21

Jza woke up far too late in the morning. In fact quick surveillance from behind the curtains showed daylight had almost faded into nothingness. It was not morning at all, as she had mistakenly assumed at first, but evening. Her maid had obviously been warned not to interrupt her sleep which she was grateful for since she had never felt so well rested in her life.

The Princess forlornly noticed the flags raised high above the arena. It seemed like the ball guests would be entertained by blood sports this night. Tarquin would be foolish if he forced her to attend. As singular as it was she felt free even when trapped like a song bird. After facing death everything that could come her way in the future felt trivial. That fear of telling her captive no was lost forever.

Jza quickly lit the lantern left behind from their sojourn to the rooftop. She wrinkled her nose as the smell of oil filled the room.

The girl restlessly waited for the rest of the evening for Tarquin to come back. She had no yearning for his company but it seemed she still had so many questions swirling in her head. Her future actions depended on what bonding her to him implied.

Jza mindlessly flipped her notebook over and over until she found a dried up rose resting gently in the bound pages. She closely inspected it trying to recall when she had left it there. She vaguely remembered some foolishness associated with Tarquin but she was quite sure she had never saved the rose.

Her thoughts were marred by the outer door being slammed open. Startled by the interruption Jza stood and gripped her light source close to her.

To her alarm her maid ran in, red in the face, breathing in large gulps of air, shutting the bedroom door behind her. The woman shrieked in her own language, frantically gesturing with both hands. Even without the word comprehension it was obvious something was very wrong.

The maid kept looking behind her as if expecting something horrific to pounce upon her. Jza inferred somone was coming but before she could make out more there were more sounds outside.

"Sssh," Jza hissed and pulled her maid into the closet, "Hide in there!"

She slammed the closet door shut leaving her weeping maid in the dark. At least her loyal servant could have some protection. Behind her the doors opened and guards stormed in as if ready to battle a rabid beast.

"You need to come with us," One guard had his dagger pointed at her.

"I shall comply peacefully. You needn't fret," Jza took great pains to look unaffected by the intrusion. She gathered her skirts and bearing only the oil lamp she followed the soldier who had addressed her. The other men joined the procession behind her.

Once outside her room her confusion quadrupled as her slippers were drenched in blood. Two guards were slain outside her room. They were one of the few regular guards who could speak in her tongue. Her concern grew stronger but there was nothing to be done but march forward.

The brown haired girl was led to the derelict study which she had breeched what seemed like a lifetime ago. She had certainly not left it in the state it was now. While she had broken into some locks using brute force she had not completely butchered Tarquin's desk. It was now barely standing on two feet. A cursory glance informed her the rest of the room was also in disarray.

"Ah, here she is," A familar round faced commander bared his teeth at her, "The enticement."

There was not an inch of warmth in his icy blue eyes. Lantern still in hand Jza walked in soundlessly trying to see who he was addressing. The light in the room was almost negligible leaving her blinking. The guards around her were dismissed.

"We have been looking for your mother? Where have you managed to hide her? This girl will have to do in the meantime."

Jza reached the centre of the room and her body stilled mid motion. Her nails burned crescents into her skin as she realised it was Tarquin who sat on a chair with his hands bound behind him. His head was bent foward in a slump. His uniform was drenched in dark congealed blood. She would have presumed he was dead if not for her own health which belied the vision set before her.

The Princess saw his chest move as he exhaled his words, "Kill her. I care not."

"Liar till the very end. You have guarded this girl with every means possible. She is not so insignificant as you pretend," The commander meandered around them lazily. Jza placed her free hand on Tarquin's chair.

The girl hadn't realised she was holding her breath until her lungs struggled to work. Her eyes narrowed on her new captive. The man's feet was bringing him closer and closer.

"Where are the papers? I do not know how you discovered our plans but for this war to continue without your presence we will need everything," The burly commander asked. Tarquin only scoffed without even raising his face.

Jza closed her eyes trying to drown the urge to laugh hysterically. The very papers he was demanding she had already dispatched to King Samuel. He was asking the wrong person.

"What are you smiling about," The commander abruptly barked at her.

"Me? I am just an innocent bystander." Jza opened her eyes as her mouth twitched. This was by far the most ridiculous situation she was forced to be in.

"Not so innocent. I know you hold some knowledge. He followed you like a pup everywhere."

"If you want to hold a Barbarian ball I can tell you a tale or two. I am only well versed in Barbarian lore," Jza answered in a sedate tone. She had noticed the fire raging within the commander's eyes as the answers he searched for eluded him. The more serenity she exuded the more composure he was losing.

"Yes, Barbarian balls, Barbarian blood sports... How much degradation must our Somerlians tolerate. It cannot be borne any longer. As the new ruler I shall order all remnants of Barbarian culture to be annihilated, starting with you," The fair haired man jabbed his finger in the air towards Tarquin.

"I am curious. Is this how the Somerlians do it; Dispose off their rulers one after the other," Jza asked uncaringly. Her eyes were still searching for a way out.

"Lord Ivan murdered his uncle. Tarquin murdered lord Ivan. I can certainly kill the half breeds with no repercussions. No one will shed a tear," The commander answered, meanly.

"Interesting. I wonder who will be the one to dispose off your body," The Princess asked with a hint of amusement on her face. Self-preservation was irrelevant when the person who's life yours depended on was bleeding profusely. Tarquins face was chalk white. It would not be long before the blood loss would be irreversible. It may already be too late.

The commander gave a startled look at the bizarre upstart. She was meant to look alarmed, frightened, giving Tarquin pause at his defiance, not adding fuel to the blaze.

"Who are you?" The man asked a very popular question.

"Is this wise? Taking down the one man actually doing his job. Goridian castle is still holding on firm. Without the traitor you are left with no one on the inside to help. King Samuel will use the power vaccum to regain his power," Jza wondered out aloud as she took a step closer.

"We have Goridian castle under control. We will starve them out. We managed this castle, we can manage another," The commander looked flustered by her probing.

"Are you sure? I've read about Ivan. Worthless just like all the other Somelians," Jza sneered. She gazed sideways at Tarquin. The man's lips were curved in amusement. Even caught in a trap like a wounded animal he was still his old self. Some things never changed.

Jza swiftly raced forward with a small war cry and bashed her lantern in the commander's face. Before the man could regain his footing she emptied the oil on his clothes and threw the burning wick on the screaming man. For good measure she picked up an errant desk limb and started slamming it on the rolling man.

"J-Jaza?" Tarquin's breath rattled painfully as he completely butchered her name. It was only then that she paused her beating of her victim.