Richard had never exected anything like this to happen. Instead of enjoying a meal and planning his next move, he was suddenly dragged along by the arm by Kest to chase after Veragwen. Richard tried to argue that Veragwen was the guard captain for a reason, but his words seemed to fall upon deaf ears. Before he even had a chance to rest, he was being rushed in to yet another situation that could end with him killed.

As the two finally caught up with Veragwen, Richard finally understood just how dangerous things would be. [i]That girl is surrounded by thugs![/i] he realized, [i]and this guy is dragging me straight towards them![/i]

Kest finally released him, and Richard unceremoniously tumbled to the ground. When he was standing and coughing up dirt, Kest had thrown himself in to battle. It was an impressive display, but Richard wasn't in a hurry to follow suit. Why in the world would he thrust himself in to a situation like this? He was going to get himself killed if he went anywhere near that fight. He wanted to run, but his legs left him frozen where he stood. He could only watch as Veragwen and Kest risked their lives to rescue the girl. That's all he could do, wasn't it?

As he watched the duo battle their way through the thugs, he started to wonder. Why did they both risk their lives this way? With only the two of them, it wasn't likely that the odds were in their favor. Even with Veragwen's help, they were still outnumbered. Did they even think of what would happen if someone managed to pierce them with a knife?

It didn't seem like they considered that at all. In fact, someone else had joined them, standing by the mer-girl's side. The other thugs seemed to have backed off, and the three who attacked had been beaten as well. Before he knew what was happening, it was over.

As the others tended to fresh battle wounds, Richard could only admire their strength. He had only stood to the side, fearing the worst for all of them. He could see now that everything turned out fine, despite the wounds. The girl they were rescuing was safe, and he was no help whatsoever. He could only try and convince himself that he would be in the way.