Chapter XVI
Jester ran back through the Royal Gardens. He wasn't sure where he was going exactly, only that he needed to find Jane.
This is by far the stupidest thing you have ever done! He thought, groaning as he ran between shadows, trying to make himself as invisible as possible. You're going to get yourself killed and Jane will never forgive you for that.
Above him Dragon was still roaring and flaming but nothing more but Jester could see that the great newt was frantic.
Of course, he wanted to fight and protect the place that he and his friends called home but he couldn't use his main form of defence without accidently causing harm to those he knew and cared for.
Jester didn't envy his position and continued to sneak through the gardens.
He had just made it to one of the courtyards and hiding behind some boxes, contemplating his next move when he felt cool steel being pressed against his throat.
Oh….
"Jester?! What the hell?"
"Gunther?" Jester looked up at his captor and let out a small, almost hysterical laugh of relief.
"Yes, you clotpole! What are you doing here, dunderhead? Why aren't you leaving the castle with everyone else?"
"Ah… looking for Jane." Jester replied lamely causing the squire to roll his eyes in disbelief.
"You must be joking, right?" Gunther waited a moment before snorting, "No, of course not." He pinched his nose as he groaned out, "Where do you think she is?"
"Searching for the Princess. She's already sent the little prince through the Gardener's Gate with her parents and a few others…"
"The prince is safe?" Gunther asked suddenly looking very alert.
"Yes. He's out of the castle." Gunther let out a deep breath of relief.
"Good. That's good news. That means we can leave."
"What about the princess and the King and Queen?"
"We have the King and Queen and are trying to get them out. Though, we apparently picked the gate that is the most heavily guarded with enemy soldiers." Jester had a strange feeling that there was more to it than.
"And?"
Gunther glared at him.
"I don't know what you mean." He grunted his expression turning surly.
"Of course you do." Jester pressed, in no mood for deception and information being withheld for whatever reason. "Something is going on that you're not telling me, now what is it."
Gunther looked around them with a harried look, clearly trying to decide on whether or not to tell a mere castle fool just how serious the situation was.
"We have… traitors in our midst." Gunther whispered eventually, not looking at Jester, not looking at anything really, not at the fires that was destroy their home, not at the enemy soldiers invading it, he simply stared into nothingness, his face blank and eyes dull.
Jester blinked at him dumbly.
"What?"
"You heard me!" Gunther growled, anger returning to his features as he gave Jester a frustrated shake of the shoulders, "We didn't know, realise, until after the battle begun that there were some us, Knights and Squires I mean, had swapped sides. Had joined up with the Shadow Knights."
"How? Why?" Jester gapped, "when?"
"I don't know! I mean, it isn't like I've had all that much time to think about it. You're the first person I've spoken to about this with. I mean asides from when Sir Theodore roared 'Traitors' when he ran Sir Marcus through, no one's had time to talk about this."
"Sir Marcus?"
"He was one of the visiting knights."
"Was he one of the knights who was wounded by the Shadow Knights when you first met them?"
"Ah… actually, I think he was." Gunther answered with a frown.
"Wonderful," Jester muttered darkly.
"What?" Gunther asked but Jester simply shook his head.
"Tell you later." Jester replied softly. "What's the plan?"
"Well, I was meant to try and find another way out and report back to Sir Theodore if I did."
"The Gardener's Gate is still free…" he trailed off when he saw that the enemy soldiers had now set the gardens ablaze.
"Rake is going to cry." Jester whispered watching in horror as all his friend's – and that of his family before him - hard work go up in flame and smoke.
"Is he still alive?" Gunther asked already turning his back on the burning garden.
"Yes."
"Then he can grow it all back, can't he?"
"Doesn't mean this won't upset him." Jester replied under his breath. There wasn't time for this to become an argument.
oOo
"All the gates have been taken and are now heavily guarded." Gunther groaned after he and Jester had snuck around the castle looking for another way out that was large enough to get the King and Queen and their entourage out of.
"We'll just have to try our best." Jester replied even though Gunther shotting him an incredibly pessimistic look.
"Come on. Let's go."
"Where?" Jester asked in bewildered but following after the squire without complaint.
"Back to the others." Gunther replied rolling his eyes back at the Court Jester as if this were the most obvious thing in all the world. When he turned his back to him, Jester was sorely tempted to stick his tongue out, only barely able to stop himself, letting out instead a heavy sigh. Now was not the time for childish acts.
He made to follow after Gunther only for his foot to become caught upon something and he was sent tumbling to the stone ground. Only from years of training of being a jester, where taking tumbles was all a part of his everyday life and job, was he able fall down without making a sound and land without injuring himself.
"Jester!" Gunther hissed looking madly around at the still fighting soldiers to see if any of them had noticed two boys sneaking along the edges of the castle walls, keeping as close to the shadows as they possibly could.
"Sorry." Jester grumbled in return as he turned back to see what he had tripped up on. His stomach turned violently when he saw that it had been a body of a man Jester recognized from his everyday life.
As was his job of Court Jester, Jester met many people at court and the poor man he had just tripped over was just one of the many people that he had met and entertained over the years. But despite the many years of knowing this man, Jester was ashamed to realise he knew almost nothing about the man, not even his name, only that he had particular fondness for Jester's juggling different-size objects.
Jester swallowed thickly as he stared now into the man's sightless blue eyes. Never again would this man watch him juggle different pieces of fruits and vegetables. Never again would Jester hear his deep belly laugh as he did so.
He couldn't leave him like this.
"Jester! Now is not the time! WE don't have time!" Gunther groaned when he saw what the Court Fool was doing.
It wasn't much, really, Jester thought sadly as he gently closed the man's blue eyes and carefully folded his arms over his chest, but hopefully it would be enough to give the poor man some peace until he received a proper burial.
If he receives one at all, a dark little voice whispered.
When he had finished, Jester spied a bow and quiver of arrows lying near to the man's side. Jester was no fighter by any means nor was he a particularly good marksman, but with that said, he had handled a bow before – learning the art of archery solely for an act that he suspected he would never perform– and he was sure that he would have better luck of keeping himself alive with a bow than if he tried to fight anyone with a sword.
"You can use a bow?" Gunther question him in surprise when Jester came to stand by him, bow in hand and quiver strapped to his back.
Jester shrugged, not in the mood to talk, the darkness of all that he had seen this night starting to weigh heavily upon his soul.
"We're losing." Gunther muttered grimly, changing the subject as they both looked around the castle, their home that was burning and swarming with enemy troops.
"Yes."
"Come on," Gunther sighed and together the two dodged their way through the battle and with some amazing luck, they were able to find their way safely to the King's company, hidden inside of the stables, but that was where their good luck forsook them.
The King's company was in very bad shape.
"Sir Theodore!" Both boys couldn't help but cry out in anguish when they saw the old knight. He was slumped over his house Augustus, mortally wounded and unconscious.
And it wasn't just him either.
The King also seemed to be in just as grave a condition and the Queen was nowhere to be seen.
"What happen?" Gunther cried at Sir Ivan who was looking very grim and haggard as he strapped their unconscious King firmly to his horse.
"Attacked," Sir Ivan replied grimly, "only just managed to fight them off…" the knight glanced outside the stable doors at the battle still raging out there.
"The Queen?" Jester demanded, his heart pounding loudly in his ears.
The knight's face fell further.
"Taken. During the time the King and Theodore fell."
"We have to…"
"What lad?" Sir Ivan snapped angrily, swing furiously around to face the two boys, "What? We have not the weapons nor the men to fight against this army. We have nothing!"
"But you've fought worse odds than these!" Gunther cried, "You've told me so. Many times!"
"Not with men like these, lad. Nor did I have a King and a royal family to take care of. I also had something of army behind my back which I do not have here as half of them have turn out to be traitors!" Sir Ivan snapped before heaving a heavy, defeated sigh.
"So what should we do then?" Jester demanded. "Cower here and wait to be killed or…."
"We're leaving boy, with our lives just as soon as the path is free."
"But what about the Queen?"
"Do you think I'm not thinking about her and about the royal little ones? I want to go out there and save them all, but my duty is first to my king."
"The royal children are safe." Jester offered softly, "Jane's getting them out."
A look of complete relief crossed the plump, red-headed knight's face.
"Good girl." He muttered in approval before he shook himself and muttering to himself and to the knights who stood in the stable with them, started to try and plan their next course of action. He wasn't having much luck and Jester was starting to fear that his life might end this very night when the stable door swung open and a knight entered, bloody and war-torn but with a determined expression upon his thin solemn face.
One of their knights, Jester noted with some relief before remembering that many of their knights had swapped sides.
"Sir Ivan!" The new knight called with a deep, serious voice.
"Sir Tristram." Jester craned his head to look up at the tall knight who was striding purposefully towards them, sword in hand, sweat and blood tripping down his soot covered face.
"We have managed to clear a path through the front gates. If we leave now, we may be able to get out with our lives." The knight boomed his voice echoing powerfully off the wooden stable walls.
Sir Ivan nodded and Jester was pushed to the side as the remaining knights made quick work of getting what remained of the nervous horses together, placing the King and Sir Theodore's in the middle of the company.
"We must leave now."
"But what about Jane and the princess?" Jester demanded feeling panic rise within him. They couldn't leave them behind.
Sir Ivan frowned at him.
"I thought you said she had gotten the little royals out, lad."
"I said that she was getting them out." Jester corrected him, hating how weak his voice sounded.
"You said only the girl's name and the princess, boy, what of the prince?" Sir Tristram demanded, looking down at Jester with cool, steel eyes.
"The prince is already out of the castle." Jester admitted, a little stiffly "He is accompanied with several servants and courtiers and I believe they are heading towards the woods."
"Then we must meet them there." Sir Tristram replied as he swung himself onto his powerful warhorse.
"But what about Jane, the princess and the Queen?" Jester implored.
He knew he was wasting time but he refused to believe that they were about to leave two members of the royal family and a squire knight behind. Jane must have realised by now that she could no longer leave the castle by the Gardener's Gate and so was most likely trying to find another way out.
"Boy, we have the King and from what you've said the prince is safely out of the castle," Sir Tristram barked, "we must do our duty to the realm and protect them with our lives."
"And sacrifice the Queen and Princess!" Jester cried out in disbelief.
"Use your head, boy! The Castle is lost. The King is gravely injured, he needs immediate help or he will die. If we go in search for the Queen and Princess, who could already be quite possibly dead, he will die and us along with him. It is a harsh reality lad, but for the sake of the realm, sacrifices must be made."
Jester stared up at the Knight in horror.
"And you think, if he lives, he will want to continue living, knowing that his love and their daughter were sacrificed for him?" Jester screamed, rage filling every part of his soul.
"It is the life of a King, boy. Now go and make yourself useful and see that the way is clear. Go… NOW!" Jester turned away from the Knight, never before feeling such hatred and fury towards one person. Not even towards Regina who was the cause for all this pain.
He hated that he could see the logic in what the Knight was saying, that many must die so that their King (and prince) may live.
He swallowed thickly as he peered cautiously out the stable. It was hard to tell who was who now, what with all the ash flying through the air.
He watched as soldiers fought valiantly until their last breath, wondering what their last thoughts were. Revenge or the loved ones they were leaving behind…
Or joining them, Jester thought morbidly.
When he looked above him, he could just make through the smoke and ash, Dragon flying close to the battlements, looking as if he was trying to land. What was he…
"Boy? Is it clear?"
"It's as clear as it's ever going to be." He bellowed back in resentment before slipping out of the stable, only barely hearing Gunther's cries for him to come back.
"JANE!"
Jester jumped at Dragon's voice before reeling backwards at the horrific scream that followed. He watched in horror as a man came screaming down the stairs into the courtyard, waving his arms wilding as he body burned with dragon's fire.
He could hear Dragon bellowing again to someone on the battlements. Jane!
Jane was on the battlements!
Relief flooded him as he tried to make his way over and up to where Dragon was flying. If he could get to Jane or even within yelling range of her, he could tell her what was happening.
His relief of hearing that Jane was so near fled him rapidly into panic him when he heard Dragon cry out Jane's name for a third time and he watched in horror a sword, Jane's sword fell from the battlements, hitting the stone of the courtyard near to where he was crouching with a clank.
Without a thought for his own safety, Jester dove between the battling soldiers and snatched up the blade, ready to throw it back to Jane, who he could finally see through the ash, smoke and dirt. The sword went limp in his hand as he stared in horror at the sword that was being pressed to her throat, her mouth moving soundlessly as she spoke to her assailant.
She knew him?
What did it matter if she did or not, he was traitor and he was threatening her!
Without thought and finding a spot where he had a clear shot while also being out of the line of fire himself, he placed his first arrow to his bow and pulled the string taught.
He was not an expert marksman by any means, but what he did have on his side was excellent aim from years of practise as a jester and no small amount of luck. A stupid amount of luck, he would think to himself with a grim ironic smile when he thought back on this night and numerous times he might have died and really should have because of something stupid he had done.
He would never think that he would be grateful for his indescribable amount of luck when it came to his first ever kill, but in years to come, he knew that was what it had come down to. Not his skill as an archer (He was hardly skilled at all) or his excellent aim, but sheer dumb luck that had his arrow hitting its target, going straight through the throat of Jane's attacker. He didn't feel any satisfaction from his kill; no all he felt was relief that Jane was alive.
"JESTER!"
Her eyes were wide and panicky as she stared over the battlements and at him, her face so filled with fear. He could only imagine what he himself must look like.
He lifted up her sword from where he had laid on the ground when he taken his shot for her to see and watched her face transform into an expression of relief and gratitude.
He smiled weakly in return, for she was safe, though he did feel anger boiling within his gut when he saw blood running from the small wound at her throat.
"Jester, I have the princess." She called down to him as she leant further over the battlement, Dragon flying protectively over her head, "We need to get her out."
"The knights are making to leave any moment with the King." He yelled back to her, gesturing behind him towards where he could hear the knights fighting their way desperately out of the castle.
She had to get down to them, or get onto Dragon's back and get herself and the princess as far away from the castle as possible.
"We'll meet you there." Jane shouted back before crying up to Dragon above them, "Dragon, change of plans, I want you to…"
"Fly around and protect the Knights, right?" Jester heard Dragon rumble from above.
"Yes." He could hear the desperation in her tone, while also maybe a small ray of hope.
"Jester, go!" She yelled at him and even though he had no desire to run until she was by his side he sprinted back through the battle to the knights' side.
"Jane's coming!" He yelled to them, desperate for them to stop, to wait for just a moment longer, "Jane is coming with the princess."
"Boy, we can't wait." Sir Tristram bellowed from where he was up the front of the company, all of whom were ready to ride.
"Please." He started to plead before yelping as he found himself suddenly being forcibly dragged onto the front of horse by Sir Ivan.
"Wha… what are you doing?" Jester shouted at the Knight who was kicking his horse fiercely as were the remaining knights, some calling to the still fighting soldiers that it was time to retreat.
"Saving your life lad!" The knight growled from behind him. "Now for once in your life, SHUT UP!"
"No! You can't! We can't! Jane is coming, with the Princess! They'll be here any moment!" Jester bellowed, fighting to get off, to look behind them, searching everywhere in the courtyard for Jane and the princess.
He found them soon enough and he saw just how quickly things could go truly to hell.
From way above them, Dragon gave a roar far different from any others he had bellowed out that night. It was a mix of surprise and pain as suddenly a greenish light, almost rope-like in shape, wrapped itself around his wings and body.
With another roar, a strangled one this time, he plummeted to the courtyards stone ground, knights and soldiers who were not fast enough to move out of the way, were crushed beneath his great bulk.
"DRAGON!" Jester could hear Jane's scream of terror, but she kept on running, dragging the weeping princess towards the main gate of the castle, which to Jester's complete horror, saw that the portcullis were beginning to close, the heavy wood creaking as its great weight pulled towards the ground.
"JANE!" He screamed back at her, saw as her eyes widen in fear and her trying to build up speed but with the princess's much shorter legs, Jester knew they wouldn't make it.
"Lad, don't! They're lost! There is nothing you can do… laddie!" Sir Ivan was yelling as Jester fought his way off of the cantering horse, falling to heap on the side of the road.
His body ached but he didn't care. He couldn't feel the pain, only focusing on was Jane. Jane who was still vainly trying to get through the gates before they closed even with Dragon's desperate roars of pain echoing through the castle.
"JANE! COME ON!" He screamed, shooting his bow at those who were chasing after her. But, as he would think in years to come, he had used up all his luck and his arrows flew harmlessly into the smoky ruins of the castle.
"JANE!"
The heavy wooden portcullis hit the ground with a thud, just as Jane and the princess reached them. Jane tried vainly to get the little princess to climb through the square holes in the gate but the little princess simply did not fit.
"JANE!"
Jane looked at him from behind the wooden gate in complete terror.
"JESTER!" She screamed just as both she and Lavinia were snatched up, screaming, by the huge man, the general, Jester had seen Lady Regina speak to right before horror of the night had begun.
"Jane!"
He started to run back towards the castle, no plan as to what he was going to do when he got there, only knowing that he had to get Jane's sword back her sword to her.
Something sharp and heavy hit him in his left shoulder sending him flying back and hitting the grass with a thud.
He gasped in pain as darkness began to cloud his vision. He could still hear the people who were now trapped within the castle walls, their screams of fear, pain and death echoing inside his head. Their screams that would go on to echo around his head and haunt his every nightmare for years to come.
He could still hear Dragon's roars but they are now filled with agony and heart-breaking. But above all those terrible sounds and noise he could still hear Jane's screaming out his name. His and Dragon's.
Then his world grew dark and what hope he had was now lost and he knew that life would never, ever be the same again.