The Black Forest was as cold, wet, and dark, as Vagatha remembered, though granted she had not been out of the woods so long. There were still the looming shadows and bone-chilling gusts of wind, and the strange noises that made her feel jumpy. She thought that after years of hunting and fighting dangerous beasts, the forest wouldn't frighten her as much. But then again she had never gone to this part before. She mostly hunted predators who came near the village and threatened the people there. She had never sought them out this deep and in the dark before.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." She thought with her confidence weaning.
But before she could even begin to reconsider her actions, Raphael stopped and proceeded to bark.
"What is it boy?" She asked him.
Raphael ran down a trail, following the new scent he had picked up.
"Raphael come back!" Vagatha said chasing after him. "Raphael this is no time to go chasing after squirrels and rabbits again!"
But it was no squirrel or rabbit that had captured the Rottweiler's attention. It was a person, two people to be exact, and as Vagatha was being led closer to them, she could hear voices.
"Help! Someone!"
"No one can hear you Cherri!"
"You don't know that! Hello?! Is someone there?!"
"No one is there! Who the Hell would be wandering around in the woods?"
"We were."
"Fair point."
"Hold on, I hear someone coming! Oh wait it's just a dog."
"Maybe he can get us down."
"How? Dogs don't have thumbs!"
Vagatha pulled her father's dagger from her basket and cautiously followed the voices. She pushed aside some heavy tree branches and walked into a small clearing where she saw Raphael barking upward to a nymph-like female and a man in his underwear, both hanging from a tree. Her mouth dropped open. Now this was a first for her.
"Um...Hello?" She called, biting back the laugh threatening to rise up.
The man twisted around, swinging from his ankles and trying to get a look at her.
"Who is that?! Who's there?!" He asked.
"Me." Vagatha said.
"Oh thank God!" The female cried out. "Miss could you please get us down from here. We were ambushed by three al-"
"Giants!" The man lied, trying to preserve his ego.
"Giants?" Vagatha repeated skeptically.
"Yes. They were quite vicious! We fought bravely against them but alas we were outnumbered!"
"Is that right?" Vagatha said.
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"Well it's just that I've lived in this forest my entire life and I've never or heard anything about giants. In fact they're more native to England than Germany."
"Miss." The female continued. "If you would be so kind as to help me and the honorable prince- Ow!"
"Prince of nothing!" The man said after elbowing her. "I'm not a prince! I'm a commoner! A peasant! A nobody! She's just teasing, right Cherri?"
"Don't you hit me!" The one called Cherri snarled. "Do it again and I'll feed you to the trees!"
"But trees don't eat."
"They eat by absorbing fertilizer Anthony, which is want you'll be after I chop you up! Watch yourself!"
"Duly noted." The man called Anthony said, turning his attention back to Vagatha. "Now then I order you to cut us down this instant."
"You order me?" Vagatha replied, raising an eyebrow quizzically.
"Refuse and you shall suffer dire consequences." Anthony finished.
"And pray tell, what dire consequences can a commoner inflict on to me, should I refuse?" She said.
"Um..." He said, realizing that perhaps he had not of thought his approach to this situation very well.
"You know I don't like to be ordered around and I definitely don't like to be threatened." Vagatha continued. "And if you're just a commoner who's going to be rude and demanding, I think I'm just going to leave you like this. Get yourself down."
"No wait! Come back! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just get us down from here! Please!"
"Alright." She said. "But only because you said please."
With that said, Vagatha reached up and used the golden dagger to slice through the ropes holding the two up. They tumbled immediately to the ground, landing with a loud thud. Anthony quickly stood up and proceeded to brush the dirt off himself.
"Are you two alright?" Vagatha asked.
"Yes we're fine." Anthony turned to face her. "But did you have to be so..."
He trailed off when Vagatha pushed back her hood, allowing him to see her face more properly. He certainly wasn't expecting to find anyone here who looked so pretty.
"Rough." He finally concluded.
"Well you said that you just wanted me to get you down, you didn't specify how." She said, and then she blushed upon noticing the man's lack of proper apparel. "You are aware that you're half naked, right?"
"Huh..." He looked down and turned as red as the woman's cloak. "Ahhh!"
He ran to hide himself behind a tree.
"Cherri! Find my clothes! Quick!"
"Your wish is my command sire." Cherri grinned as she walked off to locate where the alps had hidden the prince's clothing. "Try not to offend this one."
Vagatha was puzzled by what Cherri had meant by that last remark but she was figured that she would know soon enough. She wasn't one to meddle in other people's business but she just had to know how this guy ended up hanging from a tree in just his underpants.
"So care to tell me the truth about who you are and how you were put in that awkward situation?"
"I already told you." He said. "I am just peasant who was attacked by giants."
"Alright, if you say so." She said putting her hood back on. "Good luck getting through the forest. Raphael, come."
"Hang on, before you go, would you mind telling me where I am exactly?"
"You're in the Black Forest. It's pretty obvious."
"What I mean is, how far is the nearest the village?"
"A day's walk if you know your way around these parts, but something tells me you don't know. I've never seen you around here before so I'm guessing that yo are a new-comer?"
"Yes. I come from Poland but I'm trying to make my way over to Venice."
"Venice? As in Venice Italy? And you intend to go there on horseback."
"It's possible isn't it?"
"Yes but you probably won't make it there. Hell, you probably won't make it out of this forest. Grown men come in here and don't leave alive."
"Oh and a young girl like you has a better chance?"
"Yes because as I said, I've lived here my entire life and I have a dog with me. A dog that I've trained to fight better than any man or beast. He can also track anything or anyone for miles. A far more useful animal than a horse would be in this situation."
"Really?" Anthony said looking at Raphael. "Could this pet of yours lead someone out this forest?"
"Sure he could."
"Care for a trade?" He offered. "How much for him?"
"He's not for sale."
"Come on, name your price. Gold? Silver? Jewels?"
"I wouldn't trade Raphael for a king's fortune. He's ten times worth anything you could offer me."
"Then you could you at least show us the way to the nearest village?"
"I can't. I'm looking for someone who's lost out here and I've already wasted enough time dealing with you.." She turned her back to him. "Good day to you sir."
"Wait! Can't we work something out?"
"Like what?" She said turning back to face him.
"Well a dog may be more useful in matters of defense and tracking, but it can't carry you or get you any place faster. If you're in such a hurry to find somebody, searching by foot will only take you longer. Especially if you're feet get sore from all the walking."
"What exactly are you proposing?"
"We'll travel with you on your search and let you ride one of our horses, but when you find whoever you're looking for, you help us get out of this creepy place."
"Hmm...Interesting offer. One problem though."
"What?"
"I don't know who the Hell you are and I'm not stupid enough to go off alone with strangers."
"Okay I can't argue with that logic, then let's not be strangers." He offered. "Hello, my name is Anthony. What's your name?"
"I'm not answering any questions until you start telling the truth. Now I know you're not just some random peasant. What kind of peasant can buy a dog with gold, silver, or jewels?"
"A very well off one?" He said.
"Goodbye." She started to walk away, not wanting to listen to anymore lies.
"Alright! Alright! I'll talk!" He said getting more desperate. "You got me, I'm not a peasant. I'm actually a prince. Prince Anthony of Poland."
Vagatha quickly came right back, she looked shocked and skeptic.
"You're a prince? Really? You expect me to believe that?"
"I swear! I swear by my mother's name!"
"Why is the prince of Poland trying to go to Venice, Italy?"
"Well why does anyone run away from home? Because they can't stand to live with their parents anymore. My father and I were having a lot of disagreements, he refused to even consider hearing my side on things, so I decided to just leave. See if I could fair better in my mother's hometown."
"And that's the truth?"
"The God's honest truth." He said putting his hand over his chest.
She studied his body language carefully. Well the upper part of his body anyway, and she looked for any physical signs that he could be lying. She could tell that this person was not at all a good liar and she could read bad liars very well. She read him as a scholar would read a brand new book, and he no longer exhibited any of the usual signs. He was telling the truth.
"Okay I believe you." She said. "But there's only way I'll be able to trust enough to know if you're safe to travel with."
"What way is that."
"Sniff him Raphael."
The rottweiler went behind the tree and circled around Anthony, sniffing his arms, legs, hands, and even his ass. It made him a little uncomfortable but he knew her reasoning for having her pet do this. It was a well-known fact that dogs were excellent judges of character, and after taking five minutes to get a good smell of Anthony's scent, Raphael started to lick him.
"Alright, if Raphael likes you then you must be safe to travel with." She said. "I accept your offer."
"Great." Anthony said. "Can I know your name now?"
"It's Vagatha."