Legend of the Swords

17: Erilyn

Dylan held his hand out to me and I quickly grabbed my invitation that had been on the seat beside me before putting my hand in his to step out of the carriage. I looked around at the castle and the people around me, scanning the environment for any pertinent danger. I noticed there were quite a few ladies with their eyes on me, frowns etched on their face as they held their fans close to their chest. I noticed some of the men seemed shocked as I made my way towards the entryway of the castle, one hand on the hilt of my sword, the other holding tightly onto my invitation. As I made my way up the stairs I noticed that people quickly turned away once I made eye contact. I was intrigued by their response; for being people so worried about their reputation these nobles easily displayed their disdain in my presence.

"Halt!" A guard abruptly said, stopping me on the threshold of the castle doors. "What manner of business have you with this gathering?" His manner of tone was cold as he looked me up and down, obviously not impressed with my outfit.

"I received an invitation from Lord Varen." I held the letter out to the guard to take, which he did and opened it hastily. Upon reading it his face when pale and he quickly looked up at me before bowing.

"Many apologies for my rudeness your Highness." I smiled kindly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"That's not necessarily, you're just doing your job." He looked up at me, his forehead creased as as he looked perplexed by my response. I went on ahead of him, admiring the decorations that had been intricately strung along the walkway and into what seemed like the second floor of a ballroom. From where I stood I happened to be on a balcony, two sets of stairs on both sides of the area leading down to the dance floor. I went to the railing, surveying the crowd below.

People were dancing, the ladies' dresses swishing with their movement. I felt the eyes of those around me, but I scanned for Lord Varen and his brother. They were standing by the feet of some stairs that lead up to the thrones of the king and queen. Looking at the king I could tell that he was a tyrant. The air about him seemed tense and dark, even though he wore bright red and white. The queen that sat beside him was a beauty even greater than that of our own queen and looked cheerful despite her knowledge of what was going to happen tonight. I focused back on Lord Varen's brother and looked him up and down. He had his sword on him, which was a plus for me, and seemed to be very muscular. I then scanned the area around myself and noticed how people had slightly distanced themselves from me. This was a bonus as well, seeing as I had room to maneuver as needed.   

It was then that the song which had been playing ended and everyone cleared the dance floor, hurrying to the edges to join back with their friends. I looked at the area below where I stood on the balcony and was happy to see that no one stood below. I smiled, preparing myself for my attack. I took five long strides back, mindful of the train of my dress, and then sprinted towards the banister. I heard a few people scream as I did this, especially when I threw myself over the banister and began my dissention to the empty floor below. I heard many gasps and even a few more screams, until I hit the floor and slowly stood back up.

Silence filled the room as I stood, looking towards the king and Lord Ryan. I saw some sort of recognition pass through Lord Varen's eyes, and he even took a step out towards me, until I drew my sword. I sprinted across the room, but it was not towards Lord Varen that I ran, but towards his brother. He immediately went into battle stance, drawing his own sword and preparing to face me. He didn't know who I was, but he was about to find out. I thrusted my sword at him, our swords colliding with a clash so loud it echoed through the room. "I know that attack." He grunted as he pushed against me.

"Good. You should have covered that in the basics." I laughed, jumping into the air and swinging my sword down onto him again. He was barely able to hold me off this time. Still, he thrust his sword again and sent me back into the air. I did a full backflip before landing and shifting my sword in my hand. Lord Ryan stepped forward, about to attack, but I attacked first before he could raise his sword. I spun, slashing at the lower end of the sword and sending it flying out of his hand. I caught it by the hilt and readied it in my other hand, now wielding both blades. This time he came at me with his fists, and I easily dodged him, kicking his feet out from under him. He fell back and I pinned him to the ground, using the swords to make an "x" by his neck.