New Resolve

The king unsheathed the sword that was placed at the waist of one of the suits of armor that lined the hallway. He examined it and touched the tip of the sword to confirm how sharp it was.

"This should suffice."

King Leonard smirked walking back into the throne room, Tazuki saw him with the sword and for a moment he thought the king was going to kill him for revealing the prophecy to his daughter. Then he recalled the last orders of the king.

"Y-your majesty, your not seriously planning on-"

"Silence!"

The king was furious enough that his special advisor went against his orders and revealed the prophecy to his daughter, his resistance would only make it worse.

"Because of you Neo Tempest's execution has been accelerated, I know Vanessa. She must be feeling guilty about what she has done the second you opened your mouth and told her the truth.

If she so much as meets Neo Tempest and he reveals to her who actually killed her mother, she'll join up with the child of prophecy and attempt to end this war herself putting her life at risk!."

Tazuki realized immediately the depths of his disobedience, he knew for his own sake what the king had feared will happen shouldn't happen.

Three of the guards brought Neo up from his cell and chained his hands again and were about leaving the dungeon, but their path was blocked by Princess Vanessa.

"Out of the way your highness, your father has ordered for the execution of -"

The knight that spoke was interrupted by the left knee of Vanessa to his face. The other two knights clenched the handle of their swords hesitant if they should attack the crowned princess and that cost them.

Neo ducked the instant Vanessa jumped off her feet and gave the remaining two knights a roundhouse kick to the face which knocked them out unconscious.

Hurriedly, Vanessa picked the keys to the chain off the waist of the knight next to her before unlocking them.

"I take it your father declined?"

Neo held his right wrist trying to get some feeling back into it.

"Something like that, we got to move fast before the rest of the guards get here. Come on I know a way out."

She dragged Neo by his hand and he was taken away by her strength, growing up in the castle and playing a lot within it's walls she discovered so many secret doors and tunnels leading in and out of castle. They used one of the tunnels located in the walls of the ground floor just before the guards arrived.

They met the knights that went to retrieve Neo Tempest on the ground and immediately rushed to their aid.

"What happened!?"

One of the knight that arrived at the scene asked, who could have taken three of the Suzana empire's knights down so easily.

"T-the p-princess."

One of the knights on the ground uttered trying to ease the pain in his face.

The other knights went swiftly to search the castle for them while the knight that asked the question went back to report to the king.

"Your majesty! Neo Tempest has escaped!"

The king rushed out of the throne room leaving Tazuki behind before grabbing the neck of the knight.

"How!? Didn't I warn you to be cautious when bringing me that wretched assassin!?"

The knight struggled to breathe as the king relentless squeezed the oxygen out of his throat.

"I-it w-was p-princess..Vanessa.."

King Leonard released the grip he had on his knights neck as he heard his daughters name, the knight slumped to his knees gasping for air while the king looked over his shoulder at Tazuki with anger in his eyes.

"Scour the castle! Scour the kingdom if you must! Do not let them escape!"

All the knights split up swiftly, some searched the castle while others went out to search the kingdom as they couldn't have gotten far.

"There they are!"

The knights that went to search around the castle found them in the castle stable mounting a horse.

"Hang on, Hiyah!"

Princess Vanessa kicked the horse at it's side causing it to raise his front legs before dashing away from the stable, Neo held the cheeks of the horses behind as it felt awkward to be sitting behind Sonia's lookalike.

"After them!"

The knights mounted the horses at the stable and raced in pursuit of the princess and their prisoner.

Neo tried to gain balance as the horse moved at full speed, he almost fell to the ground twice in one go and Vanessa sighed in disappointment.

"For someone who is considered the son of the king's elite knights you really are pathetic."

Neo held on to the horses cheeks and grunted at her words, this was the first time he rode a horse but he couldn't let her know.

"Hey! just trying to gain some balance you know, settle well."

Vanessa rolled her eyes before grabbing his left hand and pulling it towards her waist as this wasn't up for debate.

"Hold on!"

Neo taken aback by her actions smiled a bit just before the horse picked up the pace as Vanessa slammed the rope attached to it's neck.

"Whoa!"

He wrapped his hands around her waist tightly as they crossed the bridge which permitted entrance to the castle. The castle was isolated from the common folks by a large river so the fastest way to get there was through the bridge.

As they crossed the bridge completely, Neo looked over his shoulders and spotted the knights approaching the bridge on horses.

"They are on our tail!"

"Not for long."

Vanessa replied swiftly and stretched her left hand towards the bridge, light particles surrounded her hands before escaping it in the form of a concentrated beam of light at the bridge.

"Shit!"

Neo moved his body to her right side to avoid getting caught in the light beam, the bridge was utterly destroyed forcing the knights to pull on the reigns of the horses bringing them to a stop.

"WOOOHOOO! Later losers!"

Neo exclaimed from the other side of the river as him and Vanessa made their way out of the kingdom while the knights looked on unable to stop them.