance over at Sophia and laugh.

Isaiah watches as the small smile that had appeared at him giving information disappears when she sees the expressions on the men's faces. Some still look at her with hunger. Isaiah steps into their line of sight and their laughter abruptly dies away. "Tent now." For a moment it seems as if they will ignore his order. Then Navi steps up beside him and their gazes fall away and they busy themselves with setting up her tent and laying out their own sleeping mats.

"Be careful Isaiah. They are already grating under your orders. Let them have their harmless talks." Navi nudges his friend.

"They have too much freedom and they will start discussing her. Once a thought is planted, it is hard to thwart. You did not see how they looked at her."

"Your men seem disgruntled," Sophia comments softly. Isaiah turns to her and crosses his arms across his chest.

"They are too afraid of the King to attempt anything. Ease up on them or they may turn on you and take your portion of the reward. There are three of them and only two of us." Sophia frowns as Navi still chooses to speak in his tongue, ignoring her words. Her eyes dart to Isaiah to try and figure out his reply but instead of words leaving his mouth his jaw tightens and his arms flex before suddenly releasing.