Third Person's POV
"This is the first stop out in the open. From now on, there won't be any more houses or inns." Bira reported Kai as he sat tending to the fire.
"That's fine. It'll give Jai and Heri some more experience." She nodded at his words. "Looks like trouble's here once again." Her face turned cold as she spoke and looked at the dark road. Kai knew who was speaking about. That man had been following them the entire time.
"Older brother!" Lia called out to him as they walked out of the forest. The body of an adult red fox was hauled over her shoulder like it weighed nothing.
"We found a nest but two of them managed to get away." Kai stood up and walked over to the four. "You did good." He took the fox from Lai only to see that it was already skinned and bled. He gave the fox to Ren, his personal servant. "Let's eat this one tonight. The others can be smoked and used for the journey."
"I thought we'd stop a few more times?" Jai asked. "Not anymore." As if on cue, a large carriage and guards showed up. It stopped and the children's good mood soured instantly. The prince stepped out of the carriage.
"Children!" He walked up to them, but Bira stopped him. "You aren't allowed to enter our camp." He glared at her. "A lowly servant. I gave you face because of my wife but don't make me have to get physical."
Bira smirked. "You can try." The prince motioned to the guards and they stepped forward. He stepped back. "Beat her until a bone breaks."
"Why is he suddenly so insistent on coming with us?" Heri asked. "To use us to get in mother's good graces." Kai answered. Lion glanced at him but didn't say anything. Kai felt the look but didn't look at Lion.
"Bira can handle herself. We don't need to watch anymore." Lion finally said as he turned and walked towards his carriage. Kai went back to his spot by the fire and the other three walked over to help season and grill the fox meat.
A few minutes later, Bira walked over and bowed. "Young Master. I've dealt with everything." Kai glanced over and nodded. "Throw them further back." She nodded and walked back over to the men face down in the dirt.
The prince was among them. Bira didn't break any bones, but she beat him until he was unrecognizable. Lion walked over. "How much do you know?" He asked as he sat down next to Kai.
"I knew from the beginning." Kai responded. "Did you tell mother?" Kai shook his head. "There isn't a need to." Lion sighed. "Then you know what it's about?" He asked. "The one thing everyone wants in the end. Power."
"Mother often talks about you when she spends time with me." Lion said. His voice didn't hold any jealously. "She praised your endurance and your quick learning." Kai had tensed when he hears those words. "You don't think I'm taking her away from you?"
"Mother doesn't talk much about people. So that means that you've reached a place in her heart that makes you immovable. As long as you don't betray mother's trust in you and make the right decisions then I will never turn against you. We will always be brothers." Lion looked at Kai.
"You don't have to tell me twice. From the time I truly accepted her as my mother, I was never going back. That's never going to change." Kai smiled.
The two brothers sat by the fire talking and laughing, fully aware of the person looking at them from the darkness. The prince stood, holding onto a tree. "They actually turned their back on their father. Looks like I have to get Poloria sooner than I thought. Otherwise, this would've all been for nothing." He whispered to himself before walking back to his carriage.
Bira stood in the shadows watching him. She looked to her left. "Send the news to Master immediately." A shadow moved and she looked at the prince once more before going back to the camp.
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Two months later
"How can you move so quickly through the shadows?" Heri asked Bira, no longer able to hold back her curiosity "We trained as assassins and using shadows is the quickest way to go uninterrupted and unseen." Heri nodded. "Can I learn? Our Kingdom's assassins don't seem to move like you do."
"If Master thought you were able to, she would've asked you. However, like first miss, you have massive strength, so working in the shadows doesn't suit you much." Heri nodded.
"What weapons can you use?" Bira smiled. "I'm quite flexible with weapons but my preferred weapons are double short swords." Heri tilted her head to the side. "I've never seen you use them." Bira chuckled. "I never had a reason to."
"Alright. Let's pack up and get ready to enter the Capital." Regila is the largest Kingdom of the seven, but it also had a lot of unclaimed land in between towns and cities. The forests were useful for the cities and towns, so they were left as is.
Bira stood up and looked at Kai. "I'll go get water, since we still have a few hours before getting to the gates. I'll be back quickly." Kai nodded and Bira grabbed the water cannisters and left camp.
"Children. I never expected to run into you so close to the gates." The prince said as he walked forward with three times the men from before. Next to him stood a crying Jailin.
Bira stopped walking. "Is something wrong, Captain?" The man that followed her asked. Bira's ears twitched then she heard it again. A scream. "Head back!" She turned and ran back to camp.
"STOP!!" She screamed as she broke through the trees to see the prince swinging his sword down towards Kai. The prince didn't stop and the sword slashed from his shoulder straight across to this stomach.
Bira caught Kai's body as he dropped. The prince dropped the sword. "Shit. I didn't mean to do that. He was supposed to dodge." Bira couldn't focus on him and tried to stop Kai from bleeding out.
Lion and Lia were the most injured after Kai although the wounds were small, it was still a lot. Jailin was holding onto Lia's hand crying silently. Heri's right eye was bruised, and her left hand was broken but she was okay otherwise.
"Thankfully, none of them have internal injuries but Young Master Kai's injuries are far beyond what I can do. We must send the news to Master so she can get here faster." Bira glared at the healer. "You think I don't want to find master? The news is moving too slow. Master is riding Imperial. We don't know how far away she is."
"Well. For now, we must get him into the Capital and into the house. Otherwise, nothing will get better for either of us." Bira nodded. "Let's get the young Masters and young ladies back to the Capital before dawn." She quickly gave orders.
Inside the tent, Kai laid on the bed and smirked.