[Johannah & Mystic] Thy Kingdom Come

[mystictiger]

It was pathetically easy; her 'royal guard' were perfumed poseurs without any real skill at arms. Their bright white surcoats made them easy targets along the high forest road. Of course, this was meant to be a deliberate provocation, so he'd used arrows that pointed directly to their origin - the Imperial Arsenal. The curved arrow-heads that were now buried in the four royal protectors was clear enough.

That just left the princess - she'd shown spirit as she'd ridden headlong out of his ambush. The ornate bridal gown made it difficult to ride well or fast, but she'd given it her all.

And now, as he continued to ride her down along the Royal Way, he remembered his orders. The Minister had been clear. Take her, hold her, and humiliate her. There needed to be a provocation to war - something that would leave the Kingdom with no choice or no honour. And the King's youngest daughter had been chosen. No measure was too far in the service of the Imperial Crown, no atrocity too severe.

Well, almost no atrocity too severe. He wasn't going to kill the horses.

The princess' own horse wasn't meant for a sustained gallop, and tired quickly. His own horse was lean and bred for the chase, so overtook her easily. He snatched the reins from her hands even as she punched and slapped ineffectually at his black armour.

"Dead or alive, you're coming with me, your highness. You can come quietly, or I can beat you unconscious, try you up, and carry you."

His voice was raspy from too many years of pipe-weed and hard rum. In any other country, he'd never have been made a knight - probably hanged as a criminal. But the Empire needed trust-worthy agents. And calling them knights served to infuriate the kingdom even more.

 

[JohannahCayler]

Princess Serah had been clad in her wedding garb when the men from the opposing kingdom had attacked. Her ladies-in-waiting had been no match for them, but she'd gotten out unscathed. Her old horse Mitte had been trying her best, but she soon heard another horse coming up behind her. "Come on, Mitte!" Serah tried with no avail. The man had pulled up next to her and grabbed the old horse's reigns.

Of course, Serah's first instinct was the hit the man, and that she did. Several times but all to no avail. When he threatened her, the woman stopped. He was almost twice her size and just mean-looking. "My father and fiance will have you killed for this." Serah growled. Were she not as small as she was it might have actually been threatening, but not to him.

 

[mystictiger]

Her words made him laugh despite himself - the idea that the kingdom's over-perfumed dandies could hold a candle or a sword against an Imperial soldier. His laughter was cruel and rendered almost metallic by the full-face mask he was wearing.

"They will, will they? Rather like your bodyguard will protect you? You have but one master now, _Princess_ and that's me."

As if to emphasise his point he reached across and hooked a gloved hand into the front of her corset and ripped down hard. He told himself the purpose of this was to leave more breadcrumbs - more pointers to the Empire's involvement. It had nothing to do with the way her firm brown breast jiggled and bounced. Nothing at all. This was about duty not desire.

He let the handful of delicate silk and other fabrics fall from his grasp and scatter across the roadway. Some would get caught in undergrowth, others would be lost.

"Now, do you have any more objections to your treatment, your majesty?" he said. The cruel grin was evident in the tone of his voice - she'd not even need to see his tattooed face.