The Protector

Chapter 4

Genevieve

The man thought he had her, yet had underestimated her due to her small size. Thinking quickly, she stabbed the carving blade into his side. The man howled in pain, yet he did not drop her. Genevieve had just created enough distraction to be able to yell for her father.

Darius woke up with a start, as he heard the yelling. Years of training with the Royal Guard and as the Queen's personal protector taught him to wake up to the slightest noise.

Despite that he was growing old, his sense of hearing hadn't decreased much. When he heard another scream, he rushed out of bed to find Genevieve missing.

Darius ran out of the cottage, armed with his sword. He was shocked to see her being carried away by a man into the forest, who seemed to be struggling just as much as she was.

"Put my daughter down, or you shall face my sword." He yelled, running towards them.

"She is not your daughter." He said, picking up his pace.

Despite herself, Genevieve looked at him in confusion.

The man tightened his hold on her.
"She must be taken to the king. She cannot live while he does. No heir must survive."

Darius looked at the little girl he was holding. She had so many emotions in her eyes, fear, anger, pain and most of all, confusion. He had a lot to explain.

Without wasting any time, Darius took his stance and charged towards the hooded man.

The man put Genevieve down and drew his own sword.

"Fine, let us get this over with."

Darius lunged at the hooded man, but quickly saw that he was badly injured by Genevieve's shearing knife. Despite that, the man slashed at him and Darius moved just in time. Their swords clanged as they struck each other. He kept attacking his injured left side, and in a short while, the man was exhausted. Darius took control and forced him to move backwards, tripping on a rock.

"Put down your weapons." Darius said quietly.

"You saved her now. You won't be able to do it the next time. The king will know! Long live the king of Corcusse!"

Instead of putting his sword down, the man plunged it into his own abdomen and bent over, dead.

Genevieve was shocked at the gruesome sight. She had never seen someone die before her. And the words he said put her in confusion. She hoped he was wrong. She felt hot tears running down her face and she looked towards Darius.

"Let's go back home, Genevieve. Are you injured?"

She shook her head, unable to stop the steady gush of tears. Darius picked her up and walked into the cottage, closing the door behind him.

He decided to give the man a burial the next morning. Nobody deserved to be left to rot after death, even an enemy.

Genevieve sat on the mat near the fireplace and stared at her father. His dark blonde hair, with some white hair at the sides, his heavy beard and his warm, big, brown eyes. She looked nothing like him. She always assumed she looked like her mother. Whenever she had asked him about her mother, he'd told her that she had died shortly after giving birth to her. And now, she had new questions sprouting up about her past.

"Father, why was that man saying that about me?"

"Genevieve, child. You're tired. Please go to bed." Darius sighed. "We will talk about this tomorrow."

"No!" She cried, standing up angrily, her eyes blazing. "You must tell me. Why did that man want to take me away?Who is the king he was talking about? Why did he kill himself like that?" She shuddered and looked directly into his eyes. "Why did he say I'm not your daughter?"
***

"Move aside, you wretched leper!" Yelled the noble on his horse, as she crossed his path.

She simply pulled her hood lower and walked away, ignoring him. It had been ten years and she had learnt to bear the taunts.

She sat with the rest of the poor people and gathered the leftovers in her old sack.

As she made her way into the forest back to cottage, she saw her working away at the plants in the little garden. She knew a lot about healing and had opened a little apothecary. It was the only thing keeping them from the streets.

"Mari!" She smiled as Marissa pulled her hood back. "You're back."

A/N: hope you like it. I'm building up into their childhood, making a string backstory, so there will some filler chapters before they all actually meet. Thanks for reading. Please don't forget to vote and comment if you liked it.