The Poison Prince

TAIDEN hadn’t know what could have upset Xylia at the inn. All he had decided was that it was best to leave her alone for a while. His life had not granted him much experience with girls, despite his position as prince and heir. All of that was obscured by the rumours of his madness, and no one wanted to offer their princess or daughter to him out of fear he might do something dark and wicked with her. It was a small price to pay for what he hoped would save his kingdom from tyranny and destruction. Courtship could come once Lyris was free again.
Despite a small worry over the trouble Xylia, Taiden could not stray from his true plan for Adavale. He had sent word that afternoon to the estate of the Mayor of Adavale that he was in the town and wished to have supper with him that evening. No one ever denied his request simply because he was the Prince of Lyris, but Taiden still didn’t want to make a scene in the town. Usually he was content to have people stare and fuss when he visited the nobles and men of power, but with Queen Devanna murderously enraged at him he didn’t want her wrath to smite the fisherman’s port like she had the village of The Draca. He had to plan his moves carefully, and tread only when he knew exactly what his next step would be.

He moved under the cover of nightfall, reluctantly leaving his cloak in his room at the inn. Wearing it might hide his face from strangers, but it also brought questions. Why was he hiding, and who from? He was the Prince of Lyris and should have nothing to fear. He should ride proudly into each town and village, greet the people with poise and power, and act as though he was ready to rule. Skulking about in shadows was not the behaviour he ought to seek as prince, and yet Taiden found himself navigating Adavale through back alleys and side streets, avoiding the main paths. Late night crowds gathered there playing cards and gambling under streetlamps. No one paid any attention to him sneaking by, assuming him just another wandering young man looking for a midnight adventure. Adavale was full of them, catering to anyone’s seediest tastes if they knew where to look. The daytime was prosperous and bright, but once the sun set all of the secrets came out from the hidden cracks; from the filthy to the downright shameful.

Taiden kept his head down until he came to the town square where the mayor’s home was. Then he paused, took a deep breath, and switched his stance. No longer did he appear to hide or cling to the darkest corners. He held his head high and strode towards the fancy stone home with purpose. He wasn’t afraid to be seen now. He knocked hard on the door, ignoring the late hour. When a young, but tired looking blonde maid opened it, he sported his most charming smile.
“I am sorry about the late hour, but I was supposed to join the mayor and his family for supper.”
Her light eyes widened as she realised who he was and she clumsily dropped into a messy curtsey before him. “The mayor is in his study having a nightcap, your royal highness. I can show you to him at once,” she opened the door wider to let Taiden inside and then quickly closed it behind him, hurrying as she led him through the eclectically decorated house.
It seemed as though the mayor had some kind of ornament or painting from every town and village hanging on his walls, or displayed on a shelf. Nothing quite matched, but it definitely showed off the man as a traveller who had either been everywhere or a man who shopped with merchants from across the globe. Taiden suspected the latter since the mayor was a balding man who sweated profusely and was about thirty pounds overweight for him to be considered healthy.

The maid forgot to knock before she pushed open the study door, but her hands were shaking as she reached for the handle and slipped inside.
“Mayor Grendall-“
“Don’t you ever knock?” He shouted, and Taiden notice the fragile maid flinch at his tone. “Why my wife hired you is beyond me! You’re a waste of space!”
Taiden stepped forward and pushed the door further open, slipping by the maid and making his own presence known before Mayor Grendall could say or do anymore. “Forgive her; I believe it’s my fault. I startled her when I arrived.”
“Prince Taiden. You’re late.” The mayor did not seem in the least bit happy to see him. Then again, no one ever did at first.
“I know. I was detained earlier and couldn’t get anyway,” he kept his story vague purely because it was easiest. Weaving too many lies was a definite way of slipping up eventually. “I finally reached Adavale though and I wanted to speak with you. However, I won’t be here beyond the morning so it was now or never. I am glad I didn’t have to wake you.”
“If you had gotten me out of bed for small talk, I would not have been pleased, Prince Taiden.”
Taiden laughed like it was a funny joke told to him and then dropped himself into a high back chair opposite Mayor Grendall. “This is not small talk.”
“Let me guess then; it’s about the queen.” Taiden’s smile faded as the mayor’s widened. “I know all about this little game of yours, your highness. You’ve been visiting those in power across the kingdom for the best part of a year now. They mysteriously fall sick as you leave - poisoned, in fact. Was I supposed to be next on your little list of victims?”
“You’re accusing me of a great deal.”
“It’s nothing more than what the whole kingdom thinks you’re doing.”
Taiden’s fingers brushed over the bottle in his pocket. The tiny emerald vial that he had planned to use against the mayor to weaken Adavale’s support for the Queen suddenly felt as heavy as rock.
“The kingdom has never been more incorrect in its thinking.” He whispered.
“The mad prince with his bottles of poison. He’s the last heir of royal blood so he’s wiping out everyone who may challenge his claim to the throne,” Grendall swirled the bourbon in his glass and smirked, “tell me, what way would I have died? I expect it’s Devil Hornsbane. It’s the kind of poison that takes long enough for someone to set their affairs in order and show you the support I suspect you force them into petitioning for you.”
“I do nothing of the sort. I am trying to help them.”
“Help them?! Ha! Now that’s rich!” He smashed his glass on the ground, shards scattering across the floor, vanishing under the lavish furniture. “I called in the town guards long before you arrived. Not even the prince is above punishment.”
The door smashed open and Taiden jumped up as six guards rushed in, swords drawn and pointing at him. Realisation slowly descended and he peered back over his shoulder at the smug, smirking mayor.
“My step-mother never needed to manipulate you, did she? You already shared her hunger for power.”
He laughed obnoxiously. “How else do you think I became mayor of Adavale?”
Taiden reached for his own sword and pulled it free from the scabbard. He hadn’t actually needed for use it for real before, but Julius had taught him well enough in training. Or, at least that was what Taiden was hoping as he gripped it tight and blocked against the first guard who swung at him. He might be able to hold off one, but there were five more, and it didn’t look like they were going to take it in turns. They moved in and surrounded him quickly, leaving Taiden to wonder what would become of him if they returned him to Devanna now. He was about to drop his sword in surrender when a window shattered and an arrow flew through the gap and speared the left eye of the shortest guard. It allowed Taiden a chance to attack while the others were momentarily stunned. He disarmed one and used the guard’s own sword to cut through the muscle of his fleshy thigh and pin him to the upholstery of an armchair.

He was so preoccupied battling with the first guard that he almost missed the sound of the struggle behind him until he was able to knock his attacker out with a creative combination of sword hilt and ornate lamp. Then he turned around to see Xylia struggling in the hold of one guard whose hand she instantly bit down hard on. He howled, wounded, and his blood dripped from her teeth and lips as she dropped back to the floor and rolled free of him. In a swift movement she had her dagger in her hand and drew it through the air behind the legs of another, severing the tendons at the back of his knees and rendering him completely useless in the fight. He crumpled to the ground and couldn’t get up again.
“How about you help instead of standing there gawping?!” She growled, grabbing a discarded sword and awkwardly jabbing it towards the man nursing his throbbing hand, luckily managing to slice through his side before she dropped the too-heavy weapon again.
Taiden grappled with the final standing guard, ignoring weapons this time and going in with just his fists. Solid blows disorientated the hesitant guard who still managed to land a right hook against Taiden’s jaw which sent the prince tumbling into a bookcase. Books fell around him as he regained focus and he brandished one as a weapon to land the knockout blow.
Glancing around wearily he saw Xylia on the back of the enraged mayor. She was clinging to him as though she was trying tame a wild beast and he was beating at her with a sabre that appeared to be more for decoration than for battle. None of his blows broke her skin, but welts had crossed her arms now. Her back, thankfully, was protected by her quiver which blocked most of his strikes from even landing. Taiden rushed at them both, tackling the mayor from the front and sending the three of them crashing back to the crumpled, glass covered rug.
Winded, Xylia, struggled to pull herself free from beneath the two scrapping men. When she finally did everything ached about her body and she gulped air back into her lungs. Shakily she reached for her blood stained dagger and with little energy she jammed it into the neck of the mayor. Grendall didn’t see her coming, and he found himself staring into the dark, forgiving eyes of the prince as his life began to fade.
“I never came here to kill you.” Taiden promised in the final moments before Grendall’s soul finally passed on.
His body slumped forward and Xylia uncomfortably retrieved her dagger from his warm corpse. She wiped the blade clean on her tunic and just stared at it. Taiden saw the shock setting in and reached out to rest his hand on hers.
“We need to leave before anyone comes. Mayor Grendall was in league with the queen.”
“Then why did you come here?” She asked impassively, her ice blue eyes lifting to meet his.
And how did Xylia find him? Taiden hesitated and then shook his head. “Another time. Right now we need to run.”