Perspective, pt 2

This was a long time ago:

"Do you swear to serve and protect the family of Vesta, even at the cost of your own life?" The kings question echoed through the hall.

I stared into his eyes as he asked me this question. They were a deep blue, serene as the ocean. He wept nobility. I could not refuse him.

"I do swear," I said

"Then rise, my Thobas, rise as Sir Novault, son of Rek."

And I rose, because that is what he asked of me.

But that was a long time ago.

Buzzards circled overhead as Thobas' horse plodded across the orange sand. Thobas walked alongside it as the princess rode. She now wore a faded red poncho that he had cut down to size to fit over her. It looked more like a drapery than a dress, and Thobas could remember a time when she would have refused to wear such a rag. She would barely speak to him now, much less complain.

He looked up at her. The princess' face was dirty, and she didn't seem to focus on anything in particular. She just sat.

Union was ahead of them, nestled among the dunes. Thobas could only see the smoke and steam that rose from the city as it busied itself in preparation for the arrival of the Great Train.

A shot rang out. And Thobas fell to the ground. The noise and the motion startled the horse briefly, but it did not bolt.

Tanner, self-proclaimed Master Bounty Hunter hid on the ridge of a dune, watching the man bleed into the orange sand. Another pair of men ran forward to grab the girl from the horse, but he shot them down quickly.

"Before they even knew what hit them." He muttered to himself. He waited another minute, scanning the horizon for any signs of movement. When he was satisfied that no one else was around he walked down to the girl and began leading the horse to Union.

Behind him he could see a faint cloud of dust, but it was too distant to catch him before he got to the security offered by the laws and guards of Union.

"In a day, Princess, we'll be on our way to the other side of the desert. And you're gonna make me a lot of money..."