Henry lay sprawled out on the ground, allowing himself to catch his breath, before getting up to get Tesslyn, who was sitting a little way over by a tree. She was still crying, not that it was surprising, but it was a pain all the same. He looked her over and felt his heart jolt when he saw blood dripping off of her, he ran over to examine her injuries. If this damned girl dies after all the effort to get her, I’ll burn this whole damn forest down.

“Where are your injuries?” Henry asked her, she kept her silent treatment going even now that which he was just praising but now found to be completely infuriating “Cut the silent treatment you're bleeding and I’d rather not have to bring you back to your father with you bleeding.”

She looked up at him, showing that the blood was coming from a gash that was open from her nose to the bottom of her right cheek he also noted that besides that gnarly wound she was beautiful; she had long blond hair that looked to shine even through the darkness of the night, perfect skin, and eyes that resembled sapphires, though she looked surprised by what he said.

“I can’t go back there, I won’t.” She declared, wincing from the pain,

“Yes, I know you said that earlier too you know but look at us now outside of the keep so stop being such a pain in my ass and let me help you so we can be getting out of here.”

“You want to help me? Kill me, once you take me to that inn and he realizes I played a part in him being robbed and beaten my father will kill me himself.”

“Then don’t tell him or leave in the middle of the night if you think you can’t lie to the old man but Tom told me he’d pay me to bring back his daughter safe from the bandits who terrorized the area and that's what I plan to do so do me a favor and stop acting like a spoiled child.”

“I’m not-” She stopped arguing to grab at her face in agony and started screaming again. Such a common thing with her, he was noticing.

“It’s not going to stop hurting anytime soon, and it’s only going to get worse unless you let me help you.”

He hoped this time she would listen because otherwise he would have to travel with a bleeding screaming girl who would draw unwanted attention to them and with the injuries, he’d taken himself, he wasn’t sure he could do much more fighting tonight either.

She looked up at him and nodded. Henry cut the sleeves off of his shirt and tied them together, forming a makeshift bandage and tied it around her face, hoping that would be enough to at least slow the bleeding.

“It doesn’t hurt any less." She said.

“Did you expect it to work immediately after I put it on? The sleeves will hopefully work as a bandage and slow the bleeding until you can find someone who can actually treat you.” He stood up again and looked back at the burning keep. “We’ve got to get out of here now, the fire might spread more and I’d rather it not be on our heels the whole way back.” He said, reaching down to help the bleeding girl up.

She swatted his hand away and attempted to stand up on her own, only to fall back down. Henry just looked at her and sighed. So much for not acting like a child. He turned his back to her, looking around for the horse Tom gave him.

It more than likely wouldn’t be able to carry the both of them at once but it was better than nothing. Henry rushed through the woods fighting through the onslaught of branches and shrubs in the direction he remembered leaving the horse, he found the nag still where he left her and quickly untied the reins from the tree and walked back to Tesslyn.

The girl was standing up now although she had to lean against a tree for support which she tried and obviously failed to do discreetly Henry just chuckled to himself and brought the horse up to her and handed over the reins

"You get on the horse I'll walk, who knows maybe we'll run into one of your friends and they will have a spare horse for me." Henry said jokingly.

For a moment it looked like she wanted to say something back but she just shot a passing glare at him and got up on the horse. Henry made sure to keep a tight grip on the side of the reins just in case she tried to run away, and the two made their way back to the ruined inn.

By the time the duo made it back on the main road the sun was just beginning to come up again behind them and neither of the two had said anything to the other which Henry was fine with rather dead silence than all of the whining and screaming she had been doing when they first met, he looked up at her and wondered what Tom would do when he found out she had a part in robbing their own inn. As long as he pays me as promised, what happens after I deliver her to him isn’t my problem. He reminded himself.

He kept walking, examining their surroundings in case any of the fleeing bandits were still in the area when something caught his eye, fresh horse tracks headed in the same direction that they were. He let go of the reins to Tess's horse trusting that she wouldn’t dart off, not that she could get far with the old beast she was on and started walking at a faster pace hoping to get a glimpse of the individuals in front of them.

“And where are you going?” Tess's voice called behind him.

Henry sighed he hoped she wouldn’t say anything and give the girl any ideas about fleeing off with her outlaw friends, “Look there on the ground next to your horses' hooves there are tracks of another.”

“Do you think it’s someone from the crew?” She asked.

“I’m not sure yet which to answer your question is where I was going, now if you don’t mind, I’ll be back, stay at that same pace and make as little noise as possible.”

Henry continued stalking the tracks and as they got clearer and clearer so did the sounds of those making them.

“Well, who do you think it was huh?” A voice asked in front of Henry, “I’d bet two bronze pieces it was Two-Tongue Tommy whaddya think Tripp?”

“How’n the hell should I know Weasel?” Now would you shut up and let me at least enjoy the ride to that inn, of all the people I could get riding with it just had to be you, didn’t it?” A gravelly voice responded.

Henry looked behind him making sure Tesslyn was a decent enough way behind him and pressed on pursuing the voices in front of him. He got close enough to make out the bandits in front of him, both wearing tattered black cloaks both atop horses, one of which looked very familiar. Finally, this night is working in my favor. Henry grinned and started running up to the two panting and groaning loudly.

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The tall man on the left turned to face him first followed by his pudgy friend who was riding Dragon. They both drew their weapons at once upon seeing him obviously still tense about what had just happened back at the keep.

“Wait Weasel, Tripp it’s only me Ivan, you know me, right? Roland had me patrolling the upper quarters of the keep when I smelled the smoke and ran out through a small crack.” Henry tried to sound as convincing as possible.

“Ivan huh? You’re the lad from Reine arentcha, the one Roland caught trying to con him?” Tripp inquired.

“Yeah! Yeah, that’s me I thought you might not recognize me for a second there.” Henry smiled, inching towards them.

The two men exchanged looks as if they were having a silent conversation and Henry realized they didn’t buy his Ivan act. Ah crap, Henry cursed to himself.

“Who are you-” Before he could finish his sentence Henry flung his dagger into the chest of the tall man Weasel, he hit the ground before even he had noticed.

“Nice horse you’ve got there, my horse.” He didn’t seem to care and tried to spur Dragon past Henry.” Hey Dragon, fly.”

With the command that Henry engraved in the horse when he was first given to him the giant beast reared back flinging off the foreign rider, he landed with a loud crash and in an instant Henry was on him plunging his sword through the man’s throat his crimson blood escaping onto his blade and through his mouth.

By the time Tess and her horse caught up, Henry had already mounted Dragon and settled Weasel’s horse for her to take for herself. Henry recognized the look on her face instantly. She was horrified she wouldn’t even meet Henry’s gaze, but he could still tell; it was a look he’d seen before on others before her and a look he was sure he would see on others after her and Henry knew it, but every time he saw it, it made him hate himself just a little more.

“You can take this horse instead of riding that old mare if you’d like. It would certainly be faster and he won’t be needing it anymore.” Henry said.

“Why did you kill them? Most of the crew only joined because of Roland those two wouldn’t have done anything to you.” She said, finally meeting his gaze.

“They stole my horse and besides, they were planning on returning to the inn and doing who knows what to your father, so I had little choice in the matter.”

“You could have convinced them to go somewhere else or better yet just let me go with them and we could be rid of each other.” She argued.

“As much as I would love to be rid of you, I couldn’t just leave you with them, I told you before your father is paying me not just to get rid of the bandits but to bring you back safely so come on, if you're not going to get on his horse we need to keep moving and if you are be quick about it, I’m thoroughly sick of this job and need to go to an apothecary and a proper tavern.”

Tesslyn reluctantly slid off of her own horse and stepped over to one of the men and grabbed a small knife off of his corpse before climbing up to the gray-haired horse beside Henry. She looked at Henry, then down to the two men’s bloodied corpses, said what Henry assumed was a silent prayer, turned around and spurred her horse down the road along with Henry not saying a single word until they arrived at the inn.

Henry walked up the steps of the inn, relieved to be done with this taxing job and looked over to Tess still standing next to her horse he wondered what would she would say to the old man once they went in.

“Come on so we can get this over with already, your father is waiting for us inside.” Henry called to her.

“Alright I’m coming but please, don’t tell him I helped Roland steal from him.” She replied.

“I told you I wouldn’t whether or not he finds out is up to you now hurry up.” He said turning back and walking into the inn.

The place looked significantly better than when Henry left earlier that day the smashed mugs were cleaned up and the broken chairs were removed leaving a few empty spaces around the room but Henry thought it was a considerable upgrade from the room he walked into before.

“Hello, Tom I’m back look who I’ve brought back with me.” Henry called out smiling.

“Henry you’ve brought her back is she well, has she been hurt?” Tom shouted from a back room in the inn. The elderly man ran out of the back room rambling out questions at Henry until he was face to face with his daughter at last.

“Hello Father, yes, I’m well I got a few cuts and bruises on the way but I wasn’t hurt.” Tesslyn said in a much more affable way than when she had spoken to Henry.

"A few cuts? Tess, they scarred your face I should have gone to get you back myself I should have killed all of them myself.” Tom said becoming red with fury.

“I killed the leader of the bandits and burned down their hold they won’t bother you anymore and now you have your daughter back Tom now it’s time for you to pay up on your end” Henry interjected he wanted to be on his way to a city where he could get the healing he needed.

Tom met Henry’s eyes for a moment and looked away. “Henry lad, listen they took everything I told you that before I don’t have anything to give you now.”

“What? You mean I went out nearly got killed countless times and burned alive when you didn’t have any plan to pay me?” Henry clutched the grip of his sword why had he decided to trust the word of this senile innkeeper “Tom, you said you had a way to pay me that they didn’t get to where is it?”

Tom glanced over to his daughter. “I don’t blame you for telling them where your mother’s ring was hidden, the leader the way he looked at you he would have done terrible things to you had you defied him, I know it.” Tom walked closer to his daughter placing two grizzled hands on her shoulders. “You did the right thing Tess they would have hurt you in ways I shudder to even think about.”

Henry looked over to Tess who was still looking at the floor not meeting either of the two men’s eyes and examined her once again she was wearing a thin chain around her neck that he hadn’t noticed earlier. Could she be wearing it around her neck? No, she couldn’t be that stupid, could she? Henry kept a level eye at the chain if he grabbed it and it was the ring Tom was going to give him then would Tom piece together that the robbing of his inn had been orchestrated by his own daughter? But what if it wasn’t how would he explain to Tom why he’d lunged at his daughter. He laid a hand where he had been stabbed by Roland on his stomach, he’d have to risk Tom figuring out what actually happened if he wanted to afford a healer and food at his next stop.

Henry walked between the two and looked down at Tesslyn then towards her neck and snatched on the chain breaking it with some strained effort. Tom rushed to Tesslyn side and pushed Henry back but when he put his hands up to reveal the ring Tom stepped back looking stunned. He looked at Tess a red anger filling his face.

“How could you! I raised you the best I could after your mother died and this is how you repay me with betrayal?” Tom’s face grew redder as he walked towards Tesslyn.

“Father I couldn’t stay here forever and Roland told me we needed money to leave I had to or we wouldn’t have been able to stay together.”

“You did all this to leave your home and live in the woods with some bandit? I should have let them have you and see what kind of future was in store for you, you worthless whore!”

Tom lounged for her but Tess leapt out of the way with surprising dexterity, but Tom was relentless and kept on her swinging his large fists in every which way unable to land any punches. He pushed on even further until Tess backed herself into a corner in the room torn apart once again by the duo’s brawl Tom put his large hands around Tess's neck and squeezed tight not letting the girl breathe.

“You did this to yourself child. You could have lived a full life here at the inn but you chose this instead you chose that wretch instead of your father yo-” Tom stopped talking and stepped away from Tess his hands now at his own neck instead of Tess's blood gushing over them.

Both Tom and Tess dropped to the ground, Tesslyn gasping for breath and crying Tom not breathing at all.

Henry didn’t speak for a moment letting the image of the two sit in his mind “What will you do now? Stay here until someone finds the body?”

“All of this is because of you. Roland, the gang, and now my father you took everything from me.” Tesslyn got up grabbing her knife and ran for Henry. She stabbed for his neck but Henry was too well trained even while injured, Tess tried slashing at his chest but Henry grabbed her arm before the blade could get to him and took the knife from her pushing her to the ground.

“I’m not going to kill you because I need to leave this shit hole countryside and find a healer now don’t make me regret this or you’ll be reunited with your love and family.” Henry hissed at her and threw the knife back down.

As he was untying Dragon from his post, he could here Tess yelling after him.

“The next time we meet Henry I’m going to make you wish you killed me now. Do you hear me?” He groaned as he mounted up on Dragon and rode off away from the inn. Oh, great another person to add to your wants to kill you list way to go Henry.