Without missing a step, Sarah tried to lock the window, only to discover that like the other room, this lock was broken. She had no way to keep them out. She couldn't see well enough to attack with any accuracy. Where were the other guards?

She could feel someone, or something, pushing on the window, trying to open it. She knew this fight wasn't about strength but rather about size and her body mass wasn't enough to hold the window shut for long.

"Chuck!" Sarah yelled at the top of her voice. "Wake up!" The time for subtlety was over. If this was a sneak attack, the best thing Sarah could do was to make a lot of noise and ruin their advantage.

She heard some mumbles from the direction of his huge four poster bed. Did this guy sleep like the dead or what?

The window was still making a slight rattling noise as she tried to keep it shut. Whoever was on the other side was determined to push it open. Soon, she would have to cut her losses and abandon the window or be thrown to the ground.

"CHUCK!" Sarah yelled again, and this time she heard some promising squeaks.

"Sarah?" Chuck called out to her in a confused voice. He still sounded half asleep.

"When I say so, you gotta be ready to run," Sarah told him.

"Huh, what?" he asked, groggily.

"No time," Sarah said. "Are you ready, Chuck?"

"Ready," he mumbled. "No, I'm not ready. I'm not even wearing shoes."

If it wasn't her job to keep him alive, Sarah felt for sure that comment would have been worth killing him over.

Sarah could feel the attacker gaining ground. It was now or never. Clearly, warning Chuck wouldn't be worth it. Instead Sarah let go of the window, doing her best to throw the guy off while she ran as fast as she could to the sound of Chuck's voice.

In the dark, she tripped. It only took her seconds to realize what she'd tripped on. It was Rex. She didn't have time to stop and check if he was alive. Either way, he was out of the fight. Protecting Chuck had to be her first priority. Sarah got up as fast as she could, moving once again in the direction of Chuck's voice.

"Oh wow, Sarah, hi," Chuck said as she rammed into him. She didn't even bother to respond, instead she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him in the direction of the door, or at least where she remembered the door had been. She still couldn't see much in the dark.

Chuck made a ridiculous noise as she pulled him along. She shhh-ed him quite a few times, but it was no use. Even in this darkness, the enemy knew exactly where they were. Sarah knew what she had to do.

"Here's the door, Chuck," she told him, helping him feel it so he would know where to go. "I need you to run. Find the castle guards, alright?"

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me."

"What I don't-" Chuck began, but then they both heard the unmistakable sound of someone's feet hitting the floor with a thud. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't small and he'd made it through the window.

"Go. Run. Now," Sarah snapped.

"You don't even know how many of them there are," Chuck told her. He seemed to have caught on now, thank goodness.

"Doesn't matter. You have to leave," Sarah tried again.

"You can't fight what you can't see, Sarah!"

"I can give you time to escape," she replied frustrated. "That is, if you'd just go already!"

"Not gonna happen," Chuck said. She could hear in his voice that he meant every word. He wasn't going to leave.

Sarah wanted to scream at him and shake him senseless. Who did the idiot think he was? The bodyguard stayed to defend the fleeing prince. That was the way it went. His way would get them both killed, but he wasn't giving her any other choice.

Sarah pushed on the door, and at once knew something was wrong. Was it jammed? Or maybe just stuck. She pushed on it again, but it didn't budge an inch. Then she remembered something Shaw had told her about the royal bedchambers. Some extra security feature that was basically never used.

Feeling along the side, Sarah found the small release lever. She tried the door again, and it opened. Quickly, she pulled Chuck through it. The bright light from the hallway candles assaulted her eyes. Sarah blinked rapidly, waiting for her eyes to adapt.

In all the time she'd lived at the castle, never once had anyone mentioned a time when the sleeping chambers' emergency lock had been used. They locked the doors in such a way that they weren't able to be opened from the outside. A home intruder would have to break down the door to gain entry. There was no key and no way to release the mechanism without being inside the room. This might explain why the intruder had come in the window.

The bright lights dimmed as her pupils reduced in size and Sarah could see again. The hallway was empty. There wasn't a single person walking down the hallway. This was not good. Sarah turned back to the closed door they'd just come through. The two guards who'd been posted at the door were laying on the ground, slumped in a position that told Sarah they were caught unawares. Even so, they'd managed to activate the one way lock which had likely saved both her and Chuck's life.

At once, Sarah began feeling along the side edges of the door, near the hinges to find the secret lock. Even if it could be opened from the inside, it might take the intruder a moment to figure it out, which would be worth it. Sarah needed every second head start she could get.

"Why are you feeling up the door?" Chuck asked. "And where is everyone?"

"No time to explain, Chuck," Sarah said as her fingers slid over the slight indentation and she activated the lock. Sarah was just glad she'd been paying attention the day Shaw'd been talking about these locks.

She was beyond glad now that she hadn't sent Chuck into this hallway alone. This wasn't just one guy coming in the window. This had affected the entire castle. This was an invasion. From now on, she couldn't leave Chuck's side. The safety of the rest of the royal family was in question, but Sarah could do nothing about that. She hoped they were safe, but Chuck had to be her only concern.

She could hear their attacker moving around clumsily in the pitch black room behind her. Sarah guessed that sound was a table falling to the ground. He didn't know how to navigate in the dark and it was slowing him down. Between that and the door lock, Sarah felt sure they had a good chance of getting out of sight before he opened the door.

In a sudden burst of movement that almost comically startled Chuck, Sarah bolted, holding Chuck by the hand to make sure he followed.

"I don't like this," Chuck said. "I've gotten up in the middle of the night before, and this hallway is always full of people."

"I know," Sarah whispered back. "And keep your voice down."

First thing first. If they were going to escape the castle, Chuck needed shoes and something other than a sleeping shirt. Going back to his room was out of the question, but Sarah knew where the laundry was done. No one would look for the prince there. It was a plan, at least, and she couldn't think of a better one at the moment.

Chuck seemed to understand now that they needed to remain quiet. She slowed them down once they reached the corner. Sarah cautiously looked down the other hall to make sure it was empty before pulling Chuck along. They were at least not in view of Chuck's bedchamber door anymore which meant the intruder would have to guess which way they went if he wanted to follow them.

Sarah continued to move quickly down empty halls and cautiously checking around corners, before they darted down those as well.

It was almost a half hour before they ran into anyone. Sarah turned to look around a corner and saw two men. Definitely not castle guards. She pulled back around to hide behind the safety of the wall and put a finger over her lips to tell Chuck to be silent.

If she really focused, she could hear what they were saying.

"This is so boring. Why can't we just go up to the king's chambers. I've always wanted to punch royalty. Now that's a story to tell your grandkids!"

"You know our orders," a different voice replied. "We were to take out the guards, lock everyone in their rooms and then extract the prince. The other royals are not the target."

"I don't see why." The bored voice sounded quite cranky, while the other one had a level of frustration in it. Sarah could sense intelligence in only the frustrated voice.

"The boss doesn't want a political incident, or a huge bounty on his head when one of his men enjoys the princess," the frustrated voice all but growled. "He just needs the prince. The idea was to get in and out fast without anyone understanding what happened."

"Then, why are we still here?" the dim voice asked, with a bored whine.

"Because we didn't know about the hidden door lock," the frustrated man grumbled. "It will all be fine once the lieutenant and his team get in the window."

Sarah had heard enough. It was valuable intel, but they were also blocking her exit. There was nowhere to hide in the corridor. They'd definitely see her coming and raise the alarm. She knew she could take them both out, but she also knew it would cost her stealth. One yell and they could very well be surrounded.

"We need to find another way," Sarah whispered in Chuck's ear. "Do you know another route to the servants' kitchens?"

Chuck nodded. He'd heard what she'd heard. They both knew the rest of his family were safe, or as safe as anyone in the castle was right now. For whatever reason, they were only after Chuck.

Sarah stayed in the lead, even if Chuck was now the one pointing the way. Sarah wanted to make sure they checked around corners before they turned and didn't know enough about Chuck's stealth skills to know if he'd manage it.

They reached the servants' kitchens and laundry without any trouble. To her left, Sarah saw large barrels filled with water on the stone floor. A few had scrubbing boards resting on them, and yet more had a set of rollers to ring clothes out before they were hung to dry. In winter, Sarah knew the ceiling would be covered in hanging clothes all in a various state of dampness, but right now it was spring so those clothes were likely hanging outside waiting for the morning sun to dry them.

The wall directly in front of them had a small door over it where Sarah knew there was a hole and the remains of a fire. Last time she'd been here, there'd been bread baking in that wall oven. A large assortment of cooking pots and pans sat on shelves near the bread oven. The wood burning stove on the far right was also used to heat the iron. The ironing boards had lightly been put away before everyone had retired to sleep. Sarah hoped they were all safe in their beds.

"Find shoes and get dressed," Sarah instructed Chuck. "Something comfortable and warm. Think layers."

"It sounds like you have a plan," Chuck said as he selected a pair of shoes among the ones waiting to be cleaned.

"We need to get out of the castle and hide out," Sarah answered his implied question.

"What about my parents," Chuck argued. "My sister. We have to save them."

"You heard those guards," Sarah hissed back. "They are safe. You were right before, not to let me stay and fight alone in the dark, but this is different. We know what the enemy wants now."

"I can't just leave them behind."

"Yes, you can," Sarah stated firmly. "I promised the king I'd keep you safe and that is exactly what I plan to do." Chuck opened his mouth to argue more, but before he could Sarah continued, "Your family will all be safer with you away from here. The castle will likely be released once they realize you are missing."

He didn't speak, but Sarah could make out his face in the new morning light. The sun was just beginning to rise. Soon, they would lose the cover of darkness all together and their chance of escape. It was now or never. They were leaving, even if she had to knock Chuck out and carry him, though she wouldn't bet on their chances if that were the case.

"Alright," Chuck finally said, with a tone of surrender in it.

Getting to the servants' kitchens and laundry was one thing, but Sarah felt sure all the exits to the Castle itself would be highly guarded. Which exit would be the best to try? She'd have to take out any guards silently if they were to escape unnoticed. Somehow she doubted this would be possible, which meant it wouldn't be long until they were followed.

"Can you fight?" she asked Chuck.

"That depends," Chuck replied.

"I'll take that as a no," Sarah sighed. "Okay, so I think we should try and get out now, before the sun is fully risen and, fighter or no, you need a weapon."

Chuck looked around for a moment, then picked up a rather solid looking iron frying pan and turned to grin at her. She supposed that would do. This man was so strange.

Sarah managed to find a dry bag among the laundry. It was a bit dirty, but that hardly mattered. While Chuck got dressed, Sarah collected as much food as she could fit into the bag. A few loaves of bread, some hard cheese and dried meat. She also added another knife to her belt and two water skins to the bag. She filled only one of them halfway, so the weight wouldn't slow her down. As she was turning away, Sarah saw a tinderbox and put that in her bag as well, before returning to Chuck.

"I said layers," Sarah sighed, as she took in his clothes.

"This is two layers," Chuck argued.

"But will it keep you from freezing at night?"

"Fair point," Chuck said and selected another few layers. Sarah herself picked out and packed a sweater and a pair of warm socks into her bag.

"Pack a bag, too," she told Chuck. "All the food you can carry."

While he did that, Sarah went over the plan in her mind. Getting to the grounds wouldn't be so complicated. They could just leave through the servants door. Once outside, the wall that surrounded the grounds would prove far more challenging. She tried to think of which exits had bushes or any type of cover nearby, but it was a hard thing to recall. Any gate that left the grounds was likely to be heavily guarded to prevent their escape. They could scale the wall, but she wasn't totally sure if Chuck could keep up with her. She needed more information, but she wasn't likely to get any. It had been sheer luck they'd overheard those guards earlier. They weren't likely to get that lucky again.

"Okay, ready," Chuck said, snapping Sarah out of her thoughts. She turned to see him standing with a bag over his shoulder and a frying pan in his hand. His clothes looked warmer, too.

"Good," she said. "Now we have to roll the dice and pick an exit. Any ideas?"

"The route they'd least expect me to take would be the servants exit and then, once outside, maybe the north wall?"

"North wall it is," Sarah said. It was Chuck's life on the line after all. It seemed fitting that he be the one to roll the dice.

The door off the servants' workroom led into the gardens. This time of year, they were importing their vegetables, but Sarah knew, come fall they'd harvest and preserve for the winter. At the moment though, she was grateful that the raised garden beds provided some cover.

Sarah drew her sword. Chuck had his frying pan raised and together they moved slowly forward. Once they passed the cover the garden provided, Sarah saw them. Three figures in the distance around the gate. It explained why the castle had been so empty. Whoever this was had focused on blocking their escape, rather than preventing their moving around the castle. Every exit was likely guarded by at least three men. For all Sarah knew, this was the only gate guarded by just three men.

"So, here's the plan," Sarah whispered to Chuck. He listened to her explain quietly, just nodding every so often. "Think you can do that?"

"Oh yes," Chuck replied. "I think I could do more."

"Let's just start with this, okay?" Sarah sighed.

"I'm not quite as useless in a fight as you seem to think," Chuck said.

"Oh really?" Sarah inquired incredulously. Quick as a flash she knocked Chuck's feet out from under him and pointed her sword at his throat.

"It's complicated," Chuck said from his pinned position on the ground.

"Let's stick to my plan." Chuck nodded his agreement.

Together they moved across the open field and towards the gate, keeping low but knowing full well that if those guards turned their heads they were doomed.

When they reached the little decorative wall in front of the gate, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. She motioned to Chuck and got moving again. Alone, Sarah moved past the low wall and towards the large well groomed rose bush on the left side of the gate. Once she was in position, she waited for the signal, sword in one hand and her throwing knife in the other.

"Why, hello there!" Chuck's voice rang out. "I believe you are looking for me?"

She hadn't told him to say that exactly, but as far as signals go, she'd take it. Chuck was now standing right in front of the guards keeping all their attention. The guards were so stunned, it was a solid five seconds before they did anything. More than enough time for Sarah to throw her knife.

She hit the closest guard right between the eyes and he fell, dead before he hit the ground. The distraction had done its job. It was two on two now. All Chuck had to do was not die, while she took out her guy and all he had was a frying pan. Sarah had to hurry.

Leaping out from the bush with her sword raised, Sarah jabbed. Her target dodged, quickly recovering from his shock. He drew his sword, which was larger and heavier than hers, but that wasn't always an advantage. Sarah had the better agility and it took very little pressure to puncture human skin. Unlike her, this guard wasn't wearing armour, light or otherwise.

She leapt out of the way every time he swung his sword, waiting for an opening. She couldn't spare a glance to see how Chuck was doing. All she could do was hope that his frying pan was serving him well.

The guy was strong for sure, but like Casey, he sacrificed speed for strength. Unlike sparring with Casey, Sarah needed to win more than she needed to fight fair.

As she dodged another attack, Sarah got low on the ground and used her hand that wasn't holding her sword to grab a handful of dirt. As she rose up again to avoid a swing from the left, Sarah threw the dirt into her opponents eyes. In the split second that he cried out and used his free hand to rub his eyes, Sarah attacked.

She went for his thighs, slashing them both with the tip of her sword. The light flexible blade sliced deep into flesh, cutting muscles and blood poured from the gash. He cried out and crumpled to the ground. Sarah brought her blade back up and didn't hesitate to slice his throat next, before turning around on the spot to see how Chuck was fairing.

Chuck was alive, but that was all the praise she had for him. He was rather inexpertly blocking his opponents attacks by holding up the frying pan. Now that she was seeing this, Sarah could hardly believe she hadn't noticed the noise. Everytime the board sword and iron pan met, a loud bang echoed. Sarah wouldn't be surprised if it was enough to draw in more enemy fighters. She had to end this fast.

With all her opponent's attention fixed on Chuck, this fight would be far easier than her previous one. Moving in behind him, Sarah sliced the back of his legs, just below the knee. As he began to fall, Chuck hit him rather hard in the head with the frying pan.

"Ha!" Chuck exclaimed in triumph, as the guy went down.

"Shh," Sarah hushed him. "There could be more coming. We have to move."

"Right, sorry," Chuck mumbled.

Together, they left through the now unguarded gate and ran away from the castle and into the nearby woods as fast as their legs would carry them.


From what I can gather from the reviews this wasn't the direction you guys expected me to go in. ^_^ I hope it was a fun surprise! As always I love to hear what you think.

Oh my 4 other stories currently in progress, 3 of them will be done in just one more chapter so after that I should be able to focus more on updates for this one. I'm a bit of a chaotic writers so I don't yet know how long this story will be, just depends on many chapters it takes to get to the stuff I have planned. We shall have to wait and see!


Sneak Peek Chapter 03

"It doesn't matter what you call it," Sarah said. "We are still crossing it."

"But we are gonna get soaked!" Chuck whined.

"There is still enough daylight left to dry us off before nightfall," Sarah said. "No excuses."

"Why can't we go around or find a bridge?"

"That won't throw off our scent," Sarah answered. She was getting rather tired of his arguing.

"We don't know for sure that they have dogs," Chuck reminded her.

"We also don't know for sure that they don't," Sarah sighed. If he'd just moved instead of bickering about it they'd be across already. "If you don't get moving I'm going to push you across and you will get even wetter."