"What was that?!" Leviticus exclaimed, squinting against the darkness. The tiny amount of moonlight sifting through the leaves cast shadows on the ground, which was less helpful. Looking around, Levi could see little movement, but not any matching what he saw out of the corner of his eye.
"Probably nothing," Lorane said, trying to calm her nerves more than his. "You are imagining things again, Leviticus."
"I am not Lorane! I swear I saw something! " he said.
"Well, if you say so." sighed Lorane.
"Where exactly are we going, Leviticus," Ava asked. He stopped his horse and answered, " I don't know exactly, Ava. Roma said to look for the dragon carvings in the trees!"
"But Levi, what about the royal checkpoints with the guards and knights."
"What about them, Lorane?"
"Surely, brother, won't they recognize us when we get there, of course-" he cut her off.
"That is exactly why we are going through the forest. So that we can bypass the checkpoints. Also, remember the letter I gave Father? It had two purposes, one was to inform Mother and Father of what we were doing and the second was to have Father tell to guards and Knights at the checkpoints to let us pass. Lorane, use that brain of yours sometime, why don't you." he told her.
"Oh. Very mature Leviticus," Lorane yelled at him rolling her eyes.
"Shush. Be quiet."
"Don't shush me. I'm-"
"Hush. I heard something, Lorane."
All movement stopped suddenly. The only noise was of the forest's nocturnal animals, and whatever was coming was getting closer. The soft crunching of the dead leaves and twigs nearing them put all three siblings on edge. Suddenly a girl jumped out in front of them. A bow and arrow pointed right at Leviticus. He quickly unsheathed his sword.
"DON'T SHOOT!" He called out to the girl in front of them
"Who are you?!" Lorane shouts.
"I won't shoot if you put away your sword!!" the mysterious girl says, stepping into what little moonlight there was. She has hip-length chestnut hair in a messy braid, beautiful hazel-doe eyes, and a tall, defined figure from years of fending for herself; she is almost fairy-like with her glowing peach skin. The remanets of a light pink dress wrapped around her body. Whoever she was it was obvious that she had been in the forest for a while. Apparently, Leviticus went deaf as he hadn't put his sword away. Lorane shouted, "Put away your sword Levi, or she will shoot you!"
"Huh? Oh, my sword, sorry." he said while putting the sword away, "It is considered very rude not to answer a princess's question. Just to let you know." The mysterious girl smiled slightly as she lowered her bow and arrow, putting them away.
"Oh, I'm sorry to keep you waiting for milady. I'm Princess Lucy Lavelle of the Kingdom Nimway." she said, "May I inquire about your names?"
"Nice to meet you, Princess. I am Princess Lorane. This is my brother Prince Leviticus and my sister Princess Avangelina of the Kingdom, Nakatae." Lorane answered her.
"Why are you here?"
"To help you get back home. My friends found you a year ago and reported it to your father and mine," Leviticus explained. "As they were on a different mission at the time, they were not allowed to help you out of the forest. By the time they could help you out, your camp had moved. I told Romans Liyem to report to me when she and Dragon found you again. That was Two months ago."
"Why did you wait so long to come to me then?" Lucy asked
"There is less security tonight, as it is our birthday because all the guards and the knights are at the checkpoints looking for anyone who might want to kill us. Especially after Lucy's uncle said she got lost and found her dead in the forest," Leviticus explained hesitantly.
"Oh."
"Why do you sound as if you have just been gutted?" Leviticus asked her.
"My uncle has been planning this from the beginning!! He had always wanted Nimway for himself. But when Grandpa made my father king, even though Uncle Leon was older than him. If I'm not in Nimway before my 17th birthday, the kingdom will automatically go to Leon when my father dies. But Leon is greedy; he won't want to wait for Father to die; he will have Father assassinated. Then Nimway will fall into chaos and despair."
"So Leon did all this just to get back at his younger brother for taking over?? That doesn't seem right. Loen would have assassinated Liyel on the coronation night if it were just about getting the Kingdom. He wouldn't have waited almost thirty years to try. He must have found something nine years ago that led him to this. And whatever it is, it's got to be bad or good for him. I vote to assume it's bad for him but good for us," Ava stated.
"Yeah, I agree. Why else would Leon wait until Lucy was eight or until Liyel had an heir?" Leviticus asked
"Yeah, it makes sense," Lorane stated, always last to voice her opinion.
By now, Lucy had tears streaming down her face. "Oh, and by the way, who is Romans Liyem you are talking about?" Lucy sniffled.
"She is our assassin friend, and she prefers Roma Liyem if you insist on using her last name," Lorane answered.
"We are looking for her and Dragon's campsite. A tree somewhere around here has a dragon carved into it. That is where they are. Have you seen something like that?" Leviticus asked.
"Yeah, I have. It's just past the grove of oak trees carved into a birch tree," Lucy said. "By the way, is that horse there for me by any chance?" She asked, pointing to the horse tied to Leviticus's saddle horn.
"Yeah, it is," he said. "Let's meet up with them before it gets any darker." He untied the horse and held it so that Lucy could climb up. When she was situated, he handed her the reigns.
"Since you know where the camp is, you should lead the way."
The group rode on in silence until Lucy couldn't take it anymore. The trees blended together in the dark of night, and it was dreadfully dull scenery to look at. She slowed her horse down enough to ride next to the Prince.
"So, your Highness, can you tell me about your assassin friends," she asked, eager to learn about the people who found her.
"Well, Roma has a powerful personality. She is the only child of Laeken Liyem, the infamous headmaster of the Nimwayan Assassination School. Roma is calm, dignified, and impartial, which makes her a great assassin. She is very professional while working, but when she is off the clock, so to speak, she is very easygoing and fun to be around, when Roma is engaged or someone is looking. Still, when she thinks no one is paying attention to her, she seems sad or indifferent about the world around her," Levi said, sadness lacing his words.
"She sounds like a great assassin and an even better friend; I can't wait to get to know her!" Lucy exclaimed. "What does she look like?"
"She has shoulder-length brown hair that she usually wears in braids, buns, or a braided bun. Almond-shaped violet eyes. And she's pretty tall for a lady. I'd say she is about five and a half feet. She wears a lot of gray, red, and black. Her clothes are usually leather for ease of movement and durability."
"Oh wow, she sounds fantastic. And she's only three inches taller than me, you know, " Lucy teased Leviticus, a small giggle escaping her lips.
"Yeah, Lorane and I as well," Ava called, teasing her brother, a small smile pulling on the corners of her mouth.
"Okay, okay, I concede," Levi said, laughing, "Roma is the average height for a woman."
"And the Dragon?" Lucy asked
"It's not the Dragon, Lucy. His given name is Vincent Beauchamp. He chose Dragon as his code name for missions. He was the firstborn in a set of triplets like my sisters and I. When working, he appears unapproachable and definitely lacks a sense of humor. But if you are lucky enough to get close to him, you will find him very friendly and funny. He is loyal to a fault and will protect those he considers family with his very life. He likes to wear brown, black, and red as his uniform, leather, of course. He is a couple of inches taller than me standing at six foot five inches. He, his brother, and his sister all have blue hair and blueish-purple eyes. They all have olive skin like their mom. Vincent's face is very angular. I think he said his mom is From France, and that's why," Levi finished his explanation. "Any more questions, Lucy?"
"Yes. If Vincent is about six-five, does that make you about six foot three inches, Highness?"
"Yes, it does, Lucy. My brother is a whole foot taller than us," Ava said.
"It just doesn't show because his horse is a few hands shorter than ours. Just enough that you can't tell that it's shorter but enough to make us all look the same height." She finished giggling with Lorane. The descriptions of the two assassins made the journey seem shorter, and in a few minutes, they passed the oak grove next to the birch tree with a dragon carved into its bark.
"Their camp should be around here somewhere," Levi stated, tying his horse to a tree. "Let's look for them."