It was past midnight, probably around 2 in the morning, when Lyra suddenly woke up. She usually kept her "Search" magic running even as she slept, to scan for hostile entities that might get within 30 meters from her. And right now, her "Search" magic was pinging wildly, waking her up. She didn't move, not yet, but slowly opened her eyes. She checked the mini-map which came with the search function, and realized there were a handful of red dots moving in the outside corridor which linked all rooms together.
She heard the soft clinking of the lock to her door, as someone picked it, and the eventually "Click" when the door was unlocked. She considered waking Helena, but decided against it. Didn't want to spook her enemy just yet. In the darkness, she saw the door slowly sliding open, and a masked man clad in black stepping inside in absolute silence. He moved towards the other bed first, looked down, then stepped back. Seems Helena wasn't the target. She herself likely wasn't the target either. They only had 2 rooms on this floor. One belonging to her and Helena, the other to the Knight-Captain and his Highness the Prince. If she had to guess, these were assassins who were after his Highness, but they didn't know which of the two rooms he was in. So they sent someone into the first room first, to confirm if the target was there or not. If he was, then they'd all enter and attempt to kill him. If he wasn't, then the "Scout" would leave silently, and they'd all then progress to the next room.
She closed her eyes when the masked man approached her bed, and breathed steadily. She wasn't afraid. She was certain he wouldn't attack her, but even if he did, she was equally certain she could react in time. But like she had guessed, the man took a step back and silently slid out of the room. However, Lyra couldn't just do nothing. So, the moment the door closed, she slipped her feet over the edge of the bed and stepped down. She wore nothing but a tight-fitting nightgown she had borrowed from Lady Helena, but it was not like she needed a uniform to act. Silently she padded over to the door, hand on the door handle. She took a deep breath, cast "Mage-Armor[1]" on herself, and then swung the door open!
In the dark corridor, she spotted the five would-be assassins, four standing guard, and one busy picking the lock to the room next to hers. She didn't waste any time at all, as she shouted: "Cone of Cold![2]" and held her hand out, channeling her magic. In an instant, a sharp and cold wind blasted through the corridor, cold enough to almost instantly create a thick sheet of ice over every surface, including the 5 assassins. So cold was it in fact, that the wooden floor and wall seemed to splinter and groan, and a white mist now rolled along the floor. And the Assassins, well they were now frozen solid before they had even had time to react. However, a bigger issue was that 4 of them seemed to have died instantly from the spell, as they vanished from the "Search" spell. The Cone of Cold did 100 frost dmg + spellpower, and her spellpower was based on her intellect stat, which was 1674. Her spellpower was half of that, meaning supposedly her Cone of Cold did 100 + 837, which was nearly 1000 dmg. Then of course you need to count magic resistances and armor with enchantments and so on, but turns out this was still lethal for all but one assassin. She cursed a bit under her breath, as she had actually not meant to kill them.
Moments later, Helena burst out from the room behind Lyra, and not long after both Prince Henry and Knight-Captain James tackled their door open, in nothing but their underwear, swords in hand. "Sh- that's really cold! Lady Lyra did you do this?" Knight-Captain James called out.
-"Yeah. Sorry, I did not think it would be this powerful. I only meant to immobilize them." Lyra responded. The Assassins still remained pressed to the wall, frozen in place, covered by a thick sheet of frost and ice, their skin deathly white. Except for one, who still held a little bit of color. But his HP was dangerously low, Lyra saw using her "Inspect" spell. She pointed at him, adding: "That one's alive though. Barely."
"Honestly, good job Lady Lyra. We owe you one." Prince Henry said, as Helena approached the assassin who was still alive. Using a bit of fire, she quickly thawed him out, a large pool of water forming in the corridor before the dark clad assassin fell haplessly towards the ground. But the Knight-Captain caught him, holding him steady.
"Damn, he is colder than an icecube... you really did a number on them Lady Lyra." he remarked her way, sounding more impressed than anything else. However, right there in his arms, the dark clad man bit down on something, only to spasm for a few seconds and then go limp. "Ah shit no no no you don't!" the Knight-Captain began but it was too late. The assassin was now dead, foaming from the mouth.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Knight-Captain.. we likely wouldn't have been able to get any info out of him anyways. This looks like the Assassin's Guild. They are trained to kill themselves should they ever fail a mission." the Prince said, as he eyed the dead assassins. By now, knights from downstairs had come up the stairs, as did the owner of the tavern, awakened by the fighting. Everyone in just their sleepwear, looking barely awake but ready to throw fists all the same. They were all shocked and horrified upon seeing the assassins, still frozen to the walls, but the Prince did not seem surprised. He exchanged a knowing look with Lady Helena the Court-Magus, and his Knight-Captain. They all knew, this was the work of the Empress.
Half an hour later, they were sat inside Lyra's and Helena's room, together with Knight-Captain James and Prince Henry. Meanwhile, the Knights were busy trying to get the assassins down from the wall in the hallway, which was not that easy. The previous half-hour had mostly consisted of the owner of the Tavern throwing himself at Prince Henry's feet and professing that he had nothing to do with this, and to please spare his family. In the end, there was no punishment upon the owner, but they did get the entire stay for free, so that was something.
Lyra felt a bit misplaced at this meeting, but the three insisted that Lyra was now involved since she had been the one to foil the plans of the Assassin's Guild, and thus also the Empress. Naturally, Lyra knew that Prince Henry wanted her to get involved, because he wanted her strength. She wasn't naive nor stupid enough to think otherwise. But in the end, it didn't matter. She'd do what she wanted to do in the end. Currently, she did not mind being involved, and getting more information. It was Prince Henry who spoke first, currently just wearing rather casual clothing. When he wasn't in his imposing golden armor, he looked remarkably normal. Fair skin, short cut blonde hair, blue eyes, and rather handsome features. Not that dissimilar from most of the Knights of the 7th Order.
"Well, I think we all know the Empress is behind this." he said, but added: "But I don't think she knows we've left the Oberon Wilds yet. Most likely, she left a handful of assassins behind in case I'd just pretend to enter the forest and then leave immediately. There is just no way she would have been able to receive word we'd left the forest and then send a kill-order in just one day."
The other two agreed, nodding silently.
"If we ride fast and hard, we might be able to get to the Capital before any information about the Assassin's failure reaches her, which means we might be able to get to her before she can get rid of all the evidence." Lady Helena said, running a hand through her hair, something Lyra had realized she did whenever she was stressed.
"You think all of us should leave on horseback come dawn, Helena?" The Crown Prince asked.
"I think that would be wise. We could make it to the Capital in 3 days, if we ride fast. Two nights. We might be able to catch the Empress red-handed If we're lucky." she answered.
"I agree with the Court-Magus." said the Knight-Captain.
Then, all of them looked to Lyra, which put her off. "I don't really have a horse in this race, so why should my input matter?" she said quietly. She had only agreed to go with these guys, because it seemed a nice way to explore the surroundings, and to learn more about the world. The Prince, ever attentive, sensed her hesitation.
"I know this matter doesn't really concern you, Lady Lyra. But the Assassin's Guild will know who foiled their plans, as will the Empress. They may come to target you. So having your help to resolve this entire issue would be good for everyone involved." he said, looking at her intently.
Lyra sighed. The Prince was half right. She retorted: "You are not entirely wrong, but I dislike being manipulated. You know just as well as I, that the Assassins and Empress quite likely pose no threat to me. It is even doubtful they'd try to go after me, should I distance myself from you. Why would they risk pulling me into the succession battle, if they could just leave me alone and I'd do the same? You are the one who want me involved, and on your side. Isn't that so? At least have the courtesy of being honest with me."
They all stiffened, and the Knight-Captain seemed about to say something harsh, but the Prince lifted his hand, stopping him.
"You're right, Lady Lyra, and I am sorry. I shouldn't have tried manipulating you like that. But... you must understand that I am desperate. Not just for myself, but for everyone who is backing me. Should I fall, everyone who had been loyal to me would be next to disappear. It is thousands of people, Lyra. So even if I wanted to, I can't just stop. I must win. I have no other choice." he said, and Lyra could feel the exhaustion behind his words. She realized, he was only 22 after all. So young, and with such a difficult burden to carry. It reminded her a bit of her past self, the sickly one, who had never had a choice in her life. She was different now, but Prince Henry wasn't. He was just playing with the cards he had been dealt by the hand of fate. She sighed, before speaking:
-"I accept your apology. If you were to win... what would that look like?" she asked, and some hope seemed to return to the Prince's face. He answered quickly:
"I would imprison or exile the Empress. As for my half-brother, it all depends on his involvement with this. But I would ascend the throne, and I would do my best to rule justly, like my father has for many years."
Lyra was quiet for a bit, then eventually shrugged her shoulders. She said: "Well, I did say I'd go to the Capital with you. I can at the very least do that much. Though whether I help you take the throne, that I rather remain indecisive on. I would like to see how things are in the Capital first, before I make any such decisions."
The Prince smiled, a genuine one, and bowed his head, something no royal should ever do, not to anyone. "Thank you, Lyra, I will not forget your kindness."
Which is how it came to be that the three of them left the 7th Knight-Order behind, early that morning. The knights would march to the capital best they could, while the four of them shared the three horses Brightfield Village could spare, and rode towards the Capital. Lyra had to ride with the Prince, because she had never been on a horse before. She would have gone with the Knight-Captain, but since he was still recovering from their duel, they couldn't risk giving him a passenger.
Thus, as the sun caressed the horizon, they sat off towards the Capital, Lyra sitting in front of the Prince as he handled the reigns of the horse, the hooves rapidly drumming against the dusty dirt-road, taking them towards the Capital City...
[1] Mage Armor: Costs 300 mana to cast. The user coats themselves in magic armor, increasing their armor value by an amount equal to their Intelligence stat for 1 hour.
[2] Cone of Cold: Costs 200 mana. Deals 100 Frost-dmg + Spellpower in a cone out from the caster. Also roots the targets to the ground.