The horses galloped through the forest as they were in pursuit of the outlaw. They had just been at the point of performing an execution of three men that had not paid their taxes, as the infamous nightwatchman had appeared. He had fired three arrows sitting on the walls of the keep above the gate, cutting the hangmens ropes, helping the condemned escape and causing public uprising. Then he had jumped down on the drawbridge, jumped on his horse, and made his way in the forest, his hiding place, as everyone knew.
Except he was not a he, he was a she. She pushed herself against the foot of a small hill by the side of the road, as the horses dashed passed her, their riders looking, shouting orders. She knew every path and tree in the forest, and knew exactly how to evade them, waiting for them to overrun her, then slowly making her way back to her hiding place.
She looked around carefully as she glided between the autumn leaves, moving to her favourite bush. But all of a sudden she was grabbed from behind, taken by the throat, and pushed to a tree.
"Here, here! I've got him!" the soldier who caught her shouted, barely containing his enthusiasm.
"Shut up you idiot," she said through her teeth as she gave him a vicious kick in the balls and pulled his fingers off her neck.
But it was too late. The horses came gathering around, their commander seeing the scene before him, and giving the sign to surround her.
"I caught him!" the soldier said again, panting, slightly doubled up from the whack in his nuts, but still excited.
The commander got of his horse and made his way over to her, in slow, intimidating steps.
To her surprise, it was the lord of the castle himself. He was a large, impressive man, tall and very broad. He was in his fifties, with thick brown hair until his shoulders, top half tied back, and a full beard. On his cloak he wore a fur, making his shoulders look even wider than they already were. He was dressed completely in black.
"Now let's finally see who this nightwatchman really is," he growled, in a low voice, before pulling down her hood and the scarf she had tied over her mouth and nose.
****
With a sharp tug he pulled of her hood, revealing wisps of long back hair, and pulled down the scarf.
"But it's a woman!" he cried out, unable to hide his surprise, stepping back in open confusion.
She was wearing boots, leather pants, and a wrought jacket that fitted to her body but of such thick leather that it served her like armour. On her back she wore her arrows and her bow, on her hips a girdle with a short dagger.
From afar you could not see she was a woman, but from up close, you could definitely see it. She had a beautifully chiseled face and a long, elegant build. He pulled her long hair out of her jacket, making it cascade down her back and hang around her shoulders in long, dark curls.
She said nothing, as she knew that humiliating him in front of his men would only make matters worse for her. Best to keep silent when you have nothing nice to say.
"So this is our famous enemy," he said, in disbelief, as he took her jaw and forcefully turned her face towards him. "Take her to the castle and throw her in the dungeons."
"I definitely know what to do with you," he added, cruelly.
***
In the castle, they took her to the dungeons. They tied her up in the first room of the dungeons. It was in open connection with a corridor, where the cells were. Most of them were empty, but some prisoners were locked up there, behind bars.
Her hands were chained to the wall above her head. Her feet were cuffed as well.
They had said nothing when they imprisoned her, but she expected the lord would come again, given what he had said. But she didn't know when.
She looked around her. It was a large room with a large table in the middle. The room was cluttered with torture utensils. It was dark, except for some torches on the wall. She could not see, but she heard the prisoners further in the hall. And at the door stood two guards, probably not the highest in rank, having to spend their time in a dark and stinking hole like this, looking at her in a way she did not like.
****
She must have dozed off, because the next moment she was awoken by the clinging of keys and the voice of the guards.
"Let's lock up" one said. "Night has fallen, no one will be coming now anymore".
They closed the entrance of the prison, but to her surprise, they stayed in, not out.
"Yeah sweatheart, commander's orders. We're not to leave you alone," he said. "Not even at night".
"Not that we mind that," the other added, grinning.
They approached her.
"You're supposed to be "dangerous". But not so dangerous now, are you?"
She looked at them, eyes spitting fire. They were going to assault her, she knew that. There seemed precious little she could do about it.
They put their weapons against the wall and let their hands glide over her thick leather jacket. One seemed to get such little excitement, or at least sex, in his life that he looked like he was almost coming already.
Shaking, he laid his hand on her breast, barely feelable through her clothes, although you could feel the curve. The other was rougher, feeling her up forcefully, and pushing his wet tongue in her face.
"Get off me," she said, with a look of utter disdain on her face.
