The Chase

The entire sky was sketched by the tints of the ongoing fireworks, illuminating the night sky and making it seem like morning bliss.

Various hues of orange, blue, red, silver and gold painted the sky as if it was their canvas.

The sound of ballads and medleys was overshadowed by the merry whooping and cheering of the crowd gathered for the recent show and also due to the loud echo generated by the ignition of fireworks.

Mellisent found herself spellbound during the event, occasionally clapping and chirping with her hands up in the sky while swaying among the sea of onlookers.

Demitri held her tightly while his full attention was on the luminous face of his daughter, brimming his heart with serenity.

He was so lost as it seemed he had gone into another dimension. Mellisent, who was high on her emotions, suddenly went still.

She instantly pivoted and pointed out a particular line while whispering into her father's ear, "Father, I think there's someone who wants to talk to you as that man with a hood over there has been watching us for quite some time".

Hearing his daughter's comment, Demitri woke up from his trance while all his senses heightened to the brim.

He sensed the presence of someone watching their movements with a Hawkeye concentration.

Demitri, who had been a warrior throughout his youth, at once identified the malicious intent behind the man's gaze, but he was equally stunned by the accurate perception of his daughter.

At the same time, even he failed to notice the stalker's proximity.

Demitri tightened the hold on his daughter and went further to mingle with the surrounding people to distract the man while searching for a passage to leave the fair.

He left the crowd when assured the hooded man was preoccupied with identifying them.

At the same time, Demitri went ahead of everyone near where the fireworks were lit and discreetly threw a burning lantern into a nearby abandoned pesky hut.

The small cabin immediately lit on fire, agitating the viewers, and in the midst of chaos, he veered on his steps and bolted back to enter the streets.

While leaving, he discreetly side-eyed the man, his gaze went to the hidden pattern of crest under his robe, and the sword inclined on his waist. The man was at a higher rank in the royal army of Valor.

There were chances he was being accompanied by several soldiers; if true, it would be challenging to avoid all of them while securing his daughter.

Mellisent, who was clung to his chest, was baffled at the peculiar behaviour of her father but kept her silence and lay low as instructed by him.

Demitri tried his best to avoid the knight but was soon located by him as he tried to pass him out; they both momentarily halted in their tracks, with Demitri being the foremost to resume his steps briskly, his thoughts working at an untraceable velocity, searching for paths for a quick escape route.

The man, realising his identity has been revealed, begins to chase them openly by passing through the plethora of frantic crowd.

Gripping his child tautly, Demitri increased his pace while keeping his senses peaked for any incoming strike from in between the bystanders.

The streets were thriving with festivalgoers, and it was becoming difficult for him to move about without bumping into anyone, all this while with the hooded man hot on his tail.

He avoided colliding with someone by the skin of one's teeth, but the individual held onto his sleeve and called out to him.

"Herbert, it's been a while since I saw you the last time. I see you're taking pleasure in this evening with your lovely daughter; here, you dropped the hairpins while walking down the path; I wonder why you are rushing as if you're being chased by demons on your trail," said the middle-aged woman named 'Kliesta', who worked at a nearby cathedral, while handing over the accessories back to him with an amused smile.

Dammmn!!!!

Demitri stopped and cursed under his breath while Mellisent peeked at her father with wide eyes.

He turned around and gave the woman an awkward smile, and took the hairpins from her, expressing his gratitude while she invited him to attend the morning prayer.

Suddenly, he noticed that the knight halted his footsteps on noting the woman.

Demitri taking advantage of the situation prolonged his conversation with Kliesta and even engaged Mellisent in it while eyeing any possible opportunity to get past the man.

He soon spotted a few folks wearing varicolored masks and promptly formulated a strategy.

Bidding farewell to the woman, he traversed through the crowd while avoiding the man and reached a stall selling the covers. Demitri purchased two of them, one for himself and one for his daughter.

Securing them properly over their faces and disguising their presence, he mingled with the horde.

Demitri purposefully kept himself at the interior of the parade and camouflaged himself and Mellisent among the mass.

Upon finding an opportunity, he moved to another street while persistently changing the lanes.

The festivities continued with profound vigour while he was being chased by the knight, who was hellbent on pursuing him no matter what ruses Demitri adopted to ward him away.

Eventually, he came to a point where he deemed that chasing the man away was a herculean task, and there was a danger of being apprehended if the knight asked for reinforcements.

He concluded to lure the man away from the village, towards the mound near his house, which was an isolated area and get done with him once and for all.

Demitri glanced at his daughter clinging to his chest and whispered soundlessly in her ear, "Melli, we are returning to our home, and when we reach there, I want you to quietly and immediately enter the house and lock the door from inside, you see that person following us for quite some time, I need to have a conversation with him separately, do you understand my words chipmunk."

Hearing the seriousness in her father's tone, she nodded her head vigorously.

He hurried toward his destination, watching out for any other accomplice of the man.

Fortunately, he found none while ensuring the knight was successfully lured by him to his abode.

He soon reached the outskirts of the village and briskly started to ascend the mound, with the noises coming from the fair fading gradually, waning under the silence of the night.

As soon as Demitri reached the house, he pulled his daughter away from himself and Mellisent, as instructed earlier, entered the house quietly and locked the door from inside.

He swivelled towards the backyard, where he purported to confront the knight.

The man perceiving his intentions, too, moved towards the backyard as he finally got the juncture he had been waiting to have since the entire evening.

"Who are you, and why are you hounding after me since the entire event?" asked Demitri, forthcoming straight to the point while he brazened the man with his head held high.

"Greetings to the one, once most valiant commander in the whole of Valor; you sure managed to keep yourself and your abomination of a daughter hidden from the vying eyes of His Majesty for a long time," spitted the knight, each word dripping with venom while ignoring him shamelessly.

Demitri gritted his teeth and repeated, " I ask again!!! "Who are you, and state the true purpose of your following me?"... I don't recall ever encountering you previously, so other than you abiding by the royal decree for capturing me, I don't think there is any other reason for you to trace me."

The man gave a condescending laugh and exclaimed, "More than abiding by the royal decree, I have every damn reason to hold a personal grudge against you!! Do you recall Vice Commander Evander Galanis? He was your closest confidant!! He who trusted and respected you above everyone else was whipped and tortured even worse than any animal and was blatantly executed in front of everyone in the middle of the square, the reason being, he was in cahoots with you for revolting against the crown."

The knight did not allow Demitri to explain himself and continued with his accusation.

"Fortunately, the vice commander was an orphan, so other than him, no one else in his kin was executed. As for me, I am 'Idarus Saros', the one who the vice commander saved; for me, he was like my elder brother!!! The only kith who was mercilessly killed because of you and your daughter."

And in the end, he ended his monologue with a sneer.

"As for you, your whole manor was set ablaze along with all the servants and your dear wife, all charred to ashes. Your hands are rinsed with the blood of innocent souls; how can you and your child be so vicious enough to live a peaceful life? Even your stars are stained with blood."