"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, King Justice Alvilla, Ruler of the Mahagemian Kingdom and Protector of the People."

The room blistered in cheers and claps when the giant doors swung open, revealing the parade of the king. Royal lords and ladies smiled on the left and right sides of the red carpet as the chuckle echoed. Two knights entered with their mail armours and shimmering spears. The king burst in laughing, heeding not of the guests around him.

"Is he drunk?" Asked one of the guests.

"He's always drunk," answered another.

The king swayed around before reaching his seat on the pretentious stage and slumped there He wore the most expensive coat in all the kingdoms as he sipped his wine. The young king looked twice his age as his atrocities against his own people were rather merciless.

"Yes, yes, party all you want, slugs. Get me another drink! I'm thirsty!"

The crowd pretended to laugh, but deep down, they knew the king hadn't any slight respect for the other nobles.

On the stage, right beside King Justice, seated two young ladies with fair dresses and beautiful smiles. The king nodded to the first one which was his sister, Lady Jovanna. She was sixteen of age, and today, all the lords from all the corners of the kingdom wanted to present their sons or themselves to be the future wife of the princess.

The second lady was Queen Vantasia who was also young and fair, but she was merely a sideshow to the king. He barely even noticed her since the wedding. Until now, the queen wasn't able to deliver a baby for the king.

"Your Majesty!" A man burst into the room, creating the burst of murmurs and confusion because he wore the armour of a knight. Three guards came to stop him, but he knelt before they could pin him off. Mud and blood blanketed his whole form, and his numbers of wounds were beyond counting.

King Justice frowned. "What kind of treachery is this, Sir Pollena? Have you no shame? My lovely sister here is going to find her future husband, and you're here disrespecting the royal family with your stinking breath and uncalm demeanour."

"My thousand apologies, Your Majesty, but this is of an urgent matter." He was almost out of breath.

"Nothing is more urgent than my sister's wedding," said the king after sipping his wine. His blue eyes glimmered in the well-lit room with golden banners covering most of the walls. "Get out of my sight or I will execute you for treason."

"Wait," the sister said. She looked young and wise, unlike the curly king with the ever-frowning forehead. "Let him speak."

The king stared at his sister in disbelief, but she stared back. His anger was about to detonate, but he sighed and signaled the knight to speak. "Very well. Be quick about it!"

"The Northern Savages are attacking the Vilonean Bridge as we speak. It is less than two miles away and the lives of the people in this very room are in danger. We are outnumbered, Sire."

The crowd blew into murmurs and panics, but the king quieted them all.

"How many?" the king asked.

"More than we can count, Your Majesty."

The king laughed. He stood off his chair and threw the glass of wine to the knight's bloody armour.

"If you can't defend a bridge from some jungle men with sticks, then you are not worthy of the title in which you earned. Go back out there, kill those barbarians, and interrupt no more of my attention. I don't think"

"But, Your Majesty, we need to evacuate everyone."

"I have planned this banquet for eighteen months and I will not let a scum like you to ruin it for me before it even started. Savages are known for their recklessness in combat. You can just lit a big fire in front of them and they'll flee as if they think the gods have blissed them with curses."

"Your Majesty, they're too close. Our men cannot hold them any longer."

"Get out there or I will behead you myself!"

The knight's face slumped but he slowly got up. He bowed before the king and headed for the door.

Suddenly, an arrow flew past the main path of the hall and struck the knight on the head. The room fell silent for a whole second, and the air grew warm. The knight clasped the arrow and pulled it. Blood burst out before he fell to his own pool of blood upon the red carpet.

"Savages!" A knight screamed.

The room blew to a horrendous panic. Noblemen and women immediately trotted in every direction. The stench of corpses and gunpowder wafted in the air not three minutes after the murder. Knights and guards quickly shielded the king and his family from the incoming threats, forming a wall of armoured bodies to dodge any attack that might come.

The king quickly hid behind his guards.

"Kill them! Protect me and kill them all, you useless slums!"

Dozens of men and women with bloody faces strolled inside the building along with their axes and swords. Brown and red-stained their robes. Their faces... angry and thirsty.

"There's the king," one savage said while clutching his axe solemnly. "He's just a boy."

His companions laughed. A woman, short and skinny in stature, lurched her tongue out as if she desired the king's blood for her supper.

The king cowered in fear. When the first knight charged to the group of new savages, he immediately got stabbed.

"No one challenges Vin the Dread," the male savage said. He just emerged from the entrance with a large machete, and he licked the blood of its blade with much enthusiasm. "Now, where's the king at?"

Still on the stage, surrounded by men big enough to shield his whole body from any angle of attack, the king trembled and pissed himself. The two women beside him clasped their hands together.

"Let's kill him, boys!"

The savages charged. The air grew tense, and the sweat dripping from the king's temple drenched the carpeted floors. His eyes dazed around in panic, searching for any escape that he could take to escape these murderers.

Five savages attacked at once. Sir Olras, the head of the king's guards, swung his sword at a savage. He ducked and dodged from the side, but Olras made a defend with his sword. The two metals clanged, though Olras was mightier. He kicked the man on the stomach and cut the enemy's neck without hesitation.

As he turned, a blade flew towards him already. He got no time to swerve, and the sword slew him right on the skull. Olras' pale skin got paler as his blood lurched out. His visions grew grey, and suddenly, he fell.

The king gasped. Tears welled down his eyes. He had never been in such a pressing situation.

"These people are weak!" Said a savage woman when she stabbed a guard with a dagger. Soon after, a giant savage yanked another guard and crashed him into the nearby wall. 

"Your Majesty, run for the kitchen!" one of the guards yelled before an axe entered his lungs. He jerked in pain and died almost instantly.

The king swindled with terror. He booked it to the small door right on the left side of the room but realized the many corpses lying on the once luxurious banquet.

Then, out of nowhere, Vin the Dread emerged with his sharp axe. He blocked the king's path and smiled widely, revealing the two golden teeth embedded in his mouth.

"Hello, Kingsey. You like my teeth? I stole it from an old nobleman a year ago. Sir Hollas was his name. Pretty chum, just weak and slow... like you."

The king looked back towards his sister and wife. Vin's men had their grasps on them. Queen Vantasia screamed wildly when a savage slammed her roughly.

"No need to fear me, young king. I'm here merely to execute you in the most painful way possible." Vin swiped some of the long hairs out of his face. At once, he revealed the green tattoos of flaming skulls drawn to his arms.

The king wanted to say something. He wanted to threaten the savage, or maybe even bargained. But his tongue grew dry and his body limped. The blueness reached his face and the savages laughed while realizing this.

Before he could open his mouth for yet another mockery, an arrow jolted and penetrated Vin's back. Vin fell, and a figure rose from behind the fallen man.

"Come, Your Majesty."

Without looking back, the king scuffled to the sight of the armoured woman and followed her towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, right behind him, the last of the guards died when a savage thrusted his blade to the chest of the poor man.

"Who are you?" the king asked the girl who saved him. She was young, but she was tall and had the posture of a knight. The bow in her hand even seemed too big for her, though her fierce eyes looked demanding and hateful.

"My name is Lucia, daughter of Heron Albenathy of the West Kayon. I'm your sister's best friend."

Scared cooks and slaughtered handmaidens blotched the entire kitchen quarter while the bloodied dishes and spruced up wines decorated the butchery to another degree. The king's stomach gurgled, and he didn't even held upon anything when the puke burst from his mouth.

Wiping his chin, the king stood and firmed himself on a stool. "My sister doesn't have a friend. She's a princess from the royal house."

"She does, Your Majesty. I'll explain later." She grabbed the king's arm and scurried for the outer door.

As she turned back, her curly, brown hairs swung towards the king's face and slapped him. The king was about to complain until a bald savage suddenly showed up from the exit door with an axe on each arm.

"Well, what do we have⸺"

Lucia's arrow trounced the man's chest before he could finish the sentence.

"Let's go, Your Majesty."

The king's white robe was the definition of a mess now, but he cared about it not, for the danger aroused them still.

Outside, the city burned. Flames went up to the skies and the people of Torolena Town screamed for their lives. Thousands of savages sacked the city in just minutes.

"I need to get back to my palace. This place is not safe."

Lucia grabbed the king and scurried for a small, wooden house on a small road. The hall in which they had their banquet started burning as well. Smokes billowed to the horizon as the ceramics cracked and spoiled.

"Get behind me!"

Lucia kicked the door to the house open and scanned the room for any threat. She aimed her bow left and right, and she found no one and nothing.

"Take a seat, Your Majesty. You need to rest."

The king sprawled on the hard, wooden bench and flinched when he felt the rough surface. "Listen, peasant lady with a bow, I need to go back to my castle. I will be safe in there and I can command my best legions of troops to hurl these perpetrators out of this small town."

"Your Majesty, I mean no disrespect, but your wife and sister are there, surrounded by an army of savages that can do anything to them. They are highborn and these people are savages. You surely have an idea on what they will do to them."

The king sighed before insisting. "I can't save them from here. I can, however, command my knights to rescue them when I get back to my palace."

Lucia swirled for the king and shot him a fearsome look. Her eyes widened and her face was merely five inches in front of the reckless king. "Your troops are informed and they will be on their way at this very moment. Their king is here and if you flee, you are just embracing the fact that you abandoned your sister and wife. Those are your family, not mine. You have the responsibility for their safety. Don't you care about them?"

"Do I care about them? Of course! Now, select your next words carefully, girly, because I am the king."

Lucia scoffed. "A coward king who pisses his pants."

King Justice clenched his fists. He curled his mouth in anger. "I will get you executed."

"Ah yes. The king and his executions. Right."

King Justice couldn't fight back the stronger woman with a bow and a knife strapped to her waist. Instead, he leaned back and crossed his arms.

"How come a farmer girl like you can own a bow and some metal-headed arrows? Also, don't forget the fact that you are wearing a light, leather armour which is not cheap around here."

Lucia perched back and smiled. She pressed her hand on her chin and sighed. "Your sister gave it to me."

The king tilted his head. "Jovanna? All you tell is a lie and you are speaking to the king. You are committing treason⸺"

"Do I look like a woman who would lie, Your Majesty?"

"You are a petty girl from a farm. Mud and crops raised you and your father probably never heeded you because he was too busy drinking. Yes, child, I know West Kayon. Potatoes grow there, am I right?"

The girl nodded. Despite the king's hurtful slur, everything he said was correct.

Then, footsteps echoed from the road in front of the house. The girl and the king paused in fear.

"They're going to find us!"

"Hide in the bedroom, Your Majesty!"

The king nodded and trotted without a second look. He closed the door slowly and latched the lock. In the meantime, Lucia pulled the string of her bow as it was loaded with an arrow. She pointed it to the door, and she waited. The wait began to grow longer when the chatting savages stopped outside.

Tension rose. Sweats bleached her whole body, distracting her with uneasiness. She started shaking, but she shook her head and retreated her focus to the two savages standing outside.

Then, she saw it, the knob turning and bulking. The king pressed his ear to the wall and listened, but nothing happened yet.

When the door slid open and the mall gap appeared, Lucia unleashed her arrow. The scarfed savage looked surprised, but it was too late for him. The arrow pummeled deep into his brain. His soul faded as he stroked the ground, lifeless.

"No!" The other savage screamed. This one was a toothless woman who didn't attack Lucia immediately. She knelt before her late husband and cried. Lucia wanted to drop her bow and hug the saddened woman, but she knew better.

She waited. The cry echoed everywhere, alerting the other cloaked savages to come to look.

"I'm sorry," Lucia said while she let go of the second arrow. It trumped the woman's neck and killed her instantly.

"My king, we have to leave!"

The king trounced frontward and stared in disbelief at the two corpses lying on the door. Lucia grappled his arm again and they fled to the nearest possible hiding spot they could find.

"There!" the king pointed at the red warehouse in which the farmers used to store wheat. Both of them ran there and closed the door entirely after checking the safe perimeter. The havoc upon the city was still happening, and more savages came for the party in the surrendered town.

They both scurried inside and blocked the door with chairs and wooden crates. Then, they lolled down to the ground to catch their breaths.

"I need to find a horse and leave, Lucia!"

"My friend is out there, and you are his bigger brother. We will rescue her and your queen and we'll find a carriage to go back to your silly palace."

"Screw them all!" the king shouted. This managed to quiet the girl who just saved him. She later smiled at the king in disbelief.

"Your Majesty," Lucia reclined her seating position and cleared her throat. "I'm going to tell you a story..."

"Ah great. We don't have time for this."

"...about two girls who lived far away from each other. One was a princess in a big palace and one was a farm girl who had been poor her whole life. One day, the wandering princess wanted fresh air and visited the lovely mountains in the west. Then, there was the poor girl who was practising archery in a secluded part of the mountains. She was very good at aiming with her homemade bow that the princess seemed impressed."

The king scoffed. "Jovanna interested in archery? Now that is a good joke."

Lucia pretended to not hear the king. "They became close friends together and the princess would visit the poor girl every week. She also helped the poor girl's family and played with her all the time. The princess even gave the poor girl a real bow and arrows taken from the armoury of the princess' royal palace. But the poor girl grew worried. She didn't want the princess to get into trouble if she maintained this friendship. So, one day, the poor girl stated that they shouldn't be friends anymore."

Lucia waited for the king to comment, but he did not.

"The princess was upset, and she never saw the poor girl again for two years... until the news of the upcoming marriage reached her ear. The poor girl travelled from afar, boarding carts and stealing a horse to reach the small town in which the banquet was held. She wanted to meet the princess again, to say to her that she was sorry. But then, she realized that the town was under a flash attack by thousands of savages. The naïve king was too busy drinking before the event even started, and when the savages got in, they sacked the city and kidnapped the princess along with her aunt, the queen. The poor girl saw the king and saved him, but he was still an arrogant fool who cares about no one but himself. Now, the poor girl and the king must save the queen and the princess from the hands of the savages. To be continued..."

"A wonderful story," the king said with a smug smile. "Only... the king is not an arrogant foul who cares about no one but himself. He cares about the people and his family, but he is also thinking smart. He wants to go back to his palace so that he strategically can order a rescue mission for the queen and the princess. Attacking directly against hundreds of savages are not very smart."

"We have no time!" Lucia suddenly stood. She punched the wall in frustration and drooped her head low. "If we leave, they're gone. These are savages, Your Majesty. They don't wait for the ransom. They will torture the queen and the princess for fun, and they can do so many bad things that you can't even imagine. This is our only chance. Before they attacked the hall, I heard some plotting to bring the queen and the princess east on a carriage. Do you know what's at east?"

The king nodded slowly. "The Burrow's Dungeon. They probably succeeded attacking that too."

"Exactly. The Burrow Dungeon is the worst place one can imagine being in. You'll turn mad if you stay in there for a week."

"Fine," the king said with a shaking head. He grunted in dismissal. "What do we do now?"

Lucia smiled. "First, you have to change. Flip your coat and mess up your hair."

Reluctantly, the king did as was told. The mud on the warehouse would do.

"Do you know how to use a knife?"

"I'm a king."

"That's a no, then. I'm starting to regret rescuing you, Your Majesty. Maybe I should just leave you here and save the princess and the queen myself."

"Excuse me?" The king tried to tower the poor girl with his height, but he failed as she was taller.

"Just kidding. Stay behind me and we'll be safe. Don't panic and don't scream. My horse is in a public stable about two blocks away from here. We should be able to intercept the princess' carriage if we ride fast."

"Alright," the king said with a drooping face. "If I die then you'll be hanged."

"I don't like you, Your Majesty, but I will protect you. You will not die before me... nor the princess."

The sound of burning houses and tormented peasants hallowed the dreadful air. The town was torn to pieces, and the reinforcements of troops hadn't arrived yet. The king was too naïve that he would attend such an event so far away from home. He paid the price now, and he paid the price right.

Lucia peeked from the gap of the warehouse to see the situation outside. She nodded and proceeded to scurry out without making too much sound. The horses and yelps of the many savages weren't far, but now that they looked like ordinary, fleeing town-folks, they could smuggle themselves easily without hurling too much attention.

"Stay close!"

The king nodded.

They slapped around the wooden houses and avoided some of the passing savages. They turned on a tight corner of an alley and crossed the road with heavy feet before descending the steps near Fidget Alley. Then, two savages came out of a house right in front of them while dragging a boy from his mother. The mother rebelled furiously, and the boy was beaten up for no real reason.

"Boy, o boy, we're going to raise you well and you're going to like us." And the savage kicked the boy in the stomach.

"Hey," Lucia said. She launched an arrow right on the savage's eye and he jerked backwards to death. The other savage licked his lips and stared disgustingly at Lucia. She prepared for another attack, but he lunged for her speedily. He barked like a dog and slammed his knife at her head. Lucia dodged back and the knife clanged on the cobblestone wall.

"Watch out!" The king screamed. The savage brought down his two charging arms from the air, knife in hand. Lucia grabbed them before it was too late, and butted the savage's head with her own. He lost his balance and tumbled back to the pavements. Lucia grabbed the man's collar, then, without hesitation, sank his knife deep in his chest. The man twitched and trembled, and he trashed around trying to mask the pain. Fifteen seconds later, he bled out and died.

The boy and his mother looked at what had happened, and they both hugged each other. Both cried helplessly. The mother even kissed her son hundreds of times on the cheek and checked again and again for any sign of a wound.

"Thank you so much," said the mother. "I owe you, My Lady."

"I am no lady. Get out of this town and head west. The town of Asgeria should be a safe shelter for now."

"Yes, of course. Thank you... thank you, Sir."

The king nodded. In hurry, the mother went inside, presumably to pack the bags.

"Let's go."

The stable of horses lied in front of them after five minutes of hectic travel. Many sounds of ache came from this alley alone, and the whole town bled. The king noticed the greyness of the sky and the thunderous storm from afar. Both gave him a slight chill in which he shook off when Lucia retrieved her horse.

It was a black horse, big and muscular it seemed.

"Her name is Marsela. She's my pride and joy. I stole her just two days ago near Harmalan City."

"She's a beauty," the king said with a genuine tone. "I always admire horses more than actual humans."

"Come, My King."

Lucia helped the king get up, and they both paced away from the alley in which the stable lied. They sped up, and all the houses and horrors that happened around them moved like blurs.

Lucia directed her horse to the main road and headed east with the sun behind them now. The many savages around us looked confused, and some even decided to chase us after for their entertainment.

"Six riders behind us!" The king shouted. "We're going to die!"

"Not on my watch!"

Lucia pulled the leash, stopping the horse completely and levelling the speed of it with the front-most enemy rider. The savage looked confused, but Lucia took that as an advantage.

"Grab the leash!"

"Okay!"

Lucia snatched her bow from the back and loaded it with an arrow. She did all this in less than five seconds, then sent the arrow flying through the rider's beanie and into his skull. He fell along with his horse.

She then took control of the horse and threaded through the curvy road of the town's market. Havoc ensued there too, but everything went past them in such a hurry. The king turned his head to check, and the five remaining horsemen smiled in contemplation.

"We have to do something to rid them off!"

"Just hang on, Your Majesty!"

"What?"

Marsela the black horse sped up. Wind bristled on their ears, sprinkling and screeching agonizingly, though the killers behind them remained more concerning.

Suddenly, Lucia jerked left. King Justice almost fell from the horse, but his tight grip allowed him to hinge himself to the saddle.

The first horseman who came didn't have the chance to stop and crashed onto the wall right in front of them. Lucia shot the second and rocked away before the other three reached there with their swords. The king gasped breathlessly for air, panic rising again as the familiarity of the tragedy back in the hall panged him.

"We're going to be fine, Your Majesty! I see the gate already!"

Beyond the gate would be empty grass fields and forests. The savages were all inside the town, so it should be a safer bet for them to go.

All of a sudden, an arrow swirled an inch away from them, surprising both the horse and the persons atop her. The king risked a view of the attack, realizing that one had a crossbow.

"Do you have a plan?"

"I'm not very keen on plans, Your Majesty. Improvisation works best for me."

The king gulped his saliva. Suddenly, his palms grew very cold. "One of them has a crossbow."

"Oh, I know that."

The gate was now behind them, and ahead would be the large biome of massive nothingness. Mostly sad meadows covered the area, making it hard to escape the attackers.

"I have an idea, but I won't allow you to scream and distract me."

"What?" The king asked. "What do you mean?"

"Just, hang on!"

"Whoa⸺"

Marsela the horse neighed when Lucia pulled the leash. She whirled to the left and avoided a passing arrow that struck nothing but the air. Plantations and yellow flowers trounced away as the horse cut through the fields. Dust flew everywhere, and the king coughed often when something entered his mouth.

"Here we go!"

Marsela jerked again to a stop, avoiding yet another arrow. Lucia drove her to circle the three remaining attackers. She yanked the leash, again and again, making a void of a circle around the three confused riders. Arrows whirred past often, one even scratched the king's cheek in the process."

"Lucia!"

"Calm down, Your Majesty."

She added the speed, kicking the feet strap again and again while Marsela neighed. The king heeded not of Lucia's warning by screaming at the top of his lungs.

The one with the crossbow seemed to clench his teeth in annoyance. His supply of arrows ran thin, but he wasted all anyway.

"My King, hold the leash again!"

"I can't! I'll fall!"

"You want to shoot then?"

The king paused, tears in his eyes. "Argh!"

He grabbed the leash and almost fell from the lush of winds. His head spun in dizziness when he controlled the horse, but they didn't stop.

Lucia grabbed her bow. She loaded it and aimed, and the arrow flew right to the crossbow wielder's stomach. He wailed before falling to the ground. The two confused savages gritted their teeth as Lucia unleashed another arrow that stroked a savage's head. The last one saw his last mate fell and pauses. Slowly, he lowered his weapon down and booked away with his horse.

Marsela stopped. The king fell while his head throbbed. Lucia aimed, up and high, and the arrow pierced the fleeing rider's waist. He fell and crashed the ground with his face though his left foot still strapped to the horse. He finished his last journey dragged by a panicking horse.

Lucia smiled. She untucked a bottle and drank joyfully.

"You okay, Your Majesty?"

The king gurgled. He struggled to stand, and he almost fell again when he managed to. Sweat and redness encapsulated his face, and now, he looked like a sweaty schoolboy with mud all over him.

"You're mad!" the king pointed his finger at Lucia.

She merely shrugged. "We survived, didn't we?"

"For now. Let me have that." The king snatched the bottle of water and drank it. He finished it and threw it to the ground.

Suddenly, from behind them, right on the path before they turned left, was the parade of carriages marching the queen and the princess. Jovanna stooped on the carriage's window with blood smearing her face. The savages escorted the two royal prisoners, and Lucia seemed to clench her fists at the sight.

"We'll get them," the king said suddenly. "Just, we need to plan it out... do it smartly."

Lucia sighed. The carriage and the maniacal laughter of the savages disappeared into the trees.

"Right. Get on, Your Majesty."

Lightning stroked the Earth, alarming the upcoming storm the people would behold. The dark clouds marched from afar. They looked angry.

The first drop of water fell twenty minutes after that. The king and his newfound crazy friend were trekking through the hilly forest of Kennantwood with tired backs and an exhausted horse. The path in which lied upon them looked stretched.

"How far is Burrow's Dungeon?" The king scrubbed his palms to create heat. He trembled every time as showering under cold water suited him not.

"Forty minutes, perhaps," Lucia said, not feeling too well herself. "Do you need to stop?"

The king didn't answer for a while. He needed rest as his tailbone killed him, but he understood that it would prolong the unbearable journey.

He shook his head. "The quicker the better."

The king couldn't see it, but Lucia smiled at this response. "Very well, Your Majesty."

A slither of time had passed and the muddy path which they had navigated for almost an hour came to an end. A giant building resembled a dark castle, and the growing storm gave it a more horrifying feel. Lucia and the king glanced long and deep into the appearance of the supposed renowned prison.

"This ain't a dungeon," Lucia said. "Dungeons are small and beneath the ground usually. This one is an evil fortress."

"I sent people here to die," the king said slowly. "I never thought how grand and grim it looked."

Lucia tied Marsela's leash to a tree near the main path. "We'll see each other again, Marsela. I promise."

The horse neighed joyfully though the rainwater bathed her with coldness. Its once magnificent black manes were now drenched until they looked like a bundle of dyed hays. The king smiled at the horse and petted it.

"Let's go," Lucia said. The king responded with a nod.

They minced through the back part of the grim prison castle, surveying the numbers of savages roaming around. Lucia saw a stack of burnt bodied near a shed, supposedly the guards and wardens of the dungeon. The king shivered as his hair rose.

"Did they find the slum king?" A savage asked, sword in the sheath. His friend and him sheltered underneath an asbestos roof behind the prison with some ales.

"Not yet, I think. They will later."

"Such a drowsy little thing, that scum. Calling us savages and all."

The other man laughed. "Yeah... didn't expect all thousands of us sacking four cities all at once, did he?"

"Don't you think it was too easy?"

"What was?"

"The attacks and all."

"It's because the king is such a drunk."

They all laughed simultaneously. The king, on the other hand, shot them a look of hatred.

"Wait here and watch my back," Lucia said.

The king nodded. A drop of water splashed him right on the eye and he cursed. Lucia chuckled before moving on.

She shoved behind the boulders near the two savages and drew her bow. It was her last arrow, and she had to make it count. She took a deep breath... and unleashed the string which pushed the arrow to a lurch. It struck the savage's head.

"What the?"

Lucia leapt from her hiding spot and charged the man heedlessly. He was too busy being confused when she got her hand on her knife, then slit the throat of the savage.

The king came out from his hiding spot and clapped soundlessly. His smiling face uttered an essence of satisfaction.

Lucia smiled. "Not a bad job, eh?"

"The charge was fabulous. You looked like a cheetah charging a confused antelope."

Lucia was about to respond, but suddenly, her eyes grew wide at the sight behind the king.

A sound emerged from the king's left ear. It was familiar and dreadful. "Enjoying your little trip, Your Majesty?"

It was Vin the Dread. He pressed a knife on the king's neck as he saddled his chin on his shoulder. Another man appeared and yanked Lucia's bow from her.

"You're alive," the king said.

"Too bad the teeny girl here didn't aim for the heart."

"I missed. I was aiming for your neck."

"Oh really. Maybe you should do it properly... like this."

Vin nodded to his companion who reached for his knife. He went to Lucia's back and slit her throat until blood drooled out. The rain quickly erased the oozing red liquid streaming from her neck as she gurgled and choked. The king gasped, a drop of tear escaping his right eye as his heart thrummed.

Lucia twitched and trashed on the muddy ground. After the blood spilt out, she remained quiet and still. The colour of her face slowly faded, retreating to the unknown abyss doom had brought. Vin's companion took the bow and admired it.

"Good bow."

"Keep it," Vin said with a smile.

Meanwhile, the king was shivering in anger and fear. But the anger got the better of him, and he suddenly bounced his head back to hit Vin's nose. Vin yowled in pain as blood spurt from his nose, but Vin's companion punched King Justice's stomach and made him kneel in front of Lucia's corpse.

"Grab him and take him to the others!" Vin commanded, still drooling over his broken nose. "We'll execute him last."

King Justice gave one last look to Lucia as they yanked him away. The sadness inside him made him curious. He never had such an intense feeling for sorrow, and yet here he was, angry over the death of a person he just met.

Lightning stroked twice.

They brought King Justice to the front field of Burrow's Dungeon where two figures knelt on the mud with scared faces. One savage had a machete in his hand, and he was currently tormenting the queen. He kicked her and trashed her. Her face was full of blood and her teeth were all knocked out. She cried and cried, but even the tears were invisible under the reign of the storm.

"I brought you a gift."

Vin spurned King Justice's legs to make him kneel right beside Jovanna. The princess couldn't even believe the figure which was by her side.

"Justice... I thought you fled."

King Justice stared at his brother, sadness in his eyes, mouth heavy with the conflicting truth. King Justice was renowned for his brutality and wealth, and Jovanna despised that part of him. She, however, didn't see the monarch she used to with the stare and the muddy look. She saw... a grievous human.

"I did flee. I left the two of you and here you are." King Justice turned towards the three savages now standing atop them. "Leave my wife and sister be. You have me, the most powerful man in the kingdom. Let them go and I'll promise to be a good prisoner."

Jovanna frowned. She didn't expect this from her brother.

Vin the Dread laughed. "Do you think we're dumb, Your Majesty? Give me that bow!"

Jovanna glanced at the bow. She pierced her eyes in a dumbfounding familiarity, but she shook her head to cry more.

"Bring me some arrows to load this beauty!" Vin commanded to one of his henchmen.

Vin loaded the arrow and aimed towards the dying queen. She was barely breathing and her wounds would almost be impossible to tend. She was half a woman, lying torn and desperate in the courtyard of a dungeon.

"Please," the king begged one more time. "She's an innocent woman. Spare her, please!"

Vin leered at the queen who coughed blood. "Innocent? How many of our children have you and your queen slaughtered?"

"You invaded our lands! I only wanted to protect my kingdom."

"Invaded? We merely exist twenty miles off your kingdom when you did that expansion five years ago. You invaded our home, King Justice, and there is no denying what your men did in the process."

The King wanted to respond, but instead, he lolled his head down and closed his eyes. Vin pulled the string, and then released it. The arrow went for the heart. At once, the queen died.

Jovanna screamed. She cried and thrashed around, but she didn't move. She knew she was next.

Vin's two companions dragged her to their master's front before he slapped her pretty face until she jerked backwards. King Justice tried to beg, but it was of no use.

"What do you want?" He asked. "Gold? Silver?"

"How about dignity?" Vin asked. "You call us savages, but did you expect us to want dignity?"

"Jovanna," the king said. Jovanna turned her head to face the unproud king. "I met your friend... Lucia."

Jovanna's eyes grew wide. Her mouth gagged open and she had no idea what to say. Her heart throbbed as sweat and rainwater soaked her torn dress.

"What?"

King Justice nodded. "She was a fierce fighter... and a good friend. She saved my life and now you."

"Where is she now?"

Vin smirked. "Behind the dungeon, lying with an opened throat."

Jovanna churned her eyes close as the sadness overtook her. Her head felt numb, and she almost didn't have the capability to live anymore.

"End me now," Jovanna said. "I don't care what you'll do with my body. Just put that arrow in my head and get it done with."

"Where's the fun in that, though, Princess?"

"Jovanna," the king started. "I'm sorry. I couldn't save her. She was three times the better person than I can ever be. I wanted to leave you, Jovanna, to abandon you and wait for the troops to save you. Lucia convinced me otherwise, and here I am, standing muddily in front of Burrow's Dungeon with three savages. I'm sorry. I really am."

"This is very touching," Vin said with a cringed face. "The redemption of a mad king. How unpredictable. Now, let's see. Ah..."

Vin trampled and kicked Jovanna. Unlike the queen, she welcomed the pain. Her pale face showed how catastrophic she must've felt. Emptiness and regret oozed through her veins.

Again and again, Vin kicked her. There was no scream. There was just the flinching and the bleeding.

"Stop!" Jovanna screamed, blood all over her face. The king couldn't look at her anymore. Regret swindled over him, thus there would be no escape to this everlasting torment of disgrace. "Kill me, please."

Vin sighed. "Fine. It's getting rather cold here anyway."

Vin loaded the arrow.

Suddenly, King Justice lifted his head. Anger and determination were upon his face. "Wait!"

Everyone turned their looks to him. He breathed the quelling hatred and the sudden urge to be heroic.

"What, Your Majesty? You want to shat yourself?"

"No," the King said. "I want to do this."

All of a sudden, the king trashed his head back and butted the savage. It was so rough and fast that his nose immediately broke. The king seized the dagger which he brought and swerved when the second savage attacked him. By an inch, the king dodged the attack and cut his foe from the side, stabbing his ribcage and ending his life.

"I'll kill her," Vin said when the king stood proudly over his achievement. He was a pretty hefty man despite most of the content of his body was fat. Anger and fear fuelled him, hence making the most lethal weapon the king had ever felt.

Vin now stood with Lucia's bow aimed at the princess. His eyes flinched, and his heart thrummed, but Vin knew he could take out both the princess and the king if he wanted to.

"Say goodbye to your king, My Lady."

King Justice reacted fast. With all his strength and might, he leapt from the side and shielded Jovanna's body from the arrow. Then, it flew. The arrow punctured the king's chest and stroked through his flesh and heart until he fell. Jovanna screamed as tears spurt away from her eyes.

The king curled up right beside the trembling Jovanna, eyes clenched closed while the king began stifling.

"Well, well..." Vin said, approaching the clustered body of the once king. "How tragic and heroic."

Vin flipped the king's body to face him, and he didn't expect it when the king opened his eyes and stabbed the last savage's neck with the dagger he still clenched. A single sound clasped away from Vin the Dread, and blood showered upon the once fair clothing of the king.

"That's for Lucia."

Vin stooped. His eyes jerked open in disbelief as the last person he'd expected could kill him put the sword in his throat.

He fell right beside the two royals, face-first into the mud.

"Justice!" Jovanna caught King Justice as he stiffened and dropped. His eyes wandered away, searching for his unruly past in his gloved mind.

"Jovanna... You will be a better leader than I am."

Jovanna wept. "Nonsense, Your Majesty. I'm going to get you out of here."

She scanned the arrow which was still stabbing the king and drooped.

"There is no time. There's a lot of savages around here, and it's best for you to flee with Marsela. She's a lovely horse, tied to a tree just a few feet from the gate. Take care of her, Jovanna... and take care of my kingdom."

"I'm not leaving you, Justice."

"You must! Get out of here for me, Jovanna."

Jovanna struggled, but she cursed and stood. Her hairs were now strapped to her body as she balanced her geet.

"Jovanna," the king called before she left. "Lucia said she was sorry. She didn't mean to throw you out."

Jovanna nodded. She took the bow from Vin's clasping hand, then disappeared into the darkness of the storm.

King Justice lied there, awaiting his inevitable doom while the tearing clouds bathed him. He didn't feel the pain. He felt only at ease.

He smiled, knowing that the kingdom would thrive under the rule of his just sister. She was wise and brave, and her legacy would be remembered forever.