The forsaken Princess

1. Invasion

"Damit," the old King cursed loudly, as he brought his fist down on the arm of his throne. The king's right hand went silent, and so did everything in the throne room.

"Then get her a new guard! Why must I tell you everything?" He spat impatiently, as the vein on his forehead grew visible.

The king's right hand turned his head looking at the knights stationed silently along the throne room, before pointing towards the tallest and saying, "You will be her new guard, I expect not a single complaint, you hear me?"

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And so Archer took his place in front of the princess's sleeping chamber. This was not how he'd planned it, but he would make due. It would only be three more nights before he'd overthrow the royals and take back the kingdom from their greedy and selfish hands.

His line of thought was broken when the door to the princess's chamber opened from the inside. Out stepped Princess Viola, entirely dressed and ready but still sleep-dazed. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at the tall man standing by her doors.

"Who are you?" She asked, trying to shake the daze.

Archer knelt down on one leg in front of the princess, making his armor-padded arms and legs clank. "Archer, your highness. I have been assigned to guard you, from now on."

Viola batted her eyelashes, surprised by his formal action and tone which she wasn't used to from her normal guard. "But what about Gerald?"

Archer lifted his head a bit without looking up at her eyes as it was unfit for a knight to do so as he thought about her question.

"The other guard," Viola added trying to clear the confusion.

"He has passed suddenly due to the Cold Cough, which is why I am here in his place," Archer said bluntly.

"Oh," Princess Viola said quietly, making Archer wonder if he'd misheard or if there had been a hint of sadness in her voice.

A moment of silence passed before Viola began making her way along the halls of the castle, as Archer came to a stance to follow her.

"Oh, right. You don't have to bow when you're with me," she said softly as she smiled over her shoulder at Archer. "I imagine it being a pain, having to do it all the time," she added.

Archer nodded, "As you wish, Princess Viola."

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The young knight had followed the princess around all day, never taking his eyes off her to ensure her safety. She'd gone for a walk around the castle's gardens, eaten breakfast, had a history lecture, followed by a dancing lesson until the sun began setting. She'd asked a maid to have her dinner brought to her chambers as she began making her way toward the gardens once more.

Archer followed the young woman trying not to visibly grit his teeth. He had come too far to babysit the princess, but there was nothing he could do to change it.

Princess Viola walked through the garden of roses towards the water fountain scanning the neatly tended flowerbeds.

She was the only heir to the throne and even though Archer had been working for the Royal Family for years he'd almost never seen the princess before. She stayed to herself and rarely attend balls, dinners, or other festivities. To Archer, she was the least important royal, as the King and Queen had the highest rank and would be the most difficult to kill.

Viola knelt down by a flowerbed and began picking a certain type of flower. "These are Sword Lilies," Viola mumbled more to herself than to Archer as she gathered them in her hands.