Alexandria: The Rebel Princess

Chapter 14 - Part 1

Screams ripple into the tent from outside. Shadows of men running, reflect up against the cloth walls. Shooting upright, I scan the room. Xavier waits by the entrance, gripping his axe and peeking out cautiously. Tristan is prying on his clothes and strapping on his weapons.

"What's going on?" I groggily whimper.

"An ambush," Tristan hisses.

"They have figured us out," Xavier marches over to me his voice sympathetic. He kneels down in front of me handing me my clothes. "Get dressed, we need to hurry."

Tristan glances out the tent, and I toss on my shirt racing after him. Xavier grabs my waist and pulls me back. My legs kick out and I scream. Tristan stares at me with a hint of sorrow in his eyes and exchanges a nod with Xavier before dashing out into the chaos outside.

Xavier flings me to the bed and I roll across it, grabbing my pants and pulling them up. With a few jumps, I spin around to find Xavier handing me my stolen bow with a new quiver fresh with arrows. "You will need these," he explains.

"I'm not supposed to be part of the battle," I squint at him confused.

He grabs the back of my head and smashes our foreheads together, "It doesn't matter what anyone has said to you, it's too late now. You will fight and survive this. Trust no one," he pokes my belly, "only your gut, got it, girlie?" I nod silently.

Throwing my hood up, he snatches my hand and pulls me out into the night. Struggling to keep up with his steps, I flip my bow over my shoulder and stumble behind him. Arrows fly overhead of us as men are tackled into fights from all around. Xavier steps back and I gasp. A man falls to the ground, dirt flying up as he scuffles with the soldier who tackled him. Xavier tugs me around them and shoves a man who steps into our path. It was a long line of men tumbling and fighting about, racing in and out of tents that framed our path. His hand tightened around mine reassuringly.

We turned between two tents and Xavier shoves me back. The tent walls catch me like a soft hammick. A man swings his blade down and Xavier blocks it with his axe and I flinch.  Lifting a knee, Xavier boots the man onto his back before slamming his foot into the man's skull. I squealed with fright. Xavier turned back to me his eyes flashing with an intensity I hadn't seen from him. Taking my shakey outstretched hand, he dragged up out of the ambush.

Behind us is a cluster of chaos, weapons of every kind swinging with explosions of blood, splattering across the floor and other warriors. In the dark calm of the far side of the forest away from the tents, Xavier grabs me by the waist. Lifting me towards a high branch, I pull myself up, swinging up and straddling it.

"What are we-"

"Sh," Xavier silences me, "you will be safe here. I'm going to find your Uncle, I'll be right back. Protect yourself like I know you can and stay out of sight. " I blink down at him in disbelief. He was leaving me here? Without another word, Xavier dashes off into the crowds of men. With a thunderous cry, the heads of soldiers turn to him just before he swings his axe into them.

Panic boils up into my lungs and I cry out frightfully, "Xavier!"

~

Kneeling down into the thick bush by Howard's side, we lay in wait watching the slumbering camp. We had watched the men drink through the night before stumbling towards their tents. Few men marched on patrol, but they were far too drunk to catch sight of us. It would be far too easy to slip into the camp and snatch Chloe. The only problem is I have no idea which tent she is in, we hadn't even seen her, but she is here. The two men that had been with her are here and her uncle was by the fire pounding back the ale like he needed to forget something immediately.

A rustling of the bushes draws our attention and I squint at the hunched figures. The King's men are here?

"Damnit, Wilfrid" Howard hisses in a whisper, "They have found this spot."

"Get in, get out, grab her quick," I command.

Hopping up onto my feet I slap my hands free of the dirt. "It's time to play," I lightly chuckle.

The familiar sound of flying arrows stills us and we look up seeing the King's men releasing blasts of arrows down into the silent camp.

"Go," I shout.

Howard and I dash off into the camp, weaving into the shadows as the soldiers charge into the campsite, their swords drawn high and slashing at everything in sight.