AN: Here you guys go, chapter 2 :) Hope it wasn't to terrible long of a wait ;)

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Chapter 2

-6 months later-

The chilly wind smacked her cheeks briskly as she stepped out of the soldiers barracks and into the nighttime darkness, Graham at her side. Since her induction into the Royal Guard, the situation between the White Kingdom and the infamous Evil Queen had grown volatile. Several raids had plundered the villages of her land, mainly concentrated along the borders. When she had been a child, her parents had successfully called a truce with the bitter woman on the other side of the realm, but it seemed the sorceress had grown restless as of late and was taking her boredom out on the people of the White Kingdom.

Emma had helped lead the group of soldiers that was responsible for taking care of the carnage, and had seen the devastation that the Evil Queen was responsible for. It sickened her. Men, women and children alike were slain unceremoniously, their bodies thrown haphazardly in a pile in the center of each village and set ablaze. All her life she had heard tales from those around her about how terrible the Queen of the Dark Kingdom was capable of being. Any time she lulled in her ravishing of the land, the people would grow restless, anticipating when the horrible woman would next find herself in need of entertainment at their expense.

It had been a solid 15 years since the last stirrings from the Dark Queen had been seen. Then, almost immediately after Emma's entrance into the military, the first attack hit the border village of Tacoon de Amille. She had ridden along with her father, Graham and the rest of the soldiers that had traveled to the village to see the aftermath. She remembered the occasion with a queasy roll of her stomach, the cold air now welcomed as she felt her body heat up from the nausea.

When they arrived, the first sight she was graced with was that of a young old boy hanging from the entrance, his belly slashed open and several arrows piercing his small frame. The stench alone was overwhelming, and it wasn't long before she lost her lunch over the side of her horse. Graham gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder from his own steed before informing her that the soldiers enjoyed disemboweling their victims before using them as target practice. The victims would most likely bleed out immediately after being gutted, but the few who still clung to a thin thread of life were subject to arrows piercing all four limbs and then their torso, but never a shot that would end their suffering.

Sitting on her horse and looking at the boy's body blowing in a light breeze, she had decided that this is what evil looked like. Only a demon could do such a thing, for cruelty that great was inhuman in her eyes. When she turned and looked at her father with large stunned eyes, he merely grimaced sullenly as he said, "Now you know why we call her the Evil Queen." before he heeled his horse forward into the village.

Shaking the memory from her thoughts, she took a deep calming breath as her and Graham continued up the steps of the barbican, as they had been summoned to do by the sentinel on duty. The raids had become sporadic, coming further into the kingdom but varying in locations, making it impossible to anticipate. Their last raid had been a little over a week ago, which meant another raid was approaching. When they reached the top of the tower, the sentinel on duty greeted them with a low bow.

"Your Highness." The man greeted, removing his helmet and revealing curly red hair.

"Archie." Emma returned, voice warm as she looked over his shoulder. "What is it that you wanted to show us?"

Rising, Archie led them to the front of the barbican and pointed directly to the east. "If you look there with the scope Your Majesty, you can see smoke rising up through the trees." He then handed her his pocket scope, which she took with a polite thank you as she brought it up to her eye.

Sure enough, looking through the scope proved his claim. Although it was pitch black outside, her keen wolf vision picked up the billowing smoke through the tree line several miles into the forest. Another raid. Sighing, the princess handed the scope back to its owner with the intent of riding out in the morning to inspect the damage. But as she opened her mouth to speak to Graham, a sharp howl was heard from down below.

"Archers! In your positions now!" Emma yelled, quickly walking to the edge of the barbican to see who was approaching the White Castle. Most likely, it was a group of their own but it never hurt to be prepared.

Minutes passed before two wolves burst through the forests edge, barreling towards the castle at top speed. Just behind them, two soldiers on horseback appeared. The first was riding a chestnut who had several arrows poking out from various points on its body, while the second rider barely managed a pained gray who had a large gash down its shoulder, the amount of blood lost evident as it's front end was stained bright red. Instantly, Emma turned to rush down the tower steps, Graham on her heels.

"Open the gates! Let them through!" she yelled as she made her way to the bottom.

"They have company Your Highness!" An archer calls from above her and she rolls her eyes as she runs towards the opening gates.

"Then cover them!" Graham instructed before she could berate the man above them.

As soon as the doors are opened the two wolves shot through, immediately shifting into their human forms. The closest, Mulan, ran to Emma's side as soon as she was on two feet. "There are ten of them Your Majesty. We were out hunting when we smelled smoke, when we went to investigate we ran into a squadron of Black Knights leaving Mashon. A group of them broke off and followed us here." the soldier explained quickly as they neared the gate the same time the riders made it safely inside the castle walls. "We stayed in front of the horses to avoid injury, with Tom and Eric armor protecting them. Unfortunately, the horses weren't as lucky."

"Assemble a half dozen riders and send them out then tend to the horses." Emma commanded. "Graham! Come with me." The rugged looking man who had been directing the archers above them, nodded and simultaneously they shifted into their wolves.

The archers had done well, taking down the five Black Knights that dared to follow the wolves into the open meadow. The four that remained were hidden in the trees, out of reach of the arrows pelting the ground mere feet away from them.

Emma and Graham charged towards them, dodging arrows flying their way as they ran. Reaching the trees, Emma leapt over a bush towards the first Black Knight, her teeth barely missing the horse's throat as she landed. The horse, terrified for its life, reared into the air, tossing its rider to the ground in a heap. In a second Graham was on him, his sable pelt shining in the moonlight as Emma spun around to finish off the man he had in his gasp.

One down, three to go. she telecommunicated to the sable wolf after they dispatched the first man and split off in different directions. She snapped at the front legs of the next horse, the knight still astride it swinging his sword downwards at her head. Moving just in the nick of time as the blade hit the horse's leg, causing a scream from the animal as it reared. Emma ran underneath it while the man was distracted, snatching his foot and pulling him off the horse. A cry came from behind her signalling that Graham had successfully engaged another one of the soldiers. Not wasting any time, knowing her friend would be vulnerable fighting the last two knights, she tore the throat out of the man she'd pulled from his horse and ended his life.

Then, once again, she leapt through the air and landed on the back of the knight who was trying to attack the sable wolf from behind as he wrestled with his current challenger. The horse beneath them bolted, threatening to unseat her as she tried to get at the knights throat around his armor. In a great show of strength that impressed even her, the man threw her body off of her. A master at falling, the white wolf easily tucked and ducked which ended with her landing on all four feet - although facing away from the rider.

"You stupid mutt." The knight sneered just as he threw a dagger he'd hidden in his boot directly at her back. If it hit its mark, it would paralyze her.

Emma! Graham yelled in her mind, his voice panicked as he finished his opponents life and ran to her aid.

At his warning, Emma spun around; freezing as her eyes zeroed in on the approaching dagger. Her mind screamed at her to move but her legs froze to the earth like stone. Never in her life had she come so close to death. In that moment, time stilled. In the distance, she heard her soldiers coming to their rescue, the whole debacle in the shadows at the edge of the forest only lasting a handful of minutes. She saw the sneer on the Knight's face and heard his dark chuckle as he turned the head of his horse away from her, confident he was that she was dead.

Then time sped back up.

Graham slammed into her, causing her to stumble several feet. She turned her head in his direction, seeing his body perfectly aligned with the dagger's trajectory.

Graham no! she screamed telepathically as she lunged forward to push him back out of the way of the dagger, his remorseful blue eyes pleading with hers to understand his intent.

It was too late, the dagger hit its mark by piercing Graham's heart, the lunge needed to push her out of dagger's path leaving his entire side vulnerable.

I'm sorry Princess. were the last words to echo through her mind as her friend and comrade fell at her feet.