Your Cousin Aria

"No... I... I tried.... I" She stammers before Aria steps from behind the curtain. The light from the room showing her dressed as a Trading Company Guard.

"Stupid girl.... I paid you well to get Sarah and John in the same room together..." Smiling she adds, "Ensure they reconnect with a little... fun... then allow them to escape out of the rear sewers..." Laughing she adds, "Simple really... He always seemed to have a thing for his sisters..."

"No please... I still can do it... I just have to see Sarah again..." Keerla begs.

"Mmmm with Turid doubling her guard after your stunt.... I think not..." Aria scoffs drawing a blade. “Shame though. It was a good plan… a plan I should have entrusted to someone wiser…”

Looking at the blade, Keerla says softly, “Turid has ordered guards to be put outside my door…”

“I know… but they aren’t here yet…” Aria says with a smile.

“You’ll never escape…” Keerla says nervously, stepping back towards the wall.

Pulling at her guard uniform she smiles, “I think I’ll manage.”

“I… I’ll scream…” She stammers.

“No, you won’t….” Aria responds before lunging forward, covering her mouth before attacking her silently. Pausing as she hears a commotion outside.

“Looks like I’ll need to do this my way…” Aria scoffs as Keerla crawls away on the floor. She tosses the dagger into the corner, unable to finish the deed with the approaching guards... She turns and heads out the door, noticing three guards moving towards her.

She quickly reacts, drawing her sword and running to them.

When they approach, the guards look at her with surprise, her sleeves stained with blood.

“You fucking idiots you let him right past you!” She screams.

“What?! Who…?” The lead guard asks with confusion.

“The man who just killed Keerla you idiots! After them!” She shouts, two of the guards turn to look behind them, enabling her to run up the third, dispatching him before he can draw his sword.

The others turn and draw their swords but one is cut down and the other strikes at her, Aria parrying his blows with her father’s precision and drives her sword into his side.

As the other guards shouts echo down the halls and the alarm bells sound, she continues on towards the barracks. Hastening as she hears a guard shout behind her, “He went that way!!!”

Captain Turid, surprised at the sudden alarm bells, arms himself and makes his way towards the barracks. A guard running up to him, he shouts, "Report!"

Catching his breath he says, “Captain… we have an intruder! He’s wounded Keerla pretty bad and killed 3 guards already…”

“Double the guard on the walls and seal the gates, I want him found!” He snarls, running down the hallway. Shouting as he turns the coroner, “Send out our scouts in case he gets away.”

“Yes Captain!” He responds, scurrying off to pass the message. Clapping his hands Turid shouts, “Lets go! Five gold pieces to the one who brings me his head!”

Aria hides behind a doorway, watching as a group of guards run past her before she runs up behind them. Cleverly slipping into the mass of panicked and confused guards. As she leaves the barracks, she heads towards the stables and meets her scouts dressed as Company Cavalry. Tossing her a riding helmet, one of her men asks softly,

“No John ?”

“Next time…” Aria replies confidently.

“Well at least their scouts won’t be following us…” He adds with a smirk.

“Good work…” Aria says with a smile, her eyes wandering to the blood on his tunic. She slides on the helmet and mounts her horse, her group riding to the gates.

“Cavalry coming through! Hold the gate!!!” The sergeant at the gate shouts, waving them through before closing the gates behind them. Aria’s party quickly escaping into the darkness.