Intruders: Shadow Knights

The guard threw up his forearms like an offensive lineman blocking a defensive back, but the stemal slipped to the side, pushed the knight's elbow down and away, caught his head, and rolled him into the floor. Third of a second once contact was made, and the stemal was on his feet, watching the armoured guard rush toward him in slow motion as the three other stemals, even more slowly, jumped to their feet. The guard reached under his amour to find the lighter, even as he pushed past the stemals. He reached the block on the wall and lit the massive fire. The fires on the other watchtowers lit up almost spontaneously. The stemal did not try to stop the guard from lighting the fire; he rolled his hand under the guard's wrist, drove the man’s arm over and back, and pulled him backward and down. The intruder had the lighter before the knight slammed into the floor, and hit him on the forehead with it two hard times.

A posted guard looks up into the cold night sky and see's the flaming orange mass's on the wall. He runs over to where the captain is talking to some Knights, his armour clinking. He says sir and salutes smartly before saying, "It’s the royal fire, it’s been lit! The royals they’re under attack!" Captain Rex gasps and runs around the side to see the fire. "MEN, gather the troops were going in", he runs into the barracks where general Andrew and his apprentice phoenix and a lot of other knights are sitting down and talking. Some are playing cards. "Sir, the royals are under attack", Andrew drops his cards and says knights let's go! They run into the castle to the royal chambers and they come across a group of Stemals and they combat them. And hear one of them say go and make sure the prisoners are secured and escorted. The subordinate ran off to follow their orders. Andrew looked at the Captain and they ran down the halls after the Stemal. The Stemal came to a halt in a far corridor where he talked to another one.

Rex and Andrew stopped and crept silently down the hall without a noise. They overheard the words spoken. "Go and secure the princess Aricia, she's putting up a fight. Kill her if necessary." Captain Rex let out a soft gasp and Andrew turned to him. "I'll go rescue the King and Queen, you go rescue your girlfriend."

"Right, wait Andrew the princess is not my..." Andrew had already taken off down the halls. Rex ran down the corridors searching for the princess. He found her trying to fight off the intruders,

 "Captain" she called out as she saw him.

 "Princess." One of them knocked her over the head as he drew his sword. He pushed past them and slew them with his blade. He reached the princess and sheathed his sword. He bent down when he heard the rest of the Stemals coming and scooped her up in his arms. She started to stir in his arms as he rushed to the stone balcony of her quarters. He looked out and saw their way out. The Stemals came in swords drawn as the captain unsheathed his sword, the princess still in his arms and jumped off the balcony and thrust his sword into one of the might great banners and slid down. They were running out of the banner, He cut the rope with his sword sending the rope down a little more he dropped his sword and gripped the rope swinging him and the princess down safely. He sheathed his sword and scooped the princess up in his arms again. He ran into the garden where they would be safe from the princess's harmers.

"Your highness." Rex addressed her as he put her gently on the ground.

"Oh captain, thank you. You're making it so hard for me to fall out of love with you." the captain's cheeks blush under his helmet.

"I'm sorry princess." he dipped his head as he responded, his cheeks growing hotter.

 "Oh Rex, you’re a good man don't apologize, I could never change this. She drew closer to him and reached her hands up to his helmet. He placed his hand over hers and looked into her eyes. She gazed back and removed his helmet and dropped it gently on the ground. She cupped her hand on his cheek and kissed him. Rex hadn't felt anything like it- it was the most precious event he had ever witnessed, time seemed too slow for them. He closed his eyes and kissed her back before reality came crashing back down upon him. He stepped back quickly, "what's wrong?" she asked.

"Your highness, we shouldn't be doing this, we can't" he sighed. "It wouldn't work out." He said regretfully.

She gasped, "Don't you love me back?" She asked fearfully on the verge of tears.

 "Aricia, I love you more than anything in the world, you are my world, my guiding stars, my moon that shines in the darkest hour of the darkest night. And there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you." He wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her close to him, he whispered so softly in her ear, it was as if he thought she would shatter at the very movement. "Aricia, you are a royal princess, and I am just a Captain".

"You’re not just a Captain, you’re my Captain and I love you." She almost sobbed.

"My Princess, for your sake, no one must find out about this. I'm sorry." He stepped back and saw that the orange flame had been replaced with the blue flame- that meant the intruders were defeated. "Your highness, if you could follow me." She nodded once and he led her back into the castle. Captain Rex saw the king sitting on his throne with an anguished look and led the princess over to him. "Your royal majesty," he bowed and stepped to the side.

The king glanced at the man, identifying rank, and said, "My many thanks, Captain." He dipped his head respectfully and left. The princess looked sadly at the captain as he walked away. Rex walked over to where General Andrew was talking to serval knights, he dismissed them when he saw the captain.

"Rex," he said as they walked out of the throne room. "Why did your princess look so sad?"

He sighed and looked at Andrew, "You cannot say another word of this, I told her highness that she is a royal princess and I am but a knight with the lowly rank of Captain".

The general nodded his head in the acceptance of the grief the captain must have been feeling.

"Captain, General," A knight approached the two men. "We have found the man who lit the fire, he says he saw their leader."

"Thank you."

"Sir, he has been knocked unconscious and has some serious damage to his head and mainly chest. You had better hurry."

The knight led them outside and up onto the wall. The General saw the man who was on the ground and kneeled by his side, the man's breathing was shallow.

Andrew addressed him and said, "You did well today- what you did, saved the entire royal family. You should be proud; your family will be". The dying man smiled briefly but then his smile was overcome by pain, and he winced. The general continued, "Who attacked you, who was their leader?"

"They went by the name..."

"Yes?"

"Andrei," He coughed and rested his head back, General Andrew Windsor had to lean his head so the man could whisper in his ear. "Camargo."

"Sir." Two medics arrived with a frame wrapped in canvas. "He needs to rest." The General nodded and stepped back as they put the stretcher on the ground and carefully lifted the injured man onto it and carried him away for further treatment.

Andrew turned to the knight who led them to the man. "Can you please alert his family to his present situation?"

"Yes, Sir." He nodded smartly and followed the medics inside.

"Captain, we are going to find this man, and we are going to kill them."

"I think I might know a contact." He hesitated. "We will have to go to my house though". 

"In the country?" Rex nodded his head in response. They walked inside as they discussed their plans, they reached the barracks and split ways.