It was hard to distinguish who the blood belonged to that was steadily dripping in the snow. Archer noticed the evidence of their escape and began trying to kick as much loose snow onto the specks and footprints as he could as he ran. The last thing he wanted was for a hunting party to easily track them through the woods. Applying pressure to Shuien's wounds proved to be a frivilous task as the jolting of him running just caused his hand to release the pressure with every step. Every stride that happened, a little more and more blood to spill out. Luckily, the cold weather seemed to slow the bleeding significantly. After a couple miles, the prince stopped to catch his breath. Placing his master down gently against a rock and he knelt down to try and address Shuiens wound. Although requiring more effort than it should have as it was frozen on his chest, the fabric that covered the wound finally broke free.
The multitude of wounds seemed as though they would bleed forever. The skin didn't seem to be mangled like so many other people had been back in Draconvale. Archer reached under the straps of his cuirass the rip of strips of his tunic. It was not hard to tear the strips as the wolf earlier had already turned parts of it into ribbons. After finding the cleanest pieces, he stripped on of the down further and began to stuff the pieces into the individual wounds. The master jolted out of his stupor and let out a loud yell. Scaring the hell out of Archer, relief filled him as he witnessed life reappear, however; Shuien's eyes rolled back into his skull and he fell limp, his shallow breathing reinvigorated Archer's concern.
-------------
Sunlight blared through the window of the house, causing Shuien to wake up. The spot next to him in bed was empty but still warm. Throwing the covers off of himself, he pulled his legs over the side of the bed where he placed his feet on the wood floor which was warm from the sunlight that flooded across the room. Shaking the light headed feeling away that followed his stretch, he walked past the mirror, he stopped to inspect what remained of the wound on his left side that had finally started to close. He had returned from a hunt several days prior. As a bounty hunter, the higher the price, the more danger that the mission usually entails.
His target: Hennet Frentrel.
He never had mercy on the people he was robbing and he made a name for himself as he had a tendency to loot, rape and kill anyone who stood in his way. After a string of caravan robbings, the local area placed a substantial reward on the thief, dead or alive.
Shuien was the leader on a small group of skilled hunters that helped him track and capture various different bounties and he always made sure to split the money equally between the other three men and himself. During the job, Shuien had took the disguise as a jeweler the night of the hunt, almost guaranteeing that he would be a target for the criminal. As expected, Frentrel and his thugs appeared with swords ready and began to harass the party. Part way through his demands, the criminal had spotted Shuiens armor that wasn't completely concealed and ended up attacking him without warning. The blade had sliced a large gash along his side, but luckily it missed any vital organs. Shuiens party was able to dispatch the thug afterwards and bandage Shuien up enough to make the trip back. With the head claimed, their hunt was over and they went back home.
Shuien examined the mark: the tissue had started to regrow, mending the blood vessels and the muscle that was underneath. The skin over the surface was starting to get hard as the scar was beginning to set in. Feeling a sense of pride mixed with worry with his new battle wound, he walked out of the room to see his wife cooking a stew in the kettle that was hanging over fire of the the stone fireplace. She had only his tunic on and her undergarments on as she stood up at the sound of his footsteps. Her entire being was phenomenal to Shuiens tired eyes, both internal and external, making any thoughts of what had transpired completely dissipate from memory in that moment.
She was known within their little community very well. Her name was Roselle and it was a name that fit her well. Her hair was as red as blood and those eyes were as blue as the clearest ocean reflecting the blue sky from it. She had freckles speckled throughout her face that highlighted her natural beauty even further. Her body betrayed any thought of chastity due to the slight marks along her sides from bearing a child, She still had the swelling in her breasts from feeding their newborn baby and the shirt she had on wasn't quite large enough to hide the curves that protruded from underneath the seams. Shuien reached under the tunic and traced his fingers along these marks at her sides as he embraced her.
"I don't think that belongs to you, m'lady." he whispered in her ear as squeezed his arms around her tighter still, pulling her close to him.
She turned quickly to face him, smirking. Strands of her red hair were lingering in her face as she stared into his gray eyes. She lightly pecked his lips, "Maybe I take what I want," she giggled as she stared jokingly with her blue eyes.
"Keep that up and you're gonna end up with a price on your head." Shuien retorted back, slowly lowering his hands to cup her behind, lifting her heels off the ground before letting go again..
"Well Mr. Bounty Hunter, I assume it would be you who would accept the arduous task of bringing me in. Unless your scared of being bested. I've already bested you once.." She her fingers across his chest and glances at the baby that was sleeping in it's makeshift bed, in the warmth of the sun. She looks back at him with a giddy smile started to pull away from him slightly. As quickly as a snake goes after its prey, Shuien grabbed her by the waist, hoisting her up and over his shoulder.
"Ohh-hoooho, we will see who bests who."
Crossing the threshold to the room, Shuien gives her a slap on the rear before lifting her off his shoulder and laying her down across the bed. His body was already enveloped between her thighs as her arms grabbed behind his neck, pulling him in.
Her kiss intoxicated him.
Her scent made him ravenous.
Using his hand to feel the softness of her skin, it made its way underneath the tunic, pulling her tight into his body as they began to press together. Letting out a soft moan into his mouth, her body began flow along his. She parted her lips as she traced her tongue along his lips. Shuien sat up after this, his head still in a daze, and removed the tunic that Roselle had on. After pausing a brief moment to admire what was before him, Shuien pulled himself down and began kissing along her body, started at her thighs. Working his way up, he paid a little extra attention to her waist, unable to control his hands as the traced the parts of her body that his mouth hadn't reached yet.
Finally having made his way back to where he started at the beginning, her red cheeks almost matched the crimson of her hair and her blue eyes burned a longing into his grey eyes. Reaching behind her neck, he pulls her in for another deep kiss. Roselle further entangles her body with Shuien as the the sun shined across the room, further warming a room that was already burning up.
--
A couple months passed after that day, and Roselle was assisting the elderly neighbor in making bread as Shuien went the the tavern. The notice board was where all the recent bounties were set and were always free to grab - first come, first serve basis. After scouring the board for what felt like an eternity, he finally found his diamond. Rolling up the paper, he stowed it into his long black coat.
Roselle had presented it to him a fortnight ago. Usually, these knee-length coats were entirely too expensive to be purchased, however; she took the time meticulously seamed every stitch that held it together. The exterior of it was black leather. Using deer hide from various hunting trips Shuien had been on, there was no shortage of hide. She had learned how create iron salts that gave the coat its dark black look. The inside was line with hides that were used as blankets before, but being adjusted, they made for a very comfortable fit. Along with the various pockets spread throughout, it became one of Shuiens most treasured assets.
"This should be enough.. To start my own farm and settle down for good. I'll never have to leave again." The thought excited him. The thought of having to leave his loved ones created a pit in his chest.
"One last job."
One last job and he would have everything he needed to live simply and happily the rest of his life. As he walked further down the road, he waved back at a couple of passing people who recognized him. After passing the third one, he spotted his wife up ahead and she was hunched over, heaving. The elderly woman she was helping was rubbing her back, leaned over and whispering in her ear. Worried, Shuien took of into an immediate sprint.
"Is everything okay?!" He asked hurriedly, skidding to a stop as he arrived to his wife's side.
"She's fine. She's fine." The old lady said. "I will be right back my dear. I do believe I have some ginger hiding in the cabin somewhere."
As she walked off, Shuien squatted down in from of Roselle and grabbed her hands. Raising an eyebrow to her, he met her eyes.
"Love, is everything okay?"
Matching his gaze, Roselle smiled slightly, "I don't think there's much hiding it anymore. I'm am with another child."
Shuien fell back on his buttocks, half anxious and half excited. His heart began to slam in his chest like a drum. Roselle leaned over the rail of the chair to throw up again. Jumping up, he impatiently waited for his wife to finish as he leaned over to hold her hair. This wasn't his first rodeo, so he knew that once she was done that she would feel a little better. Finishing up, she wiped her mouth again and hugged him. He hugged her back, as tight as he could.
"This is it," he thought, "after this job, I'll also have another little one to come home to. Then I will never have to leave again."
Later that night, he provided the details of the job to his wife. It was a single target that he needed to bring back: dead or alive. Details of the job stated that he needed to bring the body as proof of the bounty complete. Quick and easy. He also made sure to address that this was his last job and he was hanging up his sword afterwards. She couldn't believe him when he said it, but the news made her seem urgent to get him gone so that he could come back to her sooner - for good. The news excited her.
He made sure to hold his woman as tight as he could the rest of that night. Kissing her when he felt the urge and she reciprocated with love with a furious passion that became an all night endeavor. Neither of them could sleep out of what they could only assume was anticipation or excitement, or both.
When the sun shined through the window, Shuien opened his eyes to see Roselle's side of the bed empty. He looked around for her around the cabin and saw no sign of her. He stood up and put on his clothes, followed by his coat. After, he walked outside to see his wife standing there. She had apparently gathered all of his supplies for him while he rested, and for this, he was grateful. He embraced his wife one more time and kissed her.
"You have places to be, my love." She spoke softly, resting her head on his chest slightly.
"This shouldn't take long. I love you my rose. Ich liebe dich." He muttered as he broke contact and placed a hand against her womb for a moment before looking over his wife's shoulder at the baby, with a smile he began to climb on his horse, which his wife had so caringly prepared for him. This was their way of saying I love you to each other, this was special to just them two.
"Ich liebe dich!" She yelled back, sounding sad but smiling none the less as his horse began to gallop away.
He gripped the reins of his horse tight as adrenaline began to flood his body. His stomach flipped around as he rendezvoused with his team that was already waiting on him outside of the tavern. Once they were all together, Shuien hiked the horse in the rips and they were off.
************
After riding for a day, the team stopped and set up camp. Their target was merchant who had a nasty habit of scamming people. They were expected to pass through their location in two days time. So at this point, they just needed to set up their provisions. After a brief effort from the team, everything was in place and set. Two of his teammates extremly large men. One of them had long blonde hair that mirrored his grissled beard and totted a club. The other totted a large war hammer that mostly matched his brown hair. They both had slightly protruding bellies and wore leather as their armor.
The third member of the team was of a smaller stature, the type of guy that would usually be overlooked for these types of missions, but his ability with a bow was unparalleled. As the scout, he usually surveyed the area that their target was suspected at arriving at or was living and always assessed the situation. His skill as a scout and a ranger was invaluable to the team.
Lastly, Shuien was the swordsman of the group. He was a royal guard before he got into trouble and was barred from the service, however; despite the hiccup, he was offered a training position for future guards that he turned down as he had just met Roselle.
************
The fight didn't last long. When the wagon came through on the second day, the full moon cast a dim light across the field. From the tree-line, Shuein and his men could see three men aboard the wagon. The driver and the person sitting next to him seemed off. Rambling and yelling slurred words, they were clearly drunk. The third man was in the back of the topless wagon, leaned over and counting various coins. The hunters stayed in the bushes as they waited for their signal to attack.
*CRASH!*
Two of the men were vaulted off when the horses tumbled into the trench that was dug when the provisions were made two days prior.
"NOW!" Yells Shuien as he takes off in a full sprint from the tree-line.
Arriving at the wreckage, Shuien caught the glimpse of a war hammer removing one guys head from their shoulders, causing it to collide with a tree nearby. An arrow lodged into the second guy causing him to scream out, cough blood and fall over the rest of the way. Raspy, choking breathing could be heard from him before his last breath left him.
Lastly, the final guy was already dead. The lurch from the wagon crashing caused him to launch airborne, impaling him on the wreckage of what remained from the wagon.
Content with their victory, they removed the body of the target from the wreckage and wrapped it after confirming the photo on the bounty sheet. They decided to rest for the remainder of the night after the encounter. They guys took their time sorting through what left of the wreckage and filling their pockets with whatever they could get their hands on. Regrettably the horses didn't make it out alive, but they went to bed cheering and partially drunk due to another successful mission being completed.
When the sun finally rose, they packed up camp, loaded the horses and set back out for the village. The ride was enjoyable, Shuien was done. He was ready to start his new life - his new leaf. As the sun began to set, there was the sight of smoke rising over the tree-line. Excitement coursed through everyone. Convenient timing! This meant that there was a fire and drink being passed around. So they heeled their horses in their sides and bolted to the town as fast as their steeds could carry them.