Seeing Luciana, I had thought she was here to rescue me again but she was actually here to hand me over to King Matte in one piece. Who is she and what does she have with King Matte? How did she even get here? Intriguing.
"Don't even think about it boy." King Matte said to Tyril.
Dolores searched her body but realized all her weapons were equally gone. How did that even happen? Were we enchanted or something.
"You've done a great job, Luciana." King Matte commended her.
"I had no choice, Your Majesty, especially when the order comes from King Stefan himself and goes against…" she scanned Dolores up and down. "and goes against Dolores." She finally said.
"I see. You did this job to satisfy your taste for revenge." King Matte said.
"Does it matter? What matters is a job well done and not the intention of doing a good job." Luciana said to King Matte then turned to Dolores. "We meet again Dolores. For a moment I thought sneaking into my house and taking away my guest was the last time I'll set my eyes on you but you seem to have quite a way of leaving your footprints on the sands of time." She said to Dolores.
"So what are you going to do to us?" Dolores asked.
"Not us, just you. Your little niece here has found favor in the sight of King Stefan and so we're taking her to him. As for Tyril, Matte will probably just kill him."
"Address your King with some respect lady." King Matte said angrily.
"A coward could never be my King." Dolores responded sharply and turned back to Dolores, "I'll enjoy having you around as my servant."
"I'd rather kiss King Matte's ass than was your linens." Dolores said to Luciana.
"Hmph. We'll see about it then." Luciana responded.
"Enough…!" King Matte yelled. "Don't get me jumbled up in all of your nonsense." King Matte said. "We are heading to Devon right now." He added.
The whole time the chaos between the two women, I kept mute. I hadn't expected to meet Luciana again in a circumstance like this and hearing her argument with Dolores explained what Dolores had said to me the night she rescued me from Luciana's Manor. If Luciana had set her eyes on her, she was definitely not going to spare her. But really why did Dolores have so many enemies?
The guards apprehended us and had Dolores and Tyril handcuffed, while the King dragged me by the chain put around my neck. Luciana made sure to lock up Dolores herself and keep the keys.
They dragged us like servants along the lonely path of Zago. King Matte couldn't even make his journey more honorable by riding in a royal carriage. Well, at least he rode on a horse alone, after all, he was more of a servant of King Stefan than the King of Zago.
Just when it seemed the whole chaos was settled and the guards had their attention focused on the way, Luciana quickly threw a dragger that plunged into the neck of the guard closest to Dolores. The dagger made its way in through the left side and had its sharp edge visible on the right side.
"argh…!" he screamed and dropped dead.
Before the guard standing close to her could turn around, she threw the keys to the handcuffs to Dolores who quickly caught it and as she was the smartest lady I ever knew of, she already managed to unlock her cuff. Dolores in the blink of an eye pulled out the sword from the guard's scabbard and threw it to Dolores then stabbed the guard with her sword.
King Matte seeing Luciana's betrayal quickly pulled my chain that I almost choked and could not defend myself and then wanted to surrender me but Luciana's dagger came flying right into his left tummy and he fell off his horse. His personal guard however still managed to get a hold of me but Luciana was fast enough to get a hold of the almost dying King.
Out of the ten guards that accompanied the King, only five were left standing. Dolores after she unlocked her cuff also unlocked Tyril's so they both helped out.
"Surrender now…!" the guard's voice echoed as he had his hand around me and a dagger pointing to my chest. He held me in a way that if I ever tried to move, I could get killed.
As soon as Dolores and Tyril saw the situation they dropped their weapons.
"I have your King here as well, so surrender." Luciana said holding the bleeding king in the manner that his guard held me.
The King's guards equally dropped their weapons except for the one that surrendered me.
"Don't hurt her." Tyril barked at the guard.
"I have your King fool, would you rather let him die and run the pig's errand forever or let your king live and make new laws?" Luciana said.
The guard pressed his dagger harder on my neck that a trickle of blood ran down my neck.
"I said don't hurt her." Tyril yelled as he tried to make a move but the guard held me tighter and now pressed the dagger even harder than before and so Tyril stopped.
"One more blood from her and I'll send you all to your graves." Luciana said.
"You get riled over just a drop of blood but my King is bleeding." The guard said.
"Isn't a better reason for you to hurriedly make a choice. Your King will bleed to death and you won't even hurt her." Dolores said.
The guard looked from his King to Luciana and my party then heavily sighed and let me go.
I ran over to Dolores.
"now let the King go." He echoed.
Luciana instructed us to run far away without words but with her gaze and when we did, she left the King to his guards and ran after us.
"Why did you do it?" I asked her when we finally got far away from the King's men.
"do what?" Luciana asked.
"switch places like a traitor." I said.
"well, I stand for no one and I join the winning side I see with potential." She responded.
"Even if your enemy is a part of that winning side?" Dolores asked.
Luciana scoffed and brought her face close enough to Dolores before she spoke. "I don't see my enemy here. All I see right now is a frenemy. If we have the same goal then I see no reasons why I should keep being your enemy. You're strong Dolores and a frenemy like you is hard to come by." She said then came over to me and stared into my eyes.
It wasn't a friendly stare but I could still feel a bit of emotion in that stare.
"Thank you." I nervously said.
"You're welcome Naya. Or would you rather I addressed you as Karen?" Luciana said. "I did it for you anyway." She added in a whisper.
"But…"
"Shh." She hushed me and then brought out a map. "This will guide you to a forsaken cave very close to the river. Stay there till you execute your mission in Zago. King Matte has all entrance and exit channels of Zago blocked. He won't find you in the caves."
"Where will you go?" I asked her.
"away from Zago. Don't worry I have my ways." She said then pecked my cheek and glared daggers at Tyril like she meant to say 'keep your hands off her' or maybe it was just my thoughts.
Luciana without saying a word left us and disappeared into the distance…