A Prince Among the Ranks

I wanted to see them but I couldn't. I couldn't find them in the darkness. I stared down the hallway and then watched as two shadows crawled like animals towards the middle of the hallway. I already had a bad feeling about this fight." I held the blade out in front of me, both hands gripping the handle loosely, and my let my shoulders ease. It was just another fight. Another battle. Another thing I'd walk away from. I took a deep breath and when the two figures started to stand up I almost felt my stomach squeeze. They could move their bodies like that. I just hope they couldn't climb walls.

"We do not want to fight you, your majesty."

"I am not a prince, my friends, just a soldier. I do not know if I could rule a country but I know I can defeat something that threatens my soldiers." The two started to jog towards me before running. I was barely aware that one of them jumped on my back. Diona was right. They were fast. I grabbed him by his shirt and flung him over, my sword already making a rotating movement to cut off his head. However, he was faster than my sword and was already backing away, the other moving forward, his mouth open like a flower opening up to the moonlight's glow. The mouth had two tongues and sharp teeth from what I could see. Diona was right again. I didn't see their teeth. They stepped back, both hissing like feral animals and together they jumped on me.

I was grateful for my sword and for many years of training with it. I realized the blade was too big to catch either of them so shrinking it down would be easier to use. The blade was thinner and swifter but still effective. I swung and caught one of them by the arm and the other by the stomach. They groaned and dropped to their knees before jumping again. I needed to move. They were too close to the girls. Where the hell was Diona when you needed her? I moved slowly to my left and they moved the opposite way. I moved back from them and they followed after me.

"Your majesty, please." I shook my head and grinned.

"I keep telling you, I'm not a prince." I said as I charged forward, my blade trying to connect with one of them. Too bad it only found a bit of one. I'd take it though. I'd rather have something than nothing. It was hard to do something when you didn't have backup. And when you don't know your opponent. I charged again, the blade swinging and narrowly missing the two. They might have been fast but my blade was faster. Not to mention the bits of power that surged from the end. I moved the blade faster and increased the power. They could barely move out of the way now. But then again, neither could I. I was using too much. I was moving too much. I was getting tired.

Good thing Diona came to save my butt. She appeared from behind me, jumping over me with her scythe swinging downward to cut off their heads in a single slash. She stood as the bodies fell over and looked at me, the drops of blood smeared on her face already. I nodded, wiping the drop off of my face.

"Thanks for slowing them down. I couldn't get a sing hit on them."

"Thanks for your timing."

"Where's the other one?" she asked, looking around.

"I'm not sure, let's get Gandra and Kantra. They should move downstairs while we deal with this." A scream made me turn and run for the girls. Gandra was running out of the room, Kantra in her arms. I stopped her and put Kantra on my back while Diona handed her the weapon from her office.

"See if you can open it."

"What do I do?"

"Just think about it opening. Feel it in your hand. Feel the power that is in it." She nodded and stared down at the thing in her hand. It jumped and in her hands was a long spear.

"Well, that's an odd turn of events." I muttered as I hoisted Kantra higher on my back. "You're going to have to hang on tight ok?" She nodded a little and her little arms tightened around each other. "Let's get this thing off of our ship." I said as I held out my blade with one hand, my other holding Kantra up. My sister stood on my left, one hand holding the scythe by her side and the other poised on her hip. Gandra stared at the spear and then looked at the darkness. It was an eerie darkness that made my heart pound. I had seen the face of war. I had seen the ends of other men's swords. I had been shot by my own brothers. That was scary.

Facing the darkness with two people as backup….

That shouldn't be scary but it was. It was terrifying. I watched the emptiness, my eyes straining to find some sort of movement. Too bad it was too late. His hand encased Gandra's leg and she fell to the ground with a scream. Diona was already slicing and dicing while I was carefully moving closer. I heard another scream, but this time it was the males and Gandra and Diona scampered back behind me. Diona's arms were slick and Gandra's pant leg was already soaking up the blood. I started forward, letting Kantra join the other women, and held my blade at my side. The silence was nerve racking. I felt my heart pound in my chest, my breath start to speed up. The man was right in front of me. I knew it.

Then I was down on the ground, something wrapped around my left arm. I barely had enough leverage to get my sword in a good position. I let the weapon shrink before hitting the man's head with my right arm, as if that would loosen his grip. It felt like he was trying to gnaw through it. I winced and managed to get my sword under his right side. That was enough for me. I let the sword extend and it moved all the way through his right side, through his back, and the gentle glow of the edge made me feel a little better. At least I could see again. I pushed him off of me and my sword before pushing it through his chest, through his heart, assuming that's where it was. I glanced at my arm and winced again. It looked bad.

"Romar?" Diona asked.

"I'm fine," I said. "Kantra, there should be a box near the window, mind opening it for me?" She moved quietly, almost like she didn't walk at all, and the swing of the door made me look up from my arm. Alright, so the wound on my arm made my whole body numb, my sword was glowing, and three women were looking to me for an answer I didn't have. I walked, or rather dragged myself, to the box and held up my blade to it. What a great little thing I never realized I had. I stared at the wires and before I was going to pass out, the lights went on and I fell back.

Someone was poking my face when I woke up. I opened my eyes and they landed on a head of silver hair and big grey eyes. I smiled a little and closed my eyes again.

"Morning," I mumbled.

"It's o-seven hundred." She said softly.

"Do you even know what time that is?"

"Seven in the afternoon?"

"Other one. O means morning. If you wanted it to be seven at night, you'd say nineteen hundred."

"Why?" I shrugged and looked at her again.

"What are you even doing here? You're supposed to be training."

"I didn't want to leave you alone." I smiled a gain and shook my head.

"I've dealt with worse, believe me. This arm thing is fine. I almost had to cut off my leg." She rose her eyebrows and I smiled. "What day is it?"

"You've been out cold for two days. You had some poison running through your veins. Apparently, that's what that weird thing did." Diona said as she stood in the doorway. "This girl has been by your side since you fell." I smiled at Kantra and pet her head gently.

"Thank you, Kantra." She nodded and smiled back at me. "You have a pretty smile." Her blush was bright on her pale skin and I closed my eyes. "How's Gandra?" I asked.

"Doing well for a first timer." I nodded.

"She looked like she could handle it." I said. "Sister, I'd like to rest." She nodded and held her hand out for Kantra.

"Let's give him some time to be alone." Kantra shook her head and grabbed my hand, making me choke out a laugh.

"She wants to stay, let her stay." Diona shrugged and waved her hand dismissively. "Thank you Diona." I turned my head to look at Kantra. "The Sarantan little girls are given special names by their brothers. Each brother has a different word for his sister. Some use their pet names or some use terms of endearment. May I give you a Siberan name?" I asked her, making her nod. "How about Lullboun?"

"What does it mean?"

"Silent yet faithful." She smiled and nodded.

"I like it."

"So do I," Diona said. "But I think Anlarn would be better. It means 'she who means the world to me'." I nodded.

"Which do you want?"

"Can't you call me both?" Diona laughed and nodded.

"So shall it be, Anlarn."

"Good night to you, Diona." She rolled her eyes before leaving. I smiled at Kantra and took a deep breath while closing my eyes.

"What can I call you?"

"Riosan. It means brother." She nodded.

"May I sleep with you, Riosan?" She asked, making me smile and move over.

"Of course, my Lullboun." She smiled and crawled into my arms, her head on my chest.

"I've never had a brother."

"Now you do," I said as I hugged her close. "And another sister. We'll protect you and Gandra. Don't worry." I said with a yawn.

"I'm not worried."

"Goodnight."

"Good night, Riosan." I smiled to myself and let the dream world take me away. I could put off being a prince for another night. I could put off dealing with monsters for another day. One more day of rest was all I needed. One more night of dreaming of a quieter life was all I wanted. One more night pretending about who I was, was all I could get.