Orion walked through the dark forest, boots crunching leaves and twigs in its wake. The hood of his cloak shielded him from the sunlight, masking his face in shadows as well. He was searching for whatever, or whoever was stealing from him and his camp of mercenaries. The thief had been coming more frequent now, and it was pissing him off.

The sound of a twig snapping in the distance snapped him out of his thoughts, his head swiveling towards the direction. He narrowed his eyes, grip on his sword tightening as he began to prowl for the source. He had a feeling it'd be the thief, and he was itching to put an end to them. He approached stealthily, his eyes scanning the vast forest for any sign of the source.

That was when he saw it, a foot of a human, slightly poking out from behind a tree. A grin appeared on his features as he approached. "Well, well, well. Looks like I found the pest who keeps stealing from me and my lads." He sneered. However, his grin turned into a look of surprise and confusion as he laid eyes on a royal. "You were the one stealing from us?" He asked in bewilderment.

He pulled the hood off his head, green eyes roaming over the royal's appearance. They were far, far from home. "What's the likes of you doing here?" He hissed, eyes narrowed as he boxed them in, not allowing them to escape.

Royalty was a sore subject for him. He was once the crowned prince of the kingdom of Xena. But when his father, the king, fell ill and passed, and his mother married a scumbag, he fled, unable to watch as the kingdom he cherished, fell to shambles. He became a mercenary instead, having been taken in by a group of them. He hated his past, hated royalty. He never shared who he really was, going by fake names left and right.

He brought the tip of his sword to the thief's throat, tilting his head to the side. "Tell me why I shouldn't behead you right now and turn your head in for a good price?" He scoffed, pressing the tip of the blade further against the other throat. One wrong move and he'd end their life. Part of him wanted to kill them right then and there, to get rid of them. But part of him, the deep, dark, vulnerable parts of him, saw himself in the disheveled royals' eyes. He saw that scared little boy he once was, and he hated it, but couldn't bring himself to kill them.

With a few more seconds passing, he let out a heavy sigh, jaw clenched. He sheathed his sword, reaching down and grabbing the other aggressively by the arm. "You're coming with me..." He grumbled. He couldn't kill him. The very little good in his heart wouldn't let him. But he'd still punish them. "You're going to work for us. Gonna make up for all you stole." He spat out. He began walking, leading them roughly, heading back to camp. This was going to be the start of something stressful. he could feel it already.