"Oh, my heart! What a dazzling vision of loveliness!" He exclaimed, gazing at Lyn with admiration. The man was dressed in green armor with messy dark green hair and had a confident demeanor.
"Hm?" Lyn said, unsure of how to react to the stranger's bold words.
Undeterred, the man pressed on. "Wait, O beauteous one! Would you not favor me with your name? Or better yet, your company?" He boldly asked, while Astrid kept a watchful eye on him with his hand on his dagger.
Lyn stepped forward and asked. "Where are you from, sir knight, that you speak so freely to a stranger?"
"Ha! I thought you'd never ask! I am from Lycia." The Lycian knight declared, his tone proud.
"I hail from the Caelin canyon, home to men of passion and fire!" He added.
"Shouldn't that be 'home to callow oafs with loose tongues'?" Lyn retorted, unimpressed with the stranger's grandiose claims.
"Ooooh... You're even lovely when you're cruel." He said, unfazed by Lyn's snarky remark.
"Let's go, Astrid. I've got nothing more to say." Lyn said, eager to leave the strange encounter behind.
As they walked, Lyn couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. She turned around and saw Sain standing in the distance, looking at her with a longing expression.
"Wait! Please..." He called out, his voice filled with regret.
As Lyn and Astrid walked away, Sain couldn't help but be intrigued by Lyn's beauty and her sharp wit.
The knight couldn't help but feel drawn to Lyn's fiery spirit and sharp wit, even if she had no interest in him. "Ah, what a woman. So beautiful, so fierce. She's a rare gem, that one." He said to himself, still smiling despite the rejection.
But Lyn was not one to let a flirtatious knight get the last word. "If you're looking for a gem, you might want to try the jeweler's. They have plenty of pretty stones to admire." She called out to him, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
The knight just chuckled. "My dear, you wound me with your words. But fear not, for my heart is as resilient as my sword." He said, twirling his lance?... around in a flashy display.
Astrid couldn't help but think about the knight's comment about his "resilient sword." He couldn't help but find it amusing that Sain was twirling his lance around in a flashy display, despite claiming to have a sword.
Astrid couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. 'Resilient as his sword?'
He thought. 'But he's holding a lance. Maybe he's not as skilled as he thinks.'
Astrid couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at the thought. 'That's a weird sword if I've ever seen one.'
Lyn rolled her eyes. "Your heart may be resilient, but I doubt the same can be said for your honor. You're nothing but a skirt chaser." She retorted, her voice cold.
Astrid whispered, his hand still on his dagger. "We have no time for this, Lyn. Let's focus on the task at hand." His voice firm.
"Ah, my lady, you cut me to the quick with your sharp tongue. But fear not, for my heart is as strong as steel, and your words cannot wound it." The knight called out after them, his horse trotting alongside them.
Lyn rolled her eyes. "Save your flattery for someone who's interested, sir knight. I am not one of them." She said, her tone dismissive.
Astrid spoke up, his voice cold and firm.. "You heard her. We have business to attend to. Please do not follow us."
Sain raised his hands in surrender, still smiling. "Of course, my good man. I wouldn't dream of causing you any trouble. But if you ever find yourselves in need of a skilled swordsman and a charming companion, you know where to find me." He said, tipping his imaginary hat to them.
Just as they thought they had finally gotten rid of Sain, they were immediately blocked by another knight as they tried to make their way towards the gate.
"Sain! Hold your tongue!" The stern man on horseback with orange hair and red armor scolded the flirty knight.
Sain immediately acted dramatically. "Ah, Kent! My boon companion! Why so severe an expression?"
"If your manner were more serious, I wouldn't have to be so severe!" Kent snapped back. "We still have a mission to complete, Sain!" He then reminded him.
"I know that. But how could I remain silent in the presence of such beauty? It would have been discourteous!" Sain reasoned, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
Kent then eyes him in disbelief.
"What do you know about courtesy!?" Kent replied, his laced with frustration.
Lyn and Astrid exchanged glances as they watched the exchange between Sain and Kent. Lyn couldn't help but wonder how the two knights could be so different. Sain was a notorious flirt, while Kent was all business.
Sain threw his head back and dramatically placed his hand over his heart. "My friend, you wound me with your words. I am a knight of the realm, and I know how to treat a lady with the utmost respect." He declared.
Lyn rolled her eyes once again, muttering under her breath. "Not this again."
She then swiftly stepped in between them. "Excuse me! You're blocking the road. If you would be so kind as to move your horses..."
"Of course. My apologies…" Kent apologize and nudged his horse.
Astrid stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Kent. "We appreciate your intervention, Sir Kent. We have urgent matters to attend to, and we must not be delayed any longer."
Kent nodded, his expression serious. "I understand. I apologize for my companion's behavior. He can be a bit... overzealous at times."
"Come now, Kent, you know you love me." Sain smiled mischievously with twinkles in his eye as he leaned closer to his friend.
Kent glared at him, his hand gripping his sword hilt. "One more word, and I will not hesitate to silence you." He warned.
Sain chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "As you wish, my friend. As you wish."
Lyn expressed her gratitude to Kent with a courteous nod of her head. She appreciated his honesty and respect, unlike his companion who had been ogling her since they met.
"Thank you. You, at least, seem honorable enough." Lyn thanked Kent with a slight bow of her head.
Now that Kent had seen Lyn more clearly. He noticed something familiar about her appearance. Her green eyes and delicate features reminded him of someone he had seen before. He wondered if they had crossed paths in the past.
"Hm? Pardon me, but... I feel we've met before." Kent asked curiously as he studied her face.
Lyn was taken aback by his question. She did not recall ever meeting him or any other Lycian knight before. She searched his face for any sign of recognition, but found none.
"I beg your pardon?" Lyn said confused as she met his gaze.
Sain felt a surge of jealousy as he saw Kent and Lyn gazing at each other. He did not like being ignored by the beautiful woman he had spotted first. He decided to intervene and claim his prize.
"Hey! No fair, Kent! I saw her first!" Sain immediately interjected with a pout.
Lyn felt a wave of disgust as she saw Sain's smug grin and lecherous eyes. She realized that he was not interested in her as a person, but only as an object of his lust. She snapped out of her confusion and glared at him with contempt.
"Tsk!" Lyn shook her head with disdain as she looked away from them.
"It seems there are no decent men among Lycian's knights!" Lyn said disgusted as she turned to Astrid.
"Let's go, Astrid! I've run out of patience!" She then called out to Astrid.
Astrid nodded at Lyn's words and followed her closely. He was not impressed by the knights' behavior either. He can help but wonder what they wanted with Lyn and why they seemed to recognize her.
"Wait, please! It's not like that!" Kent said trying to catch up with them.
Kent was silently boiling with anger at Sain.
"... …"
Kent clenched his fists and felt a surge of anger. He spun around and faced Sain, who was grinning like an idiot.
"Sain, you lout!" Kent roared at Sain.
"Huh? Not like that? I thought you were…" Sain said innocently, gesturing with his hands.
"I am NOT you!!!" Kent shouted furiously.
"Come, we must follow her. I suspect she might be--" Kent quickly jumped on his horse and spurred it forward.
"Be what? She's our mission? You're joking! Wait!" Sain hastily said as he got on his horse.
Astrid can help noticed that Sain was eyeing him with curiosity and suspicion. He felt a surge of annoyance and hoped that Sain would not try to flirt with him as well.
He decided to speak up and warn them off. "Listen, you two. We don't have time for your games. We're on an important mission and we don't need any trouble from you. So stay away from us and mind your own business."
He then added with a hint of sarcasm and irritation in his voice. "I don't swing that way!"
He then quickened his pace to catch up with Lyn, who was already far ahead of them.
Sain went wide eyes as he immediately got what he meant and shouted. "Wait! No! Me neither!"
==========
Fight scene next chappy.
I'm still weighing my options about whether to upload the entire battle scene in one chapter or divide it into two chapters. The scene is currently over 6000 words long and I'm still not finished.
If I upload it all at once, there will be no chapter tomorrow. If I split it, there will be a chapter tomorrow.
I'm leaning towards the latter option, but I would love to get your feedback, if you have any.