Ashton brushed off a brown leaf off his shoulder and watched it descend slowly to the ground. Forests were a pain, he thought. He mouthed off a grumble: "The smell, branches, insects, leaves and the roots-"<br/><br/>His foot caught upon a stray root. Ashton could only yelp a "Whoa!" as he fell forwards. He closed his eyes, hoping not to taste first-hand a forest that already smelled too 'naturey' for him.<br/><br/>"Got you!"<br/><br/>Ashton felt large, solid arms wrap around his chest, catching him from his fall. He opened his eyes, seeing a wandering insect scampering on the forest floor, barely a distance from his face.<br/><br/>"One foot off the ground. Whew," said Ashton.<br/><br/>"Well, sir, I do my best."<br/><br/>The large man lifted Ashton up, letting him land gently on his feet.<br/><br/>"Thank you." Ashton rubbed the front of his shirt, then gave the man a smile. The man who saved Ashton towered over him, standing at nearly 6'6", a far cry from Ashton's pathetic height. A muscle-bound warrior by the name of Claude Early, he wore leather armour that, in terms of protection, seemed pathetic as compared to his strength.<br/><br/>Claude grinned back. "Happy to be of-"<br/><br/>"Sir!" spoke a tall (nearly 6 foot), lanky man beside Claude. Armoured in chainmail and carrying a crossbow, Roy Barlow was Sir Ashton's bodyguard and confidante. He caught the attention of the other two, and Roy nodded in acknowledgement to them.<br/><br/>"There happens to be someone running here. Unsure who or what, but it's moving swiftly. Surely it's-<span style="font-style: italic">she's</span>-"<br/><br/>A white-coloured figure bumped into Claude, who barely shifted even as the other figure fell backwards onto the ground.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"Please, don't hurt me!"</span><br/><br/>"She's not hostile to us," finished Roy, but the calm expression on his face changed to one of curiosity. The trio eyed her quizzically.<br/><br/>"Wings?" asked Ashton. His eyes could only focus on the strange, damaged wings that the young girl happened to be sitting on.<br/><br/>"Strange girl. Badly injured too," replied Roy. The other two nodded.<br/><br/>"What should we do?" asked Claude.<br/><br/>Ashton wondered. The girl didn't seem like she had a plan. Any plan of survival, other than running. Leaving her here meant sealing her fate. He could imagine the tears from her eyes, flowing like a river as she would meet her fate. If they didn't help her.<br/><br/>"But what the hell can injure her that badly? I'm not sure if we can defeat whatever it is, and none of us are planning on dying here," said Ashton.<br/><br/>"We could try, sir. Like, prioritise ourself over her. Drop and run if we're on the verge of getting surrounded, or if we get injured significantly," Roy suggested. It was a suggestion Ashton could live with.<br/><br/>"Basically, we try. If we fail because we aren't trying too hard, we just say we did our best, run back home and sleep soundly at night?"<br/><br/>Even the chattering of the undergrowth seemed to silence itself as Ashton and Roy gave the sort of glare to Claude that could kill plants.<br/><br/>"My father said I shouldn't lie to myself," Claude replied sheepishly, scratching his hair with a large finger.<br/><br/>"No..." Ashton sighed. Claude was right; Sir Ashton Cromwell was a knight, he knew. Knights had to live to the idea of chivalry, and chivalry involved saving maidens in trouble. Sure, there were<span style="font-style: italic">some</span>things that made the idea of chivalry less than viable for Ashton, but it was a virtue Ashton wanted to live by.<br/><br/>"We're protecting her. Early, grab her and carry her. Roy, shoot any pursuers. I'll fight them if they're not the sort to go down by silver bolts."<br/><br/>Ashton and Claude went towards Aris. "If you heard anything we said, I apologise for our cold-heartedness. My name is Sir Ashton Cromwell. And as a knight, I am to protect you," said Ashton, trying as hard as possible not to make his words like it was rehearsed in his mind.<br/><br/>Claude extended his large hands towards the angel. "Ride up, little lady. We'll be moving."