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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 4-2, En Passant

Although Evelyn did not know of it at the time, there was another injury aside from those Umberto sustained during the fight, granted, that which bled did not bleed blood. The young Ermine woman didn't know how the motorized carriage worked, but, when it started making funny sounds she realized that it wasn't good. As it turned out, the damage taken by the transport was severe enough that it would not be able to function for long periods without being given the opportunity to rest. She had never realized that machines were so alike to living beings.

The driver, who was the only one among them with knowledge of the contraption, had spent most of the following morning working on it as it sat there, letting out a high pitched, almost musical whistle. A steady stream of steam emerged from the top of the front compartment, a sign, according to Umberto, that the device had grown too warm and needed to cool off. Evelyn likewise took the opportunity to compare the machine to her father... but she quickly pushed the thought out of her mind; that was something she didn't need to consider. Thankfully, there was an entirely different opportunity to be distracted.

"Mama! Mama! Lookit me!"

Evelyn turned to regard her son who, only a few yards from her, was bobbling along in the tall grass near where she sat, "Very good, my sweet! Just stay close to mommy!" Despite the fact that he was tall for his age, the grass was still very imposing, and came up nearly to his abdomen. She smiled as she watched him, the shroud of vegetation almost, for a moment, helping her forget that her poor child was marked with the shame of his incestuous breeding. Despite the grass hiding his infirmity, the boy's bumbling, uneven gait was still there.

Theo, much to her shame, had been born with one of his feet poorly formed. The Church had provided a special wooden boot for him which helped him when he HAD to walk, but it made his deformity all the more obvious. The woman smiled past the dark thoughts, letting the joy of seeing the happiness on her son's beautiful face push the clouds from her mind. Even if their travel were delayed, the weather was exquisite, the sun was warm, Theo was enjoying himself, and the cool breeze ruffled her fur giving her the feeling for perhaps the first time in her life what freedom was like.

The sound of hoof fall caught her attention, breaking her out of her reverie. Turning to watch the approaching horses, Evelyn saw that there were four in total; three were led behind the first, upon which sat the strange human who had come to her rescue the prior night. Mr. DeLaRocha raised a hand in greeting, the other clutching the reins of his horse, "Ah! How nice of you to slow the pace and wait for me..." Several seconds later, as he slowed the horses to a stop, he added, "Not long, I pray?"

Evelyn waited for the man to dismount. The human dusted off his leathers and tied the lead horse to a small sapling, the other three attached to the first's saddle. Only once Sandoval turned back to look at her did she respond, using the most courtly manners that she had recalled learning during her time at the castle, "Although I appreciate your help, Mr. DeLaRocha, I cannot avoid commenting that your presence continues to bring concern in the guardsman assigned to me. If you were following us in anticipation of a reward, I must apologize, but I am merely a serving woman, and I have no--"

The man smiled warmly, and took a seat in the grass a respectful distance away, but still close, "This is your son, yes?"

She glanced between the man and Theo. Mr. DeLaRocha, despite referring to her son, was looking at her. Evelyn took a moment in an attempt to try and read the Human's face, but it gave away nothing. When she answered it was with a hesitant "...yes."

The man smiled, giving her a single nod before his eyes went back to the kit, who appeared to be romping through the tall grass, possibly going after a cricket... he DID love bugs. When the Human next spoke it was very casual, "He is a strong boy... perhaps he shall become a hunter some day... " the humor in the man's tone was obvious, "... perhaps his greatest of prey will be that of ladies' hearts?"

Evelyn didn't know if the Human was being purposefully rude or not, but his words were unwelcome. She managed to keep her emotions in check, "You do me a disservice, Sir. I will not stand for my son being mocked."

The swordsman appeared immediately and genuinely taken aback, "I--"

She spelled it out for him, "He will always have MY heart, Mr. DeLaRocha, but no woman will take for a husband a man who cannot work."

The Human pursed his lips in thought for a moment then, cocking his head to the side so his long, curled hair bounced slightly off his shoulder, he questioned her, "Why do you say such a thing? He appears to be a healthy boy... is he the target of a curse? A wasting disease?" the man leaned closer to her, "Why should fate already foretell that your son--"

Umberto made no attempt to hide his approach, and very firmly interjected, "Miss Evelyn." She didn't miss that he had his enormous sword out, resting over his shoulder. If she were at all familiar with the ways of men, she was inclined to believe that the Wolverine meant it as a show of force... just in case the enigmatic Human had any ideas. Despite the fact that the Templar was a reminder of her servitude to the royal family, she had to admit that his presence did make her feel safer.

The Ermine woman cleared her throat, attempting to dispel the little gray cloud the Human's callous words had thrust upon her, "Everything is fine, Sir Umberto... Mr. DeLaRocha was just confirming that he was still traveling after us."

"WITH you." the Human bowed his head respectfully with the objection, "...at a... ah... slightly... slower pace."

The Wolverine nodded calmly to her, then again to the human, albeit, with a faint glare. He didn't bother speaking until he was looking once more toward her, "Miss Evelyn, I fear that the carriage will take some time to repair. According to the Conductor however, there is reason to believe that we should be underway shortly after a quick fix. I would prefer that we find a safer place to make camp before he tries to fully complete the repairs."

Evelyn would never presume to object to a man's decision, nor to question his judgment, but she honestly had difficulty figuring out why the grasslands were so unsafe. She had seen no sign of predators, didn't consider the weather questionable, and certainly didn't feel uneasy about letting Theo romp around. Obediently, the young Ermine woman got to her feet and chose instead to provide input, "It's so beautiful here."

The Wolverine paused, and looked around. She smiled as she saw him gaze across the countryside in a way other than tactically... most likely for her benefit. In the end, she saw that she'd ALMOST succeeded at getting through to him, but the faint glint of aesthetic appreciation faded quickly with a gruff, "It's too open."

Mr. DeLaRocha stood, moving beside her, though he was courteous enough not to try and rest a hand on her shoulder as he'd done the previous night, "There are far worse places to stay than here, my friend... we have a great view of field--- or is that field of view?" he shrugged, and continued, "Regardless... I find the line of sight to be exquisite, and second only to the beauty of our surroundings." Evelyn did not miss the way he looked at her as he spoke the last part of his comment.

Whether or not Sir Umberto noticed, he seemed perfectly content to a battle of words over the Human's assessment of what constituted safe, "Line of sight is perfect for a crossbow... and, seeing as we don't have any of those, that puts us at a disadvantage."

The swordsman shook his head, curled hair bouncing with the motion, "And I humbly disagree... you see, cover benefits a crossbowman far more than it benefits his target."

The Templar scowled, "You disagree because you're five beads short of a rosary."

If Mr. DeLaRocha realized his mental facilities were being questioned, he certainly didn't let on. The Human let out a full-bellied laugh at the comment, and let it run its course before continuing... even going so far as to hold up a finger to silence the Wolverine, who looked as though he was about to follow-up the comment with another. The swordsman finally straightened up, and looked at the Templar with complete conviction, "If you were to have a crossbowman firing at you, would you not like to know from where he was shooting?"

Sir Umberto crossed his arms over his chest, "Yes... and I'd be interested in finding out right after I found some place to take cover."

The Human shook his head with a sigh, "Ah... but you have just made the cardinal sin when it comes to facing a foe who is armed with a ranged weapon... you find yourself pinned down with no way to fight back."

The Wolverine simply rolled his eyes, "You can fight your way, and I will fight mine. I have someone to protect." He turned to the Ermine, "Miss Evelyn... we should return to the carriage... it will be ready to depart shortly."

The Ermine woman moved to join her escort and he held an arm out for her. She glanced back to her son, "Theo... come on, honey... it's time to--"

The next thing she recalled was a sense of dizziness, and a powerful ringing in her ears. The whole world had turned upside down, and she found herself on her back... it was several seconds before she realized she had been thrown to the ground by a powerful explosion. The next sense to claw its way through the haze of shock was scent... and a sickeningly acrid burning stench assaulted her nose. She didn't have to dwell on it long, however, as pain was quick to follow... and everything ached.

Evelyn didn't bother focusing on that, however, as a much more important concern filled her, "THEO!"

Despite the fact that he was crying, his voice reassured here when he called, "Mama!" Looking up, she saw him hunkered down in the grass, Sandoval standing over him, facing a Weasel wearing a scarf across his face-- both men had their weapons out.

The masked mustelid spoke with a gravely voice, "Don't care who you are... but we ain't here for you, Human... now step aside." As if to reaffirm his intentions the Weasel brandished his long, curved sword.

Mr. DeLaRocha continued positioning himself between the bandit and Theo. "Ah... my apologies... but I must insist that your business is my own. You see, I have a feeling the lady does not want her son going anywhere with you... and I tend to prefer earning the favor of a lovely woman over staying on the good side of a bad man." The Human dropped down to a combat stance and touched both of his blades together, creating a soft 'ting'.

Evelyn watched through bleary eyes, trying to crawl her way to her son since she was still too disoriented to stand. The masked man growled, "Last chance, smooth skin."

The Human sighed, "I know... I know... I should accept your offer as putting up a fight will only result in me spending needless time cleaning my blades after I get your insides all over them but.." and he sighed, "... such is life."

The Weasel rolled his eyes, "Well, you're certainly a--" but he cut his comment short, lunging in at Mr. DeLaRocha with a straight arm thrust. Although Evelyn's mind was still foggy from the concussive blast of the exploding carriage, she was surprised at how it failed to register what happened next. Somehow, the Human ended up behind the Weasel, whose sword fell to the ground. Mr. DeLaRocha's boot planted itself firmly in the brigand's backside, sending the man stumbling into the dirt, face first.

The Human smiled, returning to a combat stance, "If you have another sword, we can try this a second time..."

The Weasel growled, making a start for Theo as he drew a short sword, but Mr. DeLaRocha was once again in his way, "Please... please, good sir... do not change partners mid-dance... that might lead me into believing you were being rude."

The Weasel screached, "I'm gonna wear that toungue a yours 'round mah neck!"

Three distinct clangs of metal later and the brigand's short sword lay beside the first blade on the ground; Sandoval's rapier tip was pressed up against the underside of his muzzle, "Please... I do not wish to spill blood in front of the boy. If you continue like this I may have to ask him to turn around."

Evelyn finally managed to stumble her way to her son, and collapsed atop him, pulling him to her breast and shielding him from the goings-on. Almost comically, the Weasel's eyes opened wide when Theo was no longer exposed to the violence. Mr. DeLaRocha smiled at him... and followed up with a lightning-quick punch to the Weasel's face, the basket hilt leading the way. The brigand collapsed, out cold.

The Human inclined his head to her, "My Lady... your guardian is in need of help, but I do not wish to leave you here alone. Please... come with me." Without waiting for a response, the swordsman was by her in a flash, and running back toward the road. Looking after him, Evelyn gasped, her free paw going to her muzzle as she saw the blackened wreckage of what had been the wagon... if they hadn't delayed those extra minutes-- she really didn't want to think about what the result would have been. The sound of continued combat snapped her out of thoughts about a dreaded alternate reality.

Much closer than the road, Sir Umberto was facing off against three men-- a Human, a Feline of some kind, and a Dog... all three were masked, just like the Weasel. The Wolverine was bleeding profusely, but he had obviously fought well; two other men lay unmoving by him. Remaining where she was, Evelyn began to feel sick to her stomach, but she worked to remain calm, rocking Theo in her arms as he cried.

Once Mr. DeLaRocha came to Sir Umberto's aid, the fight was practically over. The three men were obviously not warriors in the same way as her protector and the Human Swordsmen were, and they fell back, bringing the bodies of their fallen comrades with them. The Wolverine and Human exchanged a few words, and both looked back toward her. She was caught off-guard by the expressions of alarm they both suddenly had on their faces... but, a split second later, she was grabbed from behind.

Evelyn screamed, quickly pushing Theo out of her grasp, blindly willing him as far away from her attacker as she could. He cried out, but her attention was suddenly on the crossbow quarrel pressed up against her neck. Her assailant's voice was much more proper than those with whom they'd been fighting, "Please stay where you are, gentlemen... this truly doesn't have to be made even more difficult."

Sir Umberto's fur was standing on end, and his words came out as a growl, "Unhand her, KNAVE! I'll not ask again!"

The fox behind Evelyn gripped her a little tighter, "That's close enough."

Mr. DeLaRocha was quick to add quietly, "A good thing you'll not ask again... it appears that would be wasted breath."

A mixed mural of emotions flowed across the Templar's muzzle: fear, anger, concern, guilt, rage... they all had their place but, in the end, he stopped his approach. Mr. DeLaRocha, however, continued striding forward, putting away his rapier only to draw out what looked like an exotic, long-handled stiletto. The Human seemed almost jovial in his comment, "What a coincidence this is... we were just talking about crossbows..."

The man holding her changed the target of his crossbow, leveling it over Evelyn's shoulder to aim it straight at the swordsman, "I said, that's close enough."

Mr. DeLaRocha continued forward at a casual place, "Indeed, sir... I heard you the first time, but I'm afraid this is not yet close enough as my blade cannot reach you." Evelyn screamed as the crossbow twanged next to her ear. Sandoval casually spun, as if dancing, and the quarrel sailed harmlessly by him. The Human's approach picked up speed, "I am interested in seeing how you propose to reload with only one arm."

The fox behind Evelyn growled, dropping his crossbow. He pulled out a short blade, sticking it up against her neck, "Come any closer and she dies."

The Human FINALLY came to a stop, and let out a theatrical breath, "WHY do they always think that hostages are a deal breaker?" and, before Evelyn was able to register what happened, Mr. DeLaRocha's arm was outstretched with an empty hand... and she felt the distinct impact of weight against her chest. Gazing down, she gaped at the hilt of the dagger sticking out of her body. The fox, surprised, dropped her immediately.

Sir Umberto let out a roar, and charged the Human, sword at the ready. Mr. DeLaRocha ignored him just long enough to pull out a second throwing dagger, and, with finesse, buried it at a distance right into the fox's back. Evelyn, detached from the entire situation, was surprised that she was still able to watch the goings on around her. Her chest was sore from the impact, but it wasn't at all what she expected metal through the heart to-- looking down at the weapon, she watched as it fell off of her, the 'blade' of it having collapsed into the hilt. "UMBERTO! STOP!"

The Wolverine almost failed to halt his swing but, at her call, did just that. Shoving the Human roughly aside, he ran to her and helped her up. She showed him the throwing weapon that had hit her, and, in unison, they turned to regard Mr. DeLaRocha. The Human was jogging over to where the fox lay unmoving. The Templar took the collapsible dagger from the Ermine's hand and stalked after him, shaking it angrily in the air, "You could have told us about this beforehand."

Mr. DeLaRocha knelt down to retrieve his REAL throwing dagger from the vulpine corpse, "Between me having to catch up to you by horse, and then providing responses to your numerous accusations and objections, I am afraid there was little time."

If the succinct telling-off bothered the Templar he didn't let it show. Kneeling down, Sir Umberto shook his head, "This one was nothing like the rest of em."

The Human pulled off the fox's traveling glove; a wide smile spread across his face, "That, my friend, is because he was the puppet master, and the rest were puppets."

"What are you going on about?"

Mr. DeLaRocha slowly worked a ring off of the fox's finger, "This."

The Templar grabbed the swordsman's wrist immediately, "Stealing from the dead?"

The swordsman pulled his arm out of the Wolverine's grasp and showed him the ring, "This is a signet ring."

Sir Umberto looked at it... as did Evelyn, who had slowly drawn closer, Theo latched onto her leg. The Templar snorted, "It looks like a gear."

Mr. DeLaRocha dropped it onto the dead fox, "Indeed it does... and that means our paths are suddenly much more intertwined."

Evelyn finally spoke up, "What... what do you mean?"

The swordsman gestured around, "This is no casual banditry, Miss... they were after one or both of you."

The Templar scowled, "And how do you know that?"

The Human smirked, heading down the slight incline toward where his horse was still attached to the sapling, "I have encountered these men before... I have even been hunting them... nothing that happens with them is coincidence."

The Ermine woman glanced to the Templar, who looked to her, gazed down at Theo, then put his attention right back on the Human, "Is it a coincidence that you happen to have enough horses for us?"

Mr. DeLaRocha, who had begun untying the horses, paused just long enough to look back and wink, "No, my friend... this is called being prepared."