Vandalin and the City of Love

The morning sun was a blindingly white orb in an azure sky. The air was crisp and clean, with a light breeze that carried the scent of daisies and honey. Vandalin inhaled deeply and smiled. He loved this time of morning, when the world was at peace.

"Why did you want to meet here?" His companion asked, looking around wearily. "This place is kind of...creepy."

Vandalin chuckled softly, his voice deep and smooth as he replied, "I wanted to show you something beautiful." He gestured around them at the lush fields surrounding the small village on the outskirts of Londinium. "Look at it all! The flowers, the grass! How could anyone not love this place?"

His companion shrugged and followed him into the shade of one of the few trees dotting the field. She looked around uneasily at their surroundings. Vandalin had only met her once before, when she'd been working at a tavern a few towns over from his own home in Brannockia. She had been tending bar there, a trim female figure with long blonde hair down her back, her face hidden behind an elegant curtain-mask that flowed down her front and sides.

She'd left before Vandalin could approach her, however; head down, she'd hurried out of town in a covered cart drawn by two powerful black horses. He'd followed at a discreet distance until they reached this field, where they'd stopped for quite some time before moving on again. Now she stood in front of him in a simple green dress, her features visible for the first time. Her eyes were blue as the sky above them, while her hair spilled every which way, seeming to disregard any notion of coherence as it fell haphazardly over her shoulders. She was very beautiful indeed.

"I know why you came," he said softly as he approached her slowly. "How can I convince you to stay?" He held up his hands in supplication as he continued speaking gently. "Stay with me, love! Let me protect you!"

The young woman opened her mouth to reply when suddenly there was a loud clang from behind them! They both turned to find three thugs armed with wicked looking blades and rough looking faces standing before them! One of them spoke up in a gravelly voice:

"Well well well! What do we have 'ere then? A young lady? An' a hunky bloke standin' right next to 'er? I'll bet you're in love are ya? That's sweet." The other two laughed crudely and gestured towards Vandalin menacingly with their weapons before continuing: "You see you've got yourself into quite an *emergency* luv!" They advanced slowly on their prey and began circling them slowly like sharks scenting blood in open water! "Where are you from luv?" The lead thug demanded threateningly as he pointed his weapon directly at her chest!

Vandalin stepped forward quickly between them and forced himself between his frightened friend and the thugs who'd found them! Eyeballing the leader hard he raised his fists into fighting position determined to fend off these aggressors! A low growl escaped his throat as he took up his stance ready for battle! This was his woman these thugs meant to take away from him by force! No one would harm her while he lived! He would fight these men until they lay still on the ground dead or dying if that's what it took to protect his friend's life!