Prince Edward:
I pressed my back firmly against Tristan. I was awaiting the assassin's next move. I hated to say it, but I was scared. It was one thing to fight an opponent much stronger than myself, add invisibly, and that opponent becomes far more terrifying. I felt a little safer with Tristan, but I didn't know if she would be up to it. The league of darkness has some of the kingdom's best assassins. (Shit, the waiting will kill me before my attacker will.) I thought as I gripped my rapier tighter.
"Ah!" I Squealed as Tristan spun while lifting me up with one arm. The squire had switched places with me, catching another blow aimed for me. (How did she know where the attack was coming from?) I wondered. I admired the squire's skills. However, I did feel a little uncomfortable being cared around by a woman. It made me feel like a child.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Again and again, the assassin came for me but was stopped by my bodyguard. I was starting to feel emasculated by this game of keeping away the prince. I was glad the other men were busy fighting bandits, so they weren't focused on me being tossed around like a child doll.
"Show yourself, coward!" Tristan shouted. The woman looked furious as she stared off into the darkness. Moments later, the assassin reappeared. I only knew because Tristan nudged me out of the way.
Bang!
This time instead of coming for me, the smoke user went straight for my bodyguard. In the darkness, it was hard to see them. I only saw sparks as the two combatants' weapons collided. The assassin disappeared and reappeared over and over again. I couldn't tell who was winning, but the fact that Tristan hadn't gone down filled me with some relief. While Tristan was keeping the smoke user busy, I checked on the other men. It was hard to see everything in the dark, but from the looks of it, my men were handling the enemy pretty well. I could see Sir Ryan in all the mayhem, but he was the last person I was worried about. Although the weakest royal protector, he was also the youngest in the kingdom's history. The man was known for being a prodigy with a sword.
(No!) I thought as I watched in horror as one of my soldiers fell to his back. The enemy was now seconds away from Impaling the downed man with his spear. I started to move, but Tristan's voice stopped me.
"Don't move, your highness!" Tristan demanded. I stopped in my track. I wouldn't make it in time even if I tried. I also had to worry about the league's assassin trying to kill me. I watched hopelessly as the enemy spear came down. Luckily another knight stepped in, cutting the spear in half before kicking the enemy.
(Whew!) I breathe a sigh of relief. I didn't want to witness the death of one of my men. I turned back to Tristan, who was facing away from me. It was then that I noticed I was pretty far away from my bodyguard. I also noticed that Tristan was breathing pretty heavily. I couldn't understand why I had only turned away for a few seconds. (Something isn't right.) I thought as the two continued to clash. Tristan kept fighting hard, but I could see that her movements were becoming slow. Then after one of the clashes, she fell to one knee.
"Your pretty tough. The poison should have killed you by now. It's a shame such a promising knight would meet her end here." A soft but loud voice announced from the shadows. It was the assassin gloating but still refusing to come out of hiding. I ignored the coward and started to make my way to my Tristan. I took one step before a familiar sensation came over me. I froze in fear as the assassin appeared before me. ( Move, damn you!) I screamed at myself in my head. The killers began to attack, but I could only manage to take one step backward. My foot caught on a rock, and I tripped.
As I fell to the ground, Tristan threw her leather shield, hitting the assassin in the middle of the back. The attack caused the assains to fall on top of me. I realized then that my attacker was a woman. I only found this out because her breasts were now in my face. Any other time I would have relished the situation I found myself in. but I remember the woman was trying to kill me. I tried to get up, but the assassin was still trying to kill me. She held me down and placed a dagger to my throat.
"Goodbye, little prince." The woman said as her hot breath caressed my face. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst. ( Am I going to die here.) I thought my heart was full of regret.
Aaaaaahhhh!
A loud shriek pierced my ears, and I felt the weight lift off me. I opened my eyes to see Tristan standing over me, sword in hand. I could see dark liquid dripping from the knight's blade. ( She must have saved me.) I thought as I made my way to my feet.
"Your highness, are you alri.." Tristan started to say before falling in my arms. I held the woman up to her feet, but she soon regained her composure. The poison was doing a number on her.
"I cut her pretty deep, but we should still be on alert," Tristan explains. Her breath was ragged. Although she was putting on a brave front, I could tell she wouldn't last long. I looked around, seeing that the other men had managed to kill more than half the bandits. The assassin had yet to take advantage of Tristan's weakness, so I figured she had retreated for now. I started to scream for help. Getting the attention of one of the men. He broke off from the rest and began to head our way.
"Don't worry, Tristan, we'll make it out of this," I promised. Looking at how much pain the knight was in, I started to doubt my own words. Tristan tried to reassure me, but every breath she took seemed forced.
"Retreat!"
"Retreat!"
The bandit shouted just as the other knight made it to Tristan and me. I watched as the enemy began to run away. (Is it finally over?) I thought as the remaining bandits disappeared into the woods. Some knights started chasing after them, but Sir Ryan ordered them to stay. The knights all stopped immediately.
"Where are you cowards going? Get back here, or I'll kill you myself!" The leader of the bandits commanded, but no one headed his words. In minutes the army of thirty was down to just one.
"Give it up! Your men have abandoned." Sir Ryan announced.
"Hahaha! Ahahah! I've already prepared myself for death. Today I will have my revenge!" The leader roared, pointing his hatchets at the royal protector.
"Revenge on who! I hardly know you!" Ryan said, not letting his guard down.
"If not for you, I wouldn't have been here today. It should be me as the royal protector, not you!" The leading bandit spat. I was confused, to say the least, but it seemed like Sir Ryan was starting to realize something.
"Brad? Brad Lancelot? Impossible you should be dead." Sir Ryan said in disbelief. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it at the time. That was when I felt a hand pull me. It was Tristan, who was now lying on the ground. She was trying to stand up.
"Stay down, Tristan. The poison has already reached your heart. I need to push it out." The knight beside Tristan and me explained. He had his hands on the squire's chest. I guessed he was injecting his mana into her. I prayed to the Goddess of order that the knight would make it, but she wasn't looking too good.
Boom!
A shock wave shook the ground, drawing my attention to Sir Ryan. He was now engaged in battle with the bandit leader. The man named Brad looked ferrous as he launched himself at the knight commander.
"Brad Lancelot dead long ago. Today you will be joining him." Brad screamed. (Where do I know that name?) I thought hard as I watched in amazement as the two powerful men battled. It was going to be one hell of a fight.
The Royal Protector: The highest title given to a royal knight. The royal protector is charged with protecting a member of the royal family. A huge tournament is held on a royal's tenth birthday to decide their protector. Hundreds of the kingdom's strongest knights battle it out for the title of royal protector. Sir Ryan is not only the only commoner to become a royal protector but also the youngest. He was awarded the title at age 25.