Deception & Betrayal (Complete)

Close Your Eyes

Leaning back, he closed his eyes with a sigh of contentment. Nothing could be better than an afternoon full of good food, sunlight, and the chattering of pretty ladies. They sounded like little birds, close enough for him to hear them scream if there was a problem, but far enough away so that they had the illusion of privacy and he had a modicum of peace and quiet. There weren't a lot of days like this left in the year, and Grigory was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

"I love this job," he sighed to himself, shifting his weight to get comfortable.

Grigory was one of Queen Tatiana's day guards, and he couldn't have asked for a better job in all the world. The queen and her ladies rarely did anything outside of the protection of the palace walls, which meant that he basically got to laze about. His fellow guards were jealous of his position, but there were perks to being a part of the force of guardsmen for so long, and basically having his pick of duties was one of them. The only job he imagined that could be better would be that of captain, a position that was currently available, as a matter of fact. As one of the most senior guardsmen, Grigory knew his name was one of those being discussed for the job.

"Get up, Grigory!"

The order came with a nudge to his ribs, and Grigory opened his eyes to see the scowling face of his partner.

"Lighten up, Sergei," the man groaned. "What reason could there be to not enjoy this beautiful day?"

"The fact that you are on duty and are supposed to be guarding the queen and her ladies, comes to mind," Sergei growled. "You have got to be one of the laziest men I've ever met or heard of!"

Grigory just smiled at the sound of disgust in his partner's voice. The other man was young, a good decade his junior in years of service, and half again as many years younger. Sergei would learn to relax in time, he knew.

After some time passed and Grigory made no effort to get up and attend to his duties, Sergei left him with a frustrated sigh and stamped away. Grigory had known that if he just waited long enough, the man would leave. Sergei was so predictable, just like the days were predictable. Nothing ever changed, and he was happy that way.

Shouts, screams and the sound of weapons clashing startled Grigory awake some time later. Sitting up, the man realized that enough time had passed for him to be lying in full sun instead of shade. Shaking his head, he wondered at what sort of dream he'd been having, but then he heard a woman scream again.

Pushing himself to his feet, Grigory jogged toward where the queen and her ladies had been, last time he'd looked. He couldn't see anyone, but when he paused to listen again, he heard the sounds of a struggle coming from the right, deeper into the garden.

The garden path curved gently away from where he was standing, and Grigory once again pushed himself into a jog. His breath was quickly laboured, and he huffed and puffed along the pathway until he came to a reflecting pool bordered by three stone benches. Grigory took in the scene quickly, noting that while some of the ladies-in-waiting were huddled at the far side of the pool, at least one of them was missing from the group. Sergei was on his knees just to the right of where Grigory stood, a man in black standing before him and with a sword at his throat, while a second attacker held the queen, one arm wrapped around her waist. Tatiana was struggling, but she couldn't get any leverage, and the man finally pulled a knife and laid it against her throat to get her to stop moving.

"Drop your weapon," the man holding Sergei commanded, not taking his eyes from his prisoner but still obviously speaking to Grigory.

He took another look around the area, and did what he was told. His sword clattered to the stone walkway with a sound that seemed unnaturally loud, and it was followed immediately by Sergei's curse.