The Tribesman and the Princess.

“Alright, come along now girl." He spoke with a contemptuous voice of command, as if this was somehow her fault.

"Excuse yourself, peasant. I am a daughter of one of this valley’s noble houses." she proclaimed, attempting to make this unbecoming brute to recognize her status.

"Yes, that's nice, but whoever let you leave your family compound without a scrap of a coin should be flogged." He replied, entirely unimpressed at her nobility as he grasped her arm a little tighter as he half-dragged her on shorter tired legs.

"Unhand me, you oaf!" She yelped, "That hurts! How dare you treat me like... like... some flighty maidservant!" Her free hand was beating on him now, as he tried his best to ignore her. But her insistence paid out, but not as she had hoped.

"Alright, that does it." He turned, his face bearing down over hers. "If you continue on like this, I doubt your family will appreciate having a whelp of a daughter as uncouth as yourself." He eyed her up and down critically. "And you wouldn't even last a tenday with your tribesmen as you are. And as for your hitting me, respect your elders, girl. Or have you not caught sight of my ridges yet? Yet another cause for concern over the certainty of your future indeed." He stopped at that point, and after assuring she was considerably dumbstruck by his words, he gazed around for signs of the towns watch, hoping to see this burden of a child seen home by those who knew her better. If only he had known he had not quenched flame but fuelled it instead.

"Now listen here, I am no helpless lamb to be set upon by wolves such as you at your pleasure." Her words rung like steel to his horns, "I can defend myself easily, I have been taught the arts of my family and our servants and you are little more than a meddling footpad! Now let me go or I will k-kill you." Her last few words died off when she started to come to them, not that the young man's steely gaze cut her as strongly as her voice to his hearing. But she again resolved herself to defy his brusque and unbecoming behavior.

"Oh, really?" His gazed darkened into a disturbingly amused expression. "Then why have you yet to break out of my grasp? Where are the secret arts you boasted of but a moment afore?" And without a moment’s notice, he set them off again, moving towards the noble estates deeper into the valley. It was not long before a ragged breathed squad of watchmen came up the street, pikes gleaming overhead.

"Ah, finally." Both sighed, believing they would soon be rid of each other. The Watch saw the girl and picked up the pace, Auri and Hyur moving into step at the barked order of their captain, though their run still had yet to leave their faces. "Good captain," the Xaela lad called out, "I believe you were looking for this wayward lamb?" And yet again, he roughly manoeuvred the young girl in front of him. "I got her out of a spot of trouble with the merchant's up in the square. They appear to have yet been given the pleasure of so noble a daughter." She could feel his disapproving eyes on the back of her head. It caused her to feel a despairing itch where it pierced. As the girl's new escort stepped before the two, the lass recoiled. These men were of the watch yes, but a detachment she recognized as being commanded by the Aikawa's rivals. She shook her head in disinclination and finally broke free of the Lad's grip. But instead of running off like one would expect, she instead hid behind her rough escort.

"Now now, young miss. It's time to head home." The watch captain said, his hand reaching out, almost like a raptor’s talon picking up a helpless rodent. But the Xaela lad caught on soon enough, as his hands caught the grip of the captain's heavy dagger and pulled. Now, if he had been a few seasons older, he could have held up the dagger but the weight was too great for such a young man and it fell.

Right into the grown mans foot.

With a startled cry, the boy grabbed hold of the girls hand and they ran. The sudden turn of events startled the other guardsmen and that gave the two plenty of time to develop a head start, as the ducked and weaved between houses towards the quarter for the steppe roaming tribes, seeking out the enclave for his family's assistance. "Again, I just had to again." The boy muttered to himself unaware the girl he was dragging was listening. "Why can't I stay out of other people's business?" And with a growl, he picked up the pace again, the noble girl's feet keeping up out of fear of her family's rivals using her as a means to drag a boon out her family.