War Of Hearts

part 3

Chapter 13

"What were you thinking?" Flint whispered finding his sister in the servants quarters with Julian.
She shook her head and kept looking down at the sleeping boy. His face was less swollen, but still hard to look at. "I don't know" she whispered. "I wanted to beat them and rub it in their faces" she picked up his hand and held it to her face.
Flint walked into the room to kneel on the floor next to her and hold her hand. "This isn't your fault" he said.
"Yes is it" she said. "Men are as prideful as women, I should have know it would endanger him. I just thought a Knight would never do this to a child"
"If they had honor" Flint said. "They wouldn't have come. They're here to make sure Sir Horace captures you, and if he doesn't, they will"
"Oh let them try!" She cried. "I can take them with my left hand!"
"But you can't take Horace" Flint said. "And if you think the Kings Guards are the only men Farlin has here, you're a fool. Did you notice that none of the Seven Lords of Levon were invited?"
"I'm not quite that stupid" Fiona said. "This Tourney is going to start a war Flint. All there is left to do is pick sides. You were right"
"When Farlin hears you targeted his men..." Fiona nodded. "A war was coming anyway"
"So it's not my fault?" Fiona mocked. "It was always my fault. If I hadn't been such a snob to Farlin at the trial, if I hadn't decided to come to the Tournament, if I hadn't challenged the Kings Guards" she sighed.
"If a war wasn't fought over your spirit" Flint said. "It would have been fought over your heart"
Fiona snorted. "The War of Bachelors" she mocked. "May the best man win" she paused and stroked Julian's hand. "I don't want to get married Flint" she said. "I want to live for myself, no one else"
"Alright" Flint sighed. "I don't know how...but I'll put off the Coming Of ball"
"Don't" Fiona said. "Father will make it happen some other way if you do. I'll just announce my engagement to Killy and spend several years planning a wedding that eventually will happen"
Flint's eyebrows went up in surprise. "You're engaged to Killy? When did this happen?"
"I'm not" she said. "But all I have to do is say yes. We talked about it the night before last"
"Oh" Flint stood up. "I have to go. Will you come to dinner?" She nodded her head. "You know...now that we're Knight's, that makes you my brother, not my sister"
A slow smile spread across her face and she looked up for the first time. "You're still the only brother I like though" she said.
"I love you" Flint said. "Like a best friend as well as my sister. I don't know why that's important, I just felt the need to tell you" he walked out awkwardly before she could respond and closed the door.
"Coward!" She called through the door. But all he could hear was: I love you too.
She did come to dinner, with Killy, in a green dress. The moment she came down the steps everyone burst into applause and began chanting "the Lady Knight" until she was in her seat by Lord Marius. The Lord of Endmarch who had ignored her last night was now very interested to discuss the joust with her and told endless stories about the history of Endmarch, the castle where the last battle of the Golden war was fought. Eventually dinner was over and Lord Marius asked her to dance and she accepted.
They walked out on the dancefloor and Lord Marius bowed, but Fiona didn't curtsey. "Is something wrong?" He asked taking her hand to dance.
"For you" she said. "Yes"
Marius began sweating. "I don't know what you mean"
"I mean you're a dead man" she said. "You won't live to see the end of this Tournament. This has been your last Nameday, I hope it was everything you wanted" she pulled back suddenly and marched off the dancefloor towards the stairs.
Flint saw her go, but figured she was going to see Julian and told Killy not to fallow her as he was going to. He wasn't the only one who saw her go though, almost everyone noticed how she jilted Marius on the dancefloor and stalked off down the steps.
Fiona had just reached Julian's door when the song of steel was heard behind her. She ducked without second thought and spun on her attacker. It was the four Knight's she had beat, the Kings Guards. Sir Marlon walked slowly toward her with his sword in front of him. The others were close behind.
"Not so smart now" he said. "Now that you are unarmed"
"You have seven seconds" Fiona said. "One. Two..."
They laughed. "Or what?"
"Three. Four. Five. Six..."
"Grab her"
"Seven" she jumped towards Marlon knocking aside his sword and slapping him in the face. It happened so fast he couldn't move out of the way.
Immediately the other three drew their swords and pointed them at her as she shoved Marlon to the ground. "Fuck this!" Said Dermot. "Kill her!" Fiona turned to run but the sound of one of them grunting made her turn back around.
It was Sir Horace, he stabbed Dermot through the back and shoved his lifeless body aside as he then was attacked by Blackthorn and Audrey. He deflected their blades and kicked Audrey back on Marlon, he stabbed Blackthorn through the heart then immediately slashed Audrey open, killing him.
"Please!" Marlon began. But he was dead before he could finish.
Fiona was frozen in place looking at the last man she ever expected to protect her. Sir Horace cleaned his blade on Marlon's coat and sheathed it.
"Are you hurt?" He asked coming over to her.
"Why did you do that?" She snapped. "Don't you wanted me dead too?"
He looked down at her as if struck. "No. I don't" he said. "Are you hurt?"
"No" Fiona said.
"Good" he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. "I don't have time to clean up a blood trail"
Those words registered in Fiona's mind too late. The handkerchief was over her nose and Sir Horace grabbed her around the arms so she couldn't escape. She kicked and thrashed as hard as she could but his grip was like a vice. She knew there was some kind of poison on the handkerchief so she held her breath and didn't scream, but she couldn't escape and soon her lungs felt like bursting and she took a breath.
Fiona fell limp against Liam and he dropped the handkerchief and quickly threw her over his shoulder. He ran to the end of the hall and opened the door leading outside and ran to the stables under the cover of the decorative tress. The horses spooked when he went inside, but he ignored them, he placed Fiona down in a pile of hay as he found his horse and an extra and saddled them as quickly as possible.
This wasn't the plan, he'd been caught off guard when he saw the Kings Guards Fallowing her and had to act quickly. Thank god he'd had the drugged handkerchief in his pocket! But now he had to leave everything he owned behind. Danm that carelessness girl! He brought the horses the the doors of the stables and picked Fiona up and placed her on the extra horse. He tied her to where she wouldn't fall out of her saddle and hopped on his horse.
Now to get past the gates. He rode slowly up to them and paused just in front of the latch. "Where are you going at this time of night?" One of the guards said stopping him. Liam kicked the man in the head and drew his sword on the other one, slicing him through the neck.
"To hell" he whispered. Then he unlatched the gate and through them open.
He was miles away when Fiona was noticed missing.