The fight had already started.
The princess knew that it was going to be a bloody fight. They were certainly overpowered and by the looks of it. It seemed that the South Kingdom was already all out on eliminating the royal family of the North so that they can acquire more land and resources.
Of course, Hena knew that the grand prince won't let them do it. At least, he could buy them some time to delay their complete invasion for several months until she could come back safely.
"Royal knights, protect the crowned princess at all cost!" The grand prince roared in a loud voice. "We will never let these barbaric enemies take our land's pride!"
The royal knights held the grip of their weapons clearly and prepared for battle. They surrounded the princess's carriage and waited for the enemies to attack.
The sword fight is supposed to bring a sense of chivalry and fair play, yet that is the stuff of the bards' tales and legend. Here in the opening, there were no gentlemen, only long knives beneath the heavens.
The sword fight took place in the light, upon a warm day with spring flowers. It was a bright afternoon contrary to the events currently happening between the two kingdoms.
The sound of their swords clashing was enough to break the princess's heart, for no matter the overtures of peace she wanted to make, the enemies came in for the kill, never as play.
"Into the day spun of might, ridden alive by our angel hooves, we come to the battle lands, to the frontier of the betterment of our kingdom," the enemy's general spoke in a loud voice. "But that meant we are here destroy life."
"We are here to defend what's ours," the grand prince gritted his teeth as he took out his sword with his right hand. "Let us not let the enemies succeed in their mission." He raised his sword in the air to the cheers of the soldiers. He was truly a mighty warrior and one who had fought many wars.
From all the archers coming from afar and the knights attacking them at distance, Hena had already separated herself from the crowd just as the grand prince had ordered her. She ran away as fast as she could, not knowing where she was headed to.
Even if she wanted to come back and fight with them, Hena stopped herself from doing so. It would be futile and useless. She had to trust Arya and the Grand Prince's plan for it to work.
The loyal subjects of the North Kingdom are not weak. The sounds of swords clashing slowly faded the more the distance she ran grew apart.
Mount Baal was located at the Eastern part of the Northern Kingdom. It was only a matter of distance and she would end up what's beneath the place.
Her feet already felt like giving up. She could feel the callouses formed in her feet as she continued to run. The forest seemed like a never-ending labyrinth game for her and all she wanted was to finish its run.
The more she ran, desperation fuels her thoughts and actions. She wanted to live and successfully escape her assassination. "I will never stop running. I will not end up in their hands." she thought as she kept on running. "I'll never die and I'll never let them succeed."
When she finally ran out of breath, her never-ending sprint came to an end. She inhaled and exhaled as if she was about to pass out from breathlessness.
It was an exhausting run but she could not even let her guard down. It appeared that she was not safe from anything either. Closing her eyes, Hena could sense the presence of danger nearing her.
Several footsteps could be heard in the large and wide forest area she was in. The princess didn't even know where she was heading at. There was a big chance that her foot has led her to the Middle Kingdom where fairies, dwarves, and elves reign.
They are magical creatures who live in the forest and the river that connects the ocean to the Middle Kingdom where mermaids live but there was no way that they would offer her help.
Or she could be nearing the East Kingdom where vampires reigned. The vampires are known for being tricky and cunning, which was why they can be so dangerous.
The royal family in the East Kingdom is always in search of servants being sold in their market and buying them to be their partners or concubines.
It will never be safe for her to go either way.
She gazed at the blue sky and prayed for someone to save her.
Unluckily for her, she found out that she had been tailed and had to hide from the rock. An archer shot an arrow and missed only by a few inches.
"Shit," Hena cursed under her breath as she stared at the arrow missing the back of her head in just a matter of distance.
That was the princess's cue to run for her life. Her head was spinning and she was dizzy due to the running she did. The princess started running again.
Looking back to where she was running from, it seemed that she was able to make it out alive widened the gap. Before she could even look at her front, she was surprised that her feet didn't land on the ground anymore.
And that was that moment she realized that fell into a small cliff. The princess tumbled for what felt like forever, hitting trees and branches along the way. She felt helpless and out of control, like being in a dream.
When would she stop falling?
Was this the end of her fate?
How could it have switched so quickly to this?
Halfway down the cliff, the trees gave way, and she was left falling through the air. Before she knew it, she was hurtling over grass, earth, and rock until the cliff slope became even steeper and fell farther.
Just a few seconds before her consciousness failed her, she saw a figure of a man approaching her.
"S-Save me," she muttered under her breath. "H-Help me, please."
Before she could even see who it was, her eyes shut and everything went black.