Not Your Damsel in Distress

3

Auberon led Charlene through the forest. He took the longer path to reduce the possibility of coming across people who were following her. He had taken his sword with him, but hoped he wouldn't need to use it. He knew the bases of sword fighting but being born and raised to rely on his magic there was never a big enough need to learn for him he never did pass the bases. At least he thought he could try to protect the girl walking next to him. She was so pure in his eyes. The way she walked was so graceful and her voice was so smooth and soft... He knew he'd need to protect her. And eventually save her. And get his face and magic back. He could've squealed at the mare idea of it.

"Why do you want to go to the border?" asked Charlene when the silence between the two became too much for her.

"I... want to see someone," said Auberon. Technically it wasn't a lie. He had an acquaintance there. He just wasn't sure if she'd want to see him after their last encounter.

"Me too," said Charlene. "I'll be safe there. The Queen wouldn't be able to get me there. The place is immune to her magic."

"Do you know what is used for that?" He knew how it worked, but he wanted to see how far her knowledge of magic extended.

"I don't know. Magic blocker?"

"There are multiple kinds of magic blockers." At her curious glance he added, "You know, chalk, gold, mercury, copper," at the last one he ran his fingers over one of his wrists where a faint scar was. "You know... for different kinds of magic."

"So copper is yours?"

"Yap." Auberon stopped in his tracks. "Wait... how did you..."

"You own magic books, you touched your wrist and just the way you dress..." she gestured to his coat he had strapped around his chest and torso that was in the front opening at his legs that were in soft leather pants and leather a bit pointy boots. "Nothing wrong with it, of course, but you get my point."

Auberon chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "About my magic..."

Ruffling of leaves was heard from a nearby boosh to which Charlene immediately stopped and listened. "Run," she whispered, but the two couldn't do anything as two huge men jumped in front of them. Both wearing the queen's uniform.

"Be a good girl and come," said one of them and reached for Charlene, who moved away.

"Aha," mumbled Charlene, drew her sword and attacked one of them without hesitation. She swung the sword toward the man's face and as he was busy reacting quickly to stop her attack she quickly kicked his chest, making him lose his balance and with a swift kick of her leg making him drop to the floor. The other man tried to get a hold of her and she quickly ducked and tried to get away from him.

Auberon quickly jumped to the man that was laying on the floor. He tried to hit his head to knock him unconscious, but the man grabbed his leg and pulled him to the floor. He tried to strike him with fire, but his magic didn't work. The man got up and Aubron quickly pulled himself up as well and attacked him with a sword. He remembered more of how to fight with it than he thought he did. The man managed to get him to the floor once again and Auberon hit the floor especially hard and groaned.

Charlene turned around to look at what happened and the other man's sword slided past her shoulder, cutting her jacket open. "My favourite jacket!" she yelled, kicked the man again, managed to get this one to the floor and hit him hard enough to lose his consciousness.

Auberon picked himself up and tried to fight the guy, pulling him from Charlene, but made everything worse as he was hindering Charlene from doing something.

"Excuse me," she said politely and pushed him away roughly. She managed to sneak past the man and to his back, hitting his head with the handle of her sword and he dropped to the floor.