Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 3: Drunkard

The princess wiped away her tears and forced herself to remain strong. As she saw the guards approaching her, she tried to distance herself from them, despite her reluctance to leave her mother behind.

Amara grabbed her sword and swung it with all her strength at the large window mirror, shattering it. She quickly ran towards it and jumped out, crossing her arms to shield herself from the shards as she propelled them away from the palace.

Some glass fragments cut her body, causing her blood to flow. The drop was relatively high, so she rolled on the grass upon landing. She was trying to catch her breath when she spotted the guards looking at her. They showed no intention of jumping to follow her; however, she knew they wouldn't give up until she was slain.

The guards quickly dispersed; it seemed to her that they were heading down the castle to chase her. Determined to distance herself from them, she struggled to stand up and stumbled while holding onto her arm, which seemed to have been injured during her fall.

It was dark, and the rain was pouring heavily, making it difficult for her to ascertain her path. She had no idea where she was going, but she continued to push herself away from that place. She could hear the fast galloping of horses and the voices of the guards searching for her. Amara was gasping for breath, her vision becoming blurry. She knew she couldn't escape far under these conditions, so the miserable young lady thought she needed to find a place to hide.

She veered off the road and entered Francia's dense, vast forest. To her knowledge, the forest would lead her to Serenus, a small town between Dillon and Erin. It was still quite far away, but she thought she could find help if she could reach it without being seen by the guards.

In the darkness of the forest, only the moonlight provided illumination. However, the heavy rain made it difficult for Amara to discern if she was still on the right path. The princess shivered; she was feeling weak. Amara didn't know how long she had been running. The night seemed endless, and she still didn't know if she was close to Serenus. The lamented young lady prayed that she wouldn't encounter any wild beasts in the forest because she couldn't bear to handle them if she did.

Struggling to catch her breath, the unfortunate princess decided to rest for a moment to gather strength before continuing. She leaned against a large tree as she tried to regain her breath. She couldn't help but shed tears and clench her fist as she pictured the horrifying fate that befell her family. It felt like a never-ending nightmare from which she couldn't awaken.

W-What is really happening? Is it really Lord Laxus who is responsible for all this? But why? Why!?

She sensed some rustling noises from a distance, causing her eyes to snap open as she searched for their source.

Sh*t! They are here!

Her gaze caught glimpses of distant lights that seemed to come from some houses. She thought it might be the town of Serenus. She hurriedly wiped her tears away, and nothing else occupied her mind except reaching that small town. The people of Emmett were kind, and she was confident they would help her find a place to hide.

But in her haste to continue running, she didn't notice a protruding root in front of her. She stumbled and fell into the mud. She was already at the limits of her body's endurance in her state. Her trembling hand was no longer able to crawl for those moments. She thought Serenus was so close; she was almost there! She didn't want to stop running, but her body wouldn't obey; Amara was unable to stand up any longer.

Amara stretched out her hand as if reaching for the lights of the town in front of her, but it was still far away. She wanted to scream and ask for help, but no words came out of her mouth.

No! No! I must... I must go there!

Amara tried to stand up again in desperation.

"And where do you think you're going?" a rough voice said. The poor princess screamed as the soldier forcefully stepped on her hand. "I saw her! She's here!"

Fear engulfed Amara's heart as she realized she had been discovered. In her current state, she knew she couldn't fight back anymore.

The soldiers who were chasing the pitiful maiden arrived in an instant. One of them grabbed her hair and lifted her from the muddy ground.

"Look at that. You made it so difficult for us to find you! We didn't know you were just here all along!" the soldier's leader sneered.

Amara stared at him fiercely and cursed, "You monsters! What did my father do to you? You demons!"

"Your father has committed a great sin against us! You're the real demons!" the soldier replied, hardly slapping the princess's beautiful face.

Amara was thrown back into the mud. Her body was so weak, but her mind could still think somehow. She wanted to close her eyes and let go, but she fought against it because she knew she would never wake up again if she did.

Merciful heavens, I don't want to lose my life yet. Please let me seek justice for the slaying of my parents before I fade away! Have mercy, I beg you!

"He deserves to die! He's a useless king!" the leader shouted, angrily kicking Amara in her abdomen. Blood gushed, and Amara felt her hope slipping away, especially when the soldier drew his sword and prepared to stab her. "You all deserve to die! Farewell, beloved princess—"

Suddenly, the soldiers' commander froze when someone unexpectedly threw a stone at his hand, causing him to release and send his held sword flying. His eyes widened in surprise, as did the other soldiers, for they had not anticipated this turn of events. The leader's hand got injured, and he became even more enraged due to the intense pain in his hand.

"What happened? Who dared to do that? Who is the audacious one responsible?!" the leader raged, questioning his subordinates.

Although Amara couldn't totally open her eyes or move her body, she could make out a figure in the distance. When it thundered, and the lightning flashed, he caught sight of a man standing not far away from them.

"Weren't you all having fun there, huh? Hic!" the man's slurred voice echoed.

The soldiers immediately turned their attention to the voice of the seemingly intoxicated man. They frowned upon realizing he appeared drunk and seemed like he was not in his right mind.

"Who are you?! Stay out of this if you don't want to die!" the leader threatened.

The man continued approaching though his steps were unsteady. It was clear he paid no attention to the soldier's warning.

W-Who is this man? Is he drunk? No, he'd be in danger! D-Don't... don't come closer! P-Please... I don't want anyone else to die!

"I thought I would find fierce wolves here to fight, hic!" the young man said casually as if he was mocking them. "But it seems there are only rats. Hic! Worthless rats."

"W-What did you say!? You bastard!" the commander said, seething with anger. "Kill him!"

Amara's tears dropped again as she heard the commander's ruthless command. In a low, trembling voice, she pleaded, "N-No, please! D-Don't kill him!"

The soldiers lunged at the drunken man without hesitation, but he just evaded them effortlessly. They couldn't tell if it was his skill or his intoxication's effect as he appeared on the verge of collapsing with each movement.

"Wait! Wait! I'm not ready yet," the man said. "Let me vomit first— Ugh!"

The soldiers paused, disgusted, as they watched the man retch beside a tree. The commander got annoyed and screamed, "What are you waiting for!? Kill him!"

The soldiers gripped their swords tightly and charged at the intoxicated man. Little did they know, despite his inebriated state, his mind remained sharp, allowing him to dodge their attacks unchallengingly.

"Didn't I tell you to give me a sec? Hic! Are you really pissing me off?" the intoxicated man snapped in irritation.

"You shut up— ahh!!!"

"I see. You're excited to die," said the drunkard as he snatched the soldier's face and smeared it with his vomit. Swiftly, he grabbed the fallen soldier's sword and used it to fight.

The commander was left dumbfounded as he witnessed the man systematically slaughter his men one by one. Within moments, their lifeless bodies littered the ground.

"Y-You, bastard! Who the hell are you!? Why are you meddling in this?" the commander gritted his teeth, glaring sharply at the strange man.

Amara could no longer feel her body, yet her weary eyes remained fixed on the young man. She couldn't fully see his face as darkness enveloped their surroundings, and his long hair almost obscured his features, but something inside her said she knew him.

I can't explain it, but it feels like I've seen those deep, penetrating eyes before! But where? When? I-I can't remember.

Lost in her thoughts, Amara's eyes gradually closed. But before completely losing consciousness, she heard the young man speak again.

"Do you want to know who I am?" the drunkard grinned at the commander, who felt uneasy then. "Well, I'm just the one... who will kill you."