No help offered from the men above, the huge walls of the country's strongest fortress behind them, a drop off a cliff to the side and a wolf capable of killing them all by himself in front of them. Some would have seen the situation as impossible to get out of alive.
Part of Robert agreed.
Unfortunately it wasn't as easy as that.
Coming to stand carefully in front of his mate, he pressed the tip of his nose into the side of her flank. Needing the comfort of her warmth for what may be the last time. He was willing for it to be the last, if she got out of it alive.
Evie returned the gesture, running her silver cheek against his. His touch alone helped to calm her terrors, but not by much. She would give her life for her kingdom, but she only prayed that one of them would be able to go home to Lyra.
Down the path and hidden by the shadows cast by the rocks and trees, a monster worthy of the nightmares of children crept through the darkness. Less a wolf, more a snake, waiting for the opportunity to strike.
The group were injured and bleeding, the sound of their rugged pants from the run here and the fight could be heard even over the sound of the howling wind. One man's leg appeared to be broken, and another was bleeding heavily from a wound on the side of his head.
Not one of them had been left entirely uninjured, even Evie who had been protected more than any of them. The young shewolf was bleeding from a slash above her eye, effectively blinding her on the left side.
Alternatively, the 'enemy' seemed almost uninjured. Focused on one thing and one thing alone, their destruction. In his focus, all the pain was forgotten.
Or it drives him so much that he no longer cares, Robert swallowed the lump rising to the back of his throat in vain. No matter how hard he tried to appear casual and careless in the face of danger, there was no hiding how terrified he truly was.
Charlie seemed indestructible.
It was their job to prove otherwise.
A task which was proving more and more formidable with every passing second.
Like a game of cat and mouse, but with wolves. Robert was beginning to feel a lot like a sitting duck, waiting for the 'enemy' to decide to move.
"Barrier," when in battle there wasn't time for Arthur to use five words where one would do. Especially because they all understood his meaning and got to work as fast as they were physically capable of going.
Benches stood along the path leading to the palace, an instalment made by the Queen due to her love of the views at the clifftops. Robert had never been more thankful that father had chosen not to have them removed in time of war.
Dragging them all to the just before the palace gates, they turned them on their side and set to work putting a barrier between themselves and the angry wolf.
Growling was audible, but Charlie was no longer visible in the shadows. Robert chose not to question it and was more than happy to let him wait as long as he wanted. If it gave them time to set up some form of defence, Robert was more than happy to sit and wait.
Fortunately the wait wouldn't turn out to be long, a maddened wolf was not a patient wolf. Charlie charged from the shadows in a sudden movement which made the group jump. An unstoppable force, he tore and slammed and drove at the wall with everything he had.
Dragging himself over the barrier, Robert landed on the other side of it. Snapping off a leg of one of the benches, it wouldn't do much good but it was the best he had available. He passed it to Evie, and the others quickly did the same. Arming themselves with candlesticks would have done as much good, but it would have to do.
The group had two options, wait and allow it to be a waiting game. Which could last till morning, if not longer until the wolf tired himself out. Or risk themselves and fight outside of the barrier.
Numbers meant nothing to a monster like Charlie. Any advantage was still an advantage.
Spreading out along the barrier they had created, now armed if not pitifully. They waited for their opportunity to strike, no matter how small or narrow it might have been.
Listening in a terrified silence, Robert caught the sound of paw steps and lashed out as hard as he could with the weapon. He felt it drag through something, and a yelp of pain followed be a furious growl from the other side.
Charlie began to barrage against the wall again, snarling like a hell hound. The barrier bent and croaked beneath the attacks but it stood strong. For the time being at the very least. The noises it emitted where less then healthy sounds.
A painful realisation struck Arthur, and he took a deep breath as he let the realisation set in.
Someone was going to need to serve as a distraction if they wanted to keep this wall in place.
Without a word, the young wolf leapt over the barrier and landed on four paws. Lunging at his brother but dodging left, drawing him away from the wall enough to distract him. But close enough that his brother and the others could continue attacking him.
Yelling after his younger brother, Robert would have followed him were it not for a strong pair of hands pulling him back and the words of his wife. "One brother has to survive this, let another go." She told him firmly. The pain light in her gaze that she even had to say this, but the truth rang true in her tone.
If someone had to sacrifice themselves, she wasn't going to let it be her husband and future King.
Had it been anyone else on the planet, Robert would have hit them hard. Fury taking over his body to the point where he was shaking where he stood, but he didn't. He held his temper inside.
"Who? I'm the strongest of any of you, you wont stand a chance"
His words were cruel, but right now he didn't care. His two brothers were fighting to the death and he was being told that he wasn't allowed to do anything about it.
Evie was thankful he was able to hold his temper as well as he was doing.
For the likelihood was that he would kill her for what she did next.
Leaping as high as she could, she cleared the barrier and landed on the other side in the form of her silver grey shewolf. Brave in spite of the threat which stood before her, when any sane person would have been terrified.
Robert had lunged after her, but didn't get the height he needed to and fell to his knees. He forced his hand through one of the gaps in the bench. Scratching his arm up in the process but he didn't care. "No," his voice was hoarse with pain.
Turning back to her husband, the young wolf rubbed her cheek against his hand. Enjoying the feel of his warmth for what could have been the last time before stepping away. "I can do this," Evie told him firmly managing to hide the fear from her voice.
Clenching his fist he hit out, not at her but anything else he could find. Smashing his fist into the ground bellow he held back the cry which rose to his throat. Pain being the only way to get out his emotions in one go. "Lyra needs you."
"And I'll come back to her," Evie's words were perfectly simple as she turned away into the fray of the fight.
Glancing sideways at her through his bloodied muzzle and blurred vision, Arthur flattened his ears as his brother's wife approached. "You're insane aren't you?" He growled lowly, tempted to chase her back over the barrier, but very aware there would be no time to even try.
Not bothering to answer that, the shewolf dodged left and lunged tearing into the wolf. She held back the cry of pain which rose when Charlie spun on his heel and bit into the woman's spine. Taking his grip and throwing her away like she weight nothing.
Evie pulled herself back to her paws and threw herself back at him. Arthur paused for half a second, to synchronise his movements with hers before leaping into the flurry of fur and claws himself.
The pair worked side by side, dodging what they could and landing every blow they could. Yet no matter how many they landed, Charlie seemed to come back tenfold. Until Evie and Arthur, despite the best efforts of their friends were beginning to fail in their attempts.
Despite their best efforts, Charlie didn't seem to have as much as slowed.
Time seemed to freeze as Charlie very suddenly grabbed Arthur by the back of the neck and threw him as carelessly as a child throwing a toy from a pram.
Arthur landed hard against the stone walls of the castle, but he didn't cry out as he landed. He only fell limp, leaving Evie to battle the wolf herself.
Fury lighting his movements, Robert grabbed hold of his makeshift weapon and leapt with a strength he didn't realise he had. Surprising Charlie from behind, he landed a blow hard on the back of the mad wolf's head sending him flying.
When Charlie didn't stand up again, unconscious. An exhausted cry of victory went up.
However, time would only tell how much damage had been done.