Chapter Twenty Two
Grandfather continues, the boy listening with rapt attention to the story, "The Shadow-Spinner, painfully revealed from his hiding place, put his dagger to King Sauvin's throat before the Princess or Sir Otto, his glow disintegrating, could move close enough to pull King Sauvin away.
Temporarily blinded by the radiance, and seemingly injured, the Shadow-Spinner, looking more like a man dressed in grays and blacks, snarls at the pair. "Say goodbye to your precious King!" and with that, the Assassin pulled the blade across the King's exposed neck, killing him instantly.
The Princess, enraged, then made a fatal mistake. She charged the Assassin just as he was pulling his blade through the King, her dagger before her, set to stab the Assassin in the chest.
She would have succeeded, possibly even killing the Assassin, had it not been for Sir Otto. For at that very moment, when the Assassin made his move, so too did Sir Otto, also charging the Assassin, bent upon killing him, unaware of anything else in his blind rage, including the Princess, who was just one step closer, and who had just stepped in front of his onrushing sword!" grandfather reads, and the boy gasps!
""No!" Both Sir Otto and the Assassin screamed at the same time. But it was too late, for Sir Otto's sword had indeed hit it's mark, just not it's intended victim. Princess Orowina, rage filled eyes staring in shock at the Assassin, who was just regaining his eyesight, started to slump. Stepping back a step in blind anger at Sir Otto, the Assassin moved away from the King, who fell dead to the floor. Sir Otto dropped his sword in horror after pulling it free from the Princess, catching her in the process. Tears rimming his eyes.
The Assassin, used to keeping his emotions and goals separate, took the advantage. He rushed Sir Otto, scoring a wounding hit, not intending to kill him, but rather to stop him from pursuit. He succeeded, for Sir Otto, broken in his agony, was in no shape to fight back.
It was then that the Assassin related his own surprising story to Sir Otto after the Princess gasped her last breath…"