They were angry at first and thought they could overpower him with their numbers. It was 5 against 1. The first one pulled out a knife, and the others did the same. They didn't want to kill the lady, but they would kill this foreign man for interfering with their prey! The hood fell off the foreign man's head as he blocked and parried their knives. Alisa was too stunned to move at first, but noticed the man's silver hair and thought, He must be a warrior from Shibatsu.
She thought of how honorable Blaise was in the novel and hoped this man would be similar. She sighed in relief and started to attack the other men who had circled the man. They were trying to
attack from all sides to overwhelm him, but she distracted the attackers enough for the warrior to finish them off. He shook the blood from his blade with a flick and used one of their shirts to wipe it clean before he sheathed the sword.
Alisa watched him in silence as he looked nonplussed about killing 6 men. She was grateful to him for saving her, but also a little worried the man would get in trouble. Killing was punishable by death in some instances. This had been in defense of a lady, but she wasn't sure of the laws in this county. He noticed her worried expression and finally spoke to her, "I apologize if I scared you, my lady. I couldn't stand by and let those bandits defile you and ruin a lady's reputation." Alisa was momentarily put off by his words. She understood that women in this time valued their reputation and purity above anything else, but she was more concerned about being robbed. She didn't even have time to think about possibly being molested, or worse!
She suddenly started to shiver at the thought of what those men might have done to her if this brave stranger hadn't stepped in and saved her. He noticed her shivering and offered her his cloak.
Alisa was too out of it to deny his help. Her eyes were fixed on the dead bodies. So much blood! I can't believe he actually killed them! He led her away from the alleyway and towards a table outside the bakery. He went inside and ordered another cup of tea to help calm her nerves. Alisa accepted
it mindfully and sipped it silently. Finally, after she finished the tea, she had calmed down enough to talk. "Thank you for saving me back there." She was embarrassed that she needed saving, but grateful to him.
He blushed slightly at her thanks, "It is a warrior's duty to save a damsel in distress. I was only doing my job. Why are you outside alone, if I may ask?"
She didn't know this man and didn't want to tell him that she ran away from home in case he took her back to her brother. He seemed to be honorable, so she decided to tell him a partial truth. "My father died recently, and my mother died during childbirth. I am traveling to the Independent Nation of Kanta. I have cousins who live there."
He had heard of the Independent Nation of Kanta. It used to be a ruined nation, but after his friend Blaise left and returned to ask for warriors to help rebuild their army, he regretted not going with them. He had always wanted adventure, but he didn't want to risk 3 months at sea for nothing. After he heard about how advanced their fledgling nation had become and how quickly it had grown, he debated going overseas in the spring when the next ship was available. There were only 2 times a year that the ships made the journey, once in the spring and again at the end of summer.
The ocean was too dangerous to travel on during the winter. Too many people had died at sea after going overboard and then freezing to death. The ship's captain decided it was not worth it!
For now, Zed was satisfying his wanderlust by traveling around the continent. He thought that the Kingdom of Lancri would need a warrior after the recent civil war with the Kingdom of Gayla. He had already made his way through the Kingdom of Nyria and thought it was strange that women were in charge of that kingdom.
Shiatsu and Nyria had similar customs, other than the matriarchy of Nyria. As a male warrior, he felt that women should be protected and not in charge. This petite young lady needed his help and protection. It wouldn't be a bad idea to offer his services as a bodyguard and escort her to Kanta. It had worked out well for his friend Blaise, from what he heard based on the letters he sent back after they got married.
This young lady was beautiful. He had never seen hair and eyes like hers. He could see himself marrying her. They would have beautiful children, she could stay at home and take care of the
children, while he would join the Kanta warriors. His warrior friends from Shibatsu would be welcoming, and she had cousins in the tribe.
While Zed was daydreaming about his future with Alisa, she finally remembered that she hadn't introduced herself. "My name is Alisa, by the way. What's your name? Are you from Shibatsu?"
Her questions woke him from his daydream, and he answered her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Alisa. My name is Zed. I am indeed a warrior from Shibatsu. If I may be so bold as to offer, I would be honored to escort you to the Independent Nation of Kanta. I know the warriors who went overseas a few years ago, and I am planning to go on the next ship. You will need someone to protect you while you travel. It's not safe for a lady such as yourself to travel alone."
She wanted to deny his offer, but then remembered what happened earlier today. Her thoughts turned dark as she remembered how the bandits tried to rob and rape her. This society was
different, and as much as it hurt her pride as an independent modern woman, she thought it might be best to accept his offer. She didn't know anyone else who was willing to travel across the world with her, and he seemed honorable enough.