The night was pitch black, and only the light of the waning moon illuminated the dirt road through the dense forest. The sounds of men shouting in the distance could be heard but that did not deter the woman fleeing on horseback.
The thunderous sounds of hooves could be heard gaining on the woman who let out a curse and urged her steed to go faster. The chase continued on and the woman ducked as arrows began whizzing past her. One of the arrows struck her horse and it went down taking her with it. The woman grunted, grabbed her satchel, and fled into the dense forest. Her long black gown snagged on twigs as she ran in desperation.
"She went that way!!" One of the knights could be heard shouting as he held up a torch. As she ran she could hear the clinking of armor and the footfalls of the soldiers.
"Get her!!" Was shouted by another as they now had her in their sights.
"Death to the evil Queen!!" Another shouted while firing an arrow that just narrowly missed her head and imbedded itself in a tree.
The woman ran faster and harder hoping to lose her pursuers. She ran until she came to a clearing near a lake where there were no more hiding places. One of the knights grabbed a bola from his waist and threw it at the fleeing woman. It caught around her ankles and she fell down.
The woman gathered a ball of green energy in her hand and managed to turn slightly around to shoot it at the advancing knights but the knights managed to dodge it and advanced on the woman knocking her down again and binding her hands.
"There will be none of that wench." The man sneered in her face and took the satchel. He opened it to reveal a book with an ornate silver cover. "We got the Grimoire!" He yelled and his men cheered loudly. "Now all we need to do is get rid of the evil Queen herself." He said handing the satchel off to one of his men and drawing his sword.
The woman sneered at the man as she was laying on the ground and then used her bound legs to give him a hard kick in the shins where his armor was thin.
"You brutes shall not see me go down without a fight!" She shouted as the man fell down in pain. "You take my grimoire and you shall rue this day!!"
The knight grunted and got up returning to the bound queen and giving her a slap which send her reeling on the ground. "Shut it wench. Your reign shall end here. Our master wishes that we bring back your head to mount on a pike for all the kingdoms to see."
"Your King is a fool." The woman grunted as the knight grabbed her by the hair and took out his sword. "This is a glorious moment." The knight yelled to his men as he readied this sword. "The reign of the Dark Queen ends, ushering in a brighter future for all the kingdoms."
The woman closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable, but the sudden pained cry from the man above her caught her by surprise. The hand holding her hair slackened and she was able to turn enough to see the knight falling backwards with an arrow stuck in his throat. The other knights had drawn their swords and were looking in the direction from which the arrow came.
"You know it is not nice to gang up on someone." A figure said coming out of the shadows. The man had auburn hair and a green loose fitted tunic and brown leather pants on with a sword strapped to his hip. The bow he had used to shoot the knight was placed on the ground along with the quiver as the man drew his sword and came to stand next to the bound woman.
"Do you have any idea who that demon is?!!" One of the knight yelled as they took some steps forward menacingly.
"The Dark Queen who reigns over the realm of Forline." The stranger stated without a care in the world. "It is not hard to miss when you lot yelled it as you were chasing her through the forest, and I only know of one Dark Queen......... Unless another appeared recently."
"And you dare defend this...... this blasphemous woman!" A knight spat out.
"I can't in good conscious let you honorless swine kill her." The man said parrying a blow from one of the knights and sending him backwards.
"Are you trying to get us killed faster!!" The bound woman shouted as she inched towards the fallen blade.
"How dare you call us honorless. We are the Knights of Alon, protectors of the Kingdom of Thellone!!" One of the men shouted incensed.
"So the code of chivalry now allows for you to chase down defenseless women and behead them?" The man asked causing rage amongst the knights.
The men had had enough and they fell to the taunting of the stranger who moved with ease between them as they let their anger overtake them. Their slashes were less accurate now and the mystery man took advantage of that. However he did not see one of the men sneak up on him as he was parrying the blows from three others. That man however never got close as he was violently pushed away by a green ball of energy.
"That was for chasing me all night!!" The woman yelled from where she had gotten free, and she stood up sending a glare at the rest of the knights, which promised a lot of pain, causing them to flinch.
The woman now stood with her head held high as both of her hands started glowing green. She shot successive magical bursts at the knights which sent most flying while the rest fled. "And that was for everything else!!"
Taking a breath the woman looked to her savior who let out a whistle of appreciation at the display of magic and the scurrying knights. The man in question then turned towards the woman. "Come, my camp is nearby. I have a feeling that you need a place to rest."
The woman cautiously followed behind the man. It surprised her that he would so easily expose his back to a dark magic wielder, not many dared as they were thought of as untrustworthy.
Her savior's camp was verily close to the lake and it didn't take long to reach. A fire was already burning and she could see some fish roasting over it. "OH NO!!" The man then shouted as he quickly ran and took the now slightly charred fish from the fire. "This will have to do for tonight I guess." He mumbled and handed the woman one of his fish.
"Thank you" She said sincerely and then looked at the stranger again as she took a seat upon a rock. "Why help me?" The woman asked causing the man to stop and stare at her. "You obviously know who I am, so why act like a knight in shining armor?"
"A party of knights against a defenseless woman. How could I not step in." The man stated. "And I'm hardly white knight material."
"Of course you aren't." The woman answered back. "White knights do not go around saving Dark Queens."
"Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am the Dark Queen Astrid Hofferson, ruler of Forline." She said and gave a slight bow. "I thank thee for rescuing me. Might I ask your name?"
"You can just call me Hiccup" He states. "I'm a wandering blacksmith."
"Just Hiccup?" Astrid asked.
"Just Hiccup." He stated with a nod. "I haven't used my full name in years."
"Well then Hiccup. If there is anything you desire I shall make it happen as a reward for rescuing me." Astrid stated.
Hiccup merely shook his head. "There is nothing I desire." He said and then looked pensive. "I would like to know why those knights were chasing you though."
Astrid folded her arms on her lap and let out a sigh. "Every two years rulers from all the realms gather at Castow, the city of thrones, to discuss the status of their kingdoms and sign trade agreements or renew alliances. Castow is considered neutral territory where no fighting is allowed. Once these meetings ended my guards and I departed for our long journey home. We were attacked by those knights on our journey and my guards urged me to escape to safety. The rest you already know."
Hiccup stood there pondering once more. "You took this route home?" He asked to which Astrid nodded. "The knights stole your grimoire and they were ordered to execute you. Why?"
Astrid sighed and sat on a log closer to the fire. "That grimoire contains many spells that I use. They might have the book but they do not know how to open it." She stated with a smirk. "As for why they want me dead. You already know that I'm a Dark Queen. A practitioner of dark magic that goes against the teachings of Sielihah. They all fear me and think me a heretic. They see my magic as evil and wish to destroy it." At this Astrid looks down sadly. "Even my own subjects fear me."
"I get that this world is hardly fair to those practicing dark magic, but your own subjects?" Hiccup asked perplexed.
"I did not inherit the throne of Forline. I took it by force. The magic I displayed that day was enough to send fear into the hearts of many." Astrid stated with resignation.
"You must be tired." Hiccup said. "Take my cot for the night. I shall sleep elsewhere."
"Thank you. You truly are too kind." Astrid said giving Hiccup a genuine smile.