Who: Michael Guerin & Tandy Bowen What: A master thief snogs a noble lady When: A long time ago in a medieval Madison far, far away Where: King's Road Warnings: Violence Status: Closed/completed gdoc
There is truth to the term Honor Amongst Thieves. Since Michael had refused the invitation sent to him by the Thieves Guild, he stayed out of the cities and towns. In exchange, they kept their operatives off the King’s Road and byways. That wasn’t to say that other independent thieves abided by the rules of territory. There was always someone who muscled into an area rich with potential. One had to defend their claim or lose it.
Michael saw signs of another thief in the area he had staked as his own. Traps he hadn’t laid. Remnants of camp made by someone who wanted no trace left behind. It was impossible to eliminate all evidence so Michael knew what he saw when he found it. He had no intention of allowing this to continue having worked too hard to make this stretch of road his own.
He set out to follow the telltale signs of the intruder with a plan to teach the fellow the err of their ways. They would either be sent on or die. There was no inbetween.
While Tandy knew that oftentimes, it wasn’t safe for a lady to travel alone, she still liked taking rides when she could, if only to think and consider what she knew of the various suitors her father had been setting up for her recently. She wasn’t a fighter by any means, but had a fast horse and knew how to handle the crossbow she usually took with her, one of the few weapons that a woman could touch that wouldn’t cause eyebrows to rise - much.
Generally, she paid more attention to her surroundings as she traveled, but her mind had been lost in thought and the reins of her horse were loose in her hands so when a man suddenly jumped out, and grabbed them, she and her horse were both startled to the point where she actually let out a short shriek of surprise.
“Unhand my horse, ruffian!” She declared as she kicked out at his fingers as one of her hands reached for the crossbow. The man only smirked evilly and held up a crossbow of his own.
“Scream like that again, and you’re dead! Give me your coinpurse and jewelry, girly, unless you want this pretty dress to get dirty.”
The sound of a woman and a mare in distress alerted Michael to his quarry. He ceased his stealth in lieu of running the rest of the way. It wasn’t so much as to come to the lass’ rescue as it was to protect his territory, but a grateful wench wouldn’t be refused.
He burst out of the underbrush a moment after a tossed knife did. Unfortunately, his action would no doubt startle the beast a second time, but his aim was true. His knife took the poacher in the neck. Michael slamming into the man drove the blade through further until the point, dripping red, protruded out the other side of the dead man’s neck. Only after the man fell to the ground did Michael retrieve his blade.
As he wiped it clean of blood he glanced to the woman. “Has no one warned you of the devils that stalk the King’s Road, m’lady?”
Her horse indeed shied away from the robber when a second man appeared, and Tandy aimed one last kick before she saw a flash and a knife appeared in the man’s neck and blood splashed on both her and the mare. She barely held back a second scream as the newcomer slammed into her assailant and the knife poked out from the other side of his neck. Jerking her eyes away from the grisly sight, she struggled with the reins for a moment, then dismounted completely to sooth the horse.
Only once she was calm did Tandy cast her hazel gaze towards her rescuer, very pale from fear and surprise but struggling not to fall utterly apart; her parents had raised her to be strong, after all, and this was hardly the moment to toss aside her lessons.
“The King’s Road should be safe and guarded by the King’s soldiers,” she replied, then realized how ungrateful she sounded. “But I thank you, kind sir, for saving me. If you wish a reward, I’m quite certain my father would oblige.” He was handsome in a roguish sort of way, and she couldn’t help but stare for a moment, before looking back at her horse as she nuzzled Tandy’s shoulder.
“Easy, girl - we’ll get you cleaned when we’re home,” she murmured softly. From a pouch on her belt, she pulled out a small apple and fed it to the horse, then glanced up at the sky as thunder rumbled. “Or perhaps you’ll be clean sooner than expected,” she said wryly, though she didn’t relish the thought of being caught in a storm.
Wasn’t she the sassy one! Michael had been ready to walk away and leave her to her own devices, but then the gratitude made an appearance and he waited. He huffed at the offer of a reward. “Didn’t do it for you, lassy.”
He caught her staring and smirked. He knew he didn’t possess a third eye or some other feature deserving of a longer look, and he recognized coy admiration when he saw it. Michael openly looked her over in return. Beautiful, certainly. He had to be honest, however. Her bravery was more becoming to him than her appearance. She had screamed, but most ladies would have kept on screaming. Or fainted.
The thunder overhead made him sigh. “You’ll not make it back to town before the deluge. I have shelter nearby you’re welcome to.”
What in all the saints’ names was he doing?! Never had he ever even thought to share the location of any of his shelters with anyone, yet here he was inviting a Lady of the Court to one. He had the pox. It was the only explanation.
Her eyes narrowed slightly at his response, but for the moment she held her tongue - particularly since he had just killed a man on her behalf. Tandy hadn’t exactly wished for the robber to die, maybe just be captured and punished for his threats, but she didn’t mourn him, either. Perhaps she should have placed less trust in the road’s safety, though the thought of admitting that was too embarrassing for the moment.
Before she could respond and insist she’d be alright, the thunder sounded again and the sky above darkened. She even felt a couple of raindrops, and reluctantly nodded at the offer. After all, it was kind of him to make it.
“Thank you, please lead the way,” she replied. Half her instincts were telling her to refuse - he was a murderer and very likely also a robber, based on his clothing - but the rest told her that she couldn’t reject the kindness she was being shown. It would be safer to wait out the storm, really.
Gathering the reins in her hand, she gave her horse one last pat on the nose, then led her away from the body on the ground as she walked towards her savior, ready to go in whichever direction he indicated.
If the lady weren’t here, Michael would have cut the man’s hands off to leave in particular locations for any other would-be challengers to his territory to find. If he had let the man go, Michael would have been seen as weak. Others without their own areas would muscle their way in. As it was, the corpse in the road would have to suffice. After he had taken the man’s pouch, that is.
Michael led them into the treeline and back into the woods. Soon enough, the road couldn’t be seen anymore, and there didn’t seem to be any path. He knew these woods well, however, and had a specific shelter in mind. The canopy was thick enough that the rain barely reached them, but it was beginning to strike the leaves above with more intensity.
Eventually, they came to a small hut. There were strange repairs made to the roof, obviously done by Michael with whatever material he could salvage. There was no door, and the inside was big enough for the horse to come in. It would be cozy but the poor thing wouldn’t have to wait out in the rain.
“I’ll get a fire going so you can lay your cloak down to dry.” He’d built a makeshift fireplace in one corner instead of a firepit with a draw through a hole in the roof.
While her trepidation grew, Tandy nonetheless continued to follow after him, glad, at least, that the trees above kept them mostly dry. When they reached the hut, she hesitated before leading her horse over; when he’d said “shelter” she had been thinking of an actual house with four walls and a door and windows, not…this.
Still, she knotted the reins around a low-hanging tree branch, then turned at his words. “Thank you,” she said as she untied it and walked closer to where he was so that she could lay the cloak out. Her dress wasn’t as elaborate as some, particularly those she had back home, having preferred to keep her attire simple for the sake of ease while traveling, and once her damp cloak was off, she shivered a little, then drew closer to the man and the fire he was building.
Once he’d started it, Tandy gave a relieved smile and held out her hands in the direction of the flames carefully. “How long do you think the rain will last?” She didn’t want to worry her parents, but they’d have to understand when she explained that it was because of the storm, wouldn’t they?
“Hard to say this time of year.” Michael threw another log on the fire to keep it going. It might get a bit warm inside with three bodies instead of one, but dry was preferable. “Sometimes it stops within an hour. Sometimes it lasts well into the night.” He settled down into a crouch as he smiled to her. “I will ensure you get home before they loose the hounds to find you.”
He didn’t get to see ladies without robbing them for any length of time. The ones that he didn’t were whores or worse, which he avoided at all costs. The novelty had him staring a little. “My name is Michael.” He felt he should probably introduce himself.
She knew he was right and bit back a sigh, before looking over at him. His smile caught her by surprise, and it teased one out of her to return it. “I would appreciate that very much,” she told him.
“Well met, Michael. I am Tandy.” Looking back down at the flames, she carefully sat, arranging her dress a bit so it’d dry, too, then held her hands out once again as she sough the warmth. “Thank you for helping me back there, and for allowing me to stay here.”
“I have to be honest, Tandy.” He said her name as if it were something sweet on his tongue. “I killed him because he was a poacher in my territory.” A crooked smile pulled his lips to one side. “But your company is better than any gold or jewels so I do not regret anything.”
He didn’t have much in the way of food stashed here, but he did find an apple which he tossed to her. “What were you doing out unescorted, anyway?” Even in a simpler dress he could tell she wasn’t a village girl, and her kind never went anywhere without at least two guards.
She shivered a little when he said her name, and it wasn’t because she was chilled; in fact, she was a great deal warmer now. At his words about it being his territory, she knew that her earlier belief that he, too, was a thief was accurate - but she wasn’t afraid and if anything she smiled a little at the mention of her company.
Tandy caught the apple easily enough and took a bite, her eyes immediately returning to his at the question. “I don’t need an escort.” Okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true considering the situation he’d saved her front, and so she continued after a moment. “I like to go for rides by myself, when I can. I may not be able to do it for much longer, once my parents finish planning the rest of my life,” she said, biting back a sigh as she looked back down at the apple in her hands.
“They’re hoping that I’ll be married before the end of the year, and who knows what I’ll be able to do, after that?”
That smile was amazing. Michael felt that if she put just a little more effort into it he’d do whatever she asked him to. Including walk right into the hangman’s noose. It would be worth it if her smile was the last thing he saw.
“You need something better than a crossbow if you don’t need an escort.” He knew better than to correct her that a lady needed an escort. They just usually had them. “Too clumsy to draw quickly. You need a rapier at the very least. Give a scoundrel a jab in the eye and they’ll think twice about coming at you.”
The mention of her being married off made him frown. He never did understand the arranged marriage trend, nor did he approve of women being treated like so much chattel to be bartered with.
“Why do what they want that?”
“I have a knife,” Tandy admitted. It wasn’t a rapier and she could tell he wasn’t very impressed, but she did lift the bottom of her skirt a little and pulled a knife out of one boot to show it off. “If he’d managed to unseat me, he would’ve been stabbed with this for his trouble.” A bold claim, and Tandy wasn’t sure she would’ve been able to go through with it, but she could say it now at least.
Using the knife, she cut a slice from the apple and held it out towards him before she answered the question. “They just want me to be safe and taken care of,” Tandy explained. “And hopefully love will come eventually.” Her gaze faltered a little at that, and she took another bite of the apple.
A knife. Up close and personal was necessary. No, it wasn’t impressive, but it wasn’t anything to dismiss either. Not if she knew what to do with it and kept her wits about her. Michael wasn’t going to judge too harshly, however.
He accepted the slice of apple with a nod, a smirk giving him a rakish look. “Too many people in this world possess that self same wish, and I have never seen it work the way they hope it will.” He shook his head. “Mostly because the husband is a greedy lout with a quick but heavy fist. If a man buys a wife as he does his horse, he will see her as no different.”
Oh yes, he definitely disapproved of the notion. The scowl on his face, however, was for more than just the obscure. “You deserve better than that.” He didn’t even know her but he would swear to it.
Something about his smirk tugged at her, and Tandy couldn’t stop the faint blush that colored her cheeks, though if called out she could have likely blamed the heat from the fire. Returning the knife to its holster, her eyes were sharp when they returned to his face.
“My parents had an arranged marriage, and they fell in love. They only want the same for me.” And while she dreamed of finding that kind of connection herself, Tandy was just practical enough to know that it was only a possibility. Of course, her father would only choose someone she was happy with, but lately she’d begun to grow tired of the different suitors that had been placed before her.
Tandy’s gaze softened at Michael’s words, and she looked away once again as she took another bite from the apple. “Perhaps, but it isn’t always that easy when you’re nobility,” she pointed out. Setting the apple down carefully in her lap, she lifted her hands to her damp hair where the pins placed there that morning were slipping, and tugged out a few so she could comb it with her fingers with the hopes that it would dry quicker.
“Here,” Michael said before he scooted closer. He pulled a comb from one of the pouches he had on his belt. With his hair, it was a necessity. Of course, it probably wasn’t anything like Tandy would have had at home. It was just wood and without any pretty inlays.
If she allowed it, he began to find and gently remove pins from her hair and would begin to pull the comb through it. “It is always easier to have someone else do this.”
He went quiet for a few long moments then muttered. “So stop being nobility.” Seemed an easy enough answer.
She blinked in surprise and very nearly drew away - but recognized that he was right and it would be simpler if someone else did it. Still, it was a little unusual for anyone who wasn’t a servant or her mother to comb her hair, but she didn’t protest. Instead, after a few minutes of silence, her eyes drifted shut as she was lulled into relaxation by the soothing motions.
When he finally spoke, Tandy was surprised enough by the words to laugh a little, opening her eyes and looking back at him despite how close it put their faces together. “It isn’t that simple - and my parents would never approve.”
Her hair was amazing. Soft. Well cared for. Michael went from trying to help to indulging his tactile sense by drawing the comb through the locks. Whenever he came across a knot he picked at it instead of tugging as if he’d done this before. It was one of the tricks he’d picked up from the ladies he’d ah…met…before. Women loved having their hair played with.
Her incredulity amused him. A smirk pulled his lips to one side. He ceased combing her hair when she looked back at him, and he leaned forward. “Do you care, truly? Women can’t inherit. The most they can hope for is a man they approve of to run things when it all falls to you. By then they won’t be around to approve of anything, and it will be too late for you to have a say.”
For a moment, her eyes were caught by his, particularly as he leaned forward, and she blinked quickly when she realized he was replying to her, only that meant that her eyes dropped - briefly - to his lips. “I care about what they think, of course - they love me and just want to make sure I’m cared for when they are gone.” Though that was a topic she didn’t like to think about. Dragging her gaze upwards again, she met his gaze. “They’d never force me to marry someone I wouldn’t approve of, too. Love may not be what I feel immediately, but it can eventually come. It did for them, and I’m sure it’d be the same for me.”
She knew that there were other people who ended up trapped in relationships and unhappy marriages, but she trusted her parents and couldn’t even begin to think that might happen to her.
While Michael was close enough he searched Tandy’s eyes. She was convinced of what she said. She trusted her parents. Possibly too much, in his opinion. He’d seen it, or heard about it, often enough before. Some greedy son played at promises of devotion and care to win a wealthy bride only to show his true, monstrous colors once the parents and the bride couldn’t do anything about it. God knew the Crown and the Church didn’t care that a woman was isolated or worse by her lawful husband.
He didn’t want that for Tandy, but he told himself it wasn’t any of his business. Michael frowned at the thought before he pulled away from her. “Sounds like the rain has stopped. We should get you back to your fate.”
She blinked when he pulled away and glanced towards her horse and the outside, not having realized that she no longer heard the rain. “....Alright,” she said, though the way he’d phrased it made her feel less than willing to leave immediately. Tucking her hair back behind her ear, Tandy got to her feet and reached over to pick up her cloak as well, then walked over to her horse to give the mare the rest of the apple from before.
Swinging the cloak over her shoulders, Tandy began to untie the mare’s reins before she looked over at Michael. “How far from town are we now?”
He would have gladly taken her anywhere other than home. Shown her what the world could offer. Michael understood, however, that the known was far less scary than the unknown, even if what was familiar was worse than any surprise on the road. To him, his way of life meant freedom while hers was little more than slavery. He was a little surprised at his own vehemence on the matter, but it was only for her. Any other woman could go rot for all he cared.
“An hour’s time,” he answered as he settled his own cloak into place. “Maybe less. Faster if we both rode.” But he didn’t have a horse. He would have to ride pillion to her, and he doubted she’d approve of that suggestion.
“Bella’s strong enough to carry us both,” she offered before tying her cloak and leading the mare away from his shelter. After a look over at Michael, she shifted her dress to slide one booted foot into a stirrup, then pulled herself up and into place in the saddle before adjusting her skirts again. Shifting forward, Tandy removed her feet from the stirrups and held out the reins so he could mount as well, not minding the fact that it would mean that his arms would be wrapped around her while they rode.
“We should go while there’s still enough light to see by.”
Michael looked at this woman who possessed more than a few conflicting hints. One moment she declared her dedication to traditions that put her last in a line of importance. The next she all but invited him to save her from herself. Finally, he sighed then planted his foot onto the stirrup to swing himself up behind her.
She was going to be the ruin of him. He just knew it. But a big part of him said it would be worth it to hold her for half a mark’s time.
“Hold on.” The warning was given just before he put his heels to the mare’s ribs. Poor Bella gave a startled nicker just before she lurched into a fast canter.
Michael had a firm grip on the reins to keep the mare in his control, but a wild grin was on his face…only after he spat Tandy’s hair out of his face. He wanted to give the lady a taste of what it meant to be free. It was far from the expectations of noble life, rough and sometimes uncomfortable, but your destiny was in your own hands.
The feeling of him settled behind her was comforting and thrilling in a way she didn’t quite understand, but chose not to think too hard about - and very quickly, all thoughts were gone from her mind for a moment when he suddenly sent them flying through the trees with barely a warning. Tandy stifled a cry as she was suddenly pressed hard against his chest, her hands grasping his arms instinctively as they rode. After a minute or so, she let out a laugh of delight - it was rare she managed to ride Bella this quickly, and she really did like the speed and the feel of the wind rushing past them even as damp branches threatened to pull them from the saddle while they rode.
And for a few minutes, Tandy didn’t want to go back home right away, and instead would rather stay right where she was without worrying about some suitor she might have to please in the near future.
He was almost entirely undone when she leaned against him. Michael felt his heart give a wild thump that had nothing to do with the adrenaline rush of racing a horse through the woods. The temptation to bury his nose into her hair, breathe in the scent of her skin was almost too much to resist, but he kept himself to accepting the closeness in lieu of potentially getting that knife of hers in his thigh. Or worse.
Her laugh, however, was infectious. He laughed along with her. Were there anyone else in the wood that night they could be forgiven for thinking banshees rode the evening air. In a way, Michael hoped some rumor or another would develop from this. His own immortality. And hers.
They burst back onto the King’s Road where he hauled the mare into a sharp turn toward the village. He did draw her back to a trot, however, not wanting to wear the poor thing out.
“You could ride like that whenever you want,” he whispered into Tandy’s ear. “No one out here can stop you.”
When they hit the road and then slowed, her own breathing was nearly as fast as the horse’s, and she shivered when Michael’s lips brushed her ear and he whispered into it. Her grip on his arms loosened a little, and she turned her head a little, just enough so that she could see his face as she gave him a bright smile.
“I’ll have to do that more often,” she said softly, and for a moment she stayed just like that, all too willing to study his face after that short but wild ride.
Michael could see the individual speckles in Tandy’s eyes from this distance. There was far more to them than what could be seen normally. He felt he could fall into them and be content forever to just exist in their depths.
Words wouldn’t come. What could he say? This would be the last time they spoke. This one moment in all of time. Something within Michael told him that if he only had this one moment with her, then by damn it would be memorable. Even if it did end painfully.
It was only the smallest of adjustments in his seat to find her lips with his. She could geld him if she wished, but he would always know what her kiss tasted like.
Something kept her from looking forward again as he stared down at her, and she could recognize the moment he'd decided to lean forward, which meant that she could have stopped him, had she wanted to.
Instead, Tandy didn't move for a moment as his lips descended onto hers, making up her own decision not to pull away or protest what was about to happen. As their lips touched, her eyelids fluttered a little, then slowly closed and she began to return the kiss. This should have felt more awkward thanks to how they were positioned and the fact that Bella was still trotting, but all Tandy really felt was that she wanted it to happen.
One of her hands left his arm entirely and lifted to cup his cheek as the kiss deepened. She'd never felt such strong attraction before, but Tandy didn't want to ignore it, despite knowing that her family would never approve.
Michael had kissed other lasses before, but none of them had been like this. If he had to apply a word to how it felt that word would be Pure. There was nothing scheming or greedy in the touch of their lips. It seemed to be just an expression, something they wanted together instead of one taking from the other. Whatever it was, the kiss made Michael’s world spin a little.
Which was why he was caught entirely off guard.
An armored hand wrenched the reins from Michael’s hands just before he was shoved from the saddle. He landed on the road hard, the breath knocked out of him as all he could do was curl into a ball to keep from being trampled by the horse of a guard Tandy would recognize.
The guard that took hold of Bella’s reins made certain to get Tandy’s attention while his partner kept Michael on the ground. “M’lady. Are you unhurt?”
For Tandy, there had been the occasional other kiss in the past - a bold suitor or a servant’s son - though those had been more out of curiosity than anything else. This felt entirely different, and she wanted to revel in it and explore just why he evoked these feelings in her.
All too quickly, it came to an end as he was pushed away from her and hit the ground. Her eyes snapped open in shock and her gaze fell on her family’s guards as Bella danced beneath her, away from where Michael lay on the road.
“Wh-what? Of course - I’m fine.” Her thoughts caught up to what was happening, and Tandy twisted in the saddle to glare at the other soldier. “Help him up - he saved my life and I won’t have you treating him this way!” Before she could continue, the one holding her horse still lifted a parchment for her to see, and on it was a drawing of Michael along with a reward.
“He’s a criminal, M’lady. Doubtless he was bringing you home to extort your father.”
Michael wouldn’t deny he was a criminal, but he was surprised there was a warrant on his head. Maybe he had lingered in one place longer than was healthy for him. Oh well. To have had just that one kiss from Tandy had been worth it.
He made to stand up, but as soon as he did the hoof of the guard’s horse connected with his head. He let out a grunt as blood flowed from the gash made on his forehead and he got lost in a daze.
“Take her back to her father,” the guard ordered the other. “And be certain to give him a full report.” This guard was older. He recognized a woman who wasn’t being forced into affection, and he highly disapproved of Lady Tandy’s behavior. “I’ll bring this one back in shackles.”
“No - he deserves a reward,” she insisted, pushing the paper out of her face and looking back at Michael again. When he fell to the ground, bleeding, she started to try to climb down from the horse, but the other guard kept a firm hand on Bella’s reins and started to lead her away.
“Don’t hurt him!” She ordered the first guard, not caring about the disapproval on his face or what they were going to tell her father. Before she could try to get down again, she was already being pulled further down the road and out of sight, and all she could think was that she needed to talk to her parents to make sure he’d be released.