KINGDOM : In The Light of The Night (END)

KINGDOM

Chawarin woke up with a start, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He stared into the dark, disoriented for a moment until the sounds coming from his window reached his ears.

He left his bed quickly and looked into the night, hands firmly planted on the stone window frame. The castle’s front yard was overcrowded with some of pentagon’s soldiers fencing off intruders, dozens of intruders with Black armour, black swords and shields.

Chawarin’s personal guard and the pentagon's castle royal guard was no match for them.

The room was lit with a flickering glow from his night lamp making it difficult for Chawarin to locate his armor and bows quickly. He might have been only nineteen years old but he was a good enough archer and he wasn't about go down without a fight.

Just as he was crossing the room the door flew wide open, showing a dark figure from the other side of the threshold. He launched himself for his daggers to have some sort of protection when he was only dressed in night clothes.

The soldier entered his quarters and closed the door after him. Chawarin awaited for the attack, ready to defend himself but the man remained motionless, simply guarding his only safe exit.

Bathed in the light of the room, Chawarin noticed the crest embed to the man’s vest. The invaders were a part of prince Zee shadow army, their own kingdom army, that's mean they were in the middle of a rebellion.

“Lay down that dagger, lordling, you’re going to hurt yourself,” came a voice that resonated from within the closed helmet. It wasn’t mocking but Chawarin took offense nonetheless.

“I’m not about to surrender to a coward of an enemy who attacks their own defenseless kingdom grounds in the middle of the night.”

The man snorted and lifted his hands, putting Chawarin on edge immediately and causing him to lift his weapon higher. Sensing his defensiveness, the man showed the palms of his hands and slowly lifted the helmet from his head, revealing his face to Chawarin.
Chawaring let out a shocked gasp when the candle light highlight the feature of the man, revealing a familiar face that look almost the same as his fiance face. The second prince, Zee pruk.

“The only reason you’re defenseless is because your army was sent to thrash innocent provinces to annex them to your nation, when your king, your supposed beloved wise prince and their followers spend your people tax for a drunken party night after night. It’s no crime to steal from a thief and a swindler.” The man started walking to the window Chawarin had been watching through before the intrusion, he kept talking. “By the time your beloved fiance returns from his hunting trip, the town would have surrendered to my army and the castle will be in our total possession.”

His back was to Chawarin as he talked but the duke son was far more preoccupied by the clear path to safety. Seizing his opportunity, Chawarin made a run to the door, his dagger clacking loudly as it collided with the stone floor.

He had barely turned the knob when he was grabbed by the waist and pulled deeper into his room, then tossed to his bed.

“Don’t,” prince zee said sharply, “if you cross that threshold my soldiers will kill you.”

“Isn’t that why you’re up here?”  

“Only if you leave this room.”

Chawarin looked away, breathing heavily. The prince took his position again, guarding his prisoner and leaving Chawarin time to weigh his options, as the official fiance of this kingdon unofficial crown prince and a war prisoner of these cowardly traitors.

If prince zee’s threat was true, and by what Chawarin saw in his yard he had no reason to doubt him, he would be found by the rest of the prince shadow’s army sooner or later, maybe taken into custody. Or maybe he wouldn’t even make it that far, it was very plausible that he would be executed right then and there to ensure the surrender of the castle’s residents. He had no way to escape safely or to hide, he had to confront them.