𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍 ━━━━━ 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒕

• VI

"Need help, brother?" A hand positioned itself above him. Timothée squinted in the sunlight and saw Adrian standing above him. Timothée accepted his hand and got up. The two looked at the battle raging around them. All current enemies were engaged in battle. One of Timothée's soldiers ran towards him.

"I saw some of the King's men heading towards camp!" Those words sent a wave of more anxiety through Timothée. They're going after Dahlia. His thoughts betrayed his calmness. He turned to his friend and Adrian saw the desperate look he had.

"Take a handful of men and go to Dahlia. Make sure she's safe. Please." What started off as an order slowly slipped into begging. Adrian could see the high stakes in this. If they got Dahlia, who knows what they'd do. They might take her back to the king or worse, kill her where she stands. Adrian nodded and turned around, shouting at some men to follow him back.

____________

Dahlia was sitting inside her tent. She was with Nicholas. They sat together by the table, Dahlia reading him a book. The Fleeting Swan. It was Timothée and Dahlia's favourite book and she could only hope that Nicholas liked it too. Their time together was cut short when a group of five men walked into the tent. Dahlia recognized the colours on them. It was her house colours. They stood up in alarm.

"C'mon, my lady. You're going back to your father." One of them said. His face was covered in a messy beard and his voice was gruff. They looked very intimidating.

"What makes you think I'll come with you?" Dahlia questioned them. She pulled Nicholas behind her, trying to shield him with her body.

"Don't ask questions. You're coming with us." The same man replied. Before Dahlia could come up with a rebuttal, Nicholas stepped in front of her.

"You're not taking her away!" It would have been a funny sight to see if it weren't for the severity of the situation. A little boy standing up to a group of men.

"Move out of the way, you little shit." The man said before pushing him out of the way. Nicholas fell down into a heap on the floor. The man grabbed Dahlia's bare upper arm, already imprinting a large bruise. He yanked her forward.

"How dare you-" Dahlia was cut off by a sharp pain against her cheek. She could feel the blood from a large gash streaming down her face. The man's armoured glove had some of her blood on it.

"It's treason to hit a Princess." The voice came from the entrance of the tent. Adrian stood there, a group of men just outside.

"Fuck off." The man grumbled. Adrian didn't look pleased to hear that response and he drew his sword. The Kingsmen drew theirs. Timothée's men marched in. The tent was large enough to hold them all, but the room to fight was minimal. The man who held Dahlia put his sword to her throat. Dahlia saw Nicholas going to get up and help her, but she sent him a look. She mouthed for him to stay down.

"Back off or the little lady gets it." His threat felt empty. The only fear for life Dahlia had was for others around her. This man wouldn't kill her. Her father wanted Dahlia alive.

"We both know that's not a good idea. Just let her go and maybe you won't be killed." Adrian negotiated. The men sent to capture Dahlia folded. They dropped their swords. The man who had Dahlia refused to back down, "Let's not make this any harder." Adrian was cautiously approaching them.

Dahlia saw a moment of hesitation from her captor and took that as a chance. She kicked behind her and managed to hit his sensitive area. She ducked down and sprinted forward. The sword gently scraped her neck. The cut wasn't large and didn't put her in any immediate danger, but it did hurt. The man winced and fell down. Adrian stepped forward and tackled him. The group that he brought tied the men in chains and dragged them out. Once they were gone, the only people left in the tent were Dahlia, Adrian, and Nicholas. Dahlia moved to see Nicholas, who got up and jumped up on her.