Hey guys!
Sooo this chapter is hecka long, so I really hope you all enjoy it! We get a little more action this time around so yeah? Gosh I saw so a lot...
Anyways, I apologize (again) for not updating in months. I'm not going to make any excuses. Just, sorry guys.
Welp.
Chapter 6 guys! (Woot!)
- Juliet
Asilia rapidly got dressed and crept downstairs to answer the door before they broke it open. Most importantly, she planned on giving Arthur some time.
On her way down the stairs, she passed Back Lack, who was too racing out to open the door.
"Close the door behind you," hissed Asilia, "so that Blue doesn't have to see what is going on," Asilia didn't wait to see if Back Lack would actually listen to her, she kept making her way to the front entrance.
Once she got there, she took a calming breath before proceeding to slowly open the thick door. She was quickly met with outstretched spears and unsheathed swords.
"Yes?" she asked, "How may I help you?"
"You know what we're here for you Whore," one of them sneered.
"Step aside," said another, "you're not a part of this,"
"I'm sorry, but I believe I have the right to know exactly what you plan on doing. After all, this is my establishment," Asilia stood tall, blocking their way in.
"We're here for Arthur Dalleville," snapped the first Black Leg, "orders directly from the great King Vortigern,"
While the Black Legs continued babbling along about their 'mission' and of its 'importance' Asilia saw Arthur sneak out through an upstairs window and creep along the roofs of nearby houses. She had to get the Black Legs inside before they saw him.
Playing the role of a naïve and innocent young lady, Asilia mocked understanding and said, "Oh, of course, Arthur Dalleville. Such a troublemaker, that one is. Please, come in,"
The Black Legs poured into the brothel. When the last one had entered Asilia shut the door behind her.
"So," they demanded, "where is he?"
Back Lack stood in the back of the room, watching, before saying, "his room is on the second floor, first door to the left. If you want him, you lot have to get him yourself,"
"But mind you," Asilia said, continuing to play her role, "my little one is sleeping and I would hate for you all to wake him up. He's just recovering from an illness, you know how exhausting and contagious those can be,"
The Black Legs appeared hesitant at the word "contagious" and all of sudden lacked the determination they had stormed in with.
That is, until one of them said, "We're under the King's orders, whether you like it or not. We don't care about your little one, we are here to do the job and that's that," he then proceeded to spit near Asilia's feet.
Asilia simply glared at the group as the stormed their way up the stairs.
When they discovered Arthur was gone, chaos ensued.
The Black Legs quickly clamored their way back down the stairs, shouting codes of alarm the entire time. Once reaching Asilia and Back Lack again, they wasted no time to interrogate them.
"Where is he?!" one shouted.
"What aren't you telling us!" another one followed.
Asilia didn't say a word, merely kept a stone cold expression on her face.
One of them lunged forward and snarled as he gripped Asilia by the shoulder and roughly shoved up against the wall. She grimaced in pain but refused to make a sound. Back Lack shouted something and darted forth to intervene but he was quickly held back.
"Where is he?!" The Black Leg fumed.
Asilia said nothing, just looked at him dead in the eye.
The Black Leg gave a sick grin, before shouting, "Come on down, little boy,"
Asilia felt panic arise as she saw a Black Leg roughly drag Blue down the stairs and into the room. Back Lack to shouted in protest but he was quickly shut up.
"Someone decided to sneak in on us while we was investigating the room," the Black Leg grabbing Blue announced.
The Black Leg holding Asilia then leaned in uncomfortably close, and pressed his body against Asilia's before whispering into her ear, "You are going to tell us where Arthur Dalleville is, or I'm going to have some of this," he placed his other hand suggestively on Asilia's hip, "and the kid will have a few fewer fingers when we finish. Am I clear?" He then backed off her and flashed his sick grin again.
"I don't know where he is," Asilia growled, her eyes glaring into the Black Leg.
The Black Leg gave her a hard look, before finally releasing his grip on Asilia's shoulder, but not without one last shove to the wall. The Black Leg grabbing Blue released Blue as well and shoved him toward Back Lack, where his father pulled him into his protective arms.
"Make a perimeter around this area," the Black Leg barked, "no one leaves this place without my knowledge, you understand? Look in the whore's quarters, in the cellar, in the pleasure rooms, everywhere! Search for Arthur Dalleville!"
A chorus of 'yes sir's followed as the Black Legs proceeded to work on the task assigned, although not before corralling Blue, Back Lack, and Asilia into the kitchen, and then locking the doors that provided street access.
At last, they were alone.
"Blue, did they hurt you?" was the first thing to come out of Asilia's mouth as she ran over to the boy and held him close.
"No," he replied, "they just be smelly, that's all,"
Both Back Lack and Asilia gave light laughs at the boy's remark.
"What about you Lia, you all right?" asked Back Lack, his gaze flooded with concern.
"Just a sore shoulder, that's all," shrugged Asilia, forcing ease into her voice.
Finally, after all the shouting, pounding, and stomping, Wet Stick made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Oi, what happened?" he dumbly asked.
"You nitwit," scorned Back Lack, "you freaking slept through a Black Leg raid!"
"Oh," he said softly.
"Yeah, 'oh'," continued Back Lack, "they came looking for Arthur, and they weren't pleased when they found out he wasn't here,"
"They haven't found him yet though, have they?" asked Wet Stick.
"No," softly answered Asilia as her mind began churning a plan, "but it is only a matter of time. We need to get out of Londinium,"
"Don't overreact Lia," scoffed Back Lack, "I don't think it's that extreme,"
"Lack," said Asilia, "Those Vikings were invited by the King. Arthur will have to confront the freaking King of Camelot. As long as we are here, we are simply a liability to him,"
The room was full of silence as the two men thought over her words.
At last, Lack was the first to speak, "Where would we go Lia?"
"Yeah," added Wet Stick, "We don't have any connections outside of Londinium to fall back on,"
"And those we did have we sort of backstabbed couple of weeks ago," grumbled Back Lack.
Asilia thought hard about her past, and where the best hiding place would be, "I have an idea, but I can't tell you. I was sworn not to tell. We would have to move in small groups at a time though. We're too many people to travel with without drawing attention" she looked up at her friends, hoping they would trust her.
"Fine," stated Back Lack, "but on one condition,"
"What?"
"Blue goes first, then the Girls. Wet Stick and I don't go nowhere until then," Back Lack's eyes were stern, leaving no room for negotiations.
"Of course," confirmed Asilia.
Asilia waited with the first group by the secret exit, through the coffer room. This passage was unlocked, due to the Black Legs not knowing of its existence. The first group consisted of Blue, and the two youngest girls, Esma and Matilde. Asilia peered through the boards of the hidden door, watching the street for an opening for the group to sneak into. When Asilia spotted a group of young women chattering down the street towards them, Asilia signaled the group that they would be moving soon.
In a fluid motion, Asilia opened the door, dragged the group out, and closed the door behind her. No one even batted an eye. Asilia quickly guided the group through different back alleys and unpopular paths, taking great care in making sure the group would not run into any Black Legs. There were close calls and last minute changes in direction, but eventually, the group made it outside the city. Hidden in the shadows of the sunrise, the group crept their way up the hills surrounding the city, and into the woods. They continued walking in silence for quite some time.
"Lili, where are we going?" asked Blue.
"Somewhere safe," responded Asilia.
"But, where?" Blue asked again.
"I can't tell you Blue, but we're getting far away from Londinium, that's for sure," Asilia placed a comforting hand on Blue's shoulder as they continued to walk deeper into the woods. Asilia looked between the trees, trying to find the sign that they were where they needed to be. It wasn't until more than ten minutes later that Asilia saw it.
It had only been a few months since the… incident. The women at the brothel had tried to get Asilia to tell them what had happened to her and Arthur, but Asilia refused to speak of what had happened. No one could ever know who they were.
Life at the brothel was difficult, especially since life at the castle was heavily sheltered. Arthur was too young to have any memories of what had happened before, so he seemed to be fine. Asilia, on the other hand, just wanted to go home. She wanted someone to find them and take care of them. The women were sweet and took care of them, but she didn't want to be stuck in the brothel. She wanted to be home, with her Da and her Mama. Asilia's need to escape brought her to the forest, where she would climb the trees and hide for hours at a time. No one ever noticed, or so Asilia thought.
"Asilia, is that you?"Whispered a voice from down below the Blackthorn tree where Asilia was perched.
Asilia jumped in surprise and quickly looked down in alarm to see who had spotted her. And there he was, Uncle William. Without even looking at who was with him, Asilia quickly climbed down the tree and launched herself into his waiting arms.
"Uncle William," she cried in relief, "you found me." Asilia burrowed her face in his neck.
"I did Asi, I did," he hugged her tightly, "after what had happened, I thought you and your brother were gone too,"
"How did you know we were here?"
Goosefat Bill gave a small smile, "Someone reported seeing a little girl come to the forest every day." He ran a hand through her curls, "A little girl who looks a lot like the Princess of Camelot. I wanted it to be true, so I had to check for myself,"
"Nice to meet you, Princess Asilia Pendragon," said a deep voice from behind them.
Asilia immediately pulled away from Goosefat Bill in alarm and found the source of the voice. A tall, dark-skinned man was there with a sad smile on his face.
"Asi," said Goosefat, beckoning the tall man to come closer, "this is Sir Bedivere. He was one of your father's most trusted men,"
Sir Bedivere extended his hand to shake Asilia's, "It's a pleasure, Your Highness,"
Hesitantly, Asilia accepted the handshake as she studied the man's face.
He was exhausted, as seen by the wrinkles underneath his eyes and looked as though he had seen too much in the world. However, the broadness of his shoulders showed strength, along with the power in his handshake. His hands easily dwarfed Asilia's and were heavily calloused, showing experience in battle.
"You knew my father?" Asilia quietly asked.
"Your father is an incredible man," Sir Bedivere answered.
"Was," Asilia corrected, "was an incredible man. He's dead. The Monster killed him,"
The bluntness in her words caught both Goosefat and Bedivere off-guard, but they both quickly recovered.
"I know," sadly said Bedivere, "I am sorry that he is gone,"
"Ma's gone too," Asilia whispered. She thought back to the night that changed everything for Arthur and her. She felt tears well up in her eyes. She never cried over her parents' deaths, and the feelings her small self had tried to suppress were catching up to her. "The Monster killed her too," Asilia looked up at Bedivere, her pale green eyes appearing glassy from the unshed tears.
Goosefat pulled her in a protective hug. "The Monster will never get to you, Asi," he whispered.
"Where do you live right now Princess?" asked Bedivere.
"Just Asilia please," Asilia mumbled, "but we are in a brothel. It's on a bridge. The women are very nice. They protect us,"
"And the Prince?" asked Bedivere, "Is he alright?"
"Arthur is okay, but he doesn't remember much of what happened," responded Asilia.
"That's good," assured Goosefat, "It's okay that he does not remember. It keeps Arthur safe,"
"Are we safe?" Asilia stressed, searching Goosefat Bill's face for a definitive answer.
"I think so," Goosefat answered slowly, after a moment of thought, "just stay quiet, and do not let anyone know who you really are,"
"Who am I then?"
Goosefat Bill thought for a moment, "Be the Dalleville's. You will be Asilia Dalleville, and Arthur, Arthur Dalleville,"
Asilia was silent for a moment. "I can't be Asilia Pendragon, ever?"
"You can," said Goosefat, "But only to yourself. Otherwise, you have to be Asilia Dalleville,"
Asilia nodded in understanding.
"Goosefat, we have to start moving again," said Sir Bedivere.
"You're leaving?" cried Asilia, "But I thought you came here to find us?"
Goosefat lovingly stroked her cheek, "I did find you, Asi, but you have to stay here. It's safer that way,"
"But…but," worried Asilia, "What if I need you?"
Goosefat and Bedivere thought for some time.
"Look at this tree, the one you were climbing just now," said Bedivere, "We'll put a stone down at the base right now,"
Goosefat Bill grabbed a stone nearby and started scratching it with his knife, "the stone will be carved with a star. When you reach the tree, pick up the stone with the star and put it in your pocket," he showed Asilia the finished product on the rock, and then placed it at the foot of the tree.
Asilia bent down and traced the hastily created star on the rock with her fingertips.
"Then," continued Goosefat, "sing these words." Goosefat began to sing, the simplistic melody and foreign words flowing effortlessly out of him,
"Tha mulad, tha mulad, tha lionn-dubh arm fhein,"
"Now you try," said Sir Bedivere.
Asilia softly sang, "Tha mulad, tha mulad, tha lionn-dubh arm fhein,"
"Then," said Sir Bedivere, "someone will respond with these words,"
Goosefat Bill sang again, "Tha de mhingin air m'aire, ni nach aidich mo bheul,"
"Afterward, someone will walk towards you from out of the woods. This person will ask you 'the woods seem heavy today' and you have to respond, 'heavy like rain from the sky'," explained Bedivere.
"This person will also ask, 'it is going to rain?' and you have to answer, 'like never before'," concluded Goosefat. "Do you understand Asilia?"
Asilia nodded as her mind was quickly working to memorizing everything.
Asilia saw an old, worn down stone at the base of a now-sickly Blackthorn tree, the engraved star barely visible. Halting the group, she went over to the tree, bent down, and picked up the stone. After her initial encounter with Bedivere and Goosefat, she had only had to come to the tree thrice. It had been over twelve years since the last time she had intentionally communicated with any of them. A lot has changed since then.
She quickly slipped the stone in her pocket and looked around before singing, "Tha mulad, tha mulad, tha lionn-dubh arm fhein,"
The forest was silent, until an echoed voice could be heard in the distance singing back, "Tha de mhingin air m'aire, ni nach aidich mo bheul,"
Asilia beckoned the rest of the group to join them near the tree, where they stood waiting until a young man, face hidden from a hood, came walking towards them.
When he got near, he commented, "The woods seem heavy today,"
"Heavy like rain from the sky," Asilia commented back.
"Is it going to rain?" the young man asked.
"Like never before," strongly answered Asilia.
The young man pulled back his hood, revealing a face of surprise, "It's been a while since someone has called out in these parts of the woods,"
"More than twelve years, I suppose," Asilia said. Around her, Blue, Esma, and Matilde all had looks of confusion painted on their faces.
"What can I do for ya miss?" the young man asked.
"I need you to hide these people for me. There has been an incident in Londinium. I will be back with more. There will be about 23 total,"
The young man looked over the two girls and Blue, before slowly nodding, "I can take ten today. The others won't be allowed in until tomorrow,"
"They all need to be hidden today," Asilia stressed.
"No can do Missy," he said, "Boss's orders. Only ten per day,"
"I need all 23," said Asilia.
"Ten," snapped the young man, "or none at all,"
Asilia glared at the young man, "Tell your boss that Asilia Dalleville needs 23. Then we'll see. For now, take these three. I'll be back with three more, and I expect a response from your boss,"
"Fine," sneered the young man, "but he is only going to take ten, I can assure you that,"
Asilia turned to her group, "Follow this man and do exactly as he says, do you understand?" she said sternly.
The three of them nodded.
"Good," said Asilia. She gave Blue a hug, before turning the three of them over to the young man and watched for a moment as he led them away. She didn't allow her much time, however. The entire affair had taken almost half the hour. Asilia had to move quicker. She didn't know how long it would take until the Black Legs noticed they were escaping.
Asilia raced back to the city, gathered three more people, and repeated the same process again. Much to her benefit, when the young man came to collect the next group, he grumbled something along the lines of yes, 23 people are okay. The second group got out faster, especially since Asilia had a planned route and the young man was expecting them. However, Asilia felt as though they would not have enough time to get everyone out of the city. Including herself, there were 18 people left in the brothel. The third group was a risk. Asilia got out five people rather than three. With the fourth group, Asilia only took three people. The Black Legs were becoming more suspicious of Asilia's movements.
Asilia had spent too long dropping the fourth group off. Asilia wanted to get Lucy and Bella out, but they refused. This had lead to a full out argument that had cost Asilia time. Too much time. She had started getting people out of the brothel in the early morning. Now, it was just past midday. There were more people roaming the streets, and more Black Legs watching over everything. Asilia hurried back to the brothel, hoping to get the last six girls to the forest quickly so that she could get Back Lack and Wet Stick.
She was nearing the brothel when she heard it. Screams. Asilia immediately put her hood on and pushed her hair forward, obscuring her face. She raced her way to the brothel, fear pounding through her body. She stopped and darted behind a large wooden pillar, a few buildings down from the brothel. She was terrified by what she saw.
Inconceivable amounts of Black Legs were swarming in and out of the brothel at an alarming rate, destroying everything in their path. Shutters were being torn off the building, doors demolished. Their possessions were being thrown out windows. Chaos was everywhere.
A crowd of pedestrians was quickly forming a crowd around the brothel. Asilia listened intently to their whispers as she tried to remain calm.
"Someone pulled the sword from the stone,"
"The heir of Pendragon? How?"
"I don't know. But they were forcing every young man to try. Supposedly the one who pulled the stone lives here,"
"The heir of Pendragon? Living in a brothel? How absurd,"
"But it's true. The Black Legs are furious that the rightful King was living under their noses for over 20 years,"
Asilia had heard enough. Her greatest fear had come true. The King had found Arthur. And not just found Arthur, but the King also discovered who Arthur was. Asilia couldn't breathe, and tightness constricted on her chest. She felt like screaming, like running to the Black Legs, like fighting. But she couldn't. Asilia had to remain hidden if she had any chance of getting Arthur back.
Once more, screams pierced the air as Black Legs began dragging Lucy, Bella, Kay, and the other girls out of the brothel. Asilia put a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming out. More Black Legs poured out of the house, carrying large chests. Their coffers. Then, the Black Legs shoved the girls into a caged carriage, locking the door shut, and off the horses went, taking the girls to the castle. The coffers were placed in a wagon and quickly followed the carriage. The Black Legs that remained surrounded the brothel, not letting anyone in or out.
Asilia crept from out of her hiding spot, and made her way to the back of the buildings, trying to see if the secret entrance was open. Asilia felt distraught as she saw a Black Leg standing parole over the secret opening. She did not see Wet Stick or Back Lack get dragged out of the brothel, and Black Legs still stood guard. They were trying to keep people in. This meant that Asilia's best friends were still inside the building.
Unable to find another way inside the brothel, Asilia chose to wait, hoping the Black Leg would make a mistake. Asilia sat herself down in the afternoon shadows and began analyzing the Black Leg, concentrating on any irregularities in his actions, waiting for her time to strike.
"Attention all citizens of Camelot!" bellowed an unmasked Black Leg as his horse galloped to a stop in the middle of the crowd still gathered around the brothel.
Asilia stopped paying attention to the Black Leg and listening intensely at the Black Leg on the horse.
"His Royal Majesty, the Great Leader of Camelot, the King Vortigern Pendragon, requires the attendance of all at the presentation of the heir of Camelot!" he read off the scroll he had pulled from his satchel. "The presentation shall begin within an hour, with the expectation that all are present! Orders to the Black Legs: round the people up, and guide them to the stage! All shall rejoice! All hail King Vortigern!"
"Hail!" shouted the present Black Legs and a few citizens, before the Black Leg galloped away to spread the message to the rest of Londinium.
Asilia felt sick to her stomach at the Black Leg's words.
The Black Legs who had heard the message began corralling the people near the brothel, shoving the crowd towards the stage. Others began pounding on doors and dragging people out of their homes. Hoards of citizens began slowly making their way to the outskirts of Londinium, where the stage lay. And yet the Black Legs guarding the brothel did not move.
Asilia cursed herself for not having snuck in while the Black Legs were distracted by the announcement. Her mind raced, trying to make a plan. From Asilia's perspective, she had two options. Sneak in and get Back Lack and Wet Stick out, or go to the "presentation" and find Arthur. Asilia felt guilt as she weighed her options. One was significantly more feasible than the other, but Asilia had a promise to keep. A promise she made the night her parents died.
Her brother came first, always. Asilia's best friends would just have to wait.
Asilia kept her hood up as she seamlessly made her way into the crowd of people walking towards the stage. It was slow moving, but it was less likely that she would be spotted and recognized this way. There were too many people for Asilia to stick out.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Asilia made it to the stage. She worked quickly in pushing her way towards the front in order to get a better view of her surroundings.
The area was packed, and Black Legs surrounded everyone and everything. On the stage, the sight made Asilia sick. The stage was prepped for an execution, executioner, and everything. In the middle lay the King's lounge, no doubt to be surrounded by more Black Legs. Asilia sat down in the middle of the crowd as she tried to gather her bearings.
They are going to kill Arthur.
The thought would not leave Asilia's mind.
"Are you alright dearie?" an elderly woman croaked.
Asilia jumped up, realizing how out of place she had looked. She took a deep breath and dismissively answered, "Fine."
Then Asilia proceeded to walk away from the old woman and towards a different section of the crowd. She had no time to panic now.
Taking another deep breath, Asilia once again observed her surroundings, picking up on many other things she hadn't noticed before.
First, to the left of the stage, there was a tall, wooden structure. Well, this Asilia had noticed before, but upon closer examination, there was a woman with a rich blue cloak at the top of the structure, guarded by two men. Rebellion Men. Asilia could barely see them, but sure enough, there they were. A strange woman, and some men from the rebellion.
Second, Asilia then began to notice the number of men at the front of the crowd carrying weapons. Asilia saw four to be exact, standing together as a group. Although their thick cloaks hid their swords, Asilia could tell based on their stance where they had them sheathed. They couldn't seem to focus. The kept on looking around the stage and glancing up at where the woman stood. These people were together. Asilia silently made her way through the crowd to where the men near the front of the crowd stood, but she never made it.
King Vortigern had appeared.
The crowd began chanting, "King Vortigern! King Vortigern!" over and over again. The sound was deafening.
Asilia silently watched, glaring at her uncle as he stood smug, staring out into the crowd, his arms outstretched.
If only I had my bow, Asilia thought, then I could shoot him where he stands.
Then, as the King turned around to seat himself, Asilia saw Arthur. He was bound, bruised, and had a look of defeat and grief painted on his face. He was shuffled along towards the front of the stage. Behind him, the girls were escorted out and pushed to a side. Asilia noticed there were only five. Where was Lucy?
With a flourish of his fur cape, King Vortigern took a seat and had a malicious smile on his face that made Asilia want to yell. Arthur continued forward, where the executioner's block laid waiting. King Vortigern put his hand up, and the crowd went silent. The armored man with silver hair to the King's left began speaking.
"Behold," he proclaimed, "your born king. Behold the man who pulled sword from stone. You wanted a prophecy. This is your prophecy.
"Now tell us "King", what do you have to say?"
Arthur said nothing, merely mournfully looked down at his feet. The crowd began jeering at Arthur's silence.
"Here are your people," the armored man continued, "if you are the king, declare yourself,"
Arthur once again said nothing. Asilia wished he would scream, yell, protest, even whisper. But nothing.
The man then held out the sword. Asilia gasped upon seeing it once more. The last time she had seen the sword was when it had pierced her father, and sank deep into the water.
"If you are lost for words, then let the sword speak for you," the man sneered, "Take it! Show the people the power of Excalibur!"
The name sent chills down Asilia's spine.
"I said take it, King!" the man said again.
Asilia felt the air fill with electricity. Something was going to happen. Asilia could sense it. She turned to the wooden structure and saw that the blue-cloaked woman was no longer visible. She turned to the men near the front of the crowd and saw how their demeanors changed from a bundle of nerves to men with a mission. But what mission?
Ignoring what the man in the armor was saying, Asilia crept forward once more, trying to reach the rebellion men without causing any disturbances.
On stage, guards roughly tied Arthur to the executioner's block. The executioner slowly walked towards his weapon of choice, when suddenly a large bird flew onto the stage, attacking the executioner. Chaos ensued.
King Vortigern grimaced in pain as the animals surrounding him seemed to be possessed. The horses keeping the front of the crowd in line became distressed, allowing the men at the front of the crowd to break through and make their way to the front of the stage. Asilia tried to follow but was unlucky in finding an opening through the crowd. The dogs on stage began attacking their masters, and Excalibur clamored to the ground. The king was rushed inside along with any other person of power present on the stage. The girls were released and they sprinted offstage.
Down below, Asilia had finally found her way past the Black Legs, however, the men reached Arthur first. They fought off Black Leg after Black Leg until finally one of them reached Arthur and cut his bounds. The other one grabbed the fallen sword.
Arthur sprung up from the block, and immediately surveyed the scene. The men along with Arthur then sprinted offstage and in the tall wooden structure.
"No!" Asilia screamed as she lost sight of Arthur. She did her best to follow them, but there were too many people and whatever had possessed the animals was beginning to wear off. Asilia felt distressed. Although Arthur was safe from the executioner, Asilia had no way in knowing the intentions of the men who had rescued Arthur. As royalty, there is always a price over one's head.
By now, it was obvious that Arthur was gone. The Black Legs had regained control of the crowd. The King was once again inside his cold walls. The Black Legs were brutally herding everyone back to the city, and beating anyone who looked suspicious to them. Everything and everyone was slow-moving. Asilia did her best to stay out of their way. There was no sign of the girls.
Once the crowd reached the outskirts of the city, the Black Legs virtually disappeared. The people began to gossip. Finally, Asilia was about to make a break out of the crowd and towards the back-routes, she knew so well. The sun was starting to set by the time Asilia was able to begin her way back to the brothel. She was thankful for the sun setting; it meant that Black Legs would have greater difficulty spotting her. Although getting to the brothel was her main objective, Asilia needed supplies and she knew just where to get them.
It was practically dark by the time Asilia made her way to the blacksmith. The building appeared to be empty. No smoke came from the chimney. Asilia snuck in through the back entrance. She knew from experience that it was the quietest one. The blacksmith was empty. The forge was cold. Bone cold. Normally, it takes days for the forge to cool to such a temperature. Something wasn't right, and Asilia felt suspicious. Asilia continued creeping forward to reach her secret stash. Whenever there wasn't something for Asilia to accomplish, she would make other things on the side. With Jorgen being a drunk, he never noticed.
Asilia crept over the northern wall and pulled out a stone. Behind was a small and long crevice big enough to only hold five things. Asilia's sword took up almost all of the space, followed by her string-less bow and its string. Also in the crevice were a pair of daggers and her sword's scabbard. Asilia worked quickly and began by taking off her cloak. She then took the string and quickly attached it to the bow. It would need fine-tuning later, but for simply slinging it over her shoulder as-is would do. She slipped on her belt and scabbard. The daggers were tucked into the belt and the sword into the scabbard. She put her cloak back on and turned to make her way out of the place she knew she would never be returning. Asilia had no ties to this place. It was work, and that was that. Moving quickly and lightly, Asilia exited the blacksmith the same way she entered. The night sky was dark with few stars littering the dark backdrop. Asilia raced her way towards the brothel. She wanted to take the shorter way, but Asilia couldn't risk running into the Black Legs. At least, not with the weapons she had in tow. Asilia moved as quickly as she could. If Asilia couldn't protect her brother, she had to save her friends. Asilia knew the Black Legs would come back to the brothel because of Arthur's escape.
Asilia could smell the fire before she could see it. Her heart dropped to her feet as she sped up even more.
The brothel was in flames. People were screaming, and Black Legs were swarming the place. There had to be at least a hundred of them. Some of them had the girls that had escaped from King Vortigern. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw three wrestle Back Lack out of the burning building. Wet Stick was nowhere to be seen.
Asilia took a deep breath as she formulated a plan of attack. She stood silently in the shadows as she took one of the daggers out from her belt. The solid metal felt comfortable in her hand as she gave it a twirl. Asilia crept towards Back Lack hoping that the element of surprise would be enough for her to overthrow the three Black Legs. In a fluid motion, Asilia leaped and slashed one of the Black Leg's throat in the thing space between helmet and armor. He went down instantly. The other two were quick to notice, quickly dropping Back Lack to attack Asilia. Remembering all that George had taught her, Asilia whipped out the other dagger then proceeded to slash the other one in the thigh before he could even grab his sword. He fell to the ground, where Asilia knew he would bleed out in a manner of minutes. The third one was rather stubborn. He was quick to grab his sword, leaving Asilia with little time to brace herself for impact after having killed the second guy. Asilia grunted at the strain of her two small daggers meeting the Black Leg's long sword. Asilia let the Black Leg believe that he was indeed winning. His scoff of pride proved to be his weakness, however, for in a split second Asilia kicked the Black Leg in the groin, and then slit his throat the same way she killed the first Black Leg. With her enemies dead around her, Asilia took another deep breath before turning to face Back Lack.
"Holy Hell Lia," he exclaimed, "How the hell were you so good at that!?"
Asilia didn't respond, instead grabbed him by the forearm and dragged him to the shadows.
"Lack, listen," she said urgently, "Arthur escaped. I think he's safe,"
"Escaped? How?" Back Lack looked shocked at the news.
"Some people freed him- I don't know, I just know he is no longer with Kind Vortigern," Asilia spewed.
"Ok," Back Lack tried to wrap his head around the situation, "and you think he is safe because…"
"Because I don't know who those people are!" Asilia scoffed, "For all I know, they could be cannibals or something loony. Anyways forget Arthur for now, I have to get you out of here,"
"That would be great," Back Lack smirked.
"Enough with the sarcasm, our lives are at risk,"
"Fine. What's the plan?"
Asilia looked around at the scene. The brothel was still burning, and Black Legs still swarmed the area. The girls were struggling against the bruteness of the Black Legs.
"Back Lack, if this is going to work you have to trust me. No matter what, you understand?"
"You know I'll trust you forever Lia," Back Lack said genuinely.
"Okay," Asilia said, "What I just did to those grabbing you, I am going to do to the Black Legs. Sneak up on them, and kill them. Your job is the grab whoever they add and tell them to run to the abandoned shed near the outskirts of Londinium, you know, the one you lot used to sell flowers years ago?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know where you are talking about. Lia, what you are planning is too risky,"
"I know. But I can't take them in the masses. And sorry, you're not much help in the fighting world-"
"-Hey! I can shoot a bow!" Back Lack protested.
"- and I have to take them on with the element of surprise and one by one if this is to work,"
"I don't like it, but it'll do," Back Lack grumbled, understanding Asilia's reasoning.
Asilia continued explaining her plan, "Once the last person is liberated- regardless of whether or not I am still fighting someone- you will run with the last person to the barn and meet up with the others. Wait fifteen minutes, if I haven't met up with you lot then-,"
"Lia, you better not be expecting us to leave you behind," Back Lack said gravely, "Family doesn't leave anyone behind,"
"Back Lack you said you trusted me. You promised," Asilia sternly said, "I will meet up with you. But on the occasion that I don't within the first fifteen minutes, you must go without me,"
Back Lack looks evidently unhappy with the idea. "Fine," he grumbled, "but where would I be going,"
"Up the hill and then into the forest. Walk directly straight from the barn until you find a Blackthorn tree. It is the only of its kind in the area. There will be a stone engraved with a star at its roots. Someone will be waiting for you," Asilia explained, "Hopefully I will be with you and you won't have to figure it out on your own,"
"I still don't like this idea,"
"What choice do we have!"
"Not many. Well then, come on. We don't have much time,"
Asilia and Back Lack looked around for the first one to get. Kay was the nearest, with only one Black Leg dragging her out of the brothel. Asilia gave her daggers one last twirl before jumping into action. With a fury of blades, the Black Leg was dead in seconds and Back Lack was getting Kay away.
There plan continued to be successful. Although along the way Asilia had gained a few scratches, and one of the girls got a bruise, they were moving quick enough and silently enough in order to not gain any attention. Quicker than Asilia imagined, all six girls were saved. Wet Stick was the only one left.
Asilia and Back Lack scoured the area to find where Wet Stick was. Eventually, they located him on the western side of the burning building. Five Black Legs were trying to restrain him, but Wet Stick was not giving up without a fight. Already sporting a bloody nose, Asilia could already tell Wet Stick wouldn't be able to last much longer. Signaling Back Lack that she was about to attack, Asilia raced to her friend's aid.
The first one was down within seconds. She slit his throat. The second one too went down in a similar fashion. However, the other three had time to draw their swords and begin attacking as well. Asilia couldn't keep up. Rather being on the offense, she was left on the defense, doing whatever she could to avoid their longsword's jabs. Luckily they abandoned Wet Stick, leaving Back Lack to race over to his friend, heave him up, and pull him out of danger. Asilia shot Back Lack a death glare, reminding him of the plan. Back Lack simply stared back, before finally agreeing to the plan. He ran off, half carrying Wet Stick, into the night. With them out of danger, Asilia found herself more focused at the task at hand.
Asilia raced over to the burning building jumped over a burning log. Now, fire separated herself and the three Black Legs. They were hesitant to jump over. In their hesitation, Asilia threw one of her daggers, hitting one of the Black Legs perfectly in the neck. One down, two to go. Enraged, the other two mustered the courage to lunge over the burning log. One of them didn't jump hard enough and caught fire. The other kept on moving towards Asilia. Asilia sprinted towards the man, and then last minute slid, sliding perfectly under him. Taking the Black Leg by surprised, Asilia lept. Before the Black Leg could even turn around, Asilia sunk her blade into the back of his neck, the crack of his neck matching the crackling of the fire. Asilia pulled her dagger out, letting the man fall to the ground. Asilia thought she was done. However, apparently, the man who was on fire didn't think so.
The Black Leg smelled of smoke. Asilia quickly turned around to defend herself but was too late. The Black Leg grabbed her, lifted her off the ground, and through her against one of the burning wooden pillars. With a thud, Asilia cried out in pain as her head took the brunt of the hit. Her dagger fell from her hand. Black dots began to dance in her vision. Trying to shake her head back into focus, the Black Leg took this opportunity to lunge onto Asilia, pinning her down.
"Boss! I got something!" He shouted, trying to be louder than the roaring fire.
Asilia twisted then bucked her body, efficiently switching who was on top. Asilia ripped off the Black Leg's helmet and threw a punch. A sick crack told Asilia that she had broken his nose. She pinned his hands with her knees and put her hands around his throat, constricting him. The black dots continued to dance in her vision. Asilia was fading- she had to act fast. The Black Leg was able to act faster. He had grabbed the dagger she had dropped earlier, then proceeded to slash her arm. Asilia yelped. Her hands loosened, allowing the Black Leg to break himself free. He grabbed Asilia by the collar, then lunged forward. Her head smacked against the ground. Asilia sputtered, for the smoke surrounding them was thick. The Black Leg threw a few punches, each making Asilia's ability to stay awake more difficult. He grabbed her dagger again, then jabbed to make the killing shot. However, Asilia stopped him in time.
Asilia grabbed his wrist before he could stab her chest. The two struggled, but Asilia's superior strength prevailed. With a groan, Asilia pushed his arm away from her, then turned the blade onto the Black Leg. Unable to retract the force he had been using or stop Asilia from her advances, the Black Leg could only watch in horror as the blade sunk into his chest, promptly piercing his hard. After a few gasps and blood pouring out of his mouth, the man was dead.
Asilia tried to control her breathing; however, her head injuries and the amount of smoke made it difficult. She gathered her dagger and made her way out of the flames. She found the second dagger still wedged in the other Black Leg's neck. Putting them both into her belt, Asilia began making her way to the abandoned shed. Asilia did her best, at least. The dots in her vision wouldn't go away. In fact, the more Asilia moved, the worse it got. Asilia was barely a block away from the brothel when a wave of nausea consumed her. Asilia grabbed for the nearest wall and collapsed. She then threw up. Everything around her was spinning, her ability to focus becoming worse by the second. Asilia pulled herself up and began shuffling her way away from the brothel. Not even four steps later Asilia felt as though she was going to collapse one more. Determined, Asilia simply gripped whatever she could, and continued to move forward. Everything was blurry. Asilia's arm burned from where the Black Leg had slashed her.
Asilia managed to get half a block more before she collapsed again. This time, she wasn't able to catch herself. She hit the ground.
Everything went black.