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Chapter Three
Endymion allowed his horse to slow when they entered the woods.
"I don't know why he treats me like a child," he muttered to his horse, "I can do things on my own - I don't need watching all the time." The prince sighed, "Why doesn't any one understand that?"
His horse was not a good conversation partner as he focused on trying to make his way through the forest. Despite what the prince thought, his gelding was not happy at having to make his own trail. The animal snorted his dislike.
Endymion looked around at the trees and smiled, his bad mood fading away. It looked like no one had ever set foot in this part of the forest before. He really was an explorer now, venturing off to parts unknown. When he got older, he wanted to do this all the time, but he figured he had to start somewhere.
"Now this is more like it," he said to his horse, "I'll do something great today yet."
The horse stopped to eat something off the ground, but Endymion tugged his reins to keep him moving.
They hadn't gone much father when suddenly the horse stopped dead still, his ears swiveling in all directions as he sniffed the air.
"You can stop to eat later," Endymion said with a sigh.
Suddenly there was a whizzing sound as an arrow rushed past him and buried itself in a tree. His horse reared and it was all that Endymion could do to keep his seat.
"Woah boy! Easy! Easy..."
The animal lowered back to all fours, but pranced nervously.
The sound of laughter made him look up.
"You seem to be having trouble with your horse, boy," a man stepped out of the trees. He was dressed in dark browns and greens and he looked dirty.
"I'm fine," Endymion said quickly.
More men appeared from behind the trees.
"You seem lost," the speaker approached him.
"I'm not lost," Endymion said, watching them uneasily.
They rushed at him. One man took the bridle of the horse while two others pulled the prince off his horse.
"Hey!" he struggled.
"Let's see what we have in here," one of the men took the saddle bags off to go through them.
"Put those back!" Endymion squirmed.
"Ooh, this is a pretty trinket," he looked a pocket knife over.
"That's mine!"
Kunzite had been trailing Endymion. The boy left a track through the forest that a blind man could follow. He urged his horse along. The prince had rushed off before Kunzite had had a chance to tell him there were gangs of bandits in the forest.
He sighed to himself when he saw the prince's horse... and the six men.
"Kunzite!" Endymion shouted.
Kunzite sighed again. So much for the element of surprise. He dismounted from his horse, making sure his sword was visible. "Let him go."
The lead bandit laughed, "So the young lord has a friend. Let's see if he has any valuables."
Endymion bristled. "I am not a 'young lord'!"
The bandits laughed.
"Unhand me!" Endymion ordered, "Do you know who I am?"
Kunzite was shaking his head, but Endymion ignored him. "I am Prince Endymion - Crown Prince of Terra."
Kunzite groaned.
"Prince Endymion?" the leader's eyes grew wide.
"That's right," Endymion said imperially, "Now let go of me!"
"Just imagine the ransom we can get from him!"
"You won't be getting any ransom," Kunzite drew his sword, "One more warning. Let him go."
The bandits drew their own weapons.
"There are six of us and one of you," the leader said, "If you go now, we'll let you walk out of this forest alive."
"I am not leaving without Endymion," Kunzite said.
"Your choice," the bandit leader said, and then nodded to the others, "Kill him."
"No!" Endymion cried out, but the bandit holding him pressed the knife closer to Endymion's throat. The prince whimpered and closed his eyes.
Kunzite narrowed his focus. He leapt out of the way as the two rushed at him, kicking one into the other. He was glad that Endymion was trapped on the other side of the clearing - he didn't need to worry about the prince getting in the way. Then he had no time to think about anything else.
Only the sound of the swords and the grunts of the bandits.
Only the scent of sweat and blood.
Endymion tried to watch for a few minutes, but he couldn't see what was happening. Kunzite had his sword in one hand and a knife in the other, but he couldn't tell how well the Shitennou was doing. He had to close his eyes again.
The knife against his throat vanished, and he heard running feet... running away from him. He cautiously opened his eyes.
Kunzite straightened and turned to the prince. Endymion looked around. It seemed the fight was over. The Shitennou hurried over to him. "Endy. Are you alright?"
He was shaking, "Kunzite... I... I..."
"Are you hurt?" he told hold of the prince's shoulders.
Endymion shook his head.
"Good. Let's go home." He led Endymion over to the horse and boosted him up into the saddle.
Endymion just sat there numbly, letting Kunzite lead the horse. He glanced down and blinked as he saw three of the robbers... he recognized the leader. They were lying on the ground, face down.
"Kunzite?..."
"Yes?"
"Are they?..."
"Yes."
"Did you?..."
"Yes."
Kunzite mounted his own horse and rode back along the path, leading Endymion's horse. The prince couldn't take his eyes off the bandits.
"Don't look," Kunzite said, a bit distracted by trying to control two restive horses, "Watch where we are going, not where we've been."
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