The knight grabbed Troy by his shirt.
Another grabbed Claire by her arm.
"Hey! Let me go! Or else!" Claire cried, sounding the complete opposite of threatening.
Arlo looked around to see if there would be any help coming.
Nothing.
"Hey, why don't we keep them? They're kinda cute!" laughed a knight.
"No... let's just kill them." said another.
"You're not killing or taking anybody!"
Wait, who was that?
Arlo turned around and saw his grandpa, in full armor, horseback and charging right for them.
"Grandpa?"
"Quickly! Grab a sword! Use it to protect yourself!"
He pulled a bag off his back and opened it, and inside were several swords.
"But-"
"We have no time! Quickly!"
"Why are they so dull and soft?" asked Troy.
"You have to unsheath them first, you idiot."
Arlo took off the sheath, and out came a...
Real,
Iron,
Blade.
He had been training with wooden swords, but he could tell the sword was well balanced, and he could feel the grip was perfect for his hands.
Grandpa threw the bag off his shoulder and charged into the knight that had Troy, sending the imposter flying into a tree.
"Who are you? What do you want from us?" Grandpa asked, his sword already raised in a defensive stance.
One of the knights, dressed in nothing but black armor spoke up.
"Are you implying you haven't heard my name nor seen my face before? I am the great Ladron, conqueror of countle- ow!"
Grandpa had already jabbed him in the leg. Not deep, but enough to cause him pain.
"My beautiful leg!" he cried as he stumbled back.
"I said who are you people, not who are you."
One of the other knights replied.
"In that case, we are the Blood Knights! Sent from Vaequiles, and we are here to raid your little village."
"Fight me like a real man!" Troy yelled. He ran towards a knight, attempting to hit him.
Arlo came up from behind to back him up.
Troy landed a square hit on the knight's chestplate, and Arlo came from behind, putting everything he could into his attack.
He got the knight right in the stomach, through a crack in the armor.
The knight fell to the floor, clutching his stomach.
Blood was now in the picture.
"What the hell? We weren't done talking!"
"Ford, are you okay?"
"I... I don't... k...know..."
"Dammit! Retreat! We can't have Ford out this early!"
"But... but they're just a couple of children! Are we, the Blood Knights, running away from... children?"
"Damn it, Ladron! Not now!"
"Take the girl!" they started to run with Claire in their hold.
"Grandpa! Help!" Claire yelled as she was pulled away.
"Claire!"
"No!"
Arlo dropped his sword and started running after the knights, but grandpa grabbed him by his shirt.
"No! Let me go! We can still get her!"
Grandpa looked at where the knights were headed. Too far out for them to be of any use.
"I'm sorry, but... if we follow them..."
Arlo shoved grandpa away from him and dropped to his knees.
The sound of Claire's voice had already gotten muffled by the sound of the wind and trees.
"I'll find you, Claire. I promise!"
