The Alley

Bjarte pushes Tove behind him. He holds the sheath of his sword with his left hand and squeezes his hilt with his right one, ready to draw any minute. Siv does the same, but compared to the prince, her confidence is almost non-existent.

The first man is joined by a second one, shorter than his friend but equally meaty and more scary looking. He has a scar that runs from the left corner of his lip all the way to his ear, making his grin look like the joker's, and nothing good happens when the joker smiles like that.

"Let's run for it, Bjarte." Siv whispers, inching a little closer to the prince.

"I am afraid it's a dead end." Siv gulps.

'Ok Colby, this is totally considered a 'shit hits the fan' situation. Where are you?'

Siv looks around hoping that the sorcerer would appear immediately, but he doesn't.

"Danny." The tall man calls, making the little girl flinch. "Run along and tell Big Brother that the mole is out of the hole." Danny looks at her older sister with nervous eyes. "Go on." The impatient man screams. The girl squeezes the loaves of bread she is holding and runs.

"We have to win this fight before the others get here." Siv suggests. The adrenaline is pumping through her whole body. Bjarte clenches his jaw.

"I deeply apologize for putting you in this situation, Lady Siv." He says, eyeing the two men. "I wasn't thinking-"

"Let's just get out of here alive, you can apologize later." She interrupts.

The two men unsheathe their swords and the prince and Siv follow.

"I want to have some fun with that boy before Big Brother gets here." The short scarred man says to his partner who gives him a nod and then focuses his attention on Siv.

'Guess I get the tall guy.'

The man lunges at her with his pointy blade but he's a little slow. Siv dodges the first strike, and the second one. But she has to deflect the third. The sword she 'borrowed' is thin and light, as the big man's weapon comes into contact with it, she is afraid it would break. But it doesn't, it slides right off. A side grin pulls on her lips. The man's strikes are nothing compared to Erling's.

'I can do this.'

Siv goes on attacking the tall man and deflecting his attacks. But none of them could injure the other. The man is starting to get tired but mostly frustrated. Siv is waiting for him to make a mistake in order to stab him. She plans on Blocking his attack with her sword, then planting the dagger she has hidden under her cape somewhere vital, depending on whatever opening he gives her.

However, she is the one who makes a mistake. For a split second, her eyes travel to Bjarte who has just let out a cry. He is holding his bleeding right arm, he can't even hold his sword properly anymore. Her opponent takes the opportunity and lands a meaty punch on the right side of her head.

'Shit.'

White and blue lights explode in front of her eyes as pain shoots from her head. She loses balance but the man grabs her and knocks the wind out of her lungs with the hilt of his blade punched to the diaphragm. Siv hits the ground split in half, trying desperately to draw some air. The guy pulls her up from the cape making the hood fall back and revealing her luscious honey blond locks. He freezes, then a smile splits his face in two.

"Hey, Eluf look at this." The man pulls Siv by the hair. "She's a woman." They both start laughing.

"Is that your sister, boy?" The short man asks Bjarte.

"Let her go." He cries. "She has nothing to do with this."

"She tried to carve me, I think she has something to do with this." The tall man pulls harder on her hair earning him a groan from Siv.

"Maybe I'll cut you a little before Big Brother gets here, we'll have your sister and my sister watch." The two men burst out laughing again.

"Please brother." Tove pleads with hundreds of tears cascading down her red cheeks. She was shoved to the floor earlier and couldn't do anything but watch the scene in horror.

"You shut up." Eluf spits. "Your punishment will be decided later. It seems you didn't learn your lesson."

He hits Bjarte's hand with the flat of his blade, making him drop his weapon. Not that he has any strength to use it anyway.

"I wonder where I should stab you." Eluf says as he moves his sword from Bjarte's throat to his chest then his hip.

Siv watches through a swollen right eye. She debates whether to tell them that he's the prince or not. It might make things more complicated, though.

'Colby, where the hell are you?'

"I think I am going to go for the stomach. I'll try not to make you bleed to death." He grins. "Until Big Brother comes, that is." He adds.

'God damn it, I have to do something.'

Siv slowly reaches for her dagger. She has to free herself first, but if the guy draws attention she would lose the element of surprise against the Eluf beast. She stares at his back for a moment.

'I have to be fast.'

Siv uses her dagger to cut through her hair freeing herself from the tall man's grasp, she lunges as fast as she can toward Eluf, unfortunately, she is way slower than she has anticipated. The short man turns to her moments before she reaches him and plants his sword in her stomach. An excruciating pain shoots from her left side.

"F*ck!" Adrenaline pumps through her veins.

She looks at the man straight in his gray eyes and with the strength she has left, she digs her dagger on the right side of his neck and quickly pulls it out. Blood gushes out like a waterfall on Siv as she hits the ground with a loud thud. Eluf falls right next to her trying to push on his throat to stop the bleeding. But it doesn't help.

The last thing Siv sees before she loses consciousness are his glossy eyes staring at her as they slowly become lifeless.