The knight fell from his horse like a puppet, and the two maids screamed in fear. Rachel was the first to react, grabbing Mariella's arm, pulling her away before another arrow struck. The two girls dove into the trees, using the vegetation for cover. Rachel continued to lead them deeper into the forest, hearing hurried footsteps in the distance and men's voices. She was extremely scared.
"We'll die! I know it!" Mariella whispered, desperate.
"No! We have to warn the princess! That's what she was worrying about." Rachel gritted her teeth and turned back to see if they had lost their attackers, but an arrow split the bark of the tree trunk near her head, and her blood ran cold. Mariella had stopped screaming, but the adrenaline would have left her shaken for hours, had she survived. Rachel had learned to keep her cool in dangerous situations after nearly being robbed by bandits during one of her carriage rides. Right now, the situation was even worse: she was alone in the middle of nowhere.
"Where's the camp?" Mariella was panting, feeling tired and unable to run. Rachel tightened her grip on her arm, looking ahead: "We aren't very far."
"Will they follow us?"
"I don't know. I don't think so."
Rachel convinced herself that the assassins wouldn't risk approaching where everyone else was, but that didn't mean they shouldn't stop them if they wanted to keep their presence hidden. It was just as they emerged from the woods, behind the crowd of people, that Mariella and Rachel took a moment to breathe. Only then did one of the two maids realize she was wounded, albeit superficially. Rachel had a cut across her cheek, likely caused by the arrow that had been aimed at her head. Just thinking about it made her shiver.
They ran to the princess, and when they saw her sitting next to the throne, accompanied by the court advisor and a guard, they burst into tears of relief. "Princess! We are in danger!" Snow White jumped up and joined her friends, who were clearly frightened: their clothes were ruined by numerous small cuts and were stained with dirt and leaves; Rachel's face was injured. The princess immediately understood the gravity of the situation and signaled the guard to join her immediately.
"Princess, they killed a man! A knight! He was coming here—!"
"Who killed him?"
"We didn't see them…"
The princess turned to the advisor, who was already listening to them, and ordered all the guards to be gathered and the area cleared of civilians as soon as possible; those who couldn't fight should move to safety.
"We need more men. Someone who knows the area. Quickly." The royal guard didn't realize the princess would follow them and quickly gathered the men they were serving. Snow White, meanwhile, had reached the stable and looked for a saddled horse, then ripped off part of her skirt to be able to move more freely. Fortunately, she and the queen had thought of every eventuality: under her skirt she carried a knife she could use to defend herself; sure, it would have been better to wear trousers for riding, but she had to adapt to the situation.
"Princess?!" A young man who was tending the stable saw her take a horse and rushed to help her: "What can I do for you?"
"I'll take this horse. Get to the guards and get to safety." She wasted no time and mounted her horse, grateful for her training for giving her a little more strength than she had previously possessed. She noticed the bow tied to the horse and the arrows: she'd use them, if she needed to.
"Princess, where are you going? You should get to safety! The guards are—"
"I have no intention of standing still while that the citizens and our queen are in danger! Do you dare stop your princess?"
The gathered guards fell silent and took their horses, while the man who had received the princess's initial orders took the lead: "I will lead the way. Stay close to me, Your Highness."
And so they set off for the forest. The knights kept an eye on the surroundings, while the guide followed the participants' tracks. There were noises in the distance, but nothing that indicated a fight. There was no time to determine if any of the participants were traitors, so the only thing they could do was find the queen and bring her to safety as quickly as possible.
Grimilde had seen a majestic deer, of unique beauty. She was following it, paying attention to the surroundings. She had followed and soon lost sight of the other participants. She didn't enjoy killing animals for sport; in her country, it was a senseless and immoral act. What she would do was capture the deer and bring it with her to the ceremony; her goal was to demonstrate that she possessed what a regent needed to rule: power and the ability to control it and not misuse it.
The queen continued to ride through the trees, following a narrow path covered by tall branches that obscured the path. The deer was distant, but its movements could be clearly heard. Grimilde thought she was near a source of water when she heard the rush of a river. Could it be headed this way? the woman thought, slowing her horse's pace. Looking up, she noticed the sky was about to be filled with many gray clouds. Where had they come from?
A flock of birds shook the trees, quickly moving away from the area, as if sensing danger. Grimilde suddenly stopped. Her eyes had caught a glimpse of something hiding among the trees, and just as she drew her sword, an arrow was released from a bow. The horse neighed and began to run, with the queen on its back. For a moment, the blow threw her off balance. Only at the last moment did she manage to grab onto her horse's reins to keep from falling.
The assassins began the chase, clearing a path through the vegetation and producing weapons from nowhere, mounted on horses that had been hidden moments before. She didn't know where they were coming from, but she was certain she would die if she stopped. She gritted her teeth, ignoring the excruciating pain that gripped her shoulder in a grip of fire and blood. She hoped the arrow hadn't been laced with poison, but the risk was very high.
Beads of sweat soaked her forehead, and her eyes barely stayed open, but she couldn't stop, for death awaited her on the ground.