The Game of Time and Crown

Eighteen

I don't feel good about this," I utttered.

Darius readied his dagger and we began to walk forward to see what is going on in the palace. I am pretty sure that if they are under attack, rge place would never be this dim and quiet.

As we begin to make our way to the gate of the palace, a sound of the sword slashing by being taken out of its shell alarmed both of us. As we turn back, a very familiar face greeted us.

"Amaya," I whispered.

Darius looked at her without emotions. She never lowered her sword but she look around.

"You will never be able to outnumber us Prince Darius," she said.

I lost all my hope when I heard her.

"Then I will die trying to make for her to run." He gritted his teeth.

I looked at him and shook my head.

"I am not going anywhere," I told him.

But to my surprise, Amaya then lowered her sword and took a step closer to me. Darius became alarmed and pointed his dagger at her. But she got out something from her pocket.

"I don't know why you threw this away. This is as important as your identity Laide. I thought you were dead!" She yelled.

I looked at the necklace and it has the same black tie as chain and a pendant that is surprisingly very familiar to me.

Because it's the same as what I have. An heirloom our family have.

"Laide have this too?" I whispered, confused.

She handed it over to me.

"Do not give it to someone else and don't trust anyone," she reminded me.

Darius took a step back to guard us.

"This is yours, okay? I swore to protect you and I will. The north wi--"

"Laide!" Darius shouted.

He came back to us running with soldiers on his tail. One with maroon sash and others with golden ones.

He grabbed me and we ran as far as we can, we were going so fast that I didn't have ang chance to look back to Amaya.

We came back to the cave and he maneuvered Caspian out of it while I gather all our things and foods. As we were just about to go out, we heard someone shouted.

"Look around carefully! They are just out here!"

Darius signaled me not to make any noise and to stay where we are.

I nodded at him before he proceeded to tale a step closer to one of the soldiers wearing a gold sash that is standing all alone. Before the guard can proceed to scream and alarm the others, Darius held him on knife point by pointing his knife in his throat from behind and dragging him towards where we are.

"Ride the horse," he told me.

I mounted the horse and we began to move away while he holds the soldier a hostage. But the soldier broke away from his grasp and proceed to shout at his comrades about our location. I can see Darius' anger but he didn't do anything and instead, he mounted the horse with me and we move away faster.

Almost all the guards are now tailing us with their horses.

"Caspian, come on boy we got this." He whispered.

As we go faster, we continue to dodge both sharp branched and flying arrows towards our direction. We stopped when we saw that there are at least several guards in gold that are waiting for us.

"You can pull this off right?"

"I honestly appreciate you saying that but I only have one dagger and there are eight of them," he chuckles.

"Then what are we gonna do?!" I panicked

He made the pace of the horse faster but then turned sharp left when we were almost near, we managed to dodge all of them as we continue to run.

We found another cave and we get inside in a hurry.

"What are we gonna do now?"

"Those gold sash, that is the color of the northern country. We cannot go there because they are helping the Persians to hunt us down," he explained.

"But I thought they cannot be influenced!"

"They cannot if we arrived first. If they took shelter to us they will grant their citizens protection against any unlawful arrest from other countries."

"So where are we going to go now?! We're going to die!" I yelled at him.

"I don't know! F*ck!"

I was taken aback when hr shouted. Even Caspian looked at him.

"I. Don't. Know! This is my only hope and now it's f*cked up too! Now if you're going to nag me aboyt being an idiot, you are free to go with Amaya and tell them where I am!"

He paced back and forth.

"I'm tired, okay?! I lost everyone on one day and I don't even know where go anymore." He sat down and covered his face with his palm before his shoulders begin to shake.

No matter how hard I tried to just comfort him, I cannot because I am just a liability and a burden to him. I sat down and tried to calm myself and think straight and that is when I remembered something. A theory that I had just a few days ago.

The reason why I am here.

"Maybe you're not meant to hide."

He looked up to me with swollen eyes and confusion is seen in his face.

"The destiny is telling you not to run and never look back. It's telling you to reveal the truth and get the justice you deserved."

"I cannot go back, I ran this far and dragged you with me, if I an innocent I would never hace acted that way."

"But you are. You just don't want to tell me who do you think did it," I persuade him.

"Because it is easier for you and everyone to believe I was the one who did it rather tham believing it's him!"

"So it is Jamshid," I whispered.

"He's my brother. "

"I don't think you are his brother." I snapped at him.

"I will help you reveal the truth but you have to help your self first."

"Please. We have nowhere to go and I don't want to die. We could at least try," I cried.

"How?"

I paused and tried to think of a way.

"The poison." I suddenly remembered.

"Poison is f*******n on Persia, no one can but it anywhere inside the country."

"Exactly, so we fin the place where we can buy it!"

He shook his head and looked at me.

"Do you know what you are saying?"

Confusion fills me but since I don't have any idea about the place I cannot defend nor understand what he is trying to say.

"Poisons are made by witches. Witches are castes away from Persia a long time ago, they all live in one place and they hate us. It would be suicide, "

"Do you have any better idea? Besides if Persians are banned or its dangerous to enter the Witches Lair then who the hell bought the Poison for your brother?"

"Where?" I asked him, pertaining to where all the witches are.

He took a minute before answering.

"Across the river and above the nearest and only mountain beside it."

"Then that is where we are heading next," I told him.

His shoulders fell but I didn't heard anything from him. The only thing that it could mean is that he is very well aware of who it can be and he doesn't want to found it or hear it.

Because even me, I would be terrified to even know. It is my family, my own brother that I am going against. If that doesn't break anyone's spirit then I don't know what can.

We began to pack our things and leave the unnecessary baggage we have. Since Darius said that we will always encounter the river, we emptied the bags and crumpled it into little so it would not take up too much space.

"What if we're wrong?" he asked me, worried.

"As long as you didn't do it, we will find something that would help you." I assured him.

He actually looked more bothered now but this feels right than what we just did. Run and hide from everyone. Wish that we won't encounter or catch up.

We are now heading towards a direct and clear objective and we won't be just arriving at some place and just continue hiding there.