I moved through the castle corridors with pace and purpose, turning corridors sharply, my cape bellowing behind me as I moved up flights of stairs swiftly. Two guards followed closely behind, obeying my every order with respect.

“Go protect the King and Queen,” I said firmly to a dozen of well-trained knights, “The ambush was planned to be at midnight and we need to be ready for it.” The rebels had been planning to raid the castle for months, searching for places to break through castle walls, places where they could hurt the royal family, places where there were weaknesses in the guard. They believed they found one, according to spies. They hadn’t. There are no weaknesses in the guard, I make sure of it. Turning and bursting into the training hall, I tugged at my gauntlets, commanding the rest of the soldiers to defend or attack.

They all replied with an obedient, “Yes, Captain,” before moving to their designated posts outside the castle walls. My job was to protect the Prince. After checking their were no cracks in the plan, I made my way to the Prince’s chambers, where he spent most of his time reading or writing, things I didn’t have time to appreciate.

Before entering, I knocked and waited patiently for the door to be opened. The sun was setting below the horizon, we had plenty of time. After a few minutes had gone by, I knocked again, this time louder, the crashing of metal on wood resonating through the stone walls. No response. I placed an ear to the door. Nothing.

“Your Highness, may I enter?” I asked politely. “We have a rather urgent matter.” Still no response.

Then, I heard another voice, too deep to be the prince’s. That’s when I tried the handle urgently. When it didn’t budge, I kicked it down, causing it to swing backward with a loud crash. The Prince was there, fear glistening in his eyes as a knife kissed the skin of his throat. More than ten rebels stood in front of me, their black clothing making it clear they weren’t servants or soldiers. Some snarled as I entered, others revealed toothy grins as they drew swords.

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Elira, The Captain of the guard, stood with confidence, not showing any sign of fear, except for glistening in her eyes that proved she cared if I lived or died and not just for duty. I would have smiled if it weren’t for the knife. My heart thudded even faster as the blade was pressed further onto my skin and I felt a small drop of warm blood fall from my neck.

“Don’t hurt him.” She lifted her hands in a calming gesture. “We can figure something out without any needless bloodshed.”

The man holding the knife spat on the floor. “You really think we would bargain with you? We’ll kill the Prince, then you, then the rest of the people in this castle.” I blinked rapidly.

“Please, I’ll give you anything.” Elira pleaded, but her hand subtly hovered over her sword as she slowly, unnoticeably, crept closer.

Another rebel spoke, adjusting their grip on the daggers. “There’s nothing that’s worth more than revenge, Soldier. So I suggest you leave before we mangle your pretty little face until you’re unrecognisable.” The others cheered savagely. I tried not to shudder in fear, tried not to show any sign of panic, but all of my efforts faded as the rebels closed in on her. One took their place behind her, drawing a broadsword. I held my breath.

Elira didn’t speak, she merely weighed her options. But, the sword behind her was lifted high.

I yelled, “Wait!”

The rebels all paused and looked to me, as if they didn’t know I could speak although they heard my curses as they captured me.

“Does the Prince actually care for a lesser person than him?” The man beside me chuckled viciously which gave enough time for the Captain of the guard to strike.

She swung in a circular motion, beheading two men before her, then turned on her heel to stab another in the stomach. They began to drop like flies. My hope suddenly disappeared as I felt the blade pressing further into my skin. Elira looked at me and smiled. She smiled? That’s when I realised our sparing sessions weren’t for nothing. I kicked back to hit the man in the knee, the grabbed his wrist as he curled in pain and disarmed the knife, twisting his arm until it cracked. He screamed and I refused the urge to cover my ears. Beside me, the Guard surged forward like a tornado, just more controlled and graceful.

Before I could take in the rest of the scene, all of the rebels in the room were dead. I sighed with relief and dropped to my knees, aftershock taking my triumph. She crouched before me and bowed her head before placing a finger underneath my chin to lift it up. She stared into my eyes.

“Thank you.” I whispered to her, voice trembling.

(Not the biggest fan of this one. Please let me know what you think about the pacing and just overall story because I don’t really know if it is good or not. Thank you!)