"Well, well, well,"
"I'm by no means free to play your little games now, Armin," Azar murmured as he settled his horse in front of the gate.
"I'm only here to say hello, why are you getting so worked? Sheesh." Armin said aka the crimson knight.
Azar didn't spare him a reply and continued doing his work.
"Since you are just planning to ignore me I'll let my heart out," he said. "Heard your little princess is missing. Why not just leave her be and make my work a little easier, eh?"
Azar glared at him from the top of his horse. "What? You are the one doing the job?" Azar puzzled.
Armin raised his hands in protest. "Nothing in my hand, it's all orders. I've to fix your mess since you declined the job."
"That's all you wanted to say?" Azar said not interested in keeping this conversation going any longer.
"Just giving you another chance, my friend," Armin said.
"Don't make me laugh," Azar said before kicking his horse causing it to walk.
Great. His head was already a mess with Nefertari gone missing probably abducted, and now this. A death threat to her life. Azar could now understand why the pharaoh wanted to appoint a knight to his precious daughter.
The question is if he is going to stop it or not?
"Who was that?" Said a voice coming from behind him.
"Your Highness," Azar said in shock. "It's a friend of mine. Eh, more of a former friend really, we aren't that close now or before for all that matters."
"A title would've been sufficient, didn't to hear of your past life." Joon Wo said adjusting the saddle in his hand.
"Y-yeah," Azar stuttered, wondering if Joon Wo heard any of the previous conversations, if he did, oh he will be in great trouble if it fell on the wrong ears.
Azar took a deep breath when he saw that the prince wasn't giving him much attention which made him settle for the thought that he didn't hear anything.
"Let's go, Tari must be waiting for us.��� Joon Wo said over his shoulder. "She must be scared." He tightened his grip on the leather in his hand.
"Oh, you have no idea what she is capable of," Azar jested. "I am more sympathetic to whoever kidnapped her."
"Are you joking right now?" Joon Wo turned his horse to glare at the knight. He rolled his eyes. "You know what? Forget it." Joon Wo murmured before giving one last kick and dashed off, soon followed by Azar and the palace's guards.
Not long after that were they in the middle of the street with the soldiers behind them waiting for their command.
"Which way now?" Azar asked.
"We will part ways," Yu Jun said. "some will go that way and the rest the other way. There are two gangs here in the south, if one didn't find the princess it will go give backup to the others, got it?"
"I asked which way but anyway, let's go. Whose with me?" Azar said sounding way too amused.
"Joon Wo, go with Azar and take them with you," Yu Jun said gesturing for half of the knights to follow them.
Joon Wo nodded before hurrying down the road followed by the soldiers.
"Hey at least wait for me!" Azar yelled. "Sheesh, always in a hurry." He kicked his horse and followed them.
Yu Jun and the rest of the soldiers went with him heading the other way. In his head, he has already killed the culprit a thousand times. All he was hoping for is that the way he is heading is the right way.
~~~~
The man with the long scare on his face took steady confident steps towards Tari as she was bond to the wall behind her.
"Oh, I'll like to see those silver eyes cry as I break you apart." He hissed licking his lower lip.
"What am I a block of ice!" Tari scoffed, clearly not getting the real meaning behind what he said. Saints, she so dim-witted. "Just untie me and lets fight man to…wait let's fight woman to man…" she continued not convinced with how that came out.
"Oh, I like that…" He said gesturing for the man beside her to untie her and so he did.
"Now, since I'm finally free," She said rubbing her wrists. "Lucky you, I won't be at my full power today because of this ridiculously heavy outfit!" she said, her voice slowly building into a complaining yell.
"You should just take it off then," one of the men commented.
"Eh! How rude to ask a maiden to undress! Shame on you!" Tari scoffed. Really this girl was locked up inside the imperial palace too much for her own good. She has limited contact with commoners.
"Enough take now, shall we?" she said fixing her stance.
"I almost think you can fight with the show you are putting on," the boss laughed.
"Oh, you have no idea what I can do," Tari said.
~~~~
"Is this the place?" Joon Wo asked.
"Don't ask me, I'm not even from here," Azar said.
"Why did I even bother?" Joon Wo mumbled rolling his eyes and got off his horse. "If this is the place, remember their boss is mine."
"If you find any of his leftovers…" Azar mumbled under his breath, remembering watching Tari fight countless times back in Kemet. Yet, he hid his worry with sarcasm.
Jooni took his sword out of its sheath and tighten his grip on the hilt and went forward.
He crashed the door down with his feet to be met with dozens of gangsters, behind him the soldiers started to flow into the abandoned-looking hideout.
Easily fighting his way through, leaving severely injured or most probably dead men on his track.
"Where is she?" Joon Wo commanded as he pulled up one of his casualties to meet his blank-dark glare.
"T-there," the man groaned in pain as he pointed to a green double door on the far end of the hall.
Letting the man fall down on the rough ground in pain, he advanced forward imagining all the things he could do if they even laid a finger on Nefertari.
He busted the door open and rushed in. "Tari!" he yelled.
"Jooni!!"
Awkward moments of silence went after another. Joon Wo's mind trying to give him a logical explanation but failing - miserably.
A big man in the size of a horse on the floor face down with Nefertari on top of him strangling him by her legs and twisting his arm back in her grip. The man was crying in pain.
"Did you find her?" Azar said in the middle of his pants, sword in his hand stained with freshly spilled blood.
"I-I guess," Joon Wo answered.
Azar taking a closer look at what's going on, he couldn't help the laugh that escaped his mouth. "See I told you!" Azar exclaimed.
"Tari are you okay?" Joon Wo asked in concern holding Tari by the shoulder scanning her for any wounds and leaving Azar to deal with that bastard on the ground.
"I'm okay," she said with a bright smile that made his heart soften and worries fade away.
He pulled her into a tight hug, letting his sword fall down to the ground. "Thank goodness you are okay."
Tari was dumbfounded by the sudden embrace but she soon gave in and returned the hug. "I'm okay." She murmured in his ears as her fingers came in contact with his hair.
"Where is that bastard!!" Yu Jun threw a tantrum as he entered the now crowded room. "Just tell me which one of them and I'll cut him down! You know what I'll just cut them all!"
He halted with his sword in mid-air looking at the innocent faces looking at him, Tari and Joon Wo hugging and Azar enjoying his time as he tied men up.
"Oh, it's this one," Azar kicked the boss beneath Yu Jun's feet. "I don't think there is a place left in him for you to cut though,"
Yu Jun tilted his head looking down at the half-dead man beneath his feet. "You are right," Yu Jun said kneeling to pull the man's head up by his hair. "Yah, why did you do that?" Yu Jun asked to only get a groan in response.
"Kidnapping people is bad you know," Yu Jun said. "Why do I even bother?" he let go of his hair making it crash down on the floor nose-first.
"You should've left me some of the fun you know," Yu Jun said walking towards Tari. "Are you okay?"
"I didn't do it." Joon Wo said not believing what he is saying either.
"Azar then, was it?" Yu Jun said after he made sure that Tari was fine.
"Oh, it wasn't me. I had my fun outside." Azar said wiping the blood off his sword using one of the tied-up men's clothes.
"Then who…"
All eyes including the men down looked at Tari who was smiling joyfully at them.
"No way."
~~~~
"Did you get the job done?" Queen Eun Ae asked sipping down her herbal tea.
"Yes, mother."