Return to Glory

Unexpected Attack

The loud knocking on the door made Alex's gut tighten and her skin prickle. The blows were strong, insistent - not friendly or timid. This was not a peaceful visit.

Aidan, however, with just barely narrowed eyes, got up from his spot, intent on going to the door.

The brunette caught his sleeve and wordlessly shook her head in the negative when he glanced questioningly at her. "Maybe it's someone in trouble," he replied; the good Samaritan in him coming out on the spot.

The thudding continued. Alex knew what it was like to be wounded and in panic. This didn't sound like that. This wasn't despair; it was aggressiveness. "No," she mouthed silently, but Aidan glanced back at the door doubtfully, clearly worried he'd be turning his back on someone in need.

"Alex…" he mumbled softly, torn between trusting her suspicions and possibly neglecting a stranger that was requesting help.

Before they could continue to debate it much longer, the door crashed open, wood flying all over the place, as a burly man pushed through. Behind him, Alex could see two others of the same size, knives in their hands, just a second before all barged in.

Alex's hand scrambled for the bread knife as she jumped to her feet, quickly pulling Aidan back, away from them, to protect him. The prince, clearly unused to any sort of scenario of the likes, seemed to be completely left behind in the action, as he figured out what was going on.

The brunette, accustomed to having to react quickly, was on guard in the blink of an eye. She was willing to see what the intruders had to say, and was not determined on hurting them just yet, but the one that threw the door down didn't give her much option as he wordlessly launched himself at her, his knife headed directly towards her abdomen.

Giving Aidan a strong shove to the side, she made him fall to the floor, ensuring he'd be out of the way of the attack as she evaded it with the swiftness her years of training had provided. Knowing it was him or her, she stabbed him with the same determination he had come for her, flawlessly burying the long knife to the hilt into his chest at the precise point she knew would give him an instant demise. More worried about the other two men who just now realized this wasn't going to be just a helpless raid, Alex was quick at pulling the knife out and discarding her first attacker, letting his own body pump his blood out and finish her job.

The other two were already making their way towards her through the tiny kitchen, cursing and in despair at their companion's unexpected result. "You little b***h, what have you done?" the one at the front exclaimed in horror as he lunged forward stupidly. The irrationality in his movements made him clumsy, something Alex knew how to use in her favor. Letting him come to her in the same, thoughtless way as the man before him, she stabbed this one quickly in the lower abdomen before moving on to the last one, thankful that the small room had made it possible for her to work this way.

This one seemed to have learned from his partners' mistakes, reserving himself from just lounging mindlessly, and instead throwing a cast iron skillet, the first object he could grab from the small kitchen, towards the vulnerable brunette. Unable to do much in the reduced space, she had no other option but to cover herself with her left arm, receiving the full blow of the heavy object, though using it to her advantage as it fell on the second man's head.

Though the hit left her with pain ripping throughout her entire body, she was determined to defend both Aidan and herself, jumping rapidly onto the table to be able to slide forward, stopping right beside her attacker. Making use of his startledness, she shoved the knife into the back of his neck, relief washing through her as she achieved her goal. She avoided even looking at his face; she never did that, and pulled the steel utensil out before slouching onto the table to rest.

She glanced back towards the living room area, where the other two raiders had clearly already passed out from the blood loss; it would take very little time for them to let out their last breaths, but she had to make sure they were no longer a threat before she could completely consider herself victorious. Watching how the blood pooled around them and they struggled to inhale, she allowed herself to exit her alert mode.

Her dark eyes trailed over to Aidan, who had stood up and was now observing everything with terrified eyes. "What- what happened?" he asked, bewildered.

Not wanting to take it out on him, but still irritated by what had just occurred, Alex said in a huff, "We were attacked. That's what."