Oh, great...I thought, looking around wildly. I was lost; I didn't recognize anything aorund me at all. I plopped into a sitting position, throwing a fit. All I had wanted was a new experience, and now look at me; covered in dirt, dead leaves, and everything else out here. I hated that I had cut my own hair; now my beautiful red hair was absolutely filthy, and, because I had had to cut it on my own, was choppy and uneven. I supposed I could try again, but I didn't want to cut it any shorter than shoulder-length. I stood up, pouting. I climbed up a tree nearby, and glanced around. I couldn't get high enough to see very far; the branches were much too weak up high. I climbed back down, and walked a little farther before finally giving up. I felt tears starting to well up, and tried to force them back down. I yelled, "Help! I'm lost...please help!" I wasn't sure whether or not anyone would have heard me, though. After all, who would be out in this forest, in the middle of nowhere? Who would possible be able to hear me?

"Hum de dum. Do de dum." I humme along happily as I searched the area for any game to shoot for dinner particularly rabbits. It had been a rather long day after leaving the village I had been at for the past few weeks. Within a matter of two hours my curiosity got the better of me and I followed a bear cub only to be chased by its mother in turn. "That sure was a close call. I only wanted to investigate it a little bit." I continue in the woods hoping to find the road again soon it couldn't possibly be that far off when...

"Help! I'm lost...please help!"

I stopped and thought to myself. "Normally a person screaming is in trouble. This is a chance to learn!" I quickly ran towards the voice and climbed a tree halfway to find one of the most rag tagged girls I had ever seen. I picked an acorn from the tree and threw it at her hitting her in the head. "Oi! What's a little kid like you doing out here? Need some help?" I squatted down on a tree limb and waited for the tearful girls response.

I winced as something hit me in the head, then turned to where it came from. What was I doing out here? How was I supposed to answer without telling him who I was? I took a moment to think about it before I answered. "...Well...I'm a little lost...so I would appreciate the help..." I answered, hesitantly. Maybe I could graze by that other question. "I was just wandering around...and I'm not used to being in a forest like this..." Well, at least it wasn't a lie, really; I was wandering, just while trying to find a good hiding place. Right...if i wasn't lying, he wouldn't really ask again, now, would he? I glanced around a little warily. If there was one other person to respond to my yelling, how many others had heard me? I didn't need a crowd to help me...I would run before I let that happen. Hopefully if anyone else did hear, it wasn't a lot of people. I turned my attention back to the man that had helped me. "Thanks for coming to help..."

The sun filtered through the leafy tops of the green trees in a mellow verdant light that was pleasing to the senses of any who walked underneath. The rich compost of the floor the product of countless leaf falls muted the steps of the two men who seemingly wandered at random in this oasis of silence and calm.

" Perhaps it is time we were about our trade once more Ralph." One of the two men spoke his voice holding a fine tenor tone, one were the accents and slang of the peasantry held no sway. One would almost think the man raised in a castle amongst the noble born from his manner of speech but the rest of him made most think otherwise. Although his clothes were well crafted they seemed more the clothing of a swordsman who dressed as noble and his hands were not that of a pampered noble. Heavy with the callous worn into them by hilt of sword and dent of hard work. But the cloak he wore draped loosely over his left shoulder made one think again. Bearing the crest of the Noble family of Snow along with the blue and white colors of that house it was held closed with the brooch of a Lord of Snow. And the swords he rested his hands on so casually held too the crest of Snow.

The other man from his green linen shirt and black trousers alongside shifty eyes gave no one pause to consider his birth. And though he adopted the same tenor tones of the man who seemed both noble and commoner it was merely an act." Really do you so long for the comfort of the King's own once more Blade." Ralph spoke with a mocking tone as he leaped high to pluck a late blossom from an apple tree and mockingly presented it the commoner nobleman.

Blade as he was now known was born Daniel Snow the illegitimate son of Lord Snow. And as such had come to hate nobility with a passion. As such he had become a leader of highwaymen in order to strike back at them. But as he and his band's depredations had become the stuff of legend so had the King's own been sent after them. So to let the flames of anger and memory of his band die a little Blade had taken them into this vast wood where the trackless paths and hidden areas provided shelter against even the most vigilant of eyes.

" As always you are right Ralph but damn you and your reasoning." Blade said taking the apple blossom and throwing at Ralph in a fit of mock anger that was a little game between the two.

" What can I say Lord Snow....did you hear that." Ralph replied with a laugh then growing serious as the echos of a girl's scream wafted on the silent forest air.

Looking at each other Blade and Ralph stalked forward blending into the trees and underbrush in a way only those trained in stealth could manage. Their already quiet steps became as ghosts. A few dozen heartbeats later and they stood watching a scene. A man, no doubt some hunter from his dress and manner was talking to a girl who was absolutely filthy. From grimy hair to leaf littered dress she appeared no more then someone lost in the woods. But her manner of speech raised the leader of highymen hackles. No common born girl spoke with such a renfined manner as this girl spoke with.

" I'll get the others." Ralph spoke before melting into the underbrush.

Blade for his part made his entrance boldly.

" There are streams aplenty in these woods girl. I think such a pretty girl as yourself should avail herself of them. For 'tis unsightly the way you have let filth mark your body so." He spoke with a tone that conveyed disgust, he then turned to the hunter." And you good sir letting your daughter run around in such a fashion have you no shame." He spoke once more with that tone of disgust. But although his words were rude anyone with two eyes could tell by his smile that he had meant it as a joke.

I looked back at the man who had now shown himself. He assumed I was the hunter's daughter? I stiffened. "I know there are plenty of streams; perhaps I didn't feel like dunking myself in such cold water?" Not that it mattered much; I really hadn't felt like it was a good idea to be soaked in cold water. Now...about being his daughter... "If you see any resemblence between myself and this man that points him out as my father, please tell me; I don't recall this man ever being my father." I was already in a bad mood; lost and covered in filth. ...This was kinda what I wanted, though; adventure and being far from home. Though now I was starting to wonder if I shouldn't have stayed home.

Matilda looked down the sights of her crossbow, lining up the crosshair with a small deer...she had perched herself in a tree, holding the weapon close. Her finger slowly eased onto the trigger, her complete focus on hitting the animal. Sloow....sloooooow. her mind preached to itself. As soon as the moment seemed to be upon her, an echo of a voice reached her ears. She looked up from the target just for a moment, and jerked her head around to see what had made the sound. Unfortunately the rapid move ment caused her finger to twich, and launch the crossbow bolt. The bolt had numerous effects; firstly, the bolt was way off target, and the deer began to skitter way. Not only that but because she was focused on locating the sound, that she wasn't ready for it's predictable recoil, which her body hadn't tensed for. It knocked her off balance, and caused her to teeter on the branch she was resting on, before falling to the ground. Luckly, she was perhaps eight feet off the ground, but the weight of her gear certainly didn't add to her pleasure as she hit the ground with a thump.

"Ooouph!! My back..." She groaned, rubbing her backside. Leaning forward, she could see the deer running off, almost as if taunting her. "My lunch!...D'aw, damn. Looks like I'll have to BUY my food today..." She said, pushing herself off the ground. She hoisted her ranged weapon up, and began to pull the wire back on the weapon, untill it clicked in place. The weapon had a lot of tension resistance, and was fairly hard to pull back, but she was in no rush to do so. She let the crossbow dangle from it's sling on her shoulder, before walking to the base of the tree, and retrieving her main weapon. She lifted it, and rested it on her shoulder, feeling around for the ring that would keep it slung on her back....

She groaned, still rubbing her back as she moved in the direction of the echoing voice. It sounded like a girl...a young one at that. But it could've been, could've it? After all, what kind of business would a small child have out in the middle of nowhere? She couldn't make out what the entire echo was relaying, but it ended with "elp". Matt took a wild guess at what the voice was trying to say. "Meh. It couldn't hurt to check it out, eh?" She said, monotonely, and quickening her pace slightly.

It wasn't long before she heard voices in the distance....She couldn't make it out very well. She never could recognize voices too well. But her pace slowed a bit coming up on a hill. The soft grass muffled her footsteps as she slowly accended the small hill, coming over a group of three: A young girl, and two older men, one looking signifcantly older than the other....Wait a minute.... She thought viewing one of the men in pacticular. She had seen his face on a wanted poster before.... She dug deep into her memory. She grinned as she matched face to name.

She spoke loudly and clearly, calling out to the man. "Well well! If it isn't this "Blademaster"! Leader of his merry band of highwaymen! Terrorising a child and...her...father maybe?" Matt smirked wildly, her fingers drumming on the handle of her greataxe as she eyed him up and down. "You know, I was expecting something a little...different. You know. 6'7, 6'8, a lot more buff, and...probably bald. Especially since near everyone is complaining in the surrounding towns about how sick they are of being robbed by your boys." She continued, poking fun at the man. She didn't know what the situation was, though, so she kept from attacking him...but kept aware of her surroundings. She was ready for battle.

It was turning into a crowd. I edged one foot away, but stopped. I had no idea if anyone was paying attention to me or not. But this girl definitely struck a nerve. "I'm not as child; I'm sixteen years! And he isn't my father...is there some strange resemblance I'm not aware of here?" Was that the automatic assumption? Every time? I didn't even know this man...either of these men...or this girl. It was already starting to seem like a lot of people. ...I wasn't too surprised that everyone thought I was a child...I did look a year or two younger...but I was sixteen! I glanced around at everyone, figuring out what I wsa dealing with. The first man...and the girl...I had no idea. And the one the girl had recognized...Blademaster? Clearly knew his weapons to be called that...and the other two did look like they could fend for themselves. But that didn't tell me what I was dealing with. And all because I had been so sheltered...I should have waited; figured out everything before I left. But it was too late now; I was already out here, and didn't know what I was doing.

Apparently Blade had taken the wrong route with this girl for she seemed to lack a sense of humor great enough to realize a joke when one was presented to her. But with the same unflappable attitude that had him seen him through his life as highway man he went on. " You miss understand me my Good Lady, tis merely a jest on my part there is no need for offense." He replied to her outburst with a shrug, after all it was no skin off his back. Although he did find it odd she had not availed herself of a stream. After all slightly cold the water may be but warm was the wind that blew through the forests most days this season.

Deciding the girl had enough help with the hunter's presence the bastard son of Lord Snow was about to be on his merry way as it were when his name rung out behind him. Only those unfamiliar with him used the full term Blademaster, both friends and band used the less formal Blade, so it only meant the King's Own had found him although the voice being female made him reconsider. The King's Own that illustrious band of Knights were not in the habit of inducting women into their ranks although it had been some time since Blade had been on the other side as it were.

Turning around slowly being careful to keep his weight evenly balanced on both feet and muscles ready he came to face this woman who called his name out with such boldness...Only to find a man. Shaking his head the image of the man with a woman's voice refused to dissipate into whatever nightmare it came from. It was almost as tall as him and even had more muscle to boot. This was a shock for him and his usual smooth as silk behavior around women refused to appear...his mind simply refused to believe this thing could be female.

But the age old taunt's were something even his shock of seeing this thing as it were couldn't be ignored. " I do believe your mistaken Sir, my activities are solely limited to the castles of nobles and their business interests alongside the occasional tax collector. I and my men have never robbed a single copper coin from even the richest towns-person." The former Knight and bastard son reply with a slight bow and a mocking tone large in her voice.

" Ah about time you arrived Ralph" He added as men in green and black clothing surrounded the small glade they all stood in. In there hands were six foot tall long bows drawn. The arrows were large and tipped with bodkin heads designed to punch through armor.

" Shall I carve this thing to see if there is a women beneath all that ugly Blade." Ralph asked armed with his own long bow ,but with a short sword strapped to his left leg, indicting the thing that had yet to give it's name.

" Now, now Ralph we can't just go about that without sinking to the level of nobles. I am sure our Good man here is simply over eager. But my Good sir I would but down your axe least my men get the wrong idea as it were."

...He couldn't tell the girl was indeed a girl? "...Umm...perhaps you need to double-check; that is a woman you're talking to," I said. She didn't look nearly as feminine as other women did, but she was female, after all. I focused my attention back to him. "A misunderstanding...I am unused to such jesting, so it was not apparent to me." So...from what the conversation had given her...the man was a thief...one that robbed the castles of nobles...did that include royalty? What were the chances, then, that he had taken from her father's castle? I watched a larger group of men walk into hte clearing, and backed away a step. This was already too big a crowd for me; adding the men that had just arrived - and seemed to listen to this man...to this Blademaster - was much too many. It looked like I had attracted a lot of attention with my cry for help. And this new group looked to be well-armed, too. I stared at the ground. "I didn't mean to distract so many people from their normal routine...I'm sorry if I interrupted anything for anyone..." What else could I do?

Tears rolled down Roy's face as not one but two people had called him a father. Did he really look that old. Sure one day he wanted the knowledge of having a child but how could they possibly think he was the girls father. "You people are so cruel to a scholar like myself." He said lowly. He quickly quirked up howerever after realizing this was a chance to learn about new people. "Blademaster? Who's he? I must know! Please tell me."

He quickly scanned the other girl. He had known from previous learning experiances not to call a woman a man under any circumstance or they will beat you half to death and was expecting her to beat this 'Blademaster' for having done so. "May I ask who you also might be miss?" Roy finally turned and looked back at the girl he had first seen. "You know how rude of me, I havn't introduced myself yet and I've ignored the whole reason I came here.

He cleared his throat and took a prideful stance. "I am the wandering hunter that seeks knowledge! I am ROY EUSTACE!" He yelled now taking a victory pose. "Please may I study you all to expand my knowledge?"

The wandering hunter that seeks knowledge...? What? Still, I had to hide a laugh. I turned my attention to him. He seemed to have a habit of asking questions every chance he got. May he study us to...what? I tilted my head slightly, thinking. Apparently he took his self-proclaimed title very seriously. At least he seemed to know the girl was female. ...It seemed like he needed to know everything. I would have to make sure certain facts didn't get through to him. He seemed to have some mental problem to her...proclaiming himself the way he did, yelling his name for the entire forest to hear. A little shyly, I straightened up a little. "I don't think anyone's introduced themselves yet; we only know...Blademaster's because she seemed to already know about him. But I am Raine." I had to stop myself before I accidentally adding 'Princess of Shadowdance.' This was going to take some getting used to...though it was apparent that this was turning into some kind of adventure.

Matilda laughed lightly. She was actually mistaken for a man? Why couldn't this have been maybe 20 years back when she would've loved to be called a boy. But her tomboyish nature didn't seem to want to correct the man. He spoke back to her with false chilvalry, a form she easily recognized. After all, she lived with mercenaries...whom pretended to be noble, untill their pay was due.

She then noticed a man come up behind him. This one armed with bow. And he talked to the Blademaster like he was the best in the world. "Ugly?!" She called out with a demeaning tone. "You obviously haven't seen a mirror in quite a few days, chode-nose. Maybe you should check your little needle threader for one, huh?" She stated, pointing to the new fellow amongst them. She then took a few steps towards the edge of the hill, leaping off the slope, landing next to the Hunter and the girl, whom she could tell was not as young as first expected. Perhaps in her mid teen years. "At least the girl is smart enough to know my gender. Unlike you. I would think that every word you speak, is through closed teeth." She said, opening her own mouth to display her pearly white in a snarky grin.

The man seemed to hate nobility, and it's not like Matt could disagree with him. She too was quite sick of dealing with hoity-toity nobles whom tried to cheat her from her wage. But, she still had a few morals; like attacking a dirty liar with a bounty on his head. "If you're going to attack, do it. I'm not afraid just because you have more men then me! I'll tell you what, though: Let me rearange your face quickly, and we'll see how many of your "Men" which, by the way, I only see a singular MAN." She offered cocky smirk.

The two beside her spoke out, and she listened, turning back to face them. "Nice to meet you, Roy. And you too, Raine. You can call me Matt for now. Odd, I know, but just do it for now, iffin' you would, 'kay?" She said, her voice almost instantly taking on what woman's voice should've sounded like. She turned back to the two bandits. "So, Blademaster, and friend. If you want to make me drop my axe, why don't you come down here and take it from my hands? Or do you plan to make your lacky do that for you too? If you are as much of a serious fella', then why don't you do your own work, huh?" She said tauntingly, pulling the axe from her back, twirling it casually around her form, before a taking a defensive stance, ready to jolt either way, obviously to counter the arrow that possibly was possibly going to in her direction.

Well, this was turning into a mess. It looked like she took him for a threat...and she obviously knew what she was doing with that axe...though I was also sure he knew how to use his weapons. "Umm...does this have to turn into a fight?" I had never been fond of fighting; especially when there was nothing I could do. And, of course, there was nothing I could do. It wasn't one of those little play matches with my brother when he let me win. Besides, I had only wanted help because I was lost. Alomst made me wish I had stayed home. But I was already out here...and I knew my dad would have a fit if he knew I had snuck away. Besides, it would seem a little pathetic to run away, only to return, not having proven my point, or proven anything at all, really.

Nova watched the exchange silently, her frown becomming deeper and more pronounced by the second. Her leader was a good leader and a good man. But he and Ralph were men nonetheless and the woman down there acted like a man and the hunter was a man and the little dirty girl was certainly not a woman and so the situation in the woods had progressed wildly out of hand. She resisted the urge to groan as the words from the clearing floated up to her in her perch on a tree limb. She would hate to make a move without a signal from Blade, but honestly if they kept trading back and forth like this, she would have to come up with some way to break this up.

And this dirty girl was starting to look skittish at the crowd. Little idiot. Even children knew not to go around shouting in the woods. She swallowed her sigh and notched an arrow. It annoyed her to have to rely on the stupid tool. From so far away, so many variables... there were infinite possiblities for the flight of an arrow to go arwy. Still, she drew the string back and waited for a sign that the stupid men were making things irreparable...

Ignoring the man who introduced himself with a flair that the King's heralds would envy He took in the thing , hunter who sought knowledge indeed. Sounded like something from a bard's tale. Putting it aside however he turned his head ever so slightly to address Ralph with a smile a mile wide, nothing put him in as a good mood as a possible fight, barring maybe a pretty woman with pitcher of honeyed wine and some free time. But this glade was short on that, having only a girl who was far from being a woman covered in the filth of neglect and a he-she who was taking an extra effort to sound like it's supposed gender. And wine seemed nonexistent.

" I told you we should have sprung for more visible clothing Ralph."

" What like that bloody cloak you wear, I mean come on do you really need to wear the crest of your Father. Anyways we are highwaymen standing out is a bad thing in our case. Beside if the he-she can't see the arrows aimed her way it'll be a nice surprise won't it."

" Excuse my friend he-she. But as for taking your axe I'd rather not, I only fight nobles because I fight to kill when I do. And besides I feel fate has been cruel enough sticking you in such an ugly body without adding an early death to the mix. But I can't say the same of my men.By the way why take on a man's name if your already ugly enough to be mistaken for a man. Your confusing the babies and scaring the children" Blade said in response to the 'he-she' as Twenty of his band stepped from out of the shadows around the glade longbows in hand. Loosing their arrows the flying death they represented hummed around her every shot purposely wide. Even as they loosed the men in their green and black clothes notched this time their aim was right at the woman's heart.

" Lay down your axe and all your other weapons wench or next time the arrows won't be wide." Ralph ordered a fresh arrow on his string.

" What did I say about stooping to the level of nobles Ralph." Blade said with a laughing retort.

" i apologize for the wench remark." Ralph said with a slight smile. " So I am not allowed to insult her but you are Blade.

" Rank hath it's privileges my friend." Was all the leader of the highway men said in respons.

" Now who is stooping to the level of nobles."

At that Blade laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in all the wide lands.

Matilda watched as arrows flew down around her, coating the ground around her with gusto. "Hmph! You act like you mean to scare me!" She called out to him. "I'm no stranger to pain, idiot, and I won't shy away from it like some coward." She grinned. "And if you're trying to insult me, go ahead and try. You're still solving your problems like the "Nobles" you so much hate! You get others to do your work for you? Bah. At least I'm more of a man than you can ever be." She snarkily stated.

She then turned back around to the other two. She certainly didn't want to endanger them...though she was quite sure that he would simply take them all hostage anyway. But if anything, standing here was literally being a pincushion. She held her axe out with one arm, before throwing it down at the ground, the heavy blade sinking hard into the dirt. "Where are the boys when you need 'em?" She muttered.

Wonderful; arrows?! At least I wasn't the only one who though the nobles were cowards. But...I also thought about royalty like that, too. They probably thought the same. All the more reason they couldn't know about where I came from. I hadn't seen an obvious signal to attack...so was it from one of his group, or someone else? Now...highwaymen? Like...random thieves? ...No...he said they only steal from nobles. So what were they doing here? ...Right, I screamed. Would they really have come to help, though? Or would they have waited until they saw whether I was a noble or a peasant...oh well. Stooping to the levels of nobles...claiming rank was never just something among nobles. "...Using rank like that isn't exactly stooping to the levels of nobles...it's the same thing as a parent telling their child what to do just because they're the parent, really." At least, it made sense to me that way.

"Alright, enough," Nova snapped loudly enough for everyone in the clearing to hear it. She leapt down a few limbs and then to the ground, stowing her notched arrow back into its quiver. She stalked quickly into the center between the strangers and her friends. "This lady, whom we had no quarel with before you, has disarmed herself. And now, we will honor that by not starting a quarel ourselves." She spoke severely, as if scolding a child, but she couldn't help it. They always acted like children in the face of a fight. She lowered her voice. "We've had this conversation before, Blade. Leaving well enough alone? Not picking fights? Keeping a low profile? Is any of that familiar to you?" She kept watch on the woman behind her and her axe on the ground, ready for her to snatch it up at any moment. "Could we please be on our way? Please?"

" See was that so hard Milady." Blade said with a smile as his opponents axe hit the ground in admission of defeat. " I do apologize for not dealing with you personally but I do not fight those of common blood unless my life is in danger and you hardly present that to me surround as I am by my men. Even if I were alone you present no danger to me."

" I think it's roast boar tonight Blade. Delion spitted one last night and it's been cooking slowly all day. We even got some of that wine from the King's cellar left." Ralph spoke as he shouldered his long bow, the rest of the men following suit behind what was apparently Blade's right hand man. The arrows around the woman who thought herself more man then Blade were gathered up by a man who stood nearly a head taller then his leader.

" Ah roast boar with the King's wine to wash it down. Now if I can only round up some women worth looking at I would be in paradise. All well that is what barmaids are for, eye candy while you drink and eat." He fantasized out loud as he pondered what to do with the strangers arrayed before him. a now unarmed supposed woman, a lost girl who was obviously of noble blood ( no low born girl would be as witless to wander into a trackless forest without a guide or a map of some sort), and a self proclaimed seeker of knowledge.

" Well there is Nova isn't there Blade." Ralph spoke more then asked

" I suppose there is but I do not fancy finding out how many limbs I would lose trying to make a move on her." He spoke with a light laugh, He may be Blademaster but there was his oath never to harm any but a noble, although then again Nova could probably seriosuly hurt him if it came right down to it.

" Oh and Raine was it, Ralph was just surprised when I pulled rank as I am not in the habit of it. I may be the Leader but I am just one man in the end, easily disposed of should the group come to disagree with my choices. I only wish that limp staff of a King would realize that." Blade spoke in response before falling into what his friends would know as another jest." But that aside what I am to do with you. You come into my forest without my permission..." And just as the jest was to continue one of the few women amongst his band interrupted him.

" And how many times must we go this Nova I merely like having a little fun. After all it is so boring hacking at trees instead of leaving tax collectors hog tied and naked in the middle of the road. And I know well enough to keep a low profile but in the spirit of friendship." And here he turned to the strangers. " You are welcome to join my band and me for dinner. And Raine was it I think you should come, if for nothing else then to take a bath and get a change of clothing....No offense but even Baro is holding his nose closed and he use to shovel out horse stalls for a living."

I started a little. She was scolding them? ...Where did she come from, anyway...besides from the trees...she was most likely the one that had fired the arrows. ...Or maybe that was someone else. Apparetnly this was a repeated conversation. She sounded like she wwanted to leave, though. Not that I could really blame her. I didn't want a fight here, either. Still wary of the woman behind her, though. She expected something to happen...or was just being safe. But it went against everything I had been told; the whole reason I wasn't allowed to fight was because neither my father or my brother didn't think I would be able to keep up against a male. But these two were doing just fine. So where was the harm in my learning to defend myself? If anyone would put up with me long enough, I'd ask someone to teach me. Everyone here looked capable of that much. And then Blademaster pretty much offered the rest of us for dinner, again talking about my need of a bath. I hadn't thought I smelled...it was only dirt, after all. ...Well, most of it. And I certainly wouldn't be able to fend for myself. So I gave a little nod. "but...what makes you say it's your forest? I thought it was part of a kingdom that the king owned..." Though I trailed off, already wishing I had kept my mouth shut. It wasn't exactly bright to argue with someone who could probably easily kill me, after all.

A woman, appereantly called Nova came out from behind the trees, the cover of the woods. She appeared to be kind enough, and had decent enough logic.... She was doing Matilda a rather large favor...especially since she could've been concidered the one whom antagonized Blademaster in the first place. She slowly walked forward, and reclaimed her axe, equally as slowly returning it to her back. She turned onto the woman that had spoken in their defense. "Thanks, hon. I owe you one." Matt said lightly, nodding in acknowledgement.

She walked back over to the two she had seemingly allied herself with. "Well....Personally, I can't stand this guy. You're more than welcome to dine with a thief...but I've got other things to do. I'm heading back into the town a tad south of here....Curtent. If you wish to come along, you're more than welcome to come along." She said with a soft smile. "But otherwise, take care." She turned, looking back to the woman whom was called Nova again. "Thanks again, Miss." She said, before walking off southwards.

Wait a minute...the group seemed like it had just come together...and everyone was separating? ...At least, she was. I debated in my head. It would be easier to ask another woman about helping her learn to defend herself...though it made sense that I would be safer in a larger group. It did look like there were a few women in this group; at least, I saw the one so far. ...Well...she had said she owed the other woman...so chances were she's come back, if only to pay back that debt...right? And it would be harder for her to defend herself if i was only getting in the way and being a burden, not being able to defend myself. Hesitantly, I gave a little wave as she left; besides, I had already nodded to Blademaster's idea. I couldn't just take that back, really. It was rude. I turned back to the group of men, and the woman there. Maybe I should have considered it a bit more. such a large group of men...and the most I had ever been around were the two assigned to guard my door, my brother, and my father. This was going to be a little awkward for me.

The fight had gone as quickly as it had came. The whole time Roy watched closely to what was going on taking notes on a piece of paper. "So people who have followers like to gang up on people when they have the opportunity. I've learned something new today!" He smiled happily not even caring that he had practically insulted the blademaster. "Well I've studied highwaymen before, the normal kind and the uh well self richeous kind in your case I guess." Roy turned and looked at Raine with a dismal look. "Your just another girl lost in the woods. Nothing I havn't seen before."

Roy then turned and ran after Matt patting her on the back when he reached her. "Now you are interesting! While I have seen female warriors and mercenaries before none of them would ever let me study them. They always said I was a pervert for wanting to watch them. I don't understand why but oh well." He laughed to himself as he walked along with a smile on his face with his new comrade.

This didn't look like such a good idea anymore. Roy had caught up with Matt, leaving me on my own. Just another girl lost in the woods? He probably woulnd't have said something like that if he had known I was a princess, and probably the only one to leave homethe way I had. I had watched him run off, and turned my attention back to the highwaymen. I hadn't really wanted to be on my own with this group, but that was what it was looking like so far. I looked to where the other two had disappeared into the trees. Well...so much for that idea. I looked at the ground for a second, then back at the group. This was already starting to feel awkward.

Nova tsked at Blade, narrowing her eyes. "Spirit of friendship. Okay. Sure," she muttered. "I know you keep company with a brave batch of men, but most people actually don't think dodging arrows is so much fun." She turned fully to regard the girl who was called Matt approach with her weapon. But she only thanked he and moved away, slowly. Nova was grateful. She'd never live it down if she made that speech and lost her head because of it... well... one got the meaning. Luckily, the weird hunter went with her. The situation was getting easier and easier to handle. She didn't care if the little careless weird-speaking peasant wanted some of their food.

"Ralph knows how I feel about wandering hands," she said off-handedly, drumming her fingers along her thigh pointedly. She sighed and lifted her hair off of her neck. "Raine, huh? Interesting name..." She had heard that the princess was named Raine. No surprise that nobles would start naming their offspring the same in order to glean some true royalty...