"We must act quickly, princess," Matilda said as she roused Kyla from her rest.
It took Kyla a while to wipe her face. Then she gazed up at the green-haired old woman.
Matilda hurried over to the wardrobe and selected a set of clothing with the kingdom's symbol, a stunning blue and gold robe, and placing it on the bed.
"What's the matter, Matilda?" Kyla inquired.
BOOM!
"My princess, we are under assault! Your father is battling right now. You are the only princess who was concerned about her magic and training. In this circumstance, the other princesses are worthless."
As she sprang out of bed, Kyla inquired about the health of her sisters.
Matilda's gaze darted around the room in a frenzy. "They're being led underground, beneath the castle. My mission is to escort you securely out of the castle."
Matilda's hair was short and green, and she stood six feet ten inches tall, dwarfing Kyla, who was 5'10 with long brown curls and green eyes.
Kyla tripped over her underwear and fell to the ground.
"Please make haste, princess! The Kingdom of Samir has infiltrated the kingdom, and its desert beasts are now spreading havoc. They caught us off guard!"
Kyla tried to focus on the situation at hand. "Why attack now? The agreement! For the last twenty years, we have lived in harmony with all the other kingdoms."
"You know tranquility, but I've seen battle." Matilda reveals a sharp sword with a silver grip beneath her long garment. "I am saddened we have once again been drawn into war."
Kyla stood up, holding the staff she retrieved from underneath her bed.
There was snarling and hammering on the door, creating an audible ruckus.
As the door blasted open, the older maid retrieved her blade. Matilda held her blade tight in her hands.
Matilda dashed forward, moving aside to avoid the beast's claws. In a split second, she slashed the beast's neck with her sword. "Stay down, you filthy abomination." She took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from the blade at her right side.
Kyla's eyes widened as she gazed admiringly at her maid. "I never knew you were capable of such abilities."
"You never asked," Matilda said with a mischievous smile. "We are trained to always be beside you."
Kyla ran forward beside her maid, looking at the beast that busted the door down.
"Desert crawlers are what they're called." Matilda threw a disgusted gaze towards the creature gasping for air. "They have the appearance of wolves; however, they can move and stand on their hind legs."
The monster said under its breath, "You senile old crone! I will be rewarded with money in the hereafter as a result of my efforts here."
Matilda took a step closer to the thing. "Such remarks will not be allowed to contaminate the princess's ears." Taking her sword she plunged it into the beast's neck, severing its life force completely.
Kyla tightened her hold on her staff. She turned to face her maid as if she were some kind of superhero.
"Never fear, my beautiful princess; I can be compassionate when the situation calls for it, but your safety comes first and foremost in my thoughts and actions."
"How did you acquire these skills?" Kyla gave her a smirk and nodded her head.
"Sister!" The knight donned a silver set of armor and a cloak that reached all the way down to his ankles, and the lion's symbol was stitched into the center of the fabric. His short blonde hair and blue eyes glistened in the castle's corridor.
"Clyde!" Seeing him, Kyla raced over and wrapped her arms around the cold, metallic suit. "Seeing you, big brother, is a pleasant surprise."
"Little sister, thank the gods that you're OK." Clyde's face lit up as he smiled warmly at Matilda. He tells the middle-aged maid, "To pursue honor above everything else," as he bows.
"You know I can take care of myself," Kyla remarked, staring up at him.
"That's why I was able to arrive so swiftly." Clyde remarked with a slight grin, "I didn't want to miss any of the action."
"What is the kingdom's state of affairs, my prince?" Matilda clutched her blade close to her chest as she gazed through the magically illuminated corridors.
"It's not good," Clyde said, shaking his head. "They've wiped out the first through fifth knight regiments, and the Magicians Guild has also been wiped out. As a whole, the kingdom is in danger of being lost."
Kyla clenched her staff in her hands and fixed her focus on the duo in front of her. "We need to get started!" Kyla followed Matilda and Clyde out of the room and along the main hallway of the royal chambers. Kyla examined the array of corpses strewn over the corridor, and some were human while others were unknown to her sight.
As if time had stood still, Kyla glanced at the all-too-familiar flags that led to the king's throne chamber. The crest depicts a great lion, similar to her father's, King Matthew's. Some were bloodstained while others had been torn from their ceiling placement.
Clyde sped up as he made his way around the bend with the two women following behind.
A man lunged at Clyde, yelling, "You forest dwellers are filth!"
Kyla raised her staff as a ball of flame erupted from it and struck the man, knocking him back into the stone wall.
Clyde charged forward, gripping his double-handed sword, and swung it into the man's neck.
Kyla was used to public executions, but seeing her brother in full anger was unexpected. She only knew his compassionate side, but the one she saw today was important for the journey ahead.
The three raced up the stairs, arriving at a vast lobby with a giant orc standing in front of the throne chamber.
What kind of beast are you to bring disgrace upon our empire? Clyde bellowed.
"Let us be careful, prince, for these beasts have a nasty disposition," cautioned Matilda.
The ogre stood ten feet tall. Its eyes were as wide as Kyla's staff. The club was covered in blood and what seemed to be shredded flesh hanging from it.
Clyde turned his gaze back to Kyla. "Is it possible for you to distract it using magic? Matilda and I can divert its attention away from you."
"There's something wrong with the mana in this place." Kyla gazes behind her, noticing the flames flicker dimmer. "The pure mana of the woodland is being corrupted by the outside world. It's there; I can sense it. When I used my staff back there, my magic wasn't as potent as it should have been."
"After we've dealt with this orc, we won't have to worry about anything else. Clyde and Matilda charged forward, avoiding the beast's assaults and striking the beast's arms.
As she watched the action unfold, Kyla bowed her head in prayer and aimed her stick towards her two beloved family members hastening their speed.
Clyde dashed forward, running under the beast's legs and striking his sword at the beast's ankle.
The orc sprang into the air, avoiding the strike, and swung down on Clyde.
Clyde rolled forward, avoiding the strike in the blink of an eye.
The intensity of the strike blew debris past Kyla's face.
Matilda approached the beast, racing up to its arm, and sank her sword into the monster's thick neck. "Die, you filthy beast!" Matilda stabbed the beast repeatedly till it fell on the ground motionless.
The group turned the bend towards the castle's apex.
"Any minute now, we should be there!" Clyde yelled as he made his way up the staircase. Clyde screamed as his body smacked against the cobblestone walls with great force.
"Brother!" Kyla bolted out into the broad space. She glanced to her right and saw a man with a ball and chain in his hands. As Kyla slid to the left, she just managed to dodge the second salvo of strokes.
Clyde sprang to his feet, gripping the left side of his chest, where his armor was shattered.
"My prince, you must quickly make your way to the king's chambers." Matilda examined the wound on the right side of the body.
Clyde mumbled, "Matilda, it's nothing. I've felt much worse falling out of trees."
Matilda's sighs were audible and heavy despite the gloom on her face. She reluctantly nodded.
"My princess, accompany your brother to the royal chamber, and I shall deal with this devil."
Panting, Kyla rushed back towards the pair. "He is on me the instant I attempt to conjure magic. I can't cast a spell."
"I'll take care of him, princess." As Matilda walked near the enormous creature with her sword at her hip, she stood up. "Anyone who desecrates this magnificent fortress will feel the pain of defeat. The afterlife awaits you!"
"That's a lot of tough talk for an elderly lady," shouted the fiend, whirling the heavy, spiked chain around his head at breakneck speed.
"Get going!" Matilda shouted as she avoided the spiked ball that had fallen close to her.
"Matilda!" Kyla clenched her staff and pointed it towards the hulking guy, her gaze narrowed.
"Princess, don't worry! I'll return to you," Matilda murmured, returning her gaze for a minute.
"We have to get going," Clyde said, standing up straight as he walked towards the large chamber doors.
The remains of desert crawlers and thieves covered the floor as Kyla rushed ahead of him. As she observed the remains of the first knight regiment, tears welled up in her eyes. She knew each and every one of them by name.
Clyde walked up to the tiny opening in the door, cautiously following Kyla. "What do you notice, sister?"
Kyla turned her gaze to the hole where she saw what seemed to be an individual wearing skull on their head and another in hooded robe. "Father is in trouble."
"Kyla, we must not make a hasty choice. We need to observe," Clyde whispered.
Kyla wanted to shove the doors open, but she realized that knowledge was more vital. The castle's knowledgeable seers constantly talked about watching before acting.
"What does this trespass mean?" A large gray-haired man bellowed. He was six feet tall and had a fair complexion. The hue of his armor was a deep sliver, and his right hand gripped a rapier.
Three cloaked individuals confronted the king and two knights.
"My king, they possess strength beyond imagination," a knight shrieked.
The king yelled, "Do not succumb to their wickedness!"
One of the knights rushed forward, striking his sword at one of the cloaked figures.
The knight cried, "Augh!" as he fell to the ground, his body engulfed in flames.
"You'd boil a knight in his own armor?" The king exclaimed, "Do you have any honor?"
"What do you know about honor?" one of the cloaked figures said with a snicker.
That voice.... The king took a step back, legs trembling.
The figure removed its hood to show herself. "Yes, it is I," the lady responded calmly.
Sora, the Chief Ambassador of Samir. The king regained his equilibrium by tapping his rapier on the room floor.
Sora bent her head with a conscientious grin on her face. "King Matthew, are you surprised? Your halls are just as magnificent as I remember." Gold necklaces decorated the neck of the tall, dark-skinned woman.
"Just a few months ago, you were seated at my table breaking bread with us. What do we have to do with the Empire of Samir? With no pause, you enter my house and murder innocents. What about the treaty?"
"Kingdoms rise and fall," Sora said. As she walked around the room, she remarked on the cyclical nature of empires. "It's been a pleasure taking your castle. You speak of a pact when your nation hoards your wealth and triples trade tariffs with other kingdoms throughout the continent of Artesia."
"You tell falsehoods!" Matthew screamed. "We are decent people, and we have done nothing except earn an honest living."
Sora paced around the room. "This will look lovely back home." She giggled.
Matthew shouted, "Take your hands off that sacred treasure!"
"If it's mine, I may do anything I choose with it!" Swirling her hands over and over the gold lion's body, Sora massaged it from head-to-toe.
The knight ran towards Sora and yelled, "You will not tarnish the king's treasure."
As the knight slumped to the ground, screaming in anguish, another cloaked individual put their staff back to their side.
"My king!" the knight yelled as his body fell silent turning into dust.
"Such a pity," Sora said, twirling in a circle. "Oh, the sound of screaming fills me with delight." She ran back in front of the other two hooded figures, hugging herself as she went.
"You witches!" Matthew screamed. "I demand you vacate my kingdom, and I'll consult Queen Nia about your atrocities."
A male voice echoed, "That is where you make your mistakes, old man."
Matthew's hands began to tremble violently. "That's impossible… Darius."
The hooded figure lifted his hands, revealing his face. He stood there bald with crinkling eye brows. His mustache was thin and black barely touching his upper lip.
"How could you, my son?" Matthew let go of his weapon.
Darius upper lip lifted as he tried to hold in his rage. "You lost your spine after Mother died. You deteriorated into a senile old man with no direction. A firm hand is required to rule a kingdom."
"You are second in line to the throne. You will have riches galore, my son," Matthew said.
"You treat me as though I'm a second-class citizen, Father. To you, I am nothing. My promise is to instill dread among the countries in our dominion. We shall form a new coalition that will govern with terror and power."
"My son, you speak as if you know what is in people's hearts. Their souls are housed in me. You will not succeed as long as I breathe." Matthew bent down to grab his sword.
Darius tapped his staff on the ground, and a powerful wind in the form of an arrow blasted out of the pink crystal at the end of it.
Augh! Matthew collapsed to the ground, his right leg severed by the overpowering spell.
"Father!" Clyde pulled the door open and dashed towards Darius.
"Look who's chosen to join," Darius murmured, licking his lips. "Valencia's shining star!"
"Clyde! No, you must go! My child, live. You must return the kingdom to its former glory." Matthew knelt on one knee, blood oozing from what remained of his right leg.
"I've always despised you, brother!" Darius turned around, his staff aimed at Clyde. "You are veiled with evil, brother." Clyde swung his blade down as he felt a great impact on his body.
"No! Clyde!" It took Kyla a long time to come to terms with the fact that she couldn't move. Darius's magical prowess was always a source of admiration for her.
Darius had a sadistic grin on his face as Clyde's armor broke and it stabbed his body like a hot knife, slashing and slicing through his flesh.
Clyde's broadsword slammed into the crimson carpet in the throne chamber as he lay unmoving on the floor.
Kyla remained as immobile as a statue, her hands clenched around her staff.
"Oh, my beloved sister," Darius muttered while sucking his tongue and shaking his head. "I hoped you didn't have to witness this. You are the youngest among us. You are the fifth heir to the kingdom."
As she aimed her stick towards her brother, Kyla trembled. Her staff's tip became blue as a stream of water shot at Darius's face from the other end.
"What weak magic." Darius put out his left hand, stopping it in midair. He snapped his finger as the stream of water disappeared.
"Why did you do this, brother?" Kyla took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on his icy pupils.
"I owe you no explanations, sister." Darius pointed his stick towards Kyla. "This is farewell."
Kyla was unable to move. Her father was injured, and Cylde was dying as a res
ult of his wounds. She attempted to take a step to the right, but it seemed as if she were walking through quicksand.
"My princess!" As the wind magic nicked Matilda on the shoulder, Kyla fell to the ground, wrapped in the middle-aged maid's arms.
Augh! Matilda clutched her shoulder as she dashed for the window, Kyla in her arms, leaping through the glass.
"Should I go after them, my lord?" The hooded man stepped forward, bowing in front of him.
"No, we're still having a good time here!" Darius chuckled loudly as he leaned back, his gaze fixed on the gold-covered chandeliers on the ceiling.