Love and Revolt

Chapter 6 - The Tyranny of Rivenwood

In the secluded hide-out nestled deep within the darkened Thalassian rubble, the atmosphere was tense and charged with emotion. James and Erika, two of Thalassia's most skilled rogues, were in the midst of a heated argument, their voices rising in anger and frustration. James was livid, his eyes blazing with fury, as he berated Erika and Felicity for allowing Princess Quinn to escape. He believed they should have stuck to their initial plan and held her for ransom, instead of letting her slip away into the night.

Erika, however, was the picture of calm and composure, her sharp mind working to find a solution to their predicament. She tried to placate James, reminding him that they still had the princess's valuable jewellery and could use it to their advantage. Felicity and Nimbus, their loyal comrades, attempted to ease the tension by reminding James of how kind the princess had been to them and how she had promised to return. But James refused to let go of his anger, bitterness seeping into his words as he spat out, "The princess won't come back. Not when the Prince of Rivenwood is in Eldriador."

Erika was confused. "So what?" she asked.

As James spoke of Prince Alexander, his voice grew grave and tense, his eyes fixed on a distant memory. "He was a tyrant who turned his people to slaves," he said, his words heavy with meaning. "Everyone looks happy to the outside when visitors come. But go a bit deeper into the kingdom, and you'll see blisters on their hands; rotten teeth behind their smiles; and hatred behind their adoration."

The others listened in silence; their faces etched with concern. Felicity's eyes widened as she heard James describe the horrors of Eldriador. Nimbus looked down, his expression grim. Erika's brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of the situation.

"Prince Alexander isn't just here on a friendly visit, now is he," James continued, his voice tinged with sarcasm. "He's a marriage candidate."

Erika raised an eyebrow, "But she could just reject him. There's been plenty of marriage candidates before. There's no guarantee they will wed."

James shook his head slowly, "But none of those previous candidates are like Prince Alexander. He's cunning. Ruthless. And yet charming. He knows how to get into your head. Find out what you want. And then give you exactly that."

Felicity shuddered at the thought of such a manipulative man trying to woo the princess. "Then we should tell her that he's a bad man," she said.

"Borf," Nimbus said with a grunt.

"How can we?" James said, his tone growing agitated. "We can't just waltz up to the palace, be like 'Oh hey princess, just wanted to let you know, your marriage candidate, Prince Alexander, yeah, He's a sociopath!'"

Erika's mind worked quickly, "We may not be able to 'waltz' up to the palace. But you could always request to be stationed near the palace as a guard."

James sighed, "You've got the best chance of accidentally running into her, James."

"But you don't get it, Erika," James said with frustration. "Even if we were to meet by chance, it's forbidden for guards to engage."

"Then pretend you're dying," Felicity said, a glint of mischief in her eye. "That way she will have to talk to you."

James rubbed his temples wearily, "This will never work."

"But we have to try," Erika said with determination.

James nodded reluctantly, "Fine. I'll report to my commanding officer first thing in the morning and put in a request."

As they retired to bed, the weight of their mission bore heavily on their minds. The possibility of success seemed remote, but they knew they had to do everything they could to protect the princess from the clutches of Prince Alexander.