The Disgraced Queen

Chapter Six

Aliana stopped in her tracks. Her eyes followed the blade of the dagger up to its owner. The person before her clearly wasn't a guard. Like Iora, he wore a long, black cloak with the hood pulled over his face. The shadows also seemed to mask him.

"Who are you?" the startled princess asked. She took a step backwards towards Iora.

The figure said nothing, only taking a step forward.

Iora stepped in front of Aliana. Her right hand held her blade, while her left arm hung limply at her side. "Get behind me, your highness."

Aliana complied. She kept her eyes locked on the man in front of her. Much of him was hard to see, but something about his stance radiated defiance and anger. The way he pointed his dagger at her gave her an uneasy feeling in her stomach. If her heart had not already been racing, it would have started to now. They had no time for delays, and she could not afford to die now, when she was so close to freedom.

There was shouting from behind. Iora kept her eyes on the stranger, but Aliana dared to look behind her. What she saw filled her heart with even more dread. Sixty or so feet away and rapidly approaching was the guard that had followed them down from the balcony of her room. It appeared the girls were trapped in both directions. Due to the hedges, they also could not turn to either the left or right in an attempt to escape.

While she was preoccupied, the stranger attacked, lashing out with his blade. Iora gasped and attempted to parry, but he was too swift. In one deft swoop, he ducked Iora's blade and slid past her. Before Aliana could react, he had already turned his blade on her. She barely managed to duck before his dagger slashed through the air; she felt the material on her shoulder tear as the skin was sliced. A scream escaped her lips, which she regretted immediately knowing it gave away her position to others.

Iora did her best to stop the attacker, but her wounded arm threw her off balance and she stumbled backwards. Aliana, doing her best to defend herself, kicked hard with her right leg.. The assailant was too quick, however, and she did not make contact.

Just as she was fearing the worst, help come in the unlikeliest of forms: the guard that had been chasing them. He parried the hooded attacker skillfully, trying his best to disarm the man, a job that he was unsuccessful at.

The attacker, though not particularly large or brawny, fought with the strength of men twice his size and the skill of a trained assassin. In his hands, the simple dagger was more lethal and frightening than the guard's blade.

Despite everything going against him, the guard managed to somehow hold his own. He got no jabs in, but the attacker's blade never once bit into his skin. The still night air was disrupted by the clashing of steel against steel.

Iora and Aliana were both on the ground, staring in horror at the fight happening before them. Aliana knew that whatever was the outcome of the battle, it would contribute to her downfall: the guard would arrest her and the attacker would kill her.

"Princess!" the guard cried loudly, desperately trying to fend off the tireless attacker. "Run! Leave! Get out of here!"

Aliana, ever slow to react, blinked in confusion. "What?"

The guard blocked an attack at his right flight, but his swings were getting visibly slower; he was tiring. "I will hold this scoundrel as best I can!" He yelped as a jab from the dagger almost pierced his shoulder. "I know you did not kill the king! Now leave!"

The danger of the situation finally sunk in and Aliana sprang into action. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the stinging pain in her shoulder, and rushed to Iora. "Can you run?"