Chapter 3 – To Avenge

The noises outside were getting louder and louder. We didn't dare make a sound; a single noise from us could cost us our location and our lives. Our eyes were focused on Haku now. He was the only one that could save us. None of my other knights were here to save or protect us. No one from the kingdom knew where we were; we were on our own...our lives depended on Haku.

Haku was looking around the room with a scowl on his face. He realized how bleak this situation looked: one knight, one maid, one butler, and a princess, one was armed, the others weren't. His eyes moved quickly; he was surveying us and the room. He stayed silent for a minute longer and then swiftly moved to the corner of the room. We watched as Haku silently lifted the chair that was in the room, walked over to the door and propped it up on an angle. He moved and worked silently to ensure that we would not be caught.

His eyes rested on us. "Take the sheets off that bed, quickly," Haku commanded us in a hushed tone. I remember thinking how odd it was that my knight was giving me the orders. Our roles were reversed in this dire time. The three of us didn't have to be told twice; we walked silently over to the bed and took the sheets off the bed. Haku took out a dagger and starting ripping the sheets into strips. What was he doing?

"Tie the ends together in a knot, make sure the knots are firm," he told us as he continuously made more strips with his dagger. Amaya was working diligently obviously used to tasks like this. I was not as fast as Amaya but was still able to help out. I used to do menial tasks in Kanai Village when I lived with my wet nurse, Lady Tome, but now that I've come to the castle, my fingers were not well adjusted to these tasks.

Richard was not helpful. I remembering glancing over at him to see why he kept stammering under his breathe. I watched as his trembling gloved fingers kept dropping or missing the loop to make a knot. His eyes showed a mixture of fear and annoyance. I couldn't imagine how Richard must have felt. I was somewhat used to battles and fighting with all the adventures I've been on with the knights. But Richard has never left the castle walls and was brought up so formally. The image of the dying maid by my room keeps flashing in my mind…I wonder if Richard is thinking about that as well.

We finished tying all the ends of the bed sheets together. I realized that Haku was trying to make a makeshift rope for us. This was the most logical choice; with no other way of getting of leaving the castle, creating an alternate method was the most logical choice with the least amount of fatality. Amaya strode over to the window and opened it silently. Shouts from outside could be heard. The yelling outside showed me that it was evident that there were fights everywhere.

*jiggle jiggle*

We all spun around towards the door and watched the chair that was propped against the door; the chair was shifting slightly. I felt my stomach drop. "This door's jammed! Someone's inside!" I heard an unfamiliar voice call out to others. I heard heavy footsteps running to where we were. There were now more of them outside.

Haku cursed, took the end of sheet, wrapped it around his arrow, and picked up his bow. Amaya rushed over to his side and picked up the other end of the sheet. She silently tied one end of the sheet to the bedpost. The two worked silently as a team, anticipating the others next move and planning three steps ahead. They were perfect for each other.

Haku aimed his bow to one of the trees outside. He released the arrow and I watched as the long bed sheet went flying with the arrow. The arrow stuck into a nearby tree with an earsplitting crack. There was no way that arrow was getting out of that tree. Luckily, the tree outside was close and there was more than enough bed sheet to make the journey across.

*bang bang*

People were ramming their bodies up against the door now. Each bang caused a stifled yell from Richard. During the time Amaya and Haku busied themselves to create an escape route, Richard, without anyone realizing, walked over to a corner and was bent over with both hands in his hair in a fetal position. Silent tears running, nose dripping, Richard was not himself. I've never seen Richard so weak and frail; this showed me that not everyone was perfect… we were all human.

"Richard," Haku called out to him. Richard feebly looked up and made eye contact with Haku. "You need to go first; there's no way we can have the Princess go first in case there are enemies nearby. We need to have someone down below who will be able to scout the area before we lower Princess," it wasn't a request, it was a command. What Haku said made sense, but I couldn't afford to have my friends risk their lives for me. I voiced my opinion but was met with a sharp retort from Haku. "You are the future of Rapier Kingdom, Princess. Now is not the time to worry about us." I refused. I continued to refuse.

"There are voices inside, push harder!"

*bang…Bang… BANG*

The door was starting to chip from the pressure on the other side. There was no way that chair was going to hold for much longer.

Richard whimpered again. His body shrank back into a fetal position and he held his head.

None of us judged him or berated him for his coward behavior. We all understood. In dire times there will be those who rise to the occasion, and those who fall; Richard was one of the unlucky few.

"I'll go first," Amaya said. She walked over to the window, glanced back at me and Richard and then looked at Haku determinately. They looked at each other silently for just a second longer. Knowing Haku, he would not have let his beloved Amaya go down first to risk her life. But he knew that Richard could not be counted on, and sending me down first was out of the question in the event of an ambush. Without me, there would be no future of Rapier. Haku and Amaya both had a duty to protect the future of Rapier Kingdom. What did I do to deserve such loyalty?

Haku leaned in and kissed her forehead before he nodded. Amaya walked to the ledge of the window, bent down, and jumped out the window with both arms around the bed sheet. Haku and I silently watched her as she slid down the makeshift rope and gracefully landed on the grass.

Amaya looked to her left and then her right before giving the thumbs up to us.

*BANG*

The door flew open. Haku cursed and drew back his bow and arrow. He fired quickly as a group of half a dozen azure knights came running into the room. Haku hit two but the rest were advancing on us quickly. Richard clumsily ran to hide behind Haku and myself.

"Princess, go!" Haku said as he lowered his bow and took out his sword. The enemy was now too close for him to use a long ranged weapon. They advanced on him all at once. We were outnumbered. Haku tried desperately to hold them off but there were too many. We kept getting backed into the window more and more.

I looked at Richard; he was still frozen with shock. We didn't have time for this. I grabbed Richard's hand as forcefully as I could and I led his hand to the rope. Once I knew he was grabbing it with at least one hand, I pushed with all my might. Richard screamed. I watched him as he screamed all the way down. He made it.

I heard a scream as one of the azure knights fell to his knee. I knew Haku was skilled with both the bow and the sword; I had no idea he would be able to stand up against half a dozen knights though. I watched in amazement as Haku moved swiftly with his sword; he was wielding his sword as an extension of his body. The azure knights attempted to make fatal blows on him but Haku was able to parry their attacks and riposte with his own moves.

The azure knights tried to attack me as well but Haku ensured that none of their blades would touch me. I wanted to help. I wished I could help him. "Haku…" I looked at him indecisively. It took all the strength and concentration Haku had to ward off the enemy. I saw the intense glare he was giving his enemy; his eyebrows were furrowed, his teeth gritted, and his eyes burned in an animalistic nature. Through his gritted teeth Haku yelled one word to me, "Go!" I wasn't helping him by being here; I was just another body that he would have to protect.

Taking one last look behind me, I jumped out the window both hands on the rope and slid down. The friction of the rope on my bare hands hurt. Richard and Amaya were both wearing white gloves so it didn't affect them as much but I could feel my skin becoming raw as I made my descent. Amaya and Richard's profile were getting closer and closer as I continued to slide.

I felt a slight twang on the rope. The next series of events happened within a flash. The first thing I heard was Haku yelling my name from the room. I turned my head in time to see an azure knight cutting away at our makeshift rope. The next thing I felt was a jolt as the rope was cut. I remember descending from the sky very ungraciously. The last thing I saw was Richard and Amaya's faces widen in fear as they ran towards me. The last thing I heard was a loud crack. Suddenly my world turned very white.

I screamed in pain. I had never broken a bone before. I was not far down enough from the rope to make a gracious landing before it was cut. I must have dropped at least a good ten feet from the ground. I could hear Amaya and Richard yelling my name. I couldn't see them though; I saw nothing but white flashes in front of me. I clutched my ankle in pain.

The searing pain from my ankle made me oblivious to my surroundings; my vision and sound of the world was completely blurred.

Amaya and Richard were hovering. They were trying to tell me something but their voices were very distant and distorted. What were they trying to tell me?

White flashes of pain.

Azure knights were seen surrounding Amaya while Richard cowered in the distance.

More white flashes of pain.

Richard was nowhere in sight. Amaya's voice could be heard screaming for Haku to help her, but all I could see was azure.

A couple of years ago, the lychee village in Rapier Kingdom was under attack. Bandits attacked the village to stop the progression of the levee. Lute, Shion and I were there to help the lychee village. An unmatched battle took place between the bandits and the knights. The bandits, who were no match to Shion and Lute, cowardly took an old man hostage forcing Shion and Lute to surrender. The bandits would have killed my knights if I didn't act.

"Stop this!" I yelled as I pushed my way through the bandits and stand in front of my knights, "I won't allow you to lay another finger on my knights!"

"If you want to protect them so much we'll let them go," one of the bandits said to me, "but you won't be getting off so easily; you'll be our hostage instead of the old man."

To protect my knights and the villagers, I became their willing prisoner and was taken back to their hideout. There, the bandits, and their boss, drank and celebrated on their victory. They tied me up but kept me alive. They didn't lay a finger on me.

They mocked my knights in how cowardly they were and how weak they fell to their knees. Three years ago, I would have thought they were the most brutal people in this land. But now I realize how stupid and incompetent they were; they took prisoners and they were willing to negotiate…

These bandits are nothing compared to these azure knights. The image of the slaughtered maids in front of my room keeps flashing before my eyes. The knights took no prisoners…no witnesses…no pity.

I had no idea how much time had passed since I hit the ground. I tried to get up but immediately regretted moving my ankle. I knew I wouldn't be able to move from where I was. I looked around wondering where everyone was. A few feet away from me I saw blurry figures. I willed my eyes to concentrate and make out the figures.

It was Amaya.

Amaya was in front of me. She was badly beaten; her eyes and lips were swollen and blood was running down from the corner of her mouth. Two knights stood by her. One knight stood behind her holding her back with both her arms behind her back. The other knight held a dagger to her heart. The one in front of her was screaming something at her. Amaya didn't respond back to him; I could tell she was trying her best to glare at him but one of her eyes was so swollen I couldn't even tell if it was open.

She spat on his face. I couldn't see the knight's face but I knew this was not the response he was hoping for. Everything that happened afterwards happened quickly. But I can remember every scene as a play-by-play.

The knight in front of Amaya raised the dagger high into the air; the shiny blade glinted in the sunlight for a second before it was plunged quickly it into Amaya's chest. Amaya's body instinctively jolted at the sudden pain; I have a feeling she would have winced a lot more if it wasn't for the second knight holding her against her will. Within the minute of horror I witnessed, I watched Amaya's eyes constantly changing.

First, Amaya gave the knights a look of pure hatred and disgust. She was not backing down and she was not afraid of them. Next, Amaya's eyes, even the one badly bruised, widened in shock when the blade entered her body; her head rolled back and her mouth opened slightly to let out a silent scream. Then, Amaya's eyes turned from shock to pain. Her mouth closed and she clenched her teeth tight as if she was trying to hold back the pain. Her usually perfectly white and tidy maid uniform was now dirtied with dirt and debris and a red stain was gradually expanding where the dagger plunged into her chest. Finally, her eyes started to lose life and I could see them becoming dull as her life slowly left her body. She stood there as a human shell still being held up by the knight.

The front of her shirt was now covered more in red than white. The knight that has been holding her back this whole time released her and her body slumped awkwardly onto the ground. I stared horrorstruck at the knights. Everything that has happened today flashed before my eyes: training with Richard, the body of corpses lying in front of my room, the dying maid crying for help, Haku helping us escape, Richard's cowardly behavior… Amaya's death. These horror scenes were like something out of a novel. But this wasn't like the novels I read. In the novels, the sky turned a deep shade of red whenever there was murder or death to symbolize the blood spilt that day.

But here at Rapier, the sky wasn't turning as red and the blood spilt from the bodies. The sky was a peaceful blue. Out in the distance, I could see a lone bird flying peacefully as if nothing was wrong. I've seen this same sky for many years since my time here at Rapier. Each day here at the castle was pretty peaceful and routine; the knights would carry out their missions and I constantly studied and practiced to rule the country one day. On the days the knights were not out on a mission, they would be training and practicing with one another under the vast blue sky…this blue sky now.

The azure knights now looked in my direction. I remember thinking how horrific their faces were to me. I compared their faces to the serene faces of my friends. They started advancing towards me with a clear intent to kill me.

I had no idea why these azure knights were here at my kingdom attacking my people, but I didn't care. I wouldn't forgive them. I couldn't move from where I was but I had no intention of running away. I stood my ground.

I hated them. I hated what they did to my beautiful kingdom and what they did to those I cherished.

The knights were less than 3 feet away from me when I heard a wild scream coming closer and closer. The three of us all spun our heads to see who was approaching us.

Haku…

He was badly beaten and his clothes were torn. He came running towards us with his bow in his hand. As he was running, he pulled out an arrow from the quiver on his back, knocked the arrow onto the bow's string, and pulled back the string. The knights in front of me stiffened, there was no way they could defend themselves from a flying arrow. The knights braced themselves for the worst and I readied myself to be saved by my knight.

Haku released the arrow, and missed.

I was shocked. Haku has never once missed since I had met him. No one in all the kingdoms could compare to Haku's archery skills. Something was very wrong if Haku missed. Haku was clearly agitated. He threw his bow to the side, drew his sword, and continued to charge at the knights.

Haku never once looked at me. The azure knights drew their swords and charged at Haku. Haku went to deliver a deadly blow to the first knight; the azure knight foresaw the attack and prepared to block the blow. However, Haku's blow was so powerful, not only did the azure knight's blade break on contact, but it was able to drive the sword deep within the enemy's body instantly killing him.

The second azure knight faltered; no knight ever dug so deep within their enemy. Knights usually made fatal blows to one another but never to the point where it was over kill. Haku took the azure knight's moment of vulnerability and attacked. Haku abandoned his sword in the corpse's body. With no sword, or bow, Haku lunged his body at the azure knight and both went tumbling onto the floor. There was a power struggle of who would be on top, the two continued to roll around each trying to best the other. I could hear Haku's loud grunts, they were animalistic. The scowl that was on Haku's face never left but there was something else behind it that I was not able to put my finger at the time.

The two stopped tumbling with Haku on top. Haku was able to straddle the man and pin both his arms under each of his knees. The man was vulnerable and defenseless. Haku started to repeatedly assault his face. Blow after blow the azure knight's grunts could be heard and I winced after every blow. I couldn't see the man's face because Haku's body was covering it, but instead, I could see the man's fingers wince and writhe futilely under Haku's weight. A moment ago I would have felt no pity for the man… but I wasn't so sure anymore…

Haku could have stopped there but he continued. Haku pulled out an arrow from his quiver and grasped it firm in his hand. The arrowhead made contact with the enemy's skull; the sound was loud and piercing, similar to the time when Haku's arrow dug into the tree. Haku swiftly drew the arrow out of the man's skull; blood came sputtering out of the man's skull. Haku went in again making another loud cracking noise as the arrow pierced through his skull. The man's fingers were no longer writhing in pain. The body laid there motionless but Haku showed no sign of stopping.

Again and again the arrow pierced into the man. This was not a dignified knight of Rapier anymore, this was a rabid creature. The look I saw on Haku's face earlier reminded me of something that I couldn't remember at the time. But then I realized where I've seen the look before. Back in Kanai Village, the wild dogs that tried to attack me had the same expression that Haku now wore. They didn't care about the outcomes of the fight and they didn't care that they were outmatched; they only cared about attacking and inflicting as much damage as they could.

"You…crunch…killed…crunch…her!" Through gritted teeth Haku screamed like a madman. He didn't stop stabbing the already dead man. I wasn't sure if Haku was aware if the man was dead.

I called his name softly unsure of what to do…

Haku froze at the sound of his voice and snapped his head around. I gasped. I didn't know who that was, but that man was not Haku. He was unrecognizable; his eyes ablaze, his face contorted and ugly. His face was covered in blood, dirt, and chunks of red flesh that I did not want to think about. He had a crazed look in his eyes that confirmed my worst fears; he was like the wild beasts I had met at the edge of Kanai Village. Haku looked at me for a second longer and went back to stabbing the man's head. The squelching noise the arrow made was making me queasy.

I was so focused on Haku that I never heard the footsteps approaching me quickly. Two strong pair of arms came down to grasp my arms and drag me back forcefully. I yelped in pain as my ankle was twisted in a weird angle. I looked up to see azure knights dragging my body. My meek attempts to get my arms back were meaningless. There was no way I could overpower two azure knights as they dragged my body to who knew where.

I called out to Haku, desperation evident in my voice. Haku's body was getting further and further away from me as the knights dragged me away quickly. Haku didn't bother to turn around. I watched the arrow plunge again and again into the body as he repeatedly cried, "You killed her!"

Haku was no longer a knight protecting the future of Rapier, he was an animal.