Jezin struggled, trying to rip the dirk from the man's hand and strike again, but he had lost too much blood. All he managed to do was pull it from his opponent before it slipped to the floor. He glared at the man as he spoke, his grip on the wrist loosening. He gurgled out a few words, blood still dripping from his lips. "No... but they will find you." He slumped to the ground, his vision blurring. Everything was slipping away. He had failed. Everything he had lived for had been snatched away from him. At least Sophia had escaped, for now. He'd bought her time, but time wasn't good enough. A single tear fell from the bodyguard's eye, rolling down his blood-stained face. He slipped back, off of the sword and onto the ground. As his vision blacked out, he managed to whisper one last phrase. "Sophia... I'm so sorry."

That was a damn shame, she thought, because there was no formal party coming. Her options were now breaking out or waiting for the rest of the company to break in.and hopefully not kill anyone along the way. Whether Thomas knew it was or not, he was trying to give her a death sentence. The transition was automatic, she knew what was coming and internally turned away from it. Wordlessly, Trinan slipped backwards, putting distance between herself and the knights. She swept up her cloak as she leaped atop the table. The smokey blue overgarment went around her shoulders, the front latch still open. She took one guiding step forward, and jumped across the circle towards Wallace and his captor, landing again atop part of the round table. The investigator stopped abruptly, still not producing a weapon but instead turning to face the larger crowd. The rules specifically stated that warning must be given before the application of force against civil bodies, and splitting hairs over what a bunch of knights were was beyond her, for it was the only restraint she had. Furious green eyes locked with Thomas, and she spoke quickly. "Call back your men, or," She tried desperately to recall the charter over the pulse pounding in the back of her head calling for blood, "I will apply due force to protect the sovereignty of Keilaudrin and its rightful king Bard Urien II as is my charter as an executor of the peace." Trinan jerked her head and spat, her distaste for the jargon leaving a poor taste after the words. She looked back to the knights, eyes now calm and searching among them as she gave the short version. "I'm not worth everyone in this room."

The man watched as Jezin collapsed onto the ground, watching as the man died before him. After the man had passed, the shadow of the man placed a foot on the man's chest, and gripped his long sword, prying out from the bodyguard's chest. As he glanced around, looking for his other weapons, he saw how much blood he had split. Far too much for it to ever go unnoticed. The man grabbed his dirk, and then grabbed his other long sword, placing all of them back into the folds of his clothes. Before returning back to the body of Jezin, before bending down and looking at the dead eyes of the man, "I keep my word." He said, quietly, as he pried the bodyguard from the ground, placing him over his shoulder with impressive strength, and headed down the back hallways of the Palace, eventually disappearing into the night.

---

Thomas spat right back at Maria, watching as she dodged her knights, "I am protecting the sovereignty of King Bard II, the rightful king of the Keilauds, and the last Urien." Thomas replied, as he flipped Harmony over and over in his hand, "You had your chance, Miss Trinan. I will do what I must to protect the King, and his Palace." Thomas added, as he nodded once more to his knights. Lewyn shoved Wallace to the ground, charging Maria with his sword in his hand, ready to stab her in the gut, followed quickly by the three knights with their own swords, the one with the manacles having dropped them in favor of drawing his sword. The three knight each attempted to slash their swords at non-vital areas of Maria, such as her arms. Finally, Thomas himself charged forth, making sure to keep a eye on where Maria would dodge, and reached out with his free hand, attempting to grab a hold of her anyway he could manage. The three knights by the door watched the conflict attentively, one of them turning their back to the conflict and shouting some command down the length of the staircase to the other knights.

"Sophia, how on earth will we get you off of this continent and back home?" Gareth frowned as they dashed off into the night, himself fleeing from the palace grounds. "We can't stay here. It's not safe." He was upset about leaving Jezin to fight alone, and suddenly he felt himself crying again as he concluded Jezin might as well be already dead. Jezin couldn't fight well with that sword. He couldn't hold up well against an agile opponent who seemed to dodge every attack as if by witchcraft. He cursed himself, unable to save so many people. "We're all gonna die!" Harker whimpered as his voice collapsed into despair.

Sophia ran beside Gareth, seeing the tears in his eyes, her own efforts to prevent a breakdown gave out. "I don't know. I don't know what we can do, there's no way out Gareth. I'm so sorry... I don't know what to do. I can't... I just... can't." The girl's breathing quickened as she ran. She could feel her chest heaving and the warm salty tears pouring down her face. The night around them surrounded them in darkness. The shadows seemed to personify the dread that hung around them. Hopelessness consumed the pair.

Eva shook slightly, her orange eyes glowing in the night. "Here!" She shouted, turning a corner. The group suddenly found themselves in the palace garden. Several trees lined a small cobblestone path, and a plethora of flowers, bushes and other such plants filled the surrounding area. She pulled Sophia off of the path, motioning for Gareth to follow them. They came to a shady area beneath a large oak tree. Eva came to a stop, releasing her grip on the princess' wrist. She looked between her two companions. They were just children, they didn't deserve this, but their panic was extremely inconvenient for the current situation. Eva shook her head, before finally speaking with a calm, but somewhat stern voice. "Both of you need to stop and breathe for a moment. I know this looks hopeless, but if you panic we will die." She looked to the moon for a moment and took a breath. It was time, she'd kept quiet too long. "Princess Sophia, I apologize, I've kept some things from you." Sophia's eyes widened. "But first... Gareth. I appreciate everything you've done to help us, but I need to know you won't breathe a word of this. You can't tell a soul, you understand me, yes?" The Tauran woman twirled the dagger in her hand, watching around the garden for any sign of movement.

"Hand over the princess." The voice cut into the night air, throughout the garden. Down the garden's path advanced the same man from before, sans bandanna, and armed with his long sword and dirk. Dark stains were visible on his black robe as he advanced down the garden's path to the trio. The man looked somewhat tired as he advanced, obviously from his scuffle with Jezin, "No one will be hurt if Sophia is handed over." He added, simply. It was evident to the rest of the group that the man's mouth did not move when he spoke, making it all the scary when the man talked. Blood still flowed from the man's hand as he advanced, going down the length of his long sword, and dripping onto the pathway of the garden.

Gareth turned the corner with the group and stood under the shade, staring around in the dark and up at the moon. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm down, but all things turned awry as Eva reared her ugly head with something nefarious. The glint of silver in the dark frightened him. "Sophia!" He shouted. "Get behind me!" With all his anguish and through all the angst, Harker fought to bring himself to act in defense of him and Sophia, pulling his bow out and aiming for the Tauran, another face of evil in the middle of all of their troubles. The other foe showed up, and Gareth knew instantly that Jezin had failed, as he suspected. Everything came crashing down, and he knew he couldn't protect Sophia even if he tried, otherwise they'd both be dead. Nevertheless, he would try to at least protect her.

Eva raised her hands in the air when Gareth aimed the arrow at her. "Gareth, Gareth please listen to me, it's not anything like that, I assure you. Just take a moment and listen to me, and I promise this will all make sen-" Her phrase was cut short by the same man that had been fighting Jezin appearing from the shadows. The bodyguard had failed. Eva cursed to herself. "Gareth, I'm not your enemy. We have a bigger problem." She looked towards the approaching man, noticing the blood on his weapons. She could tell from his mouth that something was unnatural about the man. "Explain yourself. Who are you? What are you doing here? And what do you want with the Princess?"

Sophia jumped back at Gareth's sudden movement, tripping and falling on a root of the tree. She only had a moment to appreciate the situation before it worsened considerably. There he stood, the same man she'd seen fighting Jezin, his weapons soaked in blood. "No.... no." Her hands shook violently. Jezin was gone. This monstrosity had killed him, and now they were all alone in the garden with no hope of escape, boxed in once again. "Jezin....Jezin.... No.... NO!" She struck her fist against the bark of the tree with considerable force, speckles of blood forming on her scratched and bruised knuckles. She stood up, walking past both Eva and Gareth, and looking the man dead in the eyes. She had never felt this way before. Grief, sadness, hopelessness, rage, all these feelings had blended into a seething flame in the girl's mind. She stood a few yards away from the man, visibly shaking. "What do you want with me?!" She growled out the words. "What did I do to you?!" The moonlight shone on her eyes. She wanted so badly to kill the man, to rip him limb from limb, to tear his head from his body and plant it on a spike. "Why is all of this happening?!"

The man stopped a 15 feet away from Sophia, holding his stance as she broke down in front of him, watching with the utmost indifference to the current situation, before turning his gaze to Gareth, and Eva, "Hand over the princess, and no one will be hurt." He spoke in a straight forward tone, now, his relaxed state somewhat gone from his encounter with Jezin. The man had no intention to kill anyone else, and all it seemed he really wanted was the peaceful acquisition of Princess Sophia, "One man has already died, there need not be another senseless causality." Despite the man's nature, and his unsettling disposition, his tone seemed sincere, as if he meant what he said. The man glanced back down at the Princess, with the piercingly indifferent green eyes that looked as if it could bore a hole straight through metal.

Gareth frowned, turning his arrow on the man. "What do you want from her? Why do you need her? She's done nothing!" His eyes were filled with tears, riddled with others's deceit. He had enough. He didn't want to die. He didn't want Sophia to die. Nobody truly deserved to die, Gareth believed. This man wanted blood, Gareth saw through the assassin's cold eyes. But how, how could Harker deny the man what he wanted?

Sophia shook more violently, glaring at the man. "I am not an object to be demanded! Answer my questions you bastard!" Sophia's voice was different, there was an almost feral tone to it, like a caged animal. She had no idea where this certain bravery, or perhaps stupidity, was coming from. She couldn't control what was coming out of her mouth. Finding out Jezin was gone had pushed her over the line. She stared into the man's indifferent eyes, her fists clenched at her sides. "You killed Walden, you killed Jezin. And now you have the audacity to show up again, to take me who knows where." She took a deep breath. "Answer. Answer me!"

Eva took a step forward, placing herself beside Gareth. Even in a two-on-one, she didn't think the two of them could take the man that now stood before them. He'd taken Jezin down, with only a few injuries to show for it. Their options were minimal at best. 'Why aren't you here already...' It was hopeless, no salvation would come from outside. It was just the four of them in this garden, what happened next would only be resolved by the parties present. She took another step forward with extreme caution, trying to get closer to Sophia without enraging the stranger. The Lyoki princess' mental break was dangerous.

Wallace toppled to the ground when he was shoved, dragging his hand along the wall as he fell to slow his fall. It didn't make a difference, he banged his head against the ground. The pain was nothing compared to the whirlwind of agony he was experiencing before his fall had even concluded. Maria Trinan, obviously the target of Lexine's aspirations. She was unknown here, but he'd heard all of the existing stories about Arcartus' misfit soldier, read most of them in their efforts to pass off a fake. Her short tenure as a captain was far less interesting than the rumors regarding her Lachnet heritage. His head turned from the floor, looking over to Lexine's body. If he could just make it over... There was no chance. He was done with the spectacle, he watched Trinan now, waiting for his chance to get up and bolt as sir Lewyn ran off.

Trinan looked down at the room, spotting Lewyn and preparing to descend on the man first before addressing the other knights in the room. She was distracted, when she saw the look the man on the floor was giving her. She loosely recognized the idea of Wallace Canti, definitely knew the regent's name though not his face, but locking eyes with him broke the trance. What was she doing? Nothing she did could explain away twenty bodies and there wasn't any chance the knights would stop their pursuit until she'd ruined every sword on her person. The investigator backed away from the knights, going further back around the table to buy some time as she raised her hands in the air. She wasn't worth everyone in the room, wouldn't let this devolve into that, but she had only one undeniable talent. "I will prove my innocence in a duel. I challenge you, Thomas Morgan." The guys at Erschald would have died laughing to hear that she was fighting fancy, but if she could avoid dying screaming the trade would be good enough.

The man replied to none of the questions posed to him, immediately. He eyed the bow that was leveled at him, closely, shifting his gaze off of Sophia, and on to the brave young man. After a few moments, the man once again 'spoke', "The princess is coming with me." He said, as he made a slow advance towards the princess, but keeping his eye on Gareth, "No one has to be hurt." He said, dangerously, picking up his advance slightly. The man seemed unphase by the questions posed to him, and seem especially indifferent to the little girls troubled state.

---

The knights all halted their advance, staring back at their Commander, as they awaited how he would respond to Maria's challenge. Thomas cleared his throat, and half smirked at the situation, "Very well. As is your right as a foreign authority." Thomas replied, as he gripped Harmony tighter, and slightly gritted his teeth. They couldn't go outside the grounds. Thomas paused for a moment, realizing this girl was about to fight for her right to speak, and prove her innocence to him. Thomas looked around the room for a moment, before speaking next, "I will hear what you have to say, Maria. We have many things to discuss." Thomas finally conceded as his reaction over Maria's audacity to break into the tower, and bring a dead body along with her had passed. Thomas glanced over to get guards, and nodded towards Wallace, "Pick him up." Thomas commanded, as Lewyn attempted to pick the old regent back up, as Thomas made his way slowly over to the man.

"And no one will be if you leave us be." Gareth retorted. The other man wouldn't get his hands on Sophia, not over the squire's dead body. He would give his life to protect Sophia, even if he didn't serve the Empress of Lyok, even if he barely knew the girl. Innocent lives needed protection. He cried even as he spoke with his protective and resolute tone, however on the inside he prayed to the Spirits, the lower deities serving the One True God, and the One True God himself. He religiously searched for salvation from the hell he was living then and for the powers to defend them in their time of dire need.

Eva glanced between Gareth, Sophia, and their adversary. Her options were few. She and Gareth could try to fend off the man, but that would likely just end in their deaths, and nothing more. They could try running, but if the man's previously showcased speed was any indication, they'd have no chance there either. The only suitable option was to try something rash. She kept her eyes locked on the man before them, but whispered hastily out of the corner of her mouth, well out of earshot of their enemy. "Gareth, trust me... and take a shot if you know it will hit." She quickly darted forward, placing herself directly behind Sophia, and putting the dagger she had been carrying against the Princess' throat. "Hold your ground. Make another move and so help me I will kill her on the spot. Better she die here than be taken." Her eyes locked with the man's, a cold seriousness emanating from behind them. Eva's free hand went behind her back and into the folds of her dress, producing a second dagger, slightly longer than the first. The weapon was held behind her, out of view of their pursuer, but in clear view of Gareth. She was betting far too much on a gamble, but it was all she had. "I will not allow you to use the Princess for whatever scheme you, or whoever it is you're working for, have hatched. I'm willing to risk being thrown to the vipers for the good of Lyok. Tell me, sir, are you willing to take such a risk?" Her eyes remained locked on the man.

Sophia froze when she felt a blade against her throat, the fire within her dying in a second. She was shocked for a moment, then she heard Eva's words. Surely the woman really wouldn't do such a thing... Did it really matter? At least her death would be quick here. What was there worth living for? No, she couldn't think that way. This man had to pay for what he had done, one way or another. Silently, she swore she'd get vengeance, for Jezin, for Walden. How she planned on doing that was beyond her, however. At the moment, she stood with a knife to her throat and a man who was hellbent on kidnapping her growing closer and closer.

Maria's hands slowly came down, stopping in intervals as she looked over the knights. As she calmed, the ridiculousness of her gambit struck her and she only just managed to keep a straight face as her head turned between the parties present. It was difficult to believe that everything was over, like that, with only a duel in her future. She stepped down from the table, a ginger, slow descent as she remained on edge and alert for the first hint of a lie. If the knight's reactions had been any indication, the challenge was something they took seriously. Whatever, she needed to trust them or there were no options left. The inspector exhaled deeply, leaning one elbow against the table and waiting after Thomas had promised to hear her out. She acknowledged his courtesy with a deep nod of her head, and resigned to watching their business with the man Lewyn was manhandling.

Wallace frowned as he was pulled up from the floor like some fallen child. His head spun but slowly he was coming down from the headache. He did not chose to afford Sir Lewyn his attentions, looking indignantly away from the man holding him up as if he could ignore the incident. When Thomas began to approach him, he turned to look at the man, wondering what came next. Every few moments was punctuated by an angry glance over towards the woman in the room. For someone with a record of impulsive violence, it seemed that more than the number of scars on her face had changed in a few years. The thought brought him back to Thomas, and the final understanding that whatever he had tried to create, the 'violent record' of his that most people were concerned with was an invention. He felt disappointment, more than fear. He'd failed, that was irreversible now that he was inside Thomas' domain, but that was nothing that had ever set him back before. "Isn't it too convenient that some jackboot walks in with all the answers? They want to ruin you Morgan, and their hunting hound is standing right there," he spoke resolutely, dedicated to his sinking ship even though Thomas' silent approach filled him with with uncertainty.

The man's progress was not halted in the slightest as he continued his slow advance forward. The man kept his eyes on Gareth as he advanced towards the now endangered Sophia. The man raised his long swords up, ever so slightly, as he did so, "Hand over the princess." The man said once more, with the same tone he had used before, not even slightly concerned as it seemed. The man seemed to have no intention of playing a bargaining game with Eva for Sophia. It could not be determined if he simply was calling out Eva's decision, or it just didn't matter to him. The man stopped, a mere 5 feet from Sophia and Eva before speaking once more, "I will kill all three of you." The man slowly raised his longsword, leveling it towards Eva's head. The words echoed out across the garden, as the man stood absolutely still, shifting his glance from Gareth, to Eva.

---

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An undying fire burned inside Gareth. They were taking an enormous shot in the dark. Nobody else could save them if their plan failed. But Harker knew they'd spend forever on the run if they didn't kill the man right there, right then. The man didn't take the bait, unwavering in his demands, and yet to Gareth it seemed as if Eva were to tenaciously pursue the protection of the trio. The young man screamed on the inside for help, for the man standing before them and coming dangerously close to die where he stood. His ambitions for their survival transcended that of a mortal man, and for a moment he felt a godlike rage and aura of defense pulse through him, adrenaline racing through his body. The tension raised hairs on this skin as the standoff continued, and the half-elf found himself helpless to do nothing else beyond seek refuge in his beliefs. Would the Spirits save them, or would they be forsaken? The hand on his drawn bow that remained frozen began to tremble with hesitation, and the brunet struggled to compose himself.

Internally, Eva cursed to herself. She didn't know why she'd expected the gamble to work, but it had been worth a shot. Now it was fight or flight, and she knew neither would probably end well for them, but surrendering the Princess was not an option. She took a step forward, slowly, pushing Sophia with her as she went, continuing until she was barely out of range of the man's longsword. Quickly, she whispered. "I'm sorry, Princess." In a single fluid motion, with surprising speed for a woman who supposedly had no combat training, she swept her leg up, kicking Sophia in the side and sending her flying several feet into the bushes. As she did so, she moved forward, swinging the dagger in her right hand up to knock the long sword away, before pulling the longer dagger from behind her back and making a swift stab towards the man's chest. The long, narrow blade of the second dagger was likely capable of piercing his armor. Immediately after making the strike, she darted to the side, hopefully dodging any counter, as well as giving Gareth an open shot. The movement also placed her between the man and Sophia.

When she heard Eva apologize, she half expected the knife to tear through her throat. She braced herself for pain, and got it, though not as she expected. She felt a hard kick strike her in the side. The forceful strike on her petite frame sent her flying several feet, and she felt a sharp stinging sensation when she landed. She looked up to find herself lying in a rose bush. She stumbled to her feet. Her side ached, and a number of thorns were now imbedded in her arm. She watched as Eva took a step in front of her. Her eyes darted from the woman, to Gareth. They were trying to save her, just as Jezin had. She gritted her teeth, feeling useless. She was too small and frail to fight, she always had been, but there had to be something she could do. Her mind raced. Find help, she told herself. This man had cut Walden down, armed with that information, she might be able to make some allies. The fire in her heart had been rekindled, and she felt the same feeling overtake her. She turned towards the other side of the garden and ran as fast as her feet would carry her towards the center of palace grounds. It was dangerous, she knew that, but without help they'd almost certainly die here.

The bowman fixed his eyes in concentration, watching Sophia get flung to the side by Eva in a painful manner. He'd apologize to her later for Eva's kicking Sophia, but he had to let it go and focus on the initiation. As Eva charged forward, Gareth made a shot, that for the most part was guaranteed a hit. The angle was opposite of Eva's, and the arrow was sent flying towards the man's ankle, or at least somewhere on the lower body, even if it couldn't hit the man in the ankle of the leg which he dislocated. The boy's trained eye couldn't misjudge the course of the arrow, but to some degree the man couldn't predict their charge completely and either Eva's attack or Gareth's arrow was destined to successfully collide with the man. However, Harker felt that if his shot hit the man, it would give them a significant combat advantage in hindering his movement further, and it wouldn't have any armor in its way.