I changed one of the genre tags, it's more in line with what the story is about. And I'll probably change the description as well. I think this is going to be more serious than I thought...
Let's Go...
He blinked several times before opening his eyes fully, and found himself looking in the direction of the balcony with the soft curtain billowing slightly in the breeze, the moonlight shining over the bedchamber. He moved his head, trying to see who else was there, but there was only Jasper beside him, lying on the stone floor. He tried to call out to him, but realized he had a gag that prevented him from speaking. His hands and ankles were bound with ropes, preventing him from moving at all. The princess had made sure that they made no noise and could not run away.
Henry felt stupid for having trusted her, for having been led by a pretty face instead of being cautious as Jasper had told him. He could already imagine the mockery that awaited him from his sister when she found out, she would rub it in his face that he had learned nothing from his experience with Veronika. He shouldn't tell his sister anything.
But that wasn't what he should be thinking about at the moment, his main immediate focus should be to think of a way to escape and... Go after the princess and take revenge on her for the betrayal? Stop the Vizier himself? Return to his father? He would think of his next step when he was able to move.
He began to struggle on the floor, moving from side to side, trying to loosen the ropes, and so focused was he that he didn't notice Jasper waking up.
The other boy opened his eyes slowly and heard the struggling, so he tried to turn his head to look over his shoulder, noticing the prince tied up next to him.
Jasper would have chastised him for trusting the Princess instead of having common sense, but he was gagged, too. At least he knew Henry would keep his promise to get them out of trouble. The prince had been trained by Ray to escape such situations, and he kept a small dagger under his leather arm guards just in case, which he nimbly pulled out and used to cut the rope around his wrists. He then removed the gag and finally cut the ropes around his feet.
"Thank you." Jasper said with relief once he too was released. Then his smile of gratitude turned to a sharp look. "Don't you have something to tell me?"
Henry, who had stowed his dagger again and was now busy thinking about how they were going to get out of there undetected before coming up with a plan, turned to look at him. At first he didn't get it, but he quickly understood what his friend was talking about and rolled his eyes.
"Not now, Jasper." He muttered, turning his back to him again.
"Sure, since you're uncomfortable admitting that I was right." His companion added, going after him.
The prince said nothing to him and continued to study the inside of the princess's bedchamber. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell his friend that he had been right - although he didn't want to - but that escaping from there was paramount at that moment. The door was covered by a piece of furniture to prevent anyone from entering, which indicated that they might have unwanted company soon, he had to hurry. He could look for the passageway through which the princess had brought them, but apparently it was well hidden because at first glance, there seemed to be no sign of a false door, although somewhere she and her servants would have to have left the bedchamber.
He began to touch the walls with his hands, looking for something. Jasper, for his part, picked up their swords, they had left them leaning against the wall, how kind, he thought sarcastically, at least they would have something to defend themselves with if they were discovered.
"Jasper, help me with this."
The boy approached the prince, who was inspecting a huge closet of the most expensive wood. It was polished, gleamed in the moonlight filtering through the window, and was decorated with delicate carvings of flowers and leaves, painted in gold and silver, respectively. Henry opened it and began to take out the clothes that the princess kept inside, in order to have more space, tunics, veils and cloaks of vibrant colors, of fine and exquisite fabrics, which he absent-mindedly and without looking, was placing on the outstretched arms of his friend, who had to extend them suddenly when the prince began to throw them in his direction in a careless way.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked him, beginning to feel the weight of gem-set garments weighing them down. A green veil flew towards him, missed his arms and falling on his face, blocking his view. He had to shake his head to shake it off.
Henry was concentrated on emptying the closet, and did not answer him right away. Once he had completely emptied the closet of the princess's clothes, he reached inside the piece of furniture and rested his hands against the wood, looking sharp. Jasper dropped all the clothes on the princess's bed and approached his friend again, watching curiously because he didn't understand what he was doing.
"I think this is where we came in." The prince commented, as if understanding his companion's quizzical look on his back. "There must be a way to open the passageway..." he added quietly, as if speaking to himself.
His fingers began to graze the wood with the details carved into the surface, slowly, his eyes following the movement intently. Behind him, Jasper twisted his head to get a better look. One of his fingers brushed over the carving of a flower, almost in the middle of the left end of the wood. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that his thumb and forefinger fit into the center of the flower, which appeared to be some sort of small handle, a design that was different from the other carvings on the wood, but one that would go unnoticed if one did not take the time to discover it.
He smiled in satisfaction and with two fingers turned the flower to the right twice. In the silence around them, there was the brief rattle of a mechanism, very muffled, but when Henry pushed the wood, it went forward, like a door.
"Great." Jasper whispered behind him, impressed and excited, because they could finally get out of there.
Henry pushed the door further, and on the other side he saw a hallway the same width as the back of the furniture, but completely dark. He peeked out to look inside, and crouched down, squinting as he stared at the floor. He ran his fingers across the floor and brought them to the line of his gaze, noticing a bit of dust collecting on them. Then he stood up in one swift movement, turning and nearly colliding with Jasper who had come over to see what he was doing. The latter took a step back, startled, and stepped aside as the prince advanced in his direction to get out and back to the bedroom.
"We need a torch."
Jasper went after him, and saw him give the alcove a quick glance before walking over to a table, with several documents on it. There was also a little ceramic jar with a lid, which he opened to inspect, nodding to himself when he saw the liquid swaying inside. Putting that aside for the moment, he rummaged through the princess's trunks, until from one of them he pulled out a hairbrush made of wood. He took it, went to the bed, rummaged through the young woman's clothes until he found a suitable cloth and, without looking at him, held out his hand to Jasper.
"My sword."
Jasper gave it to him, and with it he tore a part of the cloth, which he wrapped around the end of the comb, then poured the oil over the cloth.
"Hold the torch." He ordered his friend, holding it out to him who did so, extending his arm to move it away from his face as a precaution.
Using the blade of his steel dagger and a piece of flint stone he had found in one of the princess's trunks, he scraped the stone over the steel several times, creating sparks, until he finally got the torch to be engulfed in flames.
"Perfect." He declared, stowing the small dagger inside his secret hiding place and the chunk of stone inside the folds of his belt.
Then he took the torch from his friend's hands and headed back to the secret passage.
"We'll follow the footprints they left." He explained as he stepped carefully into the passageway, followed by his friend. "Dust collects on the floor and the footprints get a bit marked, and with the rush, I don't think the princess took the trouble to cover her tracks."
Jasper nodded, following at a slow pace because the path narrowed, and it was impossible to go side by side. He trusted the prince's sense of direction and his ability to follow trails completely, that was how he moved through the city when he escaped from the palace.
They went through the first section fairly quickly because the corridor only went in one direction, downhill, which was barely noticeable. Then they came to a part where the ground seemed to be level again, but it branched off. Henry paused to decide which way to go based on the footprints.
"Look over there." He pointed with his free hand to the corridor to the right. "On that one there are footprints that go forward, while on the other there are some that go back."
Jasper narrowed his eyes in an attempt to make it out, but he saw only meaningless tracks.
"Let's follow them." Henry decided, advancing on the right side, very confidently.
He had decided that he was not going to return to his camp without any results, even if the princess had betrayed him, he was still going to try to stop the Vizier, even if it was on his own. He would not let that man use his father and his army as pieces in a game for his own personal gain.
"Where do you think it will lead us?" His friend asked, looking at the weird shadows the fire drew on the stone walls.
"To wherever that rat has his hideout." He replied.
The path began to descend subtly, almost unnoticed. They came upon other narrow corridors but Henry, guided by the faint footprints on the thin layer of dust, knew which way to continue. There was only the sound of their soft footsteps, barely echoing off the walls, and the crackling of the torch. They walked in silence by mutual agreement, so as not to give each other away in case there were problems ahead. The atmosphere felt tense, and they were uncertain how long they had been walking these ancient passages, how much time they had left to put an end to this devious plan. And Henry could not discern what could be the reason behind that betrayal, the Vizier had a good standing with his master - it had to be so if the Maharajah had decided to make him his advisor in the first place - why throw away something so important and lucrative for an inferior reward? Although, he still didn't know what that man might want from the treasure vault, perhaps it was worth it in his eyes. Or with his dark magic he would try to manipulate his father to keep the throne for himself and have two kingdoms under his power... that could be, but if that was his goal, he was going to meet with an obstacle, for the prince wouldn't stand idly by and let someone take away what was rightfully his.
In the silence, a faint but close sound pierced his thoughts and brought him to alertness. Behind him, Jasper stopped and held him by the arm, more for his safety than that of his master. Henry sharpened his hearing and tried to decipher what it was, until he came to a conclusion.
"That sounded like someone coughing." He whispered so as not to be detected by whoever that person was.
"And footsteps, shuffling footsteps..." Jasper added.
They exchanged glances and the Prince continued on the path, picking up the pace a bit. The torchlight illuminated the stone walls and the dusty ground ahead of them, until at one stretch of the path, the fire shone on the features of a person ahead of them, coming from the opposite direction.
For an instant, Henry stood on alert, ready to go on the attack, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword, ready to go into battle, but when this person raised the head and looked at them, his posture relaxed a little. It was his companion who did react differently. Jasper pushed him aside with all the respect he could muster at that moment and stepped forward, approaching just in time to prevent this person from going face first to the ground, as she seemed to be too weak to even stand.
"Easy, I've got you, don't worry." He murmured softly, holding her so she could stand upright.
This was Patina, the princess's maid. The flames illuminated her countenance, she looked flushed with agitation, was breathing heavily and coughing at intervals. Although she had color in her cheeks, she still looked sick and frightened.
As Jasper helped her, Henry shone a light beyond them, but there was no sign of anyone else, neither the Bordertown princess nor the warrior who accompanied her. The maiden came alone. That intrigued him.
"Where are the rest?" Henry asked, returning his gaze to the girl.
Jasper had to make her sit on the floor for a moment to rest from her fragile state. She gave the boy a soft, sweet smile, then looked at the prince with a bit of trepidation, after all, her mistress had deceived him and she had been part of the plot, but to her relief, he didn't look angry, just serious and concerned. Then her face changed and her haggard eyes filled with tears.
"We got caught." She replied saddened. "They were waiting for us outside the treasure vault, they took the princess."
Though her betrayal had affected him greatly, his heart could not but shrink with anguish at those words. Without much thought about his actions, he crouched down beside her, concern etched on every faction of his face, his gaze one of wariness.
"Who, where to?" he inquired, looking at her in despair as he rested his hand on her shoulder.
"The Vizier's partner." The girl gasped, barely recovering from exhaustion due to her frail health. "She and his men were waiting for us, they ambushed us, took down the guards, it seems... that they knew of my mistress' plans... I don't quite know how, the princess ordered me to run and hide while she and her guardian fought... as I was escaping, I saw them take down her guard and take her away." She coughed again.
Henry gritted his teeth, averting his gaze as he thought, removing his hand from the girl's shoulder. As for Patina, the young woman exhaled shakily, then wailed.
"I got scared and ran..." She explained. "I would have stayed and fought, but... but it wouldn't make any difference, but I know that you..." she looked at him hopefully, "you, Prince, can do something, we know what you are capable of, you can defeat the Vizier and prevent a tragedy."
The prince cursed inwardly. Surely that vile traitor and liar had suspected something by his behavior, and to avoid inconvenience he had ordered his men to be alert for any strange movements, and surely the princess going to investigate the matter was the sign they were waiting for.
"Do they know of our presences?" He inquired to the young woman, referring to himself and his friend.
She shook her head, weakly. "No, or at least, the princess didn't mention anything about you being here in the palace."
"Do you know where they might have taken her?"
The girl hesitated to answer that question, not because she distrusted him, so far he had only done his best to help and had cared about the princess and her people, but because she doubted that he would believe her, besides the fact that the secret of the existence of that power had been given to her under the oath that she was never to share it with anyone, and she didn't want to betray her mistress. However, if someone did not intervene and helped the princess, the Vizier would get hold of that power and that would be the end of everyone. So she decided to give him a vague answer, without giving him too many details.
"Inside the treasure vault there is an inner chamber to which very few have access, among them the princess. That's where we were headed, there's what the Vizier must want to get with this treachery, that's where they must have taken her, to get her to bring him through."
Henry nodded, rising to his feet. That meant they had the element of surprise, but it wouldn't last long if the Vizier suspected him and didn't see him in camp. He had to go get this man before he set his plan in motion faster than he thought.
"I need to get to the treasure vault, if the Vizier is indeed headed there, I will defeat him when he shows up." He declared.
"There are guards guarding the gates, the Vizier's." The young woman warned.
Henry smiled confidently. "Don't worry, I'll be able to handle them." He assured, then wiped away his smile. "What I don't know is where the treasure vault is."
"I could direct you." The young woman offered. "Though there's still a long way to go from this passageway, and you could easily get lost."
"Could you come with us? At least as far as the exit from this place?" The prince asked.
She exhaled wearily. "I would, if I could, but I'm afraid it would only delay you." She lamented. "I couldn't keep up with you."
"I can carry you." Jasper interjected for the first time, they both looked at him, but his eyes were set on her. "Then you could show us which way to go without tiring yourself out."
The young woman was slender and he had the strength to carry her without problems, at least for a while. The wound on his arm didn't cross his mind, he liked her and was willing to ignore that inconvenience if he could hold her in his arms.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, but a small smile peeked on her lips. "That might work."
"What are we waiting for?" The prince took a couple of steps forward with torch in hand and turned to the other two. "I'll go ahead lighting the way, you tell me which way to go."
Jasper picked her up easily, ignoring the sharp pain in his arm from the force exerted, telling himself it was just a scratch, carrying her smoothly, and she clung to his neck, resting her head on his shoulder as they went.
With her directions, they reached the end of the labyrinth, which the girl explained went underneath the palace, which is why at first it seemed to be descending. She dared to tell them that bit of information because she could sense that they were trustworthy, and if the prince helped them and her mistress's plan worked, they wouldn't remember anything anyway.
"These stairs lead to the exit." Patina explained, pointing with her hand.
It was a stone stair leading to a door behind curtains in a guest room. The young woman explained the way from the door of the room to the treasure vault, which Henry repeated several times aloud to remember it well.
"Will you be all right here alone?" Jasper asked worriedly as he carefully set her down on the floor.
She smiled softly at him and took the torch from the prince's hands. "Yes, this place is safe, just make sure you lock the exit tight and hide it again." She instructed.
"Okay."
Jasper gave the girl a final smile before following his friend up the stairs as the young woman stood on the first step, holding the torch aloft. The firelight illuminated the top of the stairs just enough for Henry to see the lever he was supposed to pull. As he did so, there was the sound of the lock giving way, and as he pulled the handle, the door opened to reveal a thick red cloth covering the exit.
Henry lifted it from underneath and motioned for his friend to step out first before he did. As he closed it behind him, he took a moment to admire the surface; since it was closed, it was impossible to tell from the outside that it was a secret door. It was amazing, the passageways back home were not that elaborate. He let go of the cloth so that it covered the wall and looked around the room.
It was spacious, the bed was in the middle, it had a canopy and a palm tree for decoration. There were also carved columns, a small water fountain, and large windows with balconies and curtains that swayed gently in the breeze.
But Henry didn't pause long to admire the decor. He went to the door and opened it slowly so as not to make too much noise and give himself away. A glance down the hallway told him that there were no guards around, but he had to hurry because Patina had warned him that they were making their rounds and he could run into them at any moment. He moved stealthily down the hallway, luckily there were curtains, columns and enough furniture to hide in before being discovered if a guard appeared, and the illumination from the torches was not bright enough to be seen in the shadows.
They were already very close to the treasure chamber, which was in the innermost recess, when something struck the palace with great force, causing a deafening roar that echoed throughout the palace and shook it to its foundations.
"What was that!" Jasper exclaimed in terror, forgetting all about stealth as he drew his sword out of caution and looked in all directions.
Henry was about to respond, but another impact shook everything, sending them reeling and knocking over decorative objects like vases. Henry ran to the nearest balcony, not caring if he was seen, and gazed at the horizon, his mouth agape in bewilderment.
"This can't be happening..." He whispered in disbelief. "It's not even dawn yet."
And yet he could see the rain of flaming arrows lighting up the still dark sky as they fell on the city, setting fire to everything flammable, the sound of war, the clash of steel against steel, cries of attack, of terror, of pain and agony. And just to shake him out of his stupor, a rock thrown by a catapult hit a nearby wall, dislodging masonry that cracked and fell to the ground, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards to the ground from the force of the impact.
But his eyes were still fixed on the battle raging outside. The attack was on.
Quickly, he rose to his feet and drew his sword, turning in time to block the attack of a palace soldier who, with a yell, brought the edge of his sword into his own in a curving motion aimed at his head. They were locked in that position for a few moments, struggling until Henry overpowered him and pushed him away, turning again to block another attack from another soldier, then stepping aside to avoid a counterattack. Further away from him, Jasper was in the same position, fighting another opponent, struggling to parry all of his advances.
Henry didn't want to kill anyone, so he knocked one of his attackers to the ground and hit him over the head with a nearby vase. That man was knocked unconscious, and Henry was able to concentrate on the other, ducking to avoid a blow, and kicking the soldier's legs with his foot in a sweeping motion, causing him to fall backwards and be stunned for a moment, at which point he took the opportunity to do the same, using a piece of wall to knock him out too.
He immediately went to the aid of Jasper, who was on his back on the ground with his sword raised horizontally, just in time to parry his opponent's sword which fell vertically in the direction of his face and torso. He pushed with all his might, pushing him away, and rolled to the side. Before the soldier could make another attacking move, Henry lunged at him, throwing him to the ground and causing him to lose his sword. Jasper kicked it away and used another vase to knock him unconscious.
"What now?" He asked, looking confused at the prince. "The army attacked early."
The battle was going to flare up, the impacts still hitting the palace hard. The prince found himself unable to think clearly, he didn't want to join the fight, he didn't want to hurt anyone but he had the bitter certainty that many people must have already fallen in battle, allies and enemies alike. And if he didn't do something fast, Charlotte could be captured by that traitor and the thought of that possibility chilled his blood. In his position of authority, he hadn't been able to do anything for her people, but he could at least do something for her and protect her, perhaps convince his father that it was not necessary to kill everyone, that with her capture, the carnage could end. That was what he would do.
"We'll go find the princess." He decided. "She'll be one of the first people the Vizier will want to capture, maybe I can intercede so she doesn't get hurt and could ask her army to surrender, that should stop the battle, I hope."
Jasper agreed with him, looking down the path they were coming, surely thinking of the girl they had left in that narrow passage. If the princess could be saved, she would be safe too.
Without sheathing his sword, the prince continued on his way to the treasure vault, his friend following at a distance. They encountered no more soldiers, apparently they had all gone to defend the palace from the invasion, and that made the first part of their journey easy. However, a stone thrown with great force knocked down some columns on a balcony, and Jasper barely had time to slow down to avoid being in range of the projectile as it kept going on its way. The rock shattered the hallway they were walking down, collapsing part of it and separating the friends.
"Jasper!" Henry shouted frantically.
The boy had been stunned by the blow, and a shower of rocks of various sizes had fallen on him. Slowly, grunting in pain, he got to his feet.
"I'm okay... mostly!" He assured to his friend.
Henry exhaled in relief. Then he reached over to see if there was a way to get to him.
"Don't worry, I can take care of myself!" His friend called. "You go on your way, I'll find a way to follow you!"
Henry nodded resignedly, for there was no way to get to him and he couldn't waste time.
"Be careful!"
"I will!"
With that, Henry turned and continued on his way to the treasure vault, alone.
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Finally some action. I'm inspired, so probably the next chapter will come faster.
Ray will show up soon too, don't worry.
See Ya!