Chapter One: The Escape
"I will not allow my son to grow in this corrupted land," Queen Martha proclaimed, her voice filled with determination. "This place has nothing in it but hate and darkness."
King Steven responded with an authoritative tone, his voice laced with control. "You will not go anywhere or do anything, Martha, not without my permission."
Tears welled up in Martha's eyes as she pleaded, "Please, Steven, you have other wives and children. Please, let me and my son go. Don't make this hard for me."
Steven's face hardened as he raised his voice. "Don't force my hand, Martha. Put the boy down."
Amidst the intense exchange of words between King Steven and Queen Martha, their baby Iris woke up. Martha desperately tried to soothe him back to sleep, all while staring at Steven with unwavering determination as she wiped the tears from her eyes. The tension escalated as Steven drew his sword.
"Put him down, Martha," he demanded, his voice seething with anger. Martha knew she had no choice but to fight. Reluctantly, she placed the baby on the bed in the room they occupied within the palace. It was the room given to Martha when she became one of Steven's wives. Steven came here attempting to prevent her escape.
"Don't make me do this, Steven," Martha said, her voice tinged with sorrow but resolve, as she drew her own sword - a formidable weapon measuring about two and a half feet in length.
"Put the sword down and surrender, Martha," Steven urged, his tone more composed. "It's pointless. The guards will be here any moment now."
"Then I'd better beat you and escape before then, shouldn't I?" Martha retorted, her voice filled with determination.
Steven lunged forward, but Martha swiftly sidestepped, evading his strike with agility. She pulled him toward herself, delivering a powerful knee to his gut, causing him to stagger. Seizing the opportunity, she went down on her hands, sweeping his legs from under him. However, Steven managed to regain his footing and retaliated with a strike aimed at her shoulder. Martha parried the blow and countered with a stab, but he stepped back, narrowly avoiding her attack. Unyielding, Martha pressed on and charged forward, swinging her sword at his gut. Steven parried the strike with a swift movement, initiating a brief exchange of blows between them.
In a quick turn, Martha aimed a calculated hit at Steven's neck with her elbow, swiftly followed by a punch to his side. Using her momentum, she grabbed his hand, pulling him forward, and executed a skillful flip that sent him crashing to the ground on his back, leaving him temporarily discombobulated. Martha quickly located a nearby cupboard where she found a long cloth which she used to tightly bind Steven's legs, hands, and mouth.
"I'm not sorry, Steven. I'm doing this for my son's future," Martha declared resolutely, her voice tinged with a mix of determination and regret. She left the room with baby Iris securely strapped to her like a precious burden in a cloth.
Not long after Martha left, a guard entered the room and discovered his fallen king. Concerned, he rushed to untie Steven.
Steven stood up abruptly but delivered a powerful slap to the guard's face, causing him to stumble and collide with the cupboard. Without hesitation, the guard regained his composure and quickly knelt before the king.
"I'm sorry, my king," the guard apologized.
"What took you so long, Eliot?" Steven snapped, his frustration evident.
"I was busy dispatching the soldiers around and within the palace just as you asked, to make sure the Queen would not escape," Eliot replied, still on one knee.
"You better make sure she doesn't escape with the boy, or I will have your head on a spike," Steven threatened angrily.
"Worry not, my king. I've instructed my best men to stop her. I will not fail you, your king."
"Leave," Steven ordered dismissively as he sank onto the bed.
Eliot exited the room. Meanwhile, Martha stealthily navigated the palace's hallway, skillfully maneuvering between pillars to avoid detection by passing servants. She approached a pair of double doors, cautiously ensuring the guards had moved before opening them. Beyond the doors lay another room, a passage that led to the back exit of the palace - and an opportunity for her to escape.
Upon entering the room, Martha's senses tingled with a sense of unease. Her intuition proved correct as five soldiers clad in basic tier beast armor materialized from the shadows. The leader of the group stepped forward and addressed her.
"The king has requested your immediate arrest, Queen Martha," the guard stated firmly.
"Step aside, soldier," Martha retorted, her voice resolute.
"We will take you by force if we have to," the soldier warned, drawing his sword.
Martha took a deep breath, gripping baby Iris with care. She strapped him securely across her shoulder with the cloth, using her left hand, while her right hand firmly held her sword, assuming a determined fighting stance.
"You leave me no choice," Martha replied, her voice steady. The guards closed in on her, their swords at the ready.
The first soldier charged at her, swinging his sword with force. Martha swiftly sidestepped, evading his attack. As he stumbled off-balance, she seized the opportunity to strike, hitting him with the hilt of her sword, rendering him unconscious.
Undeterred, two more guards rushed at her from different directions. One approached from the left, the other from the right. With her left hand, Martha drew her dagger from her belt, ready to defend herself. The guards swung their swords simultaneously, aiming to overwhelm her. Martha skillfully deflected one with her sword and blocked the other with her dagger.
Reacting swiftly, Martha capitalized on her enemy's momentary confusion. She swiftly kicked one of the guards in the chest, causing him to stagger backward. In one fluid motion, she slashed her sword across the other guard's neck, dispatching him with lethal precision.
The remaining guards hesitated, fear evident in their eyes. Martha moved forward without hesitation, her gaze unwavering. One guard attempted to raise his sword, but before he could strike, a dagger swiftly impaled his neck. Martha continued her advance, driving her sword into the chest of the last remaining guards, ending the confrontation.
Martha took a moment to catch her breath, the room now silent except for the soft whimpering of baby Iris. She gently retrieved her dagger, wiping it clean before returning it to her belt. With a determined expression, she resumed her journey out of the palace, knowing that her escape and her son's future were now within reach.