Chapter Nine: Enemies At The Door
1208 Words
The prince's residence stood on the eastern side of the capital, separated from the main royal palace by a stretch of gardens and stone courtyards.
It was not a fortress like the palace.
But it was still heavily guarded.
Tall iron gates surrounded the estate.
Lanterns burned along the inner paths.
Soldiers of the royal guard patrolled the walls in steady rotations.
To outsiders, the residence appeared secure.
But security had never stopped a determined killer.
The night air carried a quiet chill as Prince Kael Ardyn stepped out into the inner courtyard.
Moonlight spread across the polished stone ground, illuminating the training yard where he often practiced with the palace guards.
Tonight the space was empty.
Only the faint rustling of trees disturbed the silence.
Kael walked slowly across the courtyard, his cloak shifting slightly in the breeze.
Sleep had not come easily in recent nights.
Too much had changed.
The image of flames rising in the capital square still lingered in his mind.
The entire kingdom had watched the former king burn.
And above the fire stood Queen Zara.
Unshaken.
Unafraid.
Unchallenged.
A witch now ruled the throne.
And no one yet understood what that truly meant for the future of the kingdom.
Kael exhaled quietly.
The political landscape had shifted overnight.
Some nobles now supported Zara openly.
Others whispered behind closed doors.
And many simply waited to see who would survive the coming storm.
Kael intended to be among those survivors.
A guard stood at the edge of the courtyard near the archway leading toward the residence halls.
Kael glanced toward him briefly.
"Quiet night," he said.
The guard nodded slightly.
"Yes, my lord."
Kael turned away again and continued walking across the courtyard.
But something felt wrong.
Subtle.
Almost invisible.
Years of training had sharpened his instincts, and now those instincts stirred with quiet warning.
The guard behind him moved.
Too fast.
Steel flashed in the moonlight.
Kael turned just as the dagger struck.
The blade aimed directly for his back.
Kael twisted aside at the last possible moment.
The dagger scraped across his cloak instead of piercing his ribs.
His sword came free from its sheath in the same motion.
Steel collided violently.
The assassin stepped back as Kael's blade cut through the air.
For a moment they faced each other beneath the pale glow of the moon.
The man wore the armor of the prince's household guard.
But the way he moved revealed the truth immediately.
This was no ordinary soldier.
"You're not one of mine," Kael said calmly.
The assassin did not answer.
Instead, he attacked again.
The dagger darted forward with frightening speed.
Kael blocked the strike and pushed the man backward across the courtyard.
Their weapons clashed again and again, the sound echoing off the stone walls of the estate.
The assassin fought like a man who had spent years training for exactly this moment.
Fast.
Precise.
Unrelenting.
Kael stepped sideways as another strike came for his throat.
His sword swept downward, forcing the attacker to retreat.
"You will not leave this courtyard alive," Kael warned.
The assassin laughed quietly beneath his helmet.
"That was never the plan."
He lunged forward again.
This time Kael met him head-on.
Their weapons locked together.
For a moment they struggled for control.
Kael could see the man's eyes through the narrow slit of his helmet.
Cold.
Fearless.
"You are better than expected," the assassin said.
Kael shoved him backward.
"I usually am."
The assassin attacked again.
The dagger moved like lightning, striking again and again toward Kael's chest and neck.
Kael blocked each strike with controlled precision.
Then he saw an opening.
His sword cut sharply across the assassin's arm.
The man staggered backward.
Blood darkened the sleeve of his armor.
Still, he did not retreat.
Instead he straightened slowly.
"You will die tonight," he said.
Kael gave a faint smile.
"Many men have promised that."
The assassin suddenly rushed forward again—
But this time Kael was ready.
He stepped inside the attack and drove the hilt of his sword into the man's chest.
The assassin stumbled.
Kael knocked the dagger from his hand.
The weapon clattered across the stone ground.
Before the man could recover, Kael's blade rested against his throat.
"Who sent you?" Kael demanded.
The assassin said nothing.
Guards were already running into the courtyard, alerted by the sound of steel.
Torches appeared along the walkway.
Within seconds several soldiers surrounded them.
"On your knees," one guard ordered.
The assassin slowly lowered himself.
But instead of surrendering—
He smiled.
Then suddenly his hand moved beneath his armor.
Before anyone could react, he pulled a small blade from inside his sleeve and drove it straight into his own throat.
Blood spilled onto the courtyard stones.
The guards rushed forward at first they thought it was the prince practicing with a soldier not until it got intense and they thought otherwise but it was already too late.
The assassin collapsed to the ground.
Kael knelt beside him.
The man's eyes were already fading.
Still, he forced out a final whisper.
"The queen…"
His gaze lifted toward the night sky.
"…must burn."
Then he died.
Silence settled over the courtyard.
The guards exchanged uneasy glances.
Kael slowly stood his sword back to it's former position.
"Search him," he ordered.
One of the soldiers knelt beside the body and began examining the armor.
A moment later he frowned.
"My lord… there is something here."
He held up a small metal medallion that had been hidden beneath the assassin's cloak.
Kael took it.
The symbol engraved into the metal showed a sword wrapped in chains and flame.
One of the older guards stiffened immediately.
"I know that mark," he said quietly.
Kael looked at him.
"What is it?"
The guard swallowed.
"It belongs to the Ashen Creed."
The name settled heavily over the courtyard.
Kael studied the medallion again.
"And who are they?"
The guard hesitated.
Then he answered.
"They hunt witches."
The night wind moved through the courtyard trees.
For a moment no one spoke.
Then footsteps approached from the residence entrance.
A woman stepped into the courtyard.
Princess Elira
Her dark hair was loosely gathered, and one hand rested gently over the curve of her stomach.
"My lord," she said softly her eyes scanning the environment
"I heard shouting."
Her eyes moved to the body on the ground and her eyes revealed fear as she studies her husband yet her expression did not wither.
"What happened?"
Kael walked toward her and held up the medallion.
"Someone tried to kill me."
She studied the symbol carefully.
"And this?"
"Apparently," Kael said quietly, "they hunt witches."
Her expression remained calm.
Concerned.
Perfectly composed.
"That means the queen will want answers," she said "for an assassination made against you "
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
He looked down at the dead assassin again.
"But something tells me…"
"…this is only the beginning."
The wind moved across the courtyard once more.
Behind Kael, the guards began carrying the body away for a through investigation that is if the queen pleases.
But as the prince turned to give further orders, his wife remained standing in the moonlight.
Watching.
Thinking.
And when no one was looking she smiled
- Writer
