[CAMARAX – NEAR RAY VILLAGE]
[That Same Night]
It was a particularly dark night; a thin sliver of moon peeked through the clouds casting pale light on the land below. Princess Elencia and her small party of knights and attendants setup camp after a long day's ride near a riverbank where the horses could drink and rest.
"Tomorrow mid-morning we will reach Ray village. From there we will travel this route into Avalor," the Princess said as she discussed the following day's route with her men.
As she continued detailing the following day's travel plans, she stopped mid-sentence straining her ears to listen. A deafly silence suddenly shrouded the woods…like the 'mute' button being pressed midway through an intense action scene.
"Do you hear that?" The princess asked.
"I don't hear anything," replied one of her knights.
"Exactly…these woods should be full of animals and countless sounds. It's gone quiet…too quiet," she said continuing to strain her hearing.
"It's an ambush!"
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
The silence was suddenly broken by a chorus of whistling sounds…like a symphony of bees in a rhythmic pattern. Arrows rained down on the tent like a spring torrent. The arrows pierced through the tent with a violent force.
"Aaagh!!!"
One knight groaned as countless arrows pierced his chest, arms and legs…unable to keep his balance, he toppled over but managed to whisper.
"Run, my Lady…run."
A second knight quickly unsheathed his sword and stormed out through the front of the tent to engage the attackers. Seconds later he was impaled by a rainstorm of arrows, collapsing in front of the tent, soaking the ground crimson red.
Realizing they were surrounded and that the front of the tent was no longer an escape option, the princess carved a small opening on the side of the tent and whispered, "through here!"
She crouched down and rolled out the tent through the make-shift door. She kept rolling as buzzing and whistles encircled her. The Princess felt a sharp stab on her left arm that reverberated to her shoulder. She bit her lips in an attempt to muffle her scream. An arrow grazed her arm.
A third knight managed to roll out of the tent and blocked arrows with his shield. He scanned the dark woods for traces of the attackers.
SWOOSH!
An invisible enemy struck him with a knife in the throat. The knight dropped his sword and shield as he desperately grasped his throat with both hands…attempting to stop the bleeding.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The knight was struck numerous times on his chest and back by an invisible attack. He dropped to his knees, shouted, then toppled over.
The princess laid flat on the ground, and managed to roll herself to a nearby patch of grass. She waited for a few seconds then slowly elevated her head just enough to catch a glimpse of the area. Most of the attendants had been killed by the rain of arrows, the few that managed to survive by hiding under the supply wagon were killed by invisible sword/knife attacks at close range.
The fourth and final knight emerged from the tent equipped with two large shields and managed to block the onslaught of arrows. He ran quickly into the woods, fleeing from the danger. Princess Elencia watched his silhouette grow dimmer and further away as he disappeared into the woods. A hive of arrows followed him as he ran.
The Princess observed that the invisible attackers moved with an uncanny coordination as they slipped between trees and struck from a distance and from multiple angles. As the clouds overhead moved and the moonlight shifted, the Princess caught a glimpse of faint silhouettes pursuing the running knight.
'Assassins,' she thought.
"AARRR!"
The screams of a dying man in the far distance briefly interrupted the eerie silence of the night. All four knights were killed…that meant the Princess was now alone. It was useless to try to fight against the attackers…her best option was to escape.
She released the straps of her armor…the metal caught the light too easily revealing her position. In addition, it slowed her down and made too much noise as she moved. If she wished to survive the night, she would need to blend into the shadows and remain muted.
The Princess silently unbuckled her belt removing her sheath and sword…a sword was useless in a fight with an agile and invisible assassin. Instead, she would use her dagger which was smaller and easier to conceal…if needed.
She quietly rolled through the patch of grass, careful to not attract attention. She waited a few seconds as she listened for the familiar whistling of arrows.
No sound.
Good.
She continued to roll and repeat the process. Once she reached the end of the patch of grass, she realized her tunic was white…a terrible color for a dimly lit night.
She paused for a moment as she considered her options. It was not ideal, but she had little choice. She proceeded to remove her tunic…there she laid on the grass in her undergarments. As a warrior princess, she opted to wear a small black linen that covered and supported her breasts and a separate black linen around her waist (similar to small shorts). These immodest and revealing undergarments gave her the freeness of motion needed to fight agilely…besides no one was supposed to see her in her undergarments…except maybe her husband, which she had none.
As she prepared to resume her rolling, she realized her left arm was bleeding slightly, as a result of the arrow wound. If she wished to escape, she could not afford to leave behind a trail of blood. She had nothing to wrap around her wound…she thought for a moment…then an unpleasant idea occurred to her. She removed her breast coverings and wrapped it around her left arm, stopping the bleeding. She laid semi-nude under the pale moonlight with nothing to cover her sizeable breasts. It was a humbling experience to be brought this low…however, she had no time to think about this.
She moved quickly through the dark night sticking close to the ground. She felt the grass brush against and tickle her breasts as she moved quietly. After a few minutes, she reached the nearby river. She muffled her voice as she touched the cold water…she relaxed her body and let the river drift her away.
As she drifted in the river, she thought of her little brother.
'Luceran…wherever you are…I pray you got away.'
[...]