The Fallen Prince: A Prince's Mistake

A Second Fight

Waking up to the magnificent moon beaming through the tent, I looked at my watch. It was 3 A.M., but me and Archie had no time to waste. We had to get to Juyl, but more importantly Vuns, before my father could find us. I walked outside and saw Archie practicing with his (technically my) dagger, his rarely used bow slung over his shoulder. I began to walk over to him, but I fell to my knees. my ankle was still badly sprained, and I could barely walk. I unsheathed my sword and used it as a crutch. Once he saw me, he smiled. 'How are you doing?'

'Better, I think,' I muttered under the pain.

Archie put my arm over his shoulder after sheathing his dagger, and we headed closer toward Juyl.

The sky was filled with trillions of blazing, scintillating stars that lit our path. The crisp wind was blowing in me and Archie's hair, while the sound of leaves rustling, and owls hooting were the only sounds I was able to hear. Below us, vast blades of grass were swaying side to side, being squashed when we stood on them. But they just jumped back up and continued their job. I looked forward, and Juyl was already getting closer. The words still weren't close enough to translate – unless you had binoculars –, but it was obvious there was something written on the walls. Also, I could see the spires of the castle touching the clouds. I could've just sat down with Archie and enjoyed the view from the field, but I (or rather him, considering he was carrying me) carried on. Every now and then, I would see a rabbit jump through the grass, or a bird fly over me toward Juyl. The field really was massive. It had to be at least ten miles long, and me and Archie were probably only halfway, yet it had been around 90 minutes. It was even wider. It was probably 25 miles wide, and the width increased the further we walked. I was admiring the view when I heard a rustle in the grass. I hastily looked and saw a figure above me and Archie, a dagger facing down on us.

'Castor!' Archie yelled.

Thanks to being so close to Archie, I knew what his plan was. He launched me up and raised his grip, so his hand was holding my wrist. I put both my legs into a position like I was hopping. I left my bad leg in the position, while the other sprung out and hit the figure's head. They fell to the floor and their head hit the ground first. Their eyes rolled back in their head, so I knew it hurt. Unfortunately, I was then flying across the air. The wind whistled in my ear, and I already felt gravity pulling me down. I grabbed my sword hilt and yanked the sword out of my sheath. It made a sort of swoosh sound as it whipped through the air. I kicked the sword down to the floor and held out my hands to catch the hilt. I felt myself make contact with the ground, kneeling with my good leg up I looked up, and the figure was already attacking Archie. I recognised the armour the figure was wearing. A grey set of chausses that perfectly fit, a silver breastplate and greaves, and a hood up, a mask to hide the face. It was the armour of my assassin.

After having a slight flashback of the enemy, I focused back on the battle. Both of the fighter's moves were impressive. The assassin was attacking and attacking but defended when they needed to. Archie was holding his dagger tight, and kept bending, then slashing at every chance he got. They fought in sync, as if they knew each other's every move. Every now and then, he'd crouch, let go of his dagger, then catch it again – to access more power – before stabbing the leg or hip. He was doing great, but then the assassin did an unpredictable move – they did what I did against the wolves. They switched their weapon around, so their handle was facing away, then they smacked Archie against the face. He flew across the floor like me, but he was unconscious. I saw blood drip from his lip and wanted to save him. But I had to deal with the assassin first. Just as Archie's limp body stopped still on the grass, I charged at the murderer. I avoided travelling on the floor because of my ankle, so I launched in the air. I got a gash at their shoulder, but then they kicked backwards into my stomach. I fell to the floor but carried on. Determined to defeat the annoying figure, I dealt with the stab in my ankle, and chose my most powerful and powerful terrain – the floor. The assassin jabbed at my throat, so I did what I did to Eric – I sidestepped and then slashed at their wrist. Instead of it falling off, the armour just had a small hole where blood dripped out of. They punched my back with their other hand and then kicked my hip. I fell to the floor again but managed to change position mid-fall so I could attack before they could react. It worked. Kind of.