The enemy wasn't routed; they were utterly annihilated. The sudden onslaught of every knight had completely shifted the battle from the minor advantage that the ambushing bandits possessed to the knight's massive advantage once blade met skull. The knights that fought directly alongside of her—the ones with spears—impressed Aria. Not only did they follow her (albeit ambiguous) orders, but they were wholly self-sufficient. Indeed, Aria thought that they deserved to fight alongside her in the Iron Rose knights. Not that she had any say in who was accepted in it. Still, the least she could do was remember their names had she not forgotten them in the first place. Well, she could always just reintroduce herself once the bandit king was captured or slain.

The spear-knight with sparse armour was of great assistance. Having someone watch your back was truly a pleasant thing to have. Even if the enemy bandits were so laughably weak that one could simply defend it with a fluttery cape, the peace of mind afforded to Aria was not taken for granted. The knight with the odd, twin-ended spear was a different story. Rather than the comfort of an ally, Aria had to stifle much of her laughter at his accidental piece of comedy. While in the middle of combat, he had grappled and hog-tied a bandit. Arrows were still whizzing above his head while he had done so. Really, his level of priorities made it hard for Aria to keep a straight, professional face. The poleaxe wielding knight had charged alongside him. His quick brutality was always a welcome addition; crushing one's enemy at an incredible pace always broke morale. Surprisingly, the knight who shared blood with Aria joined with them. Together, they had charged directly into the enemy. The right side of the bandit's line had crumbled beneath their advance.

[color=C57467]"Great work,"[/color] she commended those who had fought with her, [color=C57467]"your actions make me proud to fight alongside you."[/color] Did she really mean those words? Sort of. She wouldn't have said them had she not known how important morale was for a troupe. 

With the bandits crushed and those who had not suffered fatal wounds captured, Fanilly demanded information from one of the captured bandits. "Are there any further ambushes" was only the most basic of questions and she had ended it there. Not a single moment of further questioning. Such a captain disappointed Aria. Still, she wouldn't confront her about it. Not just yet. She was just inexperienced. She would get better. It was a full moon when she was born, after all. To say malarkey and disagree with her would be to spit in the face of destiny and tradition. Some of the other knights were okay with this, willing to push on with only a general idea of what they were looking for. Still, the much more veteran Aria would have to fill in the gaps that their captain made.

It was time for some battlefield diplomacy.

She walked up to the bandit that her ally had hogtied and squatted down to look him eye to eye. [color=C57467]"Answer these few questions and you can pass peacefully with a last meal and your dignity."[/color] Her tone was stern and cold; perfect for an ad hoc interrogation. [color=C57467]"How is your encampment defended? Why have the king's men been unable to defeat your leader? And my last question: are there hostages?"[/color]