Helping Hand

Aeneas glanced at the other boat. He gulped and turned his attention back to the mother and child still hostile towards him.

"I—I'm here to help."

Glaring, the girl growled louder. Ready to pounce at any sign of aggression she detects from Aeneas.

On the other hand, the mother lowered her weapon and stared at the boy. She was having a hard time just trying to continue commanding her eyes to remain open. With all her strength she leaned to take a look at the boat approaching them.

"Please, help my child." The woman said. Pulling her daughter's clothes to tell her to stand down and that the boy in front of them wasn't there to hurt them.

The glow of the girl's Zeal disappeared, and her glaring eyes turned to ones that belonged to a cute animal begging for help, "Help pull mother, please," she said to Aeneas.

Aeneas dashed to their aid. The two of them tried to lift the woman, "Our manor isn't that far, we should hurry there."

When Aeneas tried to readjust his hold of the woman, he noticed his hands soaked in blood. Only then did he realize that she bears grievous injuries. It was even a surprise that she was still alive. Panic enveloped Aeneas, but he calmed down after regulating his breathing and telling himself that he must save them.

Taking peeks from behind, the boat was getting closer, and the two men riding it were standing and pointing at them. The woman also saw it and wiggled so that the two would drop her.

"They're getting close, leave me and take my child, please," her voice quivering and soft.

The girl clung to her, repeatedly saying, "No."

It was clear even to Aeneas, who hasn't been in a similar situation, that the woman was on death's door. He decided to shout for help, but none of the knights were near enough to hear his voice.

Another glance at the boat and they noticed that it was empty. The two men jumped off and were swimming towards them at great speed.

The mother gripped her daughter's arms, and made sure that their eyes were against each other, "Go. I will hate you if you don't listen. Trust no one but him," she said then pushed the crying girl away. Then, she turned to Aeneas, tears falling from her eyes, traveling down her pale face, "Please save her."

Aeneas felt his body hair stand on end. In a swift, he grabbed the girl in the arm and pulled her as he ran. She was still crying, reaching her free hand towards her mother, who for the last time and with all of her remaining strength, yelled to her the words, "I love you."

Two men emerged from the water. Both were wearing black cloaks and were covering the bottom half of their faces with a leather mask. Their body was filled with holsters that stored different kinds of blades. From daggers of different sizes to even ones the size of a needle. And, they both have a curved sword resting at their right hip. 

They stood near the woman. One of them clicked his tongue, "She's dead," he said. His hair was dark brown and had hazel eyes. 

"Doesn't matter, we just need the girl," the other one replied. He unsheathed his curved sword and stabbed the corpse of the mother. His head was shaved and had a tattoo of a scorpion on it. His eyes were almost purple.

"What now?" the man with hazel eyes asked.

The bald man looked at him with an intimidating stare, "We're getting the girl, as commanded," he answered.

"What about that Panteran boy?"

"We kill him."

"But, we're in Panteran territory. What if their soldiers realized that it was our doing? It might cause war."

"We're dead if we don't bring the girl or leave a witness either way," the bald man said as he continued to walk toward the forest. His companion followed him. They both run with all their might, chasing after the girl and the boy who wanted to save her.

Aeneas kept glancing back. Meanwhile, the girl he was pulling was in the brim of exhaustion. Both her body and mind were too tired, it wouldn't be a surprise if she collapsed on the ground.

Concerned, the boy stopped. He told the girl to climb on his back. She nodded in response. Aeneas could feel the faint breathing of the girl as he ran as fast as he could while carrying someone.

Then, he heard rustling from behind. The boy began shouting for aid again. They weren't that far from the manor anymore. He wished for any of the knights to hear his voice asking for help. But, what he heard was footsteps from behind that kept getting louder. Aeneas grunted and placed the girl on the ground when he reached the open space he used as his training area. She was awake, but couldn't move anymore. 

After that, Aeneas faced the direction of the two men who were standing a few hundred meters away from them and unsheathed his sword, pointing it at the two.

"Boy, give us the girl, and we won't hurt you," the man with the brown hair said.

With a loud voice, "Why are you chasing us?" Aeneas said. He spoke as loud as he could, hoping that anyone around the vicinity would hear him.

The bald man immediately realized what Aeneas was trying to do. He glared at him, and spoke to his comrade, "Let's kill him."

With a click of his tongue, the man with dark brown hair pulled out his sword together with the bald man. They glanced at each other, then dashed at Aeneas at the same time. 

Aeneas felt death staring at him. Sweat poured from his anxious face. His pounding heart was all he could hear. It was a situation he felt that there was no getting out of alive. The only thing he could do to survive was to leave the girl and run. Maybe, he would see other knights and ask for help then. But, the two might kill the girl and be long gone before he could ask for help.

Time slowed for the boy. His eyes wandered to his right and just meters behind him, to the girl whose face was smothered with the combination of dirt and dried tears. He stared at her begging eyes that were looking at him as if he was the sole reason they still glimmered with hope.

As he hardened his grip on his sword, Aeneas took a deep breath. It was weird to him how the movement of the two men going for his head became much slower. But, he had no time to think about such trivial things. His focus was on defeating them.

Around the neck of the two men, below the chin, a faint purple light glowed. It formed a symbol appearing like the letter 'm' with an arrow at the right end. The Zeal of the Noxious Scorpion. 

Aeneas could see it. The bald man plans to poison him by throwing a pin-like blade coated with his poisonous saliva. While the other one was about to attack him with water magic. 

In that split second, countless simulations of how things would play out run through Aeneas's mind. Most of them ended with his death. Some with the girl being taken as Aeneas made a successful evasion. He couldn't see one where they would both get away from the two men.

With a gulp, the boy remembered the girl's gaze. He took a deep breath and decided to proceed with the confrontation. To protect the girl, to be one step closer to being a hero.

His eyes followed their every movement. Aeneas knew that he would be injured in the first exchange of blows. But then, a booming sound came from behind him. And in that short moment, two knights attacked the men from Aakdan with a slash. Konon and Tereus. Two knights who bear the Zeal of the Savage Goat.

Although the bald man and his companion managed to block the knight's attacks, they were thrown far away from them.

With the presence of the two knights, Aeneas's knees gave in. He dropped to the floor chasing his breath. The feeling of time slowing disappeared and was replaced with a mild aching of his right eye.

"Aenie! Are you okay?" A familiar voice of a girl said, running from behind.

Aeneas turned, it was Tiriara.

"W—what are you doing here?" 

Tiriara came to visit. But since Aeneas wasn't in the manor, and because of the current matters of enraged beasts. She decided to check the spot with Konon, and on their way, they met with Tereus. Once they were close to the training spot, they heard Aeneas shout. So, the three of them rushed to the scene.

Tereus made sure that his young lord was fine and free from any injuries. After he checked on him, Konon told Aeneas to back off and bring the girl with him. He could only guess what the situation was about.

The bald man withdrew his sword, "Greetings, sir knights. We didn't want any trouble. We just need to take the girl and we will leave," he said. His comrade followed his gesture and raised his hands.

"You have trespassed our land and now you are commanding me? I know you two are soldiers. Leave now or you'll lose your heads," Konon replied.

"We can't leave without her," the brown-haired man said, "she's an escaped prisoner."

Tereus and Konon glanced at each other and then looked back at the Aakdani soldiers. The Zeals located at their right legs glowed.

Konon sighed, "Then, you leave us no choice."