The horse reared on, kicking its strong legs into Jon's shield, the rider steered the beast away, far enough away that he could start a charge on Jon swung his hefty blade, cleaving the horse's front leg in two and sending it hurtling towards the floor. The bandit who once proudly sat atop it's scuffed saddle tumbled across the dusty forest floor with groans of ache trailing behind him. You rolled the bandit onto his back with a heavy boot and pushed the tip of your blade against the soft flesh of his exposed throat.

"Leave him be." Jon strolled over, wiped the thick horse's blood on the cloth tunic of the bandit and pushed your blade from his neck. "We gain nothing from killing this man... We let him walk free, maybe we rough him up a little but then when he goes back to his thieving little associates, he can share a kind message to not fuck with people they do not know?" The bandit nodded ferociously.

"I can do that..." he mumbled. "I made a mistake, I'm sorry..." he raised his arms in a shaken cower before scrambling himself from the floor and making off into the dense, snow-capped forest. You drew the short bow from your back, placed an arrow in the centre and drew back, caught the bandit in your eyes and sharply released the string. The arrow flew through the air with a light whistle before embedding itself into the heel of the bandit. "What are you doing y/n? I thought we had agreed to release him." You walked calmly over to the screaming bandit who was desperately trying to pull the arrow from his leg, but the pain was far too great. You reached over and with a firm grasp yanked the arrow sending a spurt of blood to stain the previously pure snow. The bandit's cry of pain echoed through the entire forest.

"I don't let anyone do something like that to me and get away with it. I don't care about sending a message. Filth like this does not deserve to claim the air around us." You placed the same arrow between your fingers, drew the string back once more and aimed at the bandit's scrunched, dread filled face. A weight pushed your arrow to the ground, Jon's sword sat on your bow and a stern grimace plagued his face.

"If you travel with me, you will follow my rules." With great mercy he helped the bandit stand, although his left leg rendered practically useless. Jon raised his blade to your chest. "Do not mistake my mercy for weakness, I am not afraid to kill If I deem it worth my time."

~*~

Written by Aaron.