lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

Laurence shook his head, chewing at his lip, and screwed his face up into a worried frown. “You shouldn’t stay.” He turned to look at his sister too, and then he squared his small shoulders. “You can protect her. Take her with you.” He nodded very seriously. “You should go before he comes back.”

Sir Isaac’s eyes widened and he tilted his head to the side, a variety of expressions playing about his features. “But then you’ll all be alone,” he stated softly, not wanting to make that decision without Summer’s input. “I couldn’t do that, Laurence.”

Laurence’s face crumpled, and he began to cry. “You said you were a real knight! You said you protected people. Why won’t you protect my sister?!”

His wails brought Summer around, and she put a hand to her head, making a quiet sound of pain. “Laurence,” she whispered, and struggled to sit up.

lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

The boy’s eyes grew round, and all the other children abandoned Summer’s limp, shallowly breathing form to crowd around Sir Isaac. Curiously they poked at his armor and one of the other little boys picked up his sword, which was bigger than the child. Laurence said, in a tiny voice, “Real knights protect people. Don’t they?”

Smiling tenderly as he allowed the children their moment of curiosity, Sir Isaac’s eyes darted back to rest on Summer’s prone frame, hoping that she would awaken soon. At the question though, he turned to face them, reaching out to pat the boy on the shoulder. “I promise to do my very best, Laurence. I’ll sit out here all night if I have to.”

Laurence shook his head, chewing at his lip, and screwed his face up into a worried frown. “You shouldn’t stay.” He turned to look at his sister too, and then he squared his small shoulders. “You can protect her. Take her with you.” He nodded very seriously. “You should go before he comes back.”

lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

Two or three of the children — the older ones — instantly made a shushing sound when he said ‘bad man’. All of them looked a little fearful. The little boy seemed to relax when Sir Isaac crouched down. “This is Summer. She’s my sister. I’m Laurence,” he added, almost as an afterthought. “Are you a real knight?”

Sir Isaac nodded and ensured that he remained at their eye level, gracing them with a small smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Laurence. And I promise not to go until your big sister is awake again, just in case the bad man comes back.” He chuckled lowly then and nodded, curls flopping down to make him look a little younger. “Sir Isaac, at your service, your majesty.” He teased playfully, adding a little bow for measure.

The boy’s eyes grew round, and all the other children abandoned Summer’s limp, shallowly breathing form to crowd around Sir Isaac. Curiously they poked at his armor and one of the other little boys picked up his sword, which was bigger than the child. Laurence said, in a tiny voice, “Real knights protect people. Don’t they?”

lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

Several of the children crept over the wall, patting at the maiden’s face and hands. One of them, a boy of about four, stood between Sir Isaac and Summer, hands on his hips and trying very hard to look fierce. “You can’t hurt her!” he declared, defiantly. One of the little girls began to cry.

A fearful expression flickered across Sir Isaac’s face and he cast his sword aside before dropping into a crouch and gazing at the gathering of children before him. “I wouldn’t hurt her — I’m nothing like that bad man, I promise. I want to help her…can any of you tell me her name?”

Two or three of the children — the older ones — instantly made a shushing sound when he said ‘bad man’. All of them looked a little fearful. The little boy seemed to relax when Sir Isaac crouched down. “This is Summer. She’s my sister. I’m Laurence,” he added, almost as an afterthought. “Are you a real knight?”

lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

“Y-you cut me!” Sir Kit whimpered, letting go of Summer. She collapsed to the ground in a dead faint while Sir Kit dropped his sword in the dust to clutch at the spurting stump. “You can’t do that! Y-you — I’m telling my father!” He scrambled away, abandoning his sword and leaving little drops of blood in the dust. It took him a couple tries to mount his horse, what with the horse objecting to the smell of the blood and Sir Kit being very ginger with his right hand, and then he tore off down the road, accompanied by fading yelps of pain.

“Of course — those sorts of injuries heal, but what you are doing and planning on inflicting on that poor woman will not. I have faith that if I were to hand her the sword right now, then she would probably react the same way,” Sir Isaac stated before he straightened up, a smirk twisting on his features. That’s right…run to daddy.” He shook his head in exasperation before he finally turned to Summer, his expression softening as he held out his hand. “I’m so sorry…”

Several of the children crept over the wall, patting at the maiden’s face and hands. One of them, a boy of about four, stood between Sir Isaac and Summer, hands on his hips and trying very hard to look fierce. “You can’t hurt her!” he declared, defiantly. One of the little girls began to cry.

lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

Sir Kit’s eyes darkened with rage. “They are mine!” he screeched, flailing with his sword. His anger seemed to have driven whatever training he had right out of his head, and he chopped haphazardly at Sir Isaac for a few moments before turning around and grabbing Summer by the wrist again.

Laughing madly, Sir Kit pulled her in front of him, with her whimpering in terror. He groped her, watching Sir Isaac with a crazy light in his eyes. “You’re too decent to stop me,” he said, sword still wavering between them.

Sir Isaac’s eyes widened ever so slightly as the other male appeared to lose his sanity right before him, and it was only due to his rigorous training as well as his desire for self-preservation and survival that he effortlessly continued to duck and weave his way through each of the oncoming attacks.

But as the girl was grabbed, Sir Isaac momentarily cast aside his Knighthood and became just an ordinary man with a sword, hell-bent on protecting the innocent civilian being victimised before him. Without any further hesitation, he tore his sword through the air to slice the blade clean through the thumb on Sir Kit’s right hand, wincing internally as the blade sawed through bone.

“Y-you cut me!” Sir Kit whimpered, letting go of Summer. She collapsed to the ground in a dead faint while Sir Kit dropped his sword in the dust to clutch at the spurting stump. “You can’t do that! Y-you — I’m telling my father!” He scrambled away, abandoning his sword and leaving little drops of blood in the dust. It took him a couple tries to mount his horse, what with the horse objecting to the smell of the blood and Sir Kit being very ginger with his right hand, and then he tore off down the road, accompanied by fading yelps of pain.

lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

Sir Kit’s mouth gaped open before he began to laugh uproariously. “And I suppose you think you’ll be the one to make all those things happen, Sir Isaac? This is my land, and my father’s land, and I’ll do what I like here. And you will do nothing about it.” He pushed Sir Isaac’s blade away, totally unconcerned about the rivulet of blood it left behind.

He didn’t give any warning when he attacked, either, and Summer screamed. Even as he lunged forward, intending to run Sir Isaac through, he carried on insulting. “I have to wonder why you’re so concerned about the peasants here — perhaps one of them is your sister? Or maybe your mother. Probably your mother.”

Sir Isaac glowered as menacingly as he could muster, the effect somewhat ruined by the light breeze ruffling his unruly curls. Frowning at the male before him, he nodded and then began to speak slowly, as if he were conversing with a child, or someone lacking of intelligence; the latter quite likely in this particular case. “Of course I do. Why else would I be confronting you in this manner with my sword, unless I intended to win this battle? Although now it appears to be a battle of wits and words, I have no problem dissolving into violence if that makes my message sink in.”

Managing just to whack the hilt of his sword off of the other male’s chin, he dove and rolled out of the wave with effortless ease, then his eyes darkened at the other male’s following words. “My mother is dead, so that would be quite impossible. And I’m concerned because I’m a decent human being, not a monster, like you.”

Sir Kit’s eyes darkened with rage. “They are mine!” he screeched, flailing with his sword. His anger seemed to have driven whatever training he had right out of his head, and he chopped haphazardly at Sir Isaac for a few moments before turning around and grabbing Summer by the wrist again.

Laughing madly, Sir Kit pulled her in front of him, with her whimpering in terror. He groped her, watching Sir Isaac with a crazy light in his eyes. “You’re too decent to stop me,” he said, sword still wavering between them.

lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

Sir Kit slapped Sir Isaac’s sword aside contemptuously. “You get off that fucking horse or I’ll cut you off it. Are you actually going to fight me or just ponce about up there, flourishing that piece of tin? I’m not wasting time breaking lances with the bottom boy of the Hales.”

Summer, meanwhile, stared at the young knight, heart pounding for an entirely different reason. The moment he removed his helm, she found her gaze fixed; she could not look away. He was the most gorgeous specimen of young manhood she had ever seen, and her heart melted within her.

“And what exactly do you mean by that, you insufferable brute? I’m just as much a Hale as they are – blood means nothing to me, unless it’s yours being spilled out across this land.” Sir Isaac sneered, an ugly scowl twisting across his features as he slid off of the horse and landed on the ground with a light thump.

“Now firstly – I want you to apologise to that fair maiden – you’ve probably traumatised her, and I won’t stand for that. Then you will apologise to the children cowering in the building behind her.” Sir Isaac’s sword pressed into the jugular of the male, eyes flashing with rage. “And then finally you leave before I’m forced to make an example of you. Tell me, how would you feel about being left here for the birds and local wildlife to feast on your flesh?”

Sir Kit’s mouth gaped open before he began to laugh uproariously. “And I suppose you think you’ll be the one to make all those things happen, Sir Isaac? This is my land, and my father’s land, and I’ll do what I like here. And you will do nothing about it.” He pushed Sir Isaac’s blade away, totally unconcerned about the rivulet of blood it left behind.

He didn’t give any warning when he attacked, either, and Summer screamed. Even as he lunged forward, intending to run Sir Isaac through, he carried on insulting. “I have to wonder why you’re so concerned about the peasants here — perhaps one of them is your sister? Or maybe your mother. Probably your mother.”

lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

“How dare you?” Sir Kit seethed. Wrenching Summer behind him and throwing her to the ground, he growled, “Stay put, wench. I’ll be back for you as soon as I’ve run off this interfering mongrel false knight.” Sobbing with fear, she pressed herself back against the wall, many small hands reaching over to pat at her shoulders.

Sir Kit stalked over to his horse and drew his own sword with a steely rasp. “You’re not a Hale man,” he sneered. “Hale men know better than to come into the lands of the Argents and throw their weight around. Argents don’t recognise Hale authority! You’re just an interfering bastard with some pretty toys who’s going to get his face broken in a minute, before I get back to dealing with my property.”

He advanced on Sir Isaac, jabbing at Buttons’ belly and hind legs. “You gonna fight, or are you all talk, pretty boy?”

“False Knight?” he spluttered indignantly and actually reeled back a little, before tugging off his helmet and clipping it to the side of Buttons’ saddle. Perhaps it wasn’t wise of him to be adding to the skin on show, but he needed to be able to see what was going on, and he wanted this monster to see his face when he was defeated.

“I may not be Hale in name but I’m a Hale in spirit – they practically raised me as one of their own, after all. I fight like one if you really want to test me…which I’m assuming you do if your actions are anything to go by?” he stated with an indifferent shrug. But then when Buttons was prodded, Isaac thrust the tip of his sword under the male’s chin with a blurring motion, eyes flashing with rage. 

“I would thank you never to do that again, or you will find your fingertips separated from the rest of your body.”

Sir Kit slapped Sir Isaac’s sword aside contemptuously. “You get off that fucking horse or I’ll cut you off it. Are you actually going to fight me or just ponce about up there, flourishing that piece of tin? I’m not wasting time breaking lances with the bottom boy of the Hales.”

Summer, meanwhile, stared at the young knight, heart pounding for an entirely different reason. The moment he removed his helm, she found her gaze fixed; she could not look away. He was the most gorgeous specimen of young manhood she had ever seen, and her heart melted within her.

lycanthropelahey:

iamthefirechild:

Sir Kit tightened his grip on Summer’s wrist, causing her to cry out in pain, and pulled her with him as he spun around to meet Sir Isaac’s gaze. “I own this wench and I shall do with her as I please! Who do you think you are, giving orders in Argent lands?”

Summer struggled despairingly, frightened by both the knave holding her so tightly and the anonymous young knight looming on his horse. “Please let me go,” she cried, “I’ve done nothing wrong! Please, my lord!” 

“Of course I am – I am a noble knight whereas you are not even worthy as being labelled as scum on the bottom of my shoe. What gives you the right to attack this poor woman, especially with children nearby?” Sir Isaac called out as he slid off of Buttons with an elegant ease, wielding his sword out if it came to the moment of imminent attack.

“And I am Sir Isaac, from the land of Derek the Hale – you would do well to honour my request lest you find your body impaled upon my sword.” He jabbed said item forwards to add to the threat, the girl’s cries causing him to hiss. “Unhand her at once!”

“How dare you?” Sir Kit seethed. Wrenching Summer behind him and throwing her to the ground, he growled, “Stay put, wench. I’ll be back for you as soon as I’ve run off this interfering mongrel false knight.” Sobbing with fear, she pressed herself back against the wall, many small hands reaching over to pat at her shoulders.

Sir Kit stalked over to his horse and drew his own sword with a steely rasp. “You’re not a Hale man,” he sneered. “Hale men know better than to come into the lands of the Argents and throw their weight around. Argents don’t recognise Hale authority! You’re just an interfering bastard with some pretty toys who’s going to get his face broken in a minute, before I get back to dealing with my property.”

He advanced on Sir Isaac, jabbing at Buttons’ belly and hind legs. “You gonna fight, or are you all talk, pretty boy?”