The Robber Knight's Love (The Robber Knight Saga #2)(4)

He was not at all sure he could harm her. His hand burned with pain at the very thought. Pain such as he had not felt in a very, very long time.

But he wouldn't have been Sir Reuben Rachwild if he hadn't prepared himself for battle. Even if it was fruitless, it at least gave him something to do. So he searched through all the chests in the room for a better weapon, blocked the door with a chair when he found none, and settled down behind the door, holding a position in which he could easily fall upon the first foe who forced his way into the room.

From his bed, Sir Isenbard watched Reuben's doings with ever greater incredulity. “Are you going to tell me what you are doing, at some point, Sir?”

“Are you in the habit of asking pointless questions over and over again?” Reuben retorted. “I've already told you that it's none of your business. Hold your tongue unless you have something useful to say, you slobbery old piece of baggage.”

Sir Isenbard's mouth opened again in consternation.

Reuben looked around, ignoring the old man who obviously was no threat. All was prepared. There was nothing for him to do but sit and contemplate the fact that the woman he loved hated his innards—and probably the rest of him, too.

If only… if only…

And then, Sir Reuben Rachwild did something unprecedented. Something he had never done before. Something almost unbelievable.

He regretted.

He actually regretted robbing someone.

He regretted that fateful day in the forest…





Memorable Robbing

From the brush where he was hiding, Sir Reuben could hear the light hooves of the mare approaching quickly. The rider seemed to be in a hurry. Just when the animal was about to pass him, he pressed his feet into the sides of his stallion and broke free of the brush, blocking the path of whoever was unfortunate enough to be his prey this day.

“Halt!” he shouted, holding up one of his mighty, iron-clad fists.

The rider's horse was almost scared out of its wits by his sudden appearance. It reared, and the young girl on its back had to hold on for dear life. Reuben watched her efforts with amusement. He contemplated the chances of her landing on her behind in the dirt. Now that would be an entertaining sight.

However, she managed to stay in the saddle. Well, well. Here was something you didn't see everyday: a female who could actually ride. What a pity that she would soon lose her horse, he thought, grinning behind his visor.

“You idiot!” the girl yelled at him, still trying to calm her horse. “What did you mean by startling my horse like that?! Do you have a screw loose somewhere, and I don't mean in your armor? You could have killed me.”

Idiot, is it? This wench needed to be taught some manners! And lesson number one would be: never insult the heavily armed man who just appeared right in front of you.

“Well, that would have simplified matters,” Reuben retorted.

Through the slits of his helmet, he saw the girl's eyes go wide and enjoyed the show immensely. Oh yes. Now you'll think twice about being so cocky again, won't you?

Apparently, the girl had come to the same conclusion. After throwing him a wary look, she made her mare retreat a few steps.

Oh no. None of that, my little vixen.

“What do you want?” she asked.

Reuben had to work hard to suppress a chuckle. By Satan's hairy ass, wasn't it obvious? This wench was apparently greener than all the leaves in the forest put together. “Now,” he said, “that's a simple enough question: all that you have.”

She stared at him, still not understanding. Then, slowly, he saw comprehension dawn on her face.

“You!” she hissed.

Behind his visor, Reuben raised an eyebrow. She had heard of him, had she? Well, it didn't really surprise him. Who, in the whole wide world, hadn't heard of Sir Reuben Rachwild? He was more famous than the Iron Otto or Sir Grinwald of Hammersdal, both impressively greedy and blood-thirsty monsters. He was Sir Reuben Rachwild.

“Aye,” he said, very pleased with himself. “I.”

“Get out of my way.” The girl made an imperious gesture with her small hand, as if she were trying to chase away a stray chicken. “Go now! Leave this land, and I will forget that you ever came here.”

Reuben almost burst out laughing. “What a generous offer, Milady. But alas, I have to rob you first. Even poor knights like myself have to live.”

“Heel! Abominable villain! You dare defy me?”

Was this wench genuine? Satan's hairy ass, this was the funniest robbery in years!

Pretending to think hard on the subject, Reuben scratched the side of his helmet. “Hmm…yes, I think I do. Dare defy you, I mean. Now, can we please get on to the robbery part? I've got places to be.”

“But you're a knight,” she protested. “How can you do this? How can you rob a woman?”

He was tempted to explain how exactly one could rob a woman—not just of her horse and belongings, but of her virtue along with those. Surely the expression on her face would have been priceless! Instead, he just shrugged and said, “Oh, it's quite easy, if you know how to. I'll let you in on my secret if you promise to keep it to yourself. You see, unlike men, women don't usually carry weapons. That makes them very easy to rob.”

The girl's sapphire eyes blazed at his words. Too bad those weren't real sapphires. The way they sparkled, they would surely fetch a good price with any merchant.