52. The rescue
1931 Words
There were already rumors on the streets, that a Warchild princess was outside of the Warchild kingdom and that she was wandering around the world.
People were whispering around corners, hoping to see her while they were doing their everyday chores.
They were giving all kinds of details, about how beautiful she was, how brave or rather stupid she was.
It was unheard until that date that women were wandering the streets alone, and out of their castles.
They were all hoping to see such rare things.
Two silhouettes wrapped in long, dark blue capes, with hoods on their heads, walked quite hard, but in a hurry to the border guarded by the river flowing down the valley.
The grass had grown tall, and the ever-shrinking trees were already telling you that the mountains ended here, and the vast hills began.
The two were walking along, dragging after them two horses, which they exchanged in the first village for a cart. The man climbed in front to handle the horses, right after he had put the woman in the back, because she could barely walk and was breathing hard.
They went along, almost without stopping for two days, going towards the river.
The river was at the border of the kingdom and they did not stop until they reached it.
They stopped there, and the man made a primitive shelter for the woman, so they could rest and wait.
They were waiting for someone. They stopped exactly at a turnoff, from where they could see the road already made, running through the hills and down, on the other side, as if following some points that could be seen in the distance.
As they sat to rest, the woman admired the dance of the leaves
in the wind blowing through the undulating trees. The leaves sang softly, and it was quiet. It was beautiful there, and it was peaceful.
They sat on the ground, shoulder to shoulder, and the woman put her head on the man's shoulder beside her.
"I want to go home," she said softly, closing her eyes.
"Soon, my love," he replied. "Soon", he said again, while the man was looking at the distant points that were rising slightly.
And the points were growing in dimension as they were approaching them.
At the same time, somewhere in the opposite place, towards the river...
They were hiding behind the rocky hills...
Soldiers in black leather armor, with spears and swords.
They were waiting, all checking the lighted points in the distance. In front of them, there was HIM.
The Ice king.
Watching the same little points growing in the distance just as the man and the woman in the hiding.
With an imposing stature, he looked like a mountain of man.
With penetrating blue eyes, which people said could only make you kneel when you saw him.
The ceruleum armor hugged his body and highlighted his muscles.
It was a killing machine.
His appearance only screamed danger.
His long black hair was tied at the top of his head, and his forehead was covered with a black bandana, on which was embroidered the insignia of the House of the Shadows Assassins.
His clothes were light, linen dyed black and embroidered with silver thread. The wide pants were fastened at the top by a wide belt with two long, curved swords. His armor looked so shiny, and two straps highlighted his huge pectorals, holding in the back the scabbards of two short swords.
He watched with eagle eyes, just like his men, the white-clad dots approaching the border. Were they going to cross his kingdom?
What fools could think that ... they must have hated their lives ...
But he will take care to stop the threads of their lives, to help them get rid of a worry!
He had heard the news that the Saints were protecting a princess of the enemy house on his territory ...
What this princess was looking for there, he didn't know or care about, as long as he had the opportunity to kill some Warchilds.
Ashaming them would do too...
But he had to find out the right information, because he had nothing to look for in this princess on his territory.
There was something strange about that, and he needed to know what was going on.
It was supposed to be a trap for them, but he was determined to get rid of it.
And those points were approaching.
Indeed, to his amazement, they were not content to stop at the kingdom's border and violate his property.
There were almost 25 Saints, all dressed in white and armed to the teeth. So many! That was really something important...
They were probably expecting to meet some customs officers on the way.
He was not a little surprised when he noticed that the Saints were heading towards ... were those two shadows?? He could not believe his eyes!!
Were they there all this time, when he did not pay attention?? how come no one had seen them before?
He moved quickly to another place so he could better see what was happening.
Yes, it seems that they have missed the fact that two shadows were walking freely on his territory, while they were looking for some Saints???
Incredible!
The Saints reached the two shadows while they were still behind those rocky hills, and then the Ice king had signaled for the attack.
His soldiers who were far more than the 25 Saints, rushed down the hills yelling and startling the Saints, getting them to enter into the defensive formation.
They had no chance to run, no other than the Ice kingdom territory, and there they were doomed.
They were 25 against the shadows that were coming down the hills, and they did not stop coming.
The Assassins were almost 10 times more than the Saints.
So, this would be over soon. Piece of cake!
And all of the sudden, one of the shadows just... released his saruman demon???
The Ice King was impressed.
All the Assassins froze for a few seconds. Who could do such a thing?
His people stopped abruptly in front of the power display. The saruman was a big, male, Assassin soldier.
A traitor?? The Ice King smirked.
The corners of his mouth rose in a wicked and provocative smile ... A challenge ... Exactly what he needed, as if he was bored, without actually finding a suitable opponent.
-Traitor! Who are you? The Ice King shouted before reaching the shadows.
-None of your damn business!! The shadow answered shouting back as well.
Did he not know who he was???
It was impressive, indeed. Both the shadow called a traitor and the Ice king had drawn their swords.
The Saints were trying to protect the second shadow, circling her- that was smaller and looked like a female, and those Saints were keeping their swords up against the coming soldiers.
That must have been the princess?
The king could not see her face, because she was hiding just like the one in front of him.
Which had impressive sword skills, by the way.
He was defending really well his attacks. Strange, who was this stranger, he never met him before.
Crossing their swords and hitting them both, hitting them fiercely and looking for the enemy's weaknesses, the shadow grew rapidly in the eyes of the Ice king, as a worthy opponent he had never met before.
-Who are you!!?? The king asked the soldier, who deftly returned all his attacks, and with the same force in the blows, it seemed to him. Like... they were almost equales! It could not be!!
-It's none of your business!! We'll be far from getting interested in you, anyway! So it doesn't matter!
-It matters!! Ahh... To me!!! Aaarrrrhh!!
The king did not leave it like that.
While still attacking, he was trying to get information. He smiled, when he saw his soldiers surrounding the Saints... The woman had no defense matching his soldiers... except maybe for this one traitor who was protecting her... but why??
The Ice king just blocked one of the traitor's blows, when he saw out of the corner of his eye, the shadow woman releasing her cape and the wind was blowing hard enough to fly it away.
When the shadow woman made an opening among the Saints, and in her hands shone ... weapons?? Weapons in a woman's hands?? Seriously?? Was that a joke?? Was she going to fight? A princess?? To fight against professional soldiers?
How could she be allowed to do that?
Confused and amazed at the same time, the king caught this time the face of the traitor who seemed tirelessly all the attacks, a satisfied and omniscient smile and suddenly heard him speak mockingly:
-Ah ... that ...? Yeah ... I'd withdraw those soldiers right now, if they were mine ... But you know ... They are not ... So I'm going to let them die because they just attacked my wife!!!!
The Ice King looked puzzled to the stranger's face, only to see he was not joking.
Well, now, that was a surprise... And if that was one, the rest that followed...
What else could he name it if not a great surprise?
-Your wife?? That??
The Ice King looked at the traitor, who did not look like an ordinary man.
He was a shadow, and his saruman was only the color of the Assassins, so he must have been an Assassin.
How could an Assassin be the husband of a Warchild? Her hair was as black as night!! It was clear Warchild!
The unions between the two houses were forbidden ... I mean ... The houses only met when they were fighting!!
When did these two have time to get to know each other, and especially when and how did they meet??
Was she really a princess? Who was she? Who was he?? Incredible!!!
The woman released, just like the man in front of her had released, a saruman demon but hers was as black as night, and as big as a block. And while her demon was eating his soldiers alive, she got savage with her swords, cutting in the left and the right among his soldiers who had no chance. Her demon seemed completely in her control, because where she did not reach, the saruman reached. Half of his entire detachment had just turned to dust within minutes!!!
Curiosity began to bite him. He had to have her!
This woman could hold not one weapon in her hand, but two, and more interestingly, she could even use them! He had to have her!!
But the shadow in front of him, he just stood in his way! Her husband? The Ice King smiled cruelly. Not for long!
-If she's not related to you anymore ... I'll have her! ... she said out loud, smiling provocatively.
-You're wrong here ... She only wants me! Because there can't be two kings in the same court!
The Ice King's smile is gone. Huh?
-What do you mean?
What was this man talking about?
While the Northern kingdom was attacking on the hills close to the fortress of Nio, ambushing the princess's suite, situated at the border of the Western kingdom, it was brought to King Tor's attention that the Saints were on the mission to help the princess escape with her life. Little did he know, it was not a princess he was after... but a king of the shadows trying to escape him...
Which it happened.
- Writer
