55. The pretending
1871 Words
She was something, he had to give her that.
After she ate, he sent her back to the dungeon.
Of course, he would not fall for any of that woman's charms though he had to admit, she was very beautiful.
But... in a very... no seductive way...
How that was, or what that meant, he could not explain.
But there he was... The great king Tor, not able to unwrap the mystery of a woman.
Not that it mattered, anyway.
She was not worth the effort.
The little Saint was sitting in the dark, her knees tucked under her, still tied to her hands.
It was good that it was dark ... so no one could see her.
She closed her eyes and created the mental space necessary for contact.
"Mother!! Shade!! Tiger!!"
No answer.
It was good that it was quiet. That way no one could bother her. But she couldn't find her answers either.
.............
Two weeks ago... At the border of the Western kingdom, the group led by the Saints helped her find her parents. They were hiding in the Northlands, where her father had already gained some fame among the Assassin's Lords, and they had offered refuge to him and his wife, whom he hid from the world. That goes without saying, though, that females were valuable as long as they were maintained.
She was also with a child, which made her precious to her husband, who of course kept her hidden from the world and waited for her offspring. That's how he managed to keep her safe and hidden from prying eyes, so as not to make them suspect that the royal blood of the two united houses was in the middle of the Assassins.
They met with the group of Saints, who did not seem to understand very clearly how in another world houses could be united, when in their world they had been fighting for hundreds of years. They were curious to know who he was and what those who had achieved this performance looked like.
The reunion was exciting.
In great detail, the images flowed through his mind, one after the other, like a movie. Walking on the dusty paths, she suddenly saw them, and she couldn't help but run in their arms.
They were alive. Both her parents were safe and sound.
They were both dressed in the Assassins 'insignia, while she wore the Saints' clothing before she left.
The saints stood aside, slightly intimidated by the energy emanating from the royal family, and only their leader dared to take a few steps forward, toward them, clearly heading toward the man to greet him.
- Our respects, Lord. Amm ... King ...? They did not know how to approach these shadows.
The man tried to greet the head of the family respectfully, but stumbled into words, not knowing very well with what title to honor the stranger from another world.
He held out his hand, smiling, and speaking simply:
-I am the Lord Commander of the Shadow kingdom from the New World. This is my king, he pointed to the female behind him.
And the female smiled at the confused man, but she did not take any steps towards him.
He bragged and bowed to her, not knowing how to react.
-Thank you for helping us get home, said the female, speaking as easily and simply as her husband, but without greeting.
The saints watched the reunion curiously, but tried not to show their emotions so much and set off.
It was a long way to go back to the Altar, and the female with child could not ride, so they brought a two-horse chariot for her.
Now the driver was a little uneasy, thinking that her rank in the other world might not make this simple and rudimentary transport just right for her position, but that was what they could find in no time.
When they got close to the security base, right on the border with the northern kingdom, they were attacked by surprise.
In the distance, the siege of the fortress of Nio could be seen, and no one thought they would be seen.
All the Saints gathered around the chariot to defend "Warchild Princess", thus drawing attention to the preciousness of the transport. At the same time, the pregnant woman's birth was triggered, and she could not be ridden safely, so they had to stay put and fight to protect her.
They fought with courage and determination, but they all failed to survive.
The soldiers of the northern kingdom were much more numerous and powerful.
Not even the Lord Commander could defeat all of them alone.
So a decision was made: The saints were divided into two groups, most of the remaining fighting without much hope that they would survive, while two of them set off with the aliens from the New World back to the Altar, leaving the rest behind.
-Moon!
The royal blood cried out, reaching out to order them to come with them, but at that moment a strong contraction made her stop in the middle of the sentence.
-They have no chance, Mother, look at them!
Indeed, the Saints left behind did not seem to have much chance of survival.
-No, my princess, her father tried to talk to her.
-Get my mother out of here, father, and come back for me!
-My princess...
Silver Moon turned her back on her family, and in order for them to leave and be safe, she decided to gain them some more time.
With swords in her hands and her eyes fixed on the soldiers who mercilessly killed the remaining Saints, she threw herself into battle.
-I will buy you time, she just whispered to them, only hoping to see them again.
She wasn't sure she would survive, but she did.
She met the King of the North in battle, for he fought in the midst of them all, mercilessly killing the brethren in white robes, reddening them.
She made her way to him, striking his soldiers, as many as she could, drawing his attention towards her, but in the meantime, all the other Saints were killed. They were not really ready for this kind of guerilla forces.
Only she was left, and a lot of enemy soldiers.
And he, the Ice King, who did not allow the soldiers to touch her, after she was the only one left.
Only he struck her with the hilt of his sword at the top of his head, leaving her breathless on the ground, and taking her prisoner, bringing her here, in his underground, cold, dungeons.
The heavy door creaked open, drawing her attention and pulling Silver Moon out of the memories of her last moments with her family. Another woman was thrown inside, dressed in white clothes, resembling the Saints.
In the rippling light of the torch flames held by one of the guards who threw her to the ground, smiling with satisfaction, Silver Moon could see that she was a young woman, all dressed in the Saint's robes.
She must have been a prisoner too, or someone just sent to extract some information out of her.
She noticed her too, and when the guards slammed the door and shielded her, she sat down against the wall, a little farther away from Moon, rubbing her shoulder, where she had probably been hit earlier in the fall.
-Does it hurt? Moon asked her compassionately, trying to get her some support, and also information from her, but the young woman didn't seem to appreciate her effort and looked at her hostilely.
Moon tried to find out more.
- Did they hurt you?
-What do you care ?? It's all because of you!
-How come? What happened?
-Because the Warchild Princess has escaped, and they catch us all and kill us! Only females are spared, for their lusts! You bastards!
The young woman screamed at the door, probably at the guards who had long since left and were no longer there.
Moon looked at her sympathetically and said,
-I'm really sorry! But I didn't do anything.
-Then why are you here in their cell?
-Because the Ice King brought me here against my will, just like they brought you!
-The king himself?? And are you still here? You, stupid! You should have pleased him and you would now be dressed in fine silks and eating goodies at the table, not here with the rats!
-Why do you think this way?
-Because the Ice King never keeps his prisoners. His dungeons are fighting pits. He makes the prisoners fight and kill each other, just for the fun. There is no escape from here, and yet, here you are still for so many days...
-How do you know this?
-Because this is my world! I was there when you showed up with the Crown Prince! And now you are here, with the Ice King! All you do is take your chances with them...
-But I don't like any of them and I'm not interested in pleasing them!
-You, stupid! Only then will you escape with your life! I'll show you! If you tell him that I'm a princess, I'll confirm that you're just a Saint! Like this, I can live too...
-But the real princess escaped because she did not want to get married...
-Who cares? Play like that and you will see how things are done here...
The young woman offered her a deal that didn't sound good to Moon. Somehow, she seemed to have a hidden interest.
Could she have been sent by the king, as a spy, to find out information from her?
But ... then how did he know some of that information? Had they reached the king, and he already knew who she was?
However, she decided to accept the agreement, only to see where it would lead.
She will find a way out of this life.
So she agreed to do as the young Saint said.
The next morning, they were both brought to the Ice King's table, and they sat side by side. The princess pretending to be the Saint, and the Saint pretending to be the Princess, she also declared it.
The king was not very impressed, however. Nor interested.
"The Princess" was trying to gain his attention in a very inappropriate way, flirting with him visibly, trying to please him just like she said she would show Moon.
She poured the cup of tea to the king, tried to initiate the conversation and draw attention to it, while the king looked at Moon and how she reacted to all this.
-And so tell me ... how come the Saints failed to protect the Princess from my soldiers, who are preparing from chiildhood and training to keep the whole Central region under neutrality?
Moon looked at him, but with the same attitude, submissive and wise, answered him:
-How many did have to die this time? Soldiers should not fight with females and children.
The Ice King smiled, took a drink out of the "princess's" hands, and answered her:
-As many as needed to get what I want.
-But in the end, is it all worth it?
- Writer
