Rules Are Meant to Be Broken

[Acalewia]

Before long, they could hear the panicked shouts and screams of the servants. The locks on the doors rattled. No turning back now. The intruders began to ram the doors.
"Are you with me?" Anoura asked. A chorus of "Aye"s answered.
"To the death," Leah answered as she nocked an arrow. Anoura reached her hand out and encased each soldier within their own wall of Protection that would not hinder them from fighting, but would prevent the enemies' blow from finding their marks. The door shuddered. Curses and shouts from the other side. She shed the Robe of the Queenship and tossed it upon the Throne. Leah raised a brow when she saw the simple belt of knives Anoura wore. Reaching behind her, the warrior Queen unsheathed three knives. The soldiers drew their swords. Shudder. Creak. Crack. Leah drew the string as taunt as it would go. Shudder. Creak. Crack. Anoura stance shouted experience. The door shattered. Three knives and an arrow hit their marks. Leah quickly drew another arrow. Some of the intruders seemed to be confused as their blows didn't fell Anoura's soldiers. Then all hell broke loose.
One of the men managed to slip past the soldiers.
"You're mine!" he growled. Anoura drew two of her longer knives.
"Bring it, 'Asa'! Or are you going to stand there like a scared little girl?" Asa brought his sword down, but was surprised at how swiftly Anoura blocked and was able to land a blow of her own.
"Lucky blow,"
"I think not, Nerim," He laughed.
"You discovered too late. Your General is dead. You will die by the time this day is over!" Crossing her knives, Anoura blocked another blow and held it there. Narim pushed, trying to make her yield. Anoura pushed back. He was counting on his gender to defeat her, but he did not know she was more warrior than he. Using the power of the Pendent, she pushed him nearly across the room. Narim blinked.
"You're one of the Witches of Witchwood!"
"Greenwood. And we prefer another name,"

During the fighting, no one saw a hidden trapdoor behind the Throne open and two men emerge from it. One was a fairly large and muscular man who looked as if he had spent a few nights on a battlefield. He was bruised and bloodied. His shirt was tattered and hung open, revealing scars cris-crossing his chest and stomach. The second was much cleaner than his companion and looked to be older. He held a strung bow and was both shorter and smaller. The first man gave a signal and the two parted. He drew his sword and tossed the belt and sheath aside. The second joined Leah, who only raised a brow at him.

[Acalewia]

Narim lunged at Anoura, bringing his sword around. To both their surprises, another sword blocked the blow. Narim blinked.
"You're dead,"
"Really? I didn't notice. My brother thought the same," A bruised and bloodied, not to mention highly pissed, Claudious said as he forced Narim back. "He was dead wrong. And so are you," Anoura noticed he was holding own sword. She also noticed it was in his left hand. Narim noticed this as well. He smirked.
"I didn't realize you were left handed, General," Claudious had a dangerous look in his eyes.
"I'm not," he said, bringing his sword around and slashing Narim's sword arm. Narim clutched his arm and glared at the General. The next instant, he tackled Claudious. His sword slid out of reach.
"Not as fast as you thought, now are you?" He pressed the edge of his sword against Claudious' throat. He hesitated when a small smile came across Claudious' face. A moment later, a knife was embedded in Narim's ribs.
"You're not as smart as you think," Anoura hissed in his ear.
"Wench!" Anoura trotted back as he scrambled up and plucked the knife from his side. He turned and threw it at the Queen, who expertly caught it in mid-air. Claudious retrieved his sword.
"That wasn't nice," Narim was clutching his side as Anoura approached him. "Did you really think I would give up without a fight?" Her voice took on a dangerous tone.
"No Queen has ever fought herself,"
"I am not every Queen," Claudious' blade came through Narim's chest as Anoura blade found his lower stomach. The blades withdrew as Narim fell, his face showing his shock.
"Marcus was behind this," Anoura gave Claudious a puzzled look. He squatted next to Narim's lifeless body and tore open his shirt. On the right side of his chest was the Panther and Falcon. "I realized too late he had planed this before his death," Claudious stood as an equally bruised and bloodied La'Rynn entered the room with several soldiers. He staggered a bit as he bowed with fist to chest.
"The uprising has been crushed, Highness,"
"Good," La'Rynn turned and signed for the soldiers to behind him to start cleaning up the Throne Room. Anoura turned and embraced Claudious. His sword clattered on the stone floor. He reached up and stroked her brown hair.
"It's over, Anoura," he whispered in her ear.
"Forgive me," she whispered.
"You have done nothing to need to be forgiven for. You did exactly what I hoped you would do. I did not want you to give up the throne for me. I would rather have died," Anoura looked up and gently touched the massive bruise on the right side of his face. Claudious winced slightly.
"How did you escape?" he smiled.
"I had help," He jerked his head toward the Throne. She turned and frowned. The man with the bow was leaning on his weapon and giving the Queen a sheepish grin. Anoura sighed.
"I thought I told you to get to safety, Tobias,"
"You did,"
"Then why didn't you?"
"Well, you never asked if I could use a bow. I went to my rooms and got it. Then I thought 'where is the last place anyone would look for Claudious and La'Rynn?'" Anoura remembered the stone room.
"You're kidding! Narim had them in the hidden cell?"
"Exactly. The cell in the lowest reaches of the dungeons where the Queen's of the past held prisoners she did not wish for the people to know about,"
"Tobias took out every guard Narim had left us,"
"Starting with the one about to give Claudious a soldier's death," Tobias smirked. "It was Claudious, though, that remembered the hidden trapdoor behind the throne,"
"You have been the Queen's advisor for over twenty five years, Tobias," Anoura started. "When did you learn the bow?" In response, Tobias shrugged off his coat and freed his right arm from his shirt. Anoura was surprised to see a few faint scars and the Panther and Falcon on his bicep.
"Does every Bandit have the Panther and Falcon tattooed on their body?" she sighed.
"Yes," Tobias buttoned his shirt. "Although it is the leaders and their children that wear their sigil as well," Leah's eyes widened when he looked straight at Claudious. "With your father and brother dead, that makes you their leader," Claudious shook his head.
"I'm no longer a bandit," Anoura traced one of Claudious' scars. He lifted her chin.
"I love you," he whispered.
"We are going to have to do something about those bloody Rules," Tobias commented. Anoura smiled mischievously.
"Rules are meant to be broken," she said as hers and Claudious' lips met in a passionate kiss.