Princess Charming Ch. 04

"You would make our children evil," Jelena jerked out of his hand and dove for the door to escape.

With a simple wave of his hand, Baldassare froze her in mid air and returned her to her seat, "You have accepted that we will produce children, good." He sat next to her, stroking her cheek softly. Nuzzling close to her ear he continued, "You will grow to love me, and I you." He looked her over, "You may not be as beautiful as the Princess, but you are much more powerful, properly trained you will rule the world by my side. Galnoa is just the beginning, I will amass an army of sorcerers, and they will be unstoppable."

Jelena could not believe her ears, King Baldassare wanted to conquer the known world and he had chosen her to be his Queen. A part of her felt flattered, of all the women and witches in all the land, she was chosen. For the first time in her life she was the focus of a man's attentions rather than Athanasia. She wondered if circumstances had been different, and the King had wooed her like he should have done, would she have accepted his advances? What of Prince Castor? He had only recently informed her of his attraction to her, she had promised to give him a chance to win her heart. Would he try to save her, like in the stories she and the Princess read. What of the Princess, would she do what she always promised and move heaven and earth to ensure her safety?

Her thoughts were cut off as she felt Baldassare's lips touch her neck, frozen to the spot she could not move away from his sensual yet unwelcome attack. Silently she prayed for help.

<=={======>

Prince Castor took point as the trio travelled along the road. The weather was gentle, a light snow fall fluttering down from above. "Should we not find shelter?" Athanasia asked, wrapping her cloak around her to keep warm.

"Only if it turns into a blizzard," Castor replied. His arm and face, still hot from the burns he suffered, benefited from the snow falling on it. "The town is not too far ahead," he assured his sister, "We will have a warm bed and a mug of ale by a roaring fire tonight." He smiled at the luxury of it; he never had the satisfaction of a good mug of ale back at the castle. Just the thought of mixing with the locals, enjoying a simple night without their father breathing down their necks was enough to make him smile.

Axel quietly watched the siblings bicker over what was comfort. He missed his own family back in Averny; he had not seen them in many years and wondered how they were all fairing in his absence. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he did not hear Athanasia talking to him. "...don't you agree, Sir Axel?"

"Hrm?" He turned his head towards her, "I'm sorry, I was miles away," he apologised and adjusted in his saddle, "Can you please repeat the question?"

Athanasia huffed, "That we should try to spend nights at inns along the way and camp out as little as possible," she repeated her words.

"It would not be feasible," Axel argued politely, "Inns cost money, and we do not have much of it." He moved in closer with his horse, "We could start hiring ourselves out to earn money," his suggestion earned him a glare.

"I must remain pure," Athanasia warned.

"As hired arms," he chuckled, "I look forward more and more to our wedding night with a dirty mind like yours, and it should be something special."

The Princess growled at him and rode ahead, taking Castor's position out front. The Prince fell back, "You are a masochist," he light-heartedly said to the Knight, "She will make you suffer for that."

The men laughed, making Athanasia more angry. She rode further ahead to keep out of ear shot, how dare they mock her, they have no need to protect their purity, there was no physical way to prove a man was a virgin, women had no such luxury. She tried to calm down, taking deep breaths to cool her blood. It was a wasted effort; her horse was stopped when an arrow shot into the path in front of her. Her initial instinct was to draw her sword. Several more arrows planted in the road with the first. The men noticed Athanasia's defensive stance, then the cluster of arrows blocking their path.

"Bandits!" Axel cried, also drawing his sword.

"Noblemen," a cocky male voice called out, "We will not harm you, just hand over your coin and you are free to go."

"And if we don't?" Castor responded, his own fingers itching to grip a bladed weapon.

"Then we will take it by force," the man speaking sounded delighted at the prospect of a scuffle.

Axel grinned at the imminent attack, "Well Princess, you will get to exercise your skills again." Upon finishing his sentence, a man covered in firs swung out of the trees on a rope, Athanasia was his target. She swung her blade haphazardly, slicing through the hemp rope causing the man to crash into the snow bank on the side of the road.

Axel scoped the trees, spotting half a dozen men in the branches armed with bows at the ready. The man who fell into the snow drift jumped to his feet with a cheap sword in his hand. "You will regret that, you bastard!" He roared and leapt at Athanasia.

She jumped off her horse and met his sword with her own. The force of the bandits strike would normally have sent a jolt through the other sword, but with the strange pale metal of Athanasia's weapon being stronger than the other; it sliced through the inferior blade like a hot knife through butter. The amazing sight should have made the Princess look superior, however, her startled cry at the ruined sword falling on her head made her look less than heroic.

Axel had joined her side, knocking the man down and holding his blade to the man's throat. "Call them off," the Knight demanded.

"It's a woman!" Another man from the trees yelled out, "Get her!"

"Oh what?" Athanasia whined and readied for the on coming attack; holding her shield to protect her from any arrows that most likely would rain down on them. They never came as the men descended from the branches.

"Touch her and he dies," Axel snarled, poking the sharp point of his sword into the man's neck.

Castor felt helpless, with his sword arm out of action he could only sit at the sidelines and hope not to be targeted. His fingers itched to grasp his sword and even the odds, his sister not being of much help at all. One of the men aimed straight for her and Castor saw red. Reefing his sword from its scabbard with his injured arm and stumbling off his horse to defend Athanasia. His movements distracted the man and he turned his attention to the Prince who was an easier target.

The Princess saw what Castor had done, with Axel now the focus of the bandits she went to help her brother. With the offending bandit's back to Athanasia, she swung her sword at his neck slicing cleanly through and severing his head. The horrific action should have made her sick, but she was more concerned for her brother than the fact she just killed a man.

Watching the head fall into the muddied snow, Castor stood shocked at what his sister had just done. "Sister?" He began to ask her when she cut him off.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She demanded, "You are in no condition to fight!" She looked around to her betrothed who had successfully killed off most of the bandits who attacked him directly before they retreated.

"I thought you were in trouble!" Castor yelled at her, "He," Castor pointed to the corpse as his feet, "Was going to harm you!"

Athanasia followed his finger to where he was indicating and paled, the dead man's blood was congealing on the snow and it turned her stomach. "I did that?" She whimpered, "I did that!" She began to hyperventilate, her sword falling from her hand and she collapsed on the ground, her body shaking.

Axel came over with a prisoner, "What is going on?" He enquired, pushing the bandit in his custody to the ground. He spied the body and the Princess sobbing. "Oh dear," Axel sighed, his tone almost parental. Crouching down next to his beloved, he pulled her into his arms, "Don't cry my sweet, you saved your brother's life."

"A lot more than that," the prisoner added, "He wasn't a very nice person."

"What do you mean?" Athanasia asked him, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

The prisoner grinned, "He was a nasty piece of work," he chuckled, "Would have taken your maidenhood, darlin' without a thought of your honour or discomfort."

"Watch your tongue, swine," Axel growled at the prisoner menacingly, capturing the man's neck in his strong grasp, "That's my fiancé you're addressing."

"I state the truth," the man defended, "And I do not regret it." Axel glared at the offending man as he continued. "So what is a pretty young thing like you doing in the woods without a proper escort?"

Castor laughed at the indignant look on his sister's face, "I believe I had the same thought last night," he chuckled.

The bandit turned his attention to the Prince as he stood there looking a little more worse for wear, "You smell of dragon breath," he said dryly.

"Sorry," Castor cynically replied, "Had I known we were to be attacked by highwaymen I would have bathed."

The bandit grinned at the Prince's wit, "You may not be too happy with the side affects of dragon's breath," the bandit shuffled into a more comfortable position, "It makes you look like the magical type."

Castor paused to ponder what the bandit meant, also how would the man know? Unless he too had been the victim of a dragon's breath. "What is your name, thief?"

"Vedran, your highness," he gave a bow of his head, "Yes, I know who you are." Castor was not shocked at the Thief's address; Athanasia on the other hand was not pleased in the slightest.

"So much for keeping this a secret," the Princess mumbled grumpily.

Ignoring his sister's comment, Castor continued to look at Vedran, "Good," the Prince gave the man a crooked grin, "I do hate sounding like a pompous git when I introduce myself, the titles I hold will take all day to list." He motioned for Axel to retreat, "So, what would a bandit know about Dragon's breath?"

"A great many things," he grinned, "My mother was a victim of the dreaded beast's breath, and Magic was the result of the injury and a resistance to fire." He shuffled to a more comfortable position, "A trait she passed to her children, unbeknownst to her husband, the Count Branimir of Rungard."

Athanasia gasped, "You are Jelena's brother?"

"I am," he nodded, "I have not seen her since my father threw me out of home for doing magic."

Castor looked shaken, "You are the brother of my beloved?" The information began to sink in, "She's a witch?" He saw that Athanasia was not in the least bit surprised at the revelation, "You knew?"

Axel was ready to slay the man out of fear; he raised his sword in preparation. "Axel, what are you doing?" Athanasia asked after seeing the glint of his sword out of the corner of her eye.

"He is a danger," the Kknight declared.

"The only danger here is you with that nasty looking sword," Vedran sniped, moving out of Axel's reach."

"Magic and those who wield it are no more dangerous than we are," the Princess stated flatly, "Yes, I knew Jelena was a witch." She levelled a challenging glare at her brother, "Not that powerful and no danger to anyone."

Vedran burst out laughing, "Are you kidding me? She is the most powerful witch ever born!" The Princess shot the bandit a murderous look to silence him. "Sorry."

Castor joined his sister and Vedran on the ground in the snow and sludge, "I know now why Baldassare took her," he uttered, "And if I bring her back, father will have her killed."

"Her powers are contained," Vedran tried to appease the shocked Prince, "She must know the touch of a man to unlock it."

"So the bastard wishes to bed her," Castor growled angrily, "I will have his head for the hard he will cause her."

"Can we wind up this conversation?" Axel rhetorically asked, "The sun is setting and we need to get to town."

Vedran stood up, flicking the ropes that bound him into the mud, "I know the Tavern owner in town," he said casually, ignoring the shock on their faces, "I didn't use magic to do that; that was pure skill." He whistled a high note and a grey horse trotted over from the scrub. "Come, you are my friends now, you are going to rescue my sister," he mounted his ride in a swift motion, "I will join you."

Averting her eyes from the corpse, Athanasia nodded and found her own horse, "The more the merrier."

Castor looked hesitant; the man was ready to rob them not too long ago now he was going to join them in their journey north to rescue Jelena, whom happened to be his sister. "I can heal that wound for you if you like," Vedran informed the Prince, "Otherwise it could take months."

"Once we find shelter for the night," Castor conceded and mounted his horse with Axel's help. The knight brought up the rear and they set off.

Vedran took a position next to Athanasia, "If you don't mind me saying so," he said quietly so as the others could not hear, "I could smell her on you, that is how I knew who you were."

Athanasia blushed and looked away, "Say nothing, if not for me than Jelena."

"My lips are sealed your highness," he reassured her. They fell into an awkward silence for a time, neither knowing what to say, both were close to the little beauty and were equally concerned about her wellbeing. "So," Vedran finally spoke, "My little sister is going to be Queen of Balany one day, bet my father never saw that coming."

"Don't bank on any support from Talus," she sneered bitterly at her father's stance on the marriage, "He would rather Castor marry a princess from another country to forge ties with neighbouring kingdoms."

"And you?" Vedran queried, "Marrying below your station, just a lowly knight?"

"Duke," she corrected him, "I had to choose a husband or Talus would have chosen for me."

"A nasty prospect," the bandit chuckled, "Though does not feel your marriage will mean much, you ran from the safety of your home and in doing so compromised your virtue."

"I don't care," she huffed, still feeling the sting of her father's words the day before, "I am willing to make any sacrifice to save my friend."

Vedran smoothed back his dark brown hair and puffed out his chest, "If brawn ever becomes boring, try brains, I promise to be gentle and devoted to giving pleasure."

Athanasia scoffed, "I am untouched and I will stay that way until I am married."

"Why?" He asked genuinely, "It's not like your virtue means anything anymore and you did say any sacrifice."

"If needed," she added, "I will not just throw away a bargaining chip for a romp in the sheets with a bandit."

Vedran laughed, "So your virginity is a weapon is it?" He laughed harder when she looked behind her to see if the others were listening. "You know that once we cross the border your virtue will not be appetising, men there like a woman with experience."

"So I will be safe," she smugly retorted.

"Maybe with some more training with your weapons," Vedran commented, "You showed some skill but you are too squeamish for a warrior." He motioned to the men trailing them, "Your fiancé and brother are two of the best swordsmen in the land, haven't they offered to teach you?"

She shrugged, "I'll have to train every day to be able to keep up."

"Most solders do," Vedran patronised then laughed, "But not to worry, where is it we travel to?"

"Galnoa," Athanasia answered solemnly.

Vedran swallowed hard, "That's quite a distance, and how will you defeat the man who took my sister?"

"I figured we would figure that out along the way," again she shrugged, "I was placated all through my youth. My father and those around him, including my brother, led me to believe that I was actually learning how to use the weapons I have here," she gestured to her small arsenal of swords, knives and bow. "I left yesterday with under the impression I could defeat any adversary with very little effort only to be confronted with a black dragon with a nasty attitude." She paused in contemplation, "It was fortunate I could read and not led to believe I could do that too."

"A brilliant mind is more deadly to a foe than a sharp blade," Vedran consoled her, "You will be magnificent when you train up some, I pity anyone who stands against you. Talbot learned that today."

"Talbot?"

"The man you ... ah ..." he did not want to tell her the obvious; she clearly did not like her actions.

"Oh," she nodded, "Was that his name?"

"It's what he called himself," Vedran stated, "When your livelihood revolves around robbing travellers you give yourself a name that would sound threatening. I never bothered with that, I never looked threatening." He sounded despondent.

"I bet you're fast," Athanasia tried to make him feel better about his lithe form, "And you do magic."

"Yeah," he sighed, "Not fast enough to escape your lover."

"Maybe you should train with me," she suggested, "I would like to have someone close to my own strength to go up against."

"Sure," he smiled. The pleasantries between the two did not go unnoticed. When Vedran grinned at Athanasia too many times and even reached out to her, Axel cleared his throat to warn the bandit off his girl.

"You have nothing to fear," Castor tried to appease his friend; "Vedran is below her."

"If he even tries to seduce her," Axel warned, "I will finish him, Jelena's brother or not, he has no right to touch my woman."

<=={======>

Stierdörf was a quaint little hamlet on the boarder of the kingdoms of Balany and Hengstry, one of the minor centres for trade between the two countries, not known for much other than a point on a map. The settlement housed two inns, a blacksmith, tailor, small temple, bakery and butcher. A general market opened once a day during the early hours of the morning for trade of fruits and vegetables, craft ware, dairy goods and livestock. It was a town that went quiet as soon as the sun set, save the inns.

The snow crunched under the hooves of the group's horses as they rode into town like legendary knights arriving from a deadly battle. They each looked tired, Athanasia especially as she was falling asleep on her horse's back. She began to topple precariously to the side, Axel reached to catch her but it was Vedran who saved her from a nasty fall. "I have you, sweetheart," he smiled at her as she looked up at him.

"Ah ... Thank you," she straightened, "Um ..." she looked away from both the charming grin Vedran wore and the scowl now gracing Axel's face, "Which inn should we go to?"

"Well," Vedran began, "The popular choice is the 'King's Heart' over yonder," he dramatically gestured to the larger of the two inns. "Or you can choose the more popular inn for the more nefarious of clientele, the 'Bat's Wing'." He gestured to the smaller, dimly lit establishment.

"You can hardly expect us to be seen in a tavern filled with cutthroats and thieves," Axel cut in, silencing Athanasia's response, "I do not know about you but the rest of us are respectable."

"Who do not wish to be seen," Vedran added, "And us cutthroats and thieves have our own rules we abide by and hold more honour than most of the so called respectable gentry." He dismounted from his horse and offered his elbow to Athanasia as she too dismounted. They walked off towards the 'Bat's Wing' leaving Axel fuming at the sight.

Castor also felt somewhat perturbed by the familiarity Vedran had with his sister, "Do not worry my friend," he patted the Knight on his shoulder with his good hand, "I will have words with both of them."

<=={======>

Inside the Bat's Wing was a new and exciting experience for Athanasia, the smells, sights and sounds were so alien to her and she loved it. The lighting was dull, only the occasional table had a candle on it and only a few of those were lit. The odour of ale, stewing meats and tobacco filled the air and the low bass hum of conversing men. The walls were stained with food, ale and blood from fights of the past, to Athanasia, it was fantastic.