-Marissa
The next feeling she felt was rage. Pure rage at no one in particular. She wanted to be mad at Marge for not telling her her true origin but she knew that if King John knew her mother’s true status as a queen, she would have gotten in trouble along with Izzy.
Silent tears fell from her face, both in anger and terror. Now that she knew what she had always wanted to know, she didn’t know what to do with it. She knew that she couldn’t tell anyone in fear of King Henry killing her. She was the reason her mother had escaped and she knew she had to take careful precaution with Annie.
Izzy felt the need to be with someone who could help her handle hard situations like this. Who she needed was Timothy. He would know what to do and who to tell and not tell. He was good at planning, not her. For the first time, she felt completely and utterly alone. He was out at war and no one was sure if he would come back alive. Another tear fell for Timothy.
She shook her head and took a deep breath, knowing that she needed to escape out of this place. Her whole world was crashing down and the amount of effort it took her to receive such news at a distressing time made her both physically and mentally exhausted.
Izzy quickly wiped the tears away, taking couple breaths to slow down her heartbeat. She placed the journal in the same manner as she had found them and made sure everything looked in place and untouched. Carefully Izzy turned to leave.
Izzy thought she was safe and sound when suddenly she saw Annie coming down the corridors with Alex. Izzy hoped that she would go unnoticed but Annie immediately met her eyes. Something passed in Annie’s eyes. Was it fear? Izzy sure of it but it quickly dissolved to anger.
“Just what do you think you are doing in my room?” Annie screamed, outrageous. She walked quickly over to Izzy and slapped her hard across her face and sneered. “What did you see in there?”
“Annie, do not hit Izzy like that!” Alex raged. He held Annie’s wrist in his strong arms and stopped her from slapping Izzy again.
“Why are you defending her? That little whore was in my room!” Annie shouted. Several passing maids looked startled and bent their heads as they past Annie.
“I was ordered to clean you room but it seems to me that someone had already done so before me,” Izzy said, conjuring up an impromptu lie.
“See, Annie? Nothing to fret over,” Alex said, sounding relieved. “It is not like you were hiding anything in there.”
Annie didn’t even stiffen or showed any obvious signs. She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine, but will you come to my room? We can finally have some alone time.” Izzy knew what that meant and looked down, wishing she was invisible but she knew that Annie had this kind of power over her. She was flaunting Alex in front of her and Izzy knew she couldn’t do anything to stop it so she took it quietly.
“I cannot. Not with the danger of the Vauldins. We must be separated so that if they come for me, they will not harm you,” Alex rejected, pulling himself away from Annie’s grasp.
“You will be much safer with me,” Annie said, trying to convince that Alex should come inside. She thought to herself that if she could just get Alex in a room, she could persuade him through the rest.
“I think I must go now. It’s not safe to be out in the corridors for long. Come, Izzy, let’s not make such loss of your duties,” Alex said, turning to Izzy.
“Yes, of course,” Izzy bowed but deep inside she wanted to blurt out her secret. She wanted to scream out how she could marry him and that she was eligible as much as Annie was but she didn’t. She couldn’t. No one would believe her without evidence. Evidence only Annie had the power over.
“Goodnight, Annie. I will see you soon I hope,” Alex lied easily through his teeth. He was becoming more naturally deceitful around Annie that it didn’t take effort anymore.
Annie pouted once more but she drew Alex close for a goodnight kiss. He let her do what she wanted as he felt pity for her and let her linger there until she left to go inside her bedchamber. Alex turned to Izzy who was looking down, unable to look at Alex.
“Izzy,” he said feeling guilty.
“We should get back to your room, Zander. We don’t want to put you in anymore danger,” Izzy said, walking down the corridors. She felt Alex slowly follow her and soon she let him take the lead, making sure she was guarding him in all directions.
They entered Alex’s old bedchamber and Izzy made him lay down so that he could rest after walking for so long. He seemed to argue at first but obliged once he realized how tired he was. Still, he made no attempt to fall asleep.
“I hope you were not up to anything bad in Annie’s room,” Alex said after he got in the covers of his bed. Izzy sat in the chair next to him for protection.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Izzy said soberly. She could tell him right now of her true identity but she knew that it would only make things more complicated. There were more pressing matters like the Vauldins. They were, in fact, in the middle of a war.
“I hope I do not have to worry,” Alex said with worry.
Suddenly, there was shouting in the corridors. There were feet rushing through and the thumping of feet was loud.
“What’s happening?” Alex said, trying to get up from the bed. “Is this an attack?”
“Stay put,” was all Izzy said before she pushed Alex back down gently and grabbed the weapon from her belt. The sword felt comfortable in Izzy hands and she hit it behind her back before going towards the door. She put her ears next to the little gap of the door and heard a rough voice.
“Kill the kings in the throne room. I will finish the bodyguard.” Izzy gasped as she heard about the kings. The Vauldins were inside the castle to assassinate the kings. Izzy knew she was stuck here with Alex and couldn’t rush to the king’s aid.
“What’s going on?” Alex whispered, already out of his bed.
“The Vauldins are here,” Izzy said, going away from the door. The door was locked and they were safe but she didn’t know how long it would hold them off. “Go inside the bathroom and don’t come out this time,” Izzy warned but Alex’s eyes grew dark.
“I cannot promise such a thing but I will do what you ask,” Alex said, determined and walked inside the bathroom. He knew arguing right now would only make things worse.
Just as Alex closed the door, there was a loud banging on the door that separated Izzy and the assassin. She drew her sword close to her and waited for the assassin. At last, the door burst open and a tall brawny man, stood with a smirk of triumph on his face.
“Just the person I was looking for,” he sneered. Izzy recognized the man’s voice as the one that was giving orders outside in the corridors. Was she the bodyguard he was talking about? What was so special about her? Shouldn’t they be trying to eliminate all the royal bloodline including Annie and Alex yet they hadn’t mentioned their names.
“Don’t look so smug, Vauldin,” Izzy spat, readying her sword.
“Don’t think for a second you can defeat me, bodyguard. I am the Vauldin’s assassin, Bronerick and I never fail my duty, will you?” Bronerick challenged before he drew his sword and flung himself towards Izzy.
Izzy blocked his first strike, letting sparks fly as their swords clashed. She was able to fight him off her but he had the advantage of weight and height that Izzy didn’t have. Still, she swung next at Bronerick, using her speed as her advantage. Bronerick wasn’t very fast but he was quick enough to just block Izzy’s attack.
“You have to try something cleverer than that, little bodyguard,” Bronerick laughed as he pushed Izzy away from him. She graciously got back on her two feet easily and braced for the next hit.
This time as Bronerick came for her, he used the hilt of his sword to smack Izzy on her head and kicked her brutally. Izzy had just enough time to slash Bronerick’s side before she yelled out in pain and fell to the ground.
Black dots danced in her vision and she sat there on the ground in agony. Her head ached and she felt like she was losing conscious. However, she would not let that be the end of her. She got to her feet, steadying herself but what she didn’t expect was another attack from Bronerick so quickly.
His side was bloodied red but he still seemed to be able to go on. There was no possible way that Bronerick still had that much strength left after being wounded. Izzy knew he was not just a normal man. No man could face Izzy but in this moment, Bronerick and whatever he was, had the upper hand.
Izzy tried her best to raise her sword up but the concussion that overcame her made her feel dizzy and lightheaded. The sword that she held did not stay still as she felt her world tilt sideways.
Bronerick smiled, as he realized her head injury was more painful than she let on. He gave a laugh before he brought his sword toward her.
As the sword came down, Izzy closed her eyes, welcoming the sword but she never felt it. Something came from the corner of her eyes and Bronerick fell to the ground, surprised. Izzy shook her head, trying to let go of the pounding feeling of her head and found Alex, struggling to keep Bronerick down. The sword that the assassin had was across the floor, kicked away from his reach.
Izzy got up slowly, using all her strength that she had left and held her sword as she went over to where Alex and the assassin were struggling. Seeing Alex fighting for her, risking his life for hers made the strength lost in her come back like a roaring lion. No one should ever hurt Alex.
Raising her sword with newfound strength, Izzy drove the sword through the assassin’s back, making sure it reached his heart with no doubt. The assassin seemed to gasp as he stopped fighting Alex and look up at Izzy with such surprise in his face. Izzy watched as the life seeped out of him and his last breath taken.
Alex laid on the ground next to the dead assassin and looked up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He had never done something so extreme to someone. Maybe a couple fistfights back at his school but he never dreamt of tackling someone, especially an assassin.
Izzy suddenly came into view and every worry and the aching pain in his chest seemed to vanish. Only Izzy was the center of his universe at that moment. The fact that she seemed unharmed made him sigh in relief. He wouldn’t have been able to live if he knew something bad happened to her.
“Zander,” Izzy said in relief. Alex loved the way his name sounded on her lips. Soft and gentle. “Get up! We have to get out of here quickly!”
Reality set back to Alex and he bolted straight up. He saw the dead Vauldin next to him and winced. He had never seen a dead body before.
When Alex got up, he saw Izzy patting the dead assassin, looking through his clothes to find any secret weapon or something that could help them. Her eyes went out momentarily to a small switchblade and a piece of parchment.
Alex reached out for the parchment, knowing it would take Izzy a while to read it. Izzy obliged willingly, giving him the parchment to read while she examined the switchblade. Izzy put the switchblade in her pocket and watched curiously as Alex opened the paper and read.
His face turned ridged and as he continued to read, his face became hard and pale. Izzy knew something terribly was wrong.
“Zander, tell me,” Izzy demanded, taking the parchment away from her. She scanned the letter and found it signed by someone she wouldn’t had suspected. Annie.
“She deceived us all,” Alex whispered, shocked beyond belief. “How could she demand them kill her father and mine. And you of all people. Why?” he roared, standing up. “I’m going to-”
“Alex, your father’s in danger. Keep your revenge for later. We need to find King John now,” Izzy said quickly, being the first to recover. She didn’t answer his earlier question.
Why? She knew quite well why. Annie didn’t want another threat for her throne. Izzy saw Alex take the parchment and put it in his tunic. She stood up, mimicking his movements and they both ran out of there, fighting together side by side, a thought that Izzy thought once impossible.