Battle of Her

Xalvador I drink the mead in my cup, staring at this young Prince as though he has grown another head. He's come all this way to beg me to help him. He has dirty-blond hair and bright eyes full of hope. He's never seen the harshness of the world. "I beg of you, Xalvador, I will pay you handsomely." He promises once again. I still don't answer him, only watch him. The pub we are in is loud with singers, the men are rowdy from too much drink, and I have to duck quickly to avoid getting hit in the head with a stray mug that was thrown in a fight. "You want me to travel all the way to your kingdom. To protect your sister?" I ask finally. He nods eagerly. His sister must be in some danger for him to come so far. "And you have no other warriors you trust in your kingdom?" He twists his hands together nervously. "I've heard stories about you. I don't trust anyone else to protect her." He answers honestly. I'm not sure this kid could lie very well anyway. He'd better practice if he's going to be king someday. I sigh heavily. It's not like I have any other job to do right now anyway. "Fine, let's go." I downed the Prince's mug of mead quickly before following him out to his carriage. We get in and start the journey. It'll take at least ten hours to get there. It's going to be a long ride. "Tell me, kid," I grumble, making the young Prince jump. "What am I protecting your sister from?" I watch as he squirms in his seat, wringing his hands together nervously. I raise an eyebrow at this. "A couple of weeks back, she was attacked in the bathing chambers by a group of men. Unknown men, she can't recognize them." I nod. A young woman being attacked isn't uncommon in our world. Why would he need a skilled warrior to protect her? He sighs heavily as though this story is tearing him apart. "She was hurt badly, and my father refuses to do anything about it. Ariella is damaged in more ways than just physically. She's completely gone. She refuses to eat, to move, to be touched by anyone. Anyone I bring to her, she distrusts right away and tries to hurt them. She doesn't trust anyone in the kingdom because she doesn't know who attacked her." He looks out the window for a moment, watching the trees pass us. "And you need me?" I ask, hoping he'll continue to tell me what my job will be. "Yes. I'm hoping that if I bring someone in from outside the kingdom, she'll feel better. Come back to herself, knowing you couldn't have been in on the attack." I sit there in silence for the rest of the trip. I think about everything he's told me and everything I've learned about the royal family. The oldest Son, Amos, is sitting across from me at the moment. And then the triplets, Amara, Andrea, and Ariella. I've heard rumors that the triplets are beauties in the kingdom and are very lovely. It's not a complete surprise that one of them was attacked, but it's a damn shame that their father isn't doing anything about it. It's treason to attack a royal. ____________ Amos, surrounded by his own personal security, drags me through this entire palace. I try to follow along closely. "This is the royal family's personal wing; all of us have rooms over here." He explains as he moves. He suddenly turns down a hall and pauses in front of a set of double doors. He holds up his hand to his security, and they file down the hall. He opens the door and motions for me to follow him. I close the door behind me. The room was darker, the curtains drawn, a large bed sat to the right of the door against the wall, and on the other side, a sitting area with couches and a fireplace. Amos rushes to the windows and pulls the curtains back, letting in the light. My eyes move over to the bed, and a small mass moves and sits up. I hold my breath as I look at her back; it's covered in bruises and cuts in various stages of healing. "Ariella, this is Xalvador. He's here to be your personal guard." He rambles as he heads over to her. He grabs at her gown, trying to cover her back. I watch silently as she swats at his hands, trying to move away from him. He continues to push her into letting him help. "No! Stop!" She finally shouts, trying to push his hands away. "Ariella, I just want to help." He explains, continuing to try to move her clothes. Without even realizing it, I'm moving. I make it to the bed in a few steps, grab the back of his shirt, and lift him off her. Amos stills, and Ariella stops and looks up at me with her dark brown eyes. She has tears running down her cheeks, and she has bruises covering her pale face, looking dark and painful. I step back with the small Prince in my hand still. Putting space between her and us. I continue to look her over, her shirt is still displaced, and I can see her skin on the front is also littered in bruises and cuts, one across her throat even. "You hired me to protect her, to keep anyone from touching her. That includes you. She told you to stop." I explain as I set the Prince back on his feet. They both look at me in shock. Amos finally nods, realizing his mistake. "Right, yes. Thank you. Sometimes I want to help her, and I probably just scare her even more." He sighs and shakes his head. "I'll leave you be, Ari, just holler if you need anything. Lunch will be brought here soon." He says softly before turning and leaving the room. I turn back to Princess Ariella, and she is sitting there staring at me. "Do you want me in the room or outside?" I ask gently. She just continued to stare at me, eyes wide. I sigh but move around the room. I check every window, every door, ensuring there's no one hidden. After I'm satisfied, I go out and stand by her door. I stare out into the hall and let my mind wander. It doesn't take long before a maid walks up and tries to move past me to enter the room. I step in her way, and she smiles up at me and holds up the tray of food she is carrying, as though that tells me everything I need to know. "No one in," I tell her pointedly, not moving an inch. She huffs a little and steps back barely a step. "I'm bringing Princess Ariella her lunch and afternoon tea." I stare at her blankly. I'm not dumb; I know what she's here for. That doesn't mean she gets to go inside. "No one in." I tell her again, not budging. Princess Ariella hadn't given me a list of who can go in, so for now, no one does. Maybe after she gets used to my presence, I can start asking her about who is allowed in her chambers. "Fine, are you going to take it in?" She finally asks, annoyance dripping in her tone, hand thrown onto her hip. I narrow my eyes at her, something about her is off. After years of being bought by the highest bidder to fight in their wars, I've learned how to read people, their way of speaking, moving. It all tells me who they are. "Yes." I say, grabbing the tray from her. I wait until she finally turns and goes down the hall before knocking on the door. "Your highness, I have your lunch." When I received no answer, I hesitated between wanting to bring her food and wanting to respect her peace. I landed on bringing her the food and then leaving her be for the rest of the evening. That way it's there if she wants it.