In King Sebas's private chamber, the atmosphere of the night was heavy with grief. Zanuba sat beside the bed, holding her father's increasingly frail hand. King Sebas, his face pale and lips blue, gazed at his daughter with eyes full of affection and sorrow.
"Princess Zanuba," King Sebas's voice was weak yet full of love, "I... I am sorry I couldn't give you a better future. But remember, the throne is yours. Be happy and be a wise leader. Harith will protect you... whatever happens."
Despite being only 12 years old, Zanuba could feel the weight of her father's last words. Tears began to stream down her cheeks, and she gripped her father's hand tighter, trying to hold back the unbearable pain. "Father, don't leave me," she sobbed, her voice choked with tears.
With his last breath, King Sebas closed his eyes. Zanuba felt as though the world around her was collapsing. Her deepest cries erupted, and she wept uncontrollably, feeling an indescribable loss.
Harith, the loyal guard who had always been by Zanuba's side, observed with growing concern. He sensed something was terribly wrong with King Sebas. When he checked the king's hand, he saw that the king's fingers had turned blue, indicating a deadly poison.
With a serious expression, Harith gently pulled Zanuba's hand. "Princess, we need to leave now."
Still engulfed in grief, Zanuba was confused by Harith's words. "What do you mean, Harith? I... I can't leave Father."
"King Sebas is dead, and we are in danger," Harith said firmly. "Reeve... Reeve Dame Guillemete not only wants the throne but also wants to kill you. I will protect you, but we must go now."
Before Zanuba could fully grasp the situation, the chamber door burst open. Reeve, with a cold and cruel expression, appeared in the doorway followed by several armed guards. "Find and kill Princess Zanuba!" he shouted with a commanding tone.
Harith acted immediately. With incredible speed, he lifted Zanuba into his arms and leaped out of the open window. Shocked, Zanuba could only cling tightly to Harith, staring down with fear.
Outside, the dark night and cold wind brushed against Zanuba's face. Harith landed softly on the ground, but they had little time. Several assassins, sent by Reeve, began to chase them with their weapons ready.
As they ran through the dark forest, Zanuba was still confused and shocked. "Harith, what's happening? Why is all of this happening?"
Harith ran while protecting Zanuba. "Princess, Reeve poisoned the King and planned to seize the throne. He also wants to kill you to eliminate any claim you have to the throne. I will protect you, but we need to get out of here as quickly as possible."
Zanuba felt squeezed between profound sadness and disturbing disbelief. Yet, she had no time to reflect further as more assassins were closing in. They began to attack, with swords and arrows aimed at Harith and Zanuba.
Harith, with his trained fighting skills, battled the assassins while carrying Zanuba. He deflected attacks swiftly, striving to protect Zanuba with all his might. Every time an assassin tried to get close, Harith quickly parried or evaded their strikes, even while fighting with Zanuba in his arms.
"Watch out, behind you!" Zanuba shouted, trying to help by directing Harith's attention to the threatening enemies.
Harith nodded without stopping, and with impressive skill, he managed to defeat several assassins. However, the situation worsened as more enemies arrived from various directions. Zanuba felt her strength waning, but she knew Harith was fighting hard to protect her.
Finally, after an exhausting battle, Harith and Zanuba reached a temporary refuge in a small cave. Harith gently laid Zanuba on the ground, looking at her with concern. "We need to rest for a bit, Princess. But we must move again before they find us."
Zanuba nodded, though she still looked stunned and exhausted. "Harith, thank you... I don't know what I'd do without you."
Harith smiled gently, though his exhaustion and injuries were becoming evident. "Princess, my duty is to protect you. We'll get through this together."
In the dark cave, Zanuba and Harith rested briefly, trying to regain their strength before continuing their flight. Despite her heart still filled with sorrow and fear, Zanuba felt a bit of comfort with Harith by her side.
As Zanuba and Harith left the palace, night was approaching. Outside the gate, the forest felt ominous. In the darkness, only the moonlight illuminated the path they were taking. Harith led the way, with Zanuba following behind, their eyes constantly alert for any threat from all directions.
They were only a few kilometers from the palace when they heard footsteps behind them. Harith turned and saw silhouettes of several assassins trailing them. "We don't have much time. Run!" Harith shouted as he pulled Zanuba's hand.
They fled into the forest, running through bushes and tall trees. Harith tried to keep up the pace while protecting Zanuba, but the longer they ran, the more assassins appeared around them. Harith's skilled hands continued to deflect attacks coming from all directions, warding off every attempt by the assassins to reach Zanuba.
In the dark forest, Harith fought against two assassins moving swiftly with sharp weapons. Zanuba stood behind, watching with deep concern. Each of Harith's attacks was intense. Fresh blood dripped from his wounds, but he kept fighting relentlessly.
"Don't stop! We need to reach the village!" Harith shouted, trying to encourage Zanuba.
Amid the battle, Zanuba spotted a light in the distance. "Harith! Look at that!" she cried, pointing towards the approaching light.
"Good! We need to hurry!" Harith responded while trying to defeat the last assassin.
Eventually, they reached the edge of the forest and saw a small village named Leronica. Harith and Zanuba ran into the village, hoping to find refuge there. But as soon as they entered, they realized the threat was far from over. Some assassins had followed them and began to surround the village.
In the chaos, Harith and Zanuba ran towards the village chief's house. The village chief, an old man with a wrinkled face, quickly opened the door for them. "Come in, you must be safe here!" he urged.
But soon after, the sounds of footsteps and shouting began from outside. The bandits, sent by Reeve and led by Tigeria, had arrived in the village. They started destroying houses and searching for Zanuba with fervor.
Harith, severely injured, tried to defend the village chief's house from the bandit's attack. He fought with all his remaining strength, but the sheer number of enemies made it hard to hold his ground. In the increasingly fierce battle, Harith was eventually forced to retreat.
Meanwhile, Zanuba had to hide under a table, her heart pounding with fear. She heard the bandits entering the house and destroying everything around them. The village chief tried to fight back but was powerless against the fully armed bandits.
Outside, Harith was finally overcome by Tigeria, who was very strong and skilled. Tigeria captured Harith and took him to the bandit's hideout. Zanuba, feeling she could no longer hide, was eventually found by several bandits and dragged out of the village chief's house.
With Zanuba in their control, the bandits began destroying more houses in Leronica. Chaos erupted, and the screams of terrified villagers filled the night air.
As Zanuba was carried by the bandits, she felt utterly desperate. Her heart was full of sorrow and fear as she fought against every attempt to escape. At that moment, she felt as though the whole world had collapsed around her.
However, as the situation grew more chaotic, suddenly, in front of Zanuba being dragged by the bandits, appeared a mysterious elf. With agile and deadly movements, the elf began to take down the bandits one by one. Each strike and spell executed seemed flawless, effortlessly overcoming the threats. The blue light emanating from the elf's staff gave a new hope amidst the darkness enveloping Zanuba.
The bandits, who had been so confident, were now stunned and confused, unable to counter the elf's attack. Zanuba looked on in awe and relief as the elf defeated her enemies with extraordinary skill. In an instant, the elf looked at Zanuba and gave her a brief but reassuring smile. "You are safe now," he said softly, while continuing to fight to ensure all threats were dealt with.