They moved along as quietly as a group of metal-bound thugs escorting a princess and a fussy toddler possibly could. That being said, they made good time, leaving the inner ring behind them within minutes. They entered the second ring through the northern gate, small and strong, prepared for such a situation. Rapunzel looked around, guided through by Hook, as she exited the small stone arch, and her eyes widened in shock. The city was empty. All the life, all the rich colors, the children running the streets… all gone. The relative silence was deafening, and in the distance they could hear the shouts of armies and the roaring of flames.
Vladimir led them through the streets, hefting his bared axe in one hand and a torch in the other, though they barely needed the extra light. The illumination from the burning lower levels layered the city in an orange glow, coloring everything with the fiery color of fear. Rapunzel glanced to Eugene, his concern concealed beneath a layer of resolve. He smiled at her, showing confidence that he tried to feel. Flynn dozed in her arms, calm despite the tangible urgency. She shared his smile, and in that brief moment he could pretend all was well.
A sound reached his ears. Heavy boots, thudding on cobblestones. Clanking metal, and the rough sound of chanting in a foreign tongue.
"Brigade! Form ranks!" Immediately the rasp of metal on leather sounded, and all who did not already have weapons out drew them. Rapunzel and Flynn were unceremoniously- if politely -shunted to the back of the bristling group. Eugene pulled his pan out of its pouch and stood near the center of the group. Not in front, of course. He might be braver than he had once been, but he wasn't stupid.
"Group one, ready for charge! Group two, stay behind and guard the marks!" As one they muttered and pounded their assent, and Eugene was almost knocked off his feet by their excitement. Despite their relatively recent change of heart, they were still fighting men. And it had been quite some time before they had properly been let loose.
The Mjolgir rounded the corner. A glistening mass of blades and silvery armor, three ranks deep, led by an officer on a mottled black horse bearing a long curved spear. At the sight of the opposing force, their chanting halted and they pounded hesitantly to a stop. They seemed surprised to meet anything living on this side of the city. Before they could respond with anything more than a raising of shields and swords, Flynn lifted the wire-wrapped hilt of his frying pan and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"FOR CORONA! FOR RUPUNZEL!"
"FOR RUPUNZEL!" Their roar shook the stones beneath their feet. It was rumored the warriors of the Mjolgir feared nothing. Eugene seriously doubted that as hundreds of pounds of steel and flesh crashed into the gleaming lines of enemies, dealing death and destruction in their wake.
To their credit, the Mjolgir held their ground. But nothing could prepare them for the Duckling Brigade. Armored soldiers were cast aside by Attila's smashing blows, shields shattered beneath Vladimir's axe, and Shorty ducked in between soldier's legs, cackling gleefully as enemies fell to his unnoticed daggers. Hookhand ripped a soldier's sword from his fist and struck him with the pommel of his curved sword, dropping him as Gunter stylishly carved his way through the lines with a pair of dueling canes, the hardened wood finding weak points and exposed necks. The Mjolgir were stunned by the Brigade, their chaotic attacks completely throwing the orderly Mjolgir off-balance, and they quickly fell before the thugs' ferocity.
Eugene stayed behind, Nose and Bloodstache to his sides, weapons ready in case any Mjolgir miraculously made it through. He glanced back at Rapunzel. The red light of the burning sky played across her gentle features, which were fixed in an expression of horrified determination. She had grown in the four years they had known each other, and she had seen conflict and aggression. But not the chaos and violence of a pitched battle. The thunder of weapons and shouting had woken little Flynn, and he looked around in wonder and confusion before his mother tucked him closer to her. Eugene reached out with his free hand and took hers, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly.
Soon the clash was over, the remnants of the Mjolgir force retreating, their officer fallen in the exchange, along with more than half their number. The Brigade shouted threats at their retreating backs, making sure they were out of sight before returned swiftly, having taken only light wounds. They quickly rejoined the company, the exchanging of clapping of backs and light-hearted insults quickly giving way to studious silence as they continued forward. Eugene retained his hold on Rapunzel's hand. Soon they reached the second wall and exited it with no trouble.
"All right men, we're almost there." Flynn called in a carrying whisper. "I don't know how big the boat is, but we'll get everyone out of here even if we have to tie Shorty to an oar!" They guffawed, then quieted as they remembered their mission. Unused to stealth, they nevertheless tried their best.
"Watch your flanks. The Mjolgir have completely overrun this ring on the west side." Eugene ordered, and the men nodded, their horned helmets swinging from side to side, Vladimir's in particular causing those around him to duck. They rounded another corner, and Flynn could see the blank rock wall that hid the entrance to the docks. He separated from Rapunzel and moved to the front of the squad.
"There it is!" Hookhand called. The light faded as they fell into the shadows of the natural rock shelf overlooking this side of the island capital. In the east, Eugene could see the faint light of the dawn peeking over the horizon. Eugene could feel the tension of the past half hour begin to lessen, with their goal in sight. He caught Rapunzel's eyes, and she gave him a relieved smile. He looked forward again.
A figure stood there. None of them had noticed it standing there in the darkness of the rocks. A flash of orange light lit up the sky from a distant explosion, and Eugene finally saw what it was.
The figure wore an elegant black dress, simple in cut, and her shoulders and upper chest were covered by gleaming steel armor. Eugene was horrified by its face until he realized it wore a silver mask, shining in the reddish-golden light. It was too far away to see much else, but Eugene knew a warrior when he saw one.
"Halt!" Eugene called to the Brigade, and they shambled to a stop, curses of surprise escaping their lips. Shields raised, they brandished weapons as if warding off a devil of the night. "Who goes there!? Name yourself!" Eugene called out to the figure. In response, it began to walk slowly towards them, calm as a summer breeze.
"Stop right there! Please leave the area!" Eugene called again, eyes widening in surprise. The woman continued striding forward. The only detail on her mask were a pair of black eye slits, and her dark dress was inlaid with silver streaks in floral patterns. At her waist hung a slim sword.
"We will use lethal force, if needed! This is your final warning!" Eugene shouted, getting frustrated. This woman obviously didn't seem to see the danger of the situation! Was she crazy!? She said and indicated nothing, just maintaining her slow determined stride. He looked back desperately at Rapunzel, and she stared back with wide eyes. He let out a short breath, and shrugged, exasperated, readying himself to give the order.
The woman drew the sword. Its silver blade reflected the light of the sky, making it appear crimson. Angry and confused mutters sprang up from the Ducklings. Eugene drew a deep breath. She meant danger. So be it.
"Duckling Brigade! Nonlethal, if at all possible, got it?! Charge!" Again the mass of men bellowed in unison as the first group charged with weapons drawn. The first one to reach her was Bloodstache. He moved to knock her blade out of her hand, but the woman deftly avoided his strike. Fredric struck next, sword whistling. She dodged effortlessly yet again. Then she moved. In an instant, Bloodstache was on the ground, clutching his bleeding side and crying out in pain as Fredric found himself with two less fingers on his sword hand. A collective roar of anger rose as the Ducklings abandoned their orders and swarmed her.
She wove and flowed around them, none of their massive weapons touching her despite coming even within a hair's breadth of her silver mask, her dripping sword held loosely at her side. Eugene tried to follow her darting figure, but she moved like the wind, breezing past attacks that would have cut her in two. She broke through the slashing line and faced the second group imperiously as the Brigade finally realized where she was. Then she rose to her full height and stared directly at Rapunzel.
She began walking again, the same slow stride, same frightening calm. Like a bursting volcano, Vladimir rose with an enraged roar and swung his great axe with a furious two-handed blow at her back. She pivoted and raised, not her sword, but a single finger! Rapunzel screamed and covered her eyes and Eugene cursed with horrified eyes as the axe fell.
Vladimir gave a surprised grunt as his axe halted in midair, inches from the masked woman's finger. She gazed at in for a second, as if considering. Eugene cried out in surprise and Rapunzel gasped, clutching Flynn to her chest desperately. Vladimir's eyes went wide.
"DEMON!" He screamed and began to hack at her as his companions joined him. She cocked her head as if amused, as blows began to rain around her, each stopping inches from her body. Then she raised both arms to her chest and made a shoving motion. With a clap of bursting sound, a blast of force exploded outward from her, tossing a dozen armored bodies into the air around her, screaming and hollering as they fell back to earth. The lucky ones hit houses and roofs, breaking through the wood, but others slammed on cobblestones or against the rock of the cliff.
Eugene braced himself against the rushing wind, holding Rapunzel with one arm. The remaining Brigade members bunched up around Rapunzel and Flynn, the fear in their eyes only covered by rage. The woman looked around and seeing no immediate resistance, began to stride forward once again.
Rapunzel looked to Eugene, desperate, and he called to four members of the Brigade.
"Oi! Escort our Lady back to the castle, we'll hold here!" How they planned to stop something from legends, Eugene didn't know, but he planned to try. As she strode closer, Eugene could make out more detail. She had blonde hair that reached down her back in three elaborate braids, and the hem of the dress was dark green, which faded closer to black as it reached the gleaming joined armor on her shoulders. There was no wind, and in the silence, he could hear the groans of the wounded members of the Duckling Brigade. Good. Pain meant life.
He tightened his grip on his pan and gritted his teeth as Rapunzel's escort began to depart behind him. The masked warrior raised her sword, and a blast of driving wind carried her through the air and closed the gap in between the two parties in seconds. Hookhand intercepted her, his sword whistling with terrifying speed, and she was forced to halt and dodge the length of gleaming steel. Sensing a weakness, the last two Brigade members closed to help Hook out, moving to surround the warrior.
"Enough of this." Her voice came, resonating with finality.
Another blast of wind echoed around the street, and the three companions went flying. Eugene moved to engage, but she shot past him with dizzying speed and tore through the escort guard with no effort, sword flashing as she cut them down. Rapunzel screamed and fell to the ground, covering Flynn with her body. Then Rapunzel began to rise into the air.
"There you be. I picked the correct place, it seems." She sheathed her sword, uncaring. The masked warrior's hand rose with Rapunzel and Flynn as they floated calmly upright, his wife struggling against the air that bound her. The woman's voice was heavily accented, yet there was an undeniable aura of refinement and authority to her bearing.
Eugene didn't care where she was from, he would stop this thing from hurting his family. He charged, shouting his determination. Her head swung to face him, head cocked in amusement. He raised his pan in a two-handed grip, and she raised a hand to intercept his strike. At the last moment, he changed direction, letting his strike fall to his side and leaping sideways. She had to spin to track him as he ducked behind her, swinging his pan viciously at her back. It struck an invisible wall, but he wasted no time in striking again at her head. She leaned away from the blow effortlessly, but he could sense her surprise.
Eugene began a flurry of strikes, trying to keep each one more random than the next. The warrior blocked each with her hand, the blows never coming close to actually impacting. As he worked to keep her on the defensive, he saw Rapunzel and Flynn still floating behind the woman. Time to test something. His foot snapped out and took her in the leg. She gasped in pain, recoiling away from him.
"I do no understand why I try." She growled. Rapunzel and Flynn dropped to the cobbles in a heap, and both hands were pointed at Eugene. His limbs stiffened in the air, and suddenly he was completely immobile. "I am sorry, father of this child. You be not required to forgive me." Rapunzel's eyes widened, unable to scream. With a flick of her wrist, Eugene was sent flying. He crashed through the thin wall of a tenement, the breaking of the wooden wall mixed with the breaking of his bones. He came to rest in the wreckage of a dining room table, pain surging through his body. He gasped his breaths, trying to make sense of what had happened.
He felt life leaving him.