Wendy pulled off her fancy dress to reveal a small jacket and pants she had worn underneath. She gave the dress to Rine, one of her handmaid.
"Why are you looking this gloomy?" Wendy had noticed Rine was not very happy since they had rode down into the woods.
"I just think we shouldn't be doing this. You are no more a princess. You are a heiress now, the Mighty heiress. Do you know what the king will do to us if you are caught here?" Rine said shakily.
"Are you shaking because I have become a heiress?" she taunted her.
"Honestly, we need to stop doing this" Sonia came out from another part of the woods to meet them. She was her second handmaid.
"Stop doing what?" Wendy asked like she didn't know what she was talking about.
"Running after rats, rodents, mice, rabbits in the name of having fun" she spat out confidently unlike the shaky Rine.
"That is a long list of games. Should we change to tigers, deer, oliphaunt. Will those make you feel better?" Wendy was teasing her too.
"I can't do this" Sonia winced.
"Shut up and tell me the burrows you have found" Wendy shunned her. "Knives" she reached for Rine's hand.
Rine quickly handed some small knives to her.
"This way, I found like fourteen" Sonia said reluctantly pointing in a particular direction.
"Fourteen? Today is going to be a long day" she laughed. She stared at her company who seemed not to be excited like her.
"Just because I have become a Mighty heiress. I should remain in the palace bored away. Whether you like it or not, when I become the Mighty King or Queen or whatever, we are still coming here to play" she said sternly but her handmaids were not moved at all.
"If you are going to make this weird, then I will change both of you and get fresh faces" she looked away from them.
"Wendy, there are lots of way to catch fun" Rine said quickly.
"Lots of way?" Wendy chuckled. "Like sneaking out to meet the goldsmith son when you are supposed to be sleeping?" Wendy laughed at Rine.
"Sonia?" Rine cried.
"I'm sorry" Sonia apologized.
"You didn't want her to tell me about that. If it is something good why are you hiding it?" Wendy questioned curiously.
"You also don't want the Mighty King to know you come here" Rine tackled her.
"Yes, because this is my way of catching fun. I don't need people to accept that, the same way you don't need us to accept the goldsmith's son" she whined. "Like I said, I am going to change you. It is just that I am going to miss you as you have become my friends" she said emotionally and turned away.
"Wendy!" Sonia called softly and hugged her from behind. "We will stick with you even if you want to throw knives at rats all day. Rine, won't we?" Sonia consoled her.
"Of course, we will stick with you" Rine supported.
"No, Rine, you are already stuck with the goldsmith's son" Wendy taunted her.
"What the hell is that?" Sonia screamed as a small knife flew in from nowhere and hit a tree beside them.
"That's a knife. Who the hell is throwing knives at us" Wendy stepped forward, she held a knife in her hand, ready to throw it.
There was no one in sight. She turned back to Sonia.
"Is one of you playing tricks on me?" she queried them.
"No!!!" Sonia screamed and rushed to block a knife that was coming on Wendy. The knife stabbed through Sonia chest.
"Here, take" Rine threw a sword to Sonia. She had gone to fetch it when she sensed an attack.
"Sonia!" Wendy cried and grabbed her.
"Take the princess away" Sonia cried weakly and groaned in pains. She kept hitting away the knives that were now raining towards them without a thrower in sight.
Rine pulled Wendy back to the horse. She helped her up and sat behind her.
"Head down" she yelled at her as Wendy resisted bending her head.
Wendy looked back at Sonia. She was obviously dead with knives stuck all over her body. Wendy sobbed sadly. She stretched her hand in the direction of her body.
"Stay still" Rine yelled again and urged the horse to gallop.
They rode fast through the woods back to the palace.
"I think we are safe now. Let's get back to Sonia" Wendy could not accept Sonia's death despite witnessing It.
"She is dead. Let's get you to the palace" Rine yelled. After some minutes, she groaned again and again.
"Rine?" Wendy tried to look behind at her. She saw two knives stuck on her arm. There were obviously some on her back as blood dripped from her body.
***************************
Trevor strolled confidently into Butcher's House. He looked on both sides as he walked in the hallway touching some antique objects arranged on either sides.
"What are you doing here?" Butcher's voice sounded unwelcoming.
Trevor looked up and laughed loudly. He kept laughing, he wanted Butcher to feel taunted.
"Is that how you welcome nobles in Tandor Pass?" he asked while he kept rubbing a sculpture close to him.
"What are you doing here?" Butcher asked again. It seemed he was not excited at all by Trevor's presence.
"Before we get to that. I am in so much love with this piece, can you be so generous to give it to me?" he bent slowly without taking his eyes off Butcher. He kissed the sculpture.
"If you have come here to beg for this, I can't give it out" Butcher said and turned away.
"You know you are a fool" Trevor insulted him.
Butcher paused. He was frozen on the spot without turning back. He must be thinking he didn't hear Trevor right.
"You feel insulted? Are you not a fool?" Trevor laughed hard.
Butcher turned to face him. His face had turned sour. He surely wanted to kill Trevor right now.
"No, I am not saying that because of this magnificent piece but because of what you did in the palace arena. You spitting on the king's face. You are foolish for that" he kept maintaining the fact that he wasn't afraid to insult Butcher in his house.
"Collar!!" Butcher yelled tightening the muscles around his eyes.
"Is that your right hand man's name?" Trevor looked to the back. "He is not showing up, maybe he had been tied somewhere right now so tight that he couldn't move. Though, he shouldn't be dead yet" Trevor licked one of his fingers while smiling at Butcher.
"So you now work as an assassin to the Mighty king?" Butcher pulled off his long jacket and threw it down. He was obviously ready for a fight with Trevor.
"Wait, wait. I am not here to fight. That is why I tied down your man. And if we are even going to fight. I will beat you to a pulp. I'm sure you don't want your wife and daughters to see you sob like a small kid" Trevor winked and raised both hands forth.
"What do you want?" Butcher asked shakily.
"What you did the other day. It was very bad. Do you think I am on the same page with that selfish Mighty King? Kingship had left his household since he has failed to father a son" Trevor was now serious.
"You know he is selfish too?" Butcher seemed interested as he realized he shared the same view with him.
"Do you know why I called you a fool?" Trevor walked closer to him. "People like the Mighty king. You don't fight them in the open because the only power they wield is the public. You will deceive him to follow you out of the public eye. Then you will mete out on him the punishment he deserves" Trevor concluded with a breath. He nodded to ask if Butcher had been following him.
Butcher nodded.
"I am already working to end the Mighty Heiress life but if I fail in this attempt. It is your fault" he patted Butcher on the shoulder.
"How will that be my fault. You can not blame me for that" Butcher retorted.
"You will be blame for it because if you have kept your mouth shut. They won't be prepared for me" Trevor explained.
"And if we successfully take out Wendy, who will be crowned as the next king?" Butcher asked shakily.
"You are too forward, Butcher. It should be one step after another" Trevor illustrated by taking a pace forward.
"Should I go and beg the king to make him loose his guard and makes things easy for you?" Butcher was actually a fool as he had said.
"No. Let it remain like this for a while. It shouldn't be too fast or he will suspect us. When the time is right, we will do that" Trevor assured him.
"Is Marcus also in support of this?" Butcher asked quickly.
"I have not spoken to him but I believe he will stand with us" Trevor walked outwards.
"Of course" Butcher moaned.