Revenge of the Duchess

Chapter 34

As soon as he was sure that he had put enough distance between him and the killers, Jason crouched in the shadows of the bushes, pulling out a small Cuora gold coin from the inner folds of his jacket. A small toss and Jason found himself wielding a golden sword. It was a rare magical weapon forged by wizards and gifted by King Zeus.

The first assassin rounded the corner and was instantly met with Jason's sword slashing at his throat. Using the momentum, Jason slammed the enemy into the second man. Both bodies crumpled to the ground. The second man could not untangle himself from the limp limbs of his partner he, too, was dispatched by Jason with quick efficiency.

Without a change in expression, Jason wiped the sword clean on the clothes of his attackers before reverting it back to a coin. This trusty sword had protected him from many an enemy, and he thanked his deceased mother for pleading with his father to give him some form of protecting when the fighting for the heir had gotten bloodthirsty. Instead of bodyguards, King Zeus gave the young Princess Thalia and Prince Jason a weapon imbued with magic, claiming that royal children must protect themselves to be worthy of the throne.

Jason stepped away from the bodies, deciding to let some of the trusted men who had followed him to Cythera to clean up the bodies before anyone else noticed. His men, unfortunately not nobility, could not enter the main Cythera palace halls for the coming-of-age ceremony.

It was then that Jason's instincts let him know that he was still not alone in the maze. Jason frowned. A third attacker that he had not been able to detect?

Jason quietly headed towards the direction of the noises and found himself nearing the center of the maze where a fountain and a few lamps were placed. A woman and man stood by the fountain. A couple seeking a secret rendezvous, perhaps, although Jason didn't let his guard down. Female assassins were just as deadly as their male counterparts, he had quickly found out through the many attempts on his life.

"Alright, you said you had something important to tell me. What is it? Say your piece, and then leave."

The female had spoken, and Jason detected hints of exasperation and wariness in her voice. She seemed to be around Jason's age, or perhaps a year or two younger, just passing the boundary from the teens to the twenties.

She turned slightly, and there Jason saw her full profile from the shadows where he was hiding. Immediately, Jason was struck with her beauty. Full lips currently pursed into a frown and skin so soft and smooth like a flower petal's. Brown hair cascaded over her shoulders in choppy waves. But it was her eyes that Jason found the most mesmerizing. He couldn't detect what color they were as they seemed to reflect all the various shades of what a rainbow could be.

In the moment that Jason was briefly distracted by the young lady, the conversation between the young man and woman had turned sour.

"I told you, no! I have no intention of marrying you. Leave now, or you are disobeying royal orders."

"Your Highness, how could I leave you?"

Your Highness, the man had said. The young woman must be the rumored Cytheran princess who would be soon having her coming-of-age ceremony. She was indeed worthy to be titled the most beautiful woman, at least in Jason's eyes.

But the discomfort in the woman's face, and her guarded stature was obvious. But the strange man seemed to not have taken notice and instead lunged forward, grabbing at the woman's shoulders.

"Your beauty is so enchanting that I must have you-"

Jason stepped forward but it seemed he didn't need to act. The disgust in the woman's face had reached an extreme. The probably princess shook off the man quickly and slapped him in the face with enough force that the man stumbled back.