Luck in flowers 1
After hours, Shane was tired of trying to break the ropes. It wasn't the first time he had to get out of something like this, but it was the first time the knot binding his wrists was so elaborate.
It didn´t help how often some of the criminals returned to steal what clearly didn´t belong to them. Usually it ended up with only a minor cut, sometimes even an existing wound was enough. Before Shane knew it, he could recognize the faces of all those scumbags. At some point, he gave up trying to stand and slowly fell to the ground. He leaned against the tree and continued untangling the ropes behind his back. He had no energy at all, he wasn't acclimated to Rinsel's lack of luck, and depleting his supplies wasn't the most pleasant either.
However, as he felt how loose the ropes were, he knew he would be able to escape in a few minutes. But unexpectedly, he heard footsteps in his direction again and he had to stop his effort as a new guy entered his field of vision.
Shane looked up at the Rinselan and noted that this one hadn't visited him yet. He didn't react, he just sat on the ground, staring at the guy and waiting for him to do the disgusting act that everyone in this beastly land considered normal.
He didn´t think of anything else, so when the man pulled out the knife, he just looked irritated at his face and imagined himself cutting the guy instead. The man took a step towards and Shane looked to the side, wanting to get it done as soon as possible. However, the knife fell on the ground next to him.
Shane looked at the criminal incredulous, as if he couldn't believe that the blade would just fall out of his hand.
"Go hide somewhere, don't wander too far, let us find you," the guy said and without another word he returned to the group of criminals.
Shane stared blankly behind him, and although he didn't understand what had happened, he knew that not taking advantage of the miraculous opportunity would be a waste of his own luck. And so, within a moment, he freed himself.
If the guy had come earlier, he wouldn't have had to bother for several hours. He sighed deeply and brushed off the dirt. He quickly buttoned up his bloody tattered robe and looked towards the criminals. He knew why they had left him near the trees, not the closest to their fire where they were roasting their food. The thought of someone trying to get more intimate with him made him want to vomit. Getting gang-raped by a group of Rinselans was clearly not in his preferences.
He clenched his fists in irritation, but calmed down in a second, as he knew that acting rashly doesn´t pay off. He was aware that the most logical thing to do would be to turn around and hide, or to run away. However, Shane wasn't planning on doing anything a suspicious Rinselan told him to do, and since the luck in his body was still apparently enough to keep him alive, he decided to take what he wanted back.
Slowly, so as not to attract anyone's attention, he made his way beyond the trees to the part where he saw the weapons. He wasn't going to fight with his bare hands, and since he had his own sword here somewhere, he knew he wouldn't have to.
Fortunately, half of the guys were busy eating, some were sleeping, some were just chatting, and the rest weren't even here. Even the boss who irritated him the most disappeared somewhere, and Shane decided that it was the best moment to act. He got to the weapons quite unnoticed, no one was guarding them, and for a moment he doubted that it was that simple. In no time he found his sword and proceeded to vent some anger.
However, the moment he stepped forward, his gaze fell on the man who basically helped him and made him hesitate. He had no idea why he wanted to save him, or what he meant when he said to wait for them, but he suddenly felt like he should calm down.
When he went to this country, he knew how disgusting all the Rinselans were, what animals they were, and he didn't expect anything from them. However, he knew that he couldn't make trouble right away in the form of slaughtering a group of their inhabitants, he knew that he couldn't, even though he wanted to. And so, after a moment of clutching the hilt of his sword at his side and coming to terms with the fact that he wasn't going to kill the people who stole his luck, he turned to leave and disappeared behind the trees.
He intended to find at least something resembling a road in the forest, where he could meet travelers and ask them about the direction of the capital. No matter how much he didn't want to be here, he had to fulfill his role. He tried to forget about the group of criminals and put the situation behind him, thinking that it wasn´t in his nature to do more work than he was assigned. It wasn't even the most awkward situation of his life, he pushed out of his mind to keep from going crazy.
But he had barely gone a little deeper behind the trees when he heard a shout from behind.
"Where is he?!" The voice of their boss made him quicken his pace, but not enough to let everyone know where the rustling of leaves under his feet was coming from.
"Which one of you saw him last?!" He shouted.
Shane was so focused on the noises behind him that he almost didn't notice a group of guys running towards him as the shouts drew them to the camp. At the last moment, he hid behind a tree. He stood leaning against the trunk and waited for the guys to run over. However, one of them stopped there and Shane knew that his struggle had become more complicated.
"Boss, boss! There's blood?!" Shouted one.
"What?!" The guy couldn't hear well, so he ran after them.
Shane looked at the trail of blood he was leaving behind and took a deep breath. The ideal plan to sneak off without being noticed didn't work and Shane only slowly moved his hand to his sword as he decided to settle it with the blade.
He expected it wouldn't take long for everyone to get to him, and it didn´t. As soon as the chief of the thieves caught up to them, he assessed the situation and noticed the bloody paths leading to the tree where Shane was hiding, laughingly walked towards him.
"Stupid Lacrisan," he said and knocked on the tree, "I hope you didn't think I wouldn't find you."
Shane was waiting for the moment when the boss would peek in his direction so that he could give the bastard at least one good hit before he went for more.
As the criminal ducked behind a tree, Shane drew his sword and slashed through the man's chest in a wide swing. He jumped out from behind the tree and aimed his weapon in front of him at the thief who had given him trouble last night due to his strength. However, he didn´t intend to repeat the same mistake twice, so he clearly didn´t plan to get caught stupidly.
"Agh!" the guy screamed and clutched his chest, where blood had already seeped through the cloth and was slowly dripping to the ground, "Bitch!"
"Bastard." Shane just snorted in disgust before taking a fighting stance and waiting for someone to run at him.
But before anyone could do anything, a loud rumble, similar to a mild earthquake, came from the forest. The sound was very well known to Shane, and since he had no idea if it was made by an enemy or an ally, he automatically backed away. He didn't believe in the second option, considering that he had no allies here, so he hid behind a tree before a group of armed horsemen rushed out of the forest.
"Leave two of them!" He heard a forceful voice.
However, since the subsequent shouting and cursing of the criminals wasn´t enthusiastic, at least he confirmed that the new guys weren´t the original enemies, and thus didn´t pose a real threat to him. However, he didn´t know if he would be mistaken for bandit, so he clearly didn´t intend to come out.
He just waited behind the tree for the noise of the fight to calm down and considered where he would run off. But he didn't get much time to think. The sounds quickly faded out, and instead of the screams and blows of blades, he only heard the cursing of the criminals, the soldiers had left alive.
Shane didn't think the group was capable of overpowering numerous thugs in such a short time, so he was even more certain that he shouldn't come out.
"Done?" Asked a calm voice, as if he didn´t even care about criminals.
"All except those two and Luke, sir." Another voice said.
"Good job, where's Luke?"
"Your Highness," a new voice that probably belonged to the aforementioned Luke made Shane notice how familiar it was. He didn't have to search his memory for long before he realized that it belonged to the guy who had freed him.
"Where is he?" the leader of the new group asked.
"Behind the tree in front of you," Luke stated, causing Shane to take a step forward in an attempt to duck before they found him.
He barely moved when suddenly a group of soldiers surrounded him and pointed their swords at his direction. Shane launched his own sword in front of him, but he was well aware that he wouldn't stand a chance against the trained Rinsel´s soldiers at full strength, especially when he had been bleeding for several hours.
"Don´t harm him." Nielle stated sharply and jumped off his horse. He slowly followed his men who were pointing their swords at Shane. He stepped between them and examined his new toy.
His white hair caught Shane's eyes, causing him to question the man's identity. According to information, only the descendants of the royal family in Rinseli had white hair, but the idea of him meeting one here wasn't very likely.
"Prettier than I expected," Nielle assessed his Lacrisan, folding his arms over his chest, "although the one at the camp was prettier." He laughed.
Shane could feel how this Rinsel´s way of evaluating the Lacrisans as commodities was starting to irritate him: "Who are you and what do you want from me?" He growled.
"Don't be insolent right away," Nielle laughed, "is this how you thank your savior? If it weren't for Luke and my soldiers, they would have had you for dinner for a few days before you would be sold." He clarified.
Shane knew he was right, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't like something about the young man, "Who are you?" He repeated.
Nielle took a step forward towards him and when Shane pointed his weapon at him, he laughed in amusement, "Nielle Owen von Rinse," he slowly drew his own sword and lightly touched Shane's blade with it, "but for you it's 'Your Highness'."