Of Wayward Knights (Open)

[Lily]

The wind rushed past her face, chilled, feeling as though it were drawing the breath from her body, but it was an enjoyable feeling which she was entirely used to by this point. In fact, one could even say she lived for it. The wind, no obstacles between her and the horizon, the feeling of seeing the ground below rushing past so rapidly. She liked to fly low because it emphasized that. The girl named Lily was smiling as she held the reins, her short hair moving wildly in the wind, her bright eyes on the horizon, maneuvering her pegasus through the air with grace.

Lily had come a long way from Ilia. The rebellion in Bern was common news throughout Elibe. And with a rebellion going against her nation, harming her kinsmen, she felt compelled to choose here to continue her training. She couldn't sit idly by while war claimed the lives of her Ilian brothers and sisters. Especially not with the thought of her being able to lessen those numbers on her mind. She didn't know about all the nuances of ethics and morality in regards to these sorts of fights, but she knew who and what she wanted to protect. This thought made her grip onto her lance a little tighter.

Sadly, there either wasn't much fighting that needed her help, or she was really, really bad at finding it. That was probably another part of not being familiar with wars and fighting, was she didn't know what to look for. Would she even be any help in a fight at all, if she were to find one? She'd seen a lot of travel, but she'd never once needed to use her lance with fighting intent outside of training, and never hurt anyone intentionally. Maybe she'd just get in the way.

It was thoughts like these that left her distracted, spacing out with a sigh as she soared.

---

Nearby, there was a man carrying firewood to a small camp site, grumbling under his breath. He was annoyed. He was always stuck with this job. Always. Two other men with enough muscle to do it easily, and it was always his job. Del always claimed he needed to be able to use his bow, and Luka kept saying that he was the boss and didn't need to.

But that didn't mean that Kip wouldn't complain every chance he had.

These men were opportunists, fighting under the guise of the Bernese rebellion to have an excuse for their banditry and plundering. It was profitable. They kept their heads low, and kept mobile. As long as they held to that, they could hit nearly any target and not fear reprise. It was during their usual back and forth, when Del decided to silence the group, pointing out the pegasus rider's silhouette in the sky.

"Think I can hit it?" he asked with a grin.

Bets were placed, one for yes, one for no. He considered himself a good shot, though. He drew out an arrow, raising his bow up and taking aim.

One more for the "Rebellion" to grow rich from, as far as he was concerned.

---

Lily didn't know how long she was lost in thought. But she knew what snapped her out of it. Serenity let out a sharp noise as an arrow suddenly clipped her wing. All Lily could do was widen her eyes in panic, as the duo lost aerial stability and started on a downward tumble. She yelled loudly, trying to get the pegasus to work with her, to heed her words, even though she didn't know the extent of what had even happened.

She managed to regain control, but was only able to slow down just enough to prevent the landing from being fatal. Serenity hit the ground hard, and so did she as a result.

To say she was left disoriented was an understatement. She came to a moment later, her leg trapped by the horse. It didn't feel broken, although it was uncomfortable. Her head was pounding. Serenity was breathing, and didn't seem seriously injured.

"... C'mon girl..." Lily said groggily, patting her hand on her pegasi's neck, "You need to get up... Please?"

The pegasus didn't stir immediately, but soon brought itself to its feet, albeit slowly. Lily took just as long to stand. Once she did, she first went to her most trusted companion, examining her wing.

"You're cut... It doesn't look bad though... What just happened...?" she asked, petting Serenity gently, turning her head to deduce what just transpired. She saw her lance, lying on the ground a couple of feet from where she just stood up from. She looked grim, as she decided to go to it and take it in hand.

She would probably need it.

"We need to move," Lily said, patting the pegasus before taking her by the reins to lead her, not wanting to try acting the rider through a forest and wanting to be able to fight if need be, "We're not gonna fly while things are still dangerous, but we need to hide. Let's go to that forest over there. C'mon."

With both of them acting in unison, both she and the pegasus made its way by ground into the treeline. Lily remembered a road being nearby. She hoped she was right in remembering which way it was.

But she hoped even more that whoever was trying to kill them wouldn't find them first.

[Eren]

Eren had been flying on Mika, blending in with the darkness of the trees as the pair shot low and fast over the forest. He needed to scope out the area... After all, if he was to capture the nearby fort and establish his own successful prong of the Rebellion, he'd need a decisive victory. And decisive victories arose from good tactical knowledge. Terrain was huge.

Wait.

What?

A... Pegasus...?

Here?

Eren looked incredulously at the soaring rider, watching her suddenly plummet to the ground.

"Damn! Archers. Mika, land! By the rider, quickly!"

Mika obliged, and Eren leapt off of Mika, landing and sprinting over to the other rider.

"Are you badly injured?!"

[Lily]

Lily was a bit panicked to tactfully handle social situations. Especially those (in a fairly literal sense) falling from the sky. She slid on some leaves once she heard the voice, quickly bringing her lance up in a defensive stance and facing the man. She didn't even process the words, first under the assumption that this could have been one of the people aiming to kill her. Once she realized the nature of his question, she was set a little more at ease. But even still.

She had to put on a tough face.

"D-don't come any closer. I'm a trained fighter, you know," she says, keeping her lance pointed at the man, a bead of sweat running down the side of her head, "... Just who are you, anyway?"

This man looked nothing like she would have expected of a person on either side of the war, at a glance. Well... Haggard enough to be a rebel, but armed enough to be a soldier. Those scars, too... This man had something intimidating about him.

She unconsciously began backing up slowly. Her pegasus was behind her the whole way. She didn't want a fight with this man. But she didn't know if he could say the same.

---

In the distance, the shouts of the bandits could be heard. They were searching, and getting close, too.

"I think she landed over here! Careful though, think I saw something else too!" the voice shouts.

[Eren]

"... Just who are you, anyway?"

"Relax. I'm not the one who shot you. Imagine me aiming from the sk-- shh!"

"I think she landed over here! Careful though, think I saw something else too!"

Eren's eyes narrowed in anger at the distant but nearing voices. "Bandits. Damn. Okay, trust me on this one. I'm going to hide in the forest behind you. Mika will also be hidden, waiting. When those villains approach, it'll appear as if you're alone, as they expect. Then, I'll use the element of surprise and we'll smash them. I sure hope that lance isn't a prop, because most likely, there won't just be one. Alright. Afterward, I'll give you my full introduction. Until then, you'll have to trust me. Or, you could sell me out, of course, and then we both lose. So long, for now," Eren said as he climbed with surprising agility into a tree, his dark green armor becoming virtually invisible. Mika likewise withdrew into the forest, hunkering down and blending in with the shadows, laying motionless.

Waiting.

The trap had been set... Time to see if the bait would act her part. If she did, Eren would annhilate those bandits.

[Lily]

All she could do was pause and listen quietly. Sit around and wait for these people to show up, to fill her with arrows? Who did this guy think she was, anyway? Asking her to play the role of bait and risk her life on some stranger... The nerve!

Still... Where would her odds be if she did sell him out? And would she really have any luck, running on her own?

"... Tch!" was all she managed to get out, before she gave the signal for Serenity to move deeper into the forest, then readying her lance and facing the direction of the other voices.

This was stupid. She was terrified. But what other choice did she have...?

---

"Eheheh. Well now, little girl, you're a long way from home, aren't you?" the archer said, the group of three having found her finally.

They were moving to surround her. The two burly ones were on either side, trying to form a circle, while the archer stayed between them with his bow and arrow held loosely.

"S-stay back. We don't have to fight," Lily said, trying to seem sure of herself, pointing her lance between the three, stepping back slightly.

"You know there's a war going on here, right? And the rebellion doesn't take well to seeing any pegasus knights flying through here. You're in trouble now," the man said with a devious grin. The rebellion line was practiced. But she didn't know that.

"Stay back!" she shouted, causing the men to pause for a moment, "I'll... I'll kill you if I have to!"

"Heh. Time for talk's done, little girl. Your head and your horse should sell for a pretty coin," the man responded in a decisive tone, starting to draw back his arrow. The other two took out their weapons. One axe. One sword.

If this was going to work, the time for help was now. If the help didn't show up...

No. She couldn't think of that. She had to survive.

[Eren]

Eren grinned. There... His prey were walking right into his trap. Closer...Closer...He waited, like a spider. Tense. Feeling their approach... They were lazy. They didn't expect an assault. They drew their weapons... And...

NOW!!!

"GRAAAAH!"

With a ferocious yell, Eren leapt out of the tree, landing with lance held firmly in his right hand, and, in his left, a... branch?! As the bandits leapt in shock and fumbled to react, Eren took advantage and charged, catching the archer unawares. As the poor man stumbled backwards, Eren threw his whole weight behind a thrust, impaling the man through the torso like a spitted piece of wild game. Letting man and lance fall (he'd get his weapon once the fighting cleared), Eren whirled and used the branch to block the swordsman's strike, buying himself time. Now on the defensive, Eren quickly drew his axe, regretting leaving his lance in the dead archer. He'd have to rely on the girl to take out the swordsman... "Hey, a little help, please? Take out the swordsman!" Eren yelled, moving backwards as he parried the axeman's aggressive strokes. He just had to find a weak spot. The man would make a mistake... And then he would strike.

[Lily]

She watched in slight awe as Eren crashed through the canopy, with his choice in weapons in each hand. She watched how deftly he handled each person. She watched him kill the first man so easily, then move on to the second. She was partly in awe, but partly mortified. She hadn't seen true combat, and here this man was.

And then, he gave her her orders.

Take him out...?

She didn't have time to fully dwell on that before the swordsman shifted to picking her as a target, likely because the other man had blocked his blow with a tree branch and probably seemed slightly insane. Muscle memory took over, her training dictating her movements as she brought her lance up to direct the swordsman to a range she wanted to keep him at.

It was almost a dance. Or more accurately, her playing the puppeteer. She would make just the most subtle of movements, and the man would move his sword the way she wanted. There it was. There was her opening.

The killing blow.

She thrust forward, stepping into it, shouting wildly. She had never killed a man. Could she now?

... No. She couldn't. There was a moment of hesitation. She closed her eyes, and tipped her lance down, ripping into the man's thigh instead and causing him to yell and fall to the side, dropping his sword. She withdrew her lance. He wasn't going to be moving, but...

"... I'm sorry!" was all she could manage to say, moving her lance to his sword and knocking it away from him. He was incapacitated, but there was so much bleeding. He was in so much pain.

She looked to her momentary ally. Was this the right thing to do...?

[Eren]

Eren gritted his teeth as he swung his axe up to meet the bandit. This man was strong, and skilled. Eren had underestimated him. The man parried all of his strokes, and was continually forcing Eren on the defensive, his back to the forest. Seeing the man open up for a wide swing, Eren brought his axe down like a guillotine, expecting to smash into the man's neck and end the fight. His prey had gotten careless.

Instead, the wide swing turned into a beautifully timed upward block, catching the haft of Eren's axe. Barking out a short laugh, the man flicked his wrist, wrenching Eren's weapon from his grasp and sending it soaring over by the fallen archer. With only a branch, Eren was now at a severe disadvantage, and the man knew it. His attacks grew ever bolder, and Eren began to get fatigued.

"Hah!"

Eren brought his branch up suddenly, catching the other axe by the haft. But instead of trying to disarm the man, Eren took him completely by surprise, bringing his right foot up to rest on the man's abdomen, before hurling his body weight backwards and using his foot to kick up. The man's weight, combined with Eren's momentum, sent him soaring to the edge of the forest, where he landed in a heap, with the wind knocked out of him. There was a rustle... A sound of snapping branches... And then Mika emerged with an ear-splitting screech, her claws tearing into the man's flesh, causing him to cower and cover his head as he turned to escape. Mika growled deeply, swiping the man to the earth with a claw before smashing her heavy tail into him once... twice... three times, before the man ceased to move.

Eren got up from the ground, dusted his armor off, and retrieved his axe and lance. Clipping the axe to his belt, and leaving the archer laying on the ground, Eren strode over to the man on the ground, pointing his lance at the man's throat.

"Good work. I'm glad we have someone to interrogate," Eren praised, not realizing the girl had acted out of pity and not foresight.

"Well, you scum... Tell me all you know. Or you'll die a nice, painful death. Maybe I'll spear one leg, so you can't run, and let Mika chew the rest of you... Slowly, of course.

Start talking. Or else."

[Lily]

He fought almost like the beast he rode in on. Which, unexpectedly, actually joined the fight as well of its own volition. There was nothing but pure instinct in what Lily saw, which was both impressive and unsettling in equal measure. Would she have fought the same, given years of combat? Should she admire the style? Or scold the lack of discipline?

Once the bandit was thoroughly pummeled into paste by the wyvern, the man rejoined her with a compliment. A compliment. Lily had a very awkward expression at this, but she nodded, just going along with it and refocusing on the last remaining bandit, who seemed in a state of borderline terror. The sharp thing at his throat probably didn't ease the pain of the massive leg wound, but the adrenaline likely did.

"Wait wait wait please! We-We didn't mean nothin' by it!" the man stammers, bringing his hands up in surrender, trying to scoot backwards from the lance but cringing at the pain, "We just- ... We just were in rough times from the war, is all, and we figured we'd act with the rebellion for a little extra coin! There's nothin' so wrong with that, is there?! We had families you know!"

The man continued running his mouth off as he pleaded for his life. Was any of that true? She couldn't tell. She would likely never know, either. She wondered if he could, her new found ally. She was still miffed over being shot down, but seeing a man in this much panic...

She wondered, did he mean any of those threats he was tossing at the survivor? And if he did, would he let the injured man go even if he told him all he knew? It didn't seem like there was much to know, but... She felt like that was a common theme, not knowing. She didn't know at all what to do here.

Her icy blue eyes were fixated on the bleeding, her lance held loosely in her hands as her hair drifted lightly in the wind. Lily looked to Eren, her gaze a mix of solemn and confused, her tone the same.

"What do we do with him...?" she asked, betraying her uncertainty with full willingness for the first time in this company. She didn't know if the man would survive long after even if they let him go. She didn't think she could bring herself to kill him, even in mercy. She could part with some of her vulnerary, but... Her hand went to her medical supplies unconsciously, all the same. If she didn't act on this, she might not get the chance again. "... Here, I... I have something that may ease the bleeding..."

Giving up a dose from her vulnerary, she helped at least stabilize one of the men who had tried killing her. He was still held at the point of a lance, but seemed grateful for the easing of his pain. He stammered out a thank you, but kept his eyes to the lance, looking to Eren, wondering what he would do with him. His life was at his mercy, a feeling both humiliating and terrifying all at once.

She was too trusting for her own good. Too altruistic and forgiving. But would she be a better person, if she gave that up? She didn't even have to look to imagine Eren judging this choice. Which then brought another question to mind.

What happened after this?

[Eren]

"That's a lie. I know it, and you know it. Cut the lies... Or I'll cut you.

I know you're a bandit. So, here's my deal.

You tell me where your base of operations is. You go free.
You don't. You die.

I advise you to choose wisely, especially if you do have a family. Or was that another lie?"

Eren's gaze was hard and his countenance set like flint. The rebels wouldn't have shot down this Pegasus knight... He knew that, because there was no rebel activity in this area. He'd made sure of that, so that his offensive would work to his advantage. But neither the girl nor the bandit knew that he was independent. They'd probably assume he was affiliated with the rebellion... Which he wasn't yet. He needed to use his status for intel at the moment.

Honestly, he should never have gotten involved. But he empathized with the rider's plight, and now, he was going to see to it that she was safe. It wasn't his style to leave a job half done.

Eren raised the lance as if in preparation for a strike.

"You'd better talk."

[Lily]

"Eh...?!" was all the bandit was able to stammer out at the sight of the raised lance, bringing his arms up to cover himself and closing his eyes tight, expecting something to happen. Even though it didn't, his heart was racing. "J-Just... Just up the mountain! I swear, that's all I know!"

The bandit may have thought he'd been figured out, that his ruse got him into trouble here, but it also gave Lily a moment to pause. These men weren't rebels? And for him to know that with such certainty... Did that mean...

Was her ally actually meant to be her enemy?

Her hand went to her lance, softly. She wouldn't bring this question up while they were acting together. At least, to her knowledge. She wouldn't break the unification in front of this bandit. But after... Was her life to be endangered once more? Or... Was this man asking after the bandits because he intended to do something about them? If he were, would offering her help be considered to be betraying her people...?

Her eyes flickered back and forth between the bandit and Eren as she stood fully, backing away from the scene by a couple of steps.

"Can... Can I go now?" the bandit asked, his hands still raised as if they'd block the lance.

[Eren]

"Hehehe, smart man.

You will get up. You will run. And you will not look back. You will not go to your stronghold. You will simply take your sword and run far, far away.

Who knows? Maybe you'll find work as a mercenary. But one thing is sure -- if I catch you again... You're a dead man."

Eren lowered his lance and watched as the man grabbed his sword and sprinted away, his arms pumping as he raced away from the no doubt insane Dragon Knight.

"Well, that situation seems to have cleared itself up. Now, for a proper introduction. I am Brigadier General Eren Barrata of the Bern army under Ilian leadership. I am currently on duty in this area, to watch for Rebel movements. We've received word of a force supposedly heading through these parts. If the rumor is true, we'll be striking them down before they can reach their target, no doubt a city farther in Bern."

Eren smiled, extending his hand.

[Lily]

If a man could run faster, Lily couldn't imagine it. As soon as Eren's lance was lifted, the man scrambled to his feet and ran as though his life depended on it. He disappeared into the treeline without a further word.

Lily had a moment of relief, as she sighed at his escape. She didn't want to have to watch a man be executed. She looked confused for a moment, though, when Eren extended his hand to her. The introduction processed after.

Brigadier General, of the Bernese army under Ilian control...? That meant... They were on the same side after all?

She smiled, and exhaled once more in relief, taking his hand to return the gesture. She wanted to slap him for using her as bait still, but that could come later. When he wasn't expecting it, perhaps. Was she being too gullible? He seemed official enough in his tone, and with his gear and fighting style...

"Brigadier General Barrata. That, um. That sounds important. Sir. That sounds important, sir," she corrected herself. She was his subordinate if that were the case, wasn't she? ... Was she? She wasn't a part of any division yet, and didn't have a commanding officer she was assigned to. So... In her mind, that was how it had to be. This man was her military superior, if his story was true. "I, um... Thank you. For the help. I don't know if I'd be standing if it were just me. I'm Lily Hale. Pegasus knight-in-training under Ilia's banner. I honestly thought you were with the rebellion for a minute there..."

She gave a nervous laugh with the last words, rubbing the back of her neck with an uncomfortable smile on her face. This wasn't her personality at all, of course. But she had to pretend to be official, especially since this man was not only so distinguished, but saved her life. And because of that last bit, she had to wonder. Even if he were her "enemy"... She'd still feel obligated to return the favor. Not that she was one to get attached to a stranger who showed up out of the blue. (Or so she tried convincing herself.) But a debt was a debt.

And to not repay a debt... That wasn't something a knight could do, was it?

[Eren]

Hmm. A Pegasus Knight in training. Well... The odds of a successful attack on the bandit stronghold weren't the best. But... With his troops...

It was quite the quandary.

"Relax, Ms. Hale. You may call me Eren; we're not on duty at the moment, and honestly, you're too young and pretty to worry with such conventions. Now... About your mount. Is your Pegasus all right? That must have been quite the fall."

Eren put away his weapons as he spoke, smiling at Lily and rearranging his hair. She was quite pretty. Now he knew where Oeniye got his tastes... It was a shame, she probably thought him too old. Hmm. What a pity.

Anyways, enough musing. He had to focus.

[Lily]

During the time Eren was being smooth with his choice words, Lily herself have a small moment of internal panic at the flirting. Not because she was against it. But more because... Well. She didn't become a fighter because she was good at her social graces, to put it plainly. She was flattered, embarrassed, and completely uncertain how she was supposed to respond.

So instead, she looked down at her riding boots with a light blush, continuing to rub the back of her neck out of habit.

"Well, um... Well," was all she managed to say, pursing her lips slightly in frustration as she avoided eye contact, "I... I thank you, though I'd also suggest getting your eyes checked, if that's the impression you're under... But, um. If I'm doing away with formalities, then I ask you do the same, si- Er. Eren. My name's Lily. Not Ms. Hale."

Smooth as silk, she told herself. She'd be dwelling on that one later. She shook her head, ridding herself of such thoughts. She was always better at focusing on something else instead.

"As for Serenity- My pegasus... The wound wasn't bad from what I saw. I'm surprised they were able to get an arrow as close as they did in general though. Here," she said, holding a finger in pause before bringing her fingers to her lips, giving a sharp whistle to summon her mount. Serenity seemed in good condition now, especially after sensing the calmer atmosphere. She was, however, still wary of Eren. "... The wound still doesn't look bad. It'll heal within a day or so, as long as I tend to it... Won't slow us down though, si- Eren."

Eren. His name was Eren. Not "sir". Get it right, she told herself.

"Luckily we were able to gain control near the end of it... What about you, though? How didn't the archers take notice of you?" she asked, curious. She had a goal in her conversation at this point; She just wasn't very good at getting there. Being freelance, she had every intention of volunteering to help this man fight the bandits, if he intended to.

She could think of worse people to serve under, at least. Not to mention she wouldn't have to keep trying to seem professional in conversation if she actually had a job to do. It was a bad habit of hers, the formalities.