The shouting man, that Xander still needed a name to put with the face, rushed over and pulled Derae off of him and helped him up. It was the first time in the last several days that he had actually felt like he was royalty. I suppose being lost in the woods alone will do that to a someone. He thought as he and the shouting man brushed the dirt, small twigs and leaves that were stuck all over him from his joyride through the woods.
"Huh?" Xander turned his attention to Derae as she spoke about him running off from the castle. "Is that what the rumors are going around? Well the truth will get sorted out soon enough." He said as he finished brushing the last of the dirt from him and looked around the encampment he had stumbled upon. "I suppose I should say you're welcome, but then again I didn't know that I was attempting to rescue a prisoner of the Hylian Army." He said turning back to look at a smirk plastered across her face. "And I suppose I should apologize to you," He turned to look at the soldier he had been about to attack before Derae had disarmed and pinned him to the ground.
"Levi, Sir!" The man quickly answered, snapping his heels together and saluting Xander.
"Right, Levi, well sor-"
"Prince Xander!" Xander's apology to the man was cut short as the Commander shouted his name as he rounded a corner of the encampment. "Your Highness, please forgive the rude treatment! She'll be tied shortly, even if I have to do it myself!" The Commander said as he made his way towards a length of rope nearby.
"Wait, Commander, why is she even being held?" Xander asked, although the Commander seemed to be lost in the moment trying to impress the Prince that he hadn't heard a word Xander had said as the Commander grabbed Derae by her arms and began lashing the rope around her hands.
In the struggle to tie her hands together some of Derae's hair had come loose from her ponytail. "You know, the least you could do is let a girl tie her hair up before you subdue her, yeah?" She said rolling her eyes. While the Commander had seemed not to hear Xander he had heard Derae well enough that it had caused a hint of anger to seep out.
"I can help with that." He told her. Xander could see in Derae's face that her nerves had been sent on end and he couldn't blame her as the Commander's tone sent a chill down his own spine. Before Xander could move to stop the Commander he had drawn his sword and cut through the remainder of Derae's ponytail leave her hair short and jagged. For a moment it seemed as if time stood still only to be broken by Derae's piercing screaming as she stared down in utter disbelief of the remained of her hair the Commander let fall to the ground.
You damn fool! Xander thought as he stood just as shocked as Derae by the events that had just transpired. It still felt like time was moving slowly to Xander as the Commander turned away from Derae, returning his sword to it's sheath, as Levi ushered Derae towards a nearby tent, but not before she shot one last glance at him. "Commander," Xander could feel the eyes of the wolf on him for just a moment before it followed Levi and Derae into the tent.
"Terrell, Sir." The man had answered although Xander had not been asking for his name. The events that had just happened before him did not sit well and left a poor feeling in the pit of his stomach.
When he looked back at the Commander's face, a self satisfied smile plastered across his face it made Xander want to vomit when he realized the man was want some form of commendation for his actions. It was then that Xander fully remembered how it felt to be a prince and decided to throw his title around. "Right, well, Sergeant Terrell,"
"It's Lieutenant, sir." Terrell corrected, the smile still on his face, as he turned slightly to show the mark of his station with the army, but Xander was in no mood to deal with the man.
"My mistake Private Terrell." Before Terrell could interrupt him again Xander glared at the man silencing him as his smile slowly left his face. "Now, then, I'm assuming, since I do not know you personally, that you were raised to treat women with respect, correct?" Xander asked he man. Terrell said nothing but nodded his head slowly, he still seemed to be confused that he was being rewarded for his action. "Then why," Xander began again, his voice slowly rising the more he spoke until he was yelling at the man. "In the name of the Goddesses did you just treat a woman like that!" Xander refused to give the man a moment to speak and continued on his rant, his yelling causing a crowd to gather just beyond the tents around them not wanting to interrupt or be caught up in the rant Xander was delivering. "You wouldn't have done something like that to your mother, or wife, or daughter nor would you want that done to any of them would you?" The man furiously shook his head no, but remained silent. "Then why would did you do such a thing to a prisoner in your care?!"
Xander wanted to hear the mans answer now and remained silent until Terrell realized that he was suppose to answer. "I...I don't have an answer, Prince Xander. After the events that had just happened I was just in the moment, I suppose, sir." Terrell refused to look up at Xander as he answered and looked at the ground.
"Well, Private, that is a piss-poor excuse." Xander said glaring at the man. Terrell glanced up for a moment to meet his glare but quickly returned his gaze to the ground. "Now, I do believe that you are in dire need of a haircut yourself." That caught Terrell's attention and he met Xander's gaze, a shocked look on his face. "You two," Xander pointed at the first two soldier he saw. "Take the Private here and shave his head, and make sure that tomorrow when we resume marching that he remains off his horse and at the rear of the march. I want the only thing that he sees tomorrow to be the horses lifting their tails to shit on him! Now get him out of my sight." The punishment had had doled out to Commander Terrell may have seemed harsh to many of those watching, but to Xander it wasn't nearly enough.
He took several deep breaths to try and calm himself and once he had finally calmed down he caught sight of Levi waiting nearby. "You," Xander pointed at the man. "Just got a promotion." Xander turned from Levi's shocked face from his sudden promotion and began to walk towards the tents. "Now, someone go and find my damn horse. He's lost in the woods somewhere," As he passed soldiers they each went off to do as he had asked fearing all to well to receive a punishment like Terrell's. "Levi," He looked over his shoulder at the man "Go untie Derae. See if there's anything she needs and make sure she has it. And post guards around the tent, she's our prisoner but she deserves to be treated with respect like anyone else." He turned his attention back to the path he was following among the tents. "And someone point me in the direction of the former commander's tent! I'd like to get some sleep tonight!"
"Huh?" Xander turned his attention to Derae as she spoke about him running off from the castle. "Is that what the rumors are going around? Well the truth will get sorted out soon enough." He said as he finished brushing the last of the dirt from him and looked around the encampment he had stumbled upon. "I suppose I should say you're welcome, but then again I didn't know that I was attempting to rescue a prisoner of the Hylian Army." He said turning back to look at a smirk plastered across her face. "And I suppose I should apologize to you," He turned to look at the soldier he had been about to attack before Derae had disarmed and pinned him to the ground.
"Levi, Sir!" The man quickly answered, snapping his heels together and saluting Xander.
"Right, Levi, well sor-"
"Prince Xander!" Xander's apology to the man was cut short as the Commander shouted his name as he rounded a corner of the encampment. "Your Highness, please forgive the rude treatment! She'll be tied shortly, even if I have to do it myself!" The Commander said as he made his way towards a length of rope nearby.
"Wait, Commander, why is she even being held?" Xander asked, although the Commander seemed to be lost in the moment trying to impress the Prince that he hadn't heard a word Xander had said as the Commander grabbed Derae by her arms and began lashing the rope around her hands.
In the struggle to tie her hands together some of Derae's hair had come loose from her ponytail. "You know, the least you could do is let a girl tie her hair up before you subdue her, yeah?" She said rolling her eyes. While the Commander had seemed not to hear Xander he had heard Derae well enough that it had caused a hint of anger to seep out.
"I can help with that." He told her. Xander could see in Derae's face that her nerves had been sent on end and he couldn't blame her as the Commander's tone sent a chill down his own spine. Before Xander could move to stop the Commander he had drawn his sword and cut through the remainder of Derae's ponytail leave her hair short and jagged. For a moment it seemed as if time stood still only to be broken by Derae's piercing screaming as she stared down in utter disbelief of the remained of her hair the Commander let fall to the ground.
You damn fool! Xander thought as he stood just as shocked as Derae by the events that had just transpired. It still felt like time was moving slowly to Xander as the Commander turned away from Derae, returning his sword to it's sheath, as Levi ushered Derae towards a nearby tent, but not before she shot one last glance at him. "Commander," Xander could feel the eyes of the wolf on him for just a moment before it followed Levi and Derae into the tent.
"Terrell, Sir." The man had answered although Xander had not been asking for his name. The events that had just happened before him did not sit well and left a poor feeling in the pit of his stomach.
When he looked back at the Commander's face, a self satisfied smile plastered across his face it made Xander want to vomit when he realized the man was want some form of commendation for his actions. It was then that Xander fully remembered how it felt to be a prince and decided to throw his title around. "Right, well, Sergeant Terrell,"
"It's Lieutenant, sir." Terrell corrected, the smile still on his face, as he turned slightly to show the mark of his station with the army, but Xander was in no mood to deal with the man.
"My mistake Private Terrell." Before Terrell could interrupt him again Xander glared at the man silencing him as his smile slowly left his face. "Now, then, I'm assuming, since I do not know you personally, that you were raised to treat women with respect, correct?" Xander asked he man. Terrell said nothing but nodded his head slowly, he still seemed to be confused that he was being rewarded for his action. "Then why," Xander began again, his voice slowly rising the more he spoke until he was yelling at the man. "In the name of the Goddesses did you just treat a woman like that!" Xander refused to give the man a moment to speak and continued on his rant, his yelling causing a crowd to gather just beyond the tents around them not wanting to interrupt or be caught up in the rant Xander was delivering. "You wouldn't have done something like that to your mother, or wife, or daughter nor would you want that done to any of them would you?" The man furiously shook his head no, but remained silent. "Then why would did you do such a thing to a prisoner in your care?!"
Xander wanted to hear the mans answer now and remained silent until Terrell realized that he was suppose to answer. "I...I don't have an answer, Prince Xander. After the events that had just happened I was just in the moment, I suppose, sir." Terrell refused to look up at Xander as he answered and looked at the ground.
"Well, Private, that is a piss-poor excuse." Xander said glaring at the man. Terrell glanced up for a moment to meet his glare but quickly returned his gaze to the ground. "Now, I do believe that you are in dire need of a haircut yourself." That caught Terrell's attention and he met Xander's gaze, a shocked look on his face. "You two," Xander pointed at the first two soldier he saw. "Take the Private here and shave his head, and make sure that tomorrow when we resume marching that he remains off his horse and at the rear of the march. I want the only thing that he sees tomorrow to be the horses lifting their tails to shit on him! Now get him out of my sight." The punishment had had doled out to Commander Terrell may have seemed harsh to many of those watching, but to Xander it wasn't nearly enough.
He took several deep breaths to try and calm himself and once he had finally calmed down he caught sight of Levi waiting nearby. "You," Xander pointed at the man. "Just got a promotion." Xander turned from Levi's shocked face from his sudden promotion and began to walk towards the tents. "Now, someone go and find my damn horse. He's lost in the woods somewhere," As he passed soldiers they each went off to do as he had asked fearing all to well to receive a punishment like Terrell's. "Levi," He looked over his shoulder at the man "Go untie Derae. See if there's anything she needs and make sure she has it. And post guards around the tent, she's our prisoner but she deserves to be treated with respect like anyone else." He turned his attention back to the path he was following among the tents. "And someone point me in the direction of the former commander's tent! I'd like to get some sleep tonight!"