[b]Miriam
Chapter 22: Brothers dear[/b]

She could probably outrun this man, although he seemed agile, a hunter undoubtedly, but his bow was larger and sturdier than Miriam's own, and the sword that he carried would slow him down as well. She would have to slink in between some houses if he tried to shoot at her with it. Perhaps it was even possible that she could draw her knife before he co- The man laughed, which interrupted her thought process.
	"I know what you must be thinking but you need not worry, I'm not dangerous..." He paused and pondered his statement for a minute before correcting himself with an allowing sway of the hand.
	"Well. I most certainly am dangerous - You can see that, you know a killer's face when you see it." He smiled ruggedly down at her and tugged lightly on the sash that held his bow. "Don't you?" He inquired. Miriam blinked and without thought she found herself answering.
	"Yes." She struck a frown and regretted immediately having replied, she took a step forward, head lowered and attempted to pass the hunter. He remained in the way, even leaning his hand against the wall that stood at their side to block her path. She considered for a moment to duck beneath it but didn't want to give him the satisfaction, she raised her head and stared up at the taller man.
	"Let me pass." She said sternly. He quirked his sly smile, this close she could smell the forest on his body and the alcohol in his breath.
	"Sorry. No can do. You see, I've got a job to do."
	"What do I care?" Miriam replied. She was getting frustrated now.
	"Well. Far as I know, you could be working with the Black-Robes." The man lowered his gaze and scanned Miriam for a short while. "Though, I've never seen any lovely women with 'em before..." That was about as much as Miriam was going to put up with. She grasped the hunter's arm and she jerked it up so that she could pass, she twisted and ended up on the opposite side. The man had stumbled, lost his footing since he was leaning against the wall and he scrambled to adjust his feet now without the balance. He looked to Miriam as she was already leaving. Leia had rushed around the other way and already exited onto the main street and Miriam was quick behind, she turned and spared the man a look.
	"Lovely enough for ya?" She laughed but was cut short as the man had refocused far more quickly than Miriam had anticipated, now he came running after her without remorse. Miriam twisted her feet into the snow and performed the self-defense art taught to her long ago which she had now perfected through years of training; Running. 


[hider=My Hider]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAYL0nG_ZfU
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Miriam had been right, she was faster. Leia ran by her side, the dog could easily outrun Miriam but kept pace, she sent a jolly bark over to Miriam but grew silent as she quickly realized that this moment was one of seriousness. Miriam entered the main street, which for the town was admittedly rather wide. She sprinted across the snow-covered cobble path, kicking up snow as she did, she held onto the sash of her swinging bag and more than once got hit by the tip of her bow in the head. She looked back as she had come across the path and she saw the man coming after her, he shouted something into the air though Miriam did not pay attention to what. She turned back and headed inbetween two wooden houses, the alley was very narrow and Leia came in after Miriam. There was a wooden fence that jutted out of one of the houses, hay littered the ground, it was probably a stable of some kind. Miriam braced and then sprung over the tall fence, she slid on the snow when she landed and looked back to Leia, but the dog had already pounced across the fence with similar ease, the large canine landed next to her and again barked excitedly, she even skipped about some. Miriam moved her gaze and looked to search for their pursuer but there was no sight, she turned and jogged at a brisk pace down the alleyway, if she could get further away from here she'd feel so much more safe.

She came down into a crossroads, the alleys criss-crossed between the few houses of the town and she was in the center of it, when she looked down one of the paths she could see that it shone white as the sprawling landscape glistened with snow and sunshine. She turned and looked down another, it looked much the same - Until he appeared, it was the hunter, his grizzly face was hard to distinguish but she had no issue recognizing him. He cupped his hands together and hollered.
	"Suggest that you stop running now, missy."
	"Suggest that you... Are dumb!" Miriam cringed, this is why she didn't talk to people. The hunter laughed, and so did the warrior. It was much more baritone but unlike the hunter this seemed jolly.
	"Wouldn't be so sure, Hal. Black-Robes usually are more verbal than that!" Miriam turned and noticed that another person had entered the alleyway from where she had first looked, the man was a giant. Wide, tall and dressed in what must have been the pelt of some gigantic bear, just the size that she had seen Eliana destroy before. The giant swung his weapon around, it was a halberd, taller than the man which said quite a lot, it ended in a jagged edge that would be able to utterly ruin foes in wide spaces - But this alley was anything but that.
	"Quite a simple rule." Said the hunter known as Hal. He talked to Miriam directly and did not respond to the giant. "Either you're from this town and one of us, or you're one of them." Miriam could see the smile from here and she hated it.
	"I am nobody - What are you babbling about?!" She shouted in anger, and Leia growled at her side.  
	"We'll just let Royal decide." She could hear the giant say with his large voice. "Give up, little lady." He said, as well.
Miriam had since her last imprisonment grown to resent any who wanted to decide her fate. Her course was her own and anyone who tried to seize it would simply have to stand aside. 

Miriam drew a quiet sigh and locked her eyes upon the hunter, he would have to be her first target, the most dangerous one at this range. He caught her glance, no doubt recognizing it as one of his own, when a hunter has locked unto their prey. He was fast on the draw but his bow was too large and his fur cloak got in the way so Miriam was that much faster, her shortbow had been pulled off her bag in a moment and with it a single arrow, Miriam drew back and let go without aiming any more than her instinct allowed. She heard a thump and a loud groan, Hal fell backwards, Miriam did not know where she had hit him but she had to assume he was down for the count for now. Leia had reacted as per their usual tactic and sprung like a dart toward the fallen prey the moment Miriam's arrow had landed, she approached the fallen man quickly. Miriam quickly turned, already hearing the thudding steps of the giant man as he rushed toward her. 
	"Really shouldn't have done that!" He said, and he seemed sincere in his regrets. Miriam had turned quickly and the man was still approaching, she drew another arrow and quickly pulled her bowstring back, she aimed for the head of the man first out of instinct but her mercy spoke up. Could she really judge any killer of men ever again if she passed this threshold, if she took a life? The life of a person... She snapped out of her thought and let her arrow loose, her philosophical rambling didn't matter, as the giant rose his halberd and used it to block the arrow, Miriam gritted her teeth and braced to run the opposite way but it was too late now. She took two steps before the halberd came down, this was how she would die... She could hear as it tore through the cold air, the man swung it down with amazing speed that came with his charge - That would be her chance, instead of running Miriam took the harsher decision and ducked, she fell to the side, rolling onto the ground next to the man and his blade. It had thumped into the ground where she had stood, he had struck with the blunt side first. He didn't mean to kill her, she realized. Miriam looked at the man and he looked back at her, he then, without remorse raised his foot and sent his padded boot straight into her face. Miriam jerked back and slid a few inches just from the impact. Her head rang and she tasted blood, she could hear Leia bark in the distance of her mind...