Sundown

followed

Saoirse heard the commotion when the soldiers outside were being commanded to take up their positions and horses were being drawn out of the stables. They were finally here, she knew it.

She had known all along that she would have to face the enemy men too. There was no way they were escaping it because Holy Towers in any kingdom were places of great prestige and essential to conquer.

She waited for it to begin as she fastened her sword at her belt and drew out her shield from under her bed. She was not going to be chicken and hide behind four walls when she could be out there, fighting for her kingdom and its people.

All of a sudden, she heard the yells of men and she could not fathom if it was the ground shaking or her legs when she realised that they were finally here. All the clergywomen and children had been transferred to the safety of the Tower dungeons and Saoirse decided to be on guard there.

A blast resounded and the very walls of the corridor as she ran through it seemed to shake from the impact. From one of the windows, she could see a minaret of the building tilt and fall to the ground amidst a cloud of dust and smoke.

Trees and the huts of the peasants around burned bright as the foe lit them on fire. Their own men charged at them and all around was only blood and fire and chaos and death. This is what men reduced themselves to in the end, despite having better brains. Their animalistic instinct to kill and be superior never leaves them.

As Saoirse pushed open the double doors to the safety chamber in the dungeons, the sounds of wailing and scared children and their mothers and other clergywomen trying desperately to comfort them fell into her ears.

"I knew you would come to save us!" Little Rob said as he ran and hugged her leg as soon as he saw her enter.

Saoirse ruffled his hair and looked up to see his mother looking at her with moist eyes, not knowing how to tell her son that a single woman could not save them all even if she wanted to.

"How bad is it out there?" She asked.

"Bad enough. It is best if we do not talk about it." Saoirse replied.

She saw no point in telling them what she had seen and terrifying them further when they could do nothing about it but pray to their cruel gods who had put them in the midst of such an agonizing time.

"Saoirse!" She heard Nola, the eldest clergywoman call out her name from across the hall, sitting in her high seat. Although bent with age, the woman had a certain gravity to her and one could not help but pay attention to her when she demanded it. Saoirse walked to her and when she was close enough, Nola commanded her to take the empty seat beside her.

"I have something for you to do. It's a fatal task but only you out of all the others here can do it." She spoke.

"I'm at your command." Saoirse replied.

Nola produced a rectangular box wrapped in black velvet cloth; its surface studded with little diamonds that reflected the light from the fires in the hearths all around.

"This has Princess Pauline's ceremonial wedding diadem in it. The Priests of the highest order bless it before it is presented to the bride. Since we do not know when the Tower should fall, I want you to deliver this in the hands of the princess. Go as swiftly and discreetly as you can. There is mortal danger out there but this has to be done. This belongs to Pauline and she cannot get married without it."

"It will be done." Saoirse said, taking the box from the old woman and burying it in the deep inner pockets of her cloak.

She left the hall and sped through the dark corridors to the stables. Mounting her mare, she led it out of the Tower amidst the shouts and cries of dying men, into the thorny, marshy forests. She kept as far away from the main routes as possible to avoid getting spotted and attacked.

Soon she could see the high towers of the Royal Keep rise in the distance and the woods grew thinner and thinner as she neared it. She made her way to the hind gates of the castle that anyone hardly used, but she found it burning in tall, orange flames and about a dozen men lay dead in front of it- rotting, bleeding, charred to death.

As she slipped past the destruction and hubbub and into the main premises of the castle, her heart sank. All around, the soldiers of Elmcaster were struggling to keep their foes from breaking their defence line and entering the inner parts of the Keep. She drew out her sword and cut off the head of a man approaching her with his mace raised. She steered her mare to the shadows or she would be dead within minutes if she kept standing in the midst of the violence.

As she was trying to figure out the safest way to reach Paulines chamber, while all around the defences of Elmcaster grew weaker by the second, she saw a fresh troop of numerous soldiers, all bearing the banner of her kingdom charging in, yelling Timothee's name and it was not long till she spotted the Prince himself.

It was hard not to notice him, what with men running away from his path, knowing death was the only thing in store for them should they clash swords with him. She felt a sting in her chest upon seeing him after so long, especially after all that had happened. She had expected to feel miserable and to breakdown should she ever see him, but anger, pure seething rage was what coursed through every vein of hers.

He had known all along that she felt differently for him, he had also known that he would never be in the position to make anything serious out of them. Despite it all, he had led her on and even convinced her that what he felt for her was something more than mere lust.

She forced herself to do what she came there to do. Her stupid feelings were not more important than her dearest friend and kingdom at this moment. As if on cue, she found a small passage which she knew lead to the castle kitchens, unguarded and free of any men.

She dismounted from her horse and slowly but steadily sneaked into the passage and ran to the kitchens. In a few minutes, she saw light at the end of the narrow alley and before she knew it, she was in the familiar kitchens of the castle, but what took her off guard was shouts of men coming from behind. Her heart sped up more if that was even possible, as she realized that she had been followed.