Ryan found himself flat on his back with Charity lying on top of him.

 

 

 

 

Charity lifted her right arm to show that she was now handcuffed to Ryan's left arm, "Got You!" She smiled cheerfully at him.

 

Ryan stared at her in shock, his expression akin to someone who had just witnessed a surprise strip-o-gram. His eyes widened further as they fixated on the handcuffs, a sudden realization dawning on him. ~Oh crap. Well, all I need is—~ His thought was abruptly interrupted as he remembered something else. ~HELL! I left the fork in the dining hall.~ His gaze returned to Charity, who was observing him with a proud expression. Exclaiming in disbelief, he blurted out, "Are you FUCKIN' INSANE???"

 

Charity reflexively slapped Ryan across the face, her tone stern as she chastised him, "Language!"

Ryan's head swiveled to the side, his eyes widening even further in disbelief. He was too stunned by the surreal turn of events to react immediately. For a few moments, there was silence, but then Ryan felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through him as he began to rage at the situation. Pushing Charity away, he sat up abruptly. "I came up here to jump off the roof, you crazy bitch!" he exclaimed.

In response, Charity pulled her hand back and delivered another slap to his face. "Little boys shouldn't swear!" she scolded, her expression cross as she narrowed her eyes and pouted.

 

Ryan's head barely moved this time, instead, he just kept staring at her, "Lady, I'm THIRTY-EIGHT!"

 

She blinked, "What?"

 

Ryan gritted his teeth, "I can't jump WITH you." As he spoke he reached over to pick up the axe. Charity's eyes went wide as Ryan brought it into view, "Give. Me. The. Key."

 

Charity stared at the axe briefly, "I can't." She raised her chin defiantly and looked off into the distance, "I threw it away."

 

Ryan's face contorted with rage as he struggled to maintain composure. "LADY!" he exclaimed, pointing to the bleeding wound where a truncated arrow shaft had impaled his left arm. "They are TRYING to KILL ME!!!" Charity finally noticed the blood, her hands flying to her mouth in shock. Inadvertently, she tugged on Ryan's injured arm, causing him to cry out in pain. "HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!" she exclaimed, taken aback by the severity of the situation.

 

Having reached his limit, Ryan swung the axe in an attempt to slice through the chain connecting the handcuffs. However, the handcuff's mana suppression field prevented the axe from activating, resulting in failure. Not only did the axe fail to cut the chain, but the impact also jolted Ryan's injured arm, eliciting another yelp of pain. Grinding his teeth in frustration, Ryan held up the axe pointedly. "Lady, it seems it's faster to cut through a wrist than these cuffs," he remarked bitterly. Charity's eyes widened at the implication as Ryan continued, "Give me the key, please," He requested with a rather intimidating amount of politeness.

 

Charity's face turned white as she stared at the axe, "But I really did throw the key away." She bit her lower lip and winced, tightly closing her eyes in anticipation of what was to come next.

 

Ryan sat there, the weight of the axe heavy in his hand, his grip tightening with each passing moment as his frustration reached new levels. Suddenly, he stood up and forcefully dragged Charity over to the edge of the battlement. Charity felt her arm being pulled, forced to rest upon the cold stone. She kept her eyes tightly shut, bracing herself for the impending blow. But it never came. Instead, she heard Ryan mutter, "This is because I made that joke about the one-armed man, isn't it?"

 

Charity opened one eye to look and saw Ryan lining up his weapon, not to cut off her wrist...

 

...but his own.

 

As Ryan pulled back the axe, Charity screamed, "NO!" and grasped for it with her free hand, struggling with Ryan for control.

 

Weakened as he was, Ryan had a hard time fighting her. He eventually pulled it free from her grasp and held it away from her behind his back, "Do You Have A DEATH WISH?" She stopped struggling, but remained wary, "If you cut off your hand, you'll die!"

 

Ryan began to feel the fatigue setting in, the adrenaline that had fueled him had finally been depleted, "MIGHT! It MIGHT kill me! And the fall MIGHT kill me!" He exclaimed, gesturing towards the stairwell with the axe. "But if they get a hold of me, I WILL be EXECUTED!" He appeared utterly exhausted as he continued, "Between definite death and a chance at life, I choose to live because I've got a job to do!"

 

Charity attempted to interject, but Ryan cut her off sharply. "And right now, the one killing me is YOU. So BACK OFF and LET ME LIVE!" he demanded, his voice laced with frustration and exhaustion.

 

Charity gazed at the boy before her, taking in his pale complexion, the blood staining his muck-saturated pajamas, and the filth caking his bare feet. Signs of a potential injury on one foot caught her attention. It was evident that this boy wouldn't survive losing a hand, let alone jumping off the top of the redoubt. Despite appearing on the brink of collapse, he clung stubbornly to the axe.

 

Her eyes widened in sudden realization as she recalled the king's orders. "They won't kill you!" she exclaimed urgently.

 

Ryan's head dropped to the side in disbelief, "Don't lie to me."

 

Charity shook her head and reached with her free hand to place it over his chest, "No no no! I heard the King! He said, to bring you in alive!" She smiled hopefully.

 

Ryan emitted a snort of disbelief. "Bull," he retorted. He extended his left arm for closer inspection. "Notice the arrow in my arm? You don't shoot arrows at someone you want to be taken alive, Lady!" As he held out his arm, a sudden wave of nausea washed over him. His vision blurred, everything doubling as he felt the last of his reserves ebb away, causing him to stagger.

 

Charity held him up, "Either way, it's over. Give up. I'll protect you. I promise." She looked him right in the eye and spoke with as much sincerity she could muster, "I won't let them kill you."

 

Ryan was on the verge of responding when Charity's gaze shifted beyond him, her expression shifting to one of alarm. The guards had breached the area. One of them, sword drawn and intent on attacking, rushed toward Ryan, who remained oblivious to the imminent danger. "A’rite," Ryan muttered, his grip on the axe beginning to falter as the guard raised his sword to strike. Behind the advancing guards, the chancellor hurried up the stairs, his expression tense as he drew in a deep breath to yell.

 

Charity grabbed Ryan and yanked him close, spinning to put herself in between Ryan and the guard. They both fell to the ground. As Charity shielded Ryan with her body, she closed her eyes tightly, expecting for a second time that day that she was about to be killed.

 

A loud clang reverberated as the guard narrowly diverted the blow, the sword instead striking the masonry. The chancellor's voice pierced the chaos, "I SAID TAKE HIM ALIVE, YOU ABSOLUTE BUFFOON!" He stormed closer, his eyes falling upon the arrow protruding from Ryan's arm. "WHO GAVE ORDERS TO USE ARROWS?" he bellowed, his frustration palpable. Shoving the guard aside, the chancellor continued his tirade, "WHAT PART OF 'ALIVE' DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND???"

 

The guard stumbled backward, attempting to justify himself, "B-but, sire! The little halfling bastard was going to kill this maid!"

 

 

 

 

Ryan tried to hold on, but the blood loss finally overtook him. His world dissolved. Charity franticly searched through her pockets. Ryan's last image right before he passed out was Charity putting something to her lips, then moving in for a kiss.