Hold On [closed]

Rohaan saw black infringing on the corners of his vision a little as he tripped over himself again. He needed to eat something, but he didn't trust the food here. He would need to hunt, but even that would prove to be difficult as his usual methods were of no use to him at the moment and the only weapons he carried were knives. He found that people on the road, when he did meet them, were cocky and less afraid of a man with no sword, axe, bow, or even a gun. They would drop their guard, assuming he would be an easy target for theft or attack. Truth be told, they never had any idea what they were up against.

In the split second in which he lost his footing, Rohaan foresaw the next few moments in growing dread: he would meet the warm bricks of the market square, his body would feel heavier than ever as he scrambled to right himself, and his pursuers would find him, overpower him, and force him back into the drugged stupor that had held him captive. Falling in what felt like slow motion, he saw it all and drew in a breath to groan at his misfortune when a pair of arms shot out from the masses to curl around his chest like ropes, suspending him from his inevitable fall just long enough for him to regain his footing.

At first, Rohaan wheeled back, ready to strike the assailant and slip away, but as he stood upright, he saw that this patron was no assailant. She was just a woman, an ordinary citizen of this twisted province. Her placid eyes looked to him with mild concern; for a moment, Rohaan stared back through tangled tendrils of shoulder-length curls the color of freshly hewn straw. It became immediately obvious that this man was not only a foreigner to this province, but he wasn't human either. His eyes were a wild blue, almost too dark and bright to be real and the spirited fire behind them was strong--something that in this province was not seen. Through his unkempt hair, a small braid that hung in front of his left ear could be seen; from the leather that bound its end dangled a small but hefty bronze coin--both appeared to have been there for a very long time.

"Are you alright?"
His answer came quickly. "A'ta, a'ta...ijai kelah....." It took him a second to realize the language he was speaking was that of his homeland, not the common tongue spoken throughout the mainland provinces. After some quick deliberation, he more clearly said, "I'm fine." Now standing an arm's length from her, he swiftly examined her features to find that they--most notably, her eyes--looked...dull. Not that she seemed to be a dull person, per se, but she had the look of someone who had lost all hope, who had given up on the pursuit of life, of love, of dreams and aspirations. She looked like every other person in this awful province. Rohaan's heart wept for her and her people's misfortune. To think that they either never had or would never remember true freedom or passion clawed at a deeply rooted fear in his soul. What's more, she bore the pin of a dignitary--from what he remembered, all dignitaries and their families wore them so that all who saw them could offer proper respect. She must have been the daughter of one of the nobles. What a pity that those sick dictators would poison their own children...

There had been enough quiet murmuring around them to draw the attention of one of the soldiers nearby; he gave a sharp whistle to beckon his two friends and they quickly began to close in. Two drew their swords, the other had an arrow nocked and ready.
"Don't you move, Ja'aisen! You're surrounded!"
"Look at him! He's pathetic! I hardly believe THIS is the thief of legend, the phantom in the night! Go on, Phantom! Disappear before my very eyes, amaze me." The soldier laughed.
"You laugh," Rohaan said, a wild, defiant grin creeping onto his lips. "But don't forget who managed to slip past your guard in the first place. You really ought to rethink your dungeons if you intend to lock up those of us whom you mean to oppress..."
Insulted, the soldier's smile faded and he lifted his bow, drawing the arrow back slowly.
With a strength that betrayed his wretched appearance, Rohaan's deft arms snapped outward, gripping the girl by first the shoulder of her dress and then by her long braid to bring her directly in front of his body. "Aa-a-aah, careful now, soldier. Don't want to miss your mark, do you?"
The soldier's composure flickered, but he held fast. "Wanna try my aim, Ja'aisen?"
"Up to you. But If I see that bowstring stretched any tighter...." he trailed off, smelling the girl's hair. "Mm. Exceptionally clean...she must come from a very wealthy family to have such nice soap. It's a nice pin she's got there, too..."
"You don't have it in you to kill an innocent girl!" His composure officially broke and he gave a sharp glare to the two swordsmen to keep them in place. Rohaan had him. "You're a gutless rat!"
Rohaan grinned wickedly and showed the knife that he drew from inside his leather jacket. "Wanna try my aim, solider? I Don't think you do. I tell y'what. This nice lass and I are gonna go for a stroll out the east gate. You're going to fetch me a strong horse with a saddle and bring it to the gate, then we're going to take a ride. If no one follows us, I'll let her go unharmed. If I hear the crunch of a boot or the whinny of a horse behind me, you'll have to explain to...someone rather powerful how his daughter was killed for your stupidity."

For a moment, none of the soldiers moved. The four of them were caught in a staredown to try and read how serious the other was about making good on his threats until Rohaan tested them by taking a careful step back, guiding the girl to follow by giving a firm but not yet harsh tug on her braid. "Keep quiet now," he whispered to her. "The more you cooperate, the less it'll hurt for you."

The soldiers were still frozen in place, even as Rohaan and the girl backed away slowly.
"What do we do?" one asked the archer in panic. "That's--"
"I know who that is....go fetch him a horse and saddle," he said in defeat.
"You can't be serious....you actually want me to bring him one of our horses? Those are thuroughbreds! For all we know, he'll kill it and the girl as soon as he's free of the walls!"
"Give him Jixo. That nightmare of a stallion will give him all kinds of trouble. Then we wait till nightfall to go after them. Now go!"

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/S8dnkS_F_Ss/viewtopic.php

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