by Envy Mercury
“The biggest thing I discovered was that the forces are more minimal there. This must be due to the fact that Victor and his main forces are stationed at Rezner’s fortress.”
“Yes, his place is more of a stronghold than home. My manor does have some defensive measures but nothing as grand as his fortress,” Yumi said as she looked towards me. She directed her attention back to Mecci. “Even with forces being minimal, what are we potentially dealing with when it comes to the defensive strategies of those forces?”
“There were a few groups of scouts outside the perimeter. They were fairly easy to keep track of, though they don’t have times set to change up. Now, over here,” Mecci said as she pointed out different points on the layout of the property of the manor in front of her, “are the outer walls. There are a few on duty that walk on patrol along the battlement sections on top of these defensive walls.”
Warren spoke up, “Lady Yumi’s manor does not have extreme defensive measures, as they were not needed with a low probability of any aggression being made at the time of when it was taken from her.” He looked up at us, “That said, when it was taken from her, it was a considerable force that did it. We do not have that same type of force. We could easily run into issues if we do not get inside.”
“Do they have any idea that we will be laying siege to them?” I considered.
“We have never tried, and I don’t see why they think we would now. Even if we get it back, in the future, there will be retaliation, and that will probably be the largest concern,” Yumi explained.
“In basics, Victor can send a force to crush us and take it back,” I said. Everyone nodded, and with them thinking over the consequences of taking it back, a lot of the confidence seemed to pull from everyone in the room.
I thought for a moment, and then I had an idea, “Victor took it from Lady Yumi before. I could see him having confidence if he had to do it again. My question is, what if it was someone else?”
“What do you mean someone else?” Warren asked, a bit confused.
“I have a reputation from my past here. I don’t remember it. What I remember doesn’t really matter as long as other people remember it. It is what other people think of me,” I stated.
Mecci pumped a fist in the air, “Oh! You want people to think you are the one that took it from him!”
Yumi banged her fist on the table, “Even if he thinks it is not you, part of him would have to wonder. He didn’t take everything over after you left from being irrational. The rational thing would be planning on the fact that it is you. Worst case scenario that would still buy us some more time. Best case, he would just let it go! Every bit of time would be precious to set up our next step!”
“Mecci, what kind of vegetation surrounds the manor?” I asked.
“The way you come in normally,” she said as she pointed at the diagrams, “is an open area. To the sides here,” she suggested, “and here has some area with tree coverage.”
I looked at everyone, “Here is what I propose we do. We have the element of surprise and a smaller force. So, we will do gorilla tactics.” They looked at me like they didn’t understand. “Basically, that means we will hide and use trickery. I suggest we send two small long-range attack forces to hide in areas where there is tree cover at both sides of the manor. If they run into patrols, they take them out as silently as possible. They will be positioned hidden to take out the wall patrols.”
“How will that help us get in?” Yumi asked me. I looked at everyone, and I nodded.
“It won’t, but they will help protect everyone else and maybe keep an alarm from being sounded for as long as possible. Mecci wasn’t recognized when she came back wearing that cloak. I feel simple is best. We will have a small strike team or group that is more elite, silently take down a patrol, take their robes, and put them on. They will go to the entrance and make their way inside. Once inside, they will keep things as silent for as long as possible while witling down enemies inside your manor.”
From what I had seen in movies, documentaries on historical events of war. This seemed like a good idea. I wondered if the others thought the same. I was no general, and it seemed like the only option to me when I looked at what information was known. Storming the manor with guns blazing would only get us noticed. Then we would slowly get cut down without ever getting inside. This had to be the way in.
“Then the long-range forces we have under the cover of the trees can make their way over to get inside once the strike team has things more secure. The patrols up top will be distracted with those inside, which will make them easy targets to be taken out by our forces before they get inside to back up the strike team and finish the job,” I insisted to them.
“Hmmm… It is a risky plan,” Warren observed.
“Yes, it does have some risk. With battle, there always is a risk,” Yumi said.
“Might be for the best,” Mecci added. “I trust my Master.”
I looked at all of them. “I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do, but it definitely sounds better than just running in there. I don’t think we could get inside any other way without being noticed. Breaking through, digging, doing any of those, we would be caught in the act of what we were attempting. This seems the best to me.”
“Let’s get all the pieces in place and plan to do it this nightfall. Cover of the night would give us even an even more stealthy advance. We will let them be tired and bored out of their minds. Then we will take what is mine,” Yumi said.
Walking back out, Mecci grabbed onto my sleeve and gave it a tug. I turned to look at her, and she had her head lowered a bit, and her hand dropped by her side. “Hey, what’s up?”
She looked up at me, her lips pulled in. “I worry about you, Master.”
“With?”
“I worry about later tonight, and if you will get hurt.” I saw her eyes glisten with moisture.
I ran my hand through my hair and then settled it on my neck. I worried about myself as well, but I didn’t want her to feel worse. She had enough to worry about besides my own safety. “I will be fine, Mecci. I’ve learned some sword, and maybe I’ll remember and figure some other things out as well.”
“What if you don’t? What if you don’t figure out enough?” Tears formed on the edges of her eyes, building up and finally bursting the containment, causing streams to run down her face. She stood there, trembling. “I lost you once, Master… I can’t- I can’t lose you again. I don’t think my heart would be able to take it. I will die.”
I pulled her into a deep hug into my chest, letting her tears soak into my shirt. She was full-on crying now. “Mecci, it will be ok. I won’t let anything happen to me.”
“I’ll die, Master! I can’t lose you!” She clenched my shirt and looked up at me, a sniffling mess.
“Where did this even come from? You were fine up in the meeting?”
“After, I just got to thinking about how we are going there tonight. It feels so soon…I thought about you being there and all the things that could go wrong. I imagined you getting hurt.”
“How about you teach me a few more things? Yumi gave me a mana sword that I need to work with. You can help me figure that out. Maybe while doing that, you can show me some other tricks as well.”
Her resolve solidified a bit more. “Yes… I can- I can do that.”
“I will try my best and show you that I can be strong enough that you don’t worry about me as much. See how I do tonight. You’ll feel better if things go well.”
“Ok, Master,” she said as she poked my chest. “I am going to push you hard, though; I can’t have you dying on me.” She wiped off her face and smiled at me. “I’m sorry that I got so emotional.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. I don’t mind it at all. It just shows me that you care about me. Nothing wrong with that.”
“Ok!” She lightly punched me in the shoulder, which I think a normal human being would have noticed the pain a lot more than I did. She went in front of me and grabbed
my hand enthusiastically, pulling me after her to the training area outback. I smiled, thankful that I could elevate her mood and make her worry less for now.
Chapter Six
Princess Valentine looked out her window. It was a beautiful view, and she could see most of the kingdom from her living area up in the palace. There was a beautiful garden that was well known as being the most beautiful in the country. She watched the workers tend to it with great care. Some were watering the plants to make sure they were maintaining their health. Other workers were tidying up the area, keeping it nice and clean. They looked for defects in the landscape, the bricks, and stones. They weeded between the small cracks, being mindful to catch every detail. Staff were working hard at maintaining the appearances of the plants themselves. They did some work with manual labor. Some did this with magic. You would think magic would be an easier way to go, but when applying magic for long periods of time, it could wear a person out just like manual labor would.
She knew some of the staff by name, some not as much. In the rare occurrence, she got to go down to the garden, she very much enjoyed being social with them. It was not proper for her to interact with them on a higher level than just staff, but she never cared for etiquette like that. She cared about knowing people. She loved getting to know their lives. The princess knew some of them didn’t like her and wouldn’t interact with her just from the station she held, but many would. She was grateful for it more than they knew. She guessed some knew of her predicament. They had to. She knew that the staff would talk with each other about the gossips of the castle and kingdom.
She was the Traitor Princess. That was her nickname among the nobles and the hierarchy in this castle. Princess Valentine knew she didn’t have much longer. She had heard gossip from staff that was loyal to her. This gossip dealt with plotting to get rid of her once and for all. It was good to keep her around for public appearances. She did have high approval within the Light Kingdom citizens. This didn’t mean that she had support from those that were her peers and her King. King Maethon was her father. He was her father, but at the same time, he was not. He did sire her, gave his seed to give her life. Maethon never acted like a father though, he cared more for his power than he cared for anyone else. You could ask her mother about that if she was alive to tell the tale. Queen Gwedhriel was an extraordinary ruler. Valentine thought that she took more after her mother than her father, thank the gods. Her mother cared for the people and was very ethical in her decision making. There were arguments, confrontation, and controversy dealing with positions the kingdom would take on matters.
Years ago, when she returned from her imprisonment from The Darkness as they were known then, it was sudden and unexpected. She knew in her heart the royal family didn’t care that she was captured. She spoke out against her own family too much, especially after her mother’s death. Her mother was mourned, and everyone was very saddened by her passing. Especially the royal family, they were so broken up after her tragic accident. In public, anyways, in private, her suspicions were raised even more. She knew that her mother didn’t fall over a railing. She had to have been pushed, it was no accident, and her mother would have never jumped over the railing to end her life. Valentine knew her mother better than to buy into that lie.
Her mother died, and a short time later, Valentine was kidnapped. Then she was returned, very unexpectedly, even unexpected to her. She was mocked as a traitor because people figured she must have given some information or done something to negotiate for her own release. That she must have turned against the Kingdom.
“Why did he do that for me,” she muttered to herself. Another issue was she returned with more magic power within her. She couldn’t do anything with it as far as she knew, but some of the head mages thought she could be possessed or be carrying something negative. She leaned on her window sill, looking up at the clouds. Resting her head on her arm, she let out a sigh. Her feelings for Rezner confused her. He kidnapped her, but he wasn’t a genuinely horrible person, though she was scared when it happened. He had visited her a lot, which she felt was strange at first. Slowly over time, she got to know him as a person. She thought that she understood why he did what he did. He had a duty to those that followed him. She sympathized with that. She understood all the struggles that people like these workers below went through, and these were the lucky people. After getting to know him over the weeks she was held captive, he had earned a place in her heart, but that didn’t really matter. He was gone, but she hadn’t forgotten him. It was funny to hear that she trusted him more than she trusted her family. If only he was here to help her now.
There was a knock at her door.
Valentine jumped back from the window. It wasn’t often that people came by, especially this hour of the day. It wouldn’t concern her as much if it wasn’t for the looming threat against her that existed. Her father had remarried earlier that year, there was a new queen. Her father had married Lilith. Lilith was a mystery; she wasn’t a well-known woman in the higher society of the kingdom. She almost appeared like a ghost, moving up the social ladder and getting close to her father. All Valentine knew was that Lilith wasn’t a very kind person, and she had a dark aura to her that Valentine couldn’t quite pinpoint. Lilith always made her feel sick to her stomach and gave her anxiety when she was close to her proximity.
Valentine took a few steps towards the door. “Who is there?”
“It is Mei! Princess Valentine! Please! Allow me to enter!”
Mei was her lady in waiting, one of the daughters of a noble family. Mei was outspoken and considered the black sheep in that family, so her parents did what every typical family of high society would do. They got rid of her. A cast-off that tended to the traitor princess. Like Valentine, Mei wasn’t very fond of etiquette and how people were treated with lower standing. Naturally, they became friends.
Valentine, deciding the matter seemed pretty urgent, opened the door herself. “Mei, yes- come in.”
“Thank you, my princess- I… have heard,” Mei caught her breath before continuing, “troubling information that has to do with you.”
“Come in and shut the door, so we can have some more privacy.”
“Yes, princess.” Mei pushed the door closed. “My princess, there are always rumors that are gossiped about in the castle, but these rumors seem to be more than just gossip. It is very disheartening indeed.”
“Mei, we are friends and in private. Call me Valentine,” Princess Valentine reassured her.
Mei brought her hand up by her mouth and whispered to Valentine. “A maid overheard some things that the queen was discussing. It had to do with you. She plans on getting rid of you!”
“This is sound information?”
“She was scared, afraid that she even overheard it.” Mei reached up, clutching her maid attire into tight balls from her anxiety as her eyes became moist. “I fear for you, Valentine…”
“How long?”
“Maybe days, it could be less.”
Valentine looked towards the window. She always felt that something like this would eventually happen. This confirmed her suspicions. She would lose even more freedom, or the queen could end up having plans for her that were much more sadistic. Either way, she needed to leave, a task that was easier said than done.
“Mei, I think it is time I leave here.”
“I will do whatever I can to assist you, of course,” Mei bowed to her.
“You are a good friend Mei. It is too big of a drop, and there are no footholds to escape out the window. I have to find a way to get off the castle grounds without being discovered.”
“I have thought about this for a long time, should this day have arrived. I have a plan that involves disguising you.” Mei told Valentine her plan, giving every detail to prepare to set things in motion. Later that night, Valentine would be free of her royal shackles.
Valentine changed into a servant outfit. It felt bizarre to be wearing this attire. Not because the clothing was be
neath her. It felt strange because it gave finality to what she was about to do. There would be no turning back after tonight. She looked in the mirror, noticing that the maid's clothing was a bit small for her, especially in the bust. She got the maid outfit from Mei as she had returned a bit later, dropping off the uniform hidden in some linens. Valentine wrapped the hooded cloak over her shoulders and put the hood up over her head. It was very essential that her head be covered, for more reasons than concealing her identity.
There were two knocks, silence, and a third knock at the door. It was time. There was no turning back now. Valentine opened the door to find Mei standing there, dressed the same as she was. Mei held out a basket, which Valentine took in her hands. “Let’s go, my lady. Time is wasting. There is movement in the castle.” Mei collected some linen from the bed and piled it in both of their baskets.
They left the room, and Valentine shut the door behind them. Mei had told her earlier they would take on the role of laundress, then they would go outside as to attend to some late evening washing of linens. Which, of course, they would not do, but it was by the edge of the property and would have access to easily escape.
They made their way calmly down the corridors, not seeing any others for a few minutes. The royal castle was relatively large, so they had some distance to cover before making it to their goal. That was when they heard the sound of boots echoing towards them. They stepped to the side and put their backs against the wall, slightly bowing down their heads. Some of the elite honor guards walked past them. The only way the guards could be going was to the room the pretend maids just came from, which gave them a few minutes until Valentine was discovered missing. They left their positions and continued down the corridor getting ever closer to their destination.
Making their way out of the exit towards the grounds, they both let out a sigh of relief. It was more open here and had less of a chance of their discovery. Only a little way was left until they reached the building that would have been their destination to wash laundry.
