I
The cold bit through Brandon’s leather tunic, his full plate of armor left behind. They had been riding for several hours and had gone farther than either of them ever had from home before. Tammary was the first to run into the cave, beckoning for the lordling to follow. Terrified, he pleaded with her to continue riding farther, but she refused.“The cave will be warm, come on. The horse may die.” Madness, thought the lordling, even as he waddled into the cave. He was a fat boy, bursting at the seams from his indulgences. Never one for horseback riding and running, he had felt terribly out of place. And yet, you can’t be a Knight if you refuse the first girl to come crying for your aid.
They traveled into the cave, sloping downward to the a small clearing not far from the entrance. There Brandon grumbled about how they were going to be caught as he fumbled, building a fire, trying carefully to remember exactly how it needed to be done. Brandon had never built a fire before, but he wasn’t without some intelligence. And so, before long, the fire was built and Brandon wondered if the fire would be seen from outside the cave. “My Father has his men out now, I’m sure. We have to keep going, Tam.” He was trembling, nervous, and already could imagine his father’s punishment at this stupidity of his.
“Are you a knight, or a craven?” She said, her words striking what little pride he had. [Neither, he thought. Then, a moment later, as if as a reminder not to fool himself, No, that’s not true. I’m as craven as they come.
“I’m a Knight.”
“Then act like one.”
She drove a small stake into the grown and tethered the horse to it, tight. The horse appeared to be agitated and did not rest easy. Tam had been good with horses, fortunately. Brandon had only horseback ridden as much as his father had forced him, as much as any man should know how to ride. The thought made his stomach turn over again. “My Father can’t lose a son. You know that.”
Tam was a peasant girl, daughter of one of Lord Beaumont’s handmaidens. She had been a girl born with fiery spirit into subservience. Brandon felt love for her from the onset, when her mother brought her to court to present as a servant to the Lord. He had assigned her various menial tasks, but none would survive her spirit. She would rebel against the head cook at being told what to do, and she had been thrown in the cells for days. She’d do the same to any of the Lord’s menial workers, and at a personal favor to his favorite handmaiden, Beaumont gave her a chance at being a handmaiden of his own daughter. For years, the girl grew alongside Brandon’s sister, and soon grew more beautiful. She had developed as a woman and had earned the attention of the Castle Guard. And so, the independently wealthy Captain of the Guard of Beaumont Village had offered a sizable amount of coin to the Lord for the girl’s service. The Lord, perhaps to repay the girl for all the trouble she had one caused his workers, had happily agreed to sell the girl’s service.
When she had heard of her new employment, frightened, the young girl came to Brandon and begged he help her escape. She had grown to like the boy, though not love him as he did her. Yet, he was the most powerful person she knew, politically, at least, she told herself. She asked and, smitten by love, and inspired by the possibility of showing bravery for once in his life, he accepted without hesitation and the two rode off within the hour.
Now, as his love lay sleeping on the ground across from the fire, the despair in him began to rise and rise, even greater than he thought possible. He felt it nearly impossible to breathe, he had been so terrified. He lay awake, unable to sleep, his eyes locked on the entrance to the cave, knowing for a certainty that any moment would bring by his father’s riders. For a long while, nothing had come, and Brandon’s heart had calmed. His eyes grew heavy, and he soon relaxed. Alright, if they haven’t found us yet, maybe we’ve got a shot. Maybe we traveled farther than I thought. And then, before his sleep took him, one final happy thought floated through Brandon’s consciousness, Maybe they don’t care that we’re gone.
A few moments later, Brandon jerked awake at the sound of the horse yelling out and beginning to run deeper into the depths of the cave, his anchor snapped with great force. Did I check that Tam had secured it well enough? Brandon instinctively jumped to his feet and yelled, giving chase. He was large and slow, and he ran out of breath even before he ran far into the darkness. Behind him, Tammary was running with a torch, much faster than him. Soon enough she passed him by. He panted and heaved and tried his best to keep up with the girl. Soon enough, he saw the outline of the horse in the distance as Tam grabbed the rope still dangling from the horse’s neck and stopped it from moving. When Brandon was only a few feet away, he began to walk, heaving and trying desperately to regain his breath. The horse pulled away, then, kicking Tam to the ground. She screamed as she fell, landing hard on one of her arms. “Brandon!” She yelled, “It… it may be broken.” The horse ran deeper into the cave, which had opened a considerable amount.
Several things happened at once.
A large thunderclap accompanied a crack of lightning that originated from nowhere, piercing through the air above them. The horse had been screaming an unnaturally pitched deafening neigh. In the air was a tangible feeling of gathering strength weighing down on Brandon. He felt as if his joints were moving through a vibrating quicksand. From where the horse had been running rose a large wall of fire spanning the entire length and height of the cave, consuming the horse and endings its screams. The roar of the flames barely drowned out Tam’s screams as she struggled to her feet. From the orange walls came a large, towering man clad in burning steel armor. He held in one arm a giant tower shield and in the other a sword larger than Brandon. He walked toward them, the flames from his armor burning a trail in his wake. The peasant girl rose with Brandon and opened her mouth but could no longer scream. Brandon, himself, terrified, had trouble finding the strength to move his legs. I’m dead, my god, my god I’m dead, oh my god.
The man swung his sword towards them, still out of reach, but sent forth a ball of flame towards them. Brandon grabbed Tam by the sides and yanked her down, her face barely missing the brunt of the attack, her cheek taking only a cursory burn. Tammara started screaming and frantically rose up again, shaking, and refused to move any further. Brandon shook her violently. “We’re going to die!” She fell on her knees in front of him and large tears fell as she cried. Her beautiful brown eyes darted around from one side to the other suddenly and rapidly, her voice shouting hitched and uncontrolled. She’s gone mad! Another ball of flame came towards them, barely missing Tam, and she shrieked again. He was barely forty feet away now, and Brandon had still not even processed what the hell was happening.
The man was coming closer.
What do I do?
The Craven is controlled by DeadApe
Knights and Justice 