"Die, you peasant!"
A blur of red hair, and three feet of fury, came soaring into the air, crashing into a man's belly, a little elbow digging into the poor man's gut.
"Argh!" Adrian buckled, coughing as his eyes suddenly shot open. But just as he woke up, he saw another tiny figure diving right at him, this time...
Right at his face!
Crunch!
The tiny elbow found its way to his nose, cracking his head back and onto the edge of his bed, his head bumping against the hardwood.
Adrian winced, his hands clasped on his head.
The door to the bathroom swung open, and Vivian, his betrothed, walked in. It took only a moment for her to realize what had happened, then she smiled knowingly.
"My goodness, are you okay, dear?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
Adrian slowly opened his eyes and frowned at her. She had let them into the room on purpose, hadn't she?
Vivian walked close to him and tenderly pulled him closer to her chest, her fingers slowly massaging his aching head.
"You sleep too much, dear," she cooed.
"Oh, it looks like a small hill is rising, hehe," she snickered as she rose from the bed, walking towards the door. "Let me go grab some ointment."
Now alone with the two assassins he called children, Adrian smiled, pulling them closer to himself.
"One day, you're going to kill your old man, you know that, right?"
Daphne, the most devious of the two, smiled maliciously, her grey eyes sparkling with mischief.
While the younger one, Tiffan, then tapped Adrian on the face repeatedly. "Daddy, you said to wake you up!"
"Is that so? And why is that?" Adrian played along, smiling even as she continued painfully slapping his cheeks.
They were actually his brother's children, but he died before they could know him; hence, he was the only father they knew.
And to take care of them, he had invited Vee to live with him.
"Daddy is meeting the king today!" Daphne chimed in, eager to be part of the conversation.
Adrian's eyes suddenly widened as he rose to his feet.
"Shi—" He immediately paused, as he glanced at the girls that were still in his arms, watching him curiously.
Gently but quickly placing them on the bed, he ran into the bathroom while saying:
"Darrel is going to kill me!"
•••
"You fucker! Are you trying to get me killed?!" a man screamed in anger, his face flushed red as he tapped his feet on the floor impatiently.
He was dressed in a grey dress shirt, a suit jacket, and a golden brooch was pinned to the collar of his shirt.
Behind him stood a large ornate carriage. The carriage was painted a glossy black and had silver highlights, lining electric patterns atop its surface.
The horses seemed just as impatient as their owner. They neighed as Adrian approached them, stomping their hooves, as though to say, "What's with the hold up?"
"Good morning to you too, Lord Darrel." Adrian smiled at his angry friend, then he glanced at his fit before nodding approvingly. "You always did represent."
Darrel scoffed proudly, his anger disseminating from a simple compliment. "Hop in, fool, the journey to KingsGate will take three days."
Wasting no time, Adrian entered the carriage, shutting the door behind him.
The meeting they were to attend was the King's Assembly, a meeting that could be called by the king whenever an important decision concerning the kingdom was to be made.
This time it was happening in KingsGate, the largest city in the southwestern region, and all lords and nobles were to attend.
Missing the King's Assembly could be interpreted as treason, so right now, every single lord and noble, no matter their status, was on the road to KingsGate.
Their journey was smooth for the most part, save for an unfortunate incident that held them up for five hours.
But just as Darrel had predicted, they arrived at KingsGate three days after they set out.
There was only one problem—
"We are late!"
Adrian practically kicked the door open the moment the carriage ground to a halt and bolted out of it.
Because of their delay, and the issues on the road, they had arrived at the same time the king was arriving.
They didn't even have time to freshen up, because if the king got into the hall before them… they were as good as dead.
"Bastard!" Darrel screamed from behind, his face red from exertion as he struggled to catch up. "You're leaving me behind? Traitor!"
Adrian could already see the royal carriage entering into the compound. "Hurry up gramps, the king is here!"
"W-what?!" Darrel immediately turned, his breath hanging in his throat when he caught a glimpse of the royal knights and Iron Blade, the king's personal executioner.
"Shit!"
Darrel picked up speed, blazing past Adrian and knocking him to the side.
"Move, you shitheads!!!!" he screamed at the guards at the gate. The two guards hurriedly jumped out of the way as both he and Adrian burst into the room, breathing heavily.
Adrian's face was glistening with sweat, and his long hair clung to the sides of his face as he laughed. "We actually made it."
Darrel, on the other hand, was furious. He cussed angrily, still struggling to catch his breath, his fancy clothing soaked in sweat.
"I swear, you're going to get me killed one of these days," he complained as he stood straight and stretched.
"Not today at least…" Letting out a relieved sigh, Adrian took a moment to glance at the hall.
As a room meant for a meeting of nobles, everything was exquisite.
The floors were lined with glittering marble tiles that reflected the elaborate ceiling above it.
The chairs had golden frames and royal blue cushions, and were arranged in a sloped format, to ensure each person could see the podium clearly.
It only went to show how affluent KingsGate was.
After all, the only reason they are the richest in the southwest was that they were the most corrupt.
The poverty of the many served to enrich them.
In his brief moment of reflection, Adrian almost did not hear the command from behind him.
"Move!" A stern voice cut through from their back, authoritative and filled with rage.
Without wasting any time, both Adrian and Darrel darted to the side, as a colossal sword came crashing down.