Once upon a time, in a magical land called Esterlin, there were seven glorious kingdoms. Those seven glorious kingdoms were ruled by seven beautiful princesses. One day, however, the peace of Esterlin became disrupted by the presence of two evil witches and their endless army of magical minions. With this terror plaguing the land, the seven beautiful princesses could no longer stand by. So it was that they formed the Esterlin Princess Guild to fight back against this scourge of witchcraft.

There was Princess Meryn, who guided the kingdom of the Seven Islands with stoic grace and dignity. Though her subjects did not know it, she also protected them from harm as a mighty masked heroine known to the people as the Holy Sunlight.

Then there was the mischievous and wild Princess Elyn of Sixellia, the southern kingdom. She was a fair and just ruler, if a bit eccentric, though she was the subject of many rumours. Some said she enjoyed strange pleasures and indulged them frequently. But none of these scandalous rumours ever proved true. At least, not in public.

After her was the cold and distant ruler of Fivellin, the northern kingdom, Princess Luna. She was a woman of very few emotions and very little patience, though she looked after her court and earned the respect of the people under her rule. There was another side to Princess Luna, however, whenever she was seen with her loving girlfriend, Mirelle.

Princess Mirelle ruled a small kingdom just to the south of Fivellin known only as Fort Quatran. She was the polar opposite of her lover, always wearing a happy smile and greeting all of her subjects with warm, kind words. There really was no one who could say an unkind word about the fair and sweet Princess Mirelle.

In the kingdom of Trivalia, however, things were not as peaceful. It was the largest and most central of the kingdoms ruled over by a tough, demanding leader named Princess Taria. She was not a tyrant and Taria was fair with her subjects but roving bandits had became a major problem in her kingdom. So much so that they had organized and attempted to usurp the throne for themselves many times. Many attempts were made to kidnap the Princess but she proved a fierce warrior in battle and none of the kidnapping attempts had succeeded thus far.

To the east, a kindly ruler named Princess Lanala ruled the lovely, green kingdom of Dosette. She was an elegant and graceful leader who only wanted the best for her people and always put their welfare before her own. Truly a woman of the people, Princess Lanala won the hearts of her subjects quickly upon taking the throne.

Lanala...

Then came the mighty warrior princess of the great kingdom of Onellia. Indeed, Princess Artema was a woman to be revered. A strong, muscular build, gorgeous green eyes, perfect flowing locks of purple and the strength of a Goddess, there was nothing the mighty woman could not accomplish. She was simply perfect in every way and Princess Lanala and the kingdom of Dosette counted themselves lucky to be in union with Onellia and its wonderful princess. Yes, that hot, gorgeous woman could do just about anything and-

“Lanala!”

Lanala took a moment and shook her head. Her wife’s voice still echoed in her head and her attention was finally brought back to reality. She eyed her wife Artema, the woman she loved, and remembered what was happening.

The Princess of Dosette looked at her outfit; a black, sleeveless top and matching short pants that reached just below her knees were completed by the bright red belt she wore and flat, black shoes. Then she remembered how well the belt went with her light pink, strawberry coloured hair, kept tied back and with long bangs hanging down either side of her face, and bright orange eyes. Her bronze coloured skin was then contrasted by the... Oh. Right. The rope. I should have been trying to get out of it.

Princess Lanala was currently tied up and gagged inside a small, dark cell with her wife, Princess Artema, looming over and watching her struggle. The rope kept her arms bound tightly from just above her elbows to just below her shoulders. More rope kept her wrists tightly tied behind her back, as well as binding her legs at the ankles, calves and thighs. A tight cloth gag covered her mouth and nose, covering another cloth that sealed her mouth shut and a third cloth stuffed inside her mouth.

Artema could only sigh and shake her head. The mighty woman, tall and muscular, wore a beautiful white, sleeveless dress with a skirt that came down to her knees. Over top of that she wore a beautiful purple shawl with golden tassels across her mighty shoulders. This matched her belt, her hair, and the sheath attached to her belt that carried her longsword. She scowled at her wife behind bright green eyes and tapped one of her sandaled feet on the floor of the training dungeon.

“Time’s up,” she said. “You didn’t escape. Again. And you were daydreaming. Again.”

“Mmmmpphhh...” Lanala sighed. She really wasn’t all that good at escaping. She thought she had been getting better but she always let her mind wander. Artema sighed again.

“I guess this means you need some time in the Dark Room.”

“Mmmmph!” Lanala protested. It never was a fun place to be, plunged into darkness like that while bound and gagged, but at least the room wasn’t uncomfortable. It was actually quite soft and cushioned and they even had a bed this time. But Lanala still hated the boredom when she would fail escape training.

Artema scooped up her wife in her arms and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re still adorable, you know,” she said.

Lanala blushed and reached upward with her head, trying to press her gagged lips to her wife’s face. Artema obliged her and let Lanala rub her gag against her cheek.

“But being cute doesn’t get you out of training. Two hours in the Dark Room. Okay? Then maybe we can have some fun afterwards,” Artema said with a grin.

Lanala giggled beneath her gag and simply nodded to her wife as she was carried away. No longer fighting it, Lanala would hold onto the thought that she would get to spend time with Artema when her time in the Dark Room was up. At least then she might be able to fight the awful boredom. Maybe...

...

A young boy was forced into the dead end of an alleyway on the cobbled streets. He had nowhere left to run and his pursuers had finally cornered him.

“All right, boy,” the leader, a thick, gruff man with a beard, said to him. “You’re gonna hand over that there gold ya got. You got nowhere to run now. Don’t make me hurt you, now.”

The boy’s eyes darted back and forth, searching for some escape, but he couldn’t find one. He remained silent and started shaking as he was backed up against the wall.

“I said hand it over!” the man demanded.

The boy shut his eyes and covered his head as the three thieves approached him. He couldn’t bear to think of what might happen to him. He waited and waited and.... nothing.

When he opened his eyes, he saw all three men laying on the ground in a heap, unconscious. He couldn’t believe his eyes. What had happened?

The boy noticed movement off to his left and spotted someone in bright yellow clothing out of the corner of his eye.

“It’s the Holy Sunlight!” he cried, chasing after the figure in yellow. He finally spotted her as she dashed away across the rooftops. The heroine of the Seven Islands truly was a sight to behold.

The Holy Sunlight kept her identity hidden with a yellow face mask that covered the lower half of her face but kept her shining, golden eyes in full view for all to see. The fiery look in her eyes matched the bobbed, red hair of the fair-skinned warrior.

She wore a short, all yellow dress with a red belt cinched around her waist. A brown belt was strapped diagonally across her chest and held her weapons and equipment, though she used non-lethal methods of dealing with the seedy elements of the kingdom. The warrior also wore matching, knee length leather boots as she skittered away gracefully across the rooftops, keeping her sharp, golden eyes out for more trouble.

There were none in the kingdom who knew that the Holy Sunlight was actually Princess Meryn in disguise but that was for the best. Indeed, bandits and brigands targeted both the Princess and the Heroine of the Seven Islands and pirates attacked her fleet daily in hopes of kidnapping her and ransoming her back to the kingdom for a quick fortune.

Though perhaps not as rife with conflict as the kingdom of Trivalia, the Seven Islands had its fair share of problems and Meryn knew that her kingdom’s coffers couldn’t afford to pay soldiers or guards to protect them all. So she did what she always does and helped the people of the streets. Meryn had thought her days as a solo crime fighter were over when she joined up with Artema all those years ago. But now it appeared the people had need and so, as is the way, no one could ever take the crime fighter out of Meryn.

...

The noble princess strained against her relentless bonds but they wouldn’t let her go. The tiny, hanging cage that held her would have given her no room to escape anyway but she had also been heavily bound, tightly gagged, and even tied to the bars of the cage to completely restrict her movements. But Princess Elyn would not have it any other way.

Having instructed the dungeon mistress of the Royal Castle of Sixellia to bind and gag her and leave her for many hours, trapped inside her own castle’s dungeon, Elyn struggled away and moaned into her gag, loving every last second of her confinement.

Elyn did long for a mirror so she could see herself in her royal outfit all tied up but she was willing to forego that for the bliss of her bound and gagged isolation. Whenever she stepped out amongst her court or sat down on her throne, Elyn would get some wide-eyed looks and could see blushing faces from men and women alike when they saw her.

Her dress was rather revealing, after all, but that was always how Elyn liked to dress. It was comfortable and it felt good to look so good and, not only that, but she always chose her outfits for the exact purpose of looking good while bound in rope. And with the one she had on now she knew the ropes on her body only made her look better.

The red dress was lined with black trim and its neckline plunged down quite far to show off a great deal of Elyn’s ample chest. The dress had no sleeves and so her toned arms were completely bare, perfect for feeling ropes pressed tight against her skin. The hem of the dress came down to her knees but each side of the skirt was split and revealed all the way up Elyn’s elegant and pretty legs. She completed this outfit with bright red, heeled shoes that only helped accentuate her strong legs.

Struggling a bit with her bonds, Elyn tried to shake some of her long, orange bangs to one side of her rather short but thick hairdo. She closed her soft red eyes and moaned again into her tight gag. With nothing politically important on the agenda today, and no scheduled meetings of the Princess Guild, Elyn knew she would be tied up down in the dungeon practically all day. It was what she had instructed of her dungeon mistress, after all.

Her wrists were crossed and tied behind her back as well as one of the bars of the cage so she couldn’t even move forward if she wanted to. Her arms were also tied and pinned to her side, ropes framing her breasts, and tied to the cage bars as well so Elyn couldn’t even sit down in the tiny cage. Her beautiful legs were tied together at the ankles and above and below her knees and once more tied to the bars of the cage. To top this off, Elyn had asked for a rubber ball gag to be strapped into her mouth and then tightly covered over with a black, silky cloth that was tied on behind her head. Another silky black cloth was tied on over her eyes so the princess couldn’t even see the small cage she was restrained within.

Elyn would struggle hard a few times, sometimes actually trying to loosen her bonds, but she hoped she would never get loose. It was like some compulsive need she had to feel helpless. The dungeon mistress earned her keep as Elyn would pay her very well to tie her up, gag her, and leave her in the dungeon for hours. It wasn’t like they kept any other prisoners down there anyway.

Elyn was very proud of the fact that Sixellia was a peaceable place without much in the way of violence. Criminals still existed but her Captain of the Royal Guard, a woman named Celia, proved an excellent tactician and cracked down hard on criminal activity. So much so that it had almost all been stamped out and only petty thieves and minor thugs existed throughout the territory.

Celia was also given the title as Guardian of the Guild, having been accepted automatically into the Princess Guild as a watchful protector and escort on their missions for Esterlin. It was also widely known that Celia was very good friends with Elyn and they often spent a lot of time together. Sometimes Celia would even join Elyn in bondage and they would tie each other up or themselves whenever they needed to relax and have fun.

“Mmmmpphhh...” Elyn said, sighing into her gag. This whole experience really was just too much fun. Maybe I should go for chains next time. And a muzzle. Though I do enjoy leather straps. Ah, decisions... she thought to herself.

Taking in a sharp breath, Elyn felt her stomach bubble up in excitement as she was about to test her gag.

“MMMMMPPPHHHH!!” Her voice barely echoed off the stone walls of the dungeon. It was going to be a fun day indeed.

...

She could feel her palms begin to sweat and genuine fear boiled inside her stomach. Luna knew she had faced worse things than this but the day had finally come and she couldn’t find a way to say the words.

Her gorgeous girlfriend, Mirelle, was sitting across the table from her taking a sip from a mug of wine and then smiling at her sweetly.

“What is it, Luna?”

Luna’s icy heart always melted at those gentle, red eyes of Mirelle’s. She wished the table wasn’t so long because she wanted to stroke Mirelle’s long, mint green locks and touch her pretty face. Luna adored Mirelle’s royal outfit and its earthly colours. It was mostly brown with long green sleeves and a green belt around her narrow waist. The dress was about knee length and the split up either side always drew Luna’s eyes to Mirelle’s gorgeous legs. The boots she wore were flat and knee high and matched the majority of Mirelle’s brown dress.

Luna gave her head a shake and tried her best to stay calm.

“Um... there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while...” Luna said, clearing her throat and tripping over her words. Mirelle looked concerned.

“Are you all right, sweetheart? You seem kind of nervous. What’s wrong?”

Mirelle watched the tall, dark skinned beauty and, as usual, felt her heart quicken. Luna was certainly a tall and very athletic woman, quite a bit taller than the petite Mirelle, and Mirelle just loved everything about her.

Luna kept her long, icy blue hair tied back in a perfect braid and her nervous, steel grey eyes met the eyes of her girlfriend and it seemed to Mirelle like she was only getting more nervous. Mirelle gave her a sweet smile to help calm her nerves but that still didn’t work. But Mirelle couldn’t wipe the smile from her face, especially when faced with the wonderful outfit Princess Luna of Fivellin wore on a daily basis.

It was a sleeveless silk dress that matched the colour of her hair, though the edges were trimmed in a much darker blue. The dress came down to Luna’s ankles but the skirt was basically split in half like a robe covering only the front and back of her legs. The sides went all the way up and Mirelle, in turn, was always drawn to Luna’s revealed, strong legs. Light blue sandals that came to her knees, accented with dark blue, completed the princess’ outfit.

It took her a while to find more words for her girlfriend but Luna managed to finally speak.

“Nothing’s wrong, Mirelle. I just... um... I’m not sure how to say this.”

Luna took in a sharp breath and closed her eyes. She stood from the table and walked across to Mirelle and they met eyes and kept their stares locked on each other. “Um... how am I going to do this?” Luna asked.

“Luna, what’s going on? Are you... no... are you!? You can’t be! Am I dreaming!?”

“No, love,” Luna said, kneeling down in front of her girlfriend. “There’s a reason I asked you on this date.”

“You... you’re really doing this!?” Mirelle asked, her eyes beginning to well up.

“Is... is that okay?”

Mirelle laughed and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Everything you do for me is okay!’ Mirelle said. “Go ahead then.”

Luna closed her eyes and had to take in another deep breath. Why is this so hard? You love her, damn it! And she loves you! Luna thought to herself. Just say it already!

“I’m not really the best with words. Or feelings. Or... anything. But, Mirelle, you know how much you mean to me.”

“I do know,” Mirelle said, nodding. It took everything for her to fight back her tears and help Luna along.

“Good. That’s good. Then, um, you also know that we’ve been together for a while now and, um, you’re the best person I’ve ever known. And the sweetest. And the best looking. And the only person I’ve ever really loved. Like really loved, you know what I mean?”

“I know what you mean,” Mirelle said, still battling her own emotions and trying not to overwhelm the clearly nervous Luna.

“Okay good. So that means I want to be with you for the rest of my life. And there’s no better way to make that official than by asking you one simple question.”

Luna took in another deep breath and kept her eyes fixed on Mirelle’s.

“Will you marry me?” Luna furrowed her brow when Mirelle blurted out the same question at the same time. “Wait...”

“Luna... I just had to ask too! Did you really think I was going to say no to you!?”

“Um... maybe...”

“Well? What’s your answer?”

Luna raised an eyebrow and smirk crossed her lips. “You first.”

Mirelle giggled. “Fine. Yes! Of course, yes all day, yes every day, yes until the end of time! Now what about you?”

“Um... yes. There is no other answer. Yes!”

They both stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. Luna then gave her head a shake. “Oh. Um, I had a ring made. So... how does this work if we asked each other at the same time?”

“Oh, Luna! Just put the ring on my finger already and I’ll put one on yours!”

“Okay...” Luna said, reached forward with one hand. She opened it and revealed a pair of gold rings, one with a perfect sapphire embedded in it while the other contained a beautiful emerald. “So this one is yours, I guess,” Luna said, holding up the ring with the sapphire. “Because... I want the one with your colour on it.”

“My colour?”

“Green. For the beautiful trees and my beautiful girl,” Luna said.

“That means I get blue. For the gorgeous sea and my gorgeous girl.”

Luna blushed a bit when she slipped the ring onto Mirelle’s pale finger. Mirelle took a moment to admire before she took the emerald ring from Luna’s hand and slipped it onto her finger.

“Does this make us engaged now?” Luna asked.

“It does.”

“Should... do you want to kiss me?”

“What do you think?” Mirelle said, leaning forward and throwing her arms around Luna’s shoulders. She closed her eyes and her lips found Luna’s and they didn’t let each other go for the longest time.

In their long and passionate kiss they didn’t hear someone enter the room. The short, lithe woman cleared her throat and tried to get their attention.

Luna heard the sound first and pulled back to see who it was.

“Celia?” she asked.

The Guardian of the Guild was not a very tall woman. She was the shortest of their little group, in fact. Though she was small, Celia could fight like hell and would never abandon her friends. The small warrior dressed simply, wearing a tight black shirt underneath a brown leather vest with a bit of a low collar. This matched her tight black pants with white cuffs at the ankles and her flat, black shoes. A black belt wrapped around her upper waist as well. Celia was a pale woman with long, flowing brown hair and clear blue eyes. The seven princesses all liked Celia very much and were perhaps even more protective of her than she was of them. Though she was not a princess in this new world they found themselves within, there was no way any of them would have created the Princess Guild without her.

“I’m not... interrupting anything am I?” Celia asked with a sheepish grin.

“No, it’s fine,” Luna said. “I just, well, I guess we...”

Mirelle finished her sentence. “We’re getting married!”

“Oh, wow! Really? That’s great! But... I’m sorry. I don’t think you’ll be having the wedding anytime soon.”

Luna and Mirelle looked at each other for a moment and then back to Celia. “Why?” Mirelle asked.

Celia let out a long, sad breath. “It’s Jhana again. And Aurora. Things are getting worse. It’s Jhana this time, though and it’s serious. She hired a group of brigands and, well...”

“What?” Luna asked. “What’s wrong?”

Celia let out another long breath. “Taria’s been kidnapped.”

...

“Mmmmmpphh! Mmmmrrrghhhh! Lmmt mmm gmmm!” The muffled, angry voice belonged to the fierce warrior princess of the kingdom of Trivalia. She didn’t know how it had happened, nor did she know what this all female band of brigands planned to do with her, but Princess Taria only had escape on her mind. But her bonds were very tight and, though she was quite good at escaping, it was clear she wouldn’t be escaping today. Still, she had to try.

Taria was a woman of slightly below average height and a rather toned musculature on her tanned body. Her angry, purple eyes glared at her captors from inside the wooden cage but they simply ignored her and kept their eyes on the camp that surrounded her.

Looking at most of them, Taria still couldn’t quite understand how they had captured her. She shook her head, waving her bobbed, blue hair in front of her face where the bangs covered her left eye. In her kingdom, the princess was regarded as a true beauty with an air of mystique about her with the hair that partially covered her eyes. Though none of the brigands cared about that right now.

I could take every one of them she thought. How did this happen?

Then she spotted their leader, a hulking woman who stood even taller than their muscular leader, Artema. The woman had to be almost seven feet tall with legs like tree trunks and heavy, musclebound arms that carried Taria like she wasn’t even there. Taria herself was not a weak woman either so the lead woman’s strength had to be immense to out-muscle a strong, lithe warrior like Taria.

Taria was still dressed in her royal regalia, though her shortsword had been confiscated. She wore a sleeveless white blouse covered over with an elegant, blue shawl with gold trim that still rested beautifully over her shoulders despite her current bondage. Taria wore some very short, blue shorts underneath a long, black skirt with a split up each side to display her toned legs. With flat shoes that matched her skirt, Taria made for a great vision as a captured princess. Though she still didn’t know what the brigands planned to do with her.

They had not discussed any ransom for her nor even negotiated with her kingdom’s court. Mostly they just stared and watched her struggle but, for now, the brigands surrounded their captive, tied up and gagged in a wooden cage, and kept their eyes out for any rescue attempts. There was something in their watchful gaze that seemed different than most of the brigands who attempted to kidnap her. They had more purpose than mere ransom, it seemed.

Taria started struggling with her bonds again, trying to work herself free from the iron knots. A very tight rope hugged her arms and torso around her midsection in a thick coil that barely allowed her to move. She could see a tightly tied knot up near her shoulders tied in front of her. This was a problem as her hands were crossed over each other behind her back so her hands cupped her elbows and tied tightly with another thick coil of rope that was cinched in the middle. Despite seeing the knot, Taria could not hope to reach it.

More rope encircled her legs at the ankles and thighs in thick coils that she simply could not wriggle out of. All of these bonds were bad enough but the princess couldn’t even call for help with the tight cloth gag that had been shoved into her mouth. A white cloth with a knot in the middle filled her mouth first and the cleave gag was tied on tight behind her head. Then her mouth was covered by another tight cloth, pulled perhaps even tighter, to keep her completely silent. Taria could barely make a sound behind the thick cloths in and over her mouth.

She kicked her legs out and rattled the wooden cage but it was sturdy and simply would not fall down.

“MMMMMMPPPHHH!!” she screamed, her voice at a whisper behind the gag. Taria struggled wildly, thrashing and bucking every which way but she just could not break free of the tight bindings. It seemed these female brigands knew what they were doing.

A distant spyglass watched Princess Taria writhe and struggle, unable to escape, and lowered again when its owner was satisfied.

“Eight of them,” a man’s tired, gravelly voice said to the muscular woman beside him.

He was a tall man with broad shoulders and he stood almost to the same height as the woman there with him. Prince Jonas was a man of mystery in Esterlin. Though a noble like the women of the Guild, he owed his allegiance to no one kingdom and seemed to be a man from nowhere. Many simply called him the Prince of Esterlin, though he held no political power with such a title. Some thought him a devious spy from a far off land who had come to sow unrest from within. Whatever his origins, Prince Jonas had proven to have only good intentions thus far and was good friends with many of the Guild, especially its Guardian Celia. She was his best friend, in fact, and he was hers. They had grown up together.

But now Prince Jonas did not have his eyes on his best friend. Now he was formulating a plan to help rescue Princess Taria.

The pale-skinned man had thick but short brown hair atop his head and grew a matching, scruffy beard on his face. His grey eyes were both angry and tired as he kept his gaze fixed on the encampment of brigands. He wore a thick, black shirt with long sleeves and a brown, leather cuirass over top of that. Around his neck he also wore a brown cape that fluttered in the wind. His pants matched his shirt and his heavy, leather boots matched the cuirass and his leather gloves. All in all, most seemed to think of Prince Jonas as handsome, if he didn’t wear such a dour, sullen look on his face at all times. He did at least look the part of a prince.

The purple-haired warrior princess met his eyes when he lowered the spyglass.

“Doesn’t seem like Taria should have had a problem if there are only eight. She’s a great fighter.”

“Seven normal sized women,” Jonas said, without pausing. “And one that’s bigger than you.”

“What?”

Jonas held the spyglass out to her. “Take a look for yourself.”

Artema took the spyglass and it didn’t take her long to find the woman Jonas had been talking about. “I see,” she said. She lowered the spyglass again and handed it back to Jonas. “Have the others heard about this yet?”

“I spoke with Meryn’s steward who told me she had gone into the city. Nobody seemed to know where she had gone but they assured me she was all right.”

Artema nodded. “Probably beating up thugs again,” she said. Jonas continued.

“I was told Elyn was ‘pre-occupied’,” Jonas said with a sigh.

“Damn it, Elyn,” Artema said. “Of all the days...”

“And then you told me that Lanala is in training.”

Artema smirked. “Yes. She’s a bit tied up with it at the moment.”

Jonas rolled his eyes. “Isn’t she always?”

Artema shrugged. “Maybe. But what about Mirelle and Luna?”

“Celia went to talk to them, though I haven’t heard back. They were inside the palace in Fivellin together, though, so they’d still be hours away at best.”

Artema shook her head. “Looks like it’s just us then.”

“Looks like it,” Jonas said.

“You’re sure this was Jhana?” Artema asked.

“It has all her hallmarks. No ransom demands, dedicated, brutal and loyal people who do things carefully. I mean, look at how they’re surrounding her. She’s not dealing with careless people anymore after Fa’rah’s bandits.”

Artema chuckled and wondered what had become of the warrior in this new world. She knew Fa’rah had to be here but where could she have disappeared to? At the moment, however, Artema didn’t care about anything but getting Taria back home safe.

“So what do you think?” Artema asked.

“I think I’m going nowhere near that big one,” Jonas said. “She’s all yours.”

“Gee, thanks,” Artema said. “Let me do all the hard work.”

Jonas shrugged. “You’re a better fighter than I am. And stronger. Look, the point is she would mop the floor with me. I’m better from a distance anyway.”

“True enough,” Artema said. “But you do underestimate yourself, Jonas. Could be why you get yourself hurt all the time.”

Jonas sighed and stretched his creaky muscles. He plucked an arrow from the quiver on his back and let a longbow slide from his shoulder. Artema drew the sword at her side and gripped it tight, rolling her shoulders a few times.

Nocking a stun arrow, Jonas met Artema’s gaze and let out a deep breath. “You ready?” she asked.

“I have to be,” he said. “Let’s go get Taria back.”

...

The shouting voices behind them told them that they hadn’t succeeded in their task just yet. An arrow whizzed past Jonas’ head and he shielded his head instinctively as he kept running.

“Is Taria all right?” he shouted.

“Mmmmph!” was the answer he received from Taria herself, still tied up and gagged but now slung over Artema’s shoulder. They hadn’t yet had to time to free her. In the scuffle, Artema had knocked out half of the brigands but the giant woman proved to be a big challenge even for her. The fight didn’t last long as Artema felt her sword bend from the sheer force with which the giant leader struck. Deciding she didn’t want her best sword broken, Artema instead made a dash for the wooden cage and sliced open the ropes holding the gate shut. From there she just scooped up Taria and took off back toward Jonas with the brigand leader right behind her. Jonas managed to hit her with a blunt-tipped stun arrow but it just bounced off her forehead and made her angry. Now she was pelting him with arrows fired at a frightening speed from a bow that even Artema wasn’t sure she could draw back. The weapon was huge and thick and they could practically hear the twang of the string every time she fired an arrow at Jonas.

Another one whipped past him and shattered a signpost to his left.

“How in the world...”

Jonas quickened his pace but the brigands and, more importantly, their leader were catching up fast. Artema was moving even slower with the weight of Taria over her shoulder. So Jonas made a decision and stopped dead, dodging another arrow and letting it whip past him.

“Jonas, what are you doing!?” Artema shouted, still trying to run.

“Mmmmph!” was all Taria could muster with the gag still in and over her mouth.

“My job...” Jonas said quietly, pulling another arrow from his quiver and nocking it to the string. The huge brigand leader was only about ten yards away so he could easily hit her with another arrow. The only problem was he didn’t know if it would work.

The heavy arrow he had chosen was often a last resort if he had to deal with a particularly nasty creature like a wolf or even a bear. He only hoped it could take down the huge woman pursuing him and nocking an arrow of her own.

“Here goes...” he said to himself.

He drew back the string, struggling to hold the weighted tip of the arrow up. When he finally managed to take aim, the brigand leader was taking aim right back at him. There was no choice now. Jonas let the arrow fly high in the air and his aim was true. The arc was just right and his angle of fire would hit the brigand who now stood still and loosed her mighty arrow toward Jonas.

The weighted thing clubbed her in the skull with a loud crack and knocked the huge woman clean off her feet and she stayed on the ground. The force of it knocked her out cold and made the other brigands stop in their tracks.

Unfortunately for Jonas, he didn’t have time to move away from the arrow she had fired and it knocked him to the ground as well when it stuck into his left shoulder. He tumbled and rolled a bit from the sheer force of the blow and came to a stop on his back. The pain in his shoulder was obvious and he knew he had to be bleeding. But at least he had succeeded in getting the brigands off their backs.

“Jonas!”

“Mmmmph!”

Two voices, one muffled, rang out in his ears as he lay on the ground taking in deep breaths. As he always did, he buried the pain and grunted when he sat up. He even managed to stand with arrowhead still buried deep in his shoulder.

Artema reached him and set Taria on the ground, just in time to see the remaining brigands flee without their leader. She inspected the wound and steadied Jonas when he wobbled a bit from the throbbing pain.

“Best to leave it in for now,” Artema said. “It’ll keep more blood in your body that way.”

Jonas grimaced and eyed the fort in the distance; it was lucky that Taria hadn’t been taken very far from the Esterlin Fort, where the guild convened. He knew Lanala would still be trussed up inside as part of their constant training.

“Don’t suppose you could untie Lanala and get her to help me out a bit?”

“She knows some good spells,” Artema said. “And she’ll get that arrow out of you and the wound bandaged up. She’s got nimble hands. Trust me, I know.”

Jonas chuckled slightly. “I’ll bet you do.”

“Don’t think I can carry both of you, though.”

“Maybe untie Taria then?” Jonas suggested.

Artema almost slapped herself in the forehead. “Oh right. Sorry, Taria.”

It took her a few minutes to get the rope off of Taria and the lithe warrior princess stood up, stretching her limbs and her jaw. “I’ll run on ahead,” she said. “Get Lanala free and ready.”

“Then I’ll get him inside,” Artema said, scooping up Jonas in her strong arms and cradling him carefully.

“Well now I feel silly,” Jonas said, grimacing from the pain.

“You want to walk with that blood loss?” Artema asked.

“Well... no...”

“Then quit complaining. Let’s go.”

Artema followed after Taria, carrying her wounded ally toward the fort. Jonas closed his eyes and focussed on everything but the pain. He felt at least a little proud of himself for taking down the brigand leader. And helping rescue Taria from their clutches. In spite of the awful arrow in his shoulder, it had been a good day. But with witches like Jhana and Aurora still out there, waiting to plot and capture the members of the Princess Guild, days like this were far from over. No, indeed, this was just the beginning.