Chapter Two

After her work was completed in the stables and she'd changed, Rennie was on the road headed to Shlant. She'd been saving her money for new shoes and material for a new dress. She only wore her trousers when she was working and she was currently in desperate need of a new summer dress.

On her way to Shlant she had the perfect opportunity to think about what she'd done that afternoon. She hated to be the one to end the relationship formally, but she just couldn't keep holding out hope that society would accept their friendship. She was after all, the poorest woman in the village. No, she'd made the right decision. Rennie didn't want to be labled as trying to work her way up the ranks of society. She didn't want to be known as a 'cheater'.

As she thought about her real reasons for refusing the friendship she began to wonder. When did I start caring what society thought of me? All her life she'd been shunned by them and now she was looking for acceptance? It's only because Tristan and Charles are involved, she thought. She tried denying what she'd just realized the entire walk to Shlant.

Rennie arrived at the store around six-thirty. It didn't close until seven and she was glad for that. She knew she wouldn't manage to leave the store before it got dark, for the night still crept in early, but she really needed that material. The store was much busier then she had anticipated, and knew the delay was going to cause problems.

Several women in the store were discussing something with fervor when Rennie came into the store.

"I heard he's very handsome." One woman with dark pin straight hair said to the group. She seemed satisfied that she was able to contribute to the conversation.

"How could you now if he was?" Another woman said huffly, "He always wears a mask!" The first woman had no response to that.

"I imagine it would be quite wonderful to be rescued by him. Being pulled up on his black stallion and riding away into the sunset. I've never been kissed by a man in a mask before." A woman with mousy brown hair and a rotund figure said. Rennie couldn't help but snort. the woman didn't look like she'd been kissed ever in her lifetime. But then, neither had she. At least she knew what she looked like.

"I've heard he has an accent. He must be from some exotic land, far, far, away." A woman with white blond hair and dreamy blue eyes said. REnnie rolled her eyes. These women were only looking for romance. What good is romance in a world as harsh as this one? She thought pessimistically.

Rennie picked out the fabric she wanted and went up to the clerk. A young woman only a bit younger then herself stood there. She smiled and asked how much of the fabric she wanted. Rennie gave the girl the amount and the young woman began to measure and cut the blue gingham.

"What are they tittering about?" Rennie asked the girl, nodding toward the circle of women.

She smiled, "The Black Rider. He's said to be the 'hero that will make our wooks and towns safe again'. He sounds rather dreamy, but I'm not sure if he's real."

"Really?" Rennie asked astonished that people could believe that one man could protect all of them.

"Yes, he's already saved several lives and he's giving people hope. It makes you wonder though, if he'll stick around. If, that is, he's real at all."

"I guess we'll just hae to wait and see." Rennie said. "I also ordered a package, some shoes. The name's St. Claire." The girl went into a back room and came back with the box in hand.

Five minutes later Rennie came out of the shop and headed for home. It was dark now and Rennie only had the moon to guide her. The road during the day was relatively safe, but at night it was a whole different matter. Gypsies and robbers lived in the woods and attacked passing travelers at night. Only fools traveled through these woods at night, Rennie classified herself as such.

They came without warning, there was no sound, no lights, the were just there. Eight of them surrounded her, each had a newly sharpened blade in at least one hand. They were ragged, worn, and dirty, yet they didn't seem to care. Their goal was her purst. It didn't matter how light it was, they still wanted it. They were going to have to fight her for it, though, Rennie decided. It didn't matter if there were eight of them, she was going to fight with all she had.

"Don ya ken it ain't wise ta trav'l the forest at night?" A man with long matted dark hari asked her grinning.

"Whomever said I was a wise woman?" Rennie countered, her personality escaping. The man only laughed.

"Why don ya lay down ya purs an we be leavin' ya alone." Matted hair said gesturing with the knife in his hand.

"No I think I'll just leave, no harm no foul." Rennie tried without much hope.

The man laughed again, "you're a funny one, lass. Hand over ya purse an' we be leavin' ya. Iffn ya not agreeable we'll do warse ta ya then ya ken."

Rennie felt her stomach drop just as she heard a rider approaching from behind. In that moment she knew that someone in heaven loved her. The pounding of hooves didnt' decrease in speed as they approached the group, instead they increased. The men surrounding her held their ground until the last moment when they realized the rider wasnt' going to stop. Her back to the rider it was impossible for her to know where he was. He could very well run over her, but she was too afraid to look away from the leader.

Rennie was surprised when an iron arm wrapped around her waist. She cried out when she was lifted up off the ground and settled in front of the rider. Rennie held her packages tightly to her chest as the rode away from the men. It took her a while to realize what exactly was going on.

"Put me down," Rennie said quietly when she regained her senses. When the stranger didn't seem to hear her, she raised her voice. "Put me down, NOW!" The horse slowed and the iron band around her middle loosened. Rennie took the opportunity to slide down and run as fast as she could away from her rescuer.

Unfortunately, her fastest wasn't fast enough.

Her shoulders were grabbed from behind and she was turned and pushed up against a tree trunk. the shoulder that had sustained injury from her fall the day before was screaming in pain. When Rennie looked up into the face of the pushy stranger, she knew instantly who it was.

The Black Rider had rescued her from the bandits, he was surely fulfilling his mission now. Rennie examined him carefully. He was tall, broad shouldered, dark thick hair, and a black mask that shadowed his eyes. His black outfit made him look like a widow mourning her dead husband. When this thought ran through Rennie's mind she began to laugh. It could have been partially due to hysteria, but the image it presented was positively hysterical.

The man frowned at her, "What is so funny?" He asked in a accented voice. A very irritated accented voice.

"I'm sorry," Rennie said between giggles, "This isn't a laughing matter." She snorted like she had back at the store, knowing her grandmother was turning over in her grave. She grew serious when she saw the expression on his face. Fear, real, blood chilling fear set in then. It was that moment that she realized the direness of the situation. She was pinned to a tree by a man wearing a mask. She could very well be killed right ther in the forest, or wrose. Just thinking about it caused her to shiver.

"Are you cold?" The man asked, his voice surprisingly sincere.

Rennie bit her lip unsure as to what to say. She wasn't really cold, but then what would happen if she said yes? IF she said no, then they would just stand here until he did something. "No Rennie said, hoping she'd said the right thing.

"Why were you walking alone at night?" He demanded.

"Becuase I had to pick up some things from the general store in Shlant and my work load was larger then normal. I just headed out later then I should have. Now, if you would please let me go so I can get home? I have even more work to do tomorrow." Rennie said struggling under the man's arm.

"Laundry isn't such a hard task, just because you have to wash a few extra clothes doesn't mean you're going to die." The stranger that everyone called 'hero', was really just an arrogant jerk.

"Who said I did laundry?" Rennie cried. "I do much harder work then that. Now I'd like to go home!" She was struggling even more, knowing that it was useless.

"Alright then." The Black Rider said. He let her go abruptly and she would have fallen if he hadn't slung her over his shoulder and walked back to his horse.

"Put me DOWN!" She screamed.

"No. I'm going to see you safely home. I have just risked my life to save yours and I'm not going to have you die. At least not tonight." The Black Rider said in his arrogant tone.

"I would rather have been robbed, then manhandled by you!" Rennie cried kicking and flailing, trying to dislodge herself from his uncomfortable hold.

"You have no idea what those men would have done to you, do you?" The Black Rider asked.

"If they had gotten any closer I would have given them my purse and they would have gone on their way." She said. Did I really run this far?

"And what makes you think they would have just left you there?" He asked, yelling now too, "Unharmed?"

"He told me they would just go on their way. He promised." Rennie punched him in the back as hard as she could. he didn't even flinch.

"He told you?" He roared. "He told you he would just leave and you trusted him to do that?"

"Yes! Why wouldn't I?  I had no reason to think otherwise!" Rennie was really tired of this.

"So you'll trust a man who's about to rob you but not the man who saved your life?" The Black Rider asked finally stopping. Rennie's abdomin was hurting from bouncing up and down on his shoulder.

She thought about what he said. It was rather illogical, she now realized. Rennie didn't speak for a while. She didn't protest when he put her up on the saddle of his black stallion, not even when he got up behind her and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. She just sat there until they reached the town square.

"I'll get down now." She said quietly.

"Where do you live?" he asked not releasing her waist.

"Right there." She pointed. "In the boarding house." It was a lie, but she didn't want him following her home. She'd ask Mrs. Lionel if she had a room she could rent for the night. With seeming reluctance, the Black Rider released her and helped her slide down to the ground.

"I'll be watching out for you." He said, and was gone.

Author's Note

Ignore the spelling! Enjoy! :)

Reviews

[Lyndie Bolt aka JustRac..]

"She tried denying what she'd just realized the entire walk to Shlant." reword to something like this; "In the rest of her hour long trek to Shlant she tried to deny to her self-revelation. It was greatly disconcerting to her to have finally bowed to the conventions of society, and even worse to understand Tristan and Charles importance."

What is "wooks"? Vary the description of the horse a bit, and a little more imagry is needed on the attack by the bandits. The Black Rider must be a very stron person to so casually handle Rennie-- or she is a slip of a girl. As a rider I know what kind of strength it is to try and grab a person from the ground. If this is the case you need to describe his strength and her size more.

Yep, some spelling and punctuation errors.

So far an interesting tale.