Lost Youth

With Travis' help she got onto the flat surface. Rest. She knew they needed to but she was trembling with fear ,pain and the chill from the water. She didn't say anything or complain. She did jump though as the voices suddenly reached them. She pushed herself close to Travis.

The elder brother narrowed his eyes as he watched the two hunters whisper to one another. After a moment he snaps. "What aren't you two sharing? What do you know ?"
 
Travis wrapped his arms around Lena, pulling her close to his greater body heat, trying to warm and comfort her.
"Old Fellow will get home, my brothers will come looking for me," Travis whispered in her ear, "We only have to buy ourselves some time."

"We are only a few miles from the Torak estate, is what we know," One of the hunters said, "If we don't find them soon, we're going to have a battalion of soldiers to get around."
 
The brother cursed a string of words. "Have you found their trail yet?" He questioned. The other two brothers were getting worried of the idea of facing soldiers.

Lena relaxed a bit onto his body heat. It helped. His words comforting her some. It was the hope of not being caught again and the hope of his brothers coming as he said they would. "I don't want them to get us again...." she mutters quietly to him.
 
"Me either," Travis whispered. "Are you ready to go again? we have to get over that hill?" He pointed above them, to the hill, layered with rocks and boulders and small shrubbery

The thin man sighed, "I have it, but it's not exactly clear, it's rocky ground here. you can do better? Get up here and try."

Trey looked up as hooves clattered into the yard. The big old gelding his brother insisted on keeping arrived, white foam flecking his sides, nostrils wide and breathing heavily.
"Hey, Old Fellow, what'd you do to Travis?" Trey asked softly, walking forward to catch the horse, his bridle was gone, what the hell?
"Toby!" He called, "Mount up, baby brother is in trouble again." He gestured to the stable boy across the yard to grab the two horses, standing with their heads lowered, breathing heavily, and take care of them.
Travis' older brothers raced to their own horses, saddling them hurridly.
 
Lena looked to the hill that he pointed at. She had never climbed anything like that before. The only thing she had climbed had been trees. Nodding her head and moving to stand carefully. "I will try." She says.

The brother glared at the man. " I wouldn't have lost them to begin with." He looks around carefully and nods to his brothers. "Go scout out, make sure no one is coming this way." He states.

The two brothers turn their horses and ride off in different directions to circle around their location.
 
"That's all I ask," Travis said, climbing to his feet, taking her hand and carefully starting up the crocked trail up the hill.

It only took a few minutes for Toby and Trey to be mounted and racing out of the yard.

The two bounty hunters were back on the trail and mounted, suddenly the squat man pulled up,
"These hoof marks are rather shallow."
"So?"
"One of these horses is supposed to be carrying two people, one of them a grown man, hoof marks aren't too deep for an animal carrying that much weight."
The thin man snarled, "Shit, didn't think he'd be that smart." He turned around, "Bet we lost them at the stream, that's where I'd do it. If I was heading for home, I'd be-" He cast around, "Going over those little rocky hills." He said, pointing.
 
The climb was painful as each movement stretched her back a little. She ignored it and gritted her teeth, she kept going. Stopping wasn't an option and she didn't want Travis to be slowed down by her.

The brothers found himself swearing again. " We need to get to them first. The girl should be slowing him down. " He turns his horse heading in the direction.
 
Travis sighed, trying to make the track as easy on Lena as he could.
"We're going to make it, Lena, we will make it."

The two men swung onto their horses and sent them towards the hills. At a certain point, they were wondering if they should just cut their losses and bail out.
 
Lena nods at his words, letting them encourage her to keep going. She managed to stay close to him as they went up the hill.

The two brothers return ,riding hard. "There are riders approaching from that bastard a land. "

The elder brother cursed again.
 
Travis paused for a moment as they reached the summit, breathing heavily.
"How you feeling Lena?" He asked gently. He looked around at the ground spread before them and groaned, their hunters were onto them and riding hard for the hill, but then he smiled. He pointed out the two figures to Lena,
"That's Toby and Trey, Old Fellow made it home."
Behind his brothers were several other figures, but not riding as hard or fast, weighed down by armor, he figured.
 
Lena was breathing heavy and wanted to sit down. Her legs felt shaky. She looks to where Travis was pointing and she felt relief at the sight of the men he said were his brothers.

She did notice the hunters though as well and tenses. "Will...your brothers get here before them?" She asks with concern.
 
Travis paused for a moment before answering, "Maybe, but if we stay up here, it'll take them longer to get to us, if we went down to them." He put his arm around her, guiding her to sit down on a large rock.

The two hunters halted their horses as they noticed the brothers riding hard for them. They glanced at each other, turned their horses and retreated. It wasn't worth being captured and imprisoned. They could fight another day.

Travis cupped his hand around his mouth and gave a loud coo-ie. He watched Toby's head snap up and glance in his direction. The two brothers adjusted their course and rode straight for their brother, there was a glimmer as swords were drawn.
 
Lena moved to the rock he guided her to and once she sat down, she wrapped her arms around herself. It was a bit of a discomfort to do but she felt warmer.

She wanted to cry again as she saw the hunters retreat and the brothers begin to head straight for them.

The three brothers took the clue from the hunters and took off as well. All three vowing to get back at the man and the girl for getting away from them.
 
Travis smiled, turning to Lena,
"Well there you go, they are even more cowardly then stupid, I would have thought it went the other way."
He offered his hand to her, "Right, let's get ourselves down there now."

Toby and Trey pulled up before the hill.
"You coming down, baby brother, now that we've scared away the bad men?" Trey called up.
"I'd rather you came up to get us," Trav called back.
Toby sighed and sent his stallion up the goat track after them.
The big brown horse leapt up the steep gradient easily, taking each step in big, bounding leaps. Toby stopped and dismounted, quickly enfolding Travis in a hug,
"Missed you, little brother." He looked to Lena, "And you brought a ragamuffin. Hello Ragamuffin, you don't look so good."
"Shut up, fool," Travis said, lifting Lena onto the horse's back. "I'll lead you down okay? Then we'll get home."
 
Lena nods and smiles as she watched the hunters and the three brothers run off.

She looks to Travis' brother and listened as they spoke back and forth. She stared in amazement as the powerful horse climbed the hill as if it had been nothing.

When the brother spoke to her, she had stepped closer to Travis. She knew he said they were his brothers so they were safe. She could trust them?

Once on the back of the horse she nods at Travis. "Okay." She held onto the saddle to keep from falling as he lead the large horse. The pain had returned completely now as the relief of being safe filled her. Her back had started to bleed from the strain of the climb but not greatly. That was mostly due to being dehydrated though.
 
Toby spoke quietly to Travis as they carefully made their way down the hill.
"She's bleeding, Trav."
"I know, every time I get it to stop, something happens to make it worse. I've only field dressed it for now, but she needs to be seen to by someone better then me."

They reached the bottom of the hill and Toby accepted a hand from his other brother, mounting up behind him. Travis swung on behind Lena. A man at arms offered Travis a flagon of wine.
Travis offered it to Lena first.
"If you can sleep while we ride, you won't notice the pain so much," Trav said softly, flicking his fingers at Trey.
His eldest brother groaned and stripped off his coat, tossing it to the youngest. Travis wrapped it around Lena, working on keeping her warm.
 
Lena nods a little and accepts the wine. She had never had it before and coughed a little after drinking some. It did help her to relax more and she let's her eyes closed. The warmth of the jacket only helping to ease her further. "I'm sorry...." she mutters. She felt guilty because if he hadn't met her, the brothers and the hunters would have never gone after him as they did.
 
"Don't you dare," Travis said softly, cradling her tightly, "None of this is your fault."
"Exactly," Trey chimed in, "Lughead would have gotten himself into just as much trouble without you, my dear. We'd rather rescue you from bandits any day."
Travis sighed, "See, you make them feel better about riding out here and not get to bash any heads."
They began to ride back to their manor.
 
Lena managed to smile at the words spoken. They were kind. Family. This was his family. There was a clear difference from these brothers and her old masters.

As they started to ride out, she managed to stay awake for a little while. The sight of the horses moving calmed her. They were beautiful to her. The sight and the movement of the horse they rode along with the drink, helping to lull her into a quiet sleep.
 
It was almost dark by the time they rode through the gates. Travis handed his sleeping bundle down to Trey while he dismounted himself. He claimed his charge back from his brother and began to head inside.
Toby cleared his throat, "Where are you going?"
"My room and then to get the healer, why?" Travis kept his voice soft.
Trey pretended to be shocked, "You can't take that little girl into your room, it's improper."
"Enough, she's shared rooms with me since we met and if she wakes without me, she'll be frightened."
"No way, little brother, Papa's not here, I've got to make sure you comport yourself in a gentlemanly fashion," Trey said, his grin saying more about him need to irritate his little brother, then the constraints of society.
Travis sighed, "Fine, I'll put her in the room next to mine. Can one of you get a healer and the other get some food, please? Ask cook for doughboys, she likes those."
He turned and went into the building. Taking Lena and tucking her into a big, plush bed, then turned to light the fire and warm the room.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top