Chapter Text
River dug their blade a little harder into the girl's back, making her flinch.
"Leave her alone!" the troll snapped. He tried to take a step forward, but another guard grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"Don't try anything stupid." The guard said, squeezing the troll's arm tight enough to make him squirm.
"What do you want?" The girl said, voice quiet and calm.
River just sneered at the back of the girl's head. They couldn't wait to get this over with.
It was an honor to be chosen by both Kon and his majesty to go on this assignment. After all, considering their complicated past, they were lucky to even have a place among the king's knights at all.
It took the king a while to trust them, but once he did, they had never lost the king's favor. And this would certainly be no exception. If the king wanted this girl dead, then they would make sure she died. It was their only way to make up for the sins of their father.
River looked up at the last two available guards. "The troll said there was one more. Go find them."
With a nod, the pair walked off into the woods, searching for the last member of their clan.
"Now-"
"You didn't answer my question," the troll said. "What do you want?"
River rolled their eyes. It looked like the troll wouldn't shut up unless they answered his questions.
"This woman is a threat to the kingdom," they said, poking the girl with their blade once again.
"How?" She said. "I've lived a secluded life with my mother all these years. I have never done anything to harm the king or his kingdom."
River paused. If they were being honest, they weren't really sure why the king wanted this woman dead so badly. Kon didn't seem to know either, and River was not one to ask his king questions. Whatever he wanted, that's what he would get. That was all there was to it.
That being said, they'd be lying if they said they weren't curious. After all, if he really needed her dead by the week's end, why did he wait so long to tell them?
"It doesn't matter," River said. "I have orders from the king."
"Orders to do what?" The troll asked.
"Find the belching woman and her accomplices."
"And then what?"
"Take the accomplices to the king so that he can pass judgment."
"And what about me?" The woman said, still as quiet as before.
River just shrugged. "The king wants you dead."
With those words, the troll began to writhe under the knight's grip. "No! I won't let you!"
River rolled their eyes, "Shut him up, will you, Sir Kanath?"
With that, their fellow knight lifted his sword and slammed the end of it into the troll's skull. Immediately, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he fell limp to the floor.
"Arrach!" The woman cried, but when she tried to run towards him, River just grabbed her hand.
"Not so fast, young lady, we still have business to take care of."
She struggled, but River was strong, and it only took one hand to keep her restrained.
"Do what you want with me!" She cried. "But just leave my friends alone!"
"Oh, but you should consider yourself lucky." Kanath said. "Now your friend won't have to see you-"
"Found him!"
River looked up to see the two other guards walking up to them, lifting the gnome off the ground with one arm each as he struggled.
"Robin!" The gnome cried. "Robin, what's happening?"
"It's okay, Runt." The woman, Robin, said, her voice shaking. "You might want to turn away for now."
"Why?" Runt said. "What are they doing?"
River placed their hand on Robin's shoulder. "What we came here to do."
With that, they pulled on her shoulder, forcing her to turn around, and held their sword up to her throat. One movement, and it would all be over.
This was their great task. This was what they needed to do in order to fully remove the shame from their family. They just had to do it.
But they looked into her eyes. They looked into her eyes, and all they could find was fear. Fear and innocence and youth. In fact, she couldn't have been that much younger than them.
River didn't know why the king asked them to kill this girl.
"What are you waiting for, Knight River?" Kanath cried. "Finish her!"
Their sword was shaking in their grip, and they could feel their chest tighten and tears prick their eyes.
They thought they were strong enough to do it. But, as they looked into the eyes of this innocent girl, they realized they weren't strong enough.
They dropped their sword.
"River?" One of the other knights said. River couldn't even remember their name.
"No," Kanath said, walking away from Arrach's limp body. "If you're not strong enough to kill her, I will."
"Kill?" The gnome said from his spot lifted in the air. "Not on my watch!" He turned to Robin. "Cover your nose, Robin!"
River squinted at the gnome. "What are you-"
They were interrupted by what sounded like a thousand whips striking at once, and they were blown off their feet by a burst of wind that seemed to come out of nowhere. The sound proceeded to surround them long after they landed, so they covered their ears to try to protect themselves from the onslaught of noise.
River looked up to see the two guards that were originally holding onto the gnome were now scattered like they were, and the gnome was now standing, one leg lifted as his face turned cherry red in concentration.
Wait. Was that gnome...
They didn't have time to think about it, because just then, the noise stopped, and River carefully removed the hands from their ears.
"What was that?" they said to their fellow knights.
None of them had time to answer, though, because just then a smell hit them. And it was unlike anything they had ever smelled before.
River didn't know if they could properly describe it. It was like laying in a pile of manure created by every palace mare and stallion at once during midday, with the sun baking it and raising its stink to the high heavens.
River couldn't take it.
After just one whiff, the world became black around them, and they hit the forest floor, out cold.