Hi! I wrote this just for fun but thought I might share it in case anyone else might enjoy it. I've finished the whole story but it needs editing so I'll post it over time.

  Chapter 1

  As the cart trundled along the road, Camellia had all but managed to tune out the constant ctter of the wheels as they rolled over the mud stricken path through the woods. It had been a week since she had left home and despite the fact that she was surrounded by some of the most dazzling goods she could have come across, the st week had been less than gmorous. Compining would do her no good though, she had chosen this for herself. Anything was better than the fate she had fled from. The thought of standing before the altar, bound to Lord Aldric—a man whose name was spoken in hushed, fearful tones—made her blood run cold. She had heard the stories, the way men on the battlefield cowered at the mere sight of him, how his enemies met brutal ends without mercy. What kind of husband would such a man be? She refused to find out. So she ran, and she would keep running until she was beyond his reach.

  Apparently within the next 2 days they would be in the next town and she could rest at an inn and get a proper bath, not like the cold wipe downs she had been growing accustomed to.Thankfully, before she had fled in the middle of the night she gathered her most valuable possessions so she could sell them to make a bit of money to pay for a safe passage to the capital. It was far away enough that by the time anyone thought to look for her there she could have changed her appearance and completely blended in.

  “How are you fairing m’dy?” one of the men who were accompanying her asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

  “Ragn, what have I told you about referring to her as a dy,” the leader of the group berated him as he sat behind the reins of the horses and ushered them along the forest path. Camellia was leaving her life as a dy behind, anyone who looked at her now wouldn’t even imagine she was such. Instead of the beautiful opulent gowns that she was accustomed to wearing, she donned some linen trousers and a shirt with a holster for a small dagger on her upper thigh. Instead of the luscious curls that used to frame her face delicately, she had her hair pulled back into a rough ponytail and tucked the loose strands behind her ears. The faint scent of beautiful rich soaps had been repced by body odour that she was not even aware she could produce until she had gone days without a bath. No one would mistake her for being a dy. Except Ragn of course who frequently referred to her as such despite multiple warnings. But when these merchants had met her on a dirt road, she looked a picture of elegance and refinement and it was hard for them to get that image out of their minds.

  “Sorry miss,” he chuckled bashfully, their bodies swaying with the movement of the carriage. There were 4 of them in total including Camellia. Most of the delicate goods were kept in a locked up carriage behind them and the crew all spent their time in a cart that was being pulled by the horses.

  “Let’s rest here for the night,” Hemshire, the leader announced, bringing the horses to a halt just off the path and guiding them into a small clearing. The guys got to work setting up the tents that they would be sleeping in while Camellia tended to her usual task of starting a fire. Something she never imagined she would ever need to know how to do. But now she had a knack for it and gave herself a little pat on the back whenever she managed it the first time.

  “You’re getting good at that aren’t ya,” Lewsef complimented as he finished setting up one of the tents and came to join her by the fire. “By the time we reach that capital I reckons you’ll be sorted.”

  “It takes a bit more than lighting a fire to be independent,” Hemshire commented as he joined them as they started roasting food over the open fme. “I must say though, you’ve taken to this lifestyle better than I thought you would. Most prissy little rich girls would have caved b’now.”

  “Well I am no ‘prissy little rich girl’ as you may put it. That life is far behind me now” she retorted, shaking her head in exasperation. The three men looked between each other before breaking out into fits of ughter. Despite her outward appearance, a week certainly wasn’t enough to change the way she spoke. She sounded just as snobby and uptight as any noble that they may encounter. Hence why when they went into town, she was advised to keep her gob shut and pretend she was a mute. After a second of looking shocked, Camellia eventually joined them in their amusement. She had grown fond of this bunch, not only had they been perfect gentlemen to her from the moment she joined them, but she felt at ease around them and counted herself lucky that these were the first people she had encountered during her escape.

  After chatting for what seemed like a couple of hours, everyone but Lewsef (who was on first guard duty) went to their tents and settled in for the night to get some well needed rest. It was still a ways off till they got to any form of civilisation so they needed to keep their energy up.

  Camellia managed to fall asleep quite quickly despite the circumstances but it wasn’t long until she was awoken by the sound of wolves howling in the distance. How far away were they? She wondered. If they were an immediate threat, Lewsef would have alerted everyone by now and they would be hastily packing up their things. They did not want to get caught by a pack of wolves in the dead of night as that was a fight they would not be winning.

  “Hemshire sir,” she heard Lewsef whisper followed by the sound of rustling in the bushes nearby. “Hemshire, get up now,” he continued, his voice more hasty and panicked. “Something’s nearby.” Camellia y there frozen in fear, waiting for the signal from Hemshire that they needed to make a quick retreat. Their camping equipment would have to be left behind, there was no time for packing things down when danger was lurking nearby.

  She heard rustling outside and the three men started inspecting the campsite, ensuring that the fire was out completely so as not to give away their location even further.

  “Miss,” Ragn called out to her. “Miss get in the carriage.”

  Camellia wasted no time, she jumped up from bed and practically ripped her tent open before peeking out into the cold, dark night. She could hardly see anything, with the light of the moon the only thing illuminating the figures of the men in the darkness. Camellia knew what she was to do, she needed to head to the carriage with the goods in and lock herself inside until the men had finished dealing with whatever the threat was. She had witnessed them fight which gave her confidence that they knew how to deal with any foes they may encounter. These men may be mere merchants, but they were also skilled swordsmen.

  “We know you’re there, come out now,” Hemshire announced, having deciphered that the threat lurking in the darkness was not that of a beast. But human.

  She was barely able to make out the figures that started emerging from the bushes. There had to be at least 10 of them if not more. Way more than the men could even begin to hope to handle.

  “Cat, RUN!” Hemshire screamed, making it evident that the carriage was no longer an option for her safety as the group of bandits made their advance and started hacking down her protectors. She didn’t look back, she didn’t have time to. She quickly unlocked the carriage and darted out of the back and along the road as fast as her legs could carry her. Running in trousers was much easier than running in a dress, but it unfortunately did not make her faster than the man who had decided to give chase. She could hear him behind her, not daring to look back to see how quickly he was advancing. But the unmistakable sound of his boots on the cold hard floor only heightened her anxiety as she ran for her life. She turned and fled into the forest instead of sticking to the path, perhaps if she could get out of his line of sight then she would be able to hide.

  “I could do this all night missy!” A voice behind her shouted, practically cackling to himself. “Why make this more trouble for yourself.”

  Unsure of what to do, she carried on running, trying her best to keep her footing as she crossed the bumpy terrain. But it was no use. Within minutes, her assaint had caught up with her and smmed her against a nearby tree.

  “I was right,” he chuckled, his hot, foul breath making her practically gag. “You is a woman.”

  Tears stung her eyes as she started to scream out into the nothingness that was the forest. She didn’t even know if her comrades were alive so god knows who she was screaming for help from but what else could she possibly do in this situation. She hadn’t even had time to put on her holster and grab her dagger, a huge oversight on her part but she wasn’t expecting to have to fight. He started pawing at her, his rough hands sliding over her ribs, creeping higher with every touch. She recoiled, twisting against his grip, but he only chuckled. Why was he doing this? Surely he just wanted to kill her—what else could he possibly want?His fingers skimmed dangerously close to her chest, lingering for a moment as though testing something, and a strange, greedy look flickered across his face. She sucked in a breath, stiffening. There was no knife hidden there, nothing of value—so why was he touching her like this? She could just make out his expression in the dim light, and it made her stomach churn. His eyes burned with a kind of hunger she didn’t recognise. Like he wanted to devour her. But not eat her.

  Just as he grabbed onto the waistband of her trousers, she caught a glint of metal over the man's shoulder and a cold voice mumbled in the darkness.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” The voice was deep and gravelly and filled with what she could only describe as rage. “Back away from her before I cut your head clean off your shoulders.”

  The man chuckled nervously as he lifted his arms into the air and backed away, she could just about make out her rescuers figure, he was tall and well built and donned some armour that reflected the moonlight. With his sword still drawn at the attacker, he reached back and handed his cloak to her. “Here, cover yourself while I deal with this.”

  She thanked him, her voice coming out in a high pitched croak as she flung the cloak around her body.

  The Bandit looked completely terrified, his eyes widened in horror as she shook violently on the spot. He knew that he was no match for whoever had intervened and it was clear as day. “Any st words?” the presumed knight asked, standing between the two protectively.

  “B-but I backed away like you asked. You s-said y-ou w-ouldn’t kil–” the bandit stammered.

  “I believe I said ‘before I cut your head clean off your shoulders’. Not that I wouldn’t kill you,” the Knight replied, his voice low and dangerous.

  “L-look, I didn’t me–”, but before he could finish his sentence, his head had hit the floor, followed shortly by the rest of his limp, lifeless body. She looked up at the man’s face as he scowled at the dead man’s head on the ground with disgust and sheathed his sword back into sheath on his waistband.

  “Did he do anything to you?” he questioned, turning back to look at her as she pressed her back up against the tree, trying to stop herself from colpsing to the ground. Camellia couldn’t bring herself to speak, or even move for that matter. Her body was shaking uncontrolbly as she stared at the corpse that was now lying at her feet. “Let’s get you back and warmed up then,” he announced, taking charge of the situation. “May I carry you?”

  She nodded feebly, allowing him to lift her up into his arms and cradle her. Despite his previous demeanour, he was very gentle with her, ensuring that the cloak he had handed her was covering her sufficiently before setting off back towards the forest path. She didn’t know this man or what his intentions were, and yet she felt oddly safe being carried in his arms.

  “My men should have finished taking care of the other bandits so we should be safe from here,” he expined as he carried her down the road and towards where she had fled from. But when she arrived at the campsite, all that awaited her was an absolute bloodbath the likes of which she had never seen.

  “You found her!” She recognised Hemshire’s voice and the sound of his footsteps thundering up the path towards them.

  “Look away, it will do you no good to witness this scene,” her rescuer commanded, trying to shield her from the mountain of bodies on the floor.

  “Is she okay?” Hemshire asked as he reached them, noting her traumatised expression and the way her body shook violently. “What did he do to her?”

  “I think I arrived just in time from what I saw,” the knight replied as he gently pced her on the back of the cart. The area had been lit up by torches as many men got to work disposing of the dead bodies. “Are you injured?” He questioned, gazing down at her. She managed to get a look at his face for the first time. He didn’t look like a ruthless killer. Nothing like what she pictured when she heard his voice. His face was elegant and refined, with a striking jawline and crystal blue eyes that seemed to pierce into her very soul. “Sir Hamish, if you please, tend to this woman,” he commanded a man dressed in robes who appeared to be casting healing magic on some of the injured. She had seen healing magic before, her older sister was proficient in it. Not like her. Camellia’s magical abilities fell far too short of the mark for her Father’s liking.

  “W-what i-is y-your n-n-name?” Camellia stammered, trying to put a sentence together through the shaking.

  “My name is Frederick,” the knight replied, a gentle smile on his face as the light from the fire illuminated his frame, captivating her. “Rest easy now ma’am, you are safe,” he expined to her before heading over to help his men with the cleanup operation.

  “I am so sorry,” Hemshire began, sitting down next to her on the carriage, the tears trickling down her face, almost breaking his heart. “I should never have brought you through this forest.”

  “No it’s not your fault,” she replied, shaking her head and staring down at her hands as she fidgeted with the hem of the cloak that was still wrapped around her body. “Where are the others?”

  Hemshire’s head hung low, giving her all the information she needed. “I was a coward,” he expined, thumping his fist against the side of the cart. “I knew we wouldn’t be able to take them on so I used my magic to cloak myself so I could escape,” he expined, guilt and anguish cing his every word. “But the knights were not far from us and intervened as the bandits started ransacking the caravan so I told them which direction you ran off and that gentleman gave chase.”

  “So they are knights then?” Camellia questioned, she had been curious about the identity of her saviour from the moment she saw him.

  “Not just any knights, judging by the fg on their armour they’re members of the Kings guard,” Hem commented, gesturing to the fg that they had set down not far from where they sat. Hemshire looked past her, his face falling with a grim expression. “Cat look away.”

  Camellia instinctively looked in the direction she was told not to look, only to see Frederick carrying Ragn in towards them. His limp body y lifeless in his arm, pools of blood had soaked through his clothes from multiple points on his torso and his face was unrecognisable from being bludgeoned by a dull weapon. Why such cruelty? There were enough of them to know he wasn’t a threat, why did they kill him in such a horrific manner?

  “We have found both of your comrades, we will carry their bodies in tow and ensure they are provided a proper burial when we reach the next town,” Frederick announced, requesting a sheet of some description to wrap him in so they could pce him in the cart. For some reason, Camellia couldn’t look away. She could still hear his voice in her head, he was alive only moments ago but now he would never get to call her m’dy again and it made her heart ache. She had known these men for less than a week but they already felt like family to her. It was at that moment that she finally broke down and her tears flowed down her face as loud sobs escaped her lips. Hem wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close in a feeble attempt to comfort her, but he had lost two men who he considered his brothers and he didn’t even have the balls to stand up next to them as they were cut down. What right did he have to mourn them?

  As the night wore on, the King Guard finished up with the clean up effort and returned to their station not far from the campsite. It was incredibly lucky that this group just happened to set up their camp not from the merchants or this could have ended very differently for all of them.

  When Frederick returned to the cart, Camellia had succumbed to her exhaustion and passed out on Hem’s shoulder. The sun had just started to rise on the horizon and began peeking through the trees, illuminating her face.

  “We will escort you to the next town,” Frederick expined, as he studied her with intrigue. He couldn’t help but notice that she didn’t look like a common girl. Her skin was fair and unblemished and she had such soft features that he had only ever witnessed on the noble girls he knew. “Where is your final destination?”

  “We were heading for the Capital,” Hem expined, his voice dejected and frail.

  “We are also set for the Capital, although we have other business to attend to before we make our way there so we would not be able to escort you any further than Limereckstead,” Frederick offered, still somewhat entranced by the features on the young girl’s face. “Who is this?”

  “Her name is Catherine,” Hem began, “we picked her up when she was stranded on a dirt road, she said she wanted to go to the Capital and gave us some money to escort her.” Hem was cautious not to disclose her status as a noble as he was aware that she wanted to keep that a secret from as many people as possible. He was also blissfully unaware of her true name as Camellia had the foresight not to disclose that to anyone since she had run away.

  “Do you mind if we take her with us?” Frederick questioned, noting that the merchant no longer had an entourage with which to protect her and she would be much safer with them.

  “That wouldn’t be my decision to make, I will ask when she awakens.”

  Frederick nodded before righting himself and drawing a long sigh. He could hear the sound of his men in the distance moving along the dirt path as they brought their own carriages and horses to meet them. “Looks like we are set to go, our foreman will go ahead of you and then you are fine to continue. Should we encounter any trouble then please get in one of the carriages and lock the door.” Hem nodded in agreement, he would probably put Camellia in one of the carriages once she had finished resting, but hopefully there would be no more problems until they arrive at Limereckstead.