The Knight and the Peasant [FIRST DRAFT]

Chapter 30 Pt II

The more numerous Serpent Guard began to slaughter the Cleric Knights. Men and women alike screamed and tried to flee the hall. Serpent Guard tried to rush Benedict and the Arch-Cardinal, with only a small line of Cleric Knights holding them. Sir Terrance looked around, confused. Jacquez tried to rush Queen Cecila to safety while Francisco used his spear to cut down the oncoming Cleric Knights. Although the Crown Prince preferred to spend his days drinking and partying, he was still a formidable fighter trained by some of the best knights in the kingdom. The Serpent Guard standing guard outside the Great Hall rushed in as they heard the sound of conflict. Benedict could no longer see his mother, but he saw Jacquez wielding the axe of a fallen knight to great effect. His strikes were brutal and quick, splitting through muscle and bone.

The Arch-Cardinal's eyes had gone wide. This was not supposed to have happened. She was escorted to safety by two Cleric Knights. Benedict picked up the bastard sword of a fallen Cleric Knight and faced the oncoming Serpent Guard. The knights were reluctant to hurt him, for he had bonded with many of them in training grounds of Navitium, but they knew their oaths. Benedict evaded the thrust of a partisan, grabbed the shaft of the polearm and jerked the knight, a man named Corbin, forward before stabbing him in the back of the knee. At unnatural speeds, Benedict spun and half-sworded to block a high thrust from a longsword. He twisted and threw the blade to the side before thrusting his sword into the knight's groin. Flemming's groin. The knight collapsed to the ground, screaming and holding his bleeding crotch. Benedict felt bile building in the back of his throat. He tried to look for Angelica or the Duchess Lilliana but could not find them.

The floor was littered with bodies.

Blood made the steps leading up to the platform slick. Rivers of blood flowed through the hall with dozens of tributaries. Benedict spotted the Lord Constable rallying with a group of Serpent Guard, cutting a bloody swath through the remaining Cleric Knights. He noticed Francisco and Jacquez make a gory path to Benedict, leaving so many bodies in their wake.

They were losing.

"Stop," Benedict whispered. "Stop. Stop!" Louder. "Stop!" Not loud enough. "STOP!" His voice amplified tenfold by... something.

Yet still, he was ignored.

Then, Francisco reached him.

The Crown Prince was in a bloody craze. The spear he wielded was covered in blood, from blade to shaft. "MY CROWN!" he raged. And he charged.

Benedict held his sword at the ready. He deflected three rapid thrust of the spear before trying to grab the shaft on the fourth thrust. But Francisco was quick, he threw the blade of the spear to the ground and tried to swipe at Benedict's feet. Benedict jumped at the last moment, evading the swipe. He landed and twisted to block an overhead cut from the axe of Jacquez.

His blade shattered under the cut.

The shards of steel left a nasty cut running down his cheek. Momentarily blinded, he could do nothing except try to dodge the thrust he sensed from Francisco. He managed to avoid a fatal thrust and instead received a spear to the thigh. Benedict cried out in pain.

Where was he guardian angel now?

Here, she said in the back of his mind. I'm always here. Reach out, Benedict. Reach out.

He tried to reach out. How feeble he must've looked.

"You tried to steal my crown, brother," Francisco spat. "Well, these are the ramifications. Look."

Benedict looked.

Count Jovan was barely fending off the Serpent Guard. The Cleric Knights had been overwhelmed and were lying dead on the floor. The blood of nobles filled in the gaps on the floor where there were no bodies. Men and women alike had not been spared. There, Benedict spotted the Duchess Florjes and Angelica. They were bent over a body. A corpse. He squinted to see better.