Critical Romance

Meeting

Charlotte couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement coursing through her veins as she rode alongside her newfound companions. The wind tugged at her golden hair and the sun warmed her face, filling her with a sense of adventure unlike anything she had ever experienced. Her heart leaped at the thought of this being her new life, each day filled with adventure and camaraderie. She smiled to herself, knowing how furious her father would be if he found out she had skipped out on a brunch with the other ladies in Yison. Her smile widened when she thought of how mortified he would be if he found out that she had not only skipped out on brunch but had also snuck into a party of adventurers!

Her blissful reverie was shattered when the rough terrain caused her horse to stumble, nearly throwing her to the ground.

"These roads are dreadful," she remarked with a sigh, adjusting her riding cloak with a hint of annoyance.

Kaworu, a large and imposing man, scoffed at this. He couldn't resist making a snide remark. "Perhaps if you were used to roughing it, you wouldn't find every little inconvenience so bothersome," he quipped, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Charlotte bristled at Kaworu's comment, her temper flaring as she shot him a pointed glare.  Ever since she had tagged along, he hadn't faltered in his contemptuous attitude towards her. Charlotte despised it.

"I'll have you know, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself," she retorted, her voice tinged with indignation.

Kaworu began a pointed reply, but stopped in his tracks, signaling to the group that something was amiss. Looking around wildly, Charlotte searched for what could cause his suspicion. Nothing looked out of place, per se, but she could always hear the forest creatures moving about and speaking to each other. In this place, she could hear nothing.

Then, a branch cracking, and the sudden appearance of a group of bandits, their faces obscured by makeshift masks as they emerged from the surrounding foliage, weapons at the ready. Charlotte's heart leaped into her throat as she realized they were under attack, her hand instinctively reaching for the dagger she kept strapped to her belt.

But before she had time to react, the bandits descended upon them, their gruff voices filled with menace as they demanded their valuables. Charlotte's blood ran cold as she felt a hand grab her roughly, pulling her from her horse and dragging her toward the trees.

"Let me go, you brute!" Charlotte protested, her voice rising in panic as she struggled against her captor's grasp.

The bandit holding her sneered in response, his grip tightening on her arm as he leered at her. "Looks like we've caught ourselves a little noble girl playing adventurer," he jeered, his eyes roaming over the fine fabric of Charlotte's riding cloak and the delicate jewelry adorning her wrists.

Charlotte's mind raced as she sought a way to escape their clutches, her heart pounding in her chest as she realized the danger she was in. With a defiant cry, she lashed out with her staff, striking the bandit across the face with all the force she could muster.

The bandit released her, holding his nose as blood flowed out of it. The bandit steadied himself to attack, but Charlotte was running on adrenaline now. Without an ounce of grace, she braced her staff in both hands and started to wail on the man's body.

"How dare you!" She seethed in between her ferocious blows, "I am the daughter of the esteemed military commander of Kalhigh, Valentine Couer de Pierre!" With a final blow to the man's back, as he scuttled away, Charlotte yelled after him, "Learn your place, scum!"

Kaworu, who had been fighting off the other bandits nearby, watched in horror as Charlotte beat her staff into the unsavory's face, frustration stirring in his mind as he realized the truth of her identity. Clenching his jaw in anger, he pushed back the last of the group, sending them running in the opposite direction.

Huffing in the general direction of the bandits, he turned on his heel and headed straight to where Charlotte was waiting in the tree line.

"You petulant child!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with anger as he pulled her further into the woods. "What were you thinking?" Kaworu demanded, his voice low and fierce as he confronted her. "A defenseless little noble girl like you has no business being here and meddling in the affairs of adventurers!"

Charlotte's eyes flashed with indignation at Kaworu's chastisement, her pride stinging at his harsh words. "I'll have you know; I can handle myself just fine," she shot back, her voice tinged with haughty defiance. "I refuse to stand by and let those ruffians bully us."

"Those ruffians," Kaworu growled, "could have murdered you. Or worse." Charlotte rolled her eyes at this, which only infuriated him even more.

Moving forward, he aggressively turned her head toward him, and seethed, "You will do well to remember that everyone has their place." With one last withering glare, Kaworu shoved past Charlotte, leaving her no space to react.

He left her there, standing on the edge of the wood, with a cloud of anger darkening her face. But beneath the surface animosity, there was an undeniable undercurrent of chemistry between them, a simmering tension that threatened to ignite with every passing moment.