Realizing that we were not playing around, the bandits we met on the road simply let us pass through their tolls. That was awfully nice of them. It was totally futile on their part though. Sir Betan and Alane simply could not suffer a bandit to live. We ended up slaughtering each and every one we came across. Age or gender did not matter to us at all. Sir Alane was very proud of his father's accomplishments in the big tournament. He had every right to be. It was not in Alane's temperament to be a battle maniac like his father. Betan knew this and respected it. That did not mean Betan did not drill and train Alane to the point he was a master swordsman as well. They had a bond founded on love and trust. I was happy for them. Going through this tournament, I knew that Len and I had a similar bond. Hopefully, the same was true with my other 8 children. On the way to Huntston, we saw a man lying on the side of the road. He was covered in wounds and looked half dead. As knights of the realm, we could not let him die. We provided first aid and loaded him on the cart. It was the least we could do.
If we left a man to die on the side of the road, I don't think that I could live with that. As a phantom thief and blood knight, I had killed many people. That did not make me a monster. I had people that I cared about. If it was one of my loved ones on the road, I would want them to be rescued. Personally, I would also like to be rescued if I actually needed help. Since that was the case, it only made sense to pay it forward. What goes around comes around after all. A person who lives off violence will likely find a violent end. Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword and all. No one would here would shed a single if an avowed thief was stolen from. I was not a bandit, but it was just one step below. Helping this man could raise my reputation as well as getting me some good karma going forward. I would need it someday. We knew nothing at all about the man, but we could find that out when he woke up. If he was somehow a threat, we would deal with it. Betan, Alane and I were amazing. No single man could defeat all 3 of us in a sword fight. Especially not if our lives were on the line.
Since we were following the Yellowtails, we accompanied them to their home. They got to be the ones that told the story to their parents. Their father was surprised they got so far. "You really got that far!? That's... amazing." he asked them, a slow smile spreading on his face. Lady gave him a scoffing bark. "Why are you so shocked!? We trained them to be great warriors. This was expected. I just wish Collin and his strong friends weren't there, then our sons would have won." she said. That might have been true. Sir Betan really gave it his all every single time he stepped on the field. This was what he had been training so much for. I was also proud of him as a friend. It did pay off to get along with each other. After making sure the brothers were doing fine, I looked at them. "Take the night off and celebrate with your family. You can both resume steward duties in the morning." I instructed. They had found jobs before most of my children. Betan, Alane and the injured man would rest up for the night in the guest house. I got to sleep in my bed in the master bedroom. It was different without my woman.
