Hi, it's Useli. I must say, it's been a LONG time since I've written anything and this was something I just had floating around in my head that I wasn't sure was going to be any good. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this.
***
True to her word, Illia woke them both before the sun had spread it's golden wings across the land. Atlas stood and stretched, attempting to both drive the last bits of sleep from his body and ward off the early morning chill.
It took longer then he would have liked but soon they were back on the road, heading towards the port city of Atlantis. Slowly, the world began to come alive around them.
The early morning calling of the birds, and chittering of squirrels as they scurried about to gather food for what seemed to be a fast approaching winter. Hours of travel had passed before the sun had finally crest the horizon, attemping to drive away the chill that the night had brought with it.
Long shadows were cast across the path from the tallest trees. The path they were following was one that Atlas and Kale were not familiar with but Illia seemed to know.
The amazon didn't seem concerned with enjoying the scenery. She had no doubt seen much of it living in the forest, where as both men had spent their lives within the walls of the city and as a result were amazed by the natural beauty surrounding them.
"I cannot believe I never left the city," speaks Atlas. "I think I much prefer these lush surroundings to that of the cold stone of the city."
"I agree," comes Kale's voice. "What a wonderful place. You see now why I spent much of my time out doing research on the local plants." The blond nodded slowly as he gazed around with amber eye's. "Such beauty can only be found here in the wilds."
"And bandits," added Illia. "Keep your eye's open. They often ambush small parties such as ours." Atlas shifted a bit. In the past he had come across a few bandits, come to the city to trade what they had plundered from innocent people.
It was men who lacked stealth and cunning who often became bandits. What they could not take by sleight of hand, they took by force. He had absolutely no respect for such people, and when he had found them alone, well...one is hard pressed to hear screams of help in the back alley's of Solis.
"B-Bandits? Along these roads?"
"Of course. We show them no quarter in our territory, ambushing and killing any bandits who we come across. Because of that they tend to avoid our forests." Kale swallowed and looked around quickly, apparently trying to spot if they were walking into an ambush themselves. "Calm yourself, Kale. If you get so worked up over something like that you won't live to see thirty." His lips twitch but he doesn't respond, instead attempting to calm himself.
"Bandits give good thieves a bad name," comments Atlas.
"Is that right?" The blond leans around to look at her from a side-long angle and nods. "I don't see how. Both take what does not belong to them. Bandits simply do it by force."
The youth shook his head in what she would describe as exasperation.
"Any proper thief uses forethought and planning, in place of violence." Illia rolls her eye's a bit, a slight smile playing at her lips. The man had ideas that there was such a thing as a
'proper thief' in this world? At the least he was amusing.
"I suppose I must concede that there is at least SOME difference between the two. However, I do not believe that 'proper' is a word that should be applied to either profession, Atlas."
"All I heard is, 'there is some difference between the two', Miss Illia." Again she rolls her eye's at his words. The hours passed slowly, and the forest around them stayed the same.
It was thick, with tree's and vegetation of all sorts surrounding and shielding them from much of the sun...but also shielding any potential attackers who might seek to do harm to them.
This did not bother Illia, who was used to traveling in this sort of terrain and it didn't bother Atlas, who was looking around at all the birds and small animals in the tree tops.
However, it was Kale who attempted to keep a close eye on their surroundings. The scholar nearly lost his glasses several times when a small noise that Illia knew belonged to the forest, drew his attention and he looked sharply in that direction.
It was rather amusing not only to her but the young thief as well. "Kale, you need to relax," spoke Atlas, breaking the silence.
"I am a scholar, not a fighter," he comments, shoving his glasses up. "Forgive me if I am worried about a fight."
"There is no sense in worrying about fights that haven't even begun yet. If you would like to spend time worrying, then worry about something else." He snorted in response to the
thief's words but otherwise didn't respond. Illia didn't speak on the issue, and Atlas didn't venture a guess as to what her thoughts on the issue might be. Rather, he returned to enjoying the scenery without pause...
- - -
They had stopped to rest the horses and stretch their legs. Atlas was crouched down on top of a large moss covered boulder, keeping an eye on everything he could. He tried not to show it, but it was obvious that he was worried about their surroundings as well.
Illia was sure that she could handle any of the untrained bandits they might happen across in the woods, as she had in the past. 'The past', she muses to herself. 'It seems like years rather then weeks.'
The amazon glanced between the two men in silence, and it was the Prince that caught her looking. He flashed a wry, charming smile and she rolled her eye's at that action.
She glances away and sighs. He spoke to her with the title of 'Miss' which was rather respectful for an outsider, but at times he was rather rude as well. In the past that would have earned him the point of her sword or if he were one of them, a flogging.
But she constantly reminded herself that she had deserted her village now, turned her back on her own people. Illia found the thought didn't bother her as much as she imagined it would.
