"Stop." Sessa ordered them at once. They obeyed. The man brought down his mask to reveal his face.
"Kiv." Sessa called.
The handsome young man gave a lopsided grin, he was Kiv Tressor the fourth son of King Sessa and the immediate younger brother of Sessa. Kiv Tressor was known as the country's flirt and had no bone of seriousness in him.
"You know him?" Nimo asked in amazement.
"He's my brother."
"Sessa since when did you start keeping beautiful women in your room? And a strong one at that." Nimo rolled her eyes and sheathed back her sword.
"So I wasted my energy for nothing." She said.
"Kiv what kind of trick was that? You could have gotten yourself killed." Sessa scolded.
Kiv sat carelessly at the sitting mat. "Brother." He drawled. "Can you live a little? Look at the positive side of this, if I hadn't come I wouldn't have seen this beauty." He looked at Nimo flirtatiously.
"Mind your manners, boy." She shunned.
"Why are you here?" Sessa asked.
"Sessa, we haven't seen each other for two years. Is this how you welcome me? Besides I heard you are hear in Tens so I came to surprise you." Two years ago, Kiv had left home for the sake of travelling all over the world.
"It's late Your Highnesses, Kiv take the room opposite this one."
"Why?" Kiv asked mischievously looking from Sessa to Nimo.
"Get your mind out of the gutters, boy. It is safer for me to stay here, what if the Crown Prince was really attacked by assassins?" Nimo followed Kiv to the door.
He paused and turned to her. "That reminds me, I didn't get your name beauty?" Nimo opened the door, pushed him outside and shut the door.
"Forgive my brother's manners." Sessa apologized. Nimo sat on the sitting mat.
"It's nothing." She hugged her sword to her bosom and closed her eyes.
"Do you think it's appropriate for you to stay here?"
"I have spent nights in a camp full of men. Go to sleep Your Highness."
•°•
After breakfast, the governor in the company of Sessa led the group to the village. Kunly village laid in ruins before them, the ground was muddy, most of the houses had collapsed. Each family cried together, each losing at least one member of their family. Some children searched through the garbage looking for something to eat, it was a sorry sight.
The servants who came with Sessa immediately went to work, they cooked in a large pot and began distributing to the villagers. Nimo expected Sessa to leave it all to the servant, to her surprise she saw him rolling up his sleeves.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Serving." She smiled. The Crown Prince is not too bad. She and Kiv joined him in serving. The appreciation on the faces of the villagers brought joy to Nimo's heart.
Somewhere in Allon city
"Your Highness, The Crown Prince has gotten to Tens." A servant reported to the form.
"And the second prince is on his way home?" The form asked.
"Yes."
"Get the men ready, after all it won't look like a coincidence if the Crown Prince gets assassinated on the return of the second prince."
"Yes Your Highness."
Outskirt of Allon City
The second prince brought his horse to a halt and his entourage all stopped behind him, it was a few miles away from Allon yet his heart was troubled. Toban had always had a strong intuition.
"Search for any nearby inn for us to have a rest." He commanded.
"Yes Your Highness." A guard behind responded immediately and set off.
"Your Highness, are you afraid that someone might take advantage of your arrival to cause trouble?" A man who sat steadily on the horse beside Toban Tressor said, the man's name was Clogan, Toban's most trusted man.
"You never know what can happen. Everyone knows I tried to murder my brother five years ago, if something happens to him on the day of my arrival who do you think will be held responsible?" He sighed.
The guard who left earlier to search for an inn return. "Your Highness there is an inn nearby but it isn't luxurious."
"Who is in need of luxury? We will await at the inn for a few days, understood?" Prince Toban called out to his entourage.
"Yes Your Highness."
Kunly Village
"Sessa you should have some rest." Kiv advised his brother.
"I'm fine."
"Have you taken your medications?"
"What medication?" Nimo asked when she overheard the last question. Sessa shook his head at his brother silently telling his brother not to say anything.
"Beauty I'm tired, I need a massage." Kiv said grinning in other to sway her attention, it worked.
Nimo glared at him. "Call me Nimo."
"Ah she finally told me her name." Nimo sighed and walked away wondering how such a person could be a prince.
"She doesn't know?" Kiv turned his attention back to his brother.
"It isn't necessary." Sessa said easily.
"Brother let me tell you a secret, to get the compassion of a woman just tell her that you are sick. Her heart will melt..."
"Do you think of no other thing but women?" Sessa interrupted. "Go back to work."
"We have seen everything in Kunly Village and I will report accordingly to His Majesty." Sessa assured the governor as they prepared to depart.
"I'm very grateful to His Majesty for all he has done already." The governor replied.
Sessa and his crew departed from City of Tens that day. They passed along a rough lonely road unknown to them that an ambush had been prepared for them. Soon piercing screams broke out from the servants who were on foot as arrows flew uncontrollably from different angles, the arrows hit a few horses and they neighed in protest.
"Protect his highness." A man in the disguise of a servant shouted.
"Yes sir!" His followers voiced. Before the departure of his son, King Sessa had arranged for the Secret Royal Securities (SRS) to go undercover and protect his son if need be.
Men dressed in black came out one after the other from the bushes which had concealed them earlier. They immediately began a combat with the SRS.
Meanwhile Nimo had got out of the carriage and began engaging in a fierce battle. An arrow came towards her she dodged it and it whooshed past her, an assassin tried to stab her with his sword she swirled and gave him a slit on his throat. The blood splashed on her face, she grimaced at the familiar metallic smell of blood.
"Kill." A battle cry from another group came from the opposite side. Nimo paused in confusion, she hurriedly returned to the carriage.
She opened the door. "Your Highnesses we have to move." She informed Kiv and Sessa.
"What is going on?" Sessa asked weakly for he had spent a lot of energy in Kunly Village.
"It seems the man behind these was really prepared, he even arranged for two groups of assassin and we have already lost most of our men to the first group." Kiv came down first and made to assist Sessa, as Sessa came down a man who hid in the bushes with a bow in his hand tageted Sessa.
Satisfied with the position of his aim he let go of the arrow.