A Beautiful HeroA Story by Jessica A classic tale with a twist He was stuck. There was no getting out. David slammed his hand against the metal cage he was trapped in. The King must have found out what he had done and sent men to capture him. Soon he would come to triumphantly snatch away another rebel and lock him up for good. What a joke! When had justice come to mean disposing of those who tried to eliminate corruption? Psst! David spun around. “Who’s there?” he called out warily. Surely the king was not here already, and if he were, he certainly would not come sneaking out. “Shhh. Calm down. I’m here to help you.” A short, lean figure emerged from the shadows of the forest trees and seemed to glide over to him. A long blue hooded robe concealed the person’s face. . . and any weapons he had. David scooted back just enough to be able to take a swing at him in case things went bad. “Who are you?” “No time to talk. I gotta get you out of here. And then we have to run. I mean, really run.” The hooded figure knelt down and released the snaps holding the cage down. Then he pulled a small gun from under the robe , shot the lock off, and flung the cage off him. “Let’s go!” he exclaimed, turning on his heel and breaking into a sprint. David turned to follow but stopped short. He was about to run for his life. He wouldn’t be able to return, for surely the King would set gaurds at his house. “Wait!” he yelled before tearing back into his house, gathering everything his frantic mind though he might need. “What do you think you’re doing?!” his rescuer’s voice hissed. “I need my stuff,” he grunted, reaching for his gun. A small hand grabbed his wrist forcefully. He cut his glance sideways at his frenzied rescuer and back, realized the figure had removed its hood, and did a double take. His hero was . . . a woman? Her thick brown hair was twisted away from her ivory white face, cheeks blushed with the vibrant color only running for your life can bring. Adrenaline glimmered in her wide blue eyes. David forced the cloud of shock from his mind and grabbed the gun. “We don’t have time!” she exclaimed. “There were gaurds posted-" CRASH! The door to the house came flying off its hinges and three of the king’s men stormed in, guns in hand. David dropped his gun on the table behind him before they could see it and threw his hands up where they could see them. The gaurds started when they noticed the lady by him, who had not been able to pull her hood on in time. “You’re the one we’ve been tracking!” the first one said. “You’re. . . a girl?” The heroine rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Can’t you men ever come up with anything original to say?” But the guards’’ pause was just enough time. David grabbed his gun and shot the gun out of one of the guard’s hands. He had a thing about not shooting a person if he could help it. But when the guard came charging at him and the other guards swung their guns toward him, he re-considered. His gun sounded and the first man fell to the ground. Two more shots fired by his side and the other gaurds fell too. The two outlaws looked at each other in relief then dashed out the door. They ran straight into the woods as fast as they could, slapping tree branches away from their faces. After several minutes, when David’s intense fear of being followed abated some, he shouted “Why are you doing this? I don’t even know you.” She grinned. “I have a thing about helping the helpless.” Ego stinging, David replied “My pride has been hurting from the moment you showed up, but I suppose you deserve my thanks. So thank you. But who are you?” Her reply was cut off by two more gaurds running out in front of them yelling threats. David and his rescuer stopped short. He whipped out his gun, aimed, and fired. Click! What? Out of bullets? He slid his eyes over to the still nameless heroine in slight panic, waiting for her bullets to fly. But she merely dropped her gun to the ground and shrugged. “I’m out too.” The gaurds snickered. Stunned, David exclaimed “Who rescues someone with only three bullets?!” She shot him a steely glare. “ Normally I only need one.” David huffed in frustration. “Oh, so you play hero on a regular basis then?” She kept one eye on the approaching men and replied non-chalantly, “Often enough.” Then in a swift motion she kicked the legs out from under the guard nearest her, dropped to her knees, lifted him by his shoulders and slammed him back to the ground. David sprang into action, landing a solid blow on the other one’s jaw and another in his stomach. The guy doubled over and David threw a few more punches before knocking him to the ground next to his buddy. The lady was unrelenting. “Let’s go before we run into any other smiling faces,” she said and began running again. “So exactly why do you do this?” David yelled over the sound of their pounding feet. “Therapy,” she yelled back. “Riiight. Care to expound on that?” She didn’t answer right away, as if determining whether she really wanted to or not. He had just given up hope of her answering, when she said “It gets my mind off myself. When my life gets tough, I help people out of situations a lot tougher than mine. So yeah, therapy.” It was a noble thought, but her answer raised more questions in David’s mind. “So why can’t you get out of your own situation?” Her answer came quicker this time. “I’ve resigned myself to my fate. Fighting my way out isn’t an option. So instead, I help those who have the luxury of options. “ She forced a chuckle. “I live vicariously through them, I suppose.” This lady is a good fighter. She could certainly fight her way out if she wanted to, so there must be another factor in play, David thought. Blackmail perhaps? He opened his mouth with another question but snapped it shut when she suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked him behind an enormous bush. He thought twice about protesting this time and scanned the area instead. Then he saw them. Three more of the king’s men stepped out from the depths of the woods. “They’ve got to be here somewhere. And we’re going to find them,” the biggest one growled. “Yeah, cause if we don’t. . . “ the shortest one’s voice trailed off and he dragged a finger across his throat, making a choking sound. “Nah, we’ll find them,” the middle guy said. “That wench’s luck is gonna run out soon, and when it does, we’re gonna be there. “ David heard her smirk in his ear, and he smiled. She was starting to grow on him. “I still can’t believe she’s rescued thirty men before we got to them. All by herself!” The shorter guy’s voice held a touch of awe. “You’ve rescued thirty men?” David hissed in disbelief. Her elbow dug in his stomach, and he clamped his mouth shut. The gaurds’ voices faded away as they kept walking in the direction David and the “wench” had just come from. “Well, the words out that I’m not a man.” A sigh of disappointment escaped her lips, but David did not miss the determined glint in her eyes. “Come on,” she said, “the shelter isn’t much farther now.” “Shelter?” he questioned. She nodded, quickening her pace to a brisk walk. “The others are there. It’s a secluded place for you to wait until things cool down a bit.” They walked on in silence for a minute, questions swirling in David’s mind. But she asked the next one. “ So what exactly did you do to procure the blessing of the king’s wrath? Refuse to pay the surplus taxes?” David was surprised she didn’t already know yet pleased he finally had some sort of advantage over her, a feeling that only shamed him more than his own foolishness already had. She had saved his life after all! She was not a competitor. She was his rescuer. And as much as it irked him, he had needed the rescuing. “No,” he replied, “I defended some young ladies his men were harassing, and injured one of his minions in the process. I figured he would come for me eventually, but not by setting a trap by my front door. Did NOT see that coming. . . literally!” he added as he remembered the cage toppling down on him. She chuckled. It felt good to make her laugh. “Well, we are nearly there. And this is where I must leave. I have to get back home. Do you see those leaves hanging over the hill there?” He did. “Push through those and walk straight until you find the back of the cave. It’ll be dark. Turn right and keep walking. You’ll push through another hanging of leaves, and then you’ll see a building. Go there. You’ll be safe. Just don’t trigger any more traps, ok?” Her wry grin made him laugh. “Thank you. Very much. But please, before you go, tell me your name. And why you can’t escape from your problem. Maybe I can help!” She shook her head as a shadow flitted across her face. “You can’t.” Her features softened, showing that his offer of help had touched her, regardless of how futile she thought it to be. Lifting her hood over her head once again, she spoke calmly. “My name is Belle, and I live with a beast.” Then she turned and fled.
© 2014 JessicaAuthor's Note
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