The prince within my princess

Part 1: The Mousetrap

The carriage stopped suddenly. I peeked through the window to see a large tree blocking the road. Some soldiers already were off their horses and were looking for a way to move the large tree.

I turned to the driver of our cart who had a better view.

- Is it cut or broken?

I asked.

- Excuse me, my lord?

- Can you see if the tree trunk is broken or cut?

He turned to the road and stood up on his seat to take a better look.

- From here my lord it looks like ...

I heard a loud zip and blood splattered all over my face. The driver's body dropped like a puppet freed of his strings.

I froze. My brain went blank. Before I could even have the time to react, a strong arm grabbed me and ripped me off my seat. I fell to the hard dirt. I pulled out my knife. The arms grabbed me again and threw me like I weighed nothing. I hit the closest tree on the side of the road. I felt the air leave my lungs. Struggling to catch my breath, I got a view of the convoy. Some carriages were up in flames. Humans covered head to toe with rugs of different colors, leaving only a line for the eyes to see, were fighting, slaughtering, and pillaging the carts. I could hear screams and I could see blood. The person who grabbed me started approaching me. I tried to get up but my left knee was still weak. He was a giant of a man. He picked me by the neck. He turned to someone I couldn't see behind me. I seized the chance and started stabbing the man wherever I could reach. One of the slices hit his neck.

He growled in a way I had never heard a human being growl and he threw me on the floor once more. He grabbed his neck and started trembling. I did not stick around to see how that would end. With all my strength, I walked dragging my injured leg to the carriage where Blair was in. A man had grabbed her from the other window and was trying to get her out. In the fight, he snapped the chain from her neck and set her free of his grasp. I quickly opened the door from my side and pulled her out.

- Run! I screamed to her.

She looked at me confused and scared with tears running down her eyes.

- My neckless! I cannot love you without my neckless!

I turned to see the man holding it looking now at us. I turned to Blair.

- I will bring it to you, I promise now run!

For a moment she did not move. She looked at me deep in the eyes. She closed the gap between us in a sudden move and suddenly our lips were met. The warmth, the soft tingle... and it was over just as fast.

She turned her back and started running. I saw her disappear in the woods.

I felt the strike before I saw it. The man with the neckless had given me a hit with his club in the stomach.

I dropped and rolled. I looked up at the necklace in his hand. I kneeled and tried to jump up on him to get a strike with my knife. My weak knee gave up midway and I fell on the side. Before I could get another chance, everything went black.