Return To Sender (Closed)

[KiwiD82]

Harald clenched his fists and breathed deeply as he watched the carriage gradually approach. He had watched its slow progress up from the distant plains below for close to an hour. Whatever its contents, it didn't appear to be in any kind of a hurry.

As such, Harald doubted its contents would be worth all that much. Perhaps it was a tax collector on his first run in the region, without any coins in his corrupt possession. Or maybe a humble merchant back from selling his wares at the nearest village.

That was all the young highwayman could think of. Carriages that carried large amounts of gold or members of nobility tended to be heavily guarded and moving quickly. Whatever was here was likely to be far less valuable, but also an easier target.

He still had plenty of time before his target would arrive, and so he waited in his viewing position amidst a thicket of trees, leaning against his bow, and still watching.

 

[Makitsu_Trinity]

It had been a long day and Hope was looking forward to a hot meal and a warm fire once they reached the castle. Winter was closing in fast, and while she did admire the color of Autumn, she was not to keen on the idea of the cold that was fast approaching.

She sighed, lying back against the plush pillows she'd nested in. She wasn't sure why, but she'd been uneasy this last bit of the trip, ever since they'd stopped for lunch, and now, her uneasiness grew.

"We should be home by nightfall, highness." The voice of her driver and only companion startled her and she had to force a reply.

"Thank you," she answered curtly.

 

[KiwiD82]

Harald was well positioned by the time the carriage finally crawled over the crest of the hill. Crouched among shadows approximately 50 yards further down the forest road, the bandit normally wouldn't operate alone but with only a driver, no guards, and presumably no passengers in the back, he felt confident enough that the wagon could be taken without needing any help.

In fact, his target was so poorly protected that Harald was tempted to let it go past untouched. But as it came closer, the bandit could see that it was no cheap carriage. It was ornately designed, shining with polish in the scattered sunlight that penetrated the forest canopy above. Everything about the carriage spoke of great wealth.

It was simply too good to ignore.

Raising his bow, Harald notched a bodkin arrow and pulled back, his dark eyes waiting for the wagon to get just a little bit closer before letting it loose.

 

[Makitsu_Trinity]

Hope heard a scream as the driver pulled the carriage to a sudden halt. She leaned out the window, peering up to try and see what happened.

"Is everything okay?" she queried. "Why are we stopped?"

"Everything is fine, milady. Just stay inside, no matter what you hear, do not come out for anything."

She felt the bouncing that indicated her driver was dismounting and going to check. She released a silent prayer for his safety and settled back to wait.

 

[KiwiD82]

Harald grinned to himself as he watched the flight of his arrow remain straight and true, headed for the driver. But that grin faded as his target shifted at the last moment - perhaps seeing the briefest of reflections of the fading sunlight against the shaft of the projectile - and tried to get out of the way.

The driver was only party successful. Certainly, his desperate shift saved his life and prevented an arrow from impaling his chest, but it still embedded itself into his arm, causing him to scream and halt the carriage.

Harald heard the man say something else but he couldn't make out what it was. All he knew was the driver was climbing down from the carriage, clearly injured, but brandishing a sword.

The bandit stepped out from his hiding place, casually drawing another arrow from his quiver and notching it, but still the man came. He raised his bow at the wounded driver, but this also did nothing to stop him.

"Don't be a fool," Harald said, in an almost imploring tone. "All I want is what's in that carriage. Go to the nearest village and get your arm treated and no more harm shall come to you."

Yet still the man came, wielding his sword in his one good arm, muttering curse words as he continued to approach.

The gap between the two had almost closed when the driver lifted his sword and started to lunge towards the young highwayman.

Harald had wanted to let the man leave, wounded but alive. He wasn't planning to do so at the expense of his own life, though.

His fingers shifted and the arrow flew a very short distance to its target. The driver fell to the ground and that, it seemed, was that.

Putting his bow back over his shoulder, Harald dragged the body of the man off the road and into the bushes, then started to approach the carriage, curious to see what it was that the driver had refused to let go without a fight.

 

[Makitsu_Trinity]

Hope listened for some clue, some sign that her driver was alive. She was more than capable of getting herself home, but she did not like the idea of being exposed after dark on the driver's seat. She peaked out of a slit in the curtain, seeing a young man approaching. She stifled her shock, trying not to think of what had become of her traveling companion. She drew a tiny jeweled dagger from her boot, feeling it a completely inadequate tool for defending herself.

She hunkered down on the floor of the carriage, sitting on her heels in a way that would make it possible to lunge should she come under attack.

 

[KiwiD82]

Harald covered the short distance to the carriage at a casual pace, not wanting to spook the horse that watched him approach. He held out a hand and gently petted the four legged beast to help keep it calm.

The young bandit only offered a cursory glance into the carriage itself. Nobody was sitting on the seats, so whatever was inside must have been sitting on the floor - presumably a chest with wealth inside.

But Harald didn't want to inspect it here. The wagon was only at the very edge of the forest, and it would be much safer to examine its contents at a more concealed location.

Climbing up into the newly vacated driver's seat, the highwayman took hold of the reigns, cracking them so that the horse and wagon both lurched forward and further into the forest. All the while, he wondered what treasures he might find in the wagon, and how much money they could provide the poor peasantry of nearby villages.

 

[Makitsu_Trinity]

Hope felt the wagon shift as it lurched to move. Climbing back into her seat, she peered out from behind the curtain. Looking up into the driver's seat, she verified that it wasn't simply the horse being spooked into running. Sighing with relief, she tucked her dagger back into her boot.

After a long silence, she became concerned. Calling up to her driver, she asked, "Is everything alright? I should think we'd have arrived a while ago."

 

[KiwiD82]

The sun had fallen further, with light beginning to succumb to darkness as the wagon slowly made its way along the forest path. Harald was lost in his own world, following such a familiar route and enjoying the quiet noises of the woodlands when a voice spoke to him.

A female voice.

A voice of authority.

A voice from inside the wagon.

Harald was suddenly alert, unsure of who it was that was speaking to him, while simultaneously berating himself for not having checked the wagon properly.

Perhaps he was dreaming? It had been a tiresome day, so it was possible he'd just imagined the voice.

Or had he?

There was only one way to know. He didn't want to stop the wagon, but he had to find out if there was indeed an unidentified woman inside the very wagon that he was now driving.

"Milady?"

 

[Makitsu_Trinity]

Hope was surprised by the strange voice that greeted her. She started a little and reached down to pull out her blade. She leaned against the door ready to jump out. "Stop the carriage," she commanded, her voice low but stern.

How had this happened? She knew she should have stayed in the last village, but home had seemed so close. Now some stranger was driving her carriage gods knew where.

 

[KiwiD82]

Harald hadn't planned for this at all. He hadn't wanted to kill the driver, but the man wouldn't back down. And now he had inadvertently kidnapped someone?

The woman, whoever she was, told him to stop. It was clear by her tone that she was used to telling people what to do. Most likely, she was a noble. But why her livery was not on the wagon, Harald had no idea.

"I'm sorry, milady," he almost stammered, pulling back on the reigns and bringing them all to a gentle stop. "I had no idea you were in there!"

 

[Makitsu_Trinity]

"And who might you be?" Hope demanded, poking her head out the window. "What happened to my driver? Why am I not home yet? Do you have any clue who I am?"

She tried to pull her most impressive noble act, but she was trembling and could here an infuriating tremble in her voice.

 

[KiwiD82]

Harald was reeling from the situation just as much as his passenger was. The female voice sounded noble both in tone and delivery, but the wagon bore no heraldic livery, so he hadn't known its contents. It had made for a target that looked harmless - and the absence of any livery was presumably so the noblewoman inside wouldn't be easily targeted with just a driver for protection.

It seemed the situation had backfired for both of them.

"I...milady, I'm sorry," he stammered, turning to look at the head that was leaning out of the window.

Harald was struck by the woman's beauty, despite her angry facial expression. And was that fear? Yes...but that was understandable. The bandit had to somehow reassure her.

"Milady, I had no idea you were there, but I swear that no harm shall come to you until I can return you home."

It was only then that he belatedly began to answer her questions.

"I am Harald, milady. Your driver is...no more. A-and you are...?"

In the panic of the situation, he'd drawn a blank - and he was sure it would be the death of him.