Somewhere in the mountains, Pharmacum Province, Arietes Orbis
Year: 4995

   Adrastea slowly opened her eyes and stared into the black nothingness in front of her. For a frightening second she thought that maybe she had gone blind, and then for another frightening second she thought that she was dead, but both scenarios were proved wrong when a rough hand ripped the blindfold off, taking several strands of Adrastea's brown hair with it. The light flooded into her vision quickly and it took a moment for everything to come into focus. When it did, Adrastea wished she had stayed unconscious.  

   She was sitting on the hard earth ground of a sort of cave, surrounded by a large and unpleasant group of brigands, clad with a variety of furs and fabrics - some even in mismatched jewelry - and about a fourth of them were Cieven. A little less than half were Human, and the rest were mostly Elves with a few Shefro. For so many different races to be in one place was truly a spectacle Adrastea never thought she would see, but was also one chance that if offered, she would have wholeheartedly declined.  

   The cave had a large opening where Adrastea could see into the forest and there were several tents scattered about. It looked more or less like a permanent camp, at least in the cave, but she could not be all together sure. 

   Twisting about to get more comfortable Adrastea felt a sharp pain around her wrists and she looked down, seeing that they were bound with a thick cord and had started bleeding. Her broken arm was still in a splint but the medicine Aule had given her had worn off and the throbbing started up again.

   "I would not advice moving," a man said from behind.

   His voice was smooth and elegant with a tongue rolling accent as most of the Humans from the South of Satis had. Adrastea could practically see him already. Dark and sleek with shining black eyes and startling white smile.

   She was not wrong.

   "Let me introduce myself," he said, stepping in front of her and bowing. "I am Didac Pavia...And you might be...?"

   Adrastea glared up at him with her green eyes and did not answer. She was merely assessing the man but her expression made it look as though she wished to murder him. The first thing that Adrastea noticed was that he looked exactly like he sounded, elegant and handsome, but once again, if anyone had offered her the chance to meet such a man out of her own willingness, she would have declined. He was not a man to take lightly, no matter how charming his disposition. 

   "If I may?" he said with a smile, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his coat pocket. "Ahem, 'Royal family murdered, Princess escaped, description enclosed'...13 years of age, strait light brown hair, large green eyes, oval face, a tendency to frown...Would I be right in assuming that this lovely creature is you?"

   Adrastea's eyes grew wide in surprise and she stared at the paper, wondering how he had come by such a notice.

   "You see, my men are extremely good at what they do and never miss details," Pavia continued. "And you, mi querido, are without a doubt the most enticing detail of this unfortunate event. How lucky we were to have you simply ride onto our doorstep!"

   Adrastea rolled her eyes and twisted her wrists despite the pain, trying to get loose. Didac Pavia did not miss this slight motion and his smile slackened as he knelt down, his face only a few inches from Adrastea's. She looked down but he grabbed her chin and forced eye contact, smiling once more.

   "Another thing my men are good at," he said quietly. "Is making sure that valuable prisoners such as yourself never escape."

   Adrastea glared at him once more he laughed, letting go of her chin and standing up.

   "You really are most entertaining!"

   And with that he turned on his heel and walked to other end of the cave. There was another dark Human standing there, sorting through a chest of gold, and Pavia walked up to him and he saluted. They talked for several minutes before Pavia gestured toward Adrastea, making a motion with his hands. The man nodded and saluted once more as his leader left the cave.

   Despite what Pavia had said, Adrastea was still trying to loosen the ropes when the other man walked over to her. He was younger than his leader but looked very similar, with the same dark eyes and handsome face, but he was more solemn and rough. Without even glancing at Adrastea he pulled out his knife and quickly slashed through her ropes, tossing them on the ground.

   "Do not try and leave," he said, his accent thick. "You will never make it."

   Adrastea believed him.

   Several minutes passed before Pavia came back and he was carrying an armload of firewood. There was a fire pit in the middle of the cave and tossing the wood next to it he called to the young man from before.

   "Miguel!"

   "Yes, Didac?"

   "Get a fire going. I wish to eat."

   Miguel obeyed and knelt down by the fire pit, tossing in a few pieces of wood and starting up a flame. Adrastea watched curiously. Out of all the things she had learned and seen in the few short years of her life, Adrastea had never seen how someone started a fire. It was mesmerizing, watching the sparks from Miguel's flint and steel leaping into live flame on some of the dry moss he had added. Soon it had crawled up onto the wood and started to dance about in such a beautiful way. 

   "You look as though you have never seen a fire before," Pavia said, observing the young girl's fascination.

   Adrastea broke out of her daze and furrowed her brow, glaring up at him once more.

   "One does not need to have never seen something in order to appreciate its beauty," she said sharply.

   Pavia threw his head back and laughed, his dark eyes sparkling with pleasure.

   "What you say is certainly true, mi querido," he chuckled. "I shall testify to that!" 

   Suddenly there came a long drumming sound of hoof beats on the soft forest turf and shouts could be heard, accompanied but a loud neigh.

   "Let me through. I wish to speak to Pavia," a deep voice said.

   It sounded faintly familiar to Adrastea but she could not remember where she had heard it before. There was some more commotion before Pavia sighed and walked to the opening of the cave. 

   "Ah! Cephalus, my friend! Come in, come in!" he said, gesturing with open arms.

   A tall Human man entered the cave, his blue eyes lighting on Adrastea instantly.

   You, the girl thought. Strangely enough, she was actually quite relieved to see him.

   "She doesn't belong to you," Cephalus said nonchalantly, nodding towards Adrastea.

   Pavia looked over at his prisoner shrugged his shoulders, smiling wide.

   "Well, she did come riding into my territory. Trespassing is a criminal offense you know," he answered.

   "Not for criminals...Anyway, she didn't know where she was going. I know you don't deal in slave trading so if you don't mind, I'll take her back with me."

   "Ah, but you see, we don't usually deal with slaves, but this particular one would catch a pretty price on the market, don't you think?...Besides, what would you do with her?"

   "It's not me, personally," Cephalus explained cordially. "You see, we found her wandering in the woods and Aule has taken a liking to her. She would have my neck if her only friend was sold to the highest bidder."

   Pavia smiled, rubbing his chin in thought. He knew that Cephalus could see straight through him and vice-versa, but it was still worth a try.

   "Actually, to be completely honest with you my friend, I was not planning on selling this lovely creature as a slave," he said.

   "No?"

   "No. I received word that their Royal Highnesses the King and Queen had been murdered last night and that the young Princess who escaped was being accused of the crime."

   Adrastea looked up in horror at the news, her mouth dropping open. The incident was still fresh in her mind and the thought that she was wanted for such a heinous crime was more than she could bear. 

   "I'm WHAT?" she shouted.

   Pavia nodded distractedly and continued his discussion with Cephalus.

   "Of course the whole thing is absolutely ridiculous," he continued.

   "Is it?" Cephalus asked.

   "It could have just as easily been the Crown Prince or anyone else in the palace, and why would she run instead of returning to her bed chambers? It's common knowledge that when the prey runs the predator chases...I'm afraid your friend here has been set up."

   Adrastea looked down at the floor in despair, her eyes filling with tears. There was no way back now. Nowhere to go. She might as well stay in that cave to be roasted over the beautiful flames that Miguel had created.

   "Look Pavia-" Cephalus started, but he was cut off another one of the bandits that came running into the cave.

   He was carrying a pigeon in one hand and as soon as Pavia saw it he grabbed the bird and removed a small roll of paper from a cylinder on the bird's ankle.

   "What is it?" Cephalus asked in a low voice.

   "My men in Ellestar received a message from a young scout. Wren is going to be executed at noon and he requested our help."

   Adrastea snapped her head up, anger and fear seizing her.

   "Execute him? Why?" she cried, standing up.

   "They say he was the one who convinced you to kill your parents."

   "Will you help?" Cephalus asked, rubbing his chin in a challenging manner.

   Pavia heaved a large sigh and folded the paper, looking over at Adrastea who gave him a pleading expression, tears rolling down her pale cheeks.

   "I do not like Haldit...He is a fool." And with that Pavia stuffed the note into his pocket and turned to the man who had brought the note. "Send Biel my reply. We will help, but only because it was Wren who requested it," he said, glaring at Cephalus.

   Catching the look Cephalus smiled slightly and bowed his head, faking innocence. 

   "Tell him to get Wren out of there and leave Ellestar as fast as possible. He can leave a few men in town to keep us informed."

   The man bowed his head and grabbed the pigeon, running out of the cave.

   Adrastea stared out at the forest, now completely numb to everything. She wanted to feel some sort of emotion, but she was too frightened that Wren might die to even think about it. 

   It does not matter, she began to think. What happens, happens.

              Ellestar, 12:00p.m. 

   Evert let go of the railing and, as Wren was brought to his knees and the executioner brandished his sword, he unslung the bow that was hanging from one shoulder and knocked an arrow to it. Taking a deep breath the young scout brought the weapon up and drew the string back, aiming carefully.

   "Get caught you must not," he remembered Wren saying. "Everything depends on you." 

   The crowd was deathly silent. Staring not only at the executioner, but at Haldit. Evert could see that it frightened the Prince. Crowds were never silent at an execution.

   Taking a deep breath Evert watched as Haldit brought up his hand and, on the exhale, he let go of the draw string and ducked for cover behind the wall, not even waiting to see the outcome. The arrow sped through the air and knocked the sword right out of the executioners hand. The crowd erupted in screams and shouts and Evert took the opportunity to crawl across the ramparts to the guard tower. The guard that had previously been there was rushing down the ladder to help with the commotion, leaving that part of the wall completely clear. As he stood waiting, Evert saw the long ropes fall from the old growth above them, Didac Pavia's men dropping out of the trees like rain. There were dozens of them everywhere, wearing rags tied around their faces and brandishing the strangest weapons Evert had ever seen. The palace guards were immediately rushed by the assailants and with the people panicking and running about in all directions they were having a hard time getting to the prisoner Wren. 

   Evert watched in amazement as they fought, not a single bandit getting so much as a scratch.

   "Where in Orbis did they acquire such skill?" Evert muttered, transfixed by the spectacle before him.

   He looked up and saw Haldit, standing on the balcony, cold as stone. He did not move but simply glared at Wren who was now being untied by a masked man. Then, barely even moving, he grabbed one of the bows away from his guard and gestured for an arrow, knocking it to the bow and aiming it strait as Wren. He instincts reacting before his brain, Evert rushed out onto the ramparts and knocked another arrow to his bow, aiming it at the Prince. It would have been so easy to just kill him, to rid the world of a tyrant, but for some strange reason Evert could not bring himself to do it. Shaking his head to clear his mind, the scout aimed carefully and, just as Haldit was drawing his bowstring back, fired the arrow, watching as it buried itself painfully in the man's right arm.

   Haldit screamed out in pain and let go of the bowstring, the arrow straying to far to the right and striking the executioner in chest. The two guards dragged their leader back into the palace as the chaos grew in the courtyard, but Haldit still managed to see the disappearing cloak in the guard tower and screamed at his men to go and the man who shot him. 

   Despite it being deafening Evert's hearing, somehow tuned for Haldit's voice, caught the few words and he knew he had to get out of there. Quickly rushing down the ladder he slipped behind the distracted guards and then went in with them, drawing his sword and pretending to fight off the bandits. One came at him with a flying kick and Evert quickly twisted to the side, the assailants foot knocking the soldier behind him cold. 

   That was when Wren came running through the thick crowd, sword in hand. He came strait at Evert, swinging his blade, and the shocked scout blocked it weakly, getting knocked off his feet against the wall. He was in the shadows and everyone was too occupied to notice Wren bending down and helping the scout to his feet.

   "Fight better with the enemy I hope you do," Wren muttered.

   Evert nodded in a drunken manner and brought his sword up again, still behind the ring of palace guards and out of the action. Then, dropping right out of the sky next to him, was another bandit. He looked the same as the others, clad in furs and leather, but the mask he wore was not black, but a dark blue, marking him as different from the others.

   "You sent the message?" he asked with a thick Satarian accent.

   Evert nodded, his voice still caught in his throat.

   "We have to get your Chief out of here but our rope retractor is malfunctioning. Do you think we can get him over the wall?"

   "R-rope retractor?" Evert mumbled, not exactly sure what it was.

   "Can we get him over the wall?" the man repeated, shaking the young scout by the shoulders.

   "Um...Y-yes. Up through the guard tower you can go. It is deserted."

   The man nodded when Evert pointed to the entrance and he waved his sword in the air, catching Wren's attention. The Scout Chief quickly pushed through the panicking crowds and managed to reach the wall undetected.

   "You'll have to go over the wall," the bandit said, handing Wren a rope. "I will go with you."

   "And what of your men?" Wren asked, slinging the coil over his shoulder.

   "Once we're gone they'll climb up the trees and circle back to our camp...The guards won't be able to catch them that way."

   "What about bows?" Evert asked, wondering why they had not brought them out yet.

   The bandit's dark eyes squinted as if he were smiling under the mask and he chuckled while saying, "We took care of that already."

   Wren smiled with him but Evert just stared in confusion. Exactly what did they do? 

   "Right," Wren said, putting one hand on Evert's shoulder. "Get going I had better. Thank you Evert, and do not forget to do exactly as I instructed...I hope to see you again soon."

   The young scout saluted the officer and watched as Wren climbed up the guard tower ladder. As soon as they were at the top and over the wall, the bandits began climbing up ropes, jumping up into the trees, and disappearing high above the palace courtyard, leaving everything in complete disarray. 

   The people had gone quiet and when they looked about they could see not a single dead body lying on the ground.

   "Amazing," Evert muttered.