The night echoed with the sounds of nature: trees rustling, nocturnal creatures making their presence known, the gentle whistling of the wind.
And also... the rhythmical galloping of a single set of hooves. For at this late hour... there was one in the Kingdom of Wolfkrone who had yet to bed down for the night.
Hildegard von Krone was zipping down the main road, atop her trusty steed, her gorgeous chestnut mane let down and flowing freely in the wind. No one knew of the princess's departure at this late hour, and for Hilde's sake, it was for the better. She made sure to always slip out with the stealth of a shinobi in order to avoid giving her loyal vassals a heart attack and avoiding a stern talking to about the importance of ensuring her safety.
Hilde rode peacefully, her mind clear of worry and turmoil, at least for a little while. Every night, just like tonight, she would allow her mind to be free of the stress of being forced to run the kingdom in her father's stead. She NEEDED these nights by herself: a time when she can just let all her responsibilities go and just be at peace for a little while. When she woke up in the morning, then she would take on the burdens of a kingdom once more.
Hilde went off the main road and look a little detour, deep in the woods. In an instant, she was gone: the only sign she had been there was a lone trail of hoofprints leading into the trees.
Hilde arrived at her destination soon after: a beautiful, sparkling spring that shimmered in the moonlight. The water was dead still, to the extent that it could act like a mirror if one gazed into it. This was Hilde's private spot: a spot that no other person in the kingdom knew about. This was her haven, her escape from the horrific reality that plagued her and the kingdom every day.
Hilde allowed her horse to drink while she discarded her clothing. It took a while to undo her long boots, but eventually they came off, followed by her gloves. She worked diligently to undo every knot that held her elegant, flowing teal dress until it finally slipped off her shoulders.
As she put her clothes in a neat pile, she heard a rustling in the trees.
"Huh?"
She quickly turned around, looking in all directions, even at the sky even though she doubted it came from there.
"Hmmm... perhaps my nerves are still rampant. I need this more than I thought, ha ha."
Hilde shook her head a few times before turning back around, and stripping out of her bra and panties. The moonlight shimmered on her naked body as she crawled into the pond and submerged herself completely.
A few moments passed before Hilde emerged from the water like a dolphin, flicking her sopping wet mane back and running her hands down her wet, moderate curves. The water and night air had her nubs erect in mere seconds. As her fingers danced across them, her entire body shivered from the sensation.
Hilde rubbed down her abdomen with water, then bent over and rubbed her legs. While bent over, she quickly shot her hands up and splashed water on her ass, then began rubbing her buns in a counterclockwise motion. She rubbed the water deep into her cheeks until no more droplets remained.
After washing her most intimate lady parts, Hilde finally settled down in the water and just soaked for a while, letting not only the dirt and grime, but all her life troubles float away.
"Ahhhhhh~"
Hilde laid her head against the edge, her arms behind her propping her up. She closed her eyes and allowed the cool, calm water to soothe her. She could feel her eyelids getting heavy; she didn't come out here to fall asleep, but the water felt so good...
"Hnnnh..hnnh...haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah~"
A long, cute yawn escaped her as her eyes finally shut and the darkness overtook her.
"...Awwwww, is the wittle princess taking a bath all by her lonesome?"
Hilde's eyes shot open; she looked around frantically, wondering how much time had passed. But most importantly... she quickly realized that she wasn't alone. Her eyes shot forward, and her mouth opened wide.
"Ah!"
Her little private spot was not so private anymore; her avenue of exit was currently blocked off by what looked to be a gang of ruffians. There were 10 in total: all looking to be the unsavory type. They were all sporting slacks and leather boots, with nothing on their torsos but leather vests. Their most intimidating feature were the Executioner Braces on their arms, adorned with sharp spikes. Aside from that, most of them were sporting different facial features and hairstyles. They were all armed with the same thing: Chinese Broadswords.
There was only one man who stood out from the others. He must have been the leader, judging from his more sophisticated appearance compared to the rest. He was wearing a Bing Dou helmet along with a Usurper's Mask. His clothing consisted of a Changpao, with no pants but a menacing pair of Executioner's Boots. He was also wearing the same Executioner Braces that the others were. Unlike their wide broadswords, he was wielding a slender Chinese Sword.
"W-who are you all? Reveal yourselves, now!" Hilde commanded.
"Heh heh heh... or what? You gonna scream for your guards?" the leader cackled. "You know, princesses shouldn't wander off so far from the castle without her knights in shining armor to protect her."
"Don't talk down to me, barbarians!" Hilde barked. She finally covered her chest, realizing that the thugs had been staring at her naked bosom the entire time they were standing there.
"Ooooh she's got a mouth on her, boss." one of the thugs laughed. "And that's not all she's got, heh heh."
"Why don't you go ahead and come out of that water?" the leader ordered. "Trust me, we'll treat you VERY good, heh heh heh heh..."
Hilde did not move. She only stared at the leader, her face not showing the slightest hint of fear.
"I warn you, barbarians. I am not a princess to be trifled with."
That little remark led to a burst of laughter spreading among the well-armed thugs.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, that's the best joke I've heard in a long time. A spoiled rich little daddy's girl, trying to threaten ME? HA!"
The leader stepped forth, brandishing his sword while continuing to grin maliciously.
"Lemme tell you something, sweetie. I've kidnapped a LOT of princesses in my time. They all talk a big game, until me and my boys have our way with them. Then they start to realize just what their place in this world is. And YOU, sweetie? It looks to me like you need to be taught all the way. Now GET OUT OF THAT WATER!"
"...As you wish."
Hilde emerged from the water, mesmerizing every male gaze with her dripping wet nude body. She ignored all their eyes as she immediately began walking fast towards her clothes.
"Hey! Where the fuck are you going? HEY!"
The leader angrily stomped towards her, preparing to grab her wrist. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that Hilde was NOT reaching for her clothes.
"AAAAAAUUUUUUUGHHHHH!"
The remaining 9 thugs all watched in horror as their leader turned to face them, a shortsword thrust upwards through his neck and deep into his head. His crimson life force seeped all over the earth, soaking the green grass with red.
Hilde yanked the sword from it's resting place and kicked his lifeless body to the ground.
Normally in this position, the outnumbered one would wait for the opponents to make the first move... but Princess Hildegard von Krone was not one to waver. As she lunged forward, sword raised, it was the thugs who would be anticipating her first strike.
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
She approached the one with an eyepatch and appeared to aim for his head, but she faked and went low instead, chopping his leg at the kneecap. As he howled and collapsed to the floor, he was silenced seconds later when the red steel pierced his windpipe.
Two more tried to close in on her, but Hilde twisted around and let her blade fly with a spinning backhanded slash, which hit their necks dead on and opened them wide.
One thug with a red mohawk underestimated the close proximity he was standing in, and he realized all too late when Hilde's sword swung around and found his stomach. He was the next to fall, alongside his precious innards.
One thug closed distance faster than Hilde anticipated; she didn't have enough arm length to swing on him!
Hilde instead aimed her blade and lunged forward, plowing into the man and running him through. Her momentum caused both of them to fall to the ground, and it took a few precious seconds for her to remove her sword from his body and roll to safety. Luckily, the thug who approached her and tried an overhead swing MISSED and accidentally finished off his dying mate.
Hilde leaped to her feet and anticipated the next strike from the now-angry thug who killed his own man. He sloppily stepped forward and threw all his weight into a powerful forward slash; it took only a swing of her hips for Hilde to swing her sword and parry the strike, knocking the man off balance and making him tumble to the ground. She stepped on his throat and buried her sword deep into his abdomen, twisting it to only further open the wound.
As the seventh man lay bleeding out, the remaining three all charged at her at full speed with their swords raised. Hilde knew she couldn't pick them off with them charging at her, so she had to find some way to stun them.
With quick thinking, Hilde dived to the ground and rolled forward, extending her leg. The three men had too much momentum, and they tried to stop in vain. They stumbled over Hilde's leg like a tree root and hit the ground facefirst, their weapons flying.
The eighth man managed to get up, but was quickly met with Hilde's sword through his back and emerging from his chest. The ninth man witnessed this and started blubbering, crawling away on his hands and knees in a vain attempt to escape. He met the same fate.
Hilde approached the lone surviving thug, who had his hands raised high, tears flowing from his eyes like a waterfall. Her sword was pointed directly at him, her naked body dripping with blood, her eyes full of vengeance.
"P-p-p-please... p-p-p-please..."
Hilde wisely kept her distance, but drew her sword back as if to strike.
"NOOO!"
But she didn't. She instead only spoke:
"I've killed many barbarians like you in my time. They all talk a big game, until I have my way with them. Then they start to realize just what their place in this world is. Have you learned your lesson?"
The man nodded immediately, his body still shaking.
"HAVE YOU?!"
"Y-yes, mistress..milady... Lady Hildegard!"
"Good! Then live your life anew, and remember this... not all princesses are weak damsels to be kidnapped. Now go."
The man ran like his life depended on it.
Hilde looked around the now red-soaked spring, her face wrought with sadness. Her private place, her retreat, her sanctuary,... tainted with blood and death. It was the one thing of purity in her life... and now it was gone. For Princess Hildegard von Krone, her war was never-ending.
THE END