The Protector

Prologue(2/2)

Darius climbed out of the little window. He saw the handle to the water tankers and hesitated. With a single pull, his life would might never be the same again.

It must be done, he told himself. It must be done.

So he set the baby down and closed his eyes. Tears ran down his cheeks and at the count of three, he quickly pulled the lever before he could change his mind. The loud roar of gushing water could be heard. He quickly picked up the baby and walked into the forest.

As if she could tell the trouble befalling her mother, baby Genevieve started crying. Darius tried with all his might to get her to quiet down. They would quickly be found. He had to get to the docks before sunrise, if they were to escape. He gently cooed at the baby, willing her to quiet down and sleep. She only cried louder.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of hooves. They would quickly be found.

Darius climbed a tree. It was old one with huge vines hanging from it. Surely it would offer them cover. It might even muffle the baby's cries. He climbed onto the topmost branch, deep into the vines, silently willing not to lose his balance. As he found a firm place to sit, he found the baby was not secure. He took the sack with the kings seal and tore out a portion of it. With this, he tied the baby to his chest.

Baby Genevieve was still crying, and he didn't know what to do. He remembered his mother singing to him, but he didn't know any songs. So he hummed the war anthem to her, as quietly as possible, hoping it would quiet her down. The soldiers were coming closer. He gave out a prayer and continued humming.

Miraculously, Genevieve fell asleep. The soldiers stood right below the tree. Darius knew that if they looked up even once, they would see his feet dangling in the moonlight.

"Where could they have gone?"

"Who could have escaped anyway? The queen and her lady have drowned."

"The queen had given birth. The body of the child has not been found."

"Then we must man the docks. Whoever has the baby cannot escape without going to the docks. No heir should be left behind. We don't want any other claims to the throne."

"You're right. Let us reach the docks before they escape."

The soldiers rode away quickly. Darius didn't know if he should be relieved or distressed. He had to get to the docks before sunrise.

An hour after they left, he climbed down and went towards the docks.

By the time he reached the docks, the first rays of the sun were penetrating through the leafy cover of the forest and falling on his face. Baby Genevieve had got up twice and he had to hum to get her to sleep again. He knew that he would need to get her milk when she woke up next.

As he reached the docks, he found that they were fully guarded. There was no way he could escape without being seen. Also, he needed food for the baby.

He turned towards the fish market and pulled down his hood. Hoods were often used by victims of the pox epidemic, who wished to conceal their scars. He hoped the guise would come in handy now.

He came to a bakery and asked for a loaf of bread and handed over two coins.

"These coins won't be in use from tomorrow onwards. The new king is minting new coins. Best make use of these as much as you can." He smiled ruefully. King Marcus was loved by all his kingdom.

Next, Darius came to a dairy and asked for six bottles of milk.

"What are you stocking up for?" The man asked, suspiciously.

"Simply making as much use of these coins while I can."

Darius quickly put the bottles in his torn sack and set towards the docks and found that the soldiers were all drunk and celebrating. He decided that he would escape now. He hid baby Genevieve under his cloak and hood and carried his sack like a common merchant. Straightening his posture, he walked confidently towards his boat.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Please don't start crying, he prayed silently.

"I am Jaqs. I own this boat and wish to take my wares across."

The drunk soldier looked at him and decided that he wasn't a threat.

" Alright, fat merchant. You have my permission to take the boat. But you must pay the tax." He smiled gleefully, as he opened his palm towards Darius.

Darius knew that if he gave him money immediately, he would ask for more. So he fumbled into his bag for a while and pulled out some copper coins and two gold coins.

"These are all I have, my lord. I shall sell my wares and give you the remaining amount."

"Fine, you may leave now."

Without wasting any more time, Darius jumped into the boat and pulled the anchor. As if on cue, Genevieve started crying.

Darius rowed quickly. By the time the soldiers realized and shouted at him to stop, he was out at sea.

A/N: Well, this ends the prologue. Turns out, it was only two chapters long. Please let me know if it's worth updating further. I'll update only if you think I should. Thanks!