On the middle of a forest with tall leaning trees, there was a road path. Traversing it was two carriots drove by 1 person and 4 horse each. 4 Knights are escorting them, two on the sides and two on the back.
One of the carriot was carrying 3 females and the other one was full of baggage and wooden boxes.
"Luckily I am an elemental magic user! I'm the only one here who can enter the academy! " Maira, the mage assassin scowled. Beside her was the Princess whose staring at her with unbelieving eyes. In front of them was a Petite black haired girl wearing a black and white maid uniform whose just listening calmly with eyes seemingly close.
"Sorry Mirabeth. Don't worry, you're still young! You still have a lot of chance to study in an academy. It's just that we are on a mission and this meat head seems like doesn't get it." She consoled the maid who just shrugged off Elissia's concern.
"No need to apologise princess, I came with you to serve you. "
"Hey what do you mean by meat head!"
Before she could even quarrel with the Princess, one of the Knights mounting a horse closed by the carriot's window.
"Princess, I've detected 5 individuals 30 meters away on the back following us. Shall we engaged?" The knight asked.
"Yes please. But be careful. "
Before the knight could even reply, an arrow pierced through his head. The knight fell from his horse and Elissia heard his skull broke as their wheels passed by and crush it.
Sounds of the Knight's unsheathing their swords and their shouts of coordinates and information resounded all around.
"Princess, stay here, Mirabeth, keep her safe." Maira commanded and before Elissia could even stop or warn her, her eyes glowed in cold white and disappeared.
Elissia peeked out of the carriot's window and saw on their back the three Knight's fighting against 4 hooded figures and Maira engaging another 5 hooded individual.
"Please withdraw your head inside princess."
Mirabeth's voice caught Elissia's attention and she saw Mirabeth's eyes glowing in Violet and both hands stretch out with glowing violet magic circles on each. A pulse of magic radiate from her and their Carriot was covered by Violet translucent sphere.
'Who could have send them, I guess we failed on keeping our departure a secret after all.' She said internally while thinking of possible suspect who wants her dead again. 'They must have heard about my departure from some traitor inside and claim this chance to finally kill me.' She added to herself again.
Her hands moves instinctively and draw a magic circle with the glowing light blue line produced by her fingers. The magic circle was formed in no time and from it, 4 ice owls materialised and quickly find their way out and head towards the skies to scout. From the owls vision, Elissia could see another knight dead and the two still alive finishing the only hooded figure left out of the four. From the other vision was Maira stabbing an ice dagger on her last enemy's head. The corpse fell with a thud and Maira caught the sight of the ice owl and gave it a nod with a smug face.
Elissia release a sigh of relief but her ease was wiped out quickly when she heard Mirabeth scream in pain. She dispelled her ice owls and her vision turned back on her eyes to saw an arrow pierced her maid's chest. Mirabeth was wincing in pain and her black and white maid dress was tainted by dark crimson of her blood.
"T-they pierced through my-." Mirabeth couldn't utter any more words as the life in her eyes disappeared.
Elissia could feel her stomach falling at the sight. She tried to reach out for her dead maid but when she stretched her hands towards her, an arrow pierced her shoulder which made him grunt in pain.
She instinctively lowered her head and sit on the floor. She pulled out the arrow from her shoulder ignoring the pain and quickly covering her wounds in white thin ice. She heard the knight on the front roar in anger and soon was replaced by bones and meat being crushed. She was horrified by the sound that she even froze. But she quickly recovered and kick the door on the other side. Before she could even crawl out through it, a heavy force hit their carriot and set it stumbling around until it hit a tree.
Elissia gained few more injuries as she crashed upside down on the wooden wall. 'Crap! What is that! Was it magic? I don't have time for this!' She used her uninjured shoulder and crawled onto a gapping hole on the wooden wall. She managed to get out of the carriot and Maira instantly appeared in front of her. She was just fine a while ago but now she had many bruises and torned up clothes.
"Elissia! Get away from here now! I'll stall time for you." Maira shouted while ice patches forming to cover her various wounds.
"No! Call the rest! We will escape! We'll make a smoke screen or block our paths so that they can't follow us!"
"It's useless Elissia! There's more of them out there! They've really prepared just for you! Don't worry! We'll try to attract them all here!"
Elissia's expression turned anxious as she knew what would happen to them just to stall time for her. It seems that the enemy are strong too if they were able to bruise Maira. But if they all die here, it would be a win for the enemy and she knew very well what would happen in the kingdom if she die.
"Please try to come back! "
Maira nodded on Elissia's words and both of them hugged each other before Elissia materialised three owls and made them flew forward. She cuts the skirt of her long dress and unworn her shoes to run faster and easier. She started running and as she gets far, she heard numerous shouts of men along with a sound of a roaring beast. 'That must be her ice wyvern, there's now way she wouldn't survive. All I have to do is survive and come back to the kingdom!'
She asserted herself and continued running.
.
..
...
After an hour of running, Elissia slowed her pace. The sun is already high and she must be very far away for now. She hasn't felt any physical fatigue for now but her mind is worn out now thinking of her situation.' Who sent them? Are they from our Kingdom? Is father OK?' This thoughts was running around her mind and she decided to stop for now and try to clear her mind.
She closed her eyes and tried to take in the fresh air of the forest on her lungs. She's slowly gaining serenity and cleansed her thoughts. She heard a whistling sound fastly approaching her direction. Instinctively, an ice shield materialised on her uninjured left arm and she successfully block the arrow. It pierced through the shield but luckily she wasn't damaged by it. She materialised an ice sword on her left arm and survey the surroundings only to find out countless hooded figure surrounding her. 'Crap. When did they reached me! I didn't even felt their presence! Where they assassins too!' She said internally to herself.
"Hestia's clan will cease to rule our Kingdom and will be replaced by the great Leopald family!" One of the hooded figures shouted dramatically like he was reciting a line in a play. He stepped out of the line of hooded figured circling him and revealed his face.
'Kindrath!' She cursed the name internally. He was the older brother of Kriston and considered as the only failure of the Leopald viscount house. 'Did he hunted me to reclaim his name by giving the Leopald house a chance to rule after father?'
"Stop resisting now princess and we will give you a peaceful death. We would even build a beautiful grave here for you!" After his statement, the other hooded figure laughed and played their weapons like they were eager and excited on using them.
"Did you forgot?" Elissia asked in an monotonous voice.
"Forgot what Princess?" Kindrath said amusingly.
"I am Elissia Hestia. The ice dragon of Hestion." Everyone's expression turned serious when cold pressure surrounded the whole area.
Elissia's shield and sword disappeared. Pale blue scales grew from her arms onto her shoulder. Her eyes glimmered in cold white aura and ice horn grew from the center of her forehead.
"Draconic manifestation "
Everyone was wary and even stepped aback in fear as they knew the threat of the Princess's dragonoid form. This spell was considered the second most powerful spell on their entire Kingdom. She obliterated countless enemies with this form by just dancing around the battlefield on the recent wars. And now, they would experience the wrath of the spell. But Kindrath just smirked.
"And I am the scale of Leopald! Distribute!"
He pointed towards Elissia's hovering form and golden glowing line connected his finger and Elissia's center chest. Elissia felt her power diminishing greatly and the spell even backlash onto her, damaging her core because of lack of mana supplying it. Meanwhile, Kindrath felt more powerful than he ever been. Half of the Princess's over all mana was transferred to him. As long as he kill the Princess, this power will be permanent.
"You!" Elissia growled on Kindrath filled with hatred.
The later looked down on Elissia and turned his back and walk away. "Kill her." He commanded and the assassins moved.
"Uh, boss. There's a black beetle there! It's a greater. What should we do?"
One of the assassins informed Kindrath. He didn't even looked at the direction where the assassins is pointing and just glared at him angrily.
"Don't bother me with an insect you good for nothing! Kill it too!"