Isolde

Chapter 3 - The Attack

They were in position, nothing to do but wait. Wait to live, wait to die, they had no way of knowing so just sat in silence for a few minutes, contemplating the night they had ahead of them.

Alouette eventually broke the silence with a hoarse whisper "Do you think that was him?"

"Who?" Isolde replied to her friend's vague question

"Frelian Alvaro?"

"What about him?" Isolde didn't understand.

Alouette sighed at her friend's lack of knowledge regarding matters of political importance, she knew all there was to know about leaders of foreign lands, it was her duty to know as a princess. She could name most of the leaders of the land without too much thought and had been carefully skilled in how to act around each ambassador in order to win their favour; how to be flirtatious when with the Quariners, reserved with the Harennese and pious with the Rilian. Yet her friend and lady Isolde didn't possess this knowledge, she sometimes wondered if Isolde was even of noble birth and if she could be the single one of her ladies who wasn't from a titled family as by tradition. No, it couldn't be her, she thought. Lady Isolde was always so well dressed and spoke with eloquence at balls, Alouette had all but decided that it was her lady Kathryn who was the one of low birth for she had such a common sound to her voice.

"What about him?" Isolde repeated her question, distracting Alouette from her train of thought and analysis.

"Do you think that was the real Frelian Alvaro in the Armoury tonight, or just one of his generals?" Alouette explained

Isolde was puzzled "Who is Frelian Alvaro?"

Alouette now looked aghast at her friend's lack of knowledge "Prince Frelian Alvaro is heir to the throne of Rilia, he's the only son of the King!"

Isolde now matched her friend's look of surprise "Do you think it could be him?"

"Possibly, I've never met him myself, just heard stories about him. About his charming good looks and intellect"

"He was very sharp" Isolde noted

"And horribly attractive." Alouette replied as if her friend had missed the main point.

Isolde, eager to keep the mood light-hearted to distract from the danger, teased "hey, you're all but engaged."

"I know" laughed Alouette "he's not my type anyway, but he really was striking."

"But why would he be here?"

Alouette shrugged "Maybe for the ball tomorrow, but that seems odd because he's never attended a ball here before like all the other princes have, that's how I met Callan."

Their conversation immediately stopped when they heard some incoherent shouting outside, they didn't recognise the language as it wasn't Pretusian or Harennese but both assumed it had to be the Turige, having finally reached the castle.

After the shouting came the sound of grunts and wood creaking.

"I think they're climbing up the trellis." Isolde whispered so quietly it was almost silent. Alouette let out a whimpering noise like a wounded dog at the thought that their nightmare was about to begin.

The noises outside continued for about a minute, with leaves being rustled and deep determined breaths then a new sound came: A thud.

The thud of boots hitting stone.

This was followed by yet another thud, then another, then another again. Isolde tried to count them to steady her nerves, convincing herself to focus on the noise rather than the danger it brought.