Wrong Guys To Ambush

Faolan shrugged his left shoulder, hoping that the fact he was readying his shield didn't look too obvious. The eight men down the road looked like members of the Royal Crown Guard. They were too far away for him to pick up their thoughts, but Faolan rarely cared what a Redleg was thinking. Given his experience with Redlegs, though, he believed he could read their body language. This could be bad. "Looks like Redlegs, your worshipfulness."

For what seemed like the hundredth time, Ahnah fired back a curt "Quit calling me that, or I'll heal your bunghole shut". This time, though, she didn't even glance at Faolan. Her eyes were also down the road.

"It looks like they're lined up for battle, ya know", drawled Tanner from Ahnah's right. "Two lines of four, with archers in the back corners. Don't look like a travellin' formation."

Faolan thought his friend sounded and looked more curious than anxious. Ahnah's face betrayed nothing.

The three kept their palfreys at the same easy pace. Since leaving Anglia City they'd been expecting to run into some sort of trouble, and Faolan was thinking they'd found it. As the distance between the groups closed, Faolan reached out with his mind. He couldn't yet sense the Redlegs, but he could read his friends clearly. Tanner was analyzing at the Redlegs' behavior, and seeming a bit puzzled. Ahnah was willing herself to calm.

"The Redlegs won't bother us", Ahnah said, as if trying to convince herself. We look like an Anglian noblewoman, her Southron slave, and some Northmen she fished out of a sewer. We should be fine."

Once he figured out that he was the supposed slave, Tanner shot Ahnah a quick look that she ignored. Faolan gave Tanner a grin, and they exchanged a silent laugh. Who could understand a woman?

At a hundred feet, the Redlegs' minds opened to Faolan. As the first thoughts of plunder and rape flooded his brain, Faolan's blood ran cold. "Ahnah", he said, "A haste would be nice..."

"We're on a diplomatic mission, Faolan. We can't just attack the Royal Crown Guard", snapped Ahnah, but her eyes showed that she was thinking it over.

Tanner rarely understood Faolan, but had learned to trust him. He shifted his kite shield into position, and moved his hand to the leather-wrapped hilt of his sword. As in so many battles before, the veteran steeled himself for combat.

Faolan, never one to let someone else's misgivings ruin his good time, quickly detailed what he was "hearing" from the men down the road. Their captain was having his doubts about how to proceed, but it seemed they were all out for blood, and several of the men were about to draw their swords.

As he felt the "tingle" of Ahnah's magic, Faolan yanked on the reins, and King John pawed at the air. Faolan shouted out, "Have I told you bastards the one about The Redleg, His Mother, and the One-eyed Whore? Fire seemed to course along his veins as he charged the surprised Redlegs, whipping his sword from its scabbard and swinging it in a series of arcs over his head. The archers began to fumble for arrows as the captain started shouting orders.

Faolan charged the middle of the line, angling to his left as Tanner shouted out instructions to he and Ahnah about how to proceed. Faolan's sword, Frehitnsang, ripped through the first of the Redlegs' chainmail, opening a ghastly wound and knocking him back in his saddle. Tanner engaged the left side of the enemy's line as a wall of flames roared into life. Ahnah had effectively divided the two lines of Redlegs with fires eight feet high.

While the Redlegs attempted to organize themselves, Faolan finished his opponent with a slash to the throat, and charged down the line, knocking another of the enemy to the ground. Tanner shouted instructions on how to best refuse the enveloping maneuver the Redlegs were trying. He exchanged blows with the man he faced, gradually overcoming him as Ahnah called down more fire.

As the Redlegs regrouped, their captain rolled his line to the right, as another of his men engaged Tanner, wounding him slightly. The archers loosed their shafts, one scratching Tanner, the other bouncing off of Faolan's breastplate.

As the battle raged, Tanner's bloodlust got the better of him, and, while he busied himself hacking a stunned opponent to death, the now-organized Redlegs seized the initiative. The Redleg captain sent one of his warriors charging towards Ahnah, while he moved in to take Tanner from the rear.

He intended to move to defend Ahnah, but once Faolan saw Tanner's peril, he changed course and intercepted the captain, saving his friend. Frehitnsang whipped through the air, slicing the captain nearly in two. By the time that Faolan next looked up, Ahnah had defended herself with both fire and staff, slaying the fool who'd attacked her. Protect the healer, indeed.

Arrows again flew forth, this time one of them penetrating Faolan's shield, armor, and elbow, wracking him with pain. Tanner rode down the archer on his side, slashing with Ferrum Iustitii and leaving the man a bloody ruin. Faolan's shield arm was useless, but he was able to direct King John well enough with his legs, and he rode down the last of the archers, who had attempted to flee on foot.

The Party regrouped around a cursing Faolan, who wasn't quite sure how he was going to manage to dismount his horse, with three feet of arrow in his arm. Tanner pulled the arrow free, and Faolan did his best to make jest, trying to rhyme arrow with bone marrow in song. All he managed was looking pale from loss of blood. Ahnah tended to both of her protectors, and they were feeling much better shortly. At Faolan's request, she next turned her attention to the one surviving Redleg, staunching the bleeding of his wounds, but doing little more.

Faolan, once he was recovered, set about speaking to man, using his ability to read the fellow's thoughts to guide a subtle, gentle, interrogation (which was only intermittently interrupted by Faolan's telling of tales of his own heroic deeds). They learned that these 'Redlegs', were actually Lord Evans's men, masquerading as members of the Royal Crown Guard, with the intention of intercepting couriers leaving out from Anglia City.

At this, Tanner interjected "That explains why y'all weren't using proper tactics. Your 'captain' was nowhere near the quality we usually see in the Redlegs we defeat".

The poor captive, already flummoxed at his interrogation by this man who seemed to read his mind, was shocked almost more than he could bear by Tanner's talk of besting Redlegs in battle. He silently cursed his commander for getting him into this mess, and tried to prepare himself for the death he knew was coming.

His surprise was complete when Faolan scattered the horses and told him he was free. His surprise grew more when Faolan told him that he would be welcome to immigrate to the Frontier and "live free, so that your problems come from your own stupid decisions...not some gent's".

The question would be, what story would he tell his commander and the folks back home....if he went home.

Tags: Side Stories, Adventures, Episode 7