"Allyria behind you!" Kaius warned.
Allyria turned just in time to dodge the sword that was supposed to slice her open, the hem of her gown torn by the sharp piece of metal.
The rebel tried its second attempt, but Allyria was quick enough to swerve on the right and kick the side of his body. A thud resounded on the floor. Before he could stand, she grabbed the dagger strapped on the side of her heel and lunged for his chest.
The rebel screeched in pain, straining to draw the dagger out. His eyes froze in tremor out to the wilderness until he completely became limp and stopped moving.
She glanced to see the rest of them.
Kaius was already handling two rebels while the other royal guards, even though bleeding and wounded, still fought with every breath.
It was an absolute chaos. Everyone had their own roles to play, clanging metal against metal, trying to crush the other. Deafening noise was ringing through her ears. The sound was barely enough to obscure the cries of the men, the screams of the wounded, and the roar of steel.
The little girl in her wanted to scream and cry, to just succumb to the fear. But if she'd let herself be drowned by her emotions, it would cost them their lives.
Avoiding looking at the rebel's lifeless body, she pulled the blood-stained dagger from his neck and used it to tear the hem of her gown. If she wanted to help, she couldn't let this long piece of clothing interfere.
Instead of going after Kaius, she went back to the carriage to get her sword.
She was a princess, except she was also a warrior. And warriors don't leave their castles unprepared. When she finally got her hands on it, she bolted straight away to Kaius.
Now, they stood side by side as they were being surrounded by the rebels. The royal guards were still busy fending off the others, so it left them with no choice but to face this one on their own.
Sweat dripped on the side of her face, her senses heightening with the racing pulse in her chest like a freight train. She gripped her sword near her chest tightly. One wrong move. She repeated over and over until it created its own melody in her head, singing. One wrong move and everything could crumble into pieces.
"Surrender now before we break every bone in your body," one of the rebels snarled at them.
Allyria just shrugged her shoulders and slowly brought one foot behind her back. Her steps were calculated, as if she could predict what their next move could be based on their stance.
She looked at them in the eye, hoping to recognize at least one of the faces and expose them for who they are, but it was useless. She could never find any answer, not until she forces it out of their mouths.
Rebels. The reason behind the fall of the Astrenmir's dynasty, they say. All they wanted was a piece of the country's lands. No blood was shed, and it was done out of peace, for hope that these savages could finally be accepted in the kingdom and a chance to live harmoniously. Yet the king still ordered the slaughter of these men.
It was only right that her father, Adrelius organized a coup to dethrone him. He had his reasons. But right now, she couldn't find any rational explanation to their cause. She could only ask why.
Kaius' voice brought her back to her senses. "I'll take the three of them. You handle the two."
She examined the three Kaius mentioned. They were gigantic and barbaric. The prince would be a hill if he were to be compared with these enormous volcanoes waiting to explode. Each had different tattoos drawn on their shoulders, extending on the side of their arms, holding weapons of different sizes: axe, dagger, spear.
Allyria could only pray this would not turn into a complete bloodbath.
It was her turn to take a glance at two of her opponents. Unlike the three, these were the size of the prince, but still larger and more bulky. They scanned at the small of her, eyes raging with anticipation to cut the throat out of the little princess' body.
'Think of it as another exercise. This is just training. Remember the lessons. Everything will be okay.'
She whispered in a prayer, a word of peace, a sentence to calm her mind.
"I'll count on three," Kaius whispered.
Allyria just nodded, waiting for his signal. The air became heavy with every breath she took. The atmosphere whiffed with sweat, smoke and blood that did nothing to help her focus.
"One."
"Two."
"Go!"
Allyria lunged forward, quickly sprinting towards them, trying to separate each other to take the one with the pickaxe first. She noticed his weapon was slowing him down, so she supposed she had higher chances in defeating him.
As soon as they were already up close, she slashed the sword towards his body. The rebel sensed this at the last second and only got away with a small, bleeding slice on his arm.
She tried again, almost hitting the crevice of his neck if it weren't for the other rebel that countered her strike with a sword.
She immediately backed off when the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting for her next move.
They wanted her to come to them, to wait when she's most vulnerable before they attack. It wasn't rocket science for her to figure that one out.
When they finally realized she wasn't going anywhere, they dashed forward, charging their weapons at the same time.
Allyria jumped away before it made an impact on her body, sinking on the floor. She lost her grip on the sword after it dived a few feet away from her. She went for it but before she could, the other one tackled her, giving a mirthless laugh, realizing the princess was too easy to take down, "I've been told you're a warrior princess. But you are nothing more than a coward. You're weak!" he spat.
He lifted his axe, slowly and surely, but what he didn't know was a dagger was just waiting to bury into his skin. In a flash, Allyria slipped her hand from his grip and stabbed him on the side of his neck.
'First rule in battle, don't let your guard down.'
Allyria shove his body on the side and stood, looking for the other one but he rammed her like a bull before she could realize it that sent her flying to the ground.
She fell harshly, crashing her arm on a boulder that caused a strained groan. Staggering, she tried to stand but only failed miserably. The side of her head was already bleeding and she could barely feel her arms as she tried to push herself off the ground.
Allyria took a glance at the rebel who now stood on the opposite side, looking at her like a lion waiting to prey on his next meal.
It seemed as if the world went in slow motion when she finally took the time to inspect her surroundings. Kaius was trying his hardest not to get cornered by the three, saving the last of his energy to keep them from killing him.
The guards were already being defeated as one by one sank on the ground. Only a few were left, not much to stave off the rebels.
They already lost the fight.
Like a tsunami waiting to reach the shore, she stared at the rebel who was now marching towards her.