Three Strikes And I'm Not Out

"We should be finding our way out of this place," Buckle said.

Bonnie was lying on the bed in a robe, almost naked. She held a cup of wine with her delicate fingers as she watched Buckle unseeingly. It was the way she was when she became tired of Buckle's incessant complaints and mischievous ways. Not to talk of the little-brained activities the boy involved himself in most of the time. Sometimes, she wondered if there was a mistake somewhere, and they were both lied to about being siblings.

"You are not listening to me," Buckle said.

"I don't have to."

"Where is Tum?"

"He probably got tired of your yammering and ran away."

"He's had his eyes on the princess for some time," Buckle complained. "We should not be doing this."

Bonnie looked around the room. There was no one in their apartment, nor one guard, but she had seen the captain of the guard standing outside their door once or twice, a tall, strong-looking woman whom she had caught buckle ogling.

"What about the captain of the guards?"

"The captain?"

"The lady that was outside our door."

"Oh. What about her?"

"I have seen the way you look at her."

"You are not going to detract me. I will not stop speaking about the folly of what we are doing. We should be going away from here. We should be far away from here."

The door opened at that moment, and Tum walked into the chambers, followed by the captain. Buckle froze. The captain had long lashes and piercing eyes. She was not big or small, but she walked with the agility and alertness of a cat.

"Can you please, not go out without a guard?" the captain was begging Tum. "I have been specifically instructed by the king to look after you."

"I am a knight," Tum boasted. "Have you heard of a knight with a bodyguard?"

"The king would not want any harm to come to you or your people..."

"And no harm will," Tim said. "I have been protecting them. I will always protect them."

"There is nothing wrong with the woman warrior protecting us," Buckle said.

Bonnie stared at his brother in alarm at the same time that Tum turned to him. Buckle smiled at their discomfort.

"I mean the king has instructed her to."

"I am not in charge of your protection," the female captain said. "My men are…"

"… and you are in charge of your men," Buckle said quickly. "Which means you are in change. Let us cut to the chase. You are in charge of our protection. Tomorrow, when we go into the town, we want you with me… with us."

Buckle was stammering, but he was still managing to keep a bold front. The captain's face was the opposite. If she had feelings, none of that was on her face.

"Very well," she finally said. "I will be outside if you need me."

She walked away from them, her legs barely touching the ground. Try as much as he did, Buckle could not take his eyes off her strong thighs. They would break him and easily too, but perhaps that was the reason for the attraction. The black widow still had suitors no matter how many times male spiders died at the hands of the female ones.

"Buckle, are you crazy?" Tum said immediately the door shut behind the captain.

"Maybe I am, but only because the both of you do not listen."

"You don't know what she is capable of. You slip, just a little slip, and she is onto you. We will end up in the dungeon," Bonnie complained.

"Good. Maybe that is where we need to go for our heads to cool off," Buckle said.

"This is crazy!" Tum complained.

"It is an adventure."

Buckle stood up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked, alarmed.

"To see our guard."

Before Tum could dash towards him, Buckle slipped through the door. Outside, he found the captain standing to the side of the door.

"Hello," he said.

She barely nodded. It was a slight movement of her head, but that was everything she was going to say.

Buckle noticed that she was slightly taller than he was, but he was not about to be dissuaded. If anything, it made him more determined to get her to talk to him. He had succeeded inside the chambers. There was a chance for him to success here.

"You stand here often?" he asked.

She did not reply. Of course, she was a guard, so she stood often.

"You don't ever rest?" he continued. There was no one in the hallway, at least not near them. No one could hear him talking to the captain.

"I thought you did because you can't be the way you are without rest. You look so strong and so lithe. I have seen you walk. How fast can you move with that sword?"

Again, the captain ignored him. She did not seem to be in the mood to engage him. Buckle thought this was her default mood.

"Always so serious. Should I get you some wine? I wonder how you would look when you laugh."

"Go away," the captain said.

"Whoa! She spoke!" buckle exclaimed.

The captain sighed. "What do you want?"

"What do you want?"

The captain looked like she was about to hit him, then she swallowed and turned away from him. She was looking down the hallway.

"What is your name, captain?" Buckle asked.

"Captain," the captain replied.

"Lie. You would not even tell me your name?"

"What is it to you?"

"So I can call and wave at you from the other side of the fighting arena," Buckle replied.

"No."

"Oh, come on."

Again, the captain ignored him, unimpressed by his antics.

"Hey, watch this," Buckle said. He pulled two coins from his pocket and threw them up into the air. Midway in the air, they vanished. He watched the captain, expecting her to be fascinated, but the captain did not even move a muscle on her face.

"What about that wine?" Buckle asked, exasperated.

"Stop trying," the captain replied.

Just then, the door to the room opened and Tum walked out with Bonnie. He cast a cautious gaze at the captain. At the other end of the hallway, there was a commotion as the police head pulled a thief long.

Tum, Bonnie, Buckle, and the captain froze as the thief was pushed along the hallway. When the thief got to where they were standing, he glared at Tum. The scar on his face was scary. His eyes were bloodshot. The police chief behind the thief hit him on the head.

"Move, you worm," the policeman shouted before he turned to Tum's group and bowed his head slightly. As he walked past, however, he could not take his eyes off Tum, and kept staring at him like an old friend. Everything happened in just under a minute, but it felt like a lifetime. The exchanges did not go unnoticed by the captain who stood at the door staring at everybody. When the cop and the thief went around the bend, she turned to Tum.

"Is there anything I should know, good sir?" she asked.

"Me?" Buckle said. "You should know me."