Chapter nine

                                    

                                          
            Isabella ran the horse as fast as she dared until they were far enough away from the castle that she felt safe. She slowed the horse down to a slow trot as she pat its neck. She rubbed her arms as the snow continued to fall, regretting not grabbing a cloak or wearing a warmer dress. As she rode on, she started to hear drunken laughter ahead of her.
                          
            As she got closer, the laughter got louder and she saw the small glow of a fire. She passed behind some trees and ahead of her, in a clearing, she could see three men sitting around a fire, laughing and guzzling down bottles of ale, beer, and wine. She could already smell the alcohol from where she was and could see the empty bottles littering the ground, most broken. She tried to sneak past the men, hoping their drunken state would render them unable to notice her. Her hopes were shattered as one of the men noticed her and quickly pointed her out to the others.
                          
            "Ho, boys! Look what we have here!" the man said, his speech slurred.
            One of the other men laughed and said, "A wee, pretty lamb out here by herself!"
            "What is a pretty little lass like you doing out here all alone in the woods at night?" the third asked her, standing up. "Do you not know how... dangerous the woods can be?"
                          
            She hoped ignoring them would make them leave her alone, but she was sadly mistaken as the men started to stalk towards her. "Now, a pretty little thing like you should not be out here all alone." the third man said. "Hey boys, how about we take her back with us to make sure she is safe? We could have a little... fun." A sinister smirk came to their faces as they continued to walk towards her.
                          
            As they got closer, she could now completely make out what they looked like. They each had long, shaggy, unkempt, greasy hair and beards. Their crooked teeth ranged in color from yellow to black. Their clothes, were worn out, dirty, and torn. They were covered in filth and each sported a long dagger on their belt or leg. It wasn't hard for her to tell that they were bandits.
                          
            She tried to spur the horse forward, but the first bandit quickly got in front of the horse before it could work up enough momentum to start moving faster. The third bandit grabbed the reins from her hands while the second grabbed her by the waist and pulled her out of the saddle. She kicked and screamed as she tried to get out of the man's grasp. She tried to elbow him in the face or stomach, but he quickly secured her arms, his dirty fingers digging into her arms and waist. The smell of alcohol and his dirty stench made it hard for her to breath.
                          
            She continued to scream. "Help!" she cried, "Help, help! Someone help me! Please, somebody help me! Somebody! He-" She was cut off when the man clamped his hand over her mouth. The men laughed as they watched her struggle to get free.
                          
            'This cannot get any worse-' Isabella's thoughts were cut off as she heard the howl of a wolf come from somewhere nearby. 'Apparently it can,' she thought. The men looked up in surprise and the man holding her loosened his grip on her. She took that moment of distraction to pull her arm loose and drive her elbow into his stomach. The man let her go and stumbled back, clutching his stomach.
                          
            She ran as fast as she could, but one of the other men grabbed her. He held much tighter than the other man did, constricting her breathing slightly, and held his dagger against her throat. "That was a bold move, lass," the voice she recognized as the third man hissed into her ear, causing a shiver of disgust to go down her back. "But I would not try it again if I were you. And I would advise you to learn to hold your tongue if you know what is good for you." He pressed the blade of the dagger firmly against her neck for emphasis.
                          
            She remained still as she tried to steady her panicked breathing. A howl echoed through the clearing as a figure could be seen in the shadows of the trees in front of them. A low, wolf-like growl came from the figure and the men started to slowly back up, dragging Isabella along with them. The figure stepped out of the trees, barely visible in the light of the fire and the small bit of moonlight that leaked out from between the clouds as they continued to cover the ground in snow. Even in the little light shining on the figure, she could tell who it was, and she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or more frightened.