Chapter Five- An Unexpected Surprise
Notes- I apologize for how long this took. I hope you will still enjoy this, however.
~*~
"You?" Arend blurted, staring at the figure pinned below him.
The woman he'd helped only a couple hours ago was now glaring at him, struggling to get him off of her. Arend, being easily the heavier of the two of them, ignored her efforts to escape and continued to point the sword at her neck.
"Who by Soa do you think you are, coming in here and trying to attack me," he demanded in a low voice. "I should call the guards for that."
"Then go ahead," she said. Her cold voice made him shiver, shaking the sword's point a little around the hollow of her neck.
"Damn it, don't you get it? When I call them and tell them what you tried- hell, forget me trying to explain it to anyone! The guards have only to glance around this room to see what's going on in here! Then you'll be hauled off and killed-"
"What stays your hand, then? I'll kill you otherwise," she said. Then she grasped something nearby without glancing at it and hit Arend on the shoulder with it.
"OW!" Arend, off guard, dropped his sword and started to rub his shoulder, and too late found himself knocked to one side as the woman rolled to one side to pick up one of her daggers. "Why do you want to kill me?!" he demanded.
"Because it's the latest fad," she said simply, and lunged at him again.
"You NEVER learn, do you- OOF!" Arend fell over, grappling with her for the dagger. Neither quite succeeded and the dagger went flying across the room. He dove for the dagger, and found it to be a mistake. Instead of diving for her weapon again, the woman shoved him onto the floor again and grabbed for a pillow on the bed. Arend grabbed the pillow from her and threw it across the room after the dagger.
"You owe me," he grunted, "for helping you at the inn."
"I didn't require your assistance. You offered it," she replied, and this time went for her dagger.
That was her mistake, this time. Arend forced himself up and pounced on her from behind, sending both of them to the floor with a thud. He heard her swear and mutter to herself, struggling underneath him.
The door opened behind him, spreading light into the room. "By Soa, what's going on in- OH!"
Arend glanced back, and the woman beneath him ceased struggling. A servant stood in the doorway with a candle, her cheeks red as she stared at the two of them. The prince could easily tell what went through the servant girl's mind and also blushed.
"I- I beg yer pardon, milord, I didn't know ye was b-busy," she stammered, and turned away. "J-just wondered if milord was a-alright, here..."
The prince blinked. /Is the woman blind? There are pillows thrown all around the place, I'm pinning down an unknown woman- oh./ His blush grew. /Right. She believes what she sees because of those things. Soa, this is embarrassing./
He glanced down at the assassin and frowned. /Why isn't she trying to protect herself with words to get herself out of here? Did she get knocked out?/ Cautiously, he sat back a little, ready to defend himself should he need to. The woman continued to lie on the floor, unmoving.
"S-should milord n-n-need anything tonight?" the servant asked.
Arend poked the woman cautiously on the back. She did not stir. "Er, no, not right now," he said, a little cautiously. "Uh, don't tell anyone about this quite yet, alright?"
"O-of course, milord, not a word," she agreed quickly. "G-g-goodnight!" With that, she closed the door and he could hear her footsteps race away.
Arend took in a deep breath, then nearly kicked himself. /Soa, what am I doing? This woman is- was- trying to kill me! What am I supposed to do now? I've just convinced a servant I'm sleeping with someone, and knowing servants, they'll have it all around the castle by morning, if not sooner! What'll I say to father and mother? What am I doing?!/
"That was foolish," said the cold voice from the woman.
Arend jumped. "I thought you were knocked out," he said.
"From what? You?"
"I could very easily knock you dead should there be a need for it," Arend warned her. He glanced at his sword, which was lying nearby.
"That depends on whether I let you reach your weapon, your Highness."
"One scream is all it takes to call the guards."
"One slash is all it takes to end that call."
"Ah, but I'll more likely scream before you can slash at me, you see."
"Shall we see?"
Arend smirked. "Very well."
He dove for his sword as she went for her daggers. Both leaped to their feet and pointed their weapons at each other. The woman was slinking into the darker shadows of the room, while he made sure to stay in the lighter areas to stay certain of his footing and space. He didn't feel like being backed into a corner.
They continued to circle for a while, and finally the woman seemed to lose her patience. She lunged for him, knives glinting in her hands.
However, this time he was quite ready for her attack. He blocked her attacks and tried to hit her on the head to knock her out. She managed to slip out from under him and danced around him to get at his back.
/Damn, she's fast!/ he swore and spun around, on the defensive again.
He readied himself for her next attack when the door slammed open.
"What is going ON in here?!"
In strode the King of Serdio, his Spirit glowing angrily in his hand. Behind him was the maid who had come in earlier, looking a little nervous and pretending she was invisible.
Arend gave her an annoyed look, then glanced from the woman to his father. /Oh, Soa, how do I explain this?/
The woman, however, suddenly became very civil and bowed to Albert. "Your Majesty, King Albert of Serdio I presume?"
"That is I. What are you doing in my son's chambers this late at night?" Albert said. "And what do you think you will gain by drawing a knife against the royal family?" His grip tightened around the Dragoon Spirit.
"Merely doing my job, my Lord."
"And that is-?"
Arend glanced from woman to father, wondering what she was going to say. Finally, he couldn't take the silence any longer and had to open his mouth to say something when a bright glow shocked everyone into stunned silence.
King Albert stared as the Dragoon Spirit in his hand continued to pulse a bright green, brighter than it had been before. A moment ago, he had been in touch with its power, feeling its magic pulsing through his very being. Now, however, that sensation was gone. It was as though he held a cool, ordinary stone in his hand, and nothing more.
The collected group continued to stand there as the Dragoon Spirit lifted up from the King's hands, now fading into a gentle glow. Then everyone gasped as the Spirit went into the attacker's startled hands.
Everyone remained silent for a good five minutes as the woman ran her fingers over the stone, eyes wide in surprise. Then she looked up.
In a wondering voice, she asked, "What is this?"
~*~
Dart yawned, then sat up in his bed, wondering where all the banging was coming from. "Eh...? What by Soa...?"
"Lord Dart! Milord Dart, please wake up!" someone shouted. "It's important you awaken and come to see King Albert in the study immediately!"
"King Albert...? What happened?" Dart asked, pulling himself out of bed.
He yanked on a shirt and some boots while the servant hurriedly explained what had happened through the door.
The Fire Dragoon's eyes widened. "WHAT did you just tell me?" he demanded. Grabbing his sword and Spirit, he strode over to the door and opened it, finding a startled servant standing before him. "Say that again," he ordered.
Nervously, the servant obeyed.
"But... that can't be... already? Lead me to the study now!"
The servant gave a little bow, then turned tail and hurried down the corridor. Dart followed in his wake, a grim expression settling on his features.
What on earth was going on?
~*~
Kit stared first at the Spirit in her hand, then at the cup of tea in the other hand. Then she looked up at Queen Emille, whose son she had been readying to murder only a half hour ago.
The queen smiled at her. "This must be quite a shock to you, young one," she said.
"It was... unexpected. What is this?" she asked, raising the hand with the Spirit. "And why did it come to me?"
"That is why we are holding this meeting, dear," Emille said. "And... we are deciding what, exactly, to do with you." She considered the younger woman critically. "Given your clothing and your weapons, not to mention where we discovered you, you were here to attack, possibly kill one of us. Yes?"
"Yes," Kit said simply.
"Why?"
"Because I was ordered to."
"Oh, so just because someone told you to do something, you follow their orders?" Queen Emille asked.
Kit blinked. Then her eyes narrowed. "You only say that because there are very few rules you yourself need follow, Your Majesty," she said in a cold tone.
"No, my dear. Actually, I must follow more rules than you can ever imagine. The rest of the world... has no idea how free they are, compared to the royal family." Emille sighed, then smiled again. "But that is of no matter. Here comes the men."
Kit didn't have to glance up to know that by men, she meant King Albert, Prince Arend, Lord Dart, and two knights. However, glance up she did, and she then stood up to bow courteously.
"Well, for a murderer, she is polite," one knight observed.
Albert shot him a reproving look, and the knight looked away, embarrassed. Kit frowned. What was he up to?
Then the king looked at her. "You realize there is no excuse for attacking my son," he said.
"Yes, your Majesty. And I do realize the penalty is death," she said.
He blinked, then nodded. "However, we cannot kill you," he said.
Now it was her turn to blink in surprise. /Huh?/
Smiling faintly at her confusion, the King gestured towards the chairs. Obediently, everyone in the room took a seat, Kit included. Albert leaned forward in his chair with his hands propping his chin up, looking at the stone in her hands thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.
"Do you know what it means to own a Dragoon Spirit?" he asked.
"I do not."
"Ah. Do you even know what one is?"
"A legend."
Now Albert chuckled. "It was a legend. Now it is quite real. That stone in your hand... is how one can harness the power of the Dragon of the Winds."
Kit stared at him. Surely he had to be joking, had to be making some cruel hoax on her for attacking his son. Kings were bound to play tricks like that... weren't they? Especially ones who killed their own uncles for the sake of power?
Didn't they?
"I think," Albert said, studying her expression, "that we will be up for quite a while, if not for the rest of the night. Emille, will you send for more tea, please?"
"Of course, love." The Queen stood and glided out of the room.
Kit watched her with just a touch of jealousy. How could anyone look so collected and awake in the middle of the night like that? Even she was becoming tired from all of these unexpected events.
"Now, about the Dragoon Spirits," King Albert said. Her attention returned to him immediately. "Let me explain, shortly, how I came to it, and why it has come to you."
The 'short story' took about an hour and a half to fully complete. Even then, Kit wasn't certain she was hearing things correctly. Here, she'd been sent to murder someone to get the country to go to war so her old friend could bring back Sandora... And now?
Now she was a Dragoon Warrior, with magical powers that humans could only dream of. Powers even greater than some of the Winglies held!
"With great power, comes great responsibility," Albert said solemnly. "Dragoons, from past to present, have always been honorable, trusting people who could do their duties and do them well. Assuming you are like that, I shall give you a task instead of sending you to your execution."
Kit looked up. So he wasn't going to kill her. What sort of task was more important than being killed for attempted murder?
"In a few months, my son will be taking a trip to Tiberoa with a friend of his. Instead of the usual guard, you will be his protection. If he returns with so much as a scratch on his body, you will be executed without hesitation, Dragoon or no Dragoon. If, however, you manage your job, which I don't doubt you will... you will be let free without charge."
Kit let her mouth drop open.
"What?!"
~*~
Notes- I apologize for how long this took. I hope you will still enjoy this, however.
~*~
"You?" Arend blurted, staring at the figure pinned below him.
The woman he'd helped only a couple hours ago was now glaring at him, struggling to get him off of her. Arend, being easily the heavier of the two of them, ignored her efforts to escape and continued to point the sword at her neck.
"Who by Soa do you think you are, coming in here and trying to attack me," he demanded in a low voice. "I should call the guards for that."
"Then go ahead," she said. Her cold voice made him shiver, shaking the sword's point a little around the hollow of her neck.
"Damn it, don't you get it? When I call them and tell them what you tried- hell, forget me trying to explain it to anyone! The guards have only to glance around this room to see what's going on in here! Then you'll be hauled off and killed-"
"What stays your hand, then? I'll kill you otherwise," she said. Then she grasped something nearby without glancing at it and hit Arend on the shoulder with it.
"OW!" Arend, off guard, dropped his sword and started to rub his shoulder, and too late found himself knocked to one side as the woman rolled to one side to pick up one of her daggers. "Why do you want to kill me?!" he demanded.
"Because it's the latest fad," she said simply, and lunged at him again.
"You NEVER learn, do you- OOF!" Arend fell over, grappling with her for the dagger. Neither quite succeeded and the dagger went flying across the room. He dove for the dagger, and found it to be a mistake. Instead of diving for her weapon again, the woman shoved him onto the floor again and grabbed for a pillow on the bed. Arend grabbed the pillow from her and threw it across the room after the dagger.
"You owe me," he grunted, "for helping you at the inn."
"I didn't require your assistance. You offered it," she replied, and this time went for her dagger.
That was her mistake, this time. Arend forced himself up and pounced on her from behind, sending both of them to the floor with a thud. He heard her swear and mutter to herself, struggling underneath him.
The door opened behind him, spreading light into the room. "By Soa, what's going on in- OH!"
Arend glanced back, and the woman beneath him ceased struggling. A servant stood in the doorway with a candle, her cheeks red as she stared at the two of them. The prince could easily tell what went through the servant girl's mind and also blushed.
"I- I beg yer pardon, milord, I didn't know ye was b-busy," she stammered, and turned away. "J-just wondered if milord was a-alright, here..."
The prince blinked. /Is the woman blind? There are pillows thrown all around the place, I'm pinning down an unknown woman- oh./ His blush grew. /Right. She believes what she sees because of those things. Soa, this is embarrassing./
He glanced down at the assassin and frowned. /Why isn't she trying to protect herself with words to get herself out of here? Did she get knocked out?/ Cautiously, he sat back a little, ready to defend himself should he need to. The woman continued to lie on the floor, unmoving.
"S-should milord n-n-need anything tonight?" the servant asked.
Arend poked the woman cautiously on the back. She did not stir. "Er, no, not right now," he said, a little cautiously. "Uh, don't tell anyone about this quite yet, alright?"
"O-of course, milord, not a word," she agreed quickly. "G-g-goodnight!" With that, she closed the door and he could hear her footsteps race away.
Arend took in a deep breath, then nearly kicked himself. /Soa, what am I doing? This woman is- was- trying to kill me! What am I supposed to do now? I've just convinced a servant I'm sleeping with someone, and knowing servants, they'll have it all around the castle by morning, if not sooner! What'll I say to father and mother? What am I doing?!/
"That was foolish," said the cold voice from the woman.
Arend jumped. "I thought you were knocked out," he said.
"From what? You?"
"I could very easily knock you dead should there be a need for it," Arend warned her. He glanced at his sword, which was lying nearby.
"That depends on whether I let you reach your weapon, your Highness."
"One scream is all it takes to call the guards."
"One slash is all it takes to end that call."
"Ah, but I'll more likely scream before you can slash at me, you see."
"Shall we see?"
Arend smirked. "Very well."
He dove for his sword as she went for her daggers. Both leaped to their feet and pointed their weapons at each other. The woman was slinking into the darker shadows of the room, while he made sure to stay in the lighter areas to stay certain of his footing and space. He didn't feel like being backed into a corner.
They continued to circle for a while, and finally the woman seemed to lose her patience. She lunged for him, knives glinting in her hands.
However, this time he was quite ready for her attack. He blocked her attacks and tried to hit her on the head to knock her out. She managed to slip out from under him and danced around him to get at his back.
/Damn, she's fast!/ he swore and spun around, on the defensive again.
He readied himself for her next attack when the door slammed open.
"What is going ON in here?!"
In strode the King of Serdio, his Spirit glowing angrily in his hand. Behind him was the maid who had come in earlier, looking a little nervous and pretending she was invisible.
Arend gave her an annoyed look, then glanced from the woman to his father. /Oh, Soa, how do I explain this?/
The woman, however, suddenly became very civil and bowed to Albert. "Your Majesty, King Albert of Serdio I presume?"
"That is I. What are you doing in my son's chambers this late at night?" Albert said. "And what do you think you will gain by drawing a knife against the royal family?" His grip tightened around the Dragoon Spirit.
"Merely doing my job, my Lord."
"And that is-?"
Arend glanced from woman to father, wondering what she was going to say. Finally, he couldn't take the silence any longer and had to open his mouth to say something when a bright glow shocked everyone into stunned silence.
King Albert stared as the Dragoon Spirit in his hand continued to pulse a bright green, brighter than it had been before. A moment ago, he had been in touch with its power, feeling its magic pulsing through his very being. Now, however, that sensation was gone. It was as though he held a cool, ordinary stone in his hand, and nothing more.
The collected group continued to stand there as the Dragoon Spirit lifted up from the King's hands, now fading into a gentle glow. Then everyone gasped as the Spirit went into the attacker's startled hands.
Everyone remained silent for a good five minutes as the woman ran her fingers over the stone, eyes wide in surprise. Then she looked up.
In a wondering voice, she asked, "What is this?"
~*~
Dart yawned, then sat up in his bed, wondering where all the banging was coming from. "Eh...? What by Soa...?"
"Lord Dart! Milord Dart, please wake up!" someone shouted. "It's important you awaken and come to see King Albert in the study immediately!"
"King Albert...? What happened?" Dart asked, pulling himself out of bed.
He yanked on a shirt and some boots while the servant hurriedly explained what had happened through the door.
The Fire Dragoon's eyes widened. "WHAT did you just tell me?" he demanded. Grabbing his sword and Spirit, he strode over to the door and opened it, finding a startled servant standing before him. "Say that again," he ordered.
Nervously, the servant obeyed.
"But... that can't be... already? Lead me to the study now!"
The servant gave a little bow, then turned tail and hurried down the corridor. Dart followed in his wake, a grim expression settling on his features.
What on earth was going on?
~*~
Kit stared first at the Spirit in her hand, then at the cup of tea in the other hand. Then she looked up at Queen Emille, whose son she had been readying to murder only a half hour ago.
The queen smiled at her. "This must be quite a shock to you, young one," she said.
"It was... unexpected. What is this?" she asked, raising the hand with the Spirit. "And why did it come to me?"
"That is why we are holding this meeting, dear," Emille said. "And... we are deciding what, exactly, to do with you." She considered the younger woman critically. "Given your clothing and your weapons, not to mention where we discovered you, you were here to attack, possibly kill one of us. Yes?"
"Yes," Kit said simply.
"Why?"
"Because I was ordered to."
"Oh, so just because someone told you to do something, you follow their orders?" Queen Emille asked.
Kit blinked. Then her eyes narrowed. "You only say that because there are very few rules you yourself need follow, Your Majesty," she said in a cold tone.
"No, my dear. Actually, I must follow more rules than you can ever imagine. The rest of the world... has no idea how free they are, compared to the royal family." Emille sighed, then smiled again. "But that is of no matter. Here comes the men."
Kit didn't have to glance up to know that by men, she meant King Albert, Prince Arend, Lord Dart, and two knights. However, glance up she did, and she then stood up to bow courteously.
"Well, for a murderer, she is polite," one knight observed.
Albert shot him a reproving look, and the knight looked away, embarrassed. Kit frowned. What was he up to?
Then the king looked at her. "You realize there is no excuse for attacking my son," he said.
"Yes, your Majesty. And I do realize the penalty is death," she said.
He blinked, then nodded. "However, we cannot kill you," he said.
Now it was her turn to blink in surprise. /Huh?/
Smiling faintly at her confusion, the King gestured towards the chairs. Obediently, everyone in the room took a seat, Kit included. Albert leaned forward in his chair with his hands propping his chin up, looking at the stone in her hands thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.
"Do you know what it means to own a Dragoon Spirit?" he asked.
"I do not."
"Ah. Do you even know what one is?"
"A legend."
Now Albert chuckled. "It was a legend. Now it is quite real. That stone in your hand... is how one can harness the power of the Dragon of the Winds."
Kit stared at him. Surely he had to be joking, had to be making some cruel hoax on her for attacking his son. Kings were bound to play tricks like that... weren't they? Especially ones who killed their own uncles for the sake of power?
Didn't they?
"I think," Albert said, studying her expression, "that we will be up for quite a while, if not for the rest of the night. Emille, will you send for more tea, please?"
"Of course, love." The Queen stood and glided out of the room.
Kit watched her with just a touch of jealousy. How could anyone look so collected and awake in the middle of the night like that? Even she was becoming tired from all of these unexpected events.
"Now, about the Dragoon Spirits," King Albert said. Her attention returned to him immediately. "Let me explain, shortly, how I came to it, and why it has come to you."
The 'short story' took about an hour and a half to fully complete. Even then, Kit wasn't certain she was hearing things correctly. Here, she'd been sent to murder someone to get the country to go to war so her old friend could bring back Sandora... And now?
Now she was a Dragoon Warrior, with magical powers that humans could only dream of. Powers even greater than some of the Winglies held!
"With great power, comes great responsibility," Albert said solemnly. "Dragoons, from past to present, have always been honorable, trusting people who could do their duties and do them well. Assuming you are like that, I shall give you a task instead of sending you to your execution."
Kit looked up. So he wasn't going to kill her. What sort of task was more important than being killed for attempted murder?
"In a few months, my son will be taking a trip to Tiberoa with a friend of his. Instead of the usual guard, you will be his protection. If he returns with so much as a scratch on his body, you will be executed without hesitation, Dragoon or no Dragoon. If, however, you manage your job, which I don't doubt you will... you will be let free without charge."
Kit let her mouth drop open.
"What?!"
~*~