Princess of the Blood Moon

Night has descended upon the town, but while a good number of people would usually still be out and about under normal conditions, most of the residents have decided to turn in early tonight. Baron Houndsvale didn’t take last night’s defeat gracefully, you see.

 

Instead of heeding the princess’s warning, he once again showed his face in town, still quite badly bruised from the night before, to go drinking. Only this time around he’s accompanied by 5 of his underlings, large, brutish men who strike fear into those who had hoped for a good, quiet night out. The baron started his night with quite a healthy amount of alcohol at a local pub like he so often does, but it didn’t take him long to realise it couldn’t satisfy him tonight, not after the embarrassment he faced yesterday. Now he’s wandering the streets, hoping to find either the princess or the woman he had attempted to have his way with last night in order to dole out his revenge.

 

“C’mon, boys!” He calls out, clearly somewhat tipsy already. “We’re gonna find those, those bitches, and give ‘em a piece of our minds! Show ‘em who’s really in charge around ‘ere!”

 

Their search bears little fruit, however, finding neither the princess or the woman. They barely find anyone at all, in fact. Most of the townsfolk hide themselves when they see the group approaching, and the ones who can’t just do their best to maintain a healthy distance. The baron, whether out of stubbornness or drunkenness, doesn’t give up the hunt, however, and continues prowling all over town in search of his targets. That is, until his group travels down one of the quieter, narrower streets.

 

“Oi, you the baron?” Someone calls out from behind.

 

He turns around to see a man and a woman standing in the middle of the street. Their clothes are simple and somewhat worn, typical for the people living in this area, but if the baron wasn’t so inebriated he may have noticed the battle scars they both sport where bare skin can be seen.

 

“Yeah! What’s it to you?” He calls out in response.

 

“Nothin’ much.” The man says before the two of them pull out the swords they were concealing, and approach the group. “Just want’d to say hello.”

 

The baron doesn’t think too much of it, he doesn’t know who these people are or why they’re attacking, but beating down the commoners who defy him is a regular part of his job.

 

“Go on, get ‘em!” He yells at two of his thugs. “What the fuck am I paying you for!?”

 

The bodyguards draw their own weapons to engage the attackers, but whoever they are, they’re extremely skilled when it comes to swordplay. The men are holding their own, but it’s clear that they’re at a disadvantage. It’s clear they won’t be able to hold out for long, and the baron is suddenly on alert.

 

Something is wrong, the townspeople don’t know how to fight like that. Staying here suddenly doesn’t seem like the best idea, he’s not about to let anyone else embarrass him in public.

 

“Everyone else better make sure the fuckers don’t touch me, we’re getting out of here!” He barks as the remainder of his underlings group around him as they prepare to retreat, but it would seem that someone has other plans.

 

“Sorry, can’t let ya escape. Not without a proper greetin’ at least.” A woman on the other side of the baron and his men says, with her sword already drawn and two more attackers following behind.

 

They’re blocking both sides of the street, is this a planned attack?

 

“Fuck! Just… Just kill them already!” The baron starts to worry.

 

Everyone he brought along as security is now busy dealing with these assailants, and the street isn’t wide enough for him to slip away in the chaos. He looks around in a hurry, is there anything he can do, anywhere he can go?

 

That’s when he sees it, there’s an alley on the side of the street, he can slip through to the next street and run to the castle from there, then grab a bunch of knights to come and deal with these people. He dashes past everyone, making it into the dark alleyway, but he doesn’t stop, who knows how long he has until his boys are done for and these people start chasing after him.

 

It would appear his luck has run out though, it just so happens that the end of this alley is blocked by several stacks of heavy barrels. Whether intentional or not, someone has barricaded his exit, and he currently lacks both the time and the mental capacity to wonder which. He tries shoving the barrels aside but they’re just too heavy, and they’re stacked too high for him to climb over in his current state. The panic starts to set in when he realises he’s trapped.

 

He looks back where he came from to see the silhouette of a person approach the alley. “You still in there Baron?” They call out. He can’t make them out from this distance but their sword is still drawn, it’s definitely not one of his men. He’s not sure what he can do in this situation, but whatever he’s going to do, he needs to do it right now if he wants to avoid getting caught.

 

Wait, the wall on his right has a door leading into the building, maybe that’s his way out! He runs over as fast as he can, and to his surprise it’s unlocked. Too drunk to consider why that might be the case at this time of night, the baron runs right inside, closing the door behind him.

 

Now that he finally has a moment to rest, he leans against the door and takes a deep breath. He’s not out of the woods yet, but the worst is surely over. All he needs to do now is quietly make his way back to the castle and-

 

“Fancy meetin’ you here, Baron. What’re the odds?”

 

He goes wide eyed. “Y-You! Y-Yer here!?”

 

Sitting at a table in the middle of the room he’s just entered is none other than Princess Tori, wearing a satisfied grin on her face. He feels a chill run down his spine. Sure, he was trying to find her, but not like this, not alone.

 

“Those mercs of mine are pretty good, aren’t they?” She asks casually as she gets up from the desk and starts walking towards him. “Led you right where I wanted you.”

 

“God fucking dammit… This wus a trap?” He mutters quietly, the shock and the alcohol in his system causing him to freeze in place.

 

“Not much of one, but yeah. Knew it’d be pretty easy to catch someone like you, after all. Real nice of the townspeople to let us use this buildin’ as our base, too.” Once the reality of the situation sets in, the baron moves to open the door again and take his chances outside, but Tori suddenly closes the distance and delivers a direct punch to the gut. He gasps in pain, keeling over.

 

“Apparently someone used to sell wine here ‘til the costs got too high to keep the doors open.” Her casual tone remains, as if nothing had happened. “Doubt you’d know anything ‘bout that though. Now, go take a seat over there.” She points in the direction of the table.

 

“Whuh?” The baron is still reeling from the pain.

 

“I’m not asking.” Tori says flatly as she shoves him towards the chair, causing him to fall over. “Take a seat.” She says once more, much more firmly this time.

 

He’s not sure she’ll be willing to ask a third time, so he struggles back to his feet with a grumble and moves to a chair. The princess slowly follows behind.

 

“I’m not happy, baron.” She says as she starts pacing around the table. “Not. Happy. You wanna try ‘n guess why?”

 

“Fuck if I know…” He answers, not pleased about how this night has gone so far.

 

“Pretty sure I told you never to show your face here again, didn’t I? Can’t say I really understand what you’re still doin’ here.”

 

“You think I’m gonna leave town just cause you said so? I’m on the bloody council! I’m-”

 

“Not only that…” Tori butts in as she slams his head into the table, pressing his cheek against the wood. “You went running to the person I specifically said couldn’t save you. Had to deal with a lecture last night because of that.”

 

She leans over to look him dead in the eyes as he stares back in shock, still holding his head to the table. “I don’t like people who make things harder for me, Baron. I don’t like people like you.”

 

She releases his head, starting to pace around the room once more. The baron slowly sits back up, the blow having left him somewhat disoriented.

 

“The… the fuck got into you while you were away? Liked you better when you were that scrawny little thing that just did whatever the queen said. Why can’t you just go back to that ‘n-”

 

“You do NOT get to tell me how to live my life!” She shouts as she slams her fist into the corner of the table, causing part of it to break off and splinter. The baron physically recoils at the impact, and the look of genuine fury in her eyes. “Nobody does.” She composes herself and starts pacing again.

 

“It’s not just that you ignored my warnin’ though, or even that you’ve been attackin’ innocent women.” She starts. “You and your thugs‘re in charge of collecting taxes, yeah? Was talking to the townspeople last night, sounded like taxes have been real high for ‘em since you got the job. So high that I thought to check the numbers in the archives, in fact.” She walks back up to him. “Seems like someone’s been collectin’ a lot more money than what’s gettin’ sent to the treasury. You wouldn’t happen to know anything ‘bout that, would you?”

 

“So what?” He spits back. “The queen knows I’m doin’ it! How else ‘m I meant to pay my gamblin’ debts!? I had to-” His chair is kicked out from under him mid sentence, sending him to the floor with a yelp.

 

“You really think I care if that goddamn queen of yours knows what you’re gettin’ up to? And don’t even start with that debt shit.” Tori grabs him by the collar of his expensive coat. “Even if you are tellin’ the truth ‘bout that debt, doesn’t change the fact you’re stealin’ from people. ‘Sides, if you need money that badly, why’re you walking ‘round town in these fancy clothes every night gettin’ piss drunk? My mercs visited your estate while you’ve been in town today, baron. From what they said it sounds like a real nice place, very… expensive, even.”

 

“You had yer bloody thugs break into my home?” He asks incredulously.

 

“Yeah. You weren’t meant to come back, after all. Figured it was a good chance to investigate. ‘Sides, someone had to do it, right? Especially if the queen’s turnin’ a blind eye to whatever you’ve got goin’ on. They found more than enough valuables stashed away to pay for whatever debt you’re talkin’ ‘bout. Seems to me like you were more interested in linin’ your own pockets with the money you’ve stolen, and I’m puttin’ a stop to that.”

 

“What, you think you’re some kind of fuckin’ hero, protectin’ the poor defenseless bastards who live in this shithole!?” The baron spits out. “The way I’m seeing it, you and yer mercs ain’t all that different to me, goin’ around doing whatever you feel like!”

 

Tori chuckles, letting him drop to the floor as she starts walking around the room again. “Yeah, guess it’d look pretty similar to a bastard like you. One big difference though, you and your gang pick on the easy targets, people who don’t know better and think you’re just doin’ your job. Making a quick buck off the work of the common folk, am I right?”

 

“Who cares, I don’t give a fuck what happens to ‘em.” The baron says, slowly and quietly getting up.

 

If the baron was in his right mind, he might have remembered a couple of important details about how last night’s encounter played out, but he’s currently in his drunk mind, so when Tori’s pacing results in her to turn her back in him, he sees it as an opportunity to attack while she’s at a disadvantage. He leaps forward to punch her in the back of the head, but she turns back around with surprising speed and grabs his fist before he can make contact yet again.

 

“You wanna know how I helped my mercs build up a reputation?” She asks, picking him up by his collar.

 

He struggles against the princess, doing his best to break free by kicking and punching at her, but the awkward way he’s being held prevents him from getting any force behind his strikes. She brings his face close to hers, and the baron can do little but look back at her as she smirks.

 

“Did it by gettin’ rid of cowards like you.”

 

Then, Tori starts walking, still holding him in her hands.

 

“The fuck are you doing!? Where’re you takin’ me!?” He yells to no avail.

 

“Can’t say I ever claimed to be a hero though. Don’t think the title really fits, y’know?” Tori stops in front of a doorway. The baron tries to look behind him to see what’s on the other side, but the way he’s being held means there’s only so far he can turn. Suddenly, her smirk turns into a devilish grin.

 

“Heroes don’t get to have nearly as much fun as I do.” She says before throwing him down a flight of stairs.

 

The baron can only yell in pain as he tumbles down the stairs before finally making contact with the cold, hard ground at the bottom. He groans as he gets his bearings, most of his body is in pain, his left arm feels like it’s broken, plus his vision has gone a bit blurry and he’s not sure it’s just the booze this time. He looks around the room, but there’s not much here, just some old wooden barrels in the corner. More importantly, the princess is starting to walk in after him.

 

“Pretty nice wine cellar they have here, isn’t it? Plenty of room, thick walls, sturdy doors.” She closes the door behind her and knocks on it a few times before walking down the stairs. “Bet you could yell all you want down here and no one on the street’d ever hear it.”

 

The baron starts coughing on the ground, ignoring the blood that comes along with it. “You… you coward, if you hadn’t separated me from my boys I’d’ve-”

 

“If they were here there’d be five more bodies to clean up tonight.” Tori says. “The trap wasn’t ‘cause you and yer boys had a chance at beatin’ me, just wanted to make less work for myself once I’m done with you.”

 

“Hah, you can’t fool me.” He says, carefully getting back on his now much less steady feet. “I ain’t dyin’ ‘ere today.”

 

“What makes you think that?” She asks flatly as she reaches the bottom of the staircase. “Already gave you a chance to get away yesterday, don’t see why I’d have to hold back now.”

 

“B-Because, I’m a member of the fucking council, not even the princess’d be able to get away with killing me!”

 

The baron is intent on standing his ground, not that it helps much when a sweeping kick sends him falling to the ground once more. Tori casually squats in front of him.

 

“You don’t seem like the type to pay attention to the details so you might’ve missed this part, but those mercs out there? Same group that kidnapped me two years ago. You think the guys that smuggled a living princess out of here’d have trouble hiding a body? Can’t find out I murdered you if no one even knows you’re dead. Not like that council of yours’ll be around much longer anyway.”

 

He doesn’t know when he started, but the baron just realised he’s trembling. The way she says that so calmly, the cold look in those eyes, her gaze locked on to his own, she actually means it.

 

“H-How much?” He stammers.

 

“Huh?”

 

“W-What’s yer price? How much’ll it take for me to walk out of here?”

 

For just a moment Tori looks shocked, only to suddenly burst out laughing.

 

“What’s so funny!?” He yells, not knowing what to make of this sudden shift as the princess stands up.

 

“You really think… I’m in this for the money?” She says, unable to control her laughter.

 

He’s quite taken aback by her behaviour, so much so that he doesn’t even see her delivering a swift kick to the stomach until after it’s already sent him rolling into the wall. He lets out a wheeze as the air escapes his lungs.

 

“Dunno if you noticed mate, but I’m the fucking princess!” Her laughter only now dying down. “If I need gold that badly there’s a thousand other ways to get it without havin’ to put up with you. Only one thing someone like you’s good for.”

 

“What do you want from me? Whatever it is, I-I’ll do it!”

 

“Glad, you’re willin’ to cooperate.” She says with a smile. “C’mon then, get up. Time for some stress relief!”

 

“S-Stress relief? What do you-”

 

“Not gonna ask a second time.” There’s an odd cheeriness in her voice.

 

“O-Okay! I’m gettin’ up!” He slowly gets off the ground, using his right arm for support as he does so.

 

“Now, gimme your best shot!” She holds her arms out to her sides, seemingly inviting him to do something.

 

“What?”

 

“You wanna get out of here, right? Tell you what, you land one good hit on me and I’ll think about lettin’ you go.”

 

The baron takes a sharp breath. He knows this is another part of her trap, hell, she didn’t even commit to her end of the deal, but what choice does he have? What is this woman going to do to him if he doesn’t play along? Can he even land a hit in his current state? He really wishes he was sober right now.

 

Regardless, he steps forward and starts throwing out a punch, only to be met with an immediate weave out of the way and a powerful hook to the face, strong enough to send him back to the ground within moments.

 

It takes him a while to even register what happened. There was too much movement, too much pain. He slowly brings a hand to his face to check where it hurts, only to find that it hurts pretty much everywhere, and the hand is now covered in fresh blood. He can feel whatever energy he has left fading away, he’s not sure how much more of this he can take.

 

“C’mon, let’s go again!” Tori calls out, hopping around a bit as if she’s only just warming up.

 

The baron just groans in pain, making no attempt to get up.

 

“Again, baron.” She says in a commanding tone. “Thought you didn’t want to die here.”

 

He lets out a whimper before getting up again, although it’s a much slower process this time. He’s got a splitting headache, he’s so dizzy he can barely stand straight, and he can feel the blood trailing down his neck, staining his clothes.

 

“Now come on! HIT ME!” She yells with a ferocity the baron didn’t know she was capable of, and he knows he has no choice but to oblige.

 

Another punch is thrown, much slower and clumsier than last time, but where he had expected another counterpunch, Tori instead grabs his arm and uses his weight to flip him around, slamming his back into the ground. She keeps holding his forearm, however, and moments later her knee makes forceful contact with his elbow, causing a cracking sound to reverberate through the room, followed by the baron screaming out in pain.

 

“Get up, that can’t be the best you can do, is it?” She calls out, not even bothering to wipe away the blood that splashed on her face during the scuffle.

 

But he doesn’t get up. He couldn’t even if he wanted to, he’s been pushed past his limits and has hit his breaking point.

 

“I-I… I c-can’t…” He says, stifling a sob as the blood on his face mixes with tears.

 

“Man, what a disappointment.” Tori sighs. “Honestly thought you’d last at least a little longer than that. Ah well, guess I’ll just have to take care of the stress relief myself. Any last words, baron?”

 

“I-I don’t know what y-you’re plannin’ for the kingdom…” He manages to squeak out. “B-But it’s not gonna w-work… The q-queen’ll find out… A-A-And then she’ll-”

 

He’s interrupted by a dagger being driven into his hand.

 

“Gotta say, pretty shitty choice of last words. Only been here a day and this kingdom’s already pissin’ me off, can’t wait to see what I can do with the place.” The princess says without a hint of emotion after waiting for the screaming to stop. “I’m happy about one thing though, glad you didn’t end up runnin’ off yesterday. Not every day I meet someone so rotten that I don’t even have’ta feel bad about doin’ this sort of thing to ‘em. Can’t think of any better way of thanking you then by takin’ my time with this next part.”

 

One of the last things Baron Houndsvale will ever lay his eyes upon is the almost inhuman expression on Tori’s blood covered face as she unsheathes her greatsword, like a wild beast eyeing up its prey. That image will be forever seared in his memories, for what little time he has left to remember things, at least. His screams of pain go on to ring out for quite a while, with only one person able to hear them.