Several of her knights had already surrounded her, among them Dame Serenity and Sir Gerard. Fanilly knew that it was the only natural to assume this was an ambush. Even if she had thought of her concern for the injured man above everything else, it did not take long for the obvious to come to her.

But what was she to do?

She couldn't leave the injured man there to bleed. She couldn't. Even having realized the nature of the situation, the girl simply couldn't see a situation in which she didn't rush to his aid.

First, the man's condition had to be assessed. She couldn't let him die. She had to do everything that she could to save him. Fanilly was no healer, but she was at least capable of discerning if he was conscious enough.

Indeed, as she came close, the injured man's eyes flick open, and his shallow breathing became heavier. His eyes traveled over the Iron Rose on Fanilly's breast, then to her face.

"The... the Iron Roses..." he murmured weakly, trembling as his body quaked from the effort of moving.

"Stay still," insisted Fanilly, steadying the man gently with her left hand, her write still gripping the hilt of her sword. She wasn't strong enough to pull him back on her own without worsening his injury. And as Knight-Captain, she simply couldn't leave her position. She had to stay at the front and command her knights, especially when she had rushed into an ambush. 

"I cannot carry him back, Dame Serenity, Sir Renar, but we have to ensure his safety."

Another of her knights approached, a man whose form was clad entirely in plate. She recognized his dragon-like helm. Sir Rickert Heiger, one of the knights who had greeted her on her first full day as Knight-Captain. She did not know him well, but he seemed to be a fine knight.

"Thank you, Sir Rickert," she said, quickly, as he carefully took the man to his feet, "Now, we mu-"

Dark shapes fell from above. It only took a moment to identify what they were.

Men. Clad in leather and steel, brandishing swords and spears and axes.

But that wasn't all. From behind trees, on both sides of the Knights, came clusters of armed men.

Their numbers were difficult to discern, and one of the first men to drop was already lunging forward, swinging his shortsword directly for her!

These were the bandits...!

Steel clashed on steel, as Fanilly caught the edge of the man's sword on her blade and twisted her body, diverting him away from other herself and Sir Rickert and the injured man. Using his own momentum against him, she twisted her body, guiding him wholly past her.

Her heart was hammering. Her mind was racing. And yet, she had to command. She had to lead, she had to seize this moment, as the other ambushers found themselves caught up in the knights who had come to defend her, and the man who had attacked her was forced to catch himself and turn.

Fanilly had to take this instant to issue a command.

It wasn't just the threat posed by the bandits in the immediate sense.

If any were able to return and directly warn the camp...

"Iron Roses, to arms!" she cried, "Do not let any of them flee!"

[@Raineh Daze][@Rune_Alchemist][@Psyker Landshark][@Pyromania99][@HereComesTheSnow][@Saiyan][@The Otter][@Crimson Paladin][@ERode][@Psychic Loser][@Richard Horthy][@Aeolian]