A pale light whisked across the horizon, promising a crisp sunny morning as the stars

twinkled above. Aggie and Arlen had huffed down the frosted lawn to the bank of the lake, their breaths coming out in clouds as they scanned the inky waters for any sign of a helmsmen, while trying to both move hastily but not suspiciously.

“Didn’t Eva say there was someone already here?” Aggie demanded after she caught her breath.

She didn’t relish the thought of taking a ride across the Fey made lake in daylight where there were more people, and someone could far more easily spot them.

The duo knew that in times of war if they boarded a boat and expected to not be noticed, being cloaked and mysterious was not the best way to avoid suspicion.

Instead, Aggie donned an icy blue gown that scooped low near her breasts, with silvery designs curling around the bodice. She had managed to hide her trousers under the heavy skirts for additional warmth, but was finding the pairing quite awkward.

“She did, but he could be late. Shall we stroll the beach while we wait?” Arlen gestured with a bow to let Aggie step before him, forcing her to bite back a snort.

In order for Arlen’s exotic appearance to be excused, it was easier to have him be a footman that had been sold to a noble household. Aggie would play the bratty daughter of some inconsequential baron. The goal was for her to have such a grating personality, that no one would want to talk to either of them.

Aggie was working on her sauntering- a foreign and awkward feeling to her, which resulted in what looked like a bad limp mixed with an absent hip, when they heard footsteps approaching originating from the Brawny Donkey.

Arlen’s sword was still at his side where his hand hovered. Aggie’s fist curled, preparing to draw out her nearest daggers knowing they’d be a second later than she would like in time of conflict.

“Mornin’!” Came the lazy drawl of one of the 2 figures that approached them.

“Is someone there?” Aggie did her best to make her voice shrill, and judging from the small twitch in Arlen’s jaw, she gathered she was successful.

“Yes mi’lady, name’s Uburt. Yous twos lookin’ to cross?”

Whether or not the man meant ‘Hubert’, or his name were actually ‘Ubert’ was left up for interpretation.

As Uburt drew closer, Aggie and Arlen could clearly see who the second person was with the helmsman, and they both stiffened as a result.

It was the bard from the night before.

“Well we can set out inna jif if you’ll sit tight!”

Aggie gave a very convincing indignant sniff towards the man and his leathered skin with a silvery beard, and crossed her arms.

Arlen stepped forward, giving a shallow bow to the driver.

“My Mistress and I are greatly appreciative, Sir.”

The helmsman gave an insolent glance at Aggie’s back as he strolled passed her.

The bard appeared oblivious to the haughty attitude the Lady was presenting, and therefore introduced himself.

“Good morning! I am Mel Sorkin, a bard, and pleased to make your acquaintance.” With a flourish of the wrist Mel doubled himself over to bow before Aggie, whom returned the greeting with an eye roll. She wasn’t certain if he was able to see it however given that everything was still cloaked in darkness.

“It’s bad enough that I have to be awake at this ungodly hour, but now I have to share a boat with common folk.” Aggie whined dramatically while refusing to acknowledge the bard whom straightened himself and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“This here is Lady Shawe, and I am her footman. Our carriage broke down some ways back, and we had to set out on foot until the rest of our party can join us back in the Southern Kingdom.”

“Well, I guess I will become better acquainted with you both for the next few hours, I hope we manage to get along.” The bard shot the Lady with the crossed arms and her nose in the air a dubious expression, that lasted barely a second before he lowered his ground to the ground subserviently.

*

Mel sat dejectedly on a pile of sand sacks along the bank of the lake that bordered both the North and South Kingdoms.

The Lady Shawe had proven to be as unpleasant as her first impression had indicated, and after a few more unsavory comments, no one had bothered trying to talk during the long boat ride.

Sadly, the group had to wait until a cart, or horse merchant, would come their way before Mel could be relieved of her company once they’d arrived in the Southern Kingdom.

The bard was unaware how the hope that he would never lay eyes on the Lady Shawe, would change. In fact, what was to happen would launch his career down new avenues he had never been privy too before.

After giving his head a shake after a lovely daydream pertaining Duchess O’Donnell, Mel pulled out his lute, and began practicing the new song he was writing about the legendary Lady Beatha.

He couldn’t hear what Lady Shawe said to her footman, but whatever it was, it made the man give her a small smile, then begin his slow approach towards the musician until he was toe-to-toe with the tired and disgruntled bard.

“My Lady questions why you are singing about the ‘Cretin Beatha’ She wonders if that is wise given we are now in the Southern Kingdom.”

“How kind of your Mistress to worry about my well-being.” The sarcasm was not unnoticed by Arlen as the bard slowly stood up off the sacks, and stowed his lute onto his back.

“I sing about the North Hero because she’s a good story. The peasants are all relieved that someone of royal blood can stand up for them.” Mel smiled to himself.

“As a matter of fact, she’s a good lesson to nobles that are like your Mistress.” He added softly.

Arlen snorted, and tried not to laugh harder.

“I could teach her a lesson if you’d like.”

Arlen’s levity disappeared at once, and his dark eyes snapped to the bard’s face. Mel was already studying Aggie’s figure as she stood in the distance, impatiently watching the horizon.

“Tell me, does the Lady Shawe have a lover? I’d be impressed if someone can stomach her.”

The man, oblivious to the murderous expression on Arlen’s face, continued talking.

“She looks like she’d be easy to seduce once you ignore her awful personality. I’m sure after a good fuck and chuck she would be less-”

Arlen’s hand snatched the bard’s throat in a death grip. The pressure of his right hand cut off blood and air before Mel could even attempt to take another breath.

“If you try anything as sleazy as what you suggested, I won’t let my Mistress even have a chance to show you how ‘easy’ she truly is.” His voice was cold, and completely unlike the affable, easy-going man from before.

The bard was beginning to claw and slap at the hand that gripped his throat to no avail, desperately choking for life when he was finally released.

Mel stared at Arlen at first outraged as he gasped, and then a look of realization crossed his pale face. He shook his head as he continued coughing for another few minutes. Arlen waited with his hands behind his back, his expression once again pleasant.

When he finally managed to stand long enough to lean on the sandbags, addressed his thoughts.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were in love with her.”

Arlen’s expression immediately shifted again as he turned and stared at Mel directly, whom visibly winced when he saw the transformation.

“Having a standard of decency does not mean I am in love with her.”

“If that was what you were about, then choking a man nearly to death seems somewhat counterproductive.” The bard glared back.

“You can’t admit it to me, that’s fine, but be honest with yourself at least.”

Mel coughed a few more times before Aggie, maintaining her shrill tone, called out.

“Riders are coming!”

Arlen strode over to her side, squinting at the horizon as Ubert stepped forward from coiling a pile of entangled ropes he had taken with him off the boat. He insisted on waiting with the group to help them get fair prices for a cart or horses.

“Ah, that’ll be Lenny.” He nodded as a man perhaps in his 30’s with dark hair, days of stubble, and dusty traveled in clothes lead a group of 7 men all on horseback.

“Is ‘Lenny’ who will sell the bard a horse? Or are they leading a cart that has yet to come?” Arlen asked tentatively. There was something odd about the riders that drew nearer as they brought no spare horses, and all appeared to be armed.

“Ubert, who are those men?” Arlen’s tone became more strained when the helmsman didn’t answer him.

The older man still hadn’t bothered to reply when the men were upon them, grinning down at the trio, waiting expectantly as they stared at Ubert who stood apart from his passengers.

“What kind of lot did you bring in today?” Asked the man in the lead that Arlen guessed to be ‘Lenny’.

“Bard and a Lady with her footman.” The helmsman didn’t dare look at the trio. The bard continued to look confused, while Aggie and Arlen’s expressions became blank.

“Right then. You lot, show us your goods.” Lenny’s men all shared bright smiles as they drew out daggers.

“Ubert,” Aggie’s voice was no longer shrill and piercing. Instead it was flat and hard. Which was worse, would become a heated debate inside the helmsman’s head for the coming days.

“Don’t go far. We will be having words with you shortly.”

The men all cackled as the older man scuttled back to his boat hastily.

“Now gentlemen, please know, I have nothing but my lute which is surely worthless to men such as-” Mel had finally clued in, and was backing away nervously as the robbers circled them all without dismounting their horses.

“I think you will be sorely disappointed with us as well.” Aggie added dryly.

The men all chortled.

“Worst case scenario Lady, we have a pleasurable evening.” Lenny flipped the blade in his hand lazily giving the young woman a wink. Aggie watched the movement with a keen eye, and noted that while he was confident in his knife skills, they were rough at best.

Arlen slowly drew his sword.

“Get this guy, a footman, pullin’ a sword on us!” The highwaymen laughed, save for Lenny, whom was studying Arlen’s rigid posture and expert stance with a critical eye.

“Hmm, careful boys, he’s more experienced than you’d think.”

Arlen locked eyes with Lenny, and while doing so, pulled out the spare dagger in his belt, and handed it to Aggie, who wasted no time in cutting the gown around her legs.

The men began to hoot and holler, until they saw the men’s trousers and boots under the layers of fabric that the Lady cut away.

Aggie grinned at their stricken expressions while spinning her dagger in her hand.

She may have been showing off a little.

“Well well. We might have come across some like-minded thieves!” Lenny seemed to take great delight in this discovery despite it most likely meaning they were as poor as the rest of them.

Mel’s eyes were bulging out of his head as stared hard at the sole woman present, then caught the glint of her bright green eyes that she had been keeping lowered until that moment.

“Gods, you’re Lady Beatha aren’t you?!” The awe in his voice made Aggie’s jaw twitch.

Regardless of being exposed, she didn’t take her eyes off of the men surrounding them as she slowly moved so that she was back to back with Arlen.

“Bard, when you get the chance, run.” She commanded while drawing out the extra thin dagger she had concealed from the upper back of her gown.

“So, this is the Lady that started a war!” Lenny laughed incredulously.

“She started all of this to run away with her servant lover.” One of the men leered down at them.

The bard looked at Arlen his eyes round.

“If you’re Beatha, he is-”

“Mel, I swear on my knife, if you breathe another word, I will stomp your balls flat.”

“It is kind of her specialty, so I’d listen.” Arlen added without moving a muscle.

“You know, I’m quite certain that there is still a bounty on your head. We might get rich from these degenerates after all!” Lenny announced triumphantly glancing satisfactorily at the faces of his followers.

The men cheered.

“Bigger problem sir, how do we get ‘em. They look… pointy.” The youngest of the bandits spoke, for some reason feeling more threatened than threatening when it came to the Lady and her servant.

“At least 2 at once for each.” Lenny commanded.

His eyes were glinting as he stared hungrily down at Arlen, oddly enough, Aggie seemed to be the least of his worries.

Just as ordered, 4 men on horses approached the pair as the bard gulped and slowly backed into the sides of the Aggie and Arlen.

The assailants pulled their steeds around to the sides of the combative pair, but once in clear view, the Lady threw both daggers. The men nearest her crumpled off their horses making the mounts whiney and snort as they stomped away disturbed at suddenly being riderless.

Arlen had swung his sword in a blur of steel with great precision severing the arms that wielded weapons.

There were a series of shouts and cries as the rest of the steeds began to snort and paw the ground at the sudden conflict.

The bard had squeaked and shut his eyes clutching his lute to his chest, as the rest of the group urged their horses forward. Aggie had ducked the first few attacks in time to pull out one of her daggers that she kept in her boot, which she quickly lodged in another man.

A second one stabbed at her, but she slammed her fist down on the side of his arm, forcing him to fumble his own weapon, and without waiting to recoil her arm, punched the man’s crotch.

While he doubled over, she dodged yet another blow from an assailant behind her, while Arlen finished dismembering the remaining men whom all were backing their steeds away while clutching bloody stumps.

Lenny’s smile was gone as he drew his saber and squared off with Arlen.

“Well. It would seem not all the rumors are wrong.” The rage in his voice made his words shake.

Arlen didn’t bat an eye, when suddenly a dagger whizzed over his head and lodged itself in Lenny’s throat.

Aggie and the bard had mounted 2 of the freed mounts while Arlen had been finishing off the last of his own attackers. The men whom remained conscious all began to trot their horses away, which Aggie watched with a cool unfeeling gaze.

She slowly turned the horse around, and casually trotted the beast back down the bank, where Ubert was quickly trying to set the heavy boat in the water by himself.

“Pardon me.” Aggie called, and saw the man jumped as he swung around at hearing her voice. He hadn’t anticipated her being the winner of the confrontation.

“Y-You-” He didn’t manage to finish before Aggie kicked him firmly in his face, knocking most of his teeth out or lose.

“I’d pick better friends if I were you.” She turned the horse around and galloped back to where Arlen and the bard waited.

She stared at the fleeing backs of the highwaymen that had survived, and grimaced as she saw that they were scattering far apart over the hills.

“This just made my arrival in the Kingdom less surprising.” She sighed watching them grow smaller and smaller.

Arlen undid the cravat around his throat and tucked it into the inner pocket of his black coat.

“We might need to find those contacts.” He replied slowly setting the horse into a leisurely walk at the same time Aggie did.

“Wait!” The pair turned to stare at the bard in unison, whom had blood smattering his face from being in the splash zone of Arlen’s attacks.

“You… you were the ones in the tavern last night!” He called out slowly bringing his horse alongside them.

Aggie and Arlen shared a concerned look.

“Listen here, do not breath a word of this to anyone, understand?” Arlen turned to face the bard his expression intense.

“How could I not write about this?! You’re every bit like the stories!” He exclaimed a small amazed smile touching his face.

“I think you’ll find it easy not to, considering I will find you and be quite displeased with you.” Aggie snapped angrily.

The bard swallowed, but couldn’t remain quiet for long.

“Are you here because of the Prince’s fiancé?” He asked excitedly, his terror of his saviors obviously forgotten.

Aggie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You do realize if you tell more people about what you saw, you will increase the likelihood of us being caught.” She pointed out without opening her eyes.

“Those bastards are already going to tell everyone!” He gestured wildly at the men whom had disappeared.

“We don’t need more of those.” Arlen drew his sword again, which finally seemed to bring levity of the situation to the bard.

“Alright, I won’t tell anyone… until after you rescue Lady Maude.” He added pleadingly looking back and forth between them.

“Part of my success bard, has been from people underestimating me. If people stop doing that, my life because much harder.” Aggie gently pressed her horse’s side as she padded the animal forward, forcing Arlen and the bard to follow suit.

The bard looked disappointed, but not entirely convinced.

“I can say your Servicer did most of the work.”

Aggie reared her horse around and marched it so that she was sitting in her saddle staring very closely at the bard.

“That’s another thing you half-wit, don’t advertise that he’s a Servicer! One more word from you, and I will not only smash your fucking lute, I will cut out your tongue.”

The bard’s eyes went wide as Aggie drew one of her daggers out while threatening him.

“Y-You really were a Lady before?” He asked his voice trembling.

“Your damn fucking right I was. What? Beginning to doubt I’m the Beatha?”

“If it weren’t for the eyes everyone is talking about, I would.” He added while his hands holding the reins visibly shook..

“Until a few months ago, I’d never heard my goddamn eye color was so special.” Aggie called back to Arlen frustrated.

“It’s because of Captain Murphy.”

Aggie’s pallor visibly greened at hearing the name so suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Arlen asked on her behalf, hoping the annoying bard wouldn’t notice.

“Well I happened to be in the same tavern as the Captain when he heard about your bounty. He was with a blonde Fey woman whom told him that it’d be easy to find a Beatha because of the unique color. Now everyone has heard about it.”

Aggie turned her horse around and trotted away leaving Arlen clenching his reins to finish threatening the bard into silence.