Alys in Chains

1.

2. Shadow Runners

​The moon was full as it shone down onto our town. Its light reflected off my ruby hair, my silver eyes scanning from the rooftop where I sat. It was my job to make sure the village was safe...or so I proclaimed.

​Myself, I wanted to be a knight; or more accurately, a type of freelance fighter, as I didn't want to be bound by fealties.

Females couldn't do such things, it was ridiculous. They were supposed to stay home and clean and make the food and have babies...a proper lady in waiting. I shuddered at that thought. THAT was ridiculous. It was so tediously insane. My mother pestered me; the girls shunned me, the boys made fun of me. But I could beat half of them in a spar anyway, so it didn't matter.

​My friends, Dante, Arabella and I, had a sort of guild going. It was called Shadow Runners, and it was our choice to make patrols around the town when everyone had gone to sleep. Because they were my friends they were the only ones I told about my idea. After all, it was a quiet place that didn't need much attention. The Kings castle was a village and a half away, security barely made pass here.

​Coincidentally, the princess's birthday was arriving just two weeks after I formed the Shadow Runners, and the king himself was hosting a party where everyone was welcome to croon over her majesty's coming of age ceremony.

​I'll pass, thank you.

​A shifting noise caught my attention, directing my eyes to the edge of the roof. I didn't move, not even as Arabella hoisted herself over the edge and gracefully padded toward me. Dante landed behind me with a soft thud at that very moment.

​Arabella stopped in front of me in a mock salute. "Admiral Arabella at your service, Lady Alys." She smiled playfully as I rolled my eyes.

Dante put his hand on my shoulder, supporting his weight on me as he so often does, saying, "Nothing new tonight. We'll do one more patrol, to pass the hour, then we should all get home to sleep." I nodded at his words.

I stood, shrugging off his hand as I did, and turned to face him. His brown hair was grey in the moonlight, which reflected off his honey eyes. We clasped hands and I smiled. "Aye, aye good sir."

​The hour passed relatively quickly. I stifled a yawn, bumping knuckles with my two comrades before slipping in through my bedroom window. For a human, I must say I had pretty damn good night vision.

​My room was small and uncluttered. A bed off in the left corner, a dresser to the right of the window, the little door at the top right corner, still closed. I could only see with moonlight, but I could see everything in my room well enough to not bump into anything.

​Thankful for the night to be halfway over I peeled off my leather tunic, heading to my closet to put it away. I froze. I was vaguely aware of something in my room, something making a small shuffling noise, right between my closet and my dresser.

I unsheathed a dagger from my waist, holding my tunic in such a way so I could use it to choke or blind my opponent if need be. I took two steps forward and peered around the corner.

​"..."

​I nudged the lump with the toe of my boot. It sprang at me in surprise. I choked in the startled cry, not wanting to wake my family as I wrestled the person the floor. It was harder than it should have been. I got the dagger against the person's throat, when two strong hands grabbed at my wrist and I was pinned under the figure.

​"Hello, beautiful."

​I hissed. "Hello Aiden." I brought both my feet up and kicked him in the stomach, sending him rolling against my bed.

​I jumped to my feet, sheathing my dagger, and pulled Aiden up by his collar. "What do you want now, you infatuated, common-kissing, lout?"

​"Hey, hey, is that anyway to greet an old friend?"

​I tossed him onto my bed. "Insolent rogue lechers are no friends of mine."

​He shrugged off that remark. "We grew up together. You can't throw that out the window-"

​"why do you keep pursuing me?"

​"because you're so hard to get?"

​"so that's it, is it? im the carrot on the end of your stick?"

​"Love, if you want to be at the end of my stick-" I pulled the dagger out again.

​"I dare you to finish the rest of your sentence."