Jarreth grumbled as he dug back into his coinpurse and added another gold coin to his already filling fist. He stared at the stablemaster with a raised eyebrow and grunted as the pudgy, aging man shook his head once again. The old horse master crossed his arms in a sign that the conversation had ended, but Jarreth was not prepared to say goodbye. Stuffing his money back into the pouch, he argued, "I can assure you that Juine can stare blankly and chew on hay just as well as any of the other steeds you are housing for the night."

The old man wrinkled his nose to scare off a fly before stating, "And I can assure you that the bird can go sit on a branch, he will not be held here."

Jarreth dropped his head in absolute annoyance. He could not lose his temper completely in risk of destroying a slim chance at success, but he could not store everything completely. He was about to say something that would most likely be regretted when his eye wandered behind him to Juine. The chocobo had ceased pecking at invisible bugs on the ground and was now having a wonderful time with a sugar block that happened to be lying on the ground. The tiny bird tongue flicked back and forth inside his open beak, taking in taste after taste of the unresistable treat.

The stablemaster gasped and hollered for Juine to stop as he waddled over to the block. Juine looked up and blinked slowly, giving his usual blank stare, while Jarreth pleaded, "See, just like any horse. If you just let me tie him to a pole and give a normal amount of food to him, I will pay you for a full stall. Please."

Iliana had always loved horses. She had never owned one herself but she had always admired their grace and speed. As she wandered the stables, just looking, somewhere down the way she heard some voices. The conversation didn’t appear to be going in a good direction.

Iliana had the notion that the discussion may have had something to do with a large chicken like creature, but wasn’t entirely sure. She heard the stable master say something about a bird when she realized that there were no signs saying that birds couldn’t be boarded.

“I hate to intrude, but nowhere does it say that birds aren’t aloud,” she said as she approached the men.

Jarreth clasped his hands together in praise as he turned to hear the second voice of reason. Seeing that it was indeed a person who had spoken instead of a mere figment of his imagination, he hurried over to her and grabbed her hand. Shaking it wildly, he called back over his shoulder, "See, the lady agrees! You cannot very well deny the truth when it comes from fairer lips than yours, my round associate."

The stablemaster grunted as he put his hands on the outer circumference of his pot belly and eyed the situation. Staring at Jarreth's coin purse for a moment, he walked over to a nearby stall and unhooked a latch in defeat. "Get that buzzard over here," he growled. "I expect you to pay for keeping two horses the night; that chicken of yours will do no better here."

Jarreth's eyes glimmered as he looked back at the strange woman and winked to her with a smile. He turned around and dug his fist into his pouch, revealing a handful of gold. Counting it out loud, he handed the stack to the stablemaster and returned the remainder to his possession. In a snide remark, he mentioned, "I was holding nearly twice as much before you so rudely denied me. I suppose I can technically find another chocobo and keep it here with no real loss."

The stablemaster cursed under his breath as he stormed out of the stable. Jarreth smiled and began to lead Juine into the stall. While he was tending to his friend, he looked to the woman one last time and stated, with absolute sincerety, "Thank you, my lady."

“The names Iliana,” she said with a slight blush in her checks, “it was no trouble really. I just figured that one can’t really deny a board if there’s no post that says so.” Iliana felt some pride in helping this man. Help is not something she gives on a regular basis. She could tell that this man was grateful, though.

Her attention was turned to the creature, “Intriguing animal,” she thought aloud. She watched as the man tended to the animal. To Iliana, the large bird appeared to have somewhat of a glow just as magnificent as the horses.

"Perhaps physically, but I can assure you that this pest has not a creative thought in his thick skull. But, regardless, he takes up space and the town guards prefer that space be here. Thank you again, Iliana, I am sure that without your good timing I would be forced back into the woods for yet another night. My name is Jarreth, and I am honored to make your acquaintance," he said in combined gratitude and introduction.

Looking at his feet, he checked the quality of the stall that had been forced out of the stablemaster. It was at least average, which beat out the branches and critters of the forest floor, so it could have been worse. Not worthy of the added cost, in his mind, but it was a necessity. Luckily he did not have to spend much time inside the city limits or he would be broke.

Juine did not seem to care what was happening. His eyes continued to burn a hole into the sugar block that was now too far away to chip away at. Letting out a sqwack of protest, Jarreth shook his head and patted Juine on the neck. Closing the stall door and latching it behind him, he stood outside the enclosure and slid a bail of hay under the gate. He knew Juine would probably not enjoy the dry plant, but it was something a little more sanitary for the bird to idly peck at for the evening.

Jarreth, having set up Juine's stall for the time being, moved back to Iliana with a smile and asked a predictable question, "So, are you here to check on an animal of your own?"

Iliana was leaning against one of the stalls, watching Jarreth and his beast. Her mind was wondering some but she was brought back by his question.
“Not entirely. I was just looking around,” she paused a moment, “I don’t own an animal but have always admired them.”

The sound of rustling drew her attention away from the conversation. She pushed herself away from the stall and headed leisurely towards the outside. The stable master was nowhere in sight, but she was certain now that she was hearing footsteps. She peered over her right shoulder, putting her index finer to her lips to signal that they were being spied on.

Before she knew it there were hands wrapped around her body dragging her away from the stables. She let out a loud *scream* as she was cussing and kicking. From what she could tell there must have been three very large men. Probably the same men she had seen in town. They had her hands bound so she couldn’t reach her belt for her dagger. “Jarreth!” she screamed in a plea for help.

Jarreth took an instant to realize what was going on as the girl he had just met and was following with his eyes seemed to dissapear in an instant. He had to reroll the vision in his mind, and he was not more pleased on the second viewing. Three large men had jumped from outside the stable and grappled her, preventing her from escaping. His footsteps sounded loudly as he jolted forward to the outer doors of the building, only to see the men preparing to mount their horses. He was undoubtedly assured that he would not be able to catch up to them and stall them on foot. One could simply act as a blockade, leaving the remaining two plenty of time to finish the job. He did not even take the time to question why this was happening; it simply did not matter, all that mattered was that it was happening and he seemed to be the only one around to stop it. In an act of desperation and instinct, he turned around and dissapeared back into the reaches of the stable. His voice was desperate in the middle of his return as he shouted, "Juine!"

Juine, the idle and vacant chocobo, blinked quickly and turned his head to face Jarreth. Something seemed to click in his mind, a visible spark that light up his eyes, as he recognized that his travelling companion had never looked or sounded quite the same. The chocobo sqwacked loudly and rustled his feathers as he watched Jarreth tear a saddle from the wall. It was not an objection but rather a match of the emotion that Jarreth had expressed. The gate before Juine was flung open, nearly tearing the lock out of the wood when it did not raise fast enough, and Juine jumped forward into the center of the hall. Horses from all corners neighed in distaste of the fast movements infront of them, but it went unheeded.

Jarreth motioned to Juine with the saddle, eyeing a spot on the chocobo's side, just past the wing. Juine blinked and shifted his body, nearly tackling the man in urgence. Jarreth prayed and hoped as he slung the leather straps around the bird, the process quickened as Juine raised his wings to allow the ties to buckle unobstructed. No horse would have been as cooperative in the situation, nor would it have been so easy to equip the item.

Juine looked back at Jarreth, who had just seated himself atop the bird, a feeling that neither was used to, and then lurched forward after a second. Jarreth clung on to Juine's neck with his left hand and used his right to free the longsword from his hilt. A clacking sound was followed by a cloud of dust as Juine reached amazing speeds almost instantly, something Jarreth had never seen any horse capable of. Perhaps he would have thought about it if the situation was not so dire. The duo erupted from the great stables, a haphazard mix of rider and mount. The only natural thing that existed in that sight was a glinting blade, raised high in preperation for battle.

The three men were just about to mount their steeds when they caught sight of their pursuer.

"Iliana!"

Still struggling, one of the men was trying to tie Iliana’s hands to his horse. She kicked and spat but it was no use. She had to find a way to be free. She was panicking, thrashing and twisting. Never in her life had she been held captive. But these men have another thing coming when she gets free.

As the men mounted and started off, Iliana looked behind her to see if all hope was lost. She was ferrous, but the more she tried to pull her hands free the tighter the ropes got. The pain was almost unbearable; stinging and burning all at the same time. Iliana’s hands were starting to go numb. She kept trying to knock her head back to hit one of her assailants in the face but that wasn’t working.
Iliana checked behind her again and saw Jarreth riding out of the stables with Juine. Her hope was replenished as Jarreth was closing the gap.

The chaotic bouncing expected at a full gallop seemed to be less intrusive as Juine raced forward at breakneck speeds. Jarreth was amazed at how quick his companion proved to be, especially with how dull witted the chocobo was. This was a unique experience, and it seemed to feel just right. Jarreth sat atop a steed for the first time in years, nearly ten if he had the time to count them out, but for some reason it felt like he had not missed a beat. Whether it was due to the odd riding style accompanied with riding a chocobo instead of a horse or perhaps because of something inspired inside of him, Jarreth felt little difficulty while charging forward. His grip on Juine's neck loosened to barely a touch and the glinting longsword was soon held with the firmness of a battle-hardened warrior. Something he had spent nearly ten years trying to forget.

Within moments, Jarreth had caught up to the straggling one of the three, who had not even properly mounted his steed yet. Instinctively, Jarreth screamed, "Your trail to the lord!" The echoing words rung as a bell in the head of the head of the next victim of the mounted legion. A spray of blood filled the air in red mist as the grounded man attempted to draw his blade but was nowhere near quick enough. The other two men slowed and looked behind them, just long enough for Jarreth to continue closing the distance and pass them. On the way, the longsword came down again, but this time it halted after slicing away the ropes on Iliana's hands.

Her hands were free. Iliana did her best to stop the mount. The horse came to a grueling halt, making contact with the ground on its side throwing its passengers. Iliana hit the ground with a hard thud that echoed in here ears. She scrambled to her feet, seeing that her assailant was flat on his back attempting to stand. In an instant, with great force Iliana ran and kicked her attacker in the face. The force of the blow flipped his body completely over.

Iliana mounted him jamming her knee in his back, pulling his head back by the small amount of hair he had.
“Here’s a kiss for ya,” she whispered in his ear and with a flick of her hands she snapped his neck, rendering him permanently unconscious.

She scanned the forest for the horse and started to run in the direction that Jarreth and the third attacker were heading in. She found the stallion lingering off and with a running start she mounted and was off. The horse was breathing heavy, as was Iliana, due to the intensity of the chase. Faster and faster she road through the woods, not knowing what she was doing, for she had only road a horse once in her life when she was a small child. Just a head she saw Jarreth.

The third man rode swiftly with the combined benefit of a strong mare and a slim body. The trampling hooves were thunderous for a time, sending out shockwaves of taunt during the deadly race. But, as suddenly as they had increased to such a volume, they faded away into the distance. Juine, having spotted another invisible spot on the ground to peck at, finished the race early and resumed his normal posture and attitude. Jarreth had little interest in urging the bird to do otherwise.

The spine-chilling feel of spilt blood warmed his hand but struck the rest of his body with an icy cold. The man who had been slain that day remained upon the dirtied blade, the very life within his veins left in smears that slowly made their way to the fingers of Jarreth. In unused habit, the resounding sound of a stowed sword marked the impending arrival of Iliana on her stolen horse. He ignored the closing hoof beats and stared blankly into the trees before him.

It had been ten years since his term had ended in the Legion, and he had almost forgotten about it completely. Forgotten the sight of death and the taste of blood. Now, the blood had found him, and he was racked with memories long lost. He had screamed the battle cry of his Legion without knowing it, but now he could recall the words vibrating out of his throat and piercing his victim's ears, only moments before his sword did the same. Jarreth's face held firm as a corpse's smile, a grisly attribute after experiencing so much death. Only a few drops of blood had fallen onto his swordhand, but he never felt dirtier. There would be no telling his discomfort when he realized that his overzealous strike had covered him with the misty spray of death across his entire front.

Juine, not noticing the same splattering on his front and side feathers, tapped away uselessly at a stone with his beak.

When Iliana reached Jarreth she stopped, and let the third man escape as a warning to others. Two kills out of three weren’t half bad. She saw that something was disturbing Jarreth. To her, his expression was remorseful and the blood splatter emphasized this look even more. Iliana was confused; she didn’t know the feeling to have pity on a kill. Most all of her kills had been in defense.

He was there but his eyes were so distant that it almost made Iliana weep. “Hay,” she said sympathetically, “Are you alright?” Iliana never had much compassion for others, but this man had risked his life for her. A deed that she was grateful for.

Her emotions were cut short by the pain that was returning to her wrists. Iliana had struggled so much to free her hands, that in the process she didn’t realize that she had rubbed the skin off almost the whole way to the bones. She looked down at the blood that was starting to drip and almost felt faint.

A gutteral grunt responded to Iliana's question as his attention was snapped back to the present rather than the past. He looked down at his hands momentarily to take in the sight of his bloodied hands. At the same time, he could not help but notice the visible blood marks across his dark clothing. He remembered his blood red tunic that used to be uniform in battle, just the right color to hide possible injury from the enemy.

His eyes looked upward to try and find Iliana, who he could have sworn spoke to him just an instant earlier. When he caught her in his gaze, he could not help but be drawn to where she was looking. What once would have enacted a fear of horror in him was now modified by the grisley memories that resurfaced, causing him to simply look dismayed. With a kick of his foot he was off of Juine and on the ground, reaching down and picking up the end of his cloak. With a loud tear he ripped off a long sheet of material. Without talking, he moved to Iliana's hands and began to tie off the injured wrists. Splitting the cloth in two, he prevented making yet another set of cuffs and instead gave her free movement. Regardless of his field dressing, he was not so egotistical to say that it would heal. In a slow voice and while holding her shoulders, he looked at her and asked, "Can you ride?"

Iliana lifted her eyes to his; they were softer now. The sight of her own blood made her expression almost angelic. She reached a bandaged arm up to his face and with her thumb she gently wiped away some blood that was beginning to dry. Then she slowly stepped back from him.

Iliana took a moment to answer his question. She wasn’t sure if he meant if she was okay to continue riding or if she had the ability to ride at all? The pain in her wrists was beginning to cease thank to the bandages that Jarreth had made. She sucked in a deep breath through her nose as she looked around.

“If you mean can I continue riding? I haven’t that faintest idea. Only until now did it appear to me that I could even balance on a horse.” Iliana smiled and found a near by rock for a seat. She was exhausted from all of the excitement and sat hunched with her elbows resting on her thighs. Her hands were loosely clasped together.

Jarreth nodded, accepting her response since he had an experience with the unexpected as well. While she appeared to be fine and seemed to say as much in her words, he was still worried. He could recall more than one incident where an otherwise non-threatening wound, left untreated, cost an entire limb or even a life. Iliana did not seem to be capable of returning to the city yet for a little more attention, so Jarreth allowed a short rest. His eyes moved around the area as he stepped over to the rock that Iliana sat atop, searching for any recognizable plants that could be of use. He was more than upset when he realized that he was unable to even differentiate similar species after so many years of forgetting.

Juine, seeming to disregard having a rider or being bareback, picked at a stray feather by his wing before biting randomly at the ground. Jarreth's eyes watched for not particular reason, and amazingly, they saw a worm! Juine had snapped up a worm from the moist forest floor. This was absolutely unheard of considering the amount of time Juine spent eating rocks or tapping at nothing. While Jarreth was impressed, it was neither a time for praise or a smile.

He looked over to Iliana after squatting down next to her. With curiosity, he was compelled to ask, "What on earth just happened? Who were those men?"

Iliana chuckled a bit, “Well…as someone once told me ‘trouble follows trouble.’ They were men that were following me earlier in town. I thought it best to avoid them, so I went to the stables for some peace and quiet.” Iliana shook her head a bit attempting to cover the tears that started to roll down her checks with her hair. “No mater how hard I try I can’t ever get and peace,” she said.

Fatigue and anger only made her more upset. The sadness was intensifying the green of her eyes. It was an emerald, plasma like glow. She didn’t want pity, though, so she got up and started to walk. Where to, she didn’t know.

"I know the feeling," came a mumbled but audible reply. It was not an attempt to hide what he was saying but rather a mix of frustration that blurred the words. He had a very disturbing realization that destroyed nearly ten years of "peace" he had worked so hard to build. Now it was gone. Jarreth gained his own feet only moments after Iliana had decided to get up, and he placed his hand on her shoulder before she could get too far. "But sometimes the only remedy is to know that it is just around the corner."

Whether she understood or not, he let his hand slide off of her arm as he allowed her to continue if that was the decision.

Juine's eyes seemed to glint in happiness when the worm was safely stored in his stomach. The golden bird, taken by an odd mood, shuffled in front of Iliana and turned to the side, blocking her movement. Jarreth gave a quizzical look as Juine peered down at the woman out of the side of his vision.

With a cautious hand she pat the bird lightly. Animals have a strange sense about ones emotions. Sadness was an emotion that Iliana didn’t prefer. Juine probably knew exactly how Iliana was feeling. Sweet , she thought to herself. Iliana knew that Jarreth could sympathize with her also.

The comforting from the two of them made Iliana feel better. She brushed off her dysfunctional moment and turned to face Jarreth with a bright smile as if nothing had happened. “You’re a very kind friend Jarreth. Not many would have done what you did. So I’m forever grateful to you for that. But I was wondering,” she started with a slight gleam in her eyes, “what are we going to do with these horses?”

Jarreth smiled in return to Iliana's brighter mood and then evaluated the two abandoned animals. They were in good physical shape and appeared healthy, which was sometimes hard to find. Owners would either be too poor or disinterested to feed the animals properly, and that tended to lead to the untimely death of the animals. He was more than surprised that the men, who had shown more than obvious ill intent, were very careful about the well-being of their steeds. With one more glance Jarreth decided, "One is going to carry you back. At a slow pace you should be able to hold on, and it will still be faster than walking."

He was not even sure how far they had run into the forest. At such high speeds and with such little interest in his surroundings, Jarreth had effectively been made lost after travelling a straight line. He assumed, due to the density of the plants and lack of trails, that they had been racing for longer than he had ever imagined.

In addition, he added, "I suppose once we get back we can decide further. These horses have no owners anymore, so there are many options for us to consider."

Jarreth had still not noticed his thievery: the saddle that sat atop Juine's back. His mind was still preoccupied. Looking back in the apparent direction that they had came in from, he shook his head slowly. "I should check the bodies on the way back to make sure we know who died today. You can stay back while I do that, if you would like." Without saying it directly, he acknowledged that he saw Iliana kill her captor when he looked back to check on her.

Iliana remembered her kill. As the image replayed in her mind she thought it to be somewhat sadistic. This in an odd way brought a litter inner smile. She knew she wasn’t completely helpless, but her captor didn’t seem to agree. Therefore he had another thing coming.

“Fine by me,” Iliana replied, “Do you think we should bury them? I mean it would be the proper thing to do even though we murder them. But on the other hand maybe we should leave them for the animals?” Iliana held her hands up like an imagery scale, balancing them back and forth. She did this in an almost sarcastic way for she did not care to know who she killed. That just makes the kill all the more personal and creates more mental baggage for the executioner.

"I suppose that depends on who these two men turn out to be. If they appear to be no more than common bandits or something of that nature, it might be best to leave them there so that we can speak to the guards. If they turn out to be important in some way, I believe we will be in grave danger and should dispose of them as quickly as possible," Jarreth explained logically. This was an obvious case of self defense, as shown by the more than visible marks on Iliana's wrists. Jarreth, while not often fond of staying in or near cities, had little interest in receiving a bounty for murder. He could only assume Iliana would prefer to avoid the same fate.

Grabbing the reigns on Iliana's mount, he brought the horse over to her. Urging her to try and get on, he looked back into the forest. The second horse might be gone, he thought, since it was frightened during the attack and had no rider. Either way, they had this new horse for Iliana to ride, and Jarreth could only assume that Juine was willing to let him get up again.

"Iliana, try to get on. We'll ride slowly, but this will help us get back in haste. You will not be expected to dismount when we reach the bodies."

“I guess your right,” Iliana agreed. She didn’t want to argue about the man they had killed for the simple fact that they were dead. When Jarreth brought the horse to her she did her best to mount. She grit her teeth and pulled herself up on to the horse. As she settled she relaxed a bit. The pain was easing with every passing second.

“Thank you,” Iliana said looking down at him, “I think I’ll be okay.” She narrowed her eyes and scanned around them trying to find the other horse. She did think that the animal would wonder too far although it may have gotten spooked. They could have gotten a pretty penny if they sold off the second horse. Iliana wasn’t all that sure that she even wanted to keep the one they had. She thought it best to have Jarreth worry about the details.

With a light kick she was off in a trot, heading in the direction she had came.

Jarreth nodded to himself as Iliana began to head back to the stables. He was impressed that she had picked up riding so quickly, especially given the trying circumstances of her first lesson. He could remember no young soldiers having such luck in his training as a member of the cavalry in the Legion of White Souls. Even as he, himself, was taught to ride, none of his fellow students faired much better. Perhaps it was the training methods that kept everyone on the same level, or perhaps the selection process was strict enough to prevent less-abled young men from wasting time; either way, none seemed to show as much prowess as Iliana had. When he taught the same class later in his life, nothing much had changed. With age came wisdom and he could finally assume that maturity could help make the process flow more smoothly, but greatness did not come from smooth roads: those who fell from their horse but continued to remount for the remainder of their respective lives were nearly undefeatable. He let his mind fall to such trivial matters while he spent the moment readjusting Juine's saddle and checking to see how the chocobo had faired his first experience as a mount. Wiping away some of the blood away from his feathers with a cloth and checking the recently healed wound, Jarreth was satisfied and regained his seat on Juine's back. Kicking just hard enough to get Juine's attention, he sped off to catch up to Iliana.

The path seemed to whisk by at an incredible speed. Jarreth finally had a moment to truly appreciate how comfortable the ride was. Within only a minute he had regained his position leading Iliana at a fair pace, and it came with none of the saddle-sore that usually accompanied an unfamiliar mount and even more unfamiliar saddle. The two and their steeds moved onward until Jarreth noticed something familiar on the pathway. Dismounting from Juine with a grunt, he stepped forward to look at the remains of a man with a snapped neck. Giving a glance to Iliana, he motioned for her to turn away if she needed to.

Absently, a grim gaze to meet the unblinking eyes of death that peered out from the cold man, he began to analyze the clothing and supplies that were visible without touching the body. Juine blinked slowly and began to peck at a fallen branch.

As Iliana watched Jarreth examine the body she thought to herself of how little care she had for her assailant. She knew he wanted to harm her but he didn’t know what harm she could do to him. Iliana just smiled, kill or be killed. She had never thought of herself as ruthless but the remains of her attacker told her different. Iliana had killed him in anger and self-defense, although a good beating would have served the same purpose, she just didn’t have the care to stop at that.

She started to wonder on the horse a bit. Not really caring what direction it took her, for she was lost in the thought of her new found identity as a murderer and an equestrianist. To Iliana, she felt as if her and the horse were going round in circles, or maybe it was just the circles of the previous events that were making her dizzy. She steadied herself a bit and dismounted. Iliana approached the body and with her right index and middle finger she closed his eyes. “There,” she said, “that’s better. There’s just something about his eyes that were bothering me.”

"They showed the look of a man watching his soul flee his broken body to meet its fate in the eternal abyss," trailed off Jarreth as he remained extremely distant and formal. He absolutely despised checking corpses, but it was a skill taught in rigid requirement during his stay with the Legion. His first encounter with a dead man was his first excursion as a squire. There had been a battle with a trespassing armored column of men to the south, past the second treeline, and the Legion's cavalry happened to be scouting that day. The battle did not last much longer than a dying scream. The mounted soldiers were given the order to return for a report, leaving the bodies untouched. It was now considered good field experience to determine the identity of the opponents, and Jarreth was part of the batch sent to learn.

It was his first time seeing true death. He had seen a few of the elders rest atop their adorned altars of wood and the noble pose that would carry them to the above, but he had never seen death. Half of the students could not keep their food in their stomach when the site was stumbled on in a small clearing. Blood had been seeping into the moist spring ground for at least a day, and the stench was wretched. Jarreth discovered that should it not be such a chill week, the smell would have been many times worse. And so he began his search of corpses, discovering missions, documents, sometimes more or less. It was all just as gruesome.

He had finished with the man's clothing, checking pockets and pouches for anything of interest. There was not even a silver to split. No tattoos or other markings could be seen on his chest or arms, so Jarreth finally became satisfied. He slowly walked back to Juine, requesting that Iliana follow, and he mounted the bird. Looking over, he commented, "He looks to have nothing official on his body. Not even money to his name, it seems. Just our luck, he seems to have been a common criminal. We should continue and see if we are fortunate enough to find the same about his companion."

Iliana mounted again, with ease this time, and followed Jarreth. This man was intriguing to Iliana. Iliana could see the secrets behind his eyes, but she didn’t know what they were of. Kind and comforting , she thought to herself. Iliana had met many people on her travels. All different in their own way. Some had gifts and some had impressive strength. Jarreth had seemed to have compassion. Compassion was something unknown to Iliana.

They continued riding a little until they reached the second body: the one that Jarreth killed on his way to save Iliana. Iliana simled on the inside. No one had ever killed anyone for her. She was touched with this gift of a corpse.

The dead never bothered Iliana. She more or less preferred the company of the dead for they were silent. Iliana remembered the different burial grounds she had visited on her travels. The one she liked most had grand golden arbors at the entrance, as if it were a peaceful doorway into the after life. There were little white and pink flowers that inched their way up the arbors, gracing them with their beauty. The simple things that most wouldn’t pay any mind to always seemed to spark an interest in Iliana.

Iliana was brought back by the puddle of blood that had seeped from the body. A dark red velvet that mixed with the earth. She stared at the body. Her kill had not made a mess like this one. Neet and tidy, she thought.

A grunt sounded in the quiet forest setting as Jarreth landed hard from his dismount. He had bent wrong on the impact and it had forced the air out of his lungs in a quick burst of sound. Straightening himself, he looked over to Iliana and nodded with a reassuring smile. It would be much more difficult to examine this man's body given it's condition. At the very least, the sword had curved during its strike and had avoided any damage to the man's face. What it had left was a gaping wound across an unarmored chest. Jarreth never enjoyed taking in the bloodshed that was so easily dealt but so hard to deal with. His grim face resurfaced as he unavoidably bloodied his hands.

The body itself was empty of money and belongings, just like the first had been. The only object of real interest was a sharpening block that remained in good condition. Jarreth glanced at his own sword, one that had not seen a weaponsmith in years, and a good stone in the same amount of time, and reluctantly pocketed the item. It was hard truth that the dead did not need their material goods, but it did not make the process feel any less dirty. In afterthought, he shook his head and removed the block, proceeding to place the tool back in the man's pocket where it was found. "I may have lost my faith, but I did not ransom my morals as well," he said to himself, but loud enough for Iliana to hear if she was listening.

Out of curiosity, he made one final motion with his hand. The corpse's head tilted to the side and his hair was brushed away. Something just seemed all to familiar. Sitting beneath his left ear was a peculiar tattoo; it had been just visible when Jarreth was looking at him. He removed his hands with a nod, leaving a blood red handprint on the man's cheek, and then wiped the cooling liquid across the man's cloak. He idly touched his hand to his own face, just below his left ear, while turning to Iliana.

"These men are not important; this one would have no business with anything formal. We are safe to tell the guards about the assault with no fear of reprisal," Jarreth stated as his mind drifted away. The man's tattoo was the same as his own. His mind raced and came to only one conclusion: there were other survivors after all.

His eyes traced the ground quickly and spotted some tracks. With his free right hand he pointed past a bush to reveal the brown back of a horse, "It seems we are in luck."

Iliana looked in the direction he was pointing. She was happy to see the horse's behind; subconsciously she had been a little worried for the creature.
“Wonderful,” she replied, “we should bring that one back with us.”

She dismounted, yet again, realizing her reasons for not owning a horse. She thought it was a waste of time, mounting and dismounting, feeding and finding enough shelter for the two of you. Iliana thought it best to travel light.

Slowly she approached the horse and gently grabbed its reigns. Turning her back to the horse she walked it back to Jarreth. Iliana was not sure if she could handle two horses, she was amazed enough that she had picked up riding one horse so fast. This confused Iliana even more. She longed to know where she came from and longed to know herself more then she did before.
“Do you want to take him or should I? It doesn’t matter either way but it may be easier for you to take it,” she said slightly cocking her head to the right. She seemed to always cock her head whenever she asked a question.

Jarreth eyed the tackle on the discovered horse while Iliana brought it forward from the bushes. He nodded to himself as he scanned the situation and then looked back in the direction of the city. "Yes, it is better than leaving him alone in the forest. It will not be a hassle as the buildings should appear over the canopy shortly," he commented.

Moving away from the body and stepping to Iliana's side, he ran a recently cleaned hand across the horse's neck. It seemed calm and well trained; it did not tense up at an unfamiliar touch. This was worrisome to Jarreth since those traits only appeared when large encampments shared common mounts among the soldiers, but the thought was pushed aside for the matters at hand. With another pat he took hold of the reigns and held them loosely in his hand. His eyes shifted to meet Iliana's face as he heard her ask if he wanted to take the steed himself. With a soft nod he explained, "It will be fine, Iliana. I can simply attach the reigns to the back of your saddle and this horse will follow without any objections. Unless, of course, you do not wish to ride at all, and then I can just tie both of them in a line to Juine."

He idly began to twist a knot into the end of the leather strap in his hand so that it would loop easily over a saddle while he waited for her decision.

“Oh, well if that’s all then I don’t think I’ll have a problem with the second horse,” Iliana replied. It sounded simple enough, riding with the second horse on a lead. She was sure that the horse wouldn’t be any trouble, as long as nothing spooked it. Iliana thought that horses were easy creatures to spook, or just easier to spook then she was.

Iliana thought about her own fears. She noted that she doesn’t have many of them. The only fear she really has is dying not knowing her real purpose. The unknown bothered her a bit also, but she knows that there will always be things that can’t be explained. Maybe my life is not meant to be explained? she thought to herself.

Noticing that she was still staring at Jarreth, she turned to the horse she was riding. “We better get a move on. This lovely escapade has wasted enough time.”

"Very well then," Jarreth stated with a single nod. He had already anticipated her answer, not because he knew her well, but just because it seemed the most likely response. If she was in a hurry then she would not waste time by walking the rest of the trip, after all. It was a fact learned after her decision, but a fact nonetheless. Having prepared the knot in the reigns he looped the leather over the saddlehorn and gently brushed the lead horse's muscular shoulder. While the beast was nice enough, and his hair softer than could be asked of an animal, something just did not feel right. Without knowing it, he had grown very accustomed to the feel of feathers instead of hair. Granted, the feathers sometimes were less than comfortable during a full sprint, but that was careless hand placement that allowed the stiff spines to rub across his skin. Otherwise, the feathers were extremely soft and forgiving to ride on. Jarreth was quietly impressed by his slow-witted friend Juine. He could have a horse no finer, he thought, the chocobo's shortcomings aside.

Jarreth smiled again at Iliana as he avoided the dead body and mounted Juine, giving a few moments for her to join him atop a mount. With a soft command and a light nudge, Juine began to walk forward, Iliana assumed to be following. They were almost there.

Jarreth did not look behind him but instead kept his face forward, looking over the hill to see the approaching stables. The blood on his clothing had dried, though some of it had been removed to lessen the stains. He thought it would make a useful bargaining tool when he had to speak with the stablemaster. As if on queu, the round man stumbled out of the stable, arms in the air with anger. Two armed guards stood at either side as Jarreth continued the approach. He looked behind to catch Iliana's eye, stating, "Now for the difficult part."

As Iliana road just behind Jarreth, she nodded at his statement. He seemed to be sure that everything would be fine, but she was going to be ready to run incase they accused her of murder. Wouldn't be the first time , she thought. She didn’t think too much on that but the thought sill lingered in the back of her mind.

When they approached the stables the stable master was waiting outside as if he was anticipating their arrival. “Here we go,” Iliana whispered under her breath. She brought the horses to a stop and descended. Her hands felt as if there were a thousand tiny needles in them but she shrugged the pain off. It was more of an annoyance then pain.

"Halt!" came a commanding voice from one of the armed guards. "Dismount and disarm yourselves immediately! You are..." He was cut off by the rumbling stablemaster.

His face was more red than a ripened apple, but just about as round. He pressed his hand against the guard's chest and launched himself forward with a shout, "How dare you! You dirty my stable with that, with that thing and then you steal my property! You'll be hung for this one, hung!"

The guard growled and pushed the chubby man back to his place with a dangerous glare. The second guard's spear tipped down to become level with the stablemaster's throat. His eyes went wide but he still sent glares of hate and sweet victory toward Jarreth. The first guard who was interrupted cleared his throat and repeated, "Dismount and disarm."

Jarreth nodded in compliance and dropped to the ground, slowly reaching to his sword and laying it on the ground. With a kick, the metal weapon skidded across the dirt, away from reach. His arms remained raised in the air with open palms while his calm voice returned, "I have come back to handle this matter with a trade. The woman behind me was abducted from these stables, under your watch might I add, and was threatened with her very life. I, having the need to help a fellow citizen, simply borrowed the saddle and provided my own mount for the rescue. But, having returned, I have found reason to keep this saddle and I have prepared a very beneficial trade to both receive it and apologize for the inconvenience."

The guard gave a quizzical and distrusting look to Jarreth, as was common due to the amount of smooth talking con-artists in the area, and then peered back to Iliana. With the same commanding voice, he asked her, "Have you proof of this man's tale, my lady, or shall you be held to trial as well?"

The stablemaster's face wrinkled in disgust; he could not fathom any trade that would make up for such an insult.

Iliana stepped forward and approached the guards. She brought her hands out in front of her. She then began to unwrap the bandages that Jarreth had made.

“What this man says is true. I was conversing with him about the horses when a noise had caught my attention, so I stepped out of the stables to investigate and was rudely captured.” She continued to undo her bandages as she talked. Slowly she peeled the cloth for the dried blood had created its own glue. Removing the last bit, she reviled the bloody scabs that circled her wrists.

“There were three men that dragged me away unwillingly and tied me to one of their horses. I fought and screamed but the men had too great of a hold.” She looked at Jarreth and then back to the guards.

“This man was brave enough to come to my aid and free me from my assailants. He has done no wrong here and only barrowed the saddle in order to save my life.” She rested her case for that moment and waited the guards reply.

Jarreth's nodded to himself as Iliana followed along with his plan as he had hoped; his eyes tracked her as she moved closer to him, and he could not help but frown with concern when he saw the injuries that remained beneath the rag cloths. The guard paid no heed to the reactions of the thief but listened to Iliana's story with slight doubt across his brow. He grunted when he saw the bloody wounds and motioned for Iliana to rebandage them.

His gaze shifted back and forth between the two accused while the stablemaster shook his head with an angry look. The deep voice of the guard appeared again as he questioned, "A noble story, but you do not have enough proof. You rescued this girl alone from three men; impressive, maybe too impressive."

"Impressive in a spar, m'lord. Sometimes battle is not so clean and predictable. I only managed to rescue the lady by catching the men by surprise. The first drew his blade on me as I tried to ride past, forcing me to defend myself and my animal. The second man fell from his steed at gallop when the horse was spooked and did not return to his feet," Jarreth returned in defense, taking a moment after the explanation to look at Iliana and nod slowly. He hated to lie, but the guard seemed more interested in an arrest than justice. Jarreth would not allow Iliana to suffer if events turned dark.

The pudgy stablemaster screamed out in protest once more, "Murderer! You killed two men and now are using this poor girl as an excuse!" He was promptly silenced by the spear-wielding man at his side. The man was growing more and more annoying by the moment and was gaining confidence just as quickly. This time, instead of wincing at the sight of the spear, he growled pushed the weapon away with disinterest.

With a whistle, the guard addressing Jarreth and Iliana called past the wall of the stable. Two more guards on horseback circled and followed orders to move down the path and find the bodies. His face looked grim and for the first time he drew his sword. Murder was a very serious charge.

Iliana raised an eyebrow at Jarreth’s half-truth. She did nothing more for she knew that there was no need. Iliana could tell that the lie stung like salt on a fresh wound. She changed her gaze to the little fat man. The urge to slap him for his accusations bubbled in her chest, but thought it best not to.

She didn't cover her wounds up for they were drying and the air would do them good. She hated the fact that she was wounded; it made her feel weak. This whole fiasco has made her incredibly weak and all she wanted to do was to leave.

She looked over at Jarreth as they awaited their fate.
“Thank you for your help Jarreth. I know I’ve already expressed my gratitude but I just thought I’d say it again. I wish we could have met under better circumstances but then again I probably wouldn’t have hung around that long to get to know you.”

Jarreth sighed as he raised his hands higher in the air to reassure the guard that he had no intention of putting up a fight. With a slow shake of his head he considered the quality of the dungeons in the area: they were dungeons. He thought of Juine momentarily and wondered what he could manage to have done with the creature. If his attempt at taking the blame worked, he could ask Iliana to take him and then trust her to find a suitable option for the large bird. He would not be using these stables again, at the very least. The stablemaster looked much more interested in roasting and eating the golden feathered avian. His gaze turned to meet Iliana's as she thanked him once more for the help. He could not help but smile at her and tip his head to signify that he would have had it no other way.

"M'lady Iliana, I can assure you that it was my pleasure. Only that could be controlled and nothing else, which means that there is no other better circumstance to compare. I am glad I met you and that we both returned safely instead of a darker fate," he said with sincerity.

He then moved closer to her, disregarding the armed guard near them, and took her hand. With a formal bow he leaned his head down and kissed the back of her hand. Looking back up to meet her eyes, he added, "You are a pure soul, Iliana, regardless of what your vessel suffers or must commit. May His hand bless you."

He paid no attention to his hand holding hers as he stared into her eyes. His own arm grew warm as threads of white, whispy light coiled outward and then around Iliana's arm. They floated over the scabbing wrist nearest and then traversed the gap to the other. In mere moments, it subsided and the temperature returned to normal. The two injured wrists were as good as they had been before the injuries; all that remained to signify the passing of events was dried blood on the discarded bandages.

Immediately following this, one of the two mounted guards galloped back to the scene. The watching guard, his eyes agape, ignored what he had just seen and peered back at his subordinate. "What is it?"

"Sir, we came across a body on the path," began the guard.

The stablemaster boomed once again, "I knew it!"

Continuing, the guard stated, "He died of combat injuries primarily to the chest. His weapon was unlocked from his scabbard: he had the intention to fight. I was able to locate a few minor possessions of some value, so he was not robbed from what could be told. I came back to report while Richard continued further up to try and find anything else."

"Thank you, please return to your post," the sword-wielding guard said with a salute. He slowly replaced his sword into his scabbard after warning the stablemaster not to say a single word, at penalty of being arrested himself.

Iliana was speechless, or more or less dumbfounded. He had healed her wounds. She rubbed her hands around her wrists to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating and smiled. Her smile was more of a grin that spread ear to ear. She was somewhat overcome with a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was better and she had heard the good tone of the guards. She knew that fate or something was on their side.
In a quick motion she flung her arm around Jarreth and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “You are a true friend,” she said as she released him.

In no time at all the other men had returned from the woods. They told Iliana and Jarreth that by their findings, and Iliana’s claims, they were free to go. They had no cause to believe other wise. The dust began to settle as the guards were leaving and Iliana was happy for she didn’t have to do prison time.

Iliana gathered the reigns from the horse that she had road and placed them in Jarreths hands. “This is no use to me,” she said, “you could probably get a pretty penny for him unless you choose to do other wise.” She ran a newly fixed hand through the mane of the horse. It was soft and silky, defiantly the coat of a well cared animal. She then brought her attention back to Jarreth. “I should be heading out soon,” she said.

The soft and warm lips met a solid and unflinching face. He was caught entirely unaware as Iliana moved up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek in gratitude. Her words drifted into his ear as a distant whisper; he was still speechless and miles away in chaotic thought. There simply was no way he could react at that moment because it had been so long since anything close to that amount of affection was shown to him. His weather torn cheeks, those that would only show color if bitten by the icy teeth of blizzard, began to redden as he gave a sheepish smile in return to Iliana's generosity. He almost missed the conversation among the guards that would decide whether or not they would be held for charges of murder.

As his thoughts began to return to him and he could focus entirely on the armed and armored men in charge of the city safety, he regained himself more fully. More than overjoyed at the decision that neither of them could be held at fault, his grin returned. He idly thought if the guard had lost interest when he saw the power of righteousness unfold. There was a silent prayer given to the heavens above, thanking Jarreth's God for bestowing good graces upon Iliana when the questioning man was watching. The stablemaster stood angry and tapping his foot, arms crossed over his chest, as Jarreth listened to his companion's words.

Accepting the reigns and holding them more appropriately, he responded, "Thank you very much Iliana. I would wish to split the profit with you, but I must use this animal to set everything right."

Jarreth walked over to the stablemaster and gave a slight bow, talking just low enough to be inaudible. With an angry sneer, the man finally began to show more self-control. Nodding again with a slight smile, he took the two tied horses in one hand and led them inside the large structure. Jarreth returned to Iliana's side and smiled at her warmly.

"Juine shall be housed for another week now, and I believe I may keep the saddle. Thanks to you. I understand the urge to leave: I now have a journey ahead of me as well. I will not stop you, but I wonder if we are to have a few more moments together before we part," he said sincerely and in a soft voice.

Iliana considered his offer. In fact she was in a hurry to leave, but to leave to nowhere. She was always in a hurry to leave any place that did not seem so welcome anymore. The thought flipped around in her head and she came to the conclusion that it would be the least she could do, for this man had risked his neck for her and had erased the marks from the previous events.
“Sure, I don't really have anywhere specific to go to right now,” she replied.