To Reclaim The Crown

Chapter Two

The warning bell echoed through the town, the city was in chaos. Time had almost slowed to a complete stop as Aldith ran through the courtyard. All she could hear was the sound of her heavy breathing and the sound of her feet hitting the stone floor. The fighting and screaming was nothing but muffled sounds as the images of the King flew through Aldith head. Her head cleared, when the floor disappeared from under her feet. The cold cobble path had broken away into steps. Aldith flew threw the air clearing the steps before landing in a front roll. She didn't stop to think about anything before she stood up and took off running. 

She jumped up onto a set of barrels stood on top of each other, she then climbed them to the roof of the building they were against. Once up and on the roof, she pushed forward. Leaping over buildings as she went. The best way for her to escape the city was for her to stick to the roofs. That way there was a minimal chance of running into the soldiers that were currently fighting below. Pain struck threw her heart, she wanted to help her men. She wanted to fight by their sides. But she knew that the King's order had to be carried out, he wouldn't have ordered her to do so if it wasn't. 

Aldith skidded to a stop of the edge of the roof she was on. The next one was a lookout where two of her men were currently fighting against five of Dorgoth's men. It was her only path so she had to help. Or at least that's what she was telling herself. Reaching down, Aldith pulled a dagger from her right boot and gripped it in her fist so the blade was pointing downwards. 

She jumped off her perch and landed directly onto one of Dorgoth's men. Running the Dagger into his chest, stabbing his heart; killing him instantly. Aldith jumped up of the man, pulling her dagger with her. She spun her leg side kicking the second men very hard causing him to tumble off the lookout. Aldith looked to the next three who stood trying to comprehend what happened to their two comrades. But they quickly snapped out of it, they rushed at Aldith with their weapons raised. 

Aldith pushed momentum threw her hips and into a front kick sending the third man smacking into the fourth. Giving her time to deal with the fifth, Ducking under his sword swing. She brought her foot up quickly and with such force that when it connected with the Fifth man's chin. He went flying off the lookout post. Aldith didn't have time to think when the fourth man rushed at her, She brought up her dagger and sliced her arm, causing him to drop his sword; only for her to catch it in midair before running it through his chest. The man slouched in her arms as the third man fired an arrow at her. But the arrow landed in his comrade instead. From the side of the dead man huddle on her as a shield, Aldith launched the dagger directly into the last man's chest. Once he fell to the ground, Aldith dropped her human body shield to the ground and sighed. The pain in her side began to grow worse, she reached round only to retracted her hand to see the skin on her fingers coated in fresh blood. 

"My lady, Thank you," The two of her men rushed up to her, they were covered in blood and completely exhausted.

"The Palace has been taken, the king is dead." Aldith spoke to them with a blank expression, "You must go, leave this city and spread the word of the King's death and that Dorgoth is the man behind this treason." She could see the mixed reactions in their faces; Sadness, fear, hate and worry.

"Yes, My Lady." They said before disappearing into the battle below. Aldith rushed over to the edge of the lookout and grabbed the bow and quiver full of arrows that were laying spare. She slung the quiver over her shoulders and held the bow in her left hand. She then looked to the edge of the next rooftop and stepped back a little to gain enough speed. She lifted off the lookout and landed on the next roof with ease. 

She made light work of the next two buildings, but as soon as she stepped foot on the third, arrows began to flew at her feet. She looked to her left to see two archers firing at her. She pulled two arrows from the quiver on her back and laced them both onto the bow. She jumped off the roof to another, but while she was in the air, she twisted her body to aim the arrows at the two archers. Aldith released the arrows, allowing them to fly through the air and hit the two Archers killing them instantly. 

Finally, Aldith had reached the outer gate. She rushed to the stabled and mounted the first readied horse she found. She hooked the bow onto the saddle before grabbing the reins. A shock emitted from her side causing her to buckle slightly and gasp. She wrapped her handed tightly around her wounded side as she pushed the horse onto a fast gallop out of the stables and to the gate. She guided the horse out of with one hand on the reins, dodging abandoned carts and leaping over corpses.

She made a break for the forest line, once she was in there. She could be clear of anyone trailing her. She manoeuvred the horse to avoid trees and bound over the fallen ones. Because she knew these woods extremely well, she knew the best places to lose any trackers. She rode on for the rest of the evening until the dawn had begun to break through the leaves. She stood next to a river so she could tend to her wound and allow the horse a drink. 

The wound on her side was deep, slicing through the skin in one clean cut. Aldith lifted up her book stain shirt and cupped some water from the stream. She bit her lip as the bitterly cold water washed through the torn skin. The pain was like the arrow slicing through it again. Just out of sheer luck, when her gaze looked around to her left she saw a herb that can be used to fight off infections and stem the bleeding. She crawled over and broke some off before rinsing it through the water. She put it into her mouth and chewed it before putting it directly into her wound. She hissed deeply with pain before a moment of blissful euphoric wrapped itself around her mind. The effect of the herb only last a moment, but it was a moment that gave a little hope to the wounded party. 

Aldith pulled her shirt down and grabbed more of the herb, packing it into a small pouch she found on the horse's saddle. She also luckily found a water bottle with a little water left in it, she emptied it out and filled it with fresh new water before jumping back onto the horse. Aldith looked around before pushing her horse into a gentle trot towards the North. Aldith knew she would make it to King Aundel within five days if she didn't stop except for rest and as long as she did not succumb to her wound.