[CENTER][b][color=007236][u][h1]The Huntsman[/h1][/u][/color][/b][/CENTER]

Seeing no indication that the violence was about to continue anytime soon, the Huntsman sheathed his shortswords and listened quietly to the conversation as it went on. When the men in black revealed that they were in fact little more than desperate, starving peasants driven to the ends of their ropes by the rule of their Emperor, the Huntsman sympathized with them. He knew what it was like to live under such rule. While it wasn't as bad as this in Ebenholm, the Queen ruling fairly and competently when in view of the common folk, the regular disappearances of young women beautiful enough to contest the Queen's spot as the Fairest One of All was a constant source of sadness for the people. And while he himself hadn't starved under the Queen's rule, it had been a long time since the Huntsman's dreams had gone untroubled by the guilt he carried from the part he was forced to play in those regular disappearances.

The Huntsman emerged from his thoughts when one of his newfound companions approached the man she had injured during the fight, asked if she could reclaim her dart, and then did so before the man could answer. Had he been a little more on his toes, the Huntsman would have tried to stop her. But as he had been lost in his thoughts only a moment ago, it had already happened by the time he realized it was happening. Fortunately, it didn't seem like the removal had seriously injured the man. But even so, the Huntsman tensed in anticipation of the act possibly reigniting hostilities.