The prince grunted hard as he slashed his dual shortswords at Jaid. He was being more aggressive than usual during their daily spar in the training yard. Jaid blocked his dual swords with her own large greatsword and swung back. Even though it certainly wasn’t customary in their country’s fighting style, the prince had chosen to master two shortswords since he claimed he could hit the enemy twice as much.
Jaid had explained time and time again why this wasn’t really the case, but had given up that fight long ago. The prince had started their spar at his usual lethargic pace, but it didn’t take long for Jaid to figure out the cause of the sudden change.
One of their guests had come to the yard to observe, sitting quietly off to the side while she feigned reading a book. She was Princess Parano, and if everything went well, she’d be Prince Lyke’s bride to be. The woman, while still certainly young and gorgeous, was a fair bit older than Lyke who was still a teenager. But these days, royalty couldn’t afford to be picky.
With more and more monarchies transitioning to democracies, those that refused to change sought out stronger alliances with each other. There were plenty of ways to form ties such as the recent trade alliance Guzrinn had formed with Archlave, but a marriage was the most tried and true method.
At first, Jaid felt the prince’s increased motivation should be met with her own, pushing back with all her might and skill. It didn’t take long before she just felt sorry for the boy, quickly overpowering him. The stressed and sad look on his face didn’t suit him, so Jaid decided to throw him some pity, even though it put a knot in her stomach.
She slowly let the prince regain his momentum against her, and when he was at his peak, Jaid purposefully took a misstep. While the prince was far from an expert at combat, he was at least well versed enough to spot an opening. A quick jab later, and Jaid was flat on her ass with Prince Lyke pointing his training swords at her in victory.
Princess Parano got up from her seat and ran over to the prince while applauding him. The two quickly delved deep in conversation, leaving Jaid to get herself up while holding her stomach. She’d fully planned to take the hit, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
The royals’ conversation quickly turned into full plans to go out for a picnic. Jaid was tasked with fetching supplies while they went to go ask their respective fathers’ permission.
Jaid was taking a slower stride to the kitchen. The pain had already subsided, but there wasn’t exactly a spring in her step. Maybe it was for the best, because it caused her to pause when she reached the kitchen door instead of just barging in like she usually would.
“I just saw them run by. They make such a cute couple, don’t you think?” one of the men inside gossiped to their friend.
“Yes indeed, if it is happening a bit fast,” the woman agreed. “Makes you feel for Lady Luciri, though.”
“What do you mean?” The man pried further.
“Haven’t you heard?” The woman was practically chomping at the bit to spread new gossip. “Word is that when they two are wed, Lady Luciri will be discharged from his service, sent off to finalize her training and follow in her mother’s footsteps.”
“Well, that’s to be expected,” the man didn’t seem surprised at all. “She’s talented and sure to live up to her mother’s expectations, the natural choice.”
“No no, that’s not why at all,” the woman’s words turned more giddy and frantic. “You’ve heard the rumors about her and Prince Lyke. Can’t have a pair of hungry eyes watching nearby when they’ve got heirs to make.”
“Ah, I see what you mean,” the man was forced to concede. “Probably for the best then that they go their separate ways.”
Jaid couldn’t help but grumble to herself. She wasn’t going to let idle gossip get to her from two Draz’s who didn’t understand the situation. Jaid had full intention to serve the prince now and forever. But it also hadn’t been the first time she’d heard that same rumor. She waited a bit longer for the conversation to swing to something else before barging in.
◆◆◆
Just keep your eyes on the road and focus. Jaid was trying her damndest to ignore the excessive giggling from those in the carriage behind her. She was in the driver’s seat, her aggravation growing ever so slightly each time the princess mentioned how it was her first time traveling this way. At least find something else to chat about.
It wasn’t right of her, but all that aggravation was soon taken out on a random citizen. “You there! No parking is allowed on this street. Please move your vehicle at once or we will have it towed. You’re blocking the prince’s procession!” Jaid didn’t really need to be so rude, and was usually quite patient with the citizenry, but all patience was gone this day.
“It’s alright, Jaid!” Prince Lyke called out from the carriage. “We’re in no hurry.”
“Yes, sire,” Jaid responded with a smile which she was glad that he couldn’t see. Up until recently, the prince had been a bit more crass with the common folk. He’d never had a reputation of being crude or even mean, but his public image wasn’t exactly sterling.
From what she’d seen of him recently, though, he’d really been trying to put a better foot forward. If only everyone else could see him as she did, the strides he was taking. It didn’t matter to her that this may be a ploy to look better in front of the princess. She knew he was being genuine deep down, and she wasn’t going to let the charm of his growth go unnoticed.
“Thank you, Jaid,” Princess Parano expressed her gratitude when Jaid offered a hand to help her down from the carriage. For this, even Jaid had to criticize the prince’s attempt at courtship. It should have been his hand helping the princess, but he’d been too excited and rushed off to set up the picnic, wanting everything to be ready when the princess came to see the stunning view.
“Lyke mentions you quite often, you know,” the princess smiled sweetly at her. “Just today alone, your name has come up at least a dozen times. Not to mention the few times we’ve met briefly in the past. You really are like a sister to him. I hope one day we can be like sisters as well.”
Damn it, Jaid choked back any regretful words, matching the princess’ smile as she waved her away. The prince had brought her to one of his favorite spots in the entire kingdom, a scenic view overlooking a stunning gorge. He and Jaid had visited it frequently when the prince needed to get away from the stress of the castle. It had been their private spot, and theirs alone.
It’s fine. It really is beautiful. Of course he’d want to bring her here, Jaid did her best to stay positive while she tended to the horse, making sure they were fed. She’d let them have their privacy for now. No one knew where they were, and since it had been such spur of the moment plans, it should be too quick for anyone to try something either. Jaid had mentioned this spot before in her reports, but never actually specified its exact location.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Regardless, Jaid wasn’t that far away and could even still hear them having a rousing good time. She wouldn’t venture farther than earshot away from them, ready to charge to the rescue at a moment's notice.
And that moment came in the form of the princess screaming in terror.
“Who? Who are you? Stay back!” the prince yelled as Jaid sprinted through the brush. A few steps later, she saw the full picture. The prince and princess were next to each other, Prince Lyke gallantly standing in front with an arm covering the princess to his side. Jaid and Lyke locked eyes and shared a knowing nod.
“Grab the knife in the basket, Parano. And you, don’t come any closer!” Prince Lyke barked his orders, but it was all false confidence with no weight. It wasn’t actually meant to be a threat or to try to get Parano to accomplish anything. This was all a diversion to keep the assailant’s eyes on them.
Jaid charged with blazing speed at the assailant’s back. She had no idea who they were or what they looked like, completely covered in a dark cloak from her point of view. What she could garner is that they were quite tall and bulky, towering even. Jaid wasn’t going to make a rookie mistake of yelling as she attacked or calling out to them to get their attention. Slash first, ask questions later.
She did just that, slicing her broadsword with all her might at the criminals back. But there was no tear through cloth and flesh, only ringing feedback in Jaid’s hands as her blade connected with metal. A pickaxe? She was bewildered when she saw the weapon. Somehow, the bastard had known of her presence and swung the pickaxe back to block her strike, hooking the pickaxe around her sword.
Jaid tried to break through their duel with brute strength, but her sword wouldn’t budge to her surprise. Trying to change tactics, Jaid opted to pull her sword away but she never got the chance. A second pickaxe in their other hand swiped at her, hooking into her chestplate.
Her legs failed her as she tried to push back away from the assailant, but she wasn’t budging. They had ridiculous, inhuman strength that she couldn’t fathom—strength like her mother’s. With no other options, Jaid tried to undo the straps of her armor with her free hand, but it was a fruitless attempt.
The knight’s world went topsy-turvy as she was launched off the ground. She went sailing over the attacker’s head and sent flying straight at the defenseless couple. Her body crashed directly into the prince. It took a few moment’s for Jaid’s head to recenter itself as she scrambled back to her feet.
She took a good look around, trying to assess the situation. Parano was still on her feet next to her, but she was frozen stiff, paralyzed by terror. Jaid got a better look at the assailant now, as big and burly as she expected, but she couldn’t really find any other noticeable features about their figure. They were completely covered from head to toe with no identifiable marks.
The only thing that stood out were their blood red eyes. Eyes like those Fiends she’d been hearing about popping up all over the world. She’d always believed them to be more idle gossip until now. The assailant didn’t seem to have any intent on advancing at them for the moment and was fumbling around with their pickaxes for some reason.
“Jaid!” she heard Prince Lyke call out from behind her. She spun her head and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. The prince was dangling off the edge of the cliff. Thankfully, it seemed he had a pretty firm grip—his arms wrapped tightly around a rock. He was strong enough that he wouldn’t fall immediately, but not quite capable of pulling himself back up.
Before Jaid could run to his rescue, she felt a searing pain in her left shoulder. A bolt was sticking out of it, blood now rapidly trickling down her arm. The assailant had somehow turned their pickaxes into a crossbow and was already loading in the next shot.
Damn it! Time seemed to slow down as Jaid tried to get her head straight. There was so much to do, but she was just one person. Why was it just her? If she wasn’t alone, she could save everyone and stop this bastard, but this was the worst situation. It didn’t help that her mind and focus was getting blurrier by the moment from the pain and loss of blood.
But the decision was made for her. “Jaid!” the prince called out again. She wasn’t clear on what he said next, but picked up the important words: ‘Parano’ and ‘Save’. DAMN IT! Sure, it would be the chivalrous thing to rescue the princess above all else, but Jaid honestly didn’t care. She wanted to save the prince and damn everything else, but his heart was elsewhere.
This was it, the selfless side of him that only she saw. Even if it hurt her, Jaid would fulfill his wish. She’d save Parano, but then she was going to save him too—a promise to herself as she refocused on their attacker.
The crossbow had been pointed at the knight, but it started to swerve, now aimed directly at Parano’s head. From their first shot, Jaid could tell this person didn’t have the best aim, but they had the advantage of distance. With one arm down—her dominant one at that—this wasn’t going to be easy, but Jaid hadn’t earned her rank for nothing.
The attacker pulled the trigger, but Jaid was already on the move. She ran straight in front of the bolt, sliding her broadsword along her damaged arm to help position it properly. Even if she messed up in this case, she’d only be doubling up on the same injury. The bolt plinked off her sword, stunning the enemy in surprise at her feat.
Jaid didn’t stop there, carrying her momentum and sprinting towards the enemy—fearing that if she stopped, she’d stop for good. The assailant fired again, but Jaid had watched their hands the entire time. She sliced the bolt out of the air perfectly without breaking stride.
This threw off the attacker even more, taking a few steps back, trying to create distance as they reloaded again. It seemed their absurd strength didn’t matter too much when faced with someone so crazed and passionate. They probably relied on it too much and buckled under a real threat.
Jaid slashed away the next bolt, and then the next without fail. By then, she’d closed the distance and stabbed straight at the enemy’s chest. The hooded figure separated their crossbow back into pickaxes to block, but Jaid had already diverted her aim, stabbing the bastard in the leg.
That was all it took. It seemed this assassin, or whatever they were, wasn’t too committed to the job. They bolted, leaving a trail of blood behind as they back-stepped into the brush. Jaid’s pride wanted to hunt them down for this assault, knowing they weren’t fully out of danger unless this criminal was brought to justice, but she was in no condition to pursue.
And there was something far more important on the line, so much more important that Jaid immediately forgot about the assailants entire existence. She dropped her sword and spun back towards the prince, but things weren’t quite as she expected.
Prince Lyke was still holding on for dear life, but now he wasn’t even looking at Jaid. He was glaring at Princess Parano, maybe asking for her help since Jaid had been so preoccupied. She followed the prince’s gaze over to the princess, but there was something off about her. Why is she just standing there?
Not only was she was doing nothing, Parano was now holding the knife she’d retrieved earlier and pointing it in the prince’s direction. She stared at him, glared at him—her face blank, but her eyes looked like she’d seen death. It was curious, but there was no time to dwell on it. Especially not since Rathe itself was urging them along.
There was a snapping sound, and the dirt beneath the rock Prince Lyke was holding onto seemed to crack slightly. Oh no! Jaid bolted with all of her remaining strength and dove at the prince, both arms reaching for him desperately. But then the pain hit her again, forcing her to recoil as she slid along the ground.
Maybe it was just its time, or maybe it was her added weight, but the ground finally crumbled, and Prince Lyke started falling. Jaid powered through her agony and managed to swing her one good arm down towards the prince. He reached back up at her, desperation and panic in his face, but it was too late.
The tips of their fingers touched, but that was all. Jaid could only watch helplessly as the prince plummeted down into the gorge, splashing into the rampaging river at the bottom. Maybe she was focusing on the water too intently, but her entire vision was enveloped with a deep blue for a split-second that sent her reeling.
“St-stay back!” Parano now pointed the knife at Jaid when the knight approached her. “What happened to your hair?!” the princess demanded to know. What an odd question in the moment. Maybe her blood had soaked into it, or it had gotten dirty when Jaid slid across the ground? It didn’t matter, though, and Jaid didn’t have time to dwell on it.
There was no room from courtesy anymore. Placating the princess’ feelings or insecurities didn’t matter. Jaid batted the knife out of Parano’s hand like it was nothing and grabbed her by the wrist. She quickly dragged the princess back to the trail and practically shoved her into the carriage.
Because of the river, there was still a chance that the prince was still alive. And Jaid was going to find him, but she’d need help.