The De Tono Family

The cart stopped. Lamelie glanced out the window. She couldn't see anything.

A voice came from the other side. "You've done a good job fooling those pilgrims," Marcus de Tono shouted.

"By the way don't your two soldiers are alive. Hurt, but alive."

Victoria froze. "That's Marcus de Tono."

Lamelie gritted her teeth and stood up. She rested her hand on her sword but Iris stopped her.

"Let's keep up with the charade. He might be bluffing."

Lamelie nodded and shouted," We are escorting Lady Victoria of the Lofyete household. I suggest you back off before you incur the wrath of the Lofyete."

"Is Duke Lofyete here? Is he hiding under the carriage?" Marcus laughed. "What's to stop me from killing everyone here?"

Lamelie frowned. She couldn't see what was going on outside.

"I order you all to exit the carriage in an orderly fashion and drop your weapons."

Victoria pleaded," We can't do that. If we do…"

Iris glared at her. "What choice do we have?"

Rianna suggested," Let's keep our daggers hidden. We can turn in our swords and hopefully avoid a search."

Lamelie removed her sword from her belt. "Let's do it."

"We're coming out!"

Axel craned his neck to see them. Pixie was holding him up. He was bruised and someone had struck him in the eye. But he wasn't mortally wounded.

"Stay still."

A gaggle of soldiers glared at Axel. They were jealous of him having the girl but not jealous of his situation. Later they thought they could take the girl for themselves.

Lamelie stepped out of the carriage with her sword and sheath in her hands. She placed it on the ground and walked to one side of the carriage. As the others got out and repeated her moves, Iris helped Victoria out of the carriage. No matter how light her dress was, it was still a handicap to getting out of carriages.

"Thank you," Victoria said as she smoothed down her dress.

Lamelie and the others stood to the side of the carriage. She glanced at Axel. He didn't seem too badly hurt.

Marcus looked down on Lamelie. "Take off your hoods," he commanded.

They had exited wearing their hoods, including Victoria.

"Allow us this one freedom, sir," Lamelie said.

"No, I said remove your hoods."

Lamelie glared at Marcus and removed her hood, revealing her hair.

It's purple, Marcus thought.

The soldiers stepped back and gasped. She finally noticed just how many there were. Marcus de Tono was on horseback along with ten other knights. Fifteen archers were backing them up. And a group of twenty or thirty soldiers surrounded the entire carriage. Who was Marcus after?

Victoria Lofyete stepped in front of Lamelie. "These are my people, Marcus."

"So they are, Victoria, and you are my prisoner." He smirked. He commanded his guards to search the prisoners and tie them up. He looked back at the pilgrims. They hadn't left yet and were still attending to the wounded. If they lived… But he didn't feel the need to kill them.

"I'll deal with them," he murmured. He commanded other guards to gather the pilgrims and keep them in the area.

Lamelie and the others allowed the guards to tie them. Several of the guards began searching them for other weapons.

"Stop! Hey, don't touch me there!" Rianna shouted. The young soldier who was searching for her took a step back.

"I-I'm sorry ma'am." He held his hands up.

"Don't touch me."

The soldier looked around and Marcus glared at him.

"Leave them alone for now," he said.

Before sundown, Lamelie and the others were being guarded in a clearing in the woods. Lamelie looked around. It seemed artificial like they had made this clearing just to meet in.

She recalled what Brian had said before about finding odd clearings here and there. Was Marcus the reason for that and why?

A fire burned in the middle of the camp and Lamelie's troops weren't separated. They huddled on the edge of learning. Rianna, Iris, and Pixie were watching Axel, hoping he would soon.

Victoria sat off to the side. She thought, if only I had gone with them immediately then maybe we wouldn't have been caught.

Lamelie scooted over to her and leaned closer. "Tell me what you know about Marcus de Tono."

"He owns these woods because he's currently the head of the household. His brother, Vic de Tono is a bandit lord, so Marcus is hunting him."

"Why?"

"He cares very deeply about his family name. In trying to restore it, he drove away his brother and sister. Now he's alone."

"So he has siblings?"

"Lady Connie and Sir Vic. Neither is recognized as nobles by anybody now."

"Why did Connie leave?"

"The rumor was that Marcus had engaged her to a man she didn't want to marry."

"Oh. Do you know why Marcus cares so much about his family name?"

Victoria looked down and sulked a bit. "I… I know more than most people. I was engaged to Vic until he became a bandit."

Lamelie raised an eyebrow and Victoria continued.

"There was a huge fire that happened some years ago in the de Tono lands. Marcus's father lost most of his villagers, some servants, and acres of land. It ruined their wealth. And they became a less renowned household. Marcus didn't like that and sought to restore the household to its former glory. But he ignored Vic because of his work and he tried to marry off Connie. Vic turned to banditry for attention and Connie ran away."

"Oh wow." Lamelie was shocked. There was such messy history between just two families.

Iris watched Axel. He was mostly silent even as they held compresses against his wounds. When she thought about it, she had never been in real combat with any of them. She had always drawn a line between her and them. Why did Lamelie even pick her for this mission?

"Why did Lamelie pick us for this mission?" Iris froze. Did I just say that aloud?

Rianna and Pixie looked at her.

"Because she thought we could handle it," Rianna said. "At least I think that's what I think. I grew up with five brothers. Nobody thought I could handle something like this."

"And because we have a dedication to upholding peace," Pixie said," She probably believed we were people who want peace."

"Oh." Iris wiped away a tear. "That makes sense."

"You should have tried opening up to us before," Pixie said.

"I know. I wish I had."

Rianna smiled and said," Well, you have now."

Iris chuckled as she wiped away tears. I feel like I belong to something. Like I belong. And it's for something bigger than me.