The Pain of a Memory - Part II

Part one of my book can be found here. I hope you enjoy! :) Also, my blog is celebrating with this post (ever-so-slightly late) its birthday! One year ago (give or take a few days) I began this blog in the midst of a raging NaNoWriMo. And now - all of you my lovely audience are here! I would like to thank all of you for just reading this blog, and for all of the support you've given me in my ink-and-paper journeys. That being said, without further ado, I give you the part second of The Pain of a Memory.

***

Anwynne looked out of the cave as the bandits began to bind her ankles. The sun could be just barely seen, setting over the horizon. What a pity that she should see the sun set over such a day. But for being the end of an ill-boding day, it was a beautiful sunset. Not that Anwynne could much appreciate the beauty at present. But nonetheless, she had little else to do, so she watched it.

The sun was scarlet and gem-like, and the sky was shining. It looked like a ruby set into newly-wrought gold, which still was glimmering with the reflection of the fire it had been wrought by. The ruby was being folded slowly into deep blue velvet, along with the golden ring it was set into. How beautiful... and how unfortunate. Yes, it was indeed a shame that the sun should even set at all over such evil days.

She made herself look away from the dying sun, unable to bear such a splendiferous thing in such ill times, almost feeling that it taunted her fate.

Anwynne looked now over at Rogan, who seemed to be enjoying himself immensely:

"Gently, gently, men, we always treat royalty above even other guests", he said, standing up as the robbers were setting her down next to the others. "Oh, no, gentlemen, she must be apart from our other, ah, guests. We must make Highness feel at home, must we not?", he said, smiling mischievously and gesturing towards another wall where silken cushions and bright gems lay.

So the bandits instead laid her over there, and her head was placed - at Rogan's command - upon one of the silk pillows. Their mockery burned her, and every sliver of her was ever-impatient to do something that would make them regret it, or at least free her from it. Anwynne looked across the cave's dark chamber. On the opposite wall, where the guards were, it looked as though Errius was going through an even more intense trial of temper and pride than Anwynne, perhaps at seeing his princess treated so... or even touched at all by such rogues and rapscallions. His fists were clenched and he glared with a look that could frighten any soldier of his (and usually did if he employed it). Rogan, however, simply ignored it.

"Fine day, was it not, gentlemen?", Rogan said, sweeping felinely through the men with a look of pride over his visage. "We captured a princess's dowry, overtook a carriage, got new weapons, waylaid a whole small band of soldiers, and--" He turned to Anwynne, "Secured ourselves a princess's ransom. Or, friends, should I ask instead for a queen's? Seeing as that's what I would have gotten, had I besieged her Highness's party on a later journey"

The other robbers cheered at the prospect.

Anwynne glared up at him. "How did outlaws and braggarts as you find ou--" 

"I have friends not only in Belestine", he said, cutting her off. "In fact, I've had some of my men waiting by the mountain for your party, waiting just for                             rumors of a rich, trying-to-be-inconspicuous, royal party to be confirmed"

"You rogue! You are a low coward! You would overtake our band with all your men, but would you fight alone were one of us to try and escape?", Errius yelled suddenly, turning Rogan's attention towards him.

Rogan smiled as though he were listening to a small child's nonsense talk. "Rogue maybe, but coward I am not. Of course I would fight; I never turn down a worthy opponent. But you are not escaping as of this moment, so why ask, my friend?", he asked slyly, narrowing his large, cat-like eyes as though waiting for something.

"You and I, scoundrel, that is what I propose! You untie me, and we fight - one man to another", he said angrily, glaring up at Rogan.

"How could I be sure you wouldn't just escape? Of course, it wouldn't matter much if you did", said Rogan nonchalantly.

"If it matters not whether I escape, then take up my challenge, and I will not escape whilst you stand on your feet", Errius answered boldly.

Rogan smiled as if this was exactly what he wanted. "I'm feeling rather generous, so how does this bode with you? I fight you, and if you win, you go free. And I would offer the same to any man here!", he said loudly, standing up and addressing all his prisoners.

"But what of the women? They cannot fight you, and so cannot win their freedom thus", he said with a challenging glint in his eyes.

"If you win, I suppose you will set the lady free as well", Rogan spoke slowly. 

"And what of the princess? Can freedom not be won for all us here?", continued Errius.

"But of course... And you have my word that no one intervenes at all", said Rogan nonchalantly, bowing. "If you win, you can set yourself and the women, in fact, anyone you choose, free"

"How can I expect a thief to keep his word?", asked Errius grimly.

"Ah, my friend", Rogan said in a manner as close to sighing as he could probably get. "This is the only downside to being a thief - no one will be reasonable and just believe what you say, only because you're a thief"

"Then maybe you should try and live as honest, loyal subjects do"

Rogan laughed. "Now, friend, this is not a negotiation of why I'm an outlaw, this is a challenge, so shall we not begin?" Then, with this, he gestured for men to come and untie Errius' bonds.

When they had finished, Errius stood up and looked about for a sword. Rogan picked one up from a chest, and, twisting it out, tossed it to him. Rogan then picked one up for himself in an agile but leisurely manner. 

"Are you ready to begin?", asked Rogan in a careless manner, as though  suggesting this was only a game.

"I am", Errius answered determinedly, facing Rogan with a stone-set expression.

"Then as I said, shall we not begin?" 

Errius stepped forward and swung rightly at Rogan, who seemed not to make a move, until, a split-second later, he threw his own blade into its path. It twisted Errius' own sword off its course, which would surely have had a fatal destination had it not been deterred. So Errius struck again, this time with far more concentration and precision than before. Rogan easily twisted it off course also, as though it were merely a twig. Errius stepped forward as though to strike again, but then spun round Rogan and lunged his sword at Rogan's back.

Anwynne, as she watched, for a moment thought that it would meet its mark, but then Rogan merely turned so that the blow went  just barely to the side of him. Rogan then used his own sword to flip Errius' out of the way and into the air. Anwynne gasped in worry, but needlessly, for a split-second later, Errius rolled and caught it.

Errius then faced Rogan again, and continued the duel. So Errius' sword flew again and again to Rogan's person, but each time Rogan  evaded it or stopped it with his own blade. Errius kicked Rogan's sword down, but Rogan slid round and brought his sword up with feline agility, thinly slicing Errius' shoulder.

Errius clutched his shoulder as though in pain, but still raised his sword and struck. He attacked again and again, with a new vigor that would've overpowered most swordsmen. Rogan shot back each blow, blocking and twisting off with his blade. Silver flashed in the fading sunlight and the ringing of blades could be heard echoing throughout the cavern.

Errius struck at a lucky point and Rogan was down for a split-second. His men went as though to go to him for a split-second, but he signaled them to go back. Errius paused a moment as though hesitant, but then went on towards Rogan. Rogan then, taking the tiny tarrying as an advantage, kicked Errius down as well. They then both rose as swiftly as they seemed able. As Errius re-began his assault, Rogan quickly thrust his sword straight out, knocking Errius' sword out of hand and Errius to his knees. Errius glared up in reluctant defeat.

"I suppose you're staying, then", said Rogan plainly.

Errius breathed hard from the duel, and he grasped his ever-so-slightly blood-tinted shoulder for a small moment.

Rogan appeared to notice the injury and almost seemed to pale for a moment. But he quickly regained his composure and summoned a couple of the other bandits. "Men, put him with the others - gently, remember - and, ah, clean his scratch up" When Rogan had said this, he turned to the rest of Anwynne's company who were conscious, and offered lightly, "Anyone else care to try?"

Anyways, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll be posting a little more, now that I'm back home and midterm exams in school are over. What did you think of this much? Do you prefer it to the last scene... or are you still waiting for the story to get better, as I promised? ;) Buckle up, readers, because it may be a bumpy ride... :)