Page 21 of The Robber Knight's Love
He thrust open the door and strode down thecorridor. Appreciatively, he let his eyes travel over thetapestries and fine weapons on the walls. This was a rich castle.Once they had healed and fed him, maybe he could empty theircoffers of all gold before he disappeared. They surely wouldn'tmiss it, and it would be no more than they deserved for theirinsolent treatment of a knight.
When he was halfway down the corridor, a doorto the side opened and a young servant girl entered. She hadshoulder-length, curly brown hair and a pleasant, if notparticularly intelligent, face. Well, what could you expect? Shewas a servant. Maybe she would be able to tell him what he wanted,nonetheless.
“Hey, you,” he called out to her, raising acommanding hand. She turned.
As she saw him, her face drained of color andher mouth fell open, making her look even less intelligent thanbefore.
“Don't stand there gawping,” he admonished.“Tell me where I am, get me my sword, and then lead me to the lordof this castle. I wish to have words with him!”
The girl let loose a blood-curdling scream,turned, and fled down the corridor. Reuben looked after her,perplexed, wondering what on earth might have induced the sillygirl to react so strangely.
Then he reasoned that the sight of a manspattered in blood and with three arrows sticking out of his backwas probably enough cause. Females tended to be squeamish likethat.
He tried to follow the girl, but stumbled andhad to steady himself against a wall. Why was he feeling so dizzyall of a sudden? Lights started appearing in front of his eyes, andnot the right kind of lights, either. They weren't where thewindows in the corridor were, and their coloring went from red toblue and then to purple.
Still steadying himself against the wall withone hand, Reuben used the other to grope for the wounds on hisback. Copious amounts of blood were streaming down from thearrows.
“Damn!” he muttered, and fell over.
*~*~**~*~*
When Reuben came to, he was lying under ablanket on the same bed as before. He blinked, slightly dazed. Tohis right, he heard the folds of a dress rustling. The servantgirl.
“So you managed to get me back here again,did you?” he grunted. “Why on earth did you run away?”
“Run away?” came the reply in a steady,ironic voice. It sounded familiar, but it was not the voice of aservant. “You're not that scary. What are you talking about?”
“I...” He turned his head and stared into twolarge, blue eyes, set in a delicate ivory face surrounded by acrown of golden hair. With an exclamation, Reuben jerkedbackwards.
“You! I thought you were just a nightmare!”he growled.
The girl! The girl he had robbed. So hehadn't just dreamed that part—she had been there, after the fight.But if she had, that presented one interesting question: Why was hestill alive? And who was she? And what on earth had she been doingout there in the woods in the first place, with mercenarieseverywhere? All right, not one question. Many questions. And manychances to lose his head.
“Nightmare?” Anger flared in the girl's blueeyes. “No. I'm just the person who saved your hide, thank you verymuch!”
“You... saved me?”
“I don't know why you sound so surprised! DoI look like the kind of person who would just let a fellowChristian bleed to death?”
Measuring the fiery expression in the girl'seyes, Reuben decided to keep his real opinion in regard to thisquiet and answered with all the civility he could muster: “Why, no,of course not, Lady...?”
The question mark at the end of the sentencewas clearly audible. She ignored it completely.
“How very nice of you. Now, do you mindtelling me what you were doing out in the forest without a cloak ora weapon with three arrows in your back?”
Without a... cloak?
It took a few moments for him to understand.Of course! They must have found him without his armor and withoutweapons. The mercenaries must have taken them, those greedybastards, and left him for dead. The girl must have found him inthe forest afterwards. She hadnoideawho he was, thank the devil! He remembered herthreats all too well.
“What were you doing out there?” sherepeated.
“Bleeding,” he said, with a haughty grin. “Alot.” That would put her off and stop her from asking any morequestions. Any mention of blood and women ran for the hills.
“I'll say.” She scowled. “I ruined my dressbringing you up here.”
He blinked, surprised. “You brought me uphere yourself?”
“Well, not alone. You're a heavy fellow, youknow. I had a few men helping—but I stayed, to make sure you wereall right. It was messy.”
