Sigrun

Rippling gently in the warm wind, something white was dangling from the top window of the castle. The building stood tall and elegant, but something about its dark stone walls and shuttered windows made it seem cold and forbidding.

Sigrun took a deep breath and wrapped a length of the makeshift rope around her arm. The rope was, in fact, made of the best silken sheets in the country knotted tightly together in one long ribbon. Why they had given them to her in the first place Sigrun didn't know. Her criminal record wasn't exactly clean, even if she was a member of the royal family.

She gritted her teeth and transferred her body weight until she was off the window ledge and dangling by the rope. Daring a look down, she gulped and pushed her bare feet further into the folds of silk. Then, inch by inch, Sigrun Eide lowered herself down the wall, hanging forty feet from her possible doom.

When she reached the bottom, she leaped onto the horse she had prepared outside the castle walls, strapped her broadsword into the scabbard slung across her hips and kicked the horse into a gallop. She rode towards the wood without a backward glance.

Emil

Emil Västerström was riding through the dawn-lit forest when he heard the scream.

Being a man of great virtue and even greater pride, he couldn't turn down the plight of a damsel in distress. He gave his dappled grey stallion a kick as best he could wearing bejewelled riding boots, and then they were off, darting between the broad oak trees and ducking under thick swathes of leaves.

Presently, he came into a clearing where the pink sky was framed by pale leaves, and snowdrops grew in a thick carpet. Just as he broke clear of the trees, a stout maiden crashed through a bush on the other side of the clearing and staggered towards him, head turned to look behind her as if she were being chased. And, as it happened, she was. Seconds after the maiden stumbled into the overgrown space, two wolves half the size of Emil's horse burst through the screen of leaves, snarling and baring yellow teeth. The maiden screamed, and set her gaze forward, putting on a spurt of speed. She noticed Emil seconds before she collided with his horse.

"Sir! Help! They'll rip me apart if they catch me! Do something!"

Emil swung awkwardly from his steed and drew his sword after two attempts. He cleared his throat.

"Right. Of course. Do not fear, ma'am."

The wolves, seeing the glint of sunlight on his sword, stopped, growling and lashing their tails. Emil wiped his sweaty left palm across his chainmail tunic. Behind him he could hear the maiden gasping for breath. Still the wolves stood and watched him, eyes flashing, drool dripping from their jaws.

Emil did nothing.

"What are you doing?" the maiden hissed between her teeth. "Kill them, or whatever it is you knights do."

Emil gulped. Sweat made his heavy silk shirt stick to his back, and he was uncomfortably hot.

"Ahem. Yes. About that..."

Even though he had his back to her, he could hear the bite in her voice. "You are a knight, aren't you?"

Emil swallowed again. "Well, technically, yes but I-"

This time the maiden didn't hide her anger.

"Oh for the love of God."

She strode up to him, yanked the sword from his hand and advanced on the wolves, brandishing it with surprising ease. Emil stared, his jaw hanging loose about his collar.

One wolf leapt forward, teeth bared, ready to bite and tear. The maiden swung her sword with such force that the wolf's severed head went flying across the clearing and crashed into the bushes. Emil gagged a little as its body crumpled, fur stained deep red. Seemingly unfazed, the young woman stepped forward, curling her lip.

The other wolf took one look and fled, tail tight between its hind legs.

A smirk spreading across her round face, the maiden turned back to him, wiped the blood off his sword with the hem of her faded yellow dress and said:

"Now that's how you do it. Maybe I could teach you some time, Sir...?"