The Blackguard.

Chapter 1 ( 16 years later!)

Orange streaks of blue and green clouds covered the now almost dark Kingdome as a girl with auburn hair stood upon a balcony watching the people below. Peasant they were. Scattered like sheep without a shepherd. Queen Anne of Spain always hated this site as she came out of her. But she didn't care, her un-forbidden communication with the people and with their lives. She was a servant just like them down there, but there was a small flaw in there, she was the queen's call in maid. Her name was Dominiah. She lived in the palace and waited for the queen when she was in use. Her life has not always been here at the palace. She had her own life long ago. With her people and her parents and siblings. Now she is here and maybe she will be here for the rest of her life. That is probably why she hated it so much here. Not only that, but her instinct to kill those miserable lives was quite overwhelming. In her entire six years that she had lived here, she knew what went on in the night, as she was the one that they all feared and yet did not know. She had heard what the people said about things in the night. She was heartless and without mercy. Well, what do you expect from someone who was kidnapped from her land and put into the servitude of a nasty queen? Perhaps Dominiah will give the king and queen a good fright tonight if she feels like it. Which she knows she does. A small smile curved upon her lips as she thought more about her plan for tonight. Yes, it would make her night if she went through with it. The queen had been rather nasty than usual and Dominiah was getting tired of it.

With the Pope dead and the King on his last leg on what to do about the new spiritual leader for his Kingdome. Queen Anne didn't care either way what was going on. She would dress up and attend her parties while the king worried about the state. Dominiah knew that tonight was as good as any. It had been a month since her last charade and it kind of gave her the energy to go through the entire days or weeks. Her ability to manipulate anyone's mind and sense demons in peoples mind is the greatest of all the Blackguards. Yes, that's right, she is a descendent of the Blackguards. No Blackguards in all years have had these natural abilities, but they are also considered a curse. Looking into someone's mind and using it against them could sometimes lead the host into darkness which they could never come out of. There are other possibilities such as making the host mind die. Dominiah had never tried digging into someone's head that much. She just tapped a little and made them do and see what she wanted and she could get a good laugh out of it. Ever since she knew of her ability, she had been trying to keep it hidden for years. Kind of hard when you can see all the good and all the demons in yourself. But that was kind of what gave her the rush. As she sees them doing stupid things. She figured, since she could control the demons in herself, then it would be easier if she just ended them all. Come on, who want demons always talking none stop in your head and telling you to kill, steal, r**e, kidnaped and all other things in that category. She felt proud of herself as she glanced at the scenery below last time and turned back out of the room.

Alarms sounded as she came to the end of the corridor lined with the king's banner. The only time that sounded it we were under attack, so Dominiah knew that someone had already ruined her plans for tonight and that made her pissed as hell. She was hoping for a good laugh in private later and now it was all ruined by whoever or whomever. She was still debating whether she should just play with them as well, since they messed with her night. It actually sounded like a good idea and she knew what she needed to do. Rounding the hallway to the throne room, she saw the king and the queen on their thrones with several men making a barricade against the intruders. Hiding a small smirk, Dominiah ran behind Queen Anne as all her other two ladies-in-waiting were hovering around frightened like small chickens they were.

"There you are!" Queen Anne exclaimed with a scowl crossing her beautiful face. "Where in the hell have you been?"

"Cleaning your chambers, my Queen." Dominiah answered, faking a scared look as the queen looked at her with a bigger scowl.

"You are to be with me all the time!" Queen Anne screamed. "You are to die before I do!"

Dominiah held in outburst since she was just a servant and they would probably behead her right there. All she could come out with was " Yes my Queen" and ended up being pulled by one of the ladies-in-waiting right beside her. Her name was Jolie and she had red hair with green eyes with a face of a chipmunk. Anyone would think that she was a proper lady but they didn't know what kind of things Jolie hid in her mind. Dominiah knew very well. So well that Jolie might be her target tonight and she feels good that she would end someone that knew nothing that what they do is wrong in all creation. You see, Jolie thinks that if she eats hearts then she will live longer and more beautiful. But it was all wrong when Dominiah looked a little deeper into her mind and saw that Jolie would kill children for their hearts. Didn't matter whose child it was, she would have someone take them and then she would kill them. Since Jolie was the daughter of the Great General, no one would suspect that she had killed over thirty-five children. That's right people, we have here a kid killer with no remorse whatsoever. She had killer instincts and Dominiah didn't know if it was the demon in her or the way she was born. All she knew was when she looked into Jolie's mind, Jolie had always killed. Starting from the age of two, as far as Dominiah saw. And what was more sick is that she had all the instincts of a killer and yet "The Great General" couldn't even tell when he looked at his own daughter. He probably thought his little girl couldn't be anything more than a beautiful lady in the palace. Boy how wrong he was.

Looking to her left, Dominiah saw Megan beside the king as he fiddled with his scepter. A great scowl was played on his still yet old handsome face. He was a good lady killer looker when he was young, but now he looks worn out and old. A week-old beard is upon his chin as he slowly strokes it as he tries to think about all the possibilities and who it could be that was attacking them. Dominiah looked at her dress for today. Megan was wearing blue with ruffles at the bottom that matched her blue eyes and blond hair perfectly. She was known as the beautiful woman in the Kingdome until Queen Anne took the light, or so Anne thinks. Bah.

Dominiah looked at Megan again as she noticed how Megan was looking at the king with adoration and love. Oh brother, this slut is always spreading her legs and jumping into someone's bed. How much of a w***e could she have been? She's just the librarian's daughter and not even royalty. But that didn't stop Megan. When Dominiah looked into her thoughts and mind she couldn't believe all the men that she had been with. God, she hadn't even had a kiss yet and Megan was jumping left and right between different men so that Dominiah wondered how she could keep her head screwed on in the right place. There stood before her was, as Dominiah liked to call her, the "Great w***e". Eck. How the king likes to even touch that kind of a woman disguised as Dominiah. She felt like gagging every time she even looked at Megan and yet the king touched and kissed her everywhere.

Eww eww eww.

Dominiah didn't want to think about that anymore. So long as the king and Megan were happy and didn't bother Dominiah, she was glad about their extra "things".

Dominiah looked around and saw a handful of soldiers and a few servants hiding in the corners of the throne room. Small wails from them could be heard as the king had even a bigger scowl on his face. Their wails were getting on his nerves that even Dominiah wanted to cover her ears in concentration. She wanted to see who was attacking. She wanted to know how she could manipulate the scenario to be able to escape. Yes, she had thought for a year and half about how to get away from this hell hole and maybe today would be her chance. Don't get the idea that she just wanted to leave, she actually wanted to live. Living here was awful that she wished for freedom when she was a child in the mountains with her clan. She had been doing this and that for the Queen as a servant. She had been a nightmare during the dark hours. She wanted air. Air so that she can freely breathe and not get yelled at by anyone when she stops. Invisible shackles they were if she stayed with her anymore. Going day to day doing the same thing over and over made her feel this way. Well, and because of the fact that the King's and Queen's son, Henry the second, is a major womanizer'. Different women every night and yet he had time to pick on Dominiah. She had done all she could not, kill him. Come on, who wants to be tied to a bed while there are many other male companions watching as the prince f***s a girl to oblivion. Well, that is how the prince is. Many of his male friends enjoyed watching the prince, as Dominiah had heard, f**k a girl until she couldn't scream for help anymore. They would take turns after the prince had his fill. It was never the same woman twice. Some never saw other girls either and many wondered where they were taken. Not that she could help them anyway. They were the ones that thought the prince was all happy love and s*x. They just didn't know how wrong they were.

Reeling back to the present, Dominiah searched through all the guards' minds as she ascended to the one's thoughts that were outside that palace wall. Looking through his eyes she saw the banner of the enemy and she knew exactly who it was. King James!

Silently smirking to herself, Dominiah withdrew from the guards' mind as she went back into her own body. This should be fun. King James was finally here, which meant he was tired of the King's delay in getting his trading goods and servants that had been promised. Dominiah knew that all the guards were already on edge, so reaching into the closest guards' minds, she made him think that he was dying. Suddenly, the guard dropped his sword and ran screaming that he had a vision that he was going to die. The others looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

"I will die with my own hand." The guards yelled as he sliced his own neck. The Queen shrieked as blood filled the floor. Enough for the entire castle to fill as another slit his wrists. Dominiah knew that she should back off a little or someone might suspect, so she hid behind Jolie for cover.

"Get away from me!" Jolie cried and started running away as the entire room filled with chaos. The king had grabbed ahold of the queen as they ran to the underground escape route. The guards were running towards the palace doors to either keep them secured or run for their own lives. Servants ran out of the throne room to the nearest exists while Dominiah watched them like rats. Crazy as it sounds, it gave her great pleasure watching them. But this was not the moment for her to enjoy herself, she knew that she could escape now that there was no one around her.

Slipping away, Dominiah ran to her small run and grabbed her mainly used things and necessities. It was going to be a long time maybe before she got anymore. With a handful of silver coins and four gold coins that could probably buy her a good room, clothes and meal, she stuffed them into her own money pouch that she had made for herself. Tucking a silver into her boot while pulling her almost rag dress over her trousers to cover her pant legs. It was forbidden to wear men's trousers as a servant, but she didn't care. The prince was always grabby grabby with his hands and it pissed her off. She had always kept a poisoned needle in her dress and she had pricked the stupid prince right in the nerve and made him go into a paralysis for 48 hours. The best day of her life, or maybe the best two days of her life. She didn't care if she was wearing them or not.

Scanning around her small enclosure she wondered how in the world she was able to stay in such a small space when she could have been out of here a long time ago if she put her mind to it. Knowing that there was nothing else that she had that needed to take, she slowly opened the door and looked out. Making sure that the place was still silent, as when she came back there to grab her things, she crept out and ran towards the gardens. She just had to get through the kitchens really quickly and then she would almost be at freedom. It took her less then three minutes to run down the hundred stairs until she reached the door of the kitchen. The prince always sneaks in and grabs whichever maid and drags her upstairs. Dominiah wished she didn't have to use the needle now, because she put a little lot of poison on it and she was afraid it was going to kill the prince. She didn't want to kill him just yet and start a war, she wanted to get to her own people first and breathe. Then she will decide. But she certainly wasn't going to spare him for all the things that he had done to many of the women in the Kingdome. But she needed to make the punishment fit the crime or else it would be very unsatisfactory on her part and it would nag at her nerves until she got it done right.

Shrugging away the thoughts, Dominiah made her way into the kitchen and made a quick look around. Spotting a loaf of bread, she grabs' it and dashes for the garden through the side door of the kitchen. Hoping nobody would spot her as she started running, she failed to see and hear another set of running feet. She was tackled from behind, making all her things from her pouch go flying several feet away from her.

Dominiah tried lifting the person off her but the weight was to much that it made her gasp for air. Whomever it was, they weren't in a hurry to move.

"Running somewhere." A rasped voice sounded near her ear as she felt hot breath upon her neck. In a matter of seconds, a heavy garbage smell weaved towards Dominiah's nose. There was only one person with that smell and Dominiah never thought he would be the one that pinned her. She knew that she had to figure out a way out and fast!

She didn't know when she got the strength as she suddenly pushed him off her and jumped to her feet and, grabbing the dagger out of her boot. Turning towards her pursuer, Dominiah took the dagger in front as protection against the man before her. The one that she dreaded facing. Prince Henry The Second!

"Going somewhere?" He asked with an evil smirk crossing his lips as he gazed at Dominiah with lust. Her medium-sized breast and slim body with little muscular arms dropped him crazy over the years. He had touched her once a few years ago but he ended up just paralyzed. Still not sure why that happened, but now he wanted more. Over the years, he has been watching her very quietly. He had not wanted to alert her. He just wanted her in his bed. What was wrong with that? He had needs and some women didn't feel them like others. But when he touched Dominiah a few years ago, it was like a spark that ignited in him and he wanted it back. He touched and bedded a few women after he touched her, but they didn't give him the spark he was looking for. He had tried thousands of ways to get Dominiah into his bed. After that, it became very hard to control him.

But when he heard the alarms and then, for a few minutes, he saw a figure run out of the kitchens and into the garden, he knew this was his only opportunity. He was pretty certain it was Dominiah that ran out and he was bound to get her when no one was around and in chaos.

"What are you doing here?" Dominiah asked as she scanned the surrounding area for any guards that were coming to rescue their prince.

"Tsk tsk do you think that I'm that stupid?" Henry asked as he took in her appearance. She was wearing a ragged green maid dress today with part of the seem coming off. He knew that she was wearing trousers under her dress and he hated it. It was the only thing that would restrict him from pumping right into her here on the grass as he took her. The small image already made him hard just thinking about it and he glanced down at his b***r pocking through his trousers.

"I think you're very stupid, asshole." Dominiah replied as she saw his hard on. A look of disgust was written all over her face as Henry looked at her. A glint of surprise flashed in his eyes before an even bigger smirk crossed his lips.

"There is no one around Dominiah," Henry said, gesturing around him. "No one will help you. Especially a maid like you."

"I don't need anyone's help, bastard." She replied.. "I just need to take this dagger and push it into your family jewels."

Henry glanced at her and then at the dagger she was holding. Looked sharp.

Did she know how to use it? He said to himself.

So far as he knew, his mother had said that she had been taken away from the mountains when she was young. So that meant that she only knew how to be a servant.

Right?

Henry thought a little bit more before he made up his mind.

She was trying to distract him. Yep, that's what it was. She wants him as much as he wants her. He thought.

She is just a maid and doesn't know how to express herself. Another voice told him. So she was trying to say and do things that would make him keep away from her. But she didn't get the fact that it made him crave for her more.

"Let's be open-minded, since everyone is busy," Henry suggested as he looked at Dominiah more with lust. "I want you as much as you want me. So we could just get this over with and make a happily ever after."

More for him than for her. But oh well, she won't know that. He thought.

Yes, everyone knew that some women that I have slept with had not been seen. But that is my little secret.

Dominiah looked at him as if he were a toad that had just come out of the hog pond.

Did he think that he was that good looking and egotistical that he thought all women wanted to sleep with him? Dominiah thought. Surely not! Cause that would mean his mama did an awful job of raising him and hit him on the head way way too many times! Did his daddy teach him that his looks were everything? The king wasn't that moron, was he?

Dominiah shook his head as he looked at the crazy Prince Henry again. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No"

"Then you probably hit your head when you tackled me, like" Dominiah said. "I never liked you or wanted to get into your bed. You disgust me to the point of throwing up. All I want is to leave and never see this cursed place again."

"Your not going anywhere!" Henry rasped out as he ran towards Dominiah for another tackle. Hoping to trap her under him on the grass for a good ravishing, Henry missed the dagger she held and felt a searing pain the next second near his abdomen. It wasn't enough to make him pass out but enough to stop him in his tracks. Looking down, he saw a long cut across his tunic as red liquid started pouring out. Clutching his stomach, he dropped to his knees as he felt great pain.

"It's not going to kill you, but you should slow down a little," Dominiah said as she picked up her things on the ground and started walking away. Making a last turn over her back, she flashed Henry a smile that lit a few lightbulbs in his brain.

"I know your secret." She says as she takes off running towards the forest and out of sight.

Henry is left speechless and awestruck as he sees her run away at great speed. He had never seen her run and he never knew that she knew how to defend herself. This was all quite amazing and also greatly pissed him off. He was a prince and he was just taken down by a girl or rather a maid, in fact. He had been taught how to master a sword at age four and had never won against him. There were clearly things that were not true about Dominiah. She knew how to defend herself. She knew how to use a sword, or rather a dagger, as she did on him. And she clearly knew how to run really well because he didn't think he could catch up with her even without a wound. So it meant that there were things that she was hiding or her mother was hiding. He needed to get to the bottom of it and he wanted Dominiah back. She was his at the first moment he laid his eyes on her six years ago and she belonged to him. Well, his family, but that still meant him. He was the next king anyhow, so she was his to do as he pleased.

He was going to have to talk to his mother and father after this chaos was over. But first he needed to clean his wound and have it bandaged. He needed answers after that and he needed to know what was going on with the attack. Henry heard that it was King James that had stood outside the palace and he wanted to know what exactly was going on. His father had made several arrangements with King James and, as far as Henry knew, all the right arrangements were taken care of. So what could have possibly gone wrong when the King himself was knocking on their front gate?