"Once I return you two to Emberlock, I will not remain with you. I have other plans..."
Lucian knew this was coming, she tried to reason against it, maybe even hoping to never hear it. She understood his situation very well, she would have done the same if she was in his spot. And yet... yet.. it just doesn't feel right.
"You want to run away..?"
Lucian knew the second she said it, she had no right to ask anything from him. He did his duty even though it was thrown upon him, he protected her even though it was the last thing anyone would have done in such a situation.
And after that she herself did not know what she said in her unreasonable anger. But with every single word, her feelings and words fell further and further apart.
Seeing his small back getting smaller and smaller from under the tree, Lucian finally sighed and regretted every word she had said. But it was too late, her anger had won over her common sense and letting him go seems like somehow the most reasonable thing to do.
She also got her trusted, nervous nails chewing companion with her and started the last stretch of her chaotic journey. Rosie followed her as Lucian on her ride headed towards their destination, the monsters were sometimes overwhelming but with enough awareness and her quick fighting style she was confident in reaching Emberlock without getting in any major trouble. This last area was near the small town so it shouldn't be a home for dangerous beasts. She was more worried about Damian, he was injured and must be tired walking all day. She should have offered him one horse.
Fighting monsters all day and straining her ears to the limit Lucian suffered through the whole day and finally camped near a small cave and relaxed for the first time that day. Just not having the reassurance of Damian at her back could be so taxing, she never realized. After tomorrow half a day's journey she would finally be able to have some peace of mind. Emberlock was her uncle's fief but, uncle Josef was always a very nice person to be around. Her cousin Sofia was one of the few people that Lucian truly considered a friend. She would finally have some peace when she gets there.
'Khatchhhh.....'
For a second Lucian felt her mind go numb and then followed pain, burning, mind-bending pain... She could neither believe the face in front of her eyes nor the hand that was stretched towards her abdomen; bloody. This can't be real, This must be a nightmare, of course only that would explain all the things that happened today. But the next words that came out of her kind, life-long maid in service broke all her delusions.
"I'm sorry Young Miss, I just had no choice... I'm so... Sorry..."
"R... Ah.. Ro..sie ?"
"Lucian, don't worry. it will be over in a second, I won't let you feel more pain than necessary."
"Wh... W.. Why..?"
Rosie bit her lip and looked away. Lucian had enough of all this nonsense, her knights died, Thomas.. was gone, She was almost raped and run over by a herd of monsters and now she was stabbed? And even that by her most trustworthy maid ? The maid that raised Lucian since her birth ?
"It's better this way... I don't want our last words to be about reasons of my deeds."
Rosie got up and looked at Lucian with those same eyes that she was so used to seeing first thing in the morning. But this time there was unprecedented cold and calculating touch in them.
"Because I missed it by few inches, you have to suffer. But don't worry I will make this one quick.."
She took out another small dagger from somewhere out of her dress and stood there looking down at Lucian.
"Y.. you.. You di..d every..thing.. You killed.. Thomas..."
"I tried separating you two but he was so attached to you like a glue that I had no other choice, but enough of this... Know that I loved you young miss... In all those noble bastards you were the purest soul..."
She closed her eyes for a second, exhaled and with a quick change in footwork she plunged the sharp dagger towards Lucian's heart.
Lucian just closed her eyes and accepted the twisted joke of her fate, no matter how many trials she passed on this miserable journey there were always more in her way. She tried and tried but it was enough, if this is what's written for her then be it.
However instead of sharp dagger piercing her skin, it clashed against another metal. Lucian immediately opened her eyes to see what was going on and was greeted by the familiar back that was so small yet always towered over her, making it seem bigger than mountains.
He was here. He was always here when she needed him. The meaning of engagement ring they exchanged that day signified his promise of protecting her virtue and her promise to never let his pride be harmed. She did not believe in such childish things before but when one sees the promise being fulfilled without even a single exchange of words, one has to wonder.
"What in the hell ? Why are you doing this ? Aren't you like her maid since forever...? I had hoped that I was wrong..."
"Go away kid, this has nothing to do with you. You have already made everything way worse than it had to be."
Even though she was giving him warning she jumped back and put a distance between the two that Damian couldn't cross with a single jump.
The cowering nervous figure of the innocent maid vanished in the thin air and dual daggers wielding elegant looking woman with cold eyes in a stance of an ever-flowing river had replaced her.
Lucian had read about the immortal river techniques, it was one of the most elegant and flexible fighting styles in existence. Depending on her mastery Damian might really be in over his head here, especially when 'Immortal River' excelled in using opponents power against him. The only proven way to fight against it was having a better mastery in your technique than your enemy. And technique was the one aspect Damian was lacking in the most.
Glaring at each other wordlessly, one with daggers and one with small sword both jumped at in motion at the same time. Damian with his greater strength arrived first and executed his signature powerful horizontal slash which he always used when fighting against Lucian.
Rosie lets her hands and legs be loose, yet firm in their standing absorbing the incoming blow and using the masterful footwork to throw Damian with his sword outside the small cave. Damian surprised by the weird sensation landed quietly on his feet and frowned.
Rosie mocking him with a smirk while hiding behind her daggers looked at Lucian, who was wide open with her wounded abdomen. Grabbing this opening Rosie rushed towards her but only moved two steps before jumping backwards in a hurry.
Just as she jumped five stone bullets at an Incredible speed that made them blurry to the naked eye rose out of the cave's dirt floor and pierced its roof.
"Of course, you scheming bastard. You and your petty tricks..."
"What are you? Ninja from hidden maids village?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Lucian grabbed a clean cloth from her satchel and dabbed on her bleeding wound. Her situation was not any better than what it was a minute ago, neither did she have any solution for it, but it was fine. Only the presence of one person had changed, but it was an invaluable change for Lucian.
With him no enemy was big enough.
And her thoughts came true as Damian summoned his fiery soul spear and rushed at the backstabber maid. Rosie was ready as she readjusted her footwork to receive the attack with another ever-flowing river, but just as the tip of the red spear was inches away from her daggers a black void formed in between the two weapons and the red spear disappeared inside, fear gripping Rosie's heart due to unknown situation she immediately jumped sideways as a reflex and yet, received a burning horizontal slash on her back instead of clean strike to her heart.
Sweat dropping down her eye brows as she realized how close she came to dying.
"You still have secrets !!? What goddam kid has so many things to hide..?"