The Evil King and His Mate

Chapter 3

The two armies charge towards each other with nothing on their minds but killing, except for King Cairbre. Cairbre is thinking about how to disarm their leader and take her hostage so that this onslaught might end. His only goal is to do just that.

When the two armies meet the only sounds are screaming and the clashing of metal on metal.

*

Hours later the battle is still going on. Cairbre decides to dismount his horse for a better advantage, Moira lost hers not very long after the battle started. Once they are both on even ground Cairbre can see Moira's talent. She takes each hit from him with a clench of her teeth and then gives one right back. She is a skilled swordsman and will not go down easy. While Cairbre is fighting to disarm, she is fighting to kill. The two armies have each taken substantial hits to their numbers and they are tiring. Cairbre decides to use a special move his father taught him that is widely unknown. He feigns right and when she moves to block his strike he butts the pommel of his sword into the side of Moira's head. She falls to the ground and Cairbre quickly throws her over his shoulder and rushes to find his horse. Luckily Donnchad sees it all go down and is able to catch the horse and bring it to his king. Cairbre runs his horse as fast as it can to the castle. He takes Moira to a rather well-kept and comfortable cell. He does not want the humans to say he tortures them any more than he is already forced to.

Not long after their leader falls, so does the human army. They give up their weapons and are forced back the way they came. Cairbre sees this as a form of leniency and hopes that they will too.

*

Moira was not expecting to lose her horse and have to fight most of this battle on the ground. However, she feels like they are still winning. Hours into the battle, the king decides to even the playing field and dismount his horse. Moira can see now how truly skilled the king is. She meets every hit of his with a block and returns each one. But, when she goes to block his right swing, she has no idea what he is about to do until she wakes up in a cell in the castle.

*

“Hey!” Moira yells as she realizes where she is. She gets up and goes to the bars.

“Shut up prisoner!” Screams a guard from around a corner.

“I demand to speak to the king!”

As she yells this she hears a door open from around the same corner the guard yelled from. She hears the scratch of a chair across the floor and the same voice says “Sir.” She hears footsteps coming around the corner and she takes a step back from the bars. In front of the bars walks a man in what looks to be a guard's uniform with a set of keys on his belt, a professional-looking man with dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes, and the man she fought on the battlefield only much more clean.

“I assume you are the king,” Moira says as she looks Cairbre in the eye.

“Yes.”

“What am I doing in a cell?”

“You are now my prisoner. You are very clearly the leader of the human army and I knew that capturing you would be much more beneficial than killing you.”

“Oh, how compassionate of you.”

“I think so.”

“Well, you need to let me go right now.”“No. I will however let you out for a bath and dinner.”

“What?”

“You stink and are filthy. I also know that there are rats down here that would steal your food in a heartbeat, so let’s go.”

The guard takes the keys from his belt and opens the cell door. He grabs her arm gently and starts to lead her from the cells. He leads her to a room two floors higher. It is a nice plush bedroom with a servant. The guard leaves her in the middle of the room and locks the door behind him. The servant then draws a bath and sets out some soap.

“Would you like help to undress?”

“No, I can do it myself.” Moira snaps.

Moira strips out of her mud and blood-caked clothes and walks to the bath. The water is warm and the soaps smell lovely but Moira detests the fact that she is even doing it. She hates that she is here in this evil man's house, and to top it off, as a prisoner. After cleaning up, the servant gives her a simple shift that she changes into and is led to dinner.