Every Rose has a Thorn

Again

"How you doing?" He asks.
"Soldiers found. Only one question. Where the heck is the meeting place?"

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Carmen took deep breaths as the rain pelted her back.  Her red hood drawn up high as she slouched over her horse.  Her horse trots slowly behind the carriage holding Percy. Instead of the 20 men she had thought to bring originally she had 5 men with her. Each was rigid as they walked along the carriage. Carmen could feel their glances at her in both confusion and fear. After she was the Prince's fiance she could be riding inside, out of the rain. But Carmen knew exactly where she belonged. She knew what kind of Queen she was going to be. Carmen's eyes unfocused as she began to think about the plans she had for the kingdom.  She was no good at speaking eloquently but Percy didn't have the confidence to compel a crowd. They would need to use actions and set an example.

The best way I suppose.

Carmen's eyes shot up as she heard a scream from one of the soldiers.

The Torians wouldn't make a move now. We're too close to the castle, only a day.  So who is this?

Carmen jolted from her thoughts as she hears swords clash.

Oh yeah. We're fighting..right...what's with all these sudden battles? It's like some kind of bad action book. Whoever is writing this can I get a vacation? Damn.

Carmen steps off her horse in time to catch one of her men from falling into the mud. She looks over at the assailants to see all of them hooded in black cloaks and shadowy wisps around their feet. Each of her men seem to lose their nerve seeing the shadows materialize into various weapons.

Only two ways they could be so similar in their abilities. They're from a hereditary family which are all powerful well known families. And none have abilities like this. There must be something influencing them. Carmen slinks forward towards the other 4 men who were facing against the three cloaked figures and failing. But once within striking distance the three figures simultaneously turn to her sharply.  As they do the hoods are pushed back and Carmen expects to see the bottom of their face. But she sees nothing but a faint glow from higher up on their face.

"You're not real." She speaks with absolute certainty. "You're our fears, an unbeatable adversary. Sent by Prim. Tell her when you return to our minds that she's gonna need to make some better illusions if she wants to scare me." The three figures stare back at her before a piercing white light appears on their face. Wide grins of white appear as they crumble and disappear. Any proof of them existing washing away in the rain.

"Ma'am? You called them illusions but...we could feel them." Carmen smiles softly at the man, he was by far the youngest. Nineteen at most and the most astute of them all.

"Close your eyes." She whispers to them and only the boy closes his eyes. "Take a deep breath. What do you hear?"

"...The ran falling." He says after a moment.

"Do you really? What does the impact sound like? Can you tell me when one hits the ground specifically?"

"...No..."

"We're trapped in our own minds. In realty we are still riding alongside the carriage. But we are stuck her in our mind landscapes. With our fears, dreams, and thoughts. What we are hearing and feeling is just our mind filling in the gaps with what it knows because it doesn't know what else to do."